Wind rolled down from the top of the mountain where Canterlot Castle resided; the peaceful breeze blew across the grass on the Sweet Apple Acres farm, causing it to wave not unlike the smooth motion of a slow metronome. The beautiful day remained innocuous to the little filly. She slept on top of the covers of her bed while cicada’s buzzed in the hot summer air.
“Bloom, can ah have a word with ya?” A voice said in a calm manner, traveling down the upstairs hallway and towards the little pony’s room. Apple Bloom’s ears perked up. She rubbed her heavy eyes as Applejack’s voice came a second time, “Bloom, we need to discuss somethin’. Ah mean ‘all’ of us.”
“Apple Bloom, would you please join us?” A second voice said. It caused the hairs on the filly’s coat to stand on end, and Apple Bloom sprinted down the upstairs hallway. She peered over the railing to see Princess Luna sitting near Big Macintosh, Applejack and Granny Smith. The regal mare gave a smile towards the little filly, “What were you dreaming about? Or, are you still dreaming?”
Before she came down the steps, Apple Bloom tapped her right hoof against her chin, placed it back onto the ground, and then looked at Princess Luna. She proceeded down the steps and raised an eyebrow. “If ah were still dreamin’, ah would expect there to be a giant apple sauce pool outside. Not to mention ah could turn into whatever ah wanted, like an alicorn or a dragon.”
“Enough with these confusin’ whatcha callits,” Granny Smith bellowed to the quiet room. Princess Luna nodded at the old, snow white mane colored mare. The elderly mare licked her lips before she spoke. “Bloom, ah’m proud of ya. Who knew one of us apples could tell the future.”
An angered expression came to Apple Bloom, directing it towards Princess Luna. The earth pony turned away in a huff. Her family discussed things with each other as she placed her hooves on her ears. Their voices dashed the filly’s hopes of finding silence within her mind. A flash of white came from Princess Luna’s sly, devilish grin.
“Apple Bloom, get away from it!” A voice said with a shout. Apple Bloom’s irises lit up and she darted towards the kitchen to stand near Princess Luna. “Calm yourself, I can’t do this alone.”
Apple Bloom grabbed a paper bag off the counter and gave several heavy breaths into it. She stared at the pony beside her, the filly’s irises lighting up once more. Her hooves jutted towards her mouth. They quivered while she spoke in a quiet voice, “Princess Luna, ah thought Princess Cadence took care of ‘him.’ How can he still be around?”
A thick, dark, otherworldly liquid dribbled from a small hole in the wall behind them. It melted the wallpaper and struts. A shadow pooled on the floor. Apple Bloom poked Princess Luna’s right wing and both of them turned around. Their eyes fixated on the viscous substance, watching it bubble and churn before a red horn poked through.
“Princess Luna,” King Sombra said in a condescending tone as the black liquid took on a physical form,” it is so ‘delightful’ to see you. ‘My.’ ‘Old.’ ‘Teacher.’ I had no idea that you would be willing to take on another apprentice after ‘our’ little relationship and your sister forbidding such actions, heh heh heh.”
Princess Luna’s blushed expression faded just as quickly as it came. Her eyes illuminated in a snowy white color that rivaled Granny Smith’s mane, and the window of the farm house shattered. Lightning blasted through the house’s side and struck the stallion.
“Princess Luna, please! We have to get out of here. Ah am sorry if it’s rude,” Apple Bloom said as she jumped into the mare’s back and clutched her hooves around Princess Luna’s neck. The filly screamed. She closed her eyes, her mind flooding with quick successive images. Her voice and body soon steadied, “W-We need to get out of here. Quick, go to the front door!”
King Sombra’s form dissolved back into a shadowy liquid. It flowed up and down the walls from the floor and ceiling. Princess Luna floated into the air, bolting for the front door.
“We made it! Princess Luna, what is going on? How is King Sombra back?”” Apple Bloom said as she let out a sigh of relief.
“Yes. He is back,” Princess Luna said, turning her head 180 degrees to reveal the face of King Sombra. “Now you are mine, you foalish little filly!”
She fell; Apple Bloom let go of the abomination’s neck and whizzed towards the ground. Tears streamed from her eyes, glinting in the light of both celestial bodies that hung in the sky. Her irises lit up and she produced wings from her sides, bringing her safely to the ground before she sunk into it.
After the filly crawled out of the pool of sweet apple sauce, taking a moment to look her new adornments, the pony pointed her right hoof towards the air in front of her just as Princess Luna materialized in a flash of light. The world changed to an ethereal realm of stars and moons.
“You lied to me!” Apple Bloom shouted in a callous tone as her wings disappeared. Her tears refused to stop, “You promised… you promised not to push me!”
A saddened expression came as a lone tear ran down the regal mare’s cheek and hit the ground. Princess Luna’s ears lowered. “I am sorry, but I had to know. Please, open your eyes and come down stairs.”
*** *** ***
Apple Bloom’s eyes shot open. She gave a quick “Ah will be down in a minute” with an infuriated shout.
The filly was greeted by the same image from her dream when she reached the first step of the stairs. Princess Luna sat near Big Macintosh, Applejack and Granny Smith. As Apple Bloom reached the bottom step, she prepared to go back to her room. “You lied to me, Princess Luna. You said you wouldn’t force me.”
Princess Luna’s head remained low, “There are some promises which are hard to keep, my little filly. I needed to test you again. I had to be 100% sure of your abilities.”
“I can’t believe this. Were ya’ll in on this too?!” Apple Bloom said as she pointed her hoof at Applejack, Granny Smith, and then Big Macintosh. She stamped her hoof against the wooden step beneath her, causing a crack to form in it. The filly chided the regal mare, “Are you gonna take me away from mah family too, even though ya ‘promised’ you wouldn’t?”
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack said before she came up the steps. She grabbed the filly by the scruff of her neck, came down the steps and soon placed the pony on the green oval carpet near the others. The hardworking cowpony removed her hat and placed it on her distraught sister. “You need to show some respect to Princess Luna. Ah know this doesn’t feel right. From the bottom of mah honest heart, ah’m truly sorry that we didn’ tell ya this sooner. Granny, Big Macintosh and me, we have varying levels of gifts, but we—“
Princess Luna raised her hoof in a slow gentle manner before placing it back on the ground, “Applejack, I don’t believe it is necessary to go into explanations. She understands. I don’t blame her for being upset with me though. I did promise that I wouldn’t push her talents; I promised that I wouldn’t ‘force her.’ ”
“And ya did force me, didn’ ya? Ya’ll forced—“Apple Bloom stopped short while her irises lit up, “why won’t this consarned, stupid thing stop. Ah know ah should be mindful of my elders Granny, but this is wrong.”
Granny Smith’s hoof shot up, but she rolled her eyes and slowly made her way towards the filly. “Child, I know you feel betrayed. It’s not right, but what you need to realize is that you have a ‘gift’ that needs trainin’. Remember when Big Macintosh tried to buck his first apple tree? You remember what I told ya happened, showing ya poor Rupert?”
Big Macintosh shied away, “e-e-eeyup.”
“Look little sis, the choice is still yours and yours alone to make. Ah will back ya up on any decisin’ you make. So will Granny and Big Macintosh.” Applejack said. She removed the hat from the filly and placed it on her head before lowering the brim to shield her eyes. “What scares us more than anythin’ is the fact that ponies aren’t as nice as they should be. There’s some folk who’ll abuse your gift, takin’ advantage of ya. That is one thing all of us know for a fact.”
“Ah need some time to think about it. Can ah be given some time? Or is that another promise that’ll be broke?” Apple Bloom said with a slight groan in her voice. “Princess Luna?”
Princess Luna removed the adornment to her right hoof. Her hoof pressed firm against Apple Bloom’s chest, an aura soon surrounded it. The regal mare’s eyes lit up as she looked at the filly, “I, Princess Luna of the Royal Sisters that govern Equestria, do hereby swear to give Apple Bloom three days to ponder her choices in the matter of her ‘gifts’ and ‘abilities.’ If I do infringe upon this promise, my powers as an immortal alicorn princess will be purged from me.”
“Princess Luna!” The three earth ponies said in unison as they stared at Apple Bloom and Princess Luna.
Applejack approached her sister and towered above the filly. “Apple Bloom, make her take it back! We can’t jeopardize Princess Luna’s powers. She needs those powers to keep Equestria and our dreams safe.”
“Once the promise has been made, it cannot be taken back. A promise given by a royal can only be kept or broken. You know the rules if it is broken.” Princess Luna said while she placed her adornment back on her right hoof. “I have given my word. Do you swear to keep your word, Apple Bloom? I have been as gracious as possible, but that ends now. Though you are upset, I am a member of royalty and demand your respect.”
“Yes… your highness,” Apple Bloom said as she refused to look the regal mare in the eye, “ah will keep mah promise and ‘ponder’ mah choices.”
“Before I go, I must warn you of the consequences. There is a high possibility that Apple Bloom’s gift will consume her. She will enter into a state she may never awake from.” Princess Luna said with a grim expression. The regal mare looked down at Apple Bloom, towering above the filly much like her sister. Before she departed, Princess Luna said in a stern tone, “One last warning in regards to that promise. It has left a mark on your chest that can only be seen by you and other royal ponies in Equestria. With that said however, you cannot tell a single pony about this promise, especially another royal pony. You know the consequences.”
The filly stared at the carpet. Apple Bloom’s expression remained blank, similar to the green carpet her eyes fixated on for thirty minutes after her grounding. The three apple family members tried to go about their business. Granny Smith’s hooves shook more than usual with Big Macintosh’s shaking in unison and intensity with hers. Applejack poured cider into four mugs. With the grandfather clock’s chime, a knock came to the front door and caused the hardworking cowpony to drop the jug of cider onto the floor.
“Ready for some more chemistry lessons?” Sweetie Belle said, coming inside along with Scootaloo. “Twilight said we needed to get to the tree house ‘promptly’ for some special training.”
“Ah guess,” Apple Bloom said. She grabbed her chemistry set, scratching her chest a bit, and departed with her friends towards the library.
*** *** ***
“Welcome girls,” Twilight said in a cheery tone. Her expression remained hidden by the lesson plan book she levitated in front of her. After she stubbed her hoof against a table, she placed the book back onto the table and said, “Ok, let’s touch upon what you’ve learned thus far. Also, we’ll throw something else into the mix to give you a bit of a test. Scootaloo, try to see if you can fix that cart over there; its wheels were broken by a certain ‘individual’ who won’t be named. Sweetie Belle, I want you to assist Spike in shuffling the books around; you need to build up your magical endurance so we can try some spell casting later today. Now, Apple Bloom, I would like you too…”
Apple Bloom played with the latch on her chemistry set, flicking it up and down several times while she sat in the corner. She scratched at the mark on her chest. “Why is it aching?”
“Why does what ache? Do you need some help?” Twilight said as she moved towards the filly and sat down beside her. She gave a coy smile, “Though it isn’t in the lesson plans, perhaps you could whip up a topical agent to sooth your itching, hmm?”
The filly meandered towards the kitchen as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo shrugged at each other, going about their assignments. Apple Bloom retrieved a glass from under the sink.
“Ah can already see those gears twirlin’ in your head Twilight. Ah don’t want to talk about it.” Apple Bloom said, her words falling on deaf ears as she saw the purple pony come into the kitchen.
“O my gosh, o my gosh, o my gosh, o my gosh,” The purple pony said in a hushed voice. She caught a second glimpse of the pony’s chest and leaned in closely, “A royal promise?! Even Princess Celestia never made one of those with me, saying they were too dangerous. I’ve only read stories about it after Discord’s defeat. I know you can disclose it to me, since I’m a princess and all. Please tell me who you made it with. Please? How did they do it?”
Apple Bloom gulped down a second glass of water, turned toward the mare beside her and said, “Sorry, ah just can’t. Ah keep mah word. Besides, this is somthin’ ah gotta work out on mah own.”
Twilight placed her hoof over the filly, giving a slight smile. “Ok, I’m here if you need to talk. Let’s get back to the lesson plan.”
Both ponies made their way to the center area of the library, and Apple Bloom began her studies along with her friends. The time passed while the ponies’ went about their business. Soon, Scootaloo inserted the final screw into the new push cart. Sweetie Belle levitated what seemed like her hundredth book from the shelf, her horn sparking as she strained to lift it into place. Apple Bloom added a few more drops to a potion as sun began to set on the horizon.
A firm knock perked up their ears and Scootaloo dashed towards the door, reaching it first. Rainbow Dash flung open the door to see the excited filly pegasus. She placed Scootaloo onto her back, and then flew off into the sky. Rarity wiped her hooves on the doormat, gave a polite “hello” to her friend, and escorted her sister home.
Apple Bloom traveled to the kitchen and retrieved her glass from the dish drainer. With her glass filled, she sat near the window. Her eyes glanced at the reflection in the sun in her cup before she took a slow sip. With her glass in the sink, she prepared to leave the library. The pony turned towards the purple pony that stood at the library’s entrance.
“Twilight, can ah ask you a question?” Apple Bloom said; her eyes fixated on Twilight’s. After the filly saw the pony give a gentle nod, she made her way outside to sit on the fresh grass. “If ya don’t mind me askin’, what was it like to be mentored by Princess Celestia?”
Twilight sat beside Apple Bloom. She stared off into the distant horizon with smile coming across her face, “I don’t think there is a proper way to describe it, yet I can say there were days it felt like Princess Celestia wanted to break me; some of those moments did. Times came when I believed I should quit and go home. Between you and me, I secretly knew Princess Celestia wanted to help me grow stronger, and she did. With all of my heart, I cherish each and every single moment as I look back on them.”
“Sorry if ah asked a stupid question,” Apple Bloom said.
“There are no stupid questions. Anyways, why are you curious about such a thing?” Twilight said.
Apple Bloom’s irises flashed for a second as she felt the ache go away. “Ah was just curious is all. Did you trust Princess Celestia?”
“It wasn’t easy, but we learned to trust each other.” Twilight said. She let out an audible gulp, “There was that one ehh, ‘mishap’ with an errant spell though. I thought Princess Celestia would send me home, but she just smiled and helped me clean up the mess.”
“Trust, ah guess that’s the answer.” Apple Bloom said. She took in a deep breath and gave a calm exhale. “I accept your offer to be trained.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow at the filly, “But I am already training you, you silly filly.”
Princess Luna appeared from a cloud of dark smoke, causing the purple mare to fall onto her back. Apple Bloom and the regal mare stared at the purple pony that giggled to herself before she resumed her composure.
“O, so it was Princess Luna who made the promise with you. But wait, what are you training her in exactly? Am I exchanging my duties? It’s quite an honor to be trained by Princess Celestia, but you have an even rarer privilege to be trained by her sister….”
“Uh Twilight, I kinda know about Princess Luna’s past.” Apple Bloom said. She pointed towards her eyes. Her irises flashed for a quick second. “Neat, if I relax myself I can look into the past now.”
“This isn’t—How? I saw Pinkie Pie’s ‘tail twitching’ and all, but this goes against all reasoning.” The purple pony said, placing her hoof on top of her forehead. “Apple Bloom, can you tell the future as well?”
Apple Bloom looked at Princess Luna to see the regal mare give her a nod. She focused her mind on Twilight. Though she struggled for a few seconds, her irises lit up. “What is ‘Tales and Stories of Lost Canterlot Histories?’”
Twilight’s eyes widened. Her right eye twitched as she bolted for the library. Princess Luna and Apple Bloom chuckled with each other while they heard the purple mare scold Spike; the purple dragon almost incinerated a precious book with a fiery a sneeze.
“You kept your promise, and I am grateful for it.” Princess Luna bowed to the little filly in front of her. “Are you willing to train with me? I apologize for what transpired this morning.”
Apple Bloom grinned at the regal mare in front of her. She placed her hoof on Princess Luna's chest, retracted it, and then smiled, “’There’s no need for apologies.’ Ah get it now. This was all a matter of trust. Ah also saw what you didn’t tell me. There would have been no harm in tellin’ Twilight since she’s a princess. You wouldn’t lose your powers. Still, there was danger since I could have blabbed to my friends.”
Princess Luna gave a kind smile in return towards the pony. Her irises flashed for a second, “Let’s get you home for now. I get the feeling your family is worried about you. We will decide on the ‘formalities’ for later, my protégé.”