The Trials Of Misfortune

The light of the setting sun was always the most beautiful thing to Blue. She enjoyed taking long trips with Minty in the past to visit the nearest hill to get a better view of it setting on the edges of the forest. So, now that she couldn't see it past all the rain and clouds, she was beginning to get nostalgic.

Seeing the rays of the bright star hit the earth for one last time as it was hidden behind all the trees and shrubs helped her see a little bit of beauty every day. It made her feel funny, almost like she wanted to cry, only not of sadness. Minty said it was called hope, but Blue had never heard the term, let alone known what it meant.

Today she must not have had a lot of hope.

Monday, 4:29 PM.

Blue hopped down, away from her window, heading outside into the hall. Outside her room, she spotted a small white glimmer coming from the window at the end of the hall. That wasn't right, how could light shine in on the second floor during this weather?

She walked over to the window sill and peeked outside. Four, no, eight large beams of light were coming from the forest.

They were coming from Ponyville.

She gasped and fell onto her rump. She got up scrambling and ran downstairs to warn Minty of the lights.

"Minty! Minty! They're coming!" Blue shouted frantically, running to get her knife from the kitchen.

No response.

"Minty! Lights are coming from the bad pony's place!" She blurted out.

Once more; no response.

She bolted to the living room and found Minty laying on the couch, dead asleep. Blue gently grasped her shoulders and began to shake her frantically.

"Minty! Wake up! Wake up! They're coming!" Blue shouted desperately.

Mint slowly opened her eyes and groggily asked, "What? Who's coming?"

"The bad ponies! The bad ponies! They're on their way! I saw lights and-," Blue stopped.

The lights were closer now. They were seeping in through the window now. Voices of multiple ponies shouting orders over the loud rain could be heard. Mint now understood the gravity of what was going on. She bolted up and quickly grasped her makeshift flamethrower.

Blue walked stealthily to the kitchen, peering outside and spotting a large group of ponies. Minty grabbed a match and ran over to Blue, peering outside with her.

There are multiple ponies this time, more than the last time. She backed off and turned to Blue.

"Head upstairs," She commanded.

"But-," Blue muttered.

"Go. I'll be up in just a second. Remember the plan and it'll all be okay." Minty said turning away and heading to the living room.

Blue looked outside then obliged Minty's demand. She went upstairs and sat beside the stairs, just out of view.

Outside, the ponies began to separate into groups; Two went to the backdoor, another two went to the front door, three surrounded the outside, and for the Overseer? Well, she would wait till it all settled down to claim her prize.

Minty hid behind the couch as the pair outside the backdoor lurked. She grasped her little canister and gulped, shaking from what she assumed must've been cold.

The handle for the doors began to jiggle simultaneously. The front door was the first to be slammed into. The weight of a full-grown stallion was enough to bust it open on the first try. Minty yelped and shook harder as the screams of the stallion filled the house. Her trap had worked and it had impaled the stallion's front hooves almost instantly.

The second one ran inside and tried to pull his buddy's hooves out of the trap only to be met by a sudden blow to his head. Blue had tossed a brick from the top of the stairs and knocked him unconscious.

Almost instantly, the backdoor was slammed open, though the first stallion overestimated how much force he needed to use to break it open and fell onto his side. He smashed his side with full force onto the nails and began to yell in agony. Minty whimpered and held her flamethrower even tighter, preemptively trying to light the end of the flamethrower to get it ready.

She stood up and peered over the couch, her eyes locking with the eyes of the stallion on the ground who had begun to cry. She felt her blood run cold, now unsure if it was really because of the weather. The mare behind him cried out in shock, falling on her rump before running off. Minty heard some yelling outside and gulped as she braced for the rest to join them.

She got up and bolted to the stairs as soon as the trio began to head towards the backdoor, one of them yelling after her to stop. Minty reached the stairs and looked up at Blue, panting. She stepped forward but suddenly felt a yanking on her back right hoof.

"You're not going... anywhere!" Mumbled the trapped stallion.

Minty yanked and pulled before pointing the thrower at him and opening the valve. All she could hear was the WOOOSH of the flames being pushed out the end of the tube and loud screaming. She turned it off once the hoof let go, the stallion being burned but not scorched.

The trio of ponies all charged her as she made her way up the stairs, Blue yelling for her to hurry. Mint felt her tail be yanked and she let out a loud yelp, dropping the gas canister and breaking it in the process.

Blue cried out, "No!"

Minty heard as the gas began leaking, the matches still on fire. She cried out and reached towards Blue as the trio all began to help in pulling her down. Blue made her way down with the knife, yelling at the trio to let Minty go before, suddenly.

FWOOOSH!!

The gas canister ignited and exploded, causing Blue to yelp and trip, falling in place. She opened her eyes and witnessed as the stallions fought to keep Minty under control as she continued to fight against them. Blue tried to climb down the stairs to reach her but now, the stairs were being lit to flames as the gas canister had lit up all the matches and allowed the rotten stair wood to catch fire.

"Let go of me! Let me go!" Minty cried out, fighting tooth and nail in an attempt to escape their grasp.

By now, one of them held both her front hooves down while another held her lower hooves. Minty continued to fight, eventually looking up at Blue who was now staring at her with tears in her eyes. Minty, while trying to escape the stallions, yelled out, "Run, Blue! Run!"

Blue began to cry and held the knife even tighter. She felt her chest begin to hurt as she stared longer at the scene that was unfolding. Blue closed her eyes and raised the knife with one of her hooves, taking a stance. Minty stared on in horror, piecing what Blue was about to do almost instantly.

"No! NO! Don't!" Minty cried out desperately, but it was too late.

"LET HER GO!!" Blue yelled one last time.

She charged and ran through the flames, burning the tops of her fur a bit. She yelled in pain but pursued as she jumped and fell onto one of the stallions, the knife digging into his back. He jolted in pain and stumbled backward as the knife got stuck inside of him.

This gave Minty enough time to get up and fight back against the other stallion while the third went for Blue. Minty put all her willpower behind one punch and hit the stallion right on the chin, causing him to revolt in pain. Minty followed up with a quick buck and took this time to get up.

Her heart was thumping in her throat as she got up. She pushed the stallion back, causing him to stumble and trip over. He collapsed onto an old cabinet that had a couple lit candles on it, making them fall on the ground onto the wooden floor.

Minty turned to Blue's aggressor who was now attempting to choke Blue, yelling "DIE!" as he did so. Minty ran, pulling out the knife from the first stallion and driving it into Blue's aggressor. The knife went through his side and he revolted in pain, letting go of Blue. He did not fall like the others, instead, he pulled the knife out and stared at Minty.

"You fucking brats, I don't care if you're an "example"! Die!" He yelled, slashing the knife upwards in an attempt to cut Minty.

Minty braced for a blow that would never come, closing her eyes until she heard a thump to her right, and then she opened them again. She turned to her right and there she was, lying on her side with a hoof over her right eye.

Blue had protected Minty at the expense of her necklace and eye.

"O-Oh fuck." Stuttered the stallion as he stared at Blue.

"What... have you...," Minty charged the stallion and yelled, "DONE!!"

Her hooves grasped the knife and he grasped her throat. The two of them fought for a while until eventually Minty smacked the knife away and drove it into the neck of the stallion. She stood over him as he grabbed at his neck, desperately trying to cover it. Minty lifted the knife again and prepared to drive it into his chest.

"RAAAAAGH!"

Minty felt the sudden force of a mare hit her back. It was the mare that had run away earlier. Minty dropped the knife watched it slide into the now burning living room. She stumbled to get up and was quickly punched in the gut by the mare. Minty collapsed and gasped for a breath of air.

Minty stared at the mare who was panting over her. Minty slowly tried to crawl away but the mare just kicked Minty onto her back and began to try and choke her. Minty slapped her hoof away but to no avail, another took its place. The mare forced her hoof down onto Minty's throat and firmly pressed.

Minty began to writhe on the ground, kicking and flailing. Her mind began to go blank as air refused to enter her lungs. Her eyes grew teary and her ears pressed against her head.

'Am I going to die?' Minty wondered. Her mind began to race for any solution as her head grew foggy.

'I don't wanna die!' Minty shouted in her mind.

She began to go limp and fight less.

'Please! Please don't let me die!' She yelled louder in her mind.

Her movements slowly came to a halt, her eyes slowly beginning to close.

'I... still have to let Blue... know...'

Her hooves slowly began to fall to her sides.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The mare fell to the ground.