Kill the five

Apple Bloom galloped through the trees. She had galloped for hours. Through the thick forest, over thick marches and open fields. She eventually stopped. Her hooves started to bleed and her legs refused to take another steep.

She to the ground with a hard thump. Her breath still moved beyond her will and tears kept streaming from her eyes.

I couldn´t run. I couldn´t move. All I could do was cry. There seemed to be no end to the salty streams.

The little filly had no idea for how long she had run or where she had ended up. She only knew that she was far, far away from home. It made her feel just a little safe. The bandits couldn´t have followed her this far. Apple Bloom shifted her head and saw a beautiful dandelion. It filled her nose with a soft, lovely smell. And then questions started popping into her head. How would she make it back? How far had she galloped? And which way was home?

The world started spinning around her. Her head felt heavy and her stomach revolted.

The sour smelling fluid formed a yellow puddle that swallowed the dandelion in front of her. She put her hoof up to her nose and crawled away in a panic from the foul stench. She stopped next to an old oak and leaned on the rough bark. The taste of half-digested apples still lingered in her mouth. Apple Bloom almost vomited a second time but her stomach calmed down after a few moments. The same could not be said for the rest of her body. Her eyes were beginning to burn as the salty tears dried the skin around her eyes. She laid down next to the tree and shook with every breath, despite the warm summer day.

“Help.” She said with a small, weak voice. “Please, somepony. Help.”

There was no answer. The only sound where the leaves on the trees rustling in the wind. When the wind passed her by, Apple Bloom felt a chilling wave travel through her body. ‘

I wanted to scream and call for help, but I couldn´t. I´m not sure if it was because I was too weak or afraid that the immortals were chasing after me. Either way I was lost, cold, alone and everypony in my family had been murdered.

Apple Bloom put her head on the ground. Maybe she could lay here, fall asleep and never wake up.

It was a stupid idea, and one that I damn near went along with.

That night Apple Bloom dreamed of what she had witnessed. She saw Ma being burned alive again, her beautiful mane turning into a black shared clutch of hairs. Pa having his throat slit, a river of blood streamed from the gash. Big Mac having his head cracked open, his pink brains spilling out from the skull. And finally she saw Applejack and the knife that pushed into her back. Except it wasn´t any of the five ponies that did this time. it was her, she lit the pyre, slit open Pa´s throat, crushed Big Macs head and pushed the knife into Applejack´s back. She did all of it.

“No!” She screamed. “I didn´t do this!”

There was answer. Only the smell of blood and burning flesh.

Something poked at Apple Bloom´s head and woke her from her nightmare. Her eyes took a moment to adjust. The sun had set and the only light came from a lantern hanging from the staff that had poked her head.

Once her vision cleared she saw a tall unicorn with a dark blue coat and an ashen white mane. A grey beard framed his muzzle with streams of black. The beard was pointy and well maintained with a long mustache reaching down from his stiff upper lip.

“What are you doing here?” He asked with a hard tone while staring with narrow, green eyes.

Apple Bloom wasn´t quite sure what to say. She was still stunned by the fact there was somepony out in theses woods, maybe he could help her get back.

He smacked her with the staff.

“Answer.” He said and frowned deeply.

“I…” Just talking made Apple Blooms throat hurt. “I ran away from home.” She forced the words out of her.

“Why?” The old unicorn stared down at her.

“My…” The words seemed to stick to the walls of her throat. “My family was murdered.”

“By who?”

The little filly shook her head and stared at the ground. “I don´t know. There were five of them.” All of them flashed before her eyes. “One of them was an enormous unicorn with a broken horn, another was wrapped in bandages, and… and…”

“What is your name?” He stopped her.

“Apple Bloom.”

The old unicorn lifted her shin up and looked into her eyes. And then there was a brief moment where his lips formed a small smile. “Do you want revenge, Apple Bloom?”

Apple Bloom was stunned for a moment, but quickly answered. “Will you kill them?”

“No. If you want revenge, you´ve got to claim it yourself. But I can make it so that you can claim your vengeance if you desire it.”

Apple Bloom didn´t know what to say or what to do. If she told him yes, what would he do to her? If she told her no, then the killers would go free and he might leave her alone in the forest.

The old unicorn smacked her with the staff again. This time the skin on her forehead broke and she felt a stream of warm blood running down to the tip of her muzzle. “Answer.”

This was the most pivotal moment of my life. If I had given him a different answer I would probably be somewhere far from where I am now, or more likely killed by one of them.

“Yes.” Apple Bloom wiped the blood of her forehead. “I want revenge.” She glared at him with narrow eyes.

“Then come with me.” The stallion turned around and started walking. The lantern swung on the tip of the staff.

Apple Bloom struggled to get to her hooves. The wounds on her legs stung and her hooves trembled. Each step felt like walking on cold ice. The light of the lantern started to weaker and Apple Bloom realized something. He wasn´t waiting for her. She bit down so hard that she felt her jaw shacking and eat the pain. Her legs felt as if they were on fire and her head felt like it was filled with lead. She took a deep breath and trotted after the stallion.

“What is your name?” She asked the stallion when she managed to catch up to him.

“Nightglade.” He answered without looking at her.

“Where are we going?”

“I am going to my home.” He said. “You are going to hell.”

And hell was truly to come.