//------------------------------// // Doubt // Story: The Black Apple // by Duke of Canterlot //------------------------------// Only now was Twilight Sparkle realizing how much more inconvenient life was without wings. The unicorn scowled. She would never be able to defeat the alicorn Apple Bloom and the demon Tirek with force. Never... She felt so brave telling Zecora that she would do everything she could to beat them, but what if she did that and it was simply not enough. Such a father-daughter team would be all but impossible to even throw a punch. Why did Spike die for her anyway? There was nothing she could do to save the world, especially with Celestia dead. Twilight gritted her teeth. Spike should have brought Celestia back to life instead. Twilight thought through the four who could be killed to save Celestia: Gilda, Silver Spoon, Cerberus, and herself. Twilight shuddered. The answer was obvious. She should do exactly what Spike did. Tell Zecora that she planned to kill herself to save Celestia. Yes, that was the only way to bring hope back to the citizens of Equestria. Twilight ran back towards Zecora's hut, but then she heard a voice, "My my, it is a miracle, ain't it." Twilight turned around and saw Applejack. "Welcome back, Twi", said Applejack with a smile. "I missed you too, AJ", responded Twilight. "Things are finally looking better, now that you're back." "But I don't have my wings?" "Wings? You don't need those.. you never needed them. Twi, you're the smartest pony I know." "What about your sister?" "Her? She's no pony. She's a monster." "I would do anything to see the sun rise again. Maybe you can talk to your monster sister about it." "Naw, she sees me and Big Mac as having bad blood and not worthy." "Huh? Oh right, your father." "Eeyup. He was the hardest-working pony I've ever known. Cared a whole lot for his family, including the daughter he thought was his. Ah wish ah could have seen the signs." "I don't think any of us could have, AJ", said Twilight kindly, "she was the perfect filly in so many ways." "Yea, she sure was. Smart as a whip, strong as a horse, charming as a Canterlot wedding. But she wouldn't have gotten even a tenth as far as she has gotten if she wasn't like any of those things. What did I do wrong as a sister, Twi? Please tell me. You have all the answers." "Nothing", said Twilight, "please don't be so hard on yourself." "Granny's dead." "Oh no.. I'm.. I... I... am... so sorry." "She got sick after learning that Apple Bloom was responsible for all the murders.. but at least..." "At least what?" "At least she died knowing that she didn't have any blood relation to that sociopath... ah do. Ah'm her half-sister, like it or not. So does Big Macintosh. So does... but mah mother was a sweet mare. She was kind of shy and sensitive. Raised in Manehattan. Tirek took advantage of her. Ah never heard this from my mom, but I am positive that Tirek raped her to create Apple Bloom." "You don't have the bad genes and neither does your brother. I never knew your mom, but I am sure she was a great mare." "She sure was." Twilight and Applejack embraced in a hug. Apple Bloom flew quickly to Tirek's castle. On her way there, she could see Twilight Sparkle and her sister embracing in a hug. How badly did Apple Bloom hurt her sister? She didn't murder her or ever desire to murder her, but she had probably ruined her sister's life through her actions. Applejack lacked the superior genes of Apple Bloom's father. That's how the two earth ponies were different. Apple Bloom shouldn't care about such an inferior being who used to parade around being her supervising older sister. Applejack surely deserved any sort of pain she got from whatever Apple Bloom did. Or was Applejack the lucky one? Applejack didn't have a power-hungry sociopath as a father. She had a honest and simple farmer instead. Apple Bloom was the one with the power-hungry sociopath who likely killed both Bloom's mother and her husband. All because Tirek couldn't have the mare he loved... seemed so petty. If Tirek killed them both, he didn't do it from a position of strength. Just thinking about it made Apple Bloom disgusted. Was she capable of such petty weakness herself? Apple Bloom needed to talk to Tirek and find out exactly what happened. From there, she would decide whether Tirek was worth keeping around. When Apple Bloom got to her castle, she saw that her dad was almost done building the wall which would protect them. Maybe her dad wasn't a stupid farmer, but he was a hard worker. He may have done some horrible things, but he was useful for the present and the future. "Is it done", asked Tirek. Apple Bloom shook her head. "What happened?" "That fucking zebra tricked me." "That's disappointing." "Ah am not perfect." "Lesson learned, correct?" "Yes. "Good. You will get her next time." "I'm not so good when they expect me." "What else did Zecora do?" "She showed me a vision of the past." "Can you prove it was a real vision of the past?" "I can't." "What was it?" "Ah saw you kill Appleseed and then you killed my mother." Apple Bloom saw Tirek's patriarchal and confident posture weaken a little bit. It didn't matter what Tirek said next. She knew that he did it. "I can't lie to you, Apple Bloom", said Tirek, "I was responsible for their deaths." "The timberwolves", whispered Apple Bloom, "they were yours." "Yes, but please let me explain myself." "If it's like what Zecora's vision showed me, it seemed awfully pathetic why you did it." "I was in love." Apple Bloom laughed. She couldn't believe that Tirek actually knew what love felt like. "I loved your mother", continued Tirek, "I regret killing her every day. Appleseed, I intended to kill. Your mom, that was a moment where my jealous rage overtook me. She screamed out loud that she would never love me. She would never want to be mine, even though I gave her a blessing by bringing her you." "You left me with those goddamned farmers", growled Apple Bloom, "I could at least have had my mom who I barely remember." "I never said what I did was right", said Tirek, "I know I put you through a lot of pain, but haven't I made it up to you?" "You have. I like the castle. If it wasn't for you, I would be rotting away in Tartarus." "Zecora thinks you're weak. Show her you're not." Apple Bloom looked at her muscle-bound and powerful father. He had regained his look of confidence. He seemed to know that his daughter would now do exactly what he wanted. "I think I got a good study of Zecora and her habits when she paralyzed me to give me that stupid potion. Next time, I will kill Zecora and destroy any trace of the resurrection brew." "Anyone else know about it besides Zecora?" "Possibly Twilight, who, by the way, is no longer dead thanks to that fucking resurrection thing." "You're a princess now, use that to your advantage." Apple Bloom couldn't kill her father. She didn't know whether it was because she cared for him or that she was afraid of him. She killed those she had no reason to fear - the Snips and Snails of the world. Or even a Princess Celestia, who was so benevolent and naïve that she didn't expect to be killed in the way she was. Apple Bloom might have been able to destroy Tirek. She hoped that she wouldn't regret choosing not to do so. Apple Bloom delivered her latest message on television: "Citizens of Equestria. I, your leader, wish to speak to all of you. I would like to thank all of my loyal subjects who see that my reign is the best for Equestria. However, there are some terrible ones out there.. those who wish to destroy our lives and the peace ah have brought to all. To provide incentives for citizens to catch those who are evil, ah plan to give a hundred thousand bits to any pony who brings Zecora the zebra to me - dead or alive- whoever does it must bring her to me and you will get your reward. Thank you." Apple Bloom smiled. Nothing like money to get ponies to do what you wanted.