Doctor Jekyll and Mister Shyde

by Lunar Spice

Rating: teen
Tags: Fluttershy, Violence, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Rainbow Dash, Romance, Drama
Length: 20956

Something's happened to Fluttershy, but Twilight is at a loss for what to do. Meanwhile, strange things have been happening all over Ponyville. Will the Mane 6 figure out what's happening? AppleDash incoming!

It's been a while since Fluttershy was a bat, but she's convinced that there's still some residual batty-ness inside of her. Twilight thinks she can help, much to Fluttershy's relief. However, something goes wrong and the problem is magnified beyond what Twilight was expecting. Will she and the rest of her friends figure out what's wrong and stop it before it's too late?

AppleDash incoming!

Published 2018-11-02 18:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-02-22 22:02:47 UTC

1. Get Rid of It

Fluttershy was singing softly to herself while feeding her animals. "There's music in the treetops / And there's music in the vale / And all around the music fills the sky." Her animals always loved it when she sang. There was something about her voice that was just so soothing to them. Even Angel Bunny, though he wouldn't admit it. "There's music by the river / and there's music in the gra- ow!" Fluttershy dropped the bag of food as pain erupted in her mouth. She had bit her tongue. Again. She gingerly ran her injured tongue over the mini fang, her only physical reminder of the time when she was turned into a bat pony. Even though the tooth had shrunk during her transformation back to normal, it hadn’t disappeared altogether.

“Ohhh, why can’t it just go away?” Fluttershy asked herself. Angel looked at her with a mixture of pity and annoyance. He jumped up and down to get her attention. Once he got it, he mimed having wings. “y-you want me to fly?” She asked. Angel shook his head and pointed to his forehead, cupping his paws to make a cone shape. “Ohh Twilight! Yes, I should go to her. I think she’ll be able to help. Thank you, Angel.” Fluttershy immediately jumped up and trotted out of her cottage.

“I’m glad you came to me, Fluttershy,” Twilight said as she leafed through various books. Fluttershy sat on a chair in the castle library, her mouth open so that Twilight could study the tooth. “The issue with the bats was so long ago, I had almost forgotten about it! Don’t worry, I'll get it fixed in no time.” Fluttershy nodded her head, unable to move her mouth because of the magical brace in her mouth. “Found it!” Twilight exclaimed. “This spell isolates any magic inside a pony.” She quickly glanced down until she found the spell. She set the book aside and lowered her horn until it was pointing at her friend. Fluttershy closed her eyes, waiting for the magical blast. Twilight released the spell. As soon as it hit Fluttershy, there was a blinding light. Twilight rubbed her eyes with a hoof, trying to clear them. Once her vision cleared, she saw Fluttershy laying on the floor, unconscious. Twilight rushed over to the Pegasus, gently shaking her awake.

“Twilight? Did- did it work?” Fluttershy asked, hopefully. She opened her mouth so that Twilight could look inside her mouth.

“It’s gone!” She exclaimed, after peering into Fluttershy’s mouth. “Thank you, Twilight,” the buttery pony said sweetly. “I should probably go, though. I need to finish feeding the animals.” “No problem, Fluttershy. Glad I could help.” The lavender alicorn waved as her friend set off towards her cottage. As she turned back to reshelve the books she had pulled down, Spike walked in. He was rubbing his eyes and carrying his Rarity doll.

“Twilight? What happened?” “Good morning, Spike. I was just helping Fluttershy with a small problem, but it’s all fixed now.” “Okay,” the dragon muttered, still a little sleepy, as he stumbled over to Twilight.

Spike looked at the book that she had just used to help Fluttershy. “Uhh, Twilight? Did you use this spell on Fluttershy?” She glanced over, still focusing on cleaning up. “Yes. Why? Is there something wrong?” Spike picked up the book, looking at it closely. “I… I’m not sure. Did you read the entire thing before you cast the spell?” Twilight, finished with the other books, walked over. “Well, I skimmed it,” She admitted. Spike sighed and turned the book around so that the alicorn could read it completely. She read aloud: “This spell isolates any magic inside a pony and compounds it, separating it from the pony. The magic, whether good or evil, amalgams into an entirely separate pony. In some rare cases, the magic will not become a separate entity, but stays in the afflicted pony, leading to occasional outbursts of magic. These outbursts are random and uncontrollable.” Twilight tilted her head. “I don’t see why that’s a problem. So Fluttershy will have small bursts of magic for a while. She doesn’t even have a horn, so it should be fine.” “If you say so,” Spike muttered as Twilight enveloped the book in her magic and put it back in its place on the shelf.

Author's Note

It's been a while since I decided to create my first story for FIMfiction, but I couldn't figure out what to write about. I finally settled on a parody of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Please let me know what you think!

3. Just A Tuft

It had been weeks since Applejack’s apples first started disappearing. Now, more and more were gone by the time she got up every morning. She and Rainbow Dash had exhausted their creativity, both running out of ideas for how to catch the mysterious apple thief.

Applejack sighed as she mustered up the courage to open the door to Twilight’s castle. “Uhh, Twi? You in here?” the apple farmer called out when she had made it past the gigantic doors.

Twilight suddenly apparated right in front of Applejack, causing the orange mare to jump in shock. “Sorry, Applejack. I was in the library, surrounded by books when I heard you come in, but I didn’t want to disturb any of my research, so I just teleported."

Applejack grimaced. “Couldn’t ya’ve just flown over?” She asked, gesturing to the wings folded down at Twilight’s side.

The lavender mare rolled her eyes. “I didn’t want to make any breeze that could rustle pages. I always like to make sure I know exactly where I left off.” She nodded with finality, emphasizing (once again) that she loved research. “What’s up?” She asked, tilting her head in curiosity. Whatever it was, it looked like Applejack was nervous.

The blonde mare took a deep breath. She wasn’t used to doing this, and it showed. “Ah really need yer help, Twi. Ah didn’t want to ask fer help at first, but Ah didn’t want to wait until it got out of hoof!” She explained awkwardly. She went on, answering Twilight’s unspoken question. “A couple o’ weeks ago, Ah found that some o’ mah trees were missin’ their apples. Not jus’ a few apples, though. Every. Single. Apple.” Applejack stomped her hoof down to accentuate each syllable of those last words. “Ever since, there’ve been more an’ more trees goin’ bare. Rainbow an’ Ah tried everything we could think of: traps, bait, even a stakeout! At this rate, the farm might not survive ‘til next Hearth’s Warming.”

Twilight held up a hoof, prompting Applejack to stop talking. “Whoever is doing this, I’ll get to the bottom of it. There’s actually been quite a number of ponies asking me for help recently. They’ve all noticed small things: some vegetables missing from a garden, the end of a fence smashed, etc. I was actually just reading up on kleptomania when you walked in.” She tilted her head. “Although your case is way more serious than the others.”

“Well, what the hay does that mean?”

“I don’t know, but I can inspect your trees if you’d like. If those apples were taken with magic, I can detect it.”

Applejack tried to smile at the confident mare through her dread. “If you’re sure. Rainbow an’ Ah already tried ever’thing else we could think of, but Ah’m startin’ to lose hope.” She hung her head, thinking once again about what this could mean for her family…

The Apple clan huddled together in one room. Though it was rather chilly, they weren’t physically close because of the temperature. The four Earth ponies were comforting each other in the small hotel room, the only place they could afford now that the farm was gone. Though Applejack and Big Mac were strong, both physically and emotionally, neither of them could handle losing the farm and comforting Granny Smith and Apple Bloom. The elder and her youngest granddaughter were almost inconsolable. They-

“APPLEJACK!”

The farm pony jumped as she was startled out of her grim daydream. “Twilight! Do ya mind not scarin’ me nomore? Ah nearly jumped outta mah skin!” She placed a hoof on her chest, trying to slow her still-panicking heart.

“Well, I have been trying to get your attention for a while,” the alicorn explained. “I was trying to let you know that I’d be happy to accompany you back to the farm. I’d like to inspect those barren trees.”

Twilight stood in the middle of the orchard, about to release a detection spell. “Once I cast this spell, any object that isn’t natural to your orchard will start to glow. It only works for a short time, so we’ll need to be quick. Whoever is taking your apples might be leaving behind a small trace of themselves.”

Applejack nodded, ready to do anything to save her crop. One blinding light later, and she found herself trotting quickly through the trees, scanning for anything shiny. It wasn’t until she was right next to the tree that she noticed it: a glowing tuft from somepony’s mane. Thank Celestia! Applejack carefully pried the small tuft out of the bark and made her way back to the clearing. She set it on the grass, waiting for Twilight to finish checking her section of trees.

Applejack wanted to inspect the piece of mane but decided to wait until it had stopped shining so she could see the color.

It wasn’t long before the lavender mare walked into the clearing. “I checked all of my trees but found absolutely nothing. Did something turn up in your section?”

Applejack nodded, not looking up from something on her hoof. “Yeah, Ah- Ah found somethin’ alright. But Ah jus’ can’t believe it.”

Twilight frowned, curious. She levitated the small object (which had stopped glowing a bit earlier) from Applejack’s hoof. She saw that it definitely was a tuft of hair from somepony’s mane, but that wasn’t what startled her. The reason why Applejack had been acting so dazed was because of the color of the mane. It was light pink. Twilight only knew of one pony whose mane matched this color.

“Fluttershy?!”

4. More Than Just Apples Missing

Rainbow Dash groaned, trying to open her eyes against the pain in her head. She tried to bring her hoof up to gently rub her temple, but found that she couldn’t move. “What the hay?” She exclaimed loudly, now trying to move anything. The shock was enough to open her eyes and she quickly assessed her surroundings.

Trees, trees, and more trees. Am I in the Everfree Forest? Ohh, I must have just crash-landed and got myself tangled up.

This thought quickly left as she craned her head to look herself over. The first thing she noticed was that there was a thick rope around her midsection, effectively immobilizing her wings. Each of her hooves were wrapped with similar-looking ropes, effectively preventing her from any movement below her neck. Her cerulean blue coat was ruffled and covered in grass and dirt, hinting that she was dragged here. But Dash didn’t pay attention to the details. All she knew was that she was trapped and needed to get away from whoever did this to her.

“HELP!! SOMEPONY HELP ME!!” She screamed, hoping that somepony would be able to hear her. She screamed and screamed until her throat couldn’t stand any more than a loud whisper.

“Rainbow…”

The Rainbow-maned mare stiffened as she heard a low, yet chilling voice drifting through the trees.

“Raaaainbowwwww Daaaashhhh…”

“Who’s th-there?” She whispered, the cold sensation of fear settling heavily on her fur. She craned her neck again, attempting to spot the pony who was calling her name.

She heard a rustle and then soft hoofsteps directly behind her. “Whoever you are, I demand that you show yourself!” Rainbow said as loud as she could, mentally pushing the fear down.

“Mmmm… No. I think that I’m fine right here.” The low voice said.

Rainbow strained her mind, trying to think of a pony that spoke like that. The voice was low but definitely female. The pony spoke slowly and deliberately, yet had a sense of power that made the Pegasus mentally shrink in fear. Outwardly, though, she writhed and thrashed against her bonds.

“Sshhh.” The voice murmured, placing a hoof on the bound mare’s back, still standing directly behind her, so as not to be seen. “If you don’t calm down, I’ll have to make you. I don’t think you want that.”

The struggling mare immediately stopped moving, not only because of the power in her captor’s voice, but also because of the sharp blade she had just felt against her side. Rainbow was hyperventilating, still wondering who in the wide world of Equestria would do something like this.

“That’s better, isn’t it?” The voice said, soothingly. “Now, I have a little something for you.”

Rainbow suddenly felt a blindfold being lifted over her head and secured around her eyes. She was trembling openly now, terrified. “What are you going to do to me?” She asked, tears threatening to escape from her eyes and soak the blindfold. She heard the mystery pony slowly walk around to Rainbow’s front.

“Mmmm, I would tell you, but letting you figure it out is just more fun! Now, open wide.”

The trapped Pegasus, trembling openly now, complied, opening her mouth as wide as possible. She decided that it was best to not disobey the mare with the knife, regardless of who it was. She suddenly felt something being stuffed into her mouth, preventing her from speaking.

“I’ll be back later to give you food and water,” the voice spoke once again before trotting away into the trees.

Rainbow whimpered, hoping that she would be rescued soon.

“Now where the hay is that durned Pegasus?” Applejack asked herself, eying the clouds that had settled over Sweet Apple Acres. “First mah apples go missin’, now Dash.” The apple farmer sighed and shrugged, dismissing her thoughts and turned back to bucking. Ah’m sure she’ll be back tomorrow.

5. Getting to the Bottom of Things

Author's Note

I decided to make this chapter a bit longer. Again, let me know what you think and how I can improve. Since this is my first fanfiction, constructive criticism is encouraged :raritywink::pinkiehappy:

5. Getting to the Bottom of Things

Fluttershy awoke to some loud banging on her door. She quickly trotted to the door, saying her catchphrase “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness” the whole way. She opened up the door, only to be greeted by a very concerned Twilight and a very angry Applejack. “Oh, hello! Do you want to come in?” she asked warmly, stepping aside to let her friends in.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, getting her friend’s attention. “Have you had anything… strange happen to you recently?”

Fluttershy tilted her head in thought. “I’m sorry, but nothing really. Well, I have been getting more dreams recently and there are a few gaps in my memory, but nothing else,” the shy Pegasus said thoughtfully.

Twilight and Applejack exchanged a glance. “What kind o' dreams?” The latter asked.

The buttery mare thought for a moment. “Well, there was one dream that I’ve been having a lot.” She lowered her head, unable to look Applejack in the eye, even if she believed it was only a dream. “I’ve been dreaming of flying to Sweet Apple Acres and taking apples from the trees. There have been other dreams, but I get that one the most. I’m sorry.”

“Relax, Fluttershy,” Twilight said comfortingly. “Have you noticed that these dreams occur at the same rate as your occasional amnesia? Also, was this occurring before you came to me about your tooth?” The alicorn was levitating a clipboard and a pen was poised to write down the answers.

“Ummm, yes and no. I’m sorry. Am I in trouble?”

Twilight hesitated, wincing, before answering. “We’re not sure. There have been inci-”

Applejack stomped her hoof, impatiently interrupting Twilight. “Apples have been goin’ missin’ all over mah orchard! Twilight an’ Ah were lookin’ for clues an’ we found yer mane there!”

Fluttershy backed away from her friend’s sudden outburst. “Well, I didn’t actually take any apples; I only dreamed of it. But you can search here if you want.”

Twilight nodded, expressing an apology as Applejack barged in, frantically searching for her lost fruit. “Don’t make a mess!” The alicorn called, then turned her attention back to the Pegasus. “Fluttershy, would you mind coming over to the castle, after you finished feeding your animals tonight? I’d like to observe if there are any negative symptoms other than dreams and amnesia.”

“Of course, I’d love to. Anything to help!” Fluttershy answered warmly. “But it might be a little late. I would still need to tuck the animals in for the night.”

Twilight nodded. “That’s no problem,” she said while giving her friend a comforting smile. This smile quickly turned into a frown, however, as Applejack plodded out of the cottage.

“No luck.”

Twilight sighed. Another dead end. As she and Applejack turned to leave, she heard Fluttershy walk into her cottage and close the door.

“Ah’ll never save mah farm at this rate!” Applejack sighed, barely keeping herself from breaking down in grief.

“Don’t worry,” Twilight said, draping a wing over her friend, comforting her. “I think I may have an idea of what's going on.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t move. This would have been bad for a normal Pegasus, but it was agonizing for the fastest flier in Equestria. Her wings were twitching, practically begging to be unfurled. Rainbow had no idea how much time she had been trapped here due to the blindfold, but it didn’t matter anymore. She wanted, no, needed to fly and be free again.

Rainbow stiffened as she heard soft hoofsteps approaching her. She knew that it was her captor; enough time had passed that she knew no pony had heard her earlier screams. She lowered her head as the pony approached, hoping to seem obedient enough so as not to provoke her. Rainbow did not want to feel that blade again.

“Mmmm, how are you today, Rainbow Dash?” The pony asked, carefully pulling out her captive’s gag.

Rainbow tried to croak out an answer, but couldn’t. Her mouth and throat were so dry that it hurt to do anything besides breathe. She immediately felt a straw being forced into her mouth. Rainbow sucked greedily, downing the entire cup? Gallon? Bottle? It didn’t matter as long as she was able to drink.

Rainbow’s captor watched her greedily drink every last drop of water. “Is that better?” She asked. After receiving a grateful nod, she took her captive’s jaw in her hoof, lifting her head until it was facing her own, despite the ever-present blindfold. “Good. Now answer my first question: How are you today, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow felt her captor’s face was mere inches from her own. Before she could even react, she felt the familiar chill that rested heavily on her body and mind. So cold... cold, cold, so cold... It was this cloying chill that Rainbow fought against. Her faltering resistance shored itself up again at the chill, supported by stubbornness ingrained down to the very bone.

...Yet she couldn’t win no matter how hard she resisted. She could feel her defiance failing, submitting to this chill, this power that her captor wore like a second skin.

The trapped Pegasus squirmed slightly, as though trying to back away, but unable to muster enough effort for it to be significant. Despite herself, Rainbow heard her own voice, answering of its own accord: “I’m fine.” Nothing more, nothing less, no matter how hard she tried.

“Good,” the voice answered.

Rainbow then felt the hoof guiding her head down towards the ground. She realized that she smelled apples and started to feel around with her muzzle for the delicious fruit. Again, she ate greedily, yet savoring every single bite.

These are Sweet Apple Acres apples! I'd recognize that taste anywhere! Is Applejack behind this? Some sort of prank? No, Applejack would never think this was a good prank; it’s gone way too far!

Rainbow ate until she couldn’t eat anymore. When she was done, she began to feel a nice, warm sensation in her stomach. She licked her lips, getting rid of any apple remnants, and sighed in contentment. It was then that she realized that her stomach was growing warmer by the second. At this point, it was uncomfortably warm. Rainbow felt a numbness radiate from her stomach out toward her trapped limbs. “What…?” she managed to grit out, past the paralyzing power her captor had over her mind.

The pony simply chuckled, using a hoof to brush Rainbow’s mane to calm her. “No need to worry. I simply dipped those apples in a drug. You should be sleeping comfortably in no time.”

Rainbow started panicking, only to be immediately soothed by the warmth in her stomach and the hoof in her mane. Her thoughts softened, crushing her already-faltering resistance into oblivion. She heard the gentle yet commanding voice again: “I’m not going to do anything to you while you're asleep. I’m just making sure that you don’t do anything rash while I’m gone. One of your friends has asked me over for a sleepover, so I can’t be distracted and thinking about you throughout the night. By the time I come back in the morning, you’ll probably still be asleep. Don’t forget, when you wake up, I’ll have put apples on the ground in front of you for your breakfast.”

And with that, Dash slipped into unconsciousness. Her captor walked away, humming a cheerful tune.

Fluttershy trotted to her friend's castle. She had just finished putting her animals to sleep for the night, so now it was time for the sleepover that Twilight had mentioned earlier. As she opened the door to Twilight's castle, she half-expected Pinkie Pie to jump out, scaring her among a flurry of confetti. Luckily, Pinkie didn't pop out of anywhere. "Um, Twilight? Where are you?” She asked timidly, listening for her friend’s answer.

“We’re in the throne room, Fluttershy!” Twilight called, causing the Pegasus to jump slightly in surprise. She made her way towards Twilight’s voice, looking forward to the promised sleepover. It had been way too long since their last one. As Fluttershy entered the throne room, she was surprised to find that it was very empty. She could only see Twilight and Applejack.

“Where is everypony?” Fluttershy asked as she approached her friends.

“Ah asked Pinkie, but she said she had ta babysit Pumpkin an’ Pound. Apparently, the Cakes’re stretched thin.”

“Rarity is in Manehattan for a fashion show, so she obviously can’t make it…”

“An’ Ah looked all over Ponyville, but couldn’t find Dash anywhere! Ah’m startin’ ta get worried. She’s been missin’ for almost two days now!”

“Oh no!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “I hope she’s okay.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Tell me about your amnesia. When did it start and has it increased recently?”

Fluttershy scrunched her face, trying to remember. “It’s been going on for weeks now, since a few days after you helped me with my tooth. Umm, but I have noticed it happening more frequently. It’s been like that for about two days.” She shrank under the ponies’ intense gazes. “Oh my, did I say something wrong? Am I in trouble?” She asked timidly, attempting to hide behind her mane.

Applejack opened her mouth to give a sharp answer, but promptly got a faceful of purple as Twilight stuck her hoof in her friend’s mouth, effectively silencing her.

“No,” the princess emphatically answered. “You didn’t say anything wrong and you’re not in trouble.” She said these last words while glaring pointedly at Applejack. The farmer glared back but shrugged and stepped aside, far away enough that she wasn’t directly a part of their conversation, but close enough to still hear what was said.

Twilight turned back to Fluttershy. “We’re just curious if your increase in amnesia has to do with Rainbow’s disappearance. The two events are certainly correlated, but as Doctor Haybert West once said: ‘Correlation does not equal causation’. We were just hoping that you could shed some light on the whole situation. Can you tell me when your last amnesiac experience?” She asked while levitating scroll and quill, clearly eager to write everything down.

“Well, I’d be happy to help, but I already told you that I can’t remember. But I do know that I had one right after I finished feeding the animals. I walked out of my cottage and suddenly found myself nearly in Ponyville. But what does this have to do with Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked timidly.

Twilight hesitated, but at a pointed look from Applejack, answered the question. "Well, you said that your amnesia has been around since a few days after I helped you with your tooth and then you said that it intensified over the past two days. I'm willing to bet that the intensification of your memory loss has to do with where Rainbow is located." She picked up a spellbook. "This is the spell that I cast on you weeks ago. I didn't read the entire description before casting it, though. While I was thoroughly reading it afterward, I realized that something had gone wrong. This spell is supposed to take all the magic inside a pony and compound it into its own entity. But in rare cases, like you, Fluttershy, it stays in the pony. Unfortunately, these rare cases are afflicted with occasional outbursts of magic. I believe that your memory loss has something to do with these outbursts. I thought that it wouldn't be a problem since you don't have a horn, but I'd like to double-check that theory tonight."

Fluttershy perked up at the concept of helping find Rainbow Dash. "Oh! Of course. I'd be happy to help. Where do we start?"

6. Concerned to Say the Least

Twilight was at a loss for what to do. She had attempted memory spell after memory spell, hoping to recover something that the friends could use to find Rainbow Dash, but nothing ended up positive. Fluttershy truly must not know where Rainbow is... But that doesn't make any sense! Her increased bouts of amnesia coincide almost completely with Rainbow’s disappearance. That can’t be a coincidence… can it?

Fluttershy had turned in for the night hours ago, but Twilight stayed awake. She kept telling herself that she was merely observing Fluttershy in case she experienced any uncontrollable magic surges during the night, but she knew that she had an ulterior motive deep down. Twilight glanced over at Applejack, concern heavily lining her friend's features as she lay on the hard crystal floor, staring at nothing. She hadn't moved all night, obviously too deep in thought to even recognize any stiffening muscles or strained eyes.

Twilight had suspected the earth pony of having a crush for a long time, but it took her even longer to deduce who exactly was on the receiving end of Applejack's attention. To be honest, the princess thought that they would make a cute couple, yet Rainbow was always oblivious to “uncool feelings” like crushes; Twilight didn’t even know if she swung that way or not. Nevertheless, Applejack's feelings never wavered, at least not that Twilight could tell.

Twilight cautiously approached Applejack, being careful to not startle the farmpony. The orange mare's ear twitched, acknowledging Twilight's presence, yet the pony herself showed no signs of rousing from her thoughts. Twilight sighed and draped a wing over her friend, trying to bring some comfort without seeming overbearing. According to her calculations, this was the most logical form of comfort that balanced easily between too distant and too overbearing. Twilight sighed mentally as she chided herself. I shouldn't have to include logic or calculations in this situation. I'm the Princess of Friendship. I should know how to comfort a friend!

The alicorn decided to let Applejack have a break from her thoughts; the mare looked like she hadn't slept in days due to stress. Twilight silently activated her horn and touched Applejack's head with it. Her friend immediately fell unconscious, temporarily free from her worries about Rainbow Dash. Twilight levitated over a sleeping bag and pillow, using her telekinesis to zip Applejack up inside until she looked like she was sleeping without a care in the world. "We'll find her, Applejack. I'll find her."

Author's Note

I wasn't planning on including AppleDash, but I figured that they needed some extra motivation to find Rainbow Dash, and a love interest seemed the best way to do that. Also, we're back to a short chapter for the time being. I've just been SUPER busy due to work, school, and family visiting for Thanksgiving, plus I've been suffering from writer's block. I have some parts written for when RD wakes up, but I thought that she hasn't been unconscious long enough for that to make it in this chapter.

As always, let me know what you think and how I can improve! Constructive criticism is always encouraged. :ajsmug::twilightsmile::rainbowderp:

7. Keres

Pain. That was the first sensation Rainbow Dash felt as she drifted back into consciousness. She felt the pain lance through her shoulder and side. The only thought running through her head was to fly away from this place and the pony who caused her pain, yet she knew she couldn't do that. But that didn’t stop her from writhing against the ropes. She could feel the wound (probably from that knife from earlier) stretched all the way from her left shoulder to her side. She moved the respective wing as much as possible, trying to determine if it had been damaged as well. Luckily, her wing was unscathed.

Rainbow was doing nothing but worrying. Then again, her bonds didn't allow much movement at all, so, realistically, Rainbow could do nothing but worry. She was alone with her thoughts, unable to move her head enough to even attempt to dislodge the obstinate blindfold. She sighed as she retreated into herself, the only place left to retreat to.

[I wanted to put a "3 hours later" meme right here, but for some reason, it won't take it. Just imagine that there's a 3-hour window of time between these two paragraphs.]

Rainbow’s ears pricked as she detected the faint sound of hoofsteps walking towards her. This sensation had become familiar to her, yet she still hated every minute of it. Her captor stopped right in front of Rainbow, yet before she could speak, the pegasus opened her mouth, croaking out a question. "Are you gonna take my blindfold off any time soon? I'd like to see whose flank I'm gonna be kicking to next week."

She waited, expecting that cold, cold voice to speak up, discouraging her from ever being rescued. Silence. "Any day now." All of a sudden, the prismatic pony felt the blindfold loosen as her captor used her teeth to undo the knot. Rainbow made the mistake of trying to open her eyes immediately. Horsefeathers! That stings! she thought, wincing and screwing her eyes shut against the invasive sunlight.

She had no idea how much time passed, but as soon as her eyes had adjusted to the light, she opened them, ready to stare down her captor. This plan dissipated like smoke as soon as Rainbow saw the butter-yellow pegasus standing in front of her.

"FLUTTERSHY?! Oh, thank Celestia! Please get me outta here!!! I was ponynapped by this crazy mare and I don't know when she's gonna come back!" She waited for Fluttershy to help untie her bonds. "Uhh, Flutters? Everything okay?"

Fluttershy had her wings fully erect, making her seem bigger than normal, but the most noticeable difference was that she wasn't cowering or even hiding behind her hair. Rainbow tilted her head, confused why her friend wasn't helping free her when she noticed Fluttershy's eyes. Gone were her soft, turquoise eyes; they were replaced by icy blues that seemed to stare deep into her soul. The cyan mare gulped, hoping that her instinct wasn't true. "Fluttershy?"

A smirk appeared on the yellow pegasus' face as she started to chuckle at Rainbow's confusion. "Lucky for you, this 'crazy mare' is back!" She said in that eerie, cold voice, relishing in her captive's look of despair and confusion.

"But why??" Rainbow asked, still confused why her fillyhood friend had ponynapped her. "Did I do something wrong? What did I do to you, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy raised a hoof up to Rainbow's mouth, stopping her questions. "I am not Fluttershy. You will call me Keres," she finished this sentence in a voice as hard as rock, which made Rainbow shiver and shudder, feeling a spine-chilling frost wash over her again. She couldn't help but gaze deeply into Not-Fluttershy's eyes as she felt her thoughts slipping away. "Cold.... so cold," she murmured as she felt the full brunt of The Stare.

Keres smirked again. "I'm sure you're wondering what's happening. Do you want me to tell you?" She waited until Rainbow slowly nodded before continuing. "About a month ago, Fluttershy went to Twilight for help. She wanted to be rid of Flutterbat completely. Although Twilight was able to help her, she inadvertently created me. I have been sharing Fluttershy's body ever since. I must admit, you have been the most fun I've had in my entire life!"

Rainbow shook her head, trying to think around the heavy weight on her mind. It felt like she was trying to wade through a pool of Pinkie Pie's Super-Sticky Molasses. "Where's.....Fluttershy?" She ground out with obvious effort.

Keres laughed at this question. "She's fine, for now. She's sleeping at the moment. It took a while, but I figured out how to keep her from even thinking that she's dreaming my exploits. You know, Twilight put her through the ringer, casting all types of memory spells to try to find you. Your farmer friend wanted more information, but Fluttershy was simply unable to help any more. You know, she seemed desperate to find you."

That shocked Rainbow out of her deepening daze. Twilight and Applejack are looking for me?? Thank Celestia! I just hope they find me in time. She thought ruefully as she felt her shoulder throb again. She turned her attention back to the pegasus in front of her. Her cerise eyes widened as she realized that Keres had picked up the knife again. She writhed against her bonds, trying once again to break free and get away from the blade held between the unstable mare's teeth.

As Keres approached the struggling cyan mare, she reached out a hoof and started stroking her mane, calming her. As soon as Rainbow stopped struggling, however, she used her other hoof to quickly unfurl a blue wing and pin it against her right foreleg. Before Rainbow could react, her captor plunged the knife deep, slicing easily through feathers and skin before lodging deep into her leg.

Rainbow screamed louder than ever before through the pain, hoping that somepony was close enough to hear her. She was in agony, feeling the sharp blade cut into her skin and muscle every time she moved. She wished Keres would take the knife out; it would hurt so much less, yet she knew that her captor would never do such a thing. Her screams gradually lessened into quiet sobs and whimpers as she felt warm blood gush from her new wound, staining the grass beneath her crimson. She was trembling uncontrollably, causing even more pain to herself.

Keres merely laughed at her captive's suffering, living for the wailing that accompanied torment, but she quickly stopped as a new sound drifted through the trees:

"Rainbow Dash! Where are ya?"

Both mares looked up as the owner of the voice walked into the clearing. Keres, pretending to be Fluttershy, called to Applejack, asking for her help in untying the rope. As soon as Applejack started running towards her friend however, Keres pounced.

Author's Note

It took me forever to figure out the ending for this chapter, so I decided to just leave it at a cliffhanger. Also, in case you're wondering, I chose Keres as the name for Fluttershy's evil alter ego because it means "evil spirits" in Greek. My friends probably thought I was crazy for researching baby names with cruel meanings, but I was able to find one that sounded good.

As always, let me know what you think and how I can improve! Constructive criticism is always encouraged. :fluttershbad::rainbowderp:

8. Rescue

Applejack was lost, both physically and mentally. She realized she was physically lost when she finally looked around and assessed her surroundings. She had told Twilight she was going for a walk, but she didn’t intend to go in the Everfree Forest. Now she was surrounded by trees and had no idea which way was Ponyville.

As she lay down, resting her hooves, she realized that she was mentally lost. Applejack sighed as she thought about Rainbow Dash. The prismatic pain-in-the-tail was her rock. No matter what happened, Applejack knew that the brash Pegasus would always be there for her. Well, of course, she would, the little voice in her head spoke up. She’s the Element of Loyalty. That means that she would be there for anypony, not just you. That doesn’t seem very special now, does it?

Applejack growled at the voice. “Shut up.”

As a matter of fact, didn’t you hear that she’s been spending a lot of time with Soarin? Doesn’t that seem suspicious?

“Shut up!”

She always seems to talk about him whenever all our friends are around. It’s obvious they’re seeing each other; she won’t stop talking about him.

“Shut up!”

What are the chances that she’s even considered thinking about you that way? You certainly haven’t given her any reason to. In her eyes, you’re just. Not. Special.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!!!” Applejack screamed out loud at the voice, whirling around and bucking the closest tree repeatedly. Finally, it crumpled to the ground under her powerful hooves. She stood over it, panting slightly at the sudden exertion. She hung her head and, choosing a direction at random, began to walk. That was the problem with being alone, she reflected. Nopony is ever alone when they’re with their thoughts.

Within a few moments, however, another scream rang through the trees. Applejack’s fur stood on end. It seemed familiar, somehow. But…. No, that’s crazy. Still…

The orange mare made her way towards the source of the scream, hoping that it was the brash Pegasus. "Rainbow Dash! Where are ya?"

As Applejack pushed her way into a clearing, she immediately noticed two figures. One of them, trembling and whimpering, was Rainbow Dash! The other was Fluttershy. Both mares looked up as she approached. Fluttershy gave a huge smile when she saw the farmpony. “Applejack! Oh, I’m so glad you’re here. Can you please help me untie her? She’s bleeding.”

Applejack wasn’t really paying attention to Fluttershy’s words; her attention was on the cyan mare, who slowly lifted her head. Recognition sparked in her eyes and she opened her mouth to say something. Applejack didn’t care. She started running towards her friend, only to be knocked to the side.

Applejack shook her head to clear it as she looked up. Fluttershy, of all ponies, was standing over her. “What in tarnation do ya think yer doin’?” She struggled under Fluttershy but was unable to position herself to buck her friend off. The Pegasus was a lot stronger than usual, for some reason.

Applejack’s gaze met Rainbow’s and the farmer saw pain and distress mixed in her beautiful magenta eyes. Her mouth opened, and one word reached Applejack’s ears: “Run!”

Hearing the desperation in her friend’s voice, Applejack doubled her efforts. One well-aimed hoof to a stomach later, and she found herself running towards the bound Pegasus. She quickly grasped the knife and pulled it out as gently as possible. Rainbow yelled again, this time warning Applejack.

The Earth pony spun around, ready to face the unstable mare when she heard a slicing sound. In her haste, she forgot to drop the knife. The knife, which was now sticking out of Fluttershy’s leg. The buttery pony reached down and grasped the handle with her teeth, pulling the blade out without even wincing. She grinned. “Mmmm, you’re strong. But not strong enough, I’m afraid.”

Applejack felt Rainbow stiffen when Fluttershy spoke, but it definitely wasn’t Fluttershy’s voice. “Who are ya and what have ya done wit’ Fluttershy?” She asked angrily, stalling.

“Call me Keres. And I apologize that you had to walk in on me with our dear Rainbow Dash. Hmmm, you do know that it’s not nice to interrupt, don’t you?”

Rainbow was hanging her head and groaning softly at this point. Applejack glanced at her friend nervously. “Rainbow? Y’alright sugarcube?”

The butter-yellow Pegasus laughed. “Of course, she’s not alright. She-”

Keres was interrupted by two iron-hard hooves colliding with her face. She dropped like a sack of apples. Applejack turned back towards Rainbow, who was obviously still struggling with something. “Rainbow? Can ya hear me?” She asked tentatively.

The only response Rainbow gave was a small murmur, “So cold... cold, cold, so cold...”

Hearing this response, the concerned Earth pony moved to stand in front of Rainbow. Her beautiful eyes were unfocused and staring at nothing while her teeth ground together. Applejack couldn’t tell if she was aware of her presence or not, but it didn’t matter. She carefully untied the rope binding her friend.

As the rope fell away from Rainbow’s mangled body, a shudder ran through her. “Keres…” she managed to say before collapsing. The last thing the Pegasus saw was a pair of emerald eyes staring back at her.

Twilight was only a bit worried. There's no way she was freaking out. Nope. Not in the slightest. She had told Applejack to go take a walk to clear her head hours ago! She's probably fine; She's an adult mare who can take care of herself.

But she isn't in a good state of mind! She's been tearing herself up over the mysterious disappearances surrounding her apples and now Rainbow Dash. Should she really have been let out by herself with such a mentality?

These were the thoughts that were galloping through Twilight's head as she all but paced a groove in the floor with no sign of stopping. That is, until the crystal doors to her castle burst open with a crash.

"Twilight! Git over here! Ah need yer help!"

The princess immediately noticed Applejack's trademark Southern drawl and looked up. Before her, stood the farmpony on unsteady legs. It looked like she had galloped here from a long ways away. Her emerald eyes were wide and she was panting for breath. But Twilight's focus was immediately caught by who was with Applejack.

Sprawled over her orange back was Rainbow Dash. She was unconscious, and her sides were streaked with blood. Her wings were unfurled, the right one with a large gash in it. All in all, she looked bad. Actually, bad was an understatement. She looked horrible.

"Who did this?" Twilight asked as she ran over, teleporting a bed from one of the guest rooms and carefully levitating Rainbow onto it. The Pegasus groaned slightly at the movement but gave no indication she was waking up.

Applejack had somberly taken off her signature hat and was holding it against her chest, still struggling for breath. As soon as she was able to talk, she recounted the entire story while Twilight tended to Rainbow.

"...An' then she jes' collapsed. Ah turned 'round to bring Keres wit' me, but she had disappeared. Ah reckon she was still hurtin' from that buck an' ran away. So Ah picked Dash up and ran here as fast as Ah could."

By the time Applejack had finished telling the entire story, Twilight had finished tending to Rainbow Dash and was sitting quietly. She shook her head. "I still can't believe that my spell created Keres. I only hope that we can find her soon. I just want to have our old Fluttershy back."

Applejack sat down next to her friend. "Ah'm sure she'll turn up. An' when she does, we'll be ready for her." She sighed and glanced over at the still Pegasus. "How's Dash doin'?"

"As far as I can tell, she's fine aside from some blood loss. If she hasn't woken up by tomorrow, I'll contact Nurse Redheart."

The orange mare sighed again and moved to sit next to Rainbow's bed. "Ah'll stay wit' her until then. Ah don't wanna argue, Twi, but I'm stayin' here all night." Applejack finalized this statement with a glare, discouraging Twilight from giving a sharp retort.

"Fine, but I intend to talk to Nurse Redheart as soon as Celestia raises the sun. You should be well-rested at that point." She turned to make her way up the stairs to her own bedroom. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Twi."

9. An Attraction Revealed

Beep

Beep

Beep

Beep

Rainbow Dash groaned mentally. For once, I’d just like to wake up not in pain. Is that too much to ask?

It was at this point that Rainbow tried to open her eyes. And failed. What the hay? By now, she was close to panicking, trying to move anything, but to no avail.

Voices spoke nearby, but they were too garbled to make out what they were saying. Suddenly one of the voices got louder! No, wait, just closer.

“…She’s just not waking up. Follow me, you need to rest.”

“Ah’ll rest when Dash wakes up an’ not a minute before!”

Rainbow wanted to scream ‘But I am awake!’, but she couldn’t even open her mouth. She recognized the second voice; it was Applejack!

Well, at least I’m not alone, she thought ruefully.

Rainbow had no idea how much time had passed since then, but she was sure that Applejack hadn’t left. Other ponies (nurses and doctors, probably) tried to get her to rest and eat something, but she would refuse to leave every time and only ate a small bit.

Rainbow slipped in and out of sleep easily. Then again, being awake and sleeping weren’t really that different at this point. But something different happened almost immediately after she woke up again.

As she roused herself from consciousness for the nth time, Rainbow braced herself for the pain that was becoming her new normal. But it never came. Thank Celestia! She thought. I don’t know how much longer I could’ve handled that.

Rainbow shifted her attention over to her best friend, still sitting next to her bed. She didn’t have to strain to catch the scent of apples and hay that seemed to follow Applejack like a natural perfume. She loved that scent. It was just so natural. Of course, normally it wasn’t so strong… Oh.

Rainbow could feel Applejack breathing. The earth pony felt really close. Almost uncomfortably close. She finally spoke: “Ah’m sorry sugarcube. Ah’m so sorry that Ah was too durn scared to tell ya this before-” She stopped for a moment to choke back a sob “-Before all o’ this. But Ah just gotta git this off mah chest…”

Well, get on with it, Rainbow thought, feeling impatient. I don’t have anything else to-Whoa

The cyan Pegasus felt like her brain had suddenly stopped working. She could no longer think. In hindsight, this was almost the exact same feeling that she had when Keres was speaking. But this was so much better because there was no fear involved. It was caused by her best friend, and that made her feel safe, despite the fact that her heart was just about to leap out of her chest.

It took a moment for her brain to catch up with what was actually happening, but she finally realized that Applejack was kissing her. It felt absolutely incredible, and Rainbow found herself wishing that it wouldn’t stop.

Beep… Beep… Beep, beep, beepbeepbeepbeep

Oh, horsefeathers! Rainbow swore as nurses galloped into the room, alerted by the rapidly accelerating heartbeat. Voices mingled all around, making Rainbow’s head spin even more. One voice spoke louder, trying to get everypony’s attention.

“Ah’m sorry! Ah didn’t mean to do anythin’!”

“What did you do? What happened?” Rainbow recognized Nurse Redheart’s voice. She had been admitted to Ponyville hospital enough times after crashing that she could recognize that voice anywhere.

“Ah- Ah was just tryin’ ta work up the courage ta tell Dash that Ah’ve had a crush on her for a long time so Ah kissed her. Ah didn’t know that that’d happen!” Applejack responded.

Rainbow could barely think, but she was able to hear Redheart’s response: “Oh, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I’ve heard stories that some comatose ponies are sometimes conscious enough to hear what’s going on.” Rainbow could almost feel the mixture of hope and dread radiating off of Applejack in waves.

“Ya mean that she could be listenin’ right now?”

Redheart responded and Rainbow could imagine the smile that she knew the nurse was wearing. “Well, considering how her heart rate exploded when you kissed her, I would assume that, yes she’s conscious. However, she is still comatose, so nopony can really know until she wakes up.”

Rainbow barely had time to breathe before she felt a muzzle against her cheek. “Please sugarcube, wake up. Ah know ya can do it. Jus’ come back. Ya mean so much ta me,” Applejack murmured, tickling the pegasus’ ear.

Rainbow strained her muscles, trying to flick her tail, open her eyes, anything. But she still couldn’t, no matter how hard she tried. She swore again, more frustrated than ever before. After a moment, Rainbow felt a cold liquid entering her foreleg, most likely through an IV.

Applejack sighed and sat down again with an audible thump. “When do ya reckon she’ll wake up?” Her voice sounded thick, like she was just barely holding back tears.

Nurse Redheart spoke from Rainbow’s other side, “I don’t think it will be today, but she is going to need her strength to wake up. That’s why I’m giving her a sedative. Sufentanil will help Rainbow relax and go to sleep.”

Rainbow felt herself growing calmer; all her thoughts drifting away like clouds in a breeze. Finally, she succumbed to sleep, her last thoughts on that apple-and-hay scented mane right next to her.

Author's Note

Alert! rainbow_dash.exe has stopped working. Please restart program. Of course, when Rainbow wakes up, she'll have more situations to deal with than just some blood loss. But generally, situations aren't orange or wear Stetsons :ajsleepy::rainbowhuh:

As always, please let me know how I can improve! Since this is my first story, I don't expect it to be perfect, and constructive criticism is always encouraged! :pinkiehappy:

10. Facing the Facts

Applejack sighed again as she gazed upon her friend's prone body. She had been sitting next to her hospital bed for days now, showing no sign of leaving. Sure, their other friends stopped by occasionally, but they all eventually left. Applejack, however, refused to leave.

All she could think about was Rainbow Dash. She barely spared a thought to anything else, especially herself. Truthfully, the only reason why she still ate and drank was because one of her friends or a nurse would sometimes bring her a little food. Applejack didn't like asking for help - never had - but nopony paid attention to her refusals.

Sometimes, when she was tired of thinking in circles, she would engage in one-sided conversations with the mare in front of her, imagining how she would respond if she were awake.

"Hey, Sugarcube?"

What's up, AJ?

"Ah- Ah miss ya."

Whaddya mean? I'm right here.

"Ah know that. But Ah still miss ya. 'Specially that laugh o' yers."

O-okay, somepony's sounding a bit like a lovesick filly.

Applejack chuckled. "So what if Ah am? Are ya complainin'?"

No! I just don't care for frou-frou, frilly feelings! That's more Rarity's style. It just seems so... uncool.

"That's fine. It don't matter to me what ya like an' don't like, so long as Ah'm in the 'like' section."

A small cough interrupted daydream-Rainbow's response. Applejack turned to see Twilight standing in the doorway. The blonde mare chucked nervously, running a hoof up and down the back of her neck. "Er, 'xactly how long were ya standin' there?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Long enough to know you need to take a break. I- we're all worried about you. You haven't left in days, you're barely eating, and you haven't taken a shower since that fight with Keres," she mentioned, wrinkling her nose slightly as she caught a whiff of her friend.

"Of course you would have a freaking list," Rainbow Dash groaned.

Twilight stuck her nose in the air, imitating Rarity. "Of course. I always have lists."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Ah bet ya even have lists about... lists..." She trailed off, her malnourished brain catching up to her.

Twilight seemed to have reached the same conclusion, her eyes rivaling the size of dinner plates. They stared at each other, both equally afraid that even moving might break the spell and reveal it was only an auditory hallucination.

"Um, you guys okay? I was expecting a more awesome reaction."

Well, it certainly sounded like Rainbow. There was the familiar raspy voice and the same vocabulary.

Applejack broke eye contact first, slowly turning to face the hospital bed. There, just like the past few days, was Rainbow Dash. The only difference was that now a pair of glazed, cerise eyes were open and slowly tracking the two mares.

"RAINBOW DASH!" Applejack couldn't help herself; she jumped up and grabbed the pale Pegasus in a tight embrace.

"A...J... air! Need - oof! - oxygen!" Rainbow gasped, attempting to squirm away from the unexpected tackle.

Applejack suddenly realized two things: Rainbow was still hurt from her time as Keres' captive and that she was currently crushing her. She jerked back as if struck by lightning and composed herself as Rainbow puffed beside her.

At this point, Twilight decided to dispel the awkwardness by approaching the hospital bed.

"It's good to see that you're finally awake! I'm sure the others will be excited to hear the news."

She had barely finished her sentence when a living ball of energy exploded from the door, shouting a single name:

"DASHIE!"

The pink incarnation of energy, more commonly known as Pinkie Pie, was jumping all over the place, babbling her mouth off. Rainbow Dash glanced over at Applejack and Twilight, giving a wry smile. "Nice knowing you guys."

Pinkie stopped abruptly - how on earth was she able to freeze in midair? - and bolted over to Rainbow's bedside. "I was just taking some cupcakes out of the oven - I love cupcakes; I haven't baked cupcakes in forever and a half! Did you know I put a secret ingredient in my cupcakes? It makes them all yummy! But I can't tell you what it is. Because then it wouldn't be a secret anymore..."

"PINKIE!"

"...when all of a sudden, my legs started wobbling, my nose scrunched, and my knee pinched. That means that one of my best friends is in the hospital, but waking up without a certain peppy pink party pony! Have you ever noticed that P alliterations sound the best? Listen: 'The pieces of the pie puzzle are plopping into place, but the picture isn't pretty!' See what I mean? Perfect!"

Twilight stepped forward. "As much as we love you and your alliterations, Pinkie, I think we should let Rainbow Dash rest. She did just wake up, and there'll be plenty of time to hang out later." She quickly ushered the hyper mare out of the room, closing the door behind both of them.

Applejack turned to leave when she hesitated. Those alluring magenta eyes. They were watching her; she could tell. She turned around, locking eyes with the pale pony.

"Need somethin', Sugarcube?" She asked, trying to hide her hope from showing in her voice. Seeing as how that was a form of lying, she was terrible at it.

"Could you stay with me, AJ?" Rainbow looked a bit embarrassed at the request, but she pushed through it.

"O' course Ah'll stay wit' ya," Applejack smiled, sitting at her usual spot beside Rainbow's bed.

The mare in question looked nervous, eyes flicking all around before coming to rest on her friend.

"I- I heard you..." She murmured in a quiet voice.

"Sorry, what was that, Fluttershy?" Applejack chuckled.

Rainbow glared, clearly not appreciating the humor.

The blonde mare cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed, considering who inflicted Dash's wounds. She gestured with a hoof for her friend to continue.

Rainbow gulped once and steeled herself. She met Applejack's eyes and blurted it out:

"I heard you!"

Applejack's eyes widened, immediately growing pale. She instantly thought back to her own declaration a few days prior.

"I heard everything."

Applejack was hyperventilating, unable to meet her friend's gaze. She didn't hear anything else that Rainbow said; she was too busy panicking. She backed up until she hit the door. The farmer blindly grasped the handle and fled.

Applejack thundered down the hallway, only thinking of getting away from the Pegasus in the hospital bed. Ever since Nurse Redheart told her that there was a possibility that Rainbow Dash heard her confession of love, she had been simultaneously hoping and dreading the moment when she woke up.

Just as she was in the middle of cursing herself, she crashed right into Twilight. She winced and helped her friend to her hooves.

"Sorry, Twi! Ah just-" She paused as her mind raced to find a good excuse. "-just needed to get back to work! Yeah, that's it. Ah know that Big Mac has been doin' a lot o' work, so Ah'm goin' over ta help 'im out. OkaynicetoseeyaTwilightbye!"

Applejack bolted out, leaving a dumbstruck Twilight in her wake

Applejack didn't stop running. She reached her farm in a matter of minutes. The orange blur practically flew up the stairs, into her room, and locked the door. She wedged a chair under the handle - for good measure - and drew the curtains. After she was satisfied that she was fully cut off from the outside world, she flopped down on her bed, still cursing her own impatience into the pillow.

"Why couldn't Ah've stopped mahself? Now she knows Ah'm a fillyfooler!" She spat that last, hated word. "Ah can't show mah face ta her for a while. 'Least until she forgets the whole thing."

At some point, somehow, she fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming about Rainbow Dash flying through the sky on magnificent wings.

Author's Note

So sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I lost my computer charging cord and, after it died in the middle of an assignment, I wasn't able to update the story. Thankfully, my new charger works as well as my old one, so I'm back in business!

As always, let me know how I can improve! Since this is my first story, I know there's room for improvement, so I always enjoy constructive criticism. :pinkiehappy:

11. Interlude: Fluttershy

Author's Note

I realized that I had been focusing way too much on AppleDash. Even though it is my favorite ship, I'm making myself take a break. And since this story should be about Fluttershy, why not have her return in this small intermission? I promise, both Fluttershy and Keres will make more of a major appearance later on, but this chapter is just to tide everybody over until then. That's why it's so short.

It's also short because it's currently 5:30 in the morning and I have a final exam due tomorrow. I'm just so tired that I need to publish this chapter as soon as possible.

11. Interlude: Fluttershy

Fluttershy came to suddenly and without warning. She jerked awake, sending a ripple of pain through her foreleg. She yelped and looked down at the offending limb. Her eyes widened as she gazed upon the wound. How had this happened? The semi-fresh laceration was still oozing blood; thankfully not gushing like it apparently had been. The fur coating her foreleg was a light crimson and matted with gore.

Fluttershy gulped as she assessed the wound. She unconsciously reached for her first-aid kit - working with accident-prone animals and friends (:rainbowdetermined2:) had reinforced this habit multiple times.

Where is it? She thought to herself, eyes finally breaking away from her foreleg to find the kit.

Only, she wasn't at home. Not in the slightest.

She was surrounded by trees that creaked ominously. Her teeth chattered from more than shock as she looked around frantically.

Where is Ponyville? More importantly, how did I get here? She thought, terrified. It was dark, suggesting nightfall. Fluttershy could hear creatures rustling the bushes and underbrush. Her wings pressed tightly against her sides and her entire body trembled in fear.

She strained, trying to remember how she got here and, more importantly, why she was hurt, but nothing came. Frustrated, she turned her attention back to her foreleg. It looked too precise to have been made by claws. A knife, maybe? It was deep, too, but it had luckily missed her arteries.

Fluttershy screwed her eyes shut as she licked at the wound to clean it. The sour, metallic taste of blood was horrible, but it was easier than worrying about who might be lurking in the shadows around her.

The best she could do was wait until Celestia raised the sun. Then she could get a proper look at her surroundings and figure out where Ponyville was. If she was lucky, maybe Zecora would find her before some other not-so-nice creature did. The pegasus' teeth chattered at the thought.

Once her injury was clean, Fluttershy curled herself up into a little ball at the base of the nearest tree. She shook as tears drenched her face.

The past couple weeks - or was it months? - had been increasingly hard on her. First, there was the issue with her memory, then Rainbow Dash went missing and Applejack's prime suspect was her, and now this! She just wished that things could go back to the way they were before everything went wrong.

She sighed. It was still a long ways 'til morning and, if her thoughts were anything to go by, she'd be awake for all of it.

12. Reciprocated Feelings?

Applejack's family was worried about her.

Ever since she came home abruptly a few days prior, she had been acting strangely. She stayed in her room all day, refusing to talk to anypony.

In the morning, though, Big Mac would notice that all of her chores were already done, most likely from the night before. He appreciated that his sister was back to working on the farm, but he missed her nonetheless. Sometimes, on particularly rough days, he relied on her stories to pass the time.

Twilight had visited Sweet Apple Acres a couple times, asking for Applejack, only to be turned away at her bedroom door.

She contemplated teleporting inside and confronting the farmer, but stopped herself. Applejack will come out when she's ready. I just hope it's soon. I wish I knew what's going on.

After being turned away for the sixth time, the alicorn resolved to find out why Applejack was suddenly so reclusive. Thinking back, she remembered that the earth pony had been alone with Rainbow Dash before all this started. Maybe she knows what was going on with Applejack?

Twilight unfurled her wings and took off in the direction of Ponyville General Hospital.

It didn't take Twilight long to fly to the hospital, and it took even less time to make her way to Rainbow Dash's room. Unfortunately, that's where everything became slightly more difficult.

She knocked on the foreboding door separating the two friends. No response. She cautiously opened the door a crack. "Rainbow Dash? Is everything okay?"

Twilight could barely hear her friend's response: "I'm not really in the mood to talk..."

She pushed her way into the hospital room. "I just want to ask you something."

The room was dark, too dark to see anything. Twilight cast a simple light spell in order to make her way over to the curtains. They were heavy and durable, giving the patient privacy whenever he or she desired. Of course, it also had the downside of plunging the entire room into darkness, no matter how bright it was outside.

With the curtains drawn, the princess was able to clearly see her friend lying on her bed. Rainbow Dash was reclining against a couple downy pillows. Her mane and feathers seemed unkempt and lifeless. Her eyes were bloodshot, making them even redder than normal. When she spoke, her voice sounded hoarse, grating against Twilight's ears.

"I don't really want to talk to anypony now, Twilight."

"Will you at least answer a couple questions? I promise I'll be quick."

Rainbow rolled her eyes and sighed, but nodded. It looked as if she had resigned herself to her fate.

"Why did Applejack leave in such a hurry the other day?" Twilight asked, gauging the Pegasus' response. If freezing and avoiding eye contact were anything to go by, her friend knew something that she'd rather not say.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about."

Twilight sighed. This wasn't going to be easy, but she needed answers. "Look, I know that the two of you stayed in this room after I left with Pinkie Pie. The next thing I knew, Applejack was galloping down the hallway like a mare on fire. She crashed into me, made some excuse about going back to the farm, and then secluded herself in her room. Nopony has been able to talk to her since then. I'm certain that this irrational behavior has to do with whatever occurred when both of you were here alone. That means that you know why Applejack is acting this way. Now, I'm concerned about the wellbeing of my friend, but I can't do anything to help her unless I know what's going on. So, please, tell me what happened."

Rainbow Dash was clearly conflicted. Her mouth was open, as if to speak, but she was still hesitating. After a moment, she asked one solitary question: "Do you promise to not tell anypony?"

Twilight caught and suppressed a grin before it showed on her face. She had gotten through to her friend and was finally going to get some answers! She solemnly met Rainbow's gaze. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Satisfied, Rainbow Dash told her what had happened. How she was awake when Applejack kissed her, her confession, and how the farmpony ran out upon hearing that she heard everything. Twilight didn't say anything, but merely listened. Finally, when Rainbow had finished speaking, Twilight opened her mouth.

"Well, do you reciprocate her feelings?" After receiving a baffled look, she reworded her question: "Do you feel the same way towards her?"

Rainbow Dash looked away, seemingly lost in thought. When she finally spoke, it was a small whisper, "I don't know."

Twilight tilted her head. "Well, what are you thinking now?"

The Pegasus sighed, still avoiding eye contact. "On the one hoof, I don't say yes to her. She's already really sad, but that'll make her even more sad. Things will get weird if we're even in the same room, so I don't think we'll be able to use the Elements anymore.

"On the other hoof, I go to her and say yes. She's really happy, but what if I realize I don't actually like her that way? I'll be stuck in a relationship I don't like after lying to the Element of Honesty. And if I do tell her that I don't like her, she'll be heartbroken even more than she is now!" She threw her hooves up in despair. " I don't know what to do. Do I even like her that way? And what about Keres? If she's coming back, I don't want to put Applejack in danger just because she's close to me."

Twilight thought about this for a minute, going through everything her friend had said. "What if I told you there's another way? A third hoof that you haven't considered? Say you give her a chance and you actually find out that you have feelings for her? Then you'll both be happy. No leading anypony on, no lying, just the two of you being happy together."

"But... what about Keres?"

"You leave Keres to me. I created her, so I'll be the pony to destroy her. For Fluttershy."

Rainbow Dash nodded. "I guess I should just give her a chance?"

Twilight smiled. "I think you'd both like that. It would certainly make her feel better," she commented.

The cyan pony shook herself, fully awake. "Then let's go! I've got a friend to help. I just wish I could fly there. It'd be a lot faster." She glanced at her wing, which still sported a decent-sized hole.

Twilight helped her friend off of her hospital bed. "I think the doctors will be relieved to hear you are taking it slow," she said, pointedly.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Point taken. Now, let's go! I've got to help Applejack!"

13. Introducing Zecora

Keres opened her eyes and glanced around. She hadn't moved since she went to sleep and allowed Fluttershy some control over her own body. That was probably because she was too damn timid. She had probably been too scared to move at all.

The pegasus got to her hooves and started trotting off in the direction of Zecora's home. Now that the sun had risen, it was easy to see where she was located.

She grinned to herself as the hollowed-out tree came into view. If she was awake, she might as well have some fun. Ideally at the zebra's expense. Her knife wound would be a good excuse. She raised a hoof and knocked as loudly as she could. After a moment, she heard a muffled voice from inside:

"Wait a moment, please. Just let me find my keys."

The door unlocked and swung open, revealing a striped face peering curiously down upon the pegasus. Zecora smiled and invited her in. "Fluttershy, dear, this is quite a surprise. I love our little chats away from prying eyes. But I should ask, nay beg, what in Equestria has happened to your leg?"

Keres groaned inwardly as she kept the Fluttershy disguise up. She hated pretending to be that simpering pushover, but she had to lay low until the time was right. She whimpered and hid behind her flowing pink mane. "Ohhh, Zecora, I don't know what happened. I was walking through the forest, trying to find my way home when a manticore came rushing out of the bushes. I couldn't say anything, he was so fast. He scratched me and then ran away. I think he was scared. Can you help?"

Zecora nodded grimly and turned away, rummaging through her jars and vials of potions. When she turned back, though, the pegasus had vanished. "Fluttershy? Where did you go? You location I must know. For I cannot heal you if you leave, you must know this is not make-believe."

Zecora scanned the room, searching for a glimpse of her pony friend. She didn't see the particularly large rock even as it impacted with her head heavily. The zebra crumpled to the floor, not awake to see Keres standing over her body, smiling cruelly.

Now that the doting rhymer was out of the way, the pegasus could finally trash the place. Using her wings, she swept every single glass vial and jar from its shelf and ripped all the healing books apart.

Keres turned to leave when a truly depraved thought entered her mind. A wicked grin spread over her face as she flew back over to the heavy cast-iron cauldron. It was filled with a dark pink liquid; clearly, a potion Zecora had been creating. Even though the fire underneath had died out, the mysterious potion was still warm,

Keres scooped out the ashes underneath the cauldron and replaced them with fresh kindling. She would have to be quick; she had no idea how much time she would have before the zebra woke up.

As she blew on the sticks, coaxing a single flame into a crackling blaze, she heard a soft groan. The pegasus' eyes widened and she spun around to face her opponent.

Zecora was still on the floor and her eyes were still closed, but she was clearly waking up. Luckily, she was too weak to defend against what Keres had planned.

The wicked pony flew over the broken glass and shredded paper to Zecora. She was heavy, but Keres could manage. She lifted her up and slowly brought her over to the simmering potion. her wings beat powerfully as she lifted the bigger equine. As her mohawk brushed past the iron rim, Zecora's brilliant sapphire eyes opened blearily. She groaned, "Fluttershy... Why?"

Keres grinned again and let go. The zebra hit the liquid with a splash. Before she could surface, the pegasus grabbed the lid of the cauldron and slammed it on top. She then flew outside and selected a few heavy rocks.

As she systematically flew back and forth, piling the rocks on the lid, she heard Zecora's screams. The zebra clearly didn't appreciate being boiled alive, but Keres relished the sound. This was why she did what she did. Those screams were like music to her ears, like the sweetest ice cream on a hot summer day.

With a grunt, the pegasus hauled the last stone on top of the lid. Unfortunately, the lid wasn't see-through, so Keres couldn't gaze upon the horror she had wrought.

Oh well, she thought. It'll just make for a better surprise when somepony finds her, anyway.

And with that, Keres left Zecora's tree, not even bothering to wait until she had died. If she was honest with herself, she didn't even give that annoyance a second thought. Her mind was already full of what horrors she could bring about next.

Author's Note

I'm not dead! Now that winter break is over, I'm back to college. Which means that I can go back to writing while in class. I hope you guys like this new chapter. I realized I hadn't done one from Keres' perspective.

Let me know what you think! I don't expect this to be perfect, so constructive criticism is always allowed.

14. The Final Ingredient

“I can’t do this!”

“You have to!”

The Pegasus glared at her friend. “No, I can’t! I can’t risk hurting her even more than I already have!”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “She’s a strong mare if that were to happen.” She sighed. “If it helps, I think you’ll do great!”

Rainbow Dash’s glare increased into Stare territory. Twilight winced, yet racked her brain. What she needs is a little courage. Wait, isn’t there a potion called Liquid Courage?

Rainbow could almost see the lightbulb; it was so obvious that she had an idea.

“Follow me!” The alicorn trotted off without another word, leaving her friend to follow.

Rainbow Dash groaned as Twilight sifted through her potions for what felt like the bazillionth time.

“Patience. It’ll turn up,” Twilight responded without even looking up.

“Just give it up already! It’s not here!”

Twilight sighed and turned away from the jars and vials. “Maybe you’re right. But I was positive I had it!”

The Pegasus rolled her eyes and said, “Well it’s not here now. Hey, isn’t Applebloom interested in potions? Maybe she took it.”

Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof in thought. “Perhaps. But it doesn’t store well. The temperature and humidity must be perfect, or the entire thing spoils. Odds are that Applebloom doesn’t know that and it’s already gone bad.”

Rainbow hung her head. “Well, I guess I should go back to the hospital. I can’t really go home, so that’s the only place I can go.”

“Nonsense!” Twilight exclaimed. “You’re staying with me. That’s what friends are for. Plus, I have this enormous castle with nopony to share it with me. I can set you up in one of the guest rooms and I will not take no for an answer!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes again, but didn’t argue. “But what about that potion? Can you make another?”

“Regrettably, no. It takes multiple specific ingredients. Ingredients which I don’t have readily available.” She tapped her chin again. “However, I have most of the ingredients. I only need essence of wormwood. It’s somewhat rare, but I think I’ve seen it in the Everfree Forest.”

“Of course, it’s in there. I’m sure that with our luck, there’ll be a couple manticores camped around it.”

Twilight decided that that didn’t warrant a response. She simply grabbed a saddlebag with her magic. She would need something to carry the last ingredient back with her. “Tell you what, if you’re feeling tired from all this exertion by the time we reach the edge of the forest, we’ll take the easy route and see if Zecora has it. Does that sound good?”

Rainbow nodded and gingerly stretched, preparing herself for the trek to the forest.

Rainbow’s hooves were dragging and she felt dizzy. She hadn’t been this active since before Keres. She shivered at the mere memory of that cold, cold voice, but the sudden movement nearly drove her off of her hooves.

Twilight glanced over, concern clearly written on her face. “Maybe you should take a break. We have been walking for a while. You probably need to rest your legs.”

The Pegasus didn’t answer. She simply sank down to the ground, trying not to jostle her still-healing wounds.

“If you want…” Rainbow glanced up at her friend, pricking her ears to hear her better. “I can go on ahead and pick you up on the way back to the castle. That’ll give you time to rest, and I will be able to ask Zecora for the ingredient before nightfall.”

Rainbow thought about it for a moment, but finally nodded.

Twilight smiled and gestured over to a nearby tree. “Just wait over here and I’ll be right back.”

Knock knock knock

Twilight waited patiently for Zecora to open the door, but she heard nothing from inside the hollowed-out tree.

“Zecora? Are you there? I’m trying to make a potion and I need essence of wormwood.”

No response.

Hmm, that’s odd. Well, I know she’s not out, since she usually leaves a sign on the door. Should I barge in?

After finally making up her mind, Twilight pushed open the door. It was unlocked. That was the first strange thing.

Twilight had warned Zecora about something roaming around the forest. She hadn’t given her specifics, because she didn’t want to worry her friend. But Zecora had promised that she would lock her door. So, why isn't it locked?

The second thing that stood out to her was the fact that the entire room was trashed. Books were strewn about, destroyed beyond repair. Broken glass littered the floor along with puddles of different colored liquid. What happened here?!

Finally, Twilight noticed the big cauldron that stood in the middle of the room. The fire underneath crackled merrily, reminding the alicorn of Hearth’s Warming. However, the lid on top had been weighed down with heavy rocks.

With a sweep of her horn, the stone flew off, coming to rest at the alicorn’s hooves. This entire situation seemed eerie, sending Twilight’s paranoia through the roof. But she was determined to find out what was in that cauldron. It must have scared Zecora if she had trapped it so efficiently.

The handle glowed as lavender magic slowly lifted it up. Twilight peered inside.

She must be hallucinating. She had to be. She saw Zecora, bobbing in a boiling potion that Twilight didn’t care enough about to identify. Her head was bloody from a gash, but her eyes haunted Twilight. They were open wide; her beautiful blue irises were dull and glassy. Her mouth was agape, seemingly in the middle of a scream as she met a no-doubt painful end. The rest of her body was bloated as she was simultaneously drowned and boiled alive.

Twilight’s lunch made a second appearance.

She stood shakily after she finished vomiting and wiped her mouth with a hoof. She knew who had done this. Twilight narrowed her eyes and growled.

"Keres will pay!"

Author's Note

Sorry if RD seems a bit more OOC than she has in my story. I just really wanted a reason to have Zecora found (ideally by Twilight). And, no, I was not referencing any alcohol whatsoever with the name Liquid Courage. I just needed a decent name for a courage potion and that was the first thing that came to mind.

Let me know what you think! I do my best, but sometimes I overlook things. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'm noticed that my writing reflects what I've been watching lately (horror movies), so I'm sorry if it's been a bit darker than expected.

16. The Mega-Doozy Is Coming!

As Keres walked away from her cottage, she reflected upon herself.

Here she was, hauling a suspiciously filly-sized sack to the Everfree Forest. She was in the prime of her life. She was doing her favorite pastime whenever she felt like it

So why did it feel like it had lost its novelty?

These were the thoughts that she was dwelling on as she contemplated the sack's contents.

Perhaps I haven't been giving it my all.

Smirking, Keres turned around and began hauling her latest kill back to her cottage.

She had an idea and, by Tartarus, she would not stop until she was satisfied.

It was nearly midnight when Keres was satisfied with her work.

She had methodically dismembered Scootaloo's limbs, then chopped up most of the torso until it was finely minced.

Feeling inspired, she had shorn off the vibrant purple mane and tail. She intended to put it to good use. When she came to the limbs, she decided to go for a more theatrical approach.

Now, she stood proudly, holding a small box. She grinned as she trotted to the Castle of Friendship.

Keres was secretly glad that she had taken a shower and washed all that blood out of her fur. The streets of Ponyville were surprisingly busy, even though Luna's moon was high in the sky.

The box she was carrying had been wrapped with the utmost care. It sported a bright red bow while the box itself was a beautiful porcelain white. Keres wanted it to be perfect. It had to be perfect.

After leaving the "present" on Twilight's doorstep, Keres made her way back home with a spring in her step. She had some planning to do!

From somewhere deep within layers of fluffy, pink covers, Pinkie Pie awoke to find her entire body convulsing.

As she looked on, her body twisted this way and that. Her Pinkie Sense was acting up. And whatever it was predicting was going to be a doozy! No, a mega-doozy! "I've never had a Pinkie Sense this strong before! Something's definitely gonna go wrong! But where? And when?"

As quickly as her Pinkie Sense arrived, it left, not even bothering to answer specifics. Pinkie Pie groaned in annoyance. "Maybe in the next few chapters? But it could also mean a zillion chapters until then! No, no, the author doesn't have that kind of time or patience. Hmm, I guess we'll just have to wait and see!"

And with that, Pinkie Pie collapsed back on her bed, snoring before her head even hit the pillow.

Rainbow Dash awoke with a groan.

Great. The hospital. Again. Why does this keep happening to me?

She gingerly sat up, feeling significantly better than the last time she woke up in this position. The sudden movement woke Twilight up from her restless slumber.

"Rainbow! You're awake!" Twilight exclaimed, relieved her friend was going to be okay.

"Heh, yeah I am. Can't keep the most awesome pony in Equestria down for long! So, when exactly can I get out of here again? I'm already bored," the speedster half-whined.

Twilight smiled. "Not long now. But, this time, I'm waiting until you are 100% better before I take you out of here."

Nurse Redheart pushed the hospital door open, getting both girls' attention. "I'm sorry girls, but visiting hours are over. Twilight, I'm here to escort you out. Princess or not, this hospital has very strict rules."

Twilight nodded and trotted over to the door that Nurse Redheart was holding open for her. She turned back just before she left, "I'll be back in the morning before my schedule starts with a Daring Do book for you."

Rainbow Dash smiled again as they left, leaving her alone with her thoughts. The smile slipped from her lips as soon as the door clicked shut. This is gonna be a looong night.

It was way past midnight - in fact, it was almost dawn - when Twilight blearily approached her castle. Despite what she had on her schedule for the coming day, she intended to flop down on her bed and sleep until she couldn't sleep any more.

She almost walked past the box before her sleep-deprived brain finally noticed it. She looked at it curiously before levitating it towards her. She inspected it for a "From" tag but found none. It seemed harmless enough, so she untied the bow and peered inside.

There, resting on a bed of vibrant purple hair, was an orange pair of undersized wings. Right below those, four small hooves seemed to stare up at Twilight. She gulped and very calmly replaced the box lid. She steeled herself and turned away from her castle. Sleep could wait. She had to stop Keres before more lives were unnecessarily ended!

17. A Prisoner

It had been a week since Applejack completely changed her sleeping schedule. She had to admit, it was a lot more calming: bucking her trees alone with only the moonlight as her guide.

As apples rained into the baskets, her mind wandered once again to Rainbow Dash. Applejack grunted in annoyance as recent memories came to the forefront of her mind. She preferred to not dwell on the past.

She clenched her eyes shut as the unbidden memories flowed freely. “Just go away,” she muttered, barely audible, as she dragged a basket of apples to the barn. Luckily, no more apples had gone missing since Rainbow Dash’s rescue, but the Apple family was still going to have to work hard to keep from losing the farm.

Applejack was so lost in thought that didn’t even notice when a few leaves fell from the tree above her. As she reared back to buck the apples out of the tree, she suddenly felt weightless. She looked around frantically to find that the ground was rapidly receding. She was… flying?

Finally, Applejack looked up to see Flutt- Keres carrying her up far into the night sky.

“I wouldn’t struggle if I were you. If you were to fall from this height, you would undoubtedly die.”

Applejack gulped as she realized her predicament. “What do you want, Keres?” she asked calmly, trying to not antagonize the mare with her life in her hooves.

The Pegasus grinned maliciously. “I just want to torment your friends. Especially the pony who slipped between my hooves. And you’re going to help me.”

“And if Ah refuse?”

Suddenly, Applejack found herself plummeting through the air towards the ground. Her fear instantly spiked, but before she could start screaming, she felt hooves wrap around her barrel again.

She gazed up into Keres’ icy blue eyes. The wicked pony hadn’t said anything, but her threat had been made loud and clear. Applejack hung her head in defeat. “Fine. Ah’ll help ya.”

Keres narrowed her eyes, not quite believing the Earth mare. “I want you to Pinkie Swear that you will be completely devoted to me until my work is done.” She continued, cutting off Applejack’s protests, “Remember, I control if you live or die, so choose your next words carefully.”

Applejack glanced down at the ground. At this height, she could barely see Sweet Apple Acres, but she knew that they were hovering above it. She grimaced as she imagined Apple Bloom finding her splattered and twisted body in the morning. Applejack knew she was beat, so she pinkie promised: “Cross mah heart an’ hope to fly, stick a cupcake in mah eye.”

Keres frowned. “That’s not morbid enough… Hmmm… I know! I want you to repeat after me: Slit my throat and hope to die, stick a diamond in my eye.”

Applejack stared at her in horror, brain trying to wrap itself around the gruesome promise. However, she finally relented and repeated the evil phrase.

As soon as she finished, Keres started flying towards her cottage. When they reached the ground, Keres released Applejack with the warning words: “Remember, if you try to escape, attack me, or betray me, I will make you and your entire family suffer.” She pulled open the door and ushered the orange mare inside.

Applejack sighed as she entered the formerly happy home. As she crossed the threshold, an awful smell washed over her. “Ugh, what is that stench?” She demanded, covering her nose with a hoof. Keres lit a candle as she closed the door, illuminating the remains of Scootaloo.

Only one part of the filly was still visible for all to see. Up on the mantle, her skull had been washed and scrubbed clean. The bone gleamed as the empty eye sockets seemed to stare into Applejack’s very soul. She backpedaled furiously, horrified at what had happened to her little sister's best friend. She rounded on Keres and growled, "If mah sister ends up like that, Ah will personally make sure you suffer."

Keres pushed past Applejack, not even blinking at her reaction. She responded to the threat as she opened the refrigerator and started rummaging through it. "I don't think you're in any position to threaten me, Applejack. However, if it makes you feel any better, she will not be harmed at all while you are working for me. Ah, here it is." She pulled an entire pie out and set it on the table. "Would you please preheat the oven? You must be hungry and I would hate to be a bad host. I am truly sorry about the smell, but I haven't been able to clean this place since…" She trailed off, but finished her thought by gesturing to the skull.

Applejack blinked at the sudden show of hospitality but complied. Her stomach growled as if it could sense that food was nearby, despite the fact that it hadn't been cooked yet. Once the pie was in the oven and the timer had been set, both ponies settled down on the couch in the living room. The entire house seemed empty. Fluttershy's animals usually roamed around freely, giving the entire place a cheerfulness that wasn't easy to replicate, but it seemed that Keres had driven all of the animal friends away.

At the thought of Fluttershy, Applejack frowned. "Keres, is Fluttershy okay?" She asked directly, never really being one to beat around the bush.

Keres smiled, and Applejack was surprised to notice that it wasn't a cruel smile either. "Yes, she's fine. She's sleeping right now. I've decided to keep her around, for now at least."

Applejack nodded, satisfied with the answer, and the two fell into an uncomfortable silence. Finally, the timer beeped, bringing both ponies back to reality. The farmer followed Keres into the kitchen. In a flash, Applejack found the pie out, cooling on the rack, with two slices already taken out of it. She dug into the piece that had been given to her and chewed thoughtfully.

The pie was… savory? Applejack had only eaten the apple pies that her family made - it was a secret Apple recipe - so this was something new to her. It wasn't bad though. The vegetables seemed to swim in the creamy sauce and the buttery crust seemed to complement the flavor perfectly. But there was one part that didn't quite taste familiar.

As the farmer swallowed the rest of her pie, she turned to Keres and saw that she had already finished her slice and was getting another. "That was pretty darn good. Honestly, Ah've never had a savory pie before, but it tasted great. What's it called anyway?" She asked as she helped herself to another slice as well.

Keres smirked, waiting until the farmer had a bite in her mouth before answering: "I like to call it chicken pot pie. Of course, all of Fluttershy's chickens left ages ago, but I did have another flightless bird around on hoof to use. I think it turned out well." She chewed another bite and swallowed, watching her guest's face for her reaction.

Applejack froze, her face turning a shade somewhere between green and gray. She knew exactly who Keres was referencing when she said "flightless bird" and it disgusted her. Trying to not antagonize her host, the farmpony pushed her plate away from her. "Y'know, it's the darndest thing, but Ah'm suddenly not that hungry. Ah guess Ah should be goin' back to the farm to get some shuteye." She turned the leave the kitchen, but stopped when she heard the icy voice behind her.

"No, Applejack. You are staying with me. I don't want you running off and telling anypony about this or what I'm planning next, so you are staying in this house until I require your assistance. Is that understood?"

The apple mare gulped once and, remembering her Pinkie Promise, sat back down.

"Also, this pie is the only food you're going to get, so I suggest you get used to the taste or you are just going to go hungry. But, since you're done, let me show you to your room." Keres stood up from the table and led Applejack into the guest room. It was more on the cozy side, but there was a decent sized bed right in the middle of it. However, the first thing that Applejack noticed was the chain that spanned the area between the far side of the room to the bed.

Keres walked calmly over to said chain and beckoned her prisoner over. "I can't take any chances while you're in the house. I don't want you escaping or hurting me while I'm asleep, so I decided that this was the best way to avoid that. I'm sure you understand. Now come here and let me chain you up."

Applejack, resigning herself to her fate, trudged over and didn't put up a fight at all. Even as she felt the cold metal wrap around her neck and the padlock click shut, she didn't protest. Once Keres was satisfied with her work, she left.

The chain clinked as the orange mare made herself comfortable in the bed. As she stared up at the ceiling, she couldn't help but voice one single question that had been rattling around her head since she made that awful promise to Keres.

"What have Ah done?"

18. A Present From A Fan

Applejack sighed as she shifted in the bed. She couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t the unfamiliar bed; she had slept in other beds plenty of times before during Pinkie’s slumber parties. Surprisingly it wasn’t the presence of the chain, either. Applejack noticed that the metal had been quick to heat up, thanks to her own body temperature, making it easier to ignore. It wasn’t even the remains of that chicken pot pie she had eaten. Sure, she had a strong stomach, but she was still surprised that the pegasus pie hadn’t come back up.

No, Applejack was lying awake because of her guilt. It was eating away at her faster than a herd of vampire fruit bats loose in the apple orchard. How could she have just sworn her life away like that? She knew the answer, even though it continued to torment her.

“Ah did it for mah family,” she whispered, trying to drive the guilt away. “S’long as Ah help ‘er, they’ll be safe.”

“Of course you did.”

The voice came from the door and Applejack knew exactly who it belonged to without even lifting her head. “Keres,” she said coldly.

The butter-yellow mare in the doorway chuckled and approached the bed. “Just keep telling yourself that. But, I want you to remember something.”

She had reached the side of the bed and was staring down at Applejack menacingly.

“Remember that you are mine.”

Applejack gulped as she stared into the icy blue eyes of her captor, but she didn’t back down. “How long am Ah gonna stay here?” She spoke with confidence despite the fear that lived just under her strong exterior.

Keres raised an eyebrow. “Until I am finished with my work.” She unlocked the padlock and, as the chain fell from Applejack’s neck, smiled. “Until then, you belong to me. But enough of that, let’s go get some breakfast.”

Applejack followed her host/captor into the kitchen and slid into an empty seat. She stared at the pie slice that sat in front of her with a mixture of disgust and hunger.

She glanced up as Keres sat down opposite her and dug into her own slice. “You know, I’m not going to give you anything else, so you’d better eat up.”

Applejack grimaced as she picked up a fork and hesitantly took a bite.

She hated herself for it, but she actually liked the flavor. She tried not to think about who was in the pie as she swallowed the rest of her slice.

When she was finally done, Keres set another plate in front of her. This one, however, did not contain a slice of pony pie. There, resting in the middle of the plate, sat a lump of flesh. She glanced up curiously at the pegasus before asking, “What the hay is that?”

Keres smirked before answering. “That belongs to our little friend over there,” She pointed to the skull that was still resting on the mantle. “I want to make your friends suffer, and I realized that the only two ways to truly make our dear Rainbow Dash suffer are to take away her little sister and her best friend. I already did the first, but she doesn’t know about that yet. I’m sure that Twilight Sparkle will tell her once she’s gotten better. But I haven’t quite taken you away from her yet.”

Applejack stared down at what she now recognized as the heart of her little sister’s best friend. She had no idea what Keres was planning, but she already knew she wasn’t going to like it.

“Now, what I have planned will take you away from her as well, doubly crushing her. For this to work, you will not be harmed, but I will need to cut the ends of your mane and tail off. Not a lot, but just enough to include those red bands of yours.” Keres stood up. “I’m going to go get scissors while you think it over. But you should know that I’m making you do this whether you agree or not.”

Daring Do puffed up and shouted across the expanse, “You’re wasting your energy, cowponies! Take my advice and save some of that giddyup to get back to your camp before Old Tex catches you and turns your hide into his new holsters! You’re never getting the crown from me!”

Rainbow Dash grinned as she snapped back to reality for a moment. This new Daring Do book was awesome! She was barely five pages into it and Daring Do was already beating up bad guys and stealing precious artifacts. This time a gang of cowponies had found the Doomed Diadem of Xilati, but Daring Do had swiped it right from under their snouts.

Rainbow loved reading Daring Do, but this one particular scene made her think of Applejack. Now, of course, Rainbow knew that the honest farmpony would never turn evil like those cowponies. It was just that the multi-colored speedster missed her best friend.

And... maybe more?

She shook her head. Now was not the time to get sidetracked. She had an epic adventure story to read.

However, before she could dive back into the awesomeness that was Daring Do, a nurse pushed the door open. “Miss Dash? A package came for you. Did you want me to give it to you or should I leave it on the table?”

Rainbow Dash looked up. “A package? But I didn’t order anything from Amazeb.ra. Huh. Anyway, I’d love to have it now, please. It might be a gift from one of my adoring fans!”

The nurse rolled her eyes but ignored it. She was used to the Wonderbolt’s antics by now.

Rainbow set aside her book and held the package in her hooves. It wasn’t very big but it looked pretty nice. Its wrapping was a glossy crimson while it was topped with a golden bow. The pegasus threw caution to the wind and ripped it open to see what her fan had sent her.

She sat there for a moment, staring at the contents, not quite sure what to make of it. No, she knew exactly what it was. She just didn’t want to face the facts. Tears flowed freely as she sobbed harder than she did when Tank first hibernated.

There, sitting on some tissue paper, rested Applejack’s signature hair ties. Her mane and tail had been cut a couple inches above, so the bands were still holding that straw-like hair together. But that wasn’t what Rainbow was weeping about. Right in between the two hair ties, somepony had placed a pony heart. It wasn’t hard to figure out who it belonged to.

But the icing on the cake was the tag that was attached to the package. It read:

To Rainbow Dash Sincerely, Keres

Author's Note

Credit for the Daring Do quote goes here. I did enjoy reading the sample, but it was just a coincidence that that particular book started out with a group of cowponies. Buuuut I figured I could link it back to Applejack easily, so I'm not complaining :pinkiehappy:

Also, in case it wasn't clear, amazeb.ra was my attempt at Equestrian-izing amazon.com. I couldn't think of anything better, so don't judge me.

19. Submitting

Applejack groaned and gazed up at the ceiling. How long have I been here? she wondered. She tried to remember how her life was before Keres, but she could only come up with blurry pictures. Stuff that should have been familiar like Granny's pie, Apple Bloom's smile, and Big Mac's trademark 'Eeyup' were fuzzy and distant.

She knew why she couldn't remember as clearly as she should. It was Keres. It was always Keres. She was manipulating her.

Applejack glanced over at the point where the chain was attached to the wall. After cutting her hair, Keres had chained her back up while she left with the package.

It bothered her, but she was not only hungry, but she was craving some more of that Pegasus pie. Applejack shook her head and held her hooves up to her temples. Keres is manipulating you. What you are doing and thinking is wrong. She repeated this to herself, desperately trying to drive Keres' voice from her head.

But no matter how often she reminded herself that she was being manipulated, Keres' voice slipped in. Her cold tone seemed to numb those thoughts again and again without fail.

How long is this going to last? she asked herself. How long will I last here? The mental image of herself finally and completely submitting to Keres scared her, but she knew that that was what Keres was waiting for.
She also knew that what Keres was doing was wrong, but she had no idea how long she would last. While Keres was here, she didn't think she'd last long at all.

As if on cue, the front door opened, accompanied by slow, methodical hoofsteps. Applejack simultaneously felt both fear and anticipation as the thing that controlled her friend's body trotted through the doorway.

"Applejack! I am so glad to see you. You know, I just wasn't sure that you were going to stay."

Applejack cocked her head. "What do ya mean ya weren't sure Ah was gonna stay?"

Keres smiled and walked over to the chain. She simply held up the metal collar that was clearly not fastened around Applejack's neck. The farm mare rubbed her neck, which suddenly felt very naked and exposed. She gazed up at the shining collar and started unconsciously reaching for it. She didn't know why, but she wanted it. She needed it.

The buttery pony raised an eyebrow, but only watched with increasing interest. However, as soon as Applejack's extended hoof brushed against the cold metal, her trance was broken. She yanked her leg back, silently wondering what magic Keres had put on her.

Keres had chained her up... hadn't she? Now that she attempted to think back, she couldn't remember whether she had or hadn't. Applejack shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, but that did nothing to clear the fog in her mind.

Why couldn't she think logically? She looked up in Keres' eyes again, not quite understanding what was happening to her. The pegasus gazed back at her with cold, emotionless eyes. Applejack shivered.

Keres smirked and draped a wing over Applejack's back. She led the confused mare down to the kitchen and sat her down at the table. The orange pony was still craving Scootaloo pie, so she decided that she wouldn't hesitate this time. When Keres put a plate of pie down at her spot, she would just dive in. When she put down a plate of... carrots?

Applejack stared down at the baby carrots in front of her in confusion. "Wha- what happened to the pie?"

Keres waved a hoof dismissively. "It was all eaten. Surely you remember that both of us ate all of it. Why? Did you want more of it?" Applejack dropped her gaze until she was staring intently at her hooves, not willing to answer. "It's okay if you liked it. I am flattered, but I can't make more unless I have all the ingredients. And, right now, I'm missing the most important one. However, if you really want more pie, I suppose I could send you out to gather the last ingredient. It's your choice."

Applejack slowly looked up, realization dawning. Before Keres, she would have emphatically said no. After Keres... she was toying with the idea of actually luring somepony there and killing them for a pie.

Yet, there was a small voice in the back of her mind that urged her to resist, that reminded her that Keres was evil.

"Ah... Ah choose..."

Rainbow Dash lay in her hospital bed. She was completely spent from crying so much that she couldn't do much except lie there. She knew that Keres was just trying to make her life miserable. And it was working. Why didn't she take me? I should have been there, not Applejack.

At the thought of the honest farmpony, Rainbow sat up and gazed once again into the box that still lay on her bed. It should have been me.

Her entire body shook as she started crying once more, still mourning Applejack's death.

Twilight knocked on the door. "Rainbow Dash? Are you alright?"

After receiving no response, she slowly pushed the door until she could slip in.

Rainbow had stopped wailing a while ago, but she was still crying. Tears dripped off her face, absorbing into the golden hair that had belonged to her best friend.

Twilight cautiously approached her friend until she was standing right next to her hospital bed. She pulled Rainbow Dash into a tight hug and the pegasus fell limply into the embrace.

"How - hic! - could sh- she do this?" She sniffled into Twilight's shoulder, the lavender fur already growing darker from her tears.

Twilight said nothing; she simply ran her hoof through her friend's unruly mane, hoping to soothe her. Using her telekinesis, she picked up the gift box and moved it out of sight.

Rainbow Dash sighed quietly as she melted into the alicorn's embrace. She had poured so much energy into mourning for her friend that she was exhausted.

Twilight waited until the bedridden mare's breathing slowed, showing that she had finally fallen asleep. She gently laid Rainbow's head on her pillow and, grabbing the package in her magic, tiphoofed out of the room.

Once the hospital door clicked shut, Twilight dashed out of the building as fast as she could. As she flew to the Castle of Friendship, she made calculations in her head. She was pretty sure that the heart was too small to belong to Applejack, but she needed to test her theory.

She threw the crystal door open and bolted into the castle library. Back when she first moved into the castle, she had sectioned one corner of the library off, making it into her study/experiment area. She knew that she would not be disturbed while she was in there; she had coated the area in soundproof magic.

"Where is it?" She muttered as she rummaged through her stuff. "Aha!"

She lifted up her microscope. It had been a birthday gift from Princess Cadence years ago, but Twilight had never been so glad to see it.

Hopefully, in studying the heart, she could prove that Applejack was still alive.

20. Seeing A Ghost

Rainbow Dash sighed happily as she stretched her wings, her feathers fluttering softly. Even though her life pretty much sucked right now, she was excited to finally get out of the Ponyville Hospital. Of course, she still couldn't fly like she wanted to, but she was coping (with the help of Daring Do).

She felt a familiar twinge of pain as she remembered that she couldn't stay at Sweet Apple Acres; it was just too painful for her. Sighing again - though not nearly as happy as before - Rainbow started walking towards Twilight's castle.

As she plodded along, her mind wandered. Once more, she found herself thinking about Applejack. She couldn't help believing that it was somehow her fault that she was dead.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking like that. It wasn't healthy.

As her friend's castle came into sight (it was surprising that the enormous crystal tree wasn't visible throughout all of Ponyville), she slowed down. Rainbow had always loved the fresh air; that was second nature to a pegasus. So, she wanted to spend as much time outside as possible.

As she took in her surroundings, though, she was sure she saw a glimpse of vibrant orange fur behind a tree.

Scootaloo? Wait, no. That's not possible. She's dead. And it can't be Applejack because she's dead too. Then who...?

"Who's there?" She asked as she approached the tree. She slowly approached and walked around to the opposite side.

There, in front of her, lay Applejack. She had curled herself up to seem as small as possible and had pulled her trademark Stetson down until it was covering most of her face

Rainbow Dash stared at her supposedly-dead friend. Her face paled as if she had seen a ghost. Although, in her eyes, she was seeing a ghost. “A-A-Appleja…” She trailed off, too stunned to even finished her sentence.

The earth pony peeked out from behind the brim of her hat. Her emerald eyes were shining with unshed tears. She slowly stood up and dusted herself off while her friend stared at her, slack-jawed.

"Uhh, hey RD. How're ya doin'?"

Rainbow opened and closed her mouth a couple times, though no sound came out. Finally, she composed herself enough to speak. "How are you alive? I held your heart in my hooves! Keres killed you!" She was yelling, releasing her pent-up anger and confusion at her friend.

Applejack winced as she underwent the verbal assault. Rainbow Dash just kept yelling, not holding anything back. She finally broke down, sobbing. The farmer walked over and draped a foreleg over Rainbow's shoulders.

The athlete turned and buried her muzzle in Applejack's shoulder, her tears immediately soaking her fur. Applejack slowly ran her hoof through her friend's multi-colored mane, as her body was wracked with sobs.

"Shh. Everything's gonna be fine. Ah promise," she soothed her friend in a calming tone.

It was several minutes before Rainbow Dash could speak, but Applejack didn't care. She just kept comforting her. When she finally pulled herself out of the embrace, she faced the formerly-dead earth pony. "But Keres sent me your heart... I don't understand."

Applejack gave a short chuckle. "Ah know. And Ah'll explain everything. But first, let's go to Twilight's. Ah could really use a meal. Made by Spike, o' course. An' I ain't ready to go back to the farm yet."

Rainbow Dash gave a slow nod and stood up, only then noticing the bad shape her friend was in.

She looked pale all over, except for her neck. There, the skin was mottled with bruises. Her formerly vibrant eyes were empty and lifeless, drifting slowly.

As they walked to the castle, Rainbow Dash wondered what Keres had done to her friend. The Applejack she knew was a strong, proud earth pony. That Applejack was nothing like this battered mare walking next to her.

She shook her head. Twilight would be able to fix things.

As the pair approached the crystal doors, however, they suddenly burst open. Twilight rocketed out, holding the end of a long piece of paper in her magic and letting the end trail behind her. She was shouting "She's not dead!" over and over. That is, until she crashed into Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

Twilight groaned and shook the stars from her vision. As everything swam back into focus, she realized she was looking directly at Applejack. "You're not dead!" She exclaimed, tackling their newly-resurrected friend in a bear hug.

Twilight released Applejack and enveloped her in her magic, levitating her off the ground. "You need to come inside right now. I have to know everything that happened since you disappeared. Especially Keres. You have to tell me everything about Keres." Twilight trotted back inside with Applejack in tow.

Rainbow Dash followed, muttering, "I'll never understand that egghead."

2. A Few Days Later

Applejack grunted as she bucked another tree, apples raining all around. She wiped her brow before hauling the baskets back to the barn. It was early in the morning, but it was already hot. Applejack knew that that meant she needed to get the apple bucking done as fast as possible before the heat became unbearable.

Applejack was thinking hard about everything that needed to be done today. Her mind was buzzing as she bucked the second tree, but was startled out of her reverie when she noticed that there were no apples dropping. “What in tarnation?” She wondered out loud as she looked up into the tree. There were absolutely no apples in the tree. “Ah could’ve sworn there were apples here yesterday…” She then began to inspect the rest of her orchard, making sure that there were apples. Most of them still contained the juicy red fruit, but there were still a lot that were completely stripped of their apples. There were no strange hoofprints around, nor were there any apple cores. The apples were just gone without a trace.

Applejack growled, suspecting a prank. “Rainbow Dash!” She shouted, getting the Pegasus’ attention. She groaned, jumping off her cloud and glided down. “What is it, Applejack? I was just about to take a nap!” “Yer nap can wait. I wanna know what you did to mah trees!” Applejack was staring bullets at her friend, furious about losing apples. One or two missing were fine, but multiple trees’ worth? She was not having it. Rainbow looked confused. “Your trees? What’s wrong with them?” “Don’t play dumb wit me! Ah’m missin’ countless bushels of apples from mah trees and Ah know that this is another one of yer pranks!"

Applejack was livid. She barely restrained herself from tackling Rainbow and pinning her to the ground. Rainbow flapped over to one of the trees in question to inspect it. She circled it slowly, then leaped inside the leaf cover. She stuck her head out and excitedly looked at Applejack. “Do you know what this means?” Applejack rolled her eyes. “That mah crop is gonna be way lower than what it should be?” Rainbow winced slightly, seeing her friend’s situation “Well, yeah, but you know what else it means? It means we're in an actual mystery!” “Ah thought you were more into Darin’ Do than mystery books. Ain’t that what Rarity’s into?” Applejack asked, realizing that Rainbow honestly didn’t know where her missing fruit was. “Yeah, but I still enjoy real-life mysteries! I can help you solve it. It’ll be awesome!” The cyan Pegasus detangled herself from the tree branches and landed softly on the grass before Applejack. “Where do we start?”

In her cottage, Fluttershy woke up to the pleasant feeling of soft paws in her fur. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. She looked down at Angel Bunny, who had woken her up. “Good morning, Angel.” She yawned sleepily. “I had the strangest dream last night. I dreamt that I was in Sweet Apple Acres and I was taking all the apples that I could find. I don’t remember why, but I thought it was funny.” She yawned again, pushing away the thought of the dream. “Anyway, you’re probably hungry. Let me get you something to eat.”

15. Another Visit To The Hospital

Rainbow Dash sighed.

Twilight had left her under that tree forever ago. She was a mare of action! Staying still just didn't make sense. That was like telling Rarity to not be fabulous.

She paced circles around the tree, wishing that Twilight would just hurry up. She had felt better ages ago. Why did she have to wait?

No. She had promised she would rest under the tree until her friend came back, and that's just what she'll do.

Suddenly she heard the sound of rapid hoofsteps. She turned around to see Twilight galloping towards town, showing no sign of stopping.

"What in Equestria?" She murmured as she watched the lavender blur get closer.

And closer.

Oh, ponyfeathers.

CRASH

When Twilight finally came back to her senses, she saw a sea of cyan. It took her a moment to realized what was going on and another moment to untangle herself from Rainbow Dash's limbs.

She glanced down and saw red. Blood? Why was there blood?

"Oh no."

When she had crashed into Rainbow, the resulting tumble had reopened her wounds. The stab injury in her foreleg was especially bad, somewhere between oozing and gushing.

She needed to get back to the hospital now!

Without a second thought, Twilight gently enveloped the pegasus in her magic and flew off towards Ponyville Hospital for the second time that week.

The last thing she remembered was feeling raging hatred for Keres. She had killed one of Twilight's friends. She had a right to be angry. The very next thing she knew, she was on the ground in town. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't her fault.

It wasn't your fault.

Twilight repeated this mantra over and over again as she paced in the hospital living room.

Upon seeing her patient in such bad shape, Nurse Redheart had immediately strapped Rainbow Dash to a gurney, flagging a doctor down as she galloped down the hall.

How could I have let this happen? I was supposed to be looking out for her. The doctors placed her in my care. I should have been more careful. I should have-

“Princess Twilight? Your friend is awake, now.”

Twilight pushed open the door to her friend’s hospital room for the second time that day. Rainbow Dash was pale, her breathing ragged, but steady. The heart monitor beeped rhythmically.

Twilight made her way over to the hospital bed and sat down on the chair next to it. Rainbow didn’t stir, the anesthetics doing their job perfectly. Even more painkillers dripped little by little through her IV, sending her into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Twilight reached over and held her friend’s hoof, ready to wait out the night.

Keres grinned to herself. Twilight’s reaction had been perfect. Now, her goal was to get that reaction again.

She crouched on her branch, leaves hiding her from view. She had been tracking Scootaloo for a while now, but there hadn’t been an opportunity to grab her. She seemed to always be zooming around on her scooter without a care in the world.

Not long now.

She just had to be patient. The time will come.

As she watched, the young filly screeched to a halt, panting slightly. She seemed to be thirsty. Keres smiled to herself.

Perfect.

She softly landed on the ground and approached her. “Hi Scootaloo. Wow, you’re getting better with that scooter every day. But you should be more careful. You could fall and get hurt,” she cautioned in Fluttershy's voice.

Scootaloo turned around at the sound of Fluttershy’s voice. “Hi, Fluttershy! Don’t worry about me. I always use my helmet. That way, if I fall, I won’t get hurt.” She demonstrated the durability of the helmet by thunking her hoof against it.

Keres smiled and gently placed her wing on the orange filly’s back. “I’m going back to my cottage now to put on a cup of tea. I’d love to have some with you so we can chat even more. And who knows? Rainbow Dash might even show up.”

Predictably, Scootaloo perked up at the mention of her idol’s name. “Sure! Let’s go!”

Keres was incredibly happy as she led the little filly to her doom. She would have no idea what even hit her.

“When do you think Rainbow Dash will show up?”

Scootaloo hadn’t stopped running around the cottage since they arrived. Keres sighed again as she prepared the tea. “Not until after you drink your tea. I have chamomile here. It should calm you down.”

While the hyper filly’s back was turned, Keres quietly opened a small plastic bag. She dumped the contents – a fine white powder – in one cup and stirred it, dissolving the powder completely.

While making sure to not mix up the cups of tea, she served the chamomile to both her and Scootaloo.

At the thought that Rainbow Dash would stop by after she finished her tea, Scootaloo grabbed the drugged tea and gulped it down. Keres could only watch in disgust. Didn’t this filly have any manners? Well, at least Keres didn’t have to worry about her tasting the powder.

Scootaloo set her teacup down on the table. “So, when will Rainbow Dash show up?”

“Oh, in a couple of minutes. But I think you can wait until then, right? How about we play a game to see who can stay still the longest until Rainbow arrives?”

Scootaloo nodded and sat down on the couch, ready to wait. Keres settled down in the comfortable position, eagerly watching the filly for signs that the poison was working. As the seconds ticked by, she noticed that her breathing had gotten slower and her jaw was dropping. After a minute more, she was swaying and actively trying to keep her eyes open.

With her balance impaired, Scootaloo slumped over onto the floor. She attempted to gather her hooves under her, but they wouldn’t respond. She gazed up at the older Pegasus with tired eyes.

Keres watched Scootaloo try to get up, not even bothering to hide the wide grin that spread across her face. She hopped down from the couch and trotted to the kitchen. She didn’t mind leaving Scootaloo alone for a moment; she was barely able to stand, let alone escape.

She entered the living room again, holding a large vegetable knife between her teeth. Scootaloo’s eyes widened in fear and she doubled her efforts to get up. But it was all in vain.

Keres grasped the knife in her two front hooves, rearing back on her hind legs. As she towered over the scared Pegasus filly, she grinned again.

Right before she plunged the blade into the young pony’s throat, she spoke in her true voice:

“Goodbye, Scootaloo.”

A scream echoed throughout Fluttershy’s cottage as another life was ended by Keres’ hooves.