Multiversal Voyage

Universe 25197

“She’s comin’ here quicker than expected. A few of ma men just confirmed her location,” Jackie furrowed her brows, looking down at her desk.

“That’s good, right? It means we can get this over with soon,” Happy Feather asked in confusion.

Jackie had called him for a meeting as soon as she was done with her call with Applejack. While the businessmare didn’t look worried, she still seemed apprehensive and questioning the other pony’s intentions. Happy Feather usually easily trusted every business partner they dealt with, never seeing any ulterior motives from them; however, Jackie was quite paranoid in contrast. It was that same paranoia that kept her from falling into any traps. For her, the world bent over backward to give her everything she wished for, so it was only natural other ponies would aim to take her gift. Since everything always went according to her will, they always failed. This would be no different.

“She has a shit poker face. Ah could be wrong, but just in case, Ah want ya to get the stone she’s lookin’ for,” Jackie ordered, to which Happy quietly nodded. “Maybe she’ll be smart, accept her payment, and leave quietly without making a fuss. Though Ah want to see if she succeeded in the first place before giving her anything. In case she tries anythin’ and Ah don’t come back in an hour… Ah want to destroy the stone,” She explained, making the pegasus’ eyes widen.

“What? Why?! Isn’t that thing valuable, Boss?” He questioned. Jackie never got rid of anything valuable unless it would earn her something even better. A magical artifact that allowed travel between worlds sounded priceless!

“Only if ya don’t hear from me, which would mean she did somethin’. If that happens, Ah’d rather the stone’s destroyed, that way she can’t have it. Nopony can,” Jackie explained before jumping off her chair and walking to the door. “Ah’ll entrust ya with that, so don’t disappoint me. Ah’ll meet with that farm pony and get this over with,”

“But… How am I supposed to break it?” He arched an eyebrow while Jackie paused right as she opened the door.

“It’s a stone, idiot! Just use a big hammer! And if ya can’t, find a volcano to throw it in!” She rolled her eyes after a sigh and left the office.

Happy Feather remained standing alone in the office. The stallion looked around and sighed with a downcast expression.

“Of course, she’d forget my birthday,” He quietly lamented.

Applejack couldn’t believe it. She thought Jackie, in true villain fashion, wouldn’t even want to see her as she wasn’t even planning on keeping her word before sending an army of goons. Not even because she didn’t believe Applejack kept her end of the bargain, but because she simply figured being a selfish prick and betrayal were much more fun alternatives. Yet, there she was riding in a carriage drawn by two stallions dressed in suits. They looked more like bodyguards than chauffeurs considering their builds. A stallion dressed similarly was seated by Jackie’s side, who had opened the door and gestured for the farm pony to come in.

“What are ya waitin’ for? Get in,” Jackie smiled while holding the door open.

“What are ya doing here? Thought ya’d be waiting in yer office…” Applejack cocked an eyebrow in suspicion.

“And let ya walk for miles? Nah, ya did me a favor, so Ah could at least drive ya to the stone, though there’s somethin’ Ah need to show ya first,” Jackie explained cheerfully without a beat.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. She… Couldn’t tell if the other mare was sincere or lying through her teeth. She was usually pretty good at telling when someone was lying. However, the farm pony wouldn’t be surprised if her counterpart was a much better liar than she was. Her blood was still boiling with anger because of what Discord had shown her, but also the betrayal Jackie wanted Applejack to commit against her family. The first instinct she had when she saw her counterpart’s face was to kick her teeth out.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t let her anger or urges overwhelm her. She had learned a lot thanks to her friends, and thinking before you’d act was one of them. Not only was she in public, so guards would probably intervene and then she’d have to deal with Equestria’s justice system… Which was great thanks to its wonderful rehabilitation system, seriously, the kingdom was quite lax now that she thought about it, but she’d be stuck there for at least months and she had no time to waste. No more than she already had anyway. Moreover, Jackie would get away scot-free. The other reason she couldn’t attack her now rather than later was the possibility that her counterpart would lead her to the stone. It was a slim chance, but if Jackie actually planned on keeping her word, then Applejack would get the stone and stop her once and for all in one swoop.

She could also lead her to a quiet place where Applejack could freely punch her lights out and make her spit out where the stone was before throwing her at the princesses’ hooves and making her confess every crime she committed.

“Ugh, fine. But let’s hurry this up,” Applejack ultimately conceded and jumped inside the carriage, sitting across the other mare. Once Jackie closed the door, the two stallions departed, driving them to wherever Jackie wanted to take her.

“Hope yer little vacation went well,” Jackie chimed, a small smile gracing her lips. Now that was as fake as shit, and Applejack could tell.

“It did. Ponyville is an amazing town,” Applejack answered in a low tone, though her counterpart didn’t seem to pay much attention to it. Choosing to keep her smile instead of making any remarks. Applejack purposefully kept quiet about her family, wanting to see what Jackie would say. She was disappointed, but not surprised.

“Ah’m sure a lot of them will be happy to look for a job in ma mines once ma company begins excavating!” Jackie commented, reminding Applejack of what she was planning to do with their family farm. Even when she was face to face with her, she couldn’t see a single hint of remorse. What was even worse was imagining the ponies she knew working in those mines, treated like slaves and overworked. Applejack had no idea how Jackie accomplished something like this, forcing these ponies to work there without anyone’s knowledge, but she wasn’t willing to find out.

“Aren’t ya gonna ask about yer family? Don’t wanna know how they feel? How they fare?” Applejack narrowed her eyes.

“All Ah wanna know is how they feel about sellin’ their farm,” Jackie rolled her eyes.

“And ya already know that. Ah told ya they accepted, now Ah’m sure ya want to know how they’re doin’, right? Ya haven’t seen them in so long, after all,” Applejack clenched her teeth, doing her best not to pounce on the other mare.

“Ah still need to make sure yer tellin’ the truth,” Jackie scoffed, dropping her cheerful façade. “Also, Ah thought Ah made it clear Ah don’t give a rat’s ass about them. This is all about money, Applejack. It’s what the world revolves around… When it doesn’t revolve around me, of course. That’s the first thing ya learn in Manehattan,”

It wasn’t what Applejack learned when she came here as a filly, though her aunt and uncle did teach her how to behave in high-class society. The farm pony knew arguing was useless, there was no way her counterpart would see reason, yet, she tried anyway.

“Granny Smith really loves ya, she missed ya a lot,”

“Look, Love doesn’t pay the bills, Sugar,” Jackie rolled her eyes. However, before Applejack could argue further, the carriage suddenly stopped.

“We’re at our destination, Boss!” One of the stallions from outside shouted, making Jackie breathe in relief.

“Finally. Come on, follow me,” Jackie instructed her counterpart before opening the door and jumping out of the carriage.

Applejack looked around, slightly surprised. They were surrounded by large and long buildings, which seemed to be factories, as well as various utilities such as power lines. There were even a few cranes spread around the area. Were they in an industrial zone? She had never been in that part of Manehattan before…

“A warehouse?” Applejack asked out loud as she noticed where Jackie was leading her, still accompanied by her three bodyguards.

“Yup! That’s one of the ones where we store our equipment,” Jackie answered, gesturing around them.

Applejack slightly widened her eyes as soon as they entered. There were wooden boxes everywhere, and the ceiling was quite high, despite that, some of those boxes weren’t too far from reaching it. The farm pony didn’t know what was inside those boxes, but there must have been thousands of them, and this was only one of their warehouses?! No! The mare shook her head. Not the moment to be impressed, especially since she acquired all of this on the backs of ponies she forced to work under atrocious conditions.

“Here we are,” Jackie suddenly stopped, nearly making Applejack, who was still looking around, run into her.

The cowgirl looked ahead and nearly gasped, her eyes traveling upward to take in the full view of what her counterpart was showing her. The first thing that struck her was its sheer size—a machine so massive that it would easily tower over two Celestias stacked on top of each other. It stood on two legs, with wide feet and limbs slightly thicker than a pony’s. Its body was a metallic cube with rounded corners, and at the top was a cockpit that likely served as its head. The cockpit was mostly glass, framed by yellow-colored steel. From her angle, Applejack could just make out the shadow of a console inside. The scariest part was the arms, though. The right arm ended in a massive claw with four sharp prongs, while the other arm featured a giant drill in place of a hand.

“What is that thing?” Applejack muttered in astonishment.

“A marvel of technology. The masterpiece of ma best engineers. A claw strong enough to carry boulders with ease, and a drill that could dig through even diamond,” Jackie replied with pride. “As soon as Ah can mass produce them, they will be used by ma best employees in the mines. Of course, Ah also plan on selling them abroad to whichever kingdom is ready to pay the price,” The businessmare explained. “Ya kept yer end of the deal and helped me with ma family, so Ah thought… What if Ah offered ya a position in ma company?” She revealed, much to Applejack’s shock.

“What?” She uttered. It was probably the last thing she expected, though, in retrospect, it made sense the bad guy would try to convince her to join them.

“We are the same pony, we’ve got the same strengths. Ah believe we could accomplish a lot together if we become partners. Of course, you’ll be fairly compensated. More bits than ya could even fit in your whole house!” Jackie clarified.

Applejack froze, her brain barely processing it all. She couldn’t be serious, right? Did she actually believe the farm pony would accept that deal? Not only would she be giving up on her friends waiting for her, but also on everything she believed in! If… what she did until now wasn’t already bad enough.

“Are ya serious?!” She stomped, snapping before she could stop herself. “All Ah want is to go back home! Ma friends are waitin’ for me, and Ah won’t give up on them for a piece of dung like you!”

Jackie’s smile fell, replaced by a disappointed frown. The moment her expression fell, her demeanor changed, making the guards accompanying her gulp nervously. Nevertheless, the three of them tensed their muscles, ready to intervene if need be, which didn’t go unnoticed by the farm pony.

“Oh, well, Ah suppose not everypony wants success. Very well, Ah’ll give you the stone and ya can be on yer way,” She shrugged nonchalantly.

“And then ya’ll turn yerself in,” Applejack added with narrowed eyes. She wasn’t stupid, the moment she felt the mood shift, she knew her counterpart wouldn’t give her the stone, and she wouldn’t fall for empty promises any longer.

“If there’s one thing Ah hate, it’s jokes, partner,” Jackie furrowed her browns. Instead of verbally responding, Applejack slightly bent forward, seemingly ready to charge at her. “I’m guessing you didn’t do shit to convince Granny Smith to sell the farm, did you?” She inquired, her accent suddenly gone.

“Of course, not,” Applejack scoffed as if it was obvious.

“Alright, boys. Teach her some manners,” Jackie turned around and walked away, leaving her bodyguards to take care of her enemy. Three strong stallions against a simpleton of a farm mare? The outcome was already decided, she snorted. A guard’s body flew past her and crashed into a random box with a loud crash. “What the?” She gasped, taking a step back.

Of course, the farm mare would win.

Jackie swiftly turned around, widening her eyes in horror as she witnessed both her guards getting slammed around. Every time they would try to land a hit or to grapple her, Applejack would outmaneuver them and kick them in the guts or in the face. In both cases, they would either spit out blood or a tooth as they were flung away.

“Ow! Shit! Doh!” One of them squealed in pain after each kick, one in the legs, the other in the stomach, and the last one in the… Jackie couldn’t help but wince, alright, she had to admit even she could feel that. Nevertheless, she couldn’t simply stand there while the third and last bodyguard was getting his ass handed to him! She was far too rich to face any consequences!

“Ugh… I’m not getting paid enough for this shit…” The last one grumbled as he collapsed to the floor, with no strength left in his limbs.

“Alright, Jackie! Yer turn!” Applejack shouted, determined to teach her counterpart a lesson. “Where is she?” She arched an eyebrow while looking around. Oh, crap, did she let her escape?!

“Right here, peasant!” Jackie revealed her location, which was in the cockpit of her new machine, with her hooves on the console! The businessmare carried a confident smirk. “Now… How do I turn on this thing… Ah, right! Here!” She said before pressing a couple of buttons. Unfortunately for Applejack, the other mare guessed right since the machine turned on immediately after, its engine roaring while steam was ejected out of a pipe on the back of its body. Then… She stepped forward. Slowly. Too slowly to worry Applejack.

“Oh, wow, Ah’m terrified,” The farm pony snickered. Suddenly, the claw shot out of the arm, attached to it by a steel cable, flying at Applejack faster than she could have predicted. “Crap!” She yelped as she managed to jump out of the way just in time.

The claw slammed into the boxes behind, reducing them to pieces and making a tower of them collapse, releasing various contraptions Applejack had no time to observe. Unfortunately, simply jumping out of the way wasn’t enough as Jackie moved a lever to the right, swinging the claw toward the farm pony.

CRASH

The claw along with the steel cable ripped through multiple other towers of boxes in their path to the cowgirl.

“Ha…” Applejack breathed out, throwing herself to the floor to avoid the cable by an inch. The air it produced would have knocked her hat off her head if she hadn’t held it firm with her hooves.

Jackie retracted the claw back into the machine’s arm before quickly making it advance forward, its steps making the floor shake. Applejack widened her eyes once the drill on the other arm roared to life, spinning faster and faster.

“Uh oh,” She gulped, swiftly jumping to her hooves.

“I’ll make mince meat out of you!” Jackie laughed sinisterly, a crazed look in her eyes. The farm pony gritted her teeth, she could finally see her counterpart’s real self; it was uglier than she could imagine. She reeked of cruelty and selfishness. Usually, Applejack wasn’t the one who’d believe in the goodness buried deep inside someone else. She was like Rainbow Dash in that way. However, she doubted even her friends would find an ounce of good inside that pit of greed. Just as the drill got closer, Applejack jumped back, allowing it to burrow the floor instead, ripping pieces of cement out and flinging them in every direction. “Why don’t you stay put?!” She hollered in anger while the farm pony was jumping back.

Jackie clenched her teeth and punched another button. Again, the claw flew out of the machine in Applejack’s direction; this time, the businessmare didn’t even bother aiming it right as it shot past the other pony without her even needing to move.

“Ugh… Boss, I-I think I’m fine! D–Do you need help?!” The first thrown bodyguard jumped to his hooves, holding his head in pain. However, as soon as he lifted his head, he was met with a giant metallic claw slamming into him. The poor stallion was thrown back to the end of the warehouse, meeting the wall with the sound of a familiar CRUNCH that he also heard when the claw hit.

“Crap… I better avoid getting hit by that thing…” Applejack muttered before slipping behind some boxes. Thankfully, the dust produced by Jackie’s attack was enough to make the cowgirl sneak away, though the business mare didn’t even look fazed after hitting one of her own men.

“Damn it! Where are you hiding?!” Jackie screamed, hitting the console in anger. Without even thinking twice, she pulled the lever again, flinging the claw across the warehouse and destroying even more equipment. Yet, Applejack still wasn’t in sight. “Don’t you dare make me destroy even more of my belongings, you filth!”

Applejack allowed herself to take a breather. Alright, she needed to find a way to deal with that thing. This was made for the mines, not for fighting, so it should be easy. The issue was that this thing was a massive piece of metal, which Jackie could fling around as she pleased, while Applejack was made of flesh and blood. How was she supposed to break it? Maybe she could wait for it to run out of power? Though she didn’t know what powered it. Perhaps she could make it waste its energy…

“All of that could have been avoided if ya hadn’t been a greedy bastard!” Applejack called out after cupping her cheeks.

“Shut up!” Jackie turned her machine where she thought she heard the voice come from before shooting the claw again, only to be disappointed after not seeing any trace of blood. “Nothing wrong with putting your interests first! Money makes the world turn, Applejack!” Jackie grunted, her eyes darting around the warehouse to catch any sign of the other mare.

“Who the hay even taught ya that? Sure as heck wasn’t Granny Smith!”

“Who do you think, moron?! Uncle and Aunt Orange, of course! They raised me here! They taught me how to survive in Manehattan! They taught me how to behave in this high society! How to build a business! This is a sea of sharks! No place for bottom feeders!” Jackie answered proudly. “You need to be ruthless!”

Applejack’s will slightly wavered. They did? She had spent quite some time with her Aunt and Uncle when she had left for Manehattan, but they only ever taught her how to behave properly. They never attempted to teach her anything remotely close to that. Maybe the ones from this world were different. Perhaps, if those teachings hadn’t been ingrained in her, then she wouldn’t have turned out so bad… Maybe, there was still hope? Was she allowed to believe that? Could she afford to believe that?

“Is that why you’re even willin’ to hurt yer own family? To leave Granny Smith and Big Mac homeless?!” Applejack shouted, her tone wavering as the giant claw swiped across an arch again, destroying even more equipment. “Ya don’t have to listen to what they’re sayin’! Ya can be better than Aunt and Uncle Orange!” She attempted to convince her. To her surprise, Jackie paused while the claw slowly retracted back into its arm.

“Wait… You think I’m… What? A victim?” Jackie questioned, utterly confused. Applejack held her breath, wondering how she was going to respond. The businessmare’s laughter echoed around the warehouse. “HAHAHAHA! Are you serious?! Have you still learned nothing?! These ponies still taught me their worthless values of family! They taught me how weak it made them! Do you really believe I could be shaped by anypony else but myself?! It’s that weakness that got them buried!”

“What? What are you talking about?” Applejack asked in a shaky but loud voice. This time, though, Jackie didn’t blindly throw her claw into the walls of boxes surrounding her. Instead, she carefully inspected her surroundings, her eyes slowly traveling across the room.

“Since you need a lesson, I suppose I’ll do you a kindness and teach you. They taught me how to open a business, and how to run. They helped me run it while teaching me all of their tactics and strategies, things I would later use to grow bigger and bigger. See, Equestria is known for its unity and for its values, there’s something nifty that other kingdoms don't have,” Jackie calmly explained, catching her breath after her intense yelling.

Meanwhile, Applejack carefully sneaked behind the various crates, trying to get behind her counterpart in silence.

“Including the possibility of making a company with a familial contract. Basically, your relatives will have the role of shareholders. The best part was the fact that they could choose to own 0% of the company while retaining their roles! Of course, sweet Aunt and Uncle Orange wouldn’t want their poor little niece to owe them anything,” Jackie explained in a fake cutesy voice at her last sentence. “They thought freely giving me their money to operate my company without even bothering to set up any interests. Every time I needed money, I’d ask them for more and more while promising to give it back. Once I did, I put everything in writing. Honestly, those contracts were bullshit only idiots would sign, but when you believe your niece wouldn’t do anything to you, you sign away like an imbecile. The more I gave, the more they owed me. At some point, they were so much indebted to me that they had no possible way of paying me back… Unless I put them to work,”

Applejack froze at the implication. She couldn’t be talking about the mines, could she? No… No, she wouldn’t put them through that hell! Even she had to have limits!

“I don’t know how, but somehow, you found out about the working conditions of my mines, didn’t you? The ponies working there… They’re either desperate or fools who owe me, so why should I make it easy for their kind? Unfortunately, hard labor had never been Aunt and Uncle Orange’s forte. They handled it for a couple of years, then… Well, I don’t need to draw you a picture, do I?” Jackie chuckled.

The farm pony’s breath was caught in her throat. She didn’t have limits. Of course, she wouldn’t. Why would she? The fact that she could do that to them with no remorse didn’t spell anything good for Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Applebloom. Imagining them in this situation made her furious! Not just them! Even if she wasn’t close to her Aunt and Uncle, they didn’t deserve that!

“You… Ya monster! How can you?! All that for money?!” Applejack screamed, not caring that her counterpart would figure out her position.

“That money was important for the start of my company, but you’re actually starting to piss me off… I just told you my life story and you still don’t get it?! It’s not JUST about the money! It’s about pride! And respect! I had to show everypony looking down on me that I wasn’t playing around! I need to show everypony their place! What’s the point of living if you can’t show everyone else that you’re better than them?!” Jackie scowled, gritting her teeth with anger as her machine spun around in another direction. “I thought we had the same gift, but I realize I was wrong, otherwise you would have understood… Everything goes according to my will! The only reason this ball of dirt spins is because I was born on it! Nothing else matters! If you had worked with me, you would have seen it, too! The worst sin you could have committed is disobeying me! How dare you… How dare you refuse my offer as if you’re better than me! Looking down on me! That’s the reason I’ll kill you today!” Jackie screamed.

CRASH

The claw broke through another wall of crates, making them collapse as their base was reduced to pieces. Jackie clicked her tongue, retracting the claw back to where it was.

“Of course, Ah wouldn’t join ya! Ya cheat, lie and use everypony around ya! You’re insane!” Applejack loudly retorted. No matter what her counterpart said, there was no way she would understand any of the things she was talking about! Never! She was aware she had problems with pride before, but it never was anything close to that extent!

“Don’t you lecture me, filthy hypocritical peasant! You sure didn’t give a shit when you had to lie to your supposed family when you had something to gain! See? We’re not so different, you and I! Oh, but I guess I’m the evil one!” Jackie responded, fuming even more as seconds passed. She was getting tired of chasing the cowgirl around!

The other mare looked down, downcast. She was right about one thing: she lied. She lied to ponies she cared about. Again.

“Ah know… Ah know. Ah’m stubborn as a mule. No matter how many times it happens, Ah just don’t keep that lesson in mind, and everypony gets hurt. If Ah actually frankly spoke to them… Maybe this would have been over already,” Applejack held back her tears.

“No!” Jackie slammed a hoof on her forehead, frustrated beyond belief. “That’s not the lesson you should have learned, you imbecile! It’s the guilt you should throw away! You can’t begin to understand the power there is in a silver tongue! If you had cheated and lied your way through life, stepping on others, then you wouldn’t have ended up here in the first place! You would have had a business empire! And the fact that one of my counterparts is so inferior to me disgusts me!” Jackie spat. This time, Applejack didn’t respond. She could hardly strategize while her feelings overwhelmed her. Jackie, on the other hand, smirked. “And if I carefully followed your steps and your foolish yelling, then you should be… HERE!” She shot her claw out again in Applejack’s direction; however, this time, the prongs were open.

“GAH!” Applejack shouted as the claw suddenly blew through the crates behind her and slammed into her back. She wasn’t able to escape in any way when the prongs promptly closed around her, keeping her trapped. Nevertheless, she attempted to push against them, slamming her four hooves into the claws on both of her sides while she was pulled back toward her counterpart. The claw was slightly open, so maybe if she pushed harder…

“Gotcha!” Jackie celebrated cheerfully, a crazed smile spread across her lips. “Now time to get crushed!” She announced happily, clicking on several buttons. As soon as she was done, the claw attempted to close again, this time with much more force. Applejack grunted, barely pushing it back. It wasn’t open enough for her to slip out of! Moreover, if she let go of it even for a second, it would clasp around and crush her! “Y… You’re holding off pretty well… Surprisingly… But no matter! It’ll be over soon!” Jackie remarked nervously, surprised by Applejack’s strength.

“In yer dreams!” The farm pony retorted through her clenched teeth.

“It’s so funny… To think I’d meet two otherworlders and that I’d get to kill them both! Isn’t that proof enough that the universe itself wants me to succeed?” Jackie snickered pridefully.

“Gugh… What? You said… You helped them go back…” Applejack said between grunts.

“I lied, of course! Still, who would have thought that both of you would be friends with the princess of friendship? And heroes of Equestria to boot, too? Is the universe trying to send me a message?” Jackie mused in amusement.

“Huh? Who… guh… Who are you talking about?!” Applejack couldn’t help perking up at Jackie’s words. Not a lot of ponies fit the criteria she just mentioned, so…

“Oh? It was one of the pegasi. Don’t remember the name. Flutter-something, who cares. She was sweet and oh so trusting. Especially since I was her friend back in her universe. Apparently, she ended up here ‘cause of a unicorn. Didn’t care then, don’t care now. She was useful for a time, but she got smart at some point, so I had to silence her… Permanently,” Jackie honestly answered. Applejack gasped, her eyes watery. No… Not Fluttershy, too… At this point, she didn’t care about that multiversal bullshit. Fluttershy was her friend, no matter the universe! And that… That scumbag dared to hurt her! “Do you finally get it? Other ponies only exist to entertain me or be useful. Once they can’t do that, they die… or become slaves. Too bad you pissed away your gift before realizing that, thanks to your pathe… What?” Jackie widened her eyes as Applejack actually began opening up the claw, slowly pushing the prongs further away from her.

“Jackie! Ya better kill me now, ‘cause otherwise… Ah’ll make ya pay!” Applejack declared, glaring into her counterpart’s eyes.

“No… No! Full power!” Jackie, panicking, pushed a lever, increasing the force of the claw, which began closing in on Applejack again. However, before Jackie could breathe in relief, a dent appeared in the outer layer of the claw. And another! With every kick, Applejack made another dent. Alarms suddenly blared inside the machine’s cockpit, notifying her that the claw was unable to close.

“Ah won’t let ya hurt anypony else! GRAAAH!” Applejack roared as she delivered another kick. This time, it broke straight through one of the prongs, then she punched and followed with another kick, shattering the rest of them and ripping them off the machine’s arm. The pieces of machinery crumbled to the floor, sparking with the damage Applejack caused as the farm pony landed in the middle of them less than a second later.

“No way… S-She broke the titanium claw!” Jackie exclaimed in horror. “She’s strong! But… But I’m not strong… Stronger? She’s stronger? She’s stronger than me? Better than me?” She muttered to herself, her eyes darting in every direction and her breathing accelerating. “No, no, NO! You’re not allowed to be better than ME! Your… YOUR WHOLE EXISTENCE IS AN AFFRONT TO ME! JUST DIE, ALREADY!” Jackie growled with fury. Her drill roared to life again as she blasted it in Applejack’s direction, ready to turn her into a gory mess!

With her cowboy hat thrown to the side, Applejack lifted her head with a determined gaze and a rope between her teeth, a rope she had hidden on the very top of her head. With a single leap, she was above Jackie’s drill. As for her rope? Its noose was wrapped around the machine’s arm, right under the drill’s base. The farm pony landed on top of the machine, then jumped behind it, pulling the drill with her with all her strength. Jackie widened her eyes in realization too late as the drill slammed into the machine’s body and drilled through it!

“The power core!” Jackie cried in panic as the energy levels were quickly depleting. She began hurriedly pushing every button and pulling every lever, trying to find any way to fix this, only for sparks to flow out from every direction. She shielded her eyes, hoping it would be enough, but when the fire started… She knew there was nothing else she could do. Quickly, she jumped out of the window. A second later, the cockpit exploded, flames bursting out from every side of the machine’s body as it collapsed into a heap of debris. Jackie coughed out the smoke she inhaled before checking on what was left of her masterpiece. Her eyes twitched in anger, which she instantly directed to the other orange mare, who was slowly walking closer to her. “You… You filth! Do you know how expensive that was?! Look at what you did!”

Applejack didn’t say a word. She didn’t feel like talking. She didn’t even know what to say. Yet, despite the current situation, Jackie still rambled, shouting about all the bits she invested in this glorified excavator.

“You wouldn’t even afford one in your entire lifetime, you pathetic-” Jackie was cut off when Applejack’s hoof met her face.

“SHADDUP ALREADY!”

“Abwa!” Jackie yelped as she skidded across the floor, blood spurting out of her nose and mouth. She eventually crashed into a crate, preventing her from flying any further. Applejack walked past the fallen tooth covered in blood and lying on the floor, going to where Jackie had landed. “Ugh…” The businessmare groaned, slowly reaching for her face. “HA! It hurts! It hurts!” She cried, holding her face while kicking the air and writhing all over the floor. “I’m bleeding!”

Applejack silently grabbed her by the collar of her suit and punched her again. Jackie yelped in pain and then was punched again. With both hits, more of her blood was punched out of her mouth and cheek. Nevertheless, the farm pony was willing to continue if it weren’t for Jackie’s… pleading.

“Stop! Stop! Please! Don’t… Don’t hit me anymore… Please…” Jackie begged with a swollen face, tears streaming down her face. It made Applejack pause. “Ah’m sorry, please, stop… Don’t hurt me… *hic* It… hurts… Please, Ah’m sorry. Ah’ll give ya anything!” She cried while protecting her face with her hooves.

The bearer of honesty panted, slowly catching her breath as she took in her counterpart’s words. She remained silent while the businessmare continued to cry in her grasp. Applejack’s silence only made Jackie beg harder. The once confident mare was nothing but a bumbling mess of tears and blood. The farm pony slowly looked down at her hooves, which were covered with the same warm liquid pouring out of Jackie’s face. She was faintly reminded of her friends. They… Likely wouldn’t approve of that.

“Yer pathetic,” Applejack dropped her counterpart to the floor.

“Ah’m sorry… Ah’m sorry… Don’t-Don’t hit me anymore… Please…” Jackie wept while holding her head.

“Give me the stone, then ya’ll turn yerself in,” Applejack ordered.

Jackie had no decency or redeeming qualities, so Applejack had no reason to feel bad for her or mind her words. She wouldn’t hurt her anymore because her friends wouldn’t like it, but that didn’t mean she had to be gentle with her! That scumbag had probably never been gentle with anyone in her life.

Something suddenly closed around Applejack’s throat, making her gasp for breath as she was pulled back to the ground. Her hooves swiftly shot to her throat to realize a rope was around it! Before she could do anything about it, another rope wrapped around her limbs, keeping them spread and restricting her.

“No worries, Boss! I called for backup!” One of the earlier injured bodyguards declared with pride as he ran up to the businessmare. Indeed, Applejack was surrounded by dozens of stallions, most of which were pegasi. Several of them were holding her down with ropes!

“Hold her down! She’s strong!” One of the pegasi shouted, gritting his teeth and pulling on the rope harder.

Jackie’s cries slowed down, turning into sniffles until…

“Ha… Ha ha… HAHAHA!” She laughed out loud, cheerier than she had ever been as she wiped off her tears and snot. “I win! I knew it! The world does everything according to my will! I knew the universe would make me win as it always has! You pathetic worm… have lost!” She declared pridefully.

Applejack could only grunt, slowly feeling her consciousness slipping away as the rope tightened around her throat. Was she… going to go out this way?