A shudder coursed through the tree from the strong but almost lazy kick, causing the apples above to tumble and fall to the waiting baskets at the base. Big Macintosh gathered the few apples that strayed and fell to the ground then hefted the four baskets onto his back, hardly noticing the weight of an entire pony or two on his back. He carried them to the waiting cart and loaded up the final load and began trudging back to the barn.
As he made his way to the barn, he took in the fresh farm air and the current peace and quiet of the day. He enjoyed the farm life and that peace and quiet it brought with it, when Applebloom was away with her friends or with Applejack like she was now. The little filly had gone to watch Applejack compete in one of the many rodeos she enjoyed, to which Granny Smith and Big Mac had both agreed to. She was sure to be fine as long as she was with her sister.
Finally back at the barn, Big Mac began unloading the twelve baskets of apples. The thought of Applejack off at another rodeo dredged up nostalgia of the short lived days of Big Mac’s own rodeo days. He paused his work and glanced at a small desk in the back of the barn. A few trophies adorned the desk top and a few ribbons hung from the wall, all prizes of first place standings. He had never lost but that was one reason he decided to quit. The constant victories, many he could have tried half as hard and still won, had spawned a boredom in the stallion. The competitive nature of the events made them less enjoyable as he continued to compete. Applejack, by now, was better at several events after her extended participation. But mostly in events of agility and speed. No pony, even now, could match the work horse’s raw strength.
Big Mac left his musings of the past and returned to his work but was stopped short by the barn door opening. He looked up to see Applejack slowly make her way inside. She peered around a bit and closed the door behind her, pressing her back to it like she was trying to keep something out. The joy of seeing his sister return was gone and all thoughts of wanting to know how well she did vanished at the sight of her shaken appearance and sluggish, unwilling movements.
Even with the door closed, her eyes continued to dart back and forth as though she feared something would leap out at her. What caught Big Mac’s attention most was the air of dread that she carried. She was quiet but her actions spoke volumes as she silently screamed in pain and anguish to her brother.
She stared at the work horse and visibly fought back tears as she tried to speak. “Big Mac…I…I…”
“What happened?” Big Mac asked as calmly and caring as he could, slowly stepping forward.
“I…She’s…They…” Applejack continued to sputter and fidget. Her eyes continued to look down and Big Mac could practically feel her anxiety as if it were his own. “Applebloom’s dead.”
The stallion’s eyes went wide and Applejack winced as though expecting a violent reaction. Instead, he placed a hoof around his sister as gently as he could. Outwardly, his demeanor was calm and soothing as he tried to comfort his sister. Inwardly, he struggled to suppress his desire to cry out that a filly so young, especially being his own sister, had died. But as he held Applejack, he could feel her tension still and knew there was more to the story. He looked into her eyes to see far more than he wanted to.
“Tell me everything.”
Applejack let the floodgates of her tears flow and threw herself onto her brother saying and repeating the only thing she could in her current state. “I’m sorry.”
She wept for nearly an hour, allowing Big Mac to learn more than he ever wanted to. Across her body, marks and bruises were poorly hidden amidst her brushed coat. He saw the dark ring around one eye and could feel her shudder in pain as his hooves caressed her body to try and calm her. He took a close look at the marks. All were made by hooves.
Finally, Applejack calmed down enough to speak. She sat down, wincing as she set herself on the ground, and began reciting the events. She smiled as she told about how well she had done, succeeding in placing first in every event. She breathed a pained laugh, like one does out of the irony of the situation, before being overtaken by her emotions again. She rubbed a hoof against the opposite leg and stared at the hay covered ground. Big Mac gently placed a hoof on her shoulder to encourage her to continue the story. She stared into his eyes with pain and terror before looking back at the ground and continuing her dark story.
Following the competition, Applejack and Applebloom had attended the carnival held in honor of the rodeo for some down time and celebration. After some fun, one of the competitors, a multi-time champion encountered the two. He had voiced his frustration at not only losing his champion status but placing third and below in each event. He backed the two into a back area stating he wanted “compensation” for such humiliation. Big Mac’s blood began to boil at this but he maintained his calm as the story continued.
Applebloom had decided to stand up for her sister, despite Applejack’s objection. Before her objections could be made, the stallion had casually struck the little filly and caused her to tumble and strike her head against a tent peg. What happened next caused Big Mac’s blood to come to a full boil and his skin to burn. He struggled to maintain his calm as Applejack continued.
His sister had tried to see to Applebloom who remained on the ground, unmoving. But before she could get far, she was grabbed from behind by two other stallions. The stallion walked forward and said just one last thing. “You owe me.”
Applejack continued to stare at the ground as tears streamed down her face. The pain she felt from reliving that moment became visible as she held herself and withdrew. She bowed her head and tried to suppress a whimper.
“There were too many and…and…They killed her and…me. I couldn’t stop them. I tried to fight them but I couldn’t stop them. I’m sorry. I’m sorry”
Big Mac gently placed a hoof on her cheek and guided her head to face her. He spoke sternly for a straight answer but softly to show his care. “Did they stop at beating you?”
Shock, terror, pain. All plastered Applejack’s face as she stared at her brother as though she was witnessing it in all its horror once more. Her answer came out as though she was trying to deny it as it happened. “No.”
Her weeping returned with full fervor as she flung herself at her brother who embraced her and caressed her mane. He said only one thing to her. “Everything will be made right.”
After another half hour of crying, Big Mac released his sister and stood. She held out a hoof to him, not wanting the comfort to leave. He looked at her and gave the warmest smile he had ever given in his life. Inside, it felt hollow. Was it a lie? Was he just trying to reassure her…and himself? Beneath the warm smile, the calm demeanor, the storm of rage ceased. All emotion simply vanished from his being. He had something to do. In order to do it, he could not afford to feel.
As he left the barn his thoughts drifted back to the day when Applebloom was born and Big Mac became responsible for two younger sisters. He had never thought about it when it was just him and Applejack but things changed when Applebloom was born. That day, he had sworn a vow to himself to protect his sisters or avenge them. While he was young, he never really understood what it meant to give a vow or what his vow had entailed. He wanted to sound brave, be the protective older brother he thought he ought to be. Now, the vow called to him to repay his debt. As he grew, he lost the desire to fulfill such a vow. But he could not break the promise. All would be worse if he did.
He left for the town that had held the rodeo that very moment. It would make things easier to leave immediately than to wait and lose his resolve. The train ride was short, only a couple of hours, leaving him with plenty of time to search for the guilty stallion. The town had already taken down most of the carnival tents and the area where the rodeo had been held was empty. The area where Applebloom had died was still intact as a few ponies could hardly bring themselves to go near the now condemned site. Big Mac walked over to the area and made a final plea that his sisters would forgive him for what he had resigned to do before heading out.
He asked around about the rodeo, putting on the mask of an enthusiast who had been unfortunate to miss out, and began asking about the stallion who had harmed his sisters. Again, he wore a mask, acting as a fan who wanted an autograph. After being pointed to the home, he made his way there eerily aware of his lack of nervousness, anger, or fear. Nothing mattered as he knocked on the door.
He waited a full minute until the door was answered and the former champion himself answered. He was a brown earth pony with a blonde mane and stood almost as tall as Big Mac. “What do you want?” was all he was able to say as Big Mac reared back and gave a strong kick to his face with his fore hooves.
The stallion was sent reeling and tumbling into the house and slammed into a wall. He sat dazed as blood dripped from his mouth. He violently voiced his objections to the sudden attack as he rubbed his jaw and spat out blood and a pair of teeth. His objections intensified as he placed a hoof on the back of his head and winced. He looked at his hoof to see more blood.
Big Mac ignored every word he said and silently made his way into the house. He only got a few paces in before another stallion, a grey earth pony with a jet black mane, came to investigate the commotion. Applejack had managed to describe her attackers, in surprisingly great detail, and this newcomer matched one of the other attackers.
The co-attacker charged Big Mac but was stopped short by the work horse. Big Mac pivoted on his fore legs and gave a mighty buck into the other pony’s face. A wet crack sounded in the entryway of the house and the stallion was sent tumbling before settling in the doorway to the room he had come from. His head was twisted just over ninety degrees to the right and his neck showed its contorted state. His eyes stared blankly at the former champion who could only watch in horror before looking back at Big Mac.
The sight of his fellow dying right before his eyes in a matter of two seconds sent him into a gasping fit, nearly hyperventilating himself. He pleaded of his life as he pressed against the wall, trying in vain to flee. Both he and Big Mac stopped as a rope descended from the landing at the top of the nearby stairs and lassoed around Big Mac’s neck. It went taut as the pony on the other end tried to strangle the big stallion. His efforts would be in vain.
Big Mac felt the rope clench down on his neck and twisted his head to bite down on the rope. He gave a mighty tug and caused the pony to come rolling down the stairs. There was a snap followed by his screams of pain. With the rope now loose, Big Mac looked to see the third and final attacker, a tan earth pony with a brown mane and tail, reeling in pain and grasping at his back right leg which was bent off to the left.
With practiced skill, Big Mac gathered the rope and tossed the loose end up and over a ceiling beam. He removed the loop and lassoed the former owner around the neck, returning the favor of trying to choke the big pony. He bit down on the other end and yanked hard sending the pony into the air. He released and quickly bit down again and gave another yank. Now halfway up, the pony flailed and squirmed as he gasped, unable to scream. The former champion watched in horror as his latest ally flailed for several seconds before going limp.
Big Mac released the rope and let the pony drop. He moved forward towards his original target and stamped down on the hung pony’s neck to ensure he would never breathe again. There was an audible crunch as the trachea was crushed. The former champion finally rolled right and began crawling to escape, whimpering like a foal. He hardly managed to move as Big Mac reared up and brought down his front hooves onto the stallion’s back left leg. There was a disgusting crack as bone snapped and joints shattered.
The stallion’s screams never reached Big Mac’s ears as he rolled over to look in horror at his destroyed leg. Big Mac used this moment to bring down his hooves again on the stallion’s rib cage. Another silent scream as his ribs shattered with several cracks. A bruise was already forming from the internal bleeding but Big Mac continued his assault. He rolled the stallion over and came down on his spine. Another crack, another silent scream. The pony could move no longer.
Big Mac rolled to pony over again to look him in the eyes. The pony’s face was awash with anguish and he continued to scream. The work horse placed a hoof on his neck, careful not to cut the air off completely, to quiet him. The pony looked at him through tears of pain, his face plastered with fear.
“Why?” Big Mac’s voice was calm, lacking all emotion. He added a slight amount more pressure. “Tell me why.”
The pony remained silent. He continued to cringe in pain and began to cough from lack of oxygen. Big Mac let up a bit to allow him to breathe. He gave a series of pained coughs before he finally spoke.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“The filly and mare you hurt after the rodeo.” Big Mac returned pressure to the stallion’s neck.
“I’m sorry!” the stallion gasped. “Why attack and kill my friends for that?”
“They were my sisters,” Big Mac said, releasing the pressure on the pony’s neck leaving him to cough up blood from his blood filled lungs. “Eight years old. The little filly was eight years old and you killed her.”
Shock was now added to the stallion’s face at the news of the Applebloom’s death. He spoke low. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to kill her. It was an accident.”
“Yet now she’s dead thanks to you.” Big Mac loomed over the stallion, watching the primordial fear overwhelm him and drive out every other emotion. “You killed my youngest sister and raped the other.” He reared back. “Go and meet the maker.”
The pony’s eyes went wide in sheer terror. The last thing he saw was Big Mac’s front hooves fly at him as they crushed his skull. Big Mac stomped three more times sending blood splattering across the floor. Finally, he looked down at the disfigured pony and the unrecognizable remains of the head. Blood poured out leaving bone shards to swim in the growing pool with the mashed remnants of the soft organs.
Big Mac stood in the pool of blood for a full minute as a drop of spattered blood dripped from his eye and down his cheek. It was over. Whatever happened to him because of this hardly mattered. He had fulfilled his vow. Yet through it all, he remained calm. Anger and sorrow had been thrown out in the moment as he slayed the three ponies. Even now, such emotions were absent. He was not happy, not by any stretch of the imagination, but more…content.
He cleaned his hoofs in the kitchen of the house and left the bloody mess behind him. He had done what was needed to protect the little ones.
