Pony POV Series
Carrot Top
Green And Mean
Recursive Fanfiction
Why hello, dears. You are those Interviewers that Ditzy told me about, correct? Ditzy is such a sweetheart, really she is. Just be certain to lock your fridge if you have her as a house guest.
Oh! How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Carrot Top and I am, as my name suggests, a carrot farmer. I also go by the name Golden Harvest. Yes yes, I know; lots of ponies have multiple names. Gave town hall quite the headache and lead to them thinking I was married to myself along with Ditzy and the Doctor.
How did I get my names? Well it is quite simple truthfully; Golden Harvest is my birth name, but when I earned my Cutie Mark, I renamed myself Carrot Top. Yes, I am aware that it is not nearly as a captivating a story as how Ditzy got her two names…I am happy she and her mother have finally reconciled, that is all I shall say on the matter.
How did I get my Cutie Mark?…well, once more it is not that exciting. I just started growing carrots for my family’s farm, enjoyed it, and there it was. Yes, like the Apple Family, my family are farmers, though I no longer live on Harvest Farms. Father is named Fall Harvest and mother’s is Harvest Moon (actually Bokujo Monogatari, she’s Neighpanese). I have two brothers, Winter Moon and Hunter‘s Moon and two sisters named Plentiful Harvest and of course little Noi. All of them except Noi stayed on the farm. Oh, no, no we’re not competitors with the Apple Family. They grow Apples, we don’t. We’re in different markets, simple as that.
So yes, I do suppose I am not the most exciting of ponies, but I like to think I’m not the most ‘plain’ either. There is truthfully no such thing as a ’plain pony,’ no matter what Coffee Swirl says. And I have had my moments in the spotlight, such as that time Ditzy fell through my ceiling, hurt her wing, and I filled in for her taking a package to Hoofington. Or that time I accidentally snuck aboard the Doctor’s blue shed and ended up visiting that alternate timeline where I was the Element of Generosity…It’s strange, I admit I do give away carrots to those that need it…and that I gave Ditzy anything she needed when she had hard times…but the Element of Generosity? I mean Ditzy as their Element of Kindness I could understand, but me? It was…rather surprising to be a simple carrot farmer here and one of the chosen ones there…And no, before you ask, I have not gone on any other adventures with him. He offered me to be his ‘companion’ (he hadn’t had one at the time). I told him ‘thank you kindly,‘ but I’d had enough crazy situations that day to last a lifetime.
I also fashion myself as a bit of a southern belle. My mother was always more of an upper class pony. She would always take me to parties and while dad taught me to be a farmer, mother taught me to be a lady. Yes, it is rather odd that she married a simple farmer, but as they say ‘love is blind.’
Huh? Why did I leave the farm? Well…I liked the farm. I do love gardening, it’s my passion. I suppose me and Applejack are like that in some ways; we both take so much pride in our work and enjoy doing it. I’ve even entered competitions in Canterlot and won a number of times. Growing all those plants, knowing they relay on me for their care and nurture, and finally taking them to market or to a contest or even just eating them myself or giving them to someone who needs them. Just that sense I have accomplished something by growing them in the first place…It all feels so wonderful, so delightful.
Oh, yes, why I left the farm… You see it was just…well, that actually leads into why we’re here I suppose, so why not start from there?
It had been a normal, simple day. Noi had been home with me. The fieldtrip to Canterlot hadn’t been her thing. For most ponies, Canterlot was an amazing, interesting place. For Noi? It was simply ‘that place big sister goes to for contests and parties sometimes.’
I had just been outside, enjoying my garden as I always did. It had been a completely normal day…until the chocolate milk rain and cotton candy clouds began.
I was too preoccupied trying to get my carrots covered to take note of the utter insanity going on around me. I knew the weird rain would ruin them if I did nothing!
Noi, sweet girl she is, came out to help me, as she often did when I was working in the garden. It was bonding time for the two of us and we’d always enjoyed us.
“Oh, thank you dear…” I told her, rubbing her head.
So together we managed to cover the carrots to protect them from the rain…then something odd happened.
“Sis! Look!”
I turned my attention and saw the single biggest carrot I’ve ever seen in my entire life had sprouted right in front of us! It was even bigger than I was!
“W-Where did this come from?” I asked, looking it over. It was amazing! I had never seen anything like it! Thoughts rushed through my head! Selling it for money, or putting it in a contest! There wasn’t any contest in Equestria I couldn’t win with this! Tartarus! I could feed half of Manehatten’s poor with this! It was absolutely marvelous!
“Well done, Carrot Top,” said a voice from the Carrot.
A pair of eyes formed in the carrot, staring at me. “You’ve managed to grow an absolutely amazing specimen of carrot. But it‘s little surprise. Your carrots are always so fantastic, aren‘t they? You deserve such an amazing prize as this for all your hard work. All the blood, sweat, and tears you put into your garden should be rewarded.”
I blushed a little. “Well…thank you…that’s a lovely compliment.” Yes, it was weird to have a carrot talking to me…but it was still rather flattering…
“It’s a shame that it can’t last…”
I blinked. “What?”
“Carrot Top!” Noi yelled.
I looked and saw thousands of green locusts descend on my garden! They started eating up everything! The carrots I had spent months growing! That me and Noi had spent the day trying to protect! Being eaten by insects right in front of me!
“No! Get away!” I got a rake and began swinging it, trying to drive them off. That’s when I noticed the ground had begun sprouting weeds! Dozens and dozens of weeds choking my precious garden! All of them the same green as the bugs!
Suddenly, I heard Noi scream and saw a huge green snake crawling right at her, baring it’s fangs. I scooped her up in my hooves and started striking it with the rake! “Keep away from my little sister you beast!” I screamed, smacking it with the rake, but it just kept trying to eat my baby sister!
“My my my,” said the giant carrot, not seeming to care that the bugs were slowly approaching it to rip it to shreds! “Why is it that bad things seem to always be green for you, Carrot Top?”
I looked at the bugs…the weeds…the snake…then it hit me…they were the same color as…as my mane and tail…their natural color…
The carrot tisked. “Green is such an ugly color, isn’t it Carrot Top?”
Memories rushed back to the surface. Back to when I was just a filly…
“And what good ever came from the color green anyway? These awful little insects are green, the weeds of green, the snake trying to hurt your precious baby sister is green, and…hasn’t green never done anything but hurt you?”
It stared into my eyes…I felt dizzy…
“Poor Carrot Top. You’ve never been able to escape from that color, have you? Always been a painful subject for you, hasn‘t it?”
“Did something throw up on your head?”
“Hey, Golden Harvest, what do you wash your mane with? Slime? Sewage?”
“Face it, you’re just plain ugly. Why would anyone want to look at that green mess on your head?”
“No! Green hair! Not green hair! Such an awful awful color!”
He’s right…the bugs were green. The snake was green. The weeds were green…My mane is green! And it’d always hurt me! It made me ugly! It made foals pick on me! What good ever came from that horrid color?! None!
“If it hurts you and everything you care about, why just sit and pout? If Green is mean to you, why don‘t you be mean too?”
The carrot offers me an axe in it’s leaves…I take it and hack those rotten green leaves straight off! Then I bury the ax in that blasted snake’s head! And let it topple to the ground. I hack the weeds, the bugs, anything with that accursed color to shreds!
I painted, looking around. I see trees, ponies, houses. The stupid color is everywhere! Well, I’m not going to let that go! Not anymore! It’s hurt me my entire life! I’m not letting it hurt me anymore! I would be free from it! Forever! I will be free!
“Just go have some fun, Carrot Top,” said the Carrot, looking to Noi. “I’ll watch your darling little sister. We’ll have lots of fun…”
I didn’t even hesitate, I just charged forwards, slicing and tearing everything apart that was even close to green! I didn’t care about screams! If it ran, I chased it! I hit it! Simple as that! I hated green! I loathed it! I HURT it! If I had one wish in the world, it would have been to go back in time and stop that evil color from ever existing at all! Hehe, maybe I would! Maybe once I was done there, I would borrow the Doctor’s shed and do just that!
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
…I was close to Ponyville’s center when Discord was defeated and the rainbow restored sanity to the world. I blinked, looking over as Discord’s statue toppled to the ground with a thud.
It took a few moments for my brain adjust back to it‘s normal state. The weight of the axe in my mouth was the first thing I noticed as I came out of my stupor…I slowly looked down…and found a little earth pony filly with a lavender coat and a teal mane (which had apparently been close enough to green to earn my ire) cowering in blind terror at my hooves. I followed her eyes, seeing I’d been prepared to swing my axe right at the poor filly’s head.
I dropped the weapon and staggered back, trembling. I looked at the axe, at myself…I had blood on me…then finally back to the still terrified filly.
I started sobbing and fell to my knees…crying…remembering every second of my rampage…
I looked at the trembling little filly. “I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”
Sweet Celestia, what had I done?
Miraculously, no one in Ponyville had died that day…but quite a few ended up in the hospital…many by my own hooves. Apparently, Discord had not wanted to ‘break his toys’ too much and started off slowly…but that hadn’t stopped it from coming close. The only reason I hadn’t killed anypony had been I’d kept seeing a new target for my rage and settled for ‘teaching them for a lesson’…But a few more seconds and that filly would’ve been…
Ditzy had been turned into an abusive jerk who hated her own daughter. The Doctor…I didn’t know, he’d just become a recluse and refused to leave the shed. Lyra had almost killed Bonbon…
And Noi…she and I could hardly bring ourselves to talk with one another. I…I had abandoned her…Left her with Discord to use as his toy…
…Some big sister I had been was what I thought…
It was like Tartarus had descended on Ponyville…Our quiet, sleepy little town had had a lot of disasters befall it, but had never stopped being innocent…idyllic. Back before Nightmare Moon came, the Royal Guards had used to joke about how few in number incidents had been. Ponyville had always just been quiet and happy. Now…I couldn’t step outside without seeing someone who I had almost killed. Remembering when I had gone on a rampage and become a complete psychotic maniac. I couldn’t look at Noi without remembering how I had betrayed her…how I had not been there to protect her…
I decided to try and make up for it. I started to work harder on my garden, putting on a happy face even though seeing the glint of my gardening tools kept reminding me of the glint of that axe. I donated my carrots and the money I made from them that I didn’t need to support Noi to those who had been hurt by Discord’s reign…by me…then just locked myself in my room, wrapped my forelegs around myself, and whimpered…reliving that horrible day…relieving my rampage.
Noi…she barely spoke…she just set in her room all the time. For the longest time I didn’t even know what Discord had done to the poor dear at the time…She used to love working in my garden with me. Now she avoided it like the plague. Even walking to school, she’d go around it…
Then I heard about Ditzy’s situation. That the psychiatrists had tried to take her daughter from her. Yes…I admit they were just doing their jobs…but I knew Ditzy, she was one of my best friends. I have seen her work her flank off to support her daughter. Even when her wing was hurt, she just kept going, doing her runs around Ponyville. She loves Dinky…And seeing her hurting like that, seeing Dinky hurt like that. I just couldn’t bare to see them suffer like this. Neither could the Doctor. We both stood up for her and in the end, Ditzy kept her daughter.
I will admit it…it helped me feel a little bit better as well. While I was helping Ditzy and Dinky, it helped me stop caring about how I felt about myself and care about them…Unfortunately, while it was a good start, it had only helped some…I was still hurting. I still couldn’t help looking at anything with green in it and shuddering as I remembered what had happened…remembering who I’d hurt…Then I got a visitor one day, after school while I was making Noi dinner…
“Carrot Top…Ah know you’ve always been scared of other ponies’ opinions. But anyone who blames ya for what Discord made ya do is a donkey! Pardon to Miss Matilda. Yer not a thug, yer not a bully, yer a farmer same as me. So Ah now you don’t have anything to be ashamed of.”
I listened to her, thinking about the words she was saying… “…I turned into a complete psychopath…I nearly killed ponies…how could you know what that is like?”
“Because before we kicked that sidewinder’s flank and stuck him back in his statue, he made meh a liar and used meh tah hurt Twilight…and planned tah use meh tah hurt a lot more ponies…So Ah know how much it hurts tah realize yah were hurtin’ somepony yah cared about while that viper had his fangs in yah…But lettin’ it keep yah down is lettin’ him win. He wants yah tah keep sufferin’, the best way tah beat him is tah heal so yah stop sufferin’.”
I thought about what she’d said. And I thought back to what had happened. I hadn’t been the only one who had gone on the rampage and hurt others while under his control. were they feeling the same thing that I was? Certainly Ditzy had been made a jerk, but she hadn’t been made a psychotic maniac like I was. Who else was there?
The only ones I personally knew where the ‘Flower Trio’ as I knew them…The three of them were inseparable. From what I heard, Lily had become an invincible berserker, Roseluck had killed every plant she touched, and Daisy had been transformed into a Manticore. Lily has seemed closest to what had happened to me, so I talked to her.
“…So he made you an invincible berserker lashing out at everypony, thinking that they didn’t take you seriously?” I repeated. She simply nodded.
“…That is a lot like what he did to me…He made me believe that anything…everything that was green wanted to hurt me and made me a brute trying to slaughter anything that was green…If I had not had my mane dyed at the time, I would probably have shaved it.”
She looked a bit surprised. “…I guess we are a bit alike in that respect…”
I touched my mane lightly. The roots were beginning to show again. I was still debating whether or not to dye it again. “…The worst part is I cannot help but think it was just me lashing out in anger that I have had for such a long time…”
Lily slowly nodded, looking down. “…I know what you mean…”
That surprised me. I hadn’t really thought of Lily as someone who would have those feelings. She was nervous and easily frightened…but I had never thought of her as being angry of her own accord. I decided to continue. To finally get something off my chest.
“…When I was just a filly, other foals always made fun of my mane…” I explained, taking a deep breath. “My real mane and tail color is green, and I suppose not a very pretty shade of it…They would say I was ugly, that it looked like I was washing my mane with slime or compost…So when I grew up, I moved away and dyed my mane orange. I tried to pretend I had never had a green mane…A couple months ago I’d tried to return to my natural color, hoping I had just been overreacting as a foal, that adults would not be as cruel as foals could be…And that was the day Trixie came to town…”
Lily gasped. “…Rarity…”
I gave a nod. “…First day since I had moved that I wanted to try and go natural, and somepony calls green a horrible mane color…”
I know Rarity hadn’t meant to hurt me, or even known how much what she had said had hurt me. And I know it had hurt her too. But that hadn’t changed the fact it had hurt me…
“And when Discord turned me…it was like all that pain just…came out…like I wanted to take out all that pain on everything with that color…And when…when Discord was defeated, I was…I was…”
I couldn’t help crying. “I was about to murder…murder a little filly! An innocent little filly!”
She hugged me and let me cry it out. For one of the few moments I had ever seen her, she didn’t seem nervous. She seemed so strong as I hugged her back.
“…T-Thank you, Lily…I needed that…”
Lily gave a nod. “…You’d do the same for me…”
“…I can…if you want me too.”
Lily didn’t respond at first.
“…A-Alright…I suppose I could try….”
“…It’s a bit simpler than yours…I was just nervous, I couldn’t stand up for myself…I’ve always been a scaredy cat…And I’ve never had much self esteem…”
“…So ponies bullied you?”
“…Actually no. It was just the opposite. The bullies really didn‘t seem to notice me…but…deep down I…I just want to be brave. When I hear stories like the ones Lickity Split tells…a part of me feels like I should be one of the heroes…a brave pony who can save the day…But every time there‘s a disaster or threat, I scream, I faint…No matter how hard I try to be brave, I just…can‘t…”
“…So Discord…” I could tell how frustrating that had to be for her. Wanting to be a hero, to be brave…but you just can’t be.
“Made me invincible, not afraid of anything…And so angry I just lashed out at anyone who I even thought was looking down at me…I was brave but I was a jerk…a bully…”
“…But you said no one bullied you…”
“…I bullied me. I‘ve always been angry at myself for not being strong enough…”
I gasped as it hit me. “…He made you treat others like you were treating yourself?”
Lily nodded slowly, looking almost guilty. Her eyes teared up.
I tried to think of what I could say to help her. She was a good pony. I helped Ditzy, how could I help Lily?…Then it hit me as I looked nearby, seeing Roseluck and Daisy standing nearby.
“Lily…have you left Rose and Daisy at all since Discord’s Day?”
Lily jumped. “…N-No…”
“Are you still hurt, dear?”
“…Yes…sometimes I’m scared to even go outside…I…I’m scared the ones I hurt will want revenge on me…or that I’ll lose it again…”
I gave her a smile. “But you still come out, may I ask why?”
She looked over to Roseluck and Daisy. “…Because I know Rose and Daisy are hurt too…that they need me to be there for them…and I need them…we need each other…”
I gave her a smile. “I believe that makes you pretty brave, Lily. Most of us just have our inner hurts. You’re afraid for your life, for everypony else‘s. But you’ll face them for your friends, won’t you?”
Lily was silent for a few moments. She finally smiled. “That…that’s right I suppose…thank you…Hehe…this actually feels familiar…I know that doesn’t make any sense but…it’s like a part of me remembers hearing something like this before and I don’t know why…Thank you, Carrot Top…”
She then gave me a smile. “…And…I think you look good with your green mane.”
I gave her a hug and I think we’d both walked away from it feeling a bit better than we had before we talked. Just listening to each other’s problems did us both a lot of good…But there were still some things left to do…
“…Noi?” I asked, peeking in on her.
She looked at me. “Oh…hey sis…”
I trotted in and set next to her. “Noi…I…” How would I explain this? It wasn’t an easy thing to mention.
“Noi…I’m…I’m sorry…”
She blinked. “For what?”
I couldn’t take it, tears rushed to my eyes. “For…for leaving you with Discord! I should have…I should have protected you. Mother and father trust me to protect you and…and I didn’t…I failed you…”
I let myself cry my eyes out, letting weeks of guilt pour out of me. “…I’m so sorry…”
I couldn’t bring myself to look her in the eyes. My baby sister and I had left her with a psychopath. How could I look at her?
I felt a nuzzle and looked down into my sister’s eyes. “Noi?”
“There’s nothing to forgive, big sister,” she said, giving a smile.
“But…but I…”
“I know the Patchwork Stallion hurt you, sis…And Miss Applejack was right, you’re nothing like that…you’re not a big meanie. You wouldn’t have left me there if you were…you…I know you better than that…”
I remembered I’d been making her dinner when Applejack had arrived. She must have overheard us…
My tears didn’t stop, but the kind they were certainly did. I hugged my little sister. It wasn’t as comfortable as it used to be…as it should have been. But we had finally hugged, we had finally been able to talk about what had happened.
I asked her what Discord had done to her…
“Well well, little Noi, or is it Orange Top? You want to make your big sister happy, don’t you sweetheart?”
“…I-I g-guess…”
“Well then, how about you take care of her garden while she’s away? I’m sure it’d make her so happy…”
He’d made her obsessed with taking care of my garden while I was gone for my sake. To the point she hadn’t slept or eaten the entire time. No matter how tired, hungry, or thirsty she got…she just couldn’t stop. If Discord hadn’t been defeated when he was she might have…
We just hugged for awhile and did our best to comfort each other. We weren’t comfortable. Noi still stayed away from the garden for the most part, we still had our awkward silences, but…at least we were able to get along and comfort one another…and we were even able to partake in the Sisterhooves Social. We didn’t win, but it was certainly a marvelous time.
And then Princess Gaia came.
We spent the day as two little fillies playing around, dying our manes all kinds of colors. I didn’t care that my mane looked like a rainbow after the Day of Innocence ended…alright, I did a little bit. But the point is me and my darling sister had spent the day playing together! We had fun! We…we were together…It was like we were twin sisters…We weren’t afraid anymore.
And yes. I am aware of the danger that could have resulted. Coffee Swirl mentioned it, as did the Doctor (don‘t forget I know him too, darlings). Poor Ditzy suffered a lot because of it (I’m glad she’s getting an award for it) and Berry Punch almost fell further into the dark before me and Ditzy pulled her out of it. But…even good can come from ill…Me and my sister had one day where we played and laughed…We had one day were we were as close as we used to be, and we never wanted to not be that close again.
And I played with all of Ponyville. We all got along…I wasn’t afraid of hurting them, they weren’t afraid of me…
So yes, while I admit that Princess Gaia’s reign could’ve ended badly, that she may not have been right, it still healed me and Noi. And for that I am grateful.
I’m able to enjoy my gardening again. Me and Noi get along again. Discord’s taint between us was gone. And I’m not afraid of myself…
I…We’re…Me and Noi are free…
Now if you excuse me…I think it’s about time I went and asked a certain teal maned filly for her forgiveness…
