Cutie Mark Crusaders: Friendship Never Dies

by jmj

Rating: mature
Tags: Cutie Mark Crusaders, Tragedy, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 11488

A terrible accident causes Sweetie Belle to go to great lengths to help her friends.

When the Cutie Mark Crusaders have a terrible accident while trying to obtain their cutie marks, Sweetie Belle is forced to go to great lengths to help her friends.

Published 2013-03-14 20:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-14 20:00:02 UTC

CMC:FND

Sweetie Belle sat in the library of Ponyville with many of the other unicorn foals who inhabited the town; a bored expression tugged at her cheeks. It wasn’t so much that the lecture was lacking in entertainment; indeed, Twilight Sparkle’s lecture to the children about early development of magical capabilities was thought provoking and a topic that was widely considered to be useful for progressive thinking ponies. The lack of substantially gifted unicorns born to Ponyville was an error to be corrected and Sweetie Belle was honored to be admitted to the string of workshops designed to inspire and bolster the raw magical power of Ponyville’s next generation of unicorns. Still, she hadn’t been able to see her friends all week and she was beginning to feel lonely.

“And then you just have to think about what it is you want to do.” Twilight’s horn was glowing with her lavender magical field and she closed her eyes in concentration on a spell that she had never attempted before. Sweetie watched in anticipation. The theme of today’s lesson was that magic could bring about one’s desires if they practiced and tried hard enough. Twilight was proving her point by attempting a spell that she did not know and using her willpower, that ever-constant strength, to force her powers to do as she wanted.

Sweetie watched as Twilight strained, beads of sweat pouring from her brow from the intensity of her determination. Twilight was trying to turn a small statue into a frog. Her horn blazed with energy and the statue began to contort. Its alabaster shape of a pony began to soften and twist, a soft green hue slowly stealing the milky color from its angular design. Twilight’s intensity filled the library and Sweetie couldn’t help but be caught up in the swell of excitement. The whole group of young unicorns rose from their sitting position to watch as the statue morphed slowly.

The statue faltered and began to change back to its original design as Twilight’s mystical powers weakened, much of the trembling waves of energy disappearing from the room. To Sweetie, it looked as if Twilight was about to give up. Panting and struggling to maintain the failing currents, she looked on the edge of her limit. Suddenly, with a gritting of teeth and a wail of frustration, Twilight’s magic thrummed to a new limit, its power tripling. The foal unicorns could see the streamers of Twilight’s magic radiating between them and a mass cheer went up as the statue transformed into the algae colored form of a frog. Twilight released her control of the spell and the children’s cheer surrounded her, followed by the children themselves, hugging to her. She was the best teacher they could ever hope to have and she had inspired them to become more attuned to their magical nature.

The frog hopped from the table it had found itself upon and disappeared as Twilight settled her students. “You see, kids? All you have to do is believe in yourselves and you can do anything.” Her voice was weak from the massive use of energy but she smiled to her students happily. “I think that’s all for today. Class dismissed.”

Sweetie was happy to be out, finally, but was mindful for what she had learned today. “All I have to do is believe. If I try hard enough, I can do anything.” She looked back to her blank flank, her snow-white hindquarter displaying a field of fine white hairs, but no cutie mark. “Maybe it will work for cutie marks too! I have to tell Scootaloo and Apple Bloom!” The filly scampered away from the library, heading towards the clubhouse on Sweet Apple Acres where her friends were waiting for her. She had promised to see them after class today and she couldn’t wait. It had been too long since she had been able to enjoy her friends’ company and she had been restless. They were her closest confidants, friends, and regarded them as sisters. Being unable to see them over the last week had been trying on the unicorn but they would finally be able to spend time with each other soon.

***

The clubhouse was alive with the excitement of her friends as Sweetie came upon the tree that held it aloft. A cheerful chattering and laughter made her pause and smile up to the wooden structure. The sounds of her friends’ voices were like notes of music to the young unicorn and she let their mirth fill her to the brim. They meant so much to her. In a time of loneliness and solitude, she had stumbled across the ones who could fill her heart with happiness, friendship, and most importantly hope. Their young friendship was the crutch the three leaned on during times of hardship and sadness and they would always be there for one another. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were inseparable.

Sweetie breathed out a sigh and smiled up to the club. She walked the ramp and enjoyed the merriment that grew louder as she approached. She pushed the door open with her foreleg.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo cocked their heads to the door, beaming smiles radiated from them and Sweetie echoed it back in return. “HI!”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were standing beside a small wagon with what looked like ropes and harnesses in it but quickly dashed to Sweetie’s side. Apple Bloom spoke first, happy to see her friend again. “Sweetie Belle! Ah’ve missed ya so much. We thought y’all might not get ta come out with us today after all. Ah’m so glad yer here! How’s yer magic class been goin’?”

Scootaloo answered the question for Sweetie, she was happy to see her friend again but wanted to be on their way already. She lifted a hoof up for Sweetie to clop with her own. “I’m sure Sweetie’s rocking some awesome new spells. She’s probably the smartest unicorn in the whole class.”

Sweetie clapped her hoof to Scootaloo’s, the grin permanently affixed to her face. “It’s great! Twilight is a really good teacher and she shows us how to practice our magic.” Her voice broke with excitement as she continued. “And she also told us that we could make what we wanted come true if we just believed in it hard enough.”

Scootaloo nodded anxiously, hoping to hurry up the conversation a little. There would be plenty of time for talking as they walked. “Can magic do that?” She was already moving to the wagon and fixing a harness around her chest to pull the vehicle.

“Magic can do anythin’, right Sweetie?” Apple Bloom was a quick pony but she didn’t know a lot about magic and her voiced turned up in question to Sweetie.

“Well, I don’t know if I can do the stuff Twilight did. She said willpower was a kind of magic on its own,” she repeated today’s theme to her friends. “But, I thought that it could be applied to us getting our cutie marks!”

Apple Bloom grinned widely and nodded, bouncing in excitement. “Yeah! If we keep focused and try hard enough we’ll earn our marks fer sure!”

Scootaloo connected the wagon to her harness and pulled it towards the door. “Well let’s not wait on it. We came up with a great idea, Sweetie. We’re going to get our cutie marks in …”

***

“Rock Climbing?” Sweetie’s voice stretched thin, hitting a higher note than usual as a sudden nervousness swept through her body and she visibly trembled. They had travelled off the road and into a lightly wooded area with a high cliff that was normally used as an overlook for tourists or loving teenage couples. This time however, they had circled to the front of it and found themselves looking up. The face of the cliff was vertical and stood higher than any building in Ponyville. It was daunting and Sweetie giggled anxiously, the fear in her voice was obvious. “I don’t know about this, guys. It’s pretty high. What if we fall?”

Scootaloo unhooked her harness from the wagon and began threading the ropes she had pulled in the wagon through various rings on the outfit. She looked up with the fearless attitude that only a child can own and smiled. “We won’t fall, but if we do we have these ropes. I wanted to go up individually, but Apple Bloom came up with this idea.”

“Yeah. Ya see, the ropes are attached to all our harness. If one of us falls, the other two can catch her. Make sense? This way nobody gets hurt.” Apple Bloom was happy to explain her brilliance to Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie grimaced and gazed up to the craggy cliff again. “But I’ve never heard of a pony climbing a cliff before.” Sweetie’s voice broke sharply as she cautioned her friends’ newest plan.

Scootaloo chuckled. “Well, then we’re pioneering it. If a goat can do it, so can a pony. Make sure to get your harness on tightly, Sweetie.”

Apple Bloom quickly attached her harness and threaded the rings with the rope tied to Scootaloo. She saw Sweetie struggling with her own vest and helped her don the safety device properly. Apple Bloom smiled gingerly and hugged Sweetie. “Ah’m glad y’all could come out with us today. Ah’ve missed ya so much. We’re gonna do it today. We’ll get our marks. What was that ya said Twilight told ya? ‘If ya believe in it enough, it’ll happen?’” The country filly waited for the gentle nod from her timid friend and smiled brightly. “Then let’s make it happen.” Apple Bloom turned and walked towards the cliff.

Sweetie was unsure but wasn’t going to obstruct her friends from their attempt and if they were willing to do it, so was she. She joined the others, careful to not tangle in the ten feet of loose rope that tied one pony to the next. She paused with her friends and looked up the vertical face of the mountain. She made a soft whimper that was unheard by the others as they did a final check of their riggings. Sweetie didn’t see how they were going to get to the top and worried about how they might get back to the ground. She gave a few tugs at her straps and belts. She really didn’t want to do this. They had somehow talked her into zip lining and it had ended with failure. They were lucky not to have injured themselves in that crash. It was odd to think that trees could break your fall, but the breaking branches and foliage had slowed them enough to not receive more than minor abrasions. This time however … Sweetie just had a bad feeling in her tummy.

“Alright, I’ll go first. When I am about eight feet up, you follow, Apple Bloom. Same thing, Sweetie. When she gets about eight feet off the ground, you start.” Scootaloo always was adventurous and driven to achieve her cutie mark but Sweetie couldn’t help but think this attempt to be reckless. There was a fine line between bravery and stupidity and the thought crossed her young mind that this may be it. She frowned to herself and watched as Scootaloo placed her hooves on tiny jutting formations in the rocky wall, pulling herself up one leg at a time and searching out new locations to hook her hard hooves.

Scootaloo made it look easy. She always had been the most active of Sweetie’s friends and the unicorn’s butterfly-filled tummy began to calm itself as the rambunctious pegasus spidered up the surface with grace and ease. Maybe this wasn’t as difficult or scary as she presumed it to be.

By the time Apple Bloom began her ascent, Sweetie was smiling. The unease that had afflicted the filly now replaced with confidence. They could do this. They just had to believe in themselves and they could do it. Sweetie eagerly moved to the wall and began finding the optimal placement for her hooves. She imitated what she had witnessed Scootaloo and Apple Bloom do. She looked up and watched her earth pony friend’s red tail flicking back and forth as she hauled her small frame higher up the face of the cliff. Sweetie could barely contain herself as she waited for most of the rope to tighten before hauling herself up the rocky exterior.

She was amazed by the ease in which she pulled herself off the ground. After a few well placed motions, she looked down to see she had hauled herself nearly ten feet from the ground and already the wagon was looking small below them. Even as such a low altitude, Sweetie found herself exhilarated and her whole body seemed to come alive at once. She couldn’t help but grin and search out another hoofhold. One hoof after another, the unicorn tugged herself upward, gaining on her earth pony friend. She chuckled to herself and found purchase in another jutting of rock. Her belly scraped the rocky exterior of the cliff and it felt good to the filly. Her senses were alive with excitement and she eagerly sought out a new hold, bringing her back leg far out to a heavy stone to gain leverage under her weight and propel herself within reach of another hold.

Before long, Sweetie had caught Apple Bloom and leaned out and away from the cliff to see what was keeping her earth pony friend from moving forward. Earth ponies were widely believed to be the stoutest and most sturdy of the pony races and Apple Bloom had always proved herself to be tireless with a stern constitution. “You okay, Apple Bloom?”

She found Apple Bloom gazing down to the ground below, eyes dilated and full of horror. The expression on Bloom’s face actually sent a shriek of doubt through Sweetie’s spine and her smile faltered as she looked upon the disheveled appearance of her friend.

Apple Bloom seemed unwilling to break eye contact with the ground and Sweetie could see her breathing was quick and uneven; she was panicking. Apple Bloom stuttered something that resembled words at a low volume that Sweetie couldn’t make out. Sweetie knew her friend needed help. “Stay still, Apple Bloom. I’m coming up to you.”

Sweetie had never thought of herself as a strong pony but her lithe form made her lighter weight than that of her amigos and; therefore, more dexterous in situations such as this. Her light weight allowed her to climb easily and without straining or exhausting the strength in her little legs. She climbed around Apple Bloom and began pulling herself up to meet her friend squarely in the eyes when the stone holding her back leg, the one she was currently applying pressure to, crumbled and caused her to nearly fall from the mountain.

Sweetie didn’t scream but Apple Bloom shrieked and turned her eyes away, mumbling incoherently and visibly shivering.

Sweetie pulled with her three grounded appendages, the muscles in her legs snapped taught and strained as a wave of panic set through her senses. Her free leg kicked wildly and sought anything that could bear her weight. After a moment, she felt it catch a sturdy stone and she hauled herself up to a resting position. Heart beating wildly in her chest and her breathing quick and erratic, she clenched her eyes closed and waited for the fear to pass. She knew she had to get a hold of herself before she could help Apple Bloom. Seconds later, the freezing grasp of fear released the filly and she ventured a look toward the ground.

She had no idea that they had climbed so high. Another chill swept up her spine and she felt somewhat dizzy, the wagon below them had shrunk to the size of a dandelion head. The entire thrill associated with gaining altitude vanished in that instant and Sweetie knew they had to climb back down before something terrible happened. A fall from this height would make them extremely lucky if they ended up with only broken bones. The unicorn felt herself begin trembling and she understood what Apple Bloom must have been experiencing. She knew; however, that before they could climb down she needed to calm her friend down. Scootaloo would likely argue, but this was serious and with both of her friends pleading to descend to the ground again, the pegasus would listen, albeit grudgingly.

Sweetie found her movements much stiffer and more arduous to make as she pulled herself up to Apple Bloom’s height. The earth pony still faced away from Sweetie’s direction and trembled. Sweetie could make out some of the mutterings Apple Bloom was continuously mouthing. “ … don’t wanna fall … gotta git down … please … please git me down.”

Her friend was shutting down, becoming a piece of stone. Sweetie knew she needed to talk some sense into Apple Bloom before her fears seized her up completely. It hurt the unicorn to see one of her closest friends in such a predicament. She had never suspected Apple Bloom would get so frightened after climbing such a distance, but sometimes one’s fears snuck up on them. Sweetie had been frightened before they had begun to climb and had gotten over it only to become scared again. Apple Bloom hadn’t seemed frightened at all and had just stopped suddenly. Physically being on the vertical face of the cliff must have gotten to her.

Sweetie moved close to Apple Bloom and reached out to her, lightly brushing her shoulder, causing the frightened filly to flinch and jerk her horrified eyes back to Sweetie.

“Y’all … y’all didn’t fall?” her words were thick with terror but tinted with joy.” Apple Bloom’s eyes resembled those of victims in the horror movies the cinema of Ponyville showed. Full of horror with pupils shriveled to pinheads in a sea of madness. Apple Bloom was nearly insane with fear and Sweetie wondered if it would be something that would haunt her earth pony friend the rest of her life.

“No. I’m okay, but we have to get down. I’m scared. I want to climb down and go home. Do you?” Sweetie knew the answer to the question but emphasized how afraid she was herself, hoping it would help Apple Bloom feel better about her fears.

The red-maned filly nodded her head viciously and flattened against the wall as close as she could, trying to nullify some of the chances of falling. “Yeah … Scoot’ll be mad, but Ah cain’t help it, Sweetie. Ah’m so scared …” The panic in her eyes had receded and much of her sense had returned.

Sweetie could see tears forming in Apple Bloom’s eyes and felt sorrowful for her. She didn’t like to see her friends so afraid or troubled. It hurt her heart and she reached out to stroke the yellow coat of the earth pony. “It’s okay, Apple Bloom. Let’s just calm down and get off of this cliff.”

Apple Bloom nodded again and looked down at the earth so far below, trembling again and letting a few panic induced tears drip down her cheeks. “Can … can you holler at Scoots?”

“Sure.” Sweetie noticed that the rope tying Apple Bloom to Scootaloo was nearly taught, which meant Scoot would be pulling them up if she didn’t hurry and call the reckless pegasus. She cleared her throat and began to tilt her head up to gauge Scoots’ location when the rope hanging from Apple Bloom’s harness suddenly went slack.

Sweetie didn’t have time to brace herself or shout a warning before the screaming body of Scootaloo collided directly into the frightened Apple Bloom. It was only an instant but Sweetie witnessed it in horrid detail.

Scootaloo smashed into Apple Bloom, her wings fluttering uselessly in an attempt to slow her descent. The country mare held for an instant, her leg muscles tightening and pulling hard to hold onto the wall, but the falling weight of the pegasus was too much and the slender yellow legs lost their holds, peeled away and swiping for purchase on anything that they may catch. Unfortunately, there was nothing the country filly could grasp and she let out a scream as Scoots’ weight yanked her off of the wall to join her in freefall. Sweetie watched as her friends plummeted below her, taking the moment to secure her holds, knowing it wouldn’t help.

The combined weight of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo was simply too much for the slender unicorn to support and the rope snapped tight, jerking her from the wall as she cried out in fear. The wind rushed passed, deafening her, while she fell backwards toward the ground. In that instance, she watched the top of the cliff grow tiny against the picturesque blue sky, ropes wagging like streamers in the wind. For a brief second the unicorn panicked but something heavy forced her body to stop and limbs snap out painfully, her vision going dead before she could confirm that she, had indeed, met the ground.

***

The world was orange in the light of the dying day when Sweetie’s eyes opened again. Her consciousness swam circles in the sunset and nothing would focus or cease their corkscrewing pattern. For minutes, the little filly lay in a heap of ropes trying to gain control of her semi-functional systems. Her thoughts couldn’t coordinate and the edges of her vision kept threatening to go black from the dizzying display that danced before her eyes. She didn’t know where she was and her brain kept sending her pieces of information that just didn’t make sense. She thought she lay in bed at home, but she could see the sky, or was it just a light bulb? She thought her friends might be near her for some reason but couldn’t turn her head to verify that or any other of the warped ideas that floated through her mind. Her back hurt. She knew she was uncomfortable. Her bed must have become lumpy in the night … day … morning. Whatever it was. She didn’t know why her bed was outside. It must have been storming in the house. The river got too high. So they moved her bedroom outside. That’s what probably happened.

It seemed as if she drifted through half thoughts and insane visions for days, but all at once, Sweetie’s body regained its composure and her eyes focused on the nearly dark cliff face stretching high above her. She had fallen … no, they had fallen off the mountain. They had been rock climbing and … was she okay? Where were her friends?

Sweetie jerked from her back, sitting straight up and wincing as her neck and back crackled and popped. She felt as if a giant dragon had squashed her under its foot. Her body was incredibly sore but she pushed herself to her hooves without any serious pain, so she must be all right. She remembered those weird thoughts and wondered if she may have sustained a concussion. Her head felt full of thorny cotton and her horn surged with agony with every beat of her heart. She looked up at the cliff again and felt suddenly sick, her stomach clenching violently and expelling her breakfast and lunch all over the grassy ground in a sickly green spray. Tears filled her eyes, they always did that when she vomited, and she wiped at her mouth, the stomach sickness disappearing as quickly as it had arrived. She needed to find her friends and get home. She needed to rest. Her thoughts may be legible but her head felt as if it were twice its normal size. She hoped she didn’t have to go to the doctor. She was afraid of doctors. They almost always gave her shots.

Sweetie turned away from the cliff in search of her friends. She didn’t have to look far; they were laying motionless on the ground around her.

At first, Sweetie smiled a little and began to walk to her unconscious friends. She would wake them up and help them get their bearings so they could all go home. Scootaloo was the closest and Sweetie decided to try her first but, as she closed the distance, she saw what looked like gray gravy leaking from a terrible gaping wound across the center of Scootaloo’s forehead. Her legs stopped moving but her smile remained unabated, her mind unable to process the information quickly enough to make what the unicorn was seeing all right, and so it attempted to deny what it was processing. Sweetie’s innocent eyes took in the dark red pool that had poured from Scootaloo’s open brainpan and at the lumpy mass of gray custard that lay in a heap among the crimson stained grass and fragments of white.

Her smile trembled and her eyes began to dilate as pieces of the information set in. She giggled slightly and turned to regard Apple Bloom, eyes open and staring vacantly into the heavens, almost reverently. It was as if she expected Celestia herself to appear in that darkening sky. Her upper body lay facing upward but her lower body was facing flush with the ground, a magnificent twist in her torso like the knots at each end of a jump rope. Sweetie couldn’t help but giggle as her mind made the connection to the child’s toy that they frequently would play with, taking turns skipping the rope and swinging it so another could have their time leaping the twirling toy. She couldn’t help but laugh, her voice echoing through the lightly wooded area as she looked upon her motionless friends. “You look so funny, Apple Bloom!”

For several minutes, Sweetie looked back and forth at the motionless bodies of her friends, her mind slowly and agonizingly releasing information that wounded the poor unicorn. Her laughter turned to wails of sorrow as her mind finally processed what she was seeing. She was looking at the corpses of her friends. Her best friends had died from the fall! It couldn’t be! It just couldn’t! They were supposed to be compatriots for life. They were going to stay close and be happy with one another until they were old ponies. Sweetie subconsciously couldn’t face the gory mess that had leaked from Scootaloo and she dove beside Apple Bloom, pushing her with her hooves and shaking her vigorously. “Apple Bloom! Stop playing! Get up! Blink! Say something! You can’t be dead … you just can’t be! APPLE BLOOM!”

Sweetie shook, twisted, and screamed at the earth filly but her lifeless eyes continued to watch the evening turn to night without a thought to the well being of the squalling unicorn. Sweetie cried, her tears fell across the grass and onto the twisted body of her friend. For a moment, she dared to believe in those stories about true love and expected her tears to restore Apple Bloom to life. She thought her body would twist back into a normal posture and she’d gasp in a deep breath and sit up to hug her, but it didn’t happen. Sweetie’s skull pounded and she felt miserable. She didn’t know what to do and her concussed brain gave her alien thoughts, thoughts that were not rational but satisfied the needs of the poor unicorn.

“I’ll take you girls home. I’ll fix you. Twilight said that we could make whatever we want come true if we just believed in ourselves. Just … just lay still and I’ll take you girls home.” Her voice shivered with heartache and insanity. Her concussed little brain had taken too many nasty shocks and she just couldn’t leave them dead under the cliff. She would take them home and bring them back. She could do it! Twilight knew so much about magic. She had proved to them that they could do amazing feats if they just tried hard enough and nothing was stronger than love! NOTHING! She loved her friends like her own family and she could help them. She couldn’t let them be taken to the morgue or to be buried in the dirt! Not when they could be brought back to life through magic!

Sweetie stroked Apple Bloom’s head; her ribbon had come off during the fall and landed a few feet away. She fetched the accessory and fixed it back onto Apple Bloom’s red mane. “See? I’m making you better already, Apple Bloom. Just lay still and I’ll help you into the wagon, okay?” The earth pony’s eyes stared unblinking upward and Sweetie half expected an answer.

It was okay, Apple Bloom didn’t need to answer her, it was a tenant of friendship to help your friends when they were in trouble. No thank you’s were needed and Sweetie pulled the harness and rope free from Apple Bloom, discarding it to the grassy ground, before going to attach the wagon to her own rigging.

The wagon rolled easily behind the unicorn as she pulled it beside the distorted body of the Apple filly. She unlatched herself and helped her friend into the wagon, doing practically all the work herself, but that was okay. Apple Bloom was having a challenging day and Sweetie didn’t expect much help from her yet. She still had to perform the spells to help her turn her back legs in the direction they were supposed to face. It was hard getting the heavier earth pony into the wagon, but Sweetie only smiled before leaning in to kiss her friend’s forehead softly. “You just rest while I get Scoots. She’s in worse shape than you are, Bloom.”

Sweetie latched herself to the wagon again and pulled it to Scootaloo. It was harder this time because of Apple Bloom’s weight. She wasn’t fat but working on the farm had made her heavier than the others. Sweetie stopped the wagon and unlatched herself again, coming up beside Scootaloo’s draining body. “Are you just going to lie around all day, Scoots?” She couldn’t help but laugh a little at her own joke. It was okay to joke with a friend if they were getting better. Scootaloo was going to get better very soon. Sweetie was going to help her better than any doctor ever could! She smiled and rolled the pegasus into the wagon, letting her lay beside Apple Bloom. Sweetie looked curiously to the brain matter that lay on the forest floor in the pool of dark blood and wondered if she would need that part of her friend as well. She thought it over and decided that she could regenerate Scootaloo’s brain without what had been tainted by the dirty ground. The unicorn connected her harness to the wagon again and pulled it around, beginning her slow journey home. She chuckled to herself as the moon started to rise on the horizon. “Don’t you girls get too chatty back there or I’ll make you pull the wagon!”

Sweetie giggled under her breath as she slowly took step after heavy step towards her house, dragging behind her the motionless corpses of the best friends she would ever have.

***

Although her mind wasn’t functioning correctly, Sweetie knew better than to walk through the center of town hauling a cart of corpses. She also knew her mother and father would most likely not be supportive of anything regarding dead bodies, no matter how well crafted an explanation she could give. Sweetie, taxed by the heavy cart, hauled the last few steps to her home from the back alleys of Ponyville. She parked the wagon by the tree behind her house. It was dark by now and her parents were no doubt growing worried for her safety. She looked up to her bedroom window and removed her rigging. She frowned and looked back to her friends, moving within whispering distance of them. “How am I going to get you girls into my room?” She was a little perturbed with the idea of dragging them, one at a time, up the stairs. She didn’t see a way to do that and not attract the attention of her parents. Especially with the gaping wound Scootaloo bore that still dripped blood and brain matter. Her mom would probably kill her if Scoots messed up the new carpet. She let out a frustrated sigh; her friends weren’t very helpful but saw some of the leftover rope in the bottom of the wagon and smiled. Scoot still had her vest on and, even though she had tossed Apple Bloom’s away, she had worn her own. She may be able to pull them up from her bedroom window.

The filly pulled Apple Bloom’s body up and slipped the harness around her, threading the rope through the rings on the rigging. She smiled and used her magic to levitate the other end of the rope up to her window, her friends were too heavy for her levitation and she didn’t have time to concentrate on it. She quickly repeated the roping process on Scootaloo and levitated the rope up to her window again. She nodded to herself and smiled to her friends, leaning in to whisper again. “You two just be quiet and I’ll help you inside. We have to be quiet or we’ll all get into big trouble.” She gave serious glances to the lifeless eyes of her friends and nodded. “Good job, girls. Stay like that.”

Sweetie walked around her house and opened the door, stepping inside and out of the darkness. She could hear her mother doing something in the kitchen and the sweet smell of wheat and oats filled her nostrils. She wasn’t hungry and the sweet odor actually made her stomach lurch. She grimaced and rubbed at her horn. The headache was mostly gone but her horn was terribly sensitive and felt full of wool.

Her mom giggled and said something in a playful tone, which meant her father must be aggravating her somehow. They frequently poked and prodded one another. Sometimes the games of adults mimicked those that children play. Sweetie smiled gently and walked to the doorway of the kitchen, poking her head around the corner.

Her father, Magnum, was making a dramatically nauseated face and covering his muzzle with one hoof while looking into the pot that was bubbling and giving off steam. Her mother, Garden Wishes, was pushing at him and chiding his nuisance. “You just get right out of here or you won’t eat anything tonight.”

“Do you promise, Honey?” Magnum put on a wry smile.

“Oh, you jerk! I shouldn’t cook anything for you, ever!”

Sweetie smiled to herself. She needed to announce her presence so they wouldn’t disturb her. “I’m home!”

Garden and Magnum looked over at her and smiled together. Magnum chuckled at the filly, her body roughed and dirty. “Sweetie, you must have had fun today. Be home before dark next time. You know how your mother gets.” He jabbed the plump mare with the crook of his foreleg.

“Oh you stop that right now.” Garden Wishes shoved her husband back and looked back to her daughter with a somewhat disapproving look. She didn’t like that much filth to be stuck to one of her daughters. Rarity, she didn’t have to worry about. She was almost phobic of dirt, but Sweetie was a bit more adventurous and frequently came home with something thick and sticky matting her coat. “You should bathe before dinner, Sweetie. Don’t worry us like that anymore. You know you are supposed to be home before dark.”

“I know, Mom. I’m sorry. We had a little trouble with the wagon and couldn’t get back any faster. The girls are upstairs, is it okay if they stay the night?” It was a little bit of a lie. They weren’t upstairs yet, but they would be soon.

Garden Wishes smiled, her heart fluttering for her youngest daughter. Rarity hadn’t made any real friends at that age and Sweetie was forming deep, lasting bond with two awfully sweet foals. She just couldn’t say no to that. “Of course, Dearie. Dinner will be finished soon. I’ll put some more on for them as well. Just make sure you girls get a good bath before dinner time.”

“Oh, we umm … ate already. Sorry … but we’ll take our baths.” Sweetie looked a little ashamed. She was getting nervous. She wanted to help her friends get inside and then help them wake up. She didn’t care about how presentable she was at the moment. Bathing was an obstacle before her, but one that would be easily hurdled.

A somewhat pained expression crossed Garden’s face and she nodded. She had worked hard to make this dinner. “Okay, I’ll leave some leftovers in the refrigerator in case you get hungry later. Go have fun with your friends, Sweetie.”

“Okay!” Sweetie dashed away hurriedly, running up the stairs and slamming her bedroom door loudly. Garden looked back to her food and grimaced for a moment.

“Sweetie Belle was smart. She ate somewhere else,” Magnum teased.

“You’re going to get it if you don’t shut up!” A mirthful grin took hold of Garden’s features and she waved a ladle menacingly at her husband.

***

Apple Bloom was the first to come through the bedroom window. She was heavier than Scootaloo and Sweetie knew that she would have to spend more energy hauling her through. The rope made things a little easier but it was still tiring, sweetie wasn’t the strongest pony and she lay on the wooden floor of her room heaving lungfuls of air at a time. “You need to lose … some weight, Apple Bloom.” She didn’t have time to waste but she allowed a moment to pass to catch her breath. She pushed Apple Bloom’s body to the side, her body had grown quite stiff during the ride to Sweetie’s house but she didn’t seem to mind being pushed over.

Sweetie took the other rope in her mouth and marched away from the window. She heard Scootaloo thud heavily against the wall outside as she was hefted from the wagon. Sweetie absently hoped that Scoot didn’t make a mess. Sweetie didn’t want to have streaks of gore leading up to her window. Finally, she heard Scootaloo fall in the window and into a heap inside the room. Sweetie spit out the rope and quickly ran to shut the window. She looked down at her friends and a grin formed on her lips. “You sure did good staying quiet. I’m going to go take a bath so Mom doesn’t interrupt us. I’ll come back with a washcloth and clean you girls up some too. I wish you could take a bath with me, but I don’t think it would be smart to drag you to the bathroom. After you wake up you can bathe, okay?”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo seemed pleased by the prospect of taking a bubble bath. They didn’t necessarily say anything, but the way their eyes remained still let Sweetie know that they were happy. “Great! I’ll set you two up a game to play, okay?”

The unicorn pulled a box from her toy box. It was a board game about fillies trying to reach a candy castle. She smiled and opened it, setting up the pieces and then rolling her friends to it. Apple Bloom didn’t want to sit up, her broken spinal column just refused to support her wobbling upper body; so, Sweetie had to prop her against the bed. Scootaloo was easy to maneuver but Sweetie turned her to face away from the door in case one of her parents came to check on them. That way they wouldn’t see the red stains or gaping hole in Scootaloo’s forehead.

Once satisfied with the arrangement and comfort of her friends, Sweetie gave them each a quick hug. “Just play the game and I’ll be back soon. Maybe later we can all three play.” Sweetie gave a cautious look to the orange pegasus, she seemed to be focusing on the game pretty intently, her attention drawn away for a moment. Sweetie leaned in close to Apple Bloom’s ear. “Watch out, she cheats.”

Sweetie happily giggled away, her voice ringing higher than normal as her warped mind spoke riddles of reality to her. She went to the bathroom and ran herself a hot bath, pouring the bubble-making liquid and happily watching as shiny spheres filled the tub. Sweetie got into the water and sighed, the heat felt good on her stiffening and achingly sore body. She could feel her muscles loosening from the relaxing temperature. Her headache was nearly gone now and she dunked herself under the water, attempting to soothe her overly sensitive horn. It didn’t help, in fact it hurt. It reminded the filly of the stinging medicine her dad would put on scrapes and cuts. She quickly pulled her head out of the water and moaned, wanting to rub her horn but afraid to touch the screaming thing.

After a few moments, her horn stopped pounding and she scrubbed at the dirt, grime, and little bit of blood that had mixed into her fur. She couldn’t help but smile as a glob of grayish slime sank to the bottom of the tub. A little bit of Scootaloo had wanted to take a bath with her. That was okay. It was welcome. Soon enough her friends would wake up and bathe themselves. Sweetie was confident in her ability to restore their damaged bodies. She loved them and there was nothing stronger than love. Her magic couldn’t fail, right? Right?

For a brief moment, reality struck home with the filly. She knew her friends were gone. Their laughter and camaraderie had ended. She would never see that cocky grin on Scootaloo’s face or hear the country twang in Apple Bloom’s voice again. She felt like crying and her eyes brimmed with tears. Hopelessness set in, emptying her of all the joys of friendship and leaving the filly hollow. It was the worst she had ever felt and she was certain her heart had died. She felt a crushing emptiness in which she would never recover. A few tears fell from her eyes and made soft plipping sounds as they fell into the bath water.

The emptiness suddenly disappeared. Her concussed mind lied to her. They weren’t gone. They were just dead, that’s all! Sweetie could remedy that with her magic. Before the night was out, they would all be laughing, playing, and being friends just like they always had been. Twilight had showed her the power of magic. One could exercise their will over magic to bid it do as they wanted. Sweetie wanted nothing more strongly than to help her injured friends, to bring them back to life. She knew she could do it. The magic of friendship was stronger than anything. Nothing would separate the fillies, not even death. Sweetie giggled to herself, eyes staring off into the void recesses of her struggling, injured mind. She forgot about cleaning herself further, sank into the water, and thought about the spell she would have to perform. She didn’t know where to start, but she knew what the outcome needed to be. She focused on that outcome and charged her horn with preliminary surges of magic, green sparks bursting from the tip of her horn. She could do it!

***

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stared down at the board. It was Apple Bloom’s turn and she had yet to spin the spinner. The look of anguish on Scootaloo’s face told of her frustration. How long did it take to move your stupid piece? Just spin the spinner and move to the appropriate color coordinating to where the arrow on the plastic centrifuge had designated. The pair of fillies motionlessly sized up the opportunities for advancement, predicting what would happen under certain outcomes and tactically constructed strategies to overtake their opponent.

A hoof reached down and spun the plastic arrow, it landed on red and the hoof moved to relocate the little red pony that was the corresponding piece. “There, Apple Bloom. I moved for you. Scootaloo is still winning, though.”

Sweetie had returned from her bath feeling fresh and clean, except for her puffy mind, and had helped her friends play their game. She smiled to Scootaloo, who only watched with great skill in remaining ambivalent, and flicked the spinner with her hoof. “Oh! Scootaloo! You just won! Hooray! You get to spend the rest of your life in the Castle of Candy! Apple Bloom, you were caught in Caramel Court, but that’s good too. I know you love caramel.”

The unicorn picked up the game and put it away in her toy box, returning to her two friends and sitting across from them, forming a triangle where they all faced one another. She giggled to herself, her throaty noises verging on the laughter of patients wrapped in straight jackets. Her eyes flickered between the continuous gaze of her friends and nodded gingerly to them. “Yes … I think it’s time girls. I’m going to fix you both. I love you so much that I know this will work.”

The unicorn reached around her friends and pulled them into her for a big hug. She sobbed slightly, overcome with emotion. “I’ve never told anypony this but … I think of you like my sisters. Sometimes you’re more my family than Rarity and I love you both so much. We can’t be apart. I won’t let them put you both in the ground. Not when I can help you. Close your eyes and concentrate, okay? I’m going to start now.”

Sweetie Belle ran to extinguish the light; the darkness would aid in her concentration and focus her energies. She closed her eyes, calling upon the magic in her horn and the love in her heart to resurrect her closest friends. She concentrated, focusing on all of the good times the threesome had partaken in since their friendship had been forged at Diamond Tiara’s cuteseniara. They were three of a kind and had found respite, acceptance, and love within one another.

Her tiny horn flickered to life with ubiquitous green light that cascaded across the forms of the three young ponies. It danced across the expressionless features of the dead ponies like the twinkling of distant stars. Sweetie’s head thumped powerfully from the concentration and pain shot from the tip of her horn through her neck. Birth as always painful and she grimaced under the burden that weighed against her. The filly fought through the pain, her mind filling with visions of her friends laughing and smiling happily.

For what seemed like hours, the unicorn concentrated and focused her magical energies. Her body felt strange and she found herself in a strange place.

She didn’t know how she came to this place of fear and terror but she identified it as the spirit world. She found herself all alone, a thick darkness surrounding her completely. She couldn’t see anything in the inky blackness that surrounded her and a penetrating cold chilled her bones. She felt afraid, completely alone, and oppressed by the life stealing cold blackness. She could feel her warmth being sucked away by the intense atmosphere and she realized that this was death. Her friends were trapped in this nightmare somewhere, frightened and alone. More than ever, she realized she needed to save her friends and restore their souls to the bodies that waited in the physical reality.

The filly looked around as fear clutched her heart, stealing her confidence and hope. She saw herself lying at the bottom of the sheer cliff, body broken and ribs poking through the mangled flesh. She could see her glassy eyes staring lifelessly towards the bodies of her friends. The fall had killed the three of them and it wasn’t until this moment did she realize that her trek home and her plan to restore life to her friends had been a dream, the final flickering moment of her life.

She watched as her body began to fade away and somehow knew that once it completely eroded, she would cease to exist in any state. Her soul would be tossed into the void, never to return. The frightened filly saw her flesh dry up, blow away like sand, her meat and sinew similarly bubbling away and flying off by the passage of time. The unicorn felt a bottomless sorrow and knew that this was her finality. The void would reclaim them all. She watched as her skeleton was bared and began to dissipate before her watery eyes. This was the fate that all ponies would face at the end of their lives. The horror of it all struck the filly and she began to scream as her bones reduced to ash.

An abrupt rapping broke the concentration of the unicorn and an angry voice snapped her mind from the hell in which it was trapped. Her vision swirled for a moment and her head felt as if it had been caught in a vice as the magical energy that had been pouring from her horn to surround the still bodies of her friends dried up and faded back to the darkness of the unicorn’s bedroom. For a moment she shook, the terrible vision had frightened her and she wiped at her eyes, realizing she had been crying. She wasn’t sure how she had escaped, some outside force had pulled her attention away. She sighed in relief as she realized she still drew breath and quickly checked her friends for signs of life. Nothing. Her spell had been interrupted by something, but it may have been for the best. She didn’t know what would have happened if her body had turned completely to dust in that vision and the possibilities scared her. She heard voices again and she recognized the country accent of Applejack.

“Is Apple Bloom here, Garden? She ain’t come home yet and Ah’m mighty worried about’er.” The anger in her voice came from fear and Sweetie leapt to her hooves. She had to buy some time to complete her spell. If Applejack discovered Apple Bloom as she was now, it would mean the end of her friend and she couldn’t let that happen.

Sweetie rushed out of her bedroom door and was hopping down the stairs when her mother answered, “Yes, Applejack. She’s here. Want me to go get her for you?”

“NO!” Sweetie yelled loudly, causing Applejack and both of her parents to cast surprised looks in her direction. Sweetie paused momentarily and formulated a quick lie. “She’s asleep already, Applejack. We were going to ask you if it was okay but we were late getting back home and tired after such a long day.” She hoped her lie would work. Applejack was strong and nice but her temper was somewhat short.

“Ah understand, Sweetie but she shouldn’t a’ worried us like that. She knows better than ta worry us like this. Go git her, please. Ah want ta take her home.” The look on Applejack’s face was serious. She wanted to have a stern talk with Apple Bloom.

Sweetie began to panic and a certain desperation took hold of her mind, freezing it in cold fear. She couldn’t let Apple Bloom’s death be discovered. Her eyes began to dilate as her mind rambled inane phrases and snips of sentences to her. “We … we were so tired, Applejack. Apple Bloom really really needs … rest. Please let her sleep. It’s been a trying day.” Her voice took on a monotonous quality that actually brought chill bumps across the Apple mare.

Garden Wishes saw the strange look and took it as a sign of exhaustion in the filly. She grimaced and turned back to her visitor. “Applejack. They haven’t made a peep all night. They must be tired. I’m sure you’re upset about this and I am too. I didn’t know they hadn’t cleared this with you or I would have had Magnum personally walk Apple Bloom home. Let the child sleep and we’ll feed her and bring her to Sweet Apple Acres in the morning, okay?”

Magnum looked irritated at his daughter and joined the conversation. “Yes, and I promise that this won’t happen again.” The mustached unicorn turned his head to Sweetie. “You’re grounded, young lady. Two weeks, there’s no excuse for worrying Applejack like this.”

Sweetie didn’t reply, muttering something to herself, her expression still bewildered and vacant. It took a moment for her to process the information and she quickly nodded, sinking her head towards the floor. “Yes, Papa … I’m sorry, Applejack.”

Applejack sighed and nodded. She was mad but also relieved that Apple Bloom was safe and sound asleep upstairs. “Alright then. Ah’ve got some sellin’ ta do tomorrow. Ah’ll be settin’ up shop at the market. Ah’ll stop by around eight and pick her up. She’ll work off her punishment for me over the next couple a’ weeks. Ah’m sorry ta have disturbed y’all.” She looked a little embarrassed at having sounded angry.

Magnum replied, “that’s okay, Applejack. It’s scary when you don’t know where your children are.”

“Yes. She’ll be ready in the morning. Have a good night, Applejack.” Garden Wishes was soft toned and gentle. She completely understood Applejack’s frustration.

“Alright, goodnight, y’all. I appreciate it.” Applejack turned and walked out of the home, magnum closed the door behind her.

Garden Wishes cast a heated look to her daughter. “Alright Missy, upstairs and in bed. We’ll talk about this more after your friends leave in the morning.”

“Okay, Mom. Goodnight.” Sweetie walked back up the stairs to her room, breathing a sigh of relief. She hadn’t thought about informing Applejack. She hadn’t been in the state of mind to think all of the possibilities through but she could clearly see her error now. At least Scootaloo’s family wouldn’t cause a problem considering she didn’t have one. It was a secret that she had divulged to her friends some time back. Scoots had been sleeping in the clubhouse for the past year and they had done a lot to renovate the place for her comfort and safety.

Sweetie walked back into her room and locked the door behind her. She was running out of time. Applejack would be back in the morning and she wasn’t sure how long it would take for her magic to set in. The pressure made the words ramble through her head again and she giggled lightly to herself. “We can do it, girls. We’ll do it this time.”

Sweetie regained her place between her friends, making their triangle again. She reached out with a hoof and took the corresponding hooves of her friends, joining them together for the magic. “Hold on. I’ll help you this time, but help me too. Give me your company and let me know you’re still here with me. I’m afraid of the darkness.”

Sweetie looked at the lifeless bodies of her friends again; their cold hooves anchored her and bolstered her courage. She would do this for them. She had to. She loved them. Her eyes closed as her horn flickered magical energy, sputtering it out at first before the green liquid-like form of Sweetie’s mysticism poured from her horn and surrounded the bodies of all three fillies. As her consciousness delved away from the physical world and into the spiritual abyss, she muttered strange words of love and bond to the corpses holding her hooves.

Once again, the void took Sweetie’s spirit. The stealing cold began robbing her life force immediately and the void gave way to the corpses of the three fillies. Their bodies were rotting below the cliff and bugs had eaten away at their flesh leaving open sores and discolored pockets of rancid meat across their bodies.

Sweetie shivered and felt herself losing to the negative energy of the place. She watched as her body began to bulge and change as it turned to dust before her. She fought this time, remembering what she was fighting for. She remembered the love of her friends and the good times they had together. The unicorn filled her mind with positive thought and felt her magical resources heightening. She would restore her friends; win them back from this pit of despair and save their souls. She recalled their meeting and forming of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She reveled in their first adventures and the joys they had found within each other’s hearts. They were sisters and nothing could change that.

Her heart felt as if it would burst from the strong emotions welling within her small frame. She opened her eyes, looked down to her corpse, and gasped as she saw it had nearly been obliterated.

All of the wonderful thoughts had failed to save her. She recognized the corpse as the embodiment of her soul and when it disintegrated, her life would end. She would fall limply with the bodies of her friends and they would never find one another again.

She started crying as the corpse reduced to a skeleton and continued pouring away. Twilight was wrong. Believing you could do something didn’t always mean you could. She had crossed the threshold of life and death, brought herself to this place of misery and would die as a result. Her friends’ souls would never find peace and neither would she. They would simply cease existence. The last vestiges of hope emptied from the young unicorn and she watched powerlessly, waiting to become nothing in this abyss of woe.

A sudden grip caught Sweetie and she lifted her head, looking to her right foreleg where something tugged at her. Standing next to her, supporting her was Scootaloo. Her face was as pristine as it had been in life and the horrible wounds were gone. Sweetie smiled and Scoots smiled back with that cocky grin. Another tug came and she looked to her left where Apple Bloom grinned happily to her. They had found her. Their souls found each other in this tomb. Their friendship was stronger than death and together they would beat this torturous place.

Sweetie looked down at her corpse, seeing its flesh growing back, becoming whole. Beside her lay the twisted wrecks of her friends who were similarly recuperating. The penetrating cold withdrew and the warmth from their hearts filled the void, killing the soul stealing emptiness of this place. Somewhere far above a door opened, spilling a bright green light and Sweetie instinctively knew that it was the gateway to their bodies. She could return the souls of her friends to their bodies and make them whole again. She pulled at them and the three floated into the nether blackness, chasing after the hope of life anew.

The door was too bright to see through but a green mist poured from the opening and Sweetie tugged at her friends’ legs, urging them forward. She was swiftly stopped by the spiritual forms of her friends and she turned to regard their hesitance.

Apple Bloom shook her head sadly. “We cain’t go back, Sweetie. We’re dead. It wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be the same.” The words were profound, as if Apple Bloom had a deep understanding of this place that Sweetie had yet to discover.

“But Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, I love you both so much. I can’t think of living without you. My magic will bring us back. We can be happy again.” The filly didn’t understand and looked questioningly between her friends.

Scootaloo sighed and looked to Apple Bloom. “We can’t make the choice, Sweetie Belle. We don’t know what will happen if we walk through this gate with you. It’s the portal of life but are bodies are dead on the other side. Our spirits can’t reside in them like they used to. We love you too, we always will, but do you think your magic can truly make us whole again?” Her eyes were questioning and frightened. Sweetie understood that they wanted to return with her but were afraid of what may lay on the other side.

Sweetie’s magic was fluctuation powerfully and she could feel its power. Their love would conquer death and they would return to the world of the living together. They would find their bond was stronger than the laws of nature and would break them to be together once more. “I know it is, girls. We’re supposed to be together. If I can’t go back with you, then I’ll stay here.” Sweetie looked sad but determined. She needed her friends. They were her heart and whatever lie ahead for her, she wanted to experience it with them at her sides.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked to one another sadly and nodded quietly. Sweetie still lived and, despite the unknown result, they couldn’t let her sacrifice her life to be with them. Apple Bloom smiled softly. “Take us home, Sweetie. Bring us back to life.”

Sweetie smiled and floated towards the glowing green portal, her forelegs locked with those of her closest friends. She stepped through, pulling the souls of her beloved companions with her into the world of the living, their hearts pumping with prospect, hope, and love for one another.

***

Sweetie was a giggling mess when Applejack and her parents broke the door to her room down. She had no idea where she was or what was going on and only babbled madly about returning to the living world. Worse yet, her forelegs were intertwined with those of her closest friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who had suffered a terrible fate. Their corpses had bloated in the night and a sickly smell permeated the air. When the Royal Guard and ponies from the hospital arrived to pull the insane foal from her friends she only screamed and claimed that they would kill her friends by burying them. Their souls were trapped in their bodies. They couldn’t be without each other. It was their bond that kept them together.

The dead bodies were taken and given their rest in the ground of Sweet Apple Acres. The Apple Family was terribly upset and, after discovering Scootaloo’s predicament, buried her alongside their unfortunate Apple Bloom.

Sweetie Belle was taken to the hospital and given sedatives. She was restrained in a straight jacket for fear of hurting herself, the filly screamed and kicked maniacally. She screamed until her throat became too hoarse to speak.

***

It had been nearly a week and the doctor’s had given Garden Wishes, Magnum, and Rarity their professional opinion over the state of their poor daughter and sister; she was a danger to herself and would need to be transferred to Canterlot for closer observation and treatments. The psychosis that had taken Sweetie Belle from reality was a combination due to the graphic nature of witnessing her friends’ deaths and the severe cranial trauma she had sustained from whatever the three had done to themselves. It was a sad state of affairs but hopefully one day, Sweetie might return to the world and be able to live with her family again.

Sweetie sat in her padded cell, the last night before her transfer to the more secure Canterlot Mental Health facility. Her forelegs were wrapped around her body in the white straight jacket and she looked around the cell as if she were seeing things that weren’t really there. Her raspy voiced still crept from her raw throat in protest and assuring that she had restored the spirits of her friends to the living world. She leaned against the soft cushioned wall and cried softly, sobbing into the night at the loss of her closest friends. Nothing could separate them, not bullies, not fights, not death! She couldn’t handle being alone. She needed their aid, their friendship, their love. Her eyes were rimmed with the bruises of lack of sleep and her pinhole pupils searched the room for signs of her beloved comrades. Her spell … it couldn’t have failed. It just couldn’t have. She had traveled the abyss of the spiritual realm and vanquished the terror therein. What could have happened? They were together when she stepped through the gateway!

From outside the room came a bloodcurdling scream. Sweetie’s eyes popped towards the door and she dragged herself with her back legs away from the wall. There was a small window about the size of a letter that she could see through and she maneuvered until she could just glimpse through it.

She could see the limp body of one of the night shift nurses lying in a pool of thick crimson liquid. She couldn’t tell what was going on but the body seemed to be jerking unnaturally, almost as if something were feasting on it. For several minutes, the restrained unicorn tried to get a better look out of the tiny window but she just couldn’t get a clear enough vantage.

She gave up and lay her head back against the soft cushions, muttering to herself when she heard the awkward sounds of small hooves outside of her room. It sounded as if somepony was injured badly and could barely walk by the strange scraping, dragging, noises that permeated the cushioned room.

Sweetie Belle watched the door, her mind telling her all sorts of insane notions as she watched. Suddenly the door shivered and then trembled, a heavy thumping sound coming across it as if it were being broken down from the outside. Her heart pumped but she wasn’t afraid. She knew what was happening. They had come.

The door finally pulled free and swung open, a pair of rotting fillies stood in the doorway. Blood streaked their muzzles and bodies from the fresh kill. Apple Bloom was more or less dragging her twisted lower half and Scootaloo wearing the nasty wound that had killed her, a few worms crawling from the gaping hole. Their flesh had turned to a sickly green color under their pallid coats and the stalked toward the bound filly.

The dead ponies slowly made their way into the room, coming up to the unicorn and sinking down beside her, moaning sorrowfully but somehow seemingly satisfied as they gnashed their teeth at Sweetie. They pushed her to her stomach and she could feel their jaws tearing at her jacket. She squalled,certain of her imminent doom from the angry corpses of her friends. How they must ache in their rotting bodies. They had been right all along. She should never have brought them back to this misery. They were better off in the abyss.

Her restraints kept her from escaping their undead grasp and she cried, finally deciding whatever they wanted to do with her was better than the torment she had damned them to.

Loud tearing noises echoed in the room and Sweetie waited to feel the ripping pain as her friends tore her body apart. Suddenly her forelegs were free and Scootaloo’s hoof lifted her to a sitting position. Sweetie’s frightened expression turned soft as she saw the flickering light of friendship in the milky recesses of her pegasus friend’s eyes.

Sweetie smiled sweetly to her friends and leaned to them one at a time to kiss their cold, rotten cheeks. She wrapped each of her friends with one leg and hugged them close, their smell was horrific and choked Sweetie, but she didn’t care. Tears poured from her eyes, she embraced the zombie remains of her best friends, and she croaked through her raw throat to them.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know this is how you would come back. I love you two so much. I just wanted to be together again.” The unicorn cried, holding onto the cold, dead corpses, smelling the odor of the grave and finally seeing that they wore almost as much dirt as blood on their bodies. They must have dug their way out of the grave.

Apple Bloom pressed her fetid face against Sweetie’s cheek. The blood from the feast on the nurse spread across the white fur of Sweetie’s jaw. She was trying to kiss the unicorn and reassure her. She wanted Sweetie to know everything would be all right. They loved her still.

Sweetie leaned up, smiled, and dried her eyes. She hugged her friends close again and looked into the vacant hallway. “Let’s get out of here before somepony tries to stop us from leaving.” Sweetie got to her hooves and she trotted out into the hallway, the bodies of her friends following closely behind. Sweetie giggled madly to herself. She had her friends again. Nothing could stop the power of their friendship, not even death.

Twilight had been right; If you wanted something badly enough, you could make it happen.

Author's Note

Friendship Never Dies. It Just Reanimates