Introduction
"Unreal"
The silence. The silence was definitely the worst part.
For the first time in her life, Scootaloo was truly alone, and all she could think about was that it was her fault.
It was her fault Pinkamina was gone.
Why did she do it? She still didn't know...
She thought as every day went by, but she could never understand.
"I will never leave you."
Pinkamina's words echoed through her mind...hurting her far more than the chains that held her, or the silence that tortured her.
She had let her only friend die. And because of it, she was now here, slowly dying underground.
Celestia's orders were clear. She wanted her gone, but executing a filly would only cause upset to the populace.
No. She would do things quietly, discreetly.
They locked her down here to die. Celestia's dungeon had not been used in over a millenia.
Scootaloo was the sole resident.
Each day invited new pain, a new sense of dread to overcome her.
She wasn't fed. She wasn't spoken to. It was as if she was already dead.
She wished she was.
Nothing to comfort her but the sound of her own thoughts, and the memories that wouldn't stop.
But then she returned. And everything changed.
Scootaloo heard whispers, a noise she hadn't heard since she saw light. It was a strange noise, a soft noise, almost like a mother comforting a child.
Scootaloo's head jerked back and forth, desperate to find the source of this noise that had shattered her silence.
but she saw nothing.
She tilted her head back and took a long breath.
Nopony was here, it wasn't possible.
The only one she cared about was gone.
Yet, when she opened her eyes, she was there standing before her.
"Hello Scootaloo," The pink mare began, "did you miss me? I missed you..."
Scootaloo's heart nearly stopped. There she was, as if nothing happened, smiling at her with the same smile she remembered.
She began to shake and writhe in her restraints.
"No..." Scootaloo choked, " You aren't real...You aren't real!"
Pinkamina placed a hoof on her cheek. It was warm...nostalgic.
"I'm as real as you want me to be." She said, stroking Scootaloo's mane comfortingly, "do you want me to be real?"
"I let you die." Scootaloo spoke, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "I'm so sorry..."
"I forgive you." She replied.
"I don't understand," Scootaloo began, "How are you here? I watched you die."
Pinkamina opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by another sound. The sound of a door.
Scootaloo's head darted about once again, trying to locate the sound. Hoofsteps were heard descending the staircase leading to the dungeon.
"What is that!?" Scootaloo panicked, "did you bring somepony else too?"
Pinkamina gave no reaction. Only staring at the iron bars in front of them expectantly, ignoring her.
It was a stallion, a guard to be exact, Scootaloo had seen enough of them to tell. His armor gave off a slight shine as the light from the torches in the small dungeon touched it. He had a sort of worry in his stride, as if he were afraid of something, or somepony.
Scootaloo hadn't seen another pony besides Pinkamina in weeks...why was he here?
Scootaloo looked toward the pink figure in front of her, wanting answers, but her back was turned toward her. She only focused on the bars.
The guard approached these bars, and to Scootaloo's shock and confusion, used his magic to levitate a key from his chain and open the door.
Pinkamina stared, but he just looked through her, and continued walking towards Scootaloo.
"Hey," he began, "are you okay?"
What kind of question was that!? Scootaloo thought to herself, how could he possibly ask me that? Scootaloo had not been "ok" for years, and things have never been as bad as they were to her now. The question aggravated her.
"Why?" She replied, "Why are you here?"
The guard looked at her, with a hint of remorse, "Look...I know they told us not to feed you, but..." he levitated a tray that was resting on his back in front of her, "No child deserves this. I can't help you beyond this, if I could I would." He stammered over words. "Please, eat."
Scootaloo stood there, amazed. Nopony had shown her kindness since Pinkamina's death.
Which reminded her that she was standing right beside her.
The guard did not speak to her. Niether did he seem to acknowledge her...
"Why can't he see you?" Scootaloo asked, "I thought you said you were real!"
"I am," Pinkamina replied, emotionless, "But only to you..."
"Who are you talking to?" Asked the guard.
Scootaloo shook her head. "Nopony." She looked at her arms, which were still chained to the wall, "I can't really eat like this..."
The guard looked nervous. "Oh...yes, of course." He replied, shakily using the another key to release her restraints.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Scootaloo could feel her hooves. She felt free, the childlike side of her wanted to run and jump with joy, but more than anything, she wanted to eat. She dove toward the food immediately, not caring what it was, she savored it as though it were fine cuisine.
The guard gave a nervous smile as he turned back toward the stairs, assuring that nopony followed his descent to the dungeon.
Scootaloo felt a strange sense of trust with this guard, he risked his own safety for her! And he didn't even know her. She wanted to thank him. The child on the inside wanted to hug him, after all he earned that much.
then Pinkamina approached her.
"Did you see that?" She whispered, "he brought me food!"
"I know." Pinkamina replied, emotionless. "Now is our chance."
"Time for what?" Scootaloo asked, puzzled.
"Kill him." Pinkamina replied, coldly.
Scootaloo froze.
"What!? Why?" Scootaloo stammered, "He was kind to me!"
"He is the only thing standing between you and the outside world," Pinkamina replied, "You see his knife?" She pointed to the pointed weapon sheathed at his side, "take it and kill him. Then you'll never have to see this place again."
Scootaloo began to cry. She didn't want to, she never wanted to kill again, especially not somepony like this, it wasn't right, it...
"Don't worry, Scootaloo," Pinkamina said, smiling, "I'll never leave you."
Scootaloo looked at her with sadness and desperation...
She didn't have to....she didn't have to...she didn't have to....
"Please, Scootaloo," Pinkamina said, placing a hoof on her shoulder, "It's for your own good."
Scootaloo, wiped the tears from her eyes before slowly approaching the unsespecting guard.
Memories flooded her mind. Memories of blood, death, torture...
Memories of those she killed...
Memories...
She approached him, taking his knife and jumping on his back.
It all happens so fast...
He didn't struggle very much. Which surprised Scootaloo quite a bit, considering his occupation as a guard...
After at least three stabs to the throat, he drew his last breath, and painted the floor crimson.
"It's done..." Scootaloo said, wiping the blood from her face, "he's gone."
Pinkamina smiled genuinely, "That was wonderful, you definitely haven't forgotten what I taught you."
"Where will we go?" Scootaloo said suddenly, her eyes not leaving the guard's limp body, "Celestia will find us. Then you really will be dead. There is nowhere for us to run to..."
"Scootaloo," Pinkamina began.
"Why did you kill her!?" Scootaloo screamed, her emotions becoming to hard to hold back any longer, "Why!?"
"I had to, Scootaloo...You don't understand."
"When am I going to understand!?" Scootaloo screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Please, stop screaming, they're going to come for you." Pinkamina spoke softly.
"Why should I care." Scootaloo replied, "We're both supposed to be dead anyway."
Pinkamina sat down next to her, as she had always done when Scootaloo was sad.
"We both made mistakes, Scootaloo," She began, "But, it's time for us to fix things! Don't you want things to be the way they used to be?"
Scootaloo thought for a while.
Thought about the time she spent with her...the time she spent with her.
She remembered through blood soaked tears that when she was with her, she felt like she was worth something.
Like she almost had a....mother.
Scootaloo said nothing, but hugged her mentor. She felt warm, as she always had, and she smiled and stroked her mane.
Just like she always had.
"Scootaloo," Pinkamina began softly, "There's something I need you to do for me..."
Scootaloo looked up at her, inquisitively.
"Something I need you to get for me."
"What?" Scootaloo asked, looking up at her with a natural curiosity.
"A book."
And again, In that blood-soaked dungeon, there was silence.
Chapter 1
“Morning”
The sun rose.
It shone over everything, as it always had. Over every part of Equestria its beams pierced.
Even over a small town...
A small town that housed a bitter soul.
The soul that never forgets.
The last remaining element.
Applejack’s sweat poured down in beads down the sides of her face. Being the pony she was, she was used to it, but it brought painful memories of the old days.
when she still had her legs.
Working finances for the farm in Appleoosa definitely didn’t come naturally. She missed being able to feel the strong wood of a tree, just before delivering a kick strong enough to cause the apples she loved so dearly to fall in her reach. but those days were over. It was Big Mac and Braeburn’s job now.
She wheeled herself over to town hall to count the income for the day, as she had been doing for well over a month now.
It was a hot for an Autumn day...
Leaves filled the street, as well as the crowds of ponies and stallions going about their normal routines.
How happy they seemed, Applejack thought.
Slowly wheeling down that worn path through town, Applejack went about her own routine. She remembered.
That grin...
The one that haunted her dreams.
It wouldn’t stop following her.
It was Pinkamina’s last “prank” on her old friend...
She remembered Twilight.
Poor Twilight, who only wanted things to be the way they were...
That night in the hospital when she...
“Sis?” Came a familiar voice, “You don’t look so good...are you feelin’ alright?”
Applejack turned to see her little sister walking by her side, looking up at her with genuine concern.
She’d lost the innocence she once had. She still held the childlike affection that she had been known for, yet...she’d changed. The world around her had forced her to mature, and while it may have been for the better, Applejack still wished she had her innocent little sister by her side.
“I’m fine, Applebloom” She responded almost emotionless.
“Do you want me to push you?” Applebloom asked, eying her sister’s wheelchair sympathetically.
“No, Applebloom, I’m fine...”
She began rotating the wheels of her chair again, trying to get the memories out of her head, but they weren’t going anywhere.
She had to get home, the money could wait.
“AJ, town hall is that way...”
“I’m not going to town hall.” Applejack replied, not stopping.
“But...”
“I’m going home, Applebloom”
Applebloom just stopped. Watching as her sister continued to wheel herself home.
She could see a tear rolling down her face.
As Applejack neared home, she could see her brother, working in the fields by their temporary home that Braeburn had so gracefully supplied.
She had told him everything. What happened to her friends, how she changed.
What happened that night...
He knew better than to talk to her at the time, so he just gave her a look of sorrow and continued his fieldwork.
She slowly rolled down the long hallway she had grown used to, until finally reaching the room she shared with her sister.
She couldn’t reach the light on the ceiling fan, so she just sat there in the dark. she was used to it.
After a quick breath of air, she quickly rolled herself to her dresser, opening it slowly and after a bit of fumbling, retrieved the thick black binded book she held so closely.
She ran her hoof across it’s cover, it was warm, as it always was.
Applejack never questioned why, she knew better than to question what Princess Luna gave her.
Or...gave Twilight.
She wondered about this book. Had Luna given it to them for this purpose? Did she know Twilight would die?
Or was this for Zecora, or her other friends...
Or...Pinkie?
The thought disgusted her. She pushed as far from her mind as possible, throwing the book across the room in a sudden burst of confusion and rage.
Why was this happening? Why to her? Why, why why!?
She put her head into her hooves to cry, but it just wouldn’t happen. Her eyes were already dry from night after night of doing the same thing.
She tried to sleep, but she had nopony to lay her into bed, so she just lay there in her chair...waiting for fatigue to overcome her.
It did.
And again, the sun rose.
“Wake up sis!” Came that familiar voice.
Applejack woke up with a start, her eyes opening wide and trying hard to adjust to the light now filling the room.
“Somepony’s making an announcement in the middle of town!” Applebloom yelled.
“Somepony?” Applejack replied, “Somepony who?”
“I don’t know, It looks like one of the princess’s guards.”
Applejack froze. Hearing that name again...
She’d hoped she’d escaped her sight, or that Celestia had forgotten about her. But now she knew that this must be about her. And she had no choice but to face it.
She wondered what Celestia would do to her...
Killing her wouldn’t be enough, she’d need to make an example of her.
Applejack wasn’t afraid of death, anything had to be better than the “life” she was living now. But then she thought of her family.
Would she hurt them too? She couldn’t take that chance, especially not with Applebloom.
“Quick,” Applejack spoke, “Take me to him.”
Applebloom nodded, quickly getting behind the wheelchair and pushing it down the hall and out the door.
Applejack suddenly noticed the blanket resting on her legs. She knew her sister must have put it there while she slept, or perhaps Big Macintosh. Regardless, she held it close, as though it were her last lifeline as she was sentenced to doom.
Everypony had gathered in a large circle at the center of town, making it hard for them to see, but Applejack didn't need to. She just needed to hear.
“Celestia has ordered additional watch over this town,” Spoke a strong voice “Things should remain relatively the same. However, there is are now strict rules in place regarding the entry and exiting of this town, as well as a set curfew, which Celestia has yet to determine.”
“Are there any reasons why the princess has decided to make these changes to Appleoosa?” Applejack knew that voice. Braeburn was defending his town again.
“That is none of your concern.” The guard replied coldly.
“None of my concern!?” Braeburn yelled back, aggravated “This is my town! I don’t care if it’s the princess’s orders, I have a right to know! We all do!”
The crowd began nodding in agreement, turning their attention back towards the guard.
“Now now...” Began the guard, nervously, “No need for that. We understand your demands and offer you an explanation.”
“Go on.” Braeburn replied.
“The Princess is looking for an object of great value to her.”
Applejack already knew where this was going.
“Take me home, Applebloom.” She whispered.
“But, I wanna hear what he has to say! Shouldn't you?”
“I already know what he’s going to say,” Applejack replied “Take me home...please.”
Applebloom looked back at the crowd one last time before reluctantly turning the wheelchair around and heading home.
Applejack clinging to her blanket far tighter than before.
