Apple Bloom managed to perk up at the thought of killing another undesirable.
Yes, this would be the last time the little filly would be in Ponyville for some time.
She didn't need that traitor Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo for this kill. It was going to be just as easy as it was to kill Snails in Froggy Bog Pond.
Apple Bloom was amused by the news. It seemed that many ponies were thinking that Gilda could have been the one who killed all of those 'innocent' ponies. Innocent my ass, thought Apple Bloom. They deserved to die. It was insulting to say that Apple Bloom's brilliant plan was executed by a griffon who couldn't even kill a wimpy filly right. Absolutely insulting. Apple Bloom went from amused to irritated in a second.
She ran out of the house, but then she heard somepony.. her sister.
"Apple Bloom", said Applejack, "ah don't think you should be going outside. There's a murderer on the loose."
"I'm not afraid of that murderer", said Apple Bloom with a smile, "ah think I can handle her on my own. Wasn't it Gilda?"
"It might have been", said Applejack, "but I reckon that Gilda wasn't the mastermind behind all the killings. I bet that Gilda was hired by a real dangerous pony - the kind who doesn't give a damn about any pony's life, including yours, Bloom."
"Don't worry about me, sis."
"Ah think I have to worry about you."
Apple Bloom groaned and said, "I'm a big girl. I have my cutie mark."
"That's another thing", said Applejack, "how in tarnation did you get that cutie mark? You heard Granny's tales.. haven't you?"
"I don't know, AJ", said Apple Bloom not hiding her irritation, "maybe it means something better than what are in Granny's tales."
The dark apple... yes... it meant death. Applejack was right; it meant exactly what was in Granny's stories.
"You are staying inside, missy."
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes at her sister and went back inside.
Apple Bloom briefly considered using a sleep potion to knock her sister out, but Apple Bloom only needed to use the shrinking potion on herself. She would drink enough of it that she would be tiny for an half hour, enough time to make a good portion of the trek from Sweet Apple Acres to Sugarcube Corner.
Yes, it was far too easy to fool her sister... hell, it was far too easy to fool any pony.
Apple Bloom drank the potion and shrank to the size of a beetle. She scurried out of the house and made her way out of Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack had no clue what was going on. She was working on the farm, probably thinking that her little sister was going to stay put. Apple Bloom was far gone from the obedient and dutiful little sister of Applejack.
Apple Bloom was glad she brought the syringes with her, because a giant bird approached her. The bird was about ready to pick up Apple Bloom with its beak for a meal. However, Apple Bloom threw the syringe right into the bird's chest. Stupid bird. It died instantly.
Nobody tries to fuck around with Apple Bloom and gets away with it. Apple Bloom would have shrunk the bird and taken it home as a meal for herself, but unfortunately the poisoned bird would have killed Apple Bloom if she tried to eat it. What a shame... it would have been justice served for real. A dead bird was good enough.
Apple Bloom needed to stop grinning at the dead bird and make it to her target location. She continued running to town square. Shit... the half hour was almost up and she wasn't even out of Sweet Apple Acres yet. Apple Bloom ran as fast as she ever ran. She couldn't let Applejack see her, no way. However, the earth pony filly was the smartest and luckiest pony in all of Equestria. She got far enough from Sweet Apple Acres by the time she grew back to normal size. Apple Bloom trotted confidently to Sugarcube Corner.
Apple Bloom saw Pinkie Pie was at the register with her goofy grin.
"Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, what can I get for you?"
"Ah would like twelve muffins please."
"Twelve muffins, ooh ooh, are you having a party?"
"Not quite."
"What kind of muffins?"
"Blueberry."
"I love blueberry muffins! Omigosh!! Maybe you should throw a party.. oh we can have a muffin party, it will be the absolute best!! You certainly can't eat all of those muffins yourself, right?"
"Maybe."
"Ooh ooh, that is something I would love to see. Apple Bloom, with the scary looking cutie mark, eating twelve muffins in one sitting. Ohmigosh. Let's get a whole show together!! Maybe Derpy can be a judge.... she loves muffins so much too... aren't muffins the best? I actually like them almost as much as cupcakes... but cupcakes are extra sweet and...."
Apple Bloom had enough. Her body was consumed with rage over Pinkie's pointless jabbering, especially given the purpose of the muffins.
"Jesus fucking Christ", yelled Apple Bloom, "can you please shut up and get me my goddamn muffins!?!?!?!?!"
"Okie dokie lokie!"
Apple Bloom paid twenty four bits for the muffins and walked off with them in a bag.
She sighed. Pinkie had really gotten on her nerves. What if she deserved to be on the list too? But that was for another day, Derpy was the target for now.
Derpy was retarded. This would be easy, thought Apple Bloom with a giggle. She hoped that the mailmare at least knew how to read.
Apple Bloom wrote a note for Derpy and left it at her door:
The note said, "I have twelve delicious muffins for you. They are in the Everfree Forest."
Apple Bloom then went to the Everfree Forest and placed the bag of muffins by a tree with a sign that said, "FOR DERPY". Apple Bloom then took her syringe and injected each muffin with a bit of poison. Derpy would only need to eat one and she would be dead. Apple Bloom smiled, this would be genius. She hid behind a bush.
Despite the betrayal, despite the mishaps, it was moments like these which reminded Apple Bloom why she enjoyed killing undesirable ponies. A pony as trusting and dim-witted as Derpy wouldn't think twice about the muffins in the Everfree Forest.
Apple Bloom had to contain her excitement when she saw Derpy had indeed come to the Everfree Forest.
Derpy saw the bag of muffins and sniffed the bag.
She grinned making a happy MMMMMM sound.
Apple Bloom was ready to see Derpy fall to the ground in an instant. It wouldn't matter that the murder would be traced to Apple Bloom. She would be out of Ponyville by the time any pony figured it out.
Derpy ate a muffin, and then another, and then another, and then another.
Wait.. something was wrong. Why wasn't Derpy dying? This was the same poison that killed Jet Set, Upper Crust, a giant bird, and some old sick farm animals instantly. Apple Bloom poisoned the muffins, right?
Derpy had an insatiable appetite for the muffins. She finished them up and was still alive. She said aloud, "thank you, mysterious muffin giver!"
Apple Bloom was pissed. She blurted out, "you were supposed to die, you fucking retard!!!"
Derpy perked up and walked over to the bush. Was Apple Bloom in trouble? Oh shit.
She bolted out of the bush, but then Derpy yelled, "Zero, I think I found the killer!!!"
Who the fuck was zero? Obviously, someone with zero intelligence if it was trying to punish a good pony.
"Okie dokie lokie!!"
Pinkie Pie appeared. Apple Bloom tried to bolt out, but she was pinned down by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle who popped out of the bushes.
"I told you guys my plan would work", said Pinkie Pie with a cheer.
"B-b-b--b-but.. I poisoned those muffins."
"You did", asked Derpy clearly surprised, "those muffins were so damn good."
"We had a feeling you would poison the muffins", said Pinkie Pie, "well, not you specifically.. but whoever was the murderer."
"Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle killed too", cried Apple Bloom, "it wasn't only me!!"
"For their cooperation, we granted them immunity", Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both grinned.
"Ah gotta ask", said Apple Bloom nervously, "how did you stop the poison?"
"Twilight Sparkle", said Pinkie Pie, "she knows a spell that blocks the poison which you used to kill Jet Set and Upper Crust. I've been watching the murders very closely. You were awfully good at covering your tracks, but I have been observing you when you weren't killing."
"Huh."
"I knew something had changed about you. The rest of the world was fearful and you were going in the opposite direction. Every underhanded kill you made boosted your confidence to extremes. My gut feeling from the start was that you were the killer. I couldn't prove it, but I knew it had to be you ... the emotional manipulation, the poisonings, the careful brilliance, the cold executions.. you fit the profile perfectly. To avoid suspicion, I took on a secret identity: Zero. Twilight knew that these disappearances were murders too... but she's not a pony for hunches.. so she wasn't suspecting anypony... so I played Zero and sent information to Twilight. The two of us put our brains together and we knew that it had to be you. Then there were Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.. they looked like they were hiding secrets, secrets they wanted to let out. There, luck admittedly struck. I guess Sweetie Belle already betrayed you, so you tried to kill her... but my sister, Maud, killed Gilda, and took Sweetie Belle in. She didn't even need any prodding to spill the beans. It was Sweetie Belle's idea to use Derpy as a trap actually. We told her to destroy town hall and... I remember Sweetie Belle was telling me, "I bet Bloom is going to poison Derpy's muffins"... and you know what, it was right and we caught you, the murderer!!"
Apple Bloom felt the rage completely consume her body. She felt like she was going to burst into flames. How could these dimwits have outwitted her? Especially the idiots of society such as Sweetie Belle and Derpy Hooves and Pinkie Pie...
"Fine", said Apple Bloom in a crazed tone, "y'all caught me, but you know what! I am doing some goddamn good for society. All of you ponies are goodie goodies who let the most despicable and useless and awful of specimens roam free without any consequences. All ah wanted to do was make the world a better place! You will all be telling me pretty soon that the world is better without Snips and Snails, without Angel Bunny, without Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.. without all of the ones I killed. Yes, I did it. I have no problem admitting my desire to change the world. Now, if you don't mind.. ah'm gonna go in the lake over there and drown myself."
"I don't think you're going to do that", said Pinkie, "you will come with us instead."
"Some pony just fucking kill me", shouted Apple Bloom, "come on, one of you goddamn cowards, kill me!!!!!!! I killed so many of our kind without a problem. If you think the world is a better place without me, just kill me!!"
Apple Bloom then began to laugh hysterically and said, "Oh, you ponies are too scared to kill me. You all know what ah am capable of. I'm smarter, stronger, and faster than any of you. If ah wanted to, I could kill each of you right now without a problem. You know that. Right? I am fucking invincible!!"
Suddenly, Apple Bloom was whacked on the head and knocked unconscious. Scootaloo did the job with her scooter.
Let them take you to Tartarus. I promise you that you won't regret doing so.
Apple Bloom heard the voice in her head.
What was that voice?
Let the hatred consume you, child
She heard laughter and everything went black.
Apple Bloom woke up in a dark and stony room.
She saw an old baboon who wore a cape within her line of sight.
"Child", said the baboon, "welcome to Tartarus."
Apple Bloom groaned. Was everything over? Was she dead?
"Am I dead", whispered Apple Bloom.
"No", responded the baboon, "you are as alive as ever. I am so glad to finally meet you. Apple Bloom, you must be my daughter."
"Your daughter?"
"Yes, indeed", said the baboon with a laugh, "I have heard about your deeds and your cutie mark alone is enough proof for me to know that this is true. I am Tirek."
Apple Bloom barely recognized Tirek in his smaller and weaker form. Yes, he did almost destroy the world. Apple Bloom admired Tirek and his ruthlessness. She was glad to know that he was her father rather than that dullard farmer.
"Daddy Tirek", said Apple Bloom with a sweet smile, "it's great to finally meet you, too bad we are in this horrible place."
"My daughter", said Tirek softly, "why don't we get out of this hellhole? I heard you are a mighty good killer."
"Yes ah am", said Apple Bloom, "one dead three-headed dog later and we will be free."
"Perfect."
To be continued??