Nosebleed
Written by Brutishjohn
WARNING!
The following story contains blood, gore, psycho atmosphere, language and other dark elements which can be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
The town of Ponyville was quiet. The shops, usually open to sell food and souvenirs, were all closed. The sky was gray, completely covered by rain clouds. Puddles rules the streets. The day was not a day of celebration for anypony.
Everypony was at the cemetery for the funeral services of Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle. Not one month prior, the mentioned ponies died to a creature known as Bloodshed. Bloodshed had tortured them, as well as the remaining Mane 6 for two weeks in his cave that was north of Canterlot.
Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity were the only Elements of Harmony that survived the ordeal. Many ponies went up onto a stage to speak their thoughts and feelings for the dead. Rainbow Dash went up.
"First, I will be let everypony know how I saw Twi—" Dash froze in place. It seemed like yesterday that she was going to ask her friend Twilight for the latest copy of Daring Do. "Twilight Sparkle. To me, she was very smart, far smarter than anypony here. She would always have her head in books or in a friendship problem. She had determination. She had…" Rainbow willed herself to not cry.
"She was a caring soul. She would always know what to do. And if she didn't know, she would look it up in a book."
"Now. Pinkie Pie was…" Dash froze again. She planned to do some pranks with Pinkie Pie the week after reading the Daring Do book. "She was a fun loving pony who would never throw a party without some ridiculous reason. She always had a smile on her face. She would always cheer you up-" -SOB- "- she would never…" Dash could not continue. Applejack came up and walked Rainbow down to her seat. Rarity went up to the microphone to talk. Dash was no longer holding back the tears. She never got to say what she felt for Fluttershy.
"It's ok sugarcube. Just let it all out." Applejack soothed the rainbow maned speedster.
Will it be ok? Dash could not think clearly. Then what she was hoping not to happen, happened. She remembered she needed to check in at the Rainbow Factory tomorrow for the inspection of new workers. Rainbow Dash still had the image of Scootaloo falling into the machine in the dream. Her bright orange and smooth purple color traversing through the pipes to be used as a rainbow. The thought haunted her for three weeks. She hoped that this was not real, nor would it ever be real.
Canterlot was in no better state. The loss of Princess Luna was hard on many ponies. Numerous batpony guards mourned over the loss of the moon princess. What caught most ponies by surprise was when Celestia did not attend the funeral service for her own little sister.
Celestia spent the day pacing inside her dorm. Her complexion was laughable. She had not slept or eaten anything for the past four weeks. Celestia pushed away everypony who wanted to help, say that she did not need help. Some ponies were just glad that Celestia still rose and set the sun every day.
When the service was over, Celestia made her way to Luna's burial spot. She left a bushel of lavender and went back to her dorm to get ready to set the sun and raise the moon. She made the mistake to look at the stain again. On her hoof was a blood stain that she got just before leaving the hellish nightmare that the creepypasta Bloodshed called 'home'. She knew that, even after one-thousand years, Bloodshed was cunning But he died. That's it. End of story. But still…
Applejack came home to her farm, which was not burned. The animals, the buildings, and her family were all still there. Applebloom ran out to greet Applejack. The two sisters hugged each other. They both went inside, where a non-mutilated Big Macintosh and Granny Smith sat at the kitchen table, apple pies in front of both. A smile grew on Applejack's face. She was home. But these past events would never leave her mind.
What ached at Applejack's mind the most was Fluttershy's cottage. All the animals that lived there no longer had the element of kindness to care and comfort them. Later that night, Applejack, snuck out of the house and made her way to the cottage to check up on the animals. After one week without Fluttershy, the animals seemed to be doing ok. After four weeks though, the idea of a new manager of the animals needed to be addressed. Countless animals were sick and some were starving. Applejack couldn't even imagine how many were on the verge of death. She made this trip about once every four days. Still, the animals were not getting better.
This time, though, Applejack got the idea that Fluttershy had help from an unknown source to help care for the animals. Angel Bunny was the first thing that came to mind, but the main problem was Applejack could not speak or understand animal. Angel Bunny still proved to be useful. He led the farm pony to a drawer that contained a notebook. The orange mare investigated the information inside and found tips to feed, care, and heal all the animals inside the small home.
Applejack read the book and gave all the animals their proper food rations and made sure that the instructions inside the notebook were followed. After she was done, she made her way back to Sweet Apple Acres. She would need to bring the animals to the farm so that she would not have to make the journey to the cottage every day. Applejack said to herself, "This will work."
Rarity made her way to the boutique. As she walked inside, a familiar image showed itself in front of Rarity. It was the drawing that Sweetie Belle made with the blue gems. Rarity smiled and took the art into her magical grasp. Sweetie Belle ran up to her and said, "Is the service over? That was quick!"
Rarity's smile dissipated as she replied, "Rainbow Dash needed to go home so I had to give my speech right after her." A tear ran down Rarity's face. She dropped the plaster board, but before it hit the ground, Sweetie Belle caught it with her own magic. Rarity walked into the kitchen and grabbed a tub of ice cream, only to have it be put back. Rarity knew what happened when she got like that.
Making her way upstairs, Rarity took a look back on the words she had said at the funeral for Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy was a kind, peaceful, timid pony. She would never hurt a fly. Well, not intentionally. She would not hesitate to help an animal in need. She was indeed shy, but on the inside, she was strong. If there was anypony that I knew that was strong until the end, it would be Fluttershy. She never gave up on her friends. She was a blessing. She will be missed."
Those words were stuck in Rarity's mind. Even she didn't know that she could say all of that about one pony. Indeed, they will all be missed.
Rainbow Dash could not sleep. She tried counting sheep, despite how boring it actually was. The thought would not leave her head. She could still hear the blood curdling scream from Scootaloo. The blood spewing out of the top of the machine. The colors running through the pipes. How could that be possible? Rainbow hated the idea that she was not able to save Scootaloo in the dream.
The next day, Dash would need to go the the Rainbow Factory to inspect the new workers and teach them the dangers of the facility. She prayed to Celestia that what she had seen was not real. She would soon find out the next day.
"Alright newbies! Listen up! In five minutes, Rainbow Dash will give you the dos and don'ts for running this facility! Be ready and PAY ATTENTION! The advice you will receive might just save your life or somepony else's." The instructor announced to the seven pegasi ponies, all wearing white suits with nametags.
One mare with a light yellow mane and forest green coat spoke up. Her name tag read "Ada Lightwing." Her voice was a strong, Prench-style, don't-mess-with-me voice.
"Just why should we wait for a weather pony to tell us what to do and what not to do? Don't you know the rules?"
"Of course I do, it's just that the book has Rainbow Dash being the guide today. Deal with it."
The pony next to Ada, a stallion with a rock-star-style red mane and black coat, having a name tag saying "Lacrone Bruta", spoke up with a thick Russian voice.
"Why should we be here? Tour should have started hour ago. What gives?"
"What are all of you newbies arguing about?" A sharp voice came from behind the instructor. Rainbow Dash made it obvious to show off her awesomeness. Two of the suited recruits gasped as they realized the instructor meant "20% cooler Rainbow Dash."
"So. You are the newbies, huh?" Rainbow looked at each suited pony straight in the eye, checking for hesitation or a lack of confidence. Each pony passed the "right-up-in-your-face-because-I'm-the-boss" test. Now for the rules of working in a closed-quarters job where literally anything can cause injury or death.
"Rule number one! Never turn your back on a machine that you are currently working on!"
"Why?" Came a response from Ada.
Rainbow flew right into Ada's face. Ada actually flinched and backed up one step. "Because you need to know everything that the machine is doing at ALL TIMES! Rule number TWO! Always know where machinery is at all times. Rule number three! Always, eeeuhg…" Rainbow trailed off, recognizing the new suit that a newbie was wearing. It was the same as the ones from her dream. Dash took a step back.
"Always?" The pony said, staring at Rainbow Dash with a confused look. Dash shook herself out of her trance and flew out of the facility. She dive bombed to go under the clouds. She took a surveillance of the underbelly of the Rainbow Factory. It seemed to be the same as usual, but Dash had to make sure that there were no secrets inside. Instead of returning to the group to continue the tour, Rainbow made her way to the records section of Cloudsdale.
In Canterlot, the rumor that Celestia was losing her mind started to spread. It has been a full two months and Celestia has not made a public appearance since the Summer Sun Festival four months before. Something was seriously wrong with her. Members of the elite class made strange and outrageous assumptions.
"Maybe old age has caught up to her."
"Perhaps she is succumbing to depression over the loss of her sister."
"She maybe planning something evil!"
"She is just a lazy bitch who is waiting for us to die off so she can do whatever she wants."
"If she is lazy, then explain how the sun and moon rise and set every morning and night."
Celestia was not well at all. She suffered from sleep deprivation. She was also dehydrated and starved. Clear signs of exhaustion and worry. She was on the verge of disconnection from reality. She talked to herself about unknown topics. She wasn't herself.
-WHOOSH!-
A scroll appeared in front of Celestia while she was on her bed. "Hm?" Celestia looked at the scroll as if it was a new object that has never been seen before. She opened it and read:
Dear Princess Celestia,
Rainbow Dash is suffering from paranoia. Request assistance please.
From, Spike
"Paranoia? What has Rainbow Dash worked up?" Celestia said. She no longer concerned herself about the old spot. It was just a spot. Dash was in serious need of help. Celestia pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill and inkpot. She wrote up a letter to be sent to Rainbow Dash to convince that whatever Dash is going on about should not be worried about. Celestia also put some medicine for Dash to use in case she needed it.
Celestia sent the letter and finally went into the shower to wash up. When she stepped out of the shower, she felt brand new. She asked a servant walking by her dorm to fetch a dish of food and drink for her. She took a look at her hoof. The blood stain had washed off. That was good. One less thing to worry about.
Rainbow sat on her bed with Tank next to her. She was a mess. Her hair was tangled, her wings were unpricked, and the shadows under her eyes showed that she hasn't been keeping good care of herself. A scroll appeared in front of her. It was from Celestia.
Dear Rainbow Dash,
I have heard that you are suffering from paranoia. To my understanding, you are afraid of the rainbow facility in Cloudsdale. I advise that you accept that whatever you fear of that place is just from an illusion. Bloodshed was always good with illusions. Just let this fear go and everything will be alright.
From Celestia
When Rainbow was done reading the scroll, a bottle of medicine fell to the group. Dash picked it up and found a note on the side of the bottle:
"IN CASE SAYING THAT IT WAS JUST A DREAM DOES NOT WORK"
Dash opened the bottle and read the instructions for the dosage. She took two pills out and swallowed both. She started to choke, realizing water helps with getting the pills down.
Dash wrapped herself up in the bed and attempted to go to sleep.
The blue pegasus woke up with ease the next morning. Not a single bad dream or thought of the evil Rainbow Factory. She jumped out of bed and flew downstairs. She made herself breakfast and actually enjoyed it. After getting on her Wonderbolts outfit, Dash went outside and flew to practice. An uneasy feeling came up on Rainbow Dash. She could hardly see straight. She targeted a cloud to land on and gain her bearings.
When she landed, she realized just how tired she actually was. She positioned herself so that way if she did pass out, she would still be on the cloud. It wasn't too long until she did pass out.
"I just don't know what is wrong with her. She appears to be losing blood, but there is no sign of a wound or internal bleeding. She is just losing blood." The doctor explained to the nurse, who just came back from a room carrying a pouch of A- blood.
"There has to be a hole on the inside if she is losing blood. We have to find it. We are running low on A- blood in storage." The nurse said to the doctor.
The doctor paced around, thinking to himself. A loud moan came from the room with Rainbow Dash in it. She had all sorts of medical equipment attached to her. A heart monitor and an IB with numerous tubes entering Dash's body. Multiple tests showed that Dash was completely healthy except that she was losing blood with no logical explanation.
The doctor and the nurse entered the room to examine Dash. She was perfectly healthy. Both ponies were about to walk out the room when a glimpse of red liquid caught the nurse's eye.
"Wait! Look!" The nurse pointed at Dash. The doctor noticed it. Rainbow Dash had developed a large nosebleed.
-BEEP-
-BEEP-
-BEEP-
The heart monitor became slower and slower each day. It was at around forty beats a minute. Borderline of stopping. The doctors tried their best to stop the nosebleed that Rainbow Dash had. The reason for her hospitalization.
Dash had over a gallon of blood transfused, but her body would lose it to the nosebleed. There was nothing the doctors could do anymore. They pulled the plug on Dash's life support. Rainbow closed her eyes. The last thing Rainbow Dash felt was a heavy liquid draining down her nostrils.
The doctors used tissues to wipe away the remaining blood from Dash's nose and lips. The nurse relieved the doctors of the tissues and headed to the trash bin. Just before the nurse left the room, she noticed that on one of the tissues, the blood was black. The nurse was horrified. She told the doctors of the phenomenon, but one of them said that she was just imagining things. She said to herself, "Maybe they're right. All this stress can cause hallucinations. Better ask my boss for a day off."
One of the doctors that worked on Dash, Dr. Helmar, had to wipe his nose before working on his next patient.
Applejack had just finished feeding the last of Fluttershy's animals when a knock came at the front door. She got up and went to the door and opened it. In front of her was a messenger pony with a letter in his hoof. Applejack took the letter, thanked the messenger, and closed the door.
She went to the kitchen to find a knife to open the envelope. The envelope had a stain on it. Applejack assumed that the messenger had an ordeal with wine before arriving at the farm. Her jaw dropped as she examined the letter. The shock made her collapse onto the ground and land next to the knife. She could not hold back the tears.
-COUGH-
Applejack coughed. She laid next to the knife for hours, contemplating whether or not to take the chance. She already lost three friends. To lose four, it was too much for her. She reached for the blade, a voice in her head leading her on.
Join her…
"No." Applejack sobbed.
Join her, and the suffering will stop.
"I- I-"
Join her…
The voice in Applejack's head stopped when Applebloom entered the kitchen and shook Applejack out of her trance. Applejack had the utensil a mere three inches from her own neck.
It had been two weeks since the death of Rainbow Dash and Dr. Helmar had already worked on over fifty patients. When he came home from work one day, he wiped his nose. What he saw horrified him. A thick, black smear was on his hoof. The doctor made his way to the bathroom to wash up, but he fell to the floor after the first three steps.
The next day, the nurse that worked with Dr. Helmar noticed that the doctor did not show up for work. She called his house to check up on him. No response. The nurse became worried. She already had a talk with the manager about having one day off anyday she liked. That was the best day to have off.
The nurse had to bust through the front door of Dr. Helmar's house. She nearly regurgitated when she saw the lifeless body of the doctor on the floor. She called up the hospital to see how many patients the doctor had worked on after the death of Rainbow Dash. The number made her drop the phone. About seventy-two patients had made direct contact with the doctor after he left Dash in the room two weeks ago. Seventy-two ponies had a disease that not only killed Rainbow Dash, but also the doctor that worked on her.
The nurse picked the phone back up and dialed the highest authorities to set up a curfew.
The world seemed to be coming to an end. That is what most ponies thought about during the large scale curfew that was set by Princess Celestia after the discovery of a lethal disease by the head nurse at Ponyville Hospital.
When the curfew was in place, everypony panicked. The idea of a deadly disease that anypony could have struck fear in all creatures alike. The worst thing of all, however, is the fact that the disease was highly contagious and the symptoms did not show until after two weeks of infection.
After about five months, everyone settled and accepted the curfew. Over three hundred ponies, fifty-six griffons, countless animals and trees were dead after seven weeks of curfew. Nopony was safe.
Applejack fell ill as well. Applejack, Granny Smith, and Big Macintosh all died. Applebloom was unaffected despite the amount of contact she had with her family members during the curfew. The entire Apple Family was notified and, despite the strict rule of nopony leaves a town or city, came to the funeral held at Sweet Apple Acres. Applebloom attended this funeral service. She had just lost her older sister and older brother. She would, unknowingly, would lose the rest of her large family because of this funeral.
Ten weeks after the funeral, Applebloom was still well and not suffering from the disease. She met up with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who both should have been infected, at the clubhouse every now and then. There was no explanation as to why the Cutie Mark Crusaders did not die from the disease.
One day, in the clubhouse, Sweetie Belle brought up an idea about the whole situation.
"We need to go the boutique!"
The CMCs made their way through the empty streets of Ponyville to Carousel Boutique. Applebloom and Scootaloo looked at each other with confused expressions. Sweetie Belle said she had an idea about why they all had a form of immunity to the disease.
Once they got to the boutique, Sweetie Belle knocked on the front door. She had a smile on her face. This made Applebloom and Scootaloo more confident with Sweetie's plan. The door creaked open just enough for the pony behind it to see the small fillies.
"Sweetie Belle? What are you doing? The boutique isn't safe! Go back to your clubhouse!" Rarity whispered with haste. She loved Sweetie Belle, and to Rarity, keeping the small filly away from the boutique was the best option.
"We came here because we need to see something. Do you still have the medical papers of all our family members?" Sweetie Belle piped up in a cheerful manner. "Yes I do. Whatever for?" "Just wanna check something."
Rarity closed the door and went to check for the medical profile files of Rarity's family. She cracked the door open again and said, "Actually, I don't have them anymore. They must be at city hall."
Sweetie Belle did not even say good bye. She just turned and made a break for city hall. Applebloom and Scootaloo followed after her.
Sweetie Belle had gone through ten cabinets of files until she stopped and picked up four files. One file was for Rarity. Another was for Sweetie. The third and fourth files were for Scootaloo and Applebloom. She ran through each file and exclaimed "I KNEW IT!" at the top of her lungs. She got up and showed the other CMCs a page showing DNA and blood types for each pony. They all read O- blood.
"Just what do you propose Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked. "I went through every file for everypony that died in Ponyville! They all had a blood type other than O-! Ponies with O- blood, like us, are immune to the disease!"
Both Applebloom and Scootaloo had the widest smiles on their faces. With this information, a cure for the disease could be manufactured. "How did you figure that out?" Applebloom asked in wonder. "You got to think outside the box! Some things as chaotic as a disease may have a pattern."
The CMCs left the hall without cleaning up the mess. There was no time for that, they had to get Rarity.
"PLEASE!"
"PLEASE!"
"PLEASE!"
All the CMCs cried out in unison. Rarity was reluctant to let them inside the boutique. She didn't want to endanger their lives. "NO!" Rarity retorted. Sweetie Belle pulled the two in for a huddle.
"I think we should perform 'Operation Bulldog!'"
The CMCs broke the huddle and lined up side-by-side. Each one had a puppy face that made Rarity want to let them in. "OH! Ok fine, come inside, quickly!" Rarity opened the door completely to let the three fillies inside the boutique.
"So what is this all about, hmm?" Rarity asked inquisitively. "Do you know why we haven't died to the disease? It's because of our blood type!" Sweetie Belle said with enthusiasm. "We all have O- blood!" Applebloom followed up. "The disease doesn't affect those with O-!" Scootaloo finished. Rarity looked confused, then thoughtful, then happy. "That's incredible! However did you figure it out?" Rarity asked, but saw the expression on the little filly's face saying that she should not worry about it.
"So, what are we going to do about it?" Rarity asked the CMCs. "We need to inform Princess Celestia of course!" Sweetie jumped up in excitement. "Oh, um. There is just one problem." Rarity said with a worried face. She pointed a hoof towards a room to the left. The CMCs got up and entered the room. In the dead center of the small room was a coffin with countless colourful gems. The coffin had a paper on top that said, "Here lies Spike, the brave and glorious."
"Oh." croaked Applebloom.
"If we can't have Spike sent a letter to Celestia, then we will have to go to Celestia ourselves!" Announced Sweetie. "We can't leave town because of the curfew, remember?" Scootaloo said to Sweetie, a frown having formed on her face.
"So we will just leave when nopony is looking." Sweetie suggested.
"There are guards all over the place! We'll never make it out!."Applebloom replied.
"Rarity, can you give us a chance to sneak out of Ponyville so that we can get to Celestia?" Sweetie looked at her sister with a determined expression.
"The next train leaves tonight. Get your things ready and when the time comes, I will help you leave." With that, the CMCs returned to the clubhouse to pack supplies. Rarity went to Friendship Castle to find a book on cloak spells. She remembered where the book was from a past situation. She laughed at herself just thinking about the reason why she needed a cloak spell before.
The CMCs were at the train station waiting for Rarity. They had packed food and water for the trip. Rarity came up and showed them the cloak spell. Sweetie Belle was powerful enough to use the spell. Once the train was about to leave, Rarity gave Sweetie a hug. The CMCs jumped onto the cabus and prepared for the journey ahead.
The ride to Canterlot could not take any longer for Scootaloo. Sweetie pasted the time by practicing the cloak spell on Applebloom. It worked about ninety percent of the time. The main thing the ponies had to worry about next was being quiet while trying to reach Celestia.
The train came to a stop with a sudden jerk. Sweetie Belle reminded everypony about the plan and what to do if things did not go according to plan. They all nodded and Sweetie applied the spell on each of them. They were all completely invisible.
Each filly went her own path to find Celestia. Each CMC had a flare that she would use if she would find Celestia and explain the O- immunity to the disease. The flare also marked the end of the mission by creating a large hissing noise heard from anywhere in the castle. Sweetie entered the west wing of the castle, Scootaloo entered the eastwing, and Applebloom entered the northwing.
It had been an hour since Applebloom left the station and she still did not have a clue where Celestia could be. She checked the main kitchen, restrooms, and even the ballroom. She pulled out one of her snacks. A granola bar with peanuts and almonds. Her favorite. She digged into the bar and make such loud noise, a nearby guard turned his head and started to investigate. Applebloom, still invisible, couldn't afford to be caught in a light. She still had a shadow. She hid behind the corner until the guard turned the corner, slipping past the guard without entering the light or making a noise. After making sure the coast was clear, Applebloom continued her search for Celestia.
Sweetie Belle could hardly walk anymore. She had traversed the entire castle almost three times. Still no sign of Celestia. She also swore she saw a shadow of one of her friends two or three times before. She became thirsty. Pulling out a pouch and opening it, Sweetie took five sips before realizing that the pouch was not invisible. She tried to put the pouch back in her bag quickly, but it was too late. A guard was already walking over to see what caused the pouch to float in the air. She made a break for a room next to her, but the guard was a unicorn. A unicorn with very good night vision. He grabbed the invisible filly with his magic, but he bore a very blank expression. He dropped her as if he tried to grab something, but he picked up something useless. Sweetie Belle wiped the sweat from her head and continued her search.
Scootaloo flew without end. She was determined to find Celestia. Everypony in Equestria needed Scootaloo and her friends to find Celestia and create a cure for the disease. Nothing would stop her. Nothing, except the lifeless dorm that Scootaloo found next. Inside was a white alicorn princess, broken and lifeless. The disease caught her too. The black blood coming from the nose was the only thing Scootaloo needed to see before using her flare. -HISS- A bright red light lit up the room, and the other CMCs made their way to the location of the loud hiss. Following suit were guards. Sweetie undid the cloak spell, knowing that the guards would not arrest them for defying the curfew. Both princesses were died now. The only alicorn left in Equestria was Cadence, and who knew what troubles were bestowed upon her.
Applebloom became so furious that she bucked the wall so hard that she made a hole three feet wide. Nopony could blame her. Sweetie cried out at the top of her lungs, "WHO DID THIS!?"
Rarity was in the boutique looking over the remains of her dresses. To think that she or anypony would never wear them hit Rarity hard. She devoted most of her work to making and designing dresses and outfits. With most of Equestria dead, however, there was no point to continue the clothesline she was working on. Her shops in Canterlot and Manehattan were already closed down. She was broken.
Her imaginated nightmare ended when the front door of the boutique burst open. A very angry Sweetie Belle had entered, trailed by Scootaloo and Applebloom. Sweetie walked straight to her room, not making any remark to her sister.
"What happened?" Rarity asked. Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head, looking down. "Celestia… Celestia is dead." The orange filly answered. Rarity was taken back. How could this happen? Rarity wanted to know the details, but refrained from asking. The fillies had a hard enough time at the moment. Rarity found it better to not trouble the Cutie Mark Crusaders with pointless questions.
Rarity now had a new thing to worry about. The death of Celestia. Three of the four princesses were dead. She couldn't imagine whatever could have happened to Cadence at the Crystal Empire. The idea of it made Rarity shutter.
Sweetie Belle dug her face into her pillow. She cried for a full hour before her friends entered the room. Applebloom was the first to speak up. "Sweetie Belle. Calm down. Scoots and I came up with a new plan." Sweetie looked up and at Applebloom. The small farm filly had a concerned look. Scootaloo had the same look, but changed it with determination and said, "We need help to stop this disease. I know a guy that may help."
The garden at Fluttershy's cottage was covered with chocolate milk. Discord had spent the past six months grieving over the death of his closest friend in his entire life. He would not let anypony take any of Fluttershy's possessions. He just pushed everypony away.
Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Rarity entered the garden with tension. They did not want to anger Discord, but needed his help to find the source of the horrible dilemma. "What do you want?" Discord said inbetween sobs. Scootaloo took a step forward and said, "We need your help with the disease. Can you cure it?" "Or find the source of it?" Applebloom said as soon as Scootaloo was done talking. "Why should I? How can this help me in any way?" Discord retorted. "Listen. This disease killed Celestia."
Discord straightened his back after hearing those words. He knew the sun princess was getting weaker. He could sense it, but learning that Celestia actually died. The pink clouds over the garden went away and the chocolate rain ceased. "Celestia… DIED!" Discord shouted with an anger to break the very ground the fillies stood on. "Yes. The disease reached Celestia. But we have a lead as to how to get a cure. The disease cannot affect ponies with O- blood." Sweetie Belle explained.
Discord took this information with thought. He could bend reality, but messing with blood was a bit… wrong… for Discord. He couldn't mess with blood. But he could use this to his advantage. "Ok! I think I know what to do. I can't create a cure for the disease, but I can help take you to the source of this disease." Rarity looked sceptical. "What do you mean you can't create a cure. You can do anything-" "Except that." Discord cutted Rarity off. "Sounds like a plan! Lead on Discord!" Scootaloo squeaked with excitement. Rarity watched with little care as Discord led the CMCs towards the Everfree Forest.
Sweetie Belle backtracked and said comfortingly to Rarity, "Come on sis! I thought we can trust Discord. He can help us." Rarity rolled her eyes and put on a grin. "Ok. Oh Discord! Wait up!" Rarity and Sweetie ran together as the group entered the forest.
Rarity swatted at bugs flying around her mane. Discord could only laugh at the idea of Rarity still being peppy at that time. He could sense a dark force in the forest which strangely felt like the presence of the disease that plagued Equestria. It made him suspicious.
Discord took a look back and saw Sweetie Belle falling behind. He teleported and appeared behind the tired filly. After having picked up Sweetie in his magic, Discord teleported to Rarity and placed the filly on the fashionista's back. Sweetie Belle fell asleep in an instant. Rarity was about to retort, but the sleeping sister on her back changed her mind. They had been walking through the Everfree for about three hours without a rest. Rarity hoped that they were not far from wherever Discord was taking them.
Discord stopped in his tracks. The others fell to the ground from exhaustion. He crept through the bushes and found a drop that led to a cave. "Hey! I think I found it!" Discord shouted back to the resting ponies. He then shut his mouth and remained quiet. Why could they not just have the ability to not need sleep?
A few hours went by before the ponies woke up. Discord was waiting patiently. Or as patient as he could be. Once everypony was up, Discord led them to the cave's entrance. "Down we go." He said in a toying manner. He made an elevator cart appear from nowhere. The CMCs, without hesitation, entered the elevator. Rarity looked at Discord with a frown on her face. "Would you rather climb down?" Rarity took those words with consideration. Elevator means less messy and less work. "Ok. Just make it quick." Rarity threw her tail in Discord's face. He did not flinch. Discord then teleported to the inside of the cart. He bore an outfit of a hotel's employee. "Please keep your heads, horns, wings, legs, and ears inside the elevator at all times!"
The cart, with a jerk, started to descend into the darkness. "What is that smell!?" Rarity shouted blindly. "It's a cave. Cave's usually have that murky smell." Applebloom mentioned. "I was in that cursed cave that the creature Bloodshed called home and the smell wasn't bad there!" "That cave was cursed. I doubt Bloodshed would have the cave smell bad if he expected company." Sweetie said. Rarity thought about it for a second. Bloodshed did want the elements of harmony alive for a while. Why would he not keep his cave clean? Despite his horrid nature, he still had patience. Rarity's thoughts then turned dark when she remembered when Bloodshed's patience was tested by Fluttershy. It made her sick. The murky smell did not help with this. Rarity leaned over the rail and vomited.
"What's wrong sis?" Sweetie asked in concern. "I just feel woozy, that's all." Rarity replied. Discord scoffed. Rarity ignored the rude action and made sure she did not throw up again. The cart came to a stop. Rarity and Sweetie Belle both lit up their horns to create a light source. Discord merely used his night vision to see. Scootaloo stuck to Rarity, Applebloom to Sweetie. Together, the group made their way to the end of the cave. The smell that hit Rarity before became stronger and stronger the further the group went.
Applebloom froze when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Sweetie noticed it too and threw up. The rest of the group came to see what had caused the stand still. It was the rotting corpse of a pony. The pony had a feature that sent a chill down Rarity's spine. The corpse was missing the entire left side of his body. "It… It can't be." Rarity croaked in horror.
Discord covered the body with a tarp that he summoned from the void. He then forced the group to continue the journey through the cave. Within a few hours, the group saw a light from the end of a tunnel. Scootaloo was about to fly towards the light when Discord stopped her with his magic. "Let me see just what that is first. Follow me." Discord said with a voice of a leader.
Discord floated towards the light, the group following suit. The cave came to an end when the company reached an opening. The outside was another part of the Everfree Forest. Discord stopped and searched the surrounding area with his senses. "The source is close. Just past those trees I think." Discord said, pointing a finger towards a set of trees to the group's left. A dark feeling entered Rarity as a sense of deja vu told her to leave the area. "It better not be what I think it is." Rarity whispered to herself.
-LAUGHTER-
The sound of laughter came from a crater in the earth. Discord and the others looked down to find a sight that was so disgusting, Rarity regurgitated a second time. Down in the crater was a black, pony-like figure. The creature had a size of ten ponies. He had a pitch black coat, which appeared to be oozing like a liquid. Everywhere the creature went, he left a blotch of black ooze in his wake. He had a right eye with a dark blue iris. His left eye, however, was made of a red liquid that closely resembled blood. "Is that…" Scootaloo started. "Bloodshed?" Rarity looked carefully. The eye gave it that Bloodshed sense, but the black liquid body and the size proportion made it hard to determine. The last piece of evidence that Rarity needed to confirm that the creature was in fact Bloodshed was when he spoke a familiar dark voice.
"Finally! My work has paid off. Everypony in Equestria is about to feel the wrath of my unstoppable power! And with Celestia and Luna gone, along with the elements of harmony, who can stop me now?!" The company listened intently to Bloodshed until he made a move. "First, I made sure that everyone in Equestria had my blood in them. Next, kill them all! Finally, I will make an army that nothing in this world, or any other, can stop! Muahahahaha!"
Discord looked at Rarity with a I-have-a-plan look. Rarity caught on and leaned in to whisper in Sweetie Belle's ear. Sweetie brought in Scootaloo and Applebloom to hear the plan. The stage was set. The group gathered their bearings and prepared for an attack on Bloodshed.
Discord made a set of armour for each pony. "These will make sure that he doesn't possess you. You maybe immune to the disease, but he could still use his magic on you." Discord explained. Rarity had a dark purple set of unicorn armour.
Sweetie Belle had a camo set and a helmet with a flashlight attachment. Discord said that the flashlight was overcharged to make it as blinding as the sun.
Scootaloo had a set of pegasus armour that, as Discord explained, would be as light as a feather, and as strong as steel. It was also enchanted with a speed spell so that Scootaloo could fly as fast as Rainbow Dash.
Applebloom had a set of blue armour that had an enchantment that gave Applebloom super strength. Applebloom gazed at herself in astonishment. "Do we get to keep these?" Applebloom chirped up with glee. Discord nodded, and everypony smiled. Discord then turned back to the crater, to Bloodshed. The others knew the time to attack was near.
"I, Black Bloodshed, will not be stopped!" Black Bloodshed shouted, getting ready to leave. A powerful blast knocked him to the ground. He brought himself back up and searched the area. He couldn't sense a pony nearby. What attacked him?
Discord was the first to jump. He landed next to Black and sent the monster flying a few feet. Discord, being only one-third the size of Black, looked at Black with a hatred that was unmeasurable. Black just smirked at the draconequus. Then Black started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Discord growled through clenched teeth. "You. I thought you were still sobbing over dear O'l Fluttershy. What stopped you?" Discord clenched his lion paw in anger after hearing Black mention Fluttershy's name playfully. "No answer, huh. It's a shame, indeed. I can still hear the screams. Oh that girl could scream! It brought a tear to my eye when I saw how hard she tried to escape. It was useless, however. Still, she tried. A for effort, but a flat F for performance."
Discord hesitated. Why was Black not attacking him? Discord had not realized, but he had fallen under a mind control spell. Discord fell to the ground. Black had been draining Discord of his energy. Discord could barely see anything. Black was about to drain Discord completely dry, but Sweetie Belle sent a blast of her own towards the black mass, sending him flying twenty feet into the air. Black landed hard on the ground. Regaining his position, he prepared an attack to Sweetie Belle. It would be powerful enough to kill Sweetie in one hit. Seeing this, Rarity used a speed spell she used before to get Sweetie Belle out of harm's way. She was too late. She had no time to pull Sweetie out of the blast zone, so she had to block the blast. With her body.
Rarity fell to the ground, lifeless. Sweetie Belle was torn. Scootaloo and Applebloom charged Black. Scootaloo flew circles around Black. Applebloom then charged and bucked the mass in the face. Black went flying again. Scootaloo and Applebloom kept charging Black, attacking him before he had a chance to get up. Sweetie Belle simply walked over to her sister's dead body. Tears started to form in Sweetie's eyes. The elements of harmony were all dead. The alicorns were all dead. Soon, everyone in Equestria was going to die. But one obstacle stood in the way of Black Bloodshed's plan: The Cutie Mark Crusaders!
Sweetie charged Black, who was holding Scootaloo down with his large hoof. Sweetie blasted the hoof, releasing Scootaloo and causing Black to cry out in pain. "How is this possible?!" Black shouted in anger. The CMCs lined up in front of Black.
"Because we are the CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!!" All three shouted in unison. After the chant, the fillies started towards the black pony giant. All the while, Discord was regaining his power. With Black Bloodshed distracted, Discord could get his bend-reality powers back and end this nightmare once and for all. But this was all for naught. Black reached his limit.
Black Bloodshed used a power that encased the entire area in darkness. A thick smoke blocked the line of sight between the CMCs and Black. Scootaloo tried to fly up and out of the black cloud, but was pinned down by a powerful force. Scootaloo looked around, noticing the smoke clear. Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle were pinned to the ground by an unseen force. The armour that the fillies were wearing was destroyed.
Discord was held in the air by Black, who reappeared in the middle of the crater. He had to make this quick. He had a plan to fulfill, and he was going to make sure NOPONY stopped him.
Darkness. That was all Sweetie Belle could see. The small unicorn woke up in a daze. She was surrounded by bubbles in a strange land. She felt like she was in a paradise. "Am I… am I dead?" She said out loud. A bright flash came from the distance, and Sweetie Belle came to. She was held down by Black's magic. She looked to her left and saw Scootaloo and Applebloom unconscious. She looked up. A large structure made of the black liquid was towering over the crater. Black Bloodshed was draining the last of Discord's power at the top of the structure.
Sweetie panicked. There was nothing she could do. She tried to light up her horn, but Black must have drained her of her magic as well. "Bloodshed is winning. How is this possible? The good guys always win. Don't they?" Sweetie uttered under her breath. She saw her life flash before her eyes. Old memories. When she met Scootaloo. When she met Applebloom. When they all went on adventures to get their cutie marks. When they did get their cutie marks. One memory stood out above the others, however.
It was when Sweetie Belle went into the Everfree Forest one day to sing to herself. After several failed attempts, she resorted to whistling. Her whistling was beautiful. The woodland creatures came out of hiding behind brushes, the top of trees, and holes in the ground. It amazed Sweetie that day.
Coming back to the present, Sweetie knew what to do. It was risky, but it was worth a shot. Sweetie drew in a large breath and whistled. The song rang through the air. Black would of heard the whistling, if he were not so concerned with draining Discord. Black admitted that Discord had a lot of power to control. Too bad it belonged to Black now. The song echoed through the trees, alerting many of the animals to the presence of the evil in the forest.
Deer, elk, squirrels, and other animals alike ran to the source of the song. It was a stampede. A stampede heading straight for Black's foundation. Black Bloodshed went down hard. Discord fell to the ground, but instead of tough rock, a mass of furry creatures broke the fall. He was unconscious, so the animals carrying him took his away from the fight and set him down onto the ground near the edge of the crater.
Black was in no position to attack. He was surrounded by carnivorous predators who ate at his body like a pack of lionesses tearing away at a dead elephant. His blood did nothing against the animals of the Everfree, so he was initially powerless to the onslaught. He was nothing once the last of the tigers took up the black substance with a lick of their paws. Bloodshed was gone.
Sweetie woke up Scootaloo and Applebloom from their rest. Once they came to, the first thought that ran through their minds was: "What happened?" Sweetie just explained to her friends to not worry about what happened. A soft, female voice spoke up from behind the CMCs.
"What in Equestria just happened?" Rarity got up. Sweetie looked and started to cry tears of joy. Sweetie ran to her resurrected sister and hugged her to the end of time. Or until Rarity broke away from the hug and asked the same question again. Sweetie said the same thing she said to Scoots and Applebloom. "Don't worry about it. Bloodshed is gone for good this time." Discord appeared between the two sisters, pulling all three of them into a hug. A third arm pulled Scoots and Bloom into the hug. "Everything is now back to normal!" Discord cheered.
Back at Ponyville Cemetery, the appearance of Fluttershy, Applejack, and hundreds of other ponies took the newspaper company by storm. The curfew was lifted by the resurrected Princesses Celestia and Luna. The Crystal Empire became lively again after a few days. All was well, except the fact that Bloodshed was responsible for the plague that wreaked havoc across Equestria. But the news of Black Bloodshed's death was a perfect excuse to have a party. Only, Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle did not come back to life themselves.
"I think the two can't come back is because they both did not die to Bloodshed's magic." Luna explained. It was all Celestia needed to know. "At least this monster is gone forever. It is amazing just what the Everfree can do. The animals were immune to the blood." Celestia pondered out loud.
"We don't need to know why the animals were immune, we must focus our concerns towards a proper burial of Pinkie Pie and your formal pupil, Twilight Sparkle."
"Yes we should. Send a letter to everypony in Equestria. We will do this properly."
The skies were gray once more. In Ponyville, over a thousand ponies had made an appearance for the funeral service of Twilight and Pinkie Pie. Celestia herself made a short speech on the stage in front of hundreds of ponies, griffons, and other guests.
"Twilight Sparkle was a student who would never give up on finding an explanation and solution to a problem. She was determined. She was strong. She was smart. As her former mentor, I can say that there was never a time where Twilight did not take it upon herself to help somepony else. She will be missed. Pinkie Pie was the go-to pony if one needed a last-second party. She would always find a way to make you smile. If somepony didn't feel well or was having a bad day, she would find a way to 'make that frown turn upside-down.'" Celestia did not choke in the speech, unlike Rainbow Dash seven months prior.
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Discord, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo sat next to each other. Celestia walked off the stage and looked in their direction. She gave them a comforting smile. They all looked at her, smiling back. Celestia's smile vanished as she took a closer look at the ponies. All of their left eyes were a crimson red.