Frankenstallion Legacy

Chapter 6: Colt of Mystery Part 2

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." (Robert Frost)

Zecora continued down the open street market. Following the tips that Pinkie had given her, she led herself here.

She carefully searched through the crowd in hopes that she might find Wolf. As she did this, a voice that she knew came ringing from one of the vendors. "Oh, Zecora!" Zecora turned to see that Rarity was prancing towards her wearing saddle bags. "How are you. Many are still a bit shaken from the events of last night. Are you alright? You look a bit...flustered."

"I'm quite all right, there's just someone who seems to escape my sight, so what brings 'you' here?"

Rarity laughed a bit. "Actually I'm here to pick up some groceries for Spike. I swear, all I could find in the library's kitchen was a few instant noodle cups and a half empty jug of milk in the refrigerator. He really needs to eat healthier. I know it's a bit strange for me to be buying his groceries, but it's the least I can do while he lets me stay at the library."

"Where is Spike now?"

"Oh, the kind dear, he and that new assistant of his, uh Myt I think was his name, the two of them are going over to the boutique to clean up whatever damage there was and install a new window. I'll only be at the library for a few weeks until that's done."

"A truly special friend I see, wouldn’t you agree?" Rarity began to blush a little on that word...'special'.

"Yes, Zecora, I suppose you are right. Oh! Look at the time! I'm sorry but I must be off." She began to walk back towards the library. "Oh! And good luck doing...whatever it was you were doing."

Zecora smiled as the white unicorn began to gallop away. She turned back to the original direction she was headed. She continued to scan through the crowds of the market place. Wolf was not going to be easy to find.

 Everypony was bustling about and all around. Faces flashed by so fast, but none of them were his. Finally she reached the edge of the market where an apple cart had been set up. Zecora recognized the three Apple farmers that were managing the cart. It was Applejack, Big Mac, and... "Zecora!" She smiled as the youngest of the three, Applebloom, a yellow furred filly with red hair and a large bow in her hair, came excitedly running up to her. "How have things been in the Everfree forest?"

"Things have been well, but as for my mission, not so swell ." Applejack then stepped up behind her little sister.

"What are ya doing? I mean, ya said somethin ‘bout a mission?"

Zecora let out a sigh at Applejack's question. "I am looking for someone from the party that was lost, it is important that I find him at all cost." Applejack thought for a moment.

"Well what do ya know 'bout him?"

"I know a name and a face. I thought I'd try here in the market place." Applejack thought again.

"Did he happen to mention a job, or uh, place of work?" Zecora lit up inside with realization.

"Yes! What an excellent deduction. He did say something about working in construction." Applebloom suddenly shared in the excitement. She popped up to her sister's face.

"Applejack! Can I help Zecora find the one she's lookin for?" A smile stretched across Applebloom's cheeks as she was up in Applejack's face.

"Hold it there sugarcube, you can't go alone with Zecora and I can't just leave the apple cart here unattended." Applebloom was ready to retaliate her older sister's remark.

"Big Mac can watch the cart, can't ya Bic Mac."

"Eeyup." Bic Mac smiled with his signature response. Applejack knew Applebloom wasn't about to give up.

"Fine. We'll check the construction site two blocks over to see if he’s there, and then it's right back over here at the cart, ya hear?!"

"Alright, let's go already!" Applebloom skipped along down the road between her sister and Zecora. She kept thinking about how she would tell her friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, about investigating a missing persons case. Although, she would be exaggerating, a little. Okay, to be honest, a lot.

*****

They approached the construction site which was busy as different workers were running about and performing assorted tasks. A mechanical crane that stood aside was lifting a metal I-beam up to move it elsewhere. Applejack walked straight up to the pony that appeared to be in charge.

"Hey Nailgun?"

"Oh, hey Applejack. What can I help you with?"

"My friend here, Zecora, is lookin for someone, a unicorn. We were wonderin if he was workin for ya."

"What's his name?" Zecora came up to answer his question.

"His name is Wolf."

"Oh, that freaky guy." Nailgun's face deadpanned when he had heard the name.

"What's so bad 'bout him?" Applebloom was curious.

"Not bad, just strange." The three just stared at Nailgun, unsure of what he meant. "I mean...he's a unicorn, and he can lift and pull weights five times greater than what my other workers can. It's just unnatural for a unicorn. I've never seen anything like it. And, he doesn't use magic. Not once has any of us seen him use it. If you want to talk to him, he's over there." He pointed over to a unicorn who was pulling a cart of bricks. It was wolf. “Strange fellow.” Nailgun walked off once the three saw where Wolf was.

Zecora speedily ran up to Wolf with a sense of relief. When he saw her coming, he stopped pulling his cart and unhitched himself from it. He did not look so pleased to see her. "What are you doing here? Why did you bring them?" He gestured towards Applejack and Applebloom.

"Let them be they are fine, but I need your help finding another friend of mine." Wolf's face dropped all expression. "Her name is Bonbon."

"I'm sorry I can't help you." He turned back to the cart he was pulling. Zecora stood dumbfounded.

"What? But, why?" She was almost begging him for help. He snapped around at her in an almost irritated manner.

"Because I ca-," he stopped. His ears began to twitch. His face turned to horror as he turned towards the large crane. Zecora walked closer up to him. "Did you hear that?" He whispered.

"Hear wha-"

SNAP

One of the cables on the crane had snapped. The whole arm of the crane began to collapse as it went out of control. The heavy steel I-beam came swinging towards the mass of construction ponies.

"Everypony RUN!" Wolf shouted at the top of his lungs.

It was too late...

*****

After the dust had lifted out of their view, they could see all of the aftermath of the crane's rampage. Carts were broken, piles of bricks and wood were toppled over, and the arm of the crane had been mangled to the point where it was obviously unrepairable. It seemed like no one got hurt...right?

"APPLEBLOOM!!!"

They all could hear the cries coming from Applejack. She was trying to lift the I-beam off of something or someone. The other workers rushed over to help her. Zecora could see the legs of Applebloom sticking out from under the beam.

The workers all came to try and lift the beam up. Zecora ran over to Applejack. Applebloom's body was stuck where the beam had crushed her small body. Applejack kept whispering to herself,"No...no...please Celestia no...don't take her from me..."

Just then ponymedics came along withe three wonder bolts. Soarin, a light blue pegasus with a dark blue mane, was the leader these wonder bolts. He came up to the scene,"What happened here?" Applejack turned her head to see the wonder bolt standing there. She had met him once before, she sold him an apple pie at the Grand Galloping Gala.

"Soarin! Please! Help!" Applejack screamed to Soarin.

"Wonder bolts! Go!" They all dashed towards the beam to lift it. Soarin came right up alongside Applejack and began to help lift the beam. The beam came up enough that they could move it to the side. All attention was then turned to Applebloom's limp body.

One of the ponymedics rushed up to Applebloom. Soarin came up to Applejack's side as she watched the ponymedic. He tried nudging her to see if she would wake up...nothing. He then moved his hand over her mouth to see if she was breathing...nothing. Lastly he checked for Applebloom's pulse...nothing.

"She's dead." Applejack's mind must have shattered at this point. Her sister was gone.

"No..." Was all Applejack said at first. The ponymedic turned Applebloom's head to the side finding a very clear skull fracture. "No! No no noooo!" Applejack collapsed against Soarin who held her there. "No no no... It can't be... It can't..." She was crying uncontrollably into Soarin's shoulder. Zecora walked up to her friend.

"I am sorry." Placing a hoof on Applejack's shoulder, she hung her head low. There was a moment of just silence alongside Applejacks's crying. Suddenly a commotion broke out around Applebloom's body.

The ponymedic was arguing with someone. "Hey what do you think you're doin-"

WHACK.

Nailgun spoke up. "Wolf! What do you think you're doing? What the ha-umph." Wolf threw a punch at Nailgun. Applejack turned to see what happened. Wolf snatched up Applebloom's body and darted down the road carrying her lifeless body on his back.

"Wolf wait!" Zecora ran after Wolf.

"Where's he takin my sister?!" Applejack trailed behind Zecora up the road which lead towards the outskirts of Ponyville. Applejack kept running after Zecora and Wolf.

*****

Applejack kept running. But, she couldn't keep it up. She had used all her energy lifting the beam. Just when she was about to give up, she felt her hooves lift off the ground. She was floating but still moving forward. Someone was lifting her up. Applejack turned her head to see who. "Soarin?!"

"Just hold on. We're gonna catch up!" He picked up the pace and began to fly faster. Zecora was just up ahead chasing after Wolf. There was a building in the distance. It was the old windmill that had been damaged years ago during the whole fiasco with Discord. But why was Wolf going here. What could possibly be inside.

Wolf made it to the door and proceeded to close it behind him once he was inside. Zecora stopped at the door and began to pound on it trying to break open the door, but it was too strong. The door was impenetrable. Soarin finally caught up, carrying Applejack.

He set her down gently and then rushed to the door. "Sir! I demand you open this door, at once!!"

"It's of no use Soarin..." Zecora stated. But just a few seconds after that, the door clicked and fell open by itself. It was dark inside and the only light was what shone through the door frame onto the floor. A pair of glowing eyes appeared. They did not have the most hospitable appearance. They stared, specifically at Soarin.

"Hey!" Soarin shouted, but the eyes had disappeared. "Come back here!" All of them were hesitant to enter. Soarin suddenly ran in.

"Soarin wait!" Applejack squeaked.

CRACK

The sound of broken clay pottery echoed through the room and out the door. Soarin fell halfway into the light of the door unconscious. He was dragged back into the dark by someone. The door shut again. Applejack and Zecora tried to force the door open, but to no avail. They leaned their heads against the door to try and listen to what was going on inside. they waited a while...

The sound of a heavy door echoed through the door. It opened, then closed, there was a quiet click, light began to glow from behind the door which clicked again. Zecora and Applejack pulled their heads away from the door. With one hoof, Zecora pushed the door open revealing a room with a stone floor and wood walls. A broken flowerpot with dead flowers lay scattered across one area of the floor, possibly where Soarin ran in. There was a large metal door in one corner and a spiral staircase in the other. Halfway up the staircase was Wolf who stared down at Zecora. "This way." He said, before continuing up the staircase.

Zecora and Applejack ran up the stairs after him.

When they reached the top, they were in an even larger room where a table stood in the center. A small figure lay on the table covered by a white cloth. Hanging on the corner was Applebloom's bow. Wolf walked up behind the table pushing a cart which also had a cloth covering it. "Do you want your sister back?"

"Wha-" Applejack was a little shocked, seeing her dead sister just under the white sheet.

"I'm asking you a question. Do you want your sister to live again?"

"Again?"

"Yes. I can bring her back but only...with your permission." He glared at Applejack who couldn't believe her ears.

"But, that's impossible, ya can't really just, can ya?"

"Yes, I can bring her back, and the only thing standing between her body and life is your choice. Will you give me your permission, or not?"

Applejack only stuttered for a second before she spoke. "If ya can do what ya say ya can do, then yes you have my permission. I just want my sister back, please." She broke into tears again.

"Then you shall have her back. I promise." He yanked the cloth off of Applebloom and the cart. Applebloom was scratched and cut up from head to toe. Wolf pulled the cart over to the end of the table where her head was. His horn lit up a sort of gold color. Two small golden beams of electricity arched from his horn to Appblooms head. The the strange electrical magic moved around the area where her skull had cracked open. The first beam pulled the shattered skull back into place while the second sealed the crack. The electrical beams then sealed the open skin on her head. Wolf stopped the magic.

He then picked up a syringe off of the cart. It had an unusually long needle and was filled with a luminescent blue liquid. Wolf injected the needle straight into Applebloom's chest, where her heart was. About half of the blue liquid flowed in before Wolf pulled the needle out. He lifted up one of her arms. Zecora watched in amazement as all the cuts and scratches began to heal instantly before her eyes. "Now comes the tricky part." Wolf spoke straight to Zecora who he knew was watching him closely. "Zecora could you help me attach these?" He lifted up some electrodes and prongs from the cart. Zecora listened as he told her where to place each one. "This goes there, that one there, ah yes, that one over here..." This went on until they had finished. He grabbed a cord from the cart which all the electrodes connected to it. He extended the cord to a machine against the wall.

He plugged the cord into the machine and switched it on. The machine began to hum, but it died back down. "Blast, I need more power. Applejack?"

"Wha-?" She was still sobbing.

"I need you to help me..."

"B-but, I can't." Wolf walked up to her putting a hoof on her shoulder.

"All you have do, is turn that crank." He pointed to a generator in the corner of the room. "You crank that generator, keep cranking, and you're sister will come back, I swear. Just don't look. You don't want to look. Don't look until it’s over."

"Uh, alright." She walked over to the generator, closed her eyes, and began to turn the crank.

Wolf quickly fastened straps to Applebloom's legs to hold her down. Zecora watched the lifeless body as Wolf went back to the machine. He slowly turned one of the dials. Zecora watched as the body in the table slowly began to twitch and move in jagged ways. Wolf continued to increase the levels on the machine thus increasing Applebloom's thrashing about. Zecora's heart began to pound as Applebloom's mouth began to flap open and shut uncontrollably.

"What's happenin?" Applejack begged refraining from opening her eyes.

"Keep cranking and DON'T LOOK!" Wolf snapped at her.

This went on for five minutes with Applejack begging, Wolf screaming not to look, and Zecora horrified. A terrible scream sounded from Applebloom.

"CRAAAHHUUHUHAAH..."

The words creeped up to Zecora's lips as she whispered to herself, "She's, ALIVE." Wolf snapped down a switch and the whole machine shut down. Applejack stopped cranking, exhausted.  Zecora and Wolf both zoomed over to the table where Applebloom was breathing erratically.

Wolf strapped an oxygen mask onto Applebloom's face and turned the dial on the oxygen cylinder below the table, feeding her fresh air. Her breathing began to stabilize. Applejack rushed over to her sister who had just opened her eyes. "Sis-?" Was all Applebloom muttered before her eyes closed again.

"Is she?" Applejack was afraid of the answer.

"No, she's not dead again. She is very much alive. Your sister just needs rest. No more need to die now. Everyone will live."

"Thank you Wolf." Zecora smiled up at him.

He smiled a little, until he turned back to Applejack. He pulled another syringe out of his pocket. He quickly jammed it into Applejack's neck injecting a green liquid. She collapsed without a struggle of any kind. Zecora backed away in fright.

"Why did you lie, you said no more needed to die?!" Her voice cracked as Wolf turned back to her.

"She's not dead!" He rebuked Zecora.

"Then wha-"

He began to shake his head at her. "She's just asleep. I wiped her memory. She won't remember any of this. Me...this place...she won't even remember her sister dying. It all will just be a bad dream when she wakes up." He turned to Applebloom and injected her with a new syringe containing the same green substance. "Nopony must know about me. When 'they' wake up, 'you' must tell them a different story. We'll put them in the park. When the older one wakes up, tell her that her little sister fell and hit her head." Wolf pulled some gauze out and wrapped it around Applebloom's head even though she didn't need it.

"You said 'everyone' you met. They all need to forget. If that's how it has to be, then w-why not me." Zecora stared up at Wolf, who refused to face her. He hung his head low for a bit, and then he struggled, but eventually he managed to look Zecora in the eye.

"I trust you. You're the first person I've trusted in years."

"How many years?"

"Too many. Now, can 'I' trust 'you' Zecora? I need help. I can't do this alone. Will you keep this a secret?"

...

"Well?"

"Yes, Wolf." She tried to smile.