Chapter 2: Masquerade for Maggots

A lingering terror tore at Apple Bloom’s heart as she tore through thickets, branches, and bushels.

Around her, asides from the smoke piercing her nostrils, everything seemed normal. The inferno had yet to reach this side of the orchard, and, between the deep red apples hanging aloft in their trees, and the green untouched grass below, one could almost be fooled into thinking that everything was indeed normal.

Yet, Apple Bloom’s memory betrayed her, as tears brayed at the ducts for release.

Big Mac’s emerald green eyes filled her head. She could see him now, looking at her in a mixture of hope and terror. He blinked, and turned away from her, before turning his head toward the gaping void that was the barndoor.

And then, he was gone.

Gone because of that… thing.

As the tears she had battled to contain broke loose, Apple Bloom upped her pace, evading the increasingly blurry shapes of the orchard’s prized apple trees.

She couldn’t focus on what had happened.

Not now.

For now, she needed to run.

“But where?” she thought.

And then, before Apple Bloom could react, she found herself spinning.

Spinning, and falling.

She hit the ground with a thud, the momentum propelling her further forward. Something sharp tore at her side, but her cry of pain was cut short by another crushing impact, this time on her already injured hindleg.

For a moment, Apple Bloom caught a glance of the ground below racing toward her.

Then, darkness overtook her.

Apple Bloom awoke somewhere in-between heaven and hell.

In front of her, lain bare, was the ever-expanding cosmic soup of stars that constituted Luna’s night sky. Wherever she had ended up, the scorching flames that emanated from the charred husk that was central Ponyville were seemingly nowhere to be seen.

“How far did I run?” Apple Bloom wondered.

Beneath her, the comforting texture of dirt and wet grass served as a mattress, wherein, for a brief fleeting moment, the terrors of the evening subsided.

Apple Bloom knew all too well that such bliss was temporary.

The taste of iron gradually made itself more present in her mouth as a thunderous, pounding headache mirrored every move she made. She gently rubbed a tentative hoof against the back of her head in an effort to feel out any potential injuries. A sudden sting made Apple Bloom jump as she immediately retracted her hoof.

Apple Bloom gasped. A fresh layer of blood, illuminated by the piercing moonlight, coated her hoof.

To make matters worse, a distant, throbbing pain gnawed and echoed from her hindleg. The three-pronged wound, which was now coated in mud and grime, had, for the most part, stopped bleeding.

As the adrenaline slowly faded from her system so did the pain grow in intensity.

“Move… Ah have to move,” Apple Bloom managed through grated teeth.

She slowly pulled herself from the muddy mess she’d fallen in to. She cut a wayward glance toward the hill she had so carelessly tumbled down. It was a looming piece of earth to be sure, towering over the surrounding Ponyville countryside.

The sound of rushing water somewhere behind her caught Apple Bloom’s attention. She turned around, her eyes widening in fear and recognition.

Before her, past a babbling brook which ran adjacent to a cobbled path, was the foreboding mass of trees that encompassed the Everfree Forest.

“Everfree in front… Acres behind… Ah must be south of Ponyville then,” Apple Bloom reasoned aloud.

The woods seemed to twist and turn in some endless macabre dance. And yet, compared to the horrors she had just witnessed, the oaky smell of the forest seemed almost inviting.

“Plan. Ah need a plan,” she thought.

Going back to the Acres, or Ponyville itself for that matter, was simply out of the question. If the flames enveloping the town were half as bad as they seemed from afar, she reckoned that she would succumb to the suffocating smog long before she even reached the outskirts. That was if those things didn’t find her first.

The reality of the situation bore down on her all at once. Ponyville was gone. Everything and every pony she cared about had probably either died in the fires or had been… changed.

She was alone. All alone. Surely, she would perish soon. Very soon.

The throbbing in her hind-leg worsened. She felt as though her leg was imploding from the inside.

Very soon, indeed.

“Stop it! You’ve got ah responsibility. Apple Jack and Macintosh couldn’t have died for nothing,” she thought, battling the tears clawing at the corners of her eyes.

Canterlot. She needs to get to Canterlot. There she can tell the princesses what happened. There she will be safe.

Surely.

Apple Bloom sat next to the babbling brook, where she pawed at the mud. Splattering icy cold muck on her face, she drew a rough map of Equestria.

“C-a-n-t-e-r-lot,” she spelled aloud. Perfect, just like she’d learnt in Cheerilee’s schoolhouse.

She shuddered at the thought of what had become of her old school. Apple Bloom swept the intrusive thought as soon as it had arrived.

“Focus. Canterlot is North of Ponyville. No way ah’ll be able to make it through the town without running into trouble. Can’t go through the Acres. Can’t go South,” she thought.

Apple Bloom looked up toward the twisting mass of trees ahead.

“Ah’ll have to go around. Through the Everfree.”

Apple Bloom gulped as she felt her heart slide into her bowels.

She’d made it this far. There was no turning back anymore. Brave the woods or die, leaving the deaths of her family in vain.

Apple Bloom stared into the woods and couldn’t fight the feeling that something was staring back. And yet, compared to the horrors she had seen back at the Acres, the Everfree seemed somewhat tame.

Shakily, but bravely, she stood to her full height.

She was going to survive.

Apple Bloom took a step into the icy cold current of the brook. The waters stung.

It felt great.

With a few more steps she found herself on the other side of the stream’s bank. The forest loomed over her.

With a determined look on her face, Apple Bloom shook the moisture from her coat, and set off into the swarming abyss of the Everfree Forest.

Author's Note

Hi everyone!

I know this chapter is a little on the short side, given how long it has been since the first.

Having said that, much of the time I've spent on this project since the last upload was embroiled in planning.

The story now has a clear beginning, middle, and end. As such, expect new chapters sooner, rather than later.

Thanks for sticking around, and I'll see ya in the next one.