The Stalker (The Midnight Series)

Chapter 2: Beware, Be Aware

1

The morning came, the sun was peeking out from the mountains that surrounded Canterlot City. The beautiful change of the night sky into the daylight. There was a clearing, almost little to no clouds had proceeded.

Apple Bloom awoke in the barn, she yawned and stretched her back with her arms into the air. She turned to look down at the cute couple laying next to each other. It made her smile, she took a picture, in case she needed it for a situational scapegoat. A get out of jail free card.

Apple Bloom got up, and tapped Scootaloo's shoulders. Scootaloo slightly opened her eyes. When she did, she saw her arms wrapped around Sweetie Belle, Sweetie Belle also wrapped around her. She freaked out, and let out a scream which awakened everyone and everything in the barn. It sounded off the rooster, and shook the cattle into a stampede. Sweetie Belle jumped up, unsure of what to do but panic as she stood up.

"What?! What!!!" Sweetie Belle yelled. Scootaloo was hyperventilating, catching her breath as she had rosy cheeks. Apple Bloom couldn't help but laugh. "What?! What happened?!"

"See for yourself!" Apple Bloom said, as she held up the picture. Sweetie Belle immediately changed, and her face glowed red like an apple.

"You took a picture of us?!" Scootaloo yelled, embarrassed, and started to arch her brows forward to the thought of it being blackmailed.

"Delete that!" Sweetie Belle suggested, as she pointed at Apple Bloom, begging her.

"Nay!" Apple Bloom chuckled, as she put away her phone.

"Apple Bloom?!" Scootaloo said, as she was fired up with rage and embarrassment. "You better delete that right now, or else!" She stood up, and clenched her fist, mocking Apple Bloom.

"Scootaloo, stop..." Sweetie Belle said, as she rubbed her eyes, giving up on the matter. "Remember what we agreed upon!" Sweetie Belle whispered Scootaloo. Scootaloo laid her arms down and sulked. She crossed her arms, pouted, as she bit her bottom lip.

"Breakfast anyone?" Apple Bloom suggested, trying to make peace with the recent developments of this awkward morning.

"Sure." Sweetie Belle said, as she slowly got up. The feeling of sleeping on a hard surface, made her back feel a bit tense.

"Fine..." Scootaloo replied, as she continued to be pouty.

2

There was silence in the kitchen, as Apple Bloom prepared some eggs and bacon. Apple Bloom was humming to herself, as she was cooking. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sat six feet apart, and an extra three for Jesus, knowing quiet well what they were up to. Apple Bloom showed up, as happy as a clown at a birthday party. She laid down everyone's plate and sat between the two.

"You guys okay?" Apple Bloom asked, looking at the both of them. They both shrugged and started to pick off the plate with their forks. "Ah deleted the picture, ah didn't want you guys to be upset at me."

"Thanks for breakfast, Apple Bloom." Sweetie Belle said, feeling relieved. "And, no worries!"

"Yeah, this is really good!" Scootaloo agreed, with a bit of relief. "Thanks!"

"Thanks. Ah kind of got used to cookin' after Applejack left. Ah remember a great portion of what she told me." Apple Bloom admitted, chewing a piece of bacon.

"Really?" Sweetie Belle delighted the fact, and impressed with Apple Bloom. "That's good."

"Maybe you have a talent for cooking." Scootaloo commented, as she had her mouth full, in which Sweetie Belle did not delight. "You could be a chef!"

"That would be pretty cool!" Apple Bloom said, smiling over the fact that her friends were happy. "Ah could own a restaurant!"

"Yeah, totally!" Sweetie Belle commented.

"Awesome!" Scootaloo added.

As the girls were continuing to eat, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo trying to forget about earlier, Big Mac showed up. He wore his favorite red flannel shirt, grungy blue jeans, and underneath the flannel was a plain white tee. His short blonde locks, all ruffled and wild. His shining green eyes were quite pleasing to look as far as Sweetie Belle knew. Scootaloo would roll her eyes, as she looked in Sweetie Belle's direction.

"Big Mac!" Apple Bloom yelled.

"Mornin'!" Big Mac said, as he walked down to get a drink. He grabbed a glass of apple cider, and turned to look at them enjoying their meals. "Are you girls needin' a ride home later on?"

"Actually, Applejack said she would take us back already." Sweetie Belle announced, as cleaned herself.

"Yeah, we're good!" Scootaloo replied, not really smiling much.

"Alrighty." Big Mac said, as he turned back looking around in the cupboards.

"Want some breakfast?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Am havin' some pie." Big Mac said, as he took out a glass pan with five slices left inside.

"You guys have pie in the morning?" Scootaloo asked, wanting to snatch a piece.

"Sometimes, if there's some left over." Apple Bloom responded. "It's actually not that bad to have in the morning!"

"Can I have one too?" Scootaloo asked cautiously, while she was starting to let the drool stream down her chin. Sweetie Belle was grossed out by it, but she did think a slice wouldn't hurt.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac said, as he handed the plate with four slices of apple pie. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both took a slice as quickly as it was handed to them. They enjoyed every bite. The thing with Granny Smith's apple pies, they were absolutely delicious, it is sweet, the right amount of apples and cinnamon, the crust was crumbly, soft, and not too heavy. Anyone who has eaten the pie, falls in love with it almost instantly.

3

After breakfast, the girls were picked up by Applejack. Apple Bloom was at the front door alongside Big Mac, they waved as Applejack pulled away from the driveway. They couldn't see from the sun's glare on the windshield if she had waved back as she drove away.

Apple Bloom was cleaning up her friend's plates and washed the pans she used for breakfast. Big Mac decided to help her by drying them with a towel when she was finished.

"Oh Big Mac, you don't have to..."

"No worries, sis." Big Mac interrupted, with a smile. "You've been doin' a lot 'round here."

"Thanks!" Apple Bloom said, as she smiled and washed the pans. Apple Bloom was reminded of something as she was cleaning the dishes. She caught a glimpse of a local pedestrian walking along the sidewalk, a couple of blocks away, as she looked from the kitchen window. She remembered to ask Big Mac about that time she was apparently stalked. "Hey Big Mac, can ah ask ya somethin'?" Apple Bloom was a bit nervous to start up the morning with a serious question, but she had to know if he knew.

"Of course!" Big Mac said delightfully. As he placed the last plate in the cupboard.

"Do ya remember the time ah went to the park by myself?" Apple Bloom asked, as she took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Sure?" Big Mac said, as he tried to remember that particular moment. He sat down as well, trying to remember.

"Well, that guy that was followin' me home, do ya think he was dangerous?" Apple Bloom continued, as she asked cautiously. Big Mac frowned on the thought of it. He remembered, and Apple Bloom remembered that day as well.

4

Apple Bloom showed up, a little after four, and it was a bit of a hot evening. She went to the park that day to an ice cream sale they were having. She arrived inside the barn, a little confused by a man in heavy dark clothing. On a heated day, that was a little more suspicious, but not to Apple Bloom apparently. Big Mac was finishing up patching up the poles on the fence. He walked out as soon as she asked him about that guy that followed her. He stormed out with a blunt instrument in his hand, and looked out to see the guy. He saw Big Mac, and he walked off. However, he didn't want that guy coming back around, so he followed that guy back to the park. The guy ran for it, being too afraid to reveal his face, and he drove away in a white van that read "Umbra Corp."

Big Mac returned home, and he was a little upset with Apple Bloom.

"No more going out alone!" Big Mac yelled, as he walked into the living room, sweating and had a worried look on his face. His exhausted and deepened voice startled Apple Bloom, as she was sitting on the couch, eating her popsicle.

"Why Big Mac?" Apple Bloom asked softly, as she was feeling a little unsure of why he was upset.

"Just. Don't do it!" Big Mac requested again, raising his voice. Apple Bloom stormed off into her bedroom. Feeling upset, she felt guilty for something she didn't know what she had done. She didn't mean to make her big brother upset. Apple Bloom crawled up to her bed, teary-eyed, as she finished a push-pop slushie.

5

Big Mac was quiet, unsure of what to say. He rubbed his hair, and cleared his throat.

"Apple Bloom... that guy... he was suspicious." Big Mac nervously said. "Am sorry we haven't really spoken up about it since then, but ah want to let ya know about the dangers of child predators!" He looked into Apple Bloom's eyes, she was worried about it.

"So, they are real then?" Apple Bloom said, as she looked down at the table. Big Mac's eyes widened.

"How much do ya know about them?" Big Mac asked.

"Well, from what ah've heard... they like to hurt kids for fun, they like to touch them in weird places, and they stalk them until they are able to get them." Apple Bloom admitted, and Big Mac was little concerned for her, but he blinked his eyes as he looked up at the fridge with multiple business magnets.

"Well, that just about sums it up!" Big Mac said, to his surprise, she was informed, but based on the question, she may not have fully understood the dangers. "But, it is a very big thing now, especially with all the techy stuff. It made it much easier to use to find kids your age." Big Mac looked down, and saw that she was a little worried. "So, it's dangerous for girls like yerself to be out alone anywhere. Ah don't want to scare ya, or shelter ya from the world, but it's dangerous... ya understand?" Big Mac tried to be sincere and clear, but he might have been a little pushy on that fact.

"Hmmm... that's exactly what Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have been sayin'... but... ah don't get why there are people who would do stuff like that..." Apple Bloom said, as she felt shivers down her spine. A little more worked up for the fact that even Big Mac knew about people like them.

"Not everyone is good... am afraid that's life..." Big Mac said with a little more softer tone. "Am sorry if this upsets ya, but they've been happenin,' only it's becomin' more frequent these days." Apple Bloom looked down to the floor, feeling hurt about hearing these things. "Do ya remember the ol' supermarket downtown?" Big Mac thought an example would be useful for her to know.

"Yeah?" Apple Bloom looked up, as she remembered the times they would go together, and pick up some groceries and have ice cream there.

"Do ya remember seein' pictures of children on them billboards when ya walk past the doors?" Big Mac said, not trying to ruin her memories of going there.

"Yeah." Apple Bloom remembered, they would be new kids on the walls almost every time she went there, as she thought they were kids who accomplished great things. She thought they were awarded and people who go past can see them and their achievements. She wanted to be one of them, to show them her accomplishments on the wall with the other kids.

"Well, those are children who went missin,' an more than half of those kids were usually taken by people who do bad things..." Big Mac said, as Apple Bloom was shocked to hear about it. She looked down on the floor again, not wanting to be on the wall.

"Why wasn't ah told before?" Apple Bloom cried, as she looked up at Big Mac with tears in her eyes.

"Well, Applejack used ta be around ta protect ya whenever ya felt like goin' out. Then you always had friends to be with you as well... since things have changed, ah would be there for ya, but ya know ah always have to take care of Granny, right?"

"Ah guess so..." Apple Bloom continued to tear up, never knowing anything.

"Am sorry ya have ta hear about this... ah feel bad for not bein' there when ya need me..." Big Mac said, as he saw her tearing up, and felt guilty in keeping the information from her. "Or tellin you these things..."

"Oh Big Mac... don't feel like that...!" Apple Bloom saw him as well, he began to feel the same way.

"But ah do... yer my baby sister... ah would do anythin to protect you. But, like ah said, ah also don't want to shelter you too much from everythin' in the world... ah want you to have a life... and am glad that you found friends that would do the same... ah have faith in you, ah have faith in yer friends in makin' the right choices." Big Mac cried.

"Ya really mean that?" Apple Bloom asked, as her tears went away.

"Ah do... as much as y'all mess around... you do watch out for each other, and have each other's backs. Ah couldn't be more proud of the friends ya have!" Big Mac smiled with a tear falling from his face.

"Thanks Big Mac!" Apple Bloom smiled. She went up to Big Mac, and she hugged him passively. He smiled. "Am glad to have a brother like you, always watchin' out for me!" Apple Bloom sat back down. "But, why wasn't ah told before?"

"Well... Applejack figured she would be there for you majority of the time. She didn't think it was necessary to tell ya. Ah understand if this is a little much for ya." Big Mac admitted, as he held her small cold hands.

"No, it's alright. Am glad ah have friends who do watch over me, as ah do for them!" Apple Bloom delighted, smiled brightly.

"Just remember to not talk to strangers, and if they seem a little too suspicious, then let me know!" Big Mac enlightened. "If it were me, it's better to be aware of these things. It's better to know where ya goin than to walk out blind, ya hear?"

"Ahuh!" Apple Bloom smiled.

6

The rest of the day, Apple Bloom and Big Mac watched a movie marathon. They made sure the animals were fed at a decent time, and worked a little around the farm until it became evening time for them to have dinner.

They spent time making dinner together, which was always fun for them together.

7

Evening time had come, the darkness covered the skies. There was melting of the clouds overhead, pouring. The winds were slow, but it carried on.

Most nights were quiet peaceful, even with the bashing of the lights throughout the storm. This night, however, felt unnerving in Apple Bloom's head. She laid closely with her stuffed plushies at her side, inside her deep red blanket, underneath a layer of yellow silk sheets. She was shaking in her sleep. Felt like she was being watched. She constantly turned around to see if anyone was standing beside her bed, when she laid her face away from the door and looked towards the wall. There was no one there, it just felt like there always was.

She looked back towards her bed, and her plushies would be staring back at her, seeing their buttoned eyes glow as the light breaks in the sky from seeing it through her window. She would close her eyes, and tried her hardest to sleep. She would turn around again. Alternating her sleep position frequently, but the flashes of light kept making her eyes open. She couldn't sleep, she stood up a little after eleven. She found a part of her room, a large darkness. She forgot to shut her closet door. It left an empty void in one corner of her room. She was too afraid to get up and close it.

She thought of what Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle would do in this situation. They would tell her everything was okay, or stop being such a baby. Scootaloo would probably get up and shut the closet door for her. While Sweetie Belle would pat her head, as if she were a frightened baby.

Apple Bloom got up to close it. Having been filled with determination of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's scolding from her mind, reminded of the courage they must have to be a crusader. She raised from the bed, and ran toward the door, she slammed it and took off back into her bed in an instant. Apple Bloom, feeling accomplished, closed her eyes and began to drift into sleep. However, she heard a slight creak, and the door appeared to be loose from its place in the wall, and slowly started to open again. Apple Bloom was terrified of it, and decided to run off down the hallway. The lightning struck, and it appeared to be a small shirt she wore earlier, blocking the way of the door for it to shut properly.

Apple Bloom ran inside another room, and tunneled her way through to the opening with pillows. She heard a slight scream coming from the other side of the bed. She turned around and saw her older brother Big Mac. Big Mac awoke when he felt someone crawling through the blankets. He panicked, and was about to choke out whomever was about to get near him.

"Apple Bloom?!" Big Mac whispered, as he quickly turned around and uncovered the bed. "Ya scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry..." Apple Bloom cried, feeling restless and frightened. "Ah was a little scared to sleep by myself..." Big Mac sighed.

"Fine..." Big Mac said, as he turned over to the other side of the bed, facing away from her. Apple Bloom felt a little more comfortable, but couldn't stand the amount of heat and perspiration coming from his bed, she almost choked. "Egh! Ya really need to wash your blankets!" Apple Bloom commented, but Big Mac was already sleeping as he was. She made herself comfortable, and rested. She could feel Big Mac's back, it was sweaty and gross, but he took the darkness away.