Everythin' was so terrifyin', disturbin' and sad. Mah feelings were spinnin' around inside of mah head. Mah mind... ah was so confused and just, hnnnrgh, ah couldn’t even concentrate on mah own feelings anymore! Ah was totally exhausted, mah nerves were at their breaking point.
Ah just wanted to go back home, to wake up... SOMETHIN'! That couldn’t have been true! Somethin' like that couldn’t even exist!
Suddenly the colors of the ground, the trees, even the sky itself were changin'. The ground turned bloody red like the sky, the trees were faintin' to black and Luna’s moon disappeared.
“That’s impossible!” Suddenly there was a sound, a creepy sound like crackin' bones and movin' earth. Ah looked around and stared to the ground behind me. I got paralyzed...
“No... please, NO!” Zombies everywhere! They were comin' outta the red ground, their faces crowded with maggots and rotten flesh. Great Celestia, this was more than just a normal nightmare!
Ah turned around and began to run again. Hundreds if not thousands of Zombies were spreadin' behind and in front of me. They kept on comin' outta the ground, chasin' me through the forest.
Endless waves of dark undead ponies were approachin' me. Ah tried to evade every one of these ponies as best as ah could, jumpin' from side to side, still runnin' as fast as possible.
Mah breath was runnin' out and mah sight got tarnished. Mah hunger, thirst and tiredness grew bigger and bigger, ah couldn’t hold on any longer! Ah ran through a small passage, the ground was shakin', the sounds of crackin' bones and cryin' ponies were everywhere.
Ah looked back for a second and could see hundreds if not thousands of red dots approachin' me from behind. Dead red eyes were cuttin' through the dark fog, piercin' mah soul again and
again and again.
“No! Go away! GO AWAY!” Ah continued to focus on the road in front of me again, jumpin' over several stones and trunks. Ah could feel that the zombies were gettin' closer, feelin' their cold
breath on mah tail.
“Why are they so fast? They're just zombies!” After an endless race of survival through this nightmarish forest, ah finally gave up and fell on the hard ground. Mah legs were too tired and
mah head was spinnin' around... mah strength ran out. Ah could hear the Zombies gettin' closer.
Mah heart kept beatin' and big tears were coverin' mah cheeks. “
“A- ah can't go on anymore... ah can't! Why can't ah just wake up?”
Ah closed mah eyes, hopin' to see mah friends and family again... one last time.
Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, mah friends from school, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, Spike... mah family. Ah could see them in front of mah closed eyes, smilin' at me like everything’s was alright, like in the good ol' days... but it wasn't... and it'll never be that way again!
“So this is the end now? This is how it ends? Dyin' without ever even find mah special talent
in life, mah own cutie mark? ... dyin' all alone in the middle of a nightmare?”
Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Applejack, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith... all of you. Mah friends, mah family.... Ah would never see ya again, but how ah wished ah could. Ah wished ah could tell ya all how much ah loved you! Sis... ah was so sorry... ah was so sorry for breakin' mah promise!
Please forgive me!
“Applebloom...”
“Huh?” Ah opened mah eyes and looked around... the zombies were gone, along with the red
ground, the sky and even the trees. Ah was in the middle of the darkness. No lights, no path, just endless darkness and silence. The coldness, the fog even the wind was gone, too... did that mean
ah was already... dead?
“Don’t cry Applebloom... stand up and follow me.” That voice sounded familiar.
It was the voice of that young... dead filly. She was here somewhere, did she saved me from those creatures? Suddenly ah could see bloody hoof-prints appearin' in front of me, leadin' far away into the emptiness.
“Follow me Applebloom... follow me.” The voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere at the same time and although ah was scared to the bones and totally exhausted, ah stood up and tried to follow the hoof-prints.
“Follow me Applebloom.” The voice was gettin' louder with every step, mah whole body hurt,
but ah don’t wanted to give up, not now! Seconds turned to minutes, minutes became hours.
Step by step ah was followin' the bloody trace. Then, after a long time of wanderin' around, ah
could finally see her... the beautiful grey filly with long orange mane and blond strands.
She stood right in front of me, her back turned into mah direction. Ah was still unable to see her face, but ah wanted to know what happened here, or at least... what would happen now.
“Uhm, hello? You're that pony from the entrance of the Everfree Forest, right?” But there was no response... she just sat there, starin' into the darkness. Ah didn't knew what ah should say,
but it didn’t even matter anymore. Ah went beside her and sat down, too. Total silence took place
in this world. Ah now only wanted to sleep... so ah could wake up, knowin' it was just a nightmare. But it wasn’t a nightmare, right? No, it was real. The town, the ponies... mah death. It was not a dream at all.
“You're not dead young filly.” She began to talk. Mah heart stood still while a cold shiver was runnin' down mah spine.
“Ahm... not dead?” Ah asked her.
“No, you're not dead. It's not your destiny to reside here.”
“But isn't this, well, the end of life?”
“No, it's not. It's neither heaven nor hell if you mean that.”
“So... what is this place?”
“... it's my home. The only place where I can live in peace.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I was a young filly like you, I dreamed of getting my very own cutie mark, something that would make me special. Everypony in our village had one... until one day.”
“What happened?”
“... a terrible disease appeared in our village, causing many deaths and sorrow in our little town. There was neither a cure nor any help from the outside. This disease was like a mark... like a cutie mark to be certain. Soon after the major spread the rumor that normal cutie marks were the actual disease and started to hunt down everypony which were carrying cutie marks on their flanks.
Many died that time, those who tried to escape where found and killed... there was no place to hide, nowhere to go. One day though, the major and the rest of the villagers got attacked and killed....
They took their tradition into their graves, at least that's what it seemed.”
“You mean the night when-”
“Yes... it was the night I got murdered. My mother, she.... She tried to find help,
she knew about my cutie mark and tried to protect me... but it wasn’t enough. One day she disappeared without a trace. I thought she left me because she wanted to save her own life,
but instead she... just searched for help... and she found someone who helped her.”
“The grey-white horse?”
“So she already told you about it?”
“No, ah mean, not really...”
“I know that horse, that zebra you're thinking of right now, right? But it's not her.
She's too young to possibly could have been there that time.” How did she knew what ah
was thinkin'? She was definitely not a normal ghost, that was for sure.
“Oh ah see, makes sense.” One moment ago, ah really thought it would be Zecora,
but she was right, it couldn't have been her. Zecora had to be about two hundred years old by now.
“So, what did that grey-white horse do?”
“My mother went back to the village, carrying a secret spell inside of her, a curse if you want.
In fact, she let herself get cursed so everypony who got killed, or those who would kill her,
would get that curse, too. That curse was called 'The Everlasting Punishment'.
Unable to die, without a past, a present or a future... they'll just reside there forever.”
“What? Was there no other way out?”
“It was the only thing she could do, she sacrificed herself to punish those who harmed her little daughter... who harmed me.”
“So ah was right... you're Mittas daughter.” She stood up and turned around.
From the first time since ah met her, ah could now finally see her eyes. They were glowin'
brightly orange. Lookin' into her eyes made me feel kinda... happy and safe for some reason.
“Yes, my name is Ruby... Ruby Hoof.” Hoof?!
“Wait, does that mean-”
“Yes, Grey Hoof is... was my father. Even he was afraid of this disease, he wanted to
help me too, but... even he couldn’t evade the inevitable. I don’t know if he felt any regrets or
sorrow for what he did, but I still do love him. You know...” Ruby lowered her head and closed her eyes again, little sparkles were flowin' down her cheeks, landin' softly on the dark ground.
“My father he... he was infected with this disease, too. He suffered from heavy pain, memory loss and heart attacks. Mummy never wanted me to see him, but I was young and curious so one night
I sneaked into the building he was held. It was a old storehouse near the entrance of the village.”
A old storehouse? Was it the same storehouse where Mitta was held?
“Then I saw him... my once so funny and hyperactive daddy, bounded on a dirty bed, connected with several wires and devices. That sight was... it was...” She pressed her eyes together and
started to sob very hard. Poor Ruby.
“Ruby, ahm so sorry to hear that.” She opened her eyes again and looked down at me.
“No, I’m sorry Applebloom! I didn’t mean to bring you into this... I was just curious.”
Ruby looked deep into mah eyes. Ah could feel her regrets, although it wasn’t her fault at all.
“Don't be sad, ah don't blame you.” She looked surprised, then she softly started to smile.
For a little moment everythin' was fine, but it shouldn't last long. Her expression switched,
it went sadder and sadder, endin' in a frown.
“KYAAA!” No, not again! Not here, too! The zombies from the village were appearin' all
around us, watchin' us with those stabbin' red eyes.
“Nooo, what shall we do now?” Ah silently asked.
“Don’t be afraid, my mother will save us.” Ah looked up into Rubys face, it turned into a
smile again. A single tear ran over her cheek, fallin' silently into the darkness.
“Do you see my cutie mark?” Ah looked at her flank and could see a wonderful big cutie mark.
“Your cutie mark... it's a magnifying glass, right?”
“Haha, yes it is. When I was younger it turned out that I’m really good in finding things.
That's what my mother said. Now I can also remember what she once told me, about
life and death. I do now finally understand what it means.” She closed her eyes and slowly
began to glow. Her light was pushin' away the zombies and started to extinguish the darkness around us.
“I will find you a way out of this!”
“Ruby wait! What will happen to you and your mother now?”
“We're finally free now... thanks to you, dear Applebloom.”
“But ah didn't do a thing!”
“You did more than you could ever imagine. Thank you so much! Now, it's time for you
to go home... farewell Applebloom~”
“RUBY!” Suddenly she disappeared in a brightly white shinin' light. It was so glarin' that ah had
to cover mah eyes, makin' it impossible for me to see where she went. Maybe she...
“APPLEBLOOM!” That voice... TWILIGHT!
When ah opened mah eyes again ah could see a purple unicorn runnin' into mah direction...
it was Twilight Sparkle!
“Applebloom! Oh Applebloom! Thank Celestia I've found you!” Twilight took me into her arms and started to hug me as tight as she could. Her big wet purple eyes were lookin' down at me,
then she started to smile.
“Is everything alright?” She softly asked.
“TWI!” Ah immediately returned the hug. Ah was so glad to see her again!
When ah felt her warm fur on mah face ah started to cry, makin' her hug me even tighter.
“It's okay Applebloom. Come on, let's get out of this creepy place! Who knows what
lurks around here!” Oh Twilight... you had no clue. We stood up and began to run.
Twilight ran after me, illuminatin' our way through this cursed forest usin' her horn.
“What's with the trunks?” Ah almost forgot about the trunks which were blockin' our way out!
“They disappeared soon after I heard you screaming. I don’t know why, but that’s not important
for now isn't it? For now let's just get the hay out of here!” They... disappeared? Nevermind Twilight was right, the most important thing now was to escape!
We were runnin' through the forest as fast as we could, past the trees, over the trunk and the abyss right to the exit of the Everfree Forest.
“Hah, hah, hah finally we're out of this crazy forest!” Twilight gasped.
We finally made it out. The sweet nightly breeze cooled down mah sweaty fur and mane. Lunas brightly shinin' moon was back again and Ponyville was waitin' for us.
Ah didn’t mind how angry mah sister would have been, ah just wanted to hug her for the next few month, no matter what!
“Come on Applebloom, I'll bring you home.” Twilight lay herself down and smiled at me.
“Hop on my back.” That was just what ah needed. Ah was way to exhausted to stand or to walk,
ah couldn’t even hold mah eyes open. Ah hopped on Twilights back, then she lifted
herself up again.
“Ready Applebloom? Time to go home.” Twilight whispered.
So we've started our travel to Sweet Apple Acre... mah home. Ah cuddled mahself into Twilights
softly warm mane and closed mah eyes.
“Thank you, Ruby.” Ah silently mumbled, then ah fell asleep.
“Huh? Did you just say something Applebloom? ... Applebloom? D'aaw she fell asleep.
Oh well, it surely was a really stressful day for that little Applebloom. I'm so glad she's okay.
Sweet dreams, dear Applebloom.”

“See you later... friend.”