Apple Bloom was getting impatient. “Where are they? They should’ve come home a long time ago.”

They should’ve. In fact, it was already nighttime and granny smith had told her quite a few times already that she should go to sleep.

“Go on little filly.”, she said in her very recognizable voice. “You’ll see them in the mornin’”. But how could she? After all, this wasn’t some normal day. This day was special: She still had to give big sis her present!

Then, her face lit up, and she smiled. The door had opened, and Applejack and Big Macintosh were coming in, with Winona joyfully running around them.

The two had apparently been talking and simply continued their conversation: “Ah still can’t believe it. Some ponies must be eating too much sugar. You sure you ain’t hurt?”

“Eeyuup.”

“Sis!”, Apple Bloom interrupted their conversation.

Applejack’s previously worried looking face brightened up as she turned to the little filly. “Oh hai there sugar cube.” She gently rubbed her hoof over the top of Apple Bloom’s head.

“I’ve been waiting for you! I wanted to give you your present while it was still today.”

“Alright then. Show me what ya’ve got.”

The dark orange pony gave her little sister a slight push and she ran off. She rolled her eyes, slightly worried what minor disaster she’d crafted this time. Still, she appreciated the gesture. Then, the little filly returned, holding between her teeth a big cowboy hat, exactly like the one she already had, but somewhat newer and a darker shade of brown. Applejack’s jaw dropped.

“Apple Bloom, ah, ah don’t know what to say.”

“Well, you were talking about how your hat was getting old, so I though…”

“Where’d ya get it from?” Applejack had put on the new hat.

“Ah stole it from Rarity’s shop.”, the little filly grinned before running off to her room.

“That little joker” Applejack said while chuckling. She then noticed how tired she actually was and yawned: “Well, ah better hit the hay as well, it’s been a long day.”

A loud boom woke up Apple Bloom. “Fireworks? Who in their right mind would be…” She climbed up the chair she used to look out of the window. If she had been woken up by it, she would at least enjoy the firework as well. “Hey perhaps ah could get ma cutie mark in firework makin’. That would be awesome!” She looked out of the window, prepared to admire the colorful show. However, what she saw made her fall backwards, off the chair and back on the floor. “Fire!” Not only that, she saw the flashes of unicorn’s magic. Flying above them all was Twilight, still not quite used to her new wings, launching spell after spell at something in Ponyville.

“What in Celestia’s name is going on? Applejack? Applejack!” Without putting on her bow, the filly raced out of her room, down the corridor, down the stairs. “Applejack! Help! Where are you?” She heard Winona’s barking and ran towards it. Suddenly, she heard the dog yelp and the barking stopped. “Applejack? What’s going on?”

She looked around the corner, into the living room. Her big sister was standing on her hind legs and held a frying pan in her hoofs. Opposed to her, standing on all fours, was Big Macintosh. He seemed angry, screaming at his sister. It didn’t seem like he was actually saying anything though and his eyes, they seemed … off.

“Ah’m warning ya Mac.” Her sister’s voice sounded undetermined, afraid even. “Calm down!”

As if he hadn’t heard her, the large pony plunged himself towards her. A loud “thomp” could be heard as the frying pan crashed against Big Mac’s thick skull. The stallion fell to the ground, apparently unconscious. Only then did Apple Bloom notice Winona. She was lying in the corner. Her eyes closed, right flank crushed and a small stream of blood trickling out of her mouth.

“Applejack! What’s going on? I, … What’s wrong with Big Mac? And Winona!” The fillies words lost all cohesion, and then she felt her big sister’s embrace.

“Oh Apple Bloom, sugar cube, thank god you’re alright. Come on.” Applejack took a hold of her sister and threw her on her back. “Hold on” She sprinted towards the exit her blonde mane flying in Apple Bloom’s face.

“But what about Big Macintosh?”

“He went crazy. Ah think he’s sick.”

“What about granny? Winona?”

“They, They…” She was stammering, as if she didn’t want to answer those questions, but then her confidence returned. Completely ignoring Apple Bloom’s inquiries, she simply said: “We need to get out of here!”

Applejack kicked open the door. Outside, Twilight was standing. She looked even more worried than her sister.

“Apple Jack, thank god. I’ve been looking for the others. Do you have a clue what’s happening?”

“Ah’ve got some idea.”

“We think it started at the hospital, Rainbow’s flown of to get help, but I don’t know where the others went.”

“Get movin’. We need to get away from the barn, find the others.”

They ran through Ponyville. A giant crowd of ponies was running, screaming. Everywhere there were fires.

“Apple Jack? What are those ponies running from?”

Before she could get an answer, Twilight interrupted her. “Oh my god, the bakery” It was burning. “Pinkie Pie, the cakes.” Twilight was stammering.

“Ah’m sure they got out. Come on, let’s see if we can find Rarity.”

An explosion occurred, right next to them. It knocked them into the houses on the other side of the street. When she came to, she saw somepony running towards her. She had a beige coat and a blue mane with a pink streak in it. She looked friendly and Apple Bloom wanted to shout for help, but then the noticed the eyes. The eyes, they looked off, angry, unlike what she had seen in any other pony… except for Big Macintosh.

She yelled: “Apple Jack? Help!”.

However, her big sister was still knocked out. Her body pressed on Apple Bloom’s hind legt. She was stuck and the strange pony came closer and closer. Apple Bloom closed her eyes and covered her head with her hooves, waiting for the inevitable impact.

A bright flash of purple light blasted the pony aside.

“Twilight! Oh thank god.”

Without further acknowledging the filly, Twilight turned towards Applejack, shaking her head with her magic. “Applejack, wake up. Wake up!”

She came to. “That’s it! There’s no time to look for the others. We have to get to safety.”

“But Applejack, we can’t…”

“Twilight, now!”

She once again grabbed her little sister. “You cover us with your magic!”

They ran into a small alley, followed by a horde of… whatever they were. Applejack ran fast. She had clenched her teeth together out of determination and bent her head downwards to better protect her eyes from the incoming dust. When one of those ponies got in their way, she ruthlessly kicked it aside, smashing the pony’s face in the process. Apple Bloom pressed her face against her sister’s orange fur. She tried to not see the burning, the blood, the panic, but she could still hear the screaming. She wanted to focus solely on the sound of her sister’s hooves, but she kept hearing it, that awful screaming.

They finally reached the end of the alley, they could see the vast meadows that surrounded Ponyville. Twilight suddenly stopped, and turned around. Her face was lit up by the dark purple light of her charging magic.

“This is a bottleneck. I think I can slow them down here. You’ve got Apple Bloom. I’ll catch up to you. Go!”

Apple Bloom noticed her sister’s hesitation, but when Twilight insisted, she continued on.

After the alley, a small dirt road came. Running across this, they passed a carriage, laying in the ditch. It had a big red cross painted on it. Two of the strange acting ponies came out of it. Her sister starting running faster again, but they were catching up. Applejack was obviously getting tired. Apple Bloom could already hear their groans. Once again, they were saved by a bright flash of magic. Twilight! No, not possible, the light was a light blue, not purple. In front of them stood a member of the royal guard!

“Thank you.” Applejack started, exhausted and breathing heavily. “Ya see, my sister and Ah, …”

The stallion was charging his magic again. Applejack looked at herself. She was covered in dust and blood from the weird pony she had kicked aside.

“No, no. We’re not sick.”

A blast came from the unicorn’s horn. Applejack jumped aside. She landed in the ditch and continued rolling down it. The guard came down, a blue glow already covered his horn again.

“No, please.”

A blast lit up the surroundings. Applejack looked up. This blast was purple. She could hear the sound of the guard crashing into a tree a couple meters away.

“Twilight! Right in the nick of time.”

Twilight looked shocked. She was staring at the little filly lying at her feet. “Oh god, Apple bloom.”

She was lying on her back, revealing the large hole that had been torn in her left side. She was breathing irregularly, taking only short breaths and crying. Applejack ran over to her.

“Honey. Ah know honey. Ah know. Listen to me. Ah know this hurts honey. You’re gonna be okay honey. Twilight! Can’t you do something?”

The purple unicorn looked shell-shocked. She silently shook her head. Her eyes were starting to get wet.

“Stay with me Apple Bloom.” Applejack continued to try to comfort the filly. “Alright. Ah’m gonna pick you up. Ah know honey. Ah know it hurts. Come on honey, please. Ah know honey. Ah know.”

The sound of her breathing stopped. The little pony fell back.

“Apple Bloom… Honey…” The tone of Applejack’s voice changed, grew more desperate, more silent. “Don’t do this to me honey. Don’t do this to me sugar cube. Come on.” She started crying. “No. no… Oh no no no… Please. Oh God. Please. Please don’t do this… Please.”