Cry in Sorrow
Luna rested upon the makeshift straw bed in the Sweet Apple Acres barn. Macintosh and the Darklighter brothers looked on. The room was dead silent. The traumatic experiences of close friends and family turning on each other were too deep a thought to have idle conversation over. It was well into the evening; Celestia still kept up her duty of lowering the sun, the sky, a pleasant shade of orange and pink. On any other day, it would be beautiful. For now, the twilight was a symbol of Luna's failures, she thought to herself. After a moment of berating herself in her head, she lifted her eyes to Macintosh's.
"Macintosh," Luna spoke. "Why would Celestia want Applebloom? She is merely a filly, is she not?"
Big Macintosh nodded. "Eeyup. I dunno what's goin' on exactly, but I remember her other friends gettin' chased after. One of 'em black cloaks got to Sweetie Belle, but Applebloom and Scootaloo got away. Ain't seen Scoot since."
Luna continued to blame herself, despite not being there herself. "Why would they attempt to kidnap three innocent little ponies?"
Big Mac shrugged as Biggs and Wedge began to play their card game again on the opposite side of the barn. "When Applejack an' Rarity were here earlier, before ya got here, they were braggin' about Applebloom bein' a 'key'. I dunno what that means, exactly."
Luna's ears perked as if in sudden recollection. "The Runes!" The Princess threw open her satchel and pried the cover of the book open, skipping through pages as if she had a sense of where she was to look. Macintosh continued to look on, slightly confused.
She planted her hoof on a page, a single footnote written by Luna scribbled below the written text. She had a very confident smile on her face, which brightened the morale of the other three stallions, now smiling as well. "The Runes. The tome states that only a pure of heart youth, with a clear soul and body, meaning no cutie mark, may reveal the path to their race's Rune. Don't you see?! Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle are all different races, have no cutie marks, and are young and innocent. Celestia is hunting the Runes and needs these three to do it. We have to get to them before she does!"
Big Mac nodded, the Darklighters putting their cards away. The attitude of the room turned from gloomy to confident in little time, thanks to the Princess of the Night. She wore a wide smile on her face, the first that anyone had seen in a very long time.
She tilted her head to the hole in the barn doors caused by the Apple siblings. The sun was setting over the horizon. "I won't be raising the moon, nor will I the stars tonight. If Celestia believes me to be dead, then we will have more time to continue our mission."
"When do we leave, Your Majesty?" Biggs asked.
"Yeah, when do we leave?" Wedge squawked, earning a light push from his brother for repeating his line, both now chuckling.
"We shall rest here for tonight, and resume our journey come dawn… If that is fine with you, Macintosh."
Big Mac nodded with a slight smile. "Eeyup."
Luna smiled again, but her expression quickly turned to worry. “Where is Applebloom, Macintosh?”
“Hm… Ever heard a place called Appleloosa?”
******
Dawn had arrived. The starless night sky slowly turned orange as the sun crept over the horizon. The four ponies stretched their legs as they stepped outside, Luna pulling her cloak over her, the guard brothers clipping their armor to themselves. The Princess looked up to the dawn horizon, both beautiful and symbolic of the consequences of failure.
Big Macintosh noticed Luna’s silent lament. He sighed softly and approached her, looking to the rising sun beside her in an attempt to comfort her. The two exchanged brief smiles.
“Majesty… If ya need anythin’, ya can let me know. I’ll help out.” He gave the Princess a smile. Not the kind of smile one would expect from a good friend, but a soft, compassionate smile. A smile of understanding that gave Luna the sense that things will work out for the best.
“Thank you, Sir Macintosh.” Luna blushed slightly, indeed noticeable upon Luna’s midnight blue coat, offering her own shy smile.
“Your Majesty,” Luna heard the familiar voice of Wedge behind her. “Are you prepared to depart for Appleloosa?”
Big Mac and Luna turned to the two bat-winged guards, the Princess panicking and doing her best to shake the blush from her face before her two most loyal guards noticed. Big Mac smiled and stifled a chuckle, flattered by the Princess’ shyness.
“Ah… Y-Yes, Wedge!” Luna managed to get out, a big silly grin on her face. “We are all prepared to go. The sooner we find Applebloom, the safer she shall be, and closer to the Runes as well.”
“Then let us depart!” Biggs shouted delightedly, thrusting his lance into the air. Everyone cheered and reared back excitedly. It warmed Luna’s heart and took the pain off of her mind to see her companions so excited.
******
The trains that took passenger ponies from Ponyville to the nearby canyon town of Appleloosa no longer functioned. Ponyville was deserted with nopony to man the train stations. Even if there was a crew to maintain them, the trains seemed to have already taken the fleeing citizens as far away as possible. The four would have to go on hoof.
It had been roughly two hours since they left Ponyville. The sun was nearing its noon height. The rolling grasslands had turned to dust and sand. In the distance, the sight of desert buttes and canyons was seen in the bright daylight. With any hope, Luna thought to herself, there would still be ponies in Appleloosa, and hopefully Applebloom.
Luna turned her head to Big Mac, who had taken point leading them to the next town. “Macintosh, do you know how much longer it will be?”
Macintosh nodded. “Eeyup. Ain’t too far now. You gettin’ tired?”
Luna didn’t want to admit it, but her legs indeed ached from the journey. She spoke nothing of it, as to not worry her companions. “I am fine. Thank you for your consideration, Macintosh. Biggs, Wedge, can you see anything?”
Wedge glanced over the horizon, keeping pace with his brother Biggs. “Nothing quite yet, your Majesty,” Wedge spoke up. “Fear not though. Any threats that come your way, my mighty lance shall pierce through their very souls!” Biggs bopped his bragging brother over his helmet with his hoof lightly, the two chuckling. Luna and Macintosh began to laugh as well.
Their laughter turned to surprise as they saw a few brown blips not too far away-- No, wooden buildings. Appleloosa was in sight. Luna broke out into a dash.
Biggs and Wedge shouted out at their Princess, trying to keep up with her speed. “H… Hey, wait for us!” Big Mac shrugged, smiling and following after the three at a steady pace.
******
The four soon arrived, standing on a ridge overlooking the small town. Something very odd was happening. There was a group of buffalo; about seven, surrounded by a large number of Celestia’s royal guard, each with a lance. Luna gasped. Could she be too late? The four kept quiet and crouched down, observing the events unfolding carefully.
Luna could hear one of the guards speaking in a gruff, aggressive tone towards the buffalo. “Forfeit the filly, and you may all resume your miserable lives.” The buffalo were large creatures, easily stronger than ponies, but the armored guards had them corralled and surrounded with the points of lances. Luna could only watch.
From within the group of buffalo, a much smaller deer-looking creature emerged, her head wrapped in a headband. She spoke with a soft, yet powerful voice. “You’ve taken everything from us. You think yourselves knights of honor and virtue, but you’re only murderers!”
“Strongheart,” one of the buffalos quietly grunted. “We had best do what they say…”
Little Strongheart stamped the dirt, bellowing out at the guards with fury in her roar. Though such a small creature, she had an intimidating posture. Her roar, however, was cancelled out by a very quiet, very sinister chuckle and the slow clapping of one pony’s hooves.
A figure cloaked in black approached the standoff. A pearl-white smile could be seen beneath her hood. The royal guard turned to face the new figure as Luna recognized the robes as the same worn by Rarity and Applejack. It was one of the Heralds.
“Miss Pie,” one of the guards spoke. “We have orders to take you in as well. The Princess has declared you rogue.”
“Rogue?” The pony pulled her hood back. From beneath it was a strange and unsettling sight. Along with the unsettling slit-shaped pupils, her mane was in two different styles. Split directly down the middle of her head, on the left side was her usual billowing, puffy hair, and the right side straight and flat, the shape it took when she was depressed. Seeing these two different styles at once was both disturbing and disorienting.
Pinkie Pie suddenly jerked her head to the right side, only showing the left poofy mane. She spoke happily, but with a slightly dark hint to her voice. “Rogue, is it? That’s just too bad. I am, however, very important to Celestia, and I think I’m still your commander… Isn’t that right?” Pinkie smirked as the guards nodded a bit nervously.
Luna, Big Mac, Biggs, and Wedge continued to watch the spectacle from their cover. It was truly odd. Pinkie suddenly jerked her head to the left, now exposing her down mane, her voice immediately taking on a very sinister tone. “Don’t doubt me… I’m far more than anything any of you will ever be. Now… Are you going to turn against me?”
All was silent.
“Are you turning AGAINST ME?!” Pinkie bellowed, each guard flinching in fear. Pinkie seemed to have a psychological grasp on their minds to instill such fear into them. She turned her head to the left, her poofy mane all that is showing. “How sweet,” she smiled falsely.
Pinkie Pie approached Little Strongheart, both sides of her mane showing as she directly faced her. She turned her head to the left once again, showing her “kind” side with a smile. “Now, don’t be a party-pooper and help me find little Applebloom, okay?”
“Go buck yourself, you’re not hurting another innocent filly.” Strongheart replied. Pinkie, suddenly enraged, showed her “bad” side and forcefully brought a forehoof across the small creature’s face, sending her to the ground immediately. The buffaloes huddled near her, even the guards becoming nervous of Pinkie’s rage.
Her bad side continued to speak, glaring down at Little Strongheart. “How do we get respect in this world? It’s not with money, pride, land dominance, or strength…” She turned her back and trotted away a short distance, turning her bad side back to the standoff. “Fear…”
Pinkie faced the crowd and did something normal ponies found nearly impossible; she stood on her hind legs with perfect balance, her forelegs outstretched like arms. She turned her kind side to the crowd of buffalo with a wide grin, everyone including the guards looking on in terror. “Let’s play a party game, okay? Pick a hoof. Either hoof. You might get lucky!”
Back upon the ridge, Luna turned to Big Macintosh with a look of both fear and disgust. “We have to do something. Those buffaloes’ lives are in danger.”
Biggs, Wedge, and Big Mac shook their heads, each trying to dissuade the Princess from doing something rash. Big Mac whispered quietly to Luna. “If we blow our cover, we’re good as dead. Nothin’ we can do right now.”
Luna grunted with frustration. “But they’re…”
She sighed and shook her head. Was this another failure to weigh upon her already bursting heart?
Pinkie’s robed figure stood bipedal for a good minute as the entire canyon fell silent. Her kind side giggled softly. “Aw come on, don’t you wanna party?”
Strongheart’s body quivered. Whatever Pinkie’s game was, she knew that if she didn’t play, the innocent buffaloes would suffer the price. She took a deep breath, calmed her muscles, and answered.
“The left hoof,” the small buffalo managed to call out to the pink pony. The dual-personality mare was completely silent. Pinkie turned her head to show her cruel side as she outstretched her left hoof, covered in the black cloth of her robe, pointing at the brave little buffalo.
Bang.
A thunderous sound unlike anything Luna had ever heard echoed from Pinkie’s left hoof, everypony and buffalo flinching at the loud bang. Smoke wafted out of Pinkie’s left robe sleeve. Little Strongheart looked down at her chest to find a small hole in her chest that led straight to her heart. Blood trickled from the wound as she softly fell to the ground, motionless. Everything there looked on in stunned silence, including Luna’s companions.
The Princess tried to keep quiet, but watching a mere child die in front of her had drawn tears from the corners of her eyes. It was another failure. Another hateful regret weighing on Luna’s heart. She didn’t do anything to stop it from happening. All that she could do is quietly cry in sorrow. Luna looked over to see Biggs in stunned silence, mouth agape. Wedge was horrified. Big Mac was gritting his teeth in rage. Everypony was filled with hate.
Pinkie giggled and drew back the sleeves of her robe, revealing small cannon-like mechanisms strapped to each of her forelegs. These were the weapons killed Strongheart. “You see? You can’t get respect without a little fear. Oh well… Too bad she didn’t pick the right hoof. Well, since she picked wrong, sorry big hairy guys… but ya gotta go now! Kill ‘em.” At Pinkie’s command, the guards lifted their lances and closed in on the buffaloes.
“No!” Luna leapt from the ridge, her horn glowing with magic and wings outstretched, followed by Big Macintosh and the Darklighter brothers. As Luna landed, she summoned a gust of magical telekinetic force from her horn, knocking back a number of guards. Big Mac landed into the fray of guards. Utilizing his mighty strength, he threw a powerful kick into one of the corrupted guards with a force strong enough to send him straight into another guard. Biggs and Wedge readied their lances as they landed, forming a defensive circle around the buffaloes and their fallen comrade.
Pinkie smirked, showing her good side. “Hi, Princess Luna! Sorry, but I’m gonna have to shoot you.”
Luna glared down the pony that had once been so full of laughter. The guards raised their lances, Pinkie pointing her forelegs at Luna’s warriors.
Luna stared her target down and stamped her hoof, ready to fight.
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Well folks, we've hit the 1,000 views mark, passed 10,000 words, and have maintained a rating above 4 stars! Couldn't have done any of this without you guys. Enjoy chapter six, Cry in Sorrow.
I thought Pinkie Pie was freaky already
O^O Strongheart no.......
147151
Thanks for the complement on the CMCs. I'm glad it doesn't seem like I'm trying to force as many characters in until it overflows. Glad you enjoy it so far!
Erm... LunaXMac? LunaXMac. Like a boss.
Erm... LunaXMac? LunaXMac. Like a boss.