Applejack closed the door to her home quietly as to not wake any of the sleeping Apples within. She waited a moment and smiled softly as silence reached her ears, except for muffled coughing. That soft smile turned to a small frown and she quickly, but silently, walked to the stairs and ascended them, each old plank creaking underneath her weight. The second level of the house was much warmer than the lower levels, the windows opened in the bedrooms let the summer heat flow inside and even closing the windows didn't help, it just trapped all that extra heat inside.
Tonight though, the usually humid air was chilled.
Applejack entered Apple Bloom's room, shivering as the night's frigid air came from the open window. She saw her little sister, curled up underneath her covers, poke her tiny head out and smile weakly. Bags rested underneath her bright orange eyes and her little nose matched her mane in color and was wet around the nostrils. She walked over to the sick filly and ran a hoof through her mane, smiling. "Was everythin' ok AB?" She asked softly.
Apple Bloom nodded. "Ah couldn't sleep, so ah decided ta wait for ya. Winona's been with me the entire time, she's been under the bed and lickin' my hoof. Ah think she's asleep though, so best leave her alone." She replied. Her sentence ended with a few coughs and the little filly sniffled a bit, watching as her older sister closed the open window and walked back to her bedside.
The farmer smiled. "Y'all get some sleep AB, it'll help ya get better faster. Goodnight." She murmured, giving her little sister a goodnight kiss on her warm forehead, her slightly damp mane leaving tiny beads on her orange nose. Poor filly was really sick, the older Apple still didn't understand how her sibling had caught a cold in the middle of summer. When a content sigh reached her ears, the elder sibling backed out of the room, pausing at the door to give a loving smile to Apple Bloom, before closing it slowly.
When the door clicked shut, Applejack turned and started walking back down the hallway. The floorboards creaked underneath her hooves and the cold air soaked through her short orange fur, chilling her to the bone. The mare stopped and shivered. "It'll get warm soon." She murmured to herself as she started walking down the stairs. It was much warmer on the first level of the house, for that she was thankful. The heat wrapping around her was more than welcome, which was shown when she let out a contented sigh.
Drip, drip
Applejack's ears perked and she looked towards the kitchen. Somepony must've left the sink on. She trotted into the kitchen and made to turn off the sink, but was very surprised to see that it wasn't dripping. "Well that's strange... Must be in the bathroom." She murmured, turning and heading towards the bathroom.
Drip, drip
The dripping seemed to get louder as Applejack pushed the door open, which made her conclude that the sink was indeed dripping. Just as she put her hoof on the handle, the dripping sounded again.
Drip, drip
And it wasn't coming from the sink.
Applejack flattened her ears to her skull as her pupils dilated. She slowly looked to see a shadow behind the shower curtains. "Is somepony in there?" Fear gave way to anger. A stranger was in her home! She gripped the shower curtains and pulled them back, nearly tearing them off of the hinges.
Applejack screamed louder than she'd ever screamed before.
Before her very eyes, she looked at the corpse of Winona.
Winona's furry throat was impale by the shower faucet. The head had been snapped off and was lying just below her dangling back paws. The jagged ends were coated in deep crimson blood, sticking out of the front of the dog's throat. Bloody wounds covered her pet's body, leaking blood and dying her brown and white coat red.
A couple of drips slid off of a gash on Winona's shoulder. They fell, the thick liquid drops being manipulated and contorted by the air as they fell, almost slowly as the petrified farmer watched.
Drip, drip
They connected with the bloody floor of the shower, blending into the scarlet puddle and disappearing.
Applejack backed away, staring into the glassy black eyes of the corpse. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she processed that her loyal pet was dead.
No, murdered.
Applejack was about to turn and charge out to find the murderer, but was stopped by something dripping onto her nose.
Something red.
Applejack slowly looked up, feeling another drop of red land in her mane. She looked at the bloody ceiling, but that wasn't what made her scream in fright and run out of the bathroom.
It was the message in Winona's blood.
DOGS AREN'T THE ONLY THINGS THAT CAN LICK
Applejack flew up the stairs and burst into Apple Bloom's room. "APPLE BLOOM!" She shouted, charging towards the bed and throwing the covers off. She looked into the terrified orange eyes of her little sister. The little filly was trembling all over and was curled into a tight ball.
"A-Applejack... Winona isn't under ma bed."
Applejack scooped her sister up and put her on her back. "Ah know, we're goin' ta get Granny and Big Mac and we're leavin'." She told the crying filly.
"Where's Winona?"
Applejack sighed. "Winona's gone, lil' sis." She murmured. "But we can't dwell on that, we need ta go. NOW." She tensed her muscles as her little sister clung to her neck. "Ready?" She asked.
"Ready."
Applejack took one step.
And then something slimy wrapped around her ankle.
