Arc One: I Burn
Part Seven

It would have been so easy to end his life. With her fingers wrapped tightly around Culus’s throat, Yang could have killed him right there. A punch to the face, shattering his skull. Or even just suffocating him would have sufficed. As she stood with the pony writhing to escape from her grip, Yang took a sick satisfaction watching his pain.

Culus kicked out, bringing a leg towards Yang’s abdomen, but her free hand shot out and blocked his limb. The poacher gurgled something, his words failing to form past the grip of Yang’s fingers around his neck. “Kicking me will only waste more of your air, dude.” Yang informed him. In response, Culus relaxed slightly, closing his eyes and trying to stay as still as possible.

“If you want me to let you go,” Yang began in a mockingly sweet tone, smiling slightly. “All you have to is ask, bud.” Culus’s thrashing increased, his legs kicking out faster and his eyes began to bulge out of his head. Yang brought her other hand to her ear. “What’s that? Couldn’t quite hear ya!”

Cruel? Yes. Satisfying? Also yes. Yang’s crazed smile grew as Culus opened his eyes again and she only saw one emotion in them: fear. Yang brought back her free hand, wrapping it into a fist and pulling it past her head. “This has been fun, Culus... but I gotta get this filly back home. Also, you’re a prick.”

“Wait!” Another voice shouted from Yang’s left.

The blonde turned and saw Apple Bloom, now standing and slightly quivering as her orange eyes stared fiercely at Yang. When she saw that Yang was returning her stare, however, Apple Bloom’s eyes showed a hint of fear. “Don’t... Don’t do it, Yang!”

Part of Yang wanted to kick herself - she’d totally forgotten about Apple Bloom! - but the other part of her simply wanted to ignore the filly. Yang had Culus, helpless with one useless leg and a rapidly diminishing air supply, right in her hands. All it would take was one swift but powerful punch... but that reluctant part of her mind was growing louder with every moment.

Ever so slowly Yang’s fingers loosened, their grip on Culus’s neck disappearing. The poacher fell to the ground with a pathetic grunt, his broken leg ending up pinned under his body. Yang blinked and inched back, her fists falling to her sides. She turned to look at Apple Bloom, who stared back with an unreadable gaze.

“Apple Bloom, I...”

Before the human could finish the flap of the tent opened, and in rushed two ponies. One was a mare and the other was a stallion, and both had blue coats. Yang quickly brought her fists up again and was about to rush at them, but Apple Bloom jumped in front of her.

Two voices rang out with cries of “Tunny, Rainy Day!”. Culus, now standing on unsteady legs and breathing heavily, kept one eye on both Yang and Apple Bloom as he barked orders. “Both of you,” he addressed the ponies. “Get them!”

The mare and stallion looked at each other hesitantly, and then at Apple Bloom. Then their gaze turned to Yang, and their brows furrowed. The ponies suddenly rushed forward, their hooves flying through the air towards Yang.

In a fraction of a second Yang's fists were already swinging. The mare reached her first, a hoof reaching for Yang's face. Before the hoof could connect Yang's gauntlet came down hard on the top of the mare's skull, sending her crashing to the ground.

She suddenly felt herself falling, her legs having been swept out from under her. Yang hit the ground, her head smacking against the dirt while the air was yanked from her lungs. With dazed eyes she looked up and saw the stallion standing above her, his hoof ready to come crashing down.

Taking in a deep breath Yang rolled out of the way and managed to get to her knees. She quickly reached out and wrapped her hands around the stallion’s leg, lifting him into the air as she stood. He immediately stopped moving, his eyes going wide as dinner plates.

“Tunny!” The mare cried as she picked herself off the ground.

Yang took a quick mental note of the stallion's name - if he was Tunny, that made the mare Rainy Day. Glancing between the two ponies, Yang scowled and took a step forward.

Taking a quick breath Yang pulled back a fist and rammed it into Tunny’s face with enough force to knock him out cold. She heard his nose crack and saw the blood begin to drip down but ignored it. Yang winded her arm back, bringing the unconscious stallion with it, and with a grunt she threw Tunny. He sailed through the air clumsily for a short distance until he collided with Rainy Day, sending the mare to the ground in a pile of limbs.

One look told Yang that both ponies were out cold.

Sighing to herself, the human let her body relax, her arms falling to her sides as she took a look around the tent. Culus had disappeared - likely using the other two ponies as a distraction so that Yang wouldn’t notice him leave. She growled slightly but calmed herself and turned her gaze to Apple Bloom. The filly stood not too far away from Yang, but with enough distance between them so that the human couldn’t reach out to touch her.

Apple Bloom’s eyes flicked between Yang and the two ponies unconscious on the ground. “They’re...” She began slowly, her voice shaking with fear. “They’re still alive, right...?” As the filly finished her sentence Yang’s eyes widened.

“You... Apple Bloom, are you afraid of me?”

“Whoa...”

Applejack was used to seeing Royal Guards around Canterlot, but to see them in Ponyville was a completely different story. Despite the frequent monster attacks and world ending situations, she and her friends were usually able to save the day with little to no issue. These Royal Guards were called in just over thirty minutes ago and already they had arrived.

The farmer felt a gust of wind next to her and looked to the side to see Twilight landing, her face somber but hopeful as she too looked over the Guards. “Princess Celestia sent them as soon as I called for them.” She informed Applejack with a small smile. “She would have sent more, but apparently she needed them elsewhere. But still... This should be more than enough.”

Applejack nodded in agreement. Celestia had sent eight ponies, all with white coats and adorned in golden armor. She and her friends could handle a manticore, so eight fully trained Guards should be able to handle nearly anything they might come across. But even so, Applejack’s gut felt tight.

Her emerald eyes scanned the treeline of the Everfree Forest. In just a few moments she would be in there, along with eight Guards and Twilight. Everything would turn out okay. She knew that.

Maybe if she kept telling herself that, she could believe it.

Yang’s question hung in the air. She and Apple Bloom locked gazes, both sets of eyes were soft and empty of malice yet full of apprehensiveness. The filly’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly, making small noises as she struggled to find the right words.

“Ah... Ah dunno...”

Yang took in a sharp breath, closed her eyes and tilted her head. “Okay...” She sighed. “It’s alright to be afraid, alright? I know that what you saw was kind of... brutal...” Yang knelt down on one knee and extended a hand towards Apple Bloom, who flinched slightly. “But believe me, I won’t hurt you. We’re gonna get outta here, and you’re gonna get home. You trust me?”

Seconds seemed to stretch into minutes as Yang kneeled in front of Apple Bloom, whose eyes began to water as her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. Eventually, the redheaded filly managed to nod her head in approval, placing a hoof in Yang’s outstretched hand. Yang smiled softly and pulled Apple Bloom to her hooves.

“Alright then,” Yang began, looking at her gauntlets. “You should stay here for now, Ru-” She cut herself off quickly, and continued without missing a beat. “-Apple Bloom. I doubt I’ll be in any serious danger, but I don’t want you getting hurt. ‘Kay?”

The filly nodded.

“Okay.” Yang blinked a few times and cocked her weapons. She turned to the tent’s exit and ran outside.

The first thing Yang noticed was the ponies in front of her. The ponies were gathered in a circle, crowded around another pony who lay on the ground... Culus.

One of the poachers - a mare, by the voice - apparently saw Yang approaching and shouted “The creature!” Yang stopped in her tracks, looking at the ponies who were now arming themselves with knives, crossbows and anything else they had.

“Uh...” Yang uh’d. "Look, I just want Culus, and if you guys decide to stop me...” Yang paused for a second as the poachers began inching closer, leaving Culus on the ground alone. “Let's just say it wouldn't end well for you.”

The blonde let out a gasp as her head was suddenly knocked back. Yang stumbled backwards and clutched at her head, blinking as she regained her balance. She looked up to see one of the poachers reloading their crossbow.

Yang growled. “You just shot me!” The pony did not reply and simply shot another arrow at Yang which she dodged effortlessly. She glared at the crowd of horses. “I was gonna leave you alone, and you fucking shot me!”

A pony with wings - a pegasus if she remembered correctly - flew above the crowd and glared at Yang. “If you think we’re gonna let ya leave, you got another thing coming, lady!” The stallion’s sentiment was apparently shared by the other ponies as they erupted into yelled and jeers as they slowly inched their way towards the blonde.

“Oh, come on...” Yang sighed exasperatedly and slammed her fist forward. She winced as the ground in front of her exploded and the group of ponies were sent flying backwards in a mass of bodies and debris. The Huntress opened her eyes and with her fist still raised looked around. She had aimed her shot at the ground and not at the ponies, so hopefully they were okay.

“Hey,” Yang called out. “Groan if you’re alive.”

Sounds of pain came from all around.

Yang smiled and strutted forward. “Cool, thanks.” She could check on their injuries later; Culus was still on the ground, slowly trying to crawl away with his broken leg lying uselessly beside him.

Culus gripped the grass and weakly pulled himself forward. Yang looked ahead and saw he was heading towards a tent that seemed smaller than the rest.

Culus let out a sound of pain as he exhaled. Yang thought he was going to say something, but he did not. “Aww, what's wrong? Cat got your tongue?”

She bent down and - perhaps in a fit of pettiness - wrapped her fingers around Culus’s broken foreleg and hefted him into the air. The poacher let out a scream of agony and tried to punch Yang, but she held him just far enough away so that he couldn't reach.

“Y-You...” Culus grumbled through clenched teeth. “You gonna kill me?”

Yang twisted her mouth into a sadistic smile. “Where's all that confidence you had earlier, hm?” Still holding Culus aloft she began walking towards the tent. “But nah. I won't kill ya. I don't kill things that think.”

Culus muttered “Liar...” under his breath, causing Yang's eyes to roll. Yang stopped in front of the tent and threw the pony inside. Culus let out several grunts of pain as he rolled on the ground.

Yang walked inside and took a quick look around. This tent was smaller than the one she had been held in and was filled with nothing but cardboard boxes that looked recently opened. She turned to Culus and pointed at the boxes. “What's in those?”

The poacher used his good leg to push himself onto his back, staring up as his chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing. “I'm not telling you anything.”

Yang sighed, slightly annoyed. “Alright, sure.” She walked over to the boxes, the small size of the tent making her crouch slightly as she walked. She pushed one of the flaps of the nearest box open. There was nothing inside other than several stacks of paper.

Yang lifted an eyebrow and grabbed a paper. Luckily it seemed that English was still a thing on this planet.

Griffonstone - Winston Clawsworth - 2,000 Bits/pound Manticore

Appaloosa - Crispy Bitts - 100 Bits/bunny

The paper went on like that, listing various locations and names along with the amount paid for creatures. Some of the creatures were dangerous and others weren't.

Yang looked over at Culus and raised an eyebrow. “So people pay for this?” She stood and walked over to the pony. His breathing became faster. “Why would a pony want meat? Aren’t you guys, like, plant eaters or something?”

The pony closed his eyes and took a deep, labored breath. “We've all got skeletons in our closets, Yang...” He tried to look at her but couldn't tilt his head up enough. He sighed. “All of those papers are lists of the clients we’ve had over the last decade or so. Do as you wish. I don’t have any way to stop you, I suppose.”

Yang scoffed at Culus’s tone. “Guess all that bravery’s gone now, eh?” Yang put the paper back in the box and placed her hands on her hips as she turned to Culus. Her smile fell into a frown and her stare hardened as Culus gazed upwards. “I’m not gonna kill you, or your friends. You’ll be put in jail and whatever happens after that, happens.”

Culus closed his eyes tightly and growled. Yang’s eyes widened when she saw a tear form in the corner of his eye. “You monster.”

“Huh?”

Weakly, Culus flipped onto his stomach and used his good leg to shakily push himself into a standing position, all the while glaring at the human. “You... You say you didn’t kill Sunbeam. You say you don’t kill ponies. But I saw his body, Yang. No monster delivers a killing blow like that. His remains... I couldn’t even move him.” He took a step forward and gasped as he stumbled forward, the bone in his leg making a sickening sound which caused Yang to wince.

“You’re cruel, Yang. You can deny it all you like, but I know you killed him. My closest friend... and you won’t even admit it.” From his half-standing-half-kneeling position he glared at Yang as he clutched his wounded leg which began bleeding even more. His hoof, normally a dull yellow, was now stained a dark red.

Yang backed away slowly, running into one of the boxes. “I didn’t-”

“Liar!”

She gasped as Culus suddenly leaped forward. Time slowed to a crawl as Yang curled her fingers into a fist. Culus’s eyes were full of hatred as his one good forehoof was aimed directly for her face. Yang’s fist began to rise...

And in that moment a final explosion rang out.

Yang suddenly found herself covered in the now familiar feeling of blood covering her face. She closed her eyes tightly and shuddered as she heard the corpse hit the ground with a wet thud. Her breathing quick and hasty, Yang opened her eyes and then shut them again. “Oh, God...”

Already the smell was making its way into her nostrils. The same smell that was there after her fight with the manticores. The same smell that was in that tent she was kept in. Blood. Warily, Yang willed herself to open her eyes. There, laying on the ground, was the headless body of Culus. Blood poured out of the cavity where his neck used to be, staining the grass and dirt below.

Yang gulped and took in a shaky breath. She didn’t have a choice. He surprised her, it was instinct... A thousand thoughts raced through her mind but the loudest one was the one that worried her the most: She had to get Apple Bloom out of here, while covered in blood. There would be no way to hide what Yang had done.

Yang lifted a foot and leaped over the corpse. Her shoe landed in the puddle of blood with a quiet splash. She took a quick look over her shoulder before stepping out of the tent once more. A few of the poachers that she had incapacitated were now up and walking around - though they were weakly stumbling more than walking, and made no attempt to rush at her. In fact most of them backed away and instead focused on helping their comrades onto their hooves.

More than a few, however, noticed the new blood that covered Yang’s front and their faces darkened in understanding. Yang wanted to say something, but before she could form words she closed her mouth. She turned her gaze to the ground and began walking back to Apple Bloom.

The thick canopy of leaves covered the air above the camp and prevented most of the sunlight from reaching the forest, but Yang could still see fine. As best as she could figure, she and Apple Bloom had been in here for most of the day. Hopefully the ponies at Sweet Apple Acres weren’t too worried. Hopefully Big Macintosh was okay.

Yang stopped walking as soon as she reached the tent that housed Apple Bloom. She looked down at herself, her bloodsoaked outfit and hair, and sighed. “Apple Bloom?” Yang called, her voice shaking slightly. “You still there?”

“Ah’m here, Yang!” The filly responded. She didn’t sound hurt, so it seems that none of the ponies had decided to bother her.

“Okay. Okay... Um, Apple Bloom... I need you to listen, okay?”

It took a moment for her to answer. “Alright...” Apple Bloom spoke hesitantly. “This isn’t bad, is it?”

“I...” Yang hesitated, opening and closing her mouth before just settling on a sigh. “I... Yeah, it’s bad.” Before the filly could ask how bad, Yang kept talking. “I found some papers that would have put all of these ponies in jail. Culus... Culus didn’t like that.

“He made me kill him, Apple Bloom.”

“Oh.”

That simple response was all that was said. For a tense few moments neither Yang nor Apple Bloom said anything. But eventually the flap of the tent opened and the filly stepped out, a small frown on her face as she gazed up at Yang. She didn’t react to the blood.

“Yang?” Apple Bloom asked in a whisper. “Can we go home, now?”

The human sighed and got down on one knee, placing a hand on Apple Bloom’s head. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

With that, the two picked a direction and began walking.

Applejack and Twilight stood side by side, looking at the line of guards in front of them. In just a few moments they would be trekking into the Everfree in search of her sister. The sun was beginning to set now. Yang and Apple Bloom had been in there all day.

“Alright, stallions!” Twilight called, prompting the armored ponies to step forward. “I take it you’re all prepared to go into the forest?”

As one, the eight Guards shouted, “Yes, Your Highness!”

The princess smiled. “As expected. Okay! I want two of you in front of Applejack and myself, two on either side and two in the rear. Have your weapons ready at all times. The Everfree isn’t to be taken lightly.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Twilight looked to Applejack, who nodded silently. As if on cue the Guards moved into formation, the two stallions in front wielding their spears with golden magic. “Princess Twilight!” One of them exclaimed. “We’re ready to move out on your command!”

Applejack looked around her, at the Guards that surrounded she and her friend. She wanted to just go in already. It had taken hours just to get a plan formulated and even more time to get everything prepared. Why were they wasting time with a formation?

Of course, she didn’t say any of that out loud. She knew that Twilight and her Guards would find Apple Bloom and bring her home safe. Suddenly feeling something on her shoulder, Applejack looked to her right to see Twilight with a comforting smile on her face and a wing draped over the farmer’s back.

“AJ,” Twilight began smoothly. “It’ll be okay. Are you ready?”

Applejack nodded stiffly. “Yeah. Ah’m ready.”

Twilight did not respond and simply turned to the two ponies in front. “Alright, my little ponies. We move out in three, two, one...”

“Wait!” One of the Guards called. “There’s something moving! There, on the treeline!”

Applejack looked up suddenly and pushed passed the two Guards. “What is it?!” She asked quickly. “Apple Bloom?!”

“Miss Applejack, get back!” One of the Guards tried to push her back into the center of the formation. AJ, however, would have none of it and continued to push against him.

“Let go’a me! That’s gotta be Apple Bloom!”

“There she is!”

Applejack didn’t know if Twilight had said it or if it had been another one of the Guards, but as soon as those words were spoken everypony stopped moving and turned their eyes to the treeline. Sure enough, Apple Bloom came running out, looking no worse for wear.

“Apple Bloom!”

Applejack shoved the two stallions out of her way and ran to embrace her sister. The two met and fell to the ground with their forelegs wrapped around one another. “Oh, Ah’m so glad ta see ya!” Applejack cried, holding her sister close. “Are ya okay? Yer not hurt, are ya?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “No, no, Ah’m fine...”

The two sisters sat like that for a few more seconds before Twilight appeared next to them. “Girls...” Her voice warned. “We’ve got company.”

Applejack looked away from her sister and back to the treeline. Her breath caught in her throat.

Yang stood there, alone, covered in blood.

Arc One: I Burn
End

Author's Note

I Burn is over, y'all! Culus is dead, Apple Bloom is safe and Yang is now known.

What will happen now? Well, unfortunately we won't find out for quite awhile. But fret not, for the next story arc, Mirror, Mirror starts after the epilogue!
-Qrow