In The Darkness

by Silver Moon

Greetings and Goodbyes

“SCOOTALOO!!” Sweetie Belle screamed as her friend hit the ground. Franticly she tried to scramble down the cliff, but Apple Bloom held her back.

“No, Sweetie, stop!” the yellow filly cried as she grabbed her friend’s mane. “We can’t help her!”

“We have to try!” Sweetie wept back, still struggling to get down to her friend.

“No, we can’t,” Apple Bloom said again, her voice pained. She looked into the unicorn’s eyes, pleading. “Ah’m sorry. Scootaloo made her choice and died to save us. What would she think if we went down ta help her an’ Scarlet was still alive an’ got us? What would she say if we get caught? She died to save us,” she repeated. “So we have ta live. For her.”

“But we can’t just leave her there,” Sweetie protested. She stopped struggling and looked at her friend with wide eyes.

“An’ we ain’t gonna. We’ll come back for her, Ah promise. But right now we need to get out a’ this forest. Moss and Leaf might still be around.” She paused and looked down at the two motionless ponies below, watching for movement.

“Alright,” Sweetie Belle agreed at last. She started to climb back up, Apple Bloom close behind.

The fillies had not gotten very far down the cliff before Scarlet had appeared and had stopped their descent in order to reduce the noise they made and thus their chances of getting caught. As a result, it did not take long for the two fillies to reach the relatively flat land of the clearing. For several minutes they stood in the grass, trying to catch their breath and get their emotions under control. Shivering with cold and fear, they watched the driving rain wash away Scootaloo’s blood. They stared at the place where their friend had made her final stand. Then, wordlessly, the two started the long journey back to Ponyville. The going was slow and painful; both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle bore injuries from the past day. With the adrenaline gone, the pain could make itself heard without being pushed aside by fear. Sweetie Belle’s back and underbelly was covered with long cuts, caused by Scarlet’s whip, so her white coat stained red with her own blood. She had lost a tuft of her mane during their flight through the forest and one of her ears had a nick in it. Apple Bloom was no better. She limped along as she vainly tried to keep weight of an ankle she could not remember spraining. Her body was coated in small cuts with a large one running all the way from her chest to her rump. Her right eye was swollen and black and her nose was consistently oozing blood. Both were more hungry, tired and cold than they could ever remember being. They had gotten up at the crack of dawn two mornings ago to start crusading and had not gotten a good rest since, nor had they gotten anything to eat since the storm began. They had made it through the last day on adrenaline alone and they could feel that fading as they walked. The fillies did not know which way would take them home, so they tried to find the path they had bashed during their flee. It wasn’t too hard to locate and would be easy to follow if they had the energy. Without any strength it took almost a full hour for Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to find their way back to the old barn on a path that had taken them no more than ten minutes the first time. For another five minutes the fillies stood still, staring at the old building in search of life. There was none.

“We should get moving again,” said Sweetie Belle, but she made no move to get going.

“Ah agree.” The two stood silently for another few seconds before they started to look around for a path. There were several. Apple Bloom chose one at random and started to walk when she was stopped by a shout.

“Wait!” Sweetie Belle cried out. Without another word, she turned and ran as fast as should could back to the barn. Apple Bloom sat down, too tired to call to her friend to stop and too sore to stand any longer than she needed to. When the unicorn returned, she had something draped over her back. She stopped before Apple Bloom, panting. “Here,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath. She held out a piece of fabric to her friend, who took it. It was her cape. Wordlessly, both fillies put on their capes and helped each other fasten them. Then they looked sadly at the fillyless cape with the torn corner nopony had ever gotten around to fixing.

“Ah-Ah’ll carry it,” Apple Bloom offered. She didn’t want to; if she carried Scootaloo’s cape it would mean that the little Pegasus was no longer there to carry it herself. To carry Scootaloo’s cape would mean accepting that the filly was dead. Regardless, Apple Bloom could not bear to leave it out in the forest. Unaware of the turmoil of thoughts in her friend’s head, Sweetie simply nodded and placed the cape on her friend’s back. “Thanks,” Apple Bloom said weakly. “We should get movin’ again.” The unicorn nodded in agreement and they started off. Time lost meaning as the fillies walked. Their capes helped keep the slackening rain off, but they were already soaked. As they walked the slackening rain came to a full stop. The clouds cleared slowly and let the sun in. The sore fillies welcomed the soothing warmth. But it was too soothing; it sapped the little energy they had left. It dried their wet fur and warmed their stiff muscles. It was so nice, so warm, so soothing that the fillies could no longer resist. They lay down in the middle of the sunny trail and started to drift off as sleep claimed their bodies. Sweetie was already asleep, but Apple Bloom still remembered what happened the last time they had fallen asleep in a strange place. She tried to stay awake, but she was very tired. She was just about to let herself be lured into sleep when she heard the voices. Voices quietened by distance, but voices. Familiar voices, calling… what? What were the voices calling? Apple Bloom raised her head wearily, trying to find where the voices were coming from. There were many, too many coming from too many places to find a single location. Then one voice cut through all the others, forcing its way into Apple Bloom’s ears from every way.

“Apple Bloom!” the voice called, thick with tears and a heavy accent. “Where are ya, sis? Apple Bloom!!”

“Sis,” the filly called out hoarsely. “Ah’m here.” She tried to stand up again but fell to her knees. “Ah’m here,” she repeated as loud as she could. “Help me, sis. Ah’m here. Come save me.” But she knew her voice was too soft to be heard. She lay her head back down, unable to keep it up any longer. Apple Bloom was about to join Sweetie in the land of dreams when another voice sliced the air around her. This one was closer, this one was from above.

“Scootaloo! Scootaloo, where are you? Scoota- Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle!” Rainbow shouted down as she spotted the fillies. Apple Bloom watched as the Pegasus turned to her left and shouted again, louder. “Hey Applejack, Rarity! I found them! They’re here!”

“Oh, thank goodness! We’re coming, Rainbow,” Rarity’s voice drifted over from a ways away. As the older mares shouted, Apple Bloom’s eyes fell from the sky onto the forest before her. Her breath fled as she saw a pair of yellow eyes and a freckled face shift back into the undergrowth with a soft rustle. Her heart almost stopped as she heard a similar noise from behind. Then Rainbow Dash dropped to the ground beside her and Apple Bloom was filled with hope.

“It’s going to be OK,” the mare said softly. “You’re safe now. You’re-” Rainbow Dash cut herself off quickly and was silent for a few seconds. When she spoke again, her voice was different. It was more fearful, a little angry. Almost accusingly, she asked “Where’s Scootaloo?”

Then sleep claimed Apple Bloom and she heard no more.

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A bright light and the sound of voices woke Apple Bloom. She groggily tried to raise her head only to moan in pain. Her right foreleg was strapped to an IV drip and she was wearing some lightweight fabric. The voices were coming from her left, so the filly slowly rolled over. Sweetie Belle was lying in a bed, sleeping. Rarity and their parents stood next to her, talking quietly to a doctor. It sounded like something about sedatives, whatever those were. Apple Bloom tried to make out more of what they were saying, but got distracted by a soft snore from behind her. Ah know that snore! she thought, excited despite her exhaustion and rolled over again, wincing at the pain is caused. Her sore face split into a smile as she saw her sister sitting on a chair in front of her, sleeping.

“Applejack,” Apple Bloom croaked. Her sister instantly woke up, her head snapping up so fast that her hat flew right off her head.

“Apple Bloom!” she cried as she reached forwards to wrap her little sister in a tight hug. The filly whimpered in pain as she was squished. “Sorry,” the mare said. She mostly let go, but kept her hoof on her sister’s as she continued. “Ah was just so worried about ya. Ah’m so glad you’re safe now. Ah don’t know what we would do if we lost ya…” Applejack trailed off, shaking her head. “But we didn’t. The Doc said you’re gonna be fine, ya just have to stay here for a while. Ah’m so glad we found ya an’ Sweetie Belle.”

“Where’re Granny an’ Big Mac?” Apple Bloom asked wearily. She closed her eyes, feeling safe and warm for the first time in what felt like forever.

“Granny went back ta the farm and Big Mac is out with Twi, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, lookin’ for Scootaloo. Ah hope they find her soon. Sun won’t be up for much longer an’ it ain’t safe to look after sundown. Hey, don’ worry, Ah’m sure they’ll find her, no need to cry.” Fight tears of her own, the orange Earth Pony leaned forwards and wrapped her sobbing sister in another hug, lighter this time.

“N-No!” Apple Bloom wept into her sister. “They a-ain’t gonna f-find her! It’s t-t-too laaaate!”

“Shh, shh, it’s gonna be OK,” Applejack said again, trying to comfort her hysterical sister. “Scootaloo’s a tough pony, Ah’m sure she’s fine. Ah’m sure we’re gonna find her again and she’ll be fine. Trust me. It won’t be long before the three of ya are off crusadin’ an’ whatnot again. Shh, shh. It’ll all be OK. Shh,” Applejack whispered in soothing tones, but Apple Bloom would have none of it.

“NO!” she shrieked as the pain of losing her friend finally took her. “No, no it’s too late! Scootaloo died, she’s dead, she died to save us! She’s dead and it’s all mah fault!!”

“Shh, shh, Apple Bloom, calm down. Scootaloo’s fine, ya’ll see. Shh.”

“No, no, nononononononono! Ah saw her fall, sis, Ah saw her! An’ an’ Ah heard her, sis,” Apple Bloom looked at her sister with pleading eyes, begging for the truth to somehow be a lie. “Ah heard her land, Applejack,” she whispered shakily. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears with her hooves, trying to block out a sound only she could her. “Ah heard her,” Apple Bloom said again a little louder. “Ah heard her, Ah heard her, Ah heard her!” She shouted a little louder each time until she was screaming. “AH HEARD HER, AH HEARD HER, AH HEARD SCOOTALOO DIE!!” No longer able to find words, Apple Bloom collapsed into noisy tears. She waited for her sister to comfort her but when the mare spoke, it was not to the filly.

“Rainbow,” Applejack began softly. Shocked, Apple Bloom opened her eyes. When had the Pegasus gotten there? How much had she heard? Although she was already in pain, Apple Bloom felt her heart break a little more at the thought of Rainbow finding out like this. She should have been told that Scootaloo had died more gently, not like this.

“Apple Bloom?” Rainbow Dash asked. Her voice wasn’t mad, only confused. “Apple Bloom, why are you lying?”

“Ah don’t think she is, sugar cube,” Applejack said slowly.

“But she has to be,” Rainbow Dash said. “Scoots can’t be dead. Not-not now.”

“Ah’m sorry,” Applejack said. “Ah’m so sorry.”

“No. Apple Bloom, stop lying!” Rainbow’s voice rose to a yell as she stared at the filly. “Stop it right now and tell me where Scootaloo is!”

“Ah heard her,” the filly wept into her pillow.

“No you didn’t! You’re lying, you’re lying,” Rainbow snarled. “Now tell the truth! Where is she?” the Pegasus snapped as she drew closer to the yellow filly.

“Rainbow, stop. Calm down, sugar cube. We’ll sort this out, alright? Let’s just step outside now,” Applejack murmured. She reached forwards a hoof and started to push the mourning mare out of the room.

“NO!” Rainbow screamed again. “She can’t be dead, not now!” She kept screaming as Applejack dragged her out of the room. The door closed, muffling the voices but Apple Bloom could still hear most of the conversation.

“Calm down, RD! What’s got your saddle in a twist? Why’d’ya keep saying ‘not now’? Somethin’ happen?”

“Yes!” cried the miserable Pegasus. “This,” she proclaimed. Apple Bloom could hear a soft ruffling of paper and Applejack’s sharp intake of breath. She said something that was too soft to be heard.

“Yesterday.” Rainbow’s bitter voice cut through the closed door with ease. “Just yesterday. That’s why Scootaloo can’t be dead. Not when she was just about to get a big sister. Not when she was about to have a family again. Not…” her voice softened and was lost. Apple Bloom could hear the soft rumble of AJ’s voice but could not make out the words. She sat up painfully, straining to hear only to slam her hooves over her ears once more as Rainbow started to scream.

“You don’t get it! You have your sister, I lost mine, both of mine! It’s not fair!”

“Ah know, Rainbow. Ah know an’ Ah’m sorry. But there ain’t nothin’ that can be done. Ya need ta calm down.”

“Calm down? Calm down? I’ll calm down when I’ve found my sister!”

“Rainbow, wait! Ya can’t go alone! Wait!”

Silence followed Applejack’s desperate shout. Apple Bloom pictured her sister standing still, debating chasing after the Pegasus. Then the orange mare walked back into the room where Apple Bloom lay awake and Sweetie Belle slept under sedatives. Applejack shook her head as she walked back to her place beside her sister. Without a word, she reached forward a hoof and began to stroke Apple Bloom’s mane gently. The filly was comforted by the touch but still unnerved. Slowly, she found her voice.

“Is Rainbow Dash goin’ ta be OK?” she whispered.

“Ah don’t know, sugar cube,” the mare whispered back.

“Is she mad at me?”

“She’s got no right ta be,” Applejack said evasively.

“But is she?”

“Ah think so,” Applejack sighed. “Ah think she’s mad at both a’ us. Sweetie an’ Rarity too.”

“But… why?” Apple Bloom asked as tears welled up in her swollen eyes. “Why is she mad? What did we do?”

“It’s just…” Applejack sighed again. “Apple Bloom, Ah don’t wanna tell ya. Ya’ll been through so much already, ya an’ Sweetie. If Ah tell ya, it’ll just add ta the pain an’ Ah don’t want that for ya. Ah’m not sure ifa you’re ready ta hear it yet. Do ya understand?”

“Ah guess,” Apple Bloom said, slowly wiping her tears away. She paused and looked up. “Does this have anythin’ ta do with Scootaloo?” she asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, Ah guess it does,” Applejack said slowly.

“Then Ah wanna know. Scootaloo is-was-mah friend an’ Ah wanna know.” Apple Bloom looked at her sister pleadingly. “Please tell me. Ah wanna know why Rainbow’s mad at me.”

“Are ya sure?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah.”

“Alright then.” Applejack took a deep breath. “In order for all a’ this ta make sense, Ah’m gonna have ta tell ya about Rainbow Dash’s foalhood. It’s not a short story an’ Ah’m gonna need you ta not interrupt, alright?

“Ah’m not sure when it all started. But Ah do know that her daddy was never a very nice pony. He did a lot a’ bad thing’s an’ one of those things was hurtin’ his family. He liked ta hit Rainbow’s mama an’ blame her for everythin’ that went wrong. He liked ta hit Rainbow an’ tell her that she was useless. It was real bad, Apple Bloom. Rainbow wanted ta run away but she couldn’t leave her mama. Even back when she was just a foal she was loyal ‘till the end. Then one day it got worse.

“Her daddy came home while her mamma was still workin’. An’ he wasn’t alone. He had a couple a’ his buddies with ‘im, none of ‘em any good. An’ Rainbow was all alone, just a little filly, littler that ya’ll. An’ her dad an’ his buddies… They hurt her, Apple Bloom. Hurt her in every which way imaginable. Hurt her in ways that Ah won’t never tell ya, no matter how much ya beg. After that, well, Rainbow’d had enough. Once she could move again she went up ta her room an’ started ta pack. She stayed up real late that night until her mama got home. She was goin’ ta try an’ make her mama run away with her. But that was the first night her mama really started ta show.”

“’Show’?” Apple Bloom asked. “What do ya mean?”

“Ah mean she was goin’ ta have another foal. Well, Rainbow saw an’ asked her mama why she looked so fat. Her daddy never let them eat much so she didn’t understand why her mama looked so large like that. Well, her mama told her what Ah told you an’ well, little Rainbow Dash just couldn’t leave her little brother or sister alone with her daddy. Her mama wouldn’t do nothin’ ta protect the foal so Rainbow promised it that she would take care a’ it, no matter what. She stayed an’ put up with her bad daddy so she could help her mama an’ her little brother or sister. She just wanted ta be a good big sister.

“Then came the day when her mama needed ta give birth. RD’s dad wouldn’t let her mama go ta the hospital. It took hours an’ she almost died, but in the end Rainbow had a little sister. A beautiful little thin’, golden yellow coat an’ pinkish red mane. Her mama was so proud but her daddy wanted a colt. He blamed his wife an’ started ta beat on her, harder than ever before. Rainbow had never seen him so mad before. An’ her mama was so weak from the birth. Rainbow was so scared, so scared. So she did the only thin’ she could think of. She took her sister an’ ran away. She tried ta fly but couldn’t take the weight so she ran instead. Now, her house wasn’t in a nice neighborhood but she knew her way around. She’d spent a lot a’ time wanderin’ the streets when her dad was in a bad mood an’ it wasn’t safe ta go home. So she made her way around the back allies, tryin’ ta find her way ta the good part of town where the hospital might be.

“She never found it.

“She was so scared an’ the baby just kept cryin’ an’ cryin’. So Rainbow stopped runnin’ an’ tried ta sooth her little sister. But she was cryin’ real hard herself, see? So it wasn’t really helpin’. An’ the baby kept cryin’ an’ Rainbow kept cryin’ an’ then an old mare saw them an’ took them in. She was real nice ta them an’ started ta raise them as her own since she didn’t have any since she never married. She raised them up as best she could. She even gave Rainbow’s sister a name; Golden Dawn. But she was old, Apple Bloom. Not as old as Granny Smith but not as healthy either. An’ just four years after she took Rainbow an’ her sister in, she got sick. An’ she never got better. Rainbow was heartbroken. Her mama had been killed by her daddy, she knew that in her heart, an’ the pony who had become her second mama had died too. The mare, Rainbow never told me her name, wanted RD an’ Dawn ta go ta the orphanage so they could get another family. But they couldn’t. Just as Rainbow knew her mama was dead, she knew in her heart that her daddy was still out there. She knew he would come after them like a timberwolf after an injured rabbit an’ that if they went ta the orphanage he would find them. So after the mare died, she called the ambulance an’ ran away again. Dawn didn’t know what was goin’ on but she trusted her big sis so much. They ran away but this time they had nowhere ta run.

“What could Rainbow do? She had ta drop out of the flight school the mare had enrolled her in so she could scavenge for food. Nopony else would take them in an’ the orphanage wasn’t an option so they had ta live on the street. It was a hard time but still easier than livin’ with their dad would’ve been. They never stayed in the same place for too long in case their daddy came a lookin’. Rainbow would spend the day lookin’ for a new place ta stay an’ the night lookin’ for food or a toy for her little sis. She always found somethin’ for Dawn ta play with. Even if it was just a few empty cans ta stack, Rainbow never returned home without a toy.

“Well, a year went by with sign of their daddy. Rainbow had had a few close calls with the cops but had never been caught with anything big. A few times they almost starved, but they survived. The first year had been hard but it was over an’ that gave them hope. Maybe their dad had forgotten about them. But they stayed on alert because they couldn’t be sure. Another year went by until it was the day before Golden Dawn’s birthday. Not only was it almost her birthday but Dawn had also just learned ta fly.” Applejack paused and lowered her head. She reached up a hoof to wipe away a few tears before continuing. “Rainbow just wanted ta get her sister somethin’ special, that was all. She wanted ta give Dawn her favorite toy from when she was a foal. So Rainbow went back ta her house. She had stashed one of her favorite toys in the backyard a long time ago, where her daddy would never find it. It was still there so she grabbed it an’ went back to her sister, plannin’ on givin’ it ta her in the mornin’ when she got back from her nightly scavenge.

“She-she never got the chance.

“Golden Dawn was sleepin’ when Rainbow got back from her old house so RD went out again ta try an’ find some more food ‘fore the sun came up. When she came back the sun was just risin’ an’ the sky was golden, just like Dawn’s coat. It was gonna be such a wonderful day that Rainbow was gonna take Dawn to the park and they were just gonna play. But when Rainbow got back to where they had made their home, Golden Dawn wasn’t alone.

“When Rainbow had gone back ta her old house for the toy, her dad had seen her. He had followed her back to Dawn. When Rainbow got back, her daddy had already beaten Golden Dawn bloody. He wasn’t done havin’ his fun but RD never let him finish. She earned the last part a’ her name by a tenfold that mornin’.

“They had been at the edge of a cloud at the edge of the city at the time. So when Rainbow Dash charged at her daddy, she managed ta get enough force ta knock both a’ ‘em right off the cloud. They started fallin’, Rainbow an’ her daddy, but somethin’ was wrong. He wasn’t flyin’ an’ one a’ his wings looked funny. It was broken an’ Rainbow didn’t know or care if she had been the one ta do it or if it was already broke when he came in the first place. Either way, he wasn’t flyin’. Rainbow Dash was, though, so he tried to grab onta her. She bucked him in the face an’ he fell. RD didn’t stay ta watch, she just flew back up ta her sister.

“Golden Dawn was hurt bad. Worse than ya an’ Sweetie Belle combined an’ there was no time ta get her to a hospital. Ah’ll spare ya the details a’ what he did ta her. Ya’ll been through enough already. But it was enough that RD couldn’t save her sister. So she sat with her, tellin’ her she loves her over an’ over again. Holdin’ her until-” Applejack broke off, letting her tears fall freely. Apple Bloom was crying too, but still stayed silent. She needed her sister to finish the story, to give it the happy ending it didn’t have. The silence stretched on, broken only by the beeping of the IV drip and the sniffles of the two crying sisters. Then Apple Bloom could bear the suspense no longer and spoke.

“What happened next?” she asked through her tears. Applejack hesitated and wiped both of their tears away before responding.

“Ah don’t know,” she said truthfully. “Rainbow never told me an’ Ah never asked. None o’ mah business.”

“Then where does Scootaloo fit in?” Apple Bloom asked. “An’ Ah still don’t get why Rainbow is mad at us.”

“Golden Dawn was the sister Rainbow Dash couldn’t save,” Applejack explained as she let more tears fall. “She gave up everythin’ she had to save Dawn but she couldn’t. Ah think Rainbow saw Scootaloo as her second chance. Her second chance at a family, her second chance at havin’ a sister. To her, Scootaloo was the sister she could save, would save. She never told me but Ah think that Rainbow’s been tryin’ for years now to adopt Scootaloo. Ah think she only got the papers now ‘cause a’ her past. She musta gotten quite a record after at least a year a’ livin’ on the streets. But just now, just yesterday, she had gotten her chance to really save Scootaloo like she couldn’t save Dawn. ” Applejack fell silent, allowing the story to sink in. For several minutes the only noise was the steady beeping of the IV until Apple Bloom’s voice joined it.

“Ah still don’t get why Rainbow’s so mad at us,” she said softly. Applejack shook her head sadly.

“Don’t ya see?” she asked. “Ya survived. Ya an’ Sweetie Belle survived an’ Scootaloo didn’t. Rainbow’s not mad, not really. At least not at us. She’s just sad, mostly. Sad about what happened an’ mad about it too. She’s mad about how unfair it is, how Rarity an’ Ah don’t have to deal with the pain she’s had to deal with twice now. Rainbow doesn’t know how to deal with this pain so she thinks that she’s mad at us. Ah’m sorry about that but there’s not a thing we can do about it. Rainbow’s just gonna need some time to sort things out,” Applejack finished. Once again she reached forwards and began to stroke her sister’s mane. Apple Bloom’s head looked so bare without her bow so Applejack reached up with her spare hoof and removed her own hat and placed it on the filly’s head.

“Really?” Apple Bloom asked in shock. She had always wanted to wear Applejack’s hat but had never really gotten a chance. She looked up at her sister, joy in her eyes for the first time in days.

“Really,” Applejack smiled back. “At least until we get ya another bow. Then Ah want it back, alright?” Apple Bloom giggled.

“Alright.”

“Good. Now ya should try an’ get some sleep. Ah’ll stay for a while but then Ah really should go try an’ find Rainbow. Ah think she could use a friend right about now.”

“Wait until Ah’m asleep to leave.”

“A’course, sugar cube. Ah’ll be right here, don’t you worry.”

“Thanks. An’ when you find Rainbow,” Apple Bloom broke with a yawn, “tell her that Ah’m sorry.” The filly’s voice faded to a whisper as sleep took over her. She heard her sister murmur a confirmation and then sleep fully claimed her once more.

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When Apple Bloom woke, she felt as if she had not slept at all. A clock ticked slowly on the wall opposite her, but only showed time, not day. It would have been useful if Apple Bloom knew how to tell time. But it must have been late because the room was mostly dark, lit only by the pale moonlight seeping in the window. Applejack was gone, as was Sweetie’s family. She looked around to see what woke her and jumped when she heard the window creak open. Apple Bloom cowered with her blanket pulled up to her chin as she watched two figures climb inside as silently as the moon lighting their path. Too afraid to make a sound the yellow filly watched in horror as one of the figures walked to the door and locked it. Who’s dumb idea was it to make hospital rooms lock from the inside?! Apple Bloom though furiously, angry in spite of her fear. As the figure by the door turned to look at its companion, Apple Bloom found her voice.

“Sweetie!” she hissed across the room, foolishly hoping that her friend would be the only one to hear her. “Wake up!”

“Huh? Whatzamatter?” mumbled the unicorn. “Gobatosleep,” she said without opening her eyes. But she was not the only one who heard the Earth Pony. A pair of dull, glowing yellow eyes glared at Apple Bloom, who let out a gasp of recognition. Unfortunately, she was only paying attention to the pony staring back at her and did not notice his brother until she felt his hoof collide with the back of her skull. But the blow didn’t hurt. There was just a flash of white and then there was nothing.

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“Where’s Scarlet? She should be back by now.”

“I’ve already told you. She’s just dealing with the other twerp. You know she likes to take her time with these things.”

“Still, she should be back by now.”

“And she’s not. So shut up.”

Apple Bloom opened her eyes slowly, painfully. Before her stood Leaf and Moss, arguing. She tried to move but was tied up. She let out a groan as pain bloomed in the back of her skull, adding to the agony of old injuries she already had. She tried to look around but her head was bound in place. Still, she did not need to see a lot to know that she was back in the barn. It was dim, lit only by a few feeble rays of moonlight.

“Aw, horseapples,” she swore under her breath. “Sweetie, are ya awake?” she whispered a little louder.

“Yeah. We’re back at the barn,” Sweetie said from somewhere to the left of Apple Bloom.

“Ah know. Ah wonder what they’re gonna do with us.”

“Nothing until Scarlet gets back, probably.”

“Ah hope. Do ya think she survived the fall?”

“What fall?” Moss snapped as he walked over to the trapped fillies, who fell silent. “Answer me!” the stallion demanded as his brother walked up beside him. When the fillies remained silent he reached forwards a hoof and punched Apple Bloom in the nose.

“Ow! Dat hurd!” she cried as blood started to flow. “Ah dink ya broke id!”

“I’ll break a whole lot more if you don’t answer me right now!” Moss growled.

“Hey, calm down! You know Scarlet hates it when we hurt her prisoners,” Leaf spoke up.

“I thought I told you to shut up!” Moss snarled, turning on his brother. Turning back to Apple Bloom he spoke again. “Tell me now. What fall?” Apple Bloom’s only response was to weep in fear and pain. The stallion pulled his hoof back for another blow when Sweetie Belle spoke up.

“Wait!” she shrieked, her voice cracking loudly. “Wait. There’s a cliff, I’m not sure which way. It borders a clearing we found when we ran away. Scootaloo-” the unicorn broke off, weeping. “Scootaloo told us to climb down because she couldn’t. She-”

“Yes, because I care of so much about that dumb filly. Tell me what happened to my sister!”

“We don’d gno!” Apple Bloom shrieked thickly. “Dey were dalkin’ an’ she screamed-”

“Who screamed? Scarlet or Scootawhatsit?”

“Scarled, Scarled! Den dey fell pasd us! Please led us go,” the filly begged but the stallion was too furious to listen. Rounding on Sweetie Belle he leaned it close.

“Then what happened?” he asked in a tone Scarlet had used. The tone that was too soft, too sweet. His rank breath caused the filly to wrinkle her nose in disgust before she answered Moss.

“I don’t know!” she wept. “They fell and they landed and Scoot-Scootaloo died but I don’t know if Scarlet did! I just don’t know!”

“Moss, we have to find her,” Leaf said. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had almost forgotten about him in their fear of his brother. It was clear that the freckled brother was the more aggressive one. With a snort, Moss turned to face his brother, causally kicking a hoof back into Sweetie’s gut. As the filly gasped for breath, Moss stared down his brother.

“Yes, but what do we do with them?” he demanded jerking his head back to the fillies.

“We let them go. Finding Scarlet is more important.”

“Never!” hissed Moss his lip pulled back in a vicious snarl. “You know what Scarlet would do to us! You know what they can do to us! If we let them go, they’ll go back to their little town and get everypony there after us! I will not let that happen, not now, not again! We have a home here and we will not lose it!”

“Then what do you propose we do? Wait for sis? She might be hurt, probably is. We need to go find her. We can let them go, we can find a new home. We can’t get a new sister.” Leaf looked pleadingly into his brother’s eyes, begging him to see reason. Moss held Leaf’s gaze for several minutes.

“Fine,” he spat. “You’re right. We need to find Scarlet. But we cannot let them go.”

“Then what should we do with them? If we leave them I have a feeling they will escape and they’re too weak to take with us. So what do we do with them?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Moss scoffed. He walked to one of the dark corners of the barn and returned with a blade strapped to his foreleg. “We kill them,” he finished as he drew closer to Apple Bloom. The filly froze as she watched the blade glow in the growing light. Dawn was nearing and soon somepony would notice the fillies were missing again. But by then it would be too late. Apple Bloom’s eyes widened as the blade grew larger. Expertly, Moss positioned the knife on the filly’s lower eyelid and pushed up slightly. “Hold still now,” he cooed around the handle as he increased the pressure. Blood seeped gently from the new cut as Apple Bloom tried not to blink.

“Moss, wait!” Leaf protested. Moss pulled away from his victim with another snarl and carefully sheathed his weapon.

“What is it, brother?” he asked putting emphasis on the last word.

“Scarlet will kill us if we kill her prisoners!”

“No, I’m sure she won’t mind so long as we don’t let them go too easily.” Moss grinned wickedly for a moment then frowned. “She would never kill us and you know it. So why are you so reluctant?”

“It’s just… I don’t-” Leaf stumbled over his words as he avoided his brother’s eyes.

“Spit it out. We don’t have all day.”

“I’m not going to let you kill them.”

“What?!” Moss screamed his face livid.

“You heard what I said,” Leaf tried to speak calmly but his voice betrayed his fear. He had never back talked to either of his siblings and he knew what they were capable of. “You are not going to kill them. They didn’t do anything! They’re just foals.”

“We’ve killed foals before. Why are these so special?” Moss spat back.

“I have never killed anypony. Scarlet has and you have too, occasionally. But I have never. And I plan to keep it that way.” Moss snorted irritably in response.

“Fine by me,” he said. “I’ll just kill them both. You get to keep your pwecious wittle hoovsies clean.”

“No. You’re not going to kill them. I won’t let you.”

“Oh?” Moss asked. “Is that so?”

“Yes. Yes it is.” As he spoke Leaf maneuvered himself so he was standing between his brother and the fillies, his back to the latter. “I’m not going to let you hurt them. Scarlet is gone so it’s just you and me. It’s time to change things. We-”

“Scarlet is not gone!” Moss shouted. “She’s tougher than a filly. She could have easily survived the fall.”

“How do you know? The filly was a Pegasus. Pegasi fly and the filly still died.”

“Yes, but she was a weak Pegasus with only one pathetically small wing that she could use. I seriously doubt she could fly. Now get out of my way.”

“No! I’m not going to let you hurt them! Don’t you see, brother? This is our chance! We can leave this life behind and make new ones. Scarlet is not here to hold us back anymore. We can do whatever we want!”

“Traitor!” Moss spat. “How dare you turn on us? Scarlet raised us and I protected you from your nightmares! And now you turn on us and for this? You think you could fit in with others, do you? You can’t. You never will. This, here, is your life. You can never escape it. This is who you are.”

“I never wanted this life,” Leaf wailed. His resolve was falling before his brother’s anger, but he tried to not let it show. Moss pulled his lip back as he closed the gap between himself and Leaf.

“You never wanted this life?” he snarled. “Are you so arrogant as to want something more than what you have? Scarlet is doing everything she can just to keep us alive and you have the nerve to ask for more? After everything she did for you, everything I did for you?” Moss shook his head in anger. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he spoke again his tone was almost soothing. “But I think that won’t be a problem for much longer. You see, I’m going to solve your problem and show you something at the same time. Do you know what I’m going to show you?” Moss asked. He leaned in closer, the gap closed. “Well?” he snarled. “Do you?”

“N-No,” Leaf whimpered as he let his fear showed itself at last.

“No,” Moss said calmly, almost sadly. “I didn’t think you would. I’m going to show you what you should be loyal to. I’m sorry, brother.” Moss paused and straightened up. He looked down on his brother, a look of pure contempt scrawled across his features. He closed his eyes for a moment then moved. He moved so fast, so fluidly, that what he did was almost unnoticeable. Only the flash of the blade could be seen, only Leaf Mold’s final, choking cry could be heard. Then the cowering stallion fell to the floor softly, his eyes wide open, his throat split all the way across in a grotesque smile. Sweetie Belle shrieked and Apple Bloom cried louder but Moss continued to ignore them. He reached down a hoof and dipped it in the growing puddle of blood. He then lifted his bloody hoof and placed it in front of his brother’s face.

“Blood,” Moss said calmly as the liquid dripped from his hoof onto the dying pony. “Blood is what you should be loyal to. It is Blood that brings you to life, Blood that raises you and now, here, Blood that ends you. Blood has the power to let you live or die.” Moss shook his head sadly. “If only you had learnt that sooner. I’m sorry this happened, brother. But this was the only way for you to learn. Goodbye.” Slowly, Dark Moss raised himself up and walked into the shadows of the old barn. When he returned both his hoof and his blade had been cleaned off.

“You’re a monster,” Sweetie Belle whispered as Moss approached, but the stallion only smiled.

“That may be true,” he replied, “but I’m alive and he isn’t. Now, where were we?” Grinning, Moss walked forward as he gripped his blade in his mouth once more. The sharp knife glinted maliciously in the sunlight. The light wasn’t strong, but it was stronger than the light of early dawn. What time was it? Was it still morning, or had noon come? It was hard tell, but Apple Bloom was fairly sure that it was too soon for a search party to find them. But it had been long enough for her nose to stop bleeding. Still she knew that there would be no search party trying to find them. She had already given up all hope of a rescue when Moss froze, his blade already pressing into her skin. He snapped his head to the door, ears perked. Then he ran to the door and peaked his head out. “Pony feathers,” he muttered before adding a few more that neither Apple Bloom nor Sweetie had heard before. Yet when he turned back to the fillies, he was smiling. “Change of plan, girls,” he said as he walked up to the trapped fillies. “Turns out that we don’t have time to play. Shame, really. I would have loved to play a few games with you two. But time is running out for all of us. So this is where we say our goodbyes.” Having reached his prey, Moss turned and grasped his blade. For a moment he was still. Then he moved with the same fluidly quality he had when he killed his brother. Effortlessly he sliced the ropes that bound the fillies. Without stopping, he rammed the knife into the tender young chest closest to him. As he started to pull it out, the barn door burst open and two mares rushed in. Without hesitating, Rainbow Dash launched herself at the stallion, who ducked just in time. With an insane laugh, Moss ran past the frozen mare who still stood at the open door. Rainbow took too long to recover and he vanished into the night, still laughing. Looking around, Rainbow’s eyes fell upon the still body of Leaf.

“Who is this?” she whispered as she started at him, her voice stolen by fear. But her companion did not reply.

Instead, Applejack stood in silent horror, mouth open in a scream that would never be heard. She was frozen as she watched her little sister slump to the ground. Applejack knew that there was nothing anypony could do as she watched the puddle of blood grow from the ragged wound in Apple Bloom’s chest.

So Applejack could do nothing but stare as she watched her little sister fall into an endless sleep.

Author's Note:

... and then there was one...

Comments

[Writer12577]

Wow. You warned me and this surely was worth the warning. Wow.

I'm still in a bit of a lock-up state after reading through 7,000 words in a digital format without doing any preparing or whatsoever, that's the main reason why I will not be writing a ten-paragraph short story about how this was a rather enjoyable chapter and so on. Simply, this was great, you're keeping your level of writing steadily and I think I can see some improvement here and there. Well done!

Oh boy, there will be more. More is good. I shall wait for more.

[mr lovecolt]

I like it. It just goes to show what can happen with the whole being in the wrong place at the wrong time.