Ch.3 The Story Begins

Spike began to tell the tale of truth, “Twenty years. It has been twenty years since the fall of six of Equestria's finest ponies. Six heroes known throughout the land for their bravery and good deeds. Six ponies I once called my friends. Twilight Sparkle. Applejack. Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy. Rarity. Pinkie Pie. You want the truth. This is the tale of truth. This is the tale of how they all died. I will ask you one last time: Are you sure you want to hear this, Dawn Seeker?”

“I have come to find the truth,” She strongly stated, “I am not leaving without it.”

Celestia readied herself. She had been dreading this moment ever since she had first known about it. She would have to tell them. She had to. But for all the lands in Equestria, she did not want to. This news was a burden. It would be too great, even for them. And yet she called them anyway. She paced about her throne room in anxious anticipation of their arrival.

“Calm yourself, sister,” Luna said softly.

“How can I be calm, Luna when I must send them into that? We both know what will likely happen. How am I supposed to handle that,” Celestia replied.

“I know, Celestia, I know. But if they see you in this state they will be even more worried, and that will increase the chances of the most unfavorable of outcomes,” Luna responded calmly.

“How can you be so calm,” Celestia asked with irritation.

Before Luna could answer her a guard appeared. He addressed the two pony Princess's on their thrones. Guest had arrived. Important and familiar guests. Celestia managed to calm down enough to tell the guard to show them in without him suspecting anything. Her demeanor shifted while he was away. She sat upright and with proper royal etiquette. She had her head held high. She had managed to stop herself from shaking. Luna was proud that her sister was able to do this. The guard arrived moments later with five ponies in tow. Celestia bid the guard thanks and sent him away to do something else that was royal guard worthy and time consuming. She had a smile on her face that vanished once he left the room. She turned back to the five ponies and spoke to them.

“Applejack. Fluttershy. Rarity. Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash. I thank you for coming on such short notice,” She solemnly said to them.

“It is no problem at all, Princess Celestia,” Rarity said, “I only wish Twilight was here as well. We were unable to find her in Ponyville.”

“Twilight is the reason I called you all here actually,” Celestia said.

“What do ya mean, Princess,” Applejack's asked with worry, “Is Twilight in some sorta trouble?”

Celestia could no longer keep herself contained. She slumped in her throne. Her head lowered as far as it could possibly go. The sadness rolling off her could almost be felt in the air around them. Luna stepped off her throne to take over the explanation.

“Two nights ago something happened. Both Celestia and myself felt a great shift in the balance of magic here in Equestria. It was strong enough to render both of us unconscious for half an hour. We traced this shift back to Twilight. Something she did let a very dark presence upset the very balance of magic.”

“Whoa! Hold on a sec,” Rainbow Dash interrupted, “You can't possibly believe that Twilight, our Twilight Sparkle – the same Twilight that has read entire libraries, practiced the most advanced magic, and is a pony Alicorn Princess – that Twilight, actually did this? I refuse to believe that!”

“Your loyalty is heartwarming, Rainbow Dash,” Luna said, “But we have no reason to believe that Twilight did this intentionally.”

“I still don't believe it. She is too smart for that,” Dash said defensively.

“It matters little now if it was intentional or not,” Celestia said as she rose from her throne, “What matters now is that Twilight has somehow taken this dark presence and contained it within the deepest center of the Everfree Forest. However, she did not return.”

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we ask you, her friends, to venture within the Everfree and search out Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said to them.

“Well of course we're gonna do it,” Applejack said bravely.

“Do not be so quick to agree,” Celestia said seriously, “The Everfree is a much bigger place than you think. The further you go and the deeper you find yourselves the more danger you will be in. Twilight is the very center of the Everfree.”

The girls all took the next few moments to consider and comprehend what they had just been told. It was a lot of information to take in, and it raised a lot of questions. Celestia and Luna were seemed to be having as much trouble as they were, if not more. Celestia herself looked crushed. Like all the light had been taken out of her.

“What are the chances we will succeed in this endeavor,” Rarity asked.

Celestia let out a sad sigh as she raised her head to answer, “I will not lie to you girls. There is little chance you will ever return from such a journey.”

The girls all looked at one another. They looked to each other for support. They all wanted to go and search for Twilight, but they all wanted to live to tell about it. None of them wanted to be the one to say no, even if they were all thinking it.

Celestia was sitting on the floor just in front of the girls. Her sadness was easily seen. Her reluctance to tell them anything was apparent. She never wanted to ask them to carry this burden, but she had to. And then something happened. The unlikeliest of ponies stepped forward to console the princess. All she felt was a hoof on her shoulder and then she heard the soft voice.

“We will go,” Fluttershy stated boldly.

“Fluttershy,” Rarity said in disbelief, “You are okay with this? You know you might die out there, right?”

“If I am to die, then I want to die knowing that I did everything I possibly could to find and help my friends,” Fluttershy said strongly, “Otherwise, how can I live with myself?”

The rhetorical question echoed through the hearts of the ponies present. All of them. Tears welled up in Celestia's eyes. They streamed down her face as she stood up again. She was moved by Fluttershy's words. Thees girls never ceased to amaze her, and it didn't end their. Applejack was the next to step up and stand by Fluttershy.

“Well, I reckon if Fluttershy can be brave enough. . . then I can be too,” She said.

“And no pony would even survive without me around to save their asses,” Rainbow Dash said, but not quite as believably as she was hoping for.

“Yeah! Time for another adventure for us,” Pinkie exclaimed loudly and happily.

The only one who hadn't stepped up or spoken up was Rarity. The others looked back at her. They could not very well demand for her to go, but they were a little disappointed she didn't want to. This was a mission to find and possibly rescue Twilight. She looked back at them with an even greater amount of disbelief than before.

“Applejack, you want to do this?! You have a little sister back in Ponyville! I have Sweetie Belle! I can't just leave her alone like this. I can't,” Rarity spoke up after a moment.

“I know,” Applejack said, “I've got Apple Bloom and Big Mac at home. I don't want to leave em any more than you want to leave Sweetie Belle, but this is for Twilight. Not just because she is a Princess, but 'cause she is our friend. That is the most important thing right now.”

“You all can go on this suicide run if you feel like it, but I won't do it,” Rarity replied.

“Let me be very clear about something,” Luna intervened, “I know one thing about Twilight right now: She is in trouble. And what she needs right now is the support of her friends. All of her friends, Rarity. I understand why you don't want to go. I do not want you to go, but Twilight needs you now more than ever.”

“Argh! Fine,” Rarity shouted after a moments hesitation, “I will go. For Twilight's sake.”

Rarity finally agreed, and all the ponies were in. She then turned tail and headed back to the train. That was as good as it was going to get with her. But they all understood. This was dangerous. As dangerous is it got. Rarity was right. This was a suicide run, and it was one they were doing willingly. So they all followed Rarity out after saying their goodbyes to Celestia and Luna. It wasn't until after the ponies had left did the two sisters realize they had an extra visitor.

“You can come out now,” Luna said, “I know you are here, Discord.”

A small flash of light later and Discord was standing before them. He was not his usual self. He was not smiling, or laughing. He was not trying to do something strange and chaotic. He was not fueling that ever expanding ego of his. He was just standing there.

“You did not tell them everything,” He said flatly.

“I see you felt the shift in magic as well,” Celestia said after she dried her tears.

“How could I not? I am more attuned to those six than I care to admit, and then that happens with the Princess. I came to talk to you, and I find you are sending them off to their deaths!”

“You do not know that they are going to die,” Luna shouted.

“And they do not know what is in that Forest,” Discord shouted angrily, “But we all know! We have been around long enough to know exactly what darkness that Forest holds, and you sent them into it's very heart. I will not allow this!”

“Since when do you care, Discord,” Luna asked.

Luna expected Discord to become angry, and enraged. She was trying to antagonize him. They both knew he was not the caring type, yet here he was. He was fighting with two Princess's over the fate of five ponies. And then Luna hurled that question at him. She did it to make him angry. She had never liked Discord, even if he did claim to be reformed.

But he did not get angry. His shoulders slumped and his head hung low. He looked back up at Luna with a heavy heart and a bit of something in his eyes. It took Luna a moment to see clearly what it was. For she had not seen such feeling in him before. With compassion in his eyes he spoke up to Luna.

“Ever since Celestia had me befriend Fluttershy I have come to care a great deal about her,” He firmly admitted, “She is my friend. And so are the rest of them. I will NOT let them die in that forsaken place!”

“It is too late, Discord,” Celestia said with a heavy heart, “They are already gone.”

Hours later and the girls had gotten back to Ponyville. They spent that night preparing. They got together all the stuff they might need. Clothes, food, a variety of other odds and ends that might help them on their way. But that was only part of it. Some ponies had others they needed to talk to. Applejack sat down with Granny Smith, Big Mac, and little Apple Bloom. Rarity talked with Sweetie Belle. And Rainbow Dash had a talk with Scootaloo. It was the same talk for each of them. They all said the same thing.

“I might not make it back from this one.”

The next day came far to soon, but they had to deal with it. That was the day they had to leave. The whole town of Ponyville came out to send them off. The word around town was that they were going to find Twilight and that was all. Only the families knew the real truth. The three young fillies watched as their idols, their mentors, their sisters all walked towards their deaths. But they were not alone. And the other young one left alone was not content to just sit by and wait. Spike ran up to the five ponies with his backpack on and packed.

“Where in the hay do you think you are goin',” Applejack asked.

“I am going with you,” Spike said, “That was not a question. It was a statement.”

“Please, Spike, stay here and watch over the little ones,” Rarity pleaded, “I can't bear to see you get hurt in there.”

“It's the Everfree Forest. It is dark and scary and full of things that want to kill us,” Spike stated, “I may be just a small baby dragon, but my scales are tough. Plus, I breathe fire. That might come in handy for things like torches, or setting a whole forest full of wooden trees on fire. What do you think?”

It really didn't matter to him what they thought. Not in that moment. Not at that time. He was the first to notice that Twilight was missing. Not that any pony believed him at first. Even as he pleaded that a pony as meticulously organized as she was would never 'run off', not a single pony would listen. Then the girls girls got summoned to Canterlot. It wasn't hard to make the leap as to why they were there. Now they were going to search for Twilight in the Everfree Forest, and spike only had one thought. I am going in there. I will search for Twilight. And you cannot stop me.

“Spike, Twilight was as much your friend as she was ours, and we are your friends too,” Fluttershy said kindly, “We can't just leave you behind while we go and look for her. She needs all of us.”

“Not to mention everything he said about his scales and breathing fire actually made sense,” Rainbow Dash input her own opinion.

“So that was how it all started,” Dawn asked, “With Celestia and Luna sending them into this place?!”

“I did not know until much later that she had sent them,” Spike said, “I wish I had.”

“They raised me for the past twenty years,” Dawn angrily said aloud, “Why would they not tell me in all that time?”

“Hm,” Spike said as he stared into the flames in the pit, “Interesting.”

“What do you mean by that,” Dawn asked, still angry, “Tell me!”

“I am telling you, Seeker. Now shut your muzzle and listen,” Spike said.

The girls had been walking for a few hours now. They had already passed Zecora's hut. She was not home when they went by. Part of them were wishing she was, so they could talk to her. She had lived in the Everfree longer than anypony else ever. She might have known some ways to better increase their chances of surviving this mission. But at the same time part of them was glad she wasn't there. She could not talk them out of this crazy plan. She could not scare them into leaving with stories of what lay in the heart of the Everfree. If she even knew herself. So they trudged on into the unknown in search of a friend whose situation they knew next to nothing about.

It was getting darker in the Everfree Forest. Not because Celestia was lowering the sun. It was not that late yet. It was hardly even noon. The sun was still high in the sky, shining its bright light and illuminating the land. Everything was touched by the light of the sun. Everything, except the Everfree Forest. No, in the Everfree it was dark. The trees grew thick and wild and tall. Their branches reached out towards the sun as if they wanted to grasp its very glow and pull it into the abyss. The leaves grew so close that every ounce of light was absorbed, consumed, and otherwise snuffed out. There was no light here. None at all. Good thing they had there very own firestarter with them.

“Spike, could you do us all a favor an' whip up some torches so we can all see where we're stepping,” Applejack asked, “It'd be mighty helpful, and I would really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, sure. Got something I can actually light on fire, or do you want me to use your tail,” Spike asked sarcastically.

Applejack didn't respond to his ridiculousness. He was simply trying to lighten the mood a little bit, but it never seemed to work. He had already tried a few small jokes here and there. Not even Pinkie laughed at them. However, she did find a small bundle of sticks in the bushes. She almost tripped over them as she was fumbled around in the dark. Being a dragon Spike had some pretty good vision, even in the dark. He was able to find Pinkie and the sticks rather quickly. There was only three good ones, so they would have to share. He picked them up all together and breathed a jet of green dragon breath. The whole Forest around them lit up like a small sun had just risen in front of them. The light died down a little as the torches were lit.

“That will do just fine, Spike. Thanks a ton,” Applejack said, “Now we ain't gonna stumble and get lost in this darn dark place.”

“Yes, thank you, Spike. Now we can see what is killing us,” Rarity said.

Before any of the other ponies, notably Applejack, could react or respond a sound silenced them. It was a small sound. It came from the bushes around them. Not just one bush, but all of them. While the sound itself was not at all scary the well known source behind it was. For behind that sound they could tell that some. . .thing was watching them. They were being followed. Something was stalking them.

“Well, Rarity called that one,” Pinkie said with quivering lips as she moved closer to the comfort of her friends.

All them turned to face the noise. As it was coming from everywhere they had all faced a separate, yet equally unnerving direction. Their tails touched in the middle of their inverted huddle. Six pairs of eyes all scanned the area around them. Something was making that noise. They were determined to find out what.

There! Applejack's keen eyes caught a glimpse of something in the bushes. But it was dark, even with their torches lit. All she saw was a hint of a tail, maybe? A small flick of something long, thin and deadly got her attention. She wasn't sure, but she kept her eyes open and alert. Something was out there.

There! With her darting gaze and in the briefest of moments she saw claws. Draped around a tree and carving seamless lines into the bark as the claws left their mark.. Tree sap oozed out of the wounds like blood from a pony. It all made her very uneasy. Because one thing Pinkie was sure about was the size of this thing. And it was big. And fast.

There! Fluttershy caught sight of something with her fearful gaze. Peering through the thick bushes and branches that all grew together in into the other were eyes. Just eyes. Not a mouth or face to go with them. And not just one eye, or two. Four. Four devilishly evil and hungry eyes stared back at her with a look that she wished would not linger. And they did not, as the eyes darted away in two opposite directions.

Now Fluttershy was scared. She was uneasy before. Just as Pinkie Pie was. She got scared at a lot of things. Almost everything actually. But she had originally walked into the Everfree Forest rather confidently. She was okay with dying if it meant she died for some pony she cared about. But now that she was actually faced with the possibility of death, she did not want to take it. She wanted to live! But as she came to the realization that there was more than one thing out there her desire to live became stronger and stronger. It grew to an overwhelming level as her alert mind saw more and more dangers wherever she looked.

She could not take it any longer. She stepped back as far as she could to try and shrink away from the darkness. The trees with their branches twisting out like thin, withered arms cast shadows darker that anything she had ever before seen. It was in this darkness that the danger lurked, watching and waiting. She stepped back, but found her own friends blocking her path. As she saw more eyes appear in sets around them only one option became available.

“RUN!!!”

Fluttershy may not be the braves pony. She certainly was not the fastest, either walking or flying. And she was not what you might call a leader type. But she was motivated. And at that moment motivation gave her all the speed she needed.

Fluttershy zoomed past her friends at a surprising speed. If she weren't as scared as Fluttershy Rainbow Dash might have complimented her on it. Instead, Applejack got every pony and dragon else to pull themselves together and catch up with Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie was already moving when Applejack started talking. Rarity was unsure about what to do, so Rainbow Dash had to give her a push to get her moving in the right direction. With one quick motion Applejack scooped up Spike in a hoof and he landed on her back. Just in time, too.

One of the mysterious beasts took the opportunity and pounced on it's prey. The only one hurt was Spike, who received a two good sized claw marks on his left arm as the beast soared past him. He cried out in pain as Applejack carried him away. She did not know what they were running from or where they were running to. What she did know was that she had to protect them as best she possibly could.

So five ponies ran through the Everfree. They were already deeper than any had ever dared to venture. Any normal pony, that is. The only ones who had even the slightest idea of what lurked withing those shadowy spaces between the trees and under the canopy were Celestia, Luna, and Discord. But they were not there. There was only Applejack, and her most important job right now was to get them away from whatever chasing them. Not an easy task, however, as she could hear the rustling of the leaves and the bushed behind her as they followed close behind the ponies.

Their hooves carried them all away from that place, but not far enough. Those things were still behind them. She did not dare to look back, but Fluttershy could hear them. The leaves rustling as those things moved through them like a wave of death crashing through the trees. She could hear the snapping of small branches and saplings that proved to her even more how big those things were. And how dangerous they were. Yet, above all of that there was still something more. That very same noise that had worried them earlier had not left. Since they ran it seemed to get louder. Now they could clearly hear the faint sounds of snarling beasts and growling monsters. That urged her to move her hooves and run ever faster, faster than she had ever run before!

Fluttershy was leading them. She had been the first to run, but not the last. She was quickly followed up by Pinkie and Rainbow Dash and then by Applejack, who had taken up the rear with Spike on her back. Although, she was trying to catch up. She had a map that Granny Smith had given her and she remembered something about it that might help. Spike held onto her hat as she pushed herself to go further and ran up next to Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy,” She called out to her terrified friend, “Fluttershy! Hey, there is a cave nearby. We can hide in there. Ya hearin' me, Fluttershy?”

It was hopeless. Fluttershy was gone. Her mind shocked by the same fear that now gripped them all. It had a particularly firm and lasting grip on her, though. Fluttershy barely had her eyes open to see where she was going. She was not going to hear or listen to anything that was said to her until she was safe and away from there. But Applejack saw another option.

It came in the form of a cave. She could barely see the mouth of the cave through the light of their torches. She smiled and turned back to Fluttershy. Without a word of warning Applejack smacked into the side of her pony friend. Caught off guard Fluttershy went tumbling like a tumbleweed until she found herself at the mouth of the cave. Then came Pinkie and Dash. Both moved at the same speed. One was flying while the other running. One of them helped her up while pushing her into the cave in the same motion, but it happened so fast she didn't know who it was. Applejack was last. She had slowed down some since the burst of speed she used to catch up. She had used so much energy for that she was losing ground fast. But she made it. Not without scars of her very own, though.

She was crossing the border between the Forest and the cave when a beast of the dark came from her right side. She saw it just in time to leap to her left. Little did she know it was a trap set by those things. Just as her hooves landed again she was prey again. More than that, she was food. One more came from the bushes just left of her. She didn't need any more motivation to move and she ran as fast as she could and took a diving leap into the mouth of the cave. Unfortunately she lost a piece of herself to those things out there in the forest.

She felt the tips of claws, sharp and deadly running down the length of the back as she moved through the air. Applejack's heart beat faster than it ever had. Heat rose up from within and filled her every molecule, and yet the color rushed from her face as she truly believed she was about to die. But the claws stayed at just on her back without actually piercing her flesh. It wasn't until they reached her flank and her tail that they moved. Pain jolted through her every muscle as they sharp points pierced her and tore through her tail. She landed in the cave with weak legs under her for her only support. Her legs gave out and she tumbled forward into a mass of quaking ponies that she recognized as her friends. They were shaking and grasping at one another. Each pony held another in an attempt at a calming embrace. Futile attempts as all of them were terrified at the things that stalked them from the shadows. But as Applejack rejoined their number something strange happened.

After what seemed like and endless chase over an eternity of miles those shadowed beasts stopped. The night hid their true faces from the girls. It did not help that their torches were burning low and their only light was dimming fast. And as their light faded they watched as the biggest of the beasts held up his claws and sniffed what it held within it. The shredded remains of Applejack's tail. It stared and sniffed intently at the bloody clump of blonde hair. Then it turned and it disappeared into the dark forest beyond.

It was only an hour later and the girls had managed to calm down some. Fluttershy was still shaking. It would be some time before she ever did return to normal. Pinkie Pie sat with her. She was some comfort to her in this time. Rarity was busy with Applejack.

“I still can't believe that brute took your tail,” Rarity said as she tried to place a bandage on Applejack's rear end, “Applejack, dear. If you do not stop squirming I am not going to be able to patch you up.”

“Well, sorry. I ain't used to no pony touching me where you are. Not to mention it hurts like hellfire back there,” Applejack complained loudly.

“I'll try to be gentle,” Rarity said.

Rarity magically tore off another strip of bandages. She still wasn't sure how she ended up playing the doctor role in this charade. But she did it willingly. After seeing what happened to Applejack she couldn't very well refuse. And now as she looked down at her injured friend she could not help but feel a little bit sorry for her.

Applejack's tail was nearly gone. All that was left was a small cluster of blonde hairs that were now stained red protruding out of her body. The sight took Rarity back to the say she gave her tail away to that serpent in the river when Nightmare Moon came back. But this was worse. Even more of Applejack's tail was taken, and she spilled blood for hers. Thankfully the bleeding had stopped after nearly fifty minutes. And now Rarity was trying to place bandages on the identical, nearly symmetrical trio of slashes that ran down her backside and left what was left of her tail right in the middle. Rarity had only one thought in her mind as she placed the bandages. Monsters.

“There. You should be able to at least walk now,” She announced with some pride, “Although, it still a shame you lost most of your tail.”

“Better her tail than her head,” Rainbow Dash stated.

“Yes. I suppose you are right about that,” Rarity agreed.

“Alright, alright. 'Nough bout that. Let's try and get some sleep,” Applejack said, “I know we could all use some.”

“Yeah. Right. Like any of us are going to get any real sleep after what just happened,” Dash responded.

“If you ain't, then you can take first watch.”

“Fine by me.”

So it was set. Applejack slowly walked over to join Fluttershy and Pinkie. Every step was a struggle. Normally she could feel the weight of her tail. She could feel it brush up against her back legs as she stepped. Now all that was gone. She felt off balance and like more than just a physical piece of her was gone. She laid down on the other side of Fluttershy, leaving her situated nicely between Pinkie and herself. As she lay her head down she glanced over at her where he tail should have been. She could see a faint blood trail seeping out from each of the cuts and staining the bandages. That is gonna scar.

The next morning came way too soon. At least, they thought it was morning. It was impossible to tell from under the canopy of the Everfree Forest. And they weren't even waking up. Fluttershy was still sleeping safely between Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash had long since given up her watch duty. She took her own place next to Rarity. She had placed herself near Fluttershy, but a bit in front of Pinkie Pie. Now with Rainbow Dash there she was safely tucked away behind a wall of friends. It was Spike's turn to watch now. He had gotten his sleep and was used to waking up this early from his time with Twilight. So he stood at the mouth of the cave. He hid himself behind a rock. He could still see everything about the Forest just beyond the cave entrance and still hide himself quite well. Finally, his small size was actually doing something good for him. His arm brushed up against the rough texture of the rocks that made up the cave. Pain shot through his entire left arm and his body. Those two scars he received earlier were really starting to aggravate him, but he moved past the pain and focused in the task at hand.

He kept his eyes on the trees and bushes outside the cave. That was where they came from the day before, so that is what he watched. He was doing well for a baby dragon. He had his determination and his drive. That was all he needed. He thought back to the night before. If Rarity hadn't used her magic to pull Spike off of Applejack and into the cave then he would have been sliced to ribbons. She saved his life. And now was his chance to save theirs, because as his eyes watched the Forest the Forest had eyes watching him.

Spike saw it. Just barely, but he was certain. Eyes. A fleeting glimpse of a pair of eyes caught his attention. He tried to follow them, but they moved to fast. Then came more. A lot more. Alright. Now it was time to wake the girls. But not without some kind of security wall. Or rather, a fire wall.

Spike rushed out from behind the rock he was hiding behind. He stopped in the middle of the cave entrance. The whole Forest seemed to come alive at the sight of him. The bushes and the leaves shook in the same way as they did before. They were here. The trees themselves seemed to lean away from them for fear they might be taken down. Spike angrily glared out at the eyes he saw in the shadows. He took the deepest breath he could manage, and then let it out. A truly massive wall of  dragon fire breath shot out from the cave. It scorched the earth that lay beyond like a conquering warlord. The bushes all burned high and bright. The trees withered and groaned as the flames took the very life out of their trunks and their branches. And then the screaming came.

Rarity was the first to awaken. She was the only one other then Fluttershy who was able to get an uninterrupted sleep. But that was all over as the screaming filled her ears. That terrible sound shattered her dreams and brought her back to reality. She rose quickly and poured her eyes over her friends, but they were unharmed and not even awake. But then, who was screaming? The answer came with another assault of that screaming. It wasn't even really screaming. It was more like a shriek. A terrible, mind numbing, monstrous shrieking that filled the air. She ran to the cave entrance and found Spike standing before the burning Forest.

“Spike, what happened,” She asked with worry.

“Huh? Rarity? Oh, I saw something out there. I was sure it was those things from before, so I burned them,” Spike told her.

“That must be what that shrieking is.”

Her suspicions were confirmed as another wave of shrieking filled the air. It was the loudest so far. Both her and Spike moved as fast as they could to cover their ears and survive the onslaught of noise. Rarity screamed back as the shrieking tore at her sanity, or at least what remained of it. With them both cowering from the noise they were powerless to stop the next move those things made. Jumping.

Two of them. Two of those things emerged from whatever shadows that managed to avoid being blackened by Spike's dragon breath. They ran out and right for the cave. When they reached it they leaped up and over the two guarding the entrance. It was easy for them. But then they came upon an unexpected surprise. Four more ponies, awake and alert. And two certain ponies were ready for them. The color pink and blue stared back at it. As the second of the beasts landed the first was gone, taken out by an unbelievably large rock that had been thrown. But it wasn't worried.

It moved about the cave area they were in. It circled around the four ponies. It had them with their backs to the mouth of the cave, and his back to the wall. Just where it wanted them. It was right in front of them, and yet they still could not clearly see what it was. It was like these things controlled the shadows themselves and used them to hide their true identities from unsuspecting prey. And now it had them right where it wanted.

It let out a low shriek that buzzed around the cave. His side of the cave seemed to dim. It was like the already low light was being consumed by some. . .thing over there. Was it that thing? Was it doing this? It didn't matter. At that moment more of them were emerging from the newly formed shadows in the cave. As more and more of them emerged the first one was surprised by an unforeseen attack by Spike.

It had stepped up to face the ponies when they parted. Spike was running at full speed and he was angry. He charged the beast before it could react. He jumped up with all his might and slammed his head into the thing, hoping that his spikes would cause some sort of damage to it. They both separated and that beast stumbled backwards. Spike capitalized on the moment and took a deep breath. He unleashed a breath of fire strong enough to illuminate the entire Forest almost. The girls had to rush outside to avoid being burned.  All except Applejack.

She snatched Spike up by the tail, cutting off his breath of fire. She threw him up on her back like she did before and headed for the mouth of the cave. What was the cave entrance was now the cave exit. But she wasn't moving very fast. That thing that had taken her tail last night left her wounded and slow. She was just going to be a burden to the others. She used all her energy to fight through to pain that coursed through her legs like fire. She got to the very edge of the cave and stopped. It was so sudden that Spike flew over her head, with her hat in his claws still.

“AJ, what are you doing?! Keep moving,” Rainbow Dash said.

“I ain't gonna make it very far in mah condition,” Applejack said.

She kept her head down so as they could not see her crying. And because she did not want to look at them. She did not want to see their faces. Not right now. She walked over to the side of the cave and put her hoof on the rocks. The she turned around and kicked them. Even injured she still had a powerful kick. She looked back in the cave as more shrieking sounded off from deep within. Spike's fire breath was losing its effectiveness. Applejack kicked the rocks of the cave entrance again and again. It was clear what she was trying to do.

“NO! Applejack, you can't do that! Stop it,” Rarity pleaded and shouted to her friend.

“Applejack, no. No. No! NO! NO,” Rainbow Dash shouted.

Pinkie took Fluttershy and turned them both away. Tears filled her eyes as Fluttershy struggled to see what was happening. She managed to break free of Pinkie's grip just as Applejack did it. She could see the beasts stalking just behind her, and she kicked the rocks one last time.

The cave as a whole shook and trembled. The rocks came loose everywhere. The ground rumbled as the rocks fell all around. The beasts tried to run for the exit when they found a pony blocking their path. Applejack kicked two back already and then turned back to the girls. She looked at them for one last time. She had a smile on her face. Of all things, she had a smile.

“APPLEJACK!!!”

Fluttershy screamed the name into the air and beyond. She raced to cave but some force held her back. It was Rainbow Dash. She held her tail in her mouth and would not let it go. No matter how much Fluttershy fought and bellowed and cried out, Dash was not letting go.

The four ponies watched on as Applejack's images was swallowed up. Rocks rained down around her. Some the size of mere pebbles and some the size of boulders. They stopped the beasts from leaving, but left Applejack there to die. And she did. She stood there with a smile on her face and more tears than ever streaming down her face. As the rocks rained down and dust filled the air she took one final moment to say something to her friends.

“I love you.”

And with that she was gone. A crash of dirt, rocks, and dust came from the cave. Everypony had to turn away to keep themselves safe from the dust and debris. When they looked back it was gone. Everything was gone. The cave was gone. The beasts were gone. Applejack was gone.

“NO! APPLEJACK! NO, NO! NO, SHE CAN'T BE,” Fluttershy cried out, “She just can't be. . .”

“She is, Fluttershy,” Rarity said as calmly as she could, but still with many tears falling to the ground below, “She is gone.”

“NO! We can't just leave her here!”

Rarity burst into tears. She could no longer keep it together. None of them could. They were all crying. Fluttershy was staring at the rock pile where the cave used to be. Her eyes were wide and her lips quivered. She could not believe it. And then another pony came up to her. Rainbow Dash put a comforting wing around her friend. Fluttershy looked over to her. She was crying too. Tears of heartache ran down her cheeks as well any other pony. Fluttershy looked at the ground as tears of her own fell.

“We can't just leave her here.”

“We have to. It's what she would want us to do.”