Frostyby ExhelahChaptersPart 1 - ApprehensionPart 2 - IsolationPart 3 - IncursionPart 4 - DevastationPart 1 - Apprehension"Ah won't!" "Ya get out here right now! Right this instant, or I'll come in there and getcha myself!" "Ah won't do it!" "Okay, ahm comin' in! One... Two... Th-." "Alrighty then! Ahm a comin!" Apple Bloom practically screamed in anger as she opened her bedroom door. She didn't want to come; There was no point. She'd end up being a nobody, just like the last two years she remembered. As she made her way downstairs and to the front door, she was hit with the onslaught of cold air from outside. But thanks to her coats, she remained quite warm. "Yer in a heap of trouble youngin'," Granny Smith grimaced at her as she stumbled out the front door. Apple Bloom's head fell, and a single tear fell from her eye. Granny Smith was always the most frightening when she was angry. Her kind, loving face would turn into a contorted mess of fury, and it was one of the most horrifying things Apple Bloom had ever experienced. The only time before now she had seen Granny Smith this angry had been when the Flim Flam brothers had taken over their farm unfairly. Applejack broke the silence with a snap, "Come on! We've gotta scoot if we wanna make it there before it starts!" "Eeyup," Big Mac replied heartily. Instantly, all three of their faces lit up, with excitement at what was to come. As for Apple Bloom, a dark shadow crossed her face, unnoticed by her siblings and grandmother. The happy trio began on their way, bundled up in their several layers of winter coats, scarves, socks, boots, and pants. Apple Bloom followed suit, her guise resembling more of a ball than anything else. It was annoying, but it was preventing her death by frostbite. As they trotted through the crunchy snow, Apple Bloom's dread for the upcoming weeks settled in still further. The Winter Festival was always the worst part of the year, in her opinion. Why would everypony want to work hard for three weeks on something that Pinkie Pie could get up single-hoofedly in 10 seconds flat, just to party for a day, take it down, and store the materials for another year? It just didn't make sense to Apple Bloom. December was supposed to be a time for relaxation, bonding, and Hearth's Warming Eve. Not this horrific mess that Ponyville has been setting up for the past 72 years. To make it even worse, it was mandatory that all citizens help set it up. For the next three weeks, there would be nothing save sweat, tears, and even some blood. Everypony needed to help, whether they be big, small, mare or colt - it was the law. Except for one issue: Apple Bloom didn't have a Cutie Mark. This was the unsolvable crisis. Having the title of Blank Flank literally meant that you could not help with the festival. Wherever you would try to do something, somepony else with a Cutie Mark would promptly scold you over nothing, then proceed to to the exact job you were doing, sometimes even doing a worse job than you would have done. This was the source for all of Apple Bloom's resistance and hatred towards the Festival: She was required to help by the law, but wasn't allowed to by the social community. There was a small dot of light in all of this shadowy darkness; Something that could potentially lead her through this maze, whether she be blindfolded or her legs cut off: Her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders - Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Those two ponies were the only others in Ponyville who understood what she was going through. They were the only others that she could communicate with fully. Of course, she couldn't be seen actually playing with them. If you were known to be sluffing the setup of the festival, you would find yourself without any friends and excluded from all groups and clubs for several months afterward. Apple Bloom knew this, because it had happened to her last year. She managed to stay home and work there, but she didn't have any groups to hang out with for several months. She had to secretly meet with the CMC to avoid public ridicule. During her musing, the foursome had traversed the entire quarter-mile hike from Sweet Apple Acres to Ponyville. She had been so lost in thought that she almost ran into a pole. Just beforehand, however, she was jerked back by Applejack. "Watch where yer goin'!" she snapped. She wasn't yelling, but the bright happy face they had departed with was gone, replaced with a shadowy face similar to Apple Bloom's, but towards the opposite subject. Apple Bloom quickly apologized, then looked up at what she had almost knocked over. 72nd Annual Ponyville Winter Festival December 15th, 2900 EO Pre-setup meeting to be held on November 26th All citizens are required to attend Apple Bloom almost groaned audibly. She managed to catch herself in time, however, so no actual sound escaped her mouth, save it the sound of her breaths, crystallizing in midair because of the cold temperature. "Applejack! Big Mac! Granny Smith!" The source of the sudden yell was none other than Pinkie Pie, the ultimate party pony. Apple Bloom cheered up considerably when she saw Pinkie. Maybe she could find work with her! But no, she had tried that last year and it didn't work... This miraculous spark of joy lasted no more than a second, for at that moment, Pinkie Pie sped right past her without even glancing. She proceeded to hug Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny Smith in turn, but didn't even notice her. Her rage was returning. "I'm so happy you made it! Come on! It's about to start!" She sped off without saying another word. "You heard the filly - move!" Granny Smith yelled, and at once the three of them sped off, the bright happy looks returning to their faces once again. They completely forgot about her. On the plus side, Apple Bloom wouldn't have to deal with her family during the course of the meeting. She immediately darted behind a building, beginning her immediate search for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, her only hope through this entire ordeal. Her mission was accomplished less than ten seconds later. She darted around a corner, and smashed headlong into Sweetie Belle. "Oof!" they both squeaked as they collided. Apple Bloom hit her head on the ground, and was knocked silly. Sweetie Belle managed to stay on her hooves, but just barely. Apple Bloom raised herself off the ground a bit, shaking slightly, "S-sorry!. Didn't see ya there!" Sweetie Belle simply smiled, "It's okay. You're the pony I was looking for!" "Really?" Apple Bloom said, now fully recovered, aside from some bruises, scrapes, and a giant goosegg that was forming behind her right ear, where she had struck the ground. "Of course! I wanted to talk to you before we left!" This took Apple Bloom for a loop. Did she just say leave!? Just then, a third, orange mass joined the group. Like Apple Bloom, Scootaloo was so wrapped up in coats that she resembled a large orange ball. "You found her!" she exclaimed, looking at Apple Bloom. "What happened to you?" Apple Bloom looked at herself, "Oh, just a little bump." "That was some bump - you've got a goosegg on your head!" She laughed at Apple Bloom for a second, then grew serious. "Just thought we would say goodbye," she said. This brought Apple Bloom back to what Sweetie Belle had said before, and she began to panic at once. "Yer leavin!?" she yelled. This was simply impossible! Why would they leave at a time like this!? They were perfectly aware of the isolation and stress that came with being a blank flank, especially when the festival rolls around each year. Sweetie Belle spoke up, "Yes, we're leaving. Me and Rarity got invited to see some family in Fillydelphia. And since they know Scootaloo has no family, they invited her to come too." "So... Yer leavin me here by myself?" Apple Bloom felt her happiness get sucked out of her like a leech sucking blood. It was quick, yet extremely painful. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Sweetie Belle stumbled, as if Apple Bloom had hit her on the head with a bat, "We don't want to go! We would much rather stay here with you!" "Yeah!" Scootaloo chimed in, looking insulted. "We would totally stay here with you! But-" "But Rarity won't let us. When I ask her, she always-." "Alright! Ah get it!" Apple Bloom yelled, silencing them. Tears were still falling from her eyes, but the look of insult has passed. Now it was anger. She didn't usually get this angry, but her usual personality had been thrown out the window the moment this all began. "I tried everything," Sweetie Belle went on, much quieter, "But Rarity would always say," She imitated Rarity, "'You simply cannot miss this opportunity because of some silly fantasy that Apple Bloom cannot have a fabulous time without you!'" "That makes sense... Ah guess," Apple Bloom muttered, her spirits as low as they could possibly be at this moment. "Sorry," Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said in unison, their voices drooping tremendously to express the sadness they also felt. Then they simultaneously extended their forelegs and embraced her. Even though it was done with good intentions, it just made Applw Bloom feel even more miserable, if that were possible.. "Sweetie Belle!" a voice called from afar, making the three of them jump. "Scootaloo! We need to go at once! The train leaves in five minutes!" "We're coming, Rarity!" Scootaloo shouted back, then after hugging for a few more seconds, they let go. Apple Bloom watched in utter gloom as her one chance for happiness fled to the big city during her time of need. "Draw us a big picture and show it to us when we get back!" Sweetie Belle called, and Apple Bloom actually smiled and waved. Then as soon as her friends were out of sight, her hoof dropped. She was left to brood on her own feelings again, and it multiplied the effect of what had been going on before. Apple Bloom was almost tempted to sneak back home. Then, with a jolt of horror, she realized that her family must be angry with her for galloping off. In a frenzy of adrenaline and tears, she made her way to town square, where she knew the meeting was taking place. Luckily, she arrived just a few seconds before it started. She managed to slip into the crowd and next to her family without them even noticing she was gone and returned. "Fillies and Gentlecolts," a loud voice she recognized to be Mayor Mare's began. Apple Bloom stared at Town Hall with disbelief, wondering how in Equestria the Mayor could possibly think this festival was fun. Her voice sure made it sound like they were preparing to go visit the moon. "As you all know," Mayor Mare went on, "This festival is very important to all of us. Long ago, there was a pony, who we keep unnamed as to protect his descendants from ridicule. Rather than believing in the principles of friendship and harmony that was shared by everypony else here, this individual wanted more; He wanted to become more powerful than the other ponies." Everypony in the crowd let out a collective gasp. Apple Bloom groaned audibly, which caught Applejack's attention. She received a quick kick from Applejack, winced, and didn't make another sound. Mayor Mare continued, "This idea alone was bad enough that he was banished from the town for violating the peaceful ways they had worked so hard to establish. This stallion was not welcome anywhere else either; The word of how he acted had spread, and nopony wished to let him stay anywhere near them for fear of him attempting to indoctrinate them into his beliefs. "This stallion searched and searched, but never found purchase. He was forced to leave the country to find somewhere else to live. But everypony here knows that the lands beyond Equestria can be a hard place for a pony to live. We don't know what happened to him. "That aside, my predecessor the Mayor decided that to keep this spirit from re-awakening within the borders of this fine town, a Winter Festival would be held each year on December 15, 10 days before Hearth's Warming Eve. This festival would bring together the hearts and souls of everypony who lived here by promoting a sense of equality and teamwork between individuals. "Everypony in the town, no matter if they were mother, governmentalist, or chef, would help prepare for the festival. Once preparations were completed the festival would begin and they would party themselves out. Then there would be a rest period between that and Hearth's Warming Eve. After that, the festival would be taken down and the materials stored for next year. "So now that I have reminded you why we're here, let's get down to business," the Mayor went on. "This year, we are extremely grateful to have Princess Twilight Sparkle and Granny Smith to oversee the preparations for the festival. If you two could come up here...?" There was a woosh of wind, and in about 1 second flat Granny Smith, undeterred by her bad hip, had galloped around the crowd from the place near the back where they had been standing to right beside the Mayor. The festival was one of the only things that could get her this excited. As for Twilight, she simply fluttered her wings once and literally jumped onto the stage from more than halfway back. She and Granny Smith would have tied if it had been a race. "Now," Mayor Mare went on. "These two individuals will be in charge of various different aspects of the festival..." At this point, Apple Bloom's attention drifted back to her friends. Sure, she understood completely why they had to go and that it wasn't their fault, but she was still... Angry. She didn't know how or why, but she was angry at them for leaving her, despite the conditions. As if the world was trying to make her even more miserable, at that point she heard the whistle of the train leaving the station. She craned her neck, trying to look at the train, but there were too many buildings and taller ponies in her way. "Let's all have a brilliant time!" Mayor Mare yelled into the microphone. The entire crowd cheered, and ponies began galloping in various direction to begin the setup process. Applejack looked at Apple Bloom, a stern look on her face. "Com'ere you," she said, gesturing for Apple Bloom to come closer. The solemn feeling returned to Apple Bloom, and she prepared for the worst. Applejack grabbed her and pulled her close, "You'll be comin' with me and granny, so we can be sure yer doin' what'ure supposed ta." "Alright!" Apple Bloom responded, faking a tone of excitement. Her goal was achieved as Applejack's face lit back up, smiling. She relinquished her grasp on Apple Bloom, turned, and galloped off. Apple Bloom inwardly congratulated herself, then galloped after her older sister. "Hold on y'all!" Granny Smith yelled, causing the group to screech to a halt. She was pointing towards a cardboard box with decorations inside. Instantly, she, Applejack, and Big Mac all dived for it, causing the contents to spill everywhere. "Alrighty then!" Applejack said, picking up a decoration. "Let's get this show on the road!" Apple Bloom picked up a decoration. It was a plastic string with a lot of little flags attached. She looked around, trying to decide where to put it. But before she could move an inch, the decoration was swiped from her hooves. "Hey!" she shouted at the thief, reaching for the string. "Ah'll get that fer ya, youngin'," Granny Smith replied, swiftly throwing it up to the roof of the building they were standing under. The string was caught by Big Mac, who promptly attached it to the gutter. Granny Smith then tossed the other end to Applejack, who ran to the opposite side of the road. She then climbed up the building and attached the other end of the string. "Woah..." Apple Bloom trailed off, amazed. The entire process had been completed in less that 10 seconds flat. "Well don't just stand there!" Granny Smith yelled once again. "Move!" They moved. All four of them bolted off, searching for another box. This process repeated for the next hour, with Apple Bloom's attempts at helping being rejected by her family. She wanted very badly to just disappear, doubting that her family would notice for a long time. But she knew that when they did notice, she would be in a terrible amount of trouble. So she stayed, putting up with the prejudice against her shared by her family and everypony else. At one point, they neared another group. Apple Bloom noticed right off the bat that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were in the midst of it. Gasping in horror, she hid behind the box they were currently taking decorations out of. "Whatcha doin' down there!?" Applejack spat, noticing Apple Bloom for the first time since they started. "Hidin' from them," Apple Bloom replied, gesturing towards her two archenemies. "Stop bein' such a fruitbat. They're not so bad! They're two sweet little fillies!" "Easy for you to say! You don't have to go to school with 'em every day!" "Look here, sugarcube." Applejack then turned and called out to the group. Apple Bloom almost buried herself in the snow out of anticipation. "Look who it is!" said two voices in unison. Apple Bloom's spirits literally sank below her hooves, leaking everywhere into the snow in the form of sweat. The sweat was not from overheating, but from nervousness and hatred. "My oh my, isn't it Apple Bloom! What a surprise!" Diamond Tiara recited off of her nonexistent script, her rich girl accent drilling into Apple Bloom's skull like a hydra with spikes for heads. "Hey y'all," Apple Bloom replied dully, twitching her hoof. They merely laughed in tandem with their extremely aggravating high-pitched giggles. Apple Bloom looked at Applejack hopelessly, Applejack's response to which was to glare at her and gesture back to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. "How's it goin?" said Apple Bloom, coming out from behind the box on Applejack's gesture. "Oh, it's simply marvelous," they said together. "We're working so hard, and it's really fun!" Silver Spoon yelled. "Unlike some ponies, we are in the cool group. We're doing much better than... This muck." She gestured to Apple Bloom's family. "Oh no you don-," Apple Bloom began to yell, but she was instantly restrained by Applejack. She wanted to kill Diamond Tiara; She wanted to literally rip her head off. She was surprised by this emotion, because she hadn't felt anything like it before. But like her outburst at her friends, her actions were to be blamed on her family's ignorance for her pain. After struggling furiously for a few seconds, Apple Bloom managed to escape the grasp of her older sister. Finally, she was able to vent her frustrations on something. She bore down on Diamond Tiara, raised a hoof, and punched her on the muzzle, hard. "That's enough outta you!" Applejack screamed, grabbing Apple Bloom yet again. Before being pried off, Apple Bloom managed to get a few more good punches to Diamond Tiara, who was now suffering from an intense nosebleed. When she was finally separated from her, Apple Bloom was roughly thrown headfirst into the snow. Grunting in pain, she struggled to get her head out of the snow, just to get air. "You stay right there, y'hear?" Applejack yelled again. She didn't need to be told; She couldn't have gotten out even if she tried. As she attempted hopelessly to unbury herself, she quickly realized that she was struggling for breath. She was suffocating! At this realization, she tried even harder to remove herself and get air, but to no avail. After going limp and a few quick breaths, she passed out, oblivious to the world around her. Author's Note I'm back guys! Took me long enough... Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. If everything goes to plan, the release schedule will be as follows: Part 2 will be released on Thursday at 1:30 PM GMT. Part 3 will follow that on Saturday, same time. This will continue until Part 7 is released, then the story will be done. I worked very hard on this story, so I hope you guys enjoyed and will enjoy it! Please, if you have criticism to give, whether it be good or bad, leave a comment. A writer cannot improve unless this happens! Exhelah Part 2 - IsolationApple Bloom woke up to a blur of colors. All around her, she could hear ponies talking. Trying to make them out, the recognized the mayor, Filthy Rich, Applejack, and Granny Smith. After a short time, her hearing returned to her as well. "...I demand justice for what she did to my daughter!" she heard Filthy Rich spitting at Granny Smith. "I assure ya, she will be dealt with. Ah reckon no Apples fer a year." "How is that a punishment!? There are plenty of other foods available!" "Where we come from, ah assure ya - It's perhaps the worst thing to do to a filly like her." "Well..." Filthy Rich trailed off, thinking. "Alright. Sounds good. But I still demand payment for the hospital bill!" "We'll get all that in order, Mr. Rich," Applejack reiterated for the fifth time. Upon hearing this, Filthy Rich turned to Apple Bloom, the latter of which groaned softly. Filthy Rich leaned down over her, and spoke to her, spattering spit all over her face (which didn't help her sight situation.) "You listen here you youngling," he spat. "You are not to go anywhere near my daughter again. And if I hear of you getting anywhere, I repeat, anywhere near her again, I will personally end you. You got that?" Apple Bloom, in a miracle of woe, managed to speak, "She was insultin' ma family, Mr. Ri-" "I don't care if she was-," he ended mid-scream, a look of confusion on his face. "Wait, what was she doing?" "She was insultin' my family, Mr. Rich," Apple Bloom reiterated, managing - through much pain - to prop herself up on her foreknees. "She was bein' really mean to me." Filthy Rich looked shocked, as if he couldn't believe that his, 'precious perfect pretty daughter,' would do such a thing. He seemed on the edge of brushing it off as a lie, but his eyes said otherwise. They were angry, but Apple Bloom could tell that it wasn't directed at her anymore. "Diamond Tiara!" he screamed in a frenzy, whipping around to where his daughter was being treated for a broken muzzle bone. "Is what she says true? Were you insulting her family!?" Diamond Tiara, who couldn't speak and could barely move, slightly shook her head. Apple Bloom didn't expect any different. "Come on guys," Apple Bloom suddenly pleaded to Applejack and Granny Smith. "Ya heard her! She was callin' us names and insultin' our farm! All our hard work!" Granny Smith and Applejack put on a similar show that Filthy Rich (who was now staring at Applejack, waiting for confirmation) had participated in before. They were conflicted, but then Applejack looked over at Diamond Tiara. "She was insultin' us, Mr. Rich," she said, much to Apple Bloom's delight. If she hadn't been in so much pain she would have sprung up and hugged her. "Yes-er-ee," Granny Smith confirmed, nodding her head. "But that still doesn't excuse this one's behavior." "I agree," Filthy Rich said, glancing back at Apple Bloom. He still didn't like her, but his outright rage was now directed at his daughter. As Filthy Rich apologized, forgave them of the medical bills, and stormed off to give his daughter a good scolding. Apple Bloom was helped up by her sister and grandmother. This process consisted mainly of groans and grunts from Apple Bloom as she was a dead weight for Applejack and Granny Smith. "Yer still in trouble, Sugarcube," Applejack reminded her. "Ahm sorry for punchin' her," Apple Bloom tried to tell them, but they had stopped listening. Here was the usual demeanor of neglect and stiffness that they had adopted before. After making a final check that everything was cleaned up, they trotted off. The process of setting up the festival continued as usual, with Apple Bloom's attempts at helping now being spurned more forcefully. She did enjoy not having to do as much work, but she hated that her family was doing it out of hatred, not love. After a few hours more, Apple Bloom built up the willpower to ask Applejack about it. "Sis?" she began shyly, expecting to be ignored. But she was surprised. "Not now, Apple Bloom," she said, not sparing a glance at her. Despite their lack of eye contact, Apple Bloom continued, "Yer not lettin' me help." Applejack dropped what she was holding and stared Apple Bloom straight in the face, "Yer tryin' to blame yer inadequacy on me!?" "Ahm not... In-ad-e-kwa-cy," she replied harshly, trying to sound out the word. She didn't know what it meant, but the way Applejack used it suggested that it was an insult of some kind. "Yer tryin' to be lazy and pin all the blame on yer' family," Applejack responded, going back to what she was doing. "But it's nothin' but yer own silly desire to get outta a bit of character-buildin' work." "Ahm tryin' to help ya, but every time ah try, ya always take it away!" Applejack thought for a moment, and in that moment Apple Bloom foolishly hoped that she would see the truth. But, of course, she "didn't remember" that ever happening. Turning back to Apple Bloom, she scowled, "Ah have nevah taken somethin' away from ya in the entire time we've done this!" "Yes ya have!" Apple Bloom yelled back, now positively angry. "How about this: If ya see me doin' somethin', don' take it away. Let me do it!" "What are ya sayin' about the things ah do!?" Applejack screamed back, her face going beet red. "All ahm tryin' to say is that if ah left right now, yeh wouldn' notice a difference!" Applejack was silent for a moment, seeming to try to compose herself before responding, "Fine. Go home before ah kill ya, yeh rottin' bucket of apples." Apple Bloom almost jumped for joy before quickly thanking her sister and speeding off towards the edge of Ponyville, determined to get back to their barn if it killed her. As she trumped through the deep snow, she reconsidered what she had said to Applejack. Maybe she was being a bit harsh? No, the yelling and screaming was necessary for her escape. Even if the only reason Applejack let her go was to not kill her, Apple Bloom still felt quite accomplished at completing the task she had been attempting to do for the past three years. When she got back to the barn, she was covered in snow from head to foot. Not wanting to anger her family still further, she undressed in the mudroom and dried herself off, shivering violently, before entering the premises of her home. The onslaught of heat from the fire washed over her as if a bucket of pure happiness was poured over her head. "Ahhh..." she moaned in delight as she experienced the full force of this temperature change. She felt instantly better inside; She felt as if all of her troubles were muscles that were being unknotted and unclenched. Instantly lethargic, she moseyed over to the sofa, collapsed, and instantly dozed off into the world of her subconscious. Just a few minutes later, Apple Bloom woke up to a scream. Paralyzed with fear, she looked around. Suddenly, she realized that the scream had emanated from her own mouth. "Whew," she sighed, ending her panicking state. It was all just a nightmare; Nopony was being hung on stakes. After a few more attempts, Apple Bloom decided that trying to sleep now would be pointless. She attempted to get off of the sofa, but it took her a few tries to get back onto her hooves. Although she couldn't sleep, she was still extraordinarily tired. Suddenly, Apple Bloom recalled Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's goodbye in her mind, remembering that she had promised her friends a giant picture when they got back. Deciding that this was the best option of the moment, Apple Bloom made her way upstairs, groggily lumbered into her bedroom, and plopped onto her desk chair. It was time to get to work. Still half-asleep, Apple Bloom drew out a large piece of paper, a box of crayons, and a ruler from her desk drawer. She halfheartedly picked a crayon from the box, set it to the paper, and began to scribble away. It wasn't her finest piece, but that was to be expected from a half-asleep, traumatized six-year-old filly. A few minutes later, Apple Bloom finished scribbling an unintelligible blob on the paper. She knew that this drawing was going to end up horrible, but she didn't care anymore. This one wouldn't be for her friends - she just needed something to do. Apple Bloom repeated the very slow process of drawing a crayon from its resting place in the box, setting it to the paper, and drawing more unintelligible scribbles. It was not long before she realized that the picture seemed to be... moving. No, it was alive! It was trying to eat her face! "No!" she screamed, jerking her head up off the desk. "What was that, youngin'!?" came an angry voice from afar. At this voice, Apple Bloom instantly went rigid. She had fallen asleep right on her desk, the second crayon still clenched in her hoof. Springing from her chair with some newfound strength, she peeled a wet, sticky something from her cheek; The paper she had been drawing on was now a drool-sodden mess. Discarding the ruined paper in the wastebasket (for there was no saving it), Apple Bloom flung open her bedroom door, yelling, "Ahm sorry! Ah fell asleep! Ah was shoutin' at mah dream, not y'all!" "Good," Applejack replied curtly. Apple Bloom began her journey down the stairs, but was soon tumbling - She had tripped on the third step down! Rolling down the stairs like a slinky, she smashed headlong into Applejack, who began screaming again. Apple Bloom would have begun laughing hysterically if it weren't for the current situation. "Apple Bloom!" Applejack screamed, her voice now raspy from yelling so much. "Ya watch where yer goin'!" "Ahm sorry!" Apple Bloom shouted back. "Ah didn't mean to!" "AH DON'T CARE WHAT YA THINK!" Applejack screamed. She then proceeded to vault herself over the couch (for she had landed on the other side) and punched Apple Bloom across the muzzle. This action was something Apple Bloom did not expect. At no time, no matter how angry or frustrated she was, Applejack had never physically harmed her like this. "AH!" she screamed as her elder sister's hoof connected with her muzzle. The sheer amount of pain was unbearable; Apple Bloom felt a pang of pity for Diamond Tiara, but she still didn't forgive her. These thoughts were interrupted with Applejack picking her up and throwing her across the floor, causing her head to strike the wall. Now she was seeing nothing but blurs, and feeling nothing but pain and grief. She didn't notice as Big Mac and Granny Smith came streaming into the room to see what was going on. "Wha's goin' on here!?" Granny Smith shouted at Applejack. Finally, somepony had a straight head. "Apple Bloom was makin' a right racket, so Ah taught her a lesson!" "Ah don't care if she burned the barn down!" Granny Smith retorted, prodding Applejack in the muzzle. "We nevah use physical violence against each othah!" "Ah... Ah..." Applejack tried to respond, obviously failing to conceive a good comeback. Rather than continuing to stammer, she turned back to Apple Bloom. But Apple Bloom wasn't there. "Why the little..." Applejack silently cursed, but she didn't get to finish the thought. For at that precise moment, there was a loud crash! Granny Smith instantly bolted to the door to find Apple Bloom limping away through the snow. "Come back you silly filly!" Granny Smith called, but Apple Bloom didn't care. She wasn't even sure that she could care about anything, save the overpowering desire to get away from her family. The only thing she wanted to do right now was be alone. It was as if death himself had taken the form of a little filly and was limping through the bustling town of Ponyville. Apple Bloom didn't have enough energy to cry. In fact, she surprised herself at how far she had walked. She had expected to collapse long before she reached Ponyville. Everywhere she went, ponies shied away, knowing immediately that this filly was not to be reckoned with; As if she was some sort of parasite that ponies feared of getting close to, lest they become infected and die. Usually Apple Bloom would dislike this and want to be with other ponies - but at the moment, she wanted nothing else but to be alone. As she trumped through the sunlit, bustling town, she reflected on what had happened to her over the last day. It all felt the same - the pain, the isolation, and the annoyance were all still there, strong as ever. She felt as is these emotions were in buckets, and the buckets were completely full. Yet there was still more liquid being poured in, filling the buckets beyond full to overflowing. She didn't know how long she had been walking before she wandered away from Ponyville. Ignoring the screaming pain in her joints from the fall and the cold from the snow, she continued forth, not knowing where she was going, but knowing she would know when she got there that it was the place for her. She was nearing the Everfree Forest - she was now on the opposite side of Ponyville from Sweet Apple Acres. Without caring, she walked straight into it. Although there were plenty of bad things in there, she felt that being eaten by a Manticore would be better than living on. Then, she tripped. "Oof!" she yelled as she began rolling down a shallow hill. She knew instantly that she was going to become both colder and more sore when this was over. She let herself roll, knowing that trying to stop would be even more painful. Since the hill was so shallow, she didn't hit a sudden horizontal surface, but instead it gradually flattened until she stopped. Her head was spinning, and her stomach was doing many uncomfortable flip-flops, but she forced herself to her hooves once more to get a bearing on her location. She had quite literally stumbled upon a small clearing in the Everfree Forest. The amount of trees between the clearing and Ponyville wasn't enough to blot out the town completely, but it was enough that she wouldn't be noticed by anypony. This was the unknown place she had been looking for. And so she flopped onto her back with her coat wrapped around her, curled up, and wretched dry sobs for what felt like hours. She tried to force all of her bad feelings out through these, but her attempts all resulted in failure. Defeated and lost, she slumped her weak body onto the cold snow, completely relaxing and somehow hoping this would all end. As she lied motionless in the snow, her focus drifted in and out of phase. It was like being on the edge of sleep, but not quite getting there. Her thoughts swirled about in random eddies, the fog of despair closing in upon her. Through this fog, she was t able to distinguish a small blur. This blur slowly solidified as it seemed to move closer to Apple Bloom. Ordinarily, she would have attempted to greet the visitor, but her current state made the mere thought of standing and talking painful. Apple Bloom realized at that point that she was completely helpless. Completely alone and without strength, she wasn't capable of the simple task of looking at her visitor. All she could see were its hooves. "Wha...?" Apple Bloom moaned, only to receive a spike of pain through her chest. She wanted the visitor to identify itself, at least so she could know friend versus foe. "Ya' really oughta cheer up," Apple Bloom said. Hold on a second... Apple Bloom had a thought surge through her head: A single, dominating realization, so overpowering that her eyes produced tears for the first tim that day: She hadn't said a word. Instantly, her mind went into overdrive, having gone haywire from this thought. How had she said something if her mouth hadn't moved? Who had spoken? Who was- She was brought out of this panic when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. It was gentle: Not pushing too hard, but holding firm. At this touch, Apple Bloom felt a warm sensation spread from that shoulder and all up and down her body, alleviating a great portion of her pain. She was ready to heartily thank this savior of emotions, but when she looked up at the hoof's owner, her mind was sent spinning again: She was looking up at herself. Her jaw dropped through the ground at this sight. How had herself walked up, herself put her hoof on her own shoulder to calm her own pain, and how did she exist in two places at once!? "Wait, what!?" she sweated, scampering away from her duplicate. It simply wasn't possible to duplicate yourself like this! She hadn't been through any mirror pools that she could remember... "Ahm you," her copy said, winking. Apple Bloom was more confused than ever. A billion questions were ticking off through her head, similar to before. At least now she could respond. "How are ya me!?" she half-yelled. "Ah've nevah gone through teh mirror pool!" "Oh, it's not that," her copy responded, shaking her head. "Ahm not real. Ahm just in yer head." "Yer... Not real?" Apple Bloom repeated her copy's words, not more confused than ever. It wasn't until then that she realized that she was no longer in the forest clearing: She and her "copy" were standing in the white fog that had clouded Apple Bloom's consciousness. Was this a dream? Or was it a hallucination? Or maybe it was Diamond Tiara getting back at her for her punch. "Nope!" said the copy, confirming Apple Bloom's inquiry. "How are ya not real!? Yer standin' there lookin' at meh, ahm talkin to ya, and yer-" "We're in yer head! Ya silly filly. However could ya come up with a pony such as me?" Apple Bloom was surprised at her copy's use of grown-up words. How did she know how to speak like a grown-up? She could talk, but not that well. And why had her copy called her a filly!? "Yer just as old as ah am!" Apple Bloom shouted, growing frustrated with the events of the last minute. She simply was not ready to accept the fact that she was having a hallucination or some kind of mental illness. "Oh no no no..." her copy shook her head, her voice growing pitifully weary at the sentence. She sounded like a pony who had been living for too long of a time. Earth Ponies did live longer than the other races, but not this much longer. "Ya said you were fake!" "Ahm not fake, per say. Ahm just an echo." This confused Apple Bloom still further. Deciding to cut to the chase, she took a few tentative steps closer to this... Image in her head, and asked, "Whaddaya want with me?" "Ah just wanna help ya feel better," her copy responded, producing a small smile. Apple Bloom knew that she needed help, but she wasn't sure how a picture in her head was going to help. "...How?" "We're both lonely. Trust meh, ah know how it feels. But why are ya wallowing about it? Fix it!" "How do ah do that!? Mah family hates me!" "You don't need them. Just make yer own friend! Ya have snow, now use it!" Apple Bloom then did the double facehoof to end all double facehooves, "Of course! Ahm stupid! Thanks, me!" The copy merely smiled and nodded. Then she turned and walked back into the fog clouding Apple Bloom's head, until her form had dissipated completely. Apple Bloom focused, and slowly the fog dissipated as well, bringing her back to the physical world. She gasped. She hadn't noticed while she was in her own mind that it was very warm. The instant she woke back up though, the teeth-chattering chill reached her once again. The change was so drastic and extreme that Apple Bloom somehow managed to produce a few tears from the pain of it. Although she was chilled to the bone, no, deeper than that, she could tell that the muscle aches and depression she had experienced before were suppressed. Of course, they were still there, but something about her copy healing her like she had gave Apple Bloom the ability to put aside feelings she didn't enjoy. It was a wonderful feeling. Remembering what her doppelgänger had told her, Apple Bloom shook off the remaining pain with her newfound ability. She pushed back all of the pain, all of the misery, and all of the isolation she had experienced thus far. It was a wonderful feeling of bliss, being relieved of all these things. And she was off, rising to her hooves to begin her work. After taking a moment to shake off the fact that she was almost frozen solid, she began gathering snow with her damp gloves. No matter how cold or how depressed she was, she was also determined to make herself happy. Apple Bloom silently thanked her copy for helping her. She never knew her own mind could help her like that! She was going to have to research that when she grew up. A few moments later, she looked down at what she was putting together. She had built up nothing but a small pile, but already she was imagining the wondrous things she could create. But she had already decided what to build. Apple Bloom began forming the hooves of her snowpony. Author's Note Oh man, now we're getting somewhere! Once again, criticism in the form of comments, positive or negative, is highly appreciated! Exhelah Part 3 - IncursionApple Bloom stepped back for a moment to admire her creation. Over the past while, she had molded a creature of wonder. Her snowpony was the best she had ever seen anypony make. It was about her size, although a bit smaller. Its mane was short, for Apple Bloom didn’t know of any way to make it longer and still hold together. Everything about it was lifelike, except… The eyes were blank. Apple Bloom had tried and tried to make good-looking eyes, but eventually gave up on detailing. Therefore, the snowpony’s eyes were nothing but two blank spaces. It was slightly disturbing. Apple Bloom mused about what she would do now – She had built her snowpony, what else was there to do? What else could she do in the time she had? Then it came to her with the force of a speeding train: It was dark! While she had been busy sculpting the snowpony, she hadn’t noticed the passage of time. What time was it? Was her family worried? Probably not, but there was a chance. Apple Bloom, with her returning horror of being chewed out by Applejack, said a final goodbye to her snowpony and began to exit the clearing. But right as she was going to pass over the perimeter, she stopped. Something was close. She couldn’t place a hoof on it, but she had the uncanny feeling of being watched. It was as if there was somepony close by, hiding in plain sight, watching her. Apple Bloom looked around the area, but there was nopony close by… She decided that it was probably because she was tired. Putting aside the feeling, Apple Bloom continued her trek through the snow, desperately trying to get back home to the warmth of the fire. Eventually, she arrived at the barn. Stumbling through the wooden doors, she peeled off her many coats and jackets, resulting in her half-freezing in cold sweat. She quickly rinsed herself off with the hose, patted herself dry with a trembling hoof, and quietly opened the door into the main room. The instant she crossed the boundary of the now-open doorway, the familiar wave of heat crossed her fur. Apple Bloom took a moment to relish this sensation, before entering the room completely and shutting the door behind her. The fire was cracking in the fireplace, with the familiar cushy sofas arranged in a U-shape around it. Those sofas held many dear memories, but she couldn’t think of any at the moment. All Apple Bloom wanted to do was arrive in her bedroom and fall asleep. She began to climb the stairs, which creaked slightly under her hooves. As Apple Bloom climbed, she remembered that her family was sleeping, and so slowed her hoofsteps to minimize the produced noise. The door to her bedroom was shut tight, as she had expected. Silently, she hoped that her family hadn’t ransacked her bedroom in search of her, that is, if they searched for her at all. She finished scaling the last shallow step, finishing her trek up the stairs. She approached her bedroom door, and slowly turned the knob and opened it, as if she had to open the bedroom door of a dozing foal. She found her room unchanged, with a few crayons still spread about her desk where she had left them. The wastebasket still held the now-dried wad of paper that had been her drawing. Apple Bloom scuttled about, cleaning up her crayons and pushing the chair of her desk back in. Although she was tired, she didn’t want Applejack to get mad at her for a messy bedroom in the morning. After she was done tidying up, she approached her bed. Apple Bloom tucked herself into her warm, soft bed. It felt like heaven. After being out in the snow for so long, she hadn’t realized just how sore and tired she really was. She laid her head on her pillow, weary with fatigue, and entered the realm of her subconscious for the night. When Apple Bloom roused the next morning, it was to find Applejack leaning over her, fury etched in every line of her face and muzzle. "Where have ya been!? We looked all ovah fer ya!" she spat. Apple Bloom wasn't awake enough to respond. "Well... whatevah," Applejack finished, springing back from Apple Bloom's bed and giving the filly a dirty look. "Ah don't care what ya do. Just say outta mah way. Alright?" "Ok...ay..." Apple Bloom mumbled, still lethargic from her extremely short night's sleep. This answer seemed to satisfy Applejack, and she exited the room, slamming the door behind her. Apple Bloom was left to ponder on what had just happened. Did Applejack really not care what she did? Would she be able to return to the clearing in peace, without trouble? She sure hoped so. Apple Bloom forced herself awake via a slap across her muzzle, then slowly climbed out of bed, ready to start the day. She opened her door and moseyed down the creaky wooden stairs, eyeing the various pictures on the walls. These pictures were all of happy memories - back when Apple Bloom's mother and father were still alive. She remembered them fondly, and was extremely heartbroken after their accident. Her parents had perished in a train wreck while coming back from Canterlot. Princess Celestia herself had invited them, wishing to get a taste of the well-known, "Best Apples in Equestria." Apple Bloom later learned that the princess' response had been an absolute yes, that their apples were indeed the best the country had to offer. Apple Bloom spent so long musing that she had stopped dead in the middle of the staircase. And to her luck, Granny Smith needed to go up them. "Get yer whiny behind outta mah way!" she spat, forcing her way past Apple Bloom, causing the latter to lose her balance and, as if it was a curse, to fall down the stairs once more. This time, rather than slamming into Applejack, she sprawled on the floor, pain pulsing through her as if she was being stabbed with knives everywhere at once. Ordinarily she would have screamed from this much pain, but recent events had taught her to suppress her outward emotions. She simply grunted as she struck the hard wood, her head spinning. Apple Bloom lied there for quite some time, trying to recover from her fall. But her head kept spinning, the pain continued, and she didn't feel any better. In fact, the fall seemed to have amplified the emotional effects from the Winter Festival so far. "Whaddaya doin' down there!?" Applejack asked, leaning over Apple Bloom like a vulture honing in on its prey. "Ah fell down," Apple Bloom responded, hoping this wouldn't spark some previously nonexistent splurge of anger. She fully expected it to, however, given that pretty much anything could set Applejack off this time of year. "Well get up and do somethin' useful!" Applejack replied, stalking off through the kitchen door. Apple Bloom managed to rise to her hooves, thinking that she was going to make Applejack as happy as possible today, even if it killed her. She wasn't going to help with the festival, no, but she would do anything else her family asked of her. She entered the kitchen to find that her breakfast had already been set out. Her spirits rising slightly, Apple Bloom carefully moved past Applejack’s watchful eye and sat in her place. The food was stone cold. Apple Bloom sighed. She had expected as much, but the fact was still hurtful. Her family didn’t care enough to heat up her breakfast. “Eat yer breakfast and scedattle outta here. Ah don’t wanna see ya until dinner,” Applejack said, not even glancing at Apple Bloom for a moment. Apple Bloom had mixed feelings about this: She was still sad about her family’s uncaring attitude, but at least she would be able to go back to the clearing, no, her clearing. That area was the new light in the darkness, and Apple Bloom was determined to make it shine. She quickly ate her breakfast, ignoring the odd feeling of shoving cold toast down her throat. After she was done, she took care of her plate, then immediately galloped upstairs to grab her coat and boots. “Make sure ya get home before dark!” Granny Smith called out to her. “Alright! Ah might see ya in town, and if Ah do Ah’ll try ta help again!” she replied. Of course, she meant to do no such thing, but she wanted to make her family happy. “Alright, sugarcube!” Granny Smith replied. For the first time in what seemed to be years, Apple Bloom gave a genuine smile. Her family seemed to believe they were warming up to her again, but of course it was all an illusion; She had retained her ban on Apples for several months. Apple Bloom completed revesting herself of her winter clothing, traveled back downstairs, then opened the door and stepped outside. The chill of the frozen winter air hit her as if a bucket of icewater had been dumped over her head. It was chilling, but she didn’t care. Following the trail she had made the day prior, Apple Bloom began her trek back to the clearing. As she went, she took a moment to admire Ponyville and the decorations that had been set up so far. As of the moment, the entire town seemed to be blanketed in endless banners, boxes, and streamers. In town square, there were many temporary buildings set up for games, food stands, and social places. Dotted throughout the town were several of these as well. The sun’s angle casted a long shadow over each building, making Ponyville seem less like a town and more like a large, misshapen chessboard. After a moment, Apple Bloom turned her attention back to where she was going. Rather than following her old path through town, she had diverged to form a new path around the entire town. She wanted to avoid it as much as possible so she wouldn’t have to live up to her prior statement. She arrived at the clearing a short while later. When she saw the snowpony, her spirits lifted. She was going to build a snow fort today. Although there was nopony else to throw snowballs, she felt that it was the right thing to do. But as she passed by the snowpony, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but stop. That strange feeling of being watched was back again. Apple Bloom circled the snowpony, inspecting every inch of it. Perhaps she had made it a tad too realistic? No, it wasn’t just her. There was definitely something watching her, but she couldn’t tell what. “Oh come on!” she yelled aloud, frustrated by the events. Instantly, her brain sizzled, “Diamond Tiara! Silver Spoon! Come out! Ah’ve got ya!” But her two worst enemies didn’t appear. Apple Bloom was glad for this, because she didn’t want Filthy Rich to have an excuse to hate her. Still frustrated by her feeling, Apple Bloom looked up at the snowpony’s face. The eyes were still blank; Lifeless. Yet they were watching her. “Ah!” Apple Bloom yelled, scampering back from the snowpony. How was this possible? Her snowpony wasn’t alive… Yet it did seem that it was staring at her unceasingly. As if it was a being trapped and wanted to escape. As if it wanted to be her friend. “No… No…” Apple Bloom began to sob. This day wasn’t turning out like she had expected, and now she was having strange impulses of being watched! What was happening!? But something inside her told her otherwise. Apple Bloom’s inner self was yelling, no, screaming at her that what she was feeling wasn’t just some illusion. “…Am Ah goin’ mad?” Apple Bloom spent the remainder of that day trying to ignore the strange snowpony’s stare. It of course wasn’t actually staring at her – she had decided that long before. Even with this thought, she couldn’t help but glance back at it every few seconds, terrified that it would do… Something to her. She didn’t know what, but it scared her beyond belief. She was putting the finishing touches on her two snow forts. They were nothing but two vertical walls, but they were enough to satisfy her. The sun was sagging on the horizon, trying and failing to sink into the depths of the earth. Apple Bloom decided two things: That Celestia was failing in her duty to lower the sun on time today, and that it was probably time to head back. She hadn’t had lunch, so her stomach was growling. Apple Bloom glanced back at her snow forts, satisfied with her work. She thought fondly of her friends and couldn’t wait for them to come home. She was going to have a lot of fun with them when they got back, even if it would mean being even more excluded at school for months to come. She made her way away from the two forts, turning her direction to Ponyville. She took a deep breath, then waved goodbye to the forts and began to leave. But as she was about to enter the trees, she felt it again. “Okay, who the heck is watchin’ me!?” Apple Bloom yelled to the night. She couldn’t stand it anymore. Something, or somepony, was watching her, but where in all of Equestria were they!? Why didn’t they show themselves? Greatly distressed, Apple Bloom ran around in a frenzy, going mad as she attempted to locate the perpetrator. But no matter where she layed her eyes, no matter how many times she scrutinized the area, she found nothing. “This isn’t right! This isn’t right! This isn’t right!” Apple Bloom curled up on the ground, sobbing as the terrible feeling of being watched bore into her soul like a dragon spewing fire. It burned. It hurt. It was hot. But then, she remembered something. Something that had been bothering her all day. Something, in fact, that she took to be impossible. Shaking violently, Apple Bloom raised her head, heaving herself to her elbows as she looked up at her snowpony. She stared at it, willing it to explain what in the world was happening to her. But she noticed something else as well. “Aaahh!” she screamed, scrambling back, resulting in her tripping and plunging into the snow. It was simply impossible! No snowpony could change positions! But hers had. She hadn’t noticed… That the snowpony had turned to face her. This had to be a dream. It just had to be. Nopony in their right mind would make a snowpony that could move! Frosty the Snowpony was just a story! It wasn’t real! Or was it? With the impeccable feeling of terror still drilling into her, Apple Bloom rose to her hooves. Nothing was making any sense to her. Hoping for salvation, Apple Bloom violently slapped herself across the muzzle, trying to wake up from this nightmare. But all that resulted was her falling into the snow once again. “Arrggh!” she cried with a muffled voice. This was going too far. Steeling herself, she rose once again, trying to ignore the excruciating pain in her muzzle. Had she broken something? Now she was face to face with the snowpony. Eyeing it closely, she paced around it. Many times she circled, but the snowpony didn’t move again. “What is goin’ on!?” she screamed, scrunching up her face in anger. But in that instant, she felt something change. She slowly opened one eye, terrified at what she might see. Looking at the snowpony again, she jumped back again in terror: The snowpony was facing her again! “Get outta mah way!” Apple Bloom let out a bloodcurdling scream, approaching the snowpony and barging herself into it. Expecting it to fall over, she let herself go loose. The next thing she knew, she was in the snow again. “Uhh…” she groaned, turning herself over to face upwards. The snowpony was now leaning over her, staring her down with its pale, blank eyes. But the eyes were alive… “No!” she screamed, finding some impossible strength to slide out from under her creation and gallop as hard as she could away from the clearing. Apple Bloom did not sleep well that night. After dinner came to a close she had gone straight up to her bedroom to retire for the night. But rather than getting the good night’s sleep she had planned, her unconscious was laden with nightmares of the snowpony. She woke up several times during the night in a frenzy, her blanket always having been thrown off the bed. Every time she managed to fall asleep, she experienced the same dream of a giant snowpony stamping her like an ant. When the sun rose the next morning, Apple Bloom felt even more fatigued and beaten than when she had first fallen asleep. Deciding that sleeping was hopeless, she rose from her bed and looked herself up and down in the mirror. She looked terrible. She really needed to take a bath. So she entered the bathroom and turned on the water. As she took her bath, she repeatedly would start and look around, as if she knew somepony was watching her. Why did she still feel this!? It aggravated her to the point where she accidentally hurt herself when she got out of the tub. She dried off and looked in the mirror again. Much better this time, though a bit wet. Apple Bloom hung up her towel, opened the door, and stepped downstairs. “Mornin’,” she said darkly, entering the kitchen to find Big Macintosh making toast. He didn’t even glance at her, for just then the toast popped out of the toaster. He grabbed them out with just a bit more force than was usual. Apple Bloom didn’t know how to make her own food, so she got a glass of water and sat down across from Big Mac. He was looking at the newspaper, anything to keep from talking to her with his few words. With nothing else to do, Apple Bloom finished her glass of water and went back upstairs. She thought of trying to draw a picture again, but the memory of her previous encounter with dancing crayons deterred her from this activity. Instead, she grabbed her winter clothes and began to put them on. “Apple Bloom,” a voice said. She looked up to find Applejack, a glare etched on her face. “Ah don’t care what ya do, but ya need to eat first.” “Alrighty,” she replied, and she began to reverse the process of putting on her coat and boots. Applejack went downstairs without another word, and Apple Bloom followed suit a short time later. When she entered the kitchen again, Applejack had set out another helping of cold leftover toast for her again. Without making a sound of discontent, or any sound at all, Apple Bloom sat back in her chair and ate her breakfast. The tension increased as Applejack, and eventually Granny Smith, sat as well. Although they weren’t yelling anymore, the mutual hatred was there, and boy was it powerful. The instant Apple Bloom had downed her last bite, Applejack looked up at her, “Now go off and do somethin’ with yer time. Same deal as yesterday: Ah either wanna see ya helpin’ with the festival or not at all until dinner.” Apple Bloom instantly nodded, arose from her seat, and returned to her bedroom to revest herself of her winter clothes. This time, as she walked out the front door, there was no goodbye to be had. There was no genuine smile, and Apple Bloom had absolutely no idea what to do with the day. She couldn’t go back to the clearing, because the snowpony was there. The snowpony. All that had happened the night prior returned to her mind with an unpleasant jolt. All of the freaky things her snowpony had done all seemed like it had happened ages ago. Maybe, just maybe, it really was just a dream? Apple Bloom realized that she could no longer tell dream from reality. The realization sank in, literally making her sink to her knees. Was this all a dream? Which parts were the dream and which parts were real? Still musing, she stood back up and began walking in a random direction. She had no idea where she was going, but at least she would be able to come back easily – The snow trail she was leaving behind was blantently obvious. She wandered, lost in thought, for at least an hour – She couldn’t tell time anymore either. It could have been an hour, it could have been six hours; It could have been several days. Whatever time was correct, she came to a stop, still as a stone. Apple Bloom had been so lost in thought that she had wandered in a completely random direction, and she did not recognize the scenery around her. Immediately thinking of a plan, she turned about face, prepared to follow her snow trail back to Ponyville. But there was no trail to be seen. “Wait… what!?” she yelled, trying to figure out how she had not left a trail of snow behind her. It simply wasn’t possible for her to walk through snow and not leave some kind of mark! This one was definitely a dream. But Apple Bloom didn’t want to slap herself across the muzzle again, for she already had a bruise from yesterday, as well as a bruise on the top of her head from when she collided with Sweetie Belle. She was aching all over, and she guessed that was from Applejack and Granny Smith’s rough handling of her when she had tried to hurt, no, kill Diamond Tiara. She felt as if her life had become a pattern: Pain, musing, more pain, more musing, dreams, snowponies, and being lost. If it kept going on like this, she was sure to go mad. Because of these, she decided that she probably wasn’t in a dream, for if she was her realizing it would have allowed her to control, and therefore end it. But nothing had happened, and the trail still wasn’t there. “What is goin’ on!?” she demanded of the air, but, of course, she got no response. The sun was as high as it got in the sky, staring her down like a mouse readying itself to pounce for its cheese. Suddenly, something inside her shifted. It felt as if she was being tugged on by something. Apple Bloom frantically turned circles, trying to locate the pony grabbing her. But nopony was in sight. However, she still felt it. The impulse was trying to tell her where to go. Apple Bloom didn’t trust her instincts all that much, for she couldn’t even tell what she was good at yet. Why did she want to turn around and start walking so badly? She resisted the urge to walk for quite some time, trying to find out where she was on her own. But the feeling increased, and eventually became so overpowering that she could no longer bear it. “Alright then!” Apple Bloom yelled, giving in to the urge to walk. Immediately, she turned around and began walking. It wasn’t a normal walk, either – Her hoofsteps resembled more of a robot than a filly. She trekked through the deep snow for ages, or that’s what it seemed like to her. As she traveled, she seemed to become more and more afraid of something, to the point where she would have let loose a bloodcurdling scream if she was in control of her body. But she had realized that she could no longer change direction – her own body had betrayed her, siezing her will and forcing her to walk. She first traveled over many shallow hills, not able to check behind her to see if her trail was remaining. Then she saw a large group of trees in the distance: The Everfree Forest. Was it possible that she was being led back to Ponyville by somepony, somewhere? But after she had traveled through the trees for a long while, seeming to avoid all of the monsters, she became so terrified that she could no longer see. Her eyes were managing to produce tears under the pressure, but she still couldn’t control the rest of her. But suddenly, it was as if everything that had happened to her, everything that had ever worried or upset her, left her. A rushing feeling swept through her, seeming to carry off every bad thought, feeling, memory that she had been holding in her soul. It was as if the festival had never happened; As if she was completely free. And she was. Not only had all of the fear left her, but the tugging that had been pulling her all this way relinquished her. She fell to the ground when this happened, trying to process everything that had just occurred. Was it possible that she had just died? If so, it was a very painless death. But she knew that she was still alive. There had been nothing, no, nothing that could have killed her without her realizing. Unless this all was a dream and she had been killed in her sleep, she was definitely most alive. But this wasn’t a dream, for she had tried to wake up and it didn’t work. Apple Bloom, after this had all gone through her head, stood up and looked at her surroundings. There were trees on every side, and the area was a shallow bowl devoid of trees, just like… The clearing. The impulse to walk had led her back here. In the exact center of the clearing she saw her snowpony, with the snow forts she had built the day before standing off to the side, facing each other through the middle. But she was no longer afraid. In fact, she was happy. As far as she was concerned, she was going to spend the rest of eternity here. Just her, the snow, and of course, her snowpony. She walked up to the snowpony, eager to begin her fun. The snowpony seemed just as excited, and then it did something it had never done before: It moved. Not the moving-while-unseen thing it had been doing earlier, but it had actually moved. It had straightened up, then gestured to the snow forts. Apple Bloom’s excitement intensified as she nodded and ran over to one of the forts. Then the two engaged in the most ferocious snowball fight in history. Apple Bloom was, by a longshot, the best snowball fighter in Equestria. Not ever had she encountered a pony that could outmatch her in a snowball fight. So she was confident that she would be able to beat the snowpony. She grabbed her first hoofful of snow, forming it into her special breed of snowball she had spent so long perfecting. It wasn’t quite circular like most want to be, yet it had deformities that would not hinder her, but improve her power, accuracy, and speed. She finished making the first snowball, crafting it to perfection. She then braced herself against her wall, readying herself to raise her hoof and pelt the snowpony. But as she began to turn and rise, she instead received a hard pack of snow to the face. "Ow!" she yelled. Apple Bloom couldn't remember the last time she got hit in the face by a snowball. It had been ages! Angry with the snowpony's success, she raised up and threw her snowball hard. Only for it to be met halfway by the snowpony's next attack. The two snowballs crashed together, exploding in a snowy firework and putting on a show. Apple Bloom stared at it in awe, amazed that something so beautiful could result from failure. But then she got hit in the face by another snowball. This time, she didn't cry out. The stoning sensation that followed, however, intensified, and Apple Bloom noticed that a welt was forming both where she had just been hit, and in the place of the first hit. She had gotten welts before from snowball fights, but never on her face, and never without ever hitting her opponent. This snowpony of hers was a beast of snowball fights. If it could outmatch her, she would lose one of the few bragging rights she possessed. She didn't want Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to have another excuse to make fun of her. She was going to win this fight, no matter what. However, it soon came to the point that the snowpony had her every move outmatched tenfold. Every time she even thought of attacking, the snowpony would pelt her with another ball. It lasted for what seemed like hours, Apple Bloom sincerely wishing for the battle to end. She had lost, and it had won. But it seemed to think differently. She was so covered with welts and bruises that she resembled less of a filly and more of an abused timberwolf. “Stawp!” she yelled once again, hoping desperately that the snowpony would hear her. “Please!” But the snowpony was relentless. It continued to pelt Apple Bloom with snowballs as she collapsed to the ground, groaning and crying. The snowpony kept at it, beginning to cover her with a thick layer of snow. The welts stung as they were in contact with the snow, multiplying her pain further than ever. “Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!” Apple Bloom screamed, trying to signify as much as possible that she was in pain. Her shriek seemed to penetrate the snowpony to the root, as it then froze solid, as if it had just realized what it was doing. Slowly, the snowpony walked over to her. Apple Bloom was no longer its friend. In fact, every fear and every worry that had been so miraculously lifted from her before came back with an unpleasant jolt, and she realized that she had led herself into a trap. “No!” she yelled. “Don’t hurt me!” The snowpony could give no reply, and it simply stared at Apple Bloom, its blank eyes boring into her brown ones like spikes. Apple Bloom could no nothing save stare back at it, and in that moment, in that crucial moment of this entire ordeal, she could only see one thing in its eyes. It had been hiding it the entire time, but recently it had been harder for it to conceal itself from its true motive: It was hungry. So hungry. Author's Note No, the snowpony is not going to rape Apple Bloom. Just in case some of you got the wrong idea. But what could it be hungry for...? Find out in part 4! Now for a quick talk: I have finals next week and I need to spend the remainder of this weekend finishing my Computer Science project, so I'm not going to have time to write. Part 4 is most likely going to be delayed by one or more days from my release schedule. I'm sorry, but it's the best I can do! Chow chow, double chow. Exhelah Part 4 - DevastationPrincess Twilight Sparkle was sitting in the throne room of her castle, perusing over something. She had her head placed atop her resting hoof, supported by the armrest of the throne. She had assumed this position since that morning, and had not stirred since. The festival was progressing nicely: Almost all of the decorations had already been set up, and the food preparation was on schedule. But something was… Missing. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but there was something missing, right in front of her yet she couldn't remember what it was. “Argh!” she yelled, stamping her free hoof against the other armrest in anger. What was missing!? There had to be something! As she fumed, Twilight didn't notice as Spike entered the room. The dragon had been skulking near the door, for he knew that interrupting Twilight while she was in a thought process would result with him getting a telling-off to end all telling-offs. Twilight eventually did notice the dragon, and decided to take a break from her troubles to address her assistant. She shifted her position to one of more prominence before turning her attention to Spike. "Hello Spike!” she said, mimicking a tone of cheeriness, though she felt no such emotion. “Sorry to interrupt, but Applejack would like to see you… She said it’s extremely urgent.” Twilight was taken aback. Had something indeed gone wrong? Was her gut feeling actually doing her good? “Send her in,” Twilight responded, and immediately the dragon slipped out through the large double doors opposite her throne. Applejack entered the room, and immediately Twilight knew that something was wrong. Not the feeling she had been experiencing before, however – this one was different. Applejack's posture was wrong, her head was drooping, and she kept her eyes glued to an invisible blemish in the floor. “Applejack… What’s wrong?” Twilight suddenly asked, knowing that Applejack was in extreme distress. But rather than responding with words, Applejack suddenly burst into tears and galloped to her, burying herself in Twilight's comforting grasp. Twilight, on the other hand, was completely taken aback by this sudden outpouring of emotion. She returned the gesture, wrapping her forelegs around her friend, but for what reasons she was completely oblivous. Applejack sobbed and sobbed, not able to calm down enough to voice an answer. Twilight could do nothing but hold her, rocking back and forth, trying to calm her down. It took several minutes, but eventually Applejack’s sobs receded into hiccups, and Twilight relinquished her. Applejack plopped right back onto her haunches, her eyes lowered to the ground. “What’s wrong?” Twilight again asked, trying to be less questioning this time around. “Ah… ah…” Applejack stammered. She attempted to compose herself, then she went on, “Ah’ve been so mean to… To…” “To who? Who have you been mean to?” “...A- Apple… B- B- Bloom…” Twilight had heard about Apple Bloom’s run-in with Diamond Tiara, and she thought that Apple Bloom deserved her punishment. Could something else have happened? “What do you mean? I think she deserved no apples for-“ “No, it’s not that at all!" Applejack finally stopped hiccuping, though tears were still silently falling from her eyes. “Evah since this whole festival thing started, Ah’ve been so mean to her! Ah’ve nevah let her help us, Ah’ve left her breakfast cold, and Ah’ve done nothin’ but be plain mean to her! What kind of sister am I!?” The last sentence was less of a question, and more of a demand. She sounded as if she was accusing Twilight of her troubles, as if the newly-assigned princess of friendship had somehow interfered in the relationship between two siblings. But rather than responding to anger with anger, Twilight responded in a calm, comforting tone. “It’s okay. The festival gets to all of us. Something’s been troubling me all day... Just go and apologize to her! She’ll forgive you – I promise.” Applejack was about to respond, but at that precise moment, the entire room changed. It seemed to grow darker not only inside, but outside. It was as if a shadow had been cast over the sun. Twilight sprang from her throne, readying her horn in case all of Tartarus fell upon them. And then she collapsed to the ground. Twilight cried out as she experienced something she had never thought possible: Every feeling, every thought, everything that made her Princess Twilight Sparkle, was shut out to be replaced with fear. It was as if her soul was being bombarded with heat-seeking fear missiles, with only a simple wooden plank to use as defense against them. Her entire being was put through misery, and the only thoughts and emotions that could surface were her most terrible memories and her most negative feelings. She recalled long ago when she had seemingly failed her entrance exam to Celestia’s Academy of Magic, thinking that the princess had showed up to throw her in a dungeon. She remembered Discord when he had revoked her of her traits that made her the Element of Magic, causing her to almost abandon her friends and her town. She recalled vividly her frustration when nopony believed Chrysalis was Cadence's doppelgänger, and her grief as Celestia was wounded. She remembered the Crystal Empire, when King Sombra was trying to kill Spike and enslave the Crystal Ponies. And most of all, she remembered Tirek as he imprisioned her friends, and how Discord betrayed them to join him, while being decieved himself. Along with these memories came every negative thought and emotion she had ever experienced. Every inkling of a bad feeling was suddenly overpowering her mind, and she may as well have been thrown into the fires of Tartarus itself, it was so terrible. Simply dying would have been a more merciful fate. It seemed to last for hours on end, and Twilight was sure that if it went on, she was going to be destroyed. She could say nothing, do nothing, and feel nothing but fear, grief, and pain. But suddenly, just as it had begun, it stopped. All at once, she was brought back to the present, gravely weakened both physically and mentally. She felt like she had fought 10 Tireks at once, along with hundereds of every past enemy she had ever defeated. Twilight still layed there even after the terrible feelings had passed, making sure that all of her was really there. She did a quick once-over of her brain and body: She still had her thoughts, her memories, her skills, her education. Her limbs were all intact, her wings still existed, and everything seemed in place. But the universe would not let her rest. Before she had time to completely gather herself, the room was suddenly filled with an overpowering, dazzling light. It was so bright that Twilight expected the sun to drop into the room and incinerate her. But this light disappated less than a second later. "What now?" Twilight groaned, shielding her eyes from the overpowering light. When it finally cleared, she gasped. Princess Celestia was standing in the middle of the room, panting hard, and shaking just as violently as Twilight. “Princess!” Twilight exclaimed, trying to compose herself enough to be respectful. “Please, Twilight, there’s no need for that. Especially now.” Celestia’s words confused Twilight. "What do you mean?” “You weren’t the only one to experience what has just happened. That... Thing - it was global. For a moment every living thing, plant or animal, experienced what you have just gone through.” Twilight was taken aback. So it hadn’t just been her! “…Why?” “I sincerely hope that I don’t know,” Celestia replied, her tone growing dark and mysterious. She turned to look behind her, and Twilight realized that Applejack was laying on the floor in a crumpled heap, completely unconscious. "Applejack!" Twilight shrieked the name of her friend, immediately springing up and galloping across the room to where she lay. But Celestia extended a hoof and stopped her. “She'll be fine. Compose yourself, Twilight - We need to fly.” Twilight did not enjoy the next few minutes. She had tried to take flight immediately thereafter, but the instant she began to spread her wings, she was met with a stabbing pain in her right wing joint. Maybe she had sprained it when she fell? "No, Twilight. Your body is in shock and is refusing to let you work hard. You can fight it!" Celestia cheered her on. But Twilight was having a very difficult time. "Come... on!" Twilight screamed, trying to spread her wings again, then collapsing to the ground and grunting in pain. "Oh in the name of all that is good!" Celestia exclaimed, then she proceeded to slam Twilight on the back, hard." "Ouch!" she screamed yet again, and to her utter surprise, she zoomed into the air, trying to avoid her attacker. "Good! Well, I'm glad that worked," Celestia said in an ecstatic tone, smiling at her success. "How did you do that?" Twilight wondered aloud. "Oh, I know lots of sneaky tricks. School served me well back in the day..." Celestia trailed off, evidently falling into a flashback. "I didn't know you went to school!" Twilight burst out, landing on the ground again. "What was it like? What other ponies went there? Were you popular?" Celestia stemmed the flow of questions with a wave of her hoof, "I'm not going to explain it now - there are more present needs. Follow me." And with that, the princesses flew through an open window, which shut tight upon their speedy departure. The moment they exited the castle, Twilight suddenly felt sick. All over the dark town of Ponyville, the bodies of all its inhabitants were strewn about, collapsed in various locations and poses. If she didn't already know better, Twilight would have thought them dead. The cause of this was impossible to explain to herself. How could so much fear just... Be there? And disappear just like that? It wasn't good. It wasn't right. "Twilight," Celestia spoke up, as if Twilight had given her a script. "You must be wondering what caused all of this to happen. To tell the truth, I'm not entirely sure either." "What!?" Twilight had expected Celestia to have at least some idea of what could possibly have performed such an atrocity. "Well, that's not completely true," Celestia retracted her previous statement. "If what I suspect is true, we are in a very bad situation, not just for Equestria, but for all the creatures of the world. But it just isn't possible..." "What isn't possible?" Twilight inquired as Celestia realized the trap she had sprung on herself. Celestia didn't reply, but instead turned her head back forwards. Twilight dropped the subject immediately, knowing that Celestia wouldn't be too happy with her if she tried to bring it up again. They flew for a long while, trying to avert their eyes from the unconscious ponies below them. With nothing else of interest to look at, this was an incredibly difficult feat. Then, suddenly, Celestia said, "We're close. Drop to the ground." Twilight obeyed her mentor without a second thought, fluttering to the ground softly. Instantly she cast a spell to make her skin cold-resistant, for although she was fine while in the air, the snow was a bit too cold for her liking. "I believe the source is... In that direction," Celestia gestured with a hoof, right towards a large, dark mass. "The Everfree Forest!?" Twilight yelped, momentarily relapsing into her silly fear of the place that her friends had so helpfully drilled into her head. Celestia merely gave Twilight a blank expression, as if she knew the exact thought process that had just sprung through her head. The latter turned towards the forest, and together they began to gallop through the deep snow, leaving a trail of princess-sized hoofprints in their wake. The landscape as they galloped seemed to change. As they drew nearer to the forest, the sky seemed to darken, a misty haze settling in the area. The Everfree Forest usually did this, but this time, the air seemed a bit... Thicker than usual. Before long, Celestia and Twilight found themselves observing a clearing in the trees. "This is it. Keep your gaurd up," Celestia warned. Twilight, a bit shaken, readied her mind to defend herself. "What happens now?" Twilight asked in an almost pleading voice. Celestia didn't reply, but instead started into the clearing, her face set like stone. Twilight expected the worst. And the worst is what came. "Twilight!" Celestia shrieked, staring at a point just behind her. Twilight turned, then immediately dove to the side as she saw it. Standing in the air, just a few feet off the ground... Was Apple Bloom. Except that is most definitely was not the Apple Bloom they knew. For one thing, Earth Ponies didn't simply stand in the air. Heck, not even a Unicorn could do it so perfectly, and let's not even mention the Pegasi. It appeared she was standing on something, yet she was obviously floating in the middle of nowhere. But her lack of attention to gravity was not the only thing wrong: Her posture was different; her fur and mane seemed... Darker; She was not the happy, bouncing, concerned filly constantly searching for her cutie mark. No, something was terribly wrong. "A-A-Apple... Bloom!?" Twilight stammered, trying to make sense of this. A billion questions were streaming through her head, but she (with difficulty) constrained herself to silence. "Please, Twilight. Let me handle this," Celestia extended her foreleg between Twilight and Apple Bloom, forcing her back a bit. "Just stay quiet and don't use any spells. Promise me." At her last sentence, she turned her head to Twilight and gave her a sharp look. Twilight backpedaled a bit, for Celestia's glare was that she had never seen before, save for her ferocity shown towards Queen Chrysalis when she had attempted to take over Equestria two years before. "I promise!" Twilight stammered without hesitation, and Celestia seemed satisfied. She turned back to Apple Bloom's floating body and took a step toward it. The words that came from her mouth were uttered in a forgotten tongue, though for reasons she could not fathom, Twilight understood every word of it. "Thy presence on this land is forbidden. Get thee hence, entity of darkness," Celestia spoke in a hoarse voice, her throat undulating with the vernacular of Old Equus. Apple Bloom's eyes opened, and instantly Twilight had to suppress a scream: Her eyes were gone to be replaced with pure black. It appeared to her as if staring into them for too long would cause you to fall into an endless void of night. "Celestia, thou recognizest me so readily! I am flattered," emitted a deep, hoarse voice from the mouth of Apple Bloom. In the air she, no, it pretended to lounge, resting Apple Bloom's hoof against her head as if posing for a vain painting. "Do not think I hast forgiven thee," Celestia responded angrily. "Thy transgressions are too great." "Oh Celestia," it replied, lowering itself to the ground and standing on top of the snow like it wasn't there. "You just never learn! Forgiveness is not that which we desirest most. That same desire... Is for the souls of those born into light, those who live life in complete ignorance of the gravity of their situation. Those souls... Those spirits... They are that which shall be consumed by the forces of darkness! Apple Bloom's pitch-dark eyes flared and Celestia cried out. She had been thrown back into the snow as if she had been run over by Princess Cadence's bullet train. "No!" Twilight yelled, her anger immediately flaring up as she watched her mentor, her teacher, her friend tossed away like a neglected piece of burnt bread. But like Celestia, she was thrown back by a powerful force, the difference being the source: Princess Celestia's horn was glowing with the spell of binding, placing a barrier between the now-started battle and Princess Twilight. "Stay back, my faithful student!" Celestia called over Apple Bloom's hideous laughter. She then turned to the filly, her nostrils flaring and her face contorted with emotions Twilight could not comprehend, "I've got this one." "I have become stronger since our last encounter," Apple Bloom chuckled to herself, a maniacal grin spreading over her face. "Thou wilst be surprised at the skills I have acquired over the centuries." "Thy strength is no match for that of the one called forth by the light!" Celestia galloped towards Apple Bloom at full speed, her horn literally crackling with magical energy. Then, without warning, she disappeared. An agonizing moment of silence passed, Twilight and Apple Bloom both staring in confusion at the spot where Princess Celestia had just been. Teleportation usually involves a popping sound and momentary sphere of magic to transport the matter, but Celestia had just... Disappeared. Then all of the powers of heaven were unleashed at the same moment. Celestia dropped from the sky, her eyes and horn lit so brightly that Twilight thought, literally this time, that the sun had dropped down from the sky and was crashing into the ground. Apple Bloom instantly moved, dodging a beam that occupied the very same space mere milliseconds after the motion. In this manner she dodged all of the thousands of beams raining down from what Twilight realized actually was the sun. Celestia, the princess of the sun had brought the actual thing down with her to aid her in the fight. As it was, a giant fireball crashed into the ground, exploding upon impact and causing the ground to shake. Twilight ordinarily would have been incinerated on the spot, but Celestia's protection barrier turned into a bubble that surrounded her and protected her from the catastrophic effects of Celestia's attack. Apple Bloom, however, got the full impact of it, and Twilight watched half in horror, and half in awe as the little body was crushed flat. The smoke cleared and the fireball faded, returning to its place in the sky. Though it had been day, the sky had been covered with a kind of dark mist, blocking out the sun and making it seem as if it was the middle of the night. Celestia's glorious figure was hovering in the air, the glow of light fading from around her. She landed softly on the ground next to Apple Bloom, who despite being crushed by a giant fireball didn't seem to have a scratch on her body. "Is she... Dead!?" Twilight almost yelped the last word, leaping down into the newly-formed crater Celestia had created. "Don't, Twilight! The fact that her body still exists means it didn't work!" Celestia warned, but not soon enough. For at that moment, Apple Bloom's body convulsed, shooting up into the air once more. Her pitch-dark eyes opened wide, and her mouth gaped, dripping with the blood of her mangled innards. "Enough with these silly games!" she let loose a deafening roar, so torrential in volume that it caused every particle in the area to vibrate with its intensity. Twilight and Celestia were flung back by the will of the demon, slamming into a far tree with a loud thump. With one painful gasp, they both slumped to the ground, unconscious. Light. Haze. Confused screams. The feeling of pure terror had returned once more, immediately rousing Twilight and Celestia from their slumber. "Aaargh!" Twilight screamed, pressing her hooves to her temples so hard that she may as well have been attempting to compress them together. The pain was even worse when compared to the first time - Who knew that the worst thing one had ever experienced, could suddenly be amplified even further and thrown back with twice the torque? Not Princess Twilight Sparkle. "BEGONE!" Celestia shouted, and immediately the ringing feeling left Twilight. The entire scene was decimated beyond repair, the force of Celestia's last attack having uprooted trees, melted snow, and killed various critters around the area. Now fully able to appreciate their surroundings, the princesses mourned for the souls of the animals that were killed. But such was the nature of an Alicorn Princess. All life, no matter how insignificant, was precious. Even the lives of those who seek to destroy other lives had potential. A princess needed to have the capacity to understand that potential. "As you can tell," Princess Celestia grunted as she gave Twilight a hoof. "I have pinpointed the source of the disturbance and quenched it." "T-thanks," Twilight replied, her eyes glowing with her admiration for the elder princess. "We must get moving. Apple Bloom- no, the demonic spirit that now inhabits her body, plans to wage a one-pony war against Equestria. And it has a good chance of winning that war if we don't act quickly." "Right!" Twilight shouted, flapping her wings experimentally a few times then, after determining that they still worked properly, followed Princess Celestia into the air. When they got to Ponyville, things were no better off than before. In fact, they were at least sixteen times worse. The slew of destruction that had set about the small town was so great that the only thing even remotely resembling a building was Twilight's Palace. It was fully intact, mostly due to the hundreds of protective spells and enchantments laid about it. "By the name of all that is good..." Twilight cursed. Not even in her imagination could she have visualized so much devastation in one place. "Twilight," Celestia began with a choked voice, but she didn't need to complete the sentence. Twilight was already sobbing. "My...friends..." she choked, staring with disbelief at what she knew had been Sugarcube Corner, only to see the bloodstained wooden frame lying in shambles on the ground. Anyone who was in that building was certainly dead. Without looking, she knew that Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and maybe even Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash... were all dead. There was no way anypony could have survived this. They landed in the smoking remnants of town square, Celestia having to literally catch Twilight as she was so overcome by grief that she would have faceplanted into the dirt had she set down unassisted. She was heaving up more tears than anypony could possibly hope to bear, her chest rising and falling violently with her wretches. Celestia could do nothing but silently mourn with her. Through her several thousand years of life she had learned to cope with these tragedies, as everypony she had ever bonded with slipped away, one by one, with age. She was way beyond tears when it came to death. To Twilight, what passed seemed like an eternity. Eternity, filled with the senses of loss, despair, and most of all grief. The world was over, and there was no point to moving forward... "Twilight..." Celestia murmured, rocking the sobbing princess as if she were a filly. "They aren't coming back - I want you to face that fact. The spirit did this to them, and we're going to stop it. I need your full power on my side if we hope to win the battle ahead of us." Twilight could voice no reply. Her tears had ceased their flow, yet her body continued to convulse with the heaves that came with sobbing. She couldn't think; She couldn't breathe; She couldn't do anything but mourn the loss of two of her closest friends, never to speak to them again. The spirit. That one thought lingered through all of the emotional chaos ensuing in Twilight's mind. The spirit, inhabiting Apple Bloom's mangled body like a puppet, had no right to do such things. It was stepping way too far out of line, and Twilight had the last straw pulled with the death of Pinkie Pie and Rarity. "I..." she mumbled, shaking now not from grief but from rage. All of the emotions of this moment suddenly turned violent, as she pictured in her mind the spirit being torn to shreds by Twilight herself. "For murdering my friends in cold blood... For destroying Ponyville, the place held most dear in my heart..." Twilight shrugged off Princess Celestia's grip. The latter was now staring wide-eyed at her. "For possessing Apple Bloom's body like a puppetmaster pulling his strings..." Her rage boiled so much at this sentence that the ground began to shake. Twilight's horn sparkled with a black aura, triggered by the vicious rage now dominating her being to the very core. "I WILL MAKE YOU BURN!" "Life, death, then oblivion. Thus is the cycle of existence. Everything is bound by it, nothing can change it. It is the final destination and ultimate conclusion to all things." Starswirl the Bearded
Part 1 - Apprehension"Ah won't!" "Ya get out here right now! Right this instant, or I'll come in there and getcha myself!" "Ah won't do it!" "Okay, ahm comin' in! One... Two... Th-." "Alrighty then! Ahm a comin!" Apple Bloom practically screamed in anger as she opened her bedroom door. She didn't want to come; There was no point. She'd end up being a nobody, just like the last two years she remembered. As she made her way downstairs and to the front door, she was hit with the onslaught of cold air from outside. But thanks to her coats, she remained quite warm. "Yer in a heap of trouble youngin'," Granny Smith grimaced at her as she stumbled out the front door. Apple Bloom's head fell, and a single tear fell from her eye. Granny Smith was always the most frightening when she was angry. Her kind, loving face would turn into a contorted mess of fury, and it was one of the most horrifying things Apple Bloom had ever experienced. The only time before now she had seen Granny Smith this angry had been when the Flim Flam brothers had taken over their farm unfairly. Applejack broke the silence with a snap, "Come on! We've gotta scoot if we wanna make it there before it starts!" "Eeyup," Big Mac replied heartily. Instantly, all three of their faces lit up, with excitement at what was to come. As for Apple Bloom, a dark shadow crossed her face, unnoticed by her siblings and grandmother. The happy trio began on their way, bundled up in their several layers of winter coats, scarves, socks, boots, and pants. Apple Bloom followed suit, her guise resembling more of a ball than anything else. It was annoying, but it was preventing her death by frostbite. As they trotted through the crunchy snow, Apple Bloom's dread for the upcoming weeks settled in still further. The Winter Festival was always the worst part of the year, in her opinion. Why would everypony want to work hard for three weeks on something that Pinkie Pie could get up single-hoofedly in 10 seconds flat, just to party for a day, take it down, and store the materials for another year? It just didn't make sense to Apple Bloom. December was supposed to be a time for relaxation, bonding, and Hearth's Warming Eve. Not this horrific mess that Ponyville has been setting up for the past 72 years. To make it even worse, it was mandatory that all citizens help set it up. For the next three weeks, there would be nothing save sweat, tears, and even some blood. Everypony needed to help, whether they be big, small, mare or colt - it was the law. Except for one issue: Apple Bloom didn't have a Cutie Mark. This was the unsolvable crisis. Having the title of Blank Flank literally meant that you could not help with the festival. Wherever you would try to do something, somepony else with a Cutie Mark would promptly scold you over nothing, then proceed to to the exact job you were doing, sometimes even doing a worse job than you would have done. This was the source for all of Apple Bloom's resistance and hatred towards the Festival: She was required to help by the law, but wasn't allowed to by the social community. There was a small dot of light in all of this shadowy darkness; Something that could potentially lead her through this maze, whether she be blindfolded or her legs cut off: Her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders - Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Those two ponies were the only others in Ponyville who understood what she was going through. They were the only others that she could communicate with fully. Of course, she couldn't be seen actually playing with them. If you were known to be sluffing the setup of the festival, you would find yourself without any friends and excluded from all groups and clubs for several months afterward. Apple Bloom knew this, because it had happened to her last year. She managed to stay home and work there, but she didn't have any groups to hang out with for several months. She had to secretly meet with the CMC to avoid public ridicule. During her musing, the foursome had traversed the entire quarter-mile hike from Sweet Apple Acres to Ponyville. She had been so lost in thought that she almost ran into a pole. Just beforehand, however, she was jerked back by Applejack. "Watch where yer goin'!" she snapped. She wasn't yelling, but the bright happy face they had departed with was gone, replaced with a shadowy face similar to Apple Bloom's, but towards the opposite subject. Apple Bloom quickly apologized, then looked up at what she had almost knocked over. 72nd Annual Ponyville Winter Festival December 15th, 2900 EO Pre-setup meeting to be held on November 26th All citizens are required to attend Apple Bloom almost groaned audibly. She managed to catch herself in time, however, so no actual sound escaped her mouth, save it the sound of her breaths, crystallizing in midair because of the cold temperature. "Applejack! Big Mac! Granny Smith!" The source of the sudden yell was none other than Pinkie Pie, the ultimate party pony. Apple Bloom cheered up considerably when she saw Pinkie. Maybe she could find work with her! But no, she had tried that last year and it didn't work... This miraculous spark of joy lasted no more than a second, for at that moment, Pinkie Pie sped right past her without even glancing. She proceeded to hug Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny Smith in turn, but didn't even notice her. Her rage was returning. "I'm so happy you made it! Come on! It's about to start!" She sped off without saying another word. "You heard the filly - move!" Granny Smith yelled, and at once the three of them sped off, the bright happy looks returning to their faces once again. They completely forgot about her. On the plus side, Apple Bloom wouldn't have to deal with her family during the course of the meeting. She immediately darted behind a building, beginning her immediate search for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, her only hope through this entire ordeal. Her mission was accomplished less than ten seconds later. She darted around a corner, and smashed headlong into Sweetie Belle. "Oof!" they both squeaked as they collided. Apple Bloom hit her head on the ground, and was knocked silly. Sweetie Belle managed to stay on her hooves, but just barely. Apple Bloom raised herself off the ground a bit, shaking slightly, "S-sorry!. Didn't see ya there!" Sweetie Belle simply smiled, "It's okay. You're the pony I was looking for!" "Really?" Apple Bloom said, now fully recovered, aside from some bruises, scrapes, and a giant goosegg that was forming behind her right ear, where she had struck the ground. "Of course! I wanted to talk to you before we left!" This took Apple Bloom for a loop. Did she just say leave!? Just then, a third, orange mass joined the group. Like Apple Bloom, Scootaloo was so wrapped up in coats that she resembled a large orange ball. "You found her!" she exclaimed, looking at Apple Bloom. "What happened to you?" Apple Bloom looked at herself, "Oh, just a little bump." "That was some bump - you've got a goosegg on your head!" She laughed at Apple Bloom for a second, then grew serious. "Just thought we would say goodbye," she said. This brought Apple Bloom back to what Sweetie Belle had said before, and she began to panic at once. "Yer leavin!?" she yelled. This was simply impossible! Why would they leave at a time like this!? They were perfectly aware of the isolation and stress that came with being a blank flank, especially when the festival rolls around each year. Sweetie Belle spoke up, "Yes, we're leaving. Me and Rarity got invited to see some family in Fillydelphia. And since they know Scootaloo has no family, they invited her to come too." "So... Yer leavin me here by myself?" Apple Bloom felt her happiness get sucked out of her like a leech sucking blood. It was quick, yet extremely painful. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Sweetie Belle stumbled, as if Apple Bloom had hit her on the head with a bat, "We don't want to go! We would much rather stay here with you!" "Yeah!" Scootaloo chimed in, looking insulted. "We would totally stay here with you! But-" "But Rarity won't let us. When I ask her, she always-." "Alright! Ah get it!" Apple Bloom yelled, silencing them. Tears were still falling from her eyes, but the look of insult has passed. Now it was anger. She didn't usually get this angry, but her usual personality had been thrown out the window the moment this all began. "I tried everything," Sweetie Belle went on, much quieter, "But Rarity would always say," She imitated Rarity, "'You simply cannot miss this opportunity because of some silly fantasy that Apple Bloom cannot have a fabulous time without you!'" "That makes sense... Ah guess," Apple Bloom muttered, her spirits as low as they could possibly be at this moment. "Sorry," Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said in unison, their voices drooping tremendously to express the sadness they also felt. Then they simultaneously extended their forelegs and embraced her. Even though it was done with good intentions, it just made Applw Bloom feel even more miserable, if that were possible.. "Sweetie Belle!" a voice called from afar, making the three of them jump. "Scootaloo! We need to go at once! The train leaves in five minutes!" "We're coming, Rarity!" Scootaloo shouted back, then after hugging for a few more seconds, they let go. Apple Bloom watched in utter gloom as her one chance for happiness fled to the big city during her time of need. "Draw us a big picture and show it to us when we get back!" Sweetie Belle called, and Apple Bloom actually smiled and waved. Then as soon as her friends were out of sight, her hoof dropped. She was left to brood on her own feelings again, and it multiplied the effect of what had been going on before. Apple Bloom was almost tempted to sneak back home. Then, with a jolt of horror, she realized that her family must be angry with her for galloping off. In a frenzy of adrenaline and tears, she made her way to town square, where she knew the meeting was taking place. Luckily, she arrived just a few seconds before it started. She managed to slip into the crowd and next to her family without them even noticing she was gone and returned. "Fillies and Gentlecolts," a loud voice she recognized to be Mayor Mare's began. Apple Bloom stared at Town Hall with disbelief, wondering how in Equestria the Mayor could possibly think this festival was fun. Her voice sure made it sound like they were preparing to go visit the moon. "As you all know," Mayor Mare went on, "This festival is very important to all of us. Long ago, there was a pony, who we keep unnamed as to protect his descendants from ridicule. Rather than believing in the principles of friendship and harmony that was shared by everypony else here, this individual wanted more; He wanted to become more powerful than the other ponies." Everypony in the crowd let out a collective gasp. Apple Bloom groaned audibly, which caught Applejack's attention. She received a quick kick from Applejack, winced, and didn't make another sound. Mayor Mare continued, "This idea alone was bad enough that he was banished from the town for violating the peaceful ways they had worked so hard to establish. This stallion was not welcome anywhere else either; The word of how he acted had spread, and nopony wished to let him stay anywhere near them for fear of him attempting to indoctrinate them into his beliefs. "This stallion searched and searched, but never found purchase. He was forced to leave the country to find somewhere else to live. But everypony here knows that the lands beyond Equestria can be a hard place for a pony to live. We don't know what happened to him. "That aside, my predecessor the Mayor decided that to keep this spirit from re-awakening within the borders of this fine town, a Winter Festival would be held each year on December 15, 10 days before Hearth's Warming Eve. This festival would bring together the hearts and souls of everypony who lived here by promoting a sense of equality and teamwork between individuals. "Everypony in the town, no matter if they were mother, governmentalist, or chef, would help prepare for the festival. Once preparations were completed the festival would begin and they would party themselves out. Then there would be a rest period between that and Hearth's Warming Eve. After that, the festival would be taken down and the materials stored for next year. "So now that I have reminded you why we're here, let's get down to business," the Mayor went on. "This year, we are extremely grateful to have Princess Twilight Sparkle and Granny Smith to oversee the preparations for the festival. If you two could come up here...?" There was a woosh of wind, and in about 1 second flat Granny Smith, undeterred by her bad hip, had galloped around the crowd from the place near the back where they had been standing to right beside the Mayor. The festival was one of the only things that could get her this excited. As for Twilight, she simply fluttered her wings once and literally jumped onto the stage from more than halfway back. She and Granny Smith would have tied if it had been a race. "Now," Mayor Mare went on. "These two individuals will be in charge of various different aspects of the festival..." At this point, Apple Bloom's attention drifted back to her friends. Sure, she understood completely why they had to go and that it wasn't their fault, but she was still... Angry. She didn't know how or why, but she was angry at them for leaving her, despite the conditions. As if the world was trying to make her even more miserable, at that point she heard the whistle of the train leaving the station. She craned her neck, trying to look at the train, but there were too many buildings and taller ponies in her way. "Let's all have a brilliant time!" Mayor Mare yelled into the microphone. The entire crowd cheered, and ponies began galloping in various direction to begin the setup process. Applejack looked at Apple Bloom, a stern look on her face. "Com'ere you," she said, gesturing for Apple Bloom to come closer. The solemn feeling returned to Apple Bloom, and she prepared for the worst. Applejack grabbed her and pulled her close, "You'll be comin' with me and granny, so we can be sure yer doin' what'ure supposed ta." "Alright!" Apple Bloom responded, faking a tone of excitement. Her goal was achieved as Applejack's face lit back up, smiling. She relinquished her grasp on Apple Bloom, turned, and galloped off. Apple Bloom inwardly congratulated herself, then galloped after her older sister. "Hold on y'all!" Granny Smith yelled, causing the group to screech to a halt. She was pointing towards a cardboard box with decorations inside. Instantly, she, Applejack, and Big Mac all dived for it, causing the contents to spill everywhere. "Alrighty then!" Applejack said, picking up a decoration. "Let's get this show on the road!" Apple Bloom picked up a decoration. It was a plastic string with a lot of little flags attached. She looked around, trying to decide where to put it. But before she could move an inch, the decoration was swiped from her hooves. "Hey!" she shouted at the thief, reaching for the string. "Ah'll get that fer ya, youngin'," Granny Smith replied, swiftly throwing it up to the roof of the building they were standing under. The string was caught by Big Mac, who promptly attached it to the gutter. Granny Smith then tossed the other end to Applejack, who ran to the opposite side of the road. She then climbed up the building and attached the other end of the string. "Woah..." Apple Bloom trailed off, amazed. The entire process had been completed in less that 10 seconds flat. "Well don't just stand there!" Granny Smith yelled once again. "Move!" They moved. All four of them bolted off, searching for another box. This process repeated for the next hour, with Apple Bloom's attempts at helping being rejected by her family. She wanted very badly to just disappear, doubting that her family would notice for a long time. But she knew that when they did notice, she would be in a terrible amount of trouble. So she stayed, putting up with the prejudice against her shared by her family and everypony else. At one point, they neared another group. Apple Bloom noticed right off the bat that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were in the midst of it. Gasping in horror, she hid behind the box they were currently taking decorations out of. "Whatcha doin' down there!?" Applejack spat, noticing Apple Bloom for the first time since they started. "Hidin' from them," Apple Bloom replied, gesturing towards her two archenemies. "Stop bein' such a fruitbat. They're not so bad! They're two sweet little fillies!" "Easy for you to say! You don't have to go to school with 'em every day!" "Look here, sugarcube." Applejack then turned and called out to the group. Apple Bloom almost buried herself in the snow out of anticipation. "Look who it is!" said two voices in unison. Apple Bloom's spirits literally sank below her hooves, leaking everywhere into the snow in the form of sweat. The sweat was not from overheating, but from nervousness and hatred. "My oh my, isn't it Apple Bloom! What a surprise!" Diamond Tiara recited off of her nonexistent script, her rich girl accent drilling into Apple Bloom's skull like a hydra with spikes for heads. "Hey y'all," Apple Bloom replied dully, twitching her hoof. They merely laughed in tandem with their extremely aggravating high-pitched giggles. Apple Bloom looked at Applejack hopelessly, Applejack's response to which was to glare at her and gesture back to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. "How's it goin?" said Apple Bloom, coming out from behind the box on Applejack's gesture. "Oh, it's simply marvelous," they said together. "We're working so hard, and it's really fun!" Silver Spoon yelled. "Unlike some ponies, we are in the cool group. We're doing much better than... This muck." She gestured to Apple Bloom's family. "Oh no you don-," Apple Bloom began to yell, but she was instantly restrained by Applejack. She wanted to kill Diamond Tiara; She wanted to literally rip her head off. She was surprised by this emotion, because she hadn't felt anything like it before. But like her outburst at her friends, her actions were to be blamed on her family's ignorance for her pain. After struggling furiously for a few seconds, Apple Bloom managed to escape the grasp of her older sister. Finally, she was able to vent her frustrations on something. She bore down on Diamond Tiara, raised a hoof, and punched her on the muzzle, hard. "That's enough outta you!" Applejack screamed, grabbing Apple Bloom yet again. Before being pried off, Apple Bloom managed to get a few more good punches to Diamond Tiara, who was now suffering from an intense nosebleed. When she was finally separated from her, Apple Bloom was roughly thrown headfirst into the snow. Grunting in pain, she struggled to get her head out of the snow, just to get air. "You stay right there, y'hear?" Applejack yelled again. She didn't need to be told; She couldn't have gotten out even if she tried. As she attempted hopelessly to unbury herself, she quickly realized that she was struggling for breath. She was suffocating! At this realization, she tried even harder to remove herself and get air, but to no avail. After going limp and a few quick breaths, she passed out, oblivious to the world around her. Author's Note I'm back guys! Took me long enough... Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. If everything goes to plan, the release schedule will be as follows: Part 2 will be released on Thursday at 1:30 PM GMT. Part 3 will follow that on Saturday, same time. This will continue until Part 7 is released, then the story will be done. I worked very hard on this story, so I hope you guys enjoyed and will enjoy it! Please, if you have criticism to give, whether it be good or bad, leave a comment. A writer cannot improve unless this happens! Exhelah
Part 2 - IsolationApple Bloom woke up to a blur of colors. All around her, she could hear ponies talking. Trying to make them out, the recognized the mayor, Filthy Rich, Applejack, and Granny Smith. After a short time, her hearing returned to her as well. "...I demand justice for what she did to my daughter!" she heard Filthy Rich spitting at Granny Smith. "I assure ya, she will be dealt with. Ah reckon no Apples fer a year." "How is that a punishment!? There are plenty of other foods available!" "Where we come from, ah assure ya - It's perhaps the worst thing to do to a filly like her." "Well..." Filthy Rich trailed off, thinking. "Alright. Sounds good. But I still demand payment for the hospital bill!" "We'll get all that in order, Mr. Rich," Applejack reiterated for the fifth time. Upon hearing this, Filthy Rich turned to Apple Bloom, the latter of which groaned softly. Filthy Rich leaned down over her, and spoke to her, spattering spit all over her face (which didn't help her sight situation.) "You listen here you youngling," he spat. "You are not to go anywhere near my daughter again. And if I hear of you getting anywhere, I repeat, anywhere near her again, I will personally end you. You got that?" Apple Bloom, in a miracle of woe, managed to speak, "She was insultin' ma family, Mr. Ri-" "I don't care if she was-," he ended mid-scream, a look of confusion on his face. "Wait, what was she doing?" "She was insultin' my family, Mr. Rich," Apple Bloom reiterated, managing - through much pain - to prop herself up on her foreknees. "She was bein' really mean to me." Filthy Rich looked shocked, as if he couldn't believe that his, 'precious perfect pretty daughter,' would do such a thing. He seemed on the edge of brushing it off as a lie, but his eyes said otherwise. They were angry, but Apple Bloom could tell that it wasn't directed at her anymore. "Diamond Tiara!" he screamed in a frenzy, whipping around to where his daughter was being treated for a broken muzzle bone. "Is what she says true? Were you insulting her family!?" Diamond Tiara, who couldn't speak and could barely move, slightly shook her head. Apple Bloom didn't expect any different. "Come on guys," Apple Bloom suddenly pleaded to Applejack and Granny Smith. "Ya heard her! She was callin' us names and insultin' our farm! All our hard work!" Granny Smith and Applejack put on a similar show that Filthy Rich (who was now staring at Applejack, waiting for confirmation) had participated in before. They were conflicted, but then Applejack looked over at Diamond Tiara. "She was insultin' us, Mr. Rich," she said, much to Apple Bloom's delight. If she hadn't been in so much pain she would have sprung up and hugged her. "Yes-er-ee," Granny Smith confirmed, nodding her head. "But that still doesn't excuse this one's behavior." "I agree," Filthy Rich said, glancing back at Apple Bloom. He still didn't like her, but his outright rage was now directed at his daughter. As Filthy Rich apologized, forgave them of the medical bills, and stormed off to give his daughter a good scolding. Apple Bloom was helped up by her sister and grandmother. This process consisted mainly of groans and grunts from Apple Bloom as she was a dead weight for Applejack and Granny Smith. "Yer still in trouble, Sugarcube," Applejack reminded her. "Ahm sorry for punchin' her," Apple Bloom tried to tell them, but they had stopped listening. Here was the usual demeanor of neglect and stiffness that they had adopted before. After making a final check that everything was cleaned up, they trotted off. The process of setting up the festival continued as usual, with Apple Bloom's attempts at helping now being spurned more forcefully. She did enjoy not having to do as much work, but she hated that her family was doing it out of hatred, not love. After a few hours more, Apple Bloom built up the willpower to ask Applejack about it. "Sis?" she began shyly, expecting to be ignored. But she was surprised. "Not now, Apple Bloom," she said, not sparing a glance at her. Despite their lack of eye contact, Apple Bloom continued, "Yer not lettin' me help." Applejack dropped what she was holding and stared Apple Bloom straight in the face, "Yer tryin' to blame yer inadequacy on me!?" "Ahm not... In-ad-e-kwa-cy," she replied harshly, trying to sound out the word. She didn't know what it meant, but the way Applejack used it suggested that it was an insult of some kind. "Yer tryin' to be lazy and pin all the blame on yer' family," Applejack responded, going back to what she was doing. "But it's nothin' but yer own silly desire to get outta a bit of character-buildin' work." "Ahm tryin' to help ya, but every time ah try, ya always take it away!" Applejack thought for a moment, and in that moment Apple Bloom foolishly hoped that she would see the truth. But, of course, she "didn't remember" that ever happening. Turning back to Apple Bloom, she scowled, "Ah have nevah taken somethin' away from ya in the entire time we've done this!" "Yes ya have!" Apple Bloom yelled back, now positively angry. "How about this: If ya see me doin' somethin', don' take it away. Let me do it!" "What are ya sayin' about the things ah do!?" Applejack screamed back, her face going beet red. "All ahm tryin' to say is that if ah left right now, yeh wouldn' notice a difference!" Applejack was silent for a moment, seeming to try to compose herself before responding, "Fine. Go home before ah kill ya, yeh rottin' bucket of apples." Apple Bloom almost jumped for joy before quickly thanking her sister and speeding off towards the edge of Ponyville, determined to get back to their barn if it killed her. As she trumped through the deep snow, she reconsidered what she had said to Applejack. Maybe she was being a bit harsh? No, the yelling and screaming was necessary for her escape. Even if the only reason Applejack let her go was to not kill her, Apple Bloom still felt quite accomplished at completing the task she had been attempting to do for the past three years. When she got back to the barn, she was covered in snow from head to foot. Not wanting to anger her family still further, she undressed in the mudroom and dried herself off, shivering violently, before entering the premises of her home. The onslaught of heat from the fire washed over her as if a bucket of pure happiness was poured over her head. "Ahhh..." she moaned in delight as she experienced the full force of this temperature change. She felt instantly better inside; She felt as if all of her troubles were muscles that were being unknotted and unclenched. Instantly lethargic, she moseyed over to the sofa, collapsed, and instantly dozed off into the world of her subconscious. Just a few minutes later, Apple Bloom woke up to a scream. Paralyzed with fear, she looked around. Suddenly, she realized that the scream had emanated from her own mouth. "Whew," she sighed, ending her panicking state. It was all just a nightmare; Nopony was being hung on stakes. After a few more attempts, Apple Bloom decided that trying to sleep now would be pointless. She attempted to get off of the sofa, but it took her a few tries to get back onto her hooves. Although she couldn't sleep, she was still extraordinarily tired. Suddenly, Apple Bloom recalled Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's goodbye in her mind, remembering that she had promised her friends a giant picture when they got back. Deciding that this was the best option of the moment, Apple Bloom made her way upstairs, groggily lumbered into her bedroom, and plopped onto her desk chair. It was time to get to work. Still half-asleep, Apple Bloom drew out a large piece of paper, a box of crayons, and a ruler from her desk drawer. She halfheartedly picked a crayon from the box, set it to the paper, and began to scribble away. It wasn't her finest piece, but that was to be expected from a half-asleep, traumatized six-year-old filly. A few minutes later, Apple Bloom finished scribbling an unintelligible blob on the paper. She knew that this drawing was going to end up horrible, but she didn't care anymore. This one wouldn't be for her friends - she just needed something to do. Apple Bloom repeated the very slow process of drawing a crayon from its resting place in the box, setting it to the paper, and drawing more unintelligible scribbles. It was not long before she realized that the picture seemed to be... moving. No, it was alive! It was trying to eat her face! "No!" she screamed, jerking her head up off the desk. "What was that, youngin'!?" came an angry voice from afar. At this voice, Apple Bloom instantly went rigid. She had fallen asleep right on her desk, the second crayon still clenched in her hoof. Springing from her chair with some newfound strength, she peeled a wet, sticky something from her cheek; The paper she had been drawing on was now a drool-sodden mess. Discarding the ruined paper in the wastebasket (for there was no saving it), Apple Bloom flung open her bedroom door, yelling, "Ahm sorry! Ah fell asleep! Ah was shoutin' at mah dream, not y'all!" "Good," Applejack replied curtly. Apple Bloom began her journey down the stairs, but was soon tumbling - She had tripped on the third step down! Rolling down the stairs like a slinky, she smashed headlong into Applejack, who began screaming again. Apple Bloom would have begun laughing hysterically if it weren't for the current situation. "Apple Bloom!" Applejack screamed, her voice now raspy from yelling so much. "Ya watch where yer goin'!" "Ahm sorry!" Apple Bloom shouted back. "Ah didn't mean to!" "AH DON'T CARE WHAT YA THINK!" Applejack screamed. She then proceeded to vault herself over the couch (for she had landed on the other side) and punched Apple Bloom across the muzzle. This action was something Apple Bloom did not expect. At no time, no matter how angry or frustrated she was, Applejack had never physically harmed her like this. "AH!" she screamed as her elder sister's hoof connected with her muzzle. The sheer amount of pain was unbearable; Apple Bloom felt a pang of pity for Diamond Tiara, but she still didn't forgive her. These thoughts were interrupted with Applejack picking her up and throwing her across the floor, causing her head to strike the wall. Now she was seeing nothing but blurs, and feeling nothing but pain and grief. She didn't notice as Big Mac and Granny Smith came streaming into the room to see what was going on. "Wha's goin' on here!?" Granny Smith shouted at Applejack. Finally, somepony had a straight head. "Apple Bloom was makin' a right racket, so Ah taught her a lesson!" "Ah don't care if she burned the barn down!" Granny Smith retorted, prodding Applejack in the muzzle. "We nevah use physical violence against each othah!" "Ah... Ah..." Applejack tried to respond, obviously failing to conceive a good comeback. Rather than continuing to stammer, she turned back to Apple Bloom. But Apple Bloom wasn't there. "Why the little..." Applejack silently cursed, but she didn't get to finish the thought. For at that precise moment, there was a loud crash! Granny Smith instantly bolted to the door to find Apple Bloom limping away through the snow. "Come back you silly filly!" Granny Smith called, but Apple Bloom didn't care. She wasn't even sure that she could care about anything, save the overpowering desire to get away from her family. The only thing she wanted to do right now was be alone. It was as if death himself had taken the form of a little filly and was limping through the bustling town of Ponyville. Apple Bloom didn't have enough energy to cry. In fact, she surprised herself at how far she had walked. She had expected to collapse long before she reached Ponyville. Everywhere she went, ponies shied away, knowing immediately that this filly was not to be reckoned with; As if she was some sort of parasite that ponies feared of getting close to, lest they become infected and die. Usually Apple Bloom would dislike this and want to be with other ponies - but at the moment, she wanted nothing else but to be alone. As she trumped through the sunlit, bustling town, she reflected on what had happened to her over the last day. It all felt the same - the pain, the isolation, and the annoyance were all still there, strong as ever. She felt as is these emotions were in buckets, and the buckets were completely full. Yet there was still more liquid being poured in, filling the buckets beyond full to overflowing. She didn't know how long she had been walking before she wandered away from Ponyville. Ignoring the screaming pain in her joints from the fall and the cold from the snow, she continued forth, not knowing where she was going, but knowing she would know when she got there that it was the place for her. She was nearing the Everfree Forest - she was now on the opposite side of Ponyville from Sweet Apple Acres. Without caring, she walked straight into it. Although there were plenty of bad things in there, she felt that being eaten by a Manticore would be better than living on. Then, she tripped. "Oof!" she yelled as she began rolling down a shallow hill. She knew instantly that she was going to become both colder and more sore when this was over. She let herself roll, knowing that trying to stop would be even more painful. Since the hill was so shallow, she didn't hit a sudden horizontal surface, but instead it gradually flattened until she stopped. Her head was spinning, and her stomach was doing many uncomfortable flip-flops, but she forced herself to her hooves once more to get a bearing on her location. She had quite literally stumbled upon a small clearing in the Everfree Forest. The amount of trees between the clearing and Ponyville wasn't enough to blot out the town completely, but it was enough that she wouldn't be noticed by anypony. This was the unknown place she had been looking for. And so she flopped onto her back with her coat wrapped around her, curled up, and wretched dry sobs for what felt like hours. She tried to force all of her bad feelings out through these, but her attempts all resulted in failure. Defeated and lost, she slumped her weak body onto the cold snow, completely relaxing and somehow hoping this would all end. As she lied motionless in the snow, her focus drifted in and out of phase. It was like being on the edge of sleep, but not quite getting there. Her thoughts swirled about in random eddies, the fog of despair closing in upon her. Through this fog, she was t able to distinguish a small blur. This blur slowly solidified as it seemed to move closer to Apple Bloom. Ordinarily, she would have attempted to greet the visitor, but her current state made the mere thought of standing and talking painful. Apple Bloom realized at that point that she was completely helpless. Completely alone and without strength, she wasn't capable of the simple task of looking at her visitor. All she could see were its hooves. "Wha...?" Apple Bloom moaned, only to receive a spike of pain through her chest. She wanted the visitor to identify itself, at least so she could know friend versus foe. "Ya' really oughta cheer up," Apple Bloom said. Hold on a second... Apple Bloom had a thought surge through her head: A single, dominating realization, so overpowering that her eyes produced tears for the first tim that day: She hadn't said a word. Instantly, her mind went into overdrive, having gone haywire from this thought. How had she said something if her mouth hadn't moved? Who had spoken? Who was- She was brought out of this panic when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. It was gentle: Not pushing too hard, but holding firm. At this touch, Apple Bloom felt a warm sensation spread from that shoulder and all up and down her body, alleviating a great portion of her pain. She was ready to heartily thank this savior of emotions, but when she looked up at the hoof's owner, her mind was sent spinning again: She was looking up at herself. Her jaw dropped through the ground at this sight. How had herself walked up, herself put her hoof on her own shoulder to calm her own pain, and how did she exist in two places at once!? "Wait, what!?" she sweated, scampering away from her duplicate. It simply wasn't possible to duplicate yourself like this! She hadn't been through any mirror pools that she could remember... "Ahm you," her copy said, winking. Apple Bloom was more confused than ever. A billion questions were ticking off through her head, similar to before. At least now she could respond. "How are ya me!?" she half-yelled. "Ah've nevah gone through teh mirror pool!" "Oh, it's not that," her copy responded, shaking her head. "Ahm not real. Ahm just in yer head." "Yer... Not real?" Apple Bloom repeated her copy's words, not more confused than ever. It wasn't until then that she realized that she was no longer in the forest clearing: She and her "copy" were standing in the white fog that had clouded Apple Bloom's consciousness. Was this a dream? Or was it a hallucination? Or maybe it was Diamond Tiara getting back at her for her punch. "Nope!" said the copy, confirming Apple Bloom's inquiry. "How are ya not real!? Yer standin' there lookin' at meh, ahm talkin to ya, and yer-" "We're in yer head! Ya silly filly. However could ya come up with a pony such as me?" Apple Bloom was surprised at her copy's use of grown-up words. How did she know how to speak like a grown-up? She could talk, but not that well. And why had her copy called her a filly!? "Yer just as old as ah am!" Apple Bloom shouted, growing frustrated with the events of the last minute. She simply was not ready to accept the fact that she was having a hallucination or some kind of mental illness. "Oh no no no..." her copy shook her head, her voice growing pitifully weary at the sentence. She sounded like a pony who had been living for too long of a time. Earth Ponies did live longer than the other races, but not this much longer. "Ya said you were fake!" "Ahm not fake, per say. Ahm just an echo." This confused Apple Bloom still further. Deciding to cut to the chase, she took a few tentative steps closer to this... Image in her head, and asked, "Whaddaya want with me?" "Ah just wanna help ya feel better," her copy responded, producing a small smile. Apple Bloom knew that she needed help, but she wasn't sure how a picture in her head was going to help. "...How?" "We're both lonely. Trust meh, ah know how it feels. But why are ya wallowing about it? Fix it!" "How do ah do that!? Mah family hates me!" "You don't need them. Just make yer own friend! Ya have snow, now use it!" Apple Bloom then did the double facehoof to end all double facehooves, "Of course! Ahm stupid! Thanks, me!" The copy merely smiled and nodded. Then she turned and walked back into the fog clouding Apple Bloom's head, until her form had dissipated completely. Apple Bloom focused, and slowly the fog dissipated as well, bringing her back to the physical world. She gasped. She hadn't noticed while she was in her own mind that it was very warm. The instant she woke back up though, the teeth-chattering chill reached her once again. The change was so drastic and extreme that Apple Bloom somehow managed to produce a few tears from the pain of it. Although she was chilled to the bone, no, deeper than that, she could tell that the muscle aches and depression she had experienced before were suppressed. Of course, they were still there, but something about her copy healing her like she had gave Apple Bloom the ability to put aside feelings she didn't enjoy. It was a wonderful feeling. Remembering what her doppelgänger had told her, Apple Bloom shook off the remaining pain with her newfound ability. She pushed back all of the pain, all of the misery, and all of the isolation she had experienced thus far. It was a wonderful feeling of bliss, being relieved of all these things. And she was off, rising to her hooves to begin her work. After taking a moment to shake off the fact that she was almost frozen solid, she began gathering snow with her damp gloves. No matter how cold or how depressed she was, she was also determined to make herself happy. Apple Bloom silently thanked her copy for helping her. She never knew her own mind could help her like that! She was going to have to research that when she grew up. A few moments later, she looked down at what she was putting together. She had built up nothing but a small pile, but already she was imagining the wondrous things she could create. But she had already decided what to build. Apple Bloom began forming the hooves of her snowpony. Author's Note Oh man, now we're getting somewhere! Once again, criticism in the form of comments, positive or negative, is highly appreciated! Exhelah
Part 3 - IncursionApple Bloom stepped back for a moment to admire her creation. Over the past while, she had molded a creature of wonder. Her snowpony was the best she had ever seen anypony make. It was about her size, although a bit smaller. Its mane was short, for Apple Bloom didn’t know of any way to make it longer and still hold together. Everything about it was lifelike, except… The eyes were blank. Apple Bloom had tried and tried to make good-looking eyes, but eventually gave up on detailing. Therefore, the snowpony’s eyes were nothing but two blank spaces. It was slightly disturbing. Apple Bloom mused about what she would do now – She had built her snowpony, what else was there to do? What else could she do in the time she had? Then it came to her with the force of a speeding train: It was dark! While she had been busy sculpting the snowpony, she hadn’t noticed the passage of time. What time was it? Was her family worried? Probably not, but there was a chance. Apple Bloom, with her returning horror of being chewed out by Applejack, said a final goodbye to her snowpony and began to exit the clearing. But right as she was going to pass over the perimeter, she stopped. Something was close. She couldn’t place a hoof on it, but she had the uncanny feeling of being watched. It was as if there was somepony close by, hiding in plain sight, watching her. Apple Bloom looked around the area, but there was nopony close by… She decided that it was probably because she was tired. Putting aside the feeling, Apple Bloom continued her trek through the snow, desperately trying to get back home to the warmth of the fire. Eventually, she arrived at the barn. Stumbling through the wooden doors, she peeled off her many coats and jackets, resulting in her half-freezing in cold sweat. She quickly rinsed herself off with the hose, patted herself dry with a trembling hoof, and quietly opened the door into the main room. The instant she crossed the boundary of the now-open doorway, the familiar wave of heat crossed her fur. Apple Bloom took a moment to relish this sensation, before entering the room completely and shutting the door behind her. The fire was cracking in the fireplace, with the familiar cushy sofas arranged in a U-shape around it. Those sofas held many dear memories, but she couldn’t think of any at the moment. All Apple Bloom wanted to do was arrive in her bedroom and fall asleep. She began to climb the stairs, which creaked slightly under her hooves. As Apple Bloom climbed, she remembered that her family was sleeping, and so slowed her hoofsteps to minimize the produced noise. The door to her bedroom was shut tight, as she had expected. Silently, she hoped that her family hadn’t ransacked her bedroom in search of her, that is, if they searched for her at all. She finished scaling the last shallow step, finishing her trek up the stairs. She approached her bedroom door, and slowly turned the knob and opened it, as if she had to open the bedroom door of a dozing foal. She found her room unchanged, with a few crayons still spread about her desk where she had left them. The wastebasket still held the now-dried wad of paper that had been her drawing. Apple Bloom scuttled about, cleaning up her crayons and pushing the chair of her desk back in. Although she was tired, she didn’t want Applejack to get mad at her for a messy bedroom in the morning. After she was done tidying up, she approached her bed. Apple Bloom tucked herself into her warm, soft bed. It felt like heaven. After being out in the snow for so long, she hadn’t realized just how sore and tired she really was. She laid her head on her pillow, weary with fatigue, and entered the realm of her subconscious for the night. When Apple Bloom roused the next morning, it was to find Applejack leaning over her, fury etched in every line of her face and muzzle. "Where have ya been!? We looked all ovah fer ya!" she spat. Apple Bloom wasn't awake enough to respond. "Well... whatevah," Applejack finished, springing back from Apple Bloom's bed and giving the filly a dirty look. "Ah don't care what ya do. Just say outta mah way. Alright?" "Ok...ay..." Apple Bloom mumbled, still lethargic from her extremely short night's sleep. This answer seemed to satisfy Applejack, and she exited the room, slamming the door behind her. Apple Bloom was left to ponder on what had just happened. Did Applejack really not care what she did? Would she be able to return to the clearing in peace, without trouble? She sure hoped so. Apple Bloom forced herself awake via a slap across her muzzle, then slowly climbed out of bed, ready to start the day. She opened her door and moseyed down the creaky wooden stairs, eyeing the various pictures on the walls. These pictures were all of happy memories - back when Apple Bloom's mother and father were still alive. She remembered them fondly, and was extremely heartbroken after their accident. Her parents had perished in a train wreck while coming back from Canterlot. Princess Celestia herself had invited them, wishing to get a taste of the well-known, "Best Apples in Equestria." Apple Bloom later learned that the princess' response had been an absolute yes, that their apples were indeed the best the country had to offer. Apple Bloom spent so long musing that she had stopped dead in the middle of the staircase. And to her luck, Granny Smith needed to go up them. "Get yer whiny behind outta mah way!" she spat, forcing her way past Apple Bloom, causing the latter to lose her balance and, as if it was a curse, to fall down the stairs once more. This time, rather than slamming into Applejack, she sprawled on the floor, pain pulsing through her as if she was being stabbed with knives everywhere at once. Ordinarily she would have screamed from this much pain, but recent events had taught her to suppress her outward emotions. She simply grunted as she struck the hard wood, her head spinning. Apple Bloom lied there for quite some time, trying to recover from her fall. But her head kept spinning, the pain continued, and she didn't feel any better. In fact, the fall seemed to have amplified the emotional effects from the Winter Festival so far. "Whaddaya doin' down there!?" Applejack asked, leaning over Apple Bloom like a vulture honing in on its prey. "Ah fell down," Apple Bloom responded, hoping this wouldn't spark some previously nonexistent splurge of anger. She fully expected it to, however, given that pretty much anything could set Applejack off this time of year. "Well get up and do somethin' useful!" Applejack replied, stalking off through the kitchen door. Apple Bloom managed to rise to her hooves, thinking that she was going to make Applejack as happy as possible today, even if it killed her. She wasn't going to help with the festival, no, but she would do anything else her family asked of her. She entered the kitchen to find that her breakfast had already been set out. Her spirits rising slightly, Apple Bloom carefully moved past Applejack’s watchful eye and sat in her place. The food was stone cold. Apple Bloom sighed. She had expected as much, but the fact was still hurtful. Her family didn’t care enough to heat up her breakfast. “Eat yer breakfast and scedattle outta here. Ah don’t wanna see ya until dinner,” Applejack said, not even glancing at Apple Bloom for a moment. Apple Bloom had mixed feelings about this: She was still sad about her family’s uncaring attitude, but at least she would be able to go back to the clearing, no, her clearing. That area was the new light in the darkness, and Apple Bloom was determined to make it shine. She quickly ate her breakfast, ignoring the odd feeling of shoving cold toast down her throat. After she was done, she took care of her plate, then immediately galloped upstairs to grab her coat and boots. “Make sure ya get home before dark!” Granny Smith called out to her. “Alright! Ah might see ya in town, and if Ah do Ah’ll try ta help again!” she replied. Of course, she meant to do no such thing, but she wanted to make her family happy. “Alright, sugarcube!” Granny Smith replied. For the first time in what seemed to be years, Apple Bloom gave a genuine smile. Her family seemed to believe they were warming up to her again, but of course it was all an illusion; She had retained her ban on Apples for several months. Apple Bloom completed revesting herself of her winter clothing, traveled back downstairs, then opened the door and stepped outside. The chill of the frozen winter air hit her as if a bucket of icewater had been dumped over her head. It was chilling, but she didn’t care. Following the trail she had made the day prior, Apple Bloom began her trek back to the clearing. As she went, she took a moment to admire Ponyville and the decorations that had been set up so far. As of the moment, the entire town seemed to be blanketed in endless banners, boxes, and streamers. In town square, there were many temporary buildings set up for games, food stands, and social places. Dotted throughout the town were several of these as well. The sun’s angle casted a long shadow over each building, making Ponyville seem less like a town and more like a large, misshapen chessboard. After a moment, Apple Bloom turned her attention back to where she was going. Rather than following her old path through town, she had diverged to form a new path around the entire town. She wanted to avoid it as much as possible so she wouldn’t have to live up to her prior statement. She arrived at the clearing a short while later. When she saw the snowpony, her spirits lifted. She was going to build a snow fort today. Although there was nopony else to throw snowballs, she felt that it was the right thing to do. But as she passed by the snowpony, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but stop. That strange feeling of being watched was back again. Apple Bloom circled the snowpony, inspecting every inch of it. Perhaps she had made it a tad too realistic? No, it wasn’t just her. There was definitely something watching her, but she couldn’t tell what. “Oh come on!” she yelled aloud, frustrated by the events. Instantly, her brain sizzled, “Diamond Tiara! Silver Spoon! Come out! Ah’ve got ya!” But her two worst enemies didn’t appear. Apple Bloom was glad for this, because she didn’t want Filthy Rich to have an excuse to hate her. Still frustrated by her feeling, Apple Bloom looked up at the snowpony’s face. The eyes were still blank; Lifeless. Yet they were watching her. “Ah!” Apple Bloom yelled, scampering back from the snowpony. How was this possible? Her snowpony wasn’t alive… Yet it did seem that it was staring at her unceasingly. As if it was a being trapped and wanted to escape. As if it wanted to be her friend. “No… No…” Apple Bloom began to sob. This day wasn’t turning out like she had expected, and now she was having strange impulses of being watched! What was happening!? But something inside her told her otherwise. Apple Bloom’s inner self was yelling, no, screaming at her that what she was feeling wasn’t just some illusion. “…Am Ah goin’ mad?” Apple Bloom spent the remainder of that day trying to ignore the strange snowpony’s stare. It of course wasn’t actually staring at her – she had decided that long before. Even with this thought, she couldn’t help but glance back at it every few seconds, terrified that it would do… Something to her. She didn’t know what, but it scared her beyond belief. She was putting the finishing touches on her two snow forts. They were nothing but two vertical walls, but they were enough to satisfy her. The sun was sagging on the horizon, trying and failing to sink into the depths of the earth. Apple Bloom decided two things: That Celestia was failing in her duty to lower the sun on time today, and that it was probably time to head back. She hadn’t had lunch, so her stomach was growling. Apple Bloom glanced back at her snow forts, satisfied with her work. She thought fondly of her friends and couldn’t wait for them to come home. She was going to have a lot of fun with them when they got back, even if it would mean being even more excluded at school for months to come. She made her way away from the two forts, turning her direction to Ponyville. She took a deep breath, then waved goodbye to the forts and began to leave. But as she was about to enter the trees, she felt it again. “Okay, who the heck is watchin’ me!?” Apple Bloom yelled to the night. She couldn’t stand it anymore. Something, or somepony, was watching her, but where in all of Equestria were they!? Why didn’t they show themselves? Greatly distressed, Apple Bloom ran around in a frenzy, going mad as she attempted to locate the perpetrator. But no matter where she layed her eyes, no matter how many times she scrutinized the area, she found nothing. “This isn’t right! This isn’t right! This isn’t right!” Apple Bloom curled up on the ground, sobbing as the terrible feeling of being watched bore into her soul like a dragon spewing fire. It burned. It hurt. It was hot. But then, she remembered something. Something that had been bothering her all day. Something, in fact, that she took to be impossible. Shaking violently, Apple Bloom raised her head, heaving herself to her elbows as she looked up at her snowpony. She stared at it, willing it to explain what in the world was happening to her. But she noticed something else as well. “Aaahh!” she screamed, scrambling back, resulting in her tripping and plunging into the snow. It was simply impossible! No snowpony could change positions! But hers had. She hadn’t noticed… That the snowpony had turned to face her. This had to be a dream. It just had to be. Nopony in their right mind would make a snowpony that could move! Frosty the Snowpony was just a story! It wasn’t real! Or was it? With the impeccable feeling of terror still drilling into her, Apple Bloom rose to her hooves. Nothing was making any sense to her. Hoping for salvation, Apple Bloom violently slapped herself across the muzzle, trying to wake up from this nightmare. But all that resulted was her falling into the snow once again. “Arrggh!” she cried with a muffled voice. This was going too far. Steeling herself, she rose once again, trying to ignore the excruciating pain in her muzzle. Had she broken something? Now she was face to face with the snowpony. Eyeing it closely, she paced around it. Many times she circled, but the snowpony didn’t move again. “What is goin’ on!?” she screamed, scrunching up her face in anger. But in that instant, she felt something change. She slowly opened one eye, terrified at what she might see. Looking at the snowpony again, she jumped back again in terror: The snowpony was facing her again! “Get outta mah way!” Apple Bloom let out a bloodcurdling scream, approaching the snowpony and barging herself into it. Expecting it to fall over, she let herself go loose. The next thing she knew, she was in the snow again. “Uhh…” she groaned, turning herself over to face upwards. The snowpony was now leaning over her, staring her down with its pale, blank eyes. But the eyes were alive… “No!” she screamed, finding some impossible strength to slide out from under her creation and gallop as hard as she could away from the clearing. Apple Bloom did not sleep well that night. After dinner came to a close she had gone straight up to her bedroom to retire for the night. But rather than getting the good night’s sleep she had planned, her unconscious was laden with nightmares of the snowpony. She woke up several times during the night in a frenzy, her blanket always having been thrown off the bed. Every time she managed to fall asleep, she experienced the same dream of a giant snowpony stamping her like an ant. When the sun rose the next morning, Apple Bloom felt even more fatigued and beaten than when she had first fallen asleep. Deciding that sleeping was hopeless, she rose from her bed and looked herself up and down in the mirror. She looked terrible. She really needed to take a bath. So she entered the bathroom and turned on the water. As she took her bath, she repeatedly would start and look around, as if she knew somepony was watching her. Why did she still feel this!? It aggravated her to the point where she accidentally hurt herself when she got out of the tub. She dried off and looked in the mirror again. Much better this time, though a bit wet. Apple Bloom hung up her towel, opened the door, and stepped downstairs. “Mornin’,” she said darkly, entering the kitchen to find Big Macintosh making toast. He didn’t even glance at her, for just then the toast popped out of the toaster. He grabbed them out with just a bit more force than was usual. Apple Bloom didn’t know how to make her own food, so she got a glass of water and sat down across from Big Mac. He was looking at the newspaper, anything to keep from talking to her with his few words. With nothing else to do, Apple Bloom finished her glass of water and went back upstairs. She thought of trying to draw a picture again, but the memory of her previous encounter with dancing crayons deterred her from this activity. Instead, she grabbed her winter clothes and began to put them on. “Apple Bloom,” a voice said. She looked up to find Applejack, a glare etched on her face. “Ah don’t care what ya do, but ya need to eat first.” “Alrighty,” she replied, and she began to reverse the process of putting on her coat and boots. Applejack went downstairs without another word, and Apple Bloom followed suit a short time later. When she entered the kitchen again, Applejack had set out another helping of cold leftover toast for her again. Without making a sound of discontent, or any sound at all, Apple Bloom sat back in her chair and ate her breakfast. The tension increased as Applejack, and eventually Granny Smith, sat as well. Although they weren’t yelling anymore, the mutual hatred was there, and boy was it powerful. The instant Apple Bloom had downed her last bite, Applejack looked up at her, “Now go off and do somethin’ with yer time. Same deal as yesterday: Ah either wanna see ya helpin’ with the festival or not at all until dinner.” Apple Bloom instantly nodded, arose from her seat, and returned to her bedroom to revest herself of her winter clothes. This time, as she walked out the front door, there was no goodbye to be had. There was no genuine smile, and Apple Bloom had absolutely no idea what to do with the day. She couldn’t go back to the clearing, because the snowpony was there. The snowpony. All that had happened the night prior returned to her mind with an unpleasant jolt. All of the freaky things her snowpony had done all seemed like it had happened ages ago. Maybe, just maybe, it really was just a dream? Apple Bloom realized that she could no longer tell dream from reality. The realization sank in, literally making her sink to her knees. Was this all a dream? Which parts were the dream and which parts were real? Still musing, she stood back up and began walking in a random direction. She had no idea where she was going, but at least she would be able to come back easily – The snow trail she was leaving behind was blantently obvious. She wandered, lost in thought, for at least an hour – She couldn’t tell time anymore either. It could have been an hour, it could have been six hours; It could have been several days. Whatever time was correct, she came to a stop, still as a stone. Apple Bloom had been so lost in thought that she had wandered in a completely random direction, and she did not recognize the scenery around her. Immediately thinking of a plan, she turned about face, prepared to follow her snow trail back to Ponyville. But there was no trail to be seen. “Wait… what!?” she yelled, trying to figure out how she had not left a trail of snow behind her. It simply wasn’t possible for her to walk through snow and not leave some kind of mark! This one was definitely a dream. But Apple Bloom didn’t want to slap herself across the muzzle again, for she already had a bruise from yesterday, as well as a bruise on the top of her head from when she collided with Sweetie Belle. She was aching all over, and she guessed that was from Applejack and Granny Smith’s rough handling of her when she had tried to hurt, no, kill Diamond Tiara. She felt as if her life had become a pattern: Pain, musing, more pain, more musing, dreams, snowponies, and being lost. If it kept going on like this, she was sure to go mad. Because of these, she decided that she probably wasn’t in a dream, for if she was her realizing it would have allowed her to control, and therefore end it. But nothing had happened, and the trail still wasn’t there. “What is goin’ on!?” she demanded of the air, but, of course, she got no response. The sun was as high as it got in the sky, staring her down like a mouse readying itself to pounce for its cheese. Suddenly, something inside her shifted. It felt as if she was being tugged on by something. Apple Bloom frantically turned circles, trying to locate the pony grabbing her. But nopony was in sight. However, she still felt it. The impulse was trying to tell her where to go. Apple Bloom didn’t trust her instincts all that much, for she couldn’t even tell what she was good at yet. Why did she want to turn around and start walking so badly? She resisted the urge to walk for quite some time, trying to find out where she was on her own. But the feeling increased, and eventually became so overpowering that she could no longer bear it. “Alright then!” Apple Bloom yelled, giving in to the urge to walk. Immediately, she turned around and began walking. It wasn’t a normal walk, either – Her hoofsteps resembled more of a robot than a filly. She trekked through the deep snow for ages, or that’s what it seemed like to her. As she traveled, she seemed to become more and more afraid of something, to the point where she would have let loose a bloodcurdling scream if she was in control of her body. But she had realized that she could no longer change direction – her own body had betrayed her, siezing her will and forcing her to walk. She first traveled over many shallow hills, not able to check behind her to see if her trail was remaining. Then she saw a large group of trees in the distance: The Everfree Forest. Was it possible that she was being led back to Ponyville by somepony, somewhere? But after she had traveled through the trees for a long while, seeming to avoid all of the monsters, she became so terrified that she could no longer see. Her eyes were managing to produce tears under the pressure, but she still couldn’t control the rest of her. But suddenly, it was as if everything that had happened to her, everything that had ever worried or upset her, left her. A rushing feeling swept through her, seeming to carry off every bad thought, feeling, memory that she had been holding in her soul. It was as if the festival had never happened; As if she was completely free. And she was. Not only had all of the fear left her, but the tugging that had been pulling her all this way relinquished her. She fell to the ground when this happened, trying to process everything that had just occurred. Was it possible that she had just died? If so, it was a very painless death. But she knew that she was still alive. There had been nothing, no, nothing that could have killed her without her realizing. Unless this all was a dream and she had been killed in her sleep, she was definitely most alive. But this wasn’t a dream, for she had tried to wake up and it didn’t work. Apple Bloom, after this had all gone through her head, stood up and looked at her surroundings. There were trees on every side, and the area was a shallow bowl devoid of trees, just like… The clearing. The impulse to walk had led her back here. In the exact center of the clearing she saw her snowpony, with the snow forts she had built the day before standing off to the side, facing each other through the middle. But she was no longer afraid. In fact, she was happy. As far as she was concerned, she was going to spend the rest of eternity here. Just her, the snow, and of course, her snowpony. She walked up to the snowpony, eager to begin her fun. The snowpony seemed just as excited, and then it did something it had never done before: It moved. Not the moving-while-unseen thing it had been doing earlier, but it had actually moved. It had straightened up, then gestured to the snow forts. Apple Bloom’s excitement intensified as she nodded and ran over to one of the forts. Then the two engaged in the most ferocious snowball fight in history. Apple Bloom was, by a longshot, the best snowball fighter in Equestria. Not ever had she encountered a pony that could outmatch her in a snowball fight. So she was confident that she would be able to beat the snowpony. She grabbed her first hoofful of snow, forming it into her special breed of snowball she had spent so long perfecting. It wasn’t quite circular like most want to be, yet it had deformities that would not hinder her, but improve her power, accuracy, and speed. She finished making the first snowball, crafting it to perfection. She then braced herself against her wall, readying herself to raise her hoof and pelt the snowpony. But as she began to turn and rise, she instead received a hard pack of snow to the face. "Ow!" she yelled. Apple Bloom couldn't remember the last time she got hit in the face by a snowball. It had been ages! Angry with the snowpony's success, she raised up and threw her snowball hard. Only for it to be met halfway by the snowpony's next attack. The two snowballs crashed together, exploding in a snowy firework and putting on a show. Apple Bloom stared at it in awe, amazed that something so beautiful could result from failure. But then she got hit in the face by another snowball. This time, she didn't cry out. The stoning sensation that followed, however, intensified, and Apple Bloom noticed that a welt was forming both where she had just been hit, and in the place of the first hit. She had gotten welts before from snowball fights, but never on her face, and never without ever hitting her opponent. This snowpony of hers was a beast of snowball fights. If it could outmatch her, she would lose one of the few bragging rights she possessed. She didn't want Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to have another excuse to make fun of her. She was going to win this fight, no matter what. However, it soon came to the point that the snowpony had her every move outmatched tenfold. Every time she even thought of attacking, the snowpony would pelt her with another ball. It lasted for what seemed like hours, Apple Bloom sincerely wishing for the battle to end. She had lost, and it had won. But it seemed to think differently. She was so covered with welts and bruises that she resembled less of a filly and more of an abused timberwolf. “Stawp!” she yelled once again, hoping desperately that the snowpony would hear her. “Please!” But the snowpony was relentless. It continued to pelt Apple Bloom with snowballs as she collapsed to the ground, groaning and crying. The snowpony kept at it, beginning to cover her with a thick layer of snow. The welts stung as they were in contact with the snow, multiplying her pain further than ever. “Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!” Apple Bloom screamed, trying to signify as much as possible that she was in pain. Her shriek seemed to penetrate the snowpony to the root, as it then froze solid, as if it had just realized what it was doing. Slowly, the snowpony walked over to her. Apple Bloom was no longer its friend. In fact, every fear and every worry that had been so miraculously lifted from her before came back with an unpleasant jolt, and she realized that she had led herself into a trap. “No!” she yelled. “Don’t hurt me!” The snowpony could give no reply, and it simply stared at Apple Bloom, its blank eyes boring into her brown ones like spikes. Apple Bloom could no nothing save stare back at it, and in that moment, in that crucial moment of this entire ordeal, she could only see one thing in its eyes. It had been hiding it the entire time, but recently it had been harder for it to conceal itself from its true motive: It was hungry. So hungry. Author's Note No, the snowpony is not going to rape Apple Bloom. Just in case some of you got the wrong idea. But what could it be hungry for...? Find out in part 4! Now for a quick talk: I have finals next week and I need to spend the remainder of this weekend finishing my Computer Science project, so I'm not going to have time to write. Part 4 is most likely going to be delayed by one or more days from my release schedule. I'm sorry, but it's the best I can do! Chow chow, double chow. Exhelah
Part 4 - DevastationPrincess Twilight Sparkle was sitting in the throne room of her castle, perusing over something. She had her head placed atop her resting hoof, supported by the armrest of the throne. She had assumed this position since that morning, and had not stirred since. The festival was progressing nicely: Almost all of the decorations had already been set up, and the food preparation was on schedule. But something was… Missing. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but there was something missing, right in front of her yet she couldn't remember what it was. “Argh!” she yelled, stamping her free hoof against the other armrest in anger. What was missing!? There had to be something! As she fumed, Twilight didn't notice as Spike entered the room. The dragon had been skulking near the door, for he knew that interrupting Twilight while she was in a thought process would result with him getting a telling-off to end all telling-offs. Twilight eventually did notice the dragon, and decided to take a break from her troubles to address her assistant. She shifted her position to one of more prominence before turning her attention to Spike. "Hello Spike!” she said, mimicking a tone of cheeriness, though she felt no such emotion. “Sorry to interrupt, but Applejack would like to see you… She said it’s extremely urgent.” Twilight was taken aback. Had something indeed gone wrong? Was her gut feeling actually doing her good? “Send her in,” Twilight responded, and immediately the dragon slipped out through the large double doors opposite her throne. Applejack entered the room, and immediately Twilight knew that something was wrong. Not the feeling she had been experiencing before, however – this one was different. Applejack's posture was wrong, her head was drooping, and she kept her eyes glued to an invisible blemish in the floor. “Applejack… What’s wrong?” Twilight suddenly asked, knowing that Applejack was in extreme distress. But rather than responding with words, Applejack suddenly burst into tears and galloped to her, burying herself in Twilight's comforting grasp. Twilight, on the other hand, was completely taken aback by this sudden outpouring of emotion. She returned the gesture, wrapping her forelegs around her friend, but for what reasons she was completely oblivous. Applejack sobbed and sobbed, not able to calm down enough to voice an answer. Twilight could do nothing but hold her, rocking back and forth, trying to calm her down. It took several minutes, but eventually Applejack’s sobs receded into hiccups, and Twilight relinquished her. Applejack plopped right back onto her haunches, her eyes lowered to the ground. “What’s wrong?” Twilight again asked, trying to be less questioning this time around. “Ah… ah…” Applejack stammered. She attempted to compose herself, then she went on, “Ah’ve been so mean to… To…” “To who? Who have you been mean to?” “...A- Apple… B- B- Bloom…” Twilight had heard about Apple Bloom’s run-in with Diamond Tiara, and she thought that Apple Bloom deserved her punishment. Could something else have happened? “What do you mean? I think she deserved no apples for-“ “No, it’s not that at all!" Applejack finally stopped hiccuping, though tears were still silently falling from her eyes. “Evah since this whole festival thing started, Ah’ve been so mean to her! Ah’ve nevah let her help us, Ah’ve left her breakfast cold, and Ah’ve done nothin’ but be plain mean to her! What kind of sister am I!?” The last sentence was less of a question, and more of a demand. She sounded as if she was accusing Twilight of her troubles, as if the newly-assigned princess of friendship had somehow interfered in the relationship between two siblings. But rather than responding to anger with anger, Twilight responded in a calm, comforting tone. “It’s okay. The festival gets to all of us. Something’s been troubling me all day... Just go and apologize to her! She’ll forgive you – I promise.” Applejack was about to respond, but at that precise moment, the entire room changed. It seemed to grow darker not only inside, but outside. It was as if a shadow had been cast over the sun. Twilight sprang from her throne, readying her horn in case all of Tartarus fell upon them. And then she collapsed to the ground. Twilight cried out as she experienced something she had never thought possible: Every feeling, every thought, everything that made her Princess Twilight Sparkle, was shut out to be replaced with fear. It was as if her soul was being bombarded with heat-seeking fear missiles, with only a simple wooden plank to use as defense against them. Her entire being was put through misery, and the only thoughts and emotions that could surface were her most terrible memories and her most negative feelings. She recalled long ago when she had seemingly failed her entrance exam to Celestia’s Academy of Magic, thinking that the princess had showed up to throw her in a dungeon. She remembered Discord when he had revoked her of her traits that made her the Element of Magic, causing her to almost abandon her friends and her town. She recalled vividly her frustration when nopony believed Chrysalis was Cadence's doppelgänger, and her grief as Celestia was wounded. She remembered the Crystal Empire, when King Sombra was trying to kill Spike and enslave the Crystal Ponies. And most of all, she remembered Tirek as he imprisioned her friends, and how Discord betrayed them to join him, while being decieved himself. Along with these memories came every negative thought and emotion she had ever experienced. Every inkling of a bad feeling was suddenly overpowering her mind, and she may as well have been thrown into the fires of Tartarus itself, it was so terrible. Simply dying would have been a more merciful fate. It seemed to last for hours on end, and Twilight was sure that if it went on, she was going to be destroyed. She could say nothing, do nothing, and feel nothing but fear, grief, and pain. But suddenly, just as it had begun, it stopped. All at once, she was brought back to the present, gravely weakened both physically and mentally. She felt like she had fought 10 Tireks at once, along with hundereds of every past enemy she had ever defeated. Twilight still layed there even after the terrible feelings had passed, making sure that all of her was really there. She did a quick once-over of her brain and body: She still had her thoughts, her memories, her skills, her education. Her limbs were all intact, her wings still existed, and everything seemed in place. But the universe would not let her rest. Before she had time to completely gather herself, the room was suddenly filled with an overpowering, dazzling light. It was so bright that Twilight expected the sun to drop into the room and incinerate her. But this light disappated less than a second later. "What now?" Twilight groaned, shielding her eyes from the overpowering light. When it finally cleared, she gasped. Princess Celestia was standing in the middle of the room, panting hard, and shaking just as violently as Twilight. “Princess!” Twilight exclaimed, trying to compose herself enough to be respectful. “Please, Twilight, there’s no need for that. Especially now.” Celestia’s words confused Twilight. "What do you mean?” “You weren’t the only one to experience what has just happened. That... Thing - it was global. For a moment every living thing, plant or animal, experienced what you have just gone through.” Twilight was taken aback. So it hadn’t just been her! “…Why?” “I sincerely hope that I don’t know,” Celestia replied, her tone growing dark and mysterious. She turned to look behind her, and Twilight realized that Applejack was laying on the floor in a crumpled heap, completely unconscious. "Applejack!" Twilight shrieked the name of her friend, immediately springing up and galloping across the room to where she lay. But Celestia extended a hoof and stopped her. “She'll be fine. Compose yourself, Twilight - We need to fly.” Twilight did not enjoy the next few minutes. She had tried to take flight immediately thereafter, but the instant she began to spread her wings, she was met with a stabbing pain in her right wing joint. Maybe she had sprained it when she fell? "No, Twilight. Your body is in shock and is refusing to let you work hard. You can fight it!" Celestia cheered her on. But Twilight was having a very difficult time. "Come... on!" Twilight screamed, trying to spread her wings again, then collapsing to the ground and grunting in pain. "Oh in the name of all that is good!" Celestia exclaimed, then she proceeded to slam Twilight on the back, hard." "Ouch!" she screamed yet again, and to her utter surprise, she zoomed into the air, trying to avoid her attacker. "Good! Well, I'm glad that worked," Celestia said in an ecstatic tone, smiling at her success. "How did you do that?" Twilight wondered aloud. "Oh, I know lots of sneaky tricks. School served me well back in the day..." Celestia trailed off, evidently falling into a flashback. "I didn't know you went to school!" Twilight burst out, landing on the ground again. "What was it like? What other ponies went there? Were you popular?" Celestia stemmed the flow of questions with a wave of her hoof, "I'm not going to explain it now - there are more present needs. Follow me." And with that, the princesses flew through an open window, which shut tight upon their speedy departure. The moment they exited the castle, Twilight suddenly felt sick. All over the dark town of Ponyville, the bodies of all its inhabitants were strewn about, collapsed in various locations and poses. If she didn't already know better, Twilight would have thought them dead. The cause of this was impossible to explain to herself. How could so much fear just... Be there? And disappear just like that? It wasn't good. It wasn't right. "Twilight," Celestia spoke up, as if Twilight had given her a script. "You must be wondering what caused all of this to happen. To tell the truth, I'm not entirely sure either." "What!?" Twilight had expected Celestia to have at least some idea of what could possibly have performed such an atrocity. "Well, that's not completely true," Celestia retracted her previous statement. "If what I suspect is true, we are in a very bad situation, not just for Equestria, but for all the creatures of the world. But it just isn't possible..." "What isn't possible?" Twilight inquired as Celestia realized the trap she had sprung on herself. Celestia didn't reply, but instead turned her head back forwards. Twilight dropped the subject immediately, knowing that Celestia wouldn't be too happy with her if she tried to bring it up again. They flew for a long while, trying to avert their eyes from the unconscious ponies below them. With nothing else of interest to look at, this was an incredibly difficult feat. Then, suddenly, Celestia said, "We're close. Drop to the ground." Twilight obeyed her mentor without a second thought, fluttering to the ground softly. Instantly she cast a spell to make her skin cold-resistant, for although she was fine while in the air, the snow was a bit too cold for her liking. "I believe the source is... In that direction," Celestia gestured with a hoof, right towards a large, dark mass. "The Everfree Forest!?" Twilight yelped, momentarily relapsing into her silly fear of the place that her friends had so helpfully drilled into her head. Celestia merely gave Twilight a blank expression, as if she knew the exact thought process that had just sprung through her head. The latter turned towards the forest, and together they began to gallop through the deep snow, leaving a trail of princess-sized hoofprints in their wake. The landscape as they galloped seemed to change. As they drew nearer to the forest, the sky seemed to darken, a misty haze settling in the area. The Everfree Forest usually did this, but this time, the air seemed a bit... Thicker than usual. Before long, Celestia and Twilight found themselves observing a clearing in the trees. "This is it. Keep your gaurd up," Celestia warned. Twilight, a bit shaken, readied her mind to defend herself. "What happens now?" Twilight asked in an almost pleading voice. Celestia didn't reply, but instead started into the clearing, her face set like stone. Twilight expected the worst. And the worst is what came. "Twilight!" Celestia shrieked, staring at a point just behind her. Twilight turned, then immediately dove to the side as she saw it. Standing in the air, just a few feet off the ground... Was Apple Bloom. Except that is most definitely was not the Apple Bloom they knew. For one thing, Earth Ponies didn't simply stand in the air. Heck, not even a Unicorn could do it so perfectly, and let's not even mention the Pegasi. It appeared she was standing on something, yet she was obviously floating in the middle of nowhere. But her lack of attention to gravity was not the only thing wrong: Her posture was different; her fur and mane seemed... Darker; She was not the happy, bouncing, concerned filly constantly searching for her cutie mark. No, something was terribly wrong. "A-A-Apple... Bloom!?" Twilight stammered, trying to make sense of this. A billion questions were streaming through her head, but she (with difficulty) constrained herself to silence. "Please, Twilight. Let me handle this," Celestia extended her foreleg between Twilight and Apple Bloom, forcing her back a bit. "Just stay quiet and don't use any spells. Promise me." At her last sentence, she turned her head to Twilight and gave her a sharp look. Twilight backpedaled a bit, for Celestia's glare was that she had never seen before, save for her ferocity shown towards Queen Chrysalis when she had attempted to take over Equestria two years before. "I promise!" Twilight stammered without hesitation, and Celestia seemed satisfied. She turned back to Apple Bloom's floating body and took a step toward it. The words that came from her mouth were uttered in a forgotten tongue, though for reasons she could not fathom, Twilight understood every word of it. "Thy presence on this land is forbidden. Get thee hence, entity of darkness," Celestia spoke in a hoarse voice, her throat undulating with the vernacular of Old Equus. Apple Bloom's eyes opened, and instantly Twilight had to suppress a scream: Her eyes were gone to be replaced with pure black. It appeared to her as if staring into them for too long would cause you to fall into an endless void of night. "Celestia, thou recognizest me so readily! I am flattered," emitted a deep, hoarse voice from the mouth of Apple Bloom. In the air she, no, it pretended to lounge, resting Apple Bloom's hoof against her head as if posing for a vain painting. "Do not think I hast forgiven thee," Celestia responded angrily. "Thy transgressions are too great." "Oh Celestia," it replied, lowering itself to the ground and standing on top of the snow like it wasn't there. "You just never learn! Forgiveness is not that which we desirest most. That same desire... Is for the souls of those born into light, those who live life in complete ignorance of the gravity of their situation. Those souls... Those spirits... They are that which shall be consumed by the forces of darkness! Apple Bloom's pitch-dark eyes flared and Celestia cried out. She had been thrown back into the snow as if she had been run over by Princess Cadence's bullet train. "No!" Twilight yelled, her anger immediately flaring up as she watched her mentor, her teacher, her friend tossed away like a neglected piece of burnt bread. But like Celestia, she was thrown back by a powerful force, the difference being the source: Princess Celestia's horn was glowing with the spell of binding, placing a barrier between the now-started battle and Princess Twilight. "Stay back, my faithful student!" Celestia called over Apple Bloom's hideous laughter. She then turned to the filly, her nostrils flaring and her face contorted with emotions Twilight could not comprehend, "I've got this one." "I have become stronger since our last encounter," Apple Bloom chuckled to herself, a maniacal grin spreading over her face. "Thou wilst be surprised at the skills I have acquired over the centuries." "Thy strength is no match for that of the one called forth by the light!" Celestia galloped towards Apple Bloom at full speed, her horn literally crackling with magical energy. Then, without warning, she disappeared. An agonizing moment of silence passed, Twilight and Apple Bloom both staring in confusion at the spot where Princess Celestia had just been. Teleportation usually involves a popping sound and momentary sphere of magic to transport the matter, but Celestia had just... Disappeared. Then all of the powers of heaven were unleashed at the same moment. Celestia dropped from the sky, her eyes and horn lit so brightly that Twilight thought, literally this time, that the sun had dropped down from the sky and was crashing into the ground. Apple Bloom instantly moved, dodging a beam that occupied the very same space mere milliseconds after the motion. In this manner she dodged all of the thousands of beams raining down from what Twilight realized actually was the sun. Celestia, the princess of the sun had brought the actual thing down with her to aid her in the fight. As it was, a giant fireball crashed into the ground, exploding upon impact and causing the ground to shake. Twilight ordinarily would have been incinerated on the spot, but Celestia's protection barrier turned into a bubble that surrounded her and protected her from the catastrophic effects of Celestia's attack. Apple Bloom, however, got the full impact of it, and Twilight watched half in horror, and half in awe as the little body was crushed flat. The smoke cleared and the fireball faded, returning to its place in the sky. Though it had been day, the sky had been covered with a kind of dark mist, blocking out the sun and making it seem as if it was the middle of the night. Celestia's glorious figure was hovering in the air, the glow of light fading from around her. She landed softly on the ground next to Apple Bloom, who despite being crushed by a giant fireball didn't seem to have a scratch on her body. "Is she... Dead!?" Twilight almost yelped the last word, leaping down into the newly-formed crater Celestia had created. "Don't, Twilight! The fact that her body still exists means it didn't work!" Celestia warned, but not soon enough. For at that moment, Apple Bloom's body convulsed, shooting up into the air once more. Her pitch-dark eyes opened wide, and her mouth gaped, dripping with the blood of her mangled innards. "Enough with these silly games!" she let loose a deafening roar, so torrential in volume that it caused every particle in the area to vibrate with its intensity. Twilight and Celestia were flung back by the will of the demon, slamming into a far tree with a loud thump. With one painful gasp, they both slumped to the ground, unconscious. Light. Haze. Confused screams. The feeling of pure terror had returned once more, immediately rousing Twilight and Celestia from their slumber. "Aaargh!" Twilight screamed, pressing her hooves to her temples so hard that she may as well have been attempting to compress them together. The pain was even worse when compared to the first time - Who knew that the worst thing one had ever experienced, could suddenly be amplified even further and thrown back with twice the torque? Not Princess Twilight Sparkle. "BEGONE!" Celestia shouted, and immediately the ringing feeling left Twilight. The entire scene was decimated beyond repair, the force of Celestia's last attack having uprooted trees, melted snow, and killed various critters around the area. Now fully able to appreciate their surroundings, the princesses mourned for the souls of the animals that were killed. But such was the nature of an Alicorn Princess. All life, no matter how insignificant, was precious. Even the lives of those who seek to destroy other lives had potential. A princess needed to have the capacity to understand that potential. "As you can tell," Princess Celestia grunted as she gave Twilight a hoof. "I have pinpointed the source of the disturbance and quenched it." "T-thanks," Twilight replied, her eyes glowing with her admiration for the elder princess. "We must get moving. Apple Bloom- no, the demonic spirit that now inhabits her body, plans to wage a one-pony war against Equestria. And it has a good chance of winning that war if we don't act quickly." "Right!" Twilight shouted, flapping her wings experimentally a few times then, after determining that they still worked properly, followed Princess Celestia into the air. When they got to Ponyville, things were no better off than before. In fact, they were at least sixteen times worse. The slew of destruction that had set about the small town was so great that the only thing even remotely resembling a building was Twilight's Palace. It was fully intact, mostly due to the hundreds of protective spells and enchantments laid about it. "By the name of all that is good..." Twilight cursed. Not even in her imagination could she have visualized so much devastation in one place. "Twilight," Celestia began with a choked voice, but she didn't need to complete the sentence. Twilight was already sobbing. "My...friends..." she choked, staring with disbelief at what she knew had been Sugarcube Corner, only to see the bloodstained wooden frame lying in shambles on the ground. Anyone who was in that building was certainly dead. Without looking, she knew that Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and maybe even Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash... were all dead. There was no way anypony could have survived this. They landed in the smoking remnants of town square, Celestia having to literally catch Twilight as she was so overcome by grief that she would have faceplanted into the dirt had she set down unassisted. She was heaving up more tears than anypony could possibly hope to bear, her chest rising and falling violently with her wretches. Celestia could do nothing but silently mourn with her. Through her several thousand years of life she had learned to cope with these tragedies, as everypony she had ever bonded with slipped away, one by one, with age. She was way beyond tears when it came to death. To Twilight, what passed seemed like an eternity. Eternity, filled with the senses of loss, despair, and most of all grief. The world was over, and there was no point to moving forward... "Twilight..." Celestia murmured, rocking the sobbing princess as if she were a filly. "They aren't coming back - I want you to face that fact. The spirit did this to them, and we're going to stop it. I need your full power on my side if we hope to win the battle ahead of us." Twilight could voice no reply. Her tears had ceased their flow, yet her body continued to convulse with the heaves that came with sobbing. She couldn't think; She couldn't breathe; She couldn't do anything but mourn the loss of two of her closest friends, never to speak to them again. The spirit. That one thought lingered through all of the emotional chaos ensuing in Twilight's mind. The spirit, inhabiting Apple Bloom's mangled body like a puppet, had no right to do such things. It was stepping way too far out of line, and Twilight had the last straw pulled with the death of Pinkie Pie and Rarity. "I..." she mumbled, shaking now not from grief but from rage. All of the emotions of this moment suddenly turned violent, as she pictured in her mind the spirit being torn to shreds by Twilight herself. "For murdering my friends in cold blood... For destroying Ponyville, the place held most dear in my heart..." Twilight shrugged off Princess Celestia's grip. The latter was now staring wide-eyed at her. "For possessing Apple Bloom's body like a puppetmaster pulling his strings..." Her rage boiled so much at this sentence that the ground began to shake. Twilight's horn sparkled with a black aura, triggered by the vicious rage now dominating her being to the very core. "I WILL MAKE YOU BURN!" "Life, death, then oblivion. Thus is the cycle of existence. Everything is bound by it, nothing can change it. It is the final destination and ultimate conclusion to all things." Starswirl the Bearded
