One by One

Chapter 1: Faster!

It was storming outside the train car. I stared blankly out of the foggy window, watching the rain pour down.

It seemed to fit. Today had been filled with sadness for me, so the ferocity of the storm didn't make much of a difference. Even now, hours after, it was still hardly comprehensible. I'd never truly experienced loss before but now that I had, I felt hollow. Because today, something terrible happened.

Shining Armor, my BBBFF, had been killed.

Nobody knew who the assailant was. Not that it mattered to me. All I could focus on was the fact that the most important stallion in my life was gone, forever. I'd been holding back tears, trying to keep my composure, but in the quiet train car with my five best friends in the world and my number one assistant, I could let go.

The dam I'd constructed broke, and salty tears flowed down my face, bringing with it the pent  up sorrow I'd been containing all day.

"Twi? Are you ok?" I heard from the bunk across the car.

I sniffed "Yeah Applejack, I'm just really confused."

"It's ok Twi. We understand," Applejack spoke softly.

"No you don't! None of you do! My brother's dead! He's gone! Forever!" I screamed at Applejack and tears stung my eyes. I didn't know why I yelled at her, I was just so angry that my BBBFF was killed. Applejack just looked down and bit her lip, I know I had upset her. I turned over on my bed and faced the window again. We were on the way back from Canterlot to Ponyville from Shining Armor's funeral. Princess Cadence was crushed. They were just married of course. The royal guard had to assign a new captain as well. He was just given that title as well and it was stripped away from him. The worst thing of all was, Cadence was pregnant. She had a foal on the way and the father was dead. I buried my head in my pillow and tuned all of my other friends out. I stared out the window and cried myself to sleep.

I woke up after one of the longest nights I had ever endured. Celestia's sun brightly shown in my eyes. I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes with my hooves and yawned. Everypony else was still asleep I assumed, there were no other sounds in the room. I got up from my bunk and looked around,  yep, nopony was awake. I walked out of the train car and into the next one, a passenger car. I sat down on one of the seats and began to sob. I heard the door to the sleeping car open and I turned my head towards the door. It was Fluttershy. She sat down next to me but didn't say anything at first. Finally she spoke

"Twilight," she paused "Its hard isn't it." I stopped sobbing and looked up at her

"O-Of *sniff* C-course it is!" I mumbled. She nodded. "Shining Armor, my BBBFF is now DEAD! I can't believe it! I mean he was-" I yelled but came to a pause then I turned back to Fluttershy and mumbled "Shouldn't you be trying to help me with the meaningless words like 'We understand' or 'He's in a better place'"

"Sometimes ponies just need to vent their feelings towards something." She brushed my mane with her hoof.

"Thanks Fluttershy, you're such a *sniff* great friend." I leaned my head on her. I probally stayed like that for an hour or more until Ponyville came into view and the other four flooded into the passenger car. I finally lifted my head and stood up to see Ponyville. It was how it usually was, bustling with ponies playing with each other. I loved Ponyville so much for that. The town hall stood above all of Ponyville like a monument.

The train pulled to a halt and the doors swung open. The six of us quickly trotted (and hopped) off the train and onto the metal platform. I started off back to my home at the Ponyville Library. Before I could really get on my way I was stopped by a bouncing flurry of pink.

"Heya Twilight! Do ya think we can have a party for-" She stopped and I saw it too. There was a cloaked black figure on the very tip of the town hall. I gasped, he was keeping perfect balance on the pinlike pole on top of the town hall. It was amazing, like a balancing act. I turned towards the others to see if they were watching, which they were. I turned back to the cloaked figure but it was gone into nowhere. I had been so entranced by the pony, I hadn't realized the nonsense Pinkie was spewing out of her nonstop mouth.

"-aybe he's from the circus! I love the circus! Or maybe he's a spy! Like Rainbow Dash!"

I buried my face in my hooves "Pinkie I find all  of that highly unlikely. It was probally some pegasus trying to show off"

"Like Rainbow Dash!" She added.

"Hey!"

"Yeah, maybe, whatever! I'm going home!" I stormed past them. I really just wanted to fume alone at home. I was tired of all of this. I was still curious about the cloaked pony however.

I walked through town with my head hung low. My life was sinking into depression quickly, and I welcomed it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something. I spun my head around to see what it was but it was gone. Maybe I was starting to see things. Maybe I was going insane. It didn't matter, nothing did anymore. I swear I saw something though.

"Uh..hey Twi?" I heard a hoarse  voice say. I spun around to see my #1 assistant, Spike. He was quiet during the entire trip, I almost forgot he was even with us. He hadn't been talking since we received word about Shining Armor's death. Spike had hatched when I was just a filly so he grew up with Shining as a brother to him. I couldn't blame him, he was still just a baby dragon.

"Y-yeah Spike?" I croaked, still stuttering from my sobs.

"I-its not f-f-air!" he screamed clenching his claws into fists and turning his head down. I was startled and I stepped back. This was the first time I had seen Spike like this instead of his usual laid-back self.

"Why! Why do they have to take him away from us! It's not fair!" Spike broke down into sobs. I kneeled down and hugged the little dragon. He collapsed on to me and cried into my back, soaking my fur. I couldn't hold back my tears any longer, I cried to.

So there we were, in the middle of the street, crying into the other. Other ponies might have thought we were wierd but we didn't care. We just wanted the comfort from the only pony or dragon that understood the pain. We finally collected ourselves and stood up. We continued to walk to the library in silence. It made my miserable day just a bit better to know that I could talk to someone who understood.

Faster, fly faster! I heard the buzz again. Dammit! It's catching up! I looked behind me, and as I feared the pegasus was gaining on me. I flapped my wings harder and faster, pushing my body to it's limit. An arrow flew past my head. Shit, he has weapons too! I saw a cloud home up ahead. I flew faster as I felt a sharp piercing pain in my back. I turned back to see an arrow protruding from my flank. Dammit, he shot me! Faster! Just a little further! The cloud home was coming up. I crashed onto the porch and tried to open the door but to no avail, it was locked. Dammit! I knocked hard on the cloud door. Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! A wave of agony and pain shot through me. I coughed hard and blood splattered on the cloud floor. Another arrow. This was it, it was over. Another arrow on my right shoulder. Wait. I knew this house. It was the house of R- another arrow pierced right through my back and I collaped onto the porch and I heard a bloody murder scream. I was finished.