> In The Darkness
>  by Silver Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Storms and Shelter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The day had gotten dark far too quickly for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They had planned to have at least three solid hours to find their way out of the Everfree Forest before darkness came, but the Forest had other plans. Two hours before sunset, the three fillies found the sky filling with black clouds, swiftly starting to blot out the sunlight. Apple Bloom had been the first to notice the sudden change. 
“Um, girls?” the farm filly said nervously, tugging her cape around her more tightly. 
“What is it?” Sweetie asked, turning to her friend.
“Where’d the sun go?” The two of them looked up anxiously, clearly unnerved by the gathering darkness. Scootaloo, however, was unimpressed. 
“Come on you two!” she shouted into the growing wind. “Are we going to let a little cloud get in the way of our Crusading?” 
“Not just a cloud,” Apple Bloom shouted back, hoof on her bow to keep it from flying away. “Lots of ‘em. Wind an’ rain, too. Scoots, we should head back.”
“Aww, come on you two! It’ll be fun! Maybe we can get our Cutie Marks in forest survival!”
“Or maybe we can live to Crusade another day,” Apple Bloom snapped back. “This storm is goin’ to be a big one. We really need to head back, mah sis will be worrin’ about me.” Scootaloo was about to protest when she was interrupted by a shriek for Sweetie Belle. 
“OW!” the unicorn yelled, voice cracking in time with the thunder overhead. She reached a hoof into her mane and pulled out a large hail stone. “Owww,” she whined, rubbing her head and staring pointedly at the orange Pegasus. Scootaloo sighed.
“Fine, OK,” she agreed, rolling her eyes dramatically. “This storm is going to be bad.” She paused, cowering, as flash of lighting filled the air, accompanied by a roll of thunder roared directly overhead. As the noise was reduced to an echo, she raised herself to her hooves. “We should get moving.”
“Ya think?”
“Yeah, I do!”
“Um, girls?” the unicorn spoke up, breaking the argument before it could grow into another storm. Two sets of irritated eyes turned to face her. “Which way did we come from?”
“Ummm. Yeah, Ah got no ider,” Apple Bloom said with a shrug. Scootaloo rolled her eyes at her friends. 
“This way,” the Pegasus said. She trotted of confidently, flicking her tail for the others to follow her. They followed, unsure of whether Scootaloo was right or not, but unwilling to stand around in the cold any longer. Wordlessly, they galloped after Scootaloo through the wind, rain and hail. 
They ran on, swerving past trees and bushes, nearly tripping over roots and trailing brambles. The three fillies grunted with effort and pain as the hail pelted them mercilessly. 
“Scoot,” Apple Bloom panted, “are ya sure ya know where you’re goin’?”
“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I know,” Scootaloo slowed down and looked around. It was a lie and all three of them knew it. “Just around this corner,” she encouraged her tiring friends, trying and failing to keep the uncertainty out of her voice. She rounded another tree at top speed, but the darkness and rain had obscured her view of the cliff just a few meters away. With a shriek of fear, the young filly tumbled down over the edge and fell. She fell down and down, crashing into rock after rock after rock, unable to find a purchase on the steep slope, until she landed at the bottom with a soft thud. 
“SCOOTALOO!” Sweetie Belle screamed, looking over the edge at her friend’s unmoving body. When she got no response, she turned to Apple Bloom, seeking comfort. The yellow filly looked at the white one fearfully. “What do we do?” Sweetie asked her voice, already quieted by fear, almost silent in the muffling storm. 
“We have to get to her,” Apple Bloom said. 
“Shouldn’t we go back and get help?”
“Can we?” came the reply. “Even if we could find our way back, could we find our way here again in time? Scootaloo would freeze to death first!” Apple Bloom shouted, both to be heard over the thunder and out of fear. “We have to get down to her and find shelter.”
“Alright,” Sweetie Belle nodded. “Let’s go.”
By walking along the edge of the cliff, the two fillies managed to find a possible path down. Possible might not work, but it was the best bet they had and they were running out of time. The hail and rain grew harder and colder with every passing moment, the steep trail down became more muddy and slippery. The two Crusaders shared a look and silently started to clamber down. It was a muddy and cold journey, but they knew that they could not stop. About halfway down, a small moan escaped Scootaloo, but the storm was still too loud for her friends to hear it. They continued to clamber down the cliff to a friend that they knew could easily be dead. By the time they reached the level ground, the Pegasus had slipped into unconsciousness again. She lay broken and unmoving as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom approached her. The unicorn tenderly reached out a hoof and poked the orange lump in front of her.
“Is she…” she whispered, turning to Apple Bloom.
“No,” the farm filly shook her head.
“How can you tell?”
“Ah can’t,” came the honest reply. “But she has to be. She just has ta.” The two stood in the cold, their capes soaked through with rain and mud, unsure of what to do. Another flash of lightning lit up Scootaloo, causing Sweetie to gasp and look away. Scootaloo was lying in a thick puddle of mud, half of her tiny body covered by the brown fluid. The half that was sticking out looked no better; one of her forelegs was bent at such an angle it had to be broken and there was a thin trail of blood seeping from her muzzle. Her unmoving body was covered with cuts and bruises, but worst was the large red stain on her forehead where it was clear that a large rock had collided with her during her fall. Blood oozed slowly from the wound, ever thought it had been over 45 minutes since she had fallen. Sweetie Belle was desperately looking anywhere but at Scootaloo, but Apple Bloom seemed unable to tear her gaze away. Neither of them wanted to speak or move, but the storm was unrelenting. 
“We have to get her out of the cold. We need shelter,” said Apple Bloom. 
“Is it safe to move her?”
“Ah don’t know. But,” she paused as yet another rumble filled the air, “we don’t have much of a choice, do we?” Without waiting for a response, Apple Bloom walked forwards and knelt next to her fallen friend.
“Hey there, Scootaloo. You OK?” Apple Bloom spoke in soothing tones as she inspected her friend for injuries the lightning had not shown. “Sweetie and Ah are goin’ find some shelter for the three of us. Ah just need you to hold on.” Dropping the soft voice, she turned to her conscious friend. “Sweetie, Ah need your help here. Pick her up on the other side, alright?” Mute with fear, the unicorn nodded and bent down. Together, the two of them managed to lift their friend out of the mud. Somehow they succeeded lifting her onto their backs so they both could bear her weight. Exchanging a look, the Crusaders walked forward in step with each other to keep their friend even. The going was harder than ever before as they could no longer fit through the smaller gaps and had to move slower due to the extra weight. But neither of them complained. It would only waste the air they needed just to keep moving. Who was there to complain to anyway? Not that there was a shortage of things to complain about, the wind, rain and hail threatened to freeze the fillies to death, not to mention the darkness of night that was only lit by the occasional flash of electricity from the sky. They had been stumbling along for fifteen minutes when Sweetie Belle fell to her knees, causing her load to slip down into the cold, wet mud. The Pegasus let out another moan as the cold surrounded her already freezing body. With great effort, she wrenched an eye open and saw her two friends. 
“Hey, girls,” she whispered. “What’s-” she broke off, coughing up a little blood. “What’s goin’ on?”
“Scootaloo! You’re alive!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Sweetie, look! Sweetie?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I just slipped, that’s all and hey! Scootaloo! You’re awake!” Rolling her eyes, the yellow filly turned back to Scootaloo.
“Can you walk?” she asked, trying to help her friend up.
“Um, I think so-OW!” she shouted as her broken leg crumpled, refusing the weight. She grimaced against the pain for a moment, then offered a sheepish grin. “I guess I’ll just stay off that leg then,” she chuckled weakly. Scootaloo tried to get up again, staying off her leg, but the world started to spin. Desperate to find balance, she tried lifting her wings, but only one would cooperate and she slid to the forest floor again. She lay there, trying to get her limps to cooperate. But as much as she tried, her right wing just hung on her side. It hurt, bad, but the pain was nothing to her broken leg. She grimaced again. “I think I dislocated it,” she said nudging her limp wing with chattering teeth, the cold starting to make itself noticeable over the pain. 
“Is it broken?” asked a shivering Apple Bloom.
“No, but I don’t think I can use it.”
“Do you want ta rest it for a bit?”
“No, I really don’t think it would help and we need to find some shelter,” she said, adjusting her cape to cover her dead wing. “We just need to go slow.” The others nodded, slowly helped their friend up and started off again. Scootaloo limped along slowly on her three hooves, using her good wing for balance. Although she was hurt, Scootaloo had the most determination in her eyes, the most confidence in her step. Pushing her dizziness and pain aside, she offered encouragement after encouragement to her friends as they plodded along through the blinding storm. Still, it did not take long for all three of them to reach their limit. Every stump, every rock, every branch seemed determined to trip the three fillies and send them crashing to the cold, wet ground beneath them. Scootaloo fell the most, her injured limbs and head wound hindering her more than the others. All three were ready to just lie down and give up when Apple Bloom spotted salvation. 
“Hey, what’s that up ahead?” she asked, her voice weak with exhaustion but containing a tiny amount of hope. 
“What? Where?” Sweetie lifted her head up for only a second before letting it fall back down. “I don’t see anything.”
“No, just up there! Ah see somethin’, Ah really do!”
“Hey, yeah. I see it too,” Scootaloo perked up a little as she squinted into the gloom before her. “It looks like… a barn! Let’s get out of this storm!” Despite their exhaustion, all three of them found the energy to pick up the pace ever so slightly. They reached the barn and shoved the large door open, not stopping to think what might be inside, only wanting shelter from the storm. Once inside, the three of them collapsed, panting. A gust of wind blew and the door slammed shut. 
“Hold on a sec,” whispered Scootaloo, too tired to raise her voice any louder, “that door was too heavy for the wind to close by itself. Girls, I think we may not be alone in here. Girls?” Fear entered her as Scootaloo got no response other than two sets of steady breathing and three sets of hoofsteps coming closer to her. “No, stay… stay away…” She tried, but the filly was too tired to say anymore to the approaching creatures. She shook her head in protest as one of them touched her hind leg, but could do no more and drifted off to a dark, dreamless sleep. 

************************************************************************************* 

The world came back to Scootaloo in pieces. First a voice:
“For the last time, how did you find us?!” 
Then a terrified shriek:
“We didn’t mean to! Please let us go!”
Then the sound of something thin flying through the air before colliding with what could only be flesh, almost instantly followed by a scream of pain.
Slowly, Scootaloo opened her eyes, trying to make sense of the confusing sounds. Her location would be a good thing to figure out, too. She could not in her warm bed at the orphanage. She was not in the orphanage at all; this place was too cold and damp and she had no blanket to fend away the world. Her cape was gone too and she always kept that within reach. So where was she? Maybe that could be figured out with the help of others. But for that, Scootaloo would need to figure out who had spoken. The second voice had been Sweetie Belle’s, but who was the first? Not Apple Bloom, the voice had no accent and was too old and cold to be the friendly filly. It was too much to think about right after waking up, especially with the pain from last night returning to her leg and pounding head. Confused, tired and hurt, the young Pegasus closed her eyes again and let out a soft moan.
“Hey, sis,” a new voice entered the conversation, a stallion, judging by the deepness of the voice, “I think this one is awake.” The unknown mare sighed.
“Very well, Moss. Put her with the other.”
“Alright, sis.”
“No, Scootaloo, RUN!!” That was Sweetie Belle again. Why would Scootaloo need to run? The dazed filly shook her head in uncertainty but tried to get to her feet anyway. Her broken leg, however, did not agree with getting up and buckled the moment Scootaloo put weight on it. Before she could hit the ground, Scootaloo felt teeth grab her wings gruffly and lift her up. She let out a shriek of pain as the force snapped her wing back in place.
“Hey, that hurt!” she cried. “But thanks for fixing that. Could you put me down now?”
“Nope.” That was another voice. It sounded a lot like the one called Moss, but he was carrying Scootaloo so he could not have spoken. As she was carried, Scootaloo’s eyes grew more adjusted to the dim light in the barn. A few feebly rays of sun wormed their way past the rickety roof, illuminating the dark building. But before Scootaloo could get a good look, she was dropped to the ground next to a warm lump, covered in long cuts and oozing blood. 
“Apple Bloom? Are you OK?” Scootaloo asked. Ignoring her pounding head and screaming leg, she inched closer to her friend. Apple Bloom was laying still, her body laced with cuts and bruises, more than she possibly could have gotten running through the Forest. Her nose was bleeding and her left eye blackening. Her cape was missing and only a few feeble strands of her trademarked bow kept her mane tied. She lay semiconscious, clearly in pain. As Scootaloo waited for her friend to respond, she allowed her senses to wander the cold shelter, trying to find the other Crusader. To her left, she heard another shriek of pain that could only come from Sweetie Belle. With a gasp, Scootaloo put it all together. Sweetie’s screams of pain, the cuts on Apple Bloom, the swish of the whip and the flash of the knife. Her friends had and were in the process of being tortured. And it was all her fault. She was the one that had made them wait before heading off, she was the one who had lead them wildly though the Forest, she was the one who had gotten hurt and forced them to slow their pace. 
“Sc-Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom moaned softly, pulling her friend from her self-loathing. “You-you’re awake. Tha’s good,” the yellow filly whimpered as she flickered open her good eye. Before Scootaloo could reply, another voice cut in.
“Ah yes. Quite good indeed,” the mysterious mare spoke again. Scootaloo looked up and finally saw the owner of the voice. The dark red Earth Pony mare was slightly taller than most, but painfully thin. Her messy mane and tail were the gray colour of clouds that would soon be stormy but are not quite yet. Her angry eyes bore into Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, shadows dancing in their blue-gray depths. The tip of her left ear had been torn away by some unknown creature and her body was covered in the small scars one gets from roaming the woods for years on end. A stallion stood on either side of her. They both looked slightly smaller than most, but just a thin as the mare between them. At first glance they appeared identical; the both had the same dark pale green coat and black hooves, the same short, darker green mane and tail. The same pale yellow hateful eyes. The mare turned to the one on her left and spoke.
“Leaf, get the other and put her here. I want to talk to them. All of them.”
“Right away, sis,” the stallion said before trotting off. He returned moments later with a bloody Sweetie Belle, her body laced with cuts just as Apple Bloom’s was. He placed her next to Scootaloo and went back to stand next to his sister.
“Good, good,” said the red mare. Her tone suggested this was a party about to get started, but her face spoke of pain about to fall upon the fillies in front of her. She smiled, displaying a row of rotten, yellowish teeth. “Good,” she said once more. “All three of you are awake. I was starting to worry that you might never wake up, dear,” she stared at Scootaloo as she seethed her silky tones. “But now you are so we can get started.
“My name is Scarlet Night. These are my younger brothers, Leaf Mold and Dark Moss.” As she spoke, the red mare nodded first to the stallion on her left then her right. Scootaloo searched for a difference between them and finally spotted one. Moss, the stallion on her left and Scarlet’s right, had freckles on his muzzle. Scootaloo opened her mouth to speak, but Scarlet beat her to it. “Have you ever heard of us?” she demanded all too sweetly. 
“No.” Scootaloo’s wary voice was alone; her two friends only shook their heads, muted by fear and pain.  Faced with an immediate threat, the Pegasus could feel her self-hatred turning to defiance. 
“I think you’re lying. You see, nopony comes here unless they are looking for us.”
“Why would anypony be looking for you?” She meant to ask with only curiosity in her voice, but it sounded like an accusation to Scarlet.
“I will get to that,” she snapped. More calmly, the red mare continued. “But this is rather rude of you. You know who we are, yet we do not know your names. Tell us, what do they call you?” The three fillies did not reply, Apple Bloom and Sweetie out of fear, the third out of defiance. Scarlet’s irritation was visible only in her eyes as she spoke to Sweetie. “What’s your name, sweetie?”
“How do you know?!” the unicorn gasped. Despite her fear, Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.
“She doesn’t, Sweetie Belle. She was just asking what your name is.”
“Didn’t,” the mare corrected with a grin. “And I believe the orange one called you ‘Apple Bloom,’ am I correct? Which brings us to you, my dear. What was your name?” The mare’s eyes bore deeply into Scootaloo, who refused to speak. Scarlet sighed.
“Very well, I know your name. Asking is merely a formality, isn’t that right, Scootaloo?”
“How’d you know my name?” demanded the filly.
“Your friend Apple Bloom told me when you woke up,” Scarlet said plainly. She took a step closer to her captives, flicking her tail at her brothers as she did so. Wordlessly, they walked to the door to the old barn and stood, silently guarding the only exit. The red mare stopped right in front of Apple Bloom and spoke her name slowly, drawing out each syllable for all it was worth. “Apple Bloom.” 
“Y-yeah?” the filly chocked out.
“Apple Bloom,” Scarlet repeated more quickly. Not taking her eyes of her prey, she continued to talk quickly, firing facts at the fearful filly. “Part of the Apple Clan, are you? Related to the Orange family of Manehatten, yes? And your name, it seems slightly fimilar…” the mare trailed off, pretending to be lost in thought while her brothers stood silently at the door. “Ah yes. I believe I heard it said by another young filly. Let’s see, she was a blank flank from Manehatten, a member of the Apple Clan, specifically in the Orange branch. Green eyes, orange coat a little darker than Scootaloo’s over here, short pink and red mane. Claimed that an “Apple Bloom” was her favorite cousin. She didn’t tell me that, of course. I heard her talking to somepony else, but that is another story. What was her name again? Babs S-something. Babs Stupid? No, Babs Smelly? No, not that. Babs S-”
“Babs Seed!” Apple Bloom shouted, her anger overriding her fear. “Her name is Babs Seed!”
“No, little one.” Scarlet spoke with the tone that was too soft, too sweet, yet not enough to hide the malice behind it. “Not ‘is.’ ‘Was’.” 
“What’d’ya mean, ‘was?’”
“I mean she’s dead. I mean that I killed her.”
“NO! You’re lyin’! Mah cousin aint dead!”
“Well, yes she is.” The mare let out a soft chuckle, clearly enjoying the physiological pain she was inflicting. “I killed her. I killed her slowly and I listened to her scream and cry. She cried and cried, just like you are now.” The filly was indeed crying. Tears running down her face in twin rivers, Apple Bloom flinched away with each soft word spoken to her. 
“I didn’t want to kill her, truly. But her parents refused to pay the ransom. I believe their exact words were ‘That blank flank isn’t worth two bits! She is no child of ours.’ Yes, that was what they said. It was a shame, really, that I had to dispose of her.  Such spunk, such flair! She could have been a great ally for me and my brothers. But she refused my generous offer.” Scarlet sighed. 
“No, no! You’re wrong, you’re wrong!” Apple Bloom curled herself into a ball on the floor, covering her ears with her hoofs as she tried fruitlessly to block out the words being spoken to her. 
“No, I’m not. And I don’t feel like ruining my spot here in this lovely Forest by wagering for a few measly bits. So here’s the deal; either you three work for me, or all of you will be joining Babs whatever very shortly,” Scarlet grinned. “What do you say? Go ahead, talk it over, take your time.”
“What do we do? What do we do?” Sweetie Belle whispered as the three of them huddled together nervously. 
“We can’t agree! If mah sis ever finds out, she’ll kill me!” Apple Bloom shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes. “But if we don’t, Scarlet will! Ah just don’t know what ta do.”
“I do,” Scootaloo whispered. She leaned closer, pulling her two friends into a tighter circle. “Do either of you remember Cutie Mark Crusaders Circus Ponies?” Sweetie Bello nodded, but looked confused.
“Yeah,” said Apple Bloom slowly, “but Ah don’t see how that can help us now.”
“Trust me. You take Moss. Sweetie, take Leaf down. I’ll get Scarlet. Just be ready for my signal.”
“What will that be?” Sweetie squeaked, her voice cracking loudly.
“Me shouting ‘now.’”
“Ah.”
“Have you made a decision yet?” Scarlet broke in impatiently. “If you take too long, I might rethink my offer.” Instantly, Scootaloo stood up, wincing as her broken leg took weight. The other Crusaders followed suit and stood fearfully behind her.
“Yes, we have decided,” Scootaloo said. She took a deep breath. “Ready?” she asked, gaining nods from her friends. 
“Ready for wha-”
“NOW!” Scootaloo screamed over Scarlet. Instantly, the three fillies leapt into action. It had been months since their failed attempt at circus-ing, but it had been even more memorable than most of their crusades. At Scootaloo’s shout, Apple Bloom and Sweetie linked hooves and pulled back, allowing their friend to use them as a catapult. Once the unicorn and Earth Pony had launched the Pegasus at the mare, Apple Bloom crouched into a ball, ready to roll at Moss. Sweetie Belle leapt in the air and bucked her legs against Apple Bloom, sending the yellow filling to roll in the opposite direction and causing her to fly at her target. Apple Bloom rolled under Moss’s belly and kicked up as hard as she could, winding the stallion as Sweetie grabbed Leaf’s head and flipped him over with her violent momentum. Once he was down, she jumped onto his stomach, winding him just as Apple Bloom winded his brother. 
While these little fights were exciting, the main battle between Scootaloo and Scarlet Night was horrific. Scootaloo had planned to use the force from the make-shift cannon that was her friends to fly over Scarlet. The mare was just too powerful to take on without further injuring herself and Scootaloo only needed to escape. She flapped her wings franticly as she tried to clear the living hurtle, but the red mare reached up and snatched the filly from the air by her bad wing. Scootaloo let out a shriek of agony as her wing was once again torn form its socket. Blood started to leak from Scarlet’s mouth as she bit through the flesh of her prey. The pain grew as Scootaloo was dropped to the ground, the cold stone crashing first into her broken leg, then her injured head. She whimpered, ready to just give up, to fall into the pain and never return. Scarlet smelled victory, unaware of her brothers’ defeat, and moved in for the kill. 
So this is it, Scootaloo thought to herself as the mare slowly approached her, savoring the victory.  This is how and where I die. I hope Apple Bloom and Sweetie will be OK without me. The filly closed her eyes, focusing what she thought would be her final thoughts on her friends. Then she remembered; her friends were there with her and they needed her help. I have to help my friends, she told herself. I got them into this mess, I will get them out.
With renewed vigor, Scootaloo scrambled to her hooves, shoving as much pain as she could to the back of her mind, ignoring the rest. Her leg threatened to crumble, the barn tried to spin and her wing hung uselessly at her side again, but Scootaloo was going to save her friends. Scarlet grinned, clearly pleased with the challenge Scootaloo had just become. She drew her weight back as the filly tried to find her balance, getting ready to strike. Before she could strike, the feeble sunlight went out with a clap of thunder. The sudden darkness froze all the ponies in the barn, the only sound the echoing noise of the growing storm. Then there was the sound of scrambling hooves and a hushed “let’s go!” as Scootaloo found the door and pushed it open. Outside held only a little more light, but it was enough for the three fillies to find their escape. Scootaloo waited for her friends to get into the forest before she followed. As she turned to leave, the rain started to fall and another flash of lightning filled the air. 
As the light cast her silhouette, Scootaloo reared up on her hind legs to leap into her run. As she stood on two legs with her one good wing flared us beside her, Scarlet stared at her. Rage, unlike anything she had ever felt before, filled her. How dare this weak foal escape her! She had captured or killed all, from the youngest pheasant to Prince Blueblood himself! None had gotten away from her and none ever would. She pulled her lips back in a snarl and vowed to herself that the filly would die. Her friends would be dealt with too, but the Pegasus would die, no matter what. Then the light faded and the moment passed, taking the troublesome filly with it. 
“After them!” Scarlet shrieked to her brothers, still unaware of their defeat. Without waiting, she charged into the storm after her prey, ignoring the pounding rain and hail, knowing that her brothers would follow her. Family only went as far as protection from others, if they failed her they would pay just as any other would. Perhaps not quite as harshly, but they knew that if she even hurt them half as much as she hurt some, they would be unable to stand for weeks. Slowing, painfully, the stallions dragged themselves to their feet. Once outside, they shared a nod and split up, one on each side of the broken trail bashed by their sister. This was their way; they were the stealth, the shadows that stalked. Their sister would kill and maim and torture, but Moss and Leaf were the ones who could track down almost anypony in almost any terrain, be it snow, mountains, cities, plains, forests or anything else one could think of. But forests had always been the easiest for them, as their identical coats and manes could blend in with the dark scenery almost perfectly, making it all too easy to sneak around, unnoticed. Silently, they melted into the shadows and began to hunt. 
As her brothers silently slipped through the undergrowth, Scarlet crashed her way past every obstacle that presented itself before her. Subtlety was lost on her; the only thing on her mind was the thought of capturing Scootaloo and killing her as slowly as possible. She ran, fueled by anger and almost unstoppable.  No brambles would trip her, no bush could block her path, no thorns could hurt her, even as they tore past her fur and into her skin, drawing blood. Her brothers would know to get the other fillies. They had better, for their own sakes. But they were not important. All that mattered was that Scootaloo had made a fool of Scarlet and that cannot happen.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders ran as hard as they could, aware that they would be chased, but blissfully ignorant to how much bloodlust filled their pursuer. They galloped harder than they ever had, but three fillies outrunning three full grown Earth Ponies was a challenging task, at best. Throw in the growing storm and ‘challenging’ grows to terrifying, throw in the fact that the pursuers know the land and ‘terrifying’ turns into almost impossible. Throw in the injuries from the torture and ‘almost impossible’ falls to hoping against hope against hope against hope. That still leaves a chance, but not a very good one. Throw in a broken leg, dislocated wing and probable concussion and there is one filly who is almost guaranteed to not make it. 
Still, Scootaloo tried to run past the pain. It is possible to run on a broken leg, just not very well, nor very fast. Despite her best efforts to stay upright, she kept falling, her one good wing clearly not enough to help her keep her balance. The pain and hard bump to the head combined to make the forest spin and the broken leg made it even harder to weave around the bushes that seemed to appear from nowhere. 
“Scootaloo! Come’on!” Apple Bloom panted desperately to her fallen friend. “We have ta keep moving!”
“I know, I know, I’m sorry!” Ignoring her pain as best she could, Scootaloo pulled herself to her three good legs, shaking her tears from her eyes. There was neither time nor breath to say anything more, so they ran on after Sweetie Belle. 
But the path was still torturous, slick with fresh mud and growing streams fed by the cold rain. Another quick turn around a tree and Scootaloo slipped again, her hind hoof caught in the brambles that littered the ground. Her momentum carried her past where her leg could go, twisting her hoof around. The Pegasus let out a shriek of pain as the muscles and ligaments in her ankle tore. She tried to stand, but two of her legs now refused to take weight, both on the same side. Not that it mattered; they had reached a dead end. The small clearing they stood in was thickly surrounded by trees in every spot but two. One of the ways was the small gap they had just come through, the other a cliff. Unlike the one Scootaloo had fallen off the day before this one went straight down, too far down to live if they fell.  
“Oh no, oh no, oh no,” Sweetie whimpered in fear. “We’re trapped. We’re dead. We’re-”
“No, we’re not, be quiet!” Scootaloo hissed from where she lay. “You can climb down the cliff, I think I can see a path. Go, before they find us!”
“But, Scoots, there’s no way you can climb down!” Sweetie pointed out. Scootaloo closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“I know,” she said simply.
“No! We ain’t leavin’ you!”
“Yes you are, Apple Bloom! Both of you. You have to, I will only slow you down. I can’t run, I can’t climb and I’m not letting you die because of me!”
“But, Scootaloo, what about the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Sweetie asked, her voice high with fear.
“You can’t get a mark if you’re dead,” Scootaloo reasoned. “Now go. I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”
“Is there any way we can change your mind?” the yellow filly asked in a final effort. Scootaloo shook her head.
“No. I’m sorry. But you have to go, now!” Scootaloo looked her friends in the eye, begging them to flee. Apple Bloom held her gaze for a full minute, then nodded.
“Good luck, Scootaloo.”
“Bye, Scoots.”
There were no more words to be said and no time for a last group hug; Scarlet was fast approaching, noisily crashing through the trees in her rage. Wordlessly, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turned to the cliff’s edge, searching for a path. Apple Bloom saw one and pointed silently. As the two of them started to climb down, the third Crusader used all her willpower to pull herself to her hooves. Ignoring the pain, she raised her head high and faced the entrance to the clearing, trying to ignore the fresh, emotional pain of saying goodbye to her only two friends, forever. Forcing herself not to cry, she stood proudly and waited. She did not have to wait long. 
The red mare emerged from the path, her face livid. She cast one quick glance around the clearing, but saw only one filly. Wordlessly, she scanned the area again, slower, making sure that Scootaloo was the only one before her. Pleased, she turned her attention back to Scootaloo and spoke.
“Your friends can’t hide.”
“They won’t need to.”
“Oh? And what makes you say that? Do you think you can stop me?” The mare threw her head back and laughed at the thought. “Please,” she scoffed. “Once I set my eyes on getting somepony, I get them. I always do. First you, then I will go after your pathetic little friends.”
“You won’t.” 
“Yes, I will,” Scarlet said smoothly. “And I will kill them.”
“You won’t,” Scootaloo said again, her voice simple.
“Even if I don’t, my brothers will. They wouldn’t dare disappoint me.”
“They won’t, either. My friends are safe.” Scootaloo spoke with a slight confusion. She was stating a fact that could not be denied, yet the mare before her remained ignorant. “Nothing will hurt them.” The mare let out a soft chuckle. 
“What makes you so sure about that?” Scarlet asked, deciding to toy with the filly before the real pain began. “How do you know that my brothers have not already found them?”
“I- I just know.” But Scootaloo’s confidence was faltering. She didn’t know, that was the problem. They’re OK, she told herself, desperately. They are. Almost as if to prove her point, there was the sound of falling rocks from behind the orange filly, followed by an ironically loud shh! Scootaloo smiled. “That’s how,” she said. 
“They’re climbing down the cliff then, are they?” Scarlet asked unnecessarily. “Too bad that’s where my brothers are.” Scarlet paused to arrogantly flip her gray mane onto her shoulder. “It’s a shame, really. I would love to finish them off myself, but you are a much bigger prize.” Raising her voice, Scarlet shouted over the wind, “Kill them, brothers! The moment you can reach them, kill them! Climb up and push them off it you have too!”
“She’s lyin’ Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom’s voice drifted back. “They ain’t down there! Don’ listen to ‘er!”
“Your brothers aren’t down there and you are up here. Nothing is going to hurt my friends,” Scootaloo said once more. 
“How do you know that I won’t kill you then go find them?” Scarlet questioned, trying to regain the high ground. 
“You won’t have time. You want to take as long as you can to kill me; you want me to suffer.” Scarlet Night jerked back as if she had been slapped. Am I truly that see through? she asked herself. Never mind that. Just kill her now if you have to. It seems that knowing that her friends are about it die is pain enough for her. Scarlet paused for a moment, wondering what it would be like to have a pony die for her. She had never known love growing up; her parents had abandoned her and her brothers in the woods at a very young age and had not been heard from since.  She had had to turn to crime just to survive and had ruled her siblings with an iron hoof to keep them alive. But she shook the thought away. It did not matter. All that did was the infuriating filly in front of her. 
“Ah, but what would be more pain for you, dying slowly or knowing that you could not save your friends? Do not lie to me, I can see the truth in your eyes. I don’t want to kill you, Scootaloo. I want to break you.” Scootaloo shook her head, crouching back in fear. NO! she berated herself. You have to be brave. Brave, like Rainbow Dash! What would Rainbow Dash do at a time like this? Scootaloo raised herself a little taller. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t cringe in fear. She wouldn’t back down. She would save her friends. No matter what. And so will I. 
“I will save my friends. No matter what,” Scootaloo repeated out loud. She raised herself as high as she could and stared Scarlet Night directly in the eyes. “No. Matter. What,” she said once more. 
It was then, that moment when Scootaloo realized that she would save her friends no matter what, that moment when she allowed reality to leave so she could let her friends live, that Scootaloo knew what she always wanted to do. It was that moment, as she stood with her one good wing flared against the wind and her chin held high in defiance, it was that moment that Scootaloo’s flank started to glow. The yellow light cut through the gloom, distracted the filly. Forgetting the danger she was in, she turned to her flank, eager for her long-awaited cutie mark. She took her gaze off of Scarlet for less than a second, but that was all the time the violent mare needed.
With a scream of rage, she lunged forward, throwing her whole weight into the filly. But she hit her foe with too much force; the momentum carried both of them over the cliff. They fell for less than three seconds, but as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle watched, it took hours. 
They fell, mare and filly, tumbling over and over, screaming in rage and fear. Scootaloo hit the ground first, her body taking the whole force of the impact, snapping her spine in several places and killing her instantly. Scarlet landed on the filly, and crumpled to the ground where she lay, unmoving. 
Silently, the two fillies started at their friend from the cliff. The dead Pegasus lay perfectly still, her eyes glazed over but still alight with joy, her slacking jaw still holding the triumphant grin of a final dream come true. But as the light faded from Scootaloo’s flank, Sweetie let out a small cry.
The glow vanished, leaving nothing but blank, orange fur.
Her cutie mark had started to form, but Scootaloo had died before it had enough time to fully form. So close to having a cutie mark, yet she had died without one. 
She would always be a blank flank. 

> 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.

***************************************************************************************************

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.

***************************************************************************************************

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.

***************************************************************************************************

“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.