The sun was gone and the cold dark night spread over Ponyville. Lunas moon was silently shinin' from above, illuminatin' the streets of this once peaceful village of ours. Ah sneaked through the shadows like a ninja, hidin' from the sights of the enemies and becomin' one with the-
“MOVE APPLEBLOOM!” Scootaloo shouted from above the tree.
“Okay, okay! Oh man, you can't even build up some atmosphere without gettin' annoyed by your stupid 'superior'.” Ah angrily mumbled.
“WHAT WAS THAT?” She shouted again before Sweetie Belle finally pulled her back into the
treetop-hideout. It was basically just a small pile of leafs, glued and knotted together, makin' it look like a little leaf-ball or somethin' similar. The plan was simple: Since we didn't knew what kind of monster we were about to face, we first had to sent somepony out to examine these creature... well, guess who's the most low-ranked member of the squad who was chosen for this 'honourable' mission. Whatever, ah loved the thrill of adventures so ah gladly accepted... kinda.
Ah sneaked through Ponyville, jumpin' from barrel to barrel, from house to house and continued down the mane street. Ah peeked around the corner of one of the houses, tryin' to look for any kind of monsters, or at least some ponies. The weirdest thing was the fact, that not even a single pony was walkin' around anymore. It was around 8 p.m., nor very late if ya ask me. But whatever ah thought. While walkin' further into the center of Ponyville, ah noticed that not even a single light was burnin' in any of the houses either. What was goin' on? Was there some kinda celebration at the outskirts of the town? Well that couldn't be 'cause there was no holiday nor reason to celebrate at all, at least as far as ah knew. After about a half an hour of searchin', ah returned to the town hall in the center. Not a single pony around, no lights and not a single trace of monsters whatsoever.
“The hay is goin' on here?” The heavy bag on mah back slowly began to chafe, besides the fact that it also drained mah stamina very quick. Exhausted and tired ah decided to take it off, at least for a brief second so ah could catch mah breath again. Ah sat next to the side of the town hall and let the heavy back slowly glide down mah sore back. There was so much stuff inside, very strange and unhandy stuff like a signal pistol or a huge battery, just to name a few things. Scootaloo definitively was pretty creative with these bags. The cold winter breeze and the soft snow was very comfortin' for mah exhausted body, especially mah hooves.
“KRRRK... coming Applebloom, over.” That was Scootaloo. Oh right ah totally forgot the walkie talkies she put into our bags. Ah turned to the side and searched the bag for the small orange radio, which made this annoyin' acoustic noise all the time.
“KRRRK... Applebloom here, over.”
“KRRK.... What's your status? ............. oh, over.”
“KRRRRK.... It's quiet... very quiet. Ah'm not sure if they all ran away or got eaten by the monster, uhm over.” Ah had to admit that this fact really made me scared and worried.
“KRRK..... that's impossible minus-one-cadet Applebloom! Rainbow Dash would've beat them all before that would've happened! Over.” Oh Scoots...
“KRRRRK... HEY! STOP THIS SWEE-” Scootaloo gasped.
“H- hey Applebloom! Can you see the Carousel Boutique? Is somepony inside? Can you see Rarity somewhere?” Sweetie Belle asked hysterically. Ah could understand Sweeties behaviour, but even in that boutique wasn't a single light burnin' through the windows. Ah had to be honest with her.
“KRRRRK... Ah, uhm... wasn't there yet, but don't worry Sweetie Belle, she's probably with Twilight and the rest of her friends. Over.” At least ah tried to be honest.
“KRRRRK... give me that radio back Sweetie!” Scootaloo snorted again, followed by a slight squeak and some fightin' sounds. Ah just rolled mah eyes and put the radio back into the bag without sayin' another word.
“Hmhmhm~ Cupcakes... so sweet and tasty, cupcakes...” Hey ah knew that song! Wait, was that Pinkie Pie? Ah stood up and looked around the corner of the nearest crate. Just an empty street, no Pinkie in sight. Maybe ah started hearin' things... but ah was pretty sure ah heard that song.
“All you have to do is take a cup of flour... add it to the mix...” There! Ah wasn't mistaken!
Ah kept on lookin' around and finally found her fluffy tail disappearin' behind of the houses to the left. Ah decided to leave the bag behind for a second and follow Pinkie Pie, maybe she knew what was goin' on. With a spark of happiness and relief in my mind, ah started to run around the corner of that house which didn't even cost me a minute to reach with moderate runnin' speed. When ah arrived ah found mahself inside of a small alleyway between two buildings.
“Where did she-”
“Now just take a little something sweet, not sour! ... hihihi.... a bit of salt... just a pinch!” Her high pitched voice echoed through the barely lighted alleyway, makin' me shiver a bit since it really was a pretty creepy situation. Ah slowly made mah way down and into the direction the voice seemed to come from. Suddenly ah could see her shadow on one of the walls. It was indeed Pinkie Pie, but somethin' doesn't seemed right. Ah mean, sure it was Pinkie after all and she really tended to be strange and even scary sometimes... but this was beatin' it all. She walked to the right without makin' any kind of sound with her hooves. While followin' her, all ah could hear was mah beatin' heart and the sound of mah own hooves which were thrown back from the walls with every step.
When ah reached the end of the way, there was no Pinkie... as expected.
“Baking these treats.... is such a cinch, hihihihi~” She continued with a rather weird giggle.
At this point, mah heart really began to slide down into mah belly, though ah could feel it beatin' inside of mah throat at the same time... it just gave me the creep.
“No, ah'm no chicken! Ah have a mission and ah will stay the course!” Ah took a deep breath and followed the voice through the next smaller alleyway, around another corner and over some old garbage bins.
“Add a teaspoon of vanilla~” No matter how fast ah ran, it seemed Pinkie was always miles away.
“Add a little more.... and you count to four~” Though it seemed to get louder all of the sudden. Ah lost track of where ah was, but ah was still inside Ponyville that's for sure.
“And you never get your fill of...” There! She had to be around that corner! Ah dashed around it and found mahself inside of a small backyard surrounded by different houses and other buildings.
There was no light burnin' around here either, only the moon lighted most of the parts of this backyard. There were even more garbage bins around here, some old lookin' cardboard boxes, tvs and old broken barrels scattered all over the place.
“Pinkie? Are you-” Ah cringed when ah noticed a weak cold breeze runnin' over mah back It made me shook with mah whole body.
“Come on Applebloom, keep it together! It's just Pinkie Pie, it's just...” Suddenly ah noticed a silent breathin' comin' from the opposite side of the yard. It was too dark on that side so ah couldn't see what made that sound at first.
“Pinkie? Is that you?” Ah hesitantly asked. Then the breathin' stopped and a well known silhouette appeared in the moonlight, slowly gettin' closer to me.
“P- Pinkie?” Mah hesitantly voice turned into a silent whisper.
“Cupcakes... so sweet and tasty...” She continued singin' while gettin' closer and closer.
“Cupcakes... don't be too hasty...”
“P....” Her name got stuck inside of mah constrictin' throat when she finally walked into the light of the moon, makin' her fully visible for mah eyes. Her fur was pitch black and dirty, her eyes were glowin' red like blood and parts of her flesh seemed to be... missin'?! She looked like a... like a...
“... cupcakes... cupcakes... cupcakes... CUPCAAAAAAKES!” She shrieked madly and loud.
“KYAAAAAAA!” Ah screamed as mah body turned around automatically and mah legs began to dash back through the alleyway. Mah heart started to beat like the ground when a huge stampede of cows are runnin' over it. Sweat began to run down mah face while mah hooves kept rushin' over the dirty ground. Ah could feel Pinkies cold breath wavin' over mah neck, but ah didn't wanted to look back. It took about less than 2 minutes to exit the alleyway again, but it felt like an eternity.
When ah finally made it out ah jumped behind a haystack right next to where ah just came from and peeked over it. Nopony was followin' me, even though ah was pretty sure she did. Was ah just tired and mah head started to play tricks on me? Or was ah asleep?
“Ah have to warn the girls!” That was all that ran through mah head by now. Ah ran back across the street and back to the town hall where ah left mah bag.
“Hello... Applebloom!” Ah fell backwards onto mah flank when suddenly a huge somethin' slammed onto the ground in front of me. Snow and dust was flyin' through the air, takin' mah sight. Even though ah couldn't see, ah did remember that voice!
“R- Rainbow Dash? Is that you?” Ah narrowed mah eyes and saw Rainbow Dashs face. She stood right in front of me, grinnin' and spreadin' her wings.
“Darn right you little traitor!” She snorted.
“No...” Rainbow Dash looked even worse than Pinkie! One of her wings was in a very bad condition, which meant that only half of it was still there while the other one was just barely wavin' through the air... how was she even able to fly? It was broken no doubt about it! Her fur was as black and her eyes as red as Pinkies... except for her overall condition. Rainbow Dash looked like she fought till the end. Some of her rips were outside of her chest... her left leg- ah couldn't
watch it any longer! Ah slowly stood back up, slightly lookin' into her direction.
“What is goin' on here?”
“Applebloom... it's sooo nice to see you again~” That was Three Leafs, wasn't it? She walked out of the town hall, constantly grinnin' and starin' at me.
“Three Leafs?”
“Hah... hearing my name out of your mouth... it's so nostalgic and hearth warming.” What was she talkin' about? Was she behind all this?
“You still don't remember, huh? ... maybe this will help you.” She closed her eyes and stopped smilin'. Suddenly the moon disappeared and the sky turned red... it seemed so familiar... it-
“KYAAA!” Ah window shattered and even more of these black zombie-like ponies were crawlin' out of their holes. Ah knew them all! Over there was Mr. and Mrs. Cake! That DJ pony,
Carrot Top, Caramel... they all looked like that! This had to be a nightmare! Soon ah was surrounded by a whole herd of zombies, there soul piercin' eyes kept stabbin' me from any side, makin' me freeze and mute in seconds.
“Do you remember us now? Do you remember our home... your home? Well, welcome to the new... Sunny Town!” She turned into the same kind of zombie but... her eyes... ah remembered them!
“Sunny Town? No... that can't be! It was just a drea-”
“APPLEBLOOM! RUN!” That voice...
“Ruby?”

“That was just AWESOME!”
“Oh c'mon Sweetie Belle, you agreed with me just a minute ago!”
“Scoot is a chicken~ Scoot is a chicken~”
“Scootaloo! Applebloom! Are you two alright?”
“You're coming too, Applebloom?”
“Ah have to take the short cut this time 'cause mah big sis wanted me to help her bringin' the todays apple harvest into the barn.”
“Oh good evening Applebloom!
“Hey Twilight! You’ll never guess what we did today!”
“I’m sorry but I REALLY have to get going! I promised Zecora to bring her some books and
local herbs.”
“Oh! Oh! Can ah come, too?”
“Aaaalright! BUT you MUST promise me to stay close at ALL time you hear?”
“A tree? But it wasn’t there a minute ago! Who could have placed it there in such a short time?
“Do ya' think it... it was a ghost?”
“You do not want to remain for the events that will unfold! Hurry back to Ponyville you must, for the darkness this night you cannot trust!”
“How in Equestria did this tree came here? I didn’t even heard a sound.”
“Blank...”
“Hello? Who are you?”
“What is happenin' here? Twilight? TWILIGHT!”
“Blank...”
“What the hay is goin' on? Who's there?”
“Haha, why hi there little filly! Welcome to Sunny Town!”
“He hasn’t said a word to me all night...“
“Uhm sorry, miss? Is everythin' alright?“
“Oh well, uhm, that pony over there... Roneo. He, well, I thought he likes me and he wants to ask me out tonight.”
“That pony over there, Starlet, the beautiful white pony.... I was going to give her a gift tonight as a proof of my l- lo- uhm...”
“Don’t worry, ah'll find it! Ah'll give you mah word as a member of the CMC!”
“Helloooooooo?”
“Oh, sorry I thought you were that crazy colt Grey. He's really funny, kind and stuff, but a bit annoying too you know? I’m THE Gladstone! The fastest Pony in whole Equestria!”
“Uhm sorry, but there’s one more thing ah wanted to ask you. How come y’all don’t have any cutie marks?”
“Cutie whats? Hahahaha, sorry little filly, I have no clue what you're talking about.”
“YOU'VE FOUND IT!”
“Hihi, you're welcome~ Ahm just glad both of you are lucky now, by the way ah gave you a CMC promise!”
“Oh, wait darling! What does 'CMC' means?”
“It means Cutie Mark Crusaders!”
“It's not right... this... is NOT RIGHT! The same thing again... and again... and again...”
“Ouch!”
“No... not again! A filly, just like... her.“
“S-sorry ah didn’t wanted to-”
“Run...”
“Everything alright little one?”
“Don’t be scared Applebloom, we're here now and we will protect you! You hear?”
“Yeah he's right, we will protect you against every evil!”
“You're our sister now, it's our job to protect you.”
“Oh mayor Three Leaf, good evening my dear. This is Applebloom, a visitor from another city.”
“Hah, ah didn’t even knew that they're ponies living in the Everfree Forest.”
“The poor girl was scared like a cow in a thunder. I've found her shaking and crying on the ground.”
“Ah was searchin' for a certain filly. She's grey and has a orange mane with a few blonde strands
in it.”
“What she, uhm, we're wanting to say was that we haven't seen a filly with that description.”
“Blank...”
“Where did she go?”
“Nothin' in here. Nothin' but-”
“Blank...”
“Who- who is there?”
“Mummy... save my mummy... please, save her and yourself! I’m begging you!“
“The chimney...”
“No... no...”
“You probably already know that your dearest daughter is infected by that curse.”
“I will free her... I will save her... our little daughter.”
“That filly was never even here, she's a ghost... which means the other ponies in this village-”
“NONONONONOOOOO!”
“Run... run... run...”

“RUN APPLEBLOOM!”

Mah eyes widened and mah muscles began to twitch when mah legs started to push me towards the haystack next to the town hall.
“STAY WITH US APPLEBLOOM!” She shrieked from behind while ah kept on runnin' and jumpin' over the huge haystack and out of the circle of the zombies. Ah bashed through several garbage bins, makin' mah way past the houses, driven by mah fast beatin' heart and mah numbed body. While ah kept on runnin', more and more of mah memories started come back.

“H- hellooo?”
“There was no other way!”
“She was going to spoil the party!”
“Three Leaf? Is that you?”
“The curse had befallen her this very night... she had the mark... she had to go!”
“So you... YOU did this back there in the cabin?”
“Please...”
“Pleeeaaaase stay with us! We'll never let the same happen to you!”
“Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaase stay with us!”
“HNNNNNNNNGH! C'mon you darn rock! C'MON! Please, MOVE!”
“Don't go... please, don't go away! Stay with us little one! Little one...”
“Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase stay with us!”
“No please!”
“All we want is friendship! Don’t leave... the others won't like it!”
“Applejack, please help me! HELP MEEE!”
“Applebloom!”
“Mitta!”
“This is your chance to correct your heresy! Touch her and turn her into one of us!”
“We need her, we need more friends! Please Mitta, do it for your family!”

Mitta!

“FOOLS! Even in death they do not understand! I should have protected her... but I made my choice. This is our everlasting punishment! This... is what we deserve! Applebloom, come to me!”
“A- ah don’t understand, what happened here?”
“There’s no time to explain honey, the grey-white horse knows more than we do.”
“The grey-white horse?”
“Mitta, don’t do anything funny!”
“You already took my heart and my soul away from me... there’s nothing left for you to take anymore. There’s nothing more to lose. All that’s left for me to do now is to save you, my little filly.”
“Mitta...”

Ah shook mah head to wake mah numbed senses. How come ah was able to forget all of that? How could ah forgot this most tragic moment in mah entire life? Mah thoughts were circlin' in mah head, unable to get a correct overview over mah feelings or idea on how to escape this nightmare. Ah just continued runnin' through the dark night and alleyways of Ponyville.
“STAY WITH US!”
“KYAA!” Ah jumped to the side, barely in time to dodge one of these things that lay on the ground and tried to grab me. Ah ground the wall at full speed and could feel a burnin' pain runnin' down mah right side, but stoppin' and whinin' wasn't an option at the moment. Most important was to get in contact with the girls, to warn them, to tell them that they should leave Ponyville as fast as possible! Ah noticed even more of these zombies right in front of me, blockin' the alley very well.
Ah looked around. Luckily ah saw a small crack at the left side of the buildin'. Before mah mind even understood what he saw, mah legs and adrenaline kick already made me jump through it.
“OUCH!” The rough and cold ground inside already said hello to mah body while ah rolled over it very fast. Mah head was shakin' and the dust was burnin' inside of mah eyes. Accordin' to the sweet smell in the air, ah was probably inside of the Sugarcube Corner... and after what happened to Pinkie, this didn't seemed to be a safe place at all. As ah walked through the dark candy shop, more and more of mah memories started to come back.

“Hihi you know, you remind me of somepony... somepony who's very important to me. My sweet little daughter.... The way she smiled, laughed, played... I miss her so much. Please, Applebloom...“
“Please...”
“Please run, live on for my little daughter... live on for yourself!”
“Mitta...”
“Run, run.... RUUUUUUN FOR YOUR LIFE!”

“OUCH!” Somethin' made me slip and fall onto the cold ground again. Why was it that slippery? Ah noticed somethin' wet on the ground... it smelled familiar. Ah held mah hoof which was covered in that liquid in front of mah nose to take a better look at it.
“It smells like... blood!” Mah heart stopped, no, it sunk down into one of mah legs! What if this was the place where they-
“It's sooo messy in here!” Rarity? Was she cryin'?
“R- Rarity? Are you okay?”
“So... messy.” A sharp flash appeared, makin' me blink and cover mah eyes immediately. Somepony turned on the light, maybe it was her, maybe she was still alright, maybe-
“... great Celestia!” When ah opened mah eyes again, ah could feel sickness spreadin' through mah belly. The whole ground was covered in blood, pieces of flesh and fur was scattered all over this place and the smell of blood and fresh meat started to mix into a horrible stench. Cyan feathers, white fur and pink hair everywhere. Ah turned around slowly and looked at the crack in the wall ah just came through. It wasn't an ordinary crack... it had the silhouette of a pegasi that got smashed against the wall with unbelievable power! Rainbow Dash really fought till the end...
“That's not true! It's not happenin'!”
“Soooo messy...” Rarity sighed again. Ah gulped and started to cringe when ah felt her icy breath blowin' over mah fur. When ah turned around, ah saw Rarity... her makeup was meltin' and runnin' down her eyes like she was cryin' the last few hours. Her horn was broken and looked crooked like a straw. If Sweetie Belle would see her in that condition...
“Would you like to help me clean this mess up... my dear?” She reached out her hoof, smilin' at me with her creepy eyes and broken jaw, which was only barely hangin' down her face. All ah was able to at the moment was to shake mah head.
“A- ah'm so SORRY!” Ah closed mah eyes and drove mah hoof over the ground, lettin' blood squish into Raritys face, makin' her taunt backwards. The pure thought about which blood this was drove me nearly insane, but ah had to suppress it somehow! So ah continued out of the kitchen and finally out of the Sugarcube Corner.

“That’s impossible!”
“No... please, NO!”
“No! Go away! GO AWAY!”
“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?”
“Don’t cry Applebloom... stand up and follow me.”
“Follow me Applebloom... follow me.”
“Uhm, hello? You're that pony from the entrance of the Everfree Forest, right?”
“You're not dead young filly.”
“Ahm... not dead?”
“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.”
“You mean the night when-”
“Yes... it was the night I got murdered.”
“The grey-white horse?”
“So she already told you about it?”
“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...”
“Yes, my name is Ruby... Ruby Hoof.”

“Ruby...” How could ah forget you?
“Staaaay with uuuuuuuus!” They kept on growlin' from behind. Now matter how much ah ran, ah wasn't able to shake them off. Ah had to hide somewhere until they eventually stopped searchin' for me. Ah stopped and tried to catch mah breath. Sweat and tears were runnin' down mah face while ah desperately tried to look for any kind of hideout. Ah place that would give me some time to over think mah next steps, or at least to clear mah mind. The streets were empty, nothin' but snow, cold wind and black emptiness at every end of the roads.
“There! A warehouse!” We had an old warehous near the outskirts of Ponyville. It was once used by our family to store food and seeds for Winter Wrap Ups, but got closed because of rats and a leaky roof five years ago. That was the perfect hideout! Ah ran down to the warehouse and slipped through an open window at it's side... it was almost like a creepy deja vu from Sunny Town. It also reminded me of the time when ah met Mitta for the very first time... ah should've listened to her!
The warehouse was dark and dusty. A strange smell was floatin' into mah nose, makin' me cough slightly while walkin' to the wooden entrance. Ah barely saw a big barrel right next to the door, which was more than perfect for an accurate blockade! Ah pressed mahself against the wall next to it and tried to push the heavy object in front of the door. Ah didn't knew what was inside of that barrel... but to be honest, ah didn't wanted to know either. The door was blocked and the world seemed to be okay for the moment. Heavily breathin' and still shakin', ah lay against the wall next to the barrel. Ah looked down to mah legs, they hurt and felt very weak. Mah arms felt weak as well and mah side and back was still burnin' like fire, which got even worse because of the sweat ah was covered in. Ah didn't knew what to do... ah just didn't. Ah lay down on the ground, bend mah legs at the belly, slowly embracin' and cuddlin' them in fear. Ah felt sick and lonely... just like ah did back then in Sunny Town.

“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.”
“Ruby, ahm so sorry to hear that.”
“No, I’m sorry Applebloom! I didn’t mean to bring you into this... I was just curious.”
“Don't be sad, ah don't blame you.”
“Nooo, what shall we do now?”
“Don’t be afraid, my mother will save us.”
“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.
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.”

“You lied... didn't you Ruby?” Ah whispered silently.
“A- Applebloom? Is that you?” No... no, that was impossible! Ah could feel how mah blood turned into ice when ah heard that voice comin' out of the dark corner of the room.
“... Fluttershy?”
“Yes, it's me!” She answered happily. Was that a trick? Or was she hidin' here, too? Could it be there was another pony alive in this twisted town? Mah heart made a huge skip, it made me jump back on mah hooves and even smile again.
“Fluttershy! Ah'm sooo glad you're-” But as always, mah heart fell apart again when ah saw her face in the dim light from the red sky outside. Half of her face was covered with a bloody bandage, her blood sucked mane was ruffled and lifelessly hangin' down her face. Her eyes were as red as the ones outside, such as her fur.
“Applebloom! I'm so glad you're okay!” She smiled.
“No... not you too...” Ah walked backwards, still starin' at the poor Fluttershy. She walked towards me, watchin' me with a confused expression on her face.
“What's wrong Applebloom? Everything's fine now. Stay with me and we'll-”
“NO! GO AWAY FROM ME!” Ah shouted while tryin' to kick the barrel away. Ah had to get out
of here quick, or else-
“What? No, you don't understand! I want to help you! I-” She tried to convince me with a shaky voice, but it was just the same kinda things the zombie ponies kept sayin', too! Ah'm so sorry Fluttershy... so sorry! With mah last strength ah've managed to push the barrel away again. Within another second, ah kicked the door open and ran outside.
“NO! PLEASE APPLEBLOOM! STAY WITH ME!” She shouted desperately.
“AH'M SO SORRY FLUTTERSHY!” But ah couldn't trust her anymore. It soon turned out that it was a bad idea goin' back outside. Ah few meters down the road ah got thrown back again by another wave of snow and dirt.
“BWAHAHAHA! End of the line, little twerp!” Rainbow Dash laughed. She stood right in front of me just like before, starin' down at me with her devilish eyes. Ah lay helplessly in front of her, not knowin' where to go. Soon the others were closin' in, takin' their positions right next to
Rainbow Dash. Ah still couldn't trust mah eyes, ah didn't want to. All mah friends... turned into those zombie-like creatures from the Everfree Forest... just because of me! Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and even Fluttershy... cursed forever. Their bodies were black and scarred, their Cutie Marks were... gone, replaced by red flesh, like they got torn off of their flanks. Their eyes were pointin' at me with this demonic red stare ah remembered from that one night. Ponyville became the second Sunny Town!
“Don't be scared Applebloom, I just want to help you!” Fluttershy hesitantly said.
“She's right silly, come on the funny side of the... uhm, whatever this side is called. We have cupcakes, too~” Pinkie giggled.
“We just want that you're happy my dear. Don't make it harder than it already is.” Rarity... sorry
that ah couldn't save ya' all, please forgive me! Ah still lay on mah back, tryin' to crawl backwards to widen the space between me and them.
“Oh c'mon! It's over twerp, give up already!” Rainbow Dash and the others were comin' closer
very fast. Ah couldn't give up, not after everythin' ah went through! Ah had to get some time to escape! Ah quickly looked around, tryin' to find somethin' that ah could use as a weapon or somethin' like that!
“Enough of that! Come here you-” Rainbow Dash began to jump at me when ah finally felt somethin' cold and hard underneath mah left hoof. A quick sense of luck stroke through my heart.
It was a sharp stone!
“GO AWAY!” Ah took the stone and threw it directly into Rainbow Dashs face. The stone wasn't that big, just about as big as mah hoof, but because of its speed and sharp edge it was enough to strike Rainbow Dash back.
“ARK!” She flew backwards and smashed onto the ground behind her. Blood and snow flew through the air like powder. This was mah chance!
“Rainbow Dash! Are you alright?” The others asked while gatherin' around her. Ah was so sorry for that, but ah had no other choice! Ah had to escape! Ah stood up, turned around and continued to run. It was no use, ah had to leave Ponyville! Ah had to get Applejack and mah friends and get the heck outta here as fast as possible! The border of Ponyville wasn't that far anymore, in fact it was just ahead.
“Only a few more meters and-”
“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!” Three Leafs and her friends jumped out of the nowhere, blockin'
mah only road to freedom. Ah was trapped! With the herd of zombies and Rainbow Dash behind me and Gladstone, Roneo, Starlet, Gray and Three Leafs in front of me, there was no way out anymore!
“Time to join the herd my sweet little-” Suddenly a huge cage fell down from one of the tress next to them and shortly after another one, trappin' Gladstone and Gray behind stainless steel.
“What is going on here?” Leafs gasped.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MONSTER CATCHER SQUAAAAAAD!”
“SWEETIE BELLE! SCOOTALOO!” Ah was so glad they were okay and still alive! They jumped down the trees and threw a large net onto the other 3 remainin' zombies!
“Heh, so these are the monsters we're searching for? I was expecting something more of a
challenge!” Scootaloo laughed while slammin' her hoof against the cage of Gladstone.
“I don't know Scootaloo, they still look pretty meanie and dangerous.” Sweetie Belle hesitantly said while reachin' out her hoof into the cage of Gray.
“DON'T TOUCH THEM!” Ah shouted. Both cringed and looked at me with wide confused eyes.
“Why?” Scootaloo asked. Ah didn't knew if ah could tell them the truth, if they would even believe me... but ah had to try, or not?
“Hmpf, don't worry. They're so ugly and smelly, who would willingly want to touch them?” Scootaloo grinned. Both walked in front of me, smilin' and laughin' like everythin' was alright, like everythin' was just a little game. Seein' them made me so incredibly happy! Ah couldn't express that feeling that was fillin' mah heart that moment, neither could ah find the right words to describe it.
Ah just jumped at them and hugged them as tight as possible.
“OUCH! H- hey what's drivin' into you Applebloom?” Scootaloo gasped.
“Too... tight.” Sweetie Belle squeaked. Ah let go a few minutes later, still smilin' at them from the depth of mah heart, lettin' big tears roll over mah cheeks.
“Ah'm so glad you two are alright!”
“Uhm, yeah whatever Applebloom...” Scootaloo smirked with an awkward stare such as Sweetie Belle. Ah could understand they were confused, after all they didn't knew what ah knew.
“APPLEBLOOOOOM!” Three Leafs shrieked, makin' the herd from behind scream again. They now knew where we were!
“Alright, come here you bunch of stupid monsters! The CMC Monster Catcher Squad will destroy you!” Scootaloo yelled in excitement.
“Yeah you... uhm, you bad ugly meanies!” Sweetie added.
“NO! Girls, this isn't a game! This is serious! We have to-”
“Gosh Applebloom, don't be such a chicken!” Scootaloo rolled her eyes and faced the street where the ragin' sound of the zombies emerged from. This wasn't a joke anymore, this was a matter about life and death! Ah grabbed Scootaloos shoulder and turned her around while glarin' deeply into her eyes.
“STOP THAT YOU DODO! You don't get it! If we don't run RIGHT NOW, we'll die!” Ah shouted at her. Sweetie Belle remained silent, yet her confident expression grew concerned and scared, such as Scootaloos.
“What are you-”
“Seriously Scootaloo! Look at me... this is no joke!” Ah desperately tried to convince her. Accordin' to Scootaloos shocked eyes and her speechlessness, she was probably about to believe me.
Ah let go of her. She looked at me, mah wound hooves and back, mah exhausted and terrified face and bloody fur.
“.... we'll meet you at the exit of the Everfree Forest.” Scootaloo said.
“Wha-? N- No we can't split up, we-”
“RUN DARN IT! THAT'S AN ORDER!” She shouted at me, then she turned back to Sweetie Belle and grinned.
“Come on Sweetie, we have to get the secret weapon!”
“Okay!” Both turned down the street and began to dash away. Mah heart cramped inside of mah chest when ah saw mah only remainin' friends run towards her doom.
“NO! COME BACK!” But they didn't listen at all, soon they were gone... swallowed by the darkness of the street.
“Seems like your old friends left you dear Applebloom... stay with us. We will never leave you!”
Leafs grinned through the holes of the heavy net. Ah so hated that devilish mare... ah hated her soooo much!
“GAH!” Somethin' hard hit me at the back of mah head all of the sudden, throwin' me to the white ground. When ah opened mah eyes, ah could see the stone from before layin' in front of me. It was covered with blood and a bit of black fur. Behind the stone ah could see the entrance of the
Everfree Forest, it was so close!
“You little- ouch! I WILL TEAR YOU APART!” Rainbow Dash and the others were surroundin' me, blockin' the path and mah only way out of this nightmare. Ah turned around on my back. The cold snow was stingin' because of the wounded spot, but it also cooled it down a bit. In exhaustion and pain, ah managed to look up and held mah breath. Rainbow Dash was standin' right above me, her face was covered with blood. It seemed that the stone landed inside of her right eye, causin' a heavy bleedin' which ran over her face. Her eyes was smashed by the stone, drippin' slowly out of the hole. She crunched with her teeth, opened her mouth and lowered her head.
“An eye for an eye!” Mah heart was rushin' and mah throat got dry. Was it the end? Ah was so close, ah almost made it!
“NOOOOOOO!”
“LET HER GO!” That voice... it couldn't be! When ah opened mah eyes again ah could see Rainbow Dash, layin' on the ground, neither movin' nor breathin' anymore. Everythin' got quiet and the other zombie ponies were fallin' back, walkin' slowly to their passed out pegasus friend. Seconds felt like hours, the cold wind stopped blowin'... mah heart stopped beatin'. Ah stared onto somepony ah'd never thought ah would see again...

“Are you alright Applebloom?” A orange pony stood right in front of me, her dirty blonde mane was hanging down her face... but ah didn't need to see her face to recognize her...
To recognize mah sister.
“A- Applejack?” She didn't move, she just stood there, silently smilin'. Her ruffled, dirty blonde mane was softly wavin' in the cold wind, along with the bushes and branches around us.
“That's right lil' sister, sorry that ah'm late. Ah had somethin' to take care off first.” After she finished her sentence, ah noticed that somethin' wasn't right with her body. Her fur was dirty, her body full of different sized wounds, her left arm was heavily shakin' and had a big purple colored bump at its side... was it broken? Ah noticed another bump near the side of her chest, small runlets of blood were floatin' down her body. Besides that she-
“... no... please that can't be!” There was a huge bite mark at her flank... the flesh and fur around it was slowly turnin' black!
“You got... bitten...” Her smile faded. Time stood still, nothin' was movin'... nor makin' a sound.
The cursed ponies were watchin' us, from beyond their traps. Rainbow was still lifelessly layin' in the dark snowy grass. Ah tried to understand what happened, ah really tried to, but... ah couldn't.
“Listen sugarcube... ah know ah wasn't there for you when you needed me... that ah didn't believe you nor protect you. Ah'm so sorry for that... but ah'll fix that!” Applejack...
“GRRRR, YOU TRAITOR!” Rainbow Dash screamed while she got up very slowly.
“WAIT! RAINBOW DASH, STOP!” Fluttershy?
“Applejack! This is your chance! Please, grab her and get her out of here!” Wait, what did Fluttershy say?
“Fluttershy, what are you talking about? Are you a traitor too? Maybe I should remove your other eye too you-” Rainbow Dash glared at her. But why was Fluttershy worried about me all of the sudden? She was one of them... right?
“GET YOUR HOOVES OFF HER RAINBOW!” Applejack shouted.
“Applejack dear, don’t do anything funny! If' you're turning against us, we'll rip you apart!”
Rarity... how could you say somethin' like that? She was one of your friends!
“Just go on and try!” Applejack growled. Then mah heart stopped... this time forever though.
She looked back at me with a warm smile. Blood was runnin' over her face and her eyes began to turn red... but there was one sentence of her, that broke mah heart like a thin mirror.
“Applebloom, please...” For a brief moment, ah saw Mittas face instead of Applejacks.
The ponies turned into the villagers of Sunny Town and ah began to remember this situation...
“Please run, live on for our friends, our family... and live on for yourself!” Ah could feel how mah heart got shattered inside of mah chest, ah knew what would happen now.
“NO! AH WON'T LEAVE YOU! Ah will never see you again, ah know that! Please! Ah don't want to-” Ah was just wanted to hug, wanted her to stroke mah hurtin' back and to say everythin' would get alright again. Ah ran up to her... but she jumped away.
“... why? Why Applejack?” Bitter tears were rollin' down mah cheeks, ah couldn't hold them any longer.
“Don’t touch me sugarcube, or you'll end like ah did... like we did.” The curse... no, please!
“ENOUGH!” Rainbow Dash growled. She lowered her body and jumped at Applejack. Ah could see Rainbow Dashs teeth slammin' into Applejacks neck, ah could hear flesh that got ripped off, followed by a slight fog of blood.
“GAH! Why you little-!” She turned around and kicked Rainbow away with immense power, but she immediately stood back up again. Applejack sighed, started to breath heavily while shiverin' in exhaustion. She looked back at me and smiled again... for the last time.

“Don't worry, soon everythin' will be alright again, but for now... you have to leave lil' sister.”
“Applejack!” She took a giant branch which was layin' next to her and placed it underneath me.
“Ah love you Applebloom.” With these last words and a silent tear runnin' out of her dead eyes,
she lowered her head and threw me over the bushes and many meters further into the
Everfree Forest.
“AAAAPPLEJAAAAAAAAAAACK!” Ah landed somewhere inside of the forest, the sound of Applejacks scream and the growl of the others were echoin' through the entire forest. Ah wanted to run back, ah wanted to help her, but ah didn't knew where to go, ah didn't knew where that sound came from since it got thrown from tree to tree. Besides... ah probably couldn't help either.
“Applejack...” Ah wished that ah could just wake up, but it wasn't a dream right? It wasn't....
Ah stood up and listened to Applejacks voice one more time... she was screamin', gaspin', growlin'. Ah couldn't take it any longer, ah couldn't even help her either... the only thing that was left for me to do... was to run. Soon her voice got more and more silent and mah heart filled with a painful sense of grief. A last tear was fallin' to the ground, then ah continued down the snowy path which would lead me out of this forest, out of Ponyville... out of this nightmare.

“... Applebloom...”