Appletine

Retrieval

      Scootaloo continued down the trail into the forest. She heard two voices before hiding behind a tree, where she saw her friends tied behind three trees in front of the three guards holding their guns. “We were given orders to kill them if they provoke us.”

“You’re right, but so far they’ve done nothing to escape,” one of the guards stated, holding the end of his shotgun.

“This is a bunch of bull. If only Scootaloo was here, unless the Governor killed her.” Sweetie Belle’s eyes filled to the brim with tears. She didn’t want to think about the possibility of one of her friends being dead.

“Psst,” Scootaloo whispered in Sweetie’s ear, her face lit up with joy.

“Scootaloo! Is that you?” Scootaloo silenced her friend, cupping her mouth shut with her hoof. She reached into her saddlebag for the knife, taking the knife out and cutting the rope along the sharp, metal blades.

“Shh! Sweetie, we don’t want to get their attention.” Scootaloo told her friend. Her ears perked up at the sound of moaning off in the distance, the zombies were closing in from the trees behind the guards. She slid the knife up and down quickly, cutting the last strand of rope down, “You take out the guards, I’ll let the others free.” Sweetie nodded her head, and climbed the tree she had been tied to.

Sweetie Belle reached the top branch above the guards; She swooped down from the branch, brought down the nail board into the guards’ backs, spiking the nail board in their backs. The zombies pounced on the two guards, gnawing and chewing on with their flesh dangling in between their teeth as Scootaloo finished cutting the ropes on the other two trees.

“Get your weapons now!” Clementine ordered, they nodded their heads and grabbed their weapons.

The Crusaders grabbed their weapons, Clementine clutched the pistol tightly and pulled the trigger at a grotesque mare’s exposed brain, the bullet penetrating through the tissue, brain matter scattered on the ground. To their dismay, the horde surrounded them on all sides.

Apple Bloom swung her bat at the zombies crowding her, bashing their heads in until their skulls were beaten senseless. Scootaloo dug her shotgun deep into the undead corpse’s stomach, she pressed the trigger and shot a plethora of bullets at the horde of zombies, piercing through the top of their skulls. Sweetie hurled her nail board at the mare stepping towards her, the nail lodged in its head, but it was still standing, even with a nail protruding from its skull.

Sweetie Belle shrieked in terror, her back against a tree. “Sweetie, look out!” Scootaloo flung her knife out, the knife’s sharp tip stabbed into the mare’s skull, her body dropped down on the wet, mud-covered ground like a needle dropping silently.  Despite it’s size, it had had most of it’s insides torn out, causing it to be much lighter.

“Thanks for the save, Scootaloo.” Sweetie grabbed a mare’s rotting arm which was trying to grab her, flipped the arm over her back and stomped her hoof down on its rotting head.  “Ashes to asses, dust to dust, you’ll never eat my brain to satisfy your lust.”

“One last zombie to go,” Apple Bloom pinned the zombie against the tree with her bat, she took a step back and kicking the bat against its skull. Fresh, red blood splashed across the dark brown tree bark - the ensuing rain of blood doused her hat, washing dirt away from her baseball cap.

“Finally, those undead bastards are dead,” Scootaloo fell with her back against the tree, her shotgun laying on her lap.

“I wonder how Twilight is doing without us.” Sweetie said, looking up at the gloomy sky.

Twilight frantically paced around her library, looking through the last set of books on her bookshelf. The last book, in particular, caught her eye then she grabbed the book with her magic and read the title out loud. The title of the book read, Portal Counterspells by Starswirl the Bearded. “This book will have the answer I’m looking for, let’s see if I can find the counterspell.”

Twilight skimmed through the pages of the book, she came across a page titled: List of Counterspells. She thought to herself as she read along the lines, “The Portal Retraction Spell, this spell is used to open a portal into an alternate world where the individuals trapped in said world must go through the portal, or stay in the world forever. It must be performed using the art of arcane magic.”

Twilight’s eyes looked away from the book as she stepped away for a moment. Her horn lit up profusely, tapping into the center of her magic forming a lavender circle around her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the circle around her, she felt her body slowly levitating off of the floor.  Sealing the flow of her magic, the young alicorn shot a strong blast into the opened page of the book. A small hole began to expand in the center, the portal opened in the sky above the Crusaders’ heads.

“What is that up in the sky?” Scootaloo pointed up to the sky, all of them looked up at the gaping hole that the portal left above them.

“Knock it off with the references, will ya? We need to find a way to get up there, Scootaloo. Try flying up there.” Apple Bloom jabbed Scootaloo in her wings.

“I wish I was more experienced in magic. Hmm... I have an idea!  I could try charging up my horn but first we need to get to higher ground.” Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo ran along the side of the tree, holding each other firmly by their tails. They climbed vigorously up to the top of the tall oak tree, unaware that Clementine followed them up the tree.

“Clementine, what are you doing?” Scootaloo asked, appalled to see their friend come with them.

“I want to come with you guys. I know it sounds crazy and absurd, but exploring your new world beats staying around here getting eaten,” Clementine said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders and grinned at them.

“Now, Clementine, are ya’ sure that ya’ want to come with us?”

“Positive.”

“Hope that you’re used to a world filled with ponies and weird shit.” Scootaloo giggled, a purple hoof came out of the portal.

“Girls, I’m so glad to see you! You must hurry, because this portal will close, and if you’re not in it, you’ll be stuck here.” Twilight pulled her hoof back into the portal.

“Time for us to get back to Equestria. Hold on tight, Clementine.” Sweetie charged up horn, pointing the horn upward at the portal and their bodies were pulled into the portal without a moment’s notice.

Twilight pulled them out of the portal, the gravity almost pulled them back down into the book as they fell on the floor. “You’re back! Who’s your little friend there?”

Clementine bowed her head before the princess. “The name is Clementine, your highness.”

“She’s our new friend, hope you don’t mind if she stays with us.” Sweetie asked in a polite tone, her eyes were the size of dinner plates looking directly at Twilight.

Twilight wasn’t the one to be tempted by Sweetie’s cuteness, but maybe an exception could be made. “If she does not cause any trouble, I’m all for it. I’ll be putting this book away-” Scootaloo doused the book in gasoline, lit up a match and flicked the match on the book.

“Scootaloo, don’t burn it!” Apple Bloom shrieked at her friend, running over to the burning book.

“Now we have a big problem. Looks like she’ll have to stay in Equestria, permanently.”

“That book was a fucking disaster,” Scootaloo watched as the book left only ashes and dust behind, Twilight and the other two Crusaders closed their mouths without any words uttered.

“Don’t ask.”