Approaching Apotheosis

Slowly, I rapped my hoof against the wood door.

“One second!” Came a muffled voice behind its sturdy form.

Nervously, I glanced behind me. The evening sun was crowning the tops of the apple trees, casting spears of golden light through the bare branches and avenues between the mighty trees. In the far distance, Ponyville, the homeplace of the greatest headache to villains of this day and age, bustled about with its Friday night activities.

The door creaked open and a foal trotted out. She stopped, looked at my legs, and every so slowly craned her head up to look at me. A pink bow, bigger than her skull, bobbed on her mane as she blinked owlishly.

“Woah. You’re big!”

“You’re small. Glad we established that.”

A creeping dread overtook her mood and she visibly swallowed a second later, “You’re the… the Dread Prince, aren’t ya?”

I leaned down– and the filly took a step back– and smiled, putting my fangs on display, “Yes, I am. You must be the one known as Apple Bloom.”

Her eyes widened, “You know who I am?!”

“Not really,” I straightened up. “I just made sure to know the names of the family members of the Elements of Harmony. I was invited,” I produced said invitation, waving it magically around. “So if you were hoping I would conquer your town, that’s gonna have to wait till after this weekend.”

“Apple Bloom!” Her sister’s voice echoed from the open door behind her. “You better be in the kitchen with Granny and not answering the door, like I told you!”

Apple Bloom lifted a hoof and almost turned away to scamper off. But she was hesitant to let me out of her sight.

“... Tender Taps said he saw you hurt Sparkling Water. He said she’s afraid to go outdoors now.”

I scowled, “Am I supposed to know….” Then it occurred to me, I did know one of those names, “... Sparkling Water, bright blue coat, white mane and tail?”

Apple Bloom nodded slowly.

‘Ah. The hu– the living shield, way back when I crushed Shining Armor and took him and Cadance captive in Canterlot. Haven’t heard that name in a while, not since someone annoying demanded I apologize to her.’

“Who the f– who is Tender Taps?”

“He’s my friend!” She yelled, as if that would explain anything. “Applejack says–”

“Applejack says you should get back to helpin’ Granny,” Applejack said, appearing in the doorway behind Apple Bloom. “Get a move on!”

Apple Bloom plodded back indoors, throwing one last glance at me over her shoulder before she disappeared around a corner.

Applejack cleared her throat, wiping flour off her cheek, “Evening, King Phasma. I see you got my letter.”

“Yes, much to my… confusion,” I tilted my head. “Last I checked, you wanted nothing to do with me after I ordered the assassin–”

“How’s Tiberius?” She changed the subject, glancing back to where Apple Bloom disappeared off to.

“He’s fine?” I asked more than said. “Applejack, I can sense your emotions and your sisters, but I also saw two more souls in that house. I don’t appreciate being dodgy and suspicious, not when there are killers about.”

“Shh!” She lifted a hoof, “I don’t want my sister hearin’ this talk of killers ‘n whatnot.”

“She’s in the far corner of the house,” I said after checking with the soul sight spell.

Applejack relaxed, “She loves eavesdropping. The other two ponies are my grandma, Granny, and my brother, Big Macintosh. They’ll be joinin’ us for supper.”

“I see,” I said, and whispered over the Weave, “Stand down, lings. You can report back to the airship.”

Unseen to the pony standing in front of me, seven Red Right Hoof soldiers retreated from the edge of the roof, flying back to where we had parked our airship over the Everfree. I still would have to check to make sure that neither of the remaining ponies were replaced and disguised Division-P agents, but I was likely safe.

“If’n you don’t mind me asking before I invite you in, have you fixed the mess you made with the griffons?”

I chuckled, “Absolutely not. Getting involved in any way could lead to the griffons blaming us and starting a war.”

Fear cut through the mare like a blade, “Oh Celestia. You really messed up there.”

“Did you invite me out here to opine about your morals?” I asked, gesturing to her.

“No, no,” Applejack said, then added in a whisper, “I need ‘yer help, King Phasma. I’m not gonna forgive ya for what ya did, but with three Princesses on your back, I’m gonna worry about my own hearth ‘n home.”

I looked around her farm behind me. The barn was sturdy. The trees, though looking as bare as an Equus native’s backside, looked healthy enough to me. I couldn’t see any major problem with her hearth nor her home.

‘Good. If she called me out here to raise a barn or clear some field or something, I’d be pissed. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I do an honest day’s work.’

“Alright, I’ll help. What do I need to do?”

Mimicking her sister, Applejack blinked in surprise, “You haven’t even heard what I need help with, yet you’re agreeing to help?”

I sneered, a bit angry that I even had to explain this, “Luna is forever grateful to you and your friends for saving her from that Nightmare. I don’t think I need to explain how much she means to me, and by extension what you did to save her. Whatever you ask, within reason, I shall help with…” then I added as an afterthought, “so long as it doesn’t involve any of those ‘friendship lessons’ Twilight writes about to Celestia.”

“Reservations about your character aside,” the mare stepped to the side, “I was raised with manners. C’mon in, mind the… ceiling. Never had a house guest as tall as you before.”

“Applejack, not to be rude myself, but I need to know why I am here. I am a very busy ling, and had to put off meeting with legal counsel about some assault charges racked up in Manehattan. May I know why you invited me here?”

She froze, then let out a dramatic sigh, shutting the door behind her as she stepped out.

“It’s Big Mac. I need your help convincing him to not gallop off ‘n get hurt.”

My eyebrows shot up, “Die?”

She shrugged, “He’s got it in his head that Equestria needs his help. He wants to join the Guard. No matter how much Granny and I tell ‘em that he’s needed here with four hooves on the ground, his head’s in the clouds about this. I think listening to Rebel Radio’s got him all riled up.”

“Rebel Radio?”

She scoffed, “Surprised you haven’t heard of it, Mr. Government Stallion. Some folks down near Dodge Junction have their own station and have been broadcasting about both the changelings and the Nightmares, how both are goin’ after innocent folks and that we need to prepare.”

I groaned and rubbed my head, “This is getting too real. You ponies are too cute for isolationist, militarist propaganda. Okay, and you want my help convincing him to not join the Royal Guard?”

She nodded, “Mhmm. Figured you’d know best how to convince him otherwise.”

“You didn’t think to ask Luna for help, the one who has seen more wars than she can count on her… hooves? All four of them?”

“As a matter of fact, I did ask Celestia for help. She said you’d be the pony– or, uh, changeling to talk to.”

I ran a hoof over my head, combing my fin back, “I see. Did she give a reason to directing your request to me?”

Applejack shook her head, “Nope, and I didn’t press for one. She’s a busy Princess.”

“But you’re willing to bother a King?”

“C’mon now, King Phasma, you’re the King of like ten thousand changelings. The mayor of Manehattan is responsible for thirty times as many ponies as you, to say nothing of the Princesses.”

“Fifteen thousand!” I screeched.

She chuckled, “I’m yanking yer chain. Anyways, you’re here. You still willin’ to help us out?”

I scratched my head, “I’ll go talk to him, not sure how much I can convince him considering I’m a complete stranger to him.”

“Don’t discount yourself, King Phasma,” Applejack said, fixing me with a scowl. “You’re a warrior, and one of the scariest ones alive. The stories that have come out of the Canterlot Massacre paint the Dread Prince as the most brutal warlord alive. If anypony can scare Big Mac straight, it’s you.”

‘Brutal warlord. That’s not exactly the ringing fame you’d hear of great leaders like Augustus Caesar. Then again, I think most school history books left out the whole conquering, enslaving, and sacrificing children thing he did.’

I returned my attention from my ego to the tan pony, “You want me to scare him with the reality of war?”

She threw up her hooves, “I don’t care how you do it, just keep him here on the farm. Harmony knows what we’ll do without him when the snows melt, let alone if something happens to both me and him when the Nightmares arrive!”

“I’ll talk to him,” I placated her. “I’ll try my best to make the worst case scenarios obvious, but ultimately it’s his decision.”

“Thank you,” she sighed.

“... Unless it becomes prudent to bar him from military service,” I thought aloud, tapping my chin. “Being related to the Element of Harmony means that targeting him could throw you off balance, and keeping him away from danger might be required…”

“You think the Nightmares would go after Big Mac if they saw him?”

I gave the pony a shrug, “It’s what I would do. That’s why there are no less than ten Infiltrators in Ponyville: to watch you and your families and ensure no major danger comes around.”

“There are how many changelings in Ponyville?!”

I pressed a hoof to her lips in an instant, “Yell it louder, why don’t you! In hindsight, telling the Element of Honesty to keep a secret may have been a mistake…”

She pushed my hoof down, looking nonplussed that I had physically shut her mouth, “I am capable of holding a secret, mind you, so long as it’s to keep ponies safe. I won’t say nothing to nopony.”

Regardless, I resolved to not tell her that the actual number was fifteen Infiltrators. There were also Celestia’s agents to consider, of which two were stationed within Ponyville from her tiny network.

‘Then again, does a ten year old count as an agent? I should hope not, if Celestia is employing child soldiers then I need to up my evil game.’

“Now, come on in,” Applejack about-faced and invited me in behind her. “Dinners ready in half an hour. Y'all don’t mind corn, do ya?”

“Not at all.”

“Good, ‘cus Big Mac got it cheap and in bulk last Wednesday. Big Mac is in the cellar, tryin’ to shore up one of the pillars. If’n you don’t mind, it might be best to introduce yourself.”

I ducked low and walked in, careful to not scrape my horn on the doorway and ceiling beyond. Bumping into a wall full of old photos, I seriously considered disguising myself as a pony-sized stallion when Applejack guided me over to the cellar stairway. From the way she smothered a giggle after I bumped nose-first into a wall, the levity was helping to break the ice.

‘Considering the fact that they are mad I used pony-shields in a hostage situation, perhaps playing the clown for a bit will ease the tension. As Luna said, it’s best to not piss off the most important heroes in Equestria’s history behind the Princesses.’

The wine cellar was colder than their cozy home above, leaving my breath visible in the air. My hooves clacked against smooth stone as I tucked my tail between my legs. On either side of me stood rows upon rows of thick barrels. Each was the size of a small drone and were piled upon each other on damp, rotting wooden shelving. Years marked each batch of apple cider, as well as a lot number below that. I didn’t need to be the most powerful person in the alcohol industry to know of the famed Apple Acres cider and Zap Apple jam. Sadly, we were far out of season for that latter rainbow-colored rarity, and only booze was hoarded and aged down here.

Ahead, the space opened up into a little workshop. A worktable was piled high with boxes of screws, nails, broken bits of metal, a vice, and more tools than you could shake a stick at. Beside it crouched the stallion of the hour. Big Macintosh was screwing a metal plate into the top of a support beam, up on his hindlegs as he screwed in a bolt. When he heard the distressed screams of the stair’s weathered floorboards under me, he turned to look over his shoulder.

His eyes widened, eyebrows shot up, and a screwdriver fell from his mouth as the Dread Prince entered his dark, damp, and cramped workspace.

“Big Macintosh, name’s Phasma,” I said, sticking out a hoof and tilting my head to the side in order to avoid turning my horn into a stick for spider web cotton-candy. “I’d say that I’m a friend of your sister, but that’d be lying.”

“What…” He stared at my hoof, trailing off. “Yer tonight’s guest?”

I chuckled, “I was as surprised as you are when I received her invitation.”

“Why?”

“She has a lot of reasons to be mad at me, but had extended the invitation to me. It would have been rude to refuse.”

He shook his head, “Why did AJ invite you? That don’t make a lick of sense. Yer King Phasma, not a guest!”

I snorted, “Tonight, it seems, I am both.”

“What a load of cow pies!” He cursed. “Granny would never let somepony like you under our roof for no reason. Why are you really here?”

‘Hmm. Better not beat around the bush. If he’s anything like his sister, then he values honesty above all else.’

I idly pressed a hoof against one of the casks of cider, inspecting it as I spoke softly.

“Your sister wanted me to speak to you about your desire to join the war.”

“Oh. I see,” was all he said.

His emotions spoke far more. Confusion and bitterness fell away, pulled out like a trap door. Love, pride, and a kind of colder anger filled the red stallion.

“You are set on it?” I asked him.

“Eyyup.”

“Why?” I asked.

“None of yer business,” Big Mac said, glaring at me.

I scoffed, “It was made my business when your sister invited me over to discuss it.”

“She shouldn’t have done that.”

I let my hoof fall from the barrel, “Maybe. Or maybe your action is driving her up a wall with worry, causing her to look to anyone that could help.”

“That don’t sound like AJ.”

“Stubborn streak, refuses to seek help from others,” I recited her file’s biography. “I am aware– there are few living in Ponyville not aware of her famed self-determination.”

“Yer not from Ponyville,” he said, connecting the dots, “so how do you know that? From Princess Luna?”

“From the many layers of security watching you all from afar,” I revealed.

“Spying,” he growled.

“Someone tried to assassinate me a few weeks ago. You think we wouldn’t keep tabs on Equestria’s most powerful heroes and those close to them? You think we don’t constantly worry about you all becoming targets?!”

Big Mac flinched, and his emotions rolled over like a violent storm. Guilt, flavored with fear, mixed with his prior emotions.

“Is my family in danger?”

I shook my head, “Not at this time. Those that target me, Division-P, are pony supremacists. Going after the Elements of Harmony lies completely outside of their goals. They may try to convince them, sure, but they wouldn’t target such famous paragons of virtue.”

“But AJ wanted you to talk to me about joining the Guard?”

“She doesn’t want you to do it, no.”

He laughed, “Neither do I! But that’s duty, ain’t it? You do it not ‘cus you want to, but because you have to.”

“You don’t have to join the Royal Guard, Big Mac.”

The pony frowned, “We all have to do our part. Some of my drinkin’ buddies had friends who got hurt chasing the changelings out of Equestria. My grandpa served for five years. Now, the Princesses are talkin’ ‘bout how things are gonna get worse. They need everypony they can get.”

“The war effort is not short on… ponypower,” I said, struggling to guess the correct replacement for ‘man.’ “Many guards will not even see combat. We’re hoping to end it all with a single battle, after all.”

“So it’s not even dangerous to join,” he smiled at his little victory.

“It could be,” I said. “Unless your posting is deliberately chosen, there’s no telling what you might face.”

“We could get hurt at any point in our lives. That’s just life.”

I changed tactics, “Your sister is already helping the war– in a huge way that few others can match. Your family is punching far above your weight in terms of helping Equestria. We are all already indebted to your family, Big Mac. Your sister saved Luna and Equestria both, that’s something none of us can ever repay.”

“Ask not what yer country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. If this war really is all or nothin’, how can we give less than our all?”

I reeled, almost stumbling back as this red talking horse in an alien world was quoting American Presidents to me.

‘Holy hell! This guy is pretty smart! Pretty sure he’s convincing me at this point, not the other way around!’

Once more, I decided to change tactics.

“Look, Big Macintosh, I’m not going to lie. Your sister is going to be in a lot of danger. As the bearer of Honesty, she’s going to be on the front line against an army of demons. The kind of monsters that should only exist in horror movies. I should know, I’ve faced them. The odds of her getting hurt or dying is not low. In fact, the only people in more danger are those who will have to throw themselves between her and the monsters trying to kill her. Applejack is a civilian, not a soldier, but she’s ready to do anything it takes. And now, she’s asking me to stop you from getting hurt.” I sighed, “Let’s say something happens to her. And, as a Royal Guard, you are put in danger to protect others, and now something happens to you. Both you and your sister are called upon to pay the ultimate price to save the world. Where does that leave your family? Where does that leave your little sister?”

“Granny–”

“Won’t last another two decades. First, Apple Bloom lost her parents. Then, she loses her brother and sister. Finally, she’ll lose her last close family in time, her grandmother. She’ll be alone on this farm, surrounded by ghosts. You want to serve Equestria? Make sure that AJ still has a home and family to return to when she returns from war, if she returns.”

Now the guilt overpowered every other emotion, bleeding his resolve dry.

“... I could be stationed somewhere safe. Could even ask the Princesses–”

“Is that what you want? To serve someone nice and safe, depriving someone else of that chance, just so you can claim you served Equestria at a time of war?”

“I ain’t no coward!” He stomped a hoof.

“Then stay where you are needed most. Stay here, and stay safe. Let Applejack fight her battles knowing that her little sister will always have family by her side, no matter what happens to Applejack.”

Big Mac scraped a hoof at the ground, nervously glancing around, “Do you really think she’s gonna get hurt?”

“She’s no alicorn, yet she’ll be going against alicorn-tier threats, Big Mac. People are going to die in this war. A lot of people. Death comes for us all eventually, whether we are ready or not. All that remains is to see who goes sooner, rather than later.”

He remained silent, now intently staring at the ground beneath his hooves. I could see that he was still grappling with the idea, figuring out where he stood. At any rate, I said all that I could. Slowly, he walked past me and up the stairs. I followed behind, giving the basement one last look. With the light streaming in through window wells, the place had a cramped, dusty, and crowded feeling.

It reminded me of the home I lost.

“... Do you say grace?”

The four Apples looked at me, each as baffled as the last.

“What’s that?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Nevermind. Thank you for inviting me… Applejack,” I said, still not believing it.

“Thank you for coming,” she replied. “Now we don't want all this good food to go to waste. Dig in!”

And what a feast it was. Hoof-churned butter and freshly baked cornbread, cold and refreshing cider, bowls of what Applejack explained was grits, buttered corn on the cob, collared greens, and a massive dish of hot apple cobbler for dessert. As much as I savored that last one, a specter hung over the room as we ate. Being an empath, the tension boiling over into anger was an unwelcome meal.

Not that changelings dislike any particular emotion, it was just awkward.

“Lovely dinner,” I said.

“Thanks,” Applejack said.

Big Mac and Granny Smith remained silent, looking at me out of the corner of their eyes. They contributed the most to the turbulent atmosphere, but seemed reluctant to speak.

Apple Bloom looked up at me, “Why’d you kill all those ponies?”

“Apple Bloom!” AJ and Big Mac hissed in stereo.

“Yer lucky my granddaughter let you in this house,” Granny Smith threw her hat into the ring. “A line of salt around the porch should’a kept you out for good!”

I sighed, “That works on other fae, not me. I’m a fae king, I oppress others and mess with people’s minds for the fun of it.”

“More like hurt ponies for the fun of it,” Apple Bloom grumbled.

“Or worse,” Applejack said quietly, doing her best to kill her collared greens with a fork. “I mean, I didn’t invite him here just to berate him, Apple Bloom and Granny! This is our guest, and we discussed this!”

“Discussed don’t mean agreed!” Granny sneered.

I slammed my hooves on the table, startling everyone. They lurched back in their chairs away from me, afraid of an outburst of anger.

“Alright, that’s enough!” I silenced them. Then, I pointed to Granny Smith, “You don’t like me. I know that, and I am not trying to change that. I was invited here by your grandaughter, so please keep the peace until I leave. I won’t start nothing,so long as you don’t.”

She crossed her hooves, “Hmph. I have yer word?”

“You have my word as king, and my word as bond,” I confirmed.

Granny Smith shrugged, “Then I’ll keep an eye on you and leave the rest to the Princesses.”

I pointed to Big Mac next, “You… the things I said earlier. Those things.”

“Eyyup?”

“Think about them.”

“Eyyup.”

Applejack got pointed at next, “You.”

“Me?” She pointed to herself.

“You. The dinner was nice, I especially loved the apple cobbler.”

“Thanks?” She said, sheepishly rubbing her neck.

Apple Bloom was last to receive the point, “You. Real life is complicated, and sometimes the only way forward is to hurt the people who–”

“Don’t go giving my grandfoals rotten moral lessons!” Granny interrupted.

I slowly shut my mouth and turned to stare at the haggard mare, leaning back in my chair and staring her down. To her credit, she didn’t falter when the giant insect three times her size was trying his best to melt her mind with his anger.

AJ intervened, “Apple Bloom, why don’t you–”

“– Stay here,” I finished for her, never taking my eyes off the problem in the room.

The foal nervously chuckled, “Yer not gonna hurt us, right?”

“Huh?” I gasped, head snapping towards the little herbivore. “Why would you– no, no I am not.”

Apple Bloom swallowed and sat up straighter, “Then yer not gonna kill anypony anymore?”

“... I have to protect my family,” I tried to appeal to the obvious commonality between us. “My drones are my family. They are my citizens, my soldiers, my friends. They are all I have. Chrysalis may be my mother, but I don’t consider her family. Sometimes, you have to do what you have to do to protect those you love. You live by the Everfree; if something came from there, would you try to ward it away and risk your own health, or would you fight back?”

“Monsters from the Everfree aren’t ponies,” Apple Bloom said confidently.

“Monsters from the Everfree also don’t try to lure you into an alleyway away from your friends to hurt you. Again. The comparison isn’t perfect, Apple Bloom, I know, but things get complicated quickly in my life.”

“So you’re going to keep hurting ponies?”

“The ones that keep trying to hurt my changelings, yes.”

“Then apologize to Sparkling Water. She didn’t try to hurt nopony.”

“The filly?”

Apple Bloom nodded, “Apologize to her. You hurt her bad, and I ain’t talking about cuts or bruises.”

I relented, having already told Shining Armor that I would, “She does deserve–”

“Make a promise,” Apple Bloom. “Promise on your honor as a king. That’s important, right? Like a Pinkie promise?”

‘Wow. She cornered me into that. Now I actually have to get off my ass and find this single pony in a kingdom full of them.’

The other three members of the Apple family looked quite happy as I tilted my head to the side and slumped forward in defeat.

“I swear as King of the Fifth Hive that I will make a personal apology to Sparkling Water.”

The filly’s muzzle slowly split into a wide grin as she savored her win.

“Good,” she said.

“Heheh, she gets that from my side of the family!” Granny Smith cackled.

I rolled my eyes and shoveled another forkful of lukewarm cobbler into my mouth.

Applejack shut the front door behind her, outwardly looking as unsure of herself as I sensed she was.

“Thanks for talking to Big Mac, King Phasma. And for not making this dinner a disaster.”

“Thanks for the food, Applejack.”

She pursed her lips and looked me over, “I see what the Princesses see in ya. Lots of work left to do. Lots of work. But there’s hope for you yet.”

“Glad to hear I have your approval. I can sleep soundly at night now.”

“You don’t have many friends, do you?”

‘... Coxa, Lace, Bray Call, and Quick Search. I have five including Warm Dew way off in Hooferville. I doubt I can consider Thorax a friend, not since he left a month ago. Any other subordinate would be iffy to consider friends. Could I count Cadance, Celestia, and Luna? That would be eight friends, being optimistic.’

“No, I don’t,” I admitted. “Do not invite me out here again.”