Author's Note
The slight self harm idea Applejack has is the only one she has in the story, so while it's tagged self harm, know that that's as far as it goes.
This is a fun DC/MLP idea I had, so I hope you guys enjoy it! There are a LOT of stories planned, and you'll soon all find out what is up with the attack by Tirek, and what has happened to the Mane 6!
Applejack is, ofc, Superman. Not the most obvious choice, but I enjoy it! While I prefer hopeful Superman stories with a more optimistic outlook, this one will serve almost like a Man of Steel Fix Fic since Applejack's personality requires a more "cynic turns optimist" story but don't worry! This isn't gonna be all moping!
Curious if anyone can guess who Luthor is gonna be... Or what is up with Rarity...
Also, Twilight is standing in for a famous DC character, it should be easy to guess!
Everything Changes
Twilight Sparkle repositioned her wheel chair and wove back to the kids she had just helped cross the street. She beamed brightly as the kids hopped along on their merry way, even if a small part of her wished she could do the same.
Well, maybe not hope, she thought with a small laugh as she wheeled herself down a familiar sandy grassy path, shaded by warm and lush trees. She wasn’t much of a hopper, really, more of a runner, a pacer, as Spike would joke.
She wouldn’t have minded a good pace, it wasn’t the same flow when she had to jerk her chair around every few moments.
Twilight shook her head to remove the silly thoughts. Wishful thinking, even in a world with magic, was of no use. She was bound to this chair for an indefinite period, and she would just have to get used to it.
“Keep a stiff upper lip, as Rarity would say. Or, perhaps more fittingly, when life gives you apples, make apple cider.”, Twilight bemused as she approached her destination: Sweet Apple Acres.
Twilight had only really known the aforementioned farm and its honest manager for a few years, but despite that it felt as much like a home to her as the one she spent her fillyhood in. One could easily understand why: From its quiet and peaceful evenings to its delicious apple pies, what was there not to love about Sweet Apple Acres?
But of course, there was one thing Twilight loved most about the place, and it was…
“Applejack!”, Twilight called, a smile that hoped against hope on her face. She sat there eagerly, bracing with anticipation, her thoughts running wildly as to where this meeting would go.
For truth be told, Twilight’s visit to the farm was not her first in the last six months, but it sure felt like it. The reason was one she faced every morning when she woke up and every evening when she went to sleep.
“Thank Celestia Tirek had only grazed her.”, Twilight thought as the door swung open, a strange breaking sound heard, and a strange looking face that somehow belonged to her dear friend Applejack greeted her.
“Oh, uh, howdy, Twilight! What brings you here on this, uh, fine mornin’?”, Applejack asked, clear hesitation in her voice. She looked both ways, almost like she was trying to keep something a secret.
“Just a visit, AJ! That’s what friends do, you know!”, Twilight replied, and she wheeled herself up the ramp to start entering the house.
Applejack reluctantly allowed her inside, but her shifting eyes moved with no inhibition. “Oh, uh, great! Come on in! I was just whippin’ up a batch of apple fritters!”
Twilight didn’t know whether to laugh or worry over Applejack’s blatant and infamously horrible lying. Deciding not to trouble her friend, she decided to save her the expense of cooking some on the spot. “I’d love that Applejack, but I had a big lunch, so you don’t need to do anything.”
A strange mixture of disappointment and relief crossed Applejack’s face, before the earth pony decided to sit with her guest, after giving Twilight a little help in getting off of her wheelchair. The couch jumped a little as AJ sat down, and her face looked very red.
“Are you all comfortable like? Need me to get ya somethin’ to drink? Or maybe a pillow, or…”, Applejack began to ramble, and Twilight comforted her. She hated being fussed over, but she gave AJ a break considering…
Well, she wasn’t gonna bring it up. Not now. Maybe not ever.
“It’s all right, AJ, I’m fine! In fact, this is way comfier than my bed back home!”, Twilight joked, and a small smile that soon gave way to the regular frown formed on Applejack’s face. The two sat there for a moment in silence as the bright rays of the sun lit up the lonely and dreary farm.
“How’s harvest been going?”, Twilight asked, and Applejack winced for a moment, before replying. “Oh, well, Granny Smith and Big Mac are still not fully fit, ya know, so I’ve been takin’ up their shifts.”
“Can’t be easy. I remember when we first met, you did that without any prompting.”, Twilight giggled, and Applejack thought back to that period with a melancholy smile.
“Those were the days. Before Tirek, before all this, before I remembered I was…”
Applejack shooed the thoughts away. Dear Celestia what she would do to forget! But she couldn’t. Nothing could ever bring her back to those simple days. Nothing.
“Yeah… But I’m managin' to… Help. I’m… I’m doin’ my part.”
“You always do, Applejack! Why, you’re an Apple! If you weren’t the element of honesty you’d be the element of… Helpfulness, I guess!”, Twilight complimented, not realizing she was tearing Applejack’s heart in two directions, ripping the poor organ to shreds.
“Speakin’ of elements, you hear anythin’ from Rarity?”, Applejack asked, hoping to change the subject, but also hoping for… Another thing.
Twilight sighed, tearing Applejack’s heart in a third direction now. “Not since the funeral.”
Applejack sighed, wondering why that nearly hurt more than all the other things. It’s not like there was a shortage of things to be blue about!
“I should've… I should've done more.”, Applejack said, thought a part of her wondered if she wouldn’t have made things worse.
Twilight, sensing her friend’s pain, shook her head and placed a comforting hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “None of us knew, Applejack. None of us could have known.”
“I could've known. I should've come with her. I should've punched that darn stallion in the face, I should've saved you from…”, Applejack raved, her eyes glowing red for a moment, before Twilight once more calmed her down.
“Applejack, you are the most logical pony I know, way more logical than me. There was NOTHING you could have done. Tirek hurt us both. You didn’t put me in this chair. You didn’t do anything. Understand?”, Twilight stated, and Applejack, not agreeing but knowing that a fight with Twilight was the LAST thing she wanted, nodded.
Twilight then hugged herself as she said “…And you know, you didn’t do anything to the others as well.”
“I know I didn’t.”
“Then why haven’t they seen you in 6 months?”, Twilight asked the question that had been bothering her for that period of time.
Applejack struggled for an answer. She didn’t want to lie, but the truth, especially thanks to recent revelations, was… Well, it was complicated.
So instead Applejack told the part of the truth she could spare. “I just need some time.”
Twilight nodded with understanding. She didn’t want this to happen, but she wasn’t just going to force Applejack to do something she didn’t want to do. “It’s ok, Applejack. It’s just… They’re worried, and every time they tried to visit you wouldn’t open the door. Even Pinkie’s upset.”
“…Well tell 'er not to be. I’ll… I’ll be back.”, she lied, and Twilight didn’t detect it to her luck. Twilight knew that in the end, Applejack had to decide.
“All right. I understand.”
“…Ya really do?”, Applejack asked, hoping to feel just a little of that care without it feeling unearned.
“Of course I do! You’re my friend, Applejack!”
Never mind. It still felt unearned.
Applejack helped Twilight back into her chair, and Twilight smiled wearily as she rolled out. “I… I’m happy to see you on your feet at least! I was afraid you’d need a chair like mine too!”, Twilight encouraged, trying to raise Applejack’s spirits.
Applejack smiled grimly and let out a weak laugh. “Yeah… So was I…”
Twilight soon left the scene, and Applejack was once more alone.
But had she really been with Twilight? Had she been alone that entire time?
Had she always been alone?
Applejack sighed once more as she walked, almost floated down the hallway, knowing she had to see it again, to make sure it was real, to at least silence the childish hope that things could ever be the same.
Trotting down slowly, every hoofstep a deafening reminder of how this farm, this home, was no longer truly hers, Applejack reached the kitchen, where she stared at a wall.
For a moment she wondered if a good smack of her head on said wall would help, but she rejected the notion. She’d only smash the wall.
Instead, she moved the dusty cookbook for non apple recipes, causing a whirring sound that revealed a secret compartment in the wall, a secret room.
Walking in and letting the door close behind her, Applejack stepped into the dim light of a wooden room, creaking and ancient.
There was nothing there but a wheelchair she had needed as much as Twilight, only for that need to suddenly disappear, and a wooden desk.
A wooden desk with wooden chairs and a wooden wall that surrounded Applejack. There stood a picture frame of her long gone parents…
Her…
Her parents…
Applejack bit her lip to stop the tears, but they wouldn’t. They wouldn’t stop.
“My parents… They were my parents! This was my home! This was my family!”, she wanted to scream, but she could only whisper the words in pain as she flopped down on the desk next to the other item that sat there moroseully.
She had to hear it… She had to hear it again to kill all her hope.
She could never have hope again, not as long as she lived.
Looking from side to side, just in case, Applejack closed her eyes and as her tears rolled down her cheeks, her snout booped the round ball made of a material she couldn’t begin to identify.
The ball made a strange sound, and it began to open up, revealing a red and blue blanket with an S engraved on it, and a shiny red button.
She pressed the button, and, sitting back to endure the pain, listened to the message that had destroyed her life.
“Our daughter, our little Kara-El… If you find this message, you now know that you are not alone…”
“For you are not of this world… But of one that died long ago…”
“We, your parents, your real parents, sent you here to this farm, to this planet, because we knew that you’d need a new home, one that would let you grow up to who you are meant to be…”
“You are blessed with extraordinary abilities. Ones that will help you be the best person you can be. And, we hope, the happiest you can be.”
“For you, our Kara, you are the last mare of Krypton.”
“Why did you call me up?”
Filthy Rich looked around the organized and spotless office, filled with neatly ordered piles of scoops, articles and gossip pieces all over the many desks. The walls were adorned with framed headlines that had taken their newspaper, The Ponyville Gazette, to the top of the food chain.
“A Princess Paralyzed.”
“Grounded Pegasus”
“Terror of Tirek”
And right above the mare standing with his back to him there stood the headline that had sent the paper skyrocketing:
“Heroes Among Us”
One did not need to see the picture to know whose image was graced on it. For that mare was turning towards Filthy.
“Do you know why people look up to the stars?”
Filthy was surprised by the question. She wasn’t usually this… Philosophical.
He scratched his chin with his hoof. “Well, outside of charting stars, I guess people look up because…”
“Because they wish.”
The mare waved her hoof over the framed headline, caressing the image. “They wish for more. They wish and they wish and they wish upon the stars that dance above them and what do they receive?”
She began to pace away from the picture and towards Filthy. “They receive poverty when they ask for riches, they get hate when they plead for love, and when they beg for peace, tragedy strikes it’s hardest. But they never stop wishing.”
She smirked as she gazed at him, as the sounds of bicycles riding off and construction on the building amplified. “For the one thing ponies desire most are…”
Spoiled Rich’s eyes danced in flames. “…Heroes.”
Filthy rolled his eyes. “I told you, she would never accept an interview! I asked too many times already!”. He walked over to the guest seat, as Spoiled sat behind the desk and sighed. “Darling, you say that as if the other interviews were pieces of cake.”
“Compared to this, they were!”, Filthy retorted, trying not to lose his temper. “Twilight Sparkle was always going to reassure the people of Ponyville, but Applejack does not operate like that!”
“You’re like family to her.”
“WE are like family to her. And family doesn’t just force such things on each other. She needs time to heal…”, Filthy started, and Spoiled interrupted him.
“Filthy, it’s been 6 months. You and I know very well she’s repressing. By letting her speak her pain, you will be allowing her to heal, don’t you see?”, Spoiled explained, sympathy seemingly oozing from her words.
Filthy hesitated. Spoiled was making a good point, but…
“I don’t know. I… I don’t want to push her.”
“You’re smart. You’ll think of something. And remember, this isn’t for us. It’s for the people of Ponyville.”
Filthy looked out the window, the destruction still evident. So many houses had been destroyed. The roads still carried gaping holes. And the ponies who weren’t dead were…
“They need heroes, dear. They need inspiration. She survived. She could light up the hope in their hearts.”, Spoiled stated, and Filthy couldn’t help but agree.
“I promised.”, he breathed, fighting a tear away. “All right…”, he finally said, turning around. “I’ll ask her.”
Spoiled barely suppressed her grin. She sighed contently. “Thank you, darling. Now get to it!”
As Filthy left to his assignment, Spoiled closed her eyes and she could hear it again. The cheers. The tears. The ponies surrounding her in awe, with gratitude. When she had rushed out at the forefront of the chaos, she was more than just a pony. More than just a mare.
When she was out there, she had been like a god among mares.
“Soon, my children. Soon, you will have a hero.”
She stared out at her kingdom.
And she was pleased.
“Are the kids asleep?”
The young filly’s ear twitched from her hiding spot on the stairs.
“They should be. Macintosh goes out like a wink, but Applejack…”
Pear Butter stopped talking suddenly, and Bright Mac placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“You think we’re treating her wrong?”, she asked, as she sat down on the bed, and Bright Mac shook his head.
“I know that they would be pleased. We have done our best to keep her safe. That’s what they wanted more than anything.”
“They?”, Applejack, small and barely noticeable, trying to hide in the shadows but illuminated by the roof lamp, wrinkled her nose at that statement. Her parents conversations always seemed to include this mysterious “they”. Applejack often wondered if the "they" were referring to Princess Celestia. She wondered if they thought she was a good filly. Was she working hard enough? Maybe that’s why her parents were worried about “they”.
“And besides, we love her. She knows that.”, Bright Mac added, and Pear Butter gulped.
“I hope she does, Bright. Cause one day she might… She might think that…”
“No. Pear, you know that’s not true. She’s an Apple. Apples are never alone.”
Applejack smiled at that. She had no doubt in the love her parents held for her, but reassurance was always pleasant. She was so giddy she didn’t notice she was floating slightly off the ground, her tail wagging.
“All right. I guess I should worry about something else anyway.”
Bright sighed and held her in his hooves. “I… Maybe if I train him Mac could help us, we could get a little more…”
“No. Honey, we just need to accept it. This year we’re gonna have a hard winter.”
Applejack’s eyes widened at this. A hard winter? Since when? Sweet Apple Acres was the most successful farm in all of Ponyville!
“We could always ask Filthy, he would never leave us hanging.”
“And we don’t take charity. That stallion would buy you a city, I’d still say no.”
“Yeah, so would I.”, Bright smiled, finding it all rather funny. “How stubborn we all are. Wonder if that will rub off on Applejack.”
“I hope not!”, Pear laughed. “Celestia knows we could use someone more flexible!”
Applejack frowned. Why a hard winter? Was harvest truly going that bad? She wished they would resume their conversation, find a solution, but they seemed… Just ok with it?
It didn’t make sense. Applejack may have been a small filly, but she wasn’t a dumb one. The farm wasn’t just providing for her family, but also for others! All across Ponyville, families, business’, the less fortunate, they all got help from the farm.
Applejack floated around in thought, remembering farmer’s market days that summer. They didn’t sell much, but every customer left with a smile on their face, and hope in their hearts.
Hope.
“It would take a miracle to save this winter.”
Applejack couldn’t bare to hear more of that doom talk. She silently floated outside the door, finding herself in the orchard.
The cold breeze hit her mane, and she giggled as it tickled. She liked the feeling of the sky, and how she could dance on it if she wanted to. She liked how the stars were closer and how she could almost touch them.
And she loved how the trees that gave her so much were now staring right at her, their leaves like a warm blanket.
Applejack looked down at the orchard and felt a frown on her face. There were so many apples to pick, so many gifts to give, but the family didn’t have enough help, enough strength to get them through.
…Or maybe they did.
Applejack grinned when the idea hit her, but then she hesitated. No one really knew that she could do things other earth ponies couldn’t. And she WAS doing it behind her parents backs...
But she quickly shrugged it off and whistled quietly while she worked, zooming around the farm. It felt like she was making a surprise present, and the morning would be like a birthday. The work would be hard, true, and she was tired and wanted her blankey, but this was more important!
So many people needed this. Her family, who had given her so much, needed this.
“An Apple always gives, Sugarcube. We receive so many wonderful gifts from the sky above, and we don’t need to much. So we give to those who could use it. Why else do we have this earth, if not to share the treasures we find?”
Dad said that a lot. Applejack felt like she finally got it.
The next morning, Applejack was so excited she nearly flew in to her parents room, but instead she chose to jump on the bed. “Ma! Pa! Wake up!”
Bright Mac laughed and Pear Butter rubbed her sleepy eyes. “Applejack, honey, isn’t it a little early, even fer us?”
Applejack’s excitement could barely be contained, she felt like she could burst like a balloon. She bounced and bounced and bounced, nodding her head aggressively. “Nope! Ya gotta go outside! I have a surprise fer yall!”
On that note, Bright Mac and Pear Butter exchanged odd glances, before shrugging and getting out of bed. Applejack ran so fast outside it almost seemed like she was running faster than a galloping stallion.
Bright Mac and Pear Butter didn’t know what to expect at first, but when they opened the door, their mouths were agape. Their eyes widened and they could barely formulate a thought.
Applejack, not noticing she was flying in the sky from excitement, presented her surprise. And it was once heck of a surprise. Every single apple in the orchard had been picked. Every. Single. One.
Bushels and bushels, more than thought possible, more than Bright Mac and Pear Butter has seen their entire lives stood in that garden. And Applejack flashed her brightest smile as she awaited their happiness.
But instead, Bright Mac and Pear Butter pulled her back into the barn and locked their room’s door.
Applejack was startled, and her face reacted with dumbfoundedness. “Ma? Pa? What’re ya doin’?”
Bright Mac made sure no one could see them from the window, and Pear Butter sat down on the bed and tried to calm down. Bright Mac was already crying too, and Applejack felt like she could burst into tears too.
“Was… Was mah surprise not good enough?”, she asked, lips trembling. She must have done something wrong… She must have cheated or somethin’…
“No, no, sugarcube!”, Pear Butter reassured, but she and Bright Mac exchanged serious glances. They gulped and nodded, knowing what they had to do. For the most part.
“Applejack… These… Well… Your abilities?”, Bright Mac started, and Applejack gasped. They knew?
“Are they bad? I was only tryin’ to help!”, Applejack pleaded, but her parents again calmed her down.
“You didn’t do anythin’, pumpkin. We’re just… Well, you see… Your abilities are dangerous. We’re worried that you might, well, you might hurt yourself.”, Pear Butter tried explaining.
The two parents looked anxious. They knew why they were. Applejack’s… Biological parents, their message stated Applejack could help this planet. And they didn’t want her to not help. They just wanted her to be careful.
“Can you do that?”
Applejack bit her lip, but she nodded. “…I can. I… I will. That’s a promise.”
And it seemed at first like that would be good enough. Applejack still used her powers sometimes, but she made sure to be careful. She had such plans for what she could do with them, once she put in a little elbow grease to sharpen them. She didn’t even mind it made her different.
But she had not accounted for fear. She had not accounted for what could go wrong.
And as so often does, things went wrong.
The funeral was quiet. Private. It’s how they would have wanted it. The procession later was also small, and familial. The living room was housing a gathering of the Apple’s, and only close family friends were allowed.
“Filthy. I’m… Thanks fer comin’.”, Granny Smith said, struggling to look up from under her black hat.
Filthy merely nodded. “Of course. I… I am so sorry for your loss. I wish there was something I could do.”
Granny Smith permitted herself a chuckle. “Sadly, this is one of the things yer fortune can’t help with. But I appreciate the thought.”
Filthy stepped in and respectfully glanced at the rest of the grieving family. The farm house, usually so full of color and life, now stood in silence. Couches and chairs were filled with aging stallions and mares discussing the two loving parents over apple pie and fresh cider.
Candles lit the dim sky, and the wind blew in lightly.
“Solemn. Yet warm. They would have loved it.”, Filthy observed, and Granny Smith had to agree. “How true. Will you take a seat?”
“Thank you. I… Spoiled couldn’t make it, I’m afraid.”
Granny Smith patted his shoulder to show she didn’t mind, and Filthy took a seat, closing his eyes in silence. “Bright Mac…”, he whispered, wishing he could say more, but struggling to find the words. For him, life had always come easy. But Bright Mac had to work hard for everything, even the love of his life.
Filthy gazed at the assembly of kindred hearts and couldn’t help but wish it had been him.
But a questions soon rose to his mind as Big Mac came in with baby Applebloom in his hooves.
“…Where’s Applejack? Is she… Is she all right?”
Granny Smith shook her head this time. “’Fraid not. That girl is… Well, she’s taking it harder than the rest of us.”
“I can’t begin to imagine. She was right there.”, Filthy replied, and he shivered.
“…I think I’ll go check on her. Can you keep an eye on Applebloom too?”, Granny Smith asked, and Filthy immediately accepted.
Trotting down the hall, Granny Smith peeped into the rooms, but in her heart she knew where Applejack was.
A sharp knock on the door, as was customary with her, before she slowed down and let out two softer knocks. “Dearie, are you in there?”
“Leave me alone, Granny.”
Granny Smith sighed. She should have expected this. Applejack was as stubborn as a mule.
As stubborn as her parents…
“Applejack, I made pie. You don’t want Big Mac to eat it all up, now do ya?”, she half joked, hoping food could entice her granddaughter out.
No response.
“Is this the “teen angst” they keep talkin’ about?”, she half joked once more, but she was getting concerned. Applejack never acted like this.
No response.
Sighing, she finally opened the door with no approval, determined to solve this.
“Ah don’t want guests.”, Applejack muttered. She was sitting on her parents bed, her back to Granny Smith. The room was totally dark, and it was clear from Applejack’s voice that she had been crying for hours.
“But there are guest who want you. Your parents would want you to be there.”
“How can they want anything? They’re gone.”, Applejack replied darkly, and Granny Smith glanced at her sympathetically. “I know they wouldn’t want you in here. Even when they are gone.”
Applejack hated to agree, but it was true. She let out a sob.
Granny Smith drew closer, placing a hand on Applejack’s shoulder. “It would be better for you to share your pain with us. Don’t just carry it alone. We can talk all about it over there, you don’t have to be alone.”
Applejack wasn’t so sure. Applejack wasn’t so sure she didn’t deserve to be alone.
Granny Smith tried once more, but she tried perhaps too hard. “I… I know how ya feel…”
“No.”, Applejack said sharply, and Granny Smith blinked in surprise.
“What do ya mean?”, Granny Smith asked, and Applejack began to breath heavier and heavier, her back arching, her eyes burning with tears. “What ah mean is ya don’t know how ah feel! You never could know what it’s like!”
Granny Smith didn’t change her tone, knowing she’d have to approach this carefully. “I understand that this is hard on you especially cause you were there, I didn’t mean…”
“No, it’s not that! It’s not that I was there! I was there, and I could have stopped it!”, Applejack suddenly shouted, and Granny Smith’s eyes widened. “What… What do you mean, sugarcube?”
Applejack was practically growling now, and she shook and shivered with rage. “What I mean is that I have strange abilities, and I didn’t reach them in time! I could have saved them, but I didn’t! And now my parents, Big Mac and Applebloom’s parents, and your son and daughter in law are dead, because of ME!”
“It’s not your fault.”, Granny Smith stated with complete faith. “Whatever happened, we can deal with it. Whatever abilities you have, we can deal with it. We are family. We deal with these things. Let me help you…”, she said, reaching out…
But Applejack had had enough. She was so guilty, so angry, so frustrated, so depressed…
Her fault…
Her fault…
Her fault…
“I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!”, Applejack screamed, and as she turned around she pushed Granny Smith away from her, and accidentally hurtled her into the wall.
Applejack, now floating, her eyes red, suddenly realized what she had done. Granny Smith could barely stand up, and, kneeling down, she felt her leg. Applejack’s x-ray vision could tell… It was broken…
Applejack began to cry again, a thousand thoughts rushing past her mind. “I… I promised I wouldn’t… I promised I wouldn’t hurt anyone…”
“Applejack, no! It’s…”, Granny Smith started, but Applejack refused to listen. She burst out the window, flying as hard as she could, tears descending to the ground below.
She flew and flew and flew, heart pounding, heard hurting. The night sky felt so lonely and vast. She searched and finally found it.
Two grave stones. For two loving ponies.
Applejack didn’t need to say a word. She had broken the promise.
But she would never break it again.
Sobbing as she embraced the gravestones, Applejack made a silent vow.
And she hadn’t broken it since…
“Come on, Applejack.”
The orange coated mare stared at the tall, sturdy Apple tree, and a hint of jealousy spread across her mind. Her legs tried to emulate the plant, staying strong and willed on the ground.
Once it had been easy. Once bucking a tree was like breathing. A part of her day, an item off the checklist.
But now the memories were back, and with them old problems she had never faced.
What if she struck it too hard? Would the tree be torn from its roots and fly off? Would it crash into a nearby house?
Would it hurt someone?
How could she know? How much power did she really have?
“No, no! I don’t wanna know! I… I don’t have any power! It’s all in mah head!”, Applejack told herself, eyes closing in fear, like she was a filly again, a scared little filly hiding under the bed from a monster.
…Applejack stared down at a puddle, and feeling unease in her heart, stepped on the puddle to remove the stranger from her sight.
Back to the tree it was, then.
“I’m wastin’ time here.”, Applejack criticized herself, pacing around. “I… I gotta do this. The farm, Ponyville, my family… My… My…”
Applejack gritted her teeth and stamped her hoof. “Stop being childish! You have work to do! You have control! Just stop yourself!”
Taking a deep breath, Applejack readied herself. Planting both hooves on the ground, the wet muddy area of the farm sinking in a little, Applejack closed her eyes and focused. She had to be one with the tree, one with the ground. She had to keep back any power she had. She decided she’d kick as weakly as she could to see how hard she really had to go, and hopefully that wouldn’t be to hard too.
Continuing to breath, she thought of them. “…Ma… Pa… Give me YOUR strength. I’d take it in a heartbeat.”
Rearing her hind legs, she sent a small kick, and…
The whole bushel fell on her, burying her in apples.
“Consarn it!”, Applejack cursed, rage erupting in her heart. She had once been able to do this, what was she doing wrong?
Why was she wrong?
At first, she wanted to smash the tree, smash it as far as she could. But she knew that wouldn’t be ok. There was no way to release her anger, no right way…
So instead she sat in the bushel of failure, in her circle of queer behavior, and she began to shed a tear.
“…Some apple I turned out to be…”
“I feel like your parents would disagree.”
Applejack gasped, worst case scenario thoughts plaguing her mind. She turned around to see a familiar face, but not one she felt like familiarizing herself with further.
“You’re really getting ahead on the harvest! I’ve never seen so many apple picked from one tree!”, Filthy commented, genuinely impressed but also killing time on purpose. “I’m sure it’s been hard since, well…”
“Filthy, I’m getting’ mighty tired of sayin’ “no comment” to your newspaper. Why don’t you go on and get?”, Applejack replied with perhaps a little too much bite. Filthy was a little surprised to see such a reaction from the normally kindly earth pony, and Applejack herself knew she had gone a little too far.
“(sigh)…I’m sorry, I just… I don’t want to talk to a reporter.”, Applejack explained, getting back onto her hooves and starting to load the apples into barrels.
Filthy, lending in a hand with some of the apples, replied “Well… Would you like to talk to a friend?”
Applejack, her back turned to Filthy, felt horrible. She didn’t want to make him feel bad, he had been a family friend for a reason, and it wasn’t just because he bought what her family was selling. “Ma and Pa cared for him, and vice versa. I can’t just shoo him away, but…”
Applejack turned to Filthy and looked up to the setting sun, the grey misty skies barely revealing it. “It’s gettin’ awfully dark.”
“I don’t have anywhere to go right now, Diamond Tiara is at a friend’s house.”
“And Spoiled?”
“Spoiled isn’t important right now. You are.”
“You just want a scoop for your paper. You interviewed everyone but me. Just be honest.”, Applejack accused, getting a little impatient. She had to get this done quickly before the guilt set in and she’d feel horrible for helping her “family”, how can a non apple help the apple family…
Applejack tried to resist the urge to cry, while Filthy shook his head. “Honestly? I want to know the daughter of my dear friends is ok. And how I can help her.”
Applejack looked at the orchard. Most of the trees hadn’t been able to produce thanks to Tirek, and even with her “curse”, there wouldn’t be enough apples to keep the family afloat. Either way, it was her fault. Her powers couldn’t stop Tirek, make more apples, save her parents…
“Damn, I wish I had a drink.”, Applejack muttered, before turning to Filthy, who kept on observing her sympathetically. She looked down at the ground, struggling to say anything. “…My fam… The Apple family could use a better farmer than me. And with how old Granny Smith is gettin’… Well, the winter might end up bein’ too cold for u… For them.”
While Applejack turned around and cursed herself, Filthy turned to look at the family farm house. His house was at least three times it’s size, yet somehow the farm house felt grander. He would have jumped at the opportunity to “misplace” some cash, but he knew better.
“You know, before you were born, there was a great storm, the biggest perhaps in all of Ponyville’s recorded history.”, Filthy informed her, sitting down next to Applejack, as she tried to hide her tears.
Applejack nodded. “They said something about that once. The wind was like a whistling tea kettle on a sugar high, no?”
Filthy laughed, and Applejack felt a small smile come to her face. It was nice to see someone smile after all those months. “Your mother had a way with words!”
He made himself comfortable on the grass, his eyes shining as he recalled. “And your father had a way with wood. When that storm passed there was a solitary plank on that patch of grass you call home.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow in surprise. This was news to her.
“I offered my kind of help, of course. I told him I could buy him the exact same house in an instant, I could buy him a bigger house in even less time. It was an impossible job, and my friend worked his flank off every day as it was. It was the least I could do with the most that I had. But Bright Macintosh was like you.”
“…How?”, Applejack asked grimly.
Filthy smiled softly. “He’d go to hell and back to help a fellow, but he’d be damned if he ever asked for any. That winter, starving, carrying a broken arm, he repaired every broken house in Ponyville to the very last plank of wood. Pear Butter and Granny Smith pitched in too, and for a whole 3 months they had nothing but elbow grease and saw dust.”
“But where did they live? There was no farm house!”, Applejack asked, startled but not surprised by her family’s generosity. As if she could ever match up to that.
Filthy turned to her with an offered hoof. “Well, I did what I’m doin’ now: I gave my friend a lifeline. Your family lived with mine those 3 months, and after that I got down and dirty and helped rebuild the house.”
“YOU?”, Applejack asked a little sassily, and Filthy laughed. “I know, I know, I’m not exactly the working type, but honest to Celestia I did. I may not be your father, Applejack, no one can be. But I know who I am. Your friend.”
He slipped her a business card. “You need bits. You need them fast. I can’t just give then to you, but I can give you what I can.”
Applejack shook her head and stood up, slowly trotting away. “Filthy, that’s mighty kind of ya, but I can’t do this. I’m… I don’t even know what job you’d want me for!”
“It’s a simple one, I promise. We’re low on staff reporters for Ponyville, well, for stuff that doesn’t make the front page. We’re thinking of doing a series on people’s experiences after the attack. You won’t have to reveal anything, you’ll be asking the questions, not answering them.”
Applejack wasn’t sure. The farm needed her, but it was true, they needed the bits. This was such a massive departure from who she was, but she couldn’t just leave her… the family starving this winter. Applebloom was barely eating as it was…
Applejack stared at the farm house her father had to be convinced to rebuild. After everything she done to the Apples… It was her fault they were in this mess.
And even if it wasn’t, she at least shared one similarity with her “father”: She couldn’t say no to a pony in need.
She had put all of Ponyville in danger. Least she could do was save the farm and provide those poor ponies with some apple goods.
The most she could do was help, so she did that at least.
Turning around, taking a deep breath, Applejack vowed she would finally give something back.
“…When do I start?”
Author's Note
Lot's of angst this time around! We also have our first looks at Filthy and Spoiled Rich, plus the sadder than usual origins for Applejack! I know things are kind of heavy this time around, but soon we'll be getting more uplifting! Next time, Applejack will be going around Ponyville, slowly discovering that the town needs a symbol of hope...
And maybe it needs to be her.
Author's Note
a lot of translating in this one XD.
a lot of the ideas here are taken from my views of Superman as a symbol of hope for all, especially the oppressed. Everything Spoiled is doing is taken from Superman: Secret Origins by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. This is the end of the first of five parts, shall we say, of Applejack's transformation into the Mare of Steel. Part 2 will take some inspiration from Smallville with Applejack taking on a role similar to "The Blur".
Sorry for how long this one took, I had a lot of projects to work on.
Someone Has To Help
The sizzling, soothing smell of pancakes permeated the kitchen, enveloping the noses of all who occupied it, but Applebloom had more pressing matters to discuss with her big sister. She bounced on her tiny legs as she held her plate with her mouth and muffled excitedly.
“So you’re ACTUALLY taking Mr. Filthy on his offer? Are you going to wear one of those hats? You want mine? As a former reporter, I can give you some pointers! Can you write about how cool I am? Or about how dumb Diamond Tiara is?”
Applejack allowed herself a chuckle. “I thought we said we was done with hurting people’s feelings on the paper!”
“Diamond Tiara ain’t people.”
Applejack shook her head good naturedly and dropped a shimmering stack of pancakes that nearly oozed syrup to the floor. Applebloom placed her plate on the table and started digging in like crazy, shoveling pancakes into her mouth.
“Rarity would have gagged at this.”, Applejack thought melancholically, but she shook her head to get rid of the memory. Enough moping: It was time to get to work.
Placing a satchel on her back, already packed to the brim with pencils, note pads and a light snack, she looked back at Applebloom, who was still eating heartily.
She was still so small…
“Don’t eat too fast, sis. And don’t forget you’ve got a CMC meeting today.”
“Applejack! Why would I forget?”, Applebloom asked, pulling a face.
Applejack laughed in embarrassment. “I just… Just makin’ sure, is all.”
She stayed back for a moment, just to make sure she was still there. She then looked up and shouted out “Big Mac, Granny Smith, you good?”
“Yes, dearie! I think we can finally get some work done in them there fields!”, Granny Smith shouted down.
“Eeyup.”, Big Mac confirmed.
Applejack sighed. They’re still alive, thank Celestia. But would they be when she came back? What if something happened? Maybe she could prevent it…
Or make it worse.
And they needed the money right now more than anything…
But what if she DID control her powers? What if something attacked again, what if…
Applejack gritted her teeth, and began to pace around, trying to reason with herself.
“Nothing will happen, nothing will happen, Tirek is gone, no one is coming, it’s fine, it’s fine, it’s (not) fine GRRR!”
“You all right, sis?”, Applebloom asked from the table, confused as to her big sister’s pacing. She raised a questioning eyebrow.
Applejack gulped and froze, and just like that her heart settled and her brain zipped itself as one fact more important than the rest popped up:
Applebloom, Granny Smith, Big Mac, they needed her right now.
And since she couldn’t save them from physical threats, she could at least get them some extra money to survive the winter.
There was no time to think about what she couldn’t do.
Only about what she could.
“Yeah, Applebloom…”, Applejack struggled to lie through her teeth, but she tried for her sis.
“I’m all right…”
At first glance, it was hard to tell anything was too different about Ponyville. The roads had been mostly repaired, the buildings had been mostly restored, and daily life had mostly resumed.
But that was the key word: “Mostly”.
The florists smiled prettily enough, but their eyes didn’t match the bright colors of the flowers they carried.
Sugarcube Corner may have wafted delicious and soothing smells, but the Cakes tones weren’t quite as sweet as you’d expect.
Even Cranky Dankey Doodle seemed crankier than usual. But in a tired, resigned sort of way.
Surrender.
Tirek may have not beaten them, but their spirits had surely surrendered.
“I guess that would fit in the article. I just wish it didn’t fit so well.”, Applejack thought glumly, as she trotted slowly but surely. She had been trying to keep her head down, out of shame and out of avoiding the triggering memories, but then she reached a part of town she never really visited: The Favelas.
The Favelas were an unofficial nickname by its residents to the less fortunate parts of Ponyville. Applejack had never really frequented the area since she only really visited the town for her friends or for the market, and those were on the other side of town. It made the trek even more unfamiliar, and Applejack was not a big fan of strange new experiences.
From the first step, however, it had her complete attention. Had there been a road there once, she did not know, but whatever the answer was there was now a dirt pass, dust and grime kicking up no matter what way she stepped. It tickled her nose, and she sniffed defiantly to get it out of her system.
Passing a food cart, Applejack greeted the operator with a smile, hoping his day was at least better than hers. “Mornin’!”
“Nnff.”, was the grunt she received in return.
Applejack swiveled her head away, upset at how empty his eyes were, when a cart nearly smashed into her. Applejack barely avoided the careening vehicle, not that the driver minded. “Hey, watch where you’re going, estúpida!”
Applejack stood up slowly, cautiously, but was still clattered into by a bunch of ragged and dirty looking ponies, torn clothes hanging off of their bodies. She wasn’t hurt, of course, but one of the stallions was.
“Ay! Mi hombro!”
“No tiempo, tenemos que apurarnos!”, the others responded, and they rushed off, leaving Applejack in the gathering dust cloud.
“Place could use a real pick me up. Gosh, Rarity would almost bawl!”, Applejack commented in her head, and she frowned sympathetically. She got to live in a nice farm, far off from the chaos. Whatever the area was like before Tirek, it surely only got worse. Everything was dirty, people seemed to be wearing rags, and not a single smile could be spied on anyone’s faces.
And it was her fault.
“Ahh, ahh…”, Applejack suddenly began to sound out, as too much dust had entered her nose. With a mighty blow, she sneezed, and thanks to her extra-terrestial DNA, smashed into a sour elderly lady with a pink purse, buttoned up like her lips.
Applejack was quick to apologize, and quicker to help. “Oh, gosh, I’m SO sorry, ma’am! I had no idea mah sneeze would be as windy as a fall evenin’ in hurricane country.” Noticing the purse lying on the filthy ground, Applejack reached out with her hoof to pick it up for the old lady.
But the old lady was having none of that. “Qué estás haciendo?!”
Applejack smiled good naturedly. “Why, I’m helping you pick up your…”
“Give me that!”, the old lady shouted, offended, and she observed Applejack with distaste. “Gamberra…”, she muttered under her breath, as Applejack continued to apologize.
“Anyhow, I really am sorry, ma’am, I was just a little distracted…”
“Distracted? You’re not from this neighborhood, are you? No, you wouldn’t be… You’re too well off.”, those last words were laced with contempt, and Applejack tried not to let them go under her skin.
“No… No I’m not.”, Applejack said, though she started to wonder if she deserved to.
The old lady stared straight into Applejack’s eyes, judging her in an instant, and gave her the score. “You don’t get to be distracted here. Here you either live, or die.”
And like that she marched straight off to where Applejack was going, which made Applejack even more curious and confused. She had no idea some ponies had such struggles. Most everybody in Ponyville seemed to live comfortably enough.
“…But maybe not everybody.”, she said to herself, and she made a mental note to herself to check this place out. Something was off, she could already feel it.
And her suspicions were immediately doubled when she arrived at her new workplace, only to find the steps swamped by the poor stallions from before, now joined by many, many more ponies. They all looked up, and when Applejack did, she realized why: She had never seen such a tall building in all her life, not even in Canterlot City. She almost doubled over as she did, and as she regained her balance, she thought she could see a figure standing near the top of the building through an open window. Even with her powers, though, it was hard to see, and she found herself almost floating to get a better look, before stopping herself.
“Espero que ella me elija!”, said one Stallion, wheezing as he finished his sentence, a terrible cough errupting from his lungs. “Bless you.”, Applejack said.
“我今天實際上可能會餵飽我的孩子們!”, a middle aged pony with 3 babies in her arms exclaimed in wonderment. Applejack offered to hold one of them for her, attempting to ignore the fear of dropping the child.
“اخترني من فضلك اخترني”, an young pony with a hijab looked up with hope.
Applejack’s curiosity was more than piqued. She looked over to her left and saw a security guard whistle impressively. “This never stops surprising.”
“What does?”, Applejack asked, keeping the baby safe in her arms.
“You don’t know?”, he asked, his eyes widening. Applejack shook her head, and the security guard shrugged. “Well, um… Ever since the Mane 6 failed, we’ve been lookin’ for reasons to check out that big blue sky.”
Applejack bit her lip, nearly shivering. “And?”
“Look up.”
As Applejack did, she was surprised to see the balcony leading out from that window all the way to the top start to move down, like it was floating in midair. The golden, shimmering elevator of sorts swooped down in an instant, so fast that Applejack nearly felt nauseous. And standing on the balcony was none other than…
“Spoiled Rich!!!”, the crowd crowed out, and Spoiled Rich, standing tall and proud, waved courteously, a simple smile on her face, her chest puffed up.
Applejack did not know what to say. It was a lot to take in.
As the wild applause droned on, Spoiled suddenly snapped her fingers, and the noise immediately died out, replaced by hushed awe. Clearing her throat, Spoiled Rich addressed the crowd.
“People of Ponyville, People of The Favelas, lend me your ears! I come out here, as I do every morning, to do one thing: Say thank you.”
“You sure about that?”, Applejack thought, doubtful of the meaning of this “show”. She didn’t dare say anything, however. Least she could do was see things play out before she acted on her gut instinct.
Spoiled continued her speech, standing just above the crowd, as if she were floating above them, like a guardian angel. “And I do that by choosing one of you, dear citizens, to help. To use my vast resources for anything other than that would be a waste. We are all in this together, and we will continue to persevere from the severe tragedy we encountered.”
She smirked, looking up to the sky, the sun shining off of her. “One of you will be saved, as you all deserve. You need not worry: Heroes still exist.”
Looking down at the crowd, she seemed to glaze over most of them until her eyes locked on a particularly strong green stallion.
“You. Today is your lucky day.”
The rest of the crowd didn’t seem to mind they were not chosen, instead cheering wildly once more for Spoiled, as the grateful stallion cried heavily. “Oh maraming salamat, aking bayani!”
“You’re welcome.”, she replied warmly, and the stallion was led into the building as the crowd parted and dispersed, all talking loudly about how tomorrow would be their day.
Applejack, handing back the baby she took care of, however, was less sure. “Somethin’ feels off about all a this…”, she said, scratching her chin. “Spoiled isn’t nearly this generous…”
But then she sighed, as she remembered the attack. “But maybe this is what Ponyville needs… I only made things worse, after all…”
Trudging slowly into the building, Applejack looked back to see the Muslim pony hang her head in shame. As she looked up, she locked eyes with Applejack. “سيدة, you think… You think I’ll be saved too?”
Applejack’s distant, lonely eyes looked away in guilt. “…I hope. Because you deserved better.”
“…Better than me…”, she whispered, as she walked off.
“I’m so glad you came, Applejack!”, Filthy greeted happily, a soft smile on his face as he sipped from his mug of coffee that said “Work Smarter, Not Harder” on it’s face.
“Um… What?!”, Applejack shouted out loud, struggling to hear anything in the hustle and bustle of the room. Dozens of mares and stallions rushed around the room, slamming papers on desks, preparing photographs in the film room, and shouting out lunch orders, headlines, tasks, you name it.
Three ponies had already stepped on her hooves, and two coffees had been spilled on her person.
A part of her hated it, but a part of her loved it as well. A spirit of hard work and partnership, with a hint of chaos.
The Apple family way, in a sense.
“…Don’t think about it.”, she repeated once more, and focused her attention on Filthy, who sheepishly shrugged. “Sorry, I guess we all got accustomed to the noise here. I’ll take you to Spoiled’s office, we can talk there.”
Placing his mug down, Filthy waded across the chaos like a natural, while Applejack ducked 3 paper airplanes that contained essential scoops. She chuckled for a second, before gazing at the walls of Spoiled’s office and gasping for a moment.
The framed reminders of her past were not a welcome sight. Applejack could see pictures of the chaos she had inflicted by failing, and it hurt. The memories came flooding back, and she had to close her eyes and breath heavily to ignore the pain.
“I’m sorry about the… Gallery, Spoiled decorates in her own “unique” way.”, Filthy apologized, but he knew it wouldn’t really help. He felt like an idiot for taking Applejack to this place. “Perhaps we could go outside?”
Applejack shook her head. If anything, the reminders outside were worse. She would just have to suck it up. “Apples don’t feel pain. We truck on. Just gimmie the short version of the grand tour.”
Filthy sighed with familiarity. “Like father, like daughter.”, he thought, and he sat on Spoiled’s chair, inviting Applejack to sit on the guest chair. She refused.
“Well, like I told you yesterday, we are going to be interviewing residents of this neighborhood, and asking them about the aftermath of the attack. Now, I know this is not going to be easy for you, which is why I will be accompanying you. You’re not only new, you need… Well, I’m just there to show you the ropes.”
Filthy then narrowed his eyes in concern. “But considering your reactions to this office… Are you sure you can do this?”
“Consarn it, Filthy, I’m not some helpless lil filly, am I?”, Applejack huffed angrily. She wanted nothing more than to forget, but her family… The Apples couldn’t afford that, and she had made things bad enough for them.
“…I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“…It’s not me you should be worryin’ about. These people need to talk about what happened. If that’s the least I can do…”
Applejack took a deep breath. Remembering hurt, being a stranger to her own family hurt, but it was the fear of hurting those ponies even more that was the killer, the knife that wouldn’t let go.
She could just run. She could just run and never come back…
…No. She had hurt enough people. She couldn’t leave all those poor citizens to suffer from HER failure.
“…It’s the least I can do, so I’ll do that at least.”, she finally stated, closing the escape route with the words from her lips.
“…All right, then.”, Filthy responded, and he offered his hoof. Applejack took a moment, and shook back firmly.
The door suddenly swung open, making both ponies jump, as Spoiled Rich reentered her office with a haughty laugh. “Another job well done!”
Applejack turned to observe Spoiled. She had never been a… Big fan of the high society mare, to say the least. She kind of reminded her of her first impression of Rarity, before she had fall… Well, realized what a good FRIEND she was!
…She really was bad at lying, huh?
But putting that aside, Applejack always felt a veneer of superiority from the mare, and an air of superficiality. “Puttin’ on a show, I reckon.”, she thought.
But over the years she had learned not to always judge others. Gut instincts weren’t always right. And these days Applejack found it hard enough to trust her own gut.
“She’s my boss now, too. I s'pose I can try and make nice with her!”, Applejack decided in her head, and she offered a friendly hoof, that was shook with mild disinterest.
“Ah, yes, our new employee. I do wish we could have spoken about your past experiences, but all the same, it is a pleasure to have you on board, Ms. Applejack.”, Spoiled declared. It seemed like she dotted every word with the utmost importance. It was like talking to a commercial, almost.
“Likewise, I guess. This isn’t quite my kind of hootenanny, but, well, if people need me…”, Applejack replied honestly, a simple shrug and a smile on her face.
“Wonderful, we share the same outlook! As you can see, I am in the “helping others” business too! You Mane 6 made it look so hard.”
Applejack wasn’t sure if that was an insult, or an odd attempt to connect, but she resolved to ignore it, just in case.
Spoiled kept on, standing on her hind legs to reach one of the framed headline so she could shine it. “It is so very rewarding! Seeing all those people in the streets looking up with hope…”
Applejack nodded. She could get that. But she didn’t get something else. “Well, pardon my askin’, but how come ya only help one, then?”
Filthy, who never really intervened in Spoiled’s conversations with anyone, seemed alarmed at the question, but Spoiled didn’t seem to mind it at all. “Oh, no need to beg my pardon, there’s a simple answer to that! Different problems require different solutions! One could take a few minutes, the other whole months! I can only do so much by myself!”
She put the picture back up and smirked at Applejack. “You can’t save everyone, after all.”
Applejack had to admit, it checked out. “I suppose…”
But a small feeling of doubt would not creep out of Applejack’s heart, as she and Filthy set off on their way to the heart of the Favelas…
“It was… It was 5 o’clock in the morning when the attack woke me up. I… ¿Estás segura de que no hablas español?”
Applejack, pen in mouth, sighed wearily. “’Fraid not, ma’am.”
She then smiled reassuringly. “But I’m sure I can translate it sometimes this evenin’. I don’t want to be a bother, with mah ignorance and all that.”
Filthy nodded too, urging the ancient but sweet lady they were interviewing to keep talking.
“Gracias, Señorita y Señor.”, the old woman replied, politely bowing. She gestured towards the dusty coffee table, which was barely holding together, but still managed to hold up a bowl of dry croissants, a plate of old churros sprinkled with brown sugar, and a few mugs of cold coffee. “¿No tienes hambre?”
It wasn’t the lack of hunger that did it for Applejack, rather the knowledge this was the best they had to offer. She didn’t want to insult her hosts, but surely taking the little they had left was worse?
Still, Applejack was no stranger to customs, and she wasn’t about to break any. So she took a churro and took a healthy bite out of it. “G…Gracias?”
“¡Correcta!”, the old mare congratulated her enthusiastically, clapping her hooves. Applejack chuckled brightly, but her heart still felt heavy.
The lights hadn’t stopped flickering the entire time they had sat there, the couches had gaping holes in them, Applejack had spotted a family of cockroaches hiding in the bathroom when she had washed her hooves there.
And that was all there BEFORE Tirek had attacked.
“umfazi akakuthandi ukutya kwakho, makazame okwam!”, an elderly black stallion with a greying and thinning mane teased the elderly latino mare, who laughed and wagged her finger at him.
Applejack seemed lost, and embarrassed to be, but the old mare came to her rescue. “He says, you would prefer his food. Lo dudo!”, she joked, laughing again. The old stallion laughed too.
“ຢຸດລົບກວນນາງ, ນາງຕ້ອງໄດ້ ສຳ ພາດພວກເຮົາ!”, another elderly mare, one with a very serious look in her eyes, scolded the other seniors, and resumed staring intently at Applejack.
“She says we should focus. And she is right. Since you can write me down best, I’ll do the talking. But do add when you feel like it.”, the old latino mare told the others
Applejack nodded, slowly but surely. She had already seen much evidence of how bad the place had been, and a part of her was deathly afraid of what Tirek’s attack had done.
But she had to take responsibility for that disastrous day, and recount the truth of these people who had suffered under her failure.
Clicking her pen, Applejack placed it in her mouth, and began to write. She nodded for them to continue.
The old mare took a deep breath, and began to tell her tale, the other seniors listening silently, tears in their eyes.
“Mi nombre es Lilianna Hernandez. Mi familia ha vivido aquí durante las últimas 20 generaciones. Pero a veces ... siento que acabo de llegar de una tierra lejana.”
Lilianna pointed with her hoof at the rooms in her floor, and one could feel the years roll back in her mind.
“Teníamos una granja aquí, aquí mismo, abajo. Acerca de dónde estaba el baño, teníamos las gallinas y la cocina era la pocilga. La hierba estaba cubierta de tréboles de cuatro hojas y el cielo era de un azul más profundo que el mar.”
Her eyes seemed to twinkle at all this, but Applejack didn’t notice, ‘cause she was surprised by something else. For some reason, she could understand every single word, despite never having learned Spanish. She couldn’t explain it, but…
Her powers. For once, they seemed to have come in handy. She felt dirty using them, using her wrong, her sinful abilities, but if it meant giving the lady an ear to listen to…
“I did promise I’d help.”, she resigned, and focusing her newly found power, she kept on listening.
“El domingo íbamos a la plaza del pueblo, que todavía está en pie, y vendíamos nuestro maíz. Era el mejor maíz de toda Equestria. O al menos, eso me dijo mi familia, no me gusta mucho el maíz.”, she joked, laughing once more. Her laugh was more of a cough than a laugh, and Applejack wondered how come, when Filthy had been told not to bring any cigerettes into the house. But hearing such a lovely laugh tampered with a cough made her feel even worse. The story sounded so beautiful. But she knew there was a tragic twist coming. And it made her insides twist too.
“Por las noches la familia se juntaba, bailamos, cantábamos, contamos historias y nos abrigábamos en el invierno así.”
Her voice turned soft, as she locked eyes with Applejack, who knew exactly what that was like. It was… It was home. The home she once had before she remembered her alien origin. The home she had no more.
“Fue encantador.”, she whispered, longingly, fighting a sob. Filthy didn’t know what to say, and Applejack offered her a warm, comforting hoof on the shoulder. In her heart, she could feel… She could feel something brewing.
“Pero supongo que todas las cosas bellas deben terminar algún día. Cuando comenzaron a construir nuevas secciones en Ponyville, nuestro vecindario no estaba incluido. Estábamos confundidos. Nuestros caminos estaban embarrados, nuestra agua estaba sucia y los precios de los alimentos estaban subiendo.”
Lilianna sighed wearily, and she looked towards the mantelpiece, at a memento of a stallion dear to her hear. “Mi abuelo, bendito sea, decidió averiguar qué estaba pasando. Marchó a la misma ciudad de Canterlot, a pie, ¡estaba tan enojado! Y cuando llegó, fue redirigido al gobernador de Ponyville, creo que su nombre era...”
Having stayed silent the entire time to accomodate her tale, the African stallion spoke up. “Ronald!”
“¡Sí, Ronald!”, Lilianna exclaimed, nodding in remembrance. “Y Ronald, le dijo a mi abuelo, que había caminado TODO el camino hasta la ciudad a pie, le dijo que ellos resolverían el problema de inmediato. Bueno ... mira a tu alrededor.”
Applejack did. Outside was like inside. It wasn’t just this apartment building… This entire neighborhood was on the brink of disaster. How had this happened?
And how had she let herself let this place get that close to the end?
“Así que durante años aquí, apenas hemos aguantado. Y ahora, ahora cuando ese diablo nos atacó, cuando ese monstruo nos atacó a todos, el resto de Ponyville se está recuperando lentamente, ¿pero nosotros?”
Lilianna was getting emotional, and she calmed herself down.
“ຫົວໃຈຂອງທ່ານ, ທີ່ຮັກ. ທ່ານຮູ້ບໍ່ວ່າທ່ານບໍ່ສາມາດຕື່ນເຕັ້ນເກີນໄປ.”, The lao mare responded anxiously, and Lilianna nodded slowly to reassure her. Applejack felt like she could cry at any minute, but she kept her stiff upper lip, as usual.
Her hoof was trembling though, as was Filthy’s, who seemed even more forlorn than her.
“Señora, la luz se apaga por la noche. El agua es negra. Los cielos son más negros. Y el alquiler subió. ¡Aumentado! Nosotros ... No podemos vivir más aquí. Están ... Nos echarán a todos mañana. No sé si esta historia ayudará, pero a menos que ... A menos que se arregle este lugar, a menos que se considere que este lugar tiene valor nuevamente, no intentarán mantenernos aquí para que paguemos. No podremos pagar el alquiler, pero todavía tendremos un techo sobre nosotros por un tiempo, ¿y luego lo sabe Celestia? Quizás, solo quizás, podamos seguir viviendo aquí, y ellos se apiadarán de nosotros. Pero ahora mismo, señora...”
Lilanna took Applejack’s hoof by her hoof and squeezed gently, pleading, her eyes begging for help in some way, some form, not from her…
But Applejack felt like it was directed at her soul.
“…Ni siquiera podemos permitirnos falsas esperanzas.”
“I have to help them.”
Applejack’s words were as flat as the ground she now trotted on, as she and Filthy made their way back to the office. Once she dropped her findings, a translator would ready the English version of Applejack’s interview for tomorrow’s paper. And then Applejack would go back home to rest before another day of work at her new job.
But Applejack could only think of one thing: The old woman, and how similar she was to her.
Except for one thing: That woman was having it harder than anyone else, for no clear reason.
While Applejack was not having it hard despite all the reasons.
Filthy looked aside at Applejack, clear regret lacing his vision. He hadn’t really spoken during the whole affair, but it had clearly affected him too. “Applejack, I’d do it right now if I could. But it’s impossible.”
Applejack scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Why? You’re loaded with cash! Your name isn’t Filthy Rich for nothin’!”
“That was a given name, fitting as it has turned out. And I’m sorry, but it’s true.”
“Why?”
“Because I legally can’t.”
That made Applejack stop in her tracks and stare wide eyed at Filthy, who was a little ahead of her now. “Whaaaat?”
“You heard me.”, Filthy said, as he kept pacing.
Applejack galloped over next to his side. “That just don’t make a lick of sense! Legally? What in tarnation are ya talkin’ about, Filthy?”
Filthy sighed once more and stopped to observe her. They were still surrounded by dust, ashes, and smog, and all around them stallions and mares wheezed, and coughed in near synchronization. “Since the… You know, since then, the new mayoral office is flat out broke. They took all the loans they could on repairing the main parts of Ponyville. Sadly, a place like The Favelas were always going to be last on the pecking order.”
He shook his head in dissatisfaction. She could tell he was as repulsed by this as her. “So even if I rolled up to them now with every last bit I own, they’d reject me. And say they did take my money, Applejack. You heard them! The building has to be fixed by tomorrow!”
He stared right into her eyes, and Applejack almost felt as if a powerful force was calling onto her. “…So unless you’re faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive, those people’s lives are over.”
He silenced, looking down with pain. Applejack bit her lip; she had been harsh to him. Too harsh. He had helped her a lot today with this job, and she knew that deep down, he would have done all he could if he could.
“…I’m sorry. It just… It just makes me mad to see such injustice.”
“I understand you. Really I do. Just like your parents. A true Apple.”, he smiled proudly, but Applejack felt no pride, only shame.
“Yeah… True apple… That’s me…”
Applejack kept walking away, calmly telling herself that Filthy was right. There was nothing that could be done. She wasn’t faster than a speeding bullet, and she wasn’t more powerful than a locomotive, and there was no way in Tarterous that she could help those poor ponies.
…
Looking up, Applejack could see a row of houses that were still completely torn down to the ground, homeless ponies struggling to huddle together for warmth. All because Tirek had slammed her to the ground…
Because she wasn’t strong enough.
Or perhaps…
Because she hadn’t chosen to be.
That night, Applejack couldn’t stop tossing and turning in her bed. Usually she was a sound sleeper, with a tight schedule. She went to sleep at 20:00 sharp, so she could get eight hours of solid sleep before waking up at the crack of dawn (summer or winter, it didn’t matter) and get to work. She would finish dinner, wash the dishes as fast as… Well, as fast as she let herself, she’d run upstairs to brush her teeth, and with a warm glass of milk, she’d drift off to sleep and dream of apple pies, and family gatherings, and of a certain white mare’s shimmering smile.
But recently she had been getting nightmares. Horrible, all to real nightmares.
First they had been all about Tirek killing her, leaving all her family and friends helpless from future problems. They’d all grow cold and distant, afraid to move forwards in fear that more would die.
More always did die.
That was bad enough, she had thought, but once her foreign heritage came back to the forefront of her mind, Applejack had rerouted to dreams about being shunned, ostracized, feared. Her own family, screaming in fright from the monster she was. She’d sport strange colors and spots, and she’d feel a stranger in her own skin. She’d look in the mirror and see a frightening fiend. And they would all run away, leaving her dreadfully alone.
Tonight had managed to be worse than both combined.
Applejack had tried fluffing her pillows, changing her sheets from the crumbs she would accidentally leave at times, and even counting sheep, silly as it had always sounded to her. But none of those ways worked. Her eyes squinted in pain from the harshly lit night, her heart raced from the events in her mind, and her brain attacked her with rapidly escalating images of guilt. Of shame. Of failure.
Maybe she wouldn’t have beaten Tirek with her powers. Maybe they would have made things worse for her. But maybe she could have saved the Favelas. Maybe just maybe the tenants could sue for the damages done to them by the city council with the knowledge that their building could be salvaged so easily, but wasn’t.
But what had she done? She had been afraid. Always so afraid. Afraid to hurt, afraid to disappoint, and in the end, she had done both.
She was no hero.
Just a freak.
A monster…
“Consarn it!”, Applejack whispered harshly, and she wrapped the pillow around her head to block the thoughts. Her breathing as rapid as she saw Lilianna’s eyes pierce into her soul.
Twilight was handicapped… Her fault.
Rainbow was hurt, and fervently in denial… Her fault.
Granny Smith and Big Mac had been nearly put out of working order forever… Her fault.
Rarity…
Applejack tossed and turned once more, begging, pleading for it to stop.
But the voice inside her would not let go.
“I must do something!”, she thought, before she countered herself. “No, no, I can’t! I’ll only make things worse!”
“You already made things worse!”, She retorted, angrily.
“Two wrongs don’t make a right!”
“But what if this isn’t a wrong? What if this is a right you just didn’t know how to use?”
“I’m tired of hurting people!”
“You are hurting them right now by not flying over there right now and…”
Applejack nearly screamed, and she held her head in pain, sobbing. “No! I can’t fly! I don’t have powers! I’m! Not! A! Freak!”
She sobbed and sobbed into her pillow, wetting it with her tears. She hiccupped. “I’m… I’m an Apple. Please… I want to be an Apple. I want… I just want to help. And earn my name.”
“…An Apple would help them. An Apple would make up for her mistakes. An Apple doesn’t sit by when people are in need.”
Applejack shook her head. “Ma and Pa didn’t want me to, ‘member?”
“Ma and Pa didn’t want you to do it AT FIRST. They wanted you to learn how to control it.”
“Well, tough. I can’t. I tried.”
“…Did you?”
Applejack gulped. Had she, really? Had she tried enough?
Or had she let her fears take over her?
“I… I can’t, no. Even with the best of intentions, my powers are too wild. It won’t be good enough.”
“But what if it IS good enough? What if, just if, you work hard enough to make it work?”
Applejack sniffed, thinking of those ponies in need. They wouldn’t have a bed to cry in… A roof to feel lonely under… They would have nothing, not even the most basic of requirements.
“…Nopony deserves such treatment. They didn’t do nothin’. They was jus’ livin’. They… They deserve better.”
“…Then give them better.”
Applejack bit her lip. The possibility of failure, of hurting more people… It still laid out there in the open.
But another realization came to her. Only she could help. Truly, she was the only option, good or bad.
And even if she wasn’t…
“…Ponies deserve better than this. They deserve… Better than what I gave them. It’s the least I can do…”
She stood up slowly from her bed, staring out of the window, defiant. Her heart slowed down, and she closed her eyes. In her heart of hearts, away from the madding crowd, away from her fears and doubts and concerns, her true spirit knew: Kindness was not some gift or donation…
It was the bare minimum.
And it was what anypony deserved.
To see those ponies live under their roof, like they deserve to…
“It’s the least I can do. I reckon I should do that at least.”
Her eyes narrowed. She slowed her breath.
She hadn’t used her powers in years. It could be bumpy.
But she had to.
She wanted to.
And so she did.
Out the window she went, silent as the night but as fast as the light. She narrowly avoided some trees, and a bridge or two, but soon enough she was there.
It looked even worse from up here. The sorry sight made Applejack even more determined. Those people would have a roof above their heads, Celestia be damned.
“With my speed, I should be able to get trees over here and make planks of wood in a jiffy. A nice, sturdy wooden home would stay up long enough until they can sue the asses of the city council. And then I could build them a better home, once I learn how to work with bricks. But for now, it’s good old wood.”
Whooshing back as quickly as she could, Applejack reached a grove on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, one that’s absence wouldn’t be noticed by Granny Smith or Big Mac in a hurry.
There was more than enough wood, she counted as she zoomed past each tree. The challenge was keeping quiet, and…
Keeping her strength at bay.
One kick had emptied a whole tree of apples, and it was her softest kick. How could she pick up the wood without sending it hurtling over the skies?
Applejack hesitated again, her teeth chattering. “There’s gotta be another way, there’s gotta be!”
But then she remembered the people she had failed, and, narrowing her eyes, she clenched her fists. “No. No! I’m NOT failing, not this time! Get a grip, Applejack!”
Holding her breath, she placed her hooves on the tree and slowly but surely lifted, her most gentle, careful touch appliyng as little pressure as possible to the tree’s surface.
She just managed not to send it flying through the sky.
But that was the word: She JUST managed.
A small, proud smile appeared on her lips. “Huh… Whatdaya know?”
But she shook the thought out of her head quickly. She could shower herself with praise later, she had work to do.
“Think of it like farm work, only… Not, farm work.”
Applejack made herself a mental note to work on her inner monologue. When she wasn’t experiencing intense shame, she was struggling to make sense.
Flying back, it had only been half a minute since she had left. Applejack couldn’t believe the time. “Darn tootin’! In this pace, I should build it in no time!”
But time did pass quickly. Her fears had not let go of her, so she did everything almost too carefully. It required a lot of sneaking around, quiet sawing (“There’s one power I’m actually glad to have”), fast nailing.
Everything had to be done just right, but also 100 times faster. And while Applejack’s powers meant she got tired and hurt way less than others, she was getting worn out towards the end herself.
But as she worked, Applejack couldn’t help but note that she felt an odd sensation, a joy at her work, and not just from how it would help the tenants (though it was a major part): there was something about finally making a difference, however small, that was immensely satisfying. Like, she was building a house of amends, and she had laid the first stone. It was only one…
But it would mean a lot to a lot of people. And that was good enough for now.
The sun had already risen as Applejack laid the finishing touches, smiling at her work. “Whhoo wee! Not bad, if I do say so myself.”, she allowed herself a little self congratulating, but she backtracked when she heard the sound of an approaching crowd.
“Oh, crap, they’re nearly here!”
Applejack frantically searched for an escape. If they saw her now, no amount of good deeds would ever stop them from fearing her. And then she would never be able to make up for her failures!
Hoping no one could see her, Applejack flew faster than she had ever flown, nearly creating a sonic rainboom in the process. She flew and flew until she crashed into her bedroom, and hurridley, she buried herself under the covers.
The tenants were in shock as they looked up. It wasn’t their building… It was somehow even better!
While some problems remained, in the form of flickering lights and contaminated water, the rooms and floors looked brand new! But…
“Akunakwenzeka! Ingathi sibuyele emva ngexesha!”, The elderly mare responded with amazed eyes.
“ມັນຕ້ອງເປັນສິ່ງມະຫັດສະຈັນ ... ແຕ່ວ່າແນວໃດ?”, the lao mare exclaimed in shock.
Lilianna’s tears would not subside, but they were happy tears. In her room, there laid a basket of freshly picked corn.
“…Whatever it is, familia, it must be some kind of… Ángel guardian.”
Applejack had somehow managed to hear all of that from her room. She wasn’t sure how, but a smile tugged at her heart strings.
“…No. Just a friend.”
It may not be enough…
And she was still so afraid, and definitely unsure of doing something like this again. She had gotten VERY lucky.
And she wasn’t even sure she deserved it.
But it was at least something.
She could at least say she had truly helped a few souls in need.
And that was better than what she could say about herself yesterday.
“Maybe there is a little Apple in me after all…”
Nuzzling up to the pillow, Applejack began to snore lightly…
Only for Granny Smith to forcibly remove the blanket.
“Rise and shine, sleepy head!”
“Granny Smith? It’s still early!”, Applejack protested, and Granny Smith laughed heartily.
“You must have had some kooky dreams, Applejack! It’s 7:00 in the mornin’, and we have work to do!”
Applejack stumbled downstairs, dazed. A little lighter, yes.
But it seemed like sleep would be in short supply.
