Samurai Applejack
Chapter 10: Applejack Meets a Goddess
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Saga IV: A Rare Break
Chapter X: The Next Step
Samurai Jack created by Genndy Tartakovsky
My Little Pony created by Hasbro
Applejack awoke feeling rested for the first time in many weeks. She yawned and stretched. Already, she could see the other inhabitants of the Library were up. The phoenix pair were flying about outside, and Spike was gone, presumably to take care of his duties.
All that remained besides Applejack was a certain toy pony. Applejack saw her right away, across the room. Rarity was staring out the window like she had last night. Rarity sighed loudly.
“Mornin’ Rarity,” Applejack said.
Rarity actually looked over. Applejack then noticed the new runes adorning her back. “Good morning.”
“How yah feel?”
“Better. I didn’t sleep but I don’t feel tired.”
“Ah’m almost jealous. Ah could get a lot more done if Ah didn’t need tah sleep.”
“I wanted to cry my eyes out all night,” Rarity said, her voice wavering. “But I can’t. I can’t shed a single tear. I don’t know how you keep going like you do.”
“Ah just keep goin’. It’s about all we can do.”
Rarity just stared out the window. Silently, Applejack left the room and headed downstairs.
“Hey, Applejack,” Spike greeted. He was busy making some toast.
“Spike, she’s really miserable, and not havin’ magic is makin’ it worse. Are yah sure yah can’t do anythin’?” Applejack asked.
“Well, there is one thing I might be able to do.”
“The magic runes?” Applejack asked.
“In a way. See the problem is she would need something to generate the magic. Using it would be easy, but actually generating it is the hard part.”
“Ah know it sounds rather evil, but could yah take somepony’s horn and give it tah her?” Applejack asked.
Spike laughed a bit. “No. Unicorn horns are merely a focus for magic. Their magic is made by an organ inside them. All ponies have one, but it doesn’t work in other ponies. Even you have one.”
“Ah never knew that,” Applejack said, surprised. “Course, Ah didn’t really pay attention in school.”
“It’s important that you do have one. Otherwise a unicorn born to non unicorn parents might not have magic.”
“So where is this goin’ exactly?”
“I could...” Spike trailed off. The toast was ready and he passed some to Applejack who took a slice. “If I could find a willing donor, I might be able to transplant it into her body. I’d need to create a support structure. I know she wants a larger body, so I can include that in the new one.”
“So the trick is tah find a unicorn willing to give up magic,” Applejack said glumly. “Ah don’t see that happenin’ ever.”
“We could use anypony,” Spike replied. “We’d need to give it a jumpstart, but I think I could do it. In my travels I met a small village of earth ponies who could all use magic because they had worked out a way to make their bodies start producing magic. I think I could mimic their technique.”
Applejack munched on the toast for a moment. “Take mine,” she said.
“I couldn’t,” Spike said, shaking his head. “You need it.”
“Fer what? Ah ain’t a unicorn.”
“It also allows for latent magic control. You might not realize it, but earth ponies use that magic to grow crops and things.”
“So?”
“So if I took yours, you could never go back to farming. You wouldn’t be able to grow anything, no matter how hard you tried.”
“Take it,” Applejack said.
“I won’t.”
“Look how miserable she is without magic,” Applejack said. “She needs it and you know it.”
“And you need it to.”
“Ah don’t need it tah walk and fight, do Ah?”
“Well, no,” Spike said.
“Then take mine,” Applejack said definitively. “Ah don’t think Ah could go back tah farmin’ after this, anyway.”
“I still need to figure out how to keep an organ alive and functioning in a golem,” Spike said.
“Send me a letter when yer ready,” Applejack said.
“You’re not staying?”
“I’ve had enough ah Discord gettin’ in mah way. Ah’m gonna kill him in this time, find a way back, and kill him again,” Applejack said.
“Applejack, you can’t do that,” Spike said.
“Wanna bet?”
“Look, if you kill him, you’ll doom the planet,” Spike said. “With Celestia and Luna gone, he’s the only being powerful enough to turn the planet.”
“Everypony keeps sayin’ that. Ah don’t get it. Ah thought Celestia moved the sun.”
“Yeah, she said that,” Spike said. “She was lying. She merely turns the planet we live on. She and Luna took shifts that coincided with day and night. Now Discord does it. If you kill him, basically all life will be doomed.”
“What about the unicorns? Didn’t they-”
“Another lie. Celestia controlled it before the tribes united as well. And we would need hundreds to equal her power, and then, getting them to focus for that long would be impossible.”
“Fine! Ah’ll go back then!” Applejack snapped.
“There might be something we can use, but I have no idea how to find it, if it even exists,” Spike said. “Long ago, when there were alicorns, they turned the planet themselves. Rumor goes they had a device that they powered to turn the world for them so they wouldn’t have to focus the spell. If we could find that device, we could use unicorn magic to power it.”
“So no clue where it is?” Applejack asked.
“Only that it’s in the ruins of Alicornia, what Pony lands were called back then. I don’t know where the ruins are; no pony does. They’ve been lost for three thousand years.”
“Well, Ah have somethin’ tah do first. Ah may have lost the notes, but the spell thingy should be still there. Do yah think if Ah brought yah a whole bunch ah runes, yah could work out which ones will send me home?”
“Huh?”
“Ah met a bunch ah unicorns out there. They teleported to a whole other planet using some spell thing they carved into a rock. Could yah use those runes?”
“I might....”
“Funny story, them unicorns, we know them,” Applejack said. “Two were descendants ah Shinin’ Armor, and one from, Trixie.”
“Huh. I would have thought he was killed when Canterlot fell. He and/or Cadence must have escaped in time.”
“Ah guess.”
“Are you going to be in town long?” Spike asked.
“Ah might see Kendall, then stop by here bahfore Ah head back tah get those runes.”
“Okay. We’ll be in town if you need us.”
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“Howdy, Kendall,” Applejack greeted. She just ignored the golems this time.
“Howdy, Applejack. Yah back from beatin’ Discord already?” he said with a smile.
“Darn, Ah knew there was somethin’ Ah fergot tah do!” Applejack shouted, pounding her hoof into the floor but smiling.
“It’s easy to forget when yer savin’ towns and becoming a wanted pony,” Kendall said. “How’s yer quest going?”
“Ugh,” Applejack groaned. “Ah was so close and Discord ruined it. Ah had a spell tah bring be back, and a gem that ah bunch ah unicorns could power tah do it. Discord broke the gem and burned the spell.”
“Ouch. What are yah gonna do now? Certainly not throw in the towel.”
“Heh. That one’s a stretch.”
“Ah try not tah rhyme, but Ah can’t help it sometimes,” Kendall replied. “But really, what are yah gonna do?”
“Ah’m gonna head back where Ah was. Maybe Ah can find somethin’ there that’ll work too.”
“That was quite the feat yah pulled in Appleloosa. Ah lot ah ponies owe yah their lives.”
“It was nothin’.”
“Listen, Ah’ve been doin’ some diggin’,” Kendall said in a hushed tone. “Ah’m askin’ round the family tah see if anypony knows what happened tah yer brother. Ah haven’t found anythin’ yet, but if Ah do, Ah’ll let yah know.”
“Ah appreciate it,” Applejack said. Suddenly Kendall looked around her. She turned and saw a golem standing there looking at them. It made an odd clinking noise that Kendall seemed to understand.
“It seems they ran into ah problem in the east orchard. Ah’d better go check it out,” Kendall said. “Lead.”
The golem turned and walked out of the barn. Kendall followed quickly with Applejack tagging along out of curiosity. She felt at home among the apple trees. Despite the clay things managing things, it was still Sweet Apple Acres.
“Well this is new,” Kendall said. “Ah’ve never seen it, have you?”
Applejack looked at what the problem was. A large ancient tree lay on its side, but where its roots had been was now a gaping hole with what looked like stone blocks on the bottom.
“Ah know that tree, but Ah never knew about this,” Applejack said, looking down.
“You, get two flashlights,” Kendall ordered a golem. “Quickly. The rest of you... get a ladder.”
They galloped off quickly, leaving the two very confused ponies.
“Ah wonder if it’s some kinda cellar,” Kendall suggested.
“It’s not like a pony tah plant over one.”
“Yah sure yah don’t recognize it?”
“Ah remember when Apple Bloom fell outta that tree and broke her nose. It’s been here ah lot longer than Ah have.”
Presently, the single golem returned with two metal lanterns on ropes. It stood there as Kendall took them and gave one to Applejack. She hung it around her neck.
“Stay here and keep any stray ponies away from this area. Don’t let them see this. When the rest return with the ladder, set it up so we can get out, then return to keeping ponies away,” he ordered the golem. It just stared back vacantly.
“Ah tell yah, those thing’s are creepy,” Applejack said, lowering herself down. She wasn’t quite tall enough and dropped down the last couple inches.
“They do good work. That’s all Ah want from them,” Kendall replied landing beside her. He switched on this light and began walking into the tunnel. Applejack had to fiddle with the unfamiliar thing for a moment before she finally turned it on and followed.
The tunnel was very short and made of stone. They were able to walk upright, but just barely. It only went on for a few yards before opening into a small room with a statue on the other side. The roof was slightly higher here, but just as simple as the rest.
The statue itself was very ornate. It was stone like everything else, but the detail was immaculate. It depicted a very large pony who’s regal appearance was matched by its musculature.
Applejack heard muttering and looked at Kendall. Her distant relative had gone into a bow and was saying something in a language she didn’t understand, but recognized the sound as the language Zecora would slip into sometimes. In that moment, Applejack promised herself then and there that if she ever made it back to her own time, she’d learn zebra, if for no other reason then to talk to her future brother-in-law.
“Do yah know who that is?” Applejack asked.
“She is the most important of the goddesses,” Kendall replied when he had finished chanting.
“Ah’m not familiar with zebra religion. Can yah explain?”
“She’s a pony goddess, not a zebra one,” Kendall replied. “That is-”
“Epona, mother of the earth ponies,” said a disembodied voice. Out of shock, Applejack bowed, but she didn’t know any prayers so she remained silent and hoped she wasn’t offending any deities. “Please get up, Applejack.”
“Yah... Yah know mah name?” she stammered.
“I have been watching you for a long time,” the voice said.
The statue had transformed from stone to flesh. A large brown pony stood before her now, with a tan mane and long tan feathers hiding her hooves. The pony was definitely female and taller than an alicorn. Gone was much of the regality, replaced with the hardened exterior of a hard worker. Every inch of the mare spoke power.
Applejack looked around and saw that the room had vanished and she and the mysterious pony were standing in the middle of a seeminly endless field. There was sea of green grass stretching in all directions.
“You have earned my favor,” she said.
“Me?” Applejack exclaimed. “Whah me? Ah’ve never gone tah church, hay, Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever really prayed, except that one time. Ah always felt-”
“If you can’t earn it with your own hooves, you don’t deserve to have it,” Epona finished. “This is exactly why I chose you. I want my earth ponies to be self reliant.”
“Ah don’t really know who yah are tah be honest, apart from bein’ ah goddess which I just learned.”
“Then allow me to explain. Long ago, ponies were just beasts, little wild things with no real intelligence. Things that you don’t need to know about happened, and we ended up with little choice then to change that. However we each had a different view of what we wanted your race to be like. I wanted you to be strong and resilient. My brother, Argo, wanted you to be quick and agile, and my sister, Eido, wanted you to be wise and regal. After some... trial and error, we worked out an agreement. We sort of split you into three races, each with the qualities we wanted.”
“The three tribes...”
“Exactly. However, as part of the agreement, we had to put limits on what our ponies were capable of. I’m sure you’ve noticed that alicorns have not only the abilities of the three tribes, but are far stronger in every area. We had learned it would cause many more problems if all ponies were that strong, fast, and magical.
“However, it seems my siblings were aware of something that I was not. They removed the limits from certain newborn ponies. One from each of their tribes, to be precise. They wouldn’t risk unbalancing the world unless the ponies would be needed for something, and did it when they were foals so they wouldn’t remember it happening.”
“Do yah need me tah find em?” Applejack asked.
Epona shook her head. “You knew them both, but they are long dead.”
“Ah did?”
“Surely you remember a unicorn with magic like no other, and a pegasus who could fly far faster than the rest.”
Applejack stared at her in disbelief.
“However, the time has come for me to break our pact as well.” Epona stepped towards Applejack and pressed a hoof to Applejack’s forehead.
Applejack felt a tingling all over, like parts of her were falling asleep and waking up in quick succession. Her muscles suddenly felt very sore, then a second later, totally refreshed, then sore again, and so on. After a minute, Epona removed the hoof and stepped back.
“There.”
“What... what did yah do to me?” Applejack muttered, looking at her hooves.
“I removed your limits, like your friends had theirs taken away.”
Applejack looked at her with curiosity. “So, am Ah like super strong ‘er something?”
“No,” Epona said, giggling a bit. “But there is no limit to how strong and fast you can get now. You know how ponies can only get so strong before they just can’t get any stronger without artificial help? Well you no longer have that problem. If you are willing to put in the time and effort, you can become stronger and faster than anypony in existence. You might notice some other minor things, but nothing too drastic.
“I also gave you another ability, one I kept from my ponies for a very good reason. If you ever find that your strength is not enough, you will be able to push your body past its normal limits and use it to its full potential. The drawback is this can seriously hurt you. Your body isn’t meant to handle that level of stress for long periods of time. Your body uses so much power, it literally starts to tear itself apart. Use it sparingly, if at all.”
“How do Ah use it?”
“When you have need of it, you will know.”
Applejack bowed. “Thank you fer yer gift. Ah promise Ah will put it tah good use.”
“There is something I ask of you in return,” Epona said.
“Right,” Applejack replied. Give me ah power Ah didn’t ask fer, then make me pay fer it. Classy. Wait, can she read mah thoughts?
“This will benefit you far more then it will me. May I please see that compass you are carrying?”
Applejack rummaged around and pulled out the chaos clock and gave it to Epona. The goddess looked it over. Applejack thought she saw a tear fall from the majestic pony’s eye.
“This was mine, a long, long time ago,” Epona said. “These were made so that we might find each other if we needed to. I lost mine eons ago, and it seems it has found its way back to me.”
“Yah can keep it. It does belong tah you, after all.”
“No, you will need it on your quest. When your quest is over, I would like it back, but do not feel pressured to return it with any haste. Time is no issue for me.”
“Can yah explain how it works? Cause the first time Ah used it, it led me tah these things called elephants who were made slaves of a group called sapiens. When Ah saved the elephants, they wanted tah make me their slave. Ah wanna know why it had me go there in the first place.”
“I’m not sure. You would have to ask the maker and I don’t know where he is. They cannot locate him either, a design flaw I’m sure he put in intentionally.”
“What is this place anyway?” Applejack asked. “Ah mean where Ah was anyway.”
“Where we are now is what you might call, my realm. Where you were is just one of the temples from the old days when ponies remembered me. I can channel my will through places like this. It is very fortuitous you stumbled across one, I have been looking for a way to contact you for some time now. If you happen across another, I will attempt to contact you again.”
“Yah don’t mind mah family farmin’ right over here?”
“Your family has always been hard working. I must say I was quite fond of you. I am very sorry I was unable to intervene during the fire.”
“So what do yah need me tah do exactly?”
“Simply follow this,” Epona said returning the chaos clock. “I have given it a few destinations you need to visit. Make sure you follow it, no matter how strange the path is.”
“Can Ah ask somethin’?”
“You just did, but I know you meant something else.”
“Spike said Princess Celestia made the world turn, and now Discord does it. If Ah kill him, can’t one of you gods take over?”
Epona shook her head. “I’m sorry, that is not my domain, nor the domain of any god or goddess who walks upon this or any world. There is nothing I can do. You will have to find a solution on your own, I’m afraid.”
“Horseapples,” Applejack grunted, then immediately put her hoof in her mouth.
“Please don’t feel the need to watch your language with me. Very few of us take offense to such things and I am not one of them.”
“Ah should still watch what Ah say,” Applejack declared. “How about mah brother. Do yah know what happened tah him?”
“I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise,” Epona said. “Do you have any more questions?”
“Ah don’t think so, and Ah can always come back.”
“Good luck on your journey, Applejack,” Epona said.
“Ah’ll do yah proud.”
“You do every day.”
“Thank you,” Applejack said.
“Huh?” Kendall asked.
Applejack blinked and rubbed her eyes. She was back in the stone temple. The statue was back where it was, and Kendall was staring at her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah... did yah hear any ah that?”
“Any of what? I just said this was a statue of Epona when you just stopped. You looked like you were in a trance or something.”
“She... she spoke tah me,” Applejack said, rubbing her head.
“That’s impossible. Epona died thousands of years ago.”
Applejack frowned. “If she’s dead, then whah did yah bow and do all that praying?”
“She did great things. It is only right to honor the dead.”
“Ah’m tellin’ yah, she was real. She said she can talk tah me in places like this.”
“I didn’t see or hear anything,” Kendall said. “Let’s go above ground, okay? I have to seal this place up soon.”
“What?”
“If Discord finds out about it, he’ll destroy my farm along with it.”
“But...”
“Consider it another incentive tah beat him,” Kendall said. They had reached the end and found a ladder was now in the hole with them. He climbed up, followed by Applejack. “Yah wanna stay fer lunch?”
Applejack took out Epona’s clock and saw it was pointing dutifully off in one direction. “Sorry, but Ah got someplace tah go.”
“Well grab some apples on yer way.”
“Thanks, Kendall,” Applejack said.
“Good luck, Applejack.”
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“What do you think? Satin or silk?”
“I don’t know, what about the fleece?”
“Too thick.”
“Right. Well maybe for my mane?”
“That could work. It would be a bit hard to style though.”
“Okay, well what do I use for filler?”
“I think you have wool right now, but it shouldn’t matter.”
“How about-”
“Hey, Applejack,” Spike greeted.
Applejack just kept walking.
“Applejack?” Rarity called.
“Huh?” Applejack muttered. Then she noticed them. “Sorry, Ah’m just distracted is all.”
“With the amount you have to worry about, I’m not surprised,” Rarity said. Applejack had to stifle a snicker. The former unicorn was hanging out of the top of an old mailbag Spike was wearing.
“It’s not that... Something just happened tah me. Kendall said it didn’t, and he was there. Ah’m not sure if Ah’m seein’ things or he just didn’t see it er what.”
“Well don’t keep us in suspense, what happened?” Rarity asked.
“Some ah Kendall’s golems found an old shrine on the farm. Ah never even knew it was there.”
“A temple to who?” Spike asked.
“Epona,” Applejack replied.
“Oh! I had no idea there were even any temples to the pony goddesses anymore,” Rarity stated.
“Anyway, when we went in, Ah mentioned Ah had no idea what it was, Ah’ve never been tah any sort ah Church or nothin’. That’s when what Ah say and what he says differ. He says he said it was tah Epona, then Ah sorta zoned out. Ah don’t even remember him sayin’ it. What Ah do remember was Ah wasn’t even there anymore. Ah was in this field talkin’ with who Ah guess was Epona herself.”
“You- okay, let me get this straight, you’re in a temple to Epona, then all of a sudden, you’re somewhere else talking to a pony you only guess is Epona?” Spike said in disbelief. “How could you not be sure?”
“Well she said she was, but how should Ah know? Ah’ve never been tah church, and Ah’ve only ever prayed once, when... well it was one time. Anyway, we talked, she told me tah go where this thing leads me,” Applejack said, tapping the clock in her robe. “Then she was gone and Kendall was lookin’ at me.”
“Wow...” Rarity said.
“But now Ah’m not sure if Ah’m crazy or it happened and somehow Kendall didn’t see it.”
“Well since I’ve never spoken with any sort of deity, I don’t know what to tell you. She like the other patron pony deities died a long time ago, but it’s possible fragments of her remain. That would explain why she chose to contact you in a temple devoted to her.” Spike told her. “Though if the chaos clock is pointing somewhere she told it to, it probably did happen.”
“That’s another thing, you said you had more, right?”
“Just one,” Spike replied. “I found four and I’ve given three of them away, including yours.”
“She said the one you gave me... was hers. She sounded like it was made fer her bah another god.”
“You mean this once belonged to a god?” Rarity asked, pulling out a similar clock out of the bag. It seemed impossible that she could lift it, given it was about as big as she was, but she managed. This one was distinctly different from Applejacks. While hers was plain and simple, this one had elegant gilded swirls in the edges, and the hands were covered in decorative details.
“Probably, but you’d have tah ask her which one.”
“Hmm...” Spike hummed. “Maybe Kendall couldn’t see it because he’s part zebra. Well it would really be up to Epona who she wanted to speak with, so maybe she just wanted to talk to you alone.”
“What did she say?” Rarity asked.
Applejack paused. Epona hadn’t said her revelations were secret, but on the same token, she’s specifically prevented Kendall from hearing them. She must have had some reason.
“It’s probably an earth pony thing, seeing as she is their patron goddess,” Spike said.
“She did say she wants Discord defeated,” Applejack told them. “Ah think she bascially said she’s givin’ me her blessin’ tah do it.”
“Well let us know when you do face him,” Rarity said. “We’ll be there as your backup!”
“Ah appreciate it. Ah gotta get goin’ though. Got a lot ah travelin’ tah do.” Applejack turned and headed off to the trainstation.
End Saga IV
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If you like this story, you should check out some of my other works:
My tumblr, an alternate universe mixing MLP and Cyborg 009.
The Seven Tribes, a rather long fanfic that, like many stories, tries to explain the past.
Forever a Changeling, my new story starring Rainbow Dash as a changeling.
Night of the Werepony, what I consider to be my worst story, but it’s surprisingly popular. It’s just one chapter long.
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