Always Watching Out For You
Farm life was hard work. It was never easier on any day and required all of your manageable strength to muster the energy to perform all the tasks in a timely manner. You never did know much about tending to the various chores on a farm in order to keep it functioning and yielding at least a decent amount of crops to sustain the members on the land, but you were a quick learner.
Applejack was the second-older sibling on the land, working alongside her older brother, Big Mac, to buck apple trees for the day's harvest for either selling on the Apple Family's market stall or for home baking. That orange farm pony with the well-worn brown Stetson worked so hard and earned your admiration for all her efforts. More so, she was the one who gave you the lowdown on how to get things done swiftly and smoothly. It was all a labour of love at Sweet Apple Acres. Family was always first and business was second, but they seemed to be tied in the same knot on this farm. No impasses.
Aside from the two siblings, they had a younger sibling, the baby of the trio, Apple Bloom. She had been working the fields since she before she had earned her cutie mark, and she had such strong endurance for a girl of her size. You fondly remember a time when she bucked an entire harvest of apples from a tree with one buck during her first try, putting all of her energy into it. It was hard not to giggle at the sight of a small pony getting rained on by red baubles of fresh and juicy apples, her having been so worked up and excited to begin working with her other siblings that she had forgotten about placing buckets beneath the trees to collect the literal fruits of her labour. Nonetheless, it was an impressive first attempt.
You had gone over to her to pick her up and dust her off before asking if she was alright, to which she replied with the casual, ''Ah'm fine'' and insist she was good to work still. She always carried the same pride her older sister carried with her, like an invisible banner that signified an undying will to carry on through the roughest patches imaginable. Regardless, her untrained hooves had given her a couple day's-worth of aches and pains from her crying muscles, and Apple Bloom would hobble around the farm house making little ''Ow, ow, ow'' noises as she struggled to move.
It put a smile of amusement on your face, but you did feel bad for the poor filly. You had seen she wasn't doing too good and offered to help her. Of course, she declined politely, but you were so insistent she gave in. You had picked up the little filly and taken her with you towards the bathroom where you drew her a bath of cold water to soothe her aching muscles. You had put some ice in there to help maintain the temperature, much to her dismay and vocal protest, but you had assured her well enough to calm her down.
''Is all this really necessary? Ah told ya Ah'd be fine!'' She had protested in her higher-pitched southern accent. She had one of the most adorable voices you've ever heard, but you never let her know that.
''It'll stop the swelling for a while. Trust me, athletes do this all the time after long days of training to be ready to go the next day at their best,'' You had told her. She didn't respond, unsure of how to follow that, and allowed you to continue.
''Ah'm not a baby, ya know? I can take care of myself,'' She told you.
''I know, Apple Bloom, but you can't be walking around with swollen hooves like that. It'll make them worse,'' You said. ''Now, quit fussing around and let me take care of you, alright?''
''Ugh, fine,'' She groaned.
Moments like that were treasured by you. She was just like her sister. Always so stubborn but never ungrateful. You had spent so many years around the farm that you had gotten used to each other, becoming fast friends. In some ways, you viewed her as a little sister, a very sweet but stubborn little sister. All of the Apple siblings were like the siblings you never had, and they were soon becoming close family members, but the one you were closest with was Apple Bloom.
You'd share the same shift purposefully to spend time together. Nobody else had any objections, so neither did you or she. Working with her was never dull and she always put a smile on your face. She was maybe the nicest girl you know out of all your contacts in this world, albeit, that is a short list. It goes without saying that you found yourself being attached to her and her charming personality.
Things were going great for a while, with the two of you hanging out, constantly giggling at each other's one-liners and cheesy puns throughout the day to keep yourselves entertained during your shared shift, but then things changed, when Apple Bloom had found herself a special somepony. You thought nothing of it at first, congratulating her on finding her first romance, and you thought her stallion was okay at first, until one night when Apple Bloom came home later than usual.
It was a sight you'd never forget. Thinking about it still hurt your heart more than anything. You were the last one up, having stayed awake to wait for her to come back to the farm while the other Apple family members were in bed. You were just sitting there and calmly reading through an old book when you heard the door open quietly, the latch giving a metallic clunk as it came back down to seal the door behind Apple Bloom.
''Hey, Apple Bloom, you're---'' You began to say, but stopped when you took notice of her sad, bruised face and the tears matting her fur. The smile of greeting quickly faded from your face and you quickly went over to her to check on her. ''Apple Bloom! What---''
Apple Bloom put her hooves around you in a snap, almost pulling you over. She began sobbing her eyes out and she began shivering and shuddering from the force of her tears. You blinked at first but then hugged her back, holding her there in your arms, safely cradling her.
''Apple Bloom, shh,'' You calmed her gently, trying to get her to relax a little. ''Hey, you're safe now,'' You continued to hush her. When she eventually became calm enough, you held her shoulders loosely but firmly and looked her in the eye. She had an expression of heartbreak and sadness you hadn't ever seen before, and seeing her sad was so rare it was almost a non-occurring event. In fact, this was the first time you've seen her properly upset.
You got a close look at her face, and it horrified you. Her cheeks were bruised, there was a cut in the middle of a black-blue bulb on her forehead and her fur was unkempt, like she had been dragged through a patch of rough ground. Her mane was missing her signature pink bow, only rough strands of hair where it should have been. Assumptions ran through your head, all worse than the last, and the fear of what had happened to her truly had your nerves ringing to know the truth.
Was she involved in a fight? Did somepony beat your adopted little sister up?
You held a hand very tenderly up to her cheek, careful not to irritate it, and when your thumb brushed her skin and parted her lips slightly, you noticed her teeth were stained red. She even winced slightly at the contact.
''A-Apple Bloom? Who did this to you?'' You asked her calmly, trying to contain yourself, the sight of her so hurt driving tears to your eyes and your voice to gain a warble. ''How hurt are you?"
Her eyes shimmered once again and she began crying, falling into you and wanting a hug, which you didn't hesitate to oblige with. She hugged you tightly and you began stroking her mane.
''I-I-It was him!'' She said in a wracked, broken cry. ''We were jus' at his house an' he began kissin' me a-a-an' I told him to stop, an' he got so mad at me!'' She explained to you, and it welled up a mix of sadness and rage within your core.
''Apple Bloom, d-did...did he...?'' You were more than hesitant to finish that question, and Apple Bloom squeezed you tighter in response. So much anger, a raging fury, built up within you when she clarified what she had just been through.
You wanted to cry for her upon knowing that now, what he had done to her. He had NO right, NONE. How dare he even touch her, when she was so not ready and incredibly uncomfortable with it?! He was going to pay the price for crossing her like that, betraying her and being so vulgar.
''Oh, baby girl,'' You whispered to her, hugging her and giving her back a gentle rub. ''It'll be alright. He can't hurt you anymore, I promise,'' You told her, and you kissed her on the forehead. You loved this mare so much, and this news rattled the cage containing your deepest, most potent form of rage. How anybody could hurt a mare as sweet and as loving as Apple Bloom really bit at your nerves. It pissed you off so bad!
''Apple Bloom, where is he?'' You asked firmly, but not pressing into her too hard. She gave you an unsure expression and looked at you with wounded puppy dog eyes, pleading.
''W-Why? What are ya gonna do?''
''I'm going to find him and have a chat, one-on-one. And if he so much as tries anything, I'm going to kick this bastard's ass,'' You said honestly. There was really no other thing on your mind right now than letting this parasitic mare abuser know exactly how badly he had crossed the wrong family. More so, he hurt your little sister. Any big brother who found out somebody had hurt their sister would do the same.
Apple Bloom had never heard you swear before, save for the number of times you stubbed your toe or sprained yourself while working on the farm. It wasn't usually intentional, coming as an automatic response without the need to think, but this time, the coldness in your tone made her wince and her eyes were surprised.
''No, wait!'' Apple Bloom grabbed you as you were about to get up, giving you pleading eyes. ''It's not worth it! Please don't go!'' She begged you, but the rage within you wanted otherwise.
''Apple Bloom,'' You stated simply, kneeling in front of her, staring her directly in the eye. ''He hurt you. Nobody hurts my little sister, and certainly not the sibling of the family who took me in. I can't let this jerk get away with what he did, can I? Look at the state of you!'' You motioned to her battered, abused body. ''I need to have a chat with him, right now.''
''Please don't beat him up! It ain't worth the hassle, an' I don't wan' ya to kill him! Promise me y'all won't do anythin' too bad! Please?'' She begged once again. That look, that sweet and puppy-like look, it always worked on you, even in times like now.
''Ugh, fine, fine, I won't, Apple Bloom,'' You told her in defeat. ''Unless he tries anything first, I won't do anything too excessive,'' You picked her up from the floor and you brought her to the sofa, sitting her down and patting her shoulder. ''But I want to make it clear that I'm only doing this for you. And I can't really promise anything.'' She gave a frown at that, but didn't speak.
''What's all the ruckus down here, ponies are try'n to---'' The voice of Applejack called as she ascended the stairs, pausing to gasp before she cried out, ''Apple Bloom!'' and came rushing over to her baby sister's side. ''My Celestia, what happened?!''
''Ah...Ah got b-beat up...'' Apple Bloom said slowly, and Applejack's face took on a supreme form of paternal anger and worry.
''Beat up?! By who?'' She demanded.
''By that scumbag that's supposed to be in love with her,'' You told her, finishing the rest of the explanation for her. Applejack gasped again and scowled bitterly.
''Lonefree did this? Why, that rotten son of a---''
''Applejack, please!'' Her little sister once again pleaded with her older sibling and gave her those same puppy eyes she gave you. ''Please don't go an' attack him over this, it ain't worth it!''
''Ain't worth it?!'' Applejack asked, mortified, as she scoffed. ''You're mah sister! Nopony beats up mah li'l sister an' gets away with it, not for a secon', if Ah have my say! Lonefree has it comin', if ya ask me, Ah never liked the look of that colt.''
''AJ, you need to take care of your sister. She's already hurt enough, and I already told her I'd go out and have a talk with him,'' You explained further. ''Leave the rough stuff to me and I'll settle this.''
''What, are y'all gonna scoop him up with a little shovel when you're done and dispose of him or somethin'?'' Applejack asked.
''Isn't that what you're supposed to do with shit, scoop it up with a little shovel?'' You said back, and her eyes widened briefly at your profanity, but this situation had dissolved your need to care for uncouth language. ''I'll get him, AJ, regardless. He owes us an explanation for what he did, one way or the other.''
''Alright, fine. Ah trust ya enough.''
''Good. I'll be back after I give this jerk a piece of my mind,'' You said before you headed towards the door to leave, turning to face Apple Bloom before you left. Her eyes made contact with yours and you gazed into them for a moment, before giving her a soft smile and resuming with taking your leave.
*** *** ***
Lonefree's house was like any other in town: about medium-sized and placed right in the middle of town on the opposite end from the farm. It was detached and near the town hall. The lights were still on, so that meant he was still awake, and why wouldn't he be? The thought of what he did to poor Apple Bloom churned your stomach, and you were beyond fuming internally, ready to burst loose a typhoon of rage and beatings.
You approached the door and didn't even bother knocking. It was unlocked, which made getting to your target easier. You entered and shut the door behind you, quietly. He wasn't in the living room, which was fairly spacious and had a couch, separate armchair, a fireplace and a couple of dressers. Seeing he was not here, you moved on around the house and looped the entire first floor through the kitchen and back, still no sign. That meant he had to be upstairs.
You slowly creeped your way up the set of wooden stairs and tuned in your hearing for movement. There was a doorway to your left with the door shut and a small corridor to the right with a slightly ajar door at the end of it, presumably the bedroom. Making your way towards it, you peeked through the gap and immediately saw who you were after.
Lonefree, the slimy piece of filth, a green-coated stallion with a teal mane and lime eyes was sitting on the end of the bed, which had very ruffled and tossed-around sheets on top of it, a scene left from the struggle he had with Apple Bloom. He was sitting there, hooves fondling with the pink bow that had been missing from her hair when she came back. It was her mother's bow, and you knew how much it meant to her, and the fact this creep was sat there with it in his dirty hooves irked you heavily.
All that rage inside of you, all that pent-up hate you've held back since meeting him, the mental image replaying of Apple Bloom crying her eyes out, detailing of what he did to her, how he brutally ravaged her, it all finally came loose. You ground your teeth, let out a growl of pure anger and kicked the door open, breaking off the hinges.
The startled Lonefree barely had time to look up before you were in front of him, fist clenched so tightly your knuckles turned white. It hurt with your nails digging into the palms of your hand, but you didn't notice too much in the heat of the moment.
''Knock, knock,'' You snarled at him before you clocked him in the side of the jaw. A loud pop was heard as your knuckles collided with the bone beneath his skin, and he went flying into the wall beside the bed. He dropped the bow and you immediately went over to his downed and dazed body before clenching your fists around his neck, picking him back up and tossing him the other direction.
''AHHH!'' He yelped as he flew through the air like a helpless little ragdoll. His eyes rolled in his skull and he barely had time to react before you punched him swiftly in the face again before climbing on top of him, anchoring him down to the floor.
''Hello, Lonefree, you piece of shit,'' You greeted him sourly. ''You and me are going to have a little chat, sound good?''
''Uh...'' He mumbled unintelligently. You punched him again.
''Sound. Good?'' You didn't wait for an answer. ''I'm going to show you exactly what happens when you hurt somebody I love and care about, do you understand me?'' You hit him in the side of the face.
''What're you doing?! Get the hell off me!'' He flailed around helplessly underneath your weight. The muscle you had built up working on the farm gave you an extra bit of weight to keep him pinned.
''Why did you hurt Apple Bloom?'' You demanded, getting your face directly in front of his, your nose touching his muzzle. ''Real big of you to hit a girl, isn't it? What makes you think you can hit and fondle a girl, huh?'' You threatened him by shaking him, one hand firmly around his throat and the other balled up in preparation to land a blow.
''I enjoyed it. And she enjoyed it, too,'' He replied with a sick little laugh. ''Bloomy sure has a nice body, doesn't she?'' He said. His words fuelled your rampage.
You punched this sack of filth right in the snout at full force, a sickening crack sounding so loud it echoed throughout the room.
''AHH-HAAAOOOW!'' Lonefree cried, tears forming in his eyes from the tsunami of pain rushing through him as blood began to pour uncontrollably from his now-shattered snout.
''Keep that filthy tongue of yours in your dirty mouth where it belongs, you bastard!'' You snarled at him. ''That happens to be my sister you're talking about! How dare you even breathe about her. She loved you, and this is what you did to her? You steal her first time and completely violate her trust? Give me one good reason not to beat you into a pulp!'' You sneered so venomously at him, his eyes became genuinely frightened as he realised the situation.
''Well?!'' You yelled in his face after many moments of silence. He groaned and held a hoof to his muzzle to try and staunch the bleeding. You sighed and got off him. ''Have it your way, then,'' You said before stepping behind his head and grabbing at his hair, getting a good tuft of it as you began to drag him out through the doorway and towards the stairs, before walking down them and dragging him behind you.
The thud-thud-thud of his body slamming against the wood was followed by his screams as pain soared through his nerves. Hearing him scream satisfied your rage and you allowed him to fall down the last few steps before watching him collapse into a ball at the bottom.
''Well, I'm still waiting: why. Did. You. Hurt. Apple Bloom?'' You asked sternly, kneeling over him and watching him squirm. ''If you don't tell me, I'm going to break every single bone in your body, and believe me when I say I'll do it very slowly until you tell me why you hurt her,'' You informed him, growling at him. ''Anytime you like. Just tell me and I'll leave. I'm all ears,'' You said before kicking him sharply in the stomach.
''OW! N-N-No! Please, stop!'' He begged, clutching at his sore stomach.
''Why, is that what Apple Bloom said before you kept going?!" Another kick into his stomach, harder this time. ''HUH, IS IT?!'' You roared, so loudly you were sure it could be heard from outside and the next couple houses over. ''IS IT, YOU PIECE OF SHIT?!''
You began kicking and punching him in a fury, alternating between the two. You were sure by now from the amount he was crying that at least a couple of bones were broken and the rest were fractured. His face was dripping with blood from a gash on his forehead from where you punched him and his snout was bleeding profusely while his body was battered and covered in multiple scrapes and bruises.
''P-Please...'' He spat out a mouthful of blood as he spoke. ''N-No more...'' He said weakly.
You were huffing and puffing as you glowered over him, body heaving with deep, shaky breaths, teeth clenched and completely caught up in your beating that you didn't realise how loudly and fast your heart was pumping. You could hear it in your ear drums. A fire burned in your heart that you didn't know existed, and this revenge beating of justice soared within you.
You looked at this sorry mess of a ''stallion'', if that term applied still to this worthless mare abuser, and you watched him curl in on himself to protect his body from further hits, his movements now shaky and twitching from the pain he was in. It was nothing compared to the pain he had inflicted upon Apple Bloom, not even close.
Knowing he wouldn't move, you went upstairs to retrieve Apple Bloom's cherished pink bow. When you picked it up, you noticed it had her red hair still wound into it, showing it had been torn out. You took it in your hands, went downstairs and you leaned back over the body of Lonefree.
''If I ever see you anywhere near Apple Bloom or any of the Apple family ever again, or her friends, I swear to you, Lonefree, I will do everypony here a favour and shut you up for good. Do you understand me?'' You said slowly to him, to which he slowly nodded. ''SAY IT!'' You howled over him, and he flinched at the force of your voice.
''AH! I-I pro-promise...''
Before you left, you did one last thing to remind him of never what to do again, to teach him some respect for the ladies: you paused for a second and then forcefully kicked him directly in the testicles, inciting a loud roar of anguish from the stallion.
''Good. Now, do us all a favour and lay there and die, you piece of shit,'' You said before leaving and slamming the door on your way out.
The rage flooding your system took a while to fade away, and you did notice a couple of ponies that had turned their lights on surrounding the house, about three or four, who had heard all the commotion and were now staring at you. Upon seeing your still-heaving, anger-ventilating figure leaving Lonefree's house, they exchanged whispers of concern and wonder of what had been going on after hearing all the commotion.
You ignored them and you slowly walked back towards the farm. The walk was long enough to allow you to release the remaining amounts of rage lingering in your system. You think that Lonefree got the message and that your savage beating on him had dealt the justice settlement, but you knew it would never take away the damage done to sweet Apple Bloom. That was going to stay with her for life, and knowing that hurt your heart immensely.
Upon arriving back at the farm, you slowly came through the front door and gave a loud sigh before sliding your back against it until you were in a sitting position. You felt a wave of exhaustion wash over you as the rage completely faded away.
''You're back!'' Applejack's voice said. ''Uh, what happened?'' Her tone became worried once she noticed the state you were in. ''Is...Is that your blood?'' You looked at your hands when she said that, only now noticing that they were indeed spattered with Lonefree's blood.
''No,'' You said quietly.
''What happened?'' Apple Bloom's voice joined in next and you tilted your head up to see her coming towards you, sitting down next to you with a concerned expression, both looking at the blood on your hands and on your shirt and from how exhausted you were. ''Is he...?''
''I got him back for what he did. I think he learned,'' You said, facing her. ''Here, I got this back,'' You held out her bow to her. ''You might want to wash it first.'' She grimaced at that.
''Thank you,'' She hugged you and leaned into you. You hugged her back and you held onto her for a while, rubbing her shoulder with your thumb and nestling your chin atop her mane. She was a little cold to the touch, but she was still so very soft and cuddly.
''Apple Bloom,'' You said quietly and slowly, giving her a light squeeze. ''I promise, nobody's ever going to hurt you again. Never,'' You told her.
''Y'all didn't have to do that, you know? But, in a way, Ah'm glad y'all are always there fa me,'' She said with a smile. You didn't see it, but you could feel it, while you were resting your chin on top of her plush mane.
''What're big brother's for?''
Author's Note
A bit graphic, I know. A bit non-carey, I know. Doing that to Apple Bloom hurt a lot. I want that noted. 
Respect the ladies. Or turn in your Man license. 
