The Ponies We Care For: Solitude For Youth
"Solitude For Youth"A The Ponies We Care For story
Part 1
Silence filled the woods, it's all that could be heard other than groans and dying screams in the distance. But it's absolute serenity here in desolate forests. There's barely any pony life there, only wild animals. But they aren't roaming these lands, it's lonely, dead. There is, however, a small clubhouse near Sweet Apple Acres; three little fillies abode it, three...terrified fillies.
Outside on the clubhouse walls, the windows are boarded with flat wood - the amateur carpenter didn't know what size or length they were, she only nailed them shut on to each frame of holding the glass. The front door is blocked from the inside by a big enough cabinet to cover half of the door's height. Further in, the three fillies known as The Cutie Mark Crusaders rest on some blankets lain on the floor.
They aren't asleep, they are cautious - prepared when they come. But what will they do? They're just three littles after all, they have nothing useful to protect themselves. Safety is all they desire for, no harm to them, not to see one of those things. But they have, riot broke out and several ponies were devoured. But that was weeks ago, now they haven't seen even one since then.
One of the three fillies, Sweetie Belle, was the first to clear her eyes. She stood up, scratching her head and adjusting herself after sleeping on the rough floor. She turns to her friends, who are still resting. She can't help smile softly, she woke up - with her friends. They're free from harm and she's from harm.
Sweetie Belle elbowed Applebloom, no response. She nudged her with some force. The yellow filly flinched.
"Applebloom," Sweetie Belle whispered, still nudging her gently. Applebloom moaned softly, then opened her eyes, exposing her orange eyes. She sees her friend, glaring at her with the most friendly smile. Applebloom shares a smile back, only to fade on seconds. She's exhausted but awake in her mind.
"It's time to get up," The young unicorn says. Sweetie Belle finally stand up and trots to one of the boarded windows. Applebloom also gets on her legs and leaves Scootaloo to her dreams, then walks over to accompany her best friend. Sweetie Belle is looking through the small gaps between the wooden planks confirming if it's clear, for today at least.
"Any of 'em out there, Sweetie Belle?"
"No, or I don't think so, they could be hiding or something," Sweetie Belle scares herself think as such. Applebloom bumps Sweetie Belle to side, enough so she can see as well. Their heads are close, not touching, but close; both eyes are locked outside. To Applebloom's surprise, there isn't any of them out - not that she wasn't believing Sweetie Belle, she wanted to validate their safety.
Behind them, Scootaloo is waking, she's stretching, she's yawning, and she's scratching her eyes. The orange filly brings her attention to her friends - they're still looking at the dangerous outside.
"What are...what are you two looking at?" Scootaloo ponders as she slowly gets up herself.
"Just, er, lookin' if there are any of em'...monsters out there," Applebloom responds. Scootaloo doesn't bother to join them, she wanders around the clubhouse. She goes upstairs where the semi-large telescope is, she glares back at her friends before going up there.
"Wait, Scootaloo, where are you going?" Sweetie Belle stops her.
"Going to use the telescope, see what's going on in town," Scootaloo says. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom look at each, realising that they, in fact, do have a telescope upstairs.
"Oh, I forgot that thin' was up there," Applebloom giggles, softly. Sweetie Belle does the same, laughing that they don't remember their own clubhouse. Sweetie Belle tilts her head upstairs to Applebloom.
"Nah, you go on ahead, Sweetie Belle. I will keep a lookout, down her'," Applebloom returns to looking through the gap. Sweetie Belle trots upstairs, Scootaloo has been up there now since she and Applebloom giggled. When she reached the top, she sees her friend with one eye shut and another on the lens of the telescope. She stands beside her, or beside the stool Scootaloo is on. Her orange friend turns to her, for a few seconds then returning to the telescope.
"So, can you see what is actually happening in town?"
"Yeah, only a little, some trees are in the way. But I can see Sweet Apple Acres pretty good from here," Scootaloo explains, adjusting the lens.
"How is it there? Maybe it'll help Applebloom to know what's going on there," Sweetie Belle trots to the other side of her friend.
"I see a few."
"A few of those monsters?"
Yeah, like three or four, and the farm has wood covering all the windows and doors," Scootaloo gets off, so her friend can see for herself. Sweetie Belle ascends onto the stool and aims her right eye to the lens, pointing to Sweet Apple Acres and adjusting the lens after it was already played with. She zooms in a bit to see clearer. The whole farm and acres are apparent now, and Scootaloo was correct, there are few of the undead there; they're just roaming ouside of the fences but none are inside.
Maybe Applebloom's family is safe.
"We should tell Applebloom, you know, she has been worried for them," Sweetie Belle tells Scootaloo while still scoping out the farm.
"What are you thinking?"
"What do you mean 'what am I thinking'?"
"Well...We won't know for sure if the Apple family is actually alive if we just stay here," Scootaloo puts on a brave look, Sweetie Belle then understands. A dangerous task set for vital information on the Apple family's condition. The white unicorn filly thought for a few, how would they achieve such a task? Would they make it?
"We...We can't! It's too dangerous especially with those monsters walking around. You saw what they did to other ponies. They ate them, Scootaloo! Ate them!" Sweetie Belle almost shouts, knowing she would alert one or even a few.
"It's worth a shot!" Scootaloo responds. Sweetie Belle ascends from the stool and head for the stairs.
"Let's at least tell Applebloom, maybe she doesn't want to go," Sweetie Belle begins trotting downstairs as Scootaloo follows.
They see Applebloom now sitting on the wooden floor, thinking. Or at least from Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo's perspective Both approach the yellow filly Applebloom's attention raises to her two best friends.
"Hey Applebloom, we have to ask something," Sweetie Belle starts.
They tell Applebloom the risky plan and she is deciding whether she is showing courage or nervousness. She does want to see Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith - her family - after all. Although, they would be all three of themselves in a hazardous state and place.
"F-fine...let's do it," Applebloom declares, holding out a hoof. Sweetie Belle places her hoof on Applebloom's, then Scootaloo.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Go!" They all chant. Scootaloo opens the door, gently, then they all trot out be aware of their surroundings instantly.
Hopefully, jus' hopefully they're alive Applebloom thinks.
The Ponies We Care For: Solitude For Youth
Part 2: Hopeful Salvation
Solitude For YouthA The Ponies We Care For story
Part 2
It was becoming the end of morning, though the sky was still seemed dead with dark clouds covering it almost completely. The sun was still in sight; difficult to believe considering the trotting dead roam the lands of Equestria and Princess Celestia still brings sunshine through out the never-ending days, or as it would seem.
It was a sense of hope for surviving ponies, to know their goddess is alive - to assume she is trying to sort out this catastrophe. And it was the same bidding for three little fillies; digging through shrubs and wood to get to what is expectantly salvation back at the farm, Sweet Apple Acres. May it be or may it be not what they look for, but what shelter will they search for if it isn't safe? They've left they're Clubhouse for this and will anticipate this up mostly, no returning there; stuck, surrounded by forest where the dead can attack from all and any side.
So they continued fourth, Sweet Apple Acres shouldn't be distant from where the Cutie Mark Crusaders are. Which created the feeling of anxiety in the trio; sweat trickled down to their foreheads from their manes, dead plant life - rough - would scratch beneath them. Almost dead nature all around them, including parts of the population of different ecosystems died due to, well, the dead. Though they haven't spotted any dead animals yet but they came across a corpse, probably fresh.
"Gals, stop," Said Applebloom, holding her hoof out. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle halted, looked past Applebloom. It was the deceased of a mare; light-green mane and pink coat. Lily Pad was the name. "L-les jus' keep goin', girls. We haff' to find our way back to Sweet Apple Acres," Applebloom seemed terrified now, according to the other two; they were all worried for one another as it is and stopping for others - dead or living - isn't something they can afford at the moment. Especially under the circumstances; them being only three fillies.
Scootaloo had a weak stomach, she spread vile across the dirt next to the body. She spat a bit, Sweetie Belle held her.
"Applebloom, are you sure we'll be safe out here? At Sweet Apple Acres?" Sweetie Belle grunted, helping Scootaloo up. Applebloom saw her, blinked twice and helped her orange friend up as well. They're in disgust now, trotting off away from what was once a...happy mare, to assume.
"I know it will be safe, Sweetie Belle, I jus' know it," Applebloom explained, bringing her friend's confidence up. Hopefully... she thought.
They finally approached fences, a sign to show they arrived where there designated location was. In their way, the wooden barrier wasn't too small for them, they slid through the gaps between each plank. Open fields of seedlings, not too far away from the barn, was in front. The trotted on, passing by dead crops beside them - though some were either still growing or unexpectedly alive but rotten; all of them. Bypassing the crops, the barn door stood there among them. Applebloom slowly and gently slid the door open - it made a creaking noise as it did, trying not to attract attention they quickly went inside.
It was silent, empty and dark; hay were in piles and crates were stored around inside. But most importantly, a door on the other side was an entry to the home where the Apple Family would sleep. Applebloom tried not to hurry, one of those things could be hiding and could ambush one of them. So she sneaked through the eerie barn, and behind her was Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle - terrified but still building up the courage. The earth filly pushed onto the door, but it wouldn't budge.
"No, no no," Applebloom became slightly panicked. She tried again but still it wouldn't open, she began forcing it. She stopped, she sighed almost loudly. "Must be locked from the inside, gals," She said inn disappointment.
"W-what do we do now?" Scootaloo asked, trotting up to her friend. Applebloom sat on her rump, sad. The way her face looked, the two could tell she didn't know. Yet.
"Well...ar' only choice is to move on," She said.
"What about the cellar where the cider is stored?" Sweetie Belle suggested.
"Yeah, yeah! I furgot about the cellar, maybe it's open," Applebloom exclaimed, trotting to the barn. "I know it's open, no one eva' goes back there," She slid the barn door open a bit.
A moan was heard.
Suddenly Applebloom was pinned down, a set of rotten teeth trying to gnaw on her. She screamed loudly, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo galloped to her, with effort, getting the dead pony off of their best friend. The ravenous dead pony pushed them away, going back Apple bloom. For a filly, she was strong enough to keep it's mouth away from any of her limbs - where it was aiming for. Finally, with her hind-legs, she gave one big buck; the zombie pony stumbled back outside of the barn door. Applebloom quickly stood up and galloped to the other side, and so did her friends. They came close together, embraced each, tearing.
It was still alive, it took no long then five seconds for it to stand up and head for it's prey. The zombie pony slowly trotted through the barn door, moaning and groaning. It limped, it's front left-leg was almost nothing but bone and rotten flesh. A few more bite marks were on it's body, each one deep-cut into. Blood trickled from it's mouth - must of recently ate another survivor. But it drew closer, the three fillies were frozen; no idea what to do at this point. It headed for Scootaloo first, it dived in but Applebloom shoved to the side.
It groaned very audibly. and went to strike again. It was becoming larger to them, each of them now very afraid.
Thump
The zombie's head nearly cracked open from that kick, but the Cutie Mark Crusaders weren't stood up, still scared, now wondered who did that.
"Damn vermont!" An orange mare yelled, "You girls alright," She said, softer.
"Applejack!" Applebloom proclaimed, hugging her big sister. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo joined in, Applejack ambraced all three. The dead pony gave a soft and slow moan, Applejack wasn't just about to stay with...that alive. She released them, trotted up to it. Looked at it sternly and focused her hind-legs.
"Night, partner," She spoke bucking the thing's brains out. Blood splat on her front legs and on her chest. She exhaled and inhaled and looked at her now safe fillies. They looked almost scared but it was dead now. "Come on girls, we got to get somewhere safe," Applejack said, leading them outside.