Applebloom gasped in horror as cities across Equestria burst into flame from massive explosions. While Twilight's vanguard had mostly left, a few had stayed behind and either died or killed themselves. In retrospect, Applebloom should have known that the mindless beasts had some sort of way to be useful even after death. In this case, their blood was flammable and explosive, igniting upon some sort of unknown signal, likely sent through Neos's possessed body. As for Neos, he had disappeared without a trace after the vanguard had left.

"Send out a rescue team. Tell them to keep fire damage to a minimum" Applebloom said in a tightly clipped voice to avoid showing the rampant emotion inside of her. So many lives lost in a matter of seconds. She got a report from the first emergency unit. 75% of Manehattan had been slaughtered.

Sweetie, along with Burning Cobalt, Sandy Dunes, and the ones who remained from the 1st Squad, flew back towards Applebloom's headquarters in Canterlot Castle. Maybe she had a plan for how to deal with the situation. As they reached the castle though, they saw a huge mob of ponies on the ground, many injured, all upset.

"It's your fault my family died!"

"Think actions through!"

"The Moon's going to kill us!"

"They came here because of you!"

Sweetie winced as she heard the accusations. She had tried her best, she didn't mean for any of this to happen.

"When I fight, I hurt ponies" Sweetie mumbled to herself, her avatar's color dulling somewhat as Sweetie realized the scope of the destruction.

"Make her take responsibility!" roared out the leader of a certain faction of the mob. This faction wanted Sweetie's head on a pike and thought of the avatars as demons. It was only natural that they destroy the statue of Scootaloo, the the parent of the avatars. Sweetie would normally feel angry about the statue of her best friend being desecrated, but guilt had taken hold. Maybe they all deserved it

"Sweetie was arrested?!" Iron Will snapped, smashing a machine to nuts and bolts with his hand.

"Yes, I told you several times" a rather miffed Flim responded, trying to rebuild the machine(Super Cider Squeezy: Portable Edition).

"They're holding trial right away" Flam added, showing concern for the unicorn. Sure, he was a cheating snake, but that didn't mean that he didn't like the spunky unicorn who had saved all of them from Celestia.

"Applebloom's gone nuts!" Gilda exclaimed, shocked that their leader would allow such an injustice.

"Do they really think it's her fault?" Soarin' murmured, chewing on a stalk of grass to calm his nerves. Most of the old Resistance had disbanded, but a few grouped together, like what Soarin' and a few others were doing now inside of Flim and Flam's garage.

"It's because of her that we were able to meet with people and make bonds with them again. We owe her" Silver Spoon grumbled, tossing Flim a wrench to fix the juicer. She wasn't a huge fan of the unicorn, but had some grudging respect for her. Iron's Will's hand suddenly shot out, grabbing a rock that had been about to hit the silver earth pony in the back of he head.

"Owe her? It's her fault the world's going to Hell" spat an angry mule who had overheard their talk. Iron Will growled and prepared to show him a lesson.

"Enough! Deal with it, they'll stop" Spitfire snapped, causing Iron Will to halt. The minotaur growled before sitting down again, letting the mule run away.

Sweetie's trial was decided with a smack of the gavel. The judge was Mayor Mare, wizened by age, but still sharp of mind. Applebloom looked at the proceedings from a chair next to the judge, her face stoic.

"The jury has reached agreement. Sweetie is sentenced to...this can't be right" Mayor murmured, giving the paper to Applebloom to see if it was an issue with her eyes. Applebloom shook her head and handed it back. "Sweetie is judged to...execution" the former Mayor said with a deflated sigh, looking down at the unicorn with pity in her eyes. It was to be expected, Sweetie had indirectly killed thousands. Even so, was it really fair? The crowd burst into chaos, some cheering, some demanding explanation.

"Order!" Applebloom demanded, her voice having authority like never before. The court shut up in an instant to here what she had to say. "We must calm the populace. Sweetie Belle is responsible, if indirectly, to horrific crimes. So, ponies, are you happy now? Are you happy that I am willing to execute my friend so that justice is served and danger is stopped?!" Applelboom snapped, enraged that the ungratefulness of the ponies. Applebloom hated herself for doing this, but Sweetie had done wrong, it was only fair. She told herself this anyway

"What about the Moon?" a nervous voice called back

"We are working on an evacuation plan" Applebloom responded quickly, turning on her heel and leaving the court room in a state of screaming madness. No one noticed Sweetie Belle's reactions. She seemed almost relieved by the decision. Her eyes were dull and her coat almost appeared grey, if looked at in the right way. Her horn wasn't working when she entered, so she was spared the discomfort of a suppression spell. The Element of Magic lay inside a safe in Applebloom's room, but didn't need to be. IT could have been in front of Sweetie Bell and she would have done nothing.

"What would you have done, Scootaloo?" Next Chapter: The Dead and the Living Estimated time remaining: 23 Minutes