The Origin Chronicles Vol. 2

by SmokeShadow95

Ch.5 Dangerous Visitations

The Previous Day

“Tell me again: Why are we in Appleloosa,” Rainbow Dash asked.

“For the last time Dash, we are here because Spike asked us to come here. He believes that he can find something here to help with his new mission that was given to him by Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance and Princess Luna all at once,” Twilight replied.

“Right,” Dash responded, “And when is he supposed to get here?”

“Tomorrow. He will be on the train tomorrow,” Twilight said.

“It'd be faster if he used those wings of his and flew here,” Rainbow Dash said.

“ENOUGH!”

The Alicorn Princess and the Pegasus both looked back at the annoyed looking Earth Pony headed there way. Applejack's eyes were locked on them. Rainbow Dash put her hooves on the ground because she knew Applejack's would just lasso her if she didn't.

“You two have been bickerin' back and forth at each other ever since we left. I'm sick and tired of it,” Applejack shouted, “This ain't about you Rainbow Dash, or you Twilight Sparkle. Heck, this ain't even about Spike. We're here to help him find a way to cure this Madness. You know, the one that got that Fluttershy's bear friend. Thank heavens he was able to cure him, but he also lost the only thing that even stood a chance at curing anypony else! So we are here to help him help all the ponies of Equestria. Is that understood?!”

“Yes, Applejack,” Twilight said, “I'm sorry I lost sight of that for a while.”

“Yeah, me too,” Dash said, “Sorry Applejack.”

“I'm sorry to. I shouldn't have snapped at y'all like that,” Applejack said, “Especially to a princess. Sorry Twi.”

“Don't be, Applejack. Sometimes it takes a good friend yelling at you to snap you back to reality,” Twilight said.

The friends all made up and then made their way into Appleloosa. They all met up with Applejack's cousin Braeburn. He was an Appleloosa native and had been helping them around since the first time they were there. Ever since Twilight became a princess he had been extra nice and going out of his way to make sure they were all comfortable. No matter how much Twilight said she didn't want it there was not talking him out of it. Apple Family stubbornness, Applejack called it. They all had it.

He showed them all to the brand new inn that was just built in town. It had been completed just a week earlier. In fact Twilight and her friends were going to be the first ponies to stay there. Braeburn said that having the inn open with a princess staying there was just the kind of thing a small town like Appleloosa needed. When they all finally got inside they could not disagree. It was a very nice inn. Rarity was so entranced by the sheer beauty of it that she almost started drooling.

Braeburn led them up to what he called the Royalty Wing of the inn. Each pony got her own room with all the amenities. Rarity decided right then to stay in her room. Apparently, the whole place had given her some inspiration for a new line of fashion. The others all stood in the lobby as they tried to figure out an answer to an age old question: Now what?

“Okay. So Rarity can keep herself occupied for days with that,” Rainbow Dash said, “So now what are we supposed to do until Spike gets his scaly butt over here?”

“Well, we just had a mighty big apple harvest,” Braeburn mentioned, “And the saloon in the center of town is selling cider at half price.”

At the sound of that both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie pricked up their ears. They leaned closer to Braeburn and Pinkie asked him to repeat that last part. He did and they were gone. It happened so fast it was impossible to tell which pony was moving faster, Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash. Braeburn was left in their tracks with a blank look on his face.

“You'll get used to that,” Applejack said, “Now where in the hay is ol' Bloomberg? I wanna pay him a visit before I have to leave again.”

“I can take you right to him, cousin Applejack,” Braeburn said, “But what about you, Princess Twilight? And her yellow friend?”

“I'm going to stay here and catch up on some reading,” Twilight said as she headed back to her room.

“No need to worry about me. I'm sure I can find something to do around town,” Fluttershy said with a smile.

And so the day went on. Rarity remained in her room at the inn. She could sometimes be heard through the walls talking to herself. She always did that when the inspiration hit her. She talked out her designs and it helped her create some really amazing things.

Twilight's day was spent in her room as well. Although she was as active and about as Rarity was she still had her form of excitement. Books. She always made dure to have a few good books packed when she traveled. . . anywhere really. This time it was the latest issue of Daring Do. Rainbow Dash had already read it. Twice! Because of her job as a Princess of Equestria Twilight had not had as much time to read lately. But not anymore! Even if it was for only one day she was going to sit and enjoy her book.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie raced down to the saloon Braeburn mentioned. Cider at half price. That was music to their ears. It got even better when they arrived. They both got their at around the same time. That was fast even for Pinkie Pie. The two ponies walked in and were immediately recognized as friends of Princess Twilight. That got them a royal discount. It was so cheap it was only a bit for a pint of cider. And together, the blue and pink ponies had a lot of bits.

They turned the night into a contest. Everypony knows that there is only so much cider a pony can drink before it starts to effect them. Within just a few hours Rainbow Dash was speaking gibberish that only Pinkie could understand. She had also knocked out two other patrons with her pony karate. All of Appleloosa learned not to get in between Rainbow Dash and her cider.

Pinkie on the other hoof was much more put together than her blue coated friend. Although she could no longer sit in her seat without falling over. She had run into the four walls of the place at least twice per wall. And she thought the wooden carving of a pony on the wall was mocking her, so she threw it out the window. That was the end of their fun for the night. Nighttime was coming up fast and the pony who ran the saloon kicked them out. Thank Celestia that Fluttershy just so happened to be walking by at that time.

“Oh my, what happened to you two,” She asked with concern.

“Those two nearly drank me out of the job,” The Saloon Pony said, “But it's okay. With the bits I got tonight I could open another saloon, or make this one even better.”

The Saloon Pony walked back inside and slammed the door shut, leaving Fluttershy in the street with two ponies who could barely stand up straight. Pinkie Pie wobbled around for a moment before raising her hoof like she was about to declare something important. She opened her mouth and something came out. A loud belch came from Pinkie and right after that she face planted the ground. Fluttershy wasn't sure what had happened until she heard Pinkie start snoring softly.

Rainbow Dash just pointed a hoof and laughed hysterically at Pinkie. She laughed and laughed until something inside her stirred. She found the nearest empty barrel and that was that. All the cider she had put down in the past hours was not sitting well. It was coming back up and it wanted out. Badly. So Rainbow Dash spent the next several minutes heaving into a barrel.

Night had set upon the city. Luna was now guarding the ponies of Equestria in her nightly duty, but not even she could have predicted what came next. The lights of the town of Appleloosa were going out, one at a time. The ponies were going to sleep and the town grew quiet. It did not take long for the streets to clear of ponies. All except three.

Fluttershy was so desperately trying to lead Dash and Pinkie back to the inn. Neither one of them could walk straight. Dash kept trying to fly off and flew right up into the bottom of a metal sign that hanging from one of the buildings. That actually seemed to knock some sense back into her, along with a massive headache.

Pinkie kept trying to wander off and chase after some imaginary flying cupcake that she was seeing. For some reason, the other two ponies didn't believe it was just the cider that made that happen.

“But ah gotta- gotta get tha darn cupcake, Buttershy,” Pinkie said.

“Here, Pinkie, take this rope,” Fluttershy said.

She held out one end of a small rope she had found to Pinkie. In her attempt to take it Pinkie nearly put her hoof in Fluttershy's eye. At that point Dash took the rope and tied it around Pinkie's neck. Her head was pounding and she was not feeling great.

“Pinkie, if you break this rope and wander off then all the big and bad things that live out there in the desert will find you. . .,” Dash said to her.

Pinkie just started blankly back at her. She had no idea what was going on anymore.

“. . . And eat you,” Dash said quickly.

“Wha? I dun wann be eated by monstrs,” Pinkie said surprisingly clear.

“Then be a good little pony and and follow Buttershy back to the inn,” Dash said, “Can you do that?”

“Okay,” Pinkie said while nodding her head a dozen times, “But what about her?”

Both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy followed Pinkie's hoof as she pointed into the night. Off in the distance was a pony. She was sitting in the dark of the night all by herself with her head down.

“Leave her,” Rainbow Dash said, “I'm sure she can find her own way home.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy spoke up, “We can't just leave a pony out in the dark of the night. What if she isn't from Appleloosa? She could just be lost. We should help her.”

With that said Fluttershy handed over the rope that that served as Pinkie Pie's improvised leash and walked over to the pony. She had not moved. Fluttershy walked up to her with a smile. She stopped just a few paces away from the pony.

“Excuse me,” She said softly and kindly, “Do you need some help? You look a little lost. My friends and I are going to the inn. Would you like to come with us?”

The pony did not respond, but just made a small noise. It sounded almost like a grunt. Fluttershy didn't quite hear it, so she moved in closer. That was a mistake. She took a step closer to the pony sitting in the dark and that was when she finally showed her face.

The pony looked up to reveal her eyes. Glowing an intense red full of hatred and Madness. Her coat was dark and dirty and scuffed up. Her face twisted into a furious scowl and she was looking right at Fluttershy. The next moment went by in slow motion for Fluttershy. The Darkmare shrieked and lunged out at her. Fluttershy was frozen in fear as she watched the hooves of the Darkmare getting closer and closer. Right as it was about to hit her she felt herself moving back fast.

“GO! Run,” Rainbow Dash yelled.

The Darkmare was on her feet when Dash looked back. It was only then that she saw that the Mare was a Unicorn. Her horn was glowing as intensely as her eyes and more ponies were showing up. All of them with red eyes and dark coats. Lights were coming back on all over Appleloosa. The ponies of the town were opening windows and doors to see what was going on. The Saloon Pony opened the front door and Dash shoved Pinkie inside before either of them could say anything.

“Keep her safe,” She yelled at him.

Dash was about to tell Fluttershy the same thing when a blast from the Mare took out the beams supporting the roof above them. The roof came down and blocked the doors. Fluttershy couldn't get in and Pinkie Pie couldn't get out.

“Find a place to hide,” Dash told Fluttershy.

“What about you,” Fluttershy asked sincerely.

“I'm gonna go find Twilight,” Dash said.

Dash did not waste any more time. The ground shook as more Darkmares tore through the town. Even with her head pounding so much just thinking hurt Dash took to the air. She burst off the ground and flew up, straight up. From high up she saw that the whole town was under siege. Half of Appleloosa was on fire. Most of the ponies were running around in terror, screaming and crying out. She had to do something.

Dash flew down to small group of ponies hiding in alleyway. She said she could lead them to a safe place, and she could. She had gotten a pretty clear view of the town from up in the air. She saw a safe path that went directly to the inn where Twilight was. It took only a few moments to get them there. Twilight was already in the lobby trying to get as many ponies as she could to calm down. Then Dash came in with three more behind her.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said with relief, “Where are the others?”

“Scattered around town,” Dash told her, “We need your help. You have to do something about this.”

“What do you think I have been trying to do here,” Twilight asked, “Theses things are taking ponies and my magic doesn't seem to be doing anything to them.”

“Hold up. Theses things are taking ponies? Since when? I thought they were just wrecking the town,” Dash said with aggravation.

“Some are, and some are taking ponies,” Twilight explained.

Dash was about to start yelling. She didn't like this, not at all. The rest of her friends were out there and she couldn't do anything about it. But she knew that yelling was not going to solve anything. Instead she just dug her foot into the carpet before heading back to the front doors. She had to at least try.

“Rainbow Dash! Where are you going,” Rarity asked.

“I can at least try and lead as many ponies as I can back here,” She replied seriously, “And try and find the rest of our friends.”

She said what she did without even looking at Rarity. She didn't want her or any pony to see the tears in her eyes. Not even she believed that she could really do anything. But she couldn't just stay here and sit on her wings. So she would go out and try to do something. At least, that is what she wanted to do. She would not get the chance.

As soon as she reached the doors she was blocked. An almost blinding bright light flashed in through the windows of the doors. Every pony had to throw up a hoof or a wing to hide their eyes. Rainbow Dash lowered her wings just in time to see it. The doors. They exploded. The blast sent a wave of force into the lobby. Since she was so close Dash took the full hit of it. She was sent hurtling back and landed at the base of the stairs that led to either side of the upper floor.

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity screamed with both shock and horror in her voice.

At first there was nothing. Then a twitch. The tips of her wings raised just slightly. Just enough to brush away some of the glass shards and wooden splinters that littered the area around her. Every pony was surprised as she stood back up again. She was feeble, an barely made it to all four hooves.

“That all you got,” She whispered to no pony in particular.

She raised her bruised head and stared at the hole where the doors used to be. Through the smoke and the flames only a pair of glowing red eyes could be seen. Before anypony could stop her Rainbow Dash took off again. She flew through the hole just as Twilight yelled for her to stop. Her voice was a small cry compared to the thunder that was sounding off in Dash's skull right then. She disappeared into the smoke of the night. The wall of the front of the inn gave way after that and cut off all possible sight of Rainbow Dash. She was gone and all went quiet. Too quiet. Eerily quiet.

Twilight and Rarity stood there for who knows how long. Time was no longer of matter to them. Each and every tick and tock was just a sound to break the silence, not that it worked. And when Rainbow Dash did return the hearts of all the ponies dropped even more.

The silence had taken root in all of them. Twilight finally turned to face Rarity, whose mascara and eyeliner was running down her face like a dark waterfall of sorrow and pain. She was using every ounce of restraint to not think about what was happening out there. And then the silence was suddenly broken.

A stained glass mural that represented the town of Appleloosa had been placed above the entryway to the inn. The sound of the stained glass shattering into uncountable pieces also shattered the silence that gripped them. Each pony looked to see. A blue pony in the middle of the glass shards. She impacted the wall on the other side of the inn hard before she fell to the landing at the top of the stairs that led to the upper floor of the inn.

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said barely above a whisper and with tears in her eyes.

Twilight race to her friend and immediately started to use any magic she could think of. Spell after spell after spell.

“She's alive,” Twilight said after more than a few spells, “Is there a doctor here?”

The Present Day

Spike and Fluttershy listened as Twilight told what she knew about what had happened the day before. The night before. Fluttershy had long before hit the floor in disbelief. She sat there and tried to take it all in. Twilight was close behind her. She could no longer keep it all in. She ran up to Spike and threw her hooves around him. Tears streamed down her face and her voice cracked as she sobbed out her words.

“Spike. I am so glad you're here. I don't know what to do. I am so lost right now. I tried my best to protect these ponies but I couldn't even protect Rainbow Dash, or Pinkie Pie, or Fluttershy. I had no idea if they were even alive and I just hid in this place. Please Spike, tell me what I should do.”

“Answer one last question,” Spike said in a very serious tone, “Where. Is. Applejack?”

“I don't know,” Twilight said with a new burst of tears, “Last I knew she was headed for the orchard with Braeburn.”

“Then that's where we start looking,” Spike said.

Spike took one last long look at the injured Rainbow Dash. He did not know any magic that could help her. The one healing spell he did know did not even work on ponies, and even if it did it was nothing more than a temporary fix.

Twilight dried her tears and they headed back out. Fluttershy went to tell Pinkie Pie what happened. Her expression got even darker after she heard and she insisted on staying with her. No pony objected. That was the best thing for both of them. Fluttershy also volunteered to stay behind. She could help calm down any ponies who might get out of hoof. So it was just Spike, Twilight, and Rarity who left in search of Applejack.

The three of them immediately headed in the direction of the orchard. If there was anywhere where Applejack would feel safe and confident it was there. However, the confidence she might have felt was not reflected in the orchard itself. Every single tree was burnt or withered. Rotten apples and broken branches were scattered all over the ground they tread on. There was a clear path leading out, though, so some pony must have survived the assault. Applejack maybe? The trio followed the path back into the deep orchard and did indeed find a pony. But not the one they hoped to find.

“Braeburn,” Twilight said with concern as she approached him.

“Princess,” He said weakly, “I- I'm sorry. I c-c-couldn't stop her.”

“What do you mean? Where is Applejack,” Twilight asked.

The Previous Day

Applejack got to see Bloomberg again. It had been years since she had see him. He was already a big tree when she moved him from Ponyville, but now he was massive.

“I'm proud of you Bloomberg,” Applejack proudly proclaimed, “You have grown into a mighty fine tree. Tall as a silo and sturdy as a mountain. Just the way a good apple tree should be.”

Her and Braeburn stayed in the orchard for hours. They just sat with Bloomberg and talked and talked. About everything. Most of it had to do with trees and the orchard and sharing some Apple Family recipes. They talked about other things too, but that was most of it. Before they knew it nighttime was setting on the town and it was time to head back. They would not make it.

Not even half an hour passed and the two of them were surrounded by Darkmares. They managed to get away and run, but running through a huge orchard in the dark away from evil ponies is quite difficult. Not even two ponies who grew up in and around orchards could find their way on a night like that.

It wasn't long before they ended up back at the base of the biggest tree in the orchard. Bloomberg. And it wasn't long before the Darkmares found them. A whole line appeared before them, but only one stepped forward. A very tell and slender mare with glowing red eyes and a Unicorn horn to match. She raised her horn to the sky and cast a spell. The light of the stars blinked out under the cover of storm clouds. The whole sky went even darker and then the rain started. Then came the thunder, and the lightning. Applejack got a bad feeling and turned her head to Bloomberg. She watched as a bolt of white hot lightning shot down from the sky and struck the massive tree. Then another and another. Three in all and the tree was no more. A burnt out, withered black husk of tree was all that was left in the wake. One last bolt came from the Mare herself and knocked her and Braeburn into the trees and rendered them unconscious.

Applejack woke up a little while later. It was still night out. The storm clouds still darkened the sky above Appleloosa. She managed to get on her hooves and braced herself against Bloomberg for support. When she looked over at the black husk of the tree the images flashed back in her mind. Then she saw Braeburn. He was laying still at the base of a tree.

“Braeburn,” She cried as she raced to his side.

“I'm okay cousin,” He said weakly, “What about Appleloosa? How's the town look?”

“Not good, Braeburn. Not good,” Applejack said honestly.

Apple sat next to him and looked toward the town. The night may have been dark, but the fires she saw from where she was brightened the horizon. She watched the town burn through the dead branches of the trees that once made up an orchard. All she could think about were her friends. Her family.

“I will destroy them all,” She said angrily.

Braeburn was to weak to speak up or else he would have. Applejack walked over to the remains of Bloomberg and took her hat off. At first he thought it was just a moment of silence. He so wished he was right. Instead she place her hat on the tree.

“Watch over him for me. Okay, Bloomberg,” She said with held back tears.

Then she turned and walked off. She left Braeburn there in shadow of the once massive tree. He used what little strength he had to call out to her. She stopped walking for a moment, but she did not look back yet.

“Where are you going,” He asked.

“I will destroy them all,” Applejack said furiously, “Goodbye Braeburn.”

She turned her head to look at him as she said that last goodbye. He will never forget the look in her eyes. Or the color. Red. A red color had replaced the green in her eyes. The honesty that always captivated the ponies around her was also gone. It had also been replaced. Now it just an anger that terrified him to his core. With that one last goodbye Applejack was gone. She ran off into the night and Braeburn lost consciousness again.

The Present Day

Twilight managed to use a healing spell she knew to get Braeburn sitting up as he told them what happened with Applejack. After the story was done Spike moved past them. He walked over to a blackened tree husk that was not too far away. On it was a hat. He retrieved it and held it close for a moment.

“Applejack,” Rarity said, “She has the Madness. What do we do now?”

“We go back. To Canterlot,” Spike said, “It's all we can do. They have the best doctors for Dash and the other ponies. The other Princess's are there as well.”

“When do we leave,” Twilight asked.

“Now,” Spike said flatly as he passed her Applejack's hat.

Comments

[Love able chaos]

How could you do that to Bloomberg you red eyed, black furred whore!