Princess Celestia's New Creed

Apple Bloom was shaking into Big Mac’s side, “They took her, Big Mac.”

“’Salright.” Big Mac whispered in his sister’s ear, “”Salright, Apple Bloom. They won’t get us now. Granny won’t permit them none.”

Apple Bloom looked into the green eyes of her brother, “But wha’re we gonna do about Big Sis?”

Big Mac sighed, “The Professor got ‘er back once. He can get her back again.”

Granny Smith came in, looking right past the two, “Ya’ll wanna go out an’ getcho sister? Soup’s on in five monnites.”

Big Mac sighed, “Granny, Apple Jack is gone. She’s been taked like all other--”

“OPEN UP!” there was a loud banging at the door, “OPEN THIS DOOR!”

Big Mac dove for the door, slamming it closed. They heard a massive crash and the house shook.

“That sounded like--” Apple Bloom’s sentence was cut off as Big Mac knocked the table over, shoving it right against the kitchen door.

“Come on, tha’ won’t hold ‘em long. We need ta get somewhere safe.”

He picked Granny Smith up, slung her over his broad back, and took off. Apple Bloom was almost as fast as her brother. It really was a mystery as to how she was so good at running, and she was still a Blank-Flank.

They took off out the back door, not bothering to even open it.

“There they are!” a voice called, “Get the others!”

The two ponies gave each other a look, nodded, then took their separate routes: routes they practiced a hundred time in case of an emergency.

Like this.

Apple Bloom navigated her route, the trees rushing by her in a massive blur. Normally she and Apple Jack would take this, but—

“HA!” Apple Bloom turned at the sudden noise, her eyes widening.

A lanky Pegasus was chasing her, their grey eyes practically on fire with malice. “Come here, Dirt Pony!”

Apple Bloom took a deep breath, rocketing forward faster than she ever ran before.

The fact that she traversed this particular branch of the farm with speed (and the fact that this was her home), she managed to out run the Pegasus.

Up ahead, there was a small clearing with many slanted trees. The rendezvous point.

“KE’ RAH!” She turned at the noise again, the Pegasus from before vanishing in a black streak. Apple Bloom’s adrenaline kicked in, causing her to rocket towards the clearing.

She saw the clearing; a mere five meters ahead. She smiled, pacing herself a bit.

The mind is a funny thing, being able to memorize all the tiny details when you do something a hundred

times. As such, if there is the smallest detail is changed, your mind throws up a full alert. If you can “push”

this alert down, your mind will disregard it, but not before grumbling to itself and saying "I tried to warn you".

Apple Bloom found herself sprawled on the forest floor, rope tangled on her back hoof.

“Apple Bloom!” Big Mac started to his little sister, but was impeded by a barrier.

“HEY CAP’N!” A green Unicorn jumped into the clearing, triumphant grin on his face, “We gots two!”

Another pony trotted into the clearing. He was tall, yet burly. He was a bit more muscular than Big Mac, yet the way the workhorse was staring at him made him shrink back a bit.

“Boys. Girl.” The captain spoke in a rather weak, yet loud voice, emphasizing the final point with a small nod. “Yeh’ve done well. An Elder, she’ll be taken care of as Celestia sees fit. And the workhorse may be able to rack us a little bonus…”

The five ponies chuckled.

“Hang on a tick. Where’s Grey-song?” the “captain” looked for the missing member. “Yeh’ve done an’ lost a member, haven’t ya’ll.”

“I’m here!” the lanky Pegasus trotted into the clearing, limping and holding a wing at an akward angle. “I expected some trouble. Sorry Dah.”

The green Unicorn chuckled, “And yeh gave them the ol’ one two, eh? That’s mah girl.”

Apple Bloom stood shakily, her flank burning. She hid in the bushes, ready to make a move if need be.

“So, we takin’ ‘em to Celestia, or the traders Dah?” The silver mare spoke up.

“Remember what happened to Swan Dive, Orange Box? Celestia egged her on too much. You… you know how she was with magic.”

The stallion’s voice softened, regretting all the things he told his daughter. His only Unicorn daughter.

“Dah, if it was anypony’s fault,” a pure white Pegasus fluttered to his father, “If it was anypony’s fault, it’s Celestia’s. She just wanted to help us.”

Dah looked up, “I suppose you’re right. T’aint right for anypony to be ripped off in sales.”

Something ensnared Apple Bloom around the waist, causing her to emit an ear-splitting shriek.

“Red Velvet?” the ponies in the clearing were doing a take between the Pegasus in the clearing and holding onto a squirming filly.

“Verdammit!” The one in the clearing yelled, “FORCE!”

The Pegasi were thrown in all sorts of directions, landing haphazardly in the trees. The Pegasus stood on his hind legs, emitting a flash of light and a loud crackling noise not unlike a bag of marbles hitting the wooden floor.

“Apples, come here!” a black and blue fox was standing there, “It’s me! Skorpeon!”\

Granny and Big Mac ran to Skorpeon, Apple Bloom limping slightly.

“They’re getting away!” Dah yelled, “Take to the Skies! Head them off!”

“The skies?” Skorpeon laughed, his eyes glimmering with power, “You are stupid. Would I take three Earth Ponies on foot? No. I think the answer lies beneath us. ALLONS-Y!”

Skorpeon punched the ground, a large bubble forming around the three ponies. He brought his fist back, giving one look filled with hatred at the green stallion. “You fail, Dah.” There was a grey-and-orange streak as Skorpeon was knocked through the bubble, which then vanished with a small pop.

The Pegasi grabbed each of the Ponies (Dah had Big Mac by himself), and vanished with a blinding flash of light.

Apple Bloom tried to shake her captor, but to no avail. They hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of even Big Mac.

“Come on!” Dah yelled at the Earth Ponies, “Stupid Dirt Ponies! We’re now behind thank to your hopeless friend!”

Apple Bloom felt something connect with her face. She fell to the ground, her face on fire.

Something clicked in Big Mac’s mind. His eyes flushed with red, his hooves acted of their own accord. He spun around, grabbed Dah’s head in his hooves, and twisted.

He felt the spine break and his breath shudder. Dah didn’t have time to hit the ground before the next Pegasus felt the blow.

Big Mac became a whirling tornado of terror, taking anything down that came within hoof’s distance to his little sister.

Big Mac felt something sink into his flank. He swirled, knocking the orange-maned Pegasus into the wall. He grinned savagely when she didn’t sit back up.

He snorted, feeling steam shoot from his nostrils, “Anypony else?” the rest of the Pegasi stepped back fearfully. He looked at his sister. She was crying into Granny’s shoulder.

He turned to the limp form of Dah, a look of shock in his eyes, his neck bent oddly. He looked to one of the blue Pegasi, breathing shallowly.

“MACINTOSH MORGAN APPLE!” Granny Smith snapped. Big Mac took a step back, “DO YEH KNOW WHAT YEH JUS’ DID?!”

As big as Big Mac was, he still cowered under the glare of his tiny, feeble grandmother. “Ah—ah—ah was protectin’ Apple Bloom.”

Granny Smith stood, pointing a hoof at Big Mac, “You just killed two, maybe three ponies!”

Faintly, Big Mac could hear thunder. “Granny--”

“You killed! You killed PONIES! In front of your baby sister!” Granny screeched.

Big Mac looked to the left; a massive amount of Unicorn Guards were advancing, “Granny! We don’t have time for this!”

“Ah have all the time in the world to--” Granny was cut off as a green glow encased her. Big Mach and Apple Bloom were encased in their own.

“Big Mac!” Apple Bloom looked to her brother, “HELP!”

The young Filly watched with sinking hopes as Big Mac failed to shatter the glowing bond that was holding him.

“Get Celestia!” somepony called, triumph in his voice, “Glad you came when you did. Otherwise the stallion would have probably killed the rest of them.”

“There’s only one dead!” Big Mac roared, “He hit mah sister!”

A guard came up to him, “And your sister will get more abuse if you try to interfere.”

Apple Bloom looked at her brother again, his bright red coat starting to pale.

“Take the Filly to the cages. The stallion can go to the bar. Take the elder to the Chambers.”

“NO!” Big Mac roared, “You take one one way, you take all that way!”

“SILENCE!” The guard drove his horn into Big Mac’s chest. Blood dripped from the wound around his horn. There was a fairly loud pop, and Big Mac fell silent.

“Take the stallion to the Bar. The filly to the cages. The elder to the Chambers.” He repeated, Macintosh’s blood dripping into his eyes.

Apple Bloom sat in the corner of a cage crying her heart out. She lost her father even before she was born. She lost her mother not too long after she was born. She lost her sister three days ago. Big Mac and Granny just mere minutes.

She had no one.

To rub it all in, she was thrown in with a certain fashion that she saw a red mark on her flank. At first she thought it was a mark form the bushes.

It was her cutie mark.

She had earned her Cutie Mark when she was running for her life.

“This is yer special talent?!” she yelled at herself, “Losing yer family!”

“No, my special talent is Time.” A voice rang from the other corner.

She turned to the voice again, “Ah’m not talkin’ ta ya. If ah were, I’d use yer name.”

“But you don’t know my name.” he laughed, “So you can’t. So I’m assuming that you’re talking to me until you use my name. Of course, you haven’t asked for it, so you don’t know it. So I’m going to keep answering your question until you--”

“Alright! FINE! What’s your name?” She threw her hooves up in the air.

The stallion chuckled, “My name is Doctor Whooves. And I remember you, Apple Bloom.”

Apple Bloom finally took a look at him: he was dark tan, with an almost black mane. His grey-azure eyes were filled with kindness and sympathy.

“Fine. Now leave me ‘lone.” She sat on her haunches.

“If I may, though.” He sat beside her, “Judging by what you said to yourself, I wouldn’t beat yourself over it. This, ‘Skorpeon’ fellow might have been shifty from the start.”

Apple Bloom glared at the Doctor, “Skorpeon saved mah sister’s lahf. He managed to find out that the sister I had been with was some sort of intruder, and brought mah REAL sister back.”

Doctor Whooves raised an eyebrow, “And where is the proof of this?”

Apple Bloom stood on her front legs, brining her back into his face. The doctor yelped, the retreated into his corner again.

“Aye, that tinged. Just tryin’ to be friendly. Git.” He pulled a small device towards him, flicking it on.

“Stupid foal anyway.” She said, glaring at the stallion.

When she awoke in the morning, Doctor Whooves was mere feet away from her. She yelped, jumping onto a small ledge of a support beam.

He woke at the noise, looking for the small mare. “Apple Bloom?”

“What ya want, ya sicko?” she called from her ledge.

He sighed, “In the middle of the night, some guards decided to try to… uh, manipulate… some other mares last night. I heard it all, so I spent the vast majority of the night protecting you. I promise I wouldn’t hurt you.”

Apple Bloom, confused at his sudden change in nature, settled in the rafter all the same, “If yer a fancy doctor, then why don ya jus’ make a flashy little booth and vanish to someplace else?”

“Apple Bloom, please, just let me help you.” He looked up at her, “We’re in the same boat now. We’re both considered lower than Sunday night garbage on the scale of rights. We’ve both got the same risk of being sold like a barrel of fruit to the highest bidder any minute now, and in case you haven’t noticed, you have speed on your side. You may be able to get out.”

Apple Jack turned away, catching her Cutie mark again. For the first time, she actually looked it over;

It was a hoof. A hoof separated at the knee, but connected to a wing. It was encompassed by a flaming circle.

“It’s mah…” Now she saw it, she couldn’t take her eyes from it. “Mah…”

“You’re Cutie Mark, yes.” The doctor said, patience still ringing true in his voice. “What do you say, you want to come down? I can teach you how to use a sonic screwdriver…”

“Nah thanks.” She said, finding a strange comfort in this beam, “You can use yer fancy stuff yerself. I want to be alone a bit, Doctor.”

The doctor nodded, “And for once, I’ll respect that. Now that you’ve finally stopped blaming yourself for Celestia’s mistake.” The doctor pulled the device towards him again, a smile playing on his lips.

“You there! Stallion!” a guard called, “Who’s in there with you?”

Doctor Whooves looked up at Apple Bloom, “A young, fast Filly named Apple Bloom.” He said, “And no, I will not permit you near her.”

“Stand back. FORCE!” the doctor had but a moment to dive out of the way as the door opened with a blast of energy. A black and blue Unicorn stallion barged his way in. His green eyes scanned the vicinity.

“If I may ask, what are you doing?”

The Unicorn’s stump-of-a-horn glowed as the door closed and repaired itself. “Field research.”

There was a small flash of light, and the Unicorn’s horn vanished.

“Getting the inside scoop in the life of an Earth Pony? Maybe write a bestselling book? The life and Lies of the Typical Dirt Ponies?”

“More like, The Death and Lies of those afflicted by Trollestia’s twisted mind.” he said, turning his head.

“What happened to your eye?” The doctor recoiled in horror when he saw a blood-red mess in the pony’s right eye.

“Got in a fight. Never healed.” He replied, “Bloom? You wanna come down?”

Apple Bloom looked at the pony, “Skorpeon?”

“Nah, it’s Skorpony.” He said, “Come here, I want to talk to you.”

Apple Bloom jumped from her perch, “What? Can ya get me out?”

He shook his head sadly, “I’m sorry, you’re going to have to wait. I’ve just talked to Apple Jack and Pinkie Pie. They’re fine!” he saw the shock in her face, “In fact, I’m pretty sure that even Big Mac and Granny are fine too.”

“Tha’s good.” She said.

“What is it?” Skorpeon asked, “Your Mark, I mean.”

Apple Bloom nodded to Doctor Whooves, “He reckons it’s speed. Ah got it somethime after leaving our house to when ah got here.”

Skorpeon nodded, “I saw something on your flank when I was trying to get you, but I was to busy to see if it was blood or this.”

Apple Bloom nodded, “When can ya save us?”

The pseudo-stallion shook his head, “I don’t know. So much of this plan relies on chance. If even one thing is miscalculated…” he trailed off, “But I promise, you will be freed before the year is out.”

Apple Bloom dove against his chest, “I believe ya, Skorpeon.”

Skorpeon placed a kiss on her head, “I’ll find the rest of your family. You have my word.”

He looked one last time at Doctor Whooves, nodded, then vanished in a burst of wind and a small pop.

“Old friend?” Doctor Whooves asked, “Or uncle?”

Apple Bloom jumped back up to her now-safe-spot. “Protector.” She simply stated, beginning her wait for liberation.