The Fillycaust

The next few hours were a series of vague and confusing blurs for Twilight Sparkle after she, Spike, and Sweetie Belle had packed together on top of Soarin’s back. They took off into the desert night towards Appaloosa but Twilight couldn’t stay awake for long as her exhaustion forced her to sleep.

“We’re... Almost... There...” Twilight heard Soarin pant. She slowly opened her eyes again to see that the sun had begun to rise in the horizon. She looked down at Soarin who was struggling to fly under the weight of Spike, Sweetie Belle, and herself.

As they flew the cool breeze was welcoming and felt good against her face, but her whole body ached like never before. Her vision was blurry and she closed her eyes again.

“Twilight, are you awake?” Spike asked from behind her.

Twilight took a deep breath, the air stinging at her sore lungs. “Yes Spike... I’m awake...”

“How’re you feeling?” the baby dragon asked. He began to massage the back of her neck.

Twilight winced. The sensation was painful but felt amazing at the same time as her muscles began to relax. “Well better now.” she smiled. “How’s Sweetie Belle?”

“She’s asleep.” Spike answered. “I couldn’t fall asleep though...”

Twilight didn’t need to ask why. She understood that Rarity was on his mind. “Rainbow Dash will get Rarity back safe and sound Spike, don’t you worry.”

The little dragon was silent.

“So... Hungry...” Soarin said. “I can almost smell the apples...”

Twilight looked down to see rows upon rows of white specs scattered across the desert sand next to a large plateau. The wooden buildings of Appaloosa rose in the center of the specs. Behind the plateau was a stream and a forrest of apple trees.

“What are all those white things?” Spike asked.

“Oh those? Those are tents.” Soarin explained. “Even with all the speedy construction that’s been going on lately there’s still not enough room for everypony.”

Twilight studied the buildings. There was indeed many more of them since the last time she had visited Appaloosa. Even the apple orchard seemed to have increased dramatically in size.

“Alright. Time to go down... “It might get a little bumpy, you should wake up the filly.”

Spike nudged Sweetie Belle. “Hey Sweetie Belle we’re there.”

Twilight felt the filly jolt slightly as she awoke. “W-We’re at Appaloosa?” Sweetie Belle asked with a yawn.

“We sure are.” Spike answered.

Soarin tilted his body diagonally so his face was pointed at a slope towards the ground as he began his descent. Twilight wrapped her front legs tightly around his neck fearing that she might fall off.

“Gah!” Soarin choked. “Let... I can’t!”

“Oops!” Twilight exclaimed easing up her grip around him. “I’m sorry.”

“You can’t just strangle me while flying you crazy mare!” Soarin laughed. “If you wanted me to fly slower you could have just asked.”

Twilight blushed. “Sorry.”

Soarin laughed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” The Pegasus spread his wings to their full span and glided gracefully down to the ground. They landed in the town square so softly that there was barely any sound of impact.

There were hardly any ponies around town as it was still very early in the morning, however Twilight noticed a group three Earth Ponies wandering along the dirt roads.

“Look!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “Earth Ponies!”

Soarin laughed. “Haven’t seen them in a while have you?”

Sweetie Belle hopped off of Soarin’s back. “No!” she smiled.

Twilight remembered that the last Earth Ponies she had seen were Applejack and Pinkie Pie. A wave of sorrow filled her as remembered her friends.

She watched the three Earth Ponies walk in the distance and noticed a small portion of her felt hatred towards them. But why? She wondered. I don’t know them. They’re probably nice ponies. There’s no reason for me to hate them. You can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Twilight gasped realizing why she felt the hatred. When she had seen the Earth Ponies she didn’t see them as fellow ponies but as inferior ones. This prejudice seemed to have burrowed itself within her mind since working for Celestia. She immediately felt guilty with the thought. How can I go back to seeing them as I did before? There’s nothing wrong with them Twilight. She tried to convince herself.

“Um...” Soarin announced distracting Twilight from her thoughts. “The ride’s over.”

Twilight looked down and realized she was still laying on Soarin’s back. Spike and Sweetie Belle were staring at her with looks of confusion of their faces.

“Uh Twi... What are you doing?” asked Spike while covering Sweetie Belles eyes.

Twilight immediately hopped off and laughed awkwardly. “I... Um... I was just thinking... Um...” She blushed. “It’s not what it looked like.”

“Hey you have to take me to dinner first.” Soarin joked. Spike started laughing hysterically.

“No!” Twilight objected. “It was nothing like that! I was just daydreaming!”

“Oh I bet you were!” Spike remarked falling to the ground with laughter. Soarin began to chuckle.

Sweetie Belle stood there looking at Twilight and then back to Soarin and Spike. She shook her head. “I don’t get it.”

Soarin calmed down a bit. “Okay.” he said. “Well welcome to Appaloosa, now I’m gonna go get something to eat!” He spread his wings ready to take off but Twilight stopped him.

“Wait!” she cried. “What are we supposed to do now? Who do we report to?”

Soarin retracted his wings and hung his head low. “You’re right.” he sighed. “Food will have to wait, I’m supposed to take you to the Princess to see if you all are truly welcome here. We don’t want spies or anything.”

“Wait the Princess?” Twilight asked confused.

“Yeah, Princess Luna.”

Twilight and Spike gasped. “She’s alive?”

A couple of months ago Celestia had announced that Princess Luna had been murdered. She told all of Equestria that her sister had been killed by rebels in an heroic attempt to bring them to justice. She even held a grand royal funeral in Canterlot which both Twilight and Spike had attended.

“Oh I almost forgot, you all still must only hear the lies and rumors that that tyrant Celestia spreads.” Soarin realized. “No, Luna is very much alive although not anywhere near as powerful as she once was. She was forced to flee Canterlot after a failed attempt to remove Celestia from power you see. Unfortunately, she was hit by a powerful spell during her escape, and she’s been weakened dramatically by it ever since.”

“So where is she?” Spike asked.

Soarin sighed. “Just follow me I’ll take you three to her.”

Applebloom didn’t want to tell Strawberry Quartz and Sea Breeze about Doctor D’s horrifying visit. She didn’t want to scare her friends if she didn’t need to, but now Applebloom herself was terrified. The thought of Doctor D materializing in the room when she least expected it was a horrifying one. She realized that she had been in a false sense of security within the comfortable living quarters, and as long as she was in the Canter Camp she could never be safe.

Applebloom tried to relax but the pain in her back and flanks combined with the adrenaline boost after seeing Doctor D made it almost impossible. She looked over at the dying Pegasus filly in the bed next to her. Doctor D said that she won’t last much longer. She thought. And he said that I might not recover. Does that mean that I could... die?

The thought of dying was strange and mysterious. Until recent events she hadn’t given it much attention, but after witnessing the colt die in the train and feeling the fear that she herself was going to die the thought of death crept up on her much more frequently. She knew that dying was scary and that it would hurt, but she wondered what happened after. Is it just really dark? She contemplated. Maybe we go to a better place like Granny Smith always said. Maybe it’s not all that bad after all. But the more she thought of it the more the idea of her life ending frightened her.

The filly next to her made a raspy breathing noise and Applebloom turned to look at her again. The purple pony’s chest began to move up and down quickly.

“Are you awake?” Applebloom asked.

There was no response. The filly’s breathing continued rapidly for a few more moments and then, after a long exhale, stopped altogether.

Applebloom stared at the filly for a long time. There were no signs of movement coming from her and the room was silent with the exception of the eerie ambience of the air conditioning.

“Are you okay?” Applebloom asked even though she knew the filly wouldn’t respond. “Are you... dead?”

The door behind Applebloom opened and Strawberry Quartz and Sea Breeze walked in.

“Are you talking to somepony Applebloom?” Sea Breeze asked.

“Did the other filly wake up?” questioned Strawberry Quartz excitedly trying to peer over Sea Breeze’s shoulder.

“I think she’s...” Applebloom began. “I think she’s dead.”

Her two friends stood frozen in the doorway in shock. “Dead?” they both said simultaneously after several moments.

“She not breathing anymore.” Applebloom explained.

Sea Breeze and Strawberry Quartz were silent. Applebloom could imagine that even though the filly looked like she was dying before the fact of her actually being dead now had left her friends speechless. It made Applebloom remember a time when she was little.

One day Applebloom had found a worm inside of an apple and decided to take it in as a pet. A couple of days later the worm had stopped moving. Concerned, Applebloom brought the tiny creature to Applejack.

“What’s wrong with him sis?” she asked. “Why ain’t he wigglin around anymore? Why doesn’t he wanna play?”

“Well, he’s... He’s dead sugarcube.” Applejack explained.

“What’s that mean?” Applebloom had asked.

Applebloom remembered her sister being hesitant to explain. “Well you see... It’s kinda like being broken... Uh... But you can’t fix him... Look here Applebloom a filly like yourself shouldn’t have to think about death yet. Say how bout I take you down to Sugarcube Corner and you can pick out some sweets?”

Applebloom instantly forgot about the worm enticed by the idea of goodies. Even though later in life Applebloom’s understanding of death increased the words her sister said echoed in the back of her mind. A filly like yourself shouldn’t have to think about death yet. But here in the Canter Camp death seemed to be all anypony could think about. Her two friends stood there in silence gazing at the filly’s body, and Applebloom wished that Applejack would come and offer to take her to Sugarcube Corner again and take her mind off of such thoughts.

“Alright it’s just through this door.” Soarin pointed out. He had led Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Sweetie Belle to what was apparently the Appaloosa courthouse, although the rustic wooden building didn’t really resemble any kind of courthouse that Twilight had seen before. “Before I let you in I have to warn you, Princess Luna is a little...”

“Anti-social?” Twilight giggled.

“Well... Um... Just a little...” Soarin admitted. “Don’t be alarmed if she uses her Royal Canterlot Voice every so often.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve had to deal with that before.” Spike grunted.

Soarin laughed. “Well, whenever you’re ready you can go on in.”

Twilight nodded and pushed opened the door with her hoof. As it swung back she instantly saw Princess Luna sitting at the end of the courtroom. It was undoubtably her although she seemed to have lost a great deal of weight and appeared to be sickly.

“Who goes there?” Luna asked looking up.

“Twilight Sparkle your highness.” Twilight said while taking a bow. “And this is Spike the dragon and the filly is Sweetie Belle.”

Princess Luna stood up. “I know you!” she gasped. “You’re my sister’s student!”

“I assure you your highness that I am not on Celestia’s side. I’ve defected. I’ve come here for help to rescue my friends from Hoofschwitz Canter Camp and to find a safe place for my two friends here to live.”

Luna studied the three of them. “WHO LET YOU IN APPALOOSA?!” she questioned in her Royal Canterlot Voice.

“Soarin Wonderbolt your majesty.”

“SOARIN WONDERBOLT!!!” Princess Luna shouted.

Soarin’s head poked out of the doorway.

“WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO LET THESE THREE INTO APPALOOSA?”

“Uh... It was a mare in my squad. Her name’s Rainbow Dash.”

“BRING ME THIS RAINBOW DASH!!!”

“Actually Princess,” Soarin began as he walked further into the room. “Rainbow Dash isn’t here, she went to rescue the group’s forth member who was captured by bounty hunters. But I can assure you Princess from what I’ve seen these three are good ponies and... well... er... dragon. At least let the filly go.”

“I’M NOT WORRIED ABOUT THE FILLY AND THE BABY DRAGON! I’M WORRIED ABOUT MY SISTER’S STUDENT!!!”

“Princess Luna.” Twilight interrupted. “If you wish to take me into custody, then I humbly summit. I’ll do whatever it takes until you are willing to trust me.”

Just then Rainbow Dash burst through the door carrying an unconscious Rarity and a bloodied pony that appeared to be Applejack’s cousin Braeburn.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight and Soarin cried in surprise.

“Rarity!” Spike and Sweetie Belle cried likewise.

The three ponies and Spike rushed to Dash’s side. The cyan Pegasus had bruises and burns all over her body and she collapsed as she dropped the two ponies off of her back.

“I thought... you’d... be here Soarin...” Rainbow Dash panted. “They killed Silverwood.” She turned to Twilight. “I need you... to... heal them with your magic...”

“They killed Silverwood?” Soarin repeated.

“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle cried. “Wake up big sis! Wake up!”

Twilight wasn’t the most skilled healer but she knew enough to tell that Rarity was going to be okay. Unfortunately she couldn’t say the same for Braeburn.

“Don’t worry Sweetie Belle your sister’s going to be fine.” Twilight assured. “We should bring her and Braeburn to a hospital though. What were you thinking bringing these two here Rainbow Dash?”

“I was thinking that the hospital is full!” Rainbow Dash snapped angrily. “But you wouldn’t know about that would you Twilight? Where the hay have you been this whole time? Oh yeah hanging out with Celestia! So don’t try to lecture me about what I should be doing!”

Twilight was taken back by Rainbow Dash’s sudden outburst. “Look I’m sorry, but I don’t know proper medicine.”

“I WILL HELP!” Luna shouted from behind. She flew down to Rarity and Braeburn and inspected them. “YOU ARE RIGHT THIS ONE WILL BE FINE!!!” Luna blared pointing at Rarity. “THIS ONE, HOWEVER, MAY NOT SURVIVE.”

“Can you try to heal him?” Soarin asked concerned. “Please Princess!”

Princess Luna lowered her voice a bit. “I am still very weak but yes, I will try.” She pointed her horn at the bloodied Earth Pony and clenched her eyes shut with concentration. A dark blue light illuminated her horn and a beam shot out and scanned Braeburn. After a few seconds the bleeding stopped and Luna released the spell.

“That is the best I can do.” she said breathing heavily.

Braeburn shuddered and made a grunting noise. Everponies attention turned to him. “H...Hey...” he whispered weakly with his eyes still closed.

“Everything’s going to be alright buddy.” Soarin assured. “You’re gonna be okay.”

The Earth Pony slowly opened his eyes and struggled to look around the room. His gaze fell upon Twilight. “Y-you’re my cousins friend... Aren’t you?” he asked.

“Yes.” Twilight answered.

“Rainbow... Dash d-didn’t know what... what happened... to her. Do... you? Is... Is she safe?”

Twilight decided this wasn’t the time to break the news to him that his family members had been sent to a Canter Camp. “She’s fine... We’re going to bring her and Applebloom back here. They’re going to be safe.”

“You... promise?” Braeburn asked. His voice seemed to be fading.

“I promise.” Twilight comforted feeling tears build up in her eyes.

“Good...” Braeburn smiled. “It’s good to know... that some of my... family survived...” With that he closed his eyes and died.