Toxic Love

"Next stop Ponyville." The conductor says over the intercom. I turn my attention to Rumble, who looks like he just waking up from a nap that he took while we were traveling.

"Welcome to the realm of the living." I tease him as he rubs his eyes. "We get off next stop and you gotta show me to my room like a good gentlecolt."

"I will Viper, and I will be the bestest room shower ever." He exclaims only to fall on his rump which causes me to chuckle.

"I meant to do that."

"Sure you did munchkin." I ruffle his mane some.

"Lets grab your stuff and get going." As I say that, the train stops.

"Thank You for choosing the Friendship Express. Have a nice day." With that everypony and anthro on the train begins getting off. I have to carry Rumble by his scruff so he doesn't leave me behind. Plus it's fun to mess with him because he still has a scruff. Even though his feet touch the ground when I do it.

"You can let me go now Viper." I shake my head which causes him to shake as well.

"Please I promise I'll be a good." I pretend to think about it for a moment as I drag him and his scruff off the train before letting him go.

"You need a bath you know that Rumble? You taste awful." I chuckle as his face turns red.

"Come on We are burning Celestia's light."

"I'm coming I'm coming." With that, we went over to Rumble’s house.

"Lovely house Rumble, but one question." I say as I'm looking up at a could house

"Oh and what would that be?" He asks tilting his head.

"How am I supposed to get up there?"

"That's easy you just.. Oh.... Yea I see the problem." I sigh at this huge oversight.

"Maybe we can get a ladder to get you up there" He suggests.

"My stuff’s already in the house ain't it?" He nods and I sigh again."Let's go find a ladder then."

"Maybe while we look for a ladder I can show you around town." Not a bad Idea I'm going to be living here for a while so why not.

"Alright, it would be good to get to know the area." I say as we start the tour, search for a ladder, and maybe something to eat. I'm hungry!

"Our first stop is the hardware store." Rumble says "Owned by one Mr. Hard Hat."

We head in, and to my surprise, this place is massive. It did not look this big on the outside. By the register was an older stallion Anthro. Great more of them. Rumble must of noticed my change in attitude because he was giving me a look that said ‘be nice.’

"Howdy ya'll." He says as he waves us over. "What can I do ya for?"

"We need something for me to get up in to my temporary home." He raises a eyebrow.

"I'm staying with Rumble for a couple of weeks, and no pony thought the fact that a cloud house would be a little out of reach for me." I explain as he nodes.

"I think I have a ladder that might work. You can borrow it for now, but I need it back soon okay?" With that we follow him to the ladder section and we get a 50 ft ladder.

"If you don't bring it back, I will be having a word with your brother Rumble. Do I make myself clear?" He warns as Rumble's head did it’s best to impersonate a maraca. After the hardware store we head to the arcade, then we grab dinner at a place called Dancing Dandelion. It was okay nothing too fancy, but it was nice and cheap too only 10 bits.

"That was delicious Rumble you may have earned a reward for that." I say as I watch his face get all red as I give his cheek a peck.

"Y-Y-Your welcome." He stammers out. Earning a giggle from me. Anyway we are on are way home when that pink pony from the trial shows up with a saddle bag full of letters from the looks of it.

"I would like to invite you to a party at Sugarcube Corner for your welcome to ponyville party." She says with a big smile on her face.

"Umm, Why would I want a party?" I ask and she looks like I just asked who the Princess was.

"Because since you're new here you don't have many if any friends and that makes me sad I know you're lost your friends when you moved here so, HMMHMMHMMM!" I had to put my hoof in her mouth so I could try and process what she was talking about in her rambling. "And that's why I would like to invite you to the party so you can make friends!" she somehow says through my hoof. I look at Rumble who looks at me with big puppy dog eyes. Pinkie soon joins him with the eyes.

I can’t do it. I can’t say no to those eyes.

"What time does it start?" I sigh.

Damn it.

We get the time (it's tomorrow around noon). It was getting late so we head back to Rumble’s house. I climb up the ladder and I’m surprised that I don't fall through the clouds. Apparently they are special clouds that are enchanted for non Pegasus ponies and anthros to walk on.

"Night Rumble Tell your brother I say hi. I'm going to bed." He nods and- MY FAUST THIS BED IS SO SOFT!

I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow.

Back in Appleoosa.

"Oh I hope my baby is alright." Said a yellow unicorn mare with a white main and tail with a mirror image cutie mark on her flank. She paced back and forth while holding a note she had received shortly after Viper’s fight With the anthro Caim.
"Calm down Mirror, I'm sure she's just fine." With a couple of deep breaths she tries to calm herself. She had just about slowed her fast heart beat when…

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Who could that be?“ Mirror thought as she opened the door. She wasn’t expecting anypony today, but it would be rude to leave them on the door step. So, she put the note in a box and went to open the door to what she thought was a friendly visitor.
"Hello, can I he..." She never got to finish the sentence. A hoof connected with her chest and she slid across the floor.

"Where is she?" Said a angry anthro unicorn with a scar over his left eye as he quickly stepped through the door and stood over Mirror.

"I don't know who you‘re talking about." The back of a hand met her face followed by three swift devastating kicks to her gut, making her gasp as all the air was forced from her lungs.

"You know damn well who I'm talking about." He said clearly. His eyes were ice cold, filled with hate and loathing. Snorting in annoyance with Mirror’s tight lip he knelt down and grabbed Mirror’s mane, pulling her up and forcing her to make eye contact.

"The purple pony who attacked the anthro outside of the dinner two weeks ago, where. Is. She?" His voice was deathly low, almost a growl, filled with anger. Mirror’s eye’s shot open in fear. She knew who they were asking about.

"She never attacked anypony! It was the anthro who attacked, there was even video evidence showing it." she stated, trying to defend her daughter, only to get a fist to her gut twice, breaking her already cracked ribs and then have her muzzle slammed into the floor, leaving a small, bloody puddle.
The anthro unicorn pulled up the head of the now gasping and coughing mare as she coughed up her life giving, crimson liquid adding to the puddle, making her look at him again.

“False evidence, and besides that doesn't answer the question now does it." He said coldly. Mirror just glared at her attacker with a rage only a mother could muster.

"I'll never tell you anything!" She spat blood and saliva into the stallions face. He did not even flinch, only a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth was all she got.
"I would rather die then let harm come to my daughter." She growled at him. A cold, gleeful smile spread over the stallions face, sending an arrow of fear to pierce her heart.

"So be it." He says grabbing one of her legs he snaps it at the knee with only a cold chuckle. Mirror screams in agony, trying to get away from the stallion but he holds her fast. One by one he breaks her legs, leaving her in a beaten, broken and bloody state on the floor, not dead but close to it.

"Burn the place. We got a pony to find." Mirror heard the stallion say, and felt a cold liquid splash over her body. All she could do was scream i pure agony as the flames ignited and started to consume her fur and sear her flesh.
As the Stallion and his companions left, the only thing that they could here was the roar of the flames and the pain filled screams of the mare they’d left to burn alive.
The unicorn stallion paused to look behind and gaze at the fire. He smiled brightly as the mares screams were silenced and there was nothing but the roar of all consuming fire. Gesturing to his companions they left the scene like ghosts, nopony the wiser that they had been there.