Apples & Lucky Horseshoes

by DaringBraeburn


Midnight Conversations

Consciousness returned slowly, but everything looked blurry as if I were seeing through a shaky camera. I felt an incoherent moan pass through my lips as my body tried to move on it's own. Sound started to reach my ears too, but it seemed distorted like I was underwater.

"Apple-...-Bloom? C-....can you....can you hear...........me?" a voice spoke through the fuzziness that overwhelmed all my senses. I groaned again and felt my body flip around on the space I occupied. A sudden spike of pain shot through my shoulder as I dropped into an uncomfortable position.

Green had always been such a nice color to me. It was the color of apple trees and grass but this one was a softer shade. It could have easily passed for mint but chartreuse was a better name for it. I like that color green because it reminded me of Granny Smith's coat. Granny was always keen on hugs too. Hugs.

"Ahhh!" the voice shrieked, but I didn't care. I yawned and continued to hug Granny as more voices began to talk in the background. At the time I was too disoriented to understand what they were saying but I could still hear the conversation.

* * * *

"Ah know it's raining but ah think we should get her outta here. This place seems kinda dangerous."

"Well it's certainly not as dangerous as going outside. There is no way in Equestria ahm gonna let you take her all the way to yer farm. How about you two stay the night so when she actually wakes up you can get her home without any trouble."

"NO! I don't want you anywhere near my sister or even Applebloom!"

"Blade! Ahm sorry Braeburn but Blade doesn't understand how to 'forgive and forget". You two are welcome to stay here for the night."

"KICK!!!"

"Shut up Blade! Ahm sure you don't want Applebloom to get sick or DIE because you didn't want him in our apartment."

"Well...I...ugh! You just want him to stay because you think he's cute, don't you?!"

"Wh-what?! AH WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!! Like ah said...any friend of yers is a friend of mine. And ah wouldn't let one of my friends just walk out in the rain like this. Those Pegasai must WANT us to stay inside for a week if they're gonna have it rainin' this hard!"

"Nice save sis."

"Er...yeah. Braeburn, would ya mind helpin us pry Applebloom away from Blade. It looks like she's gonna choke him to death any second now."

"Sure."

I felt something strong yet surprisingly gentle wrap around my arms before the fuzzy scene before me faded away.

* * * *

The next fully intact memory of that night was like a switch had been flicked on in the back of my mind. Instead of slowly regaining consciousness, everything came to stunning clarity from the moment I opened my eyes. Maybe my senses had been heightened too because I felt like I was burning to death.

With a small labored sigh I sat up on the soft surface of a familiar couch. My first thoughts were about how I got there and yet I couldn't remember. My eyes narrowed slightly as I tried my hardest to recall the events prior to my wake up. All my brain could conjure was black holes where nothing belonged.

Just perfect.

A sudden rustle of movement caught my eye and caused me to jerk my head in the direction it had come from. Abrupt pain flared through my shoulders, spine, and neck, making me to wince and bite back a whimper. The rustling had stopped and it took a moment before my eyes adjusted to the almost pitch black darkness of the room.

To my surprise, the action had come from a sleeping Braeburn. To my amusement was laying face down in the cushions of another familiar couch. Familiar couch? I tried my hardest to take in my surroundings only to find it was...Blade's apartment?

My legs shook weakly as I stood up from the couch and took an experimental step. Thankfully, my heart didn't explode and I didn't fall on my face. Once again the burning sensation returned but it wasn't as strong as it had been before. It still felt like I had a severe fever though. Maybe a little water on my face would help.

I took a few steps toward the little kitchenette in the corner before my ears heard something odd. I turned towards the door I had originally presumed to be a bathroom was ajar and leading to a dark corridor. I really didn't want to go there but odd voices were talking along with...Blade's?!

Hoofsteps echoed quietly in the dark hallway but it was okay since they were mine. I knew curiosity wasn't the best thing to have at that point but I couldn't help my nature. Not to mention they got louder and clearer the closer I got to one of the doors.

"I-it's not her fault though! We shouldn't do this just because it's in her blood! It's wrong and...you can't make me do it!"one whispered loudly. It was familiar but it wasn't anypony I knew. The comment however, seemed very alarming.

"She's a threat to us and you know it! She was almost possessed by that charm! If it got into her hooves again I don't think we'd be able to stop either one of them. If Keket tempts her again Equestria as you know it will crumble. You don't have to kill her. It's just better that you scare of her out of town before Keket makes another attempt to possess her. I'm sorry Blade, but it's safer that way." another voice stated coldly. It was deeper than the other one's and I didn't trust it at all.

"I would do it too but...doing that to a pony is VILE! That could scar her for life, and what if anypony finds out about it? I would be put in jail or WORSE! She's a good pony and...I can't do that. It's too much to even think about." the voice whimpered again. Who were they talking about?

The of the large holes in my memory seemed to fill back into their places but in short snippets that would wink out if I concentrated too hard. I don't know how long I sat there just thinking to myself and recalling the memories until my head started to hurt. They were talking about me.

My heart began to pound in my chest when I realized Blade was the one talking to sompony that wanted me dead. I could still hear the voices talking among themselves as I tried to sneak away. The beginning of a whimper died in my throat causing the voices to stop abruptly.

The door swung open behind me causing me to yelp and run as fast as my legs could carry me. I felt something cold wrap around one of my hindlegs before I could reach the door and to safety. I opened my mouth to scream but it was silenced by a tendril of pure green magic that clamped my muzzle shut.

Be careful with him... Fizzle had told me. Why hadn't I listened to her in the first place? Why hadn't I just stayed home like Applejack told me to? What 'traumatizing' act would he perform on me until I Ieft Appleloosa for good and never came back? These were but a few of my thoughts as I was pulled down the hallway.

Tears started to prick at my eyes when I saw the door close behind me. My whole body kicked and thrashed as it went into 'fight or flight mode'. My heartbeat quickened, my lungs worked harder for air, and every muscle shook. A blow struck right across my face causing me to whimper and back away.

"Blade is weak. He can't do this...but I can." the deeper masculine voice growled. I looked up and expected to see a large stallion prepared to do what he had planned to me, but my assumptions were wrong. The pony I saw before me was Blade but...it wasn't him.

His mane looked whiter than the dingy silver I was used to seeing while his coat had turned a dark forest green. I looked into the cold, empty eyes of somepony I didn't recognize and covered my face in an attempt to hide from the stranger. That's when I realized who he was.

"Y-yer Tarik Usi aren't ya? Y-you want me gone s-so Keket can't destroy Equestria. Ah thought ya wanted to rule it for yourself though." my voice whimpered shakily. I instantly covered my mouth with a hoof and expected another blow.

"If I let Keket possess anypony with the royal blood line of the Pharaohs I would be dooming a land I wanted to prosper, but under MY rule. I will never be able to lead Equestria, even when I am in control of this child. Any opportunity I had died, when that botched spell 'killed' Heka and myself. Even now I am no longer one tenth of what I used to be." he scoffed bitterly.

"I know you hold the only active part of Heka's soul that can actually interfere with what I have planned. She loves her daughter too much to rid the earth of her existence, even when it would benefit us all." he griped. I could feel confusion etch across my face. If he was possessing Blade what happened to him?

"Pffft. Blade is fine. Ever since I was able to convince him to let me take control he's been getting used to the magic We have been able to conjure. That sword? All thanks to me. I also must thank your cousin for letting me have an opportunity to save his life." he boasted. I could feel all of the pieces click together in my head that I was up against a monster possessing Blade's body. If I hurt him...I hurt my friend.

"I haven't partaken in an act like this for thousands of years. At least not when I am in control of a body. If I were you I wouldn't move so as to make it less painful on your part." he grinned manically. I looked for any way out of my situation. I had no idea whatsoever on what he had planned for me but I knew I didn't want to find out.

"Not again. This is the third time this week." a feminine voice murmured quietly from the hallway. There was a quiet shuffle of hoofsteps outside the door along with a thin sliver of light coming from underneath it. A small groan came from in front of me once again pushing the situation at hoof back into my head.

"Wha-wha-" was all Blade could say before I pushed a hoof to his muzzle and signaled for him to be silent. Instead of Tarik's form I was glad to see Blade back as his old self and gave a small sigh. I was safe...at least for that point in time.

Blade shot me a look of pure confusion before horror etched it's way onto his face. He backed away and shook his head almost knocking over a shelf in the process. The hoofsteps grew louder and I heard a quiet knock at the door. Frightened, I jumped underneath the bed in an attempt to hide.

"Blade? Blade, are you awake? If ya are, ahm sorry for gettin' ya up so early. It..it uh, happened again and ah gotta get everything clean before Braeburn and Applebloom wake up." Kickstar whispered quietly before opening the door with an eerie creak. I found my body shivering as I saw her metal horseshoes glinting in the dim light. If she found me would I look like Blade after she was through?

"Sis? I...uh...heard you out there and I was wondering if you were okay. Don't be sad for waking me up either. You know how light of a sleeper I can be." Blade lied. While he may have chosen to lie about the events of what had just happened, he still seemed concerned. Kick on the otherhoof just looked severely ashamed; like me when I was too clumsy to do something right.

"I may never be able to make what happened better but you're safe here. I don't know what to says since I've never been through an experience like that," Blade said, glancing in my direction. "but I would never hurt you or anypony else like that. I-if you want...I could help you clean up."

"No! Ah-ah mean...no. I'm glad you're tryin' to comfort me b-but this was mah fault. I shouldn't have...ah never should've..." She whimpered before Blade wrapped his hooves around his sibling's neck. Despite her being years older Blade still towered over her. Another reason I felt uneasy around him.

"Ah'll be fine Blade. Ah just thought you should know since...you worry so much about me." she whimpered again, breaking out of Blade's hug. Blade nodded and looked at his sister with sad eyes and looked away. Kickstar planted a small kiss on his cheek, ruffled his hair, and left the room before another word could be exchanged.

Blade shut the door, slumped against the wall, and gave a tired little sigh. At that moment I didn't see the happy buck (or possessed demon he was hiding) I was so used to seeing. Instead, all I could see was an empty shell of a pony that had been faking his happiness the whole time. It had been a sugarcoated lie all the way down to the core.

"Why didn't ya tell me Blade? You knew the whole time!" I spat bitterly as I crawled out from under the bed. I was hurt, despite only knowing him for a few short days. How could he lie so much about so little?

"Applebloom. It's best if you get out now." he said smoothly, pressing his head up against the wall and looking upwards toward the ceiling. I scowled and walked up right to him before giving him a hard smack right across the face. Blade looked up at me in bewilderment before pressing a hoof to his tender cheek.

"Fine...ah will. Fizzle was right about you being a lyin' bastard! To think ah thought you were mah friend." I snarled before running out of the room. "Appleblom! Wait!" he called after me but I didn't listen. My hoofsteps and heartbeat resonated through the wood paneling as I ran to the front door and into a surprised Braeburn.

'Applebloom...what are you doing up this early? It's like two thirty or something." he mumbled groggily. I could hear Blade's hoofsteps growing close behind me so I did the only thing I could think of to get away from the monster.

"Applebloom? Applebloom?!" Braeburn called as I sidestepped him as barrelled out into the cool rain.

* * * *

I never wanted to go back, and I wasn't. I would have rather run until my heart gave out than to face Braeburn or Applejack, not to mention I was afraid. Afraid of Blade and what he could do to me without even knowing, afarid of Thunder and his crew who wanted the charm for some strang reason, and myself.

I was afraid of myself. I had given permission to one of my 'ancestors' to take over my body. Yeah I was feeling better but what if she turned out to be like Tarik and wanted to kill just to save her daughter. All while in my body!

I felt my hooves stop moving across the dusty terrain as my whole body seemed to go numb. All the strength I had before melted away leaving me standing there completely wet and exposed. I didn't want to feel or even be there at that point. I wanted to go home, curl up in bed, and sleep it all away until I couldn't feel it anymore.

"Well well well. Look at what we got here. Looks like the little filly's gotten her heart broken just the way I knew she would."