> The Sorrow Of The Remaining Crusaders (First Fic) > by Ribgf > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Sorrow Of The Remaining Crusaders It was a beautiful spring day in Ponyville, even though it was Spring, it was extremely hot. Three little fillies from Ponyville didn't feel the extreme hot temperature as they were going with an extreme speed on one of fillies' scooter. The Cutie Mark Crusaders. The one driving the scooter was Scootaloo, in the cart attached to the scooter were Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle Everyday they made plans on what to try out next in their clubhouse. Today they actually didn't come up with anything to try out for their cutie marks, so they were just on their way to play in the park. "You're really amazing on that scooter Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle said to her friend as they arrived at the park and got out of the cart. " You really have a talent in riding that thing, but it's not your special talent apparently. We've tried out very much things for finding our special talent, but it's still the thin you are really good at compared too all things we've tried" "Thanks Sweetie Belle, but it really isn't my special talent, otherwise I would have had my cutie mark for a while now." Scootaloo replied as she parked her scooter against a tree and got a ball out of the cart" The three fillies ran to a large grassfield to play with the ball. -------------- The sun was setting as the three fillies stopped playing and sat under a large three to rest for a bit and to enjoy the peace and quiet. "Oh, yeah!" Scootaloo yelled, breaking the silence around them. " I almost forgot!" "Wha?" Applebloom asked as she gaised at her orange pegasus friend. "I remembered that I wanted to show you guys a new trick on my scooter" Scootaloo said to her fellow crusader with a smile on her face." Scootaloo dashed to her nearby scooter. She returned to her best friends quickly with her scooter, leaving the cart at the tree, she didn't need it right now. "Stay there, I need some space for this" the pegasus said to her friends. "Okay" both of them said in unison and waited in anticipation for their orange friend to perform the trick she wanted to show." The filly took a deep breath and immidiatly jumped highly into the air with her scooter and spint about five times before landing on the grass again. Her fellow crusaders gaized at their friend in disbelieve for a while before applauding and cheering to their talented friend. "Way to go Scootaloo!" "Yea, great trick Scoot!" "Thanks guys, but it was nothing. How about I show you two something even better?" Scootaloo asked as she blushed. "Yeah, sure!" Sweetie Belle replied as Apple Bloom just nodded at the pegasus. "Okay, but I can't do it here, come with me, I saw a good spot somewhere nearby yesterday." "That souns excitin', what are ya going ta show us?" Applebloom asked excited as she and Sweetie Belle followed her to the spot. "You'll see it there." As they came by a steep hill, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both knew that this was the spot Scoot was talking about. "Okay, wait her as I will amaze you with my super duper awesome tricks!" Scootaloo yelled at the other crusaders while she walked up the hill with her scooter in her hoofs. As she walked she could feel her heart beating faster and faster. "You can do this Scootaloo, they will be amazed if you do it succesfully. IF I do it succesfully." she whispered to herself. She was worried, the tricks she had in mind were pretty dangerous on such big and steep hill. "I must do it, I must make mommy and daddy proud" she whispered as she looked into the sky and shed a tear. She quickly wiped the tear away just as she reached the top of the hill. "Scootaloo, are you sure about this?" Sweetie Belled yelled to the yellow pegasus. "It seems awfully dangerous, you don't need to impress us!" "Scoot, don' be stupid, as Sweetie said, you don't need to impress us." Applebloom yelled at her. "D-dont worry, I...I won't fall and if I do, what's the worst thing that could happen?!" Scoot yelled back at her friends with an nervous tone "Are you sure!?" Sweetie asked quick after. "D-don't w-worry, I'll be fine! She yelled with an even more nervous tone. Her heart was beating like it could explode any second. She took a deep breath and looked into the sky. There was complete silence as the two other crusaders gaized at the top of hill, both with a concerned look. The silence was broken as her little wings flapped quick as she sped down the hill. Scootaloo was planning on doing tricks on her way down, but was too scared to do anything. She felt like her heart was beating a million times per second and did nothing but stare extreme anxiously in front of her as she sped down the hill very fast. What was I thinking!? The filly thought. Scootaloo still managed to have a grip on the handlebar of her scooter, but that couldn't save the orange pegasus. The crusader was almost at the end of the hill when she could feel her heart sink into her stomach as she realized that were low trees with long branches just a few hooves away from the end of the steep hill. Scootaloo saw her life flash before her eyes. Hearing that her father died before she was born The death of her mother Those awful times in the orphanage Never earning a cutie mark But also happy things like meeting Sweetie Belle and later Apple Bloom The happy times she had with her friends, But still, She had an hard life. Scootaloo came back to reality, but it was too late. A branch of one of the trees went completely through the head of the little filly. She was gone. Suddenly clouds appeared above the area and it started to rain in a matter of seconds. It was like the pegasai planned to make Scootaloo's death even worse to the shocked friends of Scootaloo. They came back to reality quicky. "SCOOTALOO, NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" "SCOOT!!!" The crusaders ran faster than they've after had. "NOOOOOOO!!!" was again yelled and echoed through the park a few times after. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom pulled their lifeless bloody best friend from the branch and layed her on the wet grass. Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shed enough tears to fill a bucket while both leaning over the dead body of their friend. "WHY HER?!" Sweetie Belled screamed in the air. Apple Bloom didn't scream, but couldn't see anything because of the amount of tears that she shed non the less. Sweetie Belle couldn't see anything either and continued screaming. "SCOOTALOOOOO!" > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Sorrow Of The Remaining Crusaders - Chapter 2 It was a depressing, cloudy saturday evening. Two days have passed since the funeral and it seemed that everypony in Ponyville was sad. Especially Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle dinner is ready!" Rarity yelled up the stairs. Sweetie walked down the stairs with her a messed up mane and she tired and sad face, she was extremely depressed and only came out of her room for school, the bathroom and the meals through the day. All Sweetie Belle did on her room was thinking about Scootaloo, blaiming herself for the passing of her fellow crusader, she hasn't slept properly since that day, so the sorrow would go until she finally falls asleep deep in the night which sometimes led to nightmares. There were days that Sweetie didn't even sleep at all. When Sweetie Belle came downstairs Rarity already put everything on the table and sat at there waiting for her. She looked at Sweetie with a concerned look. "Sweetie, shall we go to the cinema this evening?" Rarity asked her with a fake smile on her face. "Going outside the house for a bit will do you good." She tried to think of something to do together all the time, but the answer was always no. "No, thanks sis." she responded with a low, joyless tone as she climbed up the dining chair opposite from her big sister. She sat at the table with her head down, not hungry, but she didn't want to dissapoint Rarity after she was in kitchen for a quiete some time. Her big sis made a delicious looking meal, well atleast, to non-depressed ponies. "Sweetie Belle, seriously, you can't keep torturing yourself up there. It wasn't your fault nor Apple Bloom. So, do you have something in my that we can do outside this house?" Rarity asked as she stared concerned at her little sister. The little unicorn looked up at her sister on the opposite side on the table and sighed. "No" she responded, still with a low, joyless tone "I can't think of anything." She returned to lower her head when she finished her sentence Rarity began eating, but Sweetie Belle didn't. "S-sweetie please eat something." tears began to well up in her eyes. "I-I....beg you, you are getting thinner and thinner." She burst into crying after she finished the sentence and collapsed onto the dinner table. Sweetie Belle gaized at her sister with a confused, but symphatetic look. She stood up and walked to her sis and placed her right foreleg around her while tears began to well up in her eyes as well. "It's okay sis." Sweetie said with a symphatetic tone. "Please don't cry, I'll eat my meal." Rarity raised her head and gaized at her sister next to her with a little smile. "Thank you." --------------------------- A gloomy atmosphere also hung around Sweet Apple Acres. The Apple family was sitting at the dinner table, but one of them wasn't there, Apple Bloom. "Ahm a bit worried about Apple Bloom, it's dinner time an' she hasn't shown 'er face since this mornin'." Applejack said when dinner was almost ready. Since the death of Scootaloo, Apple Bloom has been making herself extra tired every day in order to sleep at night. It didn't serve as a distraction though, Apple Bloom's mind was bringing up the prashe "Scootaloo's death is your fault, you should have stopped her." throughtout the entire day followed by suicidal thoughts. "She had a extra sad look on 'er face this mornin', so, ah figure that she why shes out longer. Don't worry." Big Macintosh replied to his worried sister. Just as he said that, the front door opened and a sobbing, soaking Apple Bloom walked in. Big Mac and Granny Smith and Apple Jack immediately stood in front of the little filly. "Apple Bloom! What happened to you?!" Applejack asked, while Granny Smith and Big Mac just looked at Apple Bloom in confusion. The filly, looked at the ground, trying to up with. "Well," she said as she looked up at the adult ponies. "Ah....uh..tripped," the little earth pony replied nervously, "and uh..fell into the water afterwards," she said as her eyes were going across the room to avoid eye contact. "and mah uhh...hooves hurt from the fall. That's why ah was cryin.' " Applejack sighed and shook her head. "Apple Bloom, you know you can tell us anythin'." AJ replied, with a high, comforting tone and a smile on her face. "Now tell us ta what really happened, would you? Apple Bloom looked at the floor and sighed, "Ah can't tell y'all, let's just forgot it and eat supper." The other Apples looked at each other with a frown and shook their head. "Apple Bloom, you can tell us, we won't tell anypony else. Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye" AJ replied with a little smile. Apple Bloom burst into crying, looking at the ground. "Ah- Ah t-t-tried to d-d-drown myself in the l-lake nearby" she stuttered. She collapsed onto the floor covered her face with her hooves. "b-but obviously, Ah couln't do it." The tree were schocked and stared at the crying filly with disbelieve, tears in their eyes. It took a while before Applejack responded. "A-a-apple Bloom, w-why w-would do s-such a thing?" Applejack whispered, staring at her little sister, tears running down her cheeks. She walked over to her little sis' side, sat next to her and placed her foreleg around the little earth pony. Apple Bloom was stilling crying, covering her face with her hooves. Why would you say that, you idiot?! She mentally slapped herself for telling that she tried to commit suicide and tried to think about what she should say next. Applejack ran her other hoof through the filly's cold, wet mane. "A-ah jus' c-can't go on." she sighed. "A-ah c-c-can't live with the guilt of not stopping S-scootaloo from going d-down that hill." After she said that, there was a complete silence, except for the sobbing of the two ponies. "Apple Bloom, can ya please dry youself up in the bathroom and go to your room and let the big ponies talk for a moment?" Applejack whispered. Apple Bloom fel a bit of anger going through her body, she'd rather discuss on what will happen next, but also because she WAS a big pony.But still, she didn't try to argue, wiped her tears away and slowly walked up the stairs with her head down. Apple Bloom dryed herself with a towel in the bathroom and looked at her gloomy self in the mirror and thought about what she'd done. She did really wanted to kill herself and join Scootaloo in the afterlife. But she couldn't do it, drowning herself was too hard. The little earth stayed in the bathroom for a while, looking in the mirror, thinking of the consequences of telling her family what she tryed to herself today until she heard her name from downstairs. "Apple Bloom, can ya come downstairs, please!?" She panicked and locked the bathroom door to keep her family out. I can't let them ground me for eternity! The filly felt her heart race and sweat started to appear on her forehead. Apple Bloom looked around the bathroom for something that could provide her her hapiness in the afterlife. Her eyes fell on Big Mac's shaver an looked at the bath tub after wards with a smile afterwards. Her eyes picked up the sound of a pony coming up the stairs as the filly filled the bath tub. She looked nervously at the door as she heard Applejack talking to her on the hallway. "Apple Bloom, what are ya doin' in there?" The bath tub was filled with enough water for Apple Bloom to sit in. The little noticed that and yelled back at AJ. "Sorry sis, it's the only way!" "Apple Bloom, NOOO!" She kicked in the door, but it was too late. Apple Bloom was ready, looked at her big sister with a smile and dropped the shaver in the tub. "Aaaaaaarrrrrghhhhhhhhh! Aaaaaaahhhh!" echoed in the bathroom. Applejack was shocked and just stood there and looked at the dying, screaming filly. After a few seconds the screaming stopped and Apple Bloom's body turned into a lifeless floating corpse. Applejack suddenly fainted, the floating corpse of her little sister was too much for her. > Chapter 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Sorrow Of The Remaining Crusaders - Chapter 3 It was sunday morning, finally a beautiful day after quite some time. Sweetie Belle woke up from Celestia's sun shining in her eyes. She sat on bed for a while, thinking about yesterday, after a while she walked to her window and looked outside. It cheered her up a bit. She yawned, walked out her room and walked down the stairs. It was quiet in the Carrousel Boutique, Rarity is probably grocery shopping. Just as she was downstairs she heard somepony knocking on the front door. "Coming!" She opened the door and saw Applejack with gloomy expression, with her cowpony hat in her hooves. "Hi Applejack, what's up?" The little unicorn asked the farm pony. "H-hi." Applejack said with a low depressed tone. "Can I come in?" "Sure, but Rarity is not home, I guess you're here for her? "Actually, ah wanted to talk to you." "Uhm..okay, come in." She stepped aside to let the gloomy farm pony in. "Take a seat. Would you like some tea?" Applejack took a seat on the sofa and answered the filly's question. "No, but thank you." Sweetie hopped onto the sofa next to Applejack and looked at her it frown. "Sweetie Belle" AJ began. "Ah don't like telling you this, but the sooner, the better Ah guess. "Hmm?" Applejack looked at the filly, tears rolling down her cheek. "Y-your f-f-friend Apple Bloom k-killed herself last n-night. S-she sat in bath and t-trew a electric razor into the w-water. Ah couldn't stop her. Ah'm sorry." She looked down and cried. Sweetie Belle looked at her friend's sister with wide eyes, while her heart sank as deep as it could. Her mind processed what AJ said and bursted into crying also. She lost both her two best friends in just a week. The rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Her classmates. The ponies that brought her hapiness in this world. Her....friends. Applejack and Sweetie Belle, hold each other, crying into each other's shoulders. After what seemed like hours crying, Rarity walked in with levitated grocery bags around her. She heard the sobbing and turned to the two crying, hugging ponies. "Applejack, Sweetie Belle, what's going on?" "Sweetie turned her gaize towards her sister and tryed to explain. "A-a-applejack...came to....tell..me that A-apple Bloom k-k-killed herself last night." Rarity's horn stopped glowing and the grocery bags fell on the floor with a loud thud . The contents scattered everywhere around the room. "No...No no no no no, this can't... be.... happening!" Rarity yelled "Off all the worst things that could happen, this....is....the....worst!" She trotted over to her friend and sister, sat down next to them and hugged them tight to comfort them. She wasn't crying, but still emotional. __________________________________________ Epilogue Today was two weeks after the funeral of another crusader. It was a tuesday afternoon. Celestia's sun shane above Ponyville and warmed the little unicorn Sweetie Belle on her way to the cemetery. She was feeling better than the weeks before. The little filly spend alot of time with her big sister over the last week, she was right, it does help. After a long walk, she arrived at the gates of the cemetery. It was peaceful there, quiet. There was nopony else besides Sweetie. After a while of searching, she found the graves of the passed crusaders. They graves were right next to each other. R.I.P. Scootaloo. November 19 2003 - April 5 2012. R.I.P. Apple Bloom. February 8 2004 - April 11 2012. She stood in front of the graves for a while. There was complete silence. "Hi girls." Sweetie Belle said breaking the silence. "I brought something for you." She put the plastic bag she had in her mouth on the ground and grabbed two bouquets out with hooves. She put one bouquet against each tombstones. "Please know that miss you girls very much and that I love you both very much." There was a silence again for a while. A tear rolled slowly down her cheek of her white coat. "I hope that you two keep crusading up there. I will too down here, but it's not the same without you, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom. I will make you guys proud, Pinkie Promise." The End.