//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Descent // Story: Sunset Past the Horizon // by Ponealone //------------------------------// The air was still and the sky was grey. While the roads and sidewalks were kept relatively clear of precipitation, the area surrounding sweet apple acres had white up to Applebloom's knees. “Why are we headed to the tree house today? My socks are getting wet,” Scootaloo asked. “Why shouldn't we be in the tree house? It's our secret base!” Applebloom replied. “I guess that makes sense, but I can't stay too long. I gotta go home and do my homework soon.” Scootaloo said. “Hey… girls?” Sweetie Belle yawned and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah? What's up Sweetie Belle?” “Have Applejack and Rainbow Dash been doing okay recently? Because it seems like Rarity was arguing with them for the whole break.” Sweetie Belle stared down at the snow. “It's just a disagreement. I'm sure they'll get over it eventually,” Scootaloo said. “Ah agree, it should all blow over soon,” Applebloom said, climbing up the ramp into the tree house. “I'm not so sure about tha— whoa!” Sweetie Belle wobbled on some ice frozen to the planks, but regained her balance. “I mean, they're all still arguing about Sunset. Did you know that Fluttershy hasn't spoken to any of them in like, weeks?” She took a seat on one of the wooden clubhouse chairs. “That's just Fluttershy, she normally doesn't talk much,” Scootaloo said, taking a seat opposite of Sweetie Belle. “Yeah, I mean Sunset is gone now so what do they have left to argue about?” Applebloom sat down completing the triangle. “Girls, I-I think we should come clean.” Sweetie Belle confessed. “WHAT!?” the other two shouted in unison. “N-no way are we doing that. We're taking this one to the grave, you hear?” Applebloom said. “Yeah! We already got away with it, and since Sunset is gone we don't have to post anything else on the Anon-a-miss page. Just let it go.” Scootaloo added. Sweetie Belle shifted in her seat. “I-I can't. The guilt is killing me, every time Rarity screams or cries about her friends I feel like I wanna puke. Guys, it's our fault that the people we care about are suffering and we can still make things right. And what about Sunset? We ruined her whole life. I keep having nightmares about her.” She yawned. “In my dream she told me to 'enjoy the rest of your break' and then I just hear my sister arguing and crying for the rest of the night.” “I-I'm sorry, I had no idea.” Scootaloo said. “I have dreams like that too, but we still can't. My sis is gonna disown me if she ever finds out about this.” Applebloom leaned back in her chair and exhaled. “Sorry girls, I can’t do this anymore. I gotta go home and tell Rarity.” Sweetie Belle stood up and headed for the exit ramp. “WHAT!? NO! YOU CAN'T!” Applebloom jumped up in a panic and grabbed Sweetie Belle by her wrist, as Scootaloo blocked the exit with her body. “Let me go! I have to do this!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “NO!” The girls all wrestled with each other until Sweetie Belle was restrained to a chair. Applebloom tightened the rope on the back of the chair and around Sweetie Belle's ankles completely immobilizing her. “What are you girls doing? Untie me!” Sweetie Belle screamed. “HELP! SOMEBODY!” Scootaloo grabbed a roll of duct tape from the arts and crafts cabinet and gagged Sweetie Belle's screams with it. The girl looked up from her bondage with hatred. “Oh no, what are we going to do now?” Applebloom said, gripping the sides of her head. “We can't keep her like this forever!” Scootaloo paced around the room. “Um, we can just keep her like this fer now while we buy time an figure out what we're gonna do. Scoots, can you run to the store and get us all some snacks? I think we might be here a while figuring this out,” Applebloom said. “Alright, I'll be back as soon as I can.” Scootaloo dashed out the door and down the street. “Now then, um… Sweetie Belle?” “MMPH!” Sweetie Belle grunted and stared venomously. “Are ya sure you want to rat us all out?” Applebloom asked, Sweetie Belle nodded. “Uh, well… gosh darn it… think Applebloom think…” Applebloom paced around the room and stared out the window hoping for some inspiration when she heard the squeak of wood scraping against wood and some thumping. Her head spun around and she saw Sweetie Belle jumping towards the exit with a chair tied to her back and her ankles bound together. “Hey! Get back ere!” Applebloom shouted, chasing after her escaping prisoner. Applebloom watched Sweetie Belle make it to the start of the ramp before she watched the girl slip to the right. CRACK. “S-Sweetie Belle? Are you okay?” Applebloom cautiously peered over the edge of the ramp and saw her friend laying motionless in the snow. She hastily made her way down the ramp to get a closer look. “Sweetie Belle! Say somthin! Please!” She shook her limp friend revealing a bloody wound on the side of her head. Sweetie Belle's head must have struck the root at the base of the tree when she fell from the ramp. Applebloom began sobbing and hyperventilating. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh I killed her!” She untied the rope and pulled Sweetie Belle into her arms. “Sweetie Belle! Please wake up! Please! SWEETIE BELLE!” Tears fell onto Sweetie Belle's face mixing into the trickles of blood running from the gash above her right eyebrow and into the creases of the duct tape still around her mouth. Applebloom's heart was beating out of her chest as a million thoughts raced through her mind, none of them coherent. However she knew that she had to do something, and that first something that came to mind was to continue doing what she had been doing all along, hiding the truth. Applebloom carried the chair and the rope back up to the tree house and arranged it to look like Sweetie Belle escaped. She ran back down and lifted Sweetie Belle several yards further into the apple orchard plopping her down at what she deemed to be a discreet enough location. Applebloom then dug a child sized hole with her hands and rolled her friend into the hole face up. She packed some snow on top so the girl was hidden. She finished by smoothing the surface with the flat side of a nearby snow shovel that she was too shocked to notice earlier. After carefully retracing her steps and obfuscating them with the shovel she returned to the tree and buried the bloody spot on the tree with snow. After the whole ordeal, she returned to the tree house, collapsed to the floor on her side, and broke down crying. She knew what she was doing was wrong, her own actions made her sick, but she was in too deep to turn back. Not ten minutes have passed when Scootaloo returned. “Hey, Applebloom I got th… where's Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo dropped her plastic shopping bags on the floor of the clubhouse sending snacks tumbling out. “She escaped.” Applebloom managed to lie between her sobs. “You let her escape!? We're done for.” Scootaloo sank to her knees. “Hey, quit crying, you're going to make me cry.” Scootaloo's eyes watered. “We should go look for her. I bet she went home. Come on, Applebloom lets go.” Scootaloo rubbed her eyes, stood up and ran off in the direction of Sweetie Belle's house. Applebloom climbed up onto her hands and knees and wiped her face on her sleeve. She lumbered up onto her feet and slogged after Scootaloo.