Kill the five

The muscles on her hooves cramped behind her back. The rope had dug itself into her skin and tore some of it of at places. The light of the lantern flickered and the shadows danced against the wall of the cave. The corners of her mouth where dry from streams of salty tears.

A slow, tired sigh passed over her lips. She tipped to her side and fell to the ground. The ground was covered with rough sand. It was cold and dry. Apple Bloom stared into the flame. The warm, yellow flame shifted and moved like a flag on the top of a pole.

“Fuck dying.” Apple Bloom told herself. She crawled on the ground like a caterpillar until her back hooves faced the wall filled with ragged rocks. With a heavy grunt and strain on her muscles, Apple Bloom lifted her back hooves up and put them above one of the rocks. She pushed the hooves behind her back down into the ground and made a small jump towards the wall. She started scraping the ropes against the rock. Slowly the fibers started to tear and brake against the edge of the rock. Encouraged by the results, Apple Bloom started moving her hooves back and forth faster.

When the rope finally broke, it did it so suddenly that Apple Bloom almost slammed her hoof into another sharp rock. The edge missed her by the hairs of her coat.

A smile grew on Apple Bloom´s lips. She could kiss the rock she had cut the ropes. She took a moment to laugh before using her freed legs to turn her back against the wall and started cutting the rope on a rock below the one she used before. This one was far duller but she eventually managed to get the rope to brake. Seeing her hooves again made Apple Bloom smile a second time. And this time she started burst out laughing as she touched her own face, whiping of the dried tears and brushing of the sand in her wound.

It took her a solid minute before she stopped laughing. After that it took Apple Bloom a few moments to calm herself. She had to forcibly slow her breath down and stared at the little dancing fire. Apple Bloom walked up to the lantern and lifted it up.

The flame stood still, only shifting when Apple Bloom moved her hoof. She put it down and watched the flame flicker.

“So where´s the wind coming from?” Apple Bloom put her ear next to the lantern and listened.

A soft touch passed by her ear, tickling almost.

Apple Bloom took the lantern and moved it around the cave. When she got closer to the right wall, the flame started shaking, like a leaf in the wind. She put her hoof against the wall and felt a thin draft coming of it.

“There you are.” The vengeful mare tapped her hoof against the wall. It produced a hollow sound. A coy smile grew on Apple Bloom´s lips. She turned around and kicked the rock wall with her back hoof. A bit of it came off.

“Cinder.” Apple Bloom grinned. “I´m coming back from the dead.” She kicked the wall again and felt more of the wall giving in.

A few minutes later, she had made a hole large enough for her to crawl through. She took the lantern again and shone the light into the tunnel she created. It was barely large enough for her to fit through and Apple Bloom could hardly see more than a few feet in front of her. She put the lantern in first and went down on her stomach.

At first the tunnel was only large enough for her crawl forward on her stomach but she made descent speed. Every time she moved forward she made sure that the lantern was a few feet in front of her to make sure that the path before her was lightened.

She stopped. For some reason when she moved forward her barrel would scrape against the roof of the tunnel, her ribs pressing into the edges above. She tried to crawl back but the rock held her in place.

Short, fast breaths started passing her muzzle and a cold sweat ran down her neck.

“Calm down.” Apple Bloom told herself. She closed her mouth and began breathing through her nose, making sure that her breathing slowed down.

Once she managed to force her breathing down too slow, deep breaths she noticed something. When her barrel was almost empty the rocks let go of her.

Apple Bloom took another breath and when exhaling she managed to crawl forward, albeit slowly. Pausing every time, she had to breath in order to stop the rocks in roof and floor from tearing her skin open.

After a few minutes of crawling the cave started to grow wider and Apple Bloom could breathe while crawling again. But the vengeful mare´s problems where far from over. There was still no sign of daylight, if the sun was even in the sky, and she had no idea if the tunnel would narrow down again or if she could even find the source of the wind.

She held the lantern in front of her and watched. Carefully she read the little flicks of the flame and tried to determine where it was leaning towards.

It made a small twitch to her left.

“Right then.” Apple Bloom said and adjusted herself before she continued.

***

“So that´s where the cunt lies.” Heartbreaker commented while staring at the boulder sitting on the side of the mountain.

“That´s where she lies.” Cinder said. He was covered by bandages again, only his eyes were visible through the layers.

Heartbreaker´s blue eyes narrowed and her left cheek raised to reveal a golden tooth hidden behind her scared lips.

“She kill Slit-Throat and Noose?” Hammerhead looked at the boulder with wide watery eyes.

“Yes, the cunt did.” Heartbreaker answered.

The brutishly large unicorn sniffed as tears rolled down from his eyes.

“You okay, Hammerhead?” Cinder asked when he saw large tear fall off his muzzle.

He sniffed and stared down on the ground. Heartbreaker pressed against his side and rubbed his shoulder, tenderly.
“It´s okay.” She pulled his head in and wrapped her hooves around his neck. “The cunt that killed Slit-Throat and Noose is dead.”

He kept crying, though he did most of what he could to avoid showing his face.

Cinder walked up next to heartbreaker. “I think he needs some time alone.” He said whispered into her ear.

Heartbreaker stroked Hammerhead´s side. “Take your time.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I´ll come back for you later.”

Cinder and Heartbreaker walked away from the grave of the vengeful mare and left Hammerhead alone on the mountainside.

The massive unicorn stood still before the boulder, staring at it with a blurred vision. “Cunt.” He said slowly, not understanding the meaning of the word but realizing that it was meant to be an insult. “Cunt.” He said again. He had heard it before but recalling when and why it was used proved difficult for the massive unicorn. Hammerhead decided to use something he knew the meaning of. “Bitch.”

A rock came rolling down the side of the mountain. Hammerhead didn´t register it at first but when a second rock rolled past his head, he looked up.

Above the boulder a young mare with a red mane was crawling out of the ground. She was covered in dust and at first Hammerhead thought she was brown. When he wiped the tears from his eyes and gave her a second look he realized that she was yellow.

The mare didn´t seem to notice Hammerhead and when she was halfway out she faded and stopped moving.
Hammerhead trotted up to the mare and looked down at her with wide blue eyes. She seemed familiar somehow. The color of her mane and coat, it grinded at the back of his head. “Fruit?” It was the only word that seemed to come to mind.
He leaned down and dragged the mare out of the mountain. He turned her over and looked at her face. There was not a thing about her that Hammerhead recognized. “Strange.” Hammerhead sat down next the mare and stared out over the valley.

Apple Bloom´s eyes opened and her heart jumped straight into her throat. The pressure made it hard for Apple Bloom to breath.

The massive unicorn raised a brow. “Do I know…” He struggled with the last word. “Me?”
Despite coming out of a tight warm cave, Apple Bloom felt a colds shiver while looking at the stallion before her. She knew exactly who he was.

Hammerhead noted an error when asked her the first time. Perhaps that’s why she didn´t answer. “Do you know me?” He asked, proud.

Apple Bloom closed her mouth. The words she formed refused to escape her mouth. She just shook her head.

Hammerhead was angered by this. Why was he confused about who this mare was and why did it seem so important? In his rage the massive unicorn picked up a boulder the size of Apple Bloom and threw it down the hillside.
Apple Bloom felt her hooves tremble with terror. She had no gun or sword to fight this monstrously large pony. If he decided to attack her, Apple Bloom would have a better chance trying to eat teen apples in one bite then killing him now. She started scrambling backwards.

“Wait!” Hammerhead pointed a log thick hoof at her. “Heartbreaker will know who you are.” A satisfied smile grew on his lips. “She´s clever. She´ll know.” There was a split second when the massive unicorn looked away, and Apple Bloom scrambled to her feet and galloped away.

It took Hammerhead exactly ten seconds before he noticed the vengeful mare galloping away. He spent another two seconds staring gormlessly Apple Bloom before he galloped after her. In his mind he wasn´t sure why he was even bothering chasing after this strange mare. It could be that he was still curious about who she was or he had a feeling that she had something to do with the mare who killed Noose and Slit-Throat. But the more likely explanation was that he thought it would be funny to crack her skull open with his hooves and throw her corpse around like a ragdoll. He pictured throwing Apple Bloom´s body against the mountain, her blood splattering over the rocks. The thought made him chuckle as he hunted the vengeful mare.

Apple Bloom galloped in a panic. It had been a long time since she last felt this kind of fear for her life.

The ground trembled as Hammerhead galloped forward, dust and rocks spread around his every step. Despite still mourning his lost friends he still had a somewhat cheerful demeanor at the prospect of beating this mare to death.

The gap between them was closing. And Apple Bloom could hear the massive unicorn charging behind. His hooves hitting the ground with a thundering roar. She realized that running on open ground was going to get her killed fast.

The massive stallion came closer. He raised his hoof to slam it down on Apple Bloom´s head, crushing it like a cherry tomato.

Apple Bloom made a sharp turn on her front hoof and leaned to her side. She ended up facing Hammerhead, his hoof passed by her head and crashed into the ground next to her. With his side left open Apple Bloom took a swift step forward and rammed her elbow into his barrel. She felt a rib cracking at the impact but Hammerhead didn´t even seem to notice. He was already preparing another attack by swiping his hoof towards her.

Fortunately for Apple Bloom, all the weight he was packing behind the swing slowed Hammerhead down and made it possible for her to dash out of range just in time.

Hammerhead grunted and stood up on his back hooves, effectively doubling his length as he was preparing to slam both his hooves down on her.

Apple Bloom summersaulted to the side, putting her far out of reach from the strike.

The massive unicorn´s hooves came crashing down, turning the rock beneath them into a pile of pebbles spreading from the point of impact.

The vengeful mare only knew one thing for certain at this moment. If the massive unicorn managed to land even one strike on her she would die instantly.

Hammerhead took a boulder in his left hoof and threw it towards Apple Bloom.

She could hear the air shrieking as the boulder flew past her ear. Her eyes narrowed and Apple Bloom galloped to her left, trying to end up facing Hammerhead´s side. To her surprise, the massive unicorn managed to turn fast.
Faster than she expected.

When Apple Bloom was just about to approach Hammerhead he turned on his back hooves and faced her. He raised one of his thick hooves above her head and send it ramming for the vengeful mare´s head.

She only managed to narrowly dodge his strike. Standing in front of Hammerhead, as he was winding up for another attack, Apple Bloom saw her chance to strike. She threw hoof into his jaw. The strike broke both skin and teeth but Hammerhead didn´t even blink. He only grunted and send his left hoof for Apple Bloom´s chest.

Apple Bloom caught his hoof and used the momentum of his strike to get out of his range but it also threw her into the rock wall behind her. One of the rocks pierced the skin on her back and cracked one of her ribs. She winced at the pain.

Hammerhead glared at her with sharp, furious eyes. The ground started to tremble as he galloped towards her. He leaped into the air and pulled back his hooves to pummel Apple Bloom into the ground.

The vengeful mare leaped out of his attack with ease. As Hammerhead was getting back up after landing on the ground Apple Bloom reached back and pulled the rock out of her back. She could feel a stream of blood rolling down her barrel. The vengeful mare took a few painful breaths and waited for Hammerhead´s next attack.

The massive unicorn roared out in rage. He grunted through his breaths and stared at Apple Bloom. “Who are you?!” He said with thundering voice.

Apple Bloom spat. “Somepony who hates you.”

Hammerhead´s brows turned to hard frowns as galloped towards her again. And once again he pulled back his right hoof to strike Apple Bloom´s head.

Apple Bloom made a quick dash forward, putting herself between him and his hoof. Her action surprised the massive unicorn, as she expected and hoped it would. Her hoof came up faster than his came down. The blunt underside of her leg rammed straight into Hammerhead´s throat. She could feel the air-pipe being crushed under the force of the impact.

The massive unicorn froze in shock. And then he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The sight of the blood made Apple Bloom smile, proud.

Hammerhead slammed his hoof into Apple Bloom´s stomach, though this time his strike was much weaker. Apple Bloom survived taking the strike straight into her barrel and being tossed into the rock wall a second time.

Apple Bloom staggered and stared at the shape before her. Hammerhead´s huge brown body had turned into a blurred smudge in her eyes. The massive unicorn tried to charge Apple Bloom but stumbled and immediately fell to the ground. A crimson pool of blood formed next to his mouth. He struggled to get up again.

The vengeful mare rolled on the ground. A fiery pain burned in her back and her head rang like a screaming bell. She winced and put her hooves on the ground. When she tried to rise, her hooves started to tremble and a pain stabbed into the center of her back.

The massive unicorn struggled to breath. Every time he inhaled, it grated like a barb wire being pushed through his throat. As soon as he got up, he stumbled and the root of his broken horn hit the ground first, pushing the black metal inwards. The pain took over his senses. The world turned white before his eyes, like the sun burning into his eyes. A needle sharp shriek cut into his ears, from inside his head. The ground beneath him disappeared, he could only feel the pressure on his forehead.

He put his hooves before his eyes to block out the light, but it still shined brilliantly before him.

He put his hooves on his eyes to try and mute the sound, but it only got louder.

He could only manage to scream. A scream that filled the mountain valley around them and send birds scattering.

Apple Bloom stared at Hammerhead. He was lying on the ground, crying in pain. Apple Bloom felt the pain in her back burning. She felt warm blood rolling out of her wound. It dripped on the ground, steaming.

“Pussy.” Apple Bloom took a large boulder from the rock wall in her hooves. The pain intensified. She walked up to Hammerhead and held it above his head.

The massive unicorn laid down with his eyes closed. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Tears of pain.

He opened his eyes and Apple Bloom let the boulder fall.