The Ever-Shifting Tides Of Life

by DougtheLoremaster

Chapter 6: Like Mothers Like Daughters- Part 1

Scootaloo’s head dropped forward as the sword fell from her muzzle; her eyesight growing dimmer with each passing second. Where her right wing had been was a twisted mess of blood and flesh. Her hide had been absolutely gutted by the creatures bony claws. I...Win. One hoof lay grasping her gaping stomach wound as she fell forward and slammed into the dirt landing beside the blade. In front of her lay the completely dismembered skeleton of the Risen-Bear; it’s eyes staring devoid of any life back into her own, slowly closing, eyes. What a strange...Mask.

As she closed her eyes to welcome the sweet embrace of Death, Scootaloo saw what looked like the prettiest white unicorn she had ever seen. The mane was a pink and purple and swayed mesmerizingly to and fro as she ran towards the fallen Pegasi. Her eyes snapped closed as she heard the tiny unicorn yell at her. “Darn it! Don’t you dare die on me! You’ll be alright hold…”

***

Sweetie Belle’s horn glowed brightly as she inspected the wounds of Scootaloo. Not good, the neurotoxin has begun to spread. Neurotoxin; days ago it would have been a meaningless word to Sweetie Belle. For two days, Sweetie Belle had done nothing but detoxify blood, under the relentless instruction of her mother.

***2 days ago***

“No more whining! You wanted to help; you’ve gotten your wish. Now focus!”

Sweetie Belle stared wide-eyed and whimpering at the entrails of the bandit now draped across her lap. Behind her, Rarity sat giving instructions: “Allow your magic to flow through the flesh, feel for the toxin.”

Feel the toxin? “It, like every other thing, has its own feeling. Its own intent.”

Is it...Alive? “Mom what do you mean by its ‘own intent’?”

Smiling, Rarity’s icy cool tone responded. “My mom; Spitfire, was quite deep in her roots as a Pegasi. She would often tell of life and how all things were imbued with intent. Every creature, every object, she would say, has its own purpose; a reason to exist.”

I don’t understand! “Close your eyes and see with your magic, focus on what should be there, focus on the blood itself; when you find the familiar, the unfamiliar will become more clear. You should know the feeling and warmth of blood by now.”

That’s an understatement. Sweetie Belle had been holding back the urge to vomit as the acrid scent of blood permeated her nostrils. For the last five hours, she had sat with her mom amidst the aftermath of the carnage, Rarity had left behind. Her hooves were dyed red, from sorting the remains to be scavenged. How does she do this so calmly? Her mom was currently using her teeth to break open a tibia to take the marrow within. How can she do this without being nauseous? It was finally too much for the young filly to bear. Tears streaming from her eyes, Sweetie Belle yelled her frustration at Rarity. “HOW CAN YOU BE SO HEARTLESS?”

Ignoring the emotional outburst as she slowly separated the marrow from the bone using a pick, Rarity responded with a patient tone. “Listen here, young lady, there is no need to be so melodramatic. If it is too difficult for you to do, that’s fine. Go play while mommy takes care of-”

“I meant how can you do this?”

“Sweetie Belle, I showed you how I do this. Are you asking for help?”

“NO! HOW CAN YOU DISMEMBER ONCE LIVING BEINGS SO CALMLY WITHOUT ANY CONCERN?”

Rarity put down the fractured bone and pick she was working with and said softly. “Because I was trained to save others...By any means necessary.”

Sweetie Belle turned around to look at her mom. Rarity was sitting there, head to hooves dripping crimson. Her eyes were directed down at the ground as she spoke. “Sawbones. That was our nickname; a proud group of five unicorns who practiced medicine in the resistance. We were monsters, because we had to be; because it would allow others to live. The bodies of the fallen; friend or foe...It didn’t matter. We would utilize everything with our magic; removing a limb from a corpse to attach it to our wounded, just so they could walk again.”

Glancing up, she locked eyes with her daughter. “As you know, mommy lost her ability to use such means. Like an Earthpony, to remove a limb...Well, my teeth were just as effective as any magic. The taste of blood dulled in my mouth over time and now...I can’t taste it at all. Using my muzzle to sew up my patients became second nature. Scavenging these corpses; for organs and blood, bone and other supplies, is second nature to me. I know that by doing so, I can prevent far more deaths in the future for those I care about.”

Sweetie Belle stared at her mom, wide-eyed in disbelieving shock. Rarity smiled; the nearly permanent crimson stain evident on her once pearly white teeth. “Before you judge me too harshly Sweetie, take a look over there.”

The unicorn filly turned to look where her mom was indicating. A bunch of strange looking masks were piled up near the trash pile. A strange feeling seemed to emanate from within; causing Sweetie Belle to shake. “M-mom what are t-those?”

Getting slowly to her feet, Rarity walked over to the masks and picked one up. A really sinister chill filled Sweetie Belle as she watched. “These are all that’s left of Sombra-”

Snorting derisively, she continued. “Emperor Sombra, that is.”

Her eyes narrowed in anger as she explained further. “That scum, though long gone still lives on in these wretched masks. Crafted from the darkness itself, these masks steal the senses and force the wearer to succumb to hopelessness. Their darkest fears are brought before their eyes to terrorize them-”

Slamming a hoof down onto a nearby mask shattering it into thousands of shards, Rarity finished her thoughts. “Until they break. When the wearer gives up any hope of light, they cease to be anything more than machines controlled by their own darkness. Fear and despair, anger and hatred, with no recollection of who they are. Many creatures; Ponies, Dragons, Griffons...Even the animals of the land still wear these cursed masks.”

“But if you remove them-”

Rarity nodded as if in thought. “They’ll return to normal, right? It’s a logical thought, but that’s where the true evil of these masks comes into play. Once the wearer succumbs, they are gone; utterly, completely. They may as well be zombies, driven by the darkness within. They kill, steal and ravage without a single thought. They no longer exist.”

Sweetie Belle thought about it in silence while staring down at the ground. Slowly raising her head, her ears were pinned back in fear as she asked a question she was sure she would regret. “Where did those masks come from?”

Rarity smiled her bloody smile once more as she dropped the mask back on the pile. “Our late attackers, Sweetie Belle. Those four unfortunate souls who decided to threaten our lives. Now then, do you understand?”

***

As Sweetie Belle observed Scootaloo’s wound, a small smile crossed her lips. I understand Mom. The wound’s entry had become putrified as the poison slowly spread. Taking a small strip of gauze and tying it around Scootaloo’s front-right knee, Sweetie Belle’s horn glowed brightly, a magical barrier blocked all blood flow to that leg. I finally get it. Using her magic, Sweetie Belle scanned the now gaping cavity of Sootaloo’s rib cage. The bones were broken, jagged and splintered; most likely from a blunt impact. Past the shattered rib cage, Sweetie Belle saw the shredded form of her lungs; once the cage was broken, it extended its claws. That heart is barely functioning, I should start there.

Sitting down, Sweetie Belle’s horn glowed brightly as she carefully reformed a vein and reconnected it to the heart. Fifteen minutes passed as she finally sealed the chest cavity completely reconstructed. Wiping a bloody rag across her brow to stop the sweat from blinding her, Sweetie Belle gave Scootaloo’s heart a small jolt with her magic. She turned to a bag of items beside her as she heard the Pegasus speak. “Wha...are you an angel?”

Turning to look in Scootaloo’s eyes, Sweetie Belle responded. “Oh good, you’re awake.”

“I’m not dead?”

Sweetie Belle let out a giggle. “No. You are not dead and I am no angel...My name’s Sweetie Belle and I’ll be saving your life today.”

As she leaned into her bag to get something, she heard Scootaloo speak once more. “Sweetie Belle...I have a sister named...Sweetie Belle.”

Turning back to Scootaloo holding a white cloth, Sweetie Belle smiled. “That's me! You must be Scootaloo. Nice to meet you. I’m your younger sister, now open your mouth.”

“What are you gonna -Mmmmph!”

As Sweetie Belle jammed the cloth into Scootaloo’s mouth, she smiled. “There’s no time to explain, but you’ll be needing this.”

Her horn began to glow as she thought about everything her mom had told her. I get it Mom. To save lives in this world… The beam from her horn burned with an intense heat as she aimed it. We must become monsters! The intense beam of magical heat sliced right through Scootaloo’s leg just below the tied cloth. “MMMMMPHRGG!”

Scootaloo bit down hard on the cloth, screaming into the gag in pain. As her leg fell away from her body, Sweetie Belle pat her on the head, as she spoke to her in a forced calm manner. If I show any emotion, she’ll start thrashing. I’m sorry new sis, I know it hurts, but this is for your own good! Using levitation she pulled a leg, originally belonging to one of the bandits from the bag. “If you don’t want to die, hold still.”

Scootaloo didn’t understand why, but she felt compelled to do as she was told; staring into those warm eyes. Staring on in shock, Scootaloo watched as Sweetie Belle slowly and deliberately connected the leg to Scootaloo’s stump. After about fifteen minutes she smiled. “Go on, bend it.”

Scootaloo stared at the leg. It made her want to retch. Easy for her to say, it looks nothing like my other legs. It’s hideous. Out of disgust, Scootaloo kicked out with the pale green foreleg. “What have you done to me!”

Sweetie Belle narrowed her eyes. She wanted to yell but almost as if on instinct she kept her tone balanced. “I saved your life. Show a bit more gratitude.”

“I-”

As Sweetie Belle locked eyes and glared into hers, Scootaloo froze and hung her head. Sweetie Belle placed a hoof on the chest of the pegasus. “You listen here! Thank me, or I’ll cut it off again!”

Scootaloo just stared at her and grumbled. “Thanks, but now I look like a monster.”

Sweetie Belle grinned happily and her ears perked up as she gave Scootaloo a hug. “Yup, you do. But that’s okay. You may be a monster, but I’m the Dr. Frankenpony who caused it. Now then up on your hooves.”

As she spoke, she playfully smacked the newly attached leg. “ARRRRGH!”

Rolling her eyes, Sweetie Belle snorted. “Oh c’mon you big baby. I didn’t hit you that hard.”

“N-no it’s-It’s my back! It burns!”

“Your-”

Sweetie Belle froze in mid-sentence. She saw the putrefied, rotted flesh; the gaping wound of where the pegasus’s wing had been. That...Is not good. I can’t cut that off...Hmm maybe instead, I could...Sweetie Belle looked swiftly around and as her eyes settled on Rainbow Dash’s sword, she smiled. Thinking quickly, Sweetie Belle conjured a glass with some water. “Here drink this, it’ll help!”

Scootaloo grabbed the glass thankfully and downed it. “That water tasted fun-”

And with that, Scootaloo fell back completely oblivious to the world; unconscious. Sorry sis, but if you stayed awake, this pain might actually kill you. Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and turned towards the sword once more.