Rarity read that line over and over again. I think I’m in love with a stallion... and that made her feel like there was something wrong with her? The world she lived in this was simply the norm, and while other relationships weren’t as common, they weren’t chastised for being in one. Although what did she know? She fucked gold.

Still, the whole thing seemed a little troubling... ‘something is wrong with me’... why? Because she likes stallions?

She had to get to the bottom of this, she flipped to the next page but there was something blocking her light.

Uh oh... something was blocking the lights.

“How far?” Rarity heard an ice cold whisper linger in her ear. The white mare slowly turned around to see Applejack standing over her. She must have gone looking for her journal, and no surprise there, considering what was in it. The Amazon did not look happy to see her and again she asked: “How far?”

Rarity gulped. “Your kiss with Soarin’--” a hand clamped over her mouth before she was able to say anything else.

“Not so loud!” Applejack whispered in a harsh tone. She looked around, seeing if anypony else was there. “Did anypony follow you?” Rarity shook her head. “You sure?” She nodded. “You know last gal who tried sneaking a peek at my journal lost two fingers. Do you want to keep all of yours?” Rarity had never nodded yes so hard in her life. Applejack pulled the white mare out of the grass and closer to the fire and letting her go before taking a seat next to the fire.

Rarity eventually sat down across from her. The two of them just sat there in silence for a few minutes. Neither of them really knew what to say to one another. Applejack looked a little nervous as well as murdery and it was really putting the Platinum Princess on edge until it because too much for her to bear. Rarity just had to say something.

“So... you like stallions...” was all she could really think of. “That’s nice.” There was no response. “Do you... want to talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about...”

“Right...” Rarity muttered. She really didn’t want to go back to the silence. “It’s just... well, as somepony who has also kept an embarrassing secret all locked up, I can say it does help to let it all out. Like... I... don’t like ponies. I like... gold in the way you’d like a mare-or stallion in your case.”

The orange mare looked up at her with a strange look. “You like gold?” Rarity nodded yes. “Huh... that’s odd I guess. Still doesn’t make you evil.”

“Evil?” Rarity wondered. “I mean from what I read I’ll admit that your tribe doesn’t have the most... positive relationship with the rougher sex but is liking one really that bad?”

She got a half-hearted chuckle from AJ. “You think it’s not a big deal? Do you have any idea what they do to straight Amazons?” Rarity was hesitant, but slowly shook her head. “I’ll tell you what they do. They denounce you from the tribe and shame you in front of everypony you’ve ever loved for your sin before your former friends and family skewer you with spears and leave you for the wolves.” She got up, marching over to Rarity and leaning over the scared mare. “It’s a death sentence, a rather unpleasant one.”

“I... that’s horrible!” Rarity was in shock, she figured that they’d just throw her in jail or something. But that... it was horrible. “Why don’t you just leave? That has to be better than staying here with these psychos when you could be free.”
“It’s not that simple,” she sighed. “I love being an Amazon, even if there’s things about it I can’t agree with. They’re still my family... and if I were to just run away... I’d be disowned. I’d be branded a coward and disgrace myself as an Amazon. There’s no way I could live with myself if that were to happen.”

“T-then what about faking your death?” Rarity asked, trying desperately to find the mare a loophole. “We could maybe find a-”

“Rarity!” Applejack snapped at her. “I’m not faking my death and I’m not running away.”

Rarity looked confused. “But then... you’re just going to be miserable for the rest of your life?”

“It won’t be so bad... at least this all worked out a lot better than I could have ever imagined. I was honestly worried you were gay after hearing the rumors of you chasing off every stallion that tried to court you.”

“Well... what if... you got kidnapped!” Rarity suddenly smiled. “That’s what happened to me and Rainbow-”

“No.”

“What?” Rarity wondered. “What do you mean, no?”

“I’m not gonna get kidnapped, that’s ridiculous.”

“Well what if you’re not kidnapped but instead you’re ‘kidnapped’ so to speak.” The unicorn suggested. “We head back to the castle, spin a little tale of you fighting ever so valiantly before becoming overpowered and taken somewhere far away where you can... hunt and murder all the small animals you’d like. How does that sound?”

The Amazon looked at Rarity quizzically. “Rarity, do you consider yourself intelligent?”

“I... yes?”

“Then stop saying stupid shit!” Applejack frowned. “I ain’t gonna fake a kidnapping! It’s like stabbing somepony from behind, it’s cowardly and I won’t have any of it.”

“I... you are the most stubborn pony I’ve ever met!” Rarity snapped at her. “I’m trying to help you and you’re acting like... like an ass!”

“Well sorry that I don’t like running away from all my problems!” The orange mare roared right back at her. “I actually have a sense of pride!”

“Well it’s a hell of a lot better than just sitting there and bitching about it!” Rarity growled, getting up from the ground and meeting the Amazon at eye level... even if she had to still look up a little. Applejack was intimidating but she was pissed off, and no amount of fear was going to shut her up. “That’s your problem, Applejack. You don’t want to solve anything, you just want to complain about it and write it all down in your little diary!”

“I didn’t sit around and do nothing, I had a plan!” Applejack barked.

“Oh, and what was this oh-so wonderful plan of yours, hmm?” Rarity asked sarcastically. “I’m just dying to hear it!”

“My plan was to die fighting that dragon!”

Silence.

Rarity had not expected that. She froze on the spot, shocked. Applejack had wanted to die? She wouldn’t run, she couldn’t confess, she refused to disappear so death was her only option? Rarity wanted to say something, but what could you say to that other than: “Why?”

Applejack sighed, relaxing a little and taking a step back from the white mare. “I... I can’t keep living this lie anymore so I thought I could at least die like an Amazon before anypony found out my secret. You know, go out in a blaze of glory... literally, I was hoping to get turned to ash, book and all. But then when he let me go I just... got so angry, like I was cheated out of my chance to save face with my family.”

“And that’s when you beat him to an inch of his life.”

“He was supposed to kill me!” Applejack yelled. “I had everything perfectly planned! I ditched my weapons, went in alone, I took my damn clothes off for crying out loud! I was even holding back when we fought, hoping he’d get the upper hand. I mean I just--I don’t--what else was I supposed to do?”

“I--Well... maybe NOT kill yourself?!” the unicorn suggested. “You’re seriously telling me that you were willing to die to keep your secret? That’s horrible!”

“No, what’s horrible it what they do to you when they find out your secret, like with my...” she paused for a second. “Like... with my mom.”

“Your... mom?”

The orange mare gave another heavy sigh. “Both of my moms were straight... they married each other to hide their secret. My one mom was in love with my dad, a stallion stuck in the breeding fields while my other mom was always going off on ‘hunts’... probably to meet up with her husband or boyfriend.” She gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Hell, there were times where I didn’t see her for years, and she made excuses that she had gone deep up north into the mountains hunting rare game, and sure she always came back carrying some exotic beast so who’s to say she didn’t do that.”

“Oh... I see,” Rarity said. “When did you find out that they weren’t gay?”

“Same day that everything went wrong,” Applejack muttered. “I found out the same day that the rest of the tribe did... the day that everything in my life went sideways.”

*****

12 years ago...

The southern lands of Equestria were always in a state of summer. Everything was hot and humid. Some ponies hated the heat, but some, like the mares of the Amazon tribe, loved it. The light and dryness of the land made living another challenge for them, just how they liked it. Scattered across the plains were the many outposts and villages that these tough as nails women lived and called home.

In the center of all this was the Big House, a behemoth of a hut, walled with the skins of hydras and built with pillars of troll bones. It was here that the Chieftesses lived with their family. It was where a younger Applejack grew up.

An orange mare, freckled-faced and a little over sixteen, yawned and rolled in her hammock. The sun glowed through the holes in the walls that were windows and shining onto her face. It was enough to get her to wake up and fling out of bed. She gave a good stretch before throwing something on and slumbering out of her room and outside where her mother was busy cooking a large beast over a fire.

“Morning ma,” Applejack yawned, drawing the attention of the frizzled maned mare.

Pear Butter, Applejack’s mother, glanced backwards ever-so-slightly before turning back to her cooking. “You know, there was a time when you were a good little girl and rose with the sun every day, early enough to help me make breakfast.”

“Sorry...” Applejack said with another loud yawn. “Just...” she bit her lip a little. She couldn’t tell her mother that she had snuck out to the fields again to talk to Soarin’. She liked her head where it was. “Looking up at the stars?” It almost sounded like she was asking a question. Applejack wasn’t the greatest liar in the village.

“Stargazing huh?” Pear asked, turning the spit of meat. “Well they are quite beautiful, right now. I suppose I can’t blame you. Just try to get more sleep tonight, OK sugarcube?” Thankfully, Pear Butter seemed to be the most gullible pony in the village. “But with your sister sick with a summer cold and your mother still out on one of her hunts I need all the help I can get.”

“Ah-huh...” Applejack grumbled, reaching for a nearby knife to cut herself off a piece of breakfast. “I hear ya. I’ll try and do better.” She bit off a huge chunk from her knife, not paying her mother much mind. The young mare had other things in her thoughts.

Pear Butter sighed. “Look, after breakfast can you lend a hand? I’m a little overwhelmed.”

“With what?”

“Oh I don’t know, running a whole damn village?” Pear Butter groaned. “Somepony has to organize hunting assignments, figure out who’s going to tend the fields, I have to find somepony to feed and water the stallions, not to mention-”

“I’ll do it!” Applejack blurted out, causing her mother to jump a little. “I mean... since you have so much on your plate, I’ll run out to the breeding fields and make sure the stallions stay alive.”

Pear tilted her head a little with concern. “Oh sugarcube I don’t know...”

“Hey, you’re the one asking for help.”

“Yes, but I was thinking more like cleaning up after breakfast and checking up on your sister,” she said. “I’m sure you don’t want to spend your whole day around filthy animals... what if you tended the cows instead?”

Applejack gave a half-hearted snort at her mother’s little joke. “Uh-huh... Don’t worry about me. Besides, it’s a job nopony wants to do. I’ll just be practicing for when I’m Chieftess.”

That made her mother light up a little. “Really?” she asked gleefully. “Does this mean you finally found a girlfriend?!”

An involuntary shiver ran up Applejack’s spine. This wasn’t the first time her mother had gotten all worked up about her love life. Applejack could hardly even mention another mare’s name without her mom wanting every little detail and when the wedding was going to be. Countless suitors, blind dates and even tournaments to earn her favour had all been set up to try and find Applejack a wife, but all it accomplished was annoying the ever loving hell out of her.

“It ain’t nothing like that,” the young mare said. “You know what? Just forget it.” She grabbed the rest of the spit of meat and started heading out of the hut. “Hey look, I cleaned up breakfast. Bye!”

“Applejack!” Pear Butter shouted out at her daughter, but it was no use. Applejack was halfway out the door and showing no signs of slowing down. “Damn that girl...”

The sun was nearly blinding as Applejack stepped out of the Big House and was greeted by the hustle and bustle of the village. Mares of all sorts were running around and hard at work, from tanning new leathers to carving up the latest kill. She took another bite of her meat stick and made her way along. The mares of the village would stop for a moment as she passed them to give her a little nod or bow out of respect for who she was. Some of the younger girls would give her a little wink or smile or greet her directly, and it was all AJ could do to give them a little apathetic wave back to those poor fools.

The Breeding Fields were only a short walk outside of town and you couldn’t miss it even if you wanted to. The whole field was guarded by a towering wooden wall, the top wrapped up in various spiky vines and venomous plants to discourage anypony from scaling the fence to escape. There was only one gate in, and there were always a few guards posted at the front to regulate who enters. It had been awhile since AJ had gone in this way, rather than sneaking in around the back through a little fox hole she dug.

As Applejack got closer to the entrance, she noticed a few mares all huddled up around something, a small steel cage. They were jabbing sticks through the bars and laughing with one another as they did so. Upon closer inspection, Applejack saw what they were harassing. Two mares covered in cuts and bruises were huddled in the center, their wilted wings trying to shade them from the sun and the prodding sticks. They were two of the outsiders that had been captured, the pegasi mares. One a bright yellow, the other as blue as a clear sky, sat motionless, unable to do anything about anything.
“Hey!” Applejack barked as she ran up to the Amazons at the cage. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” The girls all turned their heads, looking a little guilty as they tossed away their sticks.

“P-Princess Applejack!” One of them gulped, trying to hide her guilt with a smile. “W-What are you doing here?”

“Have you girls lost your damn minds?!” AJ shoved passed them to check up on the caged mares. “We’re supposed to be trying to convince them to join us! How is harassing them gonna make them change their minds?”

“It’s not, princess. That’s the point.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. It was an all too familiar voice that had bothered her since she was a child. She turned around to see the towering mare that was Sweet Corn, the biggest bitch in the village. Most Amazons loathed stallions, but Sweet Corn absolutely hated them. It wasn’t surprising that she was the ringleader of this little torture circle.

“Good morning... Princess.”

“Sweet Corn,” Applejack growled. “Where are the guards? There’s no way they would stand for this.

The tall mare had a sinister grin on her face as she slowly walked towards the princess. “I figured they could use a break and that my friends and I would look over the fields and the prisoners. Not many Amazons want to spend all day guarding a bunch of disgraced women and worthless men.”

“And by take care, you meant toy with?”

Sweet Corn laughed. “We were just having a little fun. And let’s face it, these two are so brainwashed by those fucking stallions that they can’t even function properly without their masters. It was a nice idea your grandmother had trying to diversify the gene pool but it’s been almost two months and they haven’t budged. Personally, I think that it’d be better if we just put them out of their misery.”

“Then it’s a good thing that you’re not in charge then,” Applejack huffed. “These mares may be prisoners but they don’t deserve to be tortured like this.” AJ turned around, scowling at the rest of the frightened Amazons. “As for the rest of you, don’t y’all have something better to do now?”

The group of mares took off in a panic, not wanting to press the wrath of the Princess. Sweet Corn was the only one that didn’t run away, but pleasantly strolled off, a sense of accomplishment plastered on her face as she left.

Still, as annoying as she was, Sweet Corn did get rid of the guards for her, and that would make this all a whole lot easier for her. Applejack double checked to make sure everypony was gone before ripping a few chunks of her breakfast off and tossing it into the cage.

“Thanks for not causing a scene,” Applejack said.

“Bloody fucking hell that’s girl’s a twat!” The yellow mare burst out, the seemingly sedated mare bursting to life and devouring the meat in front of her. “You better be grateful for my self-control cause I really wanted to shove those sticks where the sun don’t shine.”

The sky blue mare rolled her eyes with a long groan. “Seriously, Spitfire? And how the hell do you think you’d manage that?”

“I’d find a way,” Spitfire beamed, looking at the chunk of food in her fellow captive’s hands. “You gonna eat that, Fleetfoot?”

“Obviously!” Fleetfoot said, shoving it in her mouth. “What kind of dumb question is that?”

Applejack couldn’t help but laugh a little. When they weren’t pretending to be catatonic, Spitfire and Fleetfoot were two of the most lively ponies that she had ever met. Some nights when the prisoners were brought into the fields she would pop by to check up on them. They were slow to trust her at first but once they got to know Applejack they had a lot of interesting stories about the world outside of the Badlands. All the adventures they’ve been on, the different ponies they’ve met... it was like something out of a fairytale, and they’ve lived it! Applejack was always a touch jealous after hearing their tales, but she loved being an Amazon too much to give it up, even for the thrill of adventure.

“So...” Applejack said, leaning up against the cage. “I’ve been sneaking you gals bits of boar for a while now...”

“Oh great...” Fleetfoot groaned. “Here we go... Look kid, you’re very attractive and I get why you’d want to get with this but--”

“Oh for the-- I ain’t asking for that!” Applejack snapped. Why did they always assume that? “I was talking about my proposal to join the Amazons.” The two pegasi let out a loud gag of disgust. “OK, hear me out! I get it... some ponies like Sweet Corn need a good kick in the teeth, but most of the girls here are really nice. If you just give them a chance I’m sure you two could live a nice life here.”

Spitfire slowly shook her head. “Applejack... you’re a good pony. You mean well, I truly believe that. But what you’re asking from us is impossible. Like, I don’t mind the company of mares late at night. Hell, I prefer it, but Fleetfoot over here don’t swing the same way as me, and you can’t force that. No matter how hard you try.”

“And trust me...” Fleetfoot groaned. “Spitfire has been freaking trying.”

“And I’ll never stop, babe,” Spitfire beamed. “But seriously, even if Fleetfoot was gay or even a little bi we’d never be cool with what they’re doing to Soarin’ and the rest of the stallions here.”

“Well yeah but...” Applejack stammered, trying to come up with a counter argument. “You could both sneak in with me and help take care of them all. You’d get to see Soarin’ all the time and make sure that he’s being taken care of.”

“You’re describing stallions like they’re plants,” Fleetfoot said. “Applejack, you’re a smart girl, you have to know that all of this is wrong, right? How fucked up your society is?”

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Things here weren’t great, but it was home. She was happy with her life, but was that just because she was born a girl? Life was cruel for stallions, but that was how things had always been. Applejack started shaking a little. Even if she knew it was wrong what could she do about it? She was one mare. Taking a stand for the stallions was basically a death sentence.

Spitfire gave Fleetfoot a quick kick. “That’s enough Fleet, you’re scaring her.” She turned to AJ. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, Applejack. We’ll figure something out soon. Anyways, why don’t you head off? We’ve taken enough of your time as is.”

Applejack calmed down a little and nodded. It was nice visiting the two pegasi, but there was somepony else she wanted to meet up with today. The young Amazon waved goodbye to her friends before heading through the gate and into the fields.

There wasn’t much to the fields other than an empty, sunbleached lot of dead grass and a narrow dirt road. The only other thing of note were the rows of stakes pierced into the ground with a weathered stallion tied to them. It always broke her heart to walk passed all these worn downed men, hanging limplessly, little more than skin and bone, their spirits crushed from a lifetime of submission to their female masters. Even as she walked passed them they barely paid her any mind, it wasn’t worth the energy for them to try and look up. There were only a few ponies among them that had the strength to look up at her. And one of these stallions was the fresh meat they caught not too long ago. Isolated from the rest of the fields, it was a tall, ripped stud with a greasy black mane and light blue fur.

Soarin’ was smiling as he usually was. Despite being tied up for almost two months in the hot sun his spirit never seemed to damper, and when he saw Applejack walking towards him he did his best to wave with his tied up hands.

“Hey, good morning Applejack!” He yelled. “Fancy seeing you here!”

Applejack turned red as her heart skipped a few beats. Just the sound of his voice was like heaven. She quickened her pace and ran right up to Soarin’, stopping just short of running into him.

“H-hey...” Applejack stammered, her fingers twiddling little knots in her hair. “I know I said I’d see you tomorrow night b-but...” She was nervous, why was she so nervous? “I offered to feed the men today.”

“Well that was sweet of you,” Soarin’ chuckled. “Of course, any excuse to talk to you is good in my books. So what’s new with you? Anything interesting going on today? Seriously I’ll take anything at this point.”

“Nothing much...” The Amazon shrugged, her fingers getting tangled in her golden locks. “Just the same ol’ crap on a different day. I did run into Spits and Fleet on the way in. They’re...” She paused for a moment, not sure if she wanted to upset Soarin’ with the news of how they were treated.

After a few seconds of silence, Soarin’ spoke up. “That bad, huh?” He asked, his smile waning a bit. “You’ve been talking to them like I’ve asked, right?”

Applejack let out a loud groan. “Don’t get me started. Those two are as stubborn as a pack of mules. It doesn’t matter what I say, they care too much about you to betray you like that. It’s kind of admirable when you think about it.”

“Yeah...” Soarin’ grumbled. “A lot of good that’s gonna do us, right? Still, I appreciate you trying.”

“Hey, I’m sure that they’ll come around eventually...”

“Need it to be a bit sooner than--” Soarin’ caught himself, looking a little panicked. “I mean- it’d be nice if they came around sooner rather than later.”

“Hold it, partner,” Applejack frowned. “What do you mean, ‘need to be a bit sooner’, huh?”

“Nothing, just misspoke,” the pegasus said. “Don’t read too much into it.”

“Soarin’,” Applejack got right up in his face, glaring him down. “Tell me.”

Soarin’ coward a little in the intimidating presence of the Amazon. He didn’t really have much of a backbone in these cases. “Look... I’m going to tell you what I mean, but you have to promise not to do anything crazy when I tell you, you promise?” Applejack nodded and he continued. “OK then... so you know how your grandmother hasn’t executed any of us because we’re pegasi and she wants some winged Amazons? Well she’s getting kind of fed up with Spitfire and Fleetfoot being so uncooperative, so much that she’s given them an ultimatum...” He was shaking a little, still trying to keep his smile. “They can either join the Amazons or they’re going to be executed by the end of the week.”

Applejack froze. This had to be a joke, right? Soarin’ was usually a funny guy but even he could tell a really bad one, right? She looked at him, waiting for the punchline or the misdirection or something to show that this wasn’t true. But all she saw was his smile drop and a few tears roll down his eyes.

“No... My-my Granny wouldn’t do that!”

“I’m so sorry, Applejack,” Soarin’ said. “I wish I was lying, but this is why you have to convince them to join them! I’m helpless to do anything about it, but you can still keep my friends alive! It might not be the life they want, but it’s still a life!”

“B-but... if they know this and are still saying no...”

“They have this stupid notion that they’re being honorable to stick it out for my sake,” Soarin’ said. “But I don’t want that. I just want my friends to be safe.”

Applejack was still a little loss. Her Granny, a mare she’d looked up to her entire life had sentenced two mares to death for not conforming to the Amazon ways. The young mare started wondering if this was the first time this had happened, or if she had just been blind to all of it before. Did her mothers know about this as well? Did they support this? Spitfire and Fleetfoot were good mares that didn’t deserve any of this, and now they were going to die because they were different? It was all just so...

Wrong.

“No...” Applejack said, her fists shaking with a newfound rage. “I won’t let that happen.”

“So you’ll get them to see reason?” Soarin’ asked hopefully. The mare shook her head as she reached up to ropes binding Soarin’s hands to his stake and quickly untied them. He fell to the ground. “What are you do-”

He was cut off by a pair of lips pressing against his. Applejack’s kiss had caught him off guard with her sudden burst of bravado. The first time they kissed it took Applejack three hours to finally work up the courage to make the plunge. She had been confused with her feelings and what they meant but now, after hearing all of this she knew that what she felt wasn’t wrong.

It was the world around her, and she was going to fix it.

She broke the kiss with the dumbfounded stallion. “Get up, sugar cube,” Applejack said. “I’m gonna need a hand.”

“With what?” He asked.

“Freeing all the stallions and your friends,” Applejack said. “We’re all getting the hell out of here.”

Author's Note

Yeah that took a little long to do. I hope things can move along a little better from now on. Had to rethink where I wanted this story to go so that took some time.