Fuel the Eternal Flame | A DOOM MLP Crossover

by NotAnEditor

Apple-Lava

Applejack stood under one of the many apple trees, preparing her hips before finally bucking into it with force comparable to a truck. Every apple fell off of the tree, giving the country mare a giddy sense of satisfaction.

The day was going great for Applejack. The pony always loved Apple Bucking Day, I mean it was in her namesake. Especially after the day, when she could admire her own work. Food always tastes better when you’ve worked for it.

She began going about, picking up the dropped apples and storing them away in one of her buckets. The day couldn’t be better, well besides the strange absence of Applebloom. By now the filly definitely would’ve headed up to her for assistance for something she was simply too young to do.

As she picked up another stray apple, the hatted pony realized that she was long overdue to go check up on her little sister. Especially when she had the side closest to the Everfree.

Nuzzling the now filled bucket closer to the tree, she began turning and starting towards Applebloom’s side of the orchard. The way over wasn’t too long, just a couple of minutes going between the farm’s large trees. The surrounding branches were mostly empty thanks to Applejack’s hard work; she couldn’t help but look at the filled buckets right next to the trees with admiration.

Eventually she began finding the full barrels she recalled Applebloom kicking down, as well as plenty of unbucked trees. As she glanced at all the trees, she managed to follow the dirt path all the way to the section closest to the Everfree Forest. She couldn’t help but glance into the woods with a bit of worry, wondering if the filly had gotten lost in there.

“I hope not.” she replied to the brief thought.

She looked on at the line of trees, seeing the trail of barrels suddenly stop.

“Weird...” Applejack commented, glancing around the general area for her little sister

Looking down at the ground, she spotted depressed portions of the grass in the shape of small hooves. The tracks continued on in the direction of the farmhouse, apparently coming from the Everfree. Applejack decided to follow the hoofprints back, keeping an eye out for the filly.

As she came closer to her house, it was apparent that that was where the prints must have led. Applejack began ignoring the tracks, continuing towards the country home. Once the orange mare finally made it there, she saw the little filly standing in front of something on the porch, looking down at whatever it was with a smile. She gave a confused look as to why her sibling wasn’t out there working on getting more apples.

“Applebloom?” Applejack raised her voice so her little sister could hear her as she advanced on the home.

As the country mare came closer it was more apparent what she was looking at. A bucket, filled with a red, glowing sort of liquid.

Applebloom looked back. “Oh, Applejack! Come on, check it out.” she called over, signaling over with a hoof.

Applejack gave a quizzical look before trotting over to the barrel as well. Her hooves clopped on the wooden stairs as she went up to the porch, moving next to her little sister to look down at the contents of the barrel.

What sat in the barrel was strange. It was filled with a buzzing liquid, maroon sizzling in it. It smelt of death to the mare, making her withdraw her head a little in disgust.

“What… Is that?” she queried Applebloom, staring at the mysterious substance.

“Somethin’ I found in the Everfree. It's delicious! I was gonna show Big Mac when he gets back here. Granny is sleepin’ right now so she can’t try it just yet.” Applebloom explained swiftly before gently sliding it in front of Applejack with a wide smile. “Try it!”

Applejack lowered her head again to smell it just to be sure, the smell of a corpse still radiating from it. “Eh, ya said ya found it in the Everfree Forest?”

Her little sister nodded. “Mhm! I followed some critter with weird green lights on it. Led me to a whole pool of the stuff!” she said excitedly. “I think it could make us a good amount of bits.”

“Really?” she looked down at the repulsive liquid.

“Oh!” Applebloom looked towards the orchard, seeing Big Mac coming out of the trees. “Big Mac! Come check this out!” she urged.

Big Mac came over swiftly, enjoying the nearby smell. “Ehyup?”

“I found somethin’ cool out in the Everfree. Look!” Applebloom nodded to the bucket.

The large stallion made his way onto the porch, looking down at the red fluid with wide eyes. Basking in its aura for a moment, he looked back up at Applebloom. “May I?”

Applebloom nodded in response as Big Mac began lapping at the bucket, relishing its incredible taste. By the time he drew his head away, he gave a surprised look to the younger sibling.

“Seems like Big Mac likes it.” Applebloom pointed out with a smile. “You wanna try it?” she asked her.

Applejack considered it for a moment, keeping concerned green eyes on the stuff. “Eh… No thanks, Applebloom.”

Applebloom shrugged aside her rejection of the strange liquid. “Ya think we could give it around during cider season?” she asked.

She continued giving the bucket an estranged look, tilting her hat a bit out of her vision. “Ya might have ta check in with Granny Smith for that.”

Her little sister nodded. “Alrighty! I’ll go get her.” she trotted off into the house excitedly in search of the elder.

A moment or two passed before the filly and the old light green mare came out. “What's this about some tasty lava stuff?” Granny Smith asked as she walked out onto the porch. It wasn’t until the smell hit her that she realized. “By Celestia!” she looked down into the bucket. “What is that stuff?”

Applebloom beamed up at her. “It's somethin’ I found in the Everfree. I’m thinkin’ about callin’ it… apple-lava. Or somethin’.”

“Apple-lava? It sure looks like lava.” Granny Smith dipped her light green muzzle into the bucket, sipping only a bit. She quickly lifted her head, eyes wide. “My oh my! Applebloom, this thang’s the greatest stuff I ever tried!”

“I knew ya’d like it!” Applebloom replied to her granny’s approval. “I was thinkin’ we could sell it with the cider!”

“Of course! Big Mac.” Granny Smith looked at her grandson with invigorated energy. “Go out with Applebloom and get more of the apple-lava stuff. Applejack, you keep working on buckin’ more apple trees.” the old green mare pointed a hoof at the ponies as she addressed them.

Applebloom and Big Mac nodded, the siblings trotting away back to the Everfree. Applejack looked on as the two walked away before looking back at Granny Smith.

“Say, Granny. Are ya sure this apple-lava stuff is a good idea?” the country mare asked.

“Fer sure!” Granny said. She seemed very energetic from the stuff. She picked up the bucket, starting inside the farmhouse. “No doubt about it.” Granny spoke around the handle of the bucket.

Applejack still couldn’t shake the off feeling the stuff gave her, the farmhouse door closing behind her granny. It was a feeling of ominous dread from the strange fluid. Not just from smelling it, but just from looking at it as well.

Something was definitely off with that stuff…

~

The sun had begun setting after a long day of work, darkness shrouding the farmland. Applejack moved the last bucket of apples into the barn, the giant amount of apples nearing mountainous sizes. She looked up at it with pride. “I think I got the whole farm ta day!” She exclaimed.

As she stood in the barn, a dreadful smell emanated from the corner, gripping the mare’s attention. The buckets of apple-lava crowded in the corner, glowing through the darkness of the candlelit barn.

Loud scratching went off from the entrance, Applebloom headbutting another bucket of the stuff along the ground. Following behind her was Big Mac, a couple of filled barrels atop his back. The same dreadful feeling filled her at the sight of the substance. How in Celestia’s name do they handle that?

“Heya, Applejack.” Applebloom waved once the bucket was in place. “How’d the apples go?”

Drawing her eyes from the buckets of fluid, she smiled in return. “G-Great! I got all the trees in the orchard.”

“That's awesome!” Applebloom replied as her brother set the last few buckets down. “Me and Big Mac got a bunch of that Apple-Lava stuff.”

Applejack nodded, an estranged look returning to her face. “Yup, ya sure did.”

Big Mac gave a worried look to Applejack. “Ya okay?”

The country mare shook away the gaze, nodding her head. “Yup! Just, I was wonderin’, what if that stuff ain’t good for y’all?” she questioned.

“How would it be bad for us? It’d taste too good to hurt us.” Applebloom responded.

“Ain’t there tons of stuff that makes ya feel good, but actually hurts ya?” Applejack said.

Both Applebloom and Big Mac took a moment to ponder, Applebloom setting a hoof on her chin. “Not… Any that I can recall.” the filly answered, Big Mac giving a nod of agreement.

“What’cha mean? There’s dozens! Like… Like…” the examples slipped from her mind. She knew there was a fair amount, however all of the ones she could recall were hardly close to Equestria, let alone Sweet Apple Acres. “Well, they ain’t exactly close. But what’s stoppin’ dangerous stuff like this from appearin’ in the Everfree?”

She shrugged “It hasn’t happened before, why would it happen now?” Applebloom questioned.

Applejack glared at the glowing buckets. “I’m not exactly sure…” she drawled. “Somethin’ about them apple-lava stuff…”

“What about them?” Applebloom questioned.

The mare took a deep breath. “I dunno, just superstition I suppose.”

Big Mac had already left the barn, hooves thunking on the wood as he made his way out and towards the farmstead. “Well, I’ll start headin’ inside. It’s gettin’ pretty dark and I d-don’t quite like the darkness.” Applebloom spoke, a bit of nervousness coursing through her tone.

Applejack snickered a little, nodding to her little sister. “Go right on ahead.”

Applebloom trotted out of the barn rather quickly before the spooky aura of it all caught up to her.

Once the filly was gone, Applejack looked left and right to see if there was any other pony nearby. Sighting no one, she looked back at the collection of barrels. The country mare started towards them, glancing at an ajar saddlebag hung on an old, broken coat hanger.

A single glass vial sat, partially exposed from the shelter of the bag. An idea crept in her head. It wouldn’t hurt to show this to Twilight, would it? she stepped closer to it, taking the vial out of the saddlebag with her mouth.

Once it was in a good position, she gripped the glass part of the vial to hold it in place while she bit down on it’s cork. Putting a little effort in, she removed the cork with a Pop! Looking down at the hoof-held vial, she started towards the buckets.

Applejack looked downward into the bucket, staring down at the glowing red substance, ominously humming and sparkling with electricity. Feeling a chill strike down her spine, she slowly brought down the vial, feeling the ticklish feeling of the fluid as she drew the vial through.

Once it was fully filled, she put the cork back on the vial. She sighed a little. “There.”

“Are ya comin’ inside, Applejack?!” she heard Applebloom shout outside the barn. The mare jumped a little in surprise.

“Eh, yeah! Be there soon!” Applejack replied, setting the vial back in the saddlebag and starting back out into the rural night.

Comments

[4428Gamer]

“Ain’t there tons of stuff that makes ya feel good, but actually hurts ya?” Applejack said.

Both Applebloom and Big Mac took a moment to ponder, Applebloom setting a hoof on her chin. “Not… Any that I can recall.” The filly answered, Big Mac giving a nod of agreement.

“What’cha mean? There’s dozens! Like… Like…” The examples slipped from her mind.

Okay, that's pretty interesting. Wonder what would happen if someone had that mind wipe in Pinkie's bakery.

I'm excited to see where it goes man!

[Devonlui]

The country mare shook away the gaze, nodding her head. “Yup! Just, I was wonderin’, what if that stuff ain’t good for y’all?” she questioned.

You're the motherfucking element of honesty, speak the truth!! And it's not even out of character for her.

[TundraicMagnus]

I'm concerned. But because I've polished off my DOOM knowledge, 50/50 that's either Argent energy or Mancubus. I do not need to say more on the latter topic.

[NotAnEditor]

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Defo Mancubus