Previous Chapters
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Prelude95 words
Chapter 1: Circumstances4,971 words
Chapter 2: Changes4,520 words
Chapter 3: Child5,726 words
Chapter 4: Commitment6,390 words

Chapter 4: Commitment

Apple Bloom stood her ground, the random gusts of wind were blowing from all directions at her. In front was the mechanical monstrosity that has been chasing her for nearly twelve hours. This beast wasn’t a living creature anymore. What remained was a metal puppet whose strings were being pulled by an unknown enemy from across the cosmos. It came here, pursuing Apple Bloom all the way to her home, to her sanctuary, in order to harm a living creature. Apple Bloom wasn’t going to let that happen. Not on her watch. She must protect Autumn from whoever will go this far to hunt him down.

The manticore was nearly finishing up its self-repair sequence. The paws were back in place. The tail was finishing the adjustment it was making. Wings became erect, allowing the membrane to be fully healed. In less than a minute, the beast will be fully alive and functioning. It will not stop for anything, not until the human kid is dead. With it being able to pull itself from the brink of death, there was nothing she could think of that would keep it down for long. But she would have to try.

Another gust of wind and the manticore stirred a bit. Then it began to move. It took slow steps, approaching Apple Bloom cautiously. It seems to have learned its lesson last time. For a moment, the two opponents looked at each other, sizing each other up. Apple Bloom took a few steps to her right, her new body was still a bit unsteady but she is starting to get used to being on two legs instead of the usual four. The manticore repeated the same movement, keeping a respectable distance from her. Neither of them was in the range to strike the other down.

“Are you going to attack me now or wait until later?” Apple Bloom finally said, breaking the stilled silence.

The metal manticore tilted his head slightly. There was a pause. A small bit of peace. Then at lightning speed, the monster attacked. Apple Bloom was ready. She was able to backway and sidestep enough that the first attack missed completely. Her new legs felt weak and won’t be able to keep her at a good running speed. It won’t be pointless to retreat, The manticore would keep chasing her. That is why this time she wasn’t going to run. This time, she would strike back.

As soon as the manticore came upon the spot she was just at, Apple Bloom was able to grab something attached underneath her cloak. It was a jagged piece of metal with a sharp end. With a quick strike, Apple Bloom stabbed the object right into the monster’s left eye. The manticore left out a loud howl of pain. It wasn’t long before she did the same to the other eye. The manticore was blinded but angry. The large scorpion tail came right to Apple Bloom, aiming for her heart. It nearly got to her but suddenly a rope came out of the darkness and lasso the appendage, stopping any momentum. The manticore thrashed at the ground as it turned toward the direction of Applejack who had a firm grip of the rope in her mouth. She was able to keep the rope pin underneath her front hoof. Her Earth Pony strength would have been enough to hold back a raging steer. But the manticore had enhanced strength and better position. The tail simply gave some slack and then with a quick stroke snapped the rope in half. What it didn’t know was it gave Apple Bloom a quick few seconds. Seconds that she needed.

Apple Bloom was able to get around and flank the manticore. She was watching intensely. It was becoming difficult as the rain and gust were intensifying and getting into her eyes. The manticore was gearing up to attack, this time at Applejack. Its vision may be impaired, but it was dangerously close towards her that it would be able to hear and sense her location with great precision. Apple Bloom was about to call out, try to get it to go after her instead of Applejack. But that would ruin the plan. She needs to have faith in her family. They trust her, so would she.

The manticore moved, this time in a sprint instead of a pounce like usual. It was able to reach Applejack in a mere second. Its clawed paws outstretched, swiping at Applejack. Applejack reacted by a smooth crouch, nimbly getting under the attacking paw. Before the manticore could strike again, Applejack sprung up into the air. She turned her body around. Her back hooves position right in at the muzzle of the manticore and with a small adjustment Applejack let a powerful buck. The impact broke bones. The sound of a sickening crack was released. Applejack was able to roll away and retreat. She took a few steps to where Apple Bloom was standing.

“Great move,” Apple Bloom commented.

“Thanks,” Applejack panted. “Learn that trick from Rarity. How long has it been?”

“Thirteen,” Apple Bloom said quietly before her words were cut off by another roar from the manticore.

The manticore was now lashing out wildly. Furious that it kept missing its targets, it was now looking for a new position to strike from. A position in which it was able to keep the two of them from escaping and was able to continuously thrash them repeatedly. Its vision was getting repaired and soon it would have its sight restored. But for now, the manticore was guided by blind rage. Something that was making it more dangerous.

The manticore finally got a bearing on the two Apple sisters and decided to charge from a curved angle. It was moving in for the kill when it was intercepted by a powerful stallion that knocked the manticore a few yards down the field. The manticore skid down the muddy soil, leaving large grooves in its wake. Big Mac stood at the interception point, unperturbed by using such force. The manticore shook itself and then turned towards them once again.

By now the eyes were reformed and very angry. They came upon the Apple siblings. Another mighty roar erupted out of its decaying mouth. But before it could charge again, Apple Bloom stepped up. She pulled up a bundle of blankets that was sitting next to Applejack and held it firmly next to her body. Autumn has been quiet thus far but has been looking around in stunned curiosity.

“Hey, you big monster!” Apple Bloom shouted at the metal manticore. “Is this child what you want?” Apple Bloom held the child up above her head. “Then come and get him!”

The manticore didn’t hesitate and neither did Apple Bloom. The manticore lunged forward and began to sprint. Apple Bloom then ran down the hill, pushing herself forward, carrying Autumn tightly to her chest. She hoped that her two legs were as powerful as her old four legs. She will need them for the coming chase.

Not a few seconds later and she heard another roar of pain from the manticore. This time Apple Bloom didn’t look back. She would assume that her siblings did their part of the plan. If all went well, then it wouldn’t be long until Applejack arrives. Sure, enough she could hear the hoofbeats of Applejack coming right beside her. The two of them ran down the muddy field, getting as much distance as they could from the pursuing predator.

“Ya…think..it’s… going to work?” Applejack asked as she panted from the large sprint she did to catch up to her sister.

“I can only hope so!” Apple Bloom replied.

Large booms echoed across the ground as something large was running towards them.

Applejack looked back, an ounce of fear in her eyes.

“Just trust me Applejack,” Apple Bloom said, not daring to look back.

The two sisters shared a brief look before they parted ways. Applejack went left towards the house and Apple Bloom went right, down towards the farm fields. It was becoming an uphill battle, sometimes literally. The rain and wind didn’t help either. Still, Apple Bloom clutched the bundle of blankets tightly to her as she went towards the edge of the farm. Soon there will be nowhere else to run.

The manticore was soon upon her, trying to corner her. Apple Bloom did her best to leap over a hay barrel and nearly fell doing so. She stumbled over the wet straw. Her newly acquired hands were used to gain balance and push her body forward. The momentum was enough to get her an extra foot of distance. It may be small but it was large enough for her to gain the needed distance. She was near the edge of the field. Next to the fence was a large oak tree with branches hanging overhead above the field. A place that Apple Bloom walked past all the time. She aimed and with all her might took a leap of faith.

Her right arm shot up on instinct and grabbed the nearest branch. Somehow she was able to keep a grip on the wooden object despite the wet surface. With all her might and strength, Apple Bloom pulled herself up. She managed to keep herself from falling by putting her legs on the other branches and pushing her closer to the trunk of the tree. Slowly, the new human climbed up the oak tree. She sat on the last branch she could manage to get to, her strength waning. Apple Bloom held her breath and looked down.

For the last few moments, the manticore came barreling down the field and crashing against numerous farm equipment. Its vision was slowly being restored again. But it lost track of Apple Bloom the moment she got into the tree. Its hearing was being interfered with. Something had damaged it when it was repairing itself. The countless raindrops didn’t help narrow Apple Bloom’s location either. Still, the predator will soon regain the use of its eyes again and will be able to find Apple Bloom soon. She had very little time before she had to fight back again. But hopefully, it will be enough.

It was deadly quiet fell upon the world when the next few moments came by. Even the rain and the wind cease their sounds. The manticore sniffed the air. Machine parts give off a whirring sound with every movement. Apple Bloom remained still. She focuses on not breathing loudly. Everything had to be so silent. Just then something fell from on top of her head. Apple Bloom glanced down as a single leaf drifted towards the ground. It fell with utter slowness. But once it hit the ground, all hell broke loose.

Suddenly the fence was broken into several pieces as a claw just smashed it with a precise swipe. The manticore leaped onto the trunk of the tree. The force was enough to nearly upheave the tree from the ground, creaking the roots below. Apple Bloom closed her eyes tightly and held desperately to the bestowment she held to her body. To say she was prepared to die would be a lie. It would be an even greater lie to say that she managed to escape by jumping down the tree and continued running. But there will always be a point that she couldn’t run any longer. This was that point.

Instead of using the last few moments to escape, Apple Bloom held on and didn’t move an inch. She didn’t see the manticore’s next move as she had her eyes remain closed. All she felt was a fast movement as something struck the air and then pinned her shoulder to the trunk. She let out a cry of pain. However, it wasn’t a stabbing pain. It was just her new shoulder hitting the rough bark. Apple Bloom turned to see the manticore’s tail stabbing her cloak and pushing her shoulder in an immovable position. She was trapped! Apple Bloom tried to wiggle out but it was no use. The manticore was now coming towards her. It opens its mouth.

And words came out.

“...give…me…the child…”

It wasn’t clear and it sounded distant. There was interference with voice. Apple Bloom noticed the manticore wasn’t speaking. It was just a puppet. A meat puppet that has been dragged out for far too long. Whoever was doing this, was doing it from far away and had no qualms of harming various lifeforms to do so. This manticore was a simple relay.

“Who are you?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I...am…an unrelenting force….” the voice rattled inside the manticore. “To…fight…me… is to…d-destroy… you…yourself. My…name…is…too…great…for…your..kind. Only…a privileged…few…are…allowed…to speak… it. I…am…the…unrelinquishing…god…of this…universe…Thousands…of…species…have fallen…before…me.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom struggled to get her shoulder out but it was no good. The vice grip was too much. “But I'm not dead yet!” Apple Bloom let out a grunt as she tried to wiggle out some more. If you are sooo powerful, then y’all better tell me why you have failed to kill me? You surely must be desperate if you want Autumn so bad. Yet I have beaten you this far. So, why are you keeping me alive, huh? Or do you really just suck at killing your enemies?”

A rattled breath escaped from the manticore and suddenly the air became heavy as the pressure came upon Apple Bloom.

“Believe…me…puny…one…” the puppeteer spoke in a soft yet dangerous voice. “If…I…wanted…you…dead…you…would’ve…been…killed…a hundred…times. Even…from…a…million…lightyears…away…I can…ended…your…entire..world! Only…time…and…space…can…limit…me…and…I have…burn…through…nearly half…of…this…Universe’s…life…along…with traversing…through...countless…galaxies!”

“So?” Apple Bloom retorted. “Imma supposed to be impressed?”

A dark chuckle came. It was like a deep rumble from the darkest cave in the abyss of the world. It scarred Apple Bloom. No, she can’t lie about that. This was a deep dark rumble that will haunt her for as long she can remember. She remembers seeing Nightmare Moon and hearing stories of Tirek and the Pony of Shadows from Applejack. It was like all their evil was embedded in this laughter. It shook Apple Bloom to the core.

“I…see…that…they…have…granted…a…form..known…as..a…human.” It remarked. “They…were…the…latest…to fall..before..me. Now…I’m going..to enjoy…ripping…your…new…body…into pieces…if you don’t…surrender…the…human...child!”

It was then that Apple Bloom stopped trembling and then looked up. There was a glimmer of realization. Then suddenly a smirk came upon her face. Like a complete switch, instead of shaking with fear, Apple Bloom was radiating confidence. She let out a small snort of smugness as she straightened her body and held up the bundle of blankets in her arms.

“Y'all know, I really did fear that you were going to kill me for a second there,” Apple Bloom said. “But now I’m calling your bluff. You can’t kill me because your puppet is failing. The manticore is in too much pain to keep pushing through. You’ve exhausted the beast’s body. You ain’t even feel the manticore’s trauma, aren’t you?”

“I…have no need…to…equip..myself…with such…a burden.” The controlling evil force said.

“So, you don’t even smell, taste, or feel what this manticore is going through?”

“Feeling is…for…the weak…” it replied. “I…only deem…the sense…of sight…and sound…worthy of my…presence.”

“Then y’all must realize that you have been on a wild parasprite chase,” Apple Bloom said as she unwrapped the blankets. “Because I’d haven’t had Autumn in the past five minutes!” The blankets gave way and revealed a sack of flour. “I have been tricking you this entire time. I didn’t think blinding the manticore would work. Especially twice! But I noticed you have trouble repairing the beast’s body and that manticore had trouble locating me. Everypony knows manticores are excellent hunters with their smell and sense of vibrations! That’s the thing with puppets. No matter how good they are, they can’t replace the real thing!”

The manticore inhaled. So did Apple Bloom. She braced herself for what would come next. She hoped that somepony would rescue her. She was so used to having her old friends, her siblings, or even Twilight herself saving her whenever she gets in too deep. But now she has to face the reality that this might be it. Still, at least she can die knowing she saved an innocent creature from being killed by a merciless monster.

Apple Bloom felt her new hands curling up into a solid lump of flesh and bones. A fist is what humans called it. It then occurred to her that she can at least fight back. Go down swinging as they say. It may not do anything but it was at least an effort. She tense her muscles up and left her arms up, ready to strike.

That was when something sharp came through the remaining flesh of the manticore. The manticore let a sharp gasp as the weapon pierced its lungs. It was enough to cause the tail to slack and allow Apple Bloom to tumble out of the tree.

Her small scream of terror was cut short as something large caught her before she hit the ground. Apple Bloom let out an oof of air as she was being taken away from the enemy and towards the safety of her homestead. She had enough time to register that it was Big Mac who saved her by the slight tint of the orange mane before a change of air pressure came upon them followed by a loud erupting noise that nearly deafen them. An explosion of fire and wooden splinters were flung from the area behind them. It peppered them with debris as Big Mac scrambled down the muddy field.

Apple Bloom turned her head and saw something large coming out of the darkness behind them. An appendage of silver came out of the air, flying right at them. “Big Mac, look-” she couldn’t even finish her sentence before the metal object collided with her brother, knocking him off his hooves. The blow knocked her down causing her to tumble onto the ground for a few seconds. In pain, she let out a groan. The world was unfocused for a moment. The large ‘Thump’ shook the earth. Apple Bloom looked up to see the metal monster striding towards her.

There was no flesh left. It was all metal and gears. Silver plates of unknown substances cover the entire body. It was shaped like a manticore but it wasn’t a manticore anymore. It was even more confirmed as the creature stood up on its hind legs like a large, metal dragon with red menacing eyes peering down at her. It still possessed a large scorpion tail that was rising from the shadows behind the behemoth.

“I got to say you are full of surprises and tricks,” the dry voice came out once again, this time in a normal pace that didn’t sound like it was broken to pieces. “You exploited my weakness at a crucial moment. I have to admire that. Fortune does favor the bold, after all. But your luck is running out. I’m going to give you a painful death now, one from which you can never escape from.”

Apple Bloom scrambled to get up. There was no plan left to follow. Her only hope could be a few minutes away. But that was too long. Time was precious and she would have to fight for it. Apple Bloom looked around. There has to be a weapon or something! Next to her was a large stick. Apple Bloom reached over to grab it. Apple Bloom stood, her human body remaining firm as she held the stick up in a defense position.

The monster looked down and then the unsettling laugh came again. It was then that Apple Bloom saw a large pitchfork still embedded in the monster’s body. It must have been what Big Mac used to stab the manticore. Apple Bloom turned to her left to see where her brother ended up. She saw Big Mac getting unsteady up to his hooves. But he was in no position to move.

The monster finished laughing with a quip, “You going to stop me with that?” it said. “You and that small pathetic stick are going to save that precious human child? Unbelievable.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom turned angrily to the enemy. “Just me.”

“Well then,” a menacing growl rumbled with these words. “So be it.”

The tail strike. This time for Apple Bloom’s head. Apple Bloom let out a battle cry as she charged forward with her stick and hoped for the best. Just as she gained her stride, a powerful feeling was growing inside her. The energy was building up. She was channeling something! Something was happening! The two forces met and then sparks flew as something scarlet yet transparent came in between her and the metal monster. It was strong enough to deflect the tail. And then it came again only to be stopped again by a scarlet air that was shimmering around Apple Bloom. She looked at her hands and saw the telltale glow of a magic spell being cast. Around her was a large bubble-like shield that was radiating power.

Apple Bloom barely had time to comprehend that was she actually doing arcane magic when another tail strike came and hit her shield, this time forcing her to move a few feet backward and causing her shield to fade for a split moment. Another blow and this time Apple Bloom felt her arms straining and pain shooting through her new shoulders. Apple Bloom groaned as she held her ground. A few more blows and suddenly she is gasping for air.

“Casting a standard shield spell,” the monster spoke softly. “No matter. I’ll just simply break through it.”

Then the tail came again and exploded with her shield, the blow sending her upwards. Apple Bloom felt herself hurling a few feet into the air before crashing down on the ground again. Pain shot through her legs. She staggered and fell to her knees. A few moments of cold air entered her lungs as she tried to stand up again. But it’s no use. Then the soft rain that was coming down began to pick up again. Soon, she was soaked. Apple Bloom looked up, holding on to her stick. Tears in her eyes, pain wrecking every part of her body. Apple Bloom hopes that something will happen. Anything! But no, only she can do it. Only she stood in the way of this monster and Autumn.

“You put up a good struggle,” The monster came walking to her at a slow pace, knowing she can’t last long. “But I’m afraid that this is your end.” Apple Bloom could hear the finality in the voice. She knew that this monster was done fooling around. “You’ve been a worthy opponent but it has been foolish to keep you alive for this long.” Then the red eyes looked up. Right towards the house. “Although, I did say I will bring you a painful death. One in which you can never recover from.”

Then the beast roared and a sphere of magical energy came out. Apple Bloom had no time to react as the ball of magic came soaring past her and right to the farmhouse. The ball erupted, blasting the front of the house off. Fire and smoke engulfed the structure. Apple Bloom felt tears coming in her eyes, she felt her heart stop. She turned to kill the monster. She moved despite the pain.

She only got a few inches when the metal tail came down on her and pinned her to the ground this time. The monster flexed its claws as it strolled forward. Then another spell came from the monster. This time it seems to be a telekinesis spell. Or it somehow feels like one. Apple Bloom felt something coming out of the flames from yards away. A small object. Her eyes went to the flames and saw that a figure was being pulled across the air to them. Apple Bloom recognized it as Autumn.

“Alas, the child is mine now.” the monster boasted as he brought Autumn closer.

Autumn began to cry. Apple Bloom didn’t know what to do. She had failed again. But despair didn’t come. No, she was still angry. She was still fighting. Her hand gripped the stick. She had done magic once before. She had to do it again. This time, she had to attack. This time she must kill. With her good arm, she aims her stick and channels her rage into it.

A bolt of scarlet lightning came out following a pink tint. It zapped its way across the sky and then right onto the chest. Right into the protruding pitchfork. The magic was able to bypass the monster’s defenses and into the soft center underneath. There was a brief pause and then a pink light erupted out and ripped the metal beast's entire arm out. The force of the spell pushed Apple Bloom a yard or two back, giving her enough space to roll out from under the tail.

Another cry came out and Apple Bloom saw Autumn tumbling down to the ground. Without even thinking about it and bypassing all the pain that she was experiencing, Apple Bloom divided to catch the human child. Her one arm curled around him and held the child to her body. She stumbled and staggered but in the end, she kept him from hitting the ground.

“You’re safe, Autumn” she whispered to him. “You’re safe with me.”

Suddenly a shadow loomed overhead. Apple Bloom turned to see the monster approaching them, cradling its arm.

“A beautiful lie,” it hissed. “But a lie nevertheless. No more safety. No more protection. No more miracles. THIS ENDS NOW!”

The beast raised its remaining clawed appendage and came right at Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom could only close her eyes and clutched Autumn tightly to her body. She waited for the deadly blow. But it never came. For at the moment, a beam of brilliant gold and white light burst from the sky above and smacked into the ground, sending tremors across the ground.

The whole world was shaking. Apple Bloom found herself getting far away from the terrible force. First on her own account, then by something dragging her away. She was able to peek from behind her arm that was shielding her face from a powerful glare. Bolts of lights in every color were just bombarding the ground where the monster stood. Each explosion was just tearing the ground up. A large crater was forming underneath.

In the midst of the attack was the remaining body of the monster that was now trying desperately to escape. But each bolt burns away its body, destroying it even with the enhanced power of healing. A dying roar managed the escape out of the burning light followed by broken words.

“You…will…pay…dearly…for…this!” the distorted voice said. “You…and…your…species…will..perish!”

BOOM Legs were gone.

“We…”

BOOM! Another explosion took off the other arm.

“Are…”

BOOM! BOOM! Twin explosions took care of the remaining body.

“The Astraios!”

Boom! Head shattered out into a million pieces from one last explosion.

And then with a blink of an eye, the light was gone followed by another couple of bolts that finished the job.

Apple Bloom was put down on the ground. Big Mac let out a painful moan as he flopped to the ground. A large figure came flying down. Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief that was followed by her painful groan. Time began to distort as figures came rushing to her. She couldn’t remember anything except Autumn crying and the sound of rain hitting the leaves. Darkness was falling upon her.

The darkness didn’t last and the time came crawling back to normal. She couldn’t have been out for long as the pain came rushing back just as intense as it was before. It was still raining. A few figures were moving around her. She didn’t know who they were yet. Her vision was still blurry. But she recognized them. One was Applejack. She was describing the situation. She was still alive! It seems that she got out just in time. The pony she was talking to gave an affirmative answer that Canterlot will do whatever it takes to help. It was a familiar voice. One that she hasn't heard in a long time. Then she heard a baby gurgling. Autumn was still alive too. Which means they had survived. They have won. A burden seems to be lifting off of Apple Bloom’s shoulders.

A warm glow came in front of her eyes as it approached her head.

Twilight Sparkle appeared in front of Apple Bloom. The alicorn princess gave a small smile. She seems to be surveying the damage that was done to Apple Bloom’s body. She looked over to Applejack who was looking at Apple Bloom with fearful apprehension. Apple Bloom tried to give signs that she is still alive and is alright. But her body absolutely refused to move that much.

“She will be okay, Applejack,” Twilight said to her friends. “She probably has a concussion and dislocated limb along with other various injuries. But my healing spell should steady her over until we get her to my healers and doctors in Canterlot. Granted, I’m unfamiliar with this species for the most part. My research has indicated that these humans should be biologically impossible. I’ll have to consult with Sunset’s notes. But her body shouldn’t be too hard to manage.”

“Can-Can you change her back?” Applejack asked.

Twilight let out a ‘hmmm’ of concern before speaking again. “I might be able to but not now,” she said. “Transformative magic is dangerous to do on an injured creature even if you have the biological inputs and structure ready. The problem lies in that Apple Bloom now has a magical defense system that is beyond my understanding. It’s like it wants to disable any spell that might affect her new body. It only allowed my healing spell after it analyzed what I was trying to do. It is the same for this human child down there.”

“Hss. n-me… is..A-ttum.” Apple Bloom mumbled. For some reason, her mouth was just not forming words.

“Relax, Apple Bloom” Twilight turned to her immediately. “Your body has been through a lot of trauma. I’m glad I was able to get to you in time. Whoever that monster was, I felt unique chilling energy coming from it. I have never seen magic work like that. But don’t worry, I can assure you that no amount of healing will save it from what I just did to it.”

Apple Bloom felt her body slowly coming back to functioning. It was like a small journey that began with a few steps. Then after some time passed, she found some progress. It was taking nearly an hour or two to be able to move. But now several Royal Guards came to the farm and were taking care of various tasks such as helping Big Mac and damage survey. Twilight was talking to Applejack and then some guards as Apple Bloom got up slowly and went to retrieve Autumn from off the ground.

For some reason, she could detect that a calming spell was placed on him. But it was quickly dissipating. Soon, he would be back to normal and would want things a regular young creature would want. Food. Comfort. Shelter. And a guardian. Apple Bloom looked at all the commotion that was going on around her. Here Autumn was amongst strangers and yet no one cared for him. No one but her. It must be sad to be alone and abandoned. Probably the last remaining human. And a vengeful god was coming after him. What can she do? What should she do?

A cold chill came upon her. If she was cold, then no doubt Autumn would be too. If they survive until now, they should get to a safe place and recuperate there before they invite death to take them soon. She looked at Twilight Sparkle who was staring at the Everfree Forest as a guard was speaking about the best paths for them to patrol it. It sounds like they were going to find the so-called ship that Autumn is from.

“Good, informed the sentries to set up a perimeter around the northeastern section of the forest and began the investigation at first light,” Twilight Sparkle commanded the guard. “Any findings informed them to me immediately. I want daily reports and weekly updates on this investigation until we find out what Equestria is facing this time.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” the guard said and trotted off.

Apple Bloom took a painful step and Twilight turned to her.

“You will be happy to know that I have arranged accommodations for you and the human child until we figure out how to fix the situation you are in and what to do next.” Twilight informed Apple Bloom. “Rest assured, we will not allow any harm to come to you or him while you are under my protection. As for your family and their farm, I let Applejack know that I am putting my best construction teams to work and I’m ready to compensate them for the damages this monster has done. You don’t have to worry. This isn’t your fault by any means. You did well, Apple Bloom. I’m proud of how well you have handled this. To think you were once that rambunctious filly I met in Ponyville many years ago. Now you have taken the responsibility that no pony should have to take.”

“I mean, who else was going to help Autumn?” Apple Bloom asked as she looked down at the child she was holding. “It would be heartless to leave him in the woods to die.”

“But now we have to figure out where these so-called humans are,” Twilight noted. “Until we find out how they got here unnoticed and if there are more of them out there, we have to assume that this human child is the only one here. But I will do everything in my power to make sure he is taken home safely and that no harm will come to him again. Until then, however, I would recommend you stay with me and my researchers until we get a general idea of what is going on. The carriage will be arriving to take us to Canterlot shortly. It should only be a few days after we have healed you completely.”

Apple Bloom realized what was going on. “So, Autumn and I are going to Canterlot?”

“Yes, it is the safest place for you two right now.”

“But-but,” Apple Bloom looked at her family and then back to Twilight. “What about home? What about my life? What about him?” She looked down at Autumn and then back to Twilight. “You aren’t going to hurt him or experiment on him, are you?”

Twilight looked horrified at that prospect.

Of course not!” Twilight answered “I can assure you that we will not do anything that will hurt, um Autumn as you named him. But until we can verify that you two are okay from this strenuous night, we should go to my Canterlot facilities just in case. I will also be able to hide him until my little ponies are ready for such…revelations. I’ll let you bid Applejack a goodnight and a farewell before we leave.”

Apple Bloom stood there for a moment to mull it over. Her legs felt bruised and the ankles below felt like they might be sprained a little. A healing spell can only do so much. Eventually, she will need to rest. After all that has happened today, it is something she deserves. It is just going to be in a strange location in a strange body.

Applejack came up to her. It was strange to be looking down at her still. She still looked alright and uninjured for the most part. Her fur was singed in a few places. Apple Bloom gave her a small one-arm hug with her unoccupied arm.

“You take care of yourself, sugarcube.” Applejack said, her voice muffled by Apple Bloom’s body and wet cloak.

“You know I will,” Apple Bloom told her sister.

“And don’t worry about us,” Applejack said, looking up to Apple Bloom. “We will recover. Just do what you can to help Twilight and her doctors. We will wait as long as it takes until you are back to normal.”

“Hopefully soon,” Apple Bloom said and then a thought occurred to her and she let out a small chuckle. “Looks like once again I’m the big sister now,” she added.

Applejack laughed a little too. “Now don’t let that go to your head,” she told her.

Just then a large flying ship of gold, silver, and amethyst came landing down a few yards away. Several pegasi guards came flying around it, each one holding a weapon of some sort. There were a few hisses and small thuds as the boarding ramp was coming down. One of the guards approached Apple Bloom.

“Madam Apple, we’re ready for you,” he informed her.

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom felt her eyes stinging. “I guess I should get going.”

“Now don’t ya worry bout anything.” Applejack said, rubbing her hoof against Apple Bloom’s arm. “Before you know it, things will be back to normal and you will be running the farm. Just go with Twilight and you will be fine.”

“If you say so,” Apple Bloom said softly as she began to walk to the ship but a stretcher was being brought down for her.

“Just trust me, Apple Bloom” Twilight assured her as she walked up to her. “Everything will be just fine.”

AppleBloom just nodded and then allowed herself to be put on the medical stretcher. She didn’t think her body would be able to make it to the ship. Then she looked to Autumn who was looking up to her in wonder and awe. Like he is growing attached to her. Together, they were wheeled up to the ship and finally out of this miserable fall evening.

“Well, I guess onto the next adventure,” Apple Bloom told Autumn as they were being lifted onto the ship.

“I just hope they have clothes on board because I have been naked and cold for the past eight hours and it's been driving me crazy.”

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