Stallions of the Apocalypseby BronyWolfGuyChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6 - Note: "Read through it ALL"Chapter 1Luna’s star spangled night coated Equastria and Ponyville in a comfy aura that made the ponies sleep sound fully in their beds dreaming of their fantasies and adventures, while over the cliffs and hills their worst nightmares were coming. Morning came and a half asleep Applebloom was venturing away from Sweet Apple Acres with herbs specially requested by Zecora, the last time she visited Zecora she was request some herbs specifically found near where apple tree grew and fruit bear anew. Arriving at Zecora’s hut in the Everfree forest the only thing to welcome Applebloom’s knocking was some terrible coughing and wrenching as something was blocking the door in. “Stay away Applebloom, a disease like this could spell a youth’s doom”. Her coughing was strong after her rhyme. “Zecora. Are you sick? Do you need help?” “Silly child, I just said, this illness is not mild”. “Zecora. What’s wrong with you?” Some spluttering was heard beyond the door as Applebloom waited back for a response. “Great danger is coming, go tell your friends, for the danger could bring the day when Ponyville ends!”. Applebloom gasped at the thought that something could be heading right for Ponyville and destroy it in one day. “Okay Zecora! I’ll get a doctor over to have a look at you”. “You’re a caring, little filly, but don’t be silly. I’ve made the antidote so I don’t get worse, I will not require the needs of a nurse”. Applebloom left the herbs by the door as she dashed home to tell her sister the terrible things she has heard. The things Zecora feared. The frantic canter she had cause many eyes to fix her as she ran though to Apple Acres, where her sister and brother were harvesting the new batch of apples. “Applejack!”. “Applebloom? I thought you would be picking herbs with Zecora”. Applebloom busted out with a volley of untranslatable, slurred words. “Calm down, I can’t get a ear what ye sayin”. Applebloom took a deep breath in and started to speak as calm as she could be under such circumstances. “I went to Zecora but when I went she was sick and she said Ponyville WILL END!!” “What? Why’d she go say that? This can’t be good” “Nope” Applejack pause for thought while her siblings stare to see what genius would spark. “Twilight will know something with all her know how” The sisters went to Twilight’s house, Applebloom encouraging her sister to move faster before Ponyville ends, which Applejack had to apologise for to any pony listening in to her. Applebloom, in great haste and energy, bashed and smashed on Twilight’s door until it was open by a confused Spike, greeted by another slurry of words by Applebloom. “What?”. “She sayin that the whole of Ponyville ill end, we came to she if Twilight can find out anythin”. Overhearing Twilight comes over, fully opening the door and letting the two sisters into her house. “What’s this about Ponyville ending?” “I don’t know, Applebloom came runnin about Zecora bein sick and sayin Ponyville ill end”. “Sick?” Twilight takes a few books from the shelves and looks through them. “What kind of sick?”. “Well, she was coughing really badly, like this”. Applebloom starts to mimic the coughing like Zecora was. “You mean like a …”. Twilight begins to imitate some coughing. “No no no! Like this!” Applebloom started a gut wrenching cough. “Like this?”. Spike started coughing, to which Applebloom started performing a different cough. Before long Twilight and Applejack was joining in, everyone coughing to find out the real one. “Okay this is getin us nowher, we need to go straight to Zecora to determine what’s happenin”. “Good idea Applejack”. Leaving Spike behind to tend the library. The ponies head to Zecora to determine what kind of sickness she had, Twilight packing some books in her saddlebag and catching up to the Apple Acre sisters. “So, what did Zecora say?” “Only that she was sick, and that Ponyville might end, also something about it ‘spelling a youth’s doom’”. “Whoa, I am not letin my sister get near Zecora if she could make you that sick”. “But Applejack! She’s our friend I have to go”. “Your not goin to get sick from her, I don’t want to lose ma sister”. Applebloom looked down and sulked, looking back at her sister with sad eyes. Her sister comes up to her and rub her mane with her head. “Sorry Applebloom, but I don’t want to lose ma only sister, I wouldn’t know what I would do. Please, go home”. “Okay”. Applebloom followed her worried sister’s orders and turned back as just Applejack and Twilight moved on toward Zecora’s. Twilight telling Applejack it was for the better to send her back. It would be terrible if she lost her sister. Chapter 2Twilight and Applejack reached Zecora’s hut as Applebloom did before them. “I told you, I am not a fool!”. “Zecora? It’s me, Twilight Sparkle”. “It’s you Twilight, you’d be a nice sight. But I’m afraid I must stay behind this door, what did you come for?”. “Applebloom told me you were sick, and that Ponyville might end. Now tell me, what cough do you have, is it a light cough or a tickly cough?”. Zecora give out a burst of awful coughing. “Twilight, terrible danger is brewing, which is causing my spewing. Four stallions of Nether, that leaves place by a tether”. “Stallions of Nether? And if we can sort them out, you will be cured?”. “You are correct, but I must interject, these stallions are tough, they handle rough”. “We’ll be careful, we’re hoping you get better”. They head back of to Twilight’s house to look through the library about the ‘stallions of the nether’. A lot of hard book searching had made the place, again, a mess, as it has been so many times before. To Spike’s dissatisfaction for having to clean it up. This time was even worse with so much on the line, both Spike and Applejack have had to duck and dodge the flying hardbacks, sometimes to no avail, to which Twilight, not even lift a eyelid, apologising hastily then return to her zen-like study through the books. “Here we go, ‘the stallions of the nether’, also known as the horses of the apocalypse”. “In a terrible time, long ago, near the birth of Equastria itself. Ponies, pegasi, and unicorns alike, were suffering terribly. Some were fighting each other for more land, food grew ever more and more short, disease and sickness had befallen many and many, with much pain and infection. And all around these terrible inflictions, death was plenty. Celestia, shocked by the shear strength and magnitude of famine, war, pestilence and death, using the elements of harmony, locked away most of the apocalyptic inflictions away, not strong enough to lock the entirety away, looked them away into the darkness. Leaving the remnants of what was left, but, she was pleased with what she could, as the ponies were now more happy, and grew to accept that illness, food shortages, fighting, and morality was just everyday life, and we too, also joyous about the mass decrease of the inflictions. Unfortunately, as the years grew, so did the strength of the inflictions in the darkness, transforming into dreaded stallions of the nether. Brutal War, Scattering Pestilence, Consuming Famine and Untimely Death. These stallions laid colonies it past in ruin, forever seeking to restore their influence, and bring forth the end of all”. Twilight closed the book, the slam breaking the dead silence of what seemed the entirety of Equastria. She did not say or look at the others, only ahead from her book in deep thought. “… Damn … That doesn’t sound good … If what Zecora said was true.. We can’t let them near Ponyville”. “This ain’t just about Ponyville anymore, this is about the whole of Equastria. They will destroy everythin”. Twilight stood dead still. Possibly unable to move from what could happen. Spike jumped on her back and patted her head until she ‘woke‘ up. “Snap out of it Twilight. We got to do something and standing about isn’t going to go anything”. “Your right”. With some new found courage she turned to her friends. “If Celestia had sealed away them with elements of harmony, when that is what we have to do”. “But, as the book said, she could she them away for good, we still get food shortages, we still get sick, ponies still die”. “But she sealed them away at full strength, remember they said they want to be whole, to have their full influence before Celestia sealed them away. In their weaker forms, we could seal them away from good”. “… Wait, if we can seal them away completely. That means, no food shortages. Our apple tree will never stop bearing their sweet, sweet apples, we will always be able to make our apple cider”. “No pony will fight with each other!”. “No pony will ever get sick … and”. “… And no pony will ever die”. Twilight looks out at the window. The mares and stallions, living their lives, lovers gazing into each others eyes, worker enjoying their work, children playing with each other. Living their lives. Living. “We need to stop them, if we do, there will be eternal happiness in Equastria”. Chapter 3The ponies travelled to Canterlot to query the princess for more information on the subject, after collecting their friends. They left out the details for a full cooperative team, as to fighting the supposed enders of Equastria would make even the toughest of Celestia’s guard quake in their armor and hide. Some things are best left unsaid until the right time comes, they were all given a white lie for their unexpected summon by the Celestia, if the question did so come up. Previously Twilight had sent a scroll informing the Princess of the upcoming threat so she knew that getting to Celestia would quick and effortless. They soon entered the royal hall, there depictions in stain glass still showing their memories of bravery and victory over Nightmare Moon and, now newly stood, with the sun phasing the colors through upon the ponies, their victory over Discord, the hard times and, the final confrontation. This, shown new hope onto Twilight and Applejack, fighting so much and proceeding victorious this confrontation would only be another stain glass. Pinkie Pie, jumping around getting as close to wach new stain glass to walking into it, hand now stuck to the ground laughing under one certain stain glass. “Twilight!!”. She said, cheerfully and with great effort through her own bellowing laughter. “He’s dancing on your head again!!”. The ponies looked up to she the stain glass of their first confrontation with Discord in this very hall, and, quite clearly depicted, the stain glass window where Discord was most joyously dancing on Twilight’s stain glass head. Even the glassy version of Pinkie Pie was laughing at it. Some chuckles behind them alerted them of Celestia’s presence, all expect Pinkie Pie who was too caught up in her element. “Pinkie”. Rarity gives a distasteful look as she picks up Pinkie, not noticing she has started floating in the air, only calmed down when set besides Rarity and the others. Gleaming like nothing had even happened. “I must admit, he might have wanted to bring Equastria into chaos. But did have a good sense of humor. It is much needed in this time of woe”. Celestia had dropped her playful habit to take up her expected role. Once again she stood majestically, her rainbow mane flowing in the non existent wind delicately like the magic flowed through each strand and joined the others in unison, such magic to work nonchalantly and without focus proved her magical strength. “Time of woe? Excuse me Princess, but we aren’t in some time of woe”. Twilight had turned to face her friends, now and only now would she have to tell them, it couldn’t wait any longer. “I’m afraid, yet again, Equastria is in danger”. The ponies look at each other confused and unsure, after a few eyes to eyes ever pony was focused on Applejack nodding her head. “I eard it from ma sister, who eard it from Zecora, terrible stallions a comin”. Celestia went to continue from Applejack. “The stallions of the Apocalypse are a terrible ponification of four inflictions that are said to drive Equastria to destruction”. She continued to tell them what Twilight had spoken of from the book. “Princess, surely you have more information that can help us against them”. “I wish I did Twilight, but they are a powerful evil that can’t be taken lightly, I could only momentarily seal them away. But there is no doubt, with your friendship, that you can put a stop to them”. Twilight smiled, taking what the Princess said like it was true fact, she turned to her friends, no longer uncertain of their abilities, but now fully eager to stop this disaster, filled with bold, determined faces, they looked at each other and back to Twilight. “We’re with you”. “So am I”. “I-I guess”. “This will be fun!”. “You can’t leave me out can you!?”. Twilight looked at her friends with gratitude, knowing her friends will never let her down. She turned back to Celestia, the Princess herself knew she could trust her friends also, with the simple smile on her face, it said that they are destined to save Equastria again. Twilight bowed to the Princess and so did the Princess bow back. “The elements of harmony are locked away safely. You will need them”. Celestia walks to the door which contains the elements, by her horn’s silver glow, the doors open and give way for her to walk into the room. There is nothing to be heard for a while, but then the Princess gasps echoes out the room and throughout the hall, startling everyone in the hall, they worried if the elements had been stolen again. They edged towards the darkened room which the elements were kept. “Princess?”. There was no response to the beckon, they edged closer still. All of a sudden, a great glow from a unicorn horn emerged. The Princess walked out, smile on her face, and from behind her hovered the elements. “Gotcha!”. The ponies breath a sigh of relieve as Celestia give them their corresponding elements. In such time of great tension humor lightened their spirits. They wore their elements around their neck, the gems within still shone brightly since their return, and stood no markings of conflict from the encounters of Nightmare Moon and Discord. Celestia bowed to these ponies. As a show of good luck and respect, as they returned back into Canterlot. Even with the tools required to vanquish the new foes, the whereabouts where still unclear to the group, they knew they were heading to Ponyville, but with powerful enemies that spread death and disease, it was mandatory that they trend no hoof in Ponyville. “So, where would they be?”. Twilight asked without turning to her pony friends, as they walked down the street, Rainbow Dash flying overhead. The elements they bared distracted the civilians around them, gossip and whispers spread as it was a sure sign danger was coming, a warning beacon of what’s to come. “… Maybe Zecora knows where hey are. She did get sick an all”. “Of course Applejack, they must be near the Everfree Forest”. “Wait a apple picking minut. We were in the Everfree Forest, and we eard and saw no pony”. “Well … They must be close enough to make Zeocra sick right!? … Then they got to be nearby”. “I agree with Rainbow Dash. It is a possibility that they were in Everfree Forest to get Zecora sick, how else would she get sick? I mean, they had to have some connection to her or her sickness just does not make sense”. “Well, we’ll head back to Zecora’s. She’ll might be able to give use more information about her sickness”. “… Girls … If they ar as close to Ponyville to be in the Everfree Forest … Could hey hav already attacked Ponyville?”. The ponies keep moving, now in a worried silence. “Oh. Don’t worry Applejack, I’m sure everyone’s doing okay”. “Fluttershy’s right! Now need to get down with a frown. Ponyville will be as great as chocolate rain, or maybe chocolate cake rain, or maybe … CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE RAIN!!”. Applejack nodded in agreement and the mares kept moving, when Ponyville was near sight worry overtook them and they galloped to a closer view, Ponyville still looked like it’s normal self, normal mares and normal stallions doing their normal, everyday jobs. A few of the mare sighed a sign of relief as the others looked on with smiles that their home was still say. “What I tell you. They’re all okay”. Applejack gave a smile of relief to Fluttershy before they continued down the path back home, night was fast approaching, the residents of Ponyville was being to slow down, yawn, and hit the hay. The streets were starting to light up as each lamp flashed on in rhythm from one side of the town to the other. The artificial glow making nearby waters sparkle and glimmer. The mares had a job to do, but they won’t be able to do it with sleepy heads and tired wings. “We’re going to have to see Zecora tomorrow”. Twilight gives out a long yawn. “It’s getting late”. Even Pinkie Pie’s bouncy personality was weakening in the night’s sleepy, hollow breeze. Leaving just a hop, skip and a jump before she does so again to her house after singing everyone goodnight. “But but we cant eave it naw! Thos stallions could come in any minute!”. “I’m sorry Applejack but some ponies still need their beauty sleep”. “Rarity’s right, as much as I like to stop them now, we won’t be able to do it If we’re tired. Better to be prepared and alert”. “Yeh, guess your right”. The ponies disbanded to their quarters, mentally preparing for that which was to come. Applejack so too retreated to her solid, wooden bed and soft, cotton sheets. Regardless of how comfortable these two things were she could to get the sleep she needed, he head was filled to leaking of Ponyville in danger, ponies falling ill, feuding, running out of food, and countless ponies on the ground. Cold and still as stone. Her friends and family among the latter. She opened her eyes and threw off her sheets to the ground. “I won’t let that happen”. Chapter 4 The night was at it’s thickest, only the moon’s unnatural and mystic glow was piercing the pony’s eyes. She lights a lantern, grabbing the handle with her mouth, and heads out. The sounds of insects and the nocturnal birds break what would be dead silence. Any other pony without the bravery of Applejack would be shaking but her determination keep her strong. As she ventured further from that warm bed the contrasting winds grew more and more, picking up the lightest debris and dragging it away like a wisp in woods. Applejack quickly lays her hooves on her hat to stop it flying off, but in the meanwhile, the lantern’s flame is flustering and spitting angrily in the wind’s presence. Quickly draining it’s own energy and is diminished as fast as it had been birthed. “Darn”. She places it on the ground to relight it, but the winds pick up and the lantern can’t hold in the wind’s impact and is knocked to the ground. Applejack decides it’s not worth wasting time on and continues on a straight path. The moon’s rays start to provide enough light as Applejack’s eyes adjust, at first, only shadows and delicate sounds to play with the mind, to turn into the midnight beauty of the world, in serene silence and frozen calm. “It’s not so bad. A gal could get used to tis sorta tranquillity. Now, time to see Zecora, I hope she won‘t be sore about me coming to see her at tis time of night”. Fluttershy’s house was nearing closer, the darkness displaying only a grey blur before the moon’s presence faded it out to a coat white reflection on top of it. Applejack knew she couldn’t give away what she was doing to any pony. She continued on, cautious of her surroundings not to make a sound or draw attention to herself. She walked on, sticking to the darker parts of the path, taking cover in bramble and bushes when she could. Fluttershy would most likely be asleep, but Applejack wasn’t taking any chances. She edged further towards the forest, near home free, when unexpectedly, one of Fluttershy’s chickens came out the coop, tired and sleepy, it had seen the black shadow creeping about in the dark, and in natural reaction, panicked, creating a huge commotion. The noise had woke the other chickens, and they then quickly joined in. Applejack heard the racket, her mouth open wide with shock at the turn of events, as she quickly ran beside the coop to calm them down. “Now hey now critters! Shush now! It’s nothing to be scared about!”. Applejack’s reassurances came across wrongly as they continued, if not louder and more wildly. “Tarnations be quiet!!”. Applejack’s screaming along with the chickens started to alert the household as Fluttershy’s window flickered on. Applejack spotted the light and started to dash into the forest’s darkness. The window slowly eases open as Fluttershy timidly rises from the window. “H-hellooo? …” She quivers, her eyes barely above the window ledge. She takes a gulp and pokes her head out for a better look, nothing is out of the usual, encouraging her as she starts to relax, she then notices her hens are in a uproar. She heads down and outside to tend to them. “Now now, hush”. As Fluttershy tended the chickens, Applejack runs deeper and deeper into the Everfree Forest, the leaves and bushes whipping her and brushing against her, clawing away at her stamina and endurance, until finally, she stopped to regain her breath and posture. The forest was darker this night then the ever before, coated in darkness like dust in that old, abandon attic, where the monster’s would live, waiting for any unfortunate to clamber up and have curiosity get the better of them. The only difference, the monsters in the Everfree forest were real, timber wolves, cockatrices, manticores, serpents, ursar minors, majors, hydras. All these the group have encountered before and just survived with almost sheer luck, and with their friends to help out and look after each other. Applejack was all alone, the cold breeze made the mare shudder before she continued to walk deeper. A piercing chill whent through each strand of her mane and fur as she continued to get swallowed in the forest’s abyss. “I-I must be strong. Mai entire family en friends depend on it”. The path was hard to follow in the dark, the only thing Applejack could go by is the sound of the soft path under her hooves. Any snapping of twigs or rustle of leaves means getting lost forever. But as the path drove further, the more of the path died and let the wilderness in. The trees reached out at Applejack and tried to drag her back it the safe, eternal darkness, though the strength was lacking as their life as she pulled past. Creatures watched as she ran though the forest, some watching hungry. Though never moving. Soon, the trees gave clearing to Zecora’s hut, the moonlight gave the hut a eerie ambience, making it as creepy as the old stories about her. It once again felt those stories was true. The white glow like ghosts barricading the dark, wooden hut. She trotted over to the door and knocked hard. “Zecora!? I naw it’s late an all. But I need ya help”. There was no reply, no sound or motion. “Zecora!?”. She got up on her hind legs and started working over the door with her front hooves, repeated bashing them against the door. There was still no response. “O kai Zecora. You asked for this”. She turned around and, raised her back legs and started bucking, the shaking and impacts was weakening the door’s hinges and the screws could be heard coming loose. “Damn it pony I am trying to sleep. What’s with the noise you must keep!?”. The light could be seen turning on from Zecora’s window. Applejack ground her legs again and waited for Zecora to open the door. The door didn’t open. “Zecora can ya let me in!? I need a word with ya”. “Did you not listen to your sister I am sick! You’ll talk out there and make it quick”. “Zecora why can’t ya open tha door?”. “Applejack did I not specify!? I can’t be seen by another’s pony eye”. She started to cough and wheeze. By then the hinges of the door gave way, and Applejack jumped back before the door had chance to land on her. Behind it, Zecora stood, purple blotches across her beautiful black and white striped coat. Her face was a tint of blue and her mane had turned into a mess, she flung her head down and started coughing again. “Zecora! Ya look terrible!”. “I already know my current state”. She starts to wheeze again. “In my sickness my nerves are easy to grate”. “It was the stallions of the apocalypse that did this to ya wasn’t it?”. “Yes. And I fear they do the same to you, make you itch and your nose like glue. As you can guess Pestilence did this, a stallion of trouble you can’t easily miss”. “If he made ya sick, then they must be nearby”. “I know not of how he got me but mark my speech, to do this to me he must be in reach”. “Do ya think thay are ear in the forest?”. “Without a doubt, their trouble I can feel sprout. But make a move they have not yet made. They stay in the dark, and in the shade”. Zecora starts coughing again. “Ya know any way we could find em?”. “Hmm … So it’s the stallions that you seek? Vital information I can’t leek. They are discreet, and we have not meet”. “I see. Well, thank ya Zecora, sorry for waking ya”. “Take care Applejack, meet the stallions you may not be back”. Zecora attempts to rest her broken door back on it’s hinges coughing as Applejack walks off wondering what’s to be done now. If she should search, or heed Zecora’s words, and find them when her friends were fully fit and ready to face them. In doing so she risked in them attacking in the night. But, they have yet to make a move, and if they could have worried about the gang who have protected Ponyville countless times they could have attacked when they were retrieving the elements of harmony from Princess Celestia. While thinking about it she gave out a sudden yawn, she had forgotten how late it’s been and the hour must have been near early morning, 3am probably. She decided to go back, no way would she protect everypony tired, and they haven’t attacked yet, likelihood they won’t in the short space of time between now and the first pony wakes up for the early worm working. And she was one of those ponies that had that kind of job. She started to walk back, tired she took her steps carefully along the path, the surrounding area quiet as if those creatures before have gone to sleep as well, even the nocturnal ones as it was so close to morning. The only noise being made was the crunch of twigs again under Applejack’s hooves. They were rhythmic in their crackling and snapping, the leaves, too with their crispy sound. The forest was still darker still, but had more of a sense of tranquillity along with it’s emptiness. Applejack had made some tracks before she was swept of her feet by a strong force, pinning her down to the spiky twigs and rocks, digging into her back. Her tiredness had taken her off guard, and the sudden change and quick sting of pain woke her back up, she opened her eyes that had closed in automatic reaction to the impact. She could only see the bushes next to her flowing in the breeze, she tried to move her head towards her assailant but what ever it was had her head pushed into the ground. Worry and fear started to well up, she quickly brought herself to speak. “Who are ya!? What ya’ll think ya doing tackling me!?”. “I could ask what a juicy, little pony like you is doing in a big, bad forest with no company, being as easy a prey as a dead rabbit … or a cockroach”. The voice came close near her ear, it’s breath hot as fire against it. In it primal desire to break and tear her to pieces, only holding itself back. “Your so cute thinking you could survive here alone at night. I’ve been watching you all … this …” It flicks her ear with what felt like a hoof before it brought it’s mouth back to her ear to finish it’s sentence. “Time”. The last word came out quick and cheerful, like the stalking was just fun and entertaining. She felt it’s weight get off her and move back. The twigs made a sound of crunching bone under it. She turned her head finally, breathing heavily, glad it’s showing some mercy. What stood before her was a Pegasus with wings like Luna’s guards, bat wings. It’s eye were menacing, it’s pupils small and screaming bloody murder, shaped like a serpents, as it‘s huge, glaring iris was a match to it‘s mane. It’s mane was as red as blood it spilt, and fur as dark red as a dying rose, it’s teeth were sharp like a monster’s. It had a cutie mark that resembled nothing anypony as seen or heard of. It was a bulgy L shape, partly grey, with the small line of it brown, the grey bit looked like a tunnel. “You! … Ya must be one of the stallions of the Apocalypse!”. It gave some insane giggling before kneeling down on one knee in a bow like she was royalty. “Brutal War, pleasure M’lady. So much pleasure. Great honor GREAT honor to meet you Miss Applejack of Sweet Apple Acres”. “Huh? How do ya know my name? And my farm!?”. “Oh Miss Applejack you do yourself no justice, you have protected Equastria from the likes of Nightmare Moon and AND … Discord himself!. If I hadn’t heard of you I might as well be living underground!”. “Best dang place for ya if ya ask me”. Applejack threw her head away in discontent to this fan she had picked up. Quickly Brutal lost his psychotic, crazed smile for one of sheer anger and quickly returned it to a more neutral expression as he got off his knees and walked closer to Applejack. “Oh Applejack, poor poor apple pip, you don’t believe those rotten books do you? Those grapevine rumors by that treacherous, old fart of a princess of yours?”. She turned around and kicked him in the snout in a outburst towards the slander, he flew back, using his wings to slow down and skid across the floor. He face was no longer happy or emotionless, his eyes glaring hard on her with detest and desire to kill. “No pony, especially not a pony like ya. Will EVA bad mouth the princess without a beatin an a buckin from me!”. “You … FILTH!! You … SCUM! I COULD!!” “Calm down Brute, you brought it on yourself you brainless twit”. Out of the bushes, a pony, draped in a old, tattered cape walked in, his mane and tail were grey and his fur a bland blue. His face and expression was gentle and kind, His eyes big and blue. His cutie mark, covered by his cape. “You forget who your talking to, you should we regal to such a lady of renown”. “Come on Consume, SHE’S ASKING FOR IT!”. “Keep calm, Death doesn’t want her dead … yet”. Applejack jumps between the two, the new intruder lifting his hoof back in slight surprise. “Don’t be talkin about me like that! What’s ya leader want wit me?”. “You should ask him yourself. He is right here watching us. He’s always watching. Waiting”. A dark unicorn emerged from the darkness then, black and red mane and tail, his eyes dark and vivid greyish green, he wore a small jacket as dark as his mane and his cutie mark was of a green jar showing a skull and crossbones. He talked with a bold tone and like a gentleman, if not with a sinister hint. “Yes, that would be me. Oh dear don’t you look cute, it be a shame for that pretty little mane to get ruffled”. He gets close to her, walking around her, inspecting her head to hoof. Applejack follows him with her head as he walks behind her and then she tosses her head to the other side keeping her eyes on him at all times, he then stands right in front of her, staring in her eyes, reading her like a book, as she looked back and did the same. Without a moments notice he leaned forward and kissed her, after realising what just happened she jumped back agitated. He lifted up his head and looked at her maliciously. “TARNATIONS!! What in the hay do ya think yar doing!?” “Oh. Sorry. You just looked like you were into me”. “How in the hay did you think I was falling for ya?”. “Oh. Sorry again. That was my fault, I misread your signals”. “Misread mah signals!?”. Applejack was getting more furious as he kept on talking such lies with a calm and smug face, he looked up at the sky, then back to her, his smile grew longer as he stared back at Applejack, the others look at her, then looked at Death, they then ran off into the forest without looking back, Applejack watched them run then turned back to Death. “Hmm … Don’t you think you should run along now? It’s getting bright again and your little friends will be wondering where you have been. They’d be worried and scared you came to face the big, bad evil doers all on your lonesome without back up wouldn’t they?”. He starts to walk off, he flicks his tail into her nose and watches her flinch back, look at him in disgust, then look at the sky turning to dawn, then the opening of the forest, the hearing of a cockerel call for morning. Then, she finally turned back to him. “Go then. I’m not letting you live right now for nothing. Don’t make your friends worry”. He walks off, following his gang back into the forest. He turns his head back to her as she is running back to the town. He turns back, and walking into the forest laughing how his plan has been set. Fluttershy was up early to tend her chickens, she was just flapping her wings over the pen, unloading this morning’s feed for them. When she caught a glimpse of a unstable Applejack cantering out the forest clearing, the lack of sleep and amount of running had made her frightfully tired, as she made the clearing she slowed down to a near halt, making only a few more footsteps before collapsing to exhaustion. “Applejack!!” The chickens flap their wings in panic to the sack of feed hitting the ground with a thud, they, as quickly as they fled, dive into the sack like hungry vultures. Fluttershy flew over to her unconscious friend, she placed her hooves on each of Applejack’s eyelids and opened them to look at her eye, to momentarily let them return to their normal state. She flies to Twilight’s house to retrieve her and bring her to Applejack. She knocks on the door, which is answered by a drowsy Spike, rubbing his eye while opening the door. “Fluttershy? What’s going on” Fluttershy starts to blurt out words as a tired, bed headed Twilight came to listen in. They do not understand her but manage to pick out the keywords. Applejack! … Forest! … Hurt!!! “Take me to her Fluttershy” Fluttershy nods and races back, alongside Twilight, and Spike riding upon Twilight’s back, to the body of Applejack. They take a good look at her and Twilight sighs. “She’s only asleep, we should bring her in, get her into a nice blanket and when she wakes up, she can tell us why she was in the forest this morning”. Chapter 5Applejack’s world was reforming again, it was blurred and fuzzy at first, the blending of brown while two distinct colors looming over her, the shapes warped and sharpened, the colors were her two friends, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy, who had brought her sleep hardy body in from the cold, stone floor outside. They look with relieve that soon dissolves to happiness as their freckle faced friend woke from her sleep. “Oh good, your up, we were getting worried”. “Girls … What happ’ned?” “I found you passed out after you ran out othe Everfree Forest, I brought Twilight so she could help you”. Twilight was looking through the book, she was remaining very calm and composed before the book slammed shut. “What the hay were you thinking? Going to see Zecora by yourself, what if you ran into the stallions of the apocalypse”. “Calm yourself Twilight, I say em alright, bunch of no good, pain in the flank, one jumped me, and there damn leader Death kissed me!” “He kissed you? … How did he kiss you?”. “Why’d you want ta know what way he kissed me tha sonova rotten apple still kissed me and then tried ta pass it off that I ere givin him “the signs” … that worm. That worm in a rotten apple!”. Twilight flicks through the pages of the book. “You don’t get it at all Applejack. He wasn’t coming on to you”. “What do ya mean?” Twilight hovers the book to Applejack on a certain page. Applejack reads it aloud. “Untimely Death is the leader of the stallions of at apocalypse. He has the ability ta cause anypony ta die, either directly or indirectly. Due ta his nature, he prefers ta let the pony he chooses ta make his target, and with a kiss of death marks em. Those ponies who have been given three of his kisses of death shall …” Applejack gulps as she looks at Twilight and then to Fluttershy. They both look to the floor before Twilight lifts her head back up. “You know, maybe your not been targeted, and he just wants to mess with your head”. “Well, they are in the Everfree forest, we should try to find them and stop them as soon as we can”. Twilight takes a book from the shelf and opens it to reveal the elements of harmony. “Okay, split up and gather the others”. Everyone nods and move off, Twilight heads to carousel boutique to get Rarity, Fluttershy flew of to find Rainbow Dash, and Applejack dashed to Sugarcube Corner to pick up Pinkie Pie. Rarity was up early, working on a dress, she was at her sewing machine stitching the fabric together when Twilight started banging on the door. “Rarity!” “Coming darling”. She trots to the door and opens it with her magic. Within the second the element of generosity was slung over her neck. She looked down and then looked at Twilight to see she was wearing hers. “Applejack found them in the Everfree forest”. “What? Is she okay?”. “She’s a little tired from staying up most of the night and … well it’s hard to explain, but she may be in trouble. We have to get rid of the stallions of the apocalypse now”. “Okay dearie I’m coming”. The others come as fast as they can to Rarity’s door. “Twilight! Rarity!”. Applejack skids across the ground before stopping for her breath. “Pinkie’s missing”. “What?”. “She’s not at her house”. They look at each other. “Twi! How many stallions ere they?”. “Four. Death, Pestilence, War and Famine”. “ … Twi, when I met em there were only three”. Pinkie Pie regained conscious. Her vision was blurred, her throat was dry and rough, and she was cold. She could overhear some voices. “Well done Pestilence, we can now draw the elements to us without the bearers being able to use them. We even have this one‘s element before that stage of the plan. Very well done”. “Yess. Ass alwayss Masssster you make ssure we have the sstatus quo”. Pinkie’s eye focus, looking around her surroundings are trees and deep forestation and her movement is limited in a cage of metal bars. They were chilling to the touch and as she sat the bars underneath her chilled her spine. Brutal War stood beside her watching her from outside the cage. “Hello Cutie. How’d you sleep? Sorry but Death wouldn’t conjure you up a warm pillow for that puffy hair of yours”. “Hello! Erm where am I? This isn’t my bedroom, have I been sleepwalking?”. “You sleepwalk?”. “Not a lot but if I’m really REALLY hungry, sometimes I wake up and Mr and Mrs Cake are standing at my door with a huge plate of crumbs and it turns out I‘ve eaten something important in my sleep”. Death and Pestilence hear the conversation and trot to the cage. Pestilence was a icky green unicorn with a broken horn, his mane and tail was manky and his eyes was clouded white. “Brutal don’t chat up the prisssssoner”. “Shut it Pest or I‘ll break of the rest of your horn”. “How’d you like pony plague?” “How’d you’d like your old horn back? UP YOU ARSE I’D BET YOU’D LOVE IT!!”. “Brutal War … Spreading Pestilence … You two are brothers, you spread your influence equally and make ponies suffer as badly. You can’t fight. Pestilence you should know what happens when you fight with Brutal. Or did you lose your brain with your horn?”. “… No Masssster”. “You are such a suck up”. “Brutal. Pestilence could kill you in a second and make you suffer for longer. Don’t anger each other”. Death turns to Pinkie Pie. “Sorry my brothers aren’t known for cooperating with each other”. “It’s okay, siblings fight, I used to fight with my sisters a lot”. “Your quite chipper to be a prisoner”. “A prisoner? You mean I’ve been captured? Well that’s not a very nice thing to do”. Pestilence walks up to Death and whispers in his ear. “Masssster, Thiss pony iss quite a … odd one”. “Pestilence. You know me better, Death accepts all, no matter what or who they are”. “Your Death? Does that mean you know if zomponies are real? Because that be really scary”. “… You speak to Death himself, about zomponies, and you are scared of them than the former … You are either very brave, or very stupid”. “You don’t seem that scary”. “Apparel wise, no, but Pinkie. The stories behind me, every death has been caused by me. Everypony you have lost to old age, murder, accidents. I was the one who caused it, I was the one to make you grief. I was the one who made you cry”. “I haven’t lost anypony to death”. “Hmm … Well …You soon will”. Pinkie’s nerve and attitude might be as tough as steel when it comes to experiences like this. Each battle she’s faced she’s not lost her demeanour and nature. She can laugh at those things that scare her, and she isn’t even phased when Death is breathing his cold, dead breath on her. But if one thing’s going to get to her. It would be to know her friends in trouble. That was one of the times that peachy smile of hers dropped. Her curly hair again deflated and hung over her face. She sat there speechless. “Oh. Now. Do you see?”. “… Why would you do something like that?”. “I have to. It‘s my reason for living”. “You could get a new living”. “Pinkie. Look at me”. She looks up at Death. Sulking and her eyes are starting to fill with tears. “Yes. It’s not a nice job. But as somepony once said, somepony’s got to do it. It has to be Pinkie”. Famine walks in through the shrubbery and forestry. “Sorry it took me so long. The maze has been set up well, I myself got lost. You did very well on it Pestilence. I tip my hat off to you”. “I try my best Famine”. “Are they coming now Death?”. Death closes his eyes and his horn glows a black aura. “… I can feel five heartbeats heading to the forest. I believe it is them”. Death opens his eyes and turns to Pestilence. “The heartbeat of the zebra’s. I can’t feel it anymore”. “Sshe hass been … dealt with”. “Zecora!?”. The group turn to Pinkie Pie, the information hit her quite hard, it could be seen it was hard to hold onto such strong emotions. “Don’t cry, she is the first of many”. Pinkie’s mood of anguish and despair had just blown into a full belt rage to the lack of sympathy that her friend’s death has come with. “BRING HER BACK … NOW!!”. “I have to kill, bringing her back would be the opposite of what I’m meant to do”. “Your don’t have to do WHAT YOUR MEANT TO DO!!”. Death turns away. And in the shrubbery with his brothers he disappears. Pinkie Pie returns to her mourning. “Zecora, just like that. She’s gone. I didn’t even get to say goodbye”. Pinkie sat there. All she could do was think about her lost friend and flood the floor with tears. Death and his brothers emerge out the into the maze. Their plan was to separate the elements of harmony and take them one by one. They decided what to do with it’s bearer. “Death.” “Hmph?” Death turned to his brother, Famine, as Brutal War and Spreading Pestilence went of into separate paths to pick of the ponies. As this maze was a mere illusion created by them they could traverse it without getting lost. “What that pony said. It is not true. She’s just talking out of her friend’s parting”. “What are you saying brother?”. “I don’t think you should be so open to having a mere chit chat with others. They don’t look kindly to you. Regardless of what you do”. “… Your talking about what she said about doing something else”. “It’s yo …” Death’s horn starts to glow red and black and lifts up Famine in the air. His eyes glow red. “I do what I have been fated to do and nothing little or less!! I don’t want such foolishness from your mouth brother, especially from you. After I hold you in such high regards!!”. “… I am sorry to have doubted you Death”. With that, Death flung Famine to the ground, Famine was moaning in pain and he got back on his hooves. “Don’t question me again. Now run. They are coming now”. “… Very well”. As Famine ran down the path. Death had faded into the shrubbery again, in the same time the girls had reached the entrance. The forest liked similar has it always had, but a foreboding tension oozed from within. “I don know Twi. Sumthin ain’t right”. “Isn’t”. “We don need your fancy pants right now”. “Look we got to save Pinkie from them”. “Yeah. You can stand around here and wait or we go in now and save her!”. Rainbow Dash darted into dark as the ponies tried to call her back. The others then proceeded after her. Except for Applejack and Fluttershy. The latter could feel the tension there too, but created by her own timidness. “Now Sugarcube. Ya don need to be frightened”. “I-I … I’m … oh!” “Stay with me Sugarcube. I’ll protect ya”. Rainbow Dash has already made her way through the maze taking turns without a hint of slowing down. She had finally given up blazing through it, she was getting nowhere. She slammed on the breaks and landed on the ground skidding through the dirt and twigs until stopping, bring up a cloud of dust with her. She quickly wafted the cloud out her face while coughing out any that entered her mouth. “Maybe I should slow down before I land”. She looked up. She could easily fly up and spot Pinkie from the sky. It was a perfect plan, but the trees had formed a think coat around the maze, getting through it would have been tough, nay impossible. “What what am I meant to do now?”. A rustling was coming from the inside the bush, when she turned to it Brutal War had already pounced. “Hey get off me you jerk!” “Ou you’re a feisty one”. He unhooked the element of loyalty around her neck and through it over his. “I’m not one for jewellery, but this thing is really … bling bling”. Rainbow Dash managed to struggle free from his pin and kicked in the stomach hard enough to knock him off. He staggered back and fell to his knee. The anger swelled in his face with the sweat. “YOU DAMN BITCH I’LL TEAR YOU!!”. “Oh yeah! What a little thing like you going to do about it?”. Brutal got up and started digging in the ground like a bull. He then started to charge with his pointed teeth in his mouth set on her. Rainbow Dash jumps above him and slams his back into the ground and he skids along the dirt. She jumps off him and takes the element of his weakened body. “Urgh … Your good … No one has ever broken out of my pin … Let alone moved with such speed”. “Please! I’m the fastest pegasus in Ponyville!” Brutal gets to back to his hooves. “I’m not from Ponyville”. They jump at each other and bash hooves together, trying to wrestle each other to the ground. Rainbow Dash still had the elements in her hoof. When she had let her guard down he snatched if from her, moving to the side as she kept on pushing, allowing her to fall to the ground. “Too slow”. He proceed to put the element around his neck again. And before Rainbow Dash could retaliate he had slipped into the bushes again. She tried to dive after him but the brambles were too think. “You can’t follow me like that, but thanks for the parting gift. You’re a cool girl, maybe we could hang out some time”. The voice disappeared along with the prize. Rainbow Dash could do nothing but try to find him and Pinkie Pie. She ran forward, whether she was going round in circles didn’t matter, the sooner she found Pinkie Pie the better. “Rainbow Dash!” Rarity had gotten separated from Twilight but was still looking for Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. She stumbled through the dirt and twigs as she kept wandering aimlessly through the hedgerow. “This is the Discord palaver all over again”. As Rarity continued, Famine had walked towards her from the opposite end. She halted as he continued to walk up to her. He stopped a few feet from her in total silence, before proceeding to bow. “Good morning”. “Erm. Who are you?”. “Famine, I have come to relief you of that element”. “Oh yeah pretty boy, you can’t take it from me”. “How about a trade?”. “I can’t trade the element!”. Famine took a bag out from under his cape. The threw it to the floor, it was filled to the brim with jewels. Rarity’s eye popped out wide at the shimmer of them. “You look starved from jewels. These will fill you up. All you have to do is just give me the element”. “Done!”. Rarity took off the element and tosses to Famine, who catches it in his mouth. “Pleasure doing business with you”. He chuckled as he walked into the bush next to him. Rarity was playing with the jewels bewildered by them. She was playing with a bright red one filled with fire, until it turned to stone and it faded to dust. “Huh? What the?”. The jewels, one by one, did the same, turning into the dust. The bag had then turned to dust itself, with the illusion faded, Rarity clearly saw what she had done. “That was just some sort of spell. Ohhhhhhh he’ll have hay to pay for tricking me”. As Rarity continued through to retrieve her element. Twilight had already encountered Pestilence. He was laughing and coughing as Twilight was ready to fight him. Crouching down ready to counter any of his attacks. “Jussssssst give up the element. We have all of them already and everyone’sssssss already dead. Your the last one”. “What? Your … your lying”. “Nope, your friendsssss are dead, each one of them, and it wassssssn’t pretty, eww”. “Your lying and laughing about it!”. “I’m not lying. Jussssssst give up will you, your getting nowhere”. “YOUR LYING!”. Twilght’s horn started to glow and lifted up Pestilence from the ground. He was unfazed from the act. Only jolting and jeering her more and more trying to give up the element. That she still refused to do. “For Celesssssstia’ssssss ssssssssake I’ll just do this the eassssssy way”. Pestilence then proceeded to blow a thick green smoke over Twilight. She resisted it at first, then got drowsy, and unable to stand. She collapsed. Pestilence took of her element and flung it into the bush. “You were a real pain. Pity to know you’ll probably wake up”. Death came out from the shadows behind Pestilence, he looked at the unconscious Twilight and back to Pestilence. “So this is all the elements of harmony, just the two more, one’s a very timid pony who scares easily, and there’s also the one we met before. I should handle this”. “Ssssso . . . Your going to give her the sssssecond kiss?”. “Yes. Then she’d be just one more away from losing her soul to me. That reminds me, that little one who visited the zebra, seems to have a resemblance to this one. Did you do as I asked?”. “Yessssss. That little pony, I visssssited her like you sssssaid”. “Very good, your doing so well Pestilance. You really want this don’t you?”. “Oh. Yesssssss Masssster”. “Meet with the others at the prisoner, after I obtain the final elements. I think it be time for a mass burial”. The two brothers enter the bushes, the last part of their plans about to go underway. Chapter 6 - Note: "Read through it ALL"“Ya okay Sugarcube?”. Applejack was leading Fluttershy through the maze, she had no idea what has already transpired to her friends. Applejack was looking back at Fluttershy, who was dragging slowly eyeing ever detail of the bushes. “Ya know, tha bushes can’t hurt ya”. “Y-yes . . . But in bushes lurk”. She took a loud gulp. And darted her eyes to both sides of her shrubbery walls. “M-monsters can jump out”. “Naw naw Sugarcube, come saddle next tah me we’ll get through this”. Fluttershy darts towards Applejack before tripping over a rock, projetiling her into the ground next to Applejack. Applejack gave out a sigh and helped her up. “T-thank you”. “That’s okay Sugarcube, just be careful”. They get to making tracks again. Applejack came up with a light bulb idea to keep Fluttershy from getting scared and slowing down again. “How about we talk? Ya know, to keep ya distracted Sugarcube”. “O-okay . . . I . . . Would like to ask something”. “Hit it darling!”. Applejack had massed some enthusiasm into it, to keep Fluttershy entertained, she seemed willing to talk and she didn’t want to lose that. “You . . . Always call other ponies Sugarcube”. “Oh?” “Yeah. If it’s okay . . . W-why . . . Do you do that?” She stopped, putting her hoof to her chin thinking. Fluttershy paused and watched, waiting for a answer. “Ya know Sugarcube”. She continued walking with a big smile on her face. “I don’t rightly know”. Fluttershy pursued beside her. “I guess it’s like your brother’s eeyup”. “Guess it is Sugarcube”. They continued walking, giggling to each other. While unaware Death was watching them from the bushes. “So. You thought it be best in numbers, smarter than the other ponies”. The ground started to rumble, forcing Fluttershy back into her scared, timid nature and drop to the floor cowering. Applejack had continued ahead before realising that Fluttershy had dropped to the floor. She turned around with a stern look. “Come on Sugarcube what’s gotten over ya now?”. Then she picked up how much the ground was rumbling. It started to pick up and feel like a earthquake, with the dirt breaking up into cracks. “F-Fluttershy!”. Fluttershy looked up to Applejack with a jolt in response to the yelling. Another wall of green had burst out, and separated them. “Run Sugarcube run!”. Fluttershy’s face was overcome with fear as she scrabbled to get up and run in the opposite direction to Applejack’s cries. “It’s n-no good! I’m trapped! There’s a-another one!”. “Fly Sugarcube!” “I-I can’t the walls are closing in!”. “Don’t worry darling I’ma comin!”. Applejack ran to the bush walls and started to break away twigs to get through. “A-applejack! T-they squeezing me!”. “Hold on Fluttershy! Push against them!”. “I-I can’t!” Applejack kept breaking through the wall as fast as she could, the twigs were stabbing at her face and cutting her mouth as she broke through them. “A-Applejack I-I can’t!”. Applejack drew back in shock when a huge scream had emerged from Fluttershy’s prison, it was the loudest she ever heard Fluttershy scream. Not any monster could have made her scream like that. “S-sugarcube?” There was no noise from the wall. “F-Fluttershy?” The wall did not reply. “P-please answer me?” From the broken wall some eyes appeared staring at Applejack. Applejack let lose tears of happiness to see Fluttershy live and well. “Y-ya had me scared thar Sugarcube. Come on let‘s get you out of there”. She goes into to free Fluttershy from the bramble again. “Ya must be really have been scared, not talking an all”. Fluttershy rubbed again Applejack’s head. Applejack looked towards the pair of eyes looking at her. “S-Suga”. Death had emerged at her, grabbing a kiss on her again before she had time to jump back. That was the second one, as she realised. “Y-ya!”. “Mmm? Your sandglass is running out of time”. “W-what about Fluttershy?”. “That one in the bushes? You know that already”. She charged him into the ground and hung over him. “S-she didn’t deserve that! She was at kindest pony ya’d ever meet, she didn’t nothin fa no pony but kind deeds, she looked aftah all the animals, she was too good to die!”. “Too good? You ponies all think that your somehow exempt from dying. You all are so foolish, like children thinking that little pet budgie is just sleeping while your dear mother buys you a new one without you knowing”. “We ain’t children!”. “Aren’t. And yes you are, your snivelling over your friend, and losing control over your emotions, even though, you know that death will come to everyone eventually”. “Yah but not ta tha young! She still had ha whole life ahead of ha”. “Death doesn’t choose a age”. “Yah YA do! Yar choosing who dies! It’s all ya! Ya can’t hide in ya fancy words to hide from takin tha guilt!”. Applejack felt herself lift up as Death’s hollowing smile had been lost and his eyes and horn was glowing with that black and red mist that happened when he lifted his brother up in the same fashion. He got to his legs, and Applejack could feel her neck tighten and tighten. He was cutting off the airway, she gagged and gasped as she struggled for air. She could feel a cold come over her as the color left her face. “I am death, death has no guilt, no pity and has only the purpose to end”. Applejack tried holding on, she could feel her own life slip away as he was putting a end to her, as he said, his face was emotionless, not with pity, or mercy, but neither with joy, or sadistic glee. Her eyes began to fight against her as they started to close and lose sight of the world. She struggled and struggled, until finally, she was broken free. She fell to the ground with a thud and laid there, trying to recuperate and give life back to her lungs. Death’s magic was still in effect and the element of honesty dangled above her. She was oblivious to this as she was still gagging and filling her lungs again with air. This was a pained experience, her airway was weakened through the magic’s force and the sudden flow of air like a escaping river dragged across, sending stinging and pain throughout her throat. “Thank you, this will make a fine finishing touch to my collection”. He wore the element around his neck as Applejack looked at him, feeling too weak to do anything, and knowing fully well that even if she tried, she wouldn’t beat him, and would most likely, end up like Fluttershy, and unbeknownst to her, Zecora as well. “B-but ya still need Fluttershy’s element”. “I have it already”. From the shrubbery walls that is now Fluttershy’s crypt the element of kindness emerges. Death did the same and held his head up high and with pride as he now wore two elements of harmony. “You see your futility”. Applejack did not reply. She slumped her head down into the dirt as Death continued his speech. “Every pony will feel what you are feeling, your friend Pinkie… Fluttershy…Your no pony special, no pony is. Death will take all”. Applejack lifted her head to Death. He was surprised to her stubborn ability to continue, but unimpressed. “Is tha so? Well … Mr Death”. Death tilted his head, Applejack had suddenly regained to bravado, even near dead. “What?” “Well, if ya say Death will take all. Will ya take yaself and ya brothers?”. Death, drew back to such a complex question, paused but moments, his neutral expression returned after his moment of bearing some emotion, that of worry. “If I must, I must”. “Well, when will tha be?”. “… When it does”. “Ya say na pony is special, tha must include you”. Death stood still, he had never faced such a complex puzzle of his own existence, if he would follow what his destiny had laid out, when would destiny choose him to destroy himself and his brothers? Death quickly dispersed such ideas, replaced with rage and angry. “I AM NOT A PONY, I AM DEATH!!”. His magic clasped her throat again, and made her squirm in the dirt as it tightened and never acted so cruel to a victim. He then , taking his fill of squeezing the life out of her, flung her into the labyrinth wall, her gasp let out a cough of blood as he dropped her into another weakened state. He disappears into the walls, now with the final elements of his plan. Applejack blacks out, watching him walks away before her eyes close. She awakes again to a owl hoot. She’s been out long enough for the night to drift into the witching hour of midnight. She mustered up onto her hooves and looked around dazed. She looked saw the square of labyrinth walls and quickly remembered. Fluttershy’s body was still stuck in there. She quickly bolted her way to Fluttershy’s side and started to work again to remove the bramble, the piercing and scratching was nothing compared to what Death put her through. Through force and time she had made her way through, poking her head in, she sees Fluttershy’s body, still and motionless. Tears began to fill her eyes. “Darling … You poor thing”. She dives into the walls next to Fluttershy’s body and looks over it. “Poor poor thing”. She cannot stop herself from crying now, as she laid beside her, gems of tears fall to the dirt and get consumed. Applejack rubs her head against Fluttershy’s, which is stone cold and tough. Before throwing her head into her hooves and letting go with her emotions. “I-I couldn’t save you”. As she cried, she felt a warm feel nudge her side. “Death. Leave ma alone. Or you back at finish me?”. “Applejack?”. Applejack turned around, Fluttershy was looming over her, confused why she was crying and why she thought she was Death. Applejack stared trying to render if this was just her mind playing tricks on her and making her see ghosts, or if Fluttershy actually just spoke to her. “Applejack, why are you staring at me?… I-is there something behind me?”. She quickly turned around, and she went into her conscious self again. Looking around the bushes and drops covering her eyes up. Applejack got up and stood over her, her tears were still falling, and dropped on Fluttershy’s nose, making her squeak and look up. “Ya…ya okay”. “Oh…yeah…I guess I might have…fainted”. “I thaught ya were dead”. Fluttershy stands up and wipes the tears from Applejack’s eyes. “Don’t worry now, I’m okay”. “But…how come …Death…didn’t kill ya?”. Fluttershy just looked, lost in that question. “…Lets just get outta this ditch and find the others Sugarcube”.
Chapter 1Luna’s star spangled night coated Equastria and Ponyville in a comfy aura that made the ponies sleep sound fully in their beds dreaming of their fantasies and adventures, while over the cliffs and hills their worst nightmares were coming. Morning came and a half asleep Applebloom was venturing away from Sweet Apple Acres with herbs specially requested by Zecora, the last time she visited Zecora she was request some herbs specifically found near where apple tree grew and fruit bear anew. Arriving at Zecora’s hut in the Everfree forest the only thing to welcome Applebloom’s knocking was some terrible coughing and wrenching as something was blocking the door in. “Stay away Applebloom, a disease like this could spell a youth’s doom”. Her coughing was strong after her rhyme. “Zecora. Are you sick? Do you need help?” “Silly child, I just said, this illness is not mild”. “Zecora. What’s wrong with you?” Some spluttering was heard beyond the door as Applebloom waited back for a response. “Great danger is coming, go tell your friends, for the danger could bring the day when Ponyville ends!”. Applebloom gasped at the thought that something could be heading right for Ponyville and destroy it in one day. “Okay Zecora! I’ll get a doctor over to have a look at you”. “You’re a caring, little filly, but don’t be silly. I’ve made the antidote so I don’t get worse, I will not require the needs of a nurse”. Applebloom left the herbs by the door as she dashed home to tell her sister the terrible things she has heard. The things Zecora feared. The frantic canter she had cause many eyes to fix her as she ran though to Apple Acres, where her sister and brother were harvesting the new batch of apples. “Applejack!”. “Applebloom? I thought you would be picking herbs with Zecora”. Applebloom busted out with a volley of untranslatable, slurred words. “Calm down, I can’t get a ear what ye sayin”. Applebloom took a deep breath in and started to speak as calm as she could be under such circumstances. “I went to Zecora but when I went she was sick and she said Ponyville WILL END!!” “What? Why’d she go say that? This can’t be good” “Nope” Applejack pause for thought while her siblings stare to see what genius would spark. “Twilight will know something with all her know how” The sisters went to Twilight’s house, Applebloom encouraging her sister to move faster before Ponyville ends, which Applejack had to apologise for to any pony listening in to her. Applebloom, in great haste and energy, bashed and smashed on Twilight’s door until it was open by a confused Spike, greeted by another slurry of words by Applebloom. “What?”. “She sayin that the whole of Ponyville ill end, we came to she if Twilight can find out anythin”. Overhearing Twilight comes over, fully opening the door and letting the two sisters into her house. “What’s this about Ponyville ending?” “I don’t know, Applebloom came runnin about Zecora bein sick and sayin Ponyville ill end”. “Sick?” Twilight takes a few books from the shelves and looks through them. “What kind of sick?”. “Well, she was coughing really badly, like this”. Applebloom starts to mimic the coughing like Zecora was. “You mean like a …”. Twilight begins to imitate some coughing. “No no no! Like this!” Applebloom started a gut wrenching cough. “Like this?”. Spike started coughing, to which Applebloom started performing a different cough. Before long Twilight and Applejack was joining in, everyone coughing to find out the real one. “Okay this is getin us nowher, we need to go straight to Zecora to determine what’s happenin”. “Good idea Applejack”. Leaving Spike behind to tend the library. The ponies head to Zecora to determine what kind of sickness she had, Twilight packing some books in her saddlebag and catching up to the Apple Acre sisters. “So, what did Zecora say?” “Only that she was sick, and that Ponyville might end, also something about it ‘spelling a youth’s doom’”. “Whoa, I am not letin my sister get near Zecora if she could make you that sick”. “But Applejack! She’s our friend I have to go”. “Your not goin to get sick from her, I don’t want to lose ma sister”. Applebloom looked down and sulked, looking back at her sister with sad eyes. Her sister comes up to her and rub her mane with her head. “Sorry Applebloom, but I don’t want to lose ma only sister, I wouldn’t know what I would do. Please, go home”. “Okay”. Applebloom followed her worried sister’s orders and turned back as just Applejack and Twilight moved on toward Zecora’s. Twilight telling Applejack it was for the better to send her back. It would be terrible if she lost her sister.
Chapter 2Twilight and Applejack reached Zecora’s hut as Applebloom did before them. “I told you, I am not a fool!”. “Zecora? It’s me, Twilight Sparkle”. “It’s you Twilight, you’d be a nice sight. But I’m afraid I must stay behind this door, what did you come for?”. “Applebloom told me you were sick, and that Ponyville might end. Now tell me, what cough do you have, is it a light cough or a tickly cough?”. Zecora give out a burst of awful coughing. “Twilight, terrible danger is brewing, which is causing my spewing. Four stallions of Nether, that leaves place by a tether”. “Stallions of Nether? And if we can sort them out, you will be cured?”. “You are correct, but I must interject, these stallions are tough, they handle rough”. “We’ll be careful, we’re hoping you get better”. They head back of to Twilight’s house to look through the library about the ‘stallions of the nether’. A lot of hard book searching had made the place, again, a mess, as it has been so many times before. To Spike’s dissatisfaction for having to clean it up. This time was even worse with so much on the line, both Spike and Applejack have had to duck and dodge the flying hardbacks, sometimes to no avail, to which Twilight, not even lift a eyelid, apologising hastily then return to her zen-like study through the books. “Here we go, ‘the stallions of the nether’, also known as the horses of the apocalypse”. “In a terrible time, long ago, near the birth of Equastria itself. Ponies, pegasi, and unicorns alike, were suffering terribly. Some were fighting each other for more land, food grew ever more and more short, disease and sickness had befallen many and many, with much pain and infection. And all around these terrible inflictions, death was plenty. Celestia, shocked by the shear strength and magnitude of famine, war, pestilence and death, using the elements of harmony, locked away most of the apocalyptic inflictions away, not strong enough to lock the entirety away, looked them away into the darkness. Leaving the remnants of what was left, but, she was pleased with what she could, as the ponies were now more happy, and grew to accept that illness, food shortages, fighting, and morality was just everyday life, and we too, also joyous about the mass decrease of the inflictions. Unfortunately, as the years grew, so did the strength of the inflictions in the darkness, transforming into dreaded stallions of the nether. Brutal War, Scattering Pestilence, Consuming Famine and Untimely Death. These stallions laid colonies it past in ruin, forever seeking to restore their influence, and bring forth the end of all”. Twilight closed the book, the slam breaking the dead silence of what seemed the entirety of Equastria. She did not say or look at the others, only ahead from her book in deep thought. “… Damn … That doesn’t sound good … If what Zecora said was true.. We can’t let them near Ponyville”. “This ain’t just about Ponyville anymore, this is about the whole of Equastria. They will destroy everythin”. Twilight stood dead still. Possibly unable to move from what could happen. Spike jumped on her back and patted her head until she ‘woke‘ up. “Snap out of it Twilight. We got to do something and standing about isn’t going to go anything”. “Your right”. With some new found courage she turned to her friends. “If Celestia had sealed away them with elements of harmony, when that is what we have to do”. “But, as the book said, she could she them away for good, we still get food shortages, we still get sick, ponies still die”. “But she sealed them away at full strength, remember they said they want to be whole, to have their full influence before Celestia sealed them away. In their weaker forms, we could seal them away from good”. “… Wait, if we can seal them away completely. That means, no food shortages. Our apple tree will never stop bearing their sweet, sweet apples, we will always be able to make our apple cider”. “No pony will fight with each other!”. “No pony will ever get sick … and”. “… And no pony will ever die”. Twilight looks out at the window. The mares and stallions, living their lives, lovers gazing into each others eyes, worker enjoying their work, children playing with each other. Living their lives. Living. “We need to stop them, if we do, there will be eternal happiness in Equastria”.
Chapter 3The ponies travelled to Canterlot to query the princess for more information on the subject, after collecting their friends. They left out the details for a full cooperative team, as to fighting the supposed enders of Equastria would make even the toughest of Celestia’s guard quake in their armor and hide. Some things are best left unsaid until the right time comes, they were all given a white lie for their unexpected summon by the Celestia, if the question did so come up. Previously Twilight had sent a scroll informing the Princess of the upcoming threat so she knew that getting to Celestia would quick and effortless. They soon entered the royal hall, there depictions in stain glass still showing their memories of bravery and victory over Nightmare Moon and, now newly stood, with the sun phasing the colors through upon the ponies, their victory over Discord, the hard times and, the final confrontation. This, shown new hope onto Twilight and Applejack, fighting so much and proceeding victorious this confrontation would only be another stain glass. Pinkie Pie, jumping around getting as close to wach new stain glass to walking into it, hand now stuck to the ground laughing under one certain stain glass. “Twilight!!”. She said, cheerfully and with great effort through her own bellowing laughter. “He’s dancing on your head again!!”. The ponies looked up to she the stain glass of their first confrontation with Discord in this very hall, and, quite clearly depicted, the stain glass window where Discord was most joyously dancing on Twilight’s stain glass head. Even the glassy version of Pinkie Pie was laughing at it. Some chuckles behind them alerted them of Celestia’s presence, all expect Pinkie Pie who was too caught up in her element. “Pinkie”. Rarity gives a distasteful look as she picks up Pinkie, not noticing she has started floating in the air, only calmed down when set besides Rarity and the others. Gleaming like nothing had even happened. “I must admit, he might have wanted to bring Equastria into chaos. But did have a good sense of humor. It is much needed in this time of woe”. Celestia had dropped her playful habit to take up her expected role. Once again she stood majestically, her rainbow mane flowing in the non existent wind delicately like the magic flowed through each strand and joined the others in unison, such magic to work nonchalantly and without focus proved her magical strength. “Time of woe? Excuse me Princess, but we aren’t in some time of woe”. Twilight had turned to face her friends, now and only now would she have to tell them, it couldn’t wait any longer. “I’m afraid, yet again, Equastria is in danger”. The ponies look at each other confused and unsure, after a few eyes to eyes ever pony was focused on Applejack nodding her head. “I eard it from ma sister, who eard it from Zecora, terrible stallions a comin”. Celestia went to continue from Applejack. “The stallions of the Apocalypse are a terrible ponification of four inflictions that are said to drive Equastria to destruction”. She continued to tell them what Twilight had spoken of from the book. “Princess, surely you have more information that can help us against them”. “I wish I did Twilight, but they are a powerful evil that can’t be taken lightly, I could only momentarily seal them away. But there is no doubt, with your friendship, that you can put a stop to them”. Twilight smiled, taking what the Princess said like it was true fact, she turned to her friends, no longer uncertain of their abilities, but now fully eager to stop this disaster, filled with bold, determined faces, they looked at each other and back to Twilight. “We’re with you”. “So am I”. “I-I guess”. “This will be fun!”. “You can’t leave me out can you!?”. Twilight looked at her friends with gratitude, knowing her friends will never let her down. She turned back to Celestia, the Princess herself knew she could trust her friends also, with the simple smile on her face, it said that they are destined to save Equastria again. Twilight bowed to the Princess and so did the Princess bow back. “The elements of harmony are locked away safely. You will need them”. Celestia walks to the door which contains the elements, by her horn’s silver glow, the doors open and give way for her to walk into the room. There is nothing to be heard for a while, but then the Princess gasps echoes out the room and throughout the hall, startling everyone in the hall, they worried if the elements had been stolen again. They edged towards the darkened room which the elements were kept. “Princess?”. There was no response to the beckon, they edged closer still. All of a sudden, a great glow from a unicorn horn emerged. The Princess walked out, smile on her face, and from behind her hovered the elements. “Gotcha!”. The ponies breath a sigh of relieve as Celestia give them their corresponding elements. In such time of great tension humor lightened their spirits. They wore their elements around their neck, the gems within still shone brightly since their return, and stood no markings of conflict from the encounters of Nightmare Moon and Discord. Celestia bowed to these ponies. As a show of good luck and respect, as they returned back into Canterlot. Even with the tools required to vanquish the new foes, the whereabouts where still unclear to the group, they knew they were heading to Ponyville, but with powerful enemies that spread death and disease, it was mandatory that they trend no hoof in Ponyville. “So, where would they be?”. Twilight asked without turning to her pony friends, as they walked down the street, Rainbow Dash flying overhead. The elements they bared distracted the civilians around them, gossip and whispers spread as it was a sure sign danger was coming, a warning beacon of what’s to come. “… Maybe Zecora knows where hey are. She did get sick an all”. “Of course Applejack, they must be near the Everfree Forest”. “Wait a apple picking minut. We were in the Everfree Forest, and we eard and saw no pony”. “Well … They must be close enough to make Zeocra sick right!? … Then they got to be nearby”. “I agree with Rainbow Dash. It is a possibility that they were in Everfree Forest to get Zecora sick, how else would she get sick? I mean, they had to have some connection to her or her sickness just does not make sense”. “Well, we’ll head back to Zecora’s. She’ll might be able to give use more information about her sickness”. “… Girls … If they ar as close to Ponyville to be in the Everfree Forest … Could hey hav already attacked Ponyville?”. The ponies keep moving, now in a worried silence. “Oh. Don’t worry Applejack, I’m sure everyone’s doing okay”. “Fluttershy’s right! Now need to get down with a frown. Ponyville will be as great as chocolate rain, or maybe chocolate cake rain, or maybe … CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE RAIN!!”. Applejack nodded in agreement and the mares kept moving, when Ponyville was near sight worry overtook them and they galloped to a closer view, Ponyville still looked like it’s normal self, normal mares and normal stallions doing their normal, everyday jobs. A few of the mare sighed a sign of relief as the others looked on with smiles that their home was still say. “What I tell you. They’re all okay”. Applejack gave a smile of relief to Fluttershy before they continued down the path back home, night was fast approaching, the residents of Ponyville was being to slow down, yawn, and hit the hay. The streets were starting to light up as each lamp flashed on in rhythm from one side of the town to the other. The artificial glow making nearby waters sparkle and glimmer. The mares had a job to do, but they won’t be able to do it with sleepy heads and tired wings. “We’re going to have to see Zecora tomorrow”. Twilight gives out a long yawn. “It’s getting late”. Even Pinkie Pie’s bouncy personality was weakening in the night’s sleepy, hollow breeze. Leaving just a hop, skip and a jump before she does so again to her house after singing everyone goodnight. “But but we cant eave it naw! Thos stallions could come in any minute!”. “I’m sorry Applejack but some ponies still need their beauty sleep”. “Rarity’s right, as much as I like to stop them now, we won’t be able to do it If we’re tired. Better to be prepared and alert”. “Yeh, guess your right”. The ponies disbanded to their quarters, mentally preparing for that which was to come. Applejack so too retreated to her solid, wooden bed and soft, cotton sheets. Regardless of how comfortable these two things were she could to get the sleep she needed, he head was filled to leaking of Ponyville in danger, ponies falling ill, feuding, running out of food, and countless ponies on the ground. Cold and still as stone. Her friends and family among the latter. She opened her eyes and threw off her sheets to the ground. “I won’t let that happen”.
Chapter 4 The night was at it’s thickest, only the moon’s unnatural and mystic glow was piercing the pony’s eyes. She lights a lantern, grabbing the handle with her mouth, and heads out. The sounds of insects and the nocturnal birds break what would be dead silence. Any other pony without the bravery of Applejack would be shaking but her determination keep her strong. As she ventured further from that warm bed the contrasting winds grew more and more, picking up the lightest debris and dragging it away like a wisp in woods. Applejack quickly lays her hooves on her hat to stop it flying off, but in the meanwhile, the lantern’s flame is flustering and spitting angrily in the wind’s presence. Quickly draining it’s own energy and is diminished as fast as it had been birthed. “Darn”. She places it on the ground to relight it, but the winds pick up and the lantern can’t hold in the wind’s impact and is knocked to the ground. Applejack decides it’s not worth wasting time on and continues on a straight path. The moon’s rays start to provide enough light as Applejack’s eyes adjust, at first, only shadows and delicate sounds to play with the mind, to turn into the midnight beauty of the world, in serene silence and frozen calm. “It’s not so bad. A gal could get used to tis sorta tranquillity. Now, time to see Zecora, I hope she won‘t be sore about me coming to see her at tis time of night”. Fluttershy’s house was nearing closer, the darkness displaying only a grey blur before the moon’s presence faded it out to a coat white reflection on top of it. Applejack knew she couldn’t give away what she was doing to any pony. She continued on, cautious of her surroundings not to make a sound or draw attention to herself. She walked on, sticking to the darker parts of the path, taking cover in bramble and bushes when she could. Fluttershy would most likely be asleep, but Applejack wasn’t taking any chances. She edged further towards the forest, near home free, when unexpectedly, one of Fluttershy’s chickens came out the coop, tired and sleepy, it had seen the black shadow creeping about in the dark, and in natural reaction, panicked, creating a huge commotion. The noise had woke the other chickens, and they then quickly joined in. Applejack heard the racket, her mouth open wide with shock at the turn of events, as she quickly ran beside the coop to calm them down. “Now hey now critters! Shush now! It’s nothing to be scared about!”. Applejack’s reassurances came across wrongly as they continued, if not louder and more wildly. “Tarnations be quiet!!”. Applejack’s screaming along with the chickens started to alert the household as Fluttershy’s window flickered on. Applejack spotted the light and started to dash into the forest’s darkness. The window slowly eases open as Fluttershy timidly rises from the window. “H-hellooo? …” She quivers, her eyes barely above the window ledge. She takes a gulp and pokes her head out for a better look, nothing is out of the usual, encouraging her as she starts to relax, she then notices her hens are in a uproar. She heads down and outside to tend to them. “Now now, hush”. As Fluttershy tended the chickens, Applejack runs deeper and deeper into the Everfree Forest, the leaves and bushes whipping her and brushing against her, clawing away at her stamina and endurance, until finally, she stopped to regain her breath and posture. The forest was darker this night then the ever before, coated in darkness like dust in that old, abandon attic, where the monster’s would live, waiting for any unfortunate to clamber up and have curiosity get the better of them. The only difference, the monsters in the Everfree forest were real, timber wolves, cockatrices, manticores, serpents, ursar minors, majors, hydras. All these the group have encountered before and just survived with almost sheer luck, and with their friends to help out and look after each other. Applejack was all alone, the cold breeze made the mare shudder before she continued to walk deeper. A piercing chill whent through each strand of her mane and fur as she continued to get swallowed in the forest’s abyss. “I-I must be strong. Mai entire family en friends depend on it”. The path was hard to follow in the dark, the only thing Applejack could go by is the sound of the soft path under her hooves. Any snapping of twigs or rustle of leaves means getting lost forever. But as the path drove further, the more of the path died and let the wilderness in. The trees reached out at Applejack and tried to drag her back it the safe, eternal darkness, though the strength was lacking as their life as she pulled past. Creatures watched as she ran though the forest, some watching hungry. Though never moving. Soon, the trees gave clearing to Zecora’s hut, the moonlight gave the hut a eerie ambience, making it as creepy as the old stories about her. It once again felt those stories was true. The white glow like ghosts barricading the dark, wooden hut. She trotted over to the door and knocked hard. “Zecora!? I naw it’s late an all. But I need ya help”. There was no reply, no sound or motion. “Zecora!?”. She got up on her hind legs and started working over the door with her front hooves, repeated bashing them against the door. There was still no response. “O kai Zecora. You asked for this”. She turned around and, raised her back legs and started bucking, the shaking and impacts was weakening the door’s hinges and the screws could be heard coming loose. “Damn it pony I am trying to sleep. What’s with the noise you must keep!?”. The light could be seen turning on from Zecora’s window. Applejack ground her legs again and waited for Zecora to open the door. The door didn’t open. “Zecora can ya let me in!? I need a word with ya”. “Did you not listen to your sister I am sick! You’ll talk out there and make it quick”. “Zecora why can’t ya open tha door?”. “Applejack did I not specify!? I can’t be seen by another’s pony eye”. She started to cough and wheeze. By then the hinges of the door gave way, and Applejack jumped back before the door had chance to land on her. Behind it, Zecora stood, purple blotches across her beautiful black and white striped coat. Her face was a tint of blue and her mane had turned into a mess, she flung her head down and started coughing again. “Zecora! Ya look terrible!”. “I already know my current state”. She starts to wheeze again. “In my sickness my nerves are easy to grate”. “It was the stallions of the apocalypse that did this to ya wasn’t it?”. “Yes. And I fear they do the same to you, make you itch and your nose like glue. As you can guess Pestilence did this, a stallion of trouble you can’t easily miss”. “If he made ya sick, then they must be nearby”. “I know not of how he got me but mark my speech, to do this to me he must be in reach”. “Do ya think thay are ear in the forest?”. “Without a doubt, their trouble I can feel sprout. But make a move they have not yet made. They stay in the dark, and in the shade”. Zecora starts coughing again. “Ya know any way we could find em?”. “Hmm … So it’s the stallions that you seek? Vital information I can’t leek. They are discreet, and we have not meet”. “I see. Well, thank ya Zecora, sorry for waking ya”. “Take care Applejack, meet the stallions you may not be back”. Zecora attempts to rest her broken door back on it’s hinges coughing as Applejack walks off wondering what’s to be done now. If she should search, or heed Zecora’s words, and find them when her friends were fully fit and ready to face them. In doing so she risked in them attacking in the night. But, they have yet to make a move, and if they could have worried about the gang who have protected Ponyville countless times they could have attacked when they were retrieving the elements of harmony from Princess Celestia. While thinking about it she gave out a sudden yawn, she had forgotten how late it’s been and the hour must have been near early morning, 3am probably. She decided to go back, no way would she protect everypony tired, and they haven’t attacked yet, likelihood they won’t in the short space of time between now and the first pony wakes up for the early worm working. And she was one of those ponies that had that kind of job. She started to walk back, tired she took her steps carefully along the path, the surrounding area quiet as if those creatures before have gone to sleep as well, even the nocturnal ones as it was so close to morning. The only noise being made was the crunch of twigs again under Applejack’s hooves. They were rhythmic in their crackling and snapping, the leaves, too with their crispy sound. The forest was still darker still, but had more of a sense of tranquillity along with it’s emptiness. Applejack had made some tracks before she was swept of her feet by a strong force, pinning her down to the spiky twigs and rocks, digging into her back. Her tiredness had taken her off guard, and the sudden change and quick sting of pain woke her back up, she opened her eyes that had closed in automatic reaction to the impact. She could only see the bushes next to her flowing in the breeze, she tried to move her head towards her assailant but what ever it was had her head pushed into the ground. Worry and fear started to well up, she quickly brought herself to speak. “Who are ya!? What ya’ll think ya doing tackling me!?”. “I could ask what a juicy, little pony like you is doing in a big, bad forest with no company, being as easy a prey as a dead rabbit … or a cockroach”. The voice came close near her ear, it’s breath hot as fire against it. In it primal desire to break and tear her to pieces, only holding itself back. “Your so cute thinking you could survive here alone at night. I’ve been watching you all … this …” It flicks her ear with what felt like a hoof before it brought it’s mouth back to her ear to finish it’s sentence. “Time”. The last word came out quick and cheerful, like the stalking was just fun and entertaining. She felt it’s weight get off her and move back. The twigs made a sound of crunching bone under it. She turned her head finally, breathing heavily, glad it’s showing some mercy. What stood before her was a Pegasus with wings like Luna’s guards, bat wings. It’s eye were menacing, it’s pupils small and screaming bloody murder, shaped like a serpents, as it‘s huge, glaring iris was a match to it‘s mane. It’s mane was as red as blood it spilt, and fur as dark red as a dying rose, it’s teeth were sharp like a monster’s. It had a cutie mark that resembled nothing anypony as seen or heard of. It was a bulgy L shape, partly grey, with the small line of it brown, the grey bit looked like a tunnel. “You! … Ya must be one of the stallions of the Apocalypse!”. It gave some insane giggling before kneeling down on one knee in a bow like she was royalty. “Brutal War, pleasure M’lady. So much pleasure. Great honor GREAT honor to meet you Miss Applejack of Sweet Apple Acres”. “Huh? How do ya know my name? And my farm!?”. “Oh Miss Applejack you do yourself no justice, you have protected Equastria from the likes of Nightmare Moon and AND … Discord himself!. If I hadn’t heard of you I might as well be living underground!”. “Best dang place for ya if ya ask me”. Applejack threw her head away in discontent to this fan she had picked up. Quickly Brutal lost his psychotic, crazed smile for one of sheer anger and quickly returned it to a more neutral expression as he got off his knees and walked closer to Applejack. “Oh Applejack, poor poor apple pip, you don’t believe those rotten books do you? Those grapevine rumors by that treacherous, old fart of a princess of yours?”. She turned around and kicked him in the snout in a outburst towards the slander, he flew back, using his wings to slow down and skid across the floor. He face was no longer happy or emotionless, his eyes glaring hard on her with detest and desire to kill. “No pony, especially not a pony like ya. Will EVA bad mouth the princess without a beatin an a buckin from me!”. “You … FILTH!! You … SCUM! I COULD!!” “Calm down Brute, you brought it on yourself you brainless twit”. Out of the bushes, a pony, draped in a old, tattered cape walked in, his mane and tail were grey and his fur a bland blue. His face and expression was gentle and kind, His eyes big and blue. His cutie mark, covered by his cape. “You forget who your talking to, you should we regal to such a lady of renown”. “Come on Consume, SHE’S ASKING FOR IT!”. “Keep calm, Death doesn’t want her dead … yet”. Applejack jumps between the two, the new intruder lifting his hoof back in slight surprise. “Don’t be talkin about me like that! What’s ya leader want wit me?”. “You should ask him yourself. He is right here watching us. He’s always watching. Waiting”. A dark unicorn emerged from the darkness then, black and red mane and tail, his eyes dark and vivid greyish green, he wore a small jacket as dark as his mane and his cutie mark was of a green jar showing a skull and crossbones. He talked with a bold tone and like a gentleman, if not with a sinister hint. “Yes, that would be me. Oh dear don’t you look cute, it be a shame for that pretty little mane to get ruffled”. He gets close to her, walking around her, inspecting her head to hoof. Applejack follows him with her head as he walks behind her and then she tosses her head to the other side keeping her eyes on him at all times, he then stands right in front of her, staring in her eyes, reading her like a book, as she looked back and did the same. Without a moments notice he leaned forward and kissed her, after realising what just happened she jumped back agitated. He lifted up his head and looked at her maliciously. “TARNATIONS!! What in the hay do ya think yar doing!?” “Oh. Sorry. You just looked like you were into me”. “How in the hay did you think I was falling for ya?”. “Oh. Sorry again. That was my fault, I misread your signals”. “Misread mah signals!?”. Applejack was getting more furious as he kept on talking such lies with a calm and smug face, he looked up at the sky, then back to her, his smile grew longer as he stared back at Applejack, the others look at her, then looked at Death, they then ran off into the forest without looking back, Applejack watched them run then turned back to Death. “Hmm … Don’t you think you should run along now? It’s getting bright again and your little friends will be wondering where you have been. They’d be worried and scared you came to face the big, bad evil doers all on your lonesome without back up wouldn’t they?”. He starts to walk off, he flicks his tail into her nose and watches her flinch back, look at him in disgust, then look at the sky turning to dawn, then the opening of the forest, the hearing of a cockerel call for morning. Then, she finally turned back to him. “Go then. I’m not letting you live right now for nothing. Don’t make your friends worry”. He walks off, following his gang back into the forest. He turns his head back to her as she is running back to the town. He turns back, and walking into the forest laughing how his plan has been set. Fluttershy was up early to tend her chickens, she was just flapping her wings over the pen, unloading this morning’s feed for them. When she caught a glimpse of a unstable Applejack cantering out the forest clearing, the lack of sleep and amount of running had made her frightfully tired, as she made the clearing she slowed down to a near halt, making only a few more footsteps before collapsing to exhaustion. “Applejack!!” The chickens flap their wings in panic to the sack of feed hitting the ground with a thud, they, as quickly as they fled, dive into the sack like hungry vultures. Fluttershy flew over to her unconscious friend, she placed her hooves on each of Applejack’s eyelids and opened them to look at her eye, to momentarily let them return to their normal state. She flies to Twilight’s house to retrieve her and bring her to Applejack. She knocks on the door, which is answered by a drowsy Spike, rubbing his eye while opening the door. “Fluttershy? What’s going on” Fluttershy starts to blurt out words as a tired, bed headed Twilight came to listen in. They do not understand her but manage to pick out the keywords. Applejack! … Forest! … Hurt!!! “Take me to her Fluttershy” Fluttershy nods and races back, alongside Twilight, and Spike riding upon Twilight’s back, to the body of Applejack. They take a good look at her and Twilight sighs. “She’s only asleep, we should bring her in, get her into a nice blanket and when she wakes up, she can tell us why she was in the forest this morning”.
Chapter 5Applejack’s world was reforming again, it was blurred and fuzzy at first, the blending of brown while two distinct colors looming over her, the shapes warped and sharpened, the colors were her two friends, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy, who had brought her sleep hardy body in from the cold, stone floor outside. They look with relieve that soon dissolves to happiness as their freckle faced friend woke from her sleep. “Oh good, your up, we were getting worried”. “Girls … What happ’ned?” “I found you passed out after you ran out othe Everfree Forest, I brought Twilight so she could help you”. Twilight was looking through the book, she was remaining very calm and composed before the book slammed shut. “What the hay were you thinking? Going to see Zecora by yourself, what if you ran into the stallions of the apocalypse”. “Calm yourself Twilight, I say em alright, bunch of no good, pain in the flank, one jumped me, and there damn leader Death kissed me!” “He kissed you? … How did he kiss you?”. “Why’d you want ta know what way he kissed me tha sonova rotten apple still kissed me and then tried ta pass it off that I ere givin him “the signs” … that worm. That worm in a rotten apple!”. Twilight flicks through the pages of the book. “You don’t get it at all Applejack. He wasn’t coming on to you”. “What do ya mean?” Twilight hovers the book to Applejack on a certain page. Applejack reads it aloud. “Untimely Death is the leader of the stallions of at apocalypse. He has the ability ta cause anypony ta die, either directly or indirectly. Due ta his nature, he prefers ta let the pony he chooses ta make his target, and with a kiss of death marks em. Those ponies who have been given three of his kisses of death shall …” Applejack gulps as she looks at Twilight and then to Fluttershy. They both look to the floor before Twilight lifts her head back up. “You know, maybe your not been targeted, and he just wants to mess with your head”. “Well, they are in the Everfree forest, we should try to find them and stop them as soon as we can”. Twilight takes a book from the shelf and opens it to reveal the elements of harmony. “Okay, split up and gather the others”. Everyone nods and move off, Twilight heads to carousel boutique to get Rarity, Fluttershy flew of to find Rainbow Dash, and Applejack dashed to Sugarcube Corner to pick up Pinkie Pie. Rarity was up early, working on a dress, she was at her sewing machine stitching the fabric together when Twilight started banging on the door. “Rarity!” “Coming darling”. She trots to the door and opens it with her magic. Within the second the element of generosity was slung over her neck. She looked down and then looked at Twilight to see she was wearing hers. “Applejack found them in the Everfree forest”. “What? Is she okay?”. “She’s a little tired from staying up most of the night and … well it’s hard to explain, but she may be in trouble. We have to get rid of the stallions of the apocalypse now”. “Okay dearie I’m coming”. The others come as fast as they can to Rarity’s door. “Twilight! Rarity!”. Applejack skids across the ground before stopping for her breath. “Pinkie’s missing”. “What?”. “She’s not at her house”. They look at each other. “Twi! How many stallions ere they?”. “Four. Death, Pestilence, War and Famine”. “ … Twi, when I met em there were only three”. Pinkie Pie regained conscious. Her vision was blurred, her throat was dry and rough, and she was cold. She could overhear some voices. “Well done Pestilence, we can now draw the elements to us without the bearers being able to use them. We even have this one‘s element before that stage of the plan. Very well done”. “Yess. Ass alwayss Masssster you make ssure we have the sstatus quo”. Pinkie’s eye focus, looking around her surroundings are trees and deep forestation and her movement is limited in a cage of metal bars. They were chilling to the touch and as she sat the bars underneath her chilled her spine. Brutal War stood beside her watching her from outside the cage. “Hello Cutie. How’d you sleep? Sorry but Death wouldn’t conjure you up a warm pillow for that puffy hair of yours”. “Hello! Erm where am I? This isn’t my bedroom, have I been sleepwalking?”. “You sleepwalk?”. “Not a lot but if I’m really REALLY hungry, sometimes I wake up and Mr and Mrs Cake are standing at my door with a huge plate of crumbs and it turns out I‘ve eaten something important in my sleep”. Death and Pestilence hear the conversation and trot to the cage. Pestilence was a icky green unicorn with a broken horn, his mane and tail was manky and his eyes was clouded white. “Brutal don’t chat up the prisssssoner”. “Shut it Pest or I‘ll break of the rest of your horn”. “How’d you like pony plague?” “How’d you’d like your old horn back? UP YOU ARSE I’D BET YOU’D LOVE IT!!”. “Brutal War … Spreading Pestilence … You two are brothers, you spread your influence equally and make ponies suffer as badly. You can’t fight. Pestilence you should know what happens when you fight with Brutal. Or did you lose your brain with your horn?”. “… No Masssster”. “You are such a suck up”. “Brutal. Pestilence could kill you in a second and make you suffer for longer. Don’t anger each other”. Death turns to Pinkie Pie. “Sorry my brothers aren’t known for cooperating with each other”. “It’s okay, siblings fight, I used to fight with my sisters a lot”. “Your quite chipper to be a prisoner”. “A prisoner? You mean I’ve been captured? Well that’s not a very nice thing to do”. Pestilence walks up to Death and whispers in his ear. “Masssster, Thiss pony iss quite a … odd one”. “Pestilence. You know me better, Death accepts all, no matter what or who they are”. “Your Death? Does that mean you know if zomponies are real? Because that be really scary”. “… You speak to Death himself, about zomponies, and you are scared of them than the former … You are either very brave, or very stupid”. “You don’t seem that scary”. “Apparel wise, no, but Pinkie. The stories behind me, every death has been caused by me. Everypony you have lost to old age, murder, accidents. I was the one who caused it, I was the one to make you grief. I was the one who made you cry”. “I haven’t lost anypony to death”. “Hmm … Well …You soon will”. Pinkie’s nerve and attitude might be as tough as steel when it comes to experiences like this. Each battle she’s faced she’s not lost her demeanour and nature. She can laugh at those things that scare her, and she isn’t even phased when Death is breathing his cold, dead breath on her. But if one thing’s going to get to her. It would be to know her friends in trouble. That was one of the times that peachy smile of hers dropped. Her curly hair again deflated and hung over her face. She sat there speechless. “Oh. Now. Do you see?”. “… Why would you do something like that?”. “I have to. It‘s my reason for living”. “You could get a new living”. “Pinkie. Look at me”. She looks up at Death. Sulking and her eyes are starting to fill with tears. “Yes. It’s not a nice job. But as somepony once said, somepony’s got to do it. It has to be Pinkie”. Famine walks in through the shrubbery and forestry. “Sorry it took me so long. The maze has been set up well, I myself got lost. You did very well on it Pestilence. I tip my hat off to you”. “I try my best Famine”. “Are they coming now Death?”. Death closes his eyes and his horn glows a black aura. “… I can feel five heartbeats heading to the forest. I believe it is them”. Death opens his eyes and turns to Pestilence. “The heartbeat of the zebra’s. I can’t feel it anymore”. “Sshe hass been … dealt with”. “Zecora!?”. The group turn to Pinkie Pie, the information hit her quite hard, it could be seen it was hard to hold onto such strong emotions. “Don’t cry, she is the first of many”. Pinkie’s mood of anguish and despair had just blown into a full belt rage to the lack of sympathy that her friend’s death has come with. “BRING HER BACK … NOW!!”. “I have to kill, bringing her back would be the opposite of what I’m meant to do”. “Your don’t have to do WHAT YOUR MEANT TO DO!!”. Death turns away. And in the shrubbery with his brothers he disappears. Pinkie Pie returns to her mourning. “Zecora, just like that. She’s gone. I didn’t even get to say goodbye”. Pinkie sat there. All she could do was think about her lost friend and flood the floor with tears. Death and his brothers emerge out the into the maze. Their plan was to separate the elements of harmony and take them one by one. They decided what to do with it’s bearer. “Death.” “Hmph?” Death turned to his brother, Famine, as Brutal War and Spreading Pestilence went of into separate paths to pick of the ponies. As this maze was a mere illusion created by them they could traverse it without getting lost. “What that pony said. It is not true. She’s just talking out of her friend’s parting”. “What are you saying brother?”. “I don’t think you should be so open to having a mere chit chat with others. They don’t look kindly to you. Regardless of what you do”. “… Your talking about what she said about doing something else”. “It’s yo …” Death’s horn starts to glow red and black and lifts up Famine in the air. His eyes glow red. “I do what I have been fated to do and nothing little or less!! I don’t want such foolishness from your mouth brother, especially from you. After I hold you in such high regards!!”. “… I am sorry to have doubted you Death”. With that, Death flung Famine to the ground, Famine was moaning in pain and he got back on his hooves. “Don’t question me again. Now run. They are coming now”. “… Very well”. As Famine ran down the path. Death had faded into the shrubbery again, in the same time the girls had reached the entrance. The forest liked similar has it always had, but a foreboding tension oozed from within. “I don know Twi. Sumthin ain’t right”. “Isn’t”. “We don need your fancy pants right now”. “Look we got to save Pinkie from them”. “Yeah. You can stand around here and wait or we go in now and save her!”. Rainbow Dash darted into dark as the ponies tried to call her back. The others then proceeded after her. Except for Applejack and Fluttershy. The latter could feel the tension there too, but created by her own timidness. “Now Sugarcube. Ya don need to be frightened”. “I-I … I’m … oh!” “Stay with me Sugarcube. I’ll protect ya”. Rainbow Dash has already made her way through the maze taking turns without a hint of slowing down. She had finally given up blazing through it, she was getting nowhere. She slammed on the breaks and landed on the ground skidding through the dirt and twigs until stopping, bring up a cloud of dust with her. She quickly wafted the cloud out her face while coughing out any that entered her mouth. “Maybe I should slow down before I land”. She looked up. She could easily fly up and spot Pinkie from the sky. It was a perfect plan, but the trees had formed a think coat around the maze, getting through it would have been tough, nay impossible. “What what am I meant to do now?”. A rustling was coming from the inside the bush, when she turned to it Brutal War had already pounced. “Hey get off me you jerk!” “Ou you’re a feisty one”. He unhooked the element of loyalty around her neck and through it over his. “I’m not one for jewellery, but this thing is really … bling bling”. Rainbow Dash managed to struggle free from his pin and kicked in the stomach hard enough to knock him off. He staggered back and fell to his knee. The anger swelled in his face with the sweat. “YOU DAMN BITCH I’LL TEAR YOU!!”. “Oh yeah! What a little thing like you going to do about it?”. Brutal got up and started digging in the ground like a bull. He then started to charge with his pointed teeth in his mouth set on her. Rainbow Dash jumps above him and slams his back into the ground and he skids along the dirt. She jumps off him and takes the element of his weakened body. “Urgh … Your good … No one has ever broken out of my pin … Let alone moved with such speed”. “Please! I’m the fastest pegasus in Ponyville!” Brutal gets to back to his hooves. “I’m not from Ponyville”. They jump at each other and bash hooves together, trying to wrestle each other to the ground. Rainbow Dash still had the elements in her hoof. When she had let her guard down he snatched if from her, moving to the side as she kept on pushing, allowing her to fall to the ground. “Too slow”. He proceed to put the element around his neck again. And before Rainbow Dash could retaliate he had slipped into the bushes again. She tried to dive after him but the brambles were too think. “You can’t follow me like that, but thanks for the parting gift. You’re a cool girl, maybe we could hang out some time”. The voice disappeared along with the prize. Rainbow Dash could do nothing but try to find him and Pinkie Pie. She ran forward, whether she was going round in circles didn’t matter, the sooner she found Pinkie Pie the better. “Rainbow Dash!” Rarity had gotten separated from Twilight but was still looking for Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. She stumbled through the dirt and twigs as she kept wandering aimlessly through the hedgerow. “This is the Discord palaver all over again”. As Rarity continued, Famine had walked towards her from the opposite end. She halted as he continued to walk up to her. He stopped a few feet from her in total silence, before proceeding to bow. “Good morning”. “Erm. Who are you?”. “Famine, I have come to relief you of that element”. “Oh yeah pretty boy, you can’t take it from me”. “How about a trade?”. “I can’t trade the element!”. Famine took a bag out from under his cape. The threw it to the floor, it was filled to the brim with jewels. Rarity’s eye popped out wide at the shimmer of them. “You look starved from jewels. These will fill you up. All you have to do is just give me the element”. “Done!”. Rarity took off the element and tosses to Famine, who catches it in his mouth. “Pleasure doing business with you”. He chuckled as he walked into the bush next to him. Rarity was playing with the jewels bewildered by them. She was playing with a bright red one filled with fire, until it turned to stone and it faded to dust. “Huh? What the?”. The jewels, one by one, did the same, turning into the dust. The bag had then turned to dust itself, with the illusion faded, Rarity clearly saw what she had done. “That was just some sort of spell. Ohhhhhhh he’ll have hay to pay for tricking me”. As Rarity continued through to retrieve her element. Twilight had already encountered Pestilence. He was laughing and coughing as Twilight was ready to fight him. Crouching down ready to counter any of his attacks. “Jussssssst give up the element. We have all of them already and everyone’sssssss already dead. Your the last one”. “What? Your … your lying”. “Nope, your friendsssss are dead, each one of them, and it wassssssn’t pretty, eww”. “Your lying and laughing about it!”. “I’m not lying. Jussssssst give up will you, your getting nowhere”. “YOUR LYING!”. Twilght’s horn started to glow and lifted up Pestilence from the ground. He was unfazed from the act. Only jolting and jeering her more and more trying to give up the element. That she still refused to do. “For Celesssssstia’ssssss ssssssssake I’ll just do this the eassssssy way”. Pestilence then proceeded to blow a thick green smoke over Twilight. She resisted it at first, then got drowsy, and unable to stand. She collapsed. Pestilence took of her element and flung it into the bush. “You were a real pain. Pity to know you’ll probably wake up”. Death came out from the shadows behind Pestilence, he looked at the unconscious Twilight and back to Pestilence. “So this is all the elements of harmony, just the two more, one’s a very timid pony who scares easily, and there’s also the one we met before. I should handle this”. “Ssssso . . . Your going to give her the sssssecond kiss?”. “Yes. Then she’d be just one more away from losing her soul to me. That reminds me, that little one who visited the zebra, seems to have a resemblance to this one. Did you do as I asked?”. “Yessssss. That little pony, I visssssited her like you sssssaid”. “Very good, your doing so well Pestilance. You really want this don’t you?”. “Oh. Yesssssss Masssster”. “Meet with the others at the prisoner, after I obtain the final elements. I think it be time for a mass burial”. The two brothers enter the bushes, the last part of their plans about to go underway.
Chapter 6 - Note: "Read through it ALL"“Ya okay Sugarcube?”. Applejack was leading Fluttershy through the maze, she had no idea what has already transpired to her friends. Applejack was looking back at Fluttershy, who was dragging slowly eyeing ever detail of the bushes. “Ya know, tha bushes can’t hurt ya”. “Y-yes . . . But in bushes lurk”. She took a loud gulp. And darted her eyes to both sides of her shrubbery walls. “M-monsters can jump out”. “Naw naw Sugarcube, come saddle next tah me we’ll get through this”. Fluttershy darts towards Applejack before tripping over a rock, projetiling her into the ground next to Applejack. Applejack gave out a sigh and helped her up. “T-thank you”. “That’s okay Sugarcube, just be careful”. They get to making tracks again. Applejack came up with a light bulb idea to keep Fluttershy from getting scared and slowing down again. “How about we talk? Ya know, to keep ya distracted Sugarcube”. “O-okay . . . I . . . Would like to ask something”. “Hit it darling!”. Applejack had massed some enthusiasm into it, to keep Fluttershy entertained, she seemed willing to talk and she didn’t want to lose that. “You . . . Always call other ponies Sugarcube”. “Oh?” “Yeah. If it’s okay . . . W-why . . . Do you do that?” She stopped, putting her hoof to her chin thinking. Fluttershy paused and watched, waiting for a answer. “Ya know Sugarcube”. She continued walking with a big smile on her face. “I don’t rightly know”. Fluttershy pursued beside her. “I guess it’s like your brother’s eeyup”. “Guess it is Sugarcube”. They continued walking, giggling to each other. While unaware Death was watching them from the bushes. “So. You thought it be best in numbers, smarter than the other ponies”. The ground started to rumble, forcing Fluttershy back into her scared, timid nature and drop to the floor cowering. Applejack had continued ahead before realising that Fluttershy had dropped to the floor. She turned around with a stern look. “Come on Sugarcube what’s gotten over ya now?”. Then she picked up how much the ground was rumbling. It started to pick up and feel like a earthquake, with the dirt breaking up into cracks. “F-Fluttershy!”. Fluttershy looked up to Applejack with a jolt in response to the yelling. Another wall of green had burst out, and separated them. “Run Sugarcube run!”. Fluttershy’s face was overcome with fear as she scrabbled to get up and run in the opposite direction to Applejack’s cries. “It’s n-no good! I’m trapped! There’s a-another one!”. “Fly Sugarcube!” “I-I can’t the walls are closing in!”. “Don’t worry darling I’ma comin!”. Applejack ran to the bush walls and started to break away twigs to get through. “A-applejack! T-they squeezing me!”. “Hold on Fluttershy! Push against them!”. “I-I can’t!” Applejack kept breaking through the wall as fast as she could, the twigs were stabbing at her face and cutting her mouth as she broke through them. “A-Applejack I-I can’t!”. Applejack drew back in shock when a huge scream had emerged from Fluttershy’s prison, it was the loudest she ever heard Fluttershy scream. Not any monster could have made her scream like that. “S-sugarcube?” There was no noise from the wall. “F-Fluttershy?” The wall did not reply. “P-please answer me?” From the broken wall some eyes appeared staring at Applejack. Applejack let lose tears of happiness to see Fluttershy live and well. “Y-ya had me scared thar Sugarcube. Come on let‘s get you out of there”. She goes into to free Fluttershy from the bramble again. “Ya must be really have been scared, not talking an all”. Fluttershy rubbed again Applejack’s head. Applejack looked towards the pair of eyes looking at her. “S-Suga”. Death had emerged at her, grabbing a kiss on her again before she had time to jump back. That was the second one, as she realised. “Y-ya!”. “Mmm? Your sandglass is running out of time”. “W-what about Fluttershy?”. “That one in the bushes? You know that already”. She charged him into the ground and hung over him. “S-she didn’t deserve that! She was at kindest pony ya’d ever meet, she didn’t nothin fa no pony but kind deeds, she looked aftah all the animals, she was too good to die!”. “Too good? You ponies all think that your somehow exempt from dying. You all are so foolish, like children thinking that little pet budgie is just sleeping while your dear mother buys you a new one without you knowing”. “We ain’t children!”. “Aren’t. And yes you are, your snivelling over your friend, and losing control over your emotions, even though, you know that death will come to everyone eventually”. “Yah but not ta tha young! She still had ha whole life ahead of ha”. “Death doesn’t choose a age”. “Yah YA do! Yar choosing who dies! It’s all ya! Ya can’t hide in ya fancy words to hide from takin tha guilt!”. Applejack felt herself lift up as Death’s hollowing smile had been lost and his eyes and horn was glowing with that black and red mist that happened when he lifted his brother up in the same fashion. He got to his legs, and Applejack could feel her neck tighten and tighten. He was cutting off the airway, she gagged and gasped as she struggled for air. She could feel a cold come over her as the color left her face. “I am death, death has no guilt, no pity and has only the purpose to end”. Applejack tried holding on, she could feel her own life slip away as he was putting a end to her, as he said, his face was emotionless, not with pity, or mercy, but neither with joy, or sadistic glee. Her eyes began to fight against her as they started to close and lose sight of the world. She struggled and struggled, until finally, she was broken free. She fell to the ground with a thud and laid there, trying to recuperate and give life back to her lungs. Death’s magic was still in effect and the element of honesty dangled above her. She was oblivious to this as she was still gagging and filling her lungs again with air. This was a pained experience, her airway was weakened through the magic’s force and the sudden flow of air like a escaping river dragged across, sending stinging and pain throughout her throat. “Thank you, this will make a fine finishing touch to my collection”. He wore the element around his neck as Applejack looked at him, feeling too weak to do anything, and knowing fully well that even if she tried, she wouldn’t beat him, and would most likely, end up like Fluttershy, and unbeknownst to her, Zecora as well. “B-but ya still need Fluttershy’s element”. “I have it already”. From the shrubbery walls that is now Fluttershy’s crypt the element of kindness emerges. Death did the same and held his head up high and with pride as he now wore two elements of harmony. “You see your futility”. Applejack did not reply. She slumped her head down into the dirt as Death continued his speech. “Every pony will feel what you are feeling, your friend Pinkie… Fluttershy…Your no pony special, no pony is. Death will take all”. Applejack lifted her head to Death. He was surprised to her stubborn ability to continue, but unimpressed. “Is tha so? Well … Mr Death”. Death tilted his head, Applejack had suddenly regained to bravado, even near dead. “What?” “Well, if ya say Death will take all. Will ya take yaself and ya brothers?”. Death, drew back to such a complex question, paused but moments, his neutral expression returned after his moment of bearing some emotion, that of worry. “If I must, I must”. “Well, when will tha be?”. “… When it does”. “Ya say na pony is special, tha must include you”. Death stood still, he had never faced such a complex puzzle of his own existence, if he would follow what his destiny had laid out, when would destiny choose him to destroy himself and his brothers? Death quickly dispersed such ideas, replaced with rage and angry. “I AM NOT A PONY, I AM DEATH!!”. His magic clasped her throat again, and made her squirm in the dirt as it tightened and never acted so cruel to a victim. He then , taking his fill of squeezing the life out of her, flung her into the labyrinth wall, her gasp let out a cough of blood as he dropped her into another weakened state. He disappears into the walls, now with the final elements of his plan. Applejack blacks out, watching him walks away before her eyes close. She awakes again to a owl hoot. She’s been out long enough for the night to drift into the witching hour of midnight. She mustered up onto her hooves and looked around dazed. She looked saw the square of labyrinth walls and quickly remembered. Fluttershy’s body was still stuck in there. She quickly bolted her way to Fluttershy’s side and started to work again to remove the bramble, the piercing and scratching was nothing compared to what Death put her through. Through force and time she had made her way through, poking her head in, she sees Fluttershy’s body, still and motionless. Tears began to fill her eyes. “Darling … You poor thing”. She dives into the walls next to Fluttershy’s body and looks over it. “Poor poor thing”. She cannot stop herself from crying now, as she laid beside her, gems of tears fall to the dirt and get consumed. Applejack rubs her head against Fluttershy’s, which is stone cold and tough. Before throwing her head into her hooves and letting go with her emotions. “I-I couldn’t save you”. As she cried, she felt a warm feel nudge her side. “Death. Leave ma alone. Or you back at finish me?”. “Applejack?”. Applejack turned around, Fluttershy was looming over her, confused why she was crying and why she thought she was Death. Applejack stared trying to render if this was just her mind playing tricks on her and making her see ghosts, or if Fluttershy actually just spoke to her. “Applejack, why are you staring at me?… I-is there something behind me?”. She quickly turned around, and she went into her conscious self again. Looking around the bushes and drops covering her eyes up. Applejack got up and stood over her, her tears were still falling, and dropped on Fluttershy’s nose, making her squeak and look up. “Ya…ya okay”. “Oh…yeah…I guess I might have…fainted”. “I thaught ya were dead”. Fluttershy stands up and wipes the tears from Applejack’s eyes. “Don’t worry now, I’m okay”. “But…how come …Death…didn’t kill ya?”. Fluttershy just looked, lost in that question. “…Lets just get outta this ditch and find the others Sugarcube”.
