“Sweetie Belle! You’re alive!” I shouted as I started towards her. “Apple Bloom had said you were, said both you and Spike were. I didn’t think it was really possible though.” I was filled with happiness, excitement and so many other emotions. But I suddenly stopped my approach when I saw her face come into view. She was angry, rage present in her eyes, as her horn began to glow.

“Well I am alive, and so is Spike. Apple Bloom however isn’t, not anymore, and I plan on hearing from you why that’s the case.” The cloak that was draped over her lifted and a sword emerged from beneath it. “Tell me how she died?” She demanded, the tip of her blade pointed squarely at me.

“You’ve grown.” I said as I found myself smiling, looking at the young mare who now stood eye level with me. Her demeanor didn’t change however, as her eyes narrowed and gazed right through me. “To be honest, I don’t really think I could properly explain what happened with Apple Bloom.”

“Well I suggest you try your best.” She replied as she stood before me defiantly.

I inhaled deeply and lowered my gaze as I thought about the events that had unfolded a few days ago, trying to figure out how to explain it without sounding crazy. “I tried to save her.” I started, looking back up to her as I spoke. “She found me injured in the orchard and took me to the farmhouse.” I paused and retreated back to my thoughts, wondering if I should tell her about being held captive, about the horrors I saw. Did she deserve to know such things? Did she need to know how far her friend had fallen?

“You gonna keep talking or should I just assume your done?” Sweetie Belle said suddenly as she stepped closer to me.

“I had gotten pretty beat up by a diamond dog I ran into in the night, and she treated my injuries. When I woke up the next day I was strapped to a bed in one of the rooms, and I didn’t know where I was. She made herself known and also made it known that something was different . . . that she was different.”

“What do you mean different? She took you inside, she cared for you, that sounds like Apple Bloom to me.”

“Yeah it does, doesn't it?” I said with a small smile, before having it quickly fade away. “She wasn’t Apple Bloom anymore though, she had allowed a darkness to take root in her heart. She gave into that darkness, and allowed it to twist her into a mare that I couldn’t even recognize.”

“She gave into darkness? How do you know she did? How do you know that she didn’t just do what she thought she had to?”

“She strapped me down to a bed and force fed me rotten food!” I shouted back suddenly. “She dug up the body of Big Mac and sat it on the couch! She put Granny Smith’s body in the rocking chair! She talked to them, TALKED TO THEM, like they were alive! She pinned me to a wall and held a knife to my throat! She spoke to the bucking darkness that was within my own heart!”

Sweetie Belle stepped back and shook her head, a frustrated growl escaping her. “You’re lying! She wouldn’t do something like that!” Suddenly she rushed forward, the blade held within her magic trailing behind her. “Apple Bloom wasn’t like that!” She swung her sword and I ducked under it, suddenly seeing one of her hooves rushing towards my face. I fell back and rolled away, quickly jumping back to my hooves as I sunk down into a defensive stance.

“Listen to what I’m saying!” I shouted.

“I am listening! You said she spoke to the darkness in your heart, how do you know it wasn’t that darkness that corrupted her!? Maybe you influenced her to do those things!”

“Why would I do that to Apple Blom? I loved Apple Bloom, she was like my own little sister. You, her, Scoots, you all were precious to me. You all still are, so please stop and hear me out!” I said in a frantic reply. “Yes, I had a darkness within me, it tried to corrupt me and take everything from me. I managed to defeat that darkness, to banish it from my heart, from my soul. It tried to kill her, tried to take over my body and force me to end her life! I fought it with everything I had and in the end I still failed . . . in the end she still died.” I felt the sadness I had felt when she died wash over me once more and I dropped to my haunch, sitting there with my head hung low.

“So you did kill her?” Sweetie Belle said, as I felt the cold steel of her blade rest against the nape of my neck.

“I’m so sorry Sweetie . . . I tried so hard to save her. I wanted to help her, help her free herself from the darkness.” I said as I started to tear up. “I managed to fight off my own darkness and stop it from killing her, only to have her rush me with a knife. I tried to wrestle it away from her, but she just wouldn’t let go. During the struggle she ended up getting stabbed, and I held her as she died. The worst part is in those few minutes before she died, she was the old Apple Bloom again.” I started to quietly sob and I felt Sweetie’s sword move from my neck.
“I’m not gonna say that I believe you, but I won’t allow myself to just cut you down without giving you a chance to prove yourself.” Her sword was still pointed at me, poised to strike, as she slowly backed away from me. “So get up, were going to Sweet Apple Acres . . . or at least what's left of it.”

I didn’t offer any protest, I wasn’t in much of a position even had I wanted to, as I nodded and stood up. Without another word I walked past Sweetie Belle and made my way through the throne room. We stepped out of the castle and I could see the Everfree before me once again, this time it was like it had always been as opposed to a twisted entity trying to take my life. The sun broke through the canopy as we walked beneath it, little pillars of light filtering down like illuminated columns. I inhaled deeply the morning air, finding the familiar scents I had once known now returning, as the calls of birds sang around me.

“I’m glad that you’re still alive Sweetie. It’s hard to find anything to be happy about in this world anymore, but knowing your still in it is . . . well . . . awesome.” I chuckled as I spoke, wondering when’s the last time I’d actually said anything was awesome.

“You say it’s awesome, but who can really think that when this is the world we live in. There isn’t anything in this world to be happy about, not when everyday is just another opportunity to lose something precious to you.” She replied with a scoff.

I just sighed and kept walking, thinking over a few things now that I had the ability to do so without the darkness that once resided within me intruding. “You know, not to long ago I thought the same way. Hopefully unlike me though, you’ll be able to change that view without nearly dying . . . several times.”

“I’ve managed to stay alive this long by thinking this way, I don’t see much of a need to go changing now. Besides, it never hurts to have a dragon with you when survival is your main priority.”

“So you and Spike travel together? How is he?” I asked as I looked back at her.

“He’s alive, so I guess as well as anypony, or dragon, could be. You shouldn’t be worried about him though, or anypony else except for yourself. If we get to Sweet Apple Acres and I find out you’re lying to me, then I’ll leave you bleeding out on the ground.” She replied in a stern cold tone.

“Damn kid, I would say I feel like you’ve seen some shit. But given the way the world is now, I know you have, and it’s turned you into a real tough customer.”

“You have to be tough to survive, at least tough enough to handle whatever gets thrown your way. Luckily for me I didn’t have to face this world alone, I still don’t, because I have Spike.”

“You keep mentioning Spike, but I haven’t seen him.” I replied.

“Don’t think for a single second that he’s not around, just because you haven’t seen him. The truth is he’s closer than you think and he’s just as unhappy with you as I am.” Sweetie stated.

I was about to reply to her again when I heard movement in the trees, and saw a pair of glaring eyes reflecting the light of the sun. A shiver ran down my body as the eyes suddenly vanished and the forest fell silent for a few moments, before the sounds of nature once again started back up.

We finally reached the edge of the forest and stood at the outskirts of Ponyville, and I noticed just how much it had been reclaimed by nature. Plants covered rubble and grew from between cracks in stone, while wildlife darted from one disheveled house to the other. It was a testament to a time long gone, a reminder of the blood fury I had felt, it was so many things at once. Yet somehow as I stood there and looked upon it, I saw something beautiful in a way. Despite all that had happened here, despite the lives lost, many of which I took . . . life had returned in one form or another.

“When did you and Spike leave Ponyville?” I asked suddenly, calling out to Sweetie Belle. She sighed and I didn’t have to look at her to tell she was thinking about the Ponyville that existed in the world before.

“After you, Rarity, and the others left, we waited for what seemed like forever for any news about the battle at Canterlot. I don’t know how long we waited, but when news finally broke about the defeat of the elements . . . after I heard about the death of my sister.” She paused and I could tell this was hard for her to speak about. “Well, it wasn’t long before the changelings showed up and then the diamond dogs, and that’s when I knew I had to leave. I couldn’t convince Scootaloo or Apple Bloom to come with me, they refused to leave until they knew what had happened to you and AppleJack. I had a feeling that if we stayed we would die, but they wouldn’t listen, so I left without them. I was alone for a few days, when one night Spike showed up and we’ve been inseparable since.”

“Why did Spike decide to follow after you?” I asked as I felt the flat of her blade press against me and nudge me forward.

“I don’t know.” She said as we walked through the town. “He showed up, eyes wide and full of fear, but he refused to speak. He didn’t say anything until days later and even then he didn’t talk about this place, he still hasn’t.”

I didn’t ask her anymore questions, I felt that I had pried enough despite my desire to ask more, and thus we continued on in silence. I felt a strange calm inside as we made our way through the ruins of Ponyville, a calm that would have no doubt been shattered by the voice of my darkness before. In the stillness of my mind I was able to think clearly about the events that had lead up to where I was, how I had gotten here and what I had to do now. Before I could take a step forward though, I still had to take a step back and face what I had done only days ago. When I left Sweet Apple Acres I had never planned on returning, and yet here I was about to face it once more. The rest of our walk was done in silence and soon we stood at the smoldering remains of the Apple family home.

“Why did you burn their house down?” Sweetie asked after a few moments, as she walked past me and sifted through the ash with a hoof.

“This house used to be filled with laughter, with love and wonderful things. I couldn’t stand seeing what it had become though, I couldn’t stand knowing that such a place had become something dark and full of pain. So when I left I set fire to it and watched it burn, putting those memories that lingered here to rest.”

“Are you sure you weren’t trying to cover up the things you did here?” She asked as she turned to me and glared at me suspiciously.

I only shook my head and raised a hoof, pointing towards the barn. “I put those things to rest over there, come and I’ll show you.” I started towards the barn when Sweetie’s sword darted in front of me and halted me.

“I’m having a hard time understanding all this, and despite what you may think I am trying. I don’t want to believe that you did any of this maliciously, but to suddenly see you reappear after we all thought you dead, well it doesn’t bode well.”

“No, I imagine it wouldn’t.” I said with a sigh. “But, I’m gonna have to ask you to trust me and believe me when I tell you that I haven’t lied to you.” Her sword moved and she motioned for me to keep moving, I lead her to the bit of field between the farmhouse and the barn. “Look, beneath that tree, do you see?” I asked as I directed her attention to the only living tree left in the entire place. Beneath it’s branches, shaded from the world were three freshly dug plot and in each one laid a member of the Apple family. “Apple Bloom, Big Mac and Granny Smith, right there is where I laid them to rest.”

Sweetie didn’t say anything as she walked to the graves and looked them over, taking a few moments to say a few words under her breath at each. When she stood at the third grave, the grave I had laid Apple Bloom to rest in, I saw a tear run down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and turned back to me, her gaze fierce and unwavering. “What does any of this prove to me?” She asked as she stopped just short of me.

“I have no other proof, all I can give you is my word and those graves. But do you think if I came here and murdered Apple Bloom in cold blood that I’d take the time to bury her, or her family. I had already buried Big Mac once before, after I slaughtered every diamond dog in Ponyville for what they did to him. If I was some heartless monster would I have done that? Would I have done any of this?” I asked her.

“I don’t know what you would do, because Rainbow Dash died in the siege of Canterlot. For all I know you’re nothing but an imposter.”

“I didn’t die, Sweetie. I wish I would have though, because I had to watch my friends die . . . I had my element ripped from my body. In one battle I lost everything I had ever come to love, and I was powerless to stop it. I was flung from Canterlot and forced to live like a beast in the Everfree for six years, while the world around me fell to Chrysalis’s corruption. I hid in cowardice until a day came that I was overcome with rage and I finally lashed out. That day a darkness was born within me, I gave life to something that threatened to turn me into a blood crazed monstrosity. Everyday since I’ve tried to do what I could, what I thought was best, but I always failed at it. I felt like I left a wake of death and destruction everywhere I went, and it only fed the darkness.” As I spoke Sweetie watched me intently, her sword never moving out of striking distance. “I only ended up here because I was trying to run from that darkness, trying to keep it from the few friends I had managed to find in this world.”

“Why would you run from your friends?” Sweetie asked me.

“Because I was afraid of what the darkness inside me might make me do, it was starting to take control of me.” Suddenly I tensed and a thought struck me, something that I had somehow managed to keep pushed to the back of my mind until now. “Dear Celestia . . . Applejack.”

“What about Applejack?”

“She’s alive, in Van Hoover with the others.”

“What others?”

“Trixie, RedHeart, Octavia, Vinyl Scratch . . . They’re the ones that I ran away from. How am I supposed to face her now, now that I’ve killed her sister? I don’t know how I could ever tell her that.” My voice trembled as I spoke and I could feel tears streaming down my face. I fell to my haunch and hung my head, thinking of how she would react and the pain that would fill her when she found out. My chest burned and I moved a hoof to my heart, silently lamenting over everything that I had done to put myself in this situation.

“What happened to the darkness, the evil, that you keep saying WAS a part of you?”

I sighed and tried to gather myself before I spoke. “After what happened her I couldn’t take it anymore, and I realized that I couldn’t simply wish my darkness away, I had to be rid of it. I felt a calling, something pulling me to the castle in the Everfree where you found me. So I went there and through some means that I don’t even fully understand, my darkness was given life and form. I had fought it many times in my mind, but this time I fought it in our world. I thought it was gonna kill me, but I wouldn’t allow it to and I was able to overcome it. Before I could strike the final blow, however, it slipped through my grasp and fled. I was hellbent on following after it, when Luna called to me.”

“Luna? Princess Luna? She called to you?” Sweetie said with a shocked expression. “How could she, she died in the siege as well.”

“Chrysalis probably wants everypony to think that, but in reality she was turned to stone, just as Discord was. She told me that because she too had once known darkness, that it formed a connection between us and that she could use that to communicate with me. She told me that I had to stop focusing so intently on revenge and instead try to help everypony . . . she told me to save them.”

“So Princess Luna is alive, in a sense, and she wants you to become a hero? I find that hard to believe given how you’ve made yourself out to be, not exactly very heroic.”

“Yeah, I know. I told her the same thing and she told me to believe in myself, to believe in the ponies of this world.”

Sweetie Belle just stood there silently as she stared at me, and after a few moments she finally went to speak, however she didn’t get the chance. Just as she was about to speak something slammed down on the ground between us with a disgusting thud, specks of blood from it landing on my face and Sweetie’s. My eyes went wide as I reeled back once I’d figured out what that something was . . . it was Apple Bloom’s body.

“What the buck!?” I shouted as I looked at the mangled and disfigured corpse, frantically trying to process what had actually just happened.

“Stupid pony, don’t you know you’re supposed to keep what you kill!?!” Shouted a diamond dog that burrowed up from Apple Bloom’s grave. “From what I heard you’re the one that did that one in, so she’s all yours. Though I couldn’t help but try a few bites first.” He laughed as I noticed the blood around his jagged maw.

Within moments the ground beneath mine and Sweetie Belle’s hooves rumbled and diamond dogs appeared all around us. The sword Sweetie had previously held at me suddenly moved and I saw her motion for me to move to her. I rushed to her and looked around us, cursing as I saw we were completely surrounded.

“Here.” Sweetie Belle said quickly as a sword suddenly floated in front of me, this time however the blade wasn’t pointed at me. “I still don’t know if I believe you, but you can definitely help your case by helping me right now.”

Suddenly, I recalled Luna’s words and quickly took hold of the sword that Sweetie offered. This isn’t revenge . . . I’m not raising this blade in the name of revenge. This time I’ll raise a blade to protect somepony I love. I thought to myself as I turned and stood back to back with Sweetie. “You don’t have have to believe my words, Sweetie Belle.” I said as I felt my heart race. “But I hope you believe me when I say this, I promise I’ll protect you.”

Sweetie Belle chuckled as she reached to the clasp of her cloak. “I don’t need your protection, just your help.” She tossed away her cloak and her horn glowed brilliantly as several blades slid out from a vest she wore. “You manage to take out one or two, and I’ll get the rest.”

The diamond dogs suddenly rushed us all at once and I felt my body tense, then the next thing I knew I was in the fray. A diamond dog lunged at me and I planted a forehoof in his face as I slammed him into the ground, tossing the blade into the air as I flipped over him. Another diamond dog attacked from the side and I turned in the air, planting a kick square in his jaw and heard the snap of bone as he stumbled back. I caught the blade in my other forehoof and came down swiftly as I ran it through the diamond dog I slammed to the ground.

Suddenly a clawed hand swiped at me and I ducked beneath it, pulling the blade from the body as I brought it up and severed the hand clean from it’s owner. A loud pained scream rang out and I grabbed the dog by its throat, pulling it towards me as I slammed my skull into its face and heard its nose snap and break as its face caved in. It’s body went limp in my grasp and I let go of it as it fell to the ground, before turning my attention to the dog with the broken jaw. It clutched its face, to preoccupied with its own pain to pay attention to anything else. I slung my blade and sent it flying through the air, a quick gasp escaping the mutt as my blade embedded itself in its chest. I ran at the dog and jumped into the air, planting a hind hoof on the end of the hilt as I drove the blade through it and flipped off of it.

A diamond dog stumbled under me as I avoided its surprise attack and it let out a shrill yelp as I slammed down on its back, driving it into the ground. I reached down and grabbed its head between my hooves and with one swift movement snapped its neck, before quickly turning my attention to Sweetie Belle, my jaw nearly dropping as I watched her. She hadn’t moved and just stood there, her eyes closed as the blades around her danced in the air. Those diamond dogs couldn’t even get near her, each one that tried was quickly sliced into tiny pieces, as was evident by the pile of bodies that quickly built around her.

Suddenly I felt arms wrap around me and I was lifted into the air, pinned against the body of one of the diamond dogs, as another quickly rushed towards me its claws ready to cut me wide open. I waited until the moment was right and just as the attacking mongrel lunged I lifted my hind legs into the air as it buried its claws in the other dog’s stomach. I slammed a hoof down on the dogs arm, breaking it with a loud snap. The dog that had been holding me released his hold and I wrapped my forehooves around its neck and my hind hooves around the other dog’s. I twisted my body and flipped them both, slamming all three of us to the ground. I quickly leapt back to my hooves and without wasting a second I stomped one of the dogs head, splitting it open like an egg with a gut wrenching pop.

The other diamond dog tried to regain his footing but as he stood I kicked his legs out from under him and preceded to rain down a flurry of strikes, the final one aimed for his throat. I could feel his throat give way beneath my hoof collapsing, and I stood slowly as I watched him fight for air. “I hope you can find some form of peace in your final moments.” I said as I walked away from him. I walked to the body of the diamond dog I had run through and pulled the blade from its body, swinging it to throw the blood from it. I looked around and saw a mass of dead bloodied diamond dog bodies, and saw Sweetie Belle standing overtop of one she’d left alive.

“Looks like we survived.” I said as I walked to her side and looked down at the diamond dog. It was the one that had tossed Apple Bloom’s body and it looked like it was dearly regretting that move now. It desperately grabbed at the bloody stump it had once called an arm, fruitlessly trying to stop it from bleeding, its legs broken and bent in unnatural ways.

“Diamond dogs aren’t that hard to fight, they only know how to rush in head first.” Sweetie Belle replied in a cold unsettling tone. “Now this mutt was about to tell me who sent them here.” She said as one of her blades moved to the beasts throat.

“We were sent by a changeling.” It said after a few moments, it’s breath ragged and labored.

“No shit it was a changeling, I want a name.” Sweetie replied.

“It was an elite, a general, a female. Rumor has it that she is the sister of their queen, their princess . . . if they even have such a thing.” The diamond dog said as it coughed up blood.

“Chrysalis is the only female changeling, that’s how their species works . . . like the damn bugs they are.” I said as I stepped on one the dogs legs causing it to writhe in pain.

“It’s true!” It shouted. “Swarm Heart! Her name is Swarm Heart, the sister of Chrysalis!”

“Where is she!?” Sweetie and I both demanded.

“Baltimare! She’s in Baltimare. She’s turned the city into a giant fortress, gives all her orders from there. The queen even visits her there!” Another blood stained cough erupted from the diamond dog as he spoke and then suddenly he was silenced by Sweetie’s blade, his body going limp.

I didn’t say anything as I dropped the blade Sweetie had given me and turned from her.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She asked turning to me.

I stopped and looked back at her, determination in my eyes. “I’m going to go get Apple Bloom’s body, lay her back to rest, and then I’m going to Baltimare.” I replied.

Sweetie just stood there and stared at me, suddenly she sheathed her blades and picked up the one I had dropped. “You’re gonna need this.” She said as she tossed the blade to me and I caught it.

“You’re not gonna try to stop me?” I asked as I tucked the blade beneath my wing.

“I still don’t know if I believe you, but you helped me fight these beasts, so I suppose I at least owe you a small amount of gratitude . . . and trust.” She replied as she moved towards me. “We’ll bury Apple Bloom and then head for Baltimare. I’m curious to see if that dog was telling the truth about Swarm Heart, and to see if you can really become a hero.”

I smiled and let out a small chuckle as I turned away from her again. “I’m curious about both of those myself. But what about Spike, I still haven’t seen him, will he be joining us?”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be coming, he’s been with us this whole time. I mean . . . why do you think we were attacked by so few of those mutts?” She said with a smile as she walked to my side.

“Well damn, I’ll be sure to thank him when I see him.” I replied. We retrieved Apple Bloom’s body and returned it to it’s grave, taking a few moments to say our goodbyes before once again commiting her to the earth. Once again, I looked upon the remains of Sweet Apple Acres and said goodbye to that place, a place that had been dear to me. This time however I was filled with a purpose and a clear objective. I was going to Baltimare to face a different kind of darkness, a darkness that didn’t reside within, but a darkness that tainted the very world itself. No longer did the changelings have to fear the sword of vengeance, no. The changelings would come to fear something different . . . they would come to fear the sword that protects. They would come to fear the sword of righteousness and the renewed Rainbow Dash that now wielded it.