Story of the Blanks
Flash Game by Donitz
Fanfic by Kryptonian
Applebloom slowly walked along the road, rubbing her eyes trying to heal from the scolding Applejack had just just dealt to the poor filly. She kicked the rocks along the road, sniffling. Eventually she reached a fork, and a familiar, friendly face smiled at her.
"Hello, Applebloom!" Twilight said, cheerfully.
"Well, hi, Twilight," Applebloom replied, quickly rubbing her eyes, and facetiously smiling back at Twilight. "What are you doing here?"
"Well," Twilight looked back at her bags, "I promised Zecora I would deliver some books on local herbs to her, but I should hurry, it'll get dark soon."
"Can I come too?" Applebloom quickly replied, trying to avoid her responsibilities she was entrusted back at the farm. Twilight was reluctant, but Applebloom's pleading proved too powerful. They both ventured off into the Everfree Forest towards Zecora's hut. The forest seemed ominously quiet as the sun slowly lowered over the horizon. Twilight skipped along rambling about what she did today, while Applebloom walked next to her nodding her head in a disinterested manner. They both eventually reached Zecora's hut, however. Twilight knocked on the door, and was treated to by a smiling zebra.
"Hey, Zecora! I brought the books you wanted!" she gave the books to Zecora, and Zecora thanked her.
"Kind ponies, I thank you for delivering what I told," Twilight smiled, and began to utter a "you're welcome", but was interrupted. "But you do not want to remain for the events that will unfold... Hurry back to Ponyville, you must, for the darkness this night, you cannot trust..." Zecora warned, and with that she walked back into her hut. Applebloom and Twilight stood, puzzled. They heard the click of Zecora's door as they walked away.
"What the hay was that all about?" Applebloom asked, as she and Twilight were walking back.
"I don't know," Twilight replied, "But we better get back, quickly." They walked at a faster pace now, until they were cut off by a fallen tree. "Oh, no." Twilight muttered, "How did this tree fall?" With a grunt, Twilight's horn began to glow, and sparkle. The tree limb slowly lifted up, and was thrown like a twig in the other direction. When Twilight was finished, she stammered to her feet, exhausted. "Phew, that was..." she stopped, and looked beyond were the tree limb once lay. There were several trunks laying on the ground on their path. Twilight sighed, "Step back, Applebloom, this may take a while. Applebloom groaned with boredom. She turned her head to the path behind them. She saw a gray mare run into the woods.
"Uhmm, Twi?" Applebloom asked.
"Not now, Applebloom," Twilight replied, "I've got to concentrate."
Applebloom sighed, and walked into the direction the gray pony ran. "Hello?" she called as she walked the winding forest paths. She kept hearing hoofsteps around her, and seeing brief glimpses of a gray leg, or yellow mane. Applebloom looked back, and saw she had gotten herself lost. But, she also heard a subtle noise of civilization. She followed it, as fast as she could. She burst from forest, into a small village. The village was strung up with streamers and balloons, and Applebloom was greeted by a happy stallion.
"Hi! Welcome to Sunny Town! I'm Grey Hoof!" he announced, excited.
"Hi there... I'm Applebloom." she replied, nervously.
"Well, we don't have many visitors here, so feel free to walk about!" Grey Hoof said.
Applebloom smiled and nodded. There was tables with food on them, and ponies gathering around the village, smiling and having fun. Applebloom walked over to one pony.
"I... I'm Starlet..." she told her, meekly.
"What's wrong?" Applebloom asked, worried.
"He... he hasn't said anything." she said, and she said nothing more. Applebloom glanced back, and saw a pony at a doorway looking as grim as Starlet. Applebloom walked over to him.
"I'm Roneo," he told her, "Hey, if you find a gemstone, could you give it to me? It was my gift for Starlet, and I don't want to talk to her, empty hoofed." Applebloom smiled and nodded. Then, she wandered off again. She talked next to a strong looking colt, and she asked about something that was arousing her suspicion.
"Hey, how come y'all don't have cutie marks?" she asked him
"Cutie... what's?" he replied, confused, "Sorry little filly, I have no idea what you are talking about." He walked off. Applebloom stood there for a moment. She shook it off, and continued walking. While strolling through the village she tripped, and fell on a stone. She stood up angrily, and tried to grab the stone she fell on to throw it in rage, but it turned out to be a shining, red gem. She giggled and ran to Roneo. He took it gleefully, and ran to Starlet.
"Oh, Roneo," she told him, pushing the gem away, "The only gift I need is your love." They smiled and hugged. Applebloom felt warm due to her good deed. She turned to the doorway Roneo stood in front of. Somepony was talking inside. Applebloom walked in, somehow drawn towards it. Inside there was a pony sitting in the corner repeating the words, "Again" over and over. She stopped and pointed to a crank to what seemed like a well. Applebloom cautiously walked towards the crank and took it. When she walked slowly away, the pony kept rocking and repeating, "Again" more. Applebloom galloped out. She walked through the town, more paranoid. She kept the crank in her mouth. The ponies in the village began to make less and less noise, and move less, and less, until they were all quiet and still. Applebloom looked around, and saw the pony she was following before.
"Hey!" she called, she ran at the pony. The pony looked at Applebloom and ran. She ran back into the forest, and Applebloom followed. It seemed that the pony was running to an old cottage. The windows were all broken in, the wood was broken and tattered, and the paint was fading and peeling. Applebloom ran up to the door. She looked around. "Where did she go?" She grabbed the door handled, but it was locked. She looked around the cottage and saw a well to the side of it. She looked down, and saw something shining at the bottom. The crank to the bucket was missing, so Applebloom used the one she had gotten from that other room. She pulled up a rusty key, and assumed it was for the cottage. She walked over to the cottage, inserted the key, and walked in. Inside, the cottage was empty. There was no furniture, or ponies. The only thing in the room was a fireplace, which was glowing red. Applebloom walked to the fireplace and looked. She gasped and ran back. "No. No. No. No." she cringed into the fetal positing, and blacked out. When she awoke, she walked outside. There was no noise coming from the town anymore, she slowly walked back. She reached the town, and fell to her knees. The town was pitch black. There was a scent of smoke and death. Applebloom walked through the town in horror. Where did everypony go? She had left for no more than three minutes. Applebloom heard a groan, and noticed a hoof reaching in the air. It pulled a husk of a body up. The body was as dark as the void, and its eyes were a shade of red that made fearless men shutter. It spoke hoarsely.
"The curse had befallen her this night. She had the mark! She had to go!" the figure stood there. It only looked at Applebloom as she stepped around it. Applebloom kept walking through the town. As she did, she noticed the same red eyes peering through the surrounding forest. Another dark creature emerged from the ground.
"Please... " it said, "Stay with us. We will never let it happen to you." Applebloom recognized the voice. It was the voice of the stallion who didn't know what a Cutie Mark was. She ran away, to where she first entered the town. As she was running, she was approached by two more creatures.
"Please don't leave..." it said, it was the voice of Roneo, "The others... they will not like it." Applebloom ran from them, but was stopped by one last creature. Applebloom gave up, and cowered in front of it. The creature did not attack Applebloom, instead in shouted at the others.
"Fools, even in death you do not understand. I should have protected her, but I made my choice. This is our everlasting punishment, what we deserve." the voice was of the pony rocking in the corner of the room where Applebloom found the crank. The creature looked at Applebloom, "Now run, run for your life." Applebloom nodded, and ran past the creature into the forest. She followed the path she came in on. More and more creatures emerged, they followed Applebloom. Each time Applebloom encountered a creature, she would dodge it, but when she regained balance, another creature would rise up, and come even closer to grabbing her. Applebloom believed that she had finallyescaped them, but instead she found the gray pony. She ran to her.
"I... it's you!" Applebloom exclaimed, shocked. The gray pony smiled and walked towards Applebloom. "You lived in that village, didn't you?" Applebloomed inquired. The gray pony nodded. "But... you have a Cutie Mark, none of the other ponies did..." Applebloom pointed out. The gray pony looked at her flank.
"Yes, it's an magnifying glass... I was always good at finding things." she replied, chuckling. Red eyes pierced the darkness surrounding them. They grew larger and larger as the creatures slowly approached Applebloom and the other mare. "But now, Applebloom. I am going to find you a way out of here."
Applebloom panicked and looked at the mare questioningly, "B... but." As the red eyes reached the two ponies, and bright orb lit above them. The darkness cleared, and it revealed nothing around Applebloom.
"Applebloom!" Twilight cheered. "There you are!" She ran and hugged the filly. "Thank Celestia I found you!" She grabbed Applebloom, who was cheerful to see Twilight, but saddened to lose the gray mare, "Who knows what creatures could lurk here?" They both ran out of the forest. The ominous silence had faded, and noise returned to the woods. As they left, Applebloom heard a voice calling back to her
"Good bye, friend..."
Throughout Equestria, relics lay, forgotten, and alone... Never truly resting, awaiting recognition.
The End.
Thank you again to Donitz for this amazing game.
Thank you for reading.
