Taking a Bite Out of the Big Apple

by Zaid ValRoa

Rating: teen
Tags: Applejack, Apple Bloom, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Thriller, Mystery, Horror, Death
Length: 16026

Applejack and Apple Bloom head to Manehattan to find their missing cousin, Babs Seed. But as they face unexpected dangers, they realize they may be in over their heads.

When Babs Seed goes missing in the heart of Manehattan, Applejack and Apple Bloom waste no time in looking for her. But as they delve deeper into the city's shadows, the sisters find they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

Written for The Writeoff Association's event: "Something Ain't Right".
Post-Mortem

Published 2024-06-17 20:30:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-06-20 19:16:49 UTC

1

Family was the most important thing for Applejack. Her kin meant the world to her, and she was happy whenever she heard of them and got to know how they were faring. But the contents of that morning’s letter put her as far away from a good mood as could be.

Applejack’s brow furrowed as she read it once more. It was long. That should’ve been the first hint of something being off. Her relatives were talkative, but never as much in writing. As for the contents…

“Watcha got there, dearie?” Granny Smith asked as she walked into the kitchen.

“It’s a letter from Uncle Cortland,” Applejack replied. The rest of her words died in her throat. She wouldn’t dare hide this from them but… She’d be lying if she said it would be easy.

“Oh, how nice to hear from him. Shame he missed the last reunion. How’s he doin’? And how’s that lil’ runt of his? Lil’ Babs, she was.”

“Yeah, that… That’s why he wrote the letter.”

Silence descended over them after she said that. Granny’s expression went from mild shock to concern in the span of a few seconds. Over at the stove, Big Mac lowered the flame under the pot of oatmeal he was making and turned to face her.

“What was that about Babs?”

Applejack turned to see her younger sister sneaking around Granny Smith’s leg and running up to her.

Seeing her little sister looking up at her with those wide eyes was too much for her. A loud exhale escaped her, and she brought the letter up and read it again.

“Uncle Cortland doesn’t mention much specifics, but he ain’t faring too well. That much’s true. Babs… Uh…” Her eyes briefly flickered towards Apple Bloom. Swallowing hard, she continued. “Seems she’s been hangin’ ‘round with the rowdy kids lately.”

“Oh, Babs…” Granny Smith said in the peculiar intonation only a disappointed old relative can produce.

For her part, Apple Bloom had turned very serious. Wrinkled snout and darting eyes hinted at something hidden beneath the surface.

“You know somethin’, Bloom?”

Her little sister opened her mouth, but said nothing for a few moments. “Ah… Well… Babs told me she was meeting new ponies to join the Manehattan branch of the Crusaders. She’s always looking out for ponies to help.”

“Meeting with them a tad too much it seems,” Applejack replied. “Seems she’s been spending a lot of time outside of home, even coming back way past her curfew.”

“Those darned city kids. They like actin’ grown up way too much!”

Uncle Cortland was sparse on details, but she could tell from his writing. Something wasn’t right with her cousin. It would be easy to blame it all on a rebellious phase, or just puberty kickin’ in…

“Must be hard on uncle Cortland. What with having to raise Babs on his own,” Applejack continued, her eyes scanning the letter once more.

“That city… It’ll gobble you up if you ain’t careful,” Granny Smith continued her musings, but Applejack could see her sister’s worried gaze still locked on hers.

Apple Bloom got closer to Applejack, standing on her hind legs as she tried to read the letter. “What more did he say?”

“Actually, he’s asking for help.” Glancing to her side, she continued, “Even mentioned you by name, Bloom.”

“Wait, really?” the filly asked, her features flowing between confusion and worry.

“Since you’re so close with Babs, he was hoping you could talk some sense into the girl.”

In a moment, all other emotions drained from Apple Bloom’s face, leaving only shock. “Wait… Does that mean…?”

Applejack folded the letter and set it on the table before giving her little sister an earnest smile. “If you don’t mind skipping town for the weekend. Whatcha’ say, Bloom? Want to go to Manehattan and help Babs?”

“Do I!” Apple Bloom had all four hooves on the floor again, and started running in circles around the kitchen table. “I’m gonna see Babs! I’m gonna see my cousin again!”

All around the jumping filly, the members of the Apple family smiled warmly. Family was important for them. When times got tough, there was no Apple who wouldn't buck apples, wrangle critters, or face any challenge that came their way to keep 'em smilin' and feelin' safe.

'Cause when you're part of the Apple family, y’all stuck together through thick and thin, no matter what.

The following morning, they’d woken up way before Celestia rose the sun to make sure they could catch the first train to Manehattan. Summer was a few ways away from coming, so there was a light chill to the air in the train station as the Apple sisters sat on the wood bench under a lonely lamp, huddled next to their hastily assembled bags.

Apple Bloom had stayed up late, not only packing but excitedly thinking about how she was going to spend the weekend with her cousin. A cute one, was she. It seemed the excitement almost made her forget why they were going to Manehattan in the first place. Perhaps, Applejack thought, she assumed they’d arrive at Uncle Cortland’s home, wait for Babs, and get all sorted out after a quick talk, leaving the rest of the weekend for their Crusading shenanigans. As a result, the filly now rested against her leg, lightly snoring and with her mouth agape.

With a sigh, Applejack looked up, past the lamplight and into the vast expanse and the stars shining above.

There was a part of her that sympathised with Babs. Once upon a time, she’d been a naïve little filly who looked for ways of acting out. Darn, she’d even ran away from home once before. Perhaps that was why she couldn’t bring herself to judge Babs Seed too harshly. She couldn’t imagine living in a city such as Manehattan would do much to help a growing filly. Perhaps things would’ve been similar had she been in Babs’s hooves.

However, the contents of the letter rushed back to her mind. The sadness that dripped from those words was crossing a line. As much as she could bring herself to understand why Babs was acting that way, it was really taking a toll on her dad, and that was something Applejack could not condone. She wouldn’t be harsh on the girl, but she was gonna make darn sure Babs understood how this was affecting uncle Cortland, and that they had a heart to heart about it, finally reaching an understanding. If all went well, that is.

She smiled. Perhaps she’d have a friendship report to send the Princess once this was all over.

The train ride had been mostly uneventful, save for Apple Bloom’s sporadic bouts of excitement which had not abated in spite of her obvious tiredness. And once the Manehattan skyline had become apparent, her enthusiasm only grew.

“We’re here!” She said, pressing her face against the window, as if trying to close the distance between herself and the city.

“Hold your horses, girl,” Applejack replied, grabbing her sister by the withers and pushing her back onto her seat. “You won’t make the train go any faster by fussing about. Just wait until we reach the station.”

“We’ll be going straight for Babs’s house, won’t we?” Apple Bloom continued, her older sister’s words ignored.

Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sure thing, sugarcube. We may even catch ‘em just as they’re waking up. We’ll talk things out over breakfast.”

“Awesome!”

That seemed to calm Apple Bloom somewhat. But she’d meant those words. Celestia willing, Babs wouldn’t have left before they arrived at their house. The look of shock in the filly’s face alone would’ve made the trip worth it. Still, Applejack knew things rarely ever went that smoothly. All she could do was hope for the best and help in whichever way she could.

As they entered one of the tunnels that lead into the fancy underground railroads they had and darkness enveloped them, Applejack’s mouth twisted into a confident smile.

“The city’s so big!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. It was amusing how the big pink bow on her head bobbed up and down as she looked all around her, taking the sights of the impressive skyscrapers and fancy buildings.

“Sure is. But don’t you go scampering off now, you hear? The city’s mighty big, and the last thing we need is you getting lost,” Applejack said, though she couldn’t lie her eyes were wandering around the streets, as well. It was a curious feeling, seeing how the city had grown and changed since she was first here as a filly herself. Them fancy roads were made of asphalt now, and it seemed the buildings had doubled in size. The smallest of them all would tower above most of Ponyville. Strange, but curious.

With equal parts caution and excitement, the sisters made their way through the rigid grid of streets of the big city, and Applejack couldn’t help but notice another change in the atmosphere of Manehattan.

Back in her foalhood, ponies in the city had mostly been the froufrou kind she associated with places like Canterlot, but as they walked deeper into the city, she realised most ponies she saw looked far more normal than she’d expected. Though there was a part of her that felt happy about this, she couldn’t shake the nagging notion that maybe her cousin wouldn’t be in this situation if the city had remained a haven of fancy ponies.

“I bet there’s so much to do ‘round here!” Apple Bloom said, bringing Applejack back from her reveries. “Oh, I wish we could’ve come when things were normal… Just think of all the opportunities for Crusadin’ we’d have! Oh, I have to talk with the girls. We’ve got to come here! It will be like a meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders branches!”

She couldn’t help but giggle at the antics of her sister and her foalish innocence. However, that just made her think of Babs Seed. A filly no older than her little sister who should only be worrying about school and playing with her friends. It was just like Granny had said; city kids seemed like they wanted to act all grown up.

Uncle Cortland’s letter hadn’t specified how exactly Babs behaviour had changed lately, other than it becoming obvious around the time the filly had started hanging out with some fillies and colts she’d met downtown. Who knew what those kids got up to. She hoped her cousin wasn’t keeping secrets from her uncle, but she couldn’t deny it was a big possibility.

So lost she’d become in her thoughts, that Applejack didn’t notice when she walked right into a pony just as she turned a corner.

“Oh! Mighty sorry, mister. I didn’t—” Applejack’s throat seized when she saw the haggard looking pony staring right back at her.

Far be from her to judge somepony based on their looks, but she had to admit the filthy coat with visible stains and matted fur, overgrown facial hair, and bloodshot eyes with heavy bags under them did little to inspire confidence. The sisters exchanged a nervous glance. The derelict remained in place, his tired eyes focusing on the two of them as if only now realising they’d bumped into each other.

With no small amount of unease, Applejack cleared her throat and forced a smile. “Eh… hehe… Yeah, as I was sayin’, we should’ve been paying more attention to where we were—”

“Shoulda ne’er come.”

The stallion’s quick reply caught her off-guard. As the stranger continued to stare at her without as much as blinking, she slowly felt her body tense up as a strong sense of unease crept upon her. She wasn’t sure how to reply to that, but she didn’t have to wait long before he spoke again.

“Damned outsiders.” He shook his head, but his eyes never left hers. His words bursting forth like a waterfall. “Coming here like they own the city. Don’t know shit.”

“Well, I’ll be!” Applejack replied. The stallion’s voice devolved into a tangled mess of mumbling madness, but she wasn’t listening anymore. Without bothering to say anything more to the rude vagabond, she turned around and pushed her sister away.

“Don’t pay him any mind, Apple Bloom. Big cities sometimes attract odd ponies like that,” she said, making an effort not to let the bitterness seep into her voice.

“Go back to where you came!”

If that was going to be an attitude shared by Manehattanites, then she was right to worry about the influence they were having on her cousin. She hoped to Celestia that wasn’t the case, but she was feeling far less optimistic.

The final stretch of the trip was spent with considerably less enthusiasm. Apple Bloom seemed less eager to look at the fancy buildings all around her, but hopefully that was more because she was looking forward to finally seeing her cousin than being rattled by their earlier run-in with that odd stallion.

Applejack shook her head, forcing herself to ignore the weird encounter and focus on the task at hoof: Babs Seed and uncle Cortland.

“Now, remember, Apple Bloom. We ain’t trying to come off too strong here. We’re not here to tell ‘em what to do or not to do, just to get them to talk to each other and sort out their problems. We wanna know what’s bothering our cousin and help her and uncle Cortland in any way we can.”

The filly nodded. “Gotcha. There’ll be time for crusadin’ later.”

“That’s the attitude, right there!” Applejack said with a smile, fighting the urge to rustle her sister’s mane. It was good to know the girl had her priorities straight.

Looking at the street signs, she knew they were just a few blocks away from their goal. The sun was already shining brightly, signalling the start of a brand new day. One that hopefully would carry less heartache and—Princesses willing—would end on a brighter note.

Not long after, they reached the correct street. Rows of contiguous brick homes. Some with signs of neglect. Some with graffiti. Even a few broken windows here and there. These signs were enough to tell Applejack this was slowly becoming the bad part of town. That revelation did little to ease the restlessness taking shape somewhere deep in her chest. She wouldn’t dare speculate on how this would influence Babs’s seemingly rebellious tendencies, but her mind did wander.

“This is it, AJ! Two-one-six!” Apple Bloom said, pointing at the rusty iron numbers next to the big wooden door of a small apartment complex. With eager steps, the little filly ran up the stairs leading to the door and burst in, her excitement leaving little care for things such as cordiality or respect for private property.

Speeding up, Applejack tried to catch up with her sister, running up the internal staircase all the way to the third floor, the wood creaking due to her weight every couple of steps. She found it odd how these newfangled buildings couldn’t be much older than her parents would’ve been, but they fell apart so quickly. The farmhouse had been standing since Granny Smith’s younger days, but just a bit of care and elbow grease kept it in great shape. She was gonna have to talk with uncle Cortland. Maybe they could fix this up while the girls played.

As they reached the second floor, she couldn’t help but notice how… quiet the building felt. The noise of the wood bending filled the air devoid of the sounds she would normally expect on a weekend morning. Ponies going out, or coming back. Families getting ready for breakfast. Radios or those televisions.

However, it seemed the so-called “city that never sleeps” was yet to wake up.

Finally, both stood in front of the apartment door. Without wasting more time, Apple Bloom jumped and hit the doorbell. The distant ringing broke the stillness of the building, but the nagging feeling of something being wrong simply wouldn’t leave Applejack alone. Everything was just too quiet. Too lifeless. Too…

Her thoughts never managed to go further. There were some muffled sounds behind the door, and a few stumbling noises that turned into a frantic gallop. Before either of them could react, the hoofsteps grew louder and the door flew open, revealing a ghastly looking uncle Cortland standing under the doorway.

Sunken, red eyes, unruly green mane, and a pleading expression that crumbled the moment he saw the two sisters.

“Uncle…?” Apple Bloom said, her voice wavering.

“I… I’m sorry, girls. I just…” He swallowed as she fell down on his haunches. “I was hoping it would be your cousin.”

Something deep inside Applejack froze. “What do you mean?”

“Yeah, where is Babs?”

The older stallion directed his lightless eyes towards Applejack. He silently worked his jaw for a few seconds before he swallowed, took a deep breath and said, “Your cousin hasn’t come back home.”

Applejack pushed the cup of warm tea towards her uncle.

“It’s alright, just take a deep breath. We’re here with you now,” she said, gently rubbing his back.

“What happened?” Apple Bloom asked with that foalish tendency to forego tact and go straight for the matter.

Uncle Cortland stared at the gentle swirls of his dark tea, as if it held the answers nopony else seemed to have. He opened his mouth, only for a hitched breath to come out. Apple Bloom looked as if she wanted to press him and ask again, but Applejack’s steadying hoof on her shoulder told her to remain quiet.

It was hard to imagine what her uncle was going through. In the years since she got her cutie mark, Granny Smith and Big Mac had told her how her leaving for Manehattan had impacted them. But that had been a decision made after a long time with the agreement of the whole family. Whatever Babs and uncle Cortland had been through, it was obvious he didn't expect Babs to suddenly disappear.

Which meant that either Babs had been planning to run away in secret… Or something else had happened.

“Feels like it was just yesterday that we were having breakfast like normal,” Uncle Cortland spoke, his voice as frail as a crystal ornament. “I’d wake her up. She’d fight and complain about wanting to sleep in. I’d get her breakfast ready. We’d even spend a good bit of the morning just talking.”

Applejack listened. She wanted answers just as much as Apple Bloom, but she understood their uncle needed to vent. Let things off his chest before he was in any condition to cooperate.

“Then last week she went out with her friends after school… I should’ve known something was wrong.” His monotone voice acquired the faintest bitter edge. “It was just like when those bullies were picking on her for being a blank flank… But she had friends now. She did that whole crusading thing! She was happy!” His voice kept rising, anger dripping from his words. An anger aimed squarely at himself. But just as quickly as it had increased, his voice suddenly lowered as his face slacked. “At least… I thought she was… What did I really know?”

“Uncle, no!” Apple Bloom interjected, pressing both of her hooves on his side. “She was! She really was! She told me as much in her letters!”

Blinking away tears, uncle Cortland looked at Apple Bloom. “You think so?”

A firm nod. “Mmhmm! She always said good things about you in her letters. And how much she enjoyed spending time with you!”

Light seemed to return to his eyes. This was short-lived, however, as if a lit match was extinguished by a strong breeze.

“What happened last week, uncle Cortland?” Applejack asked, hoping to get the conversation back on track.

“She mentioned this group of foals. Just arrived at school. She and her friends wanted to meet them. You know, be friendly, make ‘em join their little group and all that.” He shook his head, defeated. Somehow, his demeanour seemed to sour as he recalled the memories. “It all seemed so nice. She was making more friends, so when they wanted to hang out after school, I… I said it was okay.”

He brought his hooves up to his face and leaned forwards, rattling the cup of tea as he hit the edge of the table. “They took the subway after school. Don’t remember where they went. Babs came back later that day. I… I tried talking with her, but she went straight to her room. Just thought she was tired, but… something happened that day.”

Silence followed. Applejack and Apple Bloom exchanged worried glances. A shake of the filly’s head told her sister she didn’t know anything about this.

“The morning after she was back to normal. Or at least I wanted to believe she was… I asked how things had gone, but she wouldn’t say much other than it was alright. No matter what, that’s all she said, so I stopped asking.”

Applejack remembered that much. His letter mentioned Babs acting withdrawn for a while before she…

“And then she came home late. Really late. I was so worried, I must’ve raised my voice at her.” At this point he started gently rocking back and forth. “She just exploded at me and wouldn’t talk to me again. I didn’t want to pressure her, but I couldn’t have her stay like that… But it only made things worse. Babs has never yelled at me like that. Then she just left and hasn’t come back since.”

“Have you told the police?” was Applejack’s immediate reply. His uncle just nodded, but said nothing more.

“Well? What did they say?” Apple Bloom pressed on, her limited patience having obviously ran out.

“They’re doing what they can. They said they’d go to her school and check on her friends. I’m just waiting here and hoping she comes back.”

Afterwards, silence filled the room. Uncle Cortland apparently had nothing more to say, and neither of the girls seem to have anything to add.

Clearing her throat, Applejack patted her uncle’s back. “I can’t rightly say what happened to make Babs act that way. But I’m sure she regrets saying those things. Just you wait. She’s probably just feeling really regretful right about now. I bet she’s looking forward to coming back home and patching things up.”

Apple Bloom mimicked Applejack’s motions, but said nothing else.

“It’s alright, uncle.” Applejack said. “Everything’s gonna be alright.”

“What are we going to do?” Apple Bloom asked.

Uncle Cortland had let them stay in the guest bedroom, and as soon as they’d gotten inside and closed the door, Apple Bloom had thrown her bags on the bed and turned to face her big sis with a pleading look.

Applejack, however, was at a complete loss for words. She’d come to Manehattan mentally prepared to solve one problem, but now… What could she do? Part of her wanted to let the authorities deal with it. That’s why they existed, after all. However, the Apple in her couldn’t leave her family hanging. She was always certain that, as sure as Celestia would rise the sun, so would an Apple look out for their kin. So, she had to help. In whichever way she could.

“Consarn it… Maybe Twilight would know what to do. Can’t rightly say what’s even the right thing to do in this situation.” Her words were blunt, but they did little to dull the eager look on her sister’s face.

She sighed. Perhaps trying to buy some time, she took off her hat and set it on a nearby perch.

“You’ve been exchanging correspondence with Babs, right?”

Apple Bloom nodded.

“Any of them mentioned those new ponies she’s been seeing?”

“Her last letter came well over a week ago. She did mention some new colts and fillies came to her school. They were blank flanks, too, so she wanted to offer them a membership to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I wrote her back after that, but I don’t think she had time to reply before this whole thing went down.”

“Hmmm…” Applejack crossed the room, walking towards the window. “Well, we have no way of knowing what she did since then… Did her letters mention what she usually did with her friends?”

She shrugged. “Crusadin’.”

“Right…” She turned to look through the window. The sun was still high in the sky. Plenty of time left in the day. “I figure the police will do their best. Maybe we can look for her crusader friends and ask if they know anything.”

“Of course!” Apple Bloom cried out, startling her. “It’ll be just like a detective retracing the steps of a criminal…”

“Uh… right.”

“Babs mentioned where a couple of her friends lived. I got the addresses for when I came to visit. That way it would be easier to meet them all! Gimme a map, and I can tell you who’s the closest one!”

Applejack cracked a smile at her sister’s enthusiasm. She supposed that was the better attitude to have regarding this entire situation. Making the best out of a bad ordeal. Honestly, she just hoped Babs was really just rebelling and was staying with one of her friends.

“Eeyup. Let’s do that. It’s all gonna be alright in the end. Just you see.”

With the sun shining bright, Applejack allowed herself—or, perhaps, urged herself—to feel optimistic.

The knot in Applejack’s throat tightened with every step she took. It must’ve been well into the afternoon, and the scant optimism she’d managed to scrounge up that morning had started to wane. She didn’t want to imagine how Apple Bloom felt.

At the first house they’d visited, they’d been met with nothing but silence despite spending more than fifteen minutes knocking.

The second house was hardly better. They only had to knock once before a rabid overweight mare came out. She had been entirely confrontational the entire time, and only seemed to get worse once the matter of her son was brought up. Once all was said and done, they’d only gotten a door slammed on their faces for their trouble.

She threw a sidelong glance to her little sister. It appeared as if her bow chose to reflect Apple Bloom’s emotions, seeing how it hanged limply on the sides of her head. She couldn’t let her little sister get her spirits down like that. Even if she wasn’t feeling too well herself at the moment.

“Third time’s a charm, eh, Bloom?” she said, gently nudging the filly as they walked down the sidewalk.

Apple Bloom let out a long exhale of defeat. “I guess… It’s just that Barley Grind’s house was empty… And Cloudy Daze’s mom was so mad… She wouldn’t even hear us.”

Carriages ran past them. The clopping of hooves and wheels against asphalt were the only sound accompanying their walk.

“Then we must hope this Bluetune girl’s family is willing to cooperate.”

“Bluenote,” Apple Bloom whispered.

“Right. That. Sorry.”

They turned a corner and saw the small two storey home where Bluenote lived. Applejack took a deep breath and sped up her pace. This was it. The last of the kids they could ask about the events of the last week. About these new foals, about whatever happened last week to make them act weirdly. About wherever it is they could be.

As they opened the small wrought iron gate around the garden that separated the house itself from the sidewalk, they heard someone call for them.

“Hey, you two!”

She turned around, looking for the source of the voice.

“Aye, over here!”

Looking up, they saw an older mare in a gown and way too many hair curlers in her mane. She had a lit cigarette in her mouth and looked at them with a mix of annoyance and detached interest from her second storey window. “Who you lookin’ for?”

Applejack blinked. Putting on her best polite smile, she took off her hat and pressed it against her chest. “Good evening, ma’am. Name’s Applejack, and this here’s my little sister, Apple Bloom.”

The mare arched an eyebrow, but said nothing more, as if urging them to explain themselves.

Her smile wavered, but she pressed on. “Well… We were looking for a little girl called Bluenote. Y’see, my cousin is her classmate and we wanted to see if we could talk with her for a bit.”

Silence was the mare’s only reply. Taking a drag out of her cigarette, she tilted her head towards the house. “You’ll be waiting for a while. Whole family’s gone.”

That killed her smile for good. “Guh… Wait, what do you mean ‘gone’?”

A frown. Certainly a step up from the silence. “Waddaya think I mean? They’re gone. First that ‘note filly up and vanished. Sent her poor parents into a frenzy. Then her mom goes out, looking for her and doesn’t come back. Just last night the dad left and hasn’t come back, either.”

Next to her, Apple Bloom took a sharp breath. She didn’t know what to say. Or what to think.

“Ah… I—”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s none of my business. But if you see that filly, make sure to give her a good whack for making such a mess!” With that, she got back inside her home and slammed the window shut.

Despite the sun shining warmly in the sky, Applejack felt her blood running cold.

“Applejack?”

She looked down at her little sister. Apple Bloom’s expression seemed… Well, it was an expression she didn’t want to see in her face any longer.

“Let’s go, Apple Bloom,” she said, forcing a smile once more. “We’ll try something else.”

“Like what?” the filly replied. “They’re… They’re all gone, too, AJ.”

It was true. Applejack didn’t know what else to do. Asking the other fillies and colts had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now she was only left with more questions. And she wasn’t too keen on what the answers were, either. The police should know about the other disappearances already. They should be able to figure out what was happening… and put a stop to it.

“Well… It’s like you said, right? We just have to retrace her steps, don’t we? Uncle Cortland said she took the subway with her friends. Maybe we can find a clue there.”

For a while, Apple Bloom said nothing. Then, she just nodded, and looked up, trying to put on a brave face. A transparent attempt, but one Applejack appreciated. They just had to keep their chins up, hope for the best, and keep working hard.

And Applejack prayed that would be enough.

Once more in less than half a day, Applejack and Apple Bloom found themselves waiting for a train. It felt more of a symbolic gesture than anything. All they knew was the line Babs most likely took after school. That was it. They were as likely to find a clue on Babs’s whereabouts as they were to find a five legged cat. Or a clean toilet in the station.

Nevertheless, they were there. Hoping that doing this would at least feel like making progress.

“Train should be here any minute, Bloom,” she said, holding her sister close. “Maybe we can figure out what Babs was thinking while we’re there.”

A sigh. “I guess…”

“Come on, Bloom. Babs wouldn’t want to see you all gloomy, now, would she?”

Silence. Her sister hardly moved for a while. Just as Applejack was starting to feel nervous, she heard Apple Bloom take a deep breath. Or was it a sniffle? “You’re right, AJ. Gotta keep our heads up, right?”

Optimism was a beautiful thing. Just as beautiful as the small smile on her sister’s face.

To their left, the distant sounds of the train arriving slowly got louder and louder. It was a long shot, but they were going to take any chance they got.

For their family.

An hour or so must have passed since they boarded the train. Most of which had been spent making small talk and reminiscing about the times Babs had gone to Ponyville. But after a while, even that conversation had died down. Now the sisters just sat, looking through the window at the city bathed in the evening light in silence. Perhaps neither knew what to add. What to say to lift their battered hopes.

As the train entered a tunnel, darkness enveloped them, and all Applejack could see were their melancholic reflections on the window.

She brought her sister closer, holding her tight. “We’re gonna find her, Apple Bloom. You’ll see.”

The filly smiled. A sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. “It’s gonna be alright, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…” Applejack said. “Just alright.”

With nothing to occupy her mind, Applejack thought back to Babs Seed. Something had gone down. That much was obvious. Something bad. Could she have found herself entangled with something? Crime? Drugs? Worse? She wondered why Babs couldn't have turned to her dad. To aunt and uncle Orange. To Bloom or herself. Or any of the Apple Family. Maybe she did get herself tangled with something really bad. Something she felt couldn’t tell anypony else.

But, like Twilight would say, these were just hypotenuses. There was no way to be sure, and until Babs was found, they couldn’t know.

She hugged her sister closely, and tried not to think about that anymore. After a while, she found herself getting lost in the random chatter of the last stragglers around her.

“I think I’m going down with the feather flu…”

“You goin’ to Sapphire Shore’s concert next weekend?”

“Yeah, gotta get a bigger haul after Cloudy Daze.”

“I just found this great recipe for lava cakes.”

Wait, what?

She turned around, trying to look for the source of that voice who mentioned Cloudy Daze. She knew that name. He was one of Babs’s friends. And what in Tartarus had they meant by “haul”? Before she could ponder these thoughts any further, Apple Bloom had already shot off, chasing after Celestia knew what.

“Apple Bloom!” she cried out, and started running after her sister.

“You there! Stop!” the filly yelled, and way ahead Applejack could see a group of colts running out of the cart and into the next one.

Applejack could barely make out the shapes darting ahead. Focusing, as if she was trying to aim a lasso at them, she tried to discern any specific feature of the little group. The clothes hid any cutie mark, but she could hardly distinguish more than vague coat shades.

Being a filly, it was easier for Apple Bloom to sneak between the legs of the ponies in the cart. And as the distance between them grew, Applejack abandoned all sense of propriety and started pushing ponies out of the way just to keep advancing. Thankfully, the last few carts had fewer ponies in them, so it was easier to move, but Apple Bloom was already plenty far ahead.

She was about to call for her sister once more when she felt the train slow down. Were they already reaching the next station? No… Not now! If they lost track of those colts…

“Stop those colts!” Apple Bloom cried again, but hardly any other pony seemed to pay them any mind.

The train was coming to a stop, and Applejack could see the crowds outside, the perfect cover for a bunch of foals looking to escape. In preparation for getting off the train, lots of ponies started getting up and shuffling towards the doors, making it even harder for her to advance.

A few ponies let out annoyed grunts and some more openly vocalised her distaste for Applejack’s pushing and shoving. The train cart wiggled heavily as it finally stopped. With a hiss, the doors slid open, and the masses pushed their way in and out. Gritting her teeth, Applejack pushed forward as fast as she could. Just ahead, her sister jumped off the train cart and ran into the crowd outside.

“Apple Bloom!” she yelled, finally disentangling herself from the rest of the ponies and running towards the shrinking image of her sister. Before the little filly could lose herself amongst the multitude of ponies in the station, she stretched her neck and bit down on her tail. “Apple Bloom, don’t!”

“Guh… Applejack, what are you doing?” Apple Bloom replied, a frantic, desperate tone in her voice. “They’re gettin’ away!”

Applejack spat out Apple Bloom’s tail, taking a moment to catch her breath. “They already did.”

The filly looked around. Although they were surrounded by ponies, there was no trace of the colts who’d mentioned Cloudy’s name.

“Oh, shoot…”

Applejack didn’t have it in her to chastise her sister for her language. She also felt like using some language that would get Granny Smith blowing up a storm. That would do no good beyond making everypony in the station look at them funny.

But she didn’t let her anger get the better of her. She may not have been able to catch those foals, but that encounter hadn’t been a total failure. She now had something solid. Something she could take to the authorities.

She was gonna bring those foals to the law, and get her cousin back.

“Alright, miss…”

“Applejack, ma’am, ” the farm pony replied, her hat held firmly with her hooves as she sat across the mare in a dark brown suit. Dark, bluish coat. A brown, almost red mane. And tired eyes that slowly followed the text on the pages.

It’d been about an hour of waiting since they arrived at the police station before somepony finally spoke to them. And then another fifteen minutes as the mare ruffled through the piles or papers on her desk. As much as Applejack would’ve liked to start yelling for them to go catch those colts, she understood they had to follow some sort of protocol. And judging by how much piled work the detective seemed to have, Applejack didn’t want to make things harder for anypony.

Next to her, Apple Bloom sat mostly motionless and in silence. Although her sister was behaving quite properly, the way her tail flicked from side to side betrayed the eagerness bubbling beneath the surface.

The detective hummed as she flipped through the pages. “Yes. Miss Applejack. Apologies for taking so long. We’re a bit understaffed at the moment. You mentioned your cousin went missing.”

She nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Young Babs Seed, her father is Cortland Apple.”

“I see a report has already been filed.”

Applejack had to fight hard to suppress a groan. She hoped the involuntary sharp inhale wouldn’t offend the detective. “Yes… The filly’s father—my uncle. He already came to report her disappearing, but we just, uh, came across some information that may help.”

With a quick flick of her wrist, the detective closed the folder and settled on her seat. “I’m listening.”

“We went to see if her friends from school knew anything. Visited a couple of them at home.” A pause. Applejack looked into the detective’s eyes, but the other mare kept her features steeled. “But it seems they’re missing, too.”

“I hope you understand I cannot disclose information beyond your cousin’s case,” the detective said quickly, offering no room for doubt.

“I understand that, I do,” Applejack replied, just as fast. “But after we didn’t find them, my sister and I decided to take the train my cousin and her friends usually take. Granted, I can’t rightly say what we expected to accomplish, but…” A deep breath. A steeled gaze. “When we were there, we heard somepony mention one of my cousin’s friends. By name.” She saw the detective’s right ear give the barest of twitches. “Cloudy Daze.”

Upon hearing that name, the detective did not move. Or, rather, seemed to make a very obvious attempt at keeping herself immobile. Now she knew she was on the right track.

“Just as we reached the nearby station, there was this group of colts who said something about a… a haul.” The word soured her expression as it left her lips, but she pressed on. “They said they got a… bigger haul after Cloudy Daze.”

The detective pursed her lips, as if deep in thought. What those thoughts were, Applejack couldn’t say, but she really hoped this would lead to her cousin and those other foals being found. After the seconds stretched into a minute and silence persisted, Applejack started to feel uncomfortable.

“Detective?” she asked.

“Are you sure you got the right name?”

Applejack blinked. “What?”

With a sigh, the detective leaned forward, but never broke eye contact with her. “Miss Applejack, there are close to a hundred thousand ponies in this district alone. I have three nieces named Sweet Song, Starsong, and Swan Song, because my brother’s not very creative. Just in this precinct there are two officers with Copper somewhere in their name.”

“Now, hold on just a moment. What are you trying to say?”

“What I mean, miss Applejack, is that it would’ve been easy to mishear a name that’s not that uncommon in a noisy train.” The detective leaned even further forward across the desk. With the reduced distance, Applejack could notice the stress lines pulling at the other mare’s features. “What’s more, even if you did hear correctly, and those ponies were talking about your cousin’s friend, it still doesn’t constitute evidence.”

“Whoa, hold on. They mentioned her friend by name and were talking about the foals like… like they were cattle or something!”

The detective raised a hoof, shaking it in a placating manner. “And that’s awful, but it’s not something solid enough for us to use as a lead…”

Yet another moment of silence passed between the two mares, which only served to increase the tension. Applejack knew the detective knew something. There had been a reaction when she’d brought up Cloudy Daze’s name. She had to be aware of the disappearance of those other foals.

“I hope you understand I’m not trying to shut you down. Your family and you are going through a harrowing experience, and it’s normal to try to do whatever you can.” The detective let out a long exhale and her expression seemed to soften afterwards. “But I urge you against trying to play vigilante. Somepony could get hurt. We will find your cousin, just trust us to do our job.”

The room echoed with the unspoken ”Please”. Applejack wanted to be mad at the detective. To be honest, she already kind of was. However, she also knew the detective was right. Even though she was well aware of how much of a reach this was, she just couldn’t let go of what she’d heard.

Perhaps she was just trying to convince herself.

Whichever the case, Applejack realised there was nothing she could say or do that would sway the detective’s opinion. With a slow nod, she looked down. “Thank you, detective. Don’t let me keep wasting your time, then.”

“Applejack…” Bloom whispered. Her voice was intense with concern.

“It’s okay, Apple Bloom,” Applejack replied, motioning for her sister to follow her, ”It’s going to be alright.”

“Miss Applejack,” the detective called. Both sisters stopped and turned to face the older mare. “We will do our best.”

Applejack spared one last glance at the detective. Despite her earlier animosity and her continuing discomfort, she found that part of her wanted to believe the other mare.

“Thank you,” she said. With a final nod, she turned around and ushered her sister out of the building before the filly could protest.

The sisters hurried down the steps and once more found themselves amidst the sparse evening crowds of Manehattan. The silence didn’t last for long. With slumped shoulders and her head hanging low, Apple Bloom spoke with a dejected voice, “What now?”

“Now? Now… We do it again,” Applejack replied, her eyes resolutely staring forward.

That made Apple Bloom stop in her tracks. “Again… Wait, what?”

Applejack nodded. “I ain’t saying the police ain’t doing their job, but they’re not being helpful either. Can’t rightly say what’s tying their hooves, but ours are free.”

Silence lingered for a moment in which Apple Bloom looked at her with conflicted eyes. “Didn’t… Didn’t the detective say we shouldn’t play vigilante?”

“This ain’t about us delivering justice ourselves or nothin’ like that. All we’re doing is look for our cousin because the police can’t.” Or they won’t, she thought to herself. “The detective said as much. They want evidence, so let’s get them the evidence they want.”

The glint in Apple Bloom’s eyes told her the filly had made up her mind. “Are we gonna look for those colts on tomorrow’s train?”

“We know they were talking about Babs’s friend. If we find them and hear them talkin’ again, I’m sure we can get something more solid to show the detective.” She looked up at the sky. Before long, Princess Celestia would be bringing down the sun and nighttime would come. She couldn’t know for sure if they’d be able to get those colts on the same train, but she knew she had to try. For Babs and Uncle Cortland. “Let’s go back to uncle’s home. We had a good first day and we have a plan for tomorrow.”

Her sister nodded, eyes burning with the same determination she felt inside herself. Things weren’t looking so good right now, but she wouldn’t let her spirits falter. She was not gonna let Babs, uncle Cortland, Apple Bloom, or nopony else down. Everything was gonna be alright, no matter what.

The door closed with a soft click. Applejack sighed as she walked towards the bed amidst the dark bedroom. As if mocking her, the light coming from the streetlamps right outside the window broke the darkness within the room, but did not reach the bed she shared with her sister. Now that the day was over, it seemed the optimism they’d managed to muster up after leaving the police station had left them, if only for a moment, leaving only a cold sense of unease.

“What did you tell uncle?” Apple Bloom asked from where she laid on top of the sheets.

“The truth,” Applejack replied. “That we found a lead. I tried not to mention many details, though. Wouldn’t want to worry him even more.”

Apple Bloom let out a soft hum, neither in agreement or disagreement.

The springs in the bed squeaked as Applejack climbed next to her sister. The filly was almost immobile, save for the gentle rise and fall of her sides as she took slow breaths. For a while, neither said anything, with only the distant sounds of the city keeping the silence at bay.

Applejack felt she had to say something. Something that would make her sister feel better. To either console or encourage her. In the end, she came up short. With no words to offer, she extended her arms and pulled her sister closer. Though neither broke the silence, Applejack felt her sister relax as she scooted closer to her, and pressed her body against her barrel.

After a while, their breathing evened out, and became more relaxed.

“You think we’ll find them in the same train?” Apple Bloom asked.

She thought about it for a moment. Honestly, she imagined they’d be more careful the next day, if they even took the train at all. But if all she had was a hunch, then she was gonna take a chance on it. “We know they probably live downtown.” Or that’s where they take the foals, she added in her mind. “I feel our best shot is to go there again and wait in the trains going ‘round those stations. We’ll come across those colts sooner or later.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “I hope so. It's just… Babs has been gone for days now. I didn’t understand why she wouldn't come back, but if those colts did something to her and she can’t come back, then—” A sob escaped the filly, and with that, the words stopped and the tears started flowing.

Applejack hugged her tighter, hoping she could offer her sister some comfort. Still, that only made it harder knowing that she couldn’t extend that same comfort to her cousin. Somewhere out there, somewhere in the depths of this city, Babs Seed was waiting for them. Waiting to get back home.

No matter what it took, she was going to make sure her cousin made it back home. She was going to make things right.

2

The adrenaline coursing through her veins was able to fight back the weariness caused by the restless night. Apple Bloom appeared to be faring better this morning, at least. A side glance at the filly as they walked down the street leading to the train station showed her the uncharacteristic seriousness on her sister’s face.

Applejack had to wonder how Apple Bloom felt. With how close the two fillies were, it was no wonder her sister had been so eager to run after those colts the day before. With a bit less control over her emotions, she probably would’ve done the same.

“Remember the plan, Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked.

The filly let out a hum of agreement. “We take the train downtown and go back and forth to those stations, checking the train every time until we find them again.”

“Atta girl,” she replied. “Now, keep in mind we don’t wanna go and get ourselves into trouble. Once we find those colts again, we just make sure they can’t sneak past us again.”

“How do we do that?”

I urge you against trying to play vigilante. Somepony could get hurt.

“AJ?”

Applejack blinked, brought back to the reality of the gloomy Manehattan morning. She had to keep her head clear. She needed to focus. For Babs. She stared ahead down the street. The train station slowly grew in size as they approached it, with her jitters growing as well.

“We have to get to them before they can leave the train. After that, we just corner them and talk to them until they fess up.”

“You think that’s gonna work?”

She hoped it would, but she couldn’t say that to Apple Bloom. “They were blabberin’ about poor Cloudy Daze out in the open. Don’t think it will take much to get ‘em talking about something that will get them in trouble with the police.”

The two stopped at an intersection, just as a traffic light changed colour. A few carriages hurried across them, and once more they found themselves almost alone, with few ponies walking down the street. An oddity for this time of day.

“If you say so… I just hope they didn’t hurt Babs.”

Applejack looked down at her sister. “Don’t think about that, Bloom. Just… Just focus on finding those colts. The sooner we do, the sooner we’ll find our cousin.” They made eye contact, and Applejack hoped she could project some courage onto her sister. “Just you wait. Soon, we won’t even remember we had such a bad couple of days.”

Suddenly, Apple Bloom leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Applejack’s leg. “I want Babs to be back home… I want my friend back.”

Her heart contracted painfully when she heard the hurt in Apple Bloom’s voice. How many more were in pain? Just because some sick colts were out there foalnapping fillies and colts. She wasn’t sure if her anger or her worry was stronger. At that moment, though, Applejack gently caressed the back of her sister’s head. Soft strokes to ease the anxiety they both felt. “Me too, Apple Bloom. Me too.”

They stayed like that for a moment, until the traffic light changed colour once more. She pushed her sister to cross the street with her. “That’s why we gotta find something the police can use. Anything that can confirm those colts know where Babs and the other foals are. And then they’ll bring ‘em all back.”

“I guess you’re—”

“Shoulda ne’er come…”

“Gah!” Applejack whirled around to see a homeless pony standing a few strides away from her. Just as dishevelled, just as tired-looking, and with that same frenzied look in his eyes as he had looked the day before.

“Hey, you’re that pony from yesterday!” Apple Bloom cried, pointing a hoof at him.

Regaining her bearings, Applejack’s brow furrowed in anger. “Are you following us? What’s your problem?”

“Darned outsiders, thinking they know better,” he said, speaking in his half mumbled stupor.

Applejack could feel her face twitch as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. As rude as he was, this pony was obviously not playing with a full bag of marbles, and it wouldn’t be fair to take out her frustration on him.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. With an expression that made it clear she wouldn’t tolerate nonsense, she spoke. “Now listen to me here, mister,” Her tone dropped, and she made sure to carefully enunciate every syllable. “My family and I are going through a very, very difficult time and the last thing we need is some crazed pony threatening us! I get your life must be tough out in the streets, but you ain’t got no business messing with me or my—”

“You won’t find your cousin there.”

Shock overrode all other brain functions. “Wha… What did you just say?”

The stallion spat on the floor, but never broke eye contact. “You heard me. Down that line there’s nothing but trouble. You think the city’s bad, but you’re messing with something far, far worse. Far worse… A city of the damned that is.” The stallion’s voice quickly devolved into incoherent mumbling.

Somewhere, Applejack heard the sound of the train reaching its stop, and anger once more took the front seat in her mind.

“I ain’t gonna repeat myself,” she said with barely contained anger clear in her tone. “Stay away from me and my family.”

She didn’t give the bum a chance to speak more nonsense. Without breaking eye contact, she reached towards Apple Bloom and walked backwards away from him. The crazed stallion never stopped looking at her. Not as they walked down the street. Not as they reached the next corner.

“Applejack?”

“Just walk, Apple Bloom.” She then pushed her sister forward, sparing the briefest of glances at the empty street to make sure there were no taxis or carriages coming their way. Throwing one last look at the dishevelled stallion, she kept the same unwavering stern look. However, for the briefest of moments, she could’ve sworn his eyes took on a sad edge before he turned around and walked away.

Blinking, she forced herself back to the present, and the matter at hoof. Finding those colts. Getting clues on what happened to Babs. And getting their cousin back.

“Let’s go,” Applejack said. Apple Bloom nodded, and both sisters walked the last couple of blocks in silence.

With a lurch, the heavy locomotive sprang into motion. Way in the back of the train, the two sisters silently looked through the group of ponies in their cart. Mares. Stallions. A couple of older teens. An elderly stallion that was dozing off near the door. And yet, there were no traces of the colts they’d seen yesterday. Or… any foals for that matter. Then again, it was the weekend. She supposed most would be at home or hanging around in their neighbourhoods.

“Don’t see ‘em,” Apple Bloom said. Without a pause, she stood up and walked to the door at the other end of the cart.

Applejack followed, never more than a few steps behind her. With a swift motion, she opened the door at the end of the cart and the one on the next one.

“Watch your step, Bloom.”

“Mhm…”

Upon first glance, the second cart seemed normal, if a bit quiet. Ponies of all kinds either sat, or leaned against the safety bars, yet there was no sight of colts anywhere. Her nostrils were hit by the smell of grease and faint cigarette smoke as they walked through the cart. A steady gait. Quick, but not so much as to garner unwanted attention.

A mumbled “Excuse me” or “Beg your pardon” as they made their way through the ponies, throwing furtive glances at them just in case any of them happened to be the colts from the day before.

No success.

The train left the underground and the morning light came through the windows. Today’s skies were clear, so the city enjoyed the full strength of the early Spring sun and a hint of comfortable warmth. It was almost insulting.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Applejack opened the traincart’s doors, and moved on.

She wasn’t all that surprised to notice she’d started to feel uneasy. As soon as she’d stepped into the next cart, a lot of the ponies in it had turned to face her and were following her with their eyes as they walked.

There was a part of her that felt self-conscious about this. Staring at all the ponies who just wanted to reach their station and go about their day. Getting ogled by a random mare wasn’t part of anyone’s morning routine, she was sure.

Applejack took a deep breath, and fighting over the slightly disgusting scent of sweat and smoke, she forced herself to think of her cousin. They had to find whoever took her and get them to talk. She did her best to fight off the unease growing in her and kept her gaze steady as she looked at the ponies around her. Thankfully, there were fewer of them in this cart, and they could quickly move on.

“Applejack, hurry up.”

Apple Bloom was already at the door, waiting for her. The train jolted as it started to take a curve. Applejack walked up to her sister and opened the door to the next cart. After a while, it became harder to focus on each pony as they looked for their targets. It became much easier to just feel the ponies around her as a single thing. An ocean of ponies through which they waded. Why? She wasn’t sure. Part of her wanted to blame how she wasn’t used to so many ponies, but… With a shake of her head, she gave one final look around, and moved on.

Not much changed as they went through the rest of the carts. Either on the ponies inside the train, or the thoughts stirring inside her mind. Whatever. They still looked through the mass of ponies. Some carts had more. Some had less. Some minded their own business. Some stared back at her. Some pretended they weren’t. None were the colts they’d seen the day before.

The sisters exchanged nervous glances as they opened the doors to the last cart. The warm sunlight cast a cosy glow, but Applejack barely felt it. They scanned the faces, a sea of indifference, and walked past the few commuters to the other end of the cart.

“Nothin’,” Apple Bloom said, her voice barely a whisper.

“Chin up, Bloom. It’s still early.” She set a hoof on her sister’s back. “The next station is coming up soon and more ponies will get in. We just gotta keep checking.”

Even though it seemed the filly wanted to say something, she ultimately remained silent and offered a small nod.

Swallowing, Applejack kneeled until she was at eye level with her sister. “We’re gonna find her, okay? It’s gonna take us some time, but we’re gonna find Babs Seed, y’hear me?” The train rattled as it entered a tunnel, and the darkness surrounded them. “It’s gonna be alright.”

It had been a couple hours since they started their little patrolling, with nothing much to show for it other than tired legs and a mild headache. They’d gotten faster at it, at the very least. Now they had a couple of minutes before they reached the next station and the train filled with a new batch of ponies.

Until then, Apple Bloom and her would just sit in the available seats of the boring train cart, staring at the city passing them by under the sunny Spring afternoon. If she were to be honest—and she tended to be—Applejack felt she was wasting her time and yet… there was nothing else she could do. Now they were just hanging out in the train, waiting for something. Yet nothing happened, and her mind wondered…

Everything since arriving at Manehattan had been a frenzy. The shock of finding out Babs was missing, trying to figure out what to do, finding out her friends were also missing, coming across those colts in the train, the fiasco with the police.

A sense of righteous anger settled somewhere deep in her chest. Why couldn’t the police just do what they were doing? Send an officer or two to check the trains. Then again, the detective yesterday mentioned how they were short on ponies. If they had to chase leads on Babs Seed, Barley Grind, Cloudy Daze, and Bluenote, on top of who knew how many ponies…

Her thoughts stopped at that. She hadn’t actually paid it any mind before. That colt referred to Babs and her friends as a haul. Who was to say they were the first? They were supposed to be new to their school, but there were several schools in the city. How many foals had they taken before? Did they only take foals? There was no way those colts were working alone, they had to have accomplices, other ponies working with them. In all likelihood, adults.

She thought back to the day before. That mare told them Bluenote’s parents had vanished, too. And Barley Grind’s house had been empty. She had no way of knowing if Cloudy Daze only had his mom or if there had been more disappearances in his family.

Just how deep did the whole thing go? What were they dealing with?

The train jostled as it slowed down, bringing her to the present.

“Last downtown station, AJ,” Apple Bloom said, jumping off her seat. She turned to face her with a blank stare, showing no emotion as she waited for her big sister to stand up.

“Right… Let’s get going.”

From that point, the train would branch into a different district. At that moment, they had to disembark and get on the train going the opposite direction, just as they’d been doing all morning.

The noise of the machine slowly died down and was replaced by the chatter of ponies as they approached the station. Colourful blurs began to take shape, and once they entered the building, she could see the sparse mass of ponies waiting on the platform.

Once more, her mind wandered. Now that she actually stopped to think about it, there had been times where she’d seen fewer ponies than she’d expected for a city such as Manehattan. Just as they’d arrived, some of the streets, uncle Cortland’s building… She was so used to the smaller number of ponies back in Ponyville that any crowd felt huge, but…

The train lurched as it came to a stop. After a few seconds, the doors opened and the sisters walked onto the platform. Even though there were plenty of ponies around them, Applejack couldn’t help but feel that there should be more here, especially on a weekend.

Silently, she followed her little sister’s lead as they changed trains. Before boarding, they looked around the platform, scanning the crowd—if it could be called that—of ponies in case the colts were there.

Nothing.

With a huff, they stepped into the cart closest to the front. They hurriedly made their way to a corner of the cart as they eyed the ponies coming in. Mares and stallions, even the occasional foal. Yet, once again, not a sight of those colts. Not that she’d seen many foals in that age range… ever since she arrived at Manehattan.

No… No, she couldn’t keep thinking like that. She pressed a hoof against her forehead, as if she could squeeze those intrusive thoughts away. If she let her brains get busy with these wild thoughts, she’d end up paying less attention to the ponies around her.

The doors closed and the train started moving. Just as she was about to look around the ponies in the cart again, Apple Bloom nudged her.

“They ain’t here,” she whispered, and started moving.

Applejack eyed her sister warily, but followed her anyway. Just as she opened the door, she asked her, “Are you alright Apple Bloom?”

Her sister only offered a non-commital grunt as a reply. As they stepped into the other cart, she noticed each step her little sister took was charged with… anger. She wouldn’t pretend she didn’t understand why she felt that way, but…

“Bloom?”

“I—”

Just as abruptly as she’d started talking, she’d shut up, focusing instead on the ponies around them. Applejack should, too… but her concern over her sister trumped that.

“Apple Bloom, if you’re not feeling well, just tell me and we can—”

“I ain’t gonna stop, Applejack,” Apple Bloom cut her off. She turned around and looked up at her. “Not until we find those colts. It’s only been a couple hours, and Babs has already been missing for days. We can’t let her down.”

Even though the sunlight came through the train’s windows, Applejack could barely feel its warmth anymore. The eerie feeling from earlier threatened to return as a shiver ran down her spine. She didn’t have to look around to know there were stares upon them.

With finality, Applejack held her head high and took a deep breath. Pushing away the discomfort took a lot of energy. More than she thought she still had. But she forced herself to do so.

“Y-you’re right, Bloom.” She swallowed to ease the knot in her throat. “Let’s just keep going.’

The filly merely nodded before turning around and walking to the end of the cart. Ignoring the stares of the ponies around them, she followed her sister.

There were fewer ponies in the next cart. That made the search easier, but it did little to ease Applejack’s nerves. Celestia, what was she? Afraid? What was wrong with her? Apple Bloom was right, Babs needed them. She couldn’t afford to act like this.

They moved to the next cart, the rhythmic clatter of the train wheels echoing beneath them. Each cart looked the same, filled with ponies lost in their own worlds, oblivious to the sisters' desperate search. Applejack's steps were heavy with the weight of worry, a feeling of unease gnawing at her insides. She couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong, but she couldn't put her hoof on what it was.

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom's patience seemed to be wearing thin. "Ugh… This is about a station before where we saw them yesterday. Where are they?" Her voice was a mix of frustration and worry, her eyes darting around as if hoping to catch a glimpse of anything that might lead them to Babs.

Where, indeed… Applejack had been well aware this was a long shot, but it was their only lead. Short of going to school and hoping they were given information that was probably confidential just because they asked. Fat chance… No. Finding those colts was their only hope.

Still, what if they didn’t take the train today? What if they just walked? What if they took another route? What if they didn’t even go out on the weekend? What if they were just wasting time? As hard as Applejack was trying to remain optimistic, her determination was wavering. The police weren't helpful, and they had just spent an entire morning wandering around a train going back and forth a few stations.

Applejack felt a pang of guilt and fear twist in her chest. She was doing a terrible job at keeping the dark thoughts at bay, and she was doing an even worse job at being there for her little sister. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her own frustration in check, and knelt down to Apple Bloom's level, placing a gentle hoof on her sister's shoulder. “I know it's hard, sugarcube, but we gotta keep lookin'. You just said it yourself, we can’t let her down.”

“I know that. I just…” Apple Bloom’s tone was dry, in contrast to the way the corners of her eye threatened to let out a few tears. “I just… I just want her back, Applejack. I can't stand not knowin' where she is.”

Applejack pulled her sister closer and into a reassuring hug. “I feel the same way, Apple Bloom. But we'll get through this together. We just gotta keep our heads clear and our eyes open.” Applejack stood up, giving her sister a reassuring smile. "Come on, let's keep movin'. We're bound to find those colts sooner or later."

Reluctantly, Apple Bloom nodded, the anger in her eyes giving way to determination. Applejack, for her part, did her best to focus on moving ahead and ignoring the stares of the ponies around them.

The next cart was slightly more crowded. All seats were taken and a few ponies stood in the central passage, staring out the window or simply standing there as the train moved. Still, no sight of the colts.

Darkness enveloped the train as they entered the underground. With only the fluorescent lights to brighten up the inside of the train, the two moved forward onto the next cart.

A slightly fuller cart. Only slightly. She walked right behind Apple Bloom as they crossed the hallway, throwing sweeping glances around them and hoping anypony would look familiar, to no avail. Near the back, there was a young mare who had a coat of a similar shade to Babs, and Applejack felt a twinge of sadness in her chest. It only served to further fuel her determination, though.

They were already halfway through the train, and just under ten minutes until the next station. Apple Bloom was at the door, waiting for her. She caught up to her and motioned to open the door. She threw one last glance over her shoulder and froze.

Were… were they…? No, she must’ve imagined it.

Just as she turned around… she could’ve sworn several ponies had looked away right at that moment.

“Applejack?”

She turned to look down at her sister. “Ah. Yeah. Let’s… Let’s keep going.”

If she let her nerves get out of control like that again, she was only going to make things worse. She shouldn’t pay any mind to whatever other ponies did. As far as she should be concerned, they either were or weren’t the colts they were looking for. And she shouldn’t bother to think about anypony who wasn’t who they were looking for. They were probably looking at her funny because she was an outsider. Yeah. That was probably it.

With a sigh, she pushed away the thoughts about what those ponies were or weren’t doing and opened the door to the next—

She saw them through the dooor’s window, a flash of that reddish brown and sickly green. The same colours of the coats she’d barely gotten a glimpse the day before. Two colts in roughed up jackets hanging at the other end of the cart.

Her hooves immediately grabbed onto Apple Bloom. “Don’t make noise, Bloom.” Her sister looked up at her, but quickly turned to see what she’d seen.

“Applejack,” Apple Bloom spoke in hurried whispers, “it’s them!”

She nodded. “We ain’t gonna let them get away this time. Move slow and quiet. We don’t want to catch their attention.” A quick glance around showed that the cart was just crowded enough to mask their approach. Good. “Follow me.”

With as little fanfare as she could, Applejack opened the door and stepped in. Feigning disinterest, she walked by the seats, muttering a few apologies under her breath. The rattling of the train felt so loud to her ears, although that could’ve been her heart beating twice as hard in her ribcage.

Another step. Leaned to the side to walk past a stallion. Avoid the leg of the mare who fell asleep on the seat. She kept her eyes fixed on the door at the end of the cart, only seeing those colts out of the corner of her eyes. It was hard not to let the anger show. Anger at those colts for taking away her cousin and those other foals, and at the police who seemingly couldn’t do anything for her cousin.

For a moment, the rattling of the train faded away, and her mind managed to block the acrid smell around her. Even the metal floor didn’t feel cold to her hooves. Her mind was focused on the colts at the end of the cart. She could see them clearly now. Just two of them, talking merrily as if they weren’t the cause of the pain of so many families.

With a final step, both Apple Bloom and her stood in front of the duo. Taking notice, they stopped talking amongst themselves and turned to face the sisters.

“Evening, everypony.”

The one standing closer to them gave her an odd look, lifting his nose to look down at them. The one on the back barely moved. His eyes focused on Applejack and lingered on her for a few seconds before moving to Apple Bloom. He then smiled a warm and welcoming smile that felt almost mocking.

“Yes?” he said.

Applejack tried not to let any emotion show on her face. “There are a few things we’d like to ask you.”

The colt on the back made no attempt to reply while the other one still kept his nose held high as his eyes filled with defiance.

“You are the ponies from yesterday,” the colt on the back said, no doubt in his tone.

“Remember us? That should make this easier.”

“What’cha want?” the other colt finally spoke. His voice was a raspy hoarse monotone that made Applejack’s heckles rise just from hearing it.

“You know where our cousin is,” Apple Bloom interjected. Not a question, but a hard statement. A demand for more information. Her voice had a forced firmness that hid the anger simmering beneath.

“I know lots of cousins, filly.” The colt in the back, with his sickly green coat and condescending tone, seemed determined to get a raise out of them, it seemed. Before either could reply, he hummed for a while before his smile got wider. “What’s so special about yours?”

Applejack had the right mind to smack those two for their attitude, but she knew an adult hitting a child is something that the police were more likely to care about, especially with all the other ponies in the train with them.

“Yesterday,” Applejack started, ”I heard you talk about Cloudy Daze. Y’see, I happen to know of a foal with that name.”

“So?”

Celestia, she really wanted to give that runt a good kick in the flank.

“She’s a friend of my cousin. It just so happens that the foal has gone missing. Just like many of her other friends. And. Just. Like. My. Cousin.” Each of those last words was marked by a firm step towards those colts.

The other colt—the brown reddish one with the defiant look—took a step forward until she could see herself reflected in his eyes. His breath stank. “I said:’So?’”

Her anger was dangerously close to morphing into full-blown fury. What was wrong with this colt? There was no wavering in his eyes. If not for the fire of rage burning in her, she would’ve almost felt… unnerved.

“Hey…” the greenish colt said, his vowels dragging in a way that grated her ears. Applejack tore her gaze away from the colt in front of her and looked at the other one. “You’re apples too, huh?”

If his words were enough to make her blood run cold, the way he licked his lips as his smile grew wider reignited the hunger for justice in her. Screw the law and screw proper behaviour. She was going to make these colts pay.

The moment of distraction cost her greatly, though.

With strength she wouldn’t have believed a colt would have, the colt with the reddish swept at her front hooves, making her fall down on her face.

“Sis!” Apple Bloom hurried to help her get back up, just as the colts took that chance to run away. “Come on, Applejack! We can’t let them get away!”

She was quick to regain her bearings and looked up at the fleeing colts.

“Dagnabbit!”

“Let’s go!” Apple Bloom yelled as she pulled at her sister’s leg.

They ran to the open door at the end of the cart. Applejack could still see the two colts rushing through the ponies up ahead, and wasted no time in following them.

A part of Applejack’s mind felt bad for not even excusing herself as she pushed aside the ponies standing in the middle of the cart, but she was too preoccupied with not letting those colts escape her again. Halfway through the cart, though, she noticed ponies seemed to be… Stepping aside and letting her pass.

The colts opened the door and that put a stop to those thoughts. They were going to the last cart. Good. Now they couldn’t escape. Gritting her teeth, she pushed forward and ran the last few strides after them.

“Go, AJ! Go!” Apple Bloom screamed as she ran past her.

Applejack followed right after her, jumping the gap between the train carts and landing in the mostly empty last cart. The few stragglers in there with them didn’t even look up, as if chases were a commonplace occurrence in the subway. Up ahead, she could see the colts huddled at the very tail end.

“Stop right there!” yelled Apple Bloom.

Though a bit short of breath, Applejack was still more than energetic enough to stare down a couple of troublesome kids. She drew herself up, putting every ounce of authority and resolve into her stance, and made sure her voice was as stern as possible when she spoke. “Enough already! Y’all got nowhere to run. Now stay still, you rascals.”

For a second, she felt a surge of energy and triumph. She had them. Finally, she had them. They might actually get something to show the police. Something that would help get Babs back home. The thought of bringing justice and closure for her cousin and uncle filled her with a fleeting sense of hope and accomplishment.

But it was not meant to last.

The colt with that sickly green coat shot her what ought to have been the most malevolent expression Applejack had seen come from a pony. There was so much ill-intent in those eyes, in that twisted smirk, she actually had to do a double-take. In that brief moment, the other colt opened the door and jumped out of the train, followed closely by his companion.

“I said stop!” Apple Bloom cried out in anger, running after them.

It happened way too fast. Before Applejack could think to put a stop to it, her little sister jumped after those colts.

“No!” Applejack hollered, her heart lurching in her chest. She sprinted faster than she ever had, jumping through the open door before she could really think about what she was doing. Startled, she did her best to brace herself for the impact. With a hard thud, she landed on the gravel carpeting the inside of the tunnel, managing to roll a couple of times to lessen the impact. The rough stones scraped against her coat, but she gritted her teeth and endured it.

Behind her, the train sped away, its rattling becoming distant just as its light did. Every part of her body shot waves of pain and it took considerable effort to keep herself conscious, though the adrenaline coursing through her veins was doing a good job at that.

With shaky legs, she stood up and wobbled to the side of the tunnel. It was dark, not that she’d expected any different, but it didn’t take long for her eyes to adjust and start to notice some faint shapes around her. The train tracks, the curved ceiling of the tunnel, the grimy brick walls. Somehow, it felt more oppressive than the smaller train cart had been.

Enough of that. She couldn’t dawdle any longer. She had to make sure her sister was alright. Slowly, putting a lot of effort into silencing her body’s protests as she took each step, she pushed forwards.

“Apple Bloom!” The crunch of the gravel marked her steps, echoing eerily off the tunnel walls. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat a drum of worry and desperation. Her breathing came out in ragged gasps as she struggled to calm herself down and keep walking. She couldn’t afford to slow down, not now. “Apple Bloom!” she called again, hints of desperation seeping into her voice.

A faint noise reached her ears—a soft whimper. It was enough to spur her on, her legs moving faster despite the objections of her battered body. She stumbled over the uneven ground, her eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of her sister. The tunnel walls seemed to close in on her, but she pressed forward, driven by sheer willpower, concern, and not a small amount of fear.

Not long after, she noticed a small shape with a messed ribbon walking amidst the darkness.

“Bloom…” Applejack said, her voice barely a hoarse whisper. She hurried her step in spite of the painful protests until she finally reached her sister. A cursory glance told her that she was okay. Beaten up, sure… But safe. She immediately brought the filly in for a hug, and a grand wave of relief washed over her.

“They went ahead…” her sister whispered.

Now that the adrenaline had run its course, a single thought overwhelmed her: This was too much. Just about everything that had happened over the last day came crashing upon her mind. The odd behaviour Babs had shown before vanishing, how her friends had disappeared as well, how the police seemed to both know something yet not know what to do, the weird feeling she’d gotten from ponies in the train all day, and those really weird colts… Celestia, what was wrong with them?

Applejack had the feeling they were in way over their heads. However… They could be close. She couldn’t forgive herself if it turned out she could’ve rescued Babs if she’d just walked a few more steps. In the end, she knew what she had to do. There was no way she was going to abandon her family.

“C’mere. Lemme help you.”

Carefully, she took Apple Bloom by her barrel and lifted her. The filly groaned in protest, but didn’t offer resistance. After making sure her sister was alright, they started walking. In the darkness of the tunnel, she could barely see a few steps ahead of her, but they made their way with measured steps.

In spite of the darkness, she could feel the determination in Apple Bloom. Perhaps she was projecting part of her feelings onto her, but even with the pain of their landing, the siblings walked down the rails with determination. They were not going to let those colts escape again. One way or another, they’d be reunited with their cousin.

A minute. Twenty. An hour. Neither was sure, but they pressed on. Thankfully the tunnel was big enough for them to walk without fear of facing an incoming train. In fact, the tunnel seemed to stretch endlessly before them.

After a while, they found a discarded jacket. One that the colts had been wearing. Why throw it away? No… That didn’t matter. They were getting closer. One hoof in front of the other.

The carved stone walls of the tunnel seemed to catch and reflect even the tiniest bit of light, making them feel surrounded by dancing shadows. As they walked, every blurry shape in the dark seemed to hold innumerable surprises.

Suddenly, they stopped. Up ahead, there were… Sounds. Steps? They had a wetness to them. Probably a water leak that caused puddles. But where? In front of them, the tunnel continued. Applejack felt herself become lightheaded, but she pushed on regardless.

The crevices and irregularities started to become more frequent. More marked. The tunnel started to feel less like a structure made by pony might and ingenuity, and more of an unforgiving cavern moulded by nature.

Where did the light come from? The tunnels themselves didn’t have many light sources. Just a few tiny lamps spread apart for maintenance workers, she supposed. They hadn’t come across one of those in a while, yet the tunnel remained faintly illuminated. That… Wasn’t right. And it wasn’t the only thing. Just as she was processing this, they slowed down.

“Applejack? What’s the matter?”

When did the train tracks stop?

Looking down, Applejack could see that they were now walking over plain gravel. No sign of the metal tracks. How? They’d been walking in a straight line. At least, she thought they had. Navigating the tunnel in the near total darkness had been hard, and she’d been following… her instinct, really. Still, how could they have wandered off from the train tracks?

“Ah… It’s just…”

She looked up and let out a choked gasp at the sight before her.

A gash in the wall.

“What… What in Celestia's name?”

Right on the wall’s surface, there was an opening. The rock gave way to an entrance wide enough for a couple of ponies to walk side to side. It looked not so much carved as it did… Broken. As if the wall itself had been pulled apart to make that hole. Had those colts or whoever was with them torn down part of the tunnel system to make this? How long would that have taken? Why? For Celestia’s sake, what was going on?

The shock must’ve worn off quickly, because she could sense Apple Bloom about to run into the cavernous entrance. Reacting as quickly as she could, Applejack leaned forward and bit down on her sister’s tail.

“Apple Bloom, don’t!”

“No, Applejack! You don’t.” The filly turned around and looked up at her with gritted teeth and wet eyes that managed to shimmer in the dim light of the tunnel. “Babs has been missing for several days already. Her friends have been missing for longer. Who knows if those colts did the same before they came to Babs’s school. The police ain’t helping. And this is the only lead we have! Our cousin needs us!”

“Bloom. This… This ain’t right. There’s something else going on here. We… We’ve got to talk to the police again. Or the Guard. The Princesses. I… We can’t—” Applejack’s voice was filled with urgency and fear, her eyes drifting towards the dark hole in the wall and whatever it may hold.

This was very, very wrong.

“Didn’t you tell me the Apple family stuck together through thick and thin, no matter what?”

“Bloom—”

“‘No matter what’ means no matter what, AJ! We don’t know what could be happening to Babs, but she’s only got us, and she may not have long, either. I don’t know about you, but I ain’t gonna leave her hanging!” Apple Bloom’s words were fierce, a stark contrast to the vulnerability of her small frame. She stood tall, the echo of her heated words bouncing off the tunnel walls until it faded away, leaving only the panting of the sisters amidst the silence.

Somewhere deep into the cavern, she could almost make out something that was certainly not just the wind.

“We… We’re going in together.” She glanced at Apple Bloom, the little filly’s unwavering determination bolstering her own courage.

Nevertheless, the silence was almost oppressive, wrapping around them like a shroud.

“It’s gonna be alright. Right, AJ?”

“Yeah… It’s gonna.”

With pain, and more doubt than determination, the sisters walked into the opening in the wall, and continued down the winding path. The gravel slowly gave way to unevenly sized rocks. Every now and then, she’d step in such a way that something would get lodged in the underside of her hoof. Painfully. But she’d still push through, as if wanting to spite the pain itself with sheer determination.

Applejack feared they’d be plunged into total darkness and be helpless to whatever it is whoever they were against could try. As they got deeper and deeper into the tunnel, a warm glow started to reach them. She didn’t know what that was, but was grateful for having some sort of light all the way here. The way the light made shadows dance on the rough walls of the passage.

They walked. They walked, walked, and walked. Perhaps it was the uneven ground that wouldn’t let her make a proper guess, but she felt they may not be at the same level they just were. The air got stuffier, thick with the scent of damp earth and something else she couldn’t quite place. Applejack wondered where they could possibly be. It was as if there was a whole ‘nother city beneath Manehattan, one that ran far deeper than the subway itself.

Just as the words of the vagabond resonated in her head, the sisters heard… Something. What, neither could tell for sure, but it hinted at movement. They ought to be closer. They had to be getting closer to whoever, or whatever had taken those ponies.

Gathering their strength they hurried the last stretch of the tunnel before it opened into a larger room from where the glow seemed to come. Applejack could feel the blood pumping through her veins with each step, as her lungs greedily sucked in the musky air.

“Just wait, Babs,” Apple Bloom said. “Your family is—”

The words died in her throat just as they walked out of that corridor, and into the open. A vast cavern opened before them, lit with dozens of unattended fires. An underground settlement? Could this be what that homeless pony had been talking about?

As her eyes adjusted to the new light, she looked around. Though the rocky surfaces were uneven, she thought she could see other entrances similar to the one they’d used on the far ends of the cavern. If there were more entrances, and they lead to other parts of the tunnels, or even other parts of the city… Then this definitely involved more than her cousin and her friends.

The two slowly walked deeper into the cavern, eyes open and ears perked. However, it was a different sense that alerted them of danger. Smoke rose towards them, carrying with it the unmistakable scent of death. The air was thick and suffocating, every breath a struggle against the overwhelming stench.

Blood. Puddles of blood. Trails of red grime, as if something had been smashed against the rocks and then dragged away. Looking ahead, that something turned out to be the worst possible thing. Flesh. Piles of flesh, still bloody. Flayed hides of all colours laying in heaps, like grotesque mounds of discarded fabric.

Applejack heaved as she fought to keep the bile rising in her throat. Next to her, Apple Bloom was frozen in place as her voice degraded into a whimper. The courage that had fueled their steps had been replaced with sheer terror glueing them in place. The gruesome scene before them stretched endlessly, a scene from Tartarus itself brought to life.

“What… in Celestia’s name…”

But Celestia was nowhere to be found.

Instead, deeper still. Way down at the bottom of the room… Were the culprits. Who they thought had been the ponies they’d been chasing were ponies no more.

Spindly limbs jutted at odd angles, moving in ways she’d never seen before. Distended maws with jagged teeth that snapped at each other. Wet, bare skin that glistened in the flickering light of the fires surrounding them. Orifices that could’ve been noses, eyes, or ears all over their misshapen heads. And even more biological details that challenged what she thought she knew animals could look like.

Shocked, she fell back with force, her hooves hitting the ground with a series of snapping sounds. Looking down, she realised that what she’d assumed were rocks were actually hundreds of bones, picked clean and with clear gnashing marks all over them.

Not all were small.

An unearthly scream made her snap back to reality. Apple Bloom couldn’t take it anymore, the sound echoing through the cavern like a banshee's wail. Down in the bottom of the pit, the creatures turned their bulbous heads towards them, and for a second all stood still. The silence was deafening, an ominous prelude to the chaos that was about to unfold.

And then the creatures jumped and started going towards them.

The prime, animal instinct inside of every pony kicked in, and Applejack barely managed to grab Apple Bloom before she turned and fled. The filly continued screaming like there was no tomorrow, and Applejack ran so they’d have one.

Had to get out of there. Had to get Bloom to safety. Had to get out. Out. Get Twilight. The Elements. The Princesses. Whoever. And smite this misplaced bit of Tartarus into oblivion.

And then she tripped.

Her hooves must’ve gotten caught in one of the many clean bones laying on the ground. She stumbled once. Twice. Each time losing more and more stability before she finally crashed down on the bed of bones, ribs and femurs poking and scratching her body.

“Apple Bloom!” she yelled, her voice hoarse with panic. “Apple Bloom!”

She heard bones snapping in the distance as Apple Bloom landed just ahead… And she heard the loud stomping and shattering that got closer and closer from behind.

“Apple Bloom! Run!”

She heard her sister’s small steps turn and come back towards her.

“Applejack!”

“No… No! Bloom! Please!” Applejack pleaded, her heart breaking with her sister’s approaching steps. Her legs shook uselessly as she tried to push herself up. She could barely move them. She… She…

“I can’t leave you!” She could see Apple Bloom's terrified face, piercing her heart like a knife. Pulling at her sister’s leg with all her might, she cried out again, “Applejack, we have to go!”

“Bloom… You’ve got to—” Applejack tried to speak, but her words were cut short by the roar of the approaching creatures, the ground trembling under their weight. Her mind raced. The only thing that mattered was getting her little sister to safety.

But it wasn’t meant to be.

She felt the creatures already behind them. The scent of decay and death grew thicker the closer they got. And as her sister’s expression morphed from fearful to one of abject horror, her hopes were snuffed out.

“Applejack! Please!” Apple Bloom’s ragged screams were nearly drowned by the gurgling screeches all around her.

She sensed when one leaped over her, landing with a sickening thud behind her sister.

As she felt herself being lifted, her thoughts didn’t go to her cousin Babs, to uncle Cortland, to her family back in Ponyville, or even to her friends. No, her mind could only think about the look of utter despair in her sister’s eyes.

Applejack felt her heart break at the same time as her flesh ruptured and blood sprayed out. The agony was unbearable, but even worse was the sight of Apple Bloom, her small body trembling, eyes filled with tears and terror.

Claws and talons enveloped her sister just as the last vestiges of light left her vision. Just as numbness took over her, a few garbled words mixed with sounds of torn meat and dripping liquids reached her ears.

“You said everything would be alright.”

She closed her eyes.

Author's Note

Artwork by GroaningGreyAgony