> Solemn Sunset > by CrystalBronies > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Bruised Apples > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Princess Celestia, I’m starting to lose everything that was once special to me. Granny Smith passed only yesterday and Big Mac has already begun drinking his problems away. Poor Applebloom is crying herself to sleep each night after what happened to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, and our faithful cousin Babs refuses to visit Sweet Apple Acres anymore. My friends are all gone and I just don’t know what to do. Help me Princess, I’m slowly losing the ability to survive anymore. Oh, I wish I could tell you everything Princess, but I fear that maybe it’s unbearable for anypony, even you your Highness. I’m praying that this ordeal is over soon for everypony in Equestria. If you know of anyone that can help the fellow survivors of the World Wide Massacre and I, please send them. Less than fifty ponies are left on this side of the country and we can barely keep ourselves alive. I… well… I’m just not the same after what happened. It’s hard to write all this down in a letter; so, so hard. Given what happened to my best friends, my family and the pony that only I could love, it seems too much to live with. Your most trusted servant, Applejack Four days it took; four days for the horror of the dark to overcome all of Equestria. It all started when Rainbow Dash was murdered in broad daylight up in Cloudsdale, slipping from this realm, plummeting through the sky like an angel falling from heaven. No one ever found her killer. Scootaloo was in shock and rushed to her side as soon as she got the news that Rainbow was –as Rarity put it- “the final gift of life”. Rainbow’s funeral was simple and quick; just as she would have wanted it to be. All the Wonderbolts were there. Soarin’ ran off half way through; obviously upset in losing a good friend. He was found an hour later dead on the forest floor with his skull caved in, wings ripped off and his blue feathers surrounding him in a floral pattern. Roseluck, another Ponyville citizen was executed for the suspect of murder to Soarin’ and potentially assisting the murderer of Rainbow Dash: she was hung at the Town Hall by Mayor Mare herself later that day. The remaining five elements stood around Rainbow Dash’s cloud-lined coffin and bid her farewell throughout the day, hoping that they would one day see her again. My amazing friends, I do not want to put you through this endeavor, but I cannot take this; any of this anymore. I’m slowly wilting away through pain and misery. Not just because of Rainbow, but all the pressure put on me at school, the constant and failed attempts to fly- it’s just too much for me. I am writing to you to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry for anything I have ever said or done that has hurt you, and what I am about to do. I’ve come to a realization that my life doesn’t matter in this world anymore than an ant’s does. I’ve done some thinking, and I think that it’s time for me to go now. By the time you have read this I will be gone. You will find me at the base of Dragon Mountain near that clearing Dash was laid to rest in. I have one last request from the both of you: leave me next to Rainbow Dash- and if you want to, join me there when you’re time is up. We can be happy together in the next life, if you want to. I’ll see you shortly, even if it’s not while I’m alive. Your Crusading friend, Scootaloo Poor Scoots; she had lost her idol- the only pony she could call a sister. Even with her two best friends supporting her she couldn’t take the pain of it all. She gave in the next day with a little help from gravity. She now lies next to Rainbow Dash in the middle of a beautiful clearing in the Everfree Forest; exactly how she would have wanted it. Sweetie Belle was killed in a freak accident involving a timber wolf, what was apparently the ghost of Rainbow Dash, an off target fire spell (curtsey of Twilight) and a conveniently placed mirror close to my friend’s graves. It turns out that Twilight was practicing dark magic in a nearby clearing and was given a fright by the sound of timber wolves in the distance. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were mourning at Scootaloo’s grave, placing items that symbolized the friendship of the three (including a small basket of apples from all of the Apple family, Scootaloo’s scooter and a mirror from Sweetie Belle) when they claimed to see the ghost of Rainbow Dash appear; mangled like when the doctors found her body. Sweetie Belle ran off into the trees screaming only to be hit by the reflected fire spell from Twilight rebounding off the mirror. It hit her square in the chest and immediately stopped her heart. Applebloom was devastated and insisted that we have the funeral mere hours after. Sweetie Belle was lay to rest next to her dear friend wearing a beautiful white dress Rarity was saving for her birthday. Even Diamond Tiara, a mean, snobbish, spoilt filly that bullied the girls showed up to pay her respects. Dear Princess Celestia, I know that this is an odd time to write, but I have just lost my beloved sister like many other ponies have lost their loved ones recently. Sweetie Belle was a kind soul, shy at times (not Fluttershy shy though, that’s just over the top.) and a loveable character always. That was our catchphrase- “Always”. Even when times were hard we would say that to calm each other and help each other through hard times I can’t help but feel that all these deaths are linked though- two innocent fillies and a young mare, then the four members of the royal guard, Princess Cadence, Shining Armour, a third of the population of Manehattan, Fillydelphia’s military, Sorin’ from the Wonderbolts and countless others that haven’t been accounted for. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and I have been investigating the situation but can’t find any leads at all! It’s almost like this mystery killer doesn’t exist… Please send more books like last time; Twilight is desperate! Your loyal subject, Rari\ \___________________ Rarity was found dead at her desk a few hours after Sweetie Belle’s funeral. A letter to the princess was recovered from the destroyed boutique around her. Somepony had walked in, planted a bomb and left without being noticed. Not a minute after it exploded killing Rarity and two other mares inside. Another funeral was held for her and she was laid next to Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie was a grand friend, but she eventually just ran out of sanity. The Cakes found her hanging from the roof of Sugarcube Corner with a knife in her neck, still smiling brightly. Her limbs were scattered over the bakery and blood was trailed up the stairs. After a thorough investigation of the murder site, three noted were found: One in Pinkie’s hand, one on her bed, and one in her jar of pills, half of which were scattered over the floor of her room. 31/8/06 Dear Diary, Just went to the Doc’s, apparently I have some incurable disorder that makes me go a bit hyper. No wonder all my friends hate me… Schizophrenia and ADHD pills plus an empty syringe were hidden in a box under her bed. 6/9/10 Dear Diary, A new pony just arrived! She’s a purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle… what a silly name! Not as silly as what I invented though! Chimmeycherry or Cherrychonga? It’s a new cupcake I made! Dashie helped me with them. Creamy creamy blood frosting. I ran out of pills again and I woke up next to Lyra… she was dead though. I don’t know what happened, but BonBon refuses to talk to me now. A supply of razor blades were in a bedside drawer and pieces of rope –different lengths- were strewn across her bedspread. 18/12/13 Dear Diary, A masked pony gave me a syringe today and told me to use it when I got home. I think it might help with my scitzo—oooh fancy! I’l be right back diary, I have a hankering to tie ropes up! A picture of Pinkie Pie was found in a drawer with her holding the knife that was found at her "suicide". A short and sharp funeral was held for the exuberant pony, with her wish of a party afterwards. Pink, white, blue and orange now lay underneath the soil of the Everfree Forest floor. Twilight left Ponyville that day, leaving to travel the world. After attending Pinkie’s funeral, she and Spike ran off to discover the unknown bits of land in Equestria. Everypony knew that she wanted to get away from everything though. Spike sent a letter from the two of them apologizing about the rushed farewell minutes before plummeting to his death along with Twilight and half of the Canterlot weather team. They all got caught in a storm off the edge of Fillydelphia, which resulted in them all falling into a raging waterfall. The bodies were never found. Princess, only I am left now to run the farm. Applebloom killed herself after grieving from Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo for so long, and Big Macintosh overdosed on drugs in an alley last night. Nearly all of Equestria is gone and there’s nothing I can do about it. Obviously Luna is back in the moon… by her choice… It’s just you left Princess; you against the world. I have discovered whom the murderer is and will be leaving shortly myself. I wish you the very best Princess; hopefully you have the guts to end this long game this mare is playing. Signing off for the last time ever, Applejack. P.S…… A swift kick and the letter was gone, only to be replaced by a very vengeful looking yellow Pegasus. A brown hat whipped off the owner’s head as two mares of yellow and orange screamed; one in pain and one in delight. The earth pony resisted the constant punches to the face and kicked as hard as she could, sending the Pegasus flying out of the blood stained barn. Doing what her first victim would, she climbed higher and higher through the air, ripping the clouds apart. Turning around she sped towards the bloody pony faster than the speed of sound and created a blinding rainbow behind her. With a quick blow to the head, the farm pony was lying on the ground in a pool of blood as the yellow figure slumped away, anger in her eyes and blood on her hooves, looking for her next victim. P.S…... To anyone who is reading this, I hope you can stop her. She has become a monster. Don’t be fooled by her shyness or her “compassionate” character. Watch out traitor, they’ll come for you. DEATH TOLL REACHES MAXIMUM EVER 1,792,470 casualties were finally counted after the horrifying WWM two months ago. The killer was never found but is believed to still be out there, lurking in the shadows, watching us all. A list of casualties at the time can be found on pages 3-67 listed in respective towns/cities. PONYVILLE CASUALTIES • Applebloom Apple • Applejack Apple • Big Macintosh Apple • Granny Smith Apple • Rarity Belle • Sweetie Belle • Cherry Blossom • Mr. Cake • Mrs. Cake • Rainbow “Danger” Dash • Spike Dragona • Scootaloo Hanger • Ditzy “Derpy” Hooves • Octavia Melody • Pinkiemena “Pinkie” Diane Pie • Vinyl Scratch • Princess Twilight Sparkle • Roseluck (convicted of murder) • Soarin’ (resided in Cloudsdale) That was just the start of the list. Now to complete her mission… > Popped Balloons > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you sooooo much to Tesla V for editing this story. Go give him a follow everypony! ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 2: Popped Balloons ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Dear Princess Celestia, HAPPY 4,712 and a third birthday! Don’t worry, no one has fa forgotten! Well I certainly haven’t, I don’t know about Rarity or Applejack or Rainbow Dash or any of my friends really! Twilight sent you a card from all of us though; I was the one who put the special can confu confetti in for you and Luna to share! Even Fluttershy helped me pick the colour! Don’t you think that rainbow is just perfect? Speaking of Fluttershy –which is the reason that I am writing to you- she seems a bit… well… odd. And that’s coming from ME! Like yet yesterday, I was asking her what sounded better for a new cupcake I was making: Reckless Rainbow or Rainbow Redness, and even though I asked her over and over and over again she wouldn’t tell me! And then, when Dashie was giving her her weekly flying lesson Fluttershy ran off in the middle of it and was being a real meanie! It’s like she didn’t even want her help! And Fluttershy REALLY needs help with flying. Rainbow usually runs after her when that happens but Fluttershy was really rude to her and stomped on her hoof! Poor Dashie; I helped fix her up afterwards with a yummy cupcake! A few days after, Twilight was practicing a new spell for some secret meeting that was in the Everfree Forest –I bumped into her while participating in a treasure hunt for Pip’s birthday- Fluttershy ran in and hit her! For no reason at all! It was very outlandish… Funny word outlandish; but not as funny as kumquat! Don’t you think it’s funny princess? Kumquat kumquat KUMQUAT! Oh yeah, my friendship report… Um… OH! Yes: Today I learnt that cupcakes are better when you make them out of with friends; that's my secret ingredient! They taste MUCH better that way! Pinkie Pie out! ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The once-bubbly pink pony lied sprawled out on a smooth oak flooring, gazing at an old letter with regret in her eyes. A tear freely streamed down her cheek, already dampened by the tears that have fallen before. After all that she and her friends had been through it seemed like her life meant nothing anymore; she had no purpose. Her friends were slowly dying one by one; a killer was on the loose and patterns had started to emerge. If her friends were being wiped out, she would too; but no pony would be able to after her… accident… Her cutie mark was supposed to represent the ability to bring joy to anypony that followed in her wake, but that had faded with age and despair. She had attempted to cut off the retched mark that mocked her of the blissful times that made her feel as her life had some meaning to it not long ago, but she knew those times would never come again. Her squeamish hoof had trembled and shook as the knife penetrated her skin. Flesh gave way to the sharpened metal, as it glided effortlessly across her flank. She blacked out feeling a glimpse of another life, making her way to the dark alicorn standing before her, egging her on towards her new life. Mrs. Cake found her convulsing on the blood stained floor not but five minutes after she had dropped the knife. The pink pony woke up in the local hospital two weeks later with multiple stitches and four worried friends. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. After the doctor came in with the results of her condition: a diagnosed condition of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression and possible Bipolar Disorder and left the room, her friends told her the horrifying truth into why her best friend wasn’t at her side, crying for her to wake up. That was the moment when she realized just how little her life had meant to Equestria. The gloomy mare let the empty syringe fall out of her hoof and fall to the ground, spreading her newly prescribed pills everywhere as she reminisced on the days before. Walking towards the corner of her small bedroom, she read the new note meant for her remaining friends again and again until it imprinted into her mind. After countless attempts to change her mind on the situation at hand, she gave in and made her way to a large paper bag sitting by the windowsill. Inside had lengths of rope; each tied into a different knot as to make it look shorter or longer than another. Throwing them onto the bed, the pink pony placed them in a heap and started to fit each one to her neck, checking that each rope would be sufficient to carry her weight and not come undone. Reading over the letter on her bed again, she started to tug on the ropes, especially the one tied around her neck. You can’t be too careful. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Settling down into her snug bed, she recalled the jobs she needed to complete the following day: -Feed chickens -Visit Zecora -Dispose of body -Go to Sugarcube Corner -Comfort the Cakes -Dispose of bodies -Check on RD -bring steel rod unlike last time -Bathe -Bake cookies It was going to be a long day. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Memories flowed through her head, her life was nothing more than a heap of stories from her past. Growing up on the rock farm had been the start; she could still hear her sisters’ laughs as they tortured her into carrying huge rocks around for the whole day. The rainbow that unleashed her inner self and gave the pony her cutie mark, her first party and the smiles brought upon the family came next. The following year she moved to Ponyville, It started off hard but she soon learnt that ponies loved to talk and play together; a privilege that she was never given back with her family. She slowly gained adoring friends and a beautiful family of country ponies, the first being the open-minded, courageous, honest farm pony Applejack. Then the short memories came: meeting everypony in the country town, the parties at Sweet Apple Acres, the school plays. They took time to recover, pranking ponies with the now-gone Rainbow Dash even longer. As the pink pony started to give in to her mind, she remained conscious of what would happen to her friends, and what had already been. Remembering the fancy new dress made for her; courtesy of Rarity of course. She was already gone. Dead. Pinkie was planning on taking her on a train ride that day. Now she could never see her friend again. Helping Fluttershy overcome her fear of the dark; Fluttershy would go back to her old ways again; scared of everything and everyone. Winter Wrap Up didn't need her, she could only ice skate! Somepony else would take over from her. Twilight would go back to Canterlot after all of this and remain the Princess of Magic. The adventures with her friends came back ever so slightly now: Defeating Nightmare Moon and befriending Princess Luna, Rainbow’s pet contest, singing with her friends on Hearths Warming Eve, leading away a huge swarm of Parasprites, the herd of Buffalo that refused to leave Appleoosa alone, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's limp bodies’ lay under her feet as she recalled one jumping and the other crying out for help. The Grand Gala where she finally learnt the truth about Canterlot ponies, losing her sense of humour for a day, turning Discord back to stone, Rainbow's body fell through the air, her killer moulding into the crowd behind. Being at the strangest royal wedding ever, creating a huge fair for the crystal ponies, Gummy’s birthday party, Dashie’s Rainboom, Rarity’s fashion parade and the atrocious dress she requested, Rarity's house was being destroyed bit by bit while she stood smirking at her work. Trying to work on Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight turning into an alicorn, Twilight’s coronation as the Princess of Magic, and all the other fun adventures she had with her best friends. Now, staring at the cobblestone street from the top of Sugarcube Corner, she knew that all of that had to be put aside and she had to leave. One jump. One tiny jump and all of her problems could be solved. She had already stuck the knife into her neck and left her forelegs in the bakery for a parting gift. She wasn’t crazy, was she? The pills, the late night parties; maybe it was a sign that something was wrong with her. Ridding her head of the nonsense she had just produced, she focused on the task at hand. With her hooves on the edge on the rooftop, she let go of all her worries and fell.