Ten Years Later
ThwackThwackThwackThwackThwack
A rain of Red Delicious apples cascaded into the buckets as the five Apples slammed their hind hooves into five different towering apple trees. Blossom stretched out her neck and pushed back her brown Stetson. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and fired up her horn to levitate three full apple buckets and place them on a large wagon. Big Macintosh lifted three buckets onto his back and placed the under a new tree for Blossom to buck.
Blossom began walking over the tree when a familiar voice rang through the apple orchard. "Good afternoon, Apple family!"
The five Apples all turned to the source of the voice to see Dr. Working Mind trotting up the road towards the orchard. Blossom half grimaced/half smiled at the sight of her psychologist but walked up to him with a wave anyway. "Dr. Mind, how are you today?"
Working Mind smiled at her. "I'm just wonderful, Blossom." The brown unicorn looked over at the other four ponies. "Hard at work I see."
"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh and Apple Seed together. The pair looked over at each other and smirked. It was something the now fifteen year old Apple Seed had started up a few months ago and the elder Apple had taken it in stride.
Working Mind chuckled and shook his head. "I hate to be a bother to all of you hardworking ponies, but would you all be so kind as to allow me access to Blossom for about an hour or so? I promise that I'll give her back in the exact same condition that I took her."
Applejack nodded. "You bet, Doc, she said. “The apples'll still be here when she gets back."
Working Mind rolled his eyes and beckoned Blossom towards the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres. Blossom pushed her hat back and let it hang on the string that had been attached to it. She followed Working Mind towards the entrance and once they reached it, the psychologist slowed his pace and began walking beside her. "So..." he began.
"So..." said Blossom.
"Your eighteenth birthday is coming up."
Blossom's half grimace faded away to be replaced by a genuine smile. "Yep and I gotta, say, I'm really excited for it!"
Working Mind chuckled. "I'll bet you are. You and I don't have to see each other any more if you don't want to and you can move to Carousel Boutique if you so desire."
"Or leave Ponyville all together," said Blossom quietly.
Working Mind raised an eyebrow and came to a halt. "Is that a plan of yours or are you just pointing it out?" he asked. "Yes it’s technically true and all, but I didn't think you'd want to."
Blossom chuckled. "No, I don't mean move out, there are just... a few things that I want to do and I don't think that they're possible to do in Ponyville is all."
Working Mind cocked his head. "Such as?"
Blossom didn't respond for a moment. She merely smiled and looked out into the horizon. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I want to find my father."
* * * *
The day of Blossom's eighteenth birthday had gone by in a flash. Pinkie Pie had thrown her a big surprise party and most of the town had shown up. To her delight, most of the gifts she was given were more practical than for fun. Most of the town had, in fact, given her bits. Ten, or twenty bit checks that she could use to start her own bank account. By the end of the party she had over three hundred bits which she planned to use to start the account.
The party was an absolute blast as per usual with Pinkie Parties. Despite the fact that Pinkie Pie was now in her fifties and graying at the edges, all of the Mane Five were, she had not lost a single bit of the energy that she was known for. She had even taken the gray hairs she was starting to get in stride and had often said that her mane was even more awesome now that it was two colors instead of one. If she was nervous or upset that the gray was creeping up, she didn't show it.
After the party Blossom had gone straight up to her room. Tomorrow was a big day for her. She had done some research and had discovered that there was a clinic in Manehattan where blood tests could be done to determine parentage. Blossom had found out about it by doing research on how abandoned orphans found their parents over at the Ponyville Orphanage and she had been told about the clinic. It was supposedly a hush-hush place that ponies didn't see it as polite to talk about, but it was legal.
Blossom laid back in her bed, looking up at the ceiling. The last ten years had been wonderful years for her and she couldn't think of living with a better family than the Apples. They had ensured that Blossom had the best upbringing that she possibly could. It was largely thanks to them that the town didn't even talk about her past anymore except on the rarest occasions and not to her face. She definitely planned to come back here to live... unless her father took her in.
Yes, her father. The idea had struck her one day when the Apples were visiting the graves of their parents, buried alongside Granny Smith. Applejack in particular stared at the grave of her father for longer than the other two had and that's when the idea had come to her. While Applejack had gotten thirteen years to spend with her father, Blossom had never known hers. She was the result of a one night stand, she knew that and had long since come to terms with it. The fact remained that she had a father that she had never met and she needed to rectify that.
Blossom shifted under the comforter and nuzzled up to the pillow. She was about to drift off to dreamland when she heard her door open slightly. "Apple Blossom?"
Blossom's ears perked up and she raised her head to see Apple Seed standing in the doorway. She shirked to herself. The filly had never stopped calling her Apple Blossom and it was a term of affection that she adored.
Blossom sat up in her bed and used her magic to flick the light on. "Yeah?"
Apple Seed looked uncomfortable as she walked towards her adoptive sister. "Ah... uh... Ah couldn't sleep so Ah wanted to come talk to you."
Blossom cocked her head. "Talk to me about what?" she asked.
Apple Seed glanced uneasily at Blossom and the unicorn smirked. She wiggled out of the sheets and patted the open spot in the bed next to her. Apple Seed smiled and hopped onto the bed. She leaned in and affectionately nuzzled her older sister before speaking up. "Ah know yer leaving tomorrow," she said quietly.
Blossom sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to Manehattan."
Apple Seed snorted in a half laugh. "Mah ma said that Aunt Applejack went to Manehattan when she was just a filly and she didn't like it there very much."
Blossom smirked. "Yeah well I doubt I'll be staying for very long," she reassured. "I'm only going there to... try to find some stuff."
"Yer pa," said Apple Seed simply.
Blossom frowned and looked down at Apple Seed. "How did you know that?"
Apple Seed snorted. "What else would ya go out to Manehattan fore 'ceptin ta go to that there clinic where you can find yer pa?" she questioned. "Are ya at least gonna stop to see yer grandparents in Hoofington?"
Blossom shrugged. "Probably but we'll see what happens when I find my dad." Blossom's smile slowly faded and she had to take a deep breath. "My dad..." She scoffed. "That dumb stallion who mounted my mom for a night just to say that he had and then ran off leaving her to care for me by herself."
Apple Seed frowned. "Don't you go off doin' somethin' foolish now."
Blossom rolled her eyes. "I'm not gonna go off and kill him if that's what you're worried about."
Apple Seed shook her head. "It ain't what Ah'm afraid of," she said. "Ah'm more afraid that you'll do somethin' to maybe hurt him emotionally when you don't know a darned thing about him. He could be really sorry fer what he did and maybe he even would really like to get ta know you better. Ah jest don't want ya to ruin that before ya know is all."
Blossom snorted and levitated her Stetson over to her to begin idly playing with the string attached to it. "What if he's just as bad as he was when he knocked my mom up for bragging rights?" she muttered. "What do I do then?"
Apple Seed's mouth broke out into a wide smile and she pushed Blossom's head up. "Well then ya just hold yer head up and ya say to yer pa that you don't want anythin' to do with him and good riddance to him forever!" she cried. "If he ain't gonna be a gentlepony 'bout findin' out that he has a daughter then he don't deserve to get to know you and what a wonderful mare you've become. If he's like that, then you jest turn tail and come back to yer real family. You don't need ponies like him in yer life."
Blossom tried to hold back a giggle but she failed. Apple Seed matched her giggle and soon both ponies were trying to stifle rambunctious laughter so as to not wake up the other three ponies in the house. "I'll do that, Seed, I'll just turn back and never think about him again," Blossom chortled.
"And you'll be a lot happier for it, Ah promise you," Apple Seed said with a giggle. You don't need to let nopony in yer life that ain't gonna give you the respect you deserve!"
Blossom's giggled slowly died down and she wrapped her forelegs around Apple Seed's shoulders. She nuzzled the top of the shorter pony's head and rustled her mane. Apple Seed giggled and tried to push her away but Blossom held on tight. "Apple Seed..."
Apple Seed's giggled stopped when she heard the more solemn tone in Blossom's voice. "Yeah, Apple Blossom?"
Blossom took a deep breath and nuzzled Apple Seed again. "If my dad turns out to be a really great pony and I want to go live with him for a while, please don't take that personally. You guys are my family, no matter where I'm living."
Apple Seed slowly wrapped her forelegs around Blossom's waist. "Ah know, Apple Blossom. Ah know that we're yer family and even findin' yer real pa ain't gonna take that away from ya. Just know that yer always welcome back at Sweet Apple Acres."
Blossom gave a small smile. "Thanks, Seed, thanks."
* * * *
The end of the week saw Blossom sitting in the waiting room of the Manehattan Ancestry Center. It had turned out that the center was generally used to trace ancestry farther back than parenthood, but it wasn't exactly uncommon for abandoned orphans to come to the center to try to find their long lost parents. Now Blossom was there, waiting for the results to the test.
She hoped that her father was close by. Between the motel room and the test itself, a decent chunk of her money was gone. She had just enough to get to Hoofington and if her father wasn't closer than that then she would need to get a job to save up for a train ticket farther than that. It wasn't an idea that appealed to her as she preferred to get the situation over as soon as possible. If she couldn't get to know her father, then she wanted to be back in Ponyville as soon as she possibly could.
Blossom sighed and began flipping through a magazine. She chuckled to herself when she saw that it was a few years old as nopony around Manehattan was wearing clothing like the kinds she saw in the magazine. Taffeta capes indeed; who would ever wear such ridiculous clothes?
She tossed the magazine aside and began leafing through the pile to try to find a more recent one. Her eyes landed on a trashy pulp magazine, The Equestrian Enquirer; a magazine a bunch of wild stories filling its pages. The front page had an article on how Princess Celestia and the fashion designer Photo Finish had a secret relationship going for the past three years, despite the fact that the famous designer had passed away from an accident involving her sunglasses a month before the supposed relationship had begun.
Blossom snorted and shook her head, amused at how silly some ponies could be. She continued flipping through the magazine and the articles were all pretty much cut from the same cloth. Princess Luna is addicted to hard cider and Celestia is considering sending her to rehab (AKA, the moon again), Fancy Pants' wife is having an affair with Hoity Toity, Appleloosan apple trees were planted over ancient buffalo burial grounds, that kind of thing. She had to stifle a giggle at a few of them.
Blossom finished reading an article about how Fancy Pants' mustache wasn't naturally blue or, in fact, real at all and turned the page to the final article. She had to hold back a gasp when she saw what it was and almost threw the magazine across the room and considered incinerating it, but she forced herself to hold on to it and begin reading.
SWEETIE BELLE: FILLY MURDERER OR TWO TIME VICTIM?
We have all heard the tragic tale of how the Element of Generosity, Rarity, turned out to be the deadliest serial killer ever, but very few have stopped to think about the obvious damage done to her family. Princess Celestia swore that her sister and parents were innocent of the crimes that Rarity committed and they opted to largely stay out of the public spotlight.
But, of course, it was not meant to be.
Just under ten years ago, Rarity's family was once again thrust into the public eye when Sweetie Belle herself followed in her sister's hoofsteps and brutally murdered two of her out-of-wedlock daughter's classmates. Rumors indicate that Sweetie Belle lured the unfortunate foals into the woods where she sprung her trap and killed them both by bashing their brains in with a rock.
Or did she?
Sweetie Belle was convicted of the crime and sent to the Canterlot Mental Ward where she remained until her transfer to a Hoofington branch. Her daughter, Joyous Blossom, was given to the care of the Element of Honesty and her family. The popular belief was that, while Blossom was in the woods at the time of the murders, she did not have anything to do with the death of the unfortunate fillies and even tried to stop her mother from committing such a heinous act.
But did she really? What if Joyous Blossom herself was the perpetrator?
Reliable sources in both Ponyville, where the murders happened, and Canterlot, where Joyous Blossom stayed for the better part of a few months, indicate that Sweetie Belle was not the killer, but Blossom herself was the guilty party. That would mean that an innocent mare took the fall for her psychotic daughter who was more than happy to follow in her aunt's hoofsteps. Now that filly is out from under the care of the Royal Sisters and is free to kill anypony that she desires. In fact, Joyous Blossom is about to turn eighteen and sources say that once she does she will be free to move about Equestria, murdering as she pleases.
To further speculate on such matters, we interviewed Dr. Analytical Brain, the leading psychologist involving matters of the mentality behind The Ponyville Butcher. He is the author of such titles as Into Her Mind: The Psychology of The Ponyville Butcher and To Catch a Killer: How to Stop Killer Before They Begin. TEI: Good afternoon, doctor.
AB: Hello
TEI: We thank you for coming out to our offices. We'd like to ask you a few questions about the allegation that Rarity's niece might have been the actual killer in the crime that Rarity's sister was convicted of.
AB: I don't think there is any doubt at all that Joyous Blossom is the killer. Any rational pony can see that plain as day.
TEI: Tell us about why you think that.
AB: I have talked to a few of Joyous Blossom's classmates and they said that Blossom went into the woods after a stray ball. Sweetie Belle did not show up until a few minutes later and she did not know where her daughter was but she rushed into the woods in a panic when she was told where her child was.
TEI: So what you're saying is...
AB: I'm saying that the filly was in the woods before her mother even arrived at the school giving her ample time to commit the murders before her mother showed up.
TEI: What were the victims doing in the woods that day?
AB: I do not know and I suspect that we will never know. I believe that when Blossom discovered the two of them she saw her opportunity and killed them both. Her mother arrived a minute later and in her anguish she covered it up instead of letting Joyous Blossom pay for her crimes.
TEI: What do you think that says about the two of them; that Blossom killed and Sweetie Belle covered it up?
AB: I think that it says that Sweetie Belle was a mare who could not stand to see more of her family commit murder so she covered it up rather than let her child be put down like she deserved. In terms of Joyous Blossom herself, I think that it means that she is just as evil as her aunt is and should at the very least switch places with her mother in the mental institution.
TEI: Now that Joyous Blossom is almost free to move about Equestria as she pleases, do you think that she will try to follow in her aunt's hoofsteps and become the second serial killer that Ponyville has produced in twenty years?
AB: I think there is no doubt about that. If that mare is allowed to roam around Equestria free as a bird, expect to see reports of ponies disappearing without a trace all around the land. I can promise you.
Blossom's magic sputtered out and she let the magazine fall to the floor. She stared blankly down at it, wondering if what she had just read was real or if it was just something that a few ponies had made up to sell a few more magazines. Nopony knew about what she had done; they couldn't. The only ponies who had been in the woods that day were her, her mother, and... them. Nopony knew. Nopony knew because they couldn't know.
She gently lifted the magazine into the air again and charged up her illusion magic. There. Now the story was about why Sapphire Shores was secretly a man.
"Joyous Blossom?"
The voice cut through her shock and made her jump with a small yelp. She blinked rapidly and turned her head to the source of the noise. She saw that a blue unicorn mare was standing next to her, levitating a clipboard in front of her. She shook her head to clear it and cleared her throat. "Uh... I'm Joyous Blossom, ma'am."
The mare looked over at her and nodded. "Follow me."
Blossom hastily put the altered magazine back on the table and hopped off of the chair. She followed the mare to one of the back offices and the mare directed her inside. Blossom walked in, followed by the mare who shut the door behind the two of them. She directed Blossom to a chair in front of a desk in the middle of the room and she sat down on the opposite end of the desk. She put her clipboard down on the table and pointed at a manila folder lying on top of the desk. "Those are the results," she said simply.
Blossom stared down at the folder and studied it for a moment. It was in there. Her father's name was in that folder.
The mare cleared her throat and Blossom's head snapped up. "Now, I'm required to ask you if you really want to know this," said the mare. "If you choose not to look at the results then you will be given half of your money back and we will destroy these documents. Otherwise you are given one copy of the results."
Blossom slowly nodded and took a deep breath. "I want to know," she whispered. "I want to know who my dad is."
The mare nodded and used her magic to open up the folder.
"His name is Rolling Thunder."
Absolutely nothing good will ever happen to Blossom, I call it now.
She's going to accidentally kill her father isn't she?
2321904 Wouldn't you like to know?
2321904 Also distinct possibility that he tries to kill her, not wanting to be assosiated with such a tainted bloodline as Rarity's
2322071
Why do I also get the feeling that it will lead to an argument, she'll leave, he'll turn up dead, and everypony will start blaming her for his death as a plot to ruin her.
For a moment, I thought the father would be either Thought Process or Analytical Brain.
2322071 Or he assumes she's there to kill him and she has to defend herself.
A new chapter? What have we done to deserve such wonders? Anyways, great chapter as usual, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how this all develops.
She's gonna arrive and find him already murdered or get knocked out and awaken next to his body with the cops outside, because this is all a setup Diamond arranged from prison.
2322381
2322387 You're just jealous that you didn't think of it first.
Because trashy pulp is deeeeee-licious.
2322397 WHy would I be jealous when what I have planned for the conclusion of the DT story is waaayyyy more interesting than that?
...uh, I mean, sure.... whatever you say.
2322400 MUAHAHAHAHA. My evil plan worked.
Um......, I mean.., um..
2322410 What evil plan? You have no details.
2322411 I have confirmation of EXISTENCE of plans involving Diamond.
It's a more solid grounding than most smear campaigns during election season. So I can at least sell this to the FOX news pony division.
2322418 ...but it was kinda obvious that DT was still gonna be in the story, wasn't it?
2322420 You overestimate the FOX audience.
In all seriousness we should stop there, this stopped being funny two rebuttals ago.
Rolling Thunder is the father? bom bom bommm!
And who is he?
Pd.- Everybody say that this story going to end bad (even the rocket guy with the millionaire idea). but i think (or maybe i want to believe) that this story going to end good.
Not so "and they lived happily ever after" but more like...um... I do not know how to translate the phrase "cada quien por su lado". Search it in google.
Those psychologist ponies have the wackiest names, I swear.
Also, more than anything I'm dreading whatever DT's going to do to fuck up Blossom's life. I truly hate her at this point and hope that if she does something awful to JB, she at least gets her comeuppance by the end of the story one way or another.
2322426 Instead of her father being part of the plan to frame her, maybe he'll knock Blossom up and let the bragging rights be doubled.
Great chapter, was glad as soon as I saw the time jump forward. If only Blossom would go back to the apple family and live a long happy life, far from all the tabloids painting her as a psychotic killer.
I think now the story will end with her dead or framed for murder, regardless of the fact she honestly does not want to kill, and regrets killing DT and SS's children. Then again, maybe the tragedy tag means something different than 'the protagonist tries and ultimately fails' this time.
edit: I just changed my mind. New ending: Rolling Thunder sees Blossom, and thinks she came to kill him. He attacks her, she is forced to defend herself. Accidently kills him right as somepony walks in. Police arrest Blossom, she is executed. Fin.
Is this her first time comming acorss someone that isn't buying her and S.B's story?
Or is it that she was caught off guard that the article was even there?
2323799 Kinda both. It's impossible for her to not have hear whispers that maybe she did it but to have it so blatantly spelled out in front of her shocked her.
2322194
Me too. Me too.
I really, really hope this goes well. Just a little bit. She... she could be the happy mare we all want. For once.
2321518
Uh...
2324555 truthfully that's what I thought of immediately.
2322426 Ha! Your plan worked! Congratulations!
My idea is that Blossom turns into a suicide bomber and kills EVERYPONY!!!!!! Or maybe the psychiatrists will join hands in killing Blossom. Or maybe Celestia will send blossom away in a cardboard box as a filly! Or even better, Rolling Thunder is TD's nickname!!!!!
2327100 It'll be shorter than The Secret Life of Rarity (which gets longer every time I edit it. It's currently clocking in at 138,350 some odd words) and The Public Life of Sweetie Belle is 64,000 right now I think and like Rarity, only gets longer every time I edit it. Blossom will be closer to the length of Sweetie Belle I think. It might be sort of in between the two of them.
But she's NOT killing more ponies. At first I wanted her to get her comeuppance, but now she has her life together and is starting to do some exploring.
I'm not sure how to react to this...
burn burn burn the mag set it all ablaze!!!! sorry I was a little angered at the article is all oh and YAY YAY yay SHE IS FINALLY GOING TO MEET HER FATHER!!!
His name is Rolling Thunder.
!
Sounds like a fun guy/ stallion
Well done. You've managed to actually send a shiver up my spine with that one. It'd been a while since the last near parallel.
When i read that i was all
Same with that sentence too. But when i found the first one was just kickin the tree i was like
So she is going to go and meet her father...
Well, like Courage the Cowardly Dog would say: "I just know something bad is going to happen."
One question has constantly been bugging me though. Who is the father of Apple Seed? In the prequel, it was stated the Apple Family has never believed in pregnancy before marriage, and Apple Bloom has a daughter who is now fifteen. So I'm wondering who the father is and where is he now?
*Groans* I hate gossip magazines. Really? Photo Finish having an affair with Celestia? Rubbish
"Rolling Thunder"?
Rob Van Dam Reference anyone?
2322071 He knew exactly who Sweetie Belle was, and that was part of the bragging rights.
Forgot the Quotation mark after Doc,
Also, 'The apples'll still be here when she gets back.' Double meaning!
But what happened to all the money Sweetie Belle had from inheritance from Rarity
So sad, 10 years and her mother is still being held. Also correct me if I'm wrong but so far I think I count a grand total of 31 years having passed since Rarity's execution or the timeline of the show. So the main six or what's left of them are either in their late 40's or early 50's and the CMC are in their late 30's to early 40's, Also where is Appleseed's father?
way back when Sweetie Belle was born:
It's really freaky how similar Blossom and Rarity are.
Her father is gonna turn out to be a total douche isn't he? Right? That's the super tragic thing we've been looking out for? Yeah?
Or that goes all too well and something worse happens, I haven't the foggiest idea
Me: I should get some sleep
story: no. Continue
me: but I need sleep
Next chap. But.: CONTINUE
me:only one more chapter
( 4 hrs later)
Rolling Thunder....Haikyuu reference?
maybe it's one of those 19 guards who put her in handcuffs?
suspeeense......
I read his name and I was like..
♫I'm rollin' thunder, I'm pouring rain,
I'm coming on like a hurricane~
My lights are flashing, across the sky,
You're only young, but you're gonna die~
Won't take no prisoners, won't spare no lives,
Nobody's putting up a fight~
I got a bell, I'm gonna take you to Hell!
i'm gonna get ya, Satan getcha!
Hell's Bells!♫
I see what you did thar =P
Literally Gon
My stupid forgetful ass was confused for a second
Blossom follows Rarity's hoofsteps confirmed???