Cutie Mark Corruption

by ShadowSteed

Rainbow Dash & The Dissapearance of Daring Do

The filies continued their descent deep into The Everfree Forest in search of Zecora's hut. The incident with the lion was still fresh in their heads. Sweetie Belle was the most confused about it though so she decided to question her friends about it.

"Hey Scootaloo?" She called to her friend. Scootaloo turned around to her.

"What was that story you were telling me a few minutes ago? About a lion and a magical lion?"

"I told you Sweetie Belle, you turned into the magic lion. Your horn glowed and you crushed and beat that lion like it was nothing."

"How come I don't remember anything like that? Are you sure you didn't have a quick nap and have a dream like last time?"

"Hey! That time was before! I'm telling the truth. Ask Apple Bloom, she saw it too. Tell her Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom looked around in utter confusion.

"APPLE BLOOM!" Scootaloo yelled at the yellow filly.

Apple Bloom looked at her. "Oh me? I'm Apple Bloom right?"

Scootaloo groaned in frustration. "YES! Now tell Sweetie Belle i'm not lying!"

Apple Bloom looked around and, a few seconds later, pointed to the white filly. "She's Sweetie Belle right?"

Scootaloo was ready to explode and swear her little head off at Apple Bloom until she heard a scream in the distance. The scream seemed to get closer and closer as every second passed. The little fillies ran away from the direction of the scream, but it still seemed to get closer. Eventually the scream was audible from above, they looked up and saw a bright blue spec get bigger and bigger as it was heading straight for them. The fillies moved out of the way before the spec lander creating a dust cloud around than. When the smoked cleared, the blue spec turned out to be none other than Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash sat up very dizzy from her fall and exclaimed, "Ow! Those wolves sure can put up a fight."

Scootaloo gasped with excitement at the sight of her hero unhurt, "Hey Rainbow Dash!" She exclaimed as she embraced her, "Boy am I glad to see you! It's really scary out here."

"Heh. Yeah..... Say, why are you three out here anyway?

"We're on our way to Zecora's hut to find a cure for Apple Bloom's aliesha.

Rainbow Dash looked very confused. "A-lie-sha?"

"Yeah. You know, when you can't remember anything? Aliesha?"

"Ohhhhh! Amnesia. How did that happen?"

"Well... It all started..."

Before Scootaloo could reminisce and tell the story, a loud growl was heard nearby and everypony tensed up. Rainbow Dash silently signaled the fillies to follow her to a nearby cave where they laid low until the growling stopped. They all breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the feeling of safety overtook them.

Rainbow Dash turned to Scootaloo. "Now, ya mind telling me how Apple Bloom lost her memory?"

Scootaloo put up a hoof and opened her mouth to begin, but Sweetie Belle quickly put her hoof in the orangge filly's mouth and turned to Rainbow Dash.

"Maybe later Rainbow." Sweetie Belle said, "but would you mind telling us what YOU are doing here?"

Rainbow Dash put on a serious face and looked outside the cave into the forest. "It's because of Daring Do."

"Daring Do?" Sweetie Belle said, "How did she make you come to The Everfree Forest?"

"I'm looking for her. It all started a couple days ago when I got a copy of the latest book. I was so stoked. It told about her latest adventure out here into Everfree looking for the Wing Charm. It was supposed to give the wearer flying abilities beyond imagination. It told of many traps and obstacles she both easily and not-so-easily overcame, and also how she found it in the main chamber of a tomb. But...."

There was a long pause as a tear came to Rainbow Dash's eye.

"But what?" Scootaloo said, "What happened?"

"There wasn't an ending."

The fillies gasped.

"It didn't say if she escaped, if there was another obstacle, or if it was the real charm. It just..... ended. I even remember the final sentence, "the wing charm, the object of amazing power that she had delved deep into the unknown to find, had been found." That was it. I know Daring Do would never end a book with a lame ending like that. I think she's in danger. I think she needs help. I'm out here to find her."

The crusaders all shared a glance at such a story and all thought it was very noble of her to do such a thing. Scootaloo, unsurprisingly, was the most touched of all of them, and saw an opportunity.

"Hey Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said, "Why don't we come with you to help look for her?"

Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Rainbow Dash all quickly glanced at the orange filly looking both concerned and surprised.

"What are you, nuts?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "We don't know what we're getting into if we go there."

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash said, "Have you even read the book? This stuff is dangerous."

"Ah agree with these two." Apple Bloom spoke up. "You should think before you say things like that Scoolatuu!"

Rainbow Dash looked at Apple Bloom and burst out laughing at the name that just came out of her mouth.

"Scoolatuu???" Rainbow Dash asked gasping for air. "Oh thats a good one!"

Scootaloo blushed bright with embarrassment as Rainbow Dash laughed at her, but managed to speak the logic in her idea.

"Listen, if we helped Rainbow Dash find Daring Do, we could possibly have a spot in the unfinished book if we succeed! It's also another way to earn out cutie marks! CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS TOMB RAIDERS!"

Sweetie Belle perked up at the explanation. "That actually makes sense."

"See? So can we come with you Rainbow Dash? Please? Please? Please?

Rainbow Dash pondered on the idea for a while and thought about the pros and cons. By taking them, she would be putting her life, their lives, and maybe even Daring Do's life in danger and she could be wrong about Daring Do being in danger, on the other hoof, she could have the chance to meet Daring Do, be in the same book as her, make the fillies happy, and have the honor, glory, and fame of completing an adventure with Daring Do. The very thought of such an accomplishment push out every con from her head. She came to a conclusion.

"Alright." Rainbow Dash said, "I'll take you with me, but you have to stay close and do everything I say."

The crusaders jumped for joy as they were on the verge of another adventure. Rainbow Dash looked for detailed landmarks explained in the book and, in the span of an hour, was able to find the tomb. They slowly, and cautiously ventured into the bowels of the ancient setting. They braved through cobwebs, various amounts of dust and decay, insects of various kinds, and many a sarcophagus which contents remain a mystery to this day. The traps, strangely, didn't bother them. It seems they had all been sprung recently as if someone had already ventured through.

Or worse, they were being expected.

As they grew closer and closer to the main chamber of the tomb, a low groan was heard inside. Everypony stopped abruptly and shivered with fear.

"W-W-What was that?" Apple Bloom asked, "That didn't s-sound like a wolf."

The low groan was heard again; this time it was much more clear. They all peeked inside the main chamber, it was vaguely empty except a small pole that seemed to have something attached to it..... and it seemed to be moving. The group slowly advanced towards it. The groaning seemed to get louder and louder as they walked towards it. When they got close to the object, Rainbow Dash pulled out a convenient light and shined it towards the object. Rainbow Dash's surprise was immediate.

"This...." Rainbow Dash started after a brief pause, "This matches the description of the Wing Charm."

The little fillies just stared at it for a while imagining all the unimaginable wing power it could give any pegasi. The most excited of all was Scootaloo as she was the only one of the three who had wings. She began to daydream of wearing the charm herself and soaring through the sky by Rainbow Dash's side. The thoughts of flipping, racing, performing, possibly even becoming Wonderbolts were endless. As the thoughts ran through her head, she didn't notice she was inching towards the charm and reaching to hold it; Her daydreams were about to become a reality. Until a deafening screech snapped her out of her fantasies and back into reality. Everypony held their ears as the long, monumental, eardrum shattering screech continued to ring & rock their little heads before finally stopping. Everypony fell to the ground in immense pain as they looked around for the source of the sound. All that could be found was a figure crawling & swinging at blinding speeds across the shadows of the room.

Than it suddenly came to a stop.

Everypony trembled as they stared at the mysterious figure. They used whatever sense of confidence to back up to the entrance, but every inch they backed away the figure moved an inch towards them exerting the same low groan from earlier. They eventually backed up enough to bring the shadow figure to a light. In that light stood Daring Do. She was clearly in no condition to be walking at all. Her entire body was filled with cuts, blood, and dirt. Her eyes were so bloody & dialated they appeared to have been rolled in the back of her head. Her hooves were nearly nothing but bone as they were clearly riddled with bite marks. Lastly, her mouth appeared to be moving as if she was mumbling inaudibly to herself.

Rainbow Dash, clearly horrified by the sight before her, began walking towards her with great caution.

"Daring Do......" Rainbow Dash began after a brief pause, "W-W-What happened to you?"

Daring Do responded with complete gibberish. Only a few words within her speech were comprehensible. "Charm," "mine," "can't have," & "insanity."

Than, without warning, Daring Do lunged herself at the poor blue mare, tackling her & pinning her to the ground. Daring Do had a nightmare-ish grin on her face with teeth as sharp as blades and a obvious hunger to them. Daring Do opened her mouth very wide and took a nice, big bite to Rainbow Dash's neck. The poor blue mare screamed with great pain as the brown mare began to tear the skin right off her. When it tore completely off, Daring Do began to chew it right in front of her face. There were little drips of blood that seeped from her open mouth and drop onto Rainbow Dash's eyes. She tried to fight back & shove her off, but various adventures with many impossible odds made her simply too strong. Daring Do giggles with uncertain satisfaction & swallowed the chunk of skin, than pinned her hooves onto Rainbow Dash's wings pinning them down. She than began to slide her hooves to the sides, slowly tearing them off. Rainbow dash began to cry tears of blood as she was unable to understand what had become of one she had admired so much. After tearing of Rainbow dash's wings, Daring Do's legs snapped in two as the bite marks finally took their toll on her, but before Rainbow Dash could even consider moving, she took another bite to her neck..... her whole neck! Slowly, the insane brown mare tore her head right off of her body. Rainbow Dash gave one last, tearful bawl before her neck was severed from her body, and rolled across the floor. Daring Do once again said, "Charm, mine ca-," Daring Do, without thinking, swallowed the devoured skin, obviously forgetting the neck also holds the spine. She than began to choke on the bones stuck inside her throat. She was unable to do anything to force it out as one of the bones had lodges itself in her windpipe and her hooves were broken. After half a minute of endless suffering, the broken brown mare slowly laid her head down on Rainbow Dash's body and took her final breath.

It was over, Rainbow Dash & Daring Do's adventure had come to an end.

The little fillies watched the entire ordeal unfold mouths agape and stomachs churning at the fowl stench. Scootaloo, however, was crying thoughout it, but her cries were deafened by Rainbow Dash;'s screams. There was a long pause before another voice was heard.

"Well that was quite a bloody fight. Are you three little ones all right?"

Scootaloo had walked towards the bodies while Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom turned around to see Zecora standing before them.

"I came as soon as I heard the screams, but I was not expecting such a scene." Zecora said.

"Yeah..." Sweetie Belle said, "It wasn't very good to see."

"Well let us depart and not stand about, the stench in this place will make you soon pass out."

The grey zebra quickly left the room. Sweetie Belle & Apple Bloom followed slowly, but noticed Scootaloo wasn't moving.

"Come on Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle said, "We gotta go."

Scootaloo didn't move an inch.

"You girls go on." Scootaloo said, "I..... I need a moment... alone..."

Sweetie Belle, completely understanding, didn't try to stop her.

"Okay. Well meet us at Zecora's hut."

The two fillies left their friend to mourn the loss of the one she held so dear. She walked towards Rainbow Dash's severed head & picked it up.

"This didn't have to happen. Why did this have to happen? This is all Sweetie Belle's fault!" Scootaloo embraced the head. "If it wasn't for Apple Bloom getting aliesha, none of this would've had to happen. I have a feeling she is the cause of all of this. There is just no way she could've learned all that magic overnight. Something is wrong with her & I promise Rainbow Dash," she looked directly into the head's eyes, "I'm gonna figure out what, and make her pay for this!"

Author's Note:

Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Reasons. I hope you continue to enjoy. :3
Back to the story.

Comments

[Phantom Shadow]

FIRST!! [Sorry, I just HAD to do that]

Anyways, this story is continuing to be amazing! Can't wait to see how this all ends! Keep up the amazing work, mate