Apple Bloom stood within a dark room where she could hear the sound of a pony struggling in the restraints that held their limbs against the table. The room was lit only by a single florescent lightbulb, hanging from the ceiling by only a single thread of wire, creating a gloomy atmosphere. It was only fitting, due to what was about to happen next. Apple Bloom noticed two other shadowy figures move further into the dim light, recognizing them as her two friends; Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle was holding a long sharp butcher knife with her magic, while Scootaloo accompanied her with a kit that Sweetie had borrowed from her older sister. In the kit, was thread, needles, and some tongs to grab what she was about to cut. Apple Bloom wasn't a stranger to this sight, seeing she had been here countless times to perform the same hanus act. Apple Bloom started to build up a sweat as Sweetie Belle approached the right flank area of the pony.
Apple Bloom stood in fear, hearing the pony in the restraints start to cry. Scootaloo quickly silenced the victim.
"Quiet down, or I'll give you a reason to cry!" commanded Scootaloo.
The victim didn't respond, only gave her a nod, due to their mouth being covered by duct tape, unable to speak. Just like countless times before, Sweetie Belle carefully cut into the right flank, immediately causing the pony to shake uncontrollably. Sweetie Belle ignored the pony's struggles and cut along the cutie mark, one which Apple Bloom didn't recognize. The sound of the flesh being cut made Apple Bloom cringe, hearing the pony's desperate screams for help, but nopony could hear the helpless pony.
Sweetie Belle continued to carefully cut around the cutie mark, the flesh starting to dangle from the flank, flopping like a pegasus's wings each time Sweetie Belle managed to puncture a nerve. Blood had started to leak onto the floor, but nopony ever came into the room that these acts were done in. It was strictly forbidden, unless you were a Cutie Mark Crusader. The group of fillies had been doing these acts for months, yet nopony suspected them, seeing they were young and looked innocent, but were far from it.
Sweetie had finished the cutting, hearing the chunk of freshly-cut flesh hit the wooden floor, a gushing sound following it. The wound bled terribly, as Sweetie grabbed the tongs from her provided kit. She grabbed the chunk of flesh, and sat it on a nearby table, proceeding to the left flank. She cut into the left flank, moving along the area with ease. Their victim had lost consciousness by now, but was re-awoken every time Sweetie hit a nerve. The pony violently jolted, begging for help, and praying for something to happen. There was no hope. The pony had become a victim of the CMC's "unmarking" process.
Sweetie finished the left side, watching the chunk of flesh hit the floor and spatter blood all over her clean coat. The young unicorn's coat was no longer white, only a crimson-red, as she picked up the second chunk of flesh, and placed it on the table, next to the other chunk. Apple Bloom wanted to shut her eyes, but her eyes were wide open, as the next step of the process started. The CMC had never killed anypony, only took their cutie mark for good, and stitched up the open wound.
The CMC had grown tired of being blank flanks, and had decided that all ponies should be equal by removing what makes them unique. The events of the unmarking had caught up to young Apple Bloom, and she'd never escape it. Sweetie Belle's stitching job usually took a total of one hour, depending on the size of the cutie mark. The unknown victim had passed out, but was once again re-awoken by the CMC when Sweetie had finished stitching up the wound.
"Now you know what it feels like," said Scootaloo. "You didn't have to choose this path, but you did."
Apple Bloom's stomach turned, as Sweetie Belle removed the duct tape and blind fold, only to see herself as the helpless victim. She screamed, as the sound of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle laughing at her echoed within her ears. The Apple Bloom strapped to the table looked at her directly and spoke words that she knew she could never take back.
"It was your idea. You did this, and now, you can never take back what you did to all those you tortured."
She was speechless, as she finally opened her eyes.
Therapy Session 1- The Origin
Apple Bloom sat on a couch, hearing only the sounds of the ticking clock on the far side of the room. The ticking sounded disturbing to the young filly, due to it sounding like a knife being sharpened. A sound she had heard countless times within the past months, whenever the knife went dull and Sweetie Belle had to sharpen it along the edges of an old knife sharpener that had been disposed of. It might've been rusty, but it was intact just well enough to get the job done.
She couldn't cover her ears, due to her being put in shackles whenever she visited the one pony that was supposed to help her overcome the fears that plagued her ever since the first victim. She knew it was only a waste of time, due to the pony only asking dumb questions she had answered multiple times, and giving her some sort of medicine at the end of the sessions. She refused to take the medicine, and would hide it under her tongue until she returned to her dark and lonely room that only felt like a prison cell to her.
The shackles were heavy on her hooves, but these doctors could care less, seeing they were just here to make a profit. She hated it here, yet it was her own fault she was here. She was the cause of why she was in this terrible place, and the reason her two friends were no more. It was a fair punishment, and she knew it. Her therapist grabbed a notebook and pen, then looked at the young filly resting on the couch.
"Good afternoon, Apple Bloom," spoke the doctor. "How are you today? I heard from some of the staff that you woke up screaming."
Apple Bloom didn't want to answer, but knowing she'd just be drug back to her cell to sit in the dark for the rest of the day, she decided to answer. The last place she wanted to be, was in that cell.
"How do you think I feel, doctor?!" she said annoyingly.
The doctor recognized Apple Bloom's behavior, and attempted to calm the troubled filly to a content level.
"Listen, Apple Bloom. I know that you've been through much recently, but please, give therapy a chance. Sometimes it's best to talk to other ponies, rather than sit in a dark room all day acting unsocial. Ignoring me isn't going to bring your friends back. Nothing will."
The doctor's words calmed the filly, noticing a change in the doctor's attempts at trying to help her. She knew the doctor was correct, and that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were never coming back, even though it might be best that they were free from her.
"Perhaps it's best that my friends are gone," she said. "I led them to doing unspeakable things, all over being a blank flank. I deserve to be here! They didn't deserve to die!"
Her sudden outburst made the doctor jump, but it didn't surprise him, due to his encounters with past patients being similar. He adjusted his glasses, regaining his composure, then returned to talking to Apple Bloom. This time he decided to approach the conversation differently.
"Explain to me, Apple Bloom. Why do you think it's best that your friends are dead?" he asked.
Apple Bloom's anger had lowered, as she started to shed small tears, and her head hung limp. She was full of guilt, and it was eating her alive. She couldn't even remember a single time when her life was still normal, nor a single time when she went crusading with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Tears continued to shed, as she struggled to even reply to the therapist. The doctor knew he had struck the young filly, and she was slowly breaking.
He spoke calmly to her, knowing she was upset, and he didn't want to upset her too much.
"Do you miss your friends, Apple Bloom?" he asked.
Apple Bloom struggled to lift her head, feeling as if it were being held down by some sort of heaviness that she couldn't explain. She had streams down her face from her tears, and was still struggling to speak through her sadness.
"Of course I miss them! They were my only friends that understood me for who I was!" she replied.
"Do you truly believe they are at peace?" he asked.
This question had caused Apple Bloom's expression to change entirely. She thought about the question, but the conclusion caused her entire body to quiver. She felt as if she was going to be sick, as she muttered out the truth.
"No. I don't," she replied, starting to cry again.
The doctor knew he had broken the young filly and proceeded to his next question, hoping it would lead possibly to Apple Bloom giving him some answers.
"Why do you believe your friends are not at peace?" he asked.
"Because, the truth of why I did what I did remains hidden," she confessed. "They'd want justice. They'd want me to do the right thing."
The filly was broken, and now the truth could be revealed, but the doctor knew that he wouldn't get the full truth in one sitting.
"Are you willing to do the right thing, Apple Bloom?" he asked. The filly hesitated, but finally gave an answer.
"I-I-I'm afraid to," she said.
This response surprised the doctor. Knowing she was already scared, he spoke calmly.
"Why are you afraid to speak what will give your friends peace?" he asked.
"It's not that I'm afraid to speak the truth," she claimed. "I'm just afraid of you. How can I trust somepony like you?! For all I know, you can just be trickin' me into a trap!"
The doctor was stuck, now aware that Apple Bloom wasn't going to break easily. Why would she trust him? He was a stranger to her, and honestly, he was trying to get the truth out for the Royal Guard. The doctor felt sorry for the young pony, and knew that he was going to have to do this some other way to gain her trust.
"Fair enough, Apple Bloom," he spoke. "I won't force you to tell the truth if you do not want to."
Apple Bloom was surprised, seeing most of the other doctors she had spoke to responded angrily or ignorantly when she refused to speak. She could tell this doctor was different, but it was going to take more than just friendly gestures for this doctor to earn her trust.
"Can I go now?" asked Apple Bloom.
"If that's what you want," replied the doctor. "Just let me get a nurse to escort you." As the doctor picked up the phone to call a nurse, he thought of how he was going to earn Apple Bloom's trust. Even though this session was short, he knew he had made some progress.
