Paradiso

by Wheller

Chapter 1

Chronology notes:
Stop! You are reading the Seventh story in the series started by The Kindness of Strangers!

Please read The Kindness of Strangers first!
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/389/

The second part of the story is Putting the Pieces Back Together found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/407/

The third part of the story is Midnight in the Heart of Equestria found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/419/

The fourth part of the story is Tomorrow is Always a New Day found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/433/

The fifth part of the story is To Each Their Own found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/526/

This story is the direct sequel to Imperfect found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/600/

Paradiso
Chapter 1

Childhood, there is no other time like it, the care free days of self discovery, unburdened by the reality of responsibility, and childhood in the Principality of Equestria was like no other. Equestria was free of the darkness and horror of the world outside it, It was a place where childhood could be a happy time, a place where childhood could be everything it was promised to be.

Or, at least, that’s how it used to be.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo were three young fillies, best friends who didn’t have a care in the world. Unlike their older siblings, they had yet to discover the horrors that lay scant kilometres from Equestria’s border. They did not know that in the far off lands of the Hoofson Bay Area, blood was being spilt by the day, that there was endless fighting between the Twin Gryphon Kingdoms, and the Commonwealth of South Island, nay, the Cutie Mark Crusaders barely knew that these other lands existed. There had been no evidence either, until the day that a kangaroo light tank rolled into town.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had been playing at Sweet Apple Acres when it had driven by, they’d watched as Rainbow Dash flew above it, and Twilight Sparkle and Vinyl Scratch had lain on the back of it, but more importantly, they had seen the creature that had its head out from the tank.

At first, they had thought that the tank was a giant creature, and that Sergeant Tebbs, as they later learned the kangaroo’s name, was its head. They had briefly spoken to the kangaroo crew, asking them all sorts of questions about what they were and where they had come from, the kangaroo crew had not had a chance to answer many of them, as Applejack, Apple Bloom’s older sister had stopped them mid way, and forbid them to speak to the kangaroo’s ever again.

Naturally, the very young do not always do as they’re told, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders snuck off to speak to Sergeant Tebbs again. Unfortunately for them, the kangaroo was not encouraging of this behaviour, and told them that he did not wish to violate Applejack’s wishes, leaving the Cutie Mark Crusaders extremely disappointed.

And now here they were, several months later, running through Whitetail Wood on yet another ill-conceived venture to earn their Cutie Marks.

“Did we get ‘em?” Apple Bloom asked, looking at her flank, disappointed when she discovered nothing was there.

“Aww, I was sure this was going to work this time!” Scootaloo cried out in disappointment.

Sweetie Bell, however said nothing, staring off, looking at something in the distance.

“Hey space cadet?” Scootaloo teased. “What’s so important that you’re not looking at your flank?”

“I think there’s something over there!” Sweetie Bell said, approaching what she had seen. “What is it?”

“It looks kind of like a fake leg!” Scootaloo said.

“Tha’s stupid! Its way too small ta be ah fake leg!” Apple Bloom said.

The object on the ground was a shining silver object, fifteen centimetres in length there were two pull levers on it, one on top, and one underneath the main part of it, sticking out from the back was a wooden handle.

“Ah wonder what it does?” Apple Bloom said, prodding at the top most lever with her hoof, she heard a small click, and noticed that the bottom lever had been pulled back a little as well.

Apple Bloom noticed that she wouldn’t be able to operate the bottom lever in the same manner as the top one; it was too small not to mention it had a small ring around it blocking it from being prodded at. She picked it up in her teeth.

“Howfsh ngypony schapost ta puah dishf ting!?” Apple Bloom exclaimed, her mouth full of the object.

“Try using your tongue!” Scootaloo suggested.

“Ew!” Sweetie Bell exclaimed, “That’s so gross!”

“You got a better idea?” Scootaloo asked.

Sweetie Bell shook her head; Apple Bloom looked at her and shrugged. Gently, she wrapped her tongue around the lever, and pulled it with her tongue.

Bang!

Scootaloo instinctively covered her ears.

“That was loud!” She shouted. Apple Bloom wasn’t looking at Scootaloo; she was looking at Sweetie Bell. Scootaloo looked over where the young unicorn filly was as well.

Sweetie Bell had fallen down onto the ground, and her flank had turned a dark red.

“No way! Does she have her cutie mark?!” Scootaloo exclaimed in surprise. “Do I?”

Apple Bloom looked closer to the dark red spot on Sweetie Bell’s flank, she dropped the metal tube, touching the red spot, Sweetie Bell did not move, and she had her eyes closed, but Apple Bloom felt something warm and sticky on her. Apple Bloom looked at her hoof to discover that it was red too. This was blood.

“Scootaloo! That ain’t no cutie mark! She’s hurt!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

“What? What do we do?” Scootaloo shouted in surprise.

“Get the wagon!” Apple Bloom shouted back.

Scootaloo nodded, rushing back to where she’d left her scooter and wagon, hopping on it and driving close to where Sweetie Bell had fallen.

Apple Bloom picked Sweetie Bell up and placed her in the back of the wagon. “Go! Get her back! Ah’ll be right behind ya!”

Scootaloo nodded, and took of pulling Sweetie Bell at high speed.

Apple Bloom returned to the fallen metal tube, she gently picked it up and placed it in her saddlebag; she didn’t know what it was and didn’t want to take the chance that it could be used to help Sweetie Bell. If they did need it, Apple Bloom didn’t want to leave it out here where she couldn’t necessarily find it again. She took off after Scootaloo, while not as fast on hoof as Scootaloo was on scooter; she raced off as fast as she could, not far behind them.

...

“Wha’ happened!” Applejack exclaimed. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had gotten Sweetie Bell to the Ponyville Clinic.

“Ah... ah don’t...” Apple Bloom began, but found herself not able to finish.

“Sweetie Bell is hurt bad, if ya’ll care ‘bout her at all, ya best be tellin’ me the truth!” Applejack said.

“We were out in Whitetail Wood!” Scootaloo said. “Trying to get our cutie marks when we found something! We didn’t know what it was.”

“What did it look like?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

Apple Bloom looked around, all of Applejack’s friends, except Rarity, who was in with Sweetie Bell were standing around them, looking at them to explain.

“Ah can show ya!” Apple Bloom said, thinking it would be the best way to help. She carefully opened her saddlebags and set the metal tube on the floor.

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash gasped in surprise.

“Where did you get that?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Twilight picked it up and snapped it open. “It’s empty.”

“We found it in Whitetail Wood! Honest! What is it?” Apple Bloom asked.

“This girls, is a kangaroo 11mm Magnum Revolver,” Twilight explained. “As you’ve already found it, it’s very dangerous and you can’t play with these! Sweetie Bell is lucky that she’s alive at all.”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo swallowed hard.

“Girls, listen to me, this is very important. If you ever go out and play in Whitetail Wood again, and you find something that you don’t know what it is, don’t touch it, come get someone older and they’ll know what to do with it. Okay?” Twilight said.

“We promise!” Scootaloo said.

“Go on home now!” Applejack said. “It’s gettin’ late and Apple Bloom ain’t done her chores yet!”

“But sis! Can’t we see Sweetie Bell?” Apple Bloom pleaded.

“Not tonight, now go on an' get home!” Applejack said sternly.

Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo frowned, but departed without another word.

“Tomorrow, we’re going back out there to find out what that revolver was doing there,” Scootaloo said.

Apple Bloom frowned. “Ah don’t think that’s a good idea Scoot.”

“What’s the matter? You chicken or something?” Scootaloo said. “You used to call me chicken all the time, and now I’m saying we need to do something and you want to back out?!”

“You didn’t hurt Sweetie Bell, Scoot, Ah did, Ah just don’t want you ta git hurt either,” Apple Bloom said.

“That’s why we need to do it! So nopony else finds something else and gets hurt not knowing what it does!” Scootaloo said. “We know that the stuff we’ll find is dangerous! Somepony else might not!”

“Ah guess that makes sense...” Apple Bloom said, her voice trailing off.

“Come on Apple Bloom! We need to do it! For Sweetie Bell!” Scootaloo said.

Apple Bloom looked at her friend and smiled.

“Fer Sweetie Bell!”

Comments

I'd wondered when these three might start to realize why their relatives fear the outside world they are kept from knowing about; too bad for all concerned that, just as 19th century America couldn't keep it out forever, Equestria has got to accept entangling alliances and be part of the real world.