Chapter 8 - Home's End
Part 1

Apple Cobbler galloped as fast as she possibly could down the cobbled street, her hooves clacking rhythmically and echoing with each pace. Her breath was short and quick, the exhaustion from her long sprint making each breath harder and harder to take through her parched throat. She instinctively looked back, expecting to see the horde of tattered ponies she had encountered minutes prior; however, there was not a pony to be found.

Apple slowed to a halt, feeling her body go limp from fatigue, and collapsed onto the ground; she panted and heaved, praying that the burning in her chest and legs would stop long enough for her to find someplace to hide. She slowly raised her head to glance around at her surroundings, using a free hoof to brush aside her bloodied, blonde mane.

The mare instantly found her eyes drawn to an alleyway hidden between two large, boarded up homes. A hopeful smile crept on her face. “I just,” she began, cutting herself off to take a deep breath. Her voice was scratchy and rough. “I just need to a rest a bit.” It took an extraordinary amount of effort, but she was soon upon her hooves and slowly walking toward the alleyway.

“Then I can look in the houses for a better spot.” She concluded to herself. It seemed that finally something was going her way. And with enough rest, she could be sure that she would be able to find her daughter…

“Sunny…” her tired voice trailed off as tears began to well in her light blue eyes. Apple Cobbler rubbed a hoof vigorously against her eyes in a desperate attempt to hold back her tears. She needed to be strong now. She needed to regain her strength. Slowly she hobbled over to the alleyway, checking one last time to make sure nopony was around to watch her enter.

The alley was dark and damp, various bits of trash scattered about on the ground. The stench from several overturned garbage cans toward the back of the alley was nearly unbearable, making the mare gag before she finally covered her mouth with a hoof and continued forward. She recalled that it had been months since the Ponyville Sanitation Department had last been around to pick up the now rotting trash that surely lie on every street corner.

Apple Cobbler grinned darkly as she approached the cans, checking behind them for any stray bodies. “My tax bits at work.” At that she lowered herself down on a torn trash bag, eagerly welcoming the rest her body deserved. Her deep blue eyes scanned the mouth of the alleyway, half hoping, half fearing that somepony would turn up. For far too long it’d been just her and Sunny…

She sighed heavily and turned on her side, facing away from the opening to the street. Her eyes danced over the brick wall that stood only a few feet away from her, connecting the two buildings. She attempted to shift her focus to the sky but found the buildings and the wall effectively blocked out the sun; her surroundings, she noticed, were all coated in a dark shadow.

Apple Cobbler had no clue what time it was or how long she’d been running from the tattered ponies but soon felt exhaustion wash over her. It had been days since she properly slept, and her body had been crying out for rest for nearly as long. And now that she was in a dark, secluded alley, it seemed that she finally had an opportunity for respite. Her eyelids slowly began to drop, feeling heavier with each attempt to flutter them back open.

The mother sighed heavily. “Sunny…” She turned on her side and slowly faded into sleep.

“GoOoOOooD….”

Apple Cobbler’s eyes shot open and she bolted upright, breathing quickly. The mare had been sleeping soundly, if somewhat lightly, and the voice had easily startled her into alertness. Quickly she looked around her surroundings a few times, making sure she was alone in the alley, which she proved to be.

Apple Cobbler wiped a hoof against her forehead and settled back on the makeshift bedding of trash bags and scraps. She was sure she had heard something. A voice, if she wasn’t mistaken.

“Good…?” she echoed, thinking over what she heard. It seemed random, impossible even as she began checking around more slowly this time, to make sure she hadn’t missed anything during her frenzied search. She stopped and stared forward, feeling her mind slowly return to its tired state. However, her body was in alert mode and stayed wired. “Good…” the mare mumbled to herself again, stretching. “Good what?” She had half a mind to return to sleep, noting that the alley was now significantly darker than when she had first entered.

But suddenly something caught her eye.

Apple Cobbler froze in her spot. From out the corner of her eye she noticed a shadow at the mouth of the alleyway standing still. Even from her limited view she was certain; standing only a short distance away was the unmistakable silhouette of a pony. The pony stood there a moment longer but then shambled past the opening, beyond her sight.

“W-wait!” she cried. Before she knew it, Apple Cobbler found herself on her hooves and hurrying toward the road. “Wait, mister! Please!”

She turned the corner and found instantly found herself standing before possibly the most tattered and torn pony she’d ever seen. While its body seemed to be all in one piece from the silhouette, she could now see a plethora of deep cuts and other wounds scattered about the bloodied stallion.

Parts of its front legs were stripped of their flesh, revealing milk-white bones and occasional tufts of skin that had been missed. Its face was a light grey and a deep bite wound on its throat indicated that its blood had been drained. The stallion’s eyes were dull and vacant, however they still seemed to stare right at Apple Cobbler who turned around and darted back into the alley, screaming.

Apple Cobbler turned around the corner quickly and stumbled over her hooves, sliding face-first on the cement. She moaned and turned around onto her back, only to find the derelict stallion shambling toward her; its mouth hung open as if it were unable to close it at all and a low moan escaped its slit throat.

Fear froze Apple Cobbler in her place; she could do nothing more than stare at the stallion that was slowly moving itself toward her with awkward, uneven steps. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out, save for a quiet whine. This was it. Her heart raced as she lay on the cement ground, awaiting her imminent demise.

Nothing could possibly save her now.

She opened her mouth again and whispered the name of her daughter - the one thing that had kept her going for far too long.

“Sunny…”

Apple Cobbler’s muscles tensed as she waited another moment for the teeth of the stallion to bite ferociously into her, but felt nothing. She opened her eyes to find the stallion standing still, looking around as if something had just passed it by. It let out a strained groan and turned its milky eyes back toward Apple Cobbler. She slowly began to back away, finally able to move again.

The mare suddenly bumped against something and stopped. However, it seemed to be neither a wall nor a pony. It was large and muscular, with a short and shabby coat of fur. Apple Cobbler whimpered, afraid. She slowly looked up to find a Diamond Dog looming over her, a gruesome necklace of what appeared to be bloodied pegasi wings dangling from its neck. A second look revealed that there were wings of various colours, all cut up into different shapes and pierced by the string.

The Diamond Dog smiled maliciously at her and stepped forward toward the ramshackle stallion. He clasped its head in his hands and without much effort squeezed until a loud, painful crack was heard. The stallion stopped moaning and fell to the ground in a heap, blood and brain matter oozing into the cracks of the cement floor of the alleyway.

“GoooOOoOOoDddd.” The beast growled.

Slowly the Diamond Dog turned back to the shaking mare, the smile still on its face. It lazily wiped its bloodied paws on its fur, matting it even more. Finally the brute looked up, locking eyes with Apple Cobbler. Its yellow-toothed smile grew larger.

Apple Cobbler felt her heart pounding inside her chest but her body refused to move. She gaped up at the immense Diamond Dog, shuddering in fear, her eyes unblinking – waiting. She flinched in anticipation and froze once again.

The Diamond Dog was beaming down at her.

“BbbYyyyYyeeeEeeEee.”

Author's Notes:

Been a long time since I've updates this beast. But I'm happy I finally did! As my system goes, it will be updated every month at the end (or very beginning in this case). I intend to write much much more for this story, and until I have free time time and a desire to write, this is how it will be done. So none of you will be sad! :D

Also, I need a better title for this chapter. This is NOT the end of my story. Not even close. I'm just out of ideas for a title for now. SO ignore it. Got any ideas???

(written when the title was "Beginning of the End")