Sweet Apples Under A Night Sky

Warning: This chapter contains explicit gore and torture scenes. Skip to 'Snuff' twice if you wish to not view it.

Chapter Nine

Blueblood opened on eye and looked around the room. The very upside down room.

"Where am I?" he asked, his voice dry and throaty.

"Oh, he's awake." a voice chuckled. "Hello, Blueblood. I wonder if your blood really is blue." an upside down griffon floated in front of him and prodded him, making him spin on whatever contraption he was being held up by.

"Boss said not to do anyfing wif 'im." Pepé grunted.

Grayfeather chuckled. "Oh lighten up, big boy. This isn't 'anyfing wif 'im'." she said simply, mocking the hulking pony's accent.

"Release me at once, you vile ruffians. I am Prince Blueblood, royal nephew of the princesses Celestia and Luna-" Blueblood began, sweat dripping down his face and onto the cold floor below.

"And you're a bag full of lies." Twelve Trees said and strode up to him. "A rapist and a selfish, arrogant brat of a child. Just wait until the lord duke arrives."

Blueblood's eyes widened when he saw the table behind his former butler: hacksaws, large spikes, sickles, wickedly sharp looking serrated knives, and a manner of other horrible implements to be sued on him.

"What are you going to do to me?" he whispered and felt a small bit of urine trickle down his torso. Being held upside down, one had a tendency to wee on oneself after all.

Grayfeather and Pepé roared with laughter when the trail of urine hit his face and made him sputter. "Oh wook at dat. The wittle baby pwince has gone numbuh one on himself!" Grayfeather cackled.

"Want me to change his diaper?" Pepé laughed.

"Ugh." Twelve Trees tutted and turned away from the prince.

The laughter died down as they tormented Blueblood further. "When's the boss gonna get here?" Pepé asked.

"He'll get here when he does. Glad thing too. The stink of piss is irritating my nose." Grayfeather said and pinched her beak.

Blueblood wept quietly as he waited for his punishment.

The two more energetic members of the party huddled around him, teasing and taunting him unrelentingly.

Twelve Trees sighed and counted the seconds until the lord duke walked in and they could continue their foul business.

***

Celestia landed in front of the army at her gates and glared at them. They all halted immediately. "Surrender now, lest you all face the gallows for your insolence." she calmly told them.

Those in the front line scrambled to climb over the backs of their comrades and away from the white alicorn.

Those behind pushed forwards, towards the furious princess. What they didn't see, was the army gathering around them. The army that vastly out numbered them, made up of Admantium's soldiers and members of the Royal Army.

The princess smiled contentedly as a griffon bearing he lord duke's banner. He bowed respectively and cleared his throat. "Your majesty, Lord Duke Admantium I sends his deepest apologies for preventing this absurd attack on yourself. He wishes that an audience will be held afterwards with yourself and or princess Luna as well." the message bringer finished.

Celestia nodded her head in approval. "It is most agreeable that the lord duke visits once this whole debacle is done with, for now, however, tell him to have his soldiers round up those responsible for this 'uprising' and have them brought to the dungeons."

The griffon bowed a final time and flapped off, squawking commands at a group of large, thuggish looking pegasi.

Celestia turned to the crowd, who had been renewed with fervour and started pushing against the golden clad guards of the palace again, crying out to her "Down with Celestia! Up with Carim!" or "Up with the count, down with the princess!"

She sighed and turned to leave, then something struck her left shoulder. She slowly turned around and stared at the unicorn who had flung something at her. She brought a hoof up and touched where it had impacted. Her eyes widened as she saw a bit of blood.

Several guards surrounded the unicorn immediately and pinned him to the ground, barking commands at him as he pleaded and said it was an accident.

Celestia stumbled as the wounds pain suddenly came for her. "You." she said to the crying unicorn. "Name."

The unicorn sniffed. "Leo."

Celestia nodded and stumbled towards him, cupping his face in her left hoof. "Why would you strike your princess?" she said, the calmness in her voice silencing the routed army as Admantium's forces began driving them towards the barracks and dungeons.

"B-b-because the nobles-" Leo started.

He never finished. With one quick stroke, Celestia brought him closer to her and stared into his eyes. "You will immediately go home, pack your things, and leave Canterlot." she told him.

"Yes, yes, your highness." he whimpered and she released him. "Thank you kind majesty, thank you so much for not having me executed."

The princess watched young Leo scamper back to the crowd as she reached up and touched her wound again. She winced in surprise at so much blood from such a little wound. She's forgotten the sight of her own blood and it made her queasy. Scared, even.

"Princess? Would you like assistance?" Shining Armour asked and extended a hoof for her.

She took it gratefully and hobbled back to the palace, where she sat down on her throne.

"I'll go get a doctor." Shining told her, his voice faint and slurred.

"Mmhmm." Celestia mumbled as her vision became hazy the longer she looked at her blood. She felt herself slipping into a slumber the longer she looked at it and shook her head, clearing the hazy thoughts away and started counting sheep.

"One, two, three, four..." she murmured to herself.

***

Shining hurried back to the infirmary where Luna was sitting up and looking around, dazed and confused. "Greetings princess." he said as he bowed to her.

"Greetings guard captain Shining Armour." she bowed back and rubbed her horn, wincing at the tenderness of the skin around it. "Where is my sister?" she asked and blinked at Shining.

"Ahh." Shining murmured and turned to the doctor. "The princess has been... problem." he murmured and glanced at Luna.

She tilted her head questioningly. So did the doctor. "Problem?" the doctor asked.

"She was... hit... by something." Shining said, being very careful with his words as Luna watched him. "And... she's... bleeding."

"How badly?" the doctor asked, feeling full of dread and worry.

"Only a minor wound on her shoulder, but still bleeding."

Both Shining and the doctor jumped when Luna laughed. "Oh that's all?"

Shining nodded.

Luna laughed again. "Hah. My sister has a fear of blood, you know. What were the symptoms she was experiencing?"

Shining Armour gave a sigh of relief. "She stumbled for a bit after looking at her own blood. She requested a doctor be sent immediately though."

"I'll go." the doctor said and he turned to the nurse. "Nurse Joy? Stay here with the princess while I tend to the other princess."

"Yes doctor." Nurse Joy replied and smiled at Luna. "Now you just sit and rest, princess. You'll need to lie down for a while."

Shining smiled at the princess. "Good to see you back, Princess Celestia hasn't been herself lately."

"I heard." Luna replied as she placed a hoof on her silky belly. "Shining Armour, how is our niece, Princess Cadence?"

Shining smiled warmly, "Oh, she's wonderful, princess. The triplets kept us both up at first, but now they've settled down and we've gotten ourselves in a routine: whenever I can I'll take over watching them and let her rest, and when I'm at work, she takes them to her cousin who lives right here in Canterlot."

Luna allowed a small smile to creep across her face. "I'm glad you are both happy." she said quietly. Her smile faltered, however, when she remembered Big Mac was staying in Ponyville with Twilight Sparkle. She sniffed and fel a tear run down her cheek.

Shining noticed it too and held a tissue for her. "Blow, your highness."

Luna did as he said and blew her nose on the tissue. She muttered thanks to him and turned away. Pain spread across her face as something happened in her belly, like the same pain that had come before.

Thank Mother and Father for the captain's keen eye. she thought as he called the nurse over and she injected Luna with a small sedative.

The night princess lay her head down and let the sedative get to work.

Shining Armour, being a gentlecolt and happily married, brought the covers over her and let her sleep. He trotted through to the throne room and saw Celestia looking rather sheepish as the doctor bandaged her wound.

"Greetings Shining Armour, how is my sister?" she asked and winced as the doctor wiped some blood on a tissue right in front of her.

"She's sleeping now, your highness. It seems the rebelling nobles' forces have fully retreated. Those that haven't surrendered anyway."

She waved a hoof. "I don't care about them right now. Ow." she grumbled as the doctor poked her with the needle.

"Sorry, princess." he mumbled and began stitching up her wound.

She glared at him then turned back to Shining, who was biting his lip from trying not to laugh. "I'm worried about Luna. Did the doctors say anything about her?"

Shining shook his head. "No, your highness. Just that she needs a sedative every now and then for pains ricocheting up and down her body."

Celestia frowned. "Hmmm."

Shining coughed nervously. "Uhh... your highness?"

"Yes?" she looked up at him, scratching at the bandage around her shoulder.

"About Brandling..."

Celestia sighed. "He did betray my orders, captain. I will personally oversee him be given a free trial. He will most likely escape with nothing more than an official discharge from the army." she smiled.

"Thank you princess." Shining bowed and let out a sigh of relief. "With your permission, ma'am?"

Celestia nodded, smiling at the captains insistence for formalities.

"Well, myself and my two other friends, Fizzer and Jax, would like to testify with him."

Celestia raised her eyebrows. "You are aware of course, that if he fails the trial, you and your comrades will be discharged as well?"

Shining nodded his head stiffly. "Yes. I am aware of this. As are they."

"Then I will allow it. Although i highly doubt you will need to." she grinned at him.

"Princess?" Shining tilted his head slightly.

"If you and your friends are willing to risk their way of life just for one pony, then I see he is loved by his friends as much as Twilight is by hers."

Shining broke into a big grin. "Yes. I suppose he is. Thank you again, princess." he bowed and turned to leave, trotting down to the dungeons.

Celestia smiled as she watched him go.

"Princess Celestia." a wheezing voice said.

her smile increased as she saw the Lord Duke Admantium before her, bowing one one knobbly knee. "Hello, Admantium. How are you?"

He grinned a rather toothy grin for one as old as he. "Oh, could be better. Sorry I didn't prevent the stupid noble uprising." he said, really and truly sorry he couldn't stop them all. But at least we got Blueblood. he thought and increased the smile a bit.

Celestia waved a hoof. "It's quite alright, good duke. But tell me, why go through all this trouble merely to see my nephew's ego wounded as my shoulder?"

Admantium's smile faded as he told her of Blueblood's exploits. "And his most recent game... my daughter." he growled.

Celestia gasped. "I'm... so sorry... if I had known... I had him in my hooves just a few days earlier. If only... oh I'm terribly sorry." she murmured.

Admantium waved a hoof. "It's alright, none of us knew, your majesty." he said bitterly.

"Yes, well. I'll have the police search for him immediately and have him sent to the most punishing of prisons: 'The Glue Factory'." she shuddered as she said the name of that awful place. It was only where the absolute worst ponies went, ones who were beyond any hope of redemption, like that murder many, many years ago: 'Ripper'. He'd refused to give his real name, so the police had started calling him Ripper on account of his method of murder. I'll leave the details out.

Admantium raised his eyebrows, surprised that she would send her own nephew to the Glue Factory of all places. "That won't be necessary, princess. My men have already searched his house and found he fled to the griffon colonies up north. If he has indeed done so, it will be impossible to find him."

Celestia grunted in acknowledgement. "The best we can do then, is send a message to the griffon colonists and warn them of his... behaviour."

"I'll take care of it personally, princess." Admantium bowed and left, a large, sadistic grin on his face as he did so.

***

Blueblood hung upside down and eyed the sharp things on the table by Twelve Trees.

"Knock, knock." a voice growled and a sudden ray of light poured in from the warehouse door. "Sorry I'm late." the Lord Duke Admantium chuckled as he strode up to Blueblood. "Pissed himself has he?"

"Yep." Grayfeather chuckled with glee, eager to get her talons into him.

"What happened to his leg?" Admantium asked and pointed to his bandaged leg.

"Miss Grayfeather got a bit carried away when we acquired him." Twelve Trees chuckled.

"Tsk, tsk, Lady." Admantium waved a hoof at Grayfeather. "Now you won't get to take part. None of you will." he smiled around at Pepé and Twelve Trees. "Move. Make sure we're not interrupted." he growled at them.

Grayfeather ruffled her feathers in indignation, having to withstand the stench of both the pig and his piss for hours on end, only to be cast out like a common rat.

Once Pepé had drought the door shut and slammed it for good measure, the duke looked up at the prince.

Snuff

"Now. About my daughter." the duke growled.

"I swear I had nothing to do with her! She came to me, begging for it! Please, please don't hurt me." Blueblood pleaded.

Admantium toyed with the smallest of the knives, twisting it around on his hoof and throwing it at Blueblood, embedding itself in the wood next to him.

Blueblood's heart raced. "P-p-please..." he whispered.

"OK, for that. Your tongues going first, then I won't have to listen to you moan all day." the duke snapped and used his magic to bring Blueblood down to eye level.

Blueblood's eyes watered in the duke's grip.

He watched as Admantium slowly brought the knife closer and closer to him.

Then the duke laughed and pulled away.

"You really think I'm going to cut out your tongue first?" he laughed manically. "No. I want to hear you suffer." he growled menacingly and took the knife to Blueblood's mane instead.

Blueblood watched with fear filled eyes as he saw his beloved mane fall away from his face, a small river of urine trickling down his body now.

"Oh for Celestia's sake, prince. Get a grip on yourself." Admantium snapped again, then roared with laughter as he cut Blueblood's tail off and waved it in his face. "So... how old was my daughter when you met her?" he asked and began sharpening an unknown instrument as he moved from Blueblood's vision, his words dripping with contempt.

Blueblood mumbled something.

"I didn't catch that sorry." the duke chuckled as he stuck a small pin in Blueblood's torso.

The prince screamed. "Seventeen!"

"Only seventeen? So that's..." the duke did some quick math. "eighteen years you've had her in your employ?"

Blueblood nodded and whimpered.

"So that's eighteen body parts you owe me. We'd better get started then." the duke clapped his hooves together and revealed a large crowbar. "This is Derek. Derek's an old friend of mine. I'd like the two of you to get acquainted." he cackled wildly and struck Blueblood across the face with it.

The prince went sprawling as Admantium chased him around the floor, beating him with 'Derek'.

"Tell me, Blueblood. Do you like the front swing?"

*Smack*

"Or the back swing?"

*Smack*

"Before?"

*Smack*

"Or after?"

*Smack*

"Hmm?" the duke asked the bloodied pulp that was Blueblood.

Blueblood whispered something.

Admantium grabbed his ear and hoisted him up. "Come again?"

"I said. You're a sick pony, Admantium. You'll be caught for this. They'll string you up and hang you like the dog you are!" he spat in the duke's face defiantly.

Admantium wiped the spit away from his cheek and smacked the prince again. "That's no way to treat the host of the party. Now stand up."

Blueblood moved his legs and tried to stand up.

Admantium beat him with the crowbar, smiling as he saw the bone of Blueblood's left leg break the skin. "Oh, that's lovely." he cackled madly again. "Looks just like strawberry jam." he giggled at the flecks of blood scattered around them. He stroked 'Derek' lovingly and licked the blood away. "It's a shame it's not blue, like your namesake. I like blue. It's my favourite colour.

Blueblood opened his one good eye at the duke and prayed to Celestia somepony would find him.

"Now I've gotta go, boy. Be good, do your homework and be in bed before nightfall. No wait, I don't have to go anywhere. AHAHAHAHHAHAHA!" Admantium howled with loud laughter that echoed around the warehouse.

The duke walked over to the table and picked up a knife. "Now, hold still. I'd hate to mess up your new cutie mark." he grinned sadistically as he moved back to Blueblood.

Blueblood screamed as the knife carved into him, around his cite mark and along his side.

"Done." Admantium said and stood up, admiring his handiwork.

He started humming to himself as he placed the knife on the table again.

"Why... won't... you... just... let... me... die?" Blueblood whispered as he coughed blood.

"Because, my boy, that wouldn't be fun, now would it?" Admantium said then turned around and leaned down, "When Canterlot lies in ruin and ash, and Celestia dead, you have my permission to die, you sick buck." he hissed and slammed Blueblood's head against the floor.

He walked back over to the table and dropped the knife. He hummed for a while as he decided on his next tool. "Ah. This one. This should be fun." he chuckled and turned back around; a large branding iron in his hooves.

Blueblood had his eyes tight shut, so when he felt the searing hotness of the iron spike against his eyelid he screamed louder than before, more in shock than pain.

The crazy duke saw his opportunity and used his magic to force the prince's eyelid open and keep it open. "Say 'AAAAAAAAH'!" he giggled as he moved the white hot spike closer to Blueblood's eye.

The prince gave an otherworldly scream as he went blind in one eye in that minute.

Admantium pulled the boiling spike out from Blueblood's eye socket, the prince's eye attached to the end of it. The duke savagely scraped it off on the floor, then put the iron in a barrel of water Pepé rolled in.

"Thank you Pepé. We wouldn't want the scum bag to get hold of that now would we?" he chuckled and patted a very frightened Pepé on the back.

"N-no, b-boss." the hulking brute murmured and quickly left the duke to his fun.

"Pepé's a good kid. He's all brawn though, no brains. Well, more so than you." Admantium chuckled at Blueblood. "Well, I suppose I'd better leave now. Same time tomorrow?"

Blueblood was silent, save for his heavy breathing and loud, pitiful sobs.

"I'll take that as a yes then. See you soon, while I go get your muck off me. Be a good kid, brush your teeth and get your homework done. Toodles." the duke grinned as he left the weeping mess of a pony once called Blueblood, still tied up, on the floor of the abandoned warehouse.

"Pepé. Twelve Trees. Clear the stuff away, we wouldn't want him escaping or hurting himself would we?" Admantium chuckled to the two henchponies, who jumped to their feet and began work.

"And what about me?" asked Grayfeather.

Admantium turned to her. "You can leave whenever you wish, my dear." he smiled and trotted off, towards the wash room to clean himself up.

Grayfeather baulked. "All this way? And I don't even get to avenge my servant's sister?"

"Oh, by all means, just leave him for now. I accidentally went a bit overboard for our first chat. So give him a while to recover." Admantium grinned manically.

Grayfeather glared at him. "What did you do?"

"I poked his eye out." the duke replied bluntly.

Lady Grayfeather laughed out loud. "Really? Wow. I was just gonna cut his balls off and sell them to some griffon collectors." she giggled. "But now I'll have to one up you."

"By all means. We'll take turns, my dear. I owe him for eighteen years of my daughter's life. Take as long as you wish."

Grayfeather's tongue ran around the outside of her beak as she anticipated meeting the prince again.

Snuff

***

Big Mac looked at the tree house library and breathed slowly. He'd missed Luna immensely since she'd left the night before. But, he knew she was right. And he did have a recent outbreak of feelings for Twilight. He'd explained to Applejack and Caramel about her decision and her final wish. Caramel understood, sort of. Applejack was less than forgiving:

"She's Princess *Who now*?!" Applejack bellowed.

"Luna. You really should get your ears cleaned out sometime, AJ." Caramel chuckled and nudged her.

"And she said to do *what** with Twilight?"*

"Settle down. Live my life with her. Truth be told AJ, ah see her point. No sense in chasin' somethin' ah couldn't possibly understand." Big Mac said sadly.

"But... but..." Applejack stammered.

Big Mac shushed her and hugged her like a brother would. "Shhh. Ah'll go an' see Twi today. Now in fact." he told her.

Applejack was silent after that, thinkin about... well everything really.

Before he knew it, he was at the door, hanging his head with a mixture of anxiety, fear, betrayal... and lust.

*Knock*

"Just one should do it." he mumbled.

Sure enough, Twilight Sparkle opened the door, a small rose in her mane, just above the ear. "Hello, Big Mac. Come in, please."

Mac obliged her and held a chair out for her. "Ah suppose Luna told you her idea?" Mac asked casually

Twilight blushed. "I have considered it extensively. Yes." she said, then back-peddled furiously. "I mean... if you think it's a good idea, or if you need time."

"Give me a week." Mac replied. "Then ah'll come talk to ya." he leaned across and kissed her cheek, nodded politely, then escorted himself out.

Twilight gently touched her cheek. You are not following Spike's example, wash that cheek when you next need to. a small voice told her. She giggled and danced giddily up the stairs, where she watched the world go by out her window.

Mac trotted home with a small smile on his face. "One week's all ah need." he murmured happily to himself. He was more or less just having a week of respect for Luna, while she was certainly all for the idea of Twilight and Mac together, he felt as though it would still be considered cheating, even though they'd technically broken up.

Twilight must have felt the same, yet a bit disappointed by his decision evidently. He suddenly felt extremely guilty. "Ah pony feathers." he muttered. "Sorry, Luna, my first love. Ah'll always hold you close. But ah gotta have Twilight now." he said and looked up at the sky.

He rushed back to the library just as the heavens opened up and drenched him in seconds.

He banged on the door urgently.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming, keep your feathers on." twilight's grumpy voice called from behind the large wooden door. "Oh, hi again Big Mac, what bring you-"

He stepped forwards and wrapped his hooves around her, planting his lips firmly on hers.

She wrapped her own hooves around him and lifted her hind leg. "Ohhh, Big Mac..." she murmured.

"Shhh." he placed a hoof on her lips and kissed her again. "Ah don't need a week. My answer's yes." he whispered and carried her to her bed.

He gently dropped her and stood over her, kissing her neck and listening to her moan with pleasure.

"Big Macintosh..." Twilight murmured and brought a hoof to his face. "I've never..." her eyes flickered downwards.

Mac's eyes lit up. "Ah'll be gentle then." he giggled and kissed her again.

When they were finished, they embraced each other and fell asleep with their hearts beating in rhythm

***

Up in Canterlot, Luna was out of the infirmary bed and in her sister's chambers. She used Celestia's scrying ball and saw Big Mac hug and kiss Twilight and smiled softly. "Hold onto him Twilight Sparkle." she murmured. "Never let him go." she decided to draw away before

She turned to go back downstairs and into her bed, where Celestia had fallen asleep on the opposite bed.

She giggled at her sleeping sister. "Scared of a tiny bit of blood. You big pansy." she  murmured and crawled up next to her sister, nuzzling her and putting a wing around her.

"I am not a pansy, and it was more than a 'little bit of blood'" Celestia whispered and extended her own wing around her baby sister.

Luna giggled and closed her eyes. "Goodnight, big sister."

"Goodnight, little sister."

The two sisters fell asleep in each other's embrace.

Luna dreamt about the three of them: Luna, Celestia... and her baby.

The End.