AppleJack didn’t think she was the right pony for a Big Heroine Destiny. Oh, she wanted to be. She wanted to be the great Earth Pony savior of Equestria, glorious and brave. She wanted to do all the wonderful things expected of her. She wanted to look at the land, figure out what was broken, and fix it. But she wasn’t a natural-aged heroine. She had no legendary qualities at all. She liked farming more than studying, and she kept losing chickens in the caves during tracking practice because she was paying attention to her friends instead of watching for feathers.

She was all right at fighting. But “all right” wasn’t going to stop the war and save the pony tribes, Changeling tribe and HyppoGryth tribe. She needed to be extraordinary. She was the strongest mare, so she was supposed to be the brave, tough one. The minders wanted her to be bravely dangerous. AppleJack felt about as dangerous as cauliflower.

“Fight!” her attacker howled, flinging her across the cavern. AppleJack crashed into the rock wall and scrambled up again, trying to grab her hat. Red wings raked at her face and she ducked away. “Come on,” the red Pegasus snarled. “Stop holding back. Find the killer inside you and let it out.”

“ah'm trying!” AppleJack said. “Maybe if we could stop and talk about it--”

She lunged for AppleJack again. “Feint to the left! Roll right! Use your special ability!” AppleJack tried to duck under her wing to attack the Pegasus from below, but of course she rolled the wrong way.

One ofthe Pegisi's hooves smashed her to the ground, and she yelped with pain. “WHICH LEFT WAS THAT, USELESS?” Amber bellowed in her ear. “Are all Earth Ponies this stupid? OR ARE YOU JUST DEAF?”

'Well, if you keep that up, ah' will be soon.' AppleJack thought. The Pegasus lifted her hoof and AppleJack wriggled free.

“ah' don’t know about other Earth Ponies.” She protested, flicking rubble off her hat with one hoof. “Obviously. But perhaps we could try fighting without all the shouting and see--” She stopped, hearing the familiar sound that came before one of Amber’s SoundBlast. AppleJack took her hat off, lowered her head down, and rolled into the maze of stalagmites that studded one corner of the cave. Lava-coloured sound waves blasted the rocks around her, singeing the tip of his her gur.

“Coward!” the older pony bellowed. She smashed one of the rock columns into a shower of sharp black pebbles. AppleJack covered her eyes and almost immediately felt Amber stamp down hard on her tail.

“OW!” She yelled. “Ya'll said stomping tails was cheating!” Sye seized the closest stalagmite between her hooves and scrabbled up on top of it. From her perch near the roof, she glared down at her guardian.

“I’m your teacher.” Amber snarled. “Nothing I do is cheating. Get down here and fight like a Pegasus.”

'But ah'm NOT a Pegasus.' AppleJack thought rebelliously. 'Ah'm a Earth Pony! Ah' don’t like breaking things with one buck or running around in circles hitting at any species.' Her hooves still ached from Ambers’s well-built body.

“Can’t ah' fight one of the others?” She asked. “Ah'm much better at that.” The other Elements were her own size (nearly), and they didn’t cheat (well, most of the time). She actually liked fighting with them.

“Oh, yes? Which opponent would you prefer, the hyperactive Changeling or the lazy Unicorn?” Amber said. “Because I’m sure you’ll get to choose out on the battlefield.” Her wings glowed like Lava as she striked them back and forth.

“Rarity’s not lazy,” AppleJack said loyally. “She’s just not built for fighting, that’s all. Onyx says there’s not much to fight about in the Unicorn tribe because the Unicorns have all the jewels they want. He says that’s why they’ve stayed out of the war so far, because none of the rival tribe queens want Unicorns in their armies anyway. He says--”

“STOP YAMMERING AND GET DOWN HERE!” Amber roared. She reared up on her back hooves and flared her wings so she suddenly looked hoof bigger. With a yelp of alarm, AppleJack tried to leap to the next stalagmite, but her hooves missed and she smacked into the side of it instead. She let out another yowl of pain as Amber flew up between the columns, seized AppleJacks blonde tail in her teeth, and yanked her out into the open. Her wings closed around AppleJacks neck as Amber hissed in her ear.

“Where’s the violent little foal I saw when you aged? That’s a pony we need for the prophecy.”

“Gawp.” AppleJack squawked, hitting at her grip. She could feel the strange scars on Amber's wings scraping against AppleJacks fur. This was how battle training with Amger always ended--with AppleJack unconscious and then sore or limping for days afterward. 'Fight back' she thought. 'Get mad! Do something!' But although she was the strongest of the Elements, they were still a year away from being fully grown teenagers, and Amber was way bigger than her.

She tried to summon some helpful violent rage, but all she could think was. 'It’ll be over soon, and then I can go have dinner.'

So, not the most heroic train of thought. Suddenly Amber let out a scream and dropped him. Spears made of water blasted over AppleJack’s head as she hit the floor with a thud. The red Pegasus whirled around. Behind her, panting defiantly, was the Element of Kindness, SilverStream. A Lava-red feather was caught between her white teeth. She spat it out and glared at their teacher.

“Stop picking on AppleJack!” SilverStream shouted. “Or I’ll strike you again.” Her light-pink fur shimmered like peaches in the torchlight. The sea-crystal necklace around her neck were glowing like it always did when she was angry.

Amber sat back and flicked her tail around to examine the strike mark. She flared her wings at SilverStream. “Aren’t you sweet. Protecting a pony who tried to hurt you while you were still a foal.”

“But luckily you big adults were there to save our, lives.” SilverStream said. “And we sure appreciate it, because now we get to hear about it all the time.” She marched around to stand between AppleJack and Amber. AppleJack winced. She hated hearing this story. She didn’t understand it. She’d never want to hurt the other Elements. So why had she attacked them during their ageing process? Did she really have a killer monster inside her somewhere? The other caretakers, Onyx and Cliff, said she’d been ferocious when she aged. They’d had to throw her in the river to protect the other foals from her. Amber wanted her to find that monster and use it when she fought. But she was afraid if she ever did, she would hate herself, and so would everypony, Pinkie and SilverStream. Thinking about what she’d nearly done to her friends made her feel like all the strength had been sucked out of her.

She didn’t particularly want to be a violent angry monster, even if Amber thought that would be an improvement. But maybe that was the only way to make the prophecy come true. Maybe that monster was her destiny.

“All right,” Amber said dismissively. “We’re finished here anyway. I’ll mark another failure in your report,
Earth Pony.” She flapped a small SoundBlast into the air and swept out of the cave.

AppleJack flopped down on the floor as soon as Amber's purple tail had vanished from sight. It felt like every part of her nody was stinging from the cuts and bruises. “She’s goin' to be so mean to you during your training tomorrow.” She said to SilverStream.

“Oh, no,” the Element of Kindness gasped. “I’ve never seen Amber be mean before! That’ll be so unexpected and out of character!”

“Ow.” AppleJack groaned. “Don’t make me laugh. Ah' think my ribs are broken.”

“Your ribs are not broken,” SilverStream said, poking AppleJack in the side with one talon. “Earth Pony bones are almost as hard as diamonds. You’re fine. Get up and jump in the river.”

“No!” AppleJack buried her head under her hat. “Too cold!”

'Jump in the river' was SilverStream’s solution for everything. Bored? Aching bones? Being dirty? Brain overstuffed with the history of the war? “Jump in the river!” she’d shout whenever any of the other Elements complained. She certainly did not care that she was the only one who could turn into a Sea Pony or that most other tribes hated getting wet. AppleJack didn’t mind being wet, but she couldn’t stand being cold, and the underground river that flowed through their cave home was always freezing.

“Get in,” SilverStream ordered. She seized AppleJack's tail between her front talons and started dragging her toward the river. “You’ll feel better.”

“ah' will not!” AppleJack shouted, hitting at the smooth stone floor. “ah'll feel colder! Stop it! Go away! Argh!” Her protests went up in a cloud of bubbles as SilverStream dumped AppleJack in the icy water. When AppleJack resurfaced, SilverStream was floating beside her, flipping her Sea Pony tail and splashing water over her mane like a beautiful overgrown fish. AppleJack felt like a gawky orange blob next to her. She then splashed into the shallows and layed down on a submerged rock ledge, with her head resting on the bank of the river. She wouldn’t admit it, but the scratches and aches did feel better in the water. The current helped wash away the smoky rock dust caught in her dry fur. Still too cold, though. AppleJack scratched at the rock below her. Why couldn’t there be just a little tree down here?

“Amber will be sorry one day, when I’m queen of the HyppoGryths.” SilverStream said, swimming up and down the narrow channel.

“Ah' thought only the Queen’s, Tribe co-owner's daughters or sisters could challenge her for her throne,” AppleJack said. SilverStream swam so fast. AppleJack wished she was a HyppoGryth so she can turn into a Sea Pony, and she would be so powerful she could nearly empty the river with one big splash.

“Well, maybe the HyppoGryth queen is my mother and I’m a lost princess,” SilverStream said. “Like in the story.”

Everything the Elements knew about Equestria came from books picked up by the Hooves of Peace. Their favorite was The Missing Princess, a legend about a runaway HyppoGryth filly whose royal family tore up the whole ocean looking for her. At the end she found her way home, and her family welcomed her with open wings and feasting and joy. AppleJack always skipped the adventures in the middle of the story. She just liked that last part...the happy mother and father. And the feasting. The feasting sounded pretty great, too.

"Ah wonder what my parents are like.” AppleJack said.

“I wonder if any of our parents are still alive,” SilverStream said.

AppleJack didn’t like to think about that. She knew Ponies, Changelings and HyppoGryths were dying in the war every day...Amber and Onyx brought back news of bloody battles, destroyed land, and rotted piles of bodies. But she had to believe her parents were still safe. “Do you think they ever miss us?”

“Definitely.” SilverStream flicked a spray of water at AppleJack with her tail. “I bet mine were frantic when Onyx stole me. Just like in the story.”

“And mine tore apart the farmlands.” AppleJack said. They’d all imagined scenes of their parents’ desperate searches ever since they were young foals. AppleJack liked the idea that somepony out there was looking for her...that somepony missed her and wanted her back.

SilverStream flipped onto her back, gazing up at the stone roof with her translucent blue-violet eyes. “Well, the hooves of Peace knew what they were doing,” she said bitterly. “No HyppoGryth would ever find us down here.”

They listened to the river gurgle and the torches crackle for a moment. “We won’t be underground forever.” AppleJack said, trying to make SilerStream feel better. "Ah' mean, if the Hooves of Peace want us to stop this war, they have to let us out sometime.” She scratched behind her ear thoughtfully. “Twilight says it’s only two more years.” She only had to hold on that long. “And then we can go home and eat as much as we want.”

“Well, first we save Equestria.” SilverStream said. “And thenwe go home.”

“Right,” said AppleJack. How they were going to save Equestria is a little fuzzy, but everyone one of them seemed to think they’d figure it out when the time came. AppleJack pulled herself out of the river, her soggy hat heavy and drooping. She twisted it front of one of the torches, arching her neck and trying to get warm. Feeble waves of heat wafted against her fur.

“Unless . . .” SilverStream said.

AppleJack lowered her head to look at her. “Unless what?”

“Unless we leave sooner,” SilverStream said. She flipped over and pulled herself out of the water in one graceful motion, turning herself back into a HyppoGryth in an instant.

“Leave?” AppleJack echoed, startled. “How? On our own?”

“Why not?” SilverStream said. “If we can find a way out...why should we have to wait another two years? I’m ready to save Equestria now, aren’t you?”

AppleJack wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready to save the land. Shee figured the Hooves of Peace would tell them what they had to do. Only the three guardian ponies...Amber, Onyz, and Cliff...knew where the Elements were hidden, but there was a whole network of Hooves of peice members out there getting ready for the prophecy.

“We can’t stop the war by ourselves,” AppleJack said. “We wouldn’t know where to start.”

SilverStream flapped her wings at AppleJack in exasperation, showering her with cold droplets. “We can too stop the war on our own.” she said. “That’s the whole point of the Elements of Harmony being a thing.”

“Maybe in two years.” AppleJack said. 'Maybe by then I’ll have found my dangerous side. Maybe then I’ll be the ferocious fighter Amber wants me to be.'

“Maybe sooner." SilverStream said stubbornly. “Just think about it, all right?” AppleJack shifted her hooves. “All right. Ah'll think about it.” At least that way she could stop arguing with SilverStream.

SilverStream cocked her head. “I smell dinner!” The faint smell of fresh fish and apples came up from the tunnel behind them. She poked AppleJack cheerfully. “Race you to the hall!”

She whirled and pounded away without waiting for a response.The torches in the battle room seemed dimmer, and cold water was seeping down AppleJack’s fur. She placed her hat back on ner head and swept her body through the debris of the smashed rock column.

SilverStream was crazy. The five Elements weren’t ready to stop the war. They wouldn’t even know how to survive on their own. Maybe SilverStream was kind, brave and tough like a hero should be, but Pinkie Pie and Rarity and Twiloght Sparkle...AppleJack thought of all the things that might hurt them and wished she could give them her strength for extra protection.

Besides, there was no way to escape the caves. The Hooves of Peace had made sure of that. Still, part of her couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to go home now instead of waiting another two years. Back to the Farmlands, to the Fields, to a whole tribe of Earth Ponies who worked like her and thought like her...back to her parents, whoever they were...What if they could do it? What if the Elements could escape, and survive, and save Equestria... their own way?

Author's Note

SoundBlast is the Pegisi's special ability. It is an attack where the Pegasus uses a giant wave of sound (that is the colour of there fur) using there wings

WaterRage is the HyppoGryth's special ability. Is is an attack that creates spears made out of water.

(Also, for the Ice ponies BlizzardSlash is a giant slash of ice that is 'minus one thousand degrees.')