The Mare of Tomorrowby lordvad3r95ChaptersSymbol of Hope: Part ISymbol of Hope: Part IISymbol of Hope: Part IIISymbol of Hope: Part IThe sun shone brilliantly in the clear blue sky, with no clouds to be seen for miles. A slight breeze rolled through, cool enough to provide a nice break from the heat but not cold enough to be bothersome. Somethin’ about this weather just don’t fit right, Granny Smith thought with a sigh as she watched the two caskets of her son and daughter-in-law, Pink Pearl and Honeycrisp, being lowered into their final resting place. Their surviving young son, Big Macintosh, tried (and failed) to hold back the tears Granny knew would come one way or the other. Wrapping a protective hoof around him, she pulled him into a tight hug, both on the verge of breaking down and sobbing in front of the entire rest of the Apple clan. She wiped her eyes before laying the last bouquet of flowers on the freshly filled grave, the bright yellow flowers drowning in a sea of roses. Taking her leave, she hopped into her old Flim-Flam pick-up truck before embracing her red-eyed grandson. He was openly sobbing now, tears painting dark splotches on her funeral dress. “Oh Big Mac,” she said, “don'tchu ’ worry yer pretty lil’ head now. Granny will take good care of ya’, you’ll see. How ’bout I turn on the radio, would ya’ like that?” “Eeyup,” was all Big Mac could muster. He sat back in his brown seat, gazing out his window at the passing landscape. Row upon row of cornfields dotted the landscape, eventually changing from tall cornstalks to apple trees as they neared Granny’s farm far on the outskirts of the newest Equestrian metropolis, Ponyville. Originally founded almost 100 years ago by Granny’s own immediate family, the small village had ballooned into a bustling city with the founding of TrixCorp, a high-tech firm dedicated to finding new applications of both technology and magic, usually by combining a healthy dose of business acumen with more than a few shady dealings. It was dark by the time they made it back. Apple trees surrounded the road, their crisp orange and yellow colors shining in the glow of the headlights. Big Mac was still staring off into the night sky while Granny fumbled with her keys, missing the keyhole every time she thought she had it. Cursing under her breath, she would have missed the bright, hot meteorite heading straight for her farm if Big Mac hadn’t jumped with fright. “Granny,” he said, tugging on her dress. “Hold on darlin’, I’m almost done.” “Granny….” “Now Big Mac, let’s git inside first before jawjackin’ okay?” “But Granny, look!” The burning meteorite passed immediately overhead, lighting up the night for a brief second. Instead of hitting the farm, as they had both originally feared, it just barely missed it and landed among the apple trees, dirt and wood splinters flying everywhere. Small fires and broken trees littered the spot of the crash, smoke rising off the capsule. Big Mac trotted over to it, carefully avoiding the flames. Granny followed him as fast as she could, too stunned to say anything. She looked out over the edge, being careful not to fall into the crater. A loud hiss came from the pod as the it opened, steam clouding whatever was inside it. “Stay back darlin’, it could be dangerous!” Granny said as she finally snapped out of her stupor. The steam cleared in the face of a light breeze, and both mare and colt gasped as it revealed a small filly. Despite the less-than-successful landing, the baby was unperturbed and continued to sleep. Wrapped in soft blue and red blankets, the filly yawned and rubbed its eyes before turning over. Big Mac, unsure of what to do, looked at Granny, who stalled a moment before reaching in and grabbing her. Pushing aside part of the blanket, she noticed the filly had an orange coat with a bright yellow mane. Three small freckles dotted each of her cheeks, which were pulled up in a grin. Why would a baby be in some sorta’ space rocket? she wondered. And if they’re so advanced, why did they send it here? The filly, meanwhile, had woken up, and was staring at Big Mac, her sleeping smile still plastered on her face. He held out a hoof, unsure of what to do, when the baby grabbed it, causing him to jump back in pain. “Ow! She’s purty strong Granny,” he said, rubbing his hoof ruefully. The old mare chuckled before replying, “Is she? That’s good, at least she’s healthy.” A loud grumble sounded from the filly’s stomach, and she began reaching for one of many apples scattered in the ground. “Sure is hungry,” Big Mac said. He picked one of the apples up and dusted it off before giving it to the baby, who was about to eat it before Granny snatched it away. “Big Mac, that’s no way to feed a baby! You gotta’ break it up for her, so she don’t choke on no-” she was interrupted by a large crunching sound. Looking down, she saw that the filly had chomped the entire apple down in one bite. “-seeds,” Granny finished, flabbergasted at the feat. ‘Such a young child shouldn’t be out here all alone. And from those newspaper stories, an orphanage would be just as likely to make her into one of them hooligans as it is to raise her,’ she thought. Looking at the baby with a twinkle in her eye, she said, “You sure are an odd ‘un. What do ya’ think of Applejack, Big Mac?” “Applejack?” “That’s her name. At least, now it is. Say hello to yer new big brother, Applejack.” The baby giggled at Big Mac, who smiled back at her. Granny leaned over and picked up the red and blue blanket, now noticing the red stylized S embroidered on it. Wondering what it could stand for, she handed it to Big Mac while they trotted back to the pick-up. Applejack giggled as they drove over the small potholes dotting the road, Big Mac doing his best to keep her from bouncing too high. After they made it back to Granny’s house, Granny sat on the couch with Applejack in her arms and Big Mac sitting next to her. She told them stories of when she was a young filly just moving in, and soon the two fell asleep. Laying Big Mac gently into his new bed, she cuddled with the filly since she didn’t have a crib for her. She made a mental note to get one tomorrow, and looked at the red S on the blanket once more. A slight chill came over her the longer she stared at it, and with a yawn, she fell asleep, thinking to herself how fortunate it was that Applejack literally appeared out of the blue to fill her old heart with hope once more. Symbol of Hope: Part II“Hey Applejack, wait up!” The orange mare turned as watched while her long-time friend and rumored coltfriend, Iron Forge, running to catch up with her. Her long school day was finally over, and she just wanted to get home as soon as possible before something else went wrong. “Nothin’ much Iron. Just heading home to do mah chores.” Noticing the dour expression on his friend’s face, Iron Forge spoke up, “AJ, what’s wrong? You look like Granny Smith just made you take that cough medicine again from when we were kids.” She slowed down before answering, “I don’t know Iron. I think there might be somthin’ wrong with me.” “Wrong? You look fine to me.” “Ah’ always look fine to you,” Applejack replied with a slight smirk. “No, earlier today I was looking at that metal part of mah’ desk when it got really hot and snapped. I didn’t even do anything to it! And watch this.” She turned her head to look at the wall behind Ironforge, and said, “Principal Rawhide is chewin’ out one of them freshmen for makin’ out behind the locker banks right now. Diamond somethin’-or-another.” “Now there’s a shock. So you can see through walls now?” Sauntering up to Applejack, Ironforge nudged her side and asked, “So AJ, you ever look into the guys’ locker room?” Applejack elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to wince. “Quit it Iron, this is serious! How many ponies do you know can do stuff like that?” He rubbed his side and answered, “Well now, one. I don’t see why you’re freakin’ out AJ. That’s actually pretty awesome.” Her ears perked up as she heard a loud screech. Looking out a half-mile away at the small road leading into town, she saw a truck’s tires blow out and crash into a gas-station pump. Sparks flew into the air and soon there was a small fire, rapidly approaching the puddle of gasoline seeping out from the car. “Hang on, gotta’ go,” she said, speeding off towards the accident. When she arrived a few seconds later, the fire had spread out a bit, making the heat almost unbearable. Ignoring it, she jumped onto the truck and ripped off the door off, pulling out a mare and stallion. Setting them down in the grass, she looked back when she heard a cry and saw a small filly trapped beneath the truck. She rushed back and lifted it with her forelegs, holding the two-ton steel high above her head. Throwing it onto the grassy field behind the gas station, she picked up the little girl just as the heat caused the tanker to explode, debris flying in all direction. Shielding the little filly’s body with her own, Applejack tucked her into her arm and ran out of the wreckage, devoid of even a small cut. Iron Forge ran up shortly thereafter, two firetrucks in tow. They quickly set about putting out the fire while he tried to reach Applejack. She stared at the fire for a few moments before running off down the road, towards Granny’s apple orchard. Ignoring Iron Forge calling her name, she ran to the hill overlooking the orchard, finally stopping to think over what just happened. Applejack paced nervously at the crest of the hill, worry and fear plaguing her heart. She wondered how Granny would take the news, picturing the look on her face when she told her what had happened a mere two hours before. Picking up a two-ton truck like it was a plastic toy, walking away from the explosion without even a scratch, and burning through her desk just by looking at it wasn’t exactly typical behavior for a high school kid, especially one just barely past the age when stallions and mares start to take a peculiar interest in each other. What am I gonna’ do? I can’t just walk up to Granny and say, “Hey Granny, I know this might be a bit odd, but Ah’ just found out I’m invincible and make stuff melt with mah eyes!” She sighed as she watched two birds fly by, blissfully wondering what it would be like to soar among the clouds as she did. Even as such fanciful thoughts replaced her doubt, she closed her eyes and imagined herself floating high above the trees, gazing down on the landscape below. Opening them again, she looked down and realized she was floating high above the trees! She panicked and started to fall, only to catch herself just before she hit the ground. That does it, she thought, I need to talk to Granny. Maybe she knows what in tarnation is goin’ on here. But first I should finish these chores, before I start blowing up trees with my mind or somethin’. Casting a wary eye at the nearest apple tree, she walked over and kicked it, relieved when the apples fell into the baskets without anything else weird happening. After clearing what she had thought was a small section of the orchard and hauling the apples back to the barn, she turned back and saw that half the apples in the entire orchard had been harvested in under ten minutes! She ran back to the house as fast as she could, throwing open the door as soon as she had arrived. Granny was knitting something in her rocking chair, needles clicking against each other when she noticed Applejack racing in. “Applejack, what’s wrong darlin’? Did them wolves-” “Granny, what’s wrong with me?” the young mare blurted out. A stunned silence descended on the room, the soft squeaking of the rocking chair cut off as if it were on a skipped record. “What do ya’ mean?” “I mean why can I pick up cars like they’re toys, why can I burn through stuff just by looking at it, walk away from an explosion without so much as a scratch, and why can I fly without wings!?” Applejack almost screamed towards the end. Hanging her head, she whispered, “Why am I a...a freak?” She rambled on about the accident for a few minutes before Granny stood up, gently setting the needle and cloth down on her chair. Motioning for the mare to come closer, she pulled the young farm pony into a tight hug and told her. “Applejack, yer’ not a freak. Being different aint’ nothing to be ashamed of, and Ah’m proud of you for saving that family from certain death. But...there is something you should know, and I think now is the right time. I’ll have to show ya’ what Ah mean, words just wouldn’t get the job done.” Pulling out of the hug, she motioned for Applejack to follow her to the barn. Grabbing a lantern from the rack, she lit it despite the sun still being out and motioned for her to follow her to the locked cellar. “Granny, why-” “Hush child. See this lock here? The one I told you to never try and open? Well, Ah’ need you to open it now. Thing is, Ah’ sorta’ lost the key to it years ago, and I was wondering if you could…well, you know...” Applejack did as she was told, easily burning through the lock like a hot knife through butter. She opened the double doors and waited as Granny made her way down first, the orange and yellow flame flickering in the blackness and dust of the unused cellar. Reaching the bottom, Granny reached over and grabbed the string hanging from the light, turning on the dim bulb and illuminating a small rocket. Its sleek red and silver colors were unfaded after seventeen years of sitting in the dust, a bright silver S-shield gleaming on its side. “Granny, what is this thing? Where did it come from, who built it, how come-,” Applejack said before Granny silenced her with a look. “Sheesh Applejack, I swear you’re talkin’ faster n’ that pink mare I ran into at the grocery store yesterday. Rattlin’ off my grocery list like we were at an auction or somthin’. Anywho, this is the rocket me and Big Mac found you in when you was just a young’un.” “A rocket? But Granny, you said I was adopted from the Ponyville orphanage after my parents were killed in a plane crash.” “Nope. There was a plane crash happenin’ around the same time, so Ah’ told you that so you wouldn’t freak out like ya’ just did earlier.” Surveying the rocket, Applejack opened the canopy and looked inside to spot a cube-like device tucked away between the side of the capsule and the tiny seat. She took it out and showed it to Granny. “That old thing? It came with yer blankets, but we left it in the canopy. The darn thing just wouldn’t do anything for us. Maybe you got the touch...” . Golden in color and covered in alien symbols, the screen on the front began scrolling through the symbols as soon as Applejack touched it, eventually matching up to form the same S-shield on the rocket and blankets. A bright light flashed from it before the barn began changing into an advanced science lab, tools, wires, and equipment replacing the old hay and broken farm tools. A large window looked out over green pastures, showing a bright red sun shining in the purple sky. “What? Granny, where’d ya’ go? What is this place?” Applejack asked, checking out her surroundings. “You are on the planet Krypton, my daughter. Or at the very least, a holographic representation of it.” Spinning around to find who had spoken to her, she saw a middle-aged stallion and mare standing at the entrance to the lab. The stallion had a short beard with a black shirt, covered by a red cape and two gold balls held together by a single gold bar. The mare was dressed the same. “Pardon me for poppin’ into this holograph-thingy, but who are you?” “My name is Jor-El, and this is my wife, Lara Jor-El. We are your parents, Lana,” the stallion said. “Mah’ parents? And why’d ya’ call me Lana? ” “Lana Jor-El is your kryptonian name. By this time, you may have already discovered that you are much stronger and faster than a normal pony.” “But I am a normal pony!” she interrupted. “This is because you are not from Earth,” Jor-El continued, “but are instead the sole survivor of Krypton. Your unique physiology draws its strength from the yellow sun, giving you abilities no other pony has.” Applejack backed away, tears forming in her eyes. Shaking her head, she choked out, “I don’t believe any of this.” “Your powers will make you beloved by some, and feared by others. Some may even try to kill you, in their fear and rage. Despite this, however you use your powers is a choice left solely to you. Just know that no matter what happens, we love you, Lana Jor-El. If you ever feel the need to speak with us more, there is a list of coordinates embedded into your ship’s computer. Follow them when you are ready, and we will explain more there.” He stretched out his hoof, a gesture that Applejack assumed meant he wanted her to take it. Reaching out, it passed through his arm as though nothing were there, and the hologram ended. The lab disappeared, and Granny Smith was looking at her with an odd look on her face. The sky outside the cellar door was dark, crickets chirping in the night. “No, it’s not true! I’m not a freak! I’m not!,” she shouted, punching one of the stone walls of the cellar. Large cracks extended from the point of impact, and the entire barn shook from the hit. Applejack backed away from it with a horrified expression, and raced out of the cellar and into the forest. “Applejack, wait! Come back!” Granny shouted after her. She ignored her, however, and kept running until she reached the edge of a deep gorge. Looking into the dark river below, she got a running start and jumped, floating into the air once more. She flew over the landscape, taking in the cool night air. The light of the full moon reflected off everything, making it seem calm and peaceful. Her manic heart began to slow, and soon she had stopped panicking. Flying over a neighboring farm, she flew around the grain silo a few times before attracting the attention of a barking dog, which was frantically running to try and catch her. Laughing, she reached out her hoof to pet it and considered flying between the tall skyscrapers of Ponyville before deciding against it. Ah’ should probably keep this between me n’ Granny. Big Mac too, nobody wants some news reporter snoopin’ around the farm. She headed back to farm, landing just in front of Big Mac and Granny, who were walking away from the barn. Smiling at them, she embraced both mare and stallion before explaining what had happened. Telling the what it was she had to do, Granny nodded in understanding while Big Mac stayed silent, wondering when he’d see his adoptive sister again. Ms. Merry Winters never liked mornings. Despite her name, she’d never been one for the coldness of it and rushing around to get Autumn Breeze off to school on time and still make it to work. Shuffling out of her bedroom in pink fuzzy slippers, she felt a light breeze ruffle her robe and saw that her eight year-old daughter was playing with the window. A sudden spurt of panic hit her, and she shouted, “Autumn, don’t play with that! You could fall!” Autumn jumped with a start at the noise and, slipping on the small patch of ice on the windowsill, fell backwards and out the window. “AUTUMN!” Ms. Winters rushed over to the window, looking down for any sign of her daughter. Her white mane whipped back and forth in the window, obscuring her vision for a bit before she brushed it out of the way. “Mommy! ” Merry whipped her head around and saw Autumn standing on the balcony. Running to the balcony door to unlock it, she grabbed her into a tight hug, gently rocking her as she did so. After a few minutes she set her down and asked Autumn how she got over to the balcony after falling. Autumn wiped her eyes before saying, “A blue angel rescued me.” “A blue angel?” “Yeah. She had a red cape too, and this big red S on her chest,” she explained. “She caught me and set me down on the balcony and then flew off.” Merry shook her head a bit before saying, “Well, it’d certainly take a miracle to do that. In the meantime, you’re grounded.” “Aww, but mom-” “No buts,” she said sternly. “Now you go off and get dressed for school. Mommy needs to get ready for work and drink a strong cup of coffee.” Autumn sulked off to her room, wondering why she was being punished when she wasn’t even hurt. Merry poured herself a large mug of black coffee in the small kitchen, then grabbed the phone off the wall and dialed the number for the most popular newspaper in the entire city, the Daily Star. Boy do I have a story for them... Symbol of Hope: Part III“Chief, what the hell is this!?” Ink Slinger fumed. He slammed the paper down on the desk, the multiple bobble heads seeming to nod in agreement. Sunlight poured in through the large office window, illuminating everything and everyone in the spacious room. Ink sat down in the chair before the large desk while continuing his rant. “I spent weeks trudging through those grimy, disease-breeding sewers uncovering one of the largest drug rings in years, and this is what makes the front page? Some ‘blue angel’ crap?” Silvermane, the Editor-in-Chief of the most famous paper to come out of Ponyville, swiveled his chair from the breathtaking view of the cityscape to give Ink a small grin. The stout, older stallion placed a hoof on the front picture and said, “Listen Ink, I’ve been in this business for more than thirty years, I think I can spot a good story when I see it. But I’m glad you came in here actually. I have a new reporter from the countryside, and I want you to show her the ropes. I’ve read some of her stuff. She’s quite good, and with the right influence, could prove to be a fairly decent reporter.” Ink Slinger rapped his hooves on the desk before saying, “Chief, I don’t have time to babysit some country bumpkin. TrixCorps is showing off their newest weapon platform today, and I can’t have some new girl pissing off Trix with stupid questions.” “You bring Lens Flare with you on all of your stories, and she was new only a few months ago,” Silvermane pointed out. “Besides, every new reporter needs a veteran to guide them at first, and who better than one of the best reporters the Daily Sun has?” He pondered it over for a few moments, hoof tapping against the desk all the while. He finally gave in and replied, “Fine, so long as she stays out of my way. Where is she anyway?” “Right he-oof! Sorry ‘bout that,” a slightly accented voice called out behind him. Turning around, Ink saw a blonde mare with an orange coat and thick glasses trot into the room and bump into a garbage can, spilling balled wads of paper and empty paper cups all over the floor. He looked back at Silverman, eyebrow raised in apprehension. Silvermane ignored his look and said, “Ink, this is Applejack. She just recently moved here after going to college in Canterlot. She’s from a small town just a few miles south of here, where her grandmother owns an apple orchard.” Ink gave a curt nod before addressing her, “Just stick close and don’t get in the way, okay Smallfry?” The orange mare nodded, long mane bouncing into her eyes. Brushing it away, her eyes widened slightly as she asked, “Uh, do you mind if Ah’ go back to my desk and grab my suitcase before we go? It’ll just take a second, Ah’ swear.” “Whatever country girl, I need to go find my photographer anyway. If you’re not by the car in five minutes, we’re leaving without you.” Bidding Silvermane a quick goodbye, he left the office before Applejack had a chance to answer, looking for Lens Flare. The clacking of keyboards mixed with the clicking of mice to create one of the most annoying sounds he ever heard, and he quickly passed through on his way to the one place he knew she’d be at this time of day. Ignoring the shrieks and stares he received from entering the mare’s bathroom, he grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and pulled her out. “Oh come on Ink, just two more minutes and-” He rolled his eyes before interrupting, “Cut the crap Lens. We have a story at the airport and Chief’s making me babysit the new girl. She’s working with us now, so try not to fight with her over my ravishing good looks, will you?.” Lens smirked before replying, “Sure thing ‘handsome.’ Where is this new girl anyway?” “With any luck, heading downstairs by now. If not, we go without her,” Ink answered as they entered the elevator. “I don’t know Ink, shouldn’t we wait? She is supposed to be your new partner isn’t she?” “I don’t care if she’s the President, I’m not letting some backwoods apple-farmer slow me down.” Lens didn’t answer, as she was fumbling around with the lens on her camera. Ink Slinger briefly checked his yellow coat for dirt spots before hearing the ding of the elevator reaching the parking garage. To his surprise, Applejack was already down there waiting for them, suitcase, notepad, and pencil in hoof. Her enthusiastic smile elicited a giggle from the younger mare, earning them both an eye roll from Ink. “Alright Smallfry, this is Lens Flare. Don’t let the giggly school-filly persona fool ya’, she’s actually a pretty good photographer. Try not to fight with her too much, alright?” he asked, smirking slightly at the look of confusion spreading on Applejack’s face. “Why would I-you know what, never mind. Let’s go,” she said. While they followed Ink to the car, he noticed the two mares had their heads close together, feverish whispers coming from their secret counsel. An occasional giggle would escape from Lens, which Ink could only attribute to humourous backwoods stories about cow tipping or something like it. Hopping into his red sportscar, he waited for AJ and Lens to get in before pulling out of the parking garage as fast as he could go, causing them to jolt backwards and forwards as they tried to regain their sense of balance. “Jeez Ink, slow down will ya’, I don’t think you gave me enough bruises,” Lens complained as she rubbed her right hoof, which had been slammed into the door. Ink rolled his eyes and kept driving, occasionally adjusting the volume on the radio. After fiddling with the dial, he eventually settled on a rock station and did his best to ignore his two passengers, who were eagerly chatting about….whatever it is mares chat about, he guessed. The traffic in this part of town wasn’t too bad today, and he made it to the Ponyville Airport without getting stuck in traffic for more than a half-hour. Driving up to the gate, he flashed his press badge at the guards and waited until Applejack and Lens did the same. Parking next to a large white news van, he gathered his notebook and pencil and headed to the area reserved for the press. Pushing his way through the crowd, he noticed the hangar had been equipped with a large curtained stage right next to it, making him shake his head and wonder just how much she had actually changed, if at all. He took a seat by the front and waited for the show to begin. “So, what exactly are we waiting for? Is this how new weapons are usually shown off?” “This is how Trixie always does things,” he answered, not even taking his eyes of the sage to address Applejack. “I should know, I dated her.” The orange mare raised an eyebrow at that and asked, “‘That so?” “Ancient history Smallfry. It never turned into anything; Trixie was concerned about one thing and one thing only, and that was Trixie. Besides, it gets sickening after a while to constantly hear someone refer to themselves in the third person.” “Ladies and Gentlemen!,” an unseen announcer boomed from the gigantic set of speakers on the side of the stage, “please give a warm welcome to the Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon, owner and CEO of TrixCorp!” The assembled crowd stood up and clapped enthusiastically, all except Ink and his newest partner. He snorted at the obvious ego-boost this was supposed to give Trixie and blinked at the multiple camera flashes. A fog machine started spewing a thick grey smoke, before a blue unicorn strode out of it, fore legs outstretched as she took in the applause as a plant takes in sunlight. I gotta’ admit, Trixie always did know how to put on a show. Whatever happens, I have a feeling it’s definitely going to be interesting. ************************************************************************************************ Applejack watched the show with a calm look on her face, waiting for the actual presentation to start. Fireworks streamed into the sky as she wrote down a few initial notes, and after a few more airbursts, the cacophony winded down until all was quiet again. The star of the show stepped up to the microphone and began her spiel “Ladies and gentlecolts, Trixie would like to thank you all for coming here today. She hopes you enjoyed the little pregame show, as they say in sports, and she sincerely hopes you’ll find the real show just as entertaining. Behold, the TrixSuit XJ9!” The purple star-embroidered curtain pulled back to reveal a pony-sized exosuit. It was light blue with a deep purple T-shaped visor, with a mouthpiece almost resembling insect mandibles. After letting the audience cheer and clap for a few seconds, Trixie quieted them down and continued. “What you are witnessing now is the next evolution in warfare! With this suit, our military will be able to go into dangerous combat situations and suffer almost no casualties. Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound, the TrixSuit is virtually indestructible to all but the heaviest of rounds! To demonstrate this, my assistant will fire nine .45 caliber rounds into the weakest part of the armor, the neck region. Take it away Clemency!” A beefy stallion stepped out from behind the curtain and fired the large pistol into the neck area of the armor with uncanny accuracy, the newsponies gasping at the way every bullet bounced off its intended target without even a scratch on the suit. Applejack scribbled down a few notes while this was going on, almost missing the whine of a missile heading straight for them. Jumping up, she said, “Sorry guys, I have to use the little cowgirl’s room. Ah’ll be right back!” Pushing past the reporters, she took her briefcase with her and, ignoring the quizzical look from Ink, ducked behind an old hangar. There, she quickly changed into the red and blue outfit and flew towards the missile as fast as she could. By the time she reached it, it was less than 300 yards from the demonstration, the roar of its engine loud enough to catch the attention of the crowd. Panicking, they scattered, with Trixie and her assistant retreating to the safety of their long black limo. Quickly scanning over the missile with her X-ray vision, she used her heat vision to disable the warhead and grabbed the now-deactivated rocket from underneath, guiding it into an empty field behind the hanger. Just as soon as that was over, however, several unmarked helicopters flew overhead, six armed ponies rappelling down onto the hanger. Hooking large chains onto the suit, they quickly moved to establish control over the area, herding the confused reporters into a hanger. “Taking hostages? Not on my watch, ya’ varmints.” Taking off for the nearest thug, she slammed her fist onto the side of his head, being careful to not use her full strength. Seeing their comrade fly into a pile of wooden crates, two of the other goons opened fire on her, only to have their jaws drop at the sight of them bouncing harmlessly off of her. “Sorry boys, that’s not going to work,” she said. Her eyes started glowing red, the gun barrels melting under the intense heat. Dropping the guns, they tried to run to their teammates before bumping right into her. “Wha-what are you!?” one of them shrieked, stumbling back. “The mare that’s going to take you in. So are you going to come quietly, or are we going to have to do this the hard way?” The two thugs shared a quick look of terror before bolting in the opposite direction. Sighing, Applejack quickly dispatched them as well as the rest of their team, dropping their unconscious bodies in front of the newly-arrived police. Ignoring their shouts, she flew off to chase after the helicopters. After a few seconds of searching, she spotted them heading west and moved to head them off, drawing the attention of the two pilots in the process. Their jaws were hanging open at the sight of a flying pony, before they regained their senses and fired their machine guns as her. Stalling a bit as the force of the bullets pushed her back, she forged ahead and landed on the glass cockpit of the lead one, breaking the glass in a single punch. The pilots quickly ejected, their seats flying up and soon floating into the crowd of police waiting below. Applejack set her sights on the next helicopter just as one of their missiles slammed into her. Dazed, she tried to regain her balance before the launched another one. Waiting at just the right moment, she dodged it and was about to take off after the helicopter again before hearing screams of terror. Turning around, she saw to her horror that the missile had hit a commercial airliner, which was now heading straight for a crowded area of the city. Ignoring the helicopter she flew towards the airliner, wondering how she was going to stop it. Smoke streamed out from the engine while she grabbed on of the wings. She pulled with all her strength, only to have the wing snap off and cause the plane to start spinning out of control. “Stupid! Ah’m definitely not doin’ that again,” she berated herself. Flying in front of the plane, she pushed her body up against the nose, denting it while trying to fly against the direction the plane was heading in. Noticing a slight decrease in the plane’s speed, she kept it up, steering it a bit to avoid hitting any skyscrapers as she tried to navigate it towards the park while it continued to sink lower and lower. After a while, she was able to gain control of the plane just before it hit a statue and held it high above her head. Breathing a sigh of relief, she set it down and jumped slightly as she noticed the large crowd surrounding her, taking pictures and videos of the event with their camera phones. She flashed them an uneasy smile before flying back to the airport to change. ************************************************************************************************ “So, anyone wanna’ tell me what this is?” Silvermane was pointing at an enlarged photo on a projector. It depicted an orange mare in a blue suit, red cape twirling behind her. A large red S-shield was prominent on her chest, its yellow background gleaming in the light. The middle-aged stallion continued pacing in front of the projector while he went on, “This paper has a responsibility to the people of this city, and they’re practically lighting a fire under my ass for answers. Who is she? Where did she come from? Why is she here, what does she want? Can anyone tell me?” Lens Flare leaned back in her chair and replied, “Honestly, we don’t know Chief. She just suddenly appeared, saved everyone, and left. We didn’t even get her name.” “Nice ‘S’.” The assembled reporters all turned to stare at Ink, who began blushing and said, “Well it’s true. That is a pretty decent logo. Fitting for a supermare.” “Supermare huh? I like the sound of that,” Silvermane stroked his chin. “Ink, I’m giving that TrixCorp story to Applejack. Your new assignment is to find this ‘Supermare’ and get and interview outta’ her. Don’t argue, this isn’t up for debate.” Ink shut his mouth, not in the mood for arguing with his editor. He studied the picture of his new target a little more, thinking there was something about her that was vaguely familiar. Taking his leave, he walked out of the office and headed down to his car to call it a day, Lens following after. “Hey Lens. Have you seen Smallfry anywhere? I lost track of her after we got back,” he said as he glanced at her. “AJ?” Lens asked. “I think she said something about visiting her grandma or something. Any ideas on how you’re going to interview this ‘Supermare?’” “A few,” he lied. Truth be told, he had no clue how he was going to catch someone who could fly faster than a helicopter and catch a falling plane. “I’ll let you know as soon as I’m ready to carry ‘em out.” “Maybe we could talk about it over dinner?” she asked, the slightly hopeful tone in her voice escaping Ink’s attention. “I’d love to, but I have a few bills to pay. Electricity ain’t free, especially in this town. Have a good one Lens.” “See ya’ later Ink,” Lens replied. Sighing as she watched the stallion leave, she gathered her things and left.
Symbol of Hope: Part IThe sun shone brilliantly in the clear blue sky, with no clouds to be seen for miles. A slight breeze rolled through, cool enough to provide a nice break from the heat but not cold enough to be bothersome. Somethin’ about this weather just don’t fit right, Granny Smith thought with a sigh as she watched the two caskets of her son and daughter-in-law, Pink Pearl and Honeycrisp, being lowered into their final resting place. Their surviving young son, Big Macintosh, tried (and failed) to hold back the tears Granny knew would come one way or the other. Wrapping a protective hoof around him, she pulled him into a tight hug, both on the verge of breaking down and sobbing in front of the entire rest of the Apple clan. She wiped her eyes before laying the last bouquet of flowers on the freshly filled grave, the bright yellow flowers drowning in a sea of roses. Taking her leave, she hopped into her old Flim-Flam pick-up truck before embracing her red-eyed grandson. He was openly sobbing now, tears painting dark splotches on her funeral dress. “Oh Big Mac,” she said, “don'tchu ’ worry yer pretty lil’ head now. Granny will take good care of ya’, you’ll see. How ’bout I turn on the radio, would ya’ like that?” “Eeyup,” was all Big Mac could muster. He sat back in his brown seat, gazing out his window at the passing landscape. Row upon row of cornfields dotted the landscape, eventually changing from tall cornstalks to apple trees as they neared Granny’s farm far on the outskirts of the newest Equestrian metropolis, Ponyville. Originally founded almost 100 years ago by Granny’s own immediate family, the small village had ballooned into a bustling city with the founding of TrixCorp, a high-tech firm dedicated to finding new applications of both technology and magic, usually by combining a healthy dose of business acumen with more than a few shady dealings. It was dark by the time they made it back. Apple trees surrounded the road, their crisp orange and yellow colors shining in the glow of the headlights. Big Mac was still staring off into the night sky while Granny fumbled with her keys, missing the keyhole every time she thought she had it. Cursing under her breath, she would have missed the bright, hot meteorite heading straight for her farm if Big Mac hadn’t jumped with fright. “Granny,” he said, tugging on her dress. “Hold on darlin’, I’m almost done.” “Granny….” “Now Big Mac, let’s git inside first before jawjackin’ okay?” “But Granny, look!” The burning meteorite passed immediately overhead, lighting up the night for a brief second. Instead of hitting the farm, as they had both originally feared, it just barely missed it and landed among the apple trees, dirt and wood splinters flying everywhere. Small fires and broken trees littered the spot of the crash, smoke rising off the capsule. Big Mac trotted over to it, carefully avoiding the flames. Granny followed him as fast as she could, too stunned to say anything. She looked out over the edge, being careful not to fall into the crater. A loud hiss came from the pod as the it opened, steam clouding whatever was inside it. “Stay back darlin’, it could be dangerous!” Granny said as she finally snapped out of her stupor. The steam cleared in the face of a light breeze, and both mare and colt gasped as it revealed a small filly. Despite the less-than-successful landing, the baby was unperturbed and continued to sleep. Wrapped in soft blue and red blankets, the filly yawned and rubbed its eyes before turning over. Big Mac, unsure of what to do, looked at Granny, who stalled a moment before reaching in and grabbing her. Pushing aside part of the blanket, she noticed the filly had an orange coat with a bright yellow mane. Three small freckles dotted each of her cheeks, which were pulled up in a grin. Why would a baby be in some sorta’ space rocket? she wondered. And if they’re so advanced, why did they send it here? The filly, meanwhile, had woken up, and was staring at Big Mac, her sleeping smile still plastered on her face. He held out a hoof, unsure of what to do, when the baby grabbed it, causing him to jump back in pain. “Ow! She’s purty strong Granny,” he said, rubbing his hoof ruefully. The old mare chuckled before replying, “Is she? That’s good, at least she’s healthy.” A loud grumble sounded from the filly’s stomach, and she began reaching for one of many apples scattered in the ground. “Sure is hungry,” Big Mac said. He picked one of the apples up and dusted it off before giving it to the baby, who was about to eat it before Granny snatched it away. “Big Mac, that’s no way to feed a baby! You gotta’ break it up for her, so she don’t choke on no-” she was interrupted by a large crunching sound. Looking down, she saw that the filly had chomped the entire apple down in one bite. “-seeds,” Granny finished, flabbergasted at the feat. ‘Such a young child shouldn’t be out here all alone. And from those newspaper stories, an orphanage would be just as likely to make her into one of them hooligans as it is to raise her,’ she thought. Looking at the baby with a twinkle in her eye, she said, “You sure are an odd ‘un. What do ya’ think of Applejack, Big Mac?” “Applejack?” “That’s her name. At least, now it is. Say hello to yer new big brother, Applejack.” The baby giggled at Big Mac, who smiled back at her. Granny leaned over and picked up the red and blue blanket, now noticing the red stylized S embroidered on it. Wondering what it could stand for, she handed it to Big Mac while they trotted back to the pick-up. Applejack giggled as they drove over the small potholes dotting the road, Big Mac doing his best to keep her from bouncing too high. After they made it back to Granny’s house, Granny sat on the couch with Applejack in her arms and Big Mac sitting next to her. She told them stories of when she was a young filly just moving in, and soon the two fell asleep. Laying Big Mac gently into his new bed, she cuddled with the filly since she didn’t have a crib for her. She made a mental note to get one tomorrow, and looked at the red S on the blanket once more. A slight chill came over her the longer she stared at it, and with a yawn, she fell asleep, thinking to herself how fortunate it was that Applejack literally appeared out of the blue to fill her old heart with hope once more.
Symbol of Hope: Part II“Hey Applejack, wait up!” The orange mare turned as watched while her long-time friend and rumored coltfriend, Iron Forge, running to catch up with her. Her long school day was finally over, and she just wanted to get home as soon as possible before something else went wrong. “Nothin’ much Iron. Just heading home to do mah chores.” Noticing the dour expression on his friend’s face, Iron Forge spoke up, “AJ, what’s wrong? You look like Granny Smith just made you take that cough medicine again from when we were kids.” She slowed down before answering, “I don’t know Iron. I think there might be somthin’ wrong with me.” “Wrong? You look fine to me.” “Ah’ always look fine to you,” Applejack replied with a slight smirk. “No, earlier today I was looking at that metal part of mah’ desk when it got really hot and snapped. I didn’t even do anything to it! And watch this.” She turned her head to look at the wall behind Ironforge, and said, “Principal Rawhide is chewin’ out one of them freshmen for makin’ out behind the locker banks right now. Diamond somethin’-or-another.” “Now there’s a shock. So you can see through walls now?” Sauntering up to Applejack, Ironforge nudged her side and asked, “So AJ, you ever look into the guys’ locker room?” Applejack elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to wince. “Quit it Iron, this is serious! How many ponies do you know can do stuff like that?” He rubbed his side and answered, “Well now, one. I don’t see why you’re freakin’ out AJ. That’s actually pretty awesome.” Her ears perked up as she heard a loud screech. Looking out a half-mile away at the small road leading into town, she saw a truck’s tires blow out and crash into a gas-station pump. Sparks flew into the air and soon there was a small fire, rapidly approaching the puddle of gasoline seeping out from the car. “Hang on, gotta’ go,” she said, speeding off towards the accident. When she arrived a few seconds later, the fire had spread out a bit, making the heat almost unbearable. Ignoring it, she jumped onto the truck and ripped off the door off, pulling out a mare and stallion. Setting them down in the grass, she looked back when she heard a cry and saw a small filly trapped beneath the truck. She rushed back and lifted it with her forelegs, holding the two-ton steel high above her head. Throwing it onto the grassy field behind the gas station, she picked up the little girl just as the heat caused the tanker to explode, debris flying in all direction. Shielding the little filly’s body with her own, Applejack tucked her into her arm and ran out of the wreckage, devoid of even a small cut. Iron Forge ran up shortly thereafter, two firetrucks in tow. They quickly set about putting out the fire while he tried to reach Applejack. She stared at the fire for a few moments before running off down the road, towards Granny’s apple orchard. Ignoring Iron Forge calling her name, she ran to the hill overlooking the orchard, finally stopping to think over what just happened. Applejack paced nervously at the crest of the hill, worry and fear plaguing her heart. She wondered how Granny would take the news, picturing the look on her face when she told her what had happened a mere two hours before. Picking up a two-ton truck like it was a plastic toy, walking away from the explosion without even a scratch, and burning through her desk just by looking at it wasn’t exactly typical behavior for a high school kid, especially one just barely past the age when stallions and mares start to take a peculiar interest in each other. What am I gonna’ do? I can’t just walk up to Granny and say, “Hey Granny, I know this might be a bit odd, but Ah’ just found out I’m invincible and make stuff melt with mah eyes!” She sighed as she watched two birds fly by, blissfully wondering what it would be like to soar among the clouds as she did. Even as such fanciful thoughts replaced her doubt, she closed her eyes and imagined herself floating high above the trees, gazing down on the landscape below. Opening them again, she looked down and realized she was floating high above the trees! She panicked and started to fall, only to catch herself just before she hit the ground. That does it, she thought, I need to talk to Granny. Maybe she knows what in tarnation is goin’ on here. But first I should finish these chores, before I start blowing up trees with my mind or somethin’. Casting a wary eye at the nearest apple tree, she walked over and kicked it, relieved when the apples fell into the baskets without anything else weird happening. After clearing what she had thought was a small section of the orchard and hauling the apples back to the barn, she turned back and saw that half the apples in the entire orchard had been harvested in under ten minutes! She ran back to the house as fast as she could, throwing open the door as soon as she had arrived. Granny was knitting something in her rocking chair, needles clicking against each other when she noticed Applejack racing in. “Applejack, what’s wrong darlin’? Did them wolves-” “Granny, what’s wrong with me?” the young mare blurted out. A stunned silence descended on the room, the soft squeaking of the rocking chair cut off as if it were on a skipped record. “What do ya’ mean?” “I mean why can I pick up cars like they’re toys, why can I burn through stuff just by looking at it, walk away from an explosion without so much as a scratch, and why can I fly without wings!?” Applejack almost screamed towards the end. Hanging her head, she whispered, “Why am I a...a freak?” She rambled on about the accident for a few minutes before Granny stood up, gently setting the needle and cloth down on her chair. Motioning for the mare to come closer, she pulled the young farm pony into a tight hug and told her. “Applejack, yer’ not a freak. Being different aint’ nothing to be ashamed of, and Ah’m proud of you for saving that family from certain death. But...there is something you should know, and I think now is the right time. I’ll have to show ya’ what Ah mean, words just wouldn’t get the job done.” Pulling out of the hug, she motioned for Applejack to follow her to the barn. Grabbing a lantern from the rack, she lit it despite the sun still being out and motioned for her to follow her to the locked cellar. “Granny, why-” “Hush child. See this lock here? The one I told you to never try and open? Well, Ah’ need you to open it now. Thing is, Ah’ sorta’ lost the key to it years ago, and I was wondering if you could…well, you know...” Applejack did as she was told, easily burning through the lock like a hot knife through butter. She opened the double doors and waited as Granny made her way down first, the orange and yellow flame flickering in the blackness and dust of the unused cellar. Reaching the bottom, Granny reached over and grabbed the string hanging from the light, turning on the dim bulb and illuminating a small rocket. Its sleek red and silver colors were unfaded after seventeen years of sitting in the dust, a bright silver S-shield gleaming on its side. “Granny, what is this thing? Where did it come from, who built it, how come-,” Applejack said before Granny silenced her with a look. “Sheesh Applejack, I swear you’re talkin’ faster n’ that pink mare I ran into at the grocery store yesterday. Rattlin’ off my grocery list like we were at an auction or somthin’. Anywho, this is the rocket me and Big Mac found you in when you was just a young’un.” “A rocket? But Granny, you said I was adopted from the Ponyville orphanage after my parents were killed in a plane crash.” “Nope. There was a plane crash happenin’ around the same time, so Ah’ told you that so you wouldn’t freak out like ya’ just did earlier.” Surveying the rocket, Applejack opened the canopy and looked inside to spot a cube-like device tucked away between the side of the capsule and the tiny seat. She took it out and showed it to Granny. “That old thing? It came with yer blankets, but we left it in the canopy. The darn thing just wouldn’t do anything for us. Maybe you got the touch...” . Golden in color and covered in alien symbols, the screen on the front began scrolling through the symbols as soon as Applejack touched it, eventually matching up to form the same S-shield on the rocket and blankets. A bright light flashed from it before the barn began changing into an advanced science lab, tools, wires, and equipment replacing the old hay and broken farm tools. A large window looked out over green pastures, showing a bright red sun shining in the purple sky. “What? Granny, where’d ya’ go? What is this place?” Applejack asked, checking out her surroundings. “You are on the planet Krypton, my daughter. Or at the very least, a holographic representation of it.” Spinning around to find who had spoken to her, she saw a middle-aged stallion and mare standing at the entrance to the lab. The stallion had a short beard with a black shirt, covered by a red cape and two gold balls held together by a single gold bar. The mare was dressed the same. “Pardon me for poppin’ into this holograph-thingy, but who are you?” “My name is Jor-El, and this is my wife, Lara Jor-El. We are your parents, Lana,” the stallion said. “Mah’ parents? And why’d ya’ call me Lana? ” “Lana Jor-El is your kryptonian name. By this time, you may have already discovered that you are much stronger and faster than a normal pony.” “But I am a normal pony!” she interrupted. “This is because you are not from Earth,” Jor-El continued, “but are instead the sole survivor of Krypton. Your unique physiology draws its strength from the yellow sun, giving you abilities no other pony has.” Applejack backed away, tears forming in her eyes. Shaking her head, she choked out, “I don’t believe any of this.” “Your powers will make you beloved by some, and feared by others. Some may even try to kill you, in their fear and rage. Despite this, however you use your powers is a choice left solely to you. Just know that no matter what happens, we love you, Lana Jor-El. If you ever feel the need to speak with us more, there is a list of coordinates embedded into your ship’s computer. Follow them when you are ready, and we will explain more there.” He stretched out his hoof, a gesture that Applejack assumed meant he wanted her to take it. Reaching out, it passed through his arm as though nothing were there, and the hologram ended. The lab disappeared, and Granny Smith was looking at her with an odd look on her face. The sky outside the cellar door was dark, crickets chirping in the night. “No, it’s not true! I’m not a freak! I’m not!,” she shouted, punching one of the stone walls of the cellar. Large cracks extended from the point of impact, and the entire barn shook from the hit. Applejack backed away from it with a horrified expression, and raced out of the cellar and into the forest. “Applejack, wait! Come back!” Granny shouted after her. She ignored her, however, and kept running until she reached the edge of a deep gorge. Looking into the dark river below, she got a running start and jumped, floating into the air once more. She flew over the landscape, taking in the cool night air. The light of the full moon reflected off everything, making it seem calm and peaceful. Her manic heart began to slow, and soon she had stopped panicking. Flying over a neighboring farm, she flew around the grain silo a few times before attracting the attention of a barking dog, which was frantically running to try and catch her. Laughing, she reached out her hoof to pet it and considered flying between the tall skyscrapers of Ponyville before deciding against it. Ah’ should probably keep this between me n’ Granny. Big Mac too, nobody wants some news reporter snoopin’ around the farm. She headed back to farm, landing just in front of Big Mac and Granny, who were walking away from the barn. Smiling at them, she embraced both mare and stallion before explaining what had happened. Telling the what it was she had to do, Granny nodded in understanding while Big Mac stayed silent, wondering when he’d see his adoptive sister again. Ms. Merry Winters never liked mornings. Despite her name, she’d never been one for the coldness of it and rushing around to get Autumn Breeze off to school on time and still make it to work. Shuffling out of her bedroom in pink fuzzy slippers, she felt a light breeze ruffle her robe and saw that her eight year-old daughter was playing with the window. A sudden spurt of panic hit her, and she shouted, “Autumn, don’t play with that! You could fall!” Autumn jumped with a start at the noise and, slipping on the small patch of ice on the windowsill, fell backwards and out the window. “AUTUMN!” Ms. Winters rushed over to the window, looking down for any sign of her daughter. Her white mane whipped back and forth in the window, obscuring her vision for a bit before she brushed it out of the way. “Mommy! ” Merry whipped her head around and saw Autumn standing on the balcony. Running to the balcony door to unlock it, she grabbed her into a tight hug, gently rocking her as she did so. After a few minutes she set her down and asked Autumn how she got over to the balcony after falling. Autumn wiped her eyes before saying, “A blue angel rescued me.” “A blue angel?” “Yeah. She had a red cape too, and this big red S on her chest,” she explained. “She caught me and set me down on the balcony and then flew off.” Merry shook her head a bit before saying, “Well, it’d certainly take a miracle to do that. In the meantime, you’re grounded.” “Aww, but mom-” “No buts,” she said sternly. “Now you go off and get dressed for school. Mommy needs to get ready for work and drink a strong cup of coffee.” Autumn sulked off to her room, wondering why she was being punished when she wasn’t even hurt. Merry poured herself a large mug of black coffee in the small kitchen, then grabbed the phone off the wall and dialed the number for the most popular newspaper in the entire city, the Daily Star. Boy do I have a story for them...
Symbol of Hope: Part III“Chief, what the hell is this!?” Ink Slinger fumed. He slammed the paper down on the desk, the multiple bobble heads seeming to nod in agreement. Sunlight poured in through the large office window, illuminating everything and everyone in the spacious room. Ink sat down in the chair before the large desk while continuing his rant. “I spent weeks trudging through those grimy, disease-breeding sewers uncovering one of the largest drug rings in years, and this is what makes the front page? Some ‘blue angel’ crap?” Silvermane, the Editor-in-Chief of the most famous paper to come out of Ponyville, swiveled his chair from the breathtaking view of the cityscape to give Ink a small grin. The stout, older stallion placed a hoof on the front picture and said, “Listen Ink, I’ve been in this business for more than thirty years, I think I can spot a good story when I see it. But I’m glad you came in here actually. I have a new reporter from the countryside, and I want you to show her the ropes. I’ve read some of her stuff. She’s quite good, and with the right influence, could prove to be a fairly decent reporter.” Ink Slinger rapped his hooves on the desk before saying, “Chief, I don’t have time to babysit some country bumpkin. TrixCorps is showing off their newest weapon platform today, and I can’t have some new girl pissing off Trix with stupid questions.” “You bring Lens Flare with you on all of your stories, and she was new only a few months ago,” Silvermane pointed out. “Besides, every new reporter needs a veteran to guide them at first, and who better than one of the best reporters the Daily Sun has?” He pondered it over for a few moments, hoof tapping against the desk all the while. He finally gave in and replied, “Fine, so long as she stays out of my way. Where is she anyway?” “Right he-oof! Sorry ‘bout that,” a slightly accented voice called out behind him. Turning around, Ink saw a blonde mare with an orange coat and thick glasses trot into the room and bump into a garbage can, spilling balled wads of paper and empty paper cups all over the floor. He looked back at Silverman, eyebrow raised in apprehension. Silvermane ignored his look and said, “Ink, this is Applejack. She just recently moved here after going to college in Canterlot. She’s from a small town just a few miles south of here, where her grandmother owns an apple orchard.” Ink gave a curt nod before addressing her, “Just stick close and don’t get in the way, okay Smallfry?” The orange mare nodded, long mane bouncing into her eyes. Brushing it away, her eyes widened slightly as she asked, “Uh, do you mind if Ah’ go back to my desk and grab my suitcase before we go? It’ll just take a second, Ah’ swear.” “Whatever country girl, I need to go find my photographer anyway. If you’re not by the car in five minutes, we’re leaving without you.” Bidding Silvermane a quick goodbye, he left the office before Applejack had a chance to answer, looking for Lens Flare. The clacking of keyboards mixed with the clicking of mice to create one of the most annoying sounds he ever heard, and he quickly passed through on his way to the one place he knew she’d be at this time of day. Ignoring the shrieks and stares he received from entering the mare’s bathroom, he grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and pulled her out. “Oh come on Ink, just two more minutes and-” He rolled his eyes before interrupting, “Cut the crap Lens. We have a story at the airport and Chief’s making me babysit the new girl. She’s working with us now, so try not to fight with her over my ravishing good looks, will you?.” Lens smirked before replying, “Sure thing ‘handsome.’ Where is this new girl anyway?” “With any luck, heading downstairs by now. If not, we go without her,” Ink answered as they entered the elevator. “I don’t know Ink, shouldn’t we wait? She is supposed to be your new partner isn’t she?” “I don’t care if she’s the President, I’m not letting some backwoods apple-farmer slow me down.” Lens didn’t answer, as she was fumbling around with the lens on her camera. Ink Slinger briefly checked his yellow coat for dirt spots before hearing the ding of the elevator reaching the parking garage. To his surprise, Applejack was already down there waiting for them, suitcase, notepad, and pencil in hoof. Her enthusiastic smile elicited a giggle from the younger mare, earning them both an eye roll from Ink. “Alright Smallfry, this is Lens Flare. Don’t let the giggly school-filly persona fool ya’, she’s actually a pretty good photographer. Try not to fight with her too much, alright?” he asked, smirking slightly at the look of confusion spreading on Applejack’s face. “Why would I-you know what, never mind. Let’s go,” she said. While they followed Ink to the car, he noticed the two mares had their heads close together, feverish whispers coming from their secret counsel. An occasional giggle would escape from Lens, which Ink could only attribute to humourous backwoods stories about cow tipping or something like it. Hopping into his red sportscar, he waited for AJ and Lens to get in before pulling out of the parking garage as fast as he could go, causing them to jolt backwards and forwards as they tried to regain their sense of balance. “Jeez Ink, slow down will ya’, I don’t think you gave me enough bruises,” Lens complained as she rubbed her right hoof, which had been slammed into the door. Ink rolled his eyes and kept driving, occasionally adjusting the volume on the radio. After fiddling with the dial, he eventually settled on a rock station and did his best to ignore his two passengers, who were eagerly chatting about….whatever it is mares chat about, he guessed. The traffic in this part of town wasn’t too bad today, and he made it to the Ponyville Airport without getting stuck in traffic for more than a half-hour. Driving up to the gate, he flashed his press badge at the guards and waited until Applejack and Lens did the same. Parking next to a large white news van, he gathered his notebook and pencil and headed to the area reserved for the press. Pushing his way through the crowd, he noticed the hangar had been equipped with a large curtained stage right next to it, making him shake his head and wonder just how much she had actually changed, if at all. He took a seat by the front and waited for the show to begin. “So, what exactly are we waiting for? Is this how new weapons are usually shown off?” “This is how Trixie always does things,” he answered, not even taking his eyes of the sage to address Applejack. “I should know, I dated her.” The orange mare raised an eyebrow at that and asked, “‘That so?” “Ancient history Smallfry. It never turned into anything; Trixie was concerned about one thing and one thing only, and that was Trixie. Besides, it gets sickening after a while to constantly hear someone refer to themselves in the third person.” “Ladies and Gentlemen!,” an unseen announcer boomed from the gigantic set of speakers on the side of the stage, “please give a warm welcome to the Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon, owner and CEO of TrixCorp!” The assembled crowd stood up and clapped enthusiastically, all except Ink and his newest partner. He snorted at the obvious ego-boost this was supposed to give Trixie and blinked at the multiple camera flashes. A fog machine started spewing a thick grey smoke, before a blue unicorn strode out of it, fore legs outstretched as she took in the applause as a plant takes in sunlight. I gotta’ admit, Trixie always did know how to put on a show. Whatever happens, I have a feeling it’s definitely going to be interesting. ************************************************************************************************ Applejack watched the show with a calm look on her face, waiting for the actual presentation to start. Fireworks streamed into the sky as she wrote down a few initial notes, and after a few more airbursts, the cacophony winded down until all was quiet again. The star of the show stepped up to the microphone and began her spiel “Ladies and gentlecolts, Trixie would like to thank you all for coming here today. She hopes you enjoyed the little pregame show, as they say in sports, and she sincerely hopes you’ll find the real show just as entertaining. Behold, the TrixSuit XJ9!” The purple star-embroidered curtain pulled back to reveal a pony-sized exosuit. It was light blue with a deep purple T-shaped visor, with a mouthpiece almost resembling insect mandibles. After letting the audience cheer and clap for a few seconds, Trixie quieted them down and continued. “What you are witnessing now is the next evolution in warfare! With this suit, our military will be able to go into dangerous combat situations and suffer almost no casualties. Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound, the TrixSuit is virtually indestructible to all but the heaviest of rounds! To demonstrate this, my assistant will fire nine .45 caliber rounds into the weakest part of the armor, the neck region. Take it away Clemency!” A beefy stallion stepped out from behind the curtain and fired the large pistol into the neck area of the armor with uncanny accuracy, the newsponies gasping at the way every bullet bounced off its intended target without even a scratch on the suit. Applejack scribbled down a few notes while this was going on, almost missing the whine of a missile heading straight for them. Jumping up, she said, “Sorry guys, I have to use the little cowgirl’s room. Ah’ll be right back!” Pushing past the reporters, she took her briefcase with her and, ignoring the quizzical look from Ink, ducked behind an old hangar. There, she quickly changed into the red and blue outfit and flew towards the missile as fast as she could. By the time she reached it, it was less than 300 yards from the demonstration, the roar of its engine loud enough to catch the attention of the crowd. Panicking, they scattered, with Trixie and her assistant retreating to the safety of their long black limo. Quickly scanning over the missile with her X-ray vision, she used her heat vision to disable the warhead and grabbed the now-deactivated rocket from underneath, guiding it into an empty field behind the hanger. Just as soon as that was over, however, several unmarked helicopters flew overhead, six armed ponies rappelling down onto the hanger. Hooking large chains onto the suit, they quickly moved to establish control over the area, herding the confused reporters into a hanger. “Taking hostages? Not on my watch, ya’ varmints.” Taking off for the nearest thug, she slammed her fist onto the side of his head, being careful to not use her full strength. Seeing their comrade fly into a pile of wooden crates, two of the other goons opened fire on her, only to have their jaws drop at the sight of them bouncing harmlessly off of her. “Sorry boys, that’s not going to work,” she said. Her eyes started glowing red, the gun barrels melting under the intense heat. Dropping the guns, they tried to run to their teammates before bumping right into her. “Wha-what are you!?” one of them shrieked, stumbling back. “The mare that’s going to take you in. So are you going to come quietly, or are we going to have to do this the hard way?” The two thugs shared a quick look of terror before bolting in the opposite direction. Sighing, Applejack quickly dispatched them as well as the rest of their team, dropping their unconscious bodies in front of the newly-arrived police. Ignoring their shouts, she flew off to chase after the helicopters. After a few seconds of searching, she spotted them heading west and moved to head them off, drawing the attention of the two pilots in the process. Their jaws were hanging open at the sight of a flying pony, before they regained their senses and fired their machine guns as her. Stalling a bit as the force of the bullets pushed her back, she forged ahead and landed on the glass cockpit of the lead one, breaking the glass in a single punch. The pilots quickly ejected, their seats flying up and soon floating into the crowd of police waiting below. Applejack set her sights on the next helicopter just as one of their missiles slammed into her. Dazed, she tried to regain her balance before the launched another one. Waiting at just the right moment, she dodged it and was about to take off after the helicopter again before hearing screams of terror. Turning around, she saw to her horror that the missile had hit a commercial airliner, which was now heading straight for a crowded area of the city. Ignoring the helicopter she flew towards the airliner, wondering how she was going to stop it. Smoke streamed out from the engine while she grabbed on of the wings. She pulled with all her strength, only to have the wing snap off and cause the plane to start spinning out of control. “Stupid! Ah’m definitely not doin’ that again,” she berated herself. Flying in front of the plane, she pushed her body up against the nose, denting it while trying to fly against the direction the plane was heading in. Noticing a slight decrease in the plane’s speed, she kept it up, steering it a bit to avoid hitting any skyscrapers as she tried to navigate it towards the park while it continued to sink lower and lower. After a while, she was able to gain control of the plane just before it hit a statue and held it high above her head. Breathing a sigh of relief, she set it down and jumped slightly as she noticed the large crowd surrounding her, taking pictures and videos of the event with their camera phones. She flashed them an uneasy smile before flying back to the airport to change. ************************************************************************************************ “So, anyone wanna’ tell me what this is?” Silvermane was pointing at an enlarged photo on a projector. It depicted an orange mare in a blue suit, red cape twirling behind her. A large red S-shield was prominent on her chest, its yellow background gleaming in the light. The middle-aged stallion continued pacing in front of the projector while he went on, “This paper has a responsibility to the people of this city, and they’re practically lighting a fire under my ass for answers. Who is she? Where did she come from? Why is she here, what does she want? Can anyone tell me?” Lens Flare leaned back in her chair and replied, “Honestly, we don’t know Chief. She just suddenly appeared, saved everyone, and left. We didn’t even get her name.” “Nice ‘S’.” The assembled reporters all turned to stare at Ink, who began blushing and said, “Well it’s true. That is a pretty decent logo. Fitting for a supermare.” “Supermare huh? I like the sound of that,” Silvermane stroked his chin. “Ink, I’m giving that TrixCorp story to Applejack. Your new assignment is to find this ‘Supermare’ and get and interview outta’ her. Don’t argue, this isn’t up for debate.” Ink shut his mouth, not in the mood for arguing with his editor. He studied the picture of his new target a little more, thinking there was something about her that was vaguely familiar. Taking his leave, he walked out of the office and headed down to his car to call it a day, Lens following after. “Hey Lens. Have you seen Smallfry anywhere? I lost track of her after we got back,” he said as he glanced at her. “AJ?” Lens asked. “I think she said something about visiting her grandma or something. Any ideas on how you’re going to interview this ‘Supermare?’” “A few,” he lied. Truth be told, he had no clue how he was going to catch someone who could fly faster than a helicopter and catch a falling plane. “I’ll let you know as soon as I’m ready to carry ‘em out.” “Maybe we could talk about it over dinner?” she asked, the slightly hopeful tone in her voice escaping Ink’s attention. “I’d love to, but I have a few bills to pay. Electricity ain’t free, especially in this town. Have a good one Lens.” “See ya’ later Ink,” Lens replied. Sighing as she watched the stallion leave, she gathered her things and left.
