Elements of Disharmony

                                                                   Chapter 2- Curiosity Killed the Fillies

The next day...

Applebloom and Sweetie Bell were inside their treehouse planning a search party to look for their missing friend. They didn't know why no ponyelse seemed to care as mush as them about her. They decide to start searching at Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetie Bell asked,

"What do you think Scootaloo would be doing out here?"

"Ah don't know. Maybe she was in the Everfree Forest and got lost, but she found her way back here to the farm." Applebloom answered.

"Maybe. If we don't find her here we could go ask Zecora if she's seen her." Sweetie chipped in.

"Hey yeah! That's a good idea Sweetie!" Applebloom cheerfully exclaimed.

The two fillies began their search in the extreme left of the farm and began to slowly sweep across the apple tree orchard calling there lost friend's name in hopes that she would hear them. Suddenly Appleblossom stopped and said,

"Sweetie we have to go around this area."

"Why Appleblossom?" Sweetie Bell questioned.

"Big MacIntosh has always said to stay away from this area. Said it was sacred to 'im or somethin'"

Sweetie Bell looked at her friend and asked, "And what if Scootaloo is in there?"

Appleblossom pondered this for a little while before saying, "Let's be quick about this. Ah don't like disobeyin Big Mac." So then the two ventured into the area.

The two little fillies went about calling out for their friend when Applebloom said,

"SHH! Listen!"

The two fillies trained their ears trying desperately to pin point the source of the sounds.

Applebloom was the first to spot her and said to Sweetie Bell, "Hide! Here comes somepony!" The fiillies took refuge inside a bush together and watched the hooded figure.

The pony suddenly stopped and began to look around, carefully surveying the area. It was carrying a burlap sack that was bulging and seemed the be alive.

'Oh no!', thought Applebloom, 'He knows we're here!' Surprisingly though, the figure began walking again.

"Hey!", Sweetie whispered to her shivering friend, "Let's follow him."

"But what 'bout Scootaloo?" Applebloom questioned.

"I hate to say this, but what if that's her in the bag? We have to make sure." Sweetie Bell reasoned. Applebloom gave an unsure nod, and with that the fillies began following the mysterious pony. After awhile the pony entered a large clearing and came to a stop and sat down. The fillies watched as more hooded figures appeared out of the other side of the clearing. They were chanting something that the fillies didn't understand.

"What's going on Applebloom?" Sweetie Bell asked her friend.

"Ah don't know, but whatever it is, it can't be good."

The pony they followed stood up and moved to the center of the clearing as the other hooded figures surrounded it. A small twinge of fear ran through Applebloom as she watched the circle close in on the pony they followed. The circle of hooded ponies began to dance around the one they followed and continued to chant the words that the fillies couldn't understand, and the circle grew smaller and smaller with each passing moment.

Suddenly one of the figures broke ranks and entered the circle,

"Did you bring the sacrifice?", the figure questioned with a booming voice.

The pony they followed motioned towars the sack. The other pony peered into the bag and inserted it's face. After a moment that seemed like an enternity to the fillies the figure removed it's face from the bag, and in it's darken hood was a chicken that was being held by one of its legs. Applebloom and Sweetie Bell exchanged confused glances with one another before returning their gaze to the weird spectacle taking place before them.

The hooded figure placed the chicken in a cage that was brought forth by one of the others, and exclaimed, "Brothers! The time is upon us to welcome our new overseer into our family! Here in the most sacred of places for our Order of The Sky Creators we shall commission her! Now on with the ceremony!"

The bewildered fillies watched as the pony they followed raised her right hoof and repeated the strange words the the others were speaking. After she was finished the hooded figure with her in the center of the circle walked over to her and placed its hoof on her shoulder.

"Brothers! The ceremony is almost complete! Our new initiate has conquered the first task of reciting the sacred words! Now she has to perform the sacred dance!" the hooded figure exclaimed.

The pony the fillies had followed began dancing in the center of the circle, perfectly imatating the dance the figures were doing on the boundary of the circle. The hooded figure exclaimed after she finished the dance, "Now you must raise your right hoof once more and recite the Sacred Oath of the Eternal Sky!"

The strange pony did as she was told. After she was finished with the oath the hooded figure gave her one final instruction, "Now lower your hood and show to the others the face that they shall now worship, and make the sacifice!" The second figure backed away and began to bow as the pony began to lower her hood. The fillies were surprised when they saw a familiar face appear from the dark hood.

"Rainbow Dash!" Sweetie Bell cried out in utter shock.

Applebloom knew there were in trouble when every pony in the circle turned towards them.

"RUN!" Applebloom shouted out.

The two fillies began to run towards the direction they had just come from hoping to escape their persuers. Applebloom looked over to her friend and saw that they were side by side in this race to safety. As she looked forward again she heard her friend's terrified shreik. She looked back over but Sweetie wasn't there. She looked up and saw Sweetie Bell being taken away by one of the hooded figures. Applebloom continued to run, hoping to get help, but she felt the ground leave her feet as she realized she had been caught.

She tried to squirm away but the pegasus had to tight of a grip on her. She then bit the pegasus only to hear her say, "If you bite me again I swear by Celestia I'll drop you."

Applebloom admitted defeat and allowed the strange pegasus to carry her back to where the circle was. She was dropped off in front of Rainbow Dash, who lookked very angrily upon to two fillies.

"What should we do with them boss?" one of the hooded figures asked.

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment and said, "Take them to the factory."

All the pegasi took off with Rainbow Dash leading the way. Up they flew until they could see Cloudsdale, but they flew right past it and to another cloud that had a rather large building on it.

They all landed and Rainbow Dash said to the fillies, "You have nothing to fear about falling this cloud was specially made so all ponies could walk on it."

The fillies were dropped each one emitted a scream as they fell until they hit the ground.

Sweetie Bell looked up to rainbow Dash and asked, "Rainbow Dash, what is this place?"

Rainbow Dash looked down at Sweetie Bell and Applebloom and said with a hint of pride, "This is the Rainbow Factory."

The two fillies looked at each other and then back at Rainbow Dash.

"Take them inside." Rainbow Dash said.

Two pegasi began to push the fillies into the facility.

Applebloom wondered at what they would see, 'Ah bet this place is beautiful inside!'

The doors opened, but it was dark inside and the fillies couldn't see anything. No color, no rainbows, not even other pegasi working inside the factory.

As the two fillies went inside Applebloom looked back and could swear she saw Rainbow Dash mouth the words 'Use them'.

The doors closed and the fillies disappeared.

The search for the missing fillies brought up nothing. Big Mac, determined to find his sister, left Ponyville and Rainbow used that to her advantage. She began to spread rumors that it was Big Mac, and the griefstruck town started to believe it as the truth. Big Mac was hunted down by distraught ponies and executed for the heinous crime. The ponies of Ponyville thought that justice had been served, but not all things are as they seem.