Blooming Talent 2: The Apple Falls Far

Although Vinyl Scratch had her headphones on full blast, she was somehow still able to go and answer her and Octavia's door when she heard the knocking. She pulled the big things off her ears and pulled open the wooden doorway to find Lyra right outside.

"Hi there, Vinyl." She said with what seemed like a halfhearted smile.

Vinyl quickly ushered the mint unicorn inside and closed the door tight before speaking.

"Don't you think its a bit risky for you to be in Canterlot right now, Lyra?" She rhetorically asked. "I know they don't know our plans, but its still sketchy; ponies could be listening from anywhere."

"I know." Lyra replied. "I...came to check on your 'project' you have getting ready."

The white unicorn DJ smiled toothily and led Lyra into her workshop. The place was like a cross between a car garage and a disco joint; various lights and signs glowed around the room and several mechanical tools and other items scattered about the multicolored sprasypainted concrete floor. There were no windows in the place, and that might be for the better, Lyra thought to herself.

The DJ took a seat on a stool behind her bar slash work bench and using her magic poured two glasses of what looked like white grape wine.

"That's a very fancy drink for you, Vinyl." Lyra teased with a short laugh.

"Its Tavi's, not mine." Vinyl replied. "Though I gotta admit, she knows what's good in high society. Perks of being with a orchestra pony."

"Yes, I suppose.."

There was a moment of silenced as Vinyl chugged her glass straight down in seconds. When she finished, she noticed Lyra had not even touched her own drink.

"Just not in the mood for a drink?"

The mint colored unicorn blinked as if coming out of deep thought. "Him? Oh, uh...I guess not, no."

"You guess not?"

"Um,..yeah.."

Vinyl studied Lyra's expression hard, lifting up her purple shades from her eyes. It didn't take long for her to catch what was up.

"You're worried about something." She said matter-of-factly.

Lyra looked up at the unicorn across from her with a slightly surprised look which faded back into a saddened one. Was she easy to see through? She had to work on that if she was going to be a conspirator.

She mentally laughed at her own little joke there, and then returned to reality.

"Yes...something is bothering me..." She said. "And..it has to do with Trunks.."

"What's wrong with Trunks? Is he sick? Hurt? Did he trip over his drool while staring at you too long?"

Lyra giggled a little. "No, no, nothing is wrong with him."

"Well, what then?"

"I...I'm scared, Vinyl." She explained. "I know there is going to be fighting and maybe even bloodshed, but...but it still frightens me to know there's a possibility of death. Not just for me or you, but for him as well...and I just.."

"I'll stop you there." Vinyl interjected. "Firstly, I don't think anypony under Luna and Piccolo is capable of killing that half-saiyan of yours. He's powerful, and not a dummy either. Luna and Piccolo wouldn't resort to killing either, at least not us, their subjects. Mutinous as we may be, we still are living beings, and they won't just forget that like Sapphic did. So don't worry your pretty mint colored head, girly. It'll all be OK."

Lyra smiled, but still seemed like she was unsatisfied.

"There's something else huh?"

"Yeah..." Lyra responded slowly. "Vinyl....what's it like to..."

She stopped, and breathed in slowly before finishing the question.

"What's it like to die?"

This question took the DJ aback a little; the only pony who ever had asked her this was Octavia when Vinyl had been revived a couple years ago, and nopony else seemed too interested. She hadn't been prepared for such a sudden question.

"Well..." She began. "Its...well its..."

She thought for a second on how to word it.

"Its painful at first...like, really painful. When I got blown up by Sapphic, I felt every muscle and bone separate and tear apart inside me..I felt all my organs and everything just...well, yeah...but after that second of excruciating pain, you feel...nothing. At least at first...then there's this strange warmth that I felt; like...kinda like when somepony is hugging you, but nopony is. And when you open your eyes, your in Otherworld. You get judged on whether you'll go up or down by a guy named King Yemma. I was one of the few he let keep my body. But yeah...that's what my death was like....why do you ask?"

Lyra didn't answer right away, and just stared at the floor contemplating. There had been a very specific reason for her question, but she didn't think the DJ would take it very well, so she answered instead with...

"I...just wanted to know. Trunks never talks about his death...so..I figured I could ask you."

Vinyl seemed skeptical, and looked the mint unicorn in the eyes for a moment. After a few seconds, she shrugged and accepted the answer for the time being. Perhaps Lyra wasn't as easy to see through as she had thought.

"Anyway, you said you came to check on the project, right?" Vinyl changed the subject.

Lyra nodded. "Yeah. You said you creating a machine to really 'drop the bass as well as the royal guard.'"

"Hells yeah!" The DJ hoof-pumped. "This baby is gonna blow em away! Literally! C'mon, she's downstairs!"

Lyra followed as Vinyl led the way through a hatch behind the bar slash workbench and descended into the depths of her home. They didn't realize that Vinyl's earlier comment about ponies listening in was more serious than they'd thought as Flash Sentry flew away from the residence after hearing everything the mares had just talked about.

***

Apple Bloom slowly opened her eyes as the desert sun blasted down its hot rays from the sky. Her eyes itched,nasnd her throat felt dry; she also found once again that her right arm was hard to move. The Legacy Suppressor was already wearing off. She felt dehydrated and sweaty as she lay in the sands staring at the bright blue sky.

She saw a shape approaching out of the corner of her eye, and as it drew closer, she recognized it. It was the young pup she had brought with her from the village, and in his paws he carried a little canteen. Did he have water? How had he found it?

"Oh, good. You havent died yet." He scoffed.

Apple Bloom coughed hoarsly as she tried to reply, unable to get an intelligible word out. The pup rolled his eyes and knelt down to hand her the canteen.

"Just stop trying to talk and drink this." He said, annoyed. "All that crying you did last night dehydrated you, and the heat didn't help, so drink and then talk."

With her good arm, the southern anthro did as she was told and grabbed the container of water. As she swallowed it down, she mentally noted the slight dirt in it, but didn't complain. Once she drained the container, she wiped her muzzle on her forearm before talking.

"Thank you. I really needed--"

"Don't thank me." The pup interrupted, sitting and turning away from her. "I didn't do it for you. I only did it so you can get me where Ahkma directed you and I can leave you..."

Apple Bloom looked at the pup for a moment. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm still grateful. What's your name?"

The young canine spit before responding, not even turning to look at the anthro. "Like I'd tell you. Ahkma told you his name, and you manipulated him into something stupid. I'll not give you mine so you can feign friendship with me only to use me as a sacrifice."

"Young one, I didn't mean for--"

"Maybe you didn't, but you didn't think what disobeying the emperor would do to us, did you?" The pup interjected again. "So don't apologize either. It means nothing to me. I only need you until we get to Ahkma's friend, and then I'm leaving. You'll get what's coming to you eventually. If I didn't know that, I'd make you pay myself."

Apple Bloom looked down in shame as the young dog finished speaking. For a moment, no words were exchanged between the two. Then, Apple Bloom suddenly broke the silence.

"Wrath."

"What?" The pup asked, confused.

"That's what I'm going to call you from now on." She said. "You won't give me your real name, so I'll call you Wrath until you do."

"Why would you call me by such a ridiculous moniker?"

"Well, because you're a very angry young pup." She explained. "You hate my guts, but you won't kill me yourself. I don't believe its out of necessity, but more out of you knowing I will get my just punishment; that karma will catch me. And since Karma sounds more like a feminine name, I'd say Wrath suits you for now. The divine judgment."

Wrath just scoffed again. "Whatever; that sounds like an awful reason. You don't know anything about me, lady."

"I know you want to avenge your family..."

Wrath seemed to tense up a bit at that statement.

"Just shut up...before I really give you a reason to call me Wrath..." He growled.

Apple Bloom left it at that, and stood up from the sands. The sun was high in the sky meaning it was possibly mid-day, and they had a good several hours before nightfall. Her arm throbbed again, and she grabbed at it in pain. She figured there wouldn't be much time before it started spreading again.

She took out the paper Ahkma had shoved into her shirt. The material was slightly wet with sweat, but still usable. As she read the directions, she help but raise an eyebrow at it. The latitude and longitude made sense, but the name of the address did not.

"The center of the temporal rift?" She mumbled. "Wonder what that means..."

She figured they would find out when they arrived, and tapped Wrath's shoulder to get his attention. The duo began to walk towards their destination, as flying was too risky now because of the Legacy Killer.

As they moved, Apple Bloom couldn't help but look back over her shoulder at the horizon; a look of hope in her amber eyes.

"Come back safe, my boys..." She whispered to nopony in particular.