Blooming Talent 2: The Apple Falls Far

The crafts and trades side of Ponyville's market area wasn't as busy as most of the other store places, but it was still rather crowded by ponies nonetheless. As Trunks walked through the burly stallions and tomboyish mares, his eyes continued to scan for a specific place of business.

"Lyra?" Trunks had asked back at their home.

"What is it, babe?" Lyra replied, folding Trunks' clothes besides him with her magic.

"This is going to sound strange, but...what is your horn made of?"

"Huh? My horn?" The mint colored unicorn repeated, slightly confused. "Why do you ask such a random thing?"

"I'll explain in a minute, just tell me please?" He persisted.

Lyra put on her thinking face and put a hoof to her chin. "Hmm. Well, I can't tell you the material, cuz I myself don't know; I'm no biologist. However, I remember my dad once telling me that its almost unbreakable."

"Almost?"

"Well, yeah. Its not indestructible, but its very tough. If I had to make a comparison, I'd say they're harder than even steel."

Trunks blinked in astonishment, and yet somehow had expected an answer like that. Now it was his turn to put on a thinking face. There was a moment of silence before Lyra broke it.

"Trunks, you said you'd explain." She playfully reminded him.

"Oh, right." He said, returning to the living for a moment. "I ask because if we're going to overthrow Luna--"

"I like to think of it as fixing the system." She interrupted.

"OK..well, if we're gonna fix the system, I imagine Luna won't go down without a fight, especially with Piccolo by her side. So I'm thinking, just to even our odds in such an instance, I may need a blade to sever her horn and that way she can't use her magic.."

Lyra gasped a bit at that, which confused Trunks.

"What?" He asked.

"Well, its just...I know we have to think strategically, but if I ever lost my horn...I'd be..well...I wouldn't really be me...I can't imagine taking something so integral about a unicorn...or in this case, alicorn...away..they don't grow back like bones do...when our horns are broken, they're gone forever.."

Trunks held the unicorn close to him and stroked her mane. "I know...I don't much like the thought of doing that either..but if we're gonna pull this off, we have to take her power out of the equation.."

Lyra wrapped her forelegs around him tightly. "I know.."

After several moments, Lyra spoke again. "There's a specific metal used to cut unicorn horns off..."

"Wait, really?" Trunks asked, surprised they had something specifically for taking away unicorn magic forever.

She nodded. "Its called sevunium; the ponies who made it back during the Sombra War named it by basically putting sever and unicorn together and adding 'ium' to the end. Pretty uncreative if you ask me."

There was silence again before Lyra continued.

"They created it for the same purpose we need it; to take down a powerful magic-wielding ruler. So I guess its pretty poetic in a sense..."

Trunks nodded. This was a bit of a twist, because if he remembered right, Luna and Celestia had beaten Sombra in combat, and most likely had weapons of that material; how fitting she would be faced with it now...

"I'll head to the blacksmith tomorrow..and I need you to do something as well..."

The purple-haired half-saiyan finally found the shop he'd been searching for; the blacksmith had a rather large hut, but that was to be expected what with all the equipment he needed. The sign read open, so Trunks proceeded inside.

" Hey, welcome!" Shouted a voice from the back as the bell chimed atop the door. "Be right there."

The shop was hot inside, and Trunks was already sweating. The many swords and armors and multitudes of other items made if metal caused Trunks' inner child to squeal with delight, but he managed to keep a business like outward appearance with a hint of casual. This was his old CEO attitude coming back to him.

The stallion came around to the front, and smiled wide when he saw his customer.

"Hey, you're Trunks! Lyra's main squeeze!" He chuckled.

"Yup that's me." Trunks admitted. "You're the pony who made Sapphic's armor three years ago, right?"

The stallion seemed to shiver remembering it. "Yeah, that was me. I didn't have choice but to make it sturdy as I could..."

"Well it withstood all our attacks for quite awhile, so you must be very skilled."

"Heh, thanks, but I still regret ever doing it.." He mumbled. "But hey, you have to admit it looked pretty intimidating! And it was loaded with some great stuff. Did you ever get to see the magical blade I put in it?"

"Uh...yeah.." Trunks said, rubbing the back of his neck and involuntarily putting his other hand to his chest. "I...got a very...very...very close look at it.."

The stallion obliviously smiled, not catching what Trunks meant. "Well, anyway, what brings you here, good man?"

The half-saiyan cleared his throat and loosened the blue cloth around his neck. "Well, I need to commission you for some work."

"Great!" The stallion nearly jumped for joy. "Its been a little slow here. What do you need?"

"I'm gonna need two swords, the dimensions and specifics of which I have written here." He told the blacksmith pony, handing him a couple folded papers from his shorts pocket. "And I'm gonna need one of them made out of sevunium."

The stallion's smile faultered a bit st the mention of the metal. "Why you need something like that..I hope its not something to do with Lyra..?"

Trunks frantically shook his head. "No! No way! I'd never hurt my little honey ba--I mean, I'd never hurt her ever!"

"Oh, well, then what?"

Trunks sighed and started to explain. "Well, I'm going to need it to--"

He cut himself off quickly; he had no idea if this pony would alert the Princess to his plans if he told him. As friendly as he seemed, Trunks couldn't risk compromising everything because of something like this.

"To..start a collection!" He covered up. "Yeah! Big blade collector; wanna have every metal possible!"

Even though his voice had been far too enthusiastic to be genuine, the blacksmith seemed to buy it, as he smiled and laughed.

"You should come by here more often, then!" He said happily. "Could always use the business!"

Trunks breathed out relieved. "Great, and speaking of business, how much will this cost?"

The pony handed Trunks a print out of his bill. The next few seconds, the only thing any pony heard were the shocked and horrified screams of Trunks thinking of his bank account.

***

Apple Bloom stared down the flamming warrior before her; the heat from the desert sun was enough, but now being in Equibane's presence, it somehow was even hotter.

Ahkma and all of his people stared in fear, too paralyzed to flee, and Equisbane's men merely stood by awaiting orders. And orders they would receive...

"Men," Equisbane commanded. "Take as much of the Legacy Suppressor they have stocked up back to imperial city. But before you do that..."

His red eyes darted to the cowering canines.

"Kill all these dogs first."

"Yes sir!" They all said in unison, charging forward as their high tech armors unsheathed weapons.

"No!" Apple Bloom shouted, throwing a ki blast at their hooves.

The blast exploded, sending sand flying up and blinding the front horses. The southern anthro leapt of the dust cloud and planted two of their heads into the dunes with her hooves. As she landed she grabbed another horse by his neck and brought his face smashing down into her knee, effectively breaking his muzzle.

Two others charged at her with swords drawn, and slashed at her waist. The blades clanged together in thin air as Apple Bloom whistled from above, catching their attention. They looked up to see two ki blasts explode on their faces. One of the horses fell, but the other merely stumbled. She found out why when the dust cleated around his face revealing an armored faceplate. That hadn't been there before...

She suddenly grabbed at her arm in extreme pain that hit without warning; her infection was bothering her again already. It wouldn't be long before the arm was useless again.

She looked back down at the horse, but instead was met with something else; a canister shaped projectile with a pointed tip shot towards her, propelled by a rocket. She had seconds to cross her arm over her face as the thing exploded against her, sending her back to the ground.

The explosion had been loud, and her ears were now ringing, blocking out all other sound. She suddenly felt immense pain as a pair of hooves trampled her into the sand. The attack was vicious, and Apple Bloom was on the verge of passing out; blood coming from her mouth.

She wasn't going to let these bastards hurt her friends, though. With a grunt, she exploded bit of energy from herself, knocking the armored horse back off her. She rolled over, and summoned more ki for an explosive attack of her own.

"Apple Bomb!" She shouted, the red energy shooting out from her.

It made contact, and obliterated the horse instantly, throwing up even more sand and dust. She slowly stood up, her ears starting to return to normal. The dust started to clear, and she saw Equisbane still standing there, watching her with zero expression on his flaming, almost skull-like face.

"Impressive, Misses Bloom." He said. "Very impressive. I can see how you trashed our men so easily in Ponyville; you didn't even give their armor time to adapt."

"Adapt?" Apple Bloom questioned with a pained groan.

"But impressive as it is," he continued. "let me show you how futile it all is in the end."

He put one arm out towards the village of dogs, and before Apple Bloom even knew what happening, the entire village suddenly went up in flames. Apple Bloom watched horrified and wished her ears were still ringing; the screams of agony from the canines was thunderous and heart wrenching, especially the howls of the young pups as they all burned in the fires.

"No! Stop! No!" She shouted, starting to run for her burning and dying saviors.

She was stumbled back by another pillar of red flames; the heat slightly scorching her clothes and fur. Shaking angrily, she turned to Equisbane with hatred in her amber eyes. Equisbane himself did not change his expression.

"This is the fate of all those who do not bow to the emperor's will; for those who oppose or disgrace him, there is only damnation." He said monotonously.

He started to walk towards her slowly, but she didn't want to wait. Apple Bloom charged forth at an impressively fast pace, readying a knock out blow with her good arm.

"You bastard!!" She shouted, drilling her mighty fist into the side of Equisebsne's head.

The fire spawn stumbled and then fell on his rump with a grunt, but got back up slowly and unaffected for the most part. Apple Bloom watched in pure shock. That punch should have literally knocked his head clean off; why was he still--

She coughed and grabbed at her arm. It had started throbbing again, and as she looked down, she saw the blackened veins crawling back over her shoulder.

"No, not now.." She huffed.

"This is not your true power. If it was I'd be dead or most certainly injured." Equisbane noted, rubbing his neck and cracking it back into place. "Seems the Legacy Killer is affecting you again. Which means you are no longer the strongest in the world, Misses Bloom."

She gasped in pain again and fell to her knees, trying to block the pain. Equisbane stood before her, and grabbed her face with his talon-like hand,ndigging the points into her flesh and searing it.

"Which also means...it's over for you."