The wind rushes behind me, hard and fast, and I lean in. The wooden board is ahead of me, and I’m ready to jump, when I look for the most awesome pony there is. Then, I swerve towards a wall and hit it head on. The wall’s hard, and white, like a feather on a griffon, but that doesn't matter, ‘cause my face is on it.
I think I’m gonna pass out…
Three days later.
“Really? Ya’ hit yer’ head that hard?” Applebloom asks. She’s this red and yellow pony, with these golden red eyes. She’s a good friend of mine- about my age, too.
“Uh… yea.” I tell her while eyeing the Cuite Mark Crusader stand. From where I’m laying, it looks kinda tall. Applebloom’s looking at the stand again. Then, she brought her gaze back to me.
She looks a little annoyed, so I eye back at her.
“Ya’ know I’m sorry for ya’.” it almost sounds like she is asking me.
“Yea.. but what’ll Rainbow think?” I ask.
Applebloom fiddles with her mane, it’s a little calming… for her.
“Uh… probably that ya’ hurt yer’ head.” Applebloom states plainly.
The two of us were staring at eachother for a moment. I wonder where Sweetie Belle is.
“Yea.” I roll my eyes. “But what about what’ll Rainbow think about how I just went out there, like some fangirl, and tried to look for her before crashing?” I ask. “You know that’s super lame.”
Applebloom laughs.
“It ain’t lame to have somepony to look up t’a!” She starts laughing harder.
Not helping, I think to myself. I grumbled a little.
She looks into my eyes again.
“I have a pony I look up to. Applejack.” She tries to console me, leaning her hoof towards my shoulder.
I bat it off.
“But that’s your sister.” I say.
“Anythin’ different with how ya’ think about Rainbow?” she asks.
“She’s the coolest flier in Equestria!” I spread my arms out, and my wings try to follow. They’re too small to do anything though.
“So whut? I think Applejack’s pretty cool.” Applebloom responded.
“Well, she isn’t objectively awesome.” I roll my eyes at her attempt to challenge Rainbow.
“And Rainbow is?”
“Heck yea!” I say, my wings beating harder.
Applebloom tries to put me back down, but I refuse, getting into a sitting position. Where is Sweetie belle?
“Can ya’ sit down? Ya’ gonna hurt yourself if ya’ keep goin’.” Applebloom tries to tell me.
“Nah. I feel fine right now.” I say.
“Well, you’re in’a cast.” Applebloom states.
I look away from Applebloom’s eyes to see what’s around me. Don’t know why I was keeping eye contact for so long. The whole tree house was kinda the same (don’t know what I was expecting), with our drawings of the map of ponyville to one corner, the stand and crest in the middle, and the wooden floor just being… wood? I dunno, I’m not the type to narrate like this.
Applebloom seemingly ended the conversation, not saying anything after that. I… I’m a bit surprised, honestly. Where is Sweetie Belle?
“Where’s Sweetie Belle?” I ask.
“You really worried?” Applebloom asks.
I freeze, all of my momentum towards getting out of this chair amplifying itself. Applebloom puts her hoof on my chest. I didn’t look behind myself. I don’t know if I can.
“Where is Sweetie Belle?” I ask.
“I dunno. Probably out with Rarity.” Applebloom says.
“Why didn’t you tell her that I was hurt?” I ask.
She stands in silence, a brief pang of something flowing through her shoulders and eyes, lowering both.
“Don’t really know. It’s been a wild few days.” she tells me.
“Why can’t I move my neck behind me?” I ask.
“Cause you’re in a cast?” she asks, like as if I was dumb.
“...Yea.” I say, but try to move it anyway. It hurts like I had a spike going through it. It hurts a lot. Where Is Sweetie Belle?
“Was this what the doctor ordered?” I ask.
Applebloom just nods, that frown leaving her. Her shoulders are still slumped. This is not cool. At… All.
“Uh… yea. Why’s ya’ askin’?” Applebloom asks, her eyes playing innocent.
“Cause I can’t move, I have no clue where one of our members is, and I’m in a cast, and I have no memory of the last three days! You seem like you’re about to murder me-” I start on her. She places a hoof to my mouth.
“Why’d ya’ ever think that?” Applebloom interrupts.
“Cause I’m on a chair that seems to have restraints that I can’t see, cause I haven’t seen Sweetie Belle or Rainbow Dash, or Applejack, or anyone else I know react to this, and I don’t…” My breathing slowed. What I’m saying is stupid, Celestia be my witness.
“...You’re bein’ paranoid.” she places her hoof out, but her face seems so… cold. You know Celestia, if you can hear me, I redact that. If I die today, I’ll see someone in heaven and tell them that I told you so.
A long silence formed between the two of us. I tried, inch by inch, to move my head, darting my eyes back and forth between what was behind me and Applebloom. Is my back cold or what? I tried moving my hands. Why do they hurt so much? I can’t move my hands any further. I try to move my eyes down, Applebloom looking away. Why does her fur look… less yellow? Ah, anyway.
I hear a popping noise.
Oh. I’m on a metal (probably folding) chair. I scream, Applebloom turns around, realizing that she royally messed up (hopefully). She tries to slam me down. I resist, trying to overpower her. My hands are hurting, like they were being coiled by a snake in one of the Daring Do books. I push harder. My hands are hurting, Applebloom’s almost won. Then… the constraints for my hands slip out. I’m out. I punch her in the face, knocking her down. I take off the other restraints rather quickly, and now I’m crying. Running’s too hard right now, my feet and arms are squealing in pain.
I flap my wings, once, twice, three times. These tiny buzzers, I start flapping, my life in the balance, and they lift me up. I lean forward, out the door. I’m flying! I’m flying! I look behind myself as I open the door, trying to go high up as I tease Applebloom, trying to settle my nerves. I stick my tongue out at her and start to try to find somewhere that could be safe. I’m flying!
Slumping my shoulders to the left. Slumping my body to the left. Slumping my flank to the left. The grass looks bleaker right now. Lean. The wind starts slapping my ears. The noise becomes louder. Whoo! I’m flying! Browns are showing. I must be near the farm. Man, this is going to make a good story for Dash (if I make it out). Applebloom’s right behind me. I sigh quietly.
“Get back ere’!” Applebloom’s angry now.
The barn door slams me in the face. For a moment, I can see… is that Applejack?
An hour later.
I’m tied up, and OH MY CELESTIA! I’m bleeding so much!
“Well. Ah’ tried to make it painless for ya’. Guess ya’ woke up.” Applebloom moved toward me, some white stuff one her head, and blood. Blood everywhere. On me, on her, on… all of the Apples. All of them. they’re all dead.
oh.
“Don’t kill me!” “Please!” I beg. I can’t do anything else.
“I wasn’t gonna… if you ain’t a tattletale, like Sweetie.” She turns my head toward them. Rarity was with her, holding Sweetie in her hooves. Rarity’s arms were cut off, Sweetie’s mouth was clean chopped off, and I couldn’t tell where Rarity’s lipstick started and the blood ended. I was vibrating like a box. I couldn’t do anything….?
I can go to Celestia after lying to her.
What’ll Celestia do?
Will she banish her?
“So… will ya’ not do anythin’?” Applebloom asks.
“Yea.” I say, a tinge of the unfortunate pulsating through my voice.
Applebloom gave me a potion, and the bleeding stopped. She let me out of the door, and I began tiptoeing. She eyed me. I started to walk.
“Seeya, tomorrow, Scoots.” Applebloom said grimly.
I didn’t care to respond at this point. I’m cantering now. My breathing slowed back down. Was I really breathing that fast? Makes sense.
An hour later.
I’m galloping as fast as I can. I’m going to canterlot. Sweetie belle would have loved to be here. So would Rarity. I sigh again. Can’t let that distract me. A gaurdpony asks me about the disappearance, I tell him what I know, and he just laughs.
“Her?” “Really?” he says.
“She’ll kill me because I told sompeony! Please let me get to Celestia!” I pleaded again. I…’ve been doing that a lot today.
He rolls his eyes, and sighs. “Sure.”
He walked me over, some of the Canterlot ponies waving at us. All of the shades of white and grey just blended together right now. I might be woozy.
Celestia greeted me as I went inside.
“Hello, Scootaloo. What did you need me for?”
“Uh.. Well… I have news about the disappearances of Rarity and Sweetie Belle.” I said, my heart pounding. Stupid. Stupid. She’s the princess!
“I would like to hear about this.” she responded. “Would you mind if it’s public or private? The place we talk at.”
“Uh… private? Does it matter to you?’ I ask, swinging my words out like a door in the wind.
She shrugs.
I’m feeling a bit calmer now.
“Come.” she tells me.
We’re walking with the elites. What shucks. I’m still trembling. Then, Celestia opens a door. Then, the light comes on. It’s a small blue room with a lot of books. It’s kinda lame, but I sat down on a red cushion.
I’m trying to clam my nerves a bit.
It works. “I know it’s Applebloom. She just about killed me like thirty minutes ago.”
“...Are you completely sure it was thirty minutes ago?” Celestia asks.
“...Maybe?” I say.
“Okay.” “I think I know what happened. I need you to come with me, if you would.” Celestia said.
“Why?” I ask.
Celestia sighs. “I need you to lure her out so I can bring her to a purification stand more easily.”
What
“What’s that?” I ask.
“I fear your friend was infected with a curse of the spirit.” Celestia says.
“I still don’t get it.” I say.
Celestia sits down. “We need to rid her of the curse, like how nightmare moon’s curse was taken out.”
Does this- “bring ponies back?” I ask.
“No.” Celestia comforted me, bringing her forehoof over to my shoulder.
I looked down at the ground, trying to avoid eye contact.
“I’ll do it.” I say after a moment of silence between the two of us.
A swirl of yellow magic envelops me, and with great power, my whole body is thrown anew into another place. Sweet Apple Acres. Where this whole mess started. There’s a tree stump. I climb on to it, and stand there, ready for whatever Applebloom would do to me.
“What are you doing?” Celestia asks.
“Being bait!” I say, as Applebloom rushes on ahead, some violent instrument of murder in her hand.
Celestia tries to grab me with her wing, a look of genuine fear on her face, I tug out.
“Don’t you want to live?” She asks me.
“No!” Not without my friends!” “I don’t know where Rainbow is, so for all I kno-” I’m stabbed in the gut. The pain is relentless and unyielding.
Just before my eyes go out, I see another bright yellow flash envelop the whole farm.
End of brain log, Scootaloo.
Canterlot Castle, nine hours after.
“Sister, what were you thinking, bringing her out there?” Luna began, her fur glowing with the night sky.
“I don’t know! I’ve already told you I don’t know why I thought it was a good idea!” Celestia says while tears fly out from her eyes like as if the parting of the oceans were to be denied by one mare.
--Fin---