Silent Ponyville: The Madness of Men

by Silverstreak

Sweet Dreams

Rainbow Dash landed outside her cloud house a few hours after Luna had raised the moon. With her hooves sinking a few inches deeper into the cloud, Rainbow confirmed that she had eaten more than her fair share of rock candy, and hoped to never see one as long as she lived. Not that she wasn't friends with Maud, even though Rainbow's friendship with Pinkie's older sister was just based off of their love for Pinkie. It's just that Pinkie Pie got carried away again by Maud's arrival, that she spent the whole night before making rock candy. Rainbow Dash walked to the front door, her belly swaying with her hooves. As she raised her hoof to the door, a presence emanated from behind Rainbow, she twisted her head to see if anypony was behind her. Only Luna's night sky greeted Rainbow's gaze. Rainbow lowered her hoof back down to the cloud, something wasn't right here.

"Hello?"

A cool breeze picked up as Rainbow Dash continued to stare into the night sky, looking for the source of the strange presence. As Rainbow continued to look she noticed that the stars seemed to be getter smaller and darker. A quick shake of her head, and the stars returned to their original light. Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself. Silly you're just tired that's all. Rainbow Dash turned around and went through the doors of her cloud house. Wasting no more time, Rainbow Dash flopped onto her bed, closed her eyes, and fell asleep, or she attempted to.
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Twilight awoke to a bone chilling sensation. The balcony doors were closed, all the windows were locked, and Twilight was snuggled within her blankets, but she felt as if she was in the artic during a snow storm. Twilights teeth clattered together as she attempted to yell for Spike, when a figure made up of shadow morphed in her bedroom. Green and scarlet red dragon eyes stared down upon Twilight as she continued to shiver violently. Sombra's head morphed from the shadow, his eyes never leaving Twilights.

"He must die."

Sombra's eyes morphed together, his head disappeared back into the shadow.

"He must die."

A pony stood in the middle of those green eyes. As the room was soon consumed by them the stallion that got off the train with Maud appeared.

"He must die."

Sombra sounded strained, as if he was using the last of his life to say those three words.

"He must die!"

The green light disappeared instantly, causing Twilight to be blind for a few moments. After Twilight's sight returned, the warmth of the room didn't. Twilight laid there shivering violently as Spike snored in his basket, oblivious to Twilight's clattering teeth, and squeak of the bed.
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Tossing and turning for quite some time, Rainbow Dash finally got up to check the time. 11:17 Rainbow Dash wanted to throw her alarm clock out the window. No way it had only been ten minutes since she got into bed. Rainbow flopped her hooves on the floor to start looking for something to help her sleep, only she couldn't move. Upon examining that her hooves were up to her knees in the cloud, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings attempting to get out of the cloud, but her wings didn't do anything they just flapped up and down repeatedly. A laugh caused Rainbow Dash to stop flapping, a figure was across the room sitting on their rump lighting a match and throwing it into the fire place. Light filled the room instantly allowing Rainbow Dash to see the figure as, a Shadowbolt! Rainbow Dash barley remembered the encounter she had with them, or Nightmare as Twilight explained. The dark purple and black outfit perfectly matched that of the Wonderbolts. The Shadowbolt turned and faced Rainbow Dash, causing her jaw to drop. Rainbow Dash was staring at Rainbow Dash.

"I...wha...huh...?"

Shadow Dash walked towards Rainbow Dash, laughing as she did.

"Surprised to see me Rainbow? Well you should be after locking me away for all those years."

Rainbow Dash sank lower into the cloud, her belly just above it.

"What's happening!"

Shadow Dash laughed and pushed Rainbow Dash lower into the cloud. A flickering light emanated from the stair case.

"Well Rainbow, I've been given the chance to finally run the show. That what's happening!"

Shadow Dash pushed a little more on Rainbow's head.

"What show?"

Shadow Dash smiled as Rainbow's fear started to take over.

"Well you'll find out soon enough, just don't die before it happens."

"Wait!"

Shadow Dash laughed as an alicorn appeared from the stair case. It's white coat was coated in a dark red dripping from it's mane. It's wings were bent and broken, but they moved in a natural way. It's sky blue eyes were blood shot, with an endless hunger gaze upon them. It's horn was long ago broken, and it's mouth split into four different jaws. Shadow Dash forced Rainbow Dash into the cloud, her laughter silenced by the cloud. The alicorn popped it's head through the cloud, shrieking a blood churning sound as Rainbow Dash fell through the cloud, watching as it slowly sank into the darkness. Rainbow Dash opened her wings attempting to stop herself, but to no effect. Unable to stop or twist herself, Rainbow just screamed as her wings flapped uselessly as she fell towards the ground.
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Applejack sat with the lamp on checking the to do list from yesterday for the fifteenth time. Every square had a check mark in it. The leak was fixed, the apple buckets were clean, the fence fixed, the rotten apples given to the pigs, granny's chair fixed, Apple Bloom's homework was finished, etc, etc. Applejack smacked her head into the table, unable to figure out why she couldn't sleep. Did she forget something that Big Mac finished? Applejack picked herself up and moved to Big Mac's room. After waiting a few moments after knocking Applejack opened the door.

"Big Mac, sorry for bothering ya, but I just needed to ask..."

Big Mac's room was empty, except for the furniture, which had plastic wrapping all over it. Dust covered the floor a good few inches as Applejack could clearly see her hoof prints on the floor. A chill ran through Applejack's spine, she ran towards Apple Bloom's room. Empty, but the furniture had been moved, tossed and flipped, with some marks on the floor and walls. Only the closet remained in place. Granny Smith's room faired just about the same as Big Mac's. Applejack searched every inch of the house, looking for any sign of her family, she attempted to go outside, but every door was locked, and the windows blocked. After a quick panic attack, Applejack was in her room grapping her rope, saddlebag, and hat. A few deep breath's to help calm her nerves, and Applejack was ready.
After an inspection of Apple Bloom's room, Applejack flopped her flank on the floor finding no clues as to the whereabouts of her family, except that what ever happened here, happened in her sleep. Tick Applejack's ears flickered at the noise. Tick Applejack twisted her head to stare at Apple Bloom's closet. Tick Applejack opened the closet door to reveal a long walkway made of metal that appeared to be rusted completely through. Water fell on both sides of the walkway, falling into a black abyss. Hope refueled, but fear overwhelming, Applejack cautiously placed hoof after hoof on the walkway. It creaked and moaned, but held her weight. A deep sense of forbidding crawled through Applejack's skin with each step she took. As the door slammed shut behind her, Applejack pressed forward, her missing family her only concern.
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Rarity put the design for Sapphire Shores back onto the table, but something still felt off. She'd checked the whole boutique searching for anything she forgot to do, or well what Sweetie forgot to do since Rarity had shut herself in her room to just work on Sapphire's dress. Nothing had seemed out of place, the curtains were fine, the furniture still in one piece, the kitchen wasn't burnt to the ground. Everything was in order, and that seemed to concern Rarity more than she thought. Rarity stood up and walked to her bedroom door, one little peek on Sweetie Belle and Rarity would feel better, she hoped. Rarity's magic aura wrapped the handle, Rarity gave a little push to open the door, and it pushed back. The door remained shut as Rarity forced even harder, pushed with her hooves, and attempted knocking.

"Sweetie Belle! Open the door this instance."

Rarity stood glaring at the door as if it would sweat and move out of her way. It didn't. After a few minutes of Rarity standing in the hallway, she finally left to go get the keys from her room, though Rarity was still surprised that Sweetie Belle would... Thud...Rarity twisted as the sound of something slamming into something came from Sweetie's room.

"Sweetie Belle?"

Did she attempt to jump out the window? Rarity kicked opened the door. Maybe she was attempting something crusading. The smell of something rotten punched Rarity's nose causing her to nearly vomit. A body laid on the floor next to a table, all of Sweetie's furniture having been magically replaced. Rarity slowly approached the body, the room being lit only by Rarity's horn not being very friendly.

"Sweetie....OH SWEET CELESTIA!!!"

Rarity turned the body to face her to find it's head completely caved in, and blood turned into a pool. Rarity sped backwards, attempting to run, when glitter on the table caught her attention. A piece of paper with sapphire gems surrounding two ponies. Rarity turned to leave, but a peg of something forced her to stop and look at the table again. Rarity didn't know why, she moved towards the table careful not to touch the body, picked up the paper and ran from the room. After safely securing her door, Rarity looked at the paper, it was the first picture that Sweetie drew when their parents left for their trip. The sapphire heart surrounding her and Sweetie Belle, but Rarity remembered putting it up in her room...her mind flashed back to the body, the blood, tears started to flow from Rarity's eyes.

"Sweetie Belle?"
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Fluttershy scanned through the window into the foggy day, her heart heavy with sadness for her friends. Discord came up behind her with a plate full of butterfly shaped cookies.

"No thanks, Discord."

"Fluttershy it's been hours since I arrived and you haven't eaten a thing."

"I'm sorry for making you worried, but..."

"No need to apologize," Discord spun the plate on his finger, "I'm sure you have a lot on your mind."

Flutteyshy watched as the plate spun it's way back into the kitchen, crashing into the other attempts made by Discord.

"I just hope their alright."

"Well that will depend on them."

"Can't you help them Discord? Like how you're helping me?"

Fluttershy looked up into Discords eyes, making the best puppy dog face she could. Discord picked Fluttershy up by her tail, lifted her up to his face.

"I can't."

Fluttershy crossed her hooves and began to stare Discord down.

"What? I told why I can't, I even showed you exactly why."

Fluttershy slowly closed her eye lids. Discord put Fluttershy back down on the couch and turned her to face the window, and left the room. Fluttershy continued to stare out the window, muttering over Discords explanation.
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Pinkie Pie hated when she had this nightmare. A room made of mirrors and in all her reflections, Pinkamena her sad alter ego. Pinkie didn't have a problem with her full name, but it just reminded her of a very sad time. So Pinkie fought this nightmare by making up songs and dance moves. Pinkiamena moved as Pinkie did, only with flat mane and tail, half closed eyes, and a sad presence about her. Pinkie sat on her haunch's trying to solve the puzzling puzzle of rhyming orange with something.

"Psss, hey Pinkie."

"What!"

Pinkie tilted her head backwards to see who was there. A hoof wrapped around Pinkie's neck, pulling backwards, and squeezing the air out of Pinkie's neck. Pinkamena brought her face to Pinkie's ear, and whispered.

"Surprise."