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Pony POV Series Season Six: Dark World/Shining Armor

by Alex Warlorn

Chapter 10: Chapter 76: (Dark World) Apple Tree

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Pony POV Series
"Dark World" Part Seven
By Alex Warlorn
Apple Tree

"Come on Applejack! Are ya old or somethin'? Catch me if ya can!"

"Come on Applebloom! Get back here little filly! And whatcha doin' coverin' yerself with glow in the dark paint like that! Granny Smith is gonna give ya such a whoppin'!"

"Come and try ta catch me!" Mah glowin' little filly of a sister laughed as she skipped along the castle-palace-geometric-thingie-place of chaos. She stuck her tongue out at me before running off again.

"Lalalala-lalala!"

"Leave the singin' ta Sweetie Belle Apple Bloom! Now stay still tarnation!"

"Ya said stay still, so ya must mean ya want me ta move faster!"

"Ah ain't lyin'!"

"So that meant ya are lyin'!" Apple Bloom just kept laughin' like she had swallowed a load of soft feathers.

Ah shook mah head. Ah couldn't shake the feelin' Ah was forgettin' somethin' important. But Ah woke up in the middle of mah sleep and found mah little sister floating above mah bed (must have been usin' wires or somethin', if it were some kind of illusion Ah'd have felt it).

She smiled at me and stuck her tongue out like me all sassy like, like she had earned every cutie mark in the world! She floated down to the floor. She must have been usin' soundproof shoes cause she didn't make a sound as she skipped right through the door. Ah mean, RIGHT through the door, like it wasn't even there, and stuck her head through it a tic' later and asked if I was comin' or not. I galloped after her head first with Pa's hat and slammed flat against it. Master makin' the doors intangible for her and not me? Geeze, Master always has somethin' new up his sleeves. But he never helped somepony else play a joke on me before!

Yeah, Ah know what intangible is ya dork! All the time Ah spend with Rarigreed Ah picked up a lotta fancy words.

After a thousand years of being almost constantly with her, Ah really finally see what she sees in them fancy dresses and fancy words Aunt and Uncle Orange tried teachin' me as she plays with her 'family.'

By my words, your beauty, your dictation, they tell a pony a million things about you before you even engage them in proper conversation darling.

But Ah can't be that Applejack, Ah'm 'bout the only thing that keeps TD kinda sane, and keeps Rarigreed from turnin' inta another Angry Pie and Spike ... Ah want good old Spike to have somethin' that helps remind 'em that precious year we had together, against the thousand we've had since then. It makes them happy. Who cares if it's a lie?

Finally trying to get hold of 'Bloom leads me ta the gallery. Yea, that gallery. The one with Sparkler Hooves dancin' whenever anyone tells her to, the Princesses, one of the hundred copies of the vase Philomena's ashes were made into, and some statues that are just statues just to spice things up.

"What's the matter big sister? Come on!" Applebloom hopped up and down in the middle of the room smiling.

Dang. What was Ah forgettin'? It was drivin' me crazy! It had to do with 'Bloom. But Mah head felt fuzzy when Ah tried to think 'bout it! Dang it! Gotta catch 'Bloom!

"Thank yah kindly Princesses! By the way, Yer Pa says hi."

An', TARNATION! SHE DID NOT JUST PLUCK TWO FEATHERS FROM THE PRINCESSES! "OKAY BLOOM! ENOUGH IS TOO MUCH!"

She hopped through the wall past a tapestry of diamond dogs playing poker. Dang. That thing was ugly even for this place! Ah made sure she wasn't IN the tapestry before pulling it back, that'd happened a couple times.

What the hay?! The wall just split open and revealed a set of stairs just goin' down and down and down.

"Alright 'Bloom this is just too far." Ah heard 'Bloom giggle behind me and Ah felt some THING push me... and down Ah went. Ah have never felt so thankful for bein' immortal. Ah only passed out... Ah kinda lost count how many times from bangin' Mah head downs the steps. Ah lay there fer a spell regeneratin' before Ah get up.

Ugh.

Big fancy door with a hole in it for unicorn horn. Dang. Applebloom you have some nerve. Huh? Already open? Good luck fer me.

Big round chamber, like some expensive indoor swimming pool. 'Cept the pool cover is some mechanical doodad that looks like the shutter you see on a camera. Ah see Bloom pull down on a lever and it begins opening. Now how is that fair? She can go through doors but can still pick up stuff? And how did those feathers go through the wall with her? Dang this doesn't make sense. Sigh, 'and what fun is there in makin' sense' dang Master.

The room looked like the it hadn't been touched in a thousand years, didn't see none of Master's 'upgrades' anywhere.

There's a soft pain in mah chest, I wonder what that's about. Somethin' 'bout this whole room feelin' mighty wrong!

"Over here big sistah! Ah promise not ta move away from this here spot!" 'Bloom hopped on over. The 'pool' was filled with some liquid silvery stuff. It was hard ta tell. It was so smooth. Somethin' 'bout made mah eyes hurt.

Ah trot over her. It's crazy, but all this time, from when Ah first saw her, Ah swear Ah could see through her.

"Applebloom! Now yer gonan tell me what this here is all 'bout right NOW!!!"

'Bloom looked hurt, good, she needs to grow up and learn her goofin' off doesn't effect just her! Grow up, wait...

"Big sister, Ah just wanna say first, thanks fer everything, and Ah love ya very much, and always will, and Ah'm sorry 'bout this next part."

"WAIT A SEC'! Ah remember now! Applebloom! YER DEAD!"

Applebloom pulled her face off like it was a Nightmare Night mask, showin' a clean white skull underneath! The pink bowed skull grew ta the size of Trixie's ego an' made ah little girl's imitation of a scary voice turned up to ten! And it sure dang scared me!

Ah backed up like Twili' from a nest of rattlers and... "Whao-Whao-Whao!" Ah was balancin' right on the edge!

Applebloom, back to 'normal' said, "Big sister, welcome to The Truth." And pushed me in! Truth? TRUTH? NO NO NO NO! 'BLOOM HOW COULD YOU-!

Ah fall, it's just Ah moment but-splash down. Ah see the ceiling, and 'Bloom looking down at me...

Ah sink like a rock. It burns. Ah'm on fire! It hurts! It's in mah ears, it's in mah eyes, in mah nose, up mah, ugh! In mah mouth, in mah t-hroat-stop it! Ah don't want anything to do with you anymore!!!! ALL YOU'VE EVER DONE IS HURT PONIES!

It's in Mah veins! It's killin' me!


"You treat our world like a retarded foal, never allowing free will! I bet you stole my immortality with the Elements on purpose!" Luna roared at Celestia.

"I would NEVER do that!! And you think it's a virtue for us to sit on our flanks and do nothing when everything goes to Tartarus!" Celestia snapped at Luna.

Cadence let off a few floating hearts towards the two elder Alicorns.

"I'm sorry for what I said Celly. Let's compromise."

"I'm sorry too Lulu. And okay." The two Alicorns hugged each other smiling.

'That's a relief, good thing I was here.' Cadence thought, feeling a strange dread at the idea of how the situation might have gone if she had never been born.


"Lock on and fire all weapons!" ordered the Pony Rangers from the cockpit of the freshly formed Ultra Pony Zord.

"Warning! Overload-Overload! Too many changes! System locked!"

Gildar roared in fury. "No I don't believe it!" she exclaimed, helpless as the Ultra Pony Zord let loose its full arsenal on Grifclopsys and Early-Day-Star. "Rainbow Dash!"


"Is that all you've got Twilight?
That won't be enough to end my blight!
You must put MORE into this fight!" Zecora grunted, the parasitic infection of the Windigos having grown to where she looked like the hanger on instead of the other way around. The stripped wings and horn of ice jerking her body around.

Twilight magically gripped her tighter, "Don't give up Zecora! I have yet to begun to fight!"


Featherweight looked on in horror as Applebloom slammed Big Mac into the arena floor again. Blood stains began to appear on the guard uniform Big Mac had 'obtained.'

"But-but Ah came here to rescue ya-"

"Sorry Big brother!" The filly laughed, quite literally, manically as her mane wrapped tighter around her brother's legs, "Yer little sister's a murdering lunatic! Sorry ya missed the memo!"

"... 'Bloom, the day Ma died."

"Ma? MA! Ha! That nag ain't was no mother! When the Nightmare Bomb was dropped on Ponyville? She saw me, AND SAVED A BASKET OF PRIZE APPLES INSTEAD!"

"Stop it! He's your brother isn't he-?!" Featherweight shouted as he ran across the arena floor his feathers becoming as sharp as blades.


Pinkie Pie didn't know where she was. All she knew was that she had been heading towards the Organization's stronghold, had blacked out, and now was fighting a white pegasus with her face using the same keyblade as her. Inside her own soul!

"Why! Why did they choose you?!" The white pegasus demanded.

The white pegasus saw the stain glass pictures of Pinkie's friends on the floor. "Oh, that's why."


Twilight snarled, the Element of Magic glowing brightly in the mecha's forehead. As Discord's rose, regenerating the damage dealt, it was sent plowing through the replicated building behind it. "The reason you tried to break our wills!" she yelled, planting a metal foot on his back and grabbing hold of his wing. "The reason you took the Elements of Harmony!" she yelled, ripping the wing off and throwing it aside.

"The reason you isolated us from each other!" she yelled as he tried to reassemble the matter in his machine's arm into a weapon, hers merely punching straight through and shattering it's limb. "The reason why you tried to severe our bond of friendship!" As Discord's mechanoid tried desperately to regenerate the damage that was dealt as quickly as it healed, Twilight grabbed its horn and pulled it in, shattering half of it with a headbutt. "It's all because you fear us! The power of our Elements of Harmony will grow with our friendships, and always surpass your power! This is the power born of friendship!"

Discord snarled in his cockpit. "What does a god have to fear!" he roared, rushing Twilight once more.


"And cut!" announced the director's voice, the two suit actors ceasing their pitched fight while the unicorns responsible for special effects cut them off, revealing 'Discord's' mecha had been damaged to it's present state from the start, hidden by simple illusion spells. "Alright, everyone take a five minute break to set up for the next scene."

Twilight climbed out of the mock cockpit as the two suit actors took the heads off their suits to get some air, 'Discord' doing much the same. Twilight recognized the actor from the old Star Trot shows. Discord wasn't the hot blooded villain type, but with Princess Luna's return, another mad deity had to take Nightmare Moon's place in the script.

"See, I told you this would be awesome!" shouted Rainbow Dash, walking over in her silver armored costume, completely with fake battle damage.

Twilight sighed, taking a drink of water. Screaming half your lines worked for looking hotblooded, but it was hard on the throat. "Yeah, I guess... But didn't they offer you the part?"

"Yeah, of course, I'm perfect for it, but-"

"You found out Soarin' was a different character's love interest?"

Rainbow Dash blushed. "No! I... I just thought we should play the characters we share elements with is all."

Twilight rolled her eyes, remembering the reaction Rainbow Dash had had when she got to be Soarin's character's love interest.

"Alright, everypony! Let's film the next scene!"


The moment Scootaloo heard Rainbow Dash say to her that Dash had told the orphanage about her and they'd be there to pick Scootaloo up in the morning, Scootaloo ran, and kept running. The soothing voice of Discord would guide Scootaloo from now on.


"Now Twilight Sparkle!" Discord called out.

"Y-Y-YES Best Buddy Forever!" Twilight grinned maniacally with wall eyes. A shower of sparkles came from her horn, creating several dancing rabbits from rocks as purple and blue lightning struck up from the ground.

Twilight as so smart. Yes she was. 'If chaos can not exist without order, once I've help eliminate all order, I'll have eliminated all chaos! Then everything will be in order! I am so smart!' Twilight giggled to herself as she cast two different 'Want it, Need it' spells on two objects at once in sight of a crowd of ponies. The absolute love for both a dolly and a ball of yarn driving the crowd absolutely insane. Twilight giggled at how clever she was. Discord patted her on the head. "You are so smart Twilight."

"Yes yes yes!"

"Majordomo, please deliver this letter to me, but not me, a week from yesterday, but only after the parallel lines cross on Plutoday."

"YES GIANT MUFFIN!" Derpy saluted and flew into a wall, twice, and then flew out the window.

"Giant hat! I am so pretty!" Rarity pranced around with a cat the size of a house on her head with feathers, jewels, and pearls and ribbons.

"Anyone want so super delicious pears?!" Applejack called out as ponies gave her pears that she ate and gave them money. Flutterhy giggled as she gave a pear without accepting money. AJ gasped. "YER EVIL!"

"BWAHAHA!" Fluttershy then tapped danced with the long legged rabbits to the sound of classical music. She was wearing a 'I Heart My Daddy' t-shirt.

Trixie sat calm and dignified sipping overpriced tea while softly reading poetry through a monocle.

"Yippie! YAHOO! I ROCK!" Said Daring Do jumping form book to book, looking strangely like Rainbow Dash. "I always adventure in style!"

"Alright everypony! This is the LAUGH-WHILE-YOU-DANCE-PARTY, very different from the SKATE-WHILE-YOU-GIGGLE party!" Shouted Pinkie Pie (wearing a queenly crown) who looked rather like from the lost third third age, to a crowd of ponies who looked like they belonged to the revised third age and a half flash back age. "We'll earn a cutie mark!" The CMC shouted in the crowd, covered in every cutie mark imaginable, every other pony in the crowd blank.

Warp Bubble and Random Fortune, Pinkie's twelve and nineteenth child with her king respectively provided the music for their mother. Her other children were busy rearranging galaxies to form her face as a gift.

Baby Chrysalis and baby Cadence happily played patty cake.

On one of Discord's arm hug a pink Celestia, and on the other a purple Luna. As all three made out in front of their subjects.


"So, what do you think?" Discord asked.

"Eh, it's not pointy enough, and what's with all the pink and brown?"

"Ah, but you're missing the beauty of it, my little princess, the contradicting colors and shapes have a certain appeal to it, the ponies call it Modern Art."

"Eh..." She snapped her fingers. "There, that's better."

Discord scratched his chin, looking at their new 'home' in mental limbo, which was like something out of a Picasso painting. He looked closely at the sharp angled black shapes that Fluttercruel had added to the structure, then smiled. "Haha! Now you're getting it, Fluttercruel! That's my girl!" he exclaimed, putting his eagle claw on the Draconequus/Pegasus hybrid's shoulder with a genuinely content smile.

"Thanks, Dad," she said, giving a smirk.

"Now come on, let's swim in the dark chocolate swimming pool, shall we?"

Discord's imprisonment wasn't so bad, now that he had rescued his child's soul from the shadow world. And he had to admit, doing the right thing had been quite fun. Doing good things felt good, who knew? Astral projecting to look into the Truth hadn't been such a bad thing after all.


Empress Trixie sat on her throne, and sighed. Outside every pony in Equestria was cheering for the twentieth anniversary of her rule over all Equestria. Luna and Celestia happily keeping the sun and moon working for the new Empress of Equestria.

"Empress Trixie would you like me to hit myself in the face with a pie again?" Twilight Sparkle asked with swirlie eyes in a jester costume. The next room was literally overflowing with presents from her subjects.

"No."

"How about I say how inferior I am to your greatness?"

"No," Sighed the middle aged mare.

"Would you like me to tell all of Equestria to cheer your supreme supremacy again today?"

"No."

A swirlie eyed AJ meanwhile looked worried at Empress Trixie who hadn't eaten a bite of the lavish lunch she had prepared for her.

A concerned swirlie eyed adult Sweetie Belle asked a swirlie eyed Rarity (who was working on her empress' evening royal anniversary robe), "Should I sing for her Great and Powerfulness?"

"Not yet Sweetie."

"Twilight."

"Yes Great And Powerful Empress Trixie?" Asked the smiling Twilight.

"Do you love Trixie?"

"We ALL love you Empress Trixie! Everypony! Everywhere!" Twilight grinned loyally.

"Trixie knows, everypony loves Trixie." Trixie said in a tone that was the exact opposite of her words. She broke down crying.


"Twilight! Is this the kind of life you want? Surrounded by books you've already read studying what you've already learned?"

"Twilight is all knowing and all understanding!" The thing with Twilight's mother's face snarled and hissed at what Trixie had just said, wrapped around Twilight and surrounded by the closed circle of knowledge.

"Twilight, I have a gift from Mrs. Smartypants, just for you," said Trixie, pulling out Twilight's Element of Magic.


"Pinkie Pie! Stop!" Rainbow Dash begged.

Rarity implored, "PLEASE! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

Twilight cried, "I never, I could never, Pinkie Pie this can't be you!"

Fluttershy had already fainted, several time and by now was simply catatonic.

AJ still had spirit and squirmed against her bonds. "Ah swear! Somehow, someway, you'll get yers fer this!"

Pinkie Pie laughed. "Oh don't be such sour pusses, life is a party! And your names all came up!"

She held the karaoke microphone, "Besides we finished all the vocals from every season of Pony Rangers already."

Everypony sighed in relief.

"Now we can sing every vocal song from every season of Bug Masked Rider!"

Everypony screamed in terror.


Winona set across from Opal, hardly believing her ears as the glamorous unicorn told the brown earth pony of her crazy dream. Her a dog? Angel a rabbit? It was crazy. Though she kind of could see Opal being a cat.


"Bwaahaha! None of you can stand against the divine might of Nightmare Muffin!"

"Muuu-fin, muu-fin, muu-fin!" Her army of wall eyed zombies marched tirelessly onward.

"Wow!" Dinky cheered flanked by special muffin headed minions, a homemade paper crown on her head. Her big sister Sparkler sat silently and dully with an adult sized pacifier in her mouth. Dinky smiled. "Mom's gotten super-duper-confidence!"


Derpy slammed a hoof in Berry Punch's face, both were wearing black leg bands.

"HOW COULD YOU LET THAT HAPPEN TO RUBY?! YOUR OWN DAUGHTER?!"

"I... I was drunk, I misread the labels, I thought it was the soft-cider, it was just a game-"

"A DRINKING GAME WITH A FOAL-?!"

"I-I'm s-sor-"

"Sorry doesn't bring Ruby back!"


Orange Top and Ruby Pinch played Pony Rangers with Pipqueak and Featherweight.

The flower trio plus Carrot Top (ironic given her green mane) meanwhile casually chatted with Lady Berry Punch, happy to be friend with such a successful winery master who was in direct competition with the Apple's cider market.


"Please, Cheerilee, please, can I see Ruby? Just a bit?" Berry Punch begged her baby's foster mother.

"Berry, you know the court said-"

"Sis, please ."

" ... " Cheerilee looked around. "Alright. But I didn't let you in, and you weren't here, understand?"

"Thank you."


The green cocoon broke open, and out fell a white carapace changeling with violet wings and green compound eyes.

"Welcome to the swarm little sister," Nuzzled a larger white changeling with a similar color scheme but blue compound eyes. The smaller changeling nuzzled back.

Queen Twilight observed soaking up the love her swarm willingly offered her.

Chrysalis had realized she was dying, and was the only survivor of her hive's extermination in the battle of Canterlot. Not wanting her species to vanish into oblivion, she had kidnapped the purple unicorn, cocooned her, and transferred into her all her power, all her essence, killing herself in the process, and saddling Twilight as the only changeling queen on Earth.

And with it came an instinct Twilight could no more ignore or resist for longer than breathing, 'create her swarm, form her hive.'

She had brought her six friends into her new swarm first... Actually the first was Spike. Then they had brought their families into the swarm as well, along with Mayor Mare. Twilight remembered Scootaloo with tears in her eyes had discovered what was happening and had WILLINGLY let herself follow Rainbow Dash into the swarm.

Dash's mind had been the first to empathic link between queen and her swarm, her loyalty to Twilight stronger than ever.

They did have to stop Dr. Whooves from blowing up Ponyville twice or warning Princess Celestia. For a stallion who claimed to abhor murder he was rather quick on the draw when it came to genocide.

Queen Twilight couldn't have her teacher learn of Twilight's new mantle until her swarm was of viable size, and Twilight could show her mentor that Twilight had no intention of challenging Celestia for the throne of Canterlot like Chrysalis had.

Twilight was surprised to find a rogue drone living in Canterlot from Chrysalis' swarm. At least she didn't have to hide her secret from Bon-Bon and Lyra now. Twilight wasn't insane like Chrysalis had been. She didn't want all of Equestria, what she wanted was a viable population model for her new kind. And they needed the rest of Equestria untouched to feed themselves after all.

Chrysalis had been insane to think her hostile take over of Canterlot would have left any love for her swarm to harvest.

Sweetie flew over to join an orange and a yellow changeling nymphling working on a cocoon containing Granny Smith, fixing her broken hip before bringing her into the swarm and making her the figure of beauty she was lifetimes before, being so old meant taking longer with her.

Yes. Queen Twilight was certain she could show her teacher that the swarm only wished to exist. What insanity had possessed Chrysalis to want to convert Twilight's mentor?

An Alicorn with approval of them living was far more viable than another member of the swarm.

"MMMMMH-HMMMM!" Squirmed a unicorn in her own cocoon already half-way transformed.

"I'm sorry Trixie, but I can't let you out. You DID sneak into town without knowing about my change wanting to curse me. Look at it this way, you're now becoming part of a bigger family can you can imagine," Trixie seem panic and struggle more at that, "All of you belonging, each of you special to me. And you'll be able to gather so much love with your showmareship when you're not putting others down. Just think of all those ponies loving you." Trixie's struggle slowly became more passive with her words.

A purple shelled changeling with green wings tirelessly wrote down notes besides her. "Cheerilee wants to know when she can open the school again Twilight."

"Very soon Spike, I don't understand why I can't bring Pipsqueak and his family into the swarm, but with Sweetie Belle that was the last of the foals that needed bringing into the swarm otherwise."

"Yes Swarm Mother."

"Please Spike, you can still call me Twilight." The changeling queen clapped her hooves. "This is gonna make such a great Friendship Report!"


Harmony Queen Twilight twisted and turned on her gossamer wings, leading her mages as Harmony Queen Applejack led her ground forces and Harmony Queen Rainbow led their pegasi. Harmony Queen Fluttershy directed their medics, as Harmony Queens Pinkie Pie and Rarity fought on the front lines.

Two thirds of the the former Royal Guard (now the Guard of Harmony) fought against the faction belonging to the last free Alicorn on Earth.

"Why Cadence!" Twilight shouted, "How could you do this?! Why give in willing to the taint of black magic? We were like sisters!"

Nightmare Polyphony shouted back in the Royal Canterlot Voice, "IT WAS THE ONLY WAY TWILIGHT! TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM EQUESTRIA, EQUESTRIA FROM YOU, AND YOU FROM YOURSELF! IF SACRIFICING MY SANITY MEANS THAT, THEN SO BE IT!"

"Equestria is in perfect balance! Perfect harmony! You're the one corrupting that peace!"

"CAN'T YOU SEE THIS EQUESTRIA YOU'RE MAKING IS SUFFERING UNDERNEATH? YOU CAN'T FORCE PONIES TO BE HAPPY!" The Nightmare implored.

"... if you showed me anything Cadence, yes, you can."


Dragon Queen Rarity laughed atop her literal mountain of jewels, with her consort Spike at her side as her dragons gave her love and the pathetic ponies delivered pile after pile of treasure to her-


ENOUGH!!!! IF YOU'VE GOT SOMETHIN' IMPORTANT TA SHOW ME THEN SHOW ME! IF NOT THEN JUST KILL ME! BUT STOP WITH THESE HORSEAPPLES!


"Who's a silly pony? Who's a silly pony! Who is? I am! Applejack!" She cheered doing a forehoof-stand which made her skirt fall 'up.' Rarity blushed and dropped her milk shake but Big Mac caught it with his hoof.

"Thank you darling, I just had this dress dry cleaned," said the Element of Generosity.

"No prob," said the handsome Element of Honesty. "But please Applejack a little shame."

"Come on! This is party!" Smiled the Element of Laughter sitting on the reinforced table and (thankfully) straightening out her dress.

"She's got a point," the group of friends turned to the sarcastic goth Pinkamena just in time to see her crack a smile. "It's about as big a party you can get."

"All the more reason to act in a mature and refined manner and-AAAAH!" Rarity yelped as an ice cube was dropped down her back. She jumped two feet in the air. Big Mac caught her.

"Applejack!"

"Sorry! Must have slipped!" Applejack grinned, getting a few chuckles from those whose names weren't Rarity.

Trixie was working her tricks on stage up to eleven now that she didn't have to pass them off as simple stage magic. Twilight had to politely ask her to step down after she went six minutes over time.

"But Twilight! At least these Earth Ponies shall see the true power and greatness that is Trixie!"

"They -have- been seeing it Trixie, but reserved the slot after you and are getting testy."

"So?"

"And so are their fans."

"So?"

"Who here happen to out number your fans, regardless of how big a role you played in all this, and many of whom are members of the bazooka club."

"... Trixie will step down now."

"Good girl." The Element of Magic smiled and patted the other unicorn on the head.

"Hey Trixie."

"Yeesss-SPIKE?" Trixie said with a hint of venom in her voice.

"Look, I'm sorry I accused you before of stabbing us in the back when the elements were stolen."

"Stolen by your mother since dragons didn't like the idea of 'ponies united'."

Spike fidgeted with his tuxedo, "Er, yeah. Trixie, the point is, I was a jerk to you before, and you act full of yourself but-"

Trixie growled.

"-but you didn't deserve the way I treated you. Your friends with Twilight, and so am I, so, please-" He presented a bouquet of flowers. "-friends?"

"Trixie never turns down a bouquet from a handsome gentleman."

"Did you just call me handsome?"

While Twilight and co had faced the dragon, unicorn, and pegasus elders, Trixie and Pinkamena (with some help from Trixie's mother, whose expertise came in quite handy) had blown up the Stallions In Black's Base.

Pinkamena's split pony-personalities did have their advantages (like one remembering what the other didn't, with the added bonus of eventually convincing the Stallions In Black that the goth was somehow immune to their spell, which had the extra benefit of causing a bit of a panic).

This was after Trixie had hit them with their own copied-memory erasure spell (while screaming 'how do you like it?!' at the top of her lungs, along with a few words no one dared repeat).

Pinkamena told the S.I.B. they were all ice-cream sellers after Trixie got a little TOO vindictive, telling them that they all liked to hit their heads against walls and other pet commands (though Pinkamena, or one of her personalities found 'you all like to pretend your chickens' quite hysterical). "What next? I know! Ahem, you all like to chew off your own-" Pinkamena bumped her.

"That's enough."

"Bastards made my Earth Pony brothers and father forget I and my mother ever existed. Twigs get what they earn!"

No one pressed charges since the S. I. B.s 'did not exist.' In light of recent events, few were willing to defend them anyway, and what ones who escaped were silently arrested for crimes against ponykind to avoid public outcry.

Back in the festive here and now Rainbow Dash zipped about the ceiling recounting her own part in things, "And so I said to that stuffy unicorn elder, 'So we're keeping Earth Ponies in the dark about Unicorns and Pegasi because?!' And the old fart said, 'Because they would try to destroy us all if they did!' And I was like 'We outnumber them two to one! Heck, they don't even HAVE an army! And how much effort and magic do we dump into keeping Earth Ponies as sheep?' And he spat back 'As much as it takes!'

"And that's when I introduced 'em to Gilda! Would you believe it?! The old unicorn couldn't believe that Pegasi and Griffins had been keeping Griffins secret from unicorns and Earth Ponies! Same way dragons had been keeping themselves secret from all ponies until Twilight found Spike's egg! And I won't get started the colors he turned when I told'em about the Alicorns in orbit! I thought he was going to have a heart attack! Put'em in their place when they found out they weren't the only ones pulling wool over another people's eyes!"

The Element of Loyalty continued to recount their epic adventure of tearing down the outdated web of illusions and lies that layers upon layers of ponies and others had kept in place in the name prejudice, paranoia, and fear of change. "AND YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT RAINBOW ACROSS THE ENTIRE PLANET WASN'T AWESOME! All the illusion magic placed around the world gone like POOF! And suddenly the world's twenty percent cooler!"

"So ..." Lickety Split asked in awe, "Those wings are really real?"

Fluttershy nodded meekly as she sat in the corner. She didn't like the new attention. But it was a relief to finally be able to show her wings and not have to come up with inane and strange excuses on the spot when the illusion spell failed or somepony got too curious. Like that time she had come up with the disease 'back mumps' when her wings opened under her blouse. "Yes."

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" Lickety Split cheered hopping up and down. "Wanna go steady?"

"Uh, okay?"

"ALRIGHT!" He kissed her, the Element of Kindness fainted.

Applejack laughed at the joke. No one had expected a nerd, a jock, a wallflower, a high school prima donna, Ponyville High's Most Eligible Bachelor, and the class clown to end two thousand years of keeping Earth Ponies ignorant to two-thirds of the rest of the planet, as well as the Unicorns and Earth Ponies being ignorant of the Griffins, and everypony being ignorant of the dragons!

Her brother of course had been the one to say how simply WRONG it was to keep Earth Ponies fearful and ignorant, when the excuse for keeping them fearful and ignorant was that 'Earth ponies are fearful and ignorant!' She found that kind of funny to be honest, but more because of how ridiculous the whole situation had been. It was like one of those bad jokes that was so rotten it was funny again.

Pinkamena had come on board near the end, and while she hadn't had an Element, had still been an irreplaceable ally when it came to dealing with the S.I.B.

The two Apples with Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Spike, Trixie, (and with some coaxing Rarity and Fluttershy) had raised the tattered banner of truth, like a bunch of other groups over the last two thousand years, but six magic necklaces proved that the three races of ponies were MEANT to be together that only the three tribes together could unlock.

When AJ finally got home for a break from the days long celebration, Applebloom was still with Scoots and Sweetie Belle, both happy they no longer had to hide what they were from their best friend.

Diamond Tiara was still in her closet ranting about 'invaders from Mars.' Thankfully Pegasi and Unicorns had assimilated so much with Earth Ponies anyway, for most ponies it was more shocking than terrifying. After some initial feelings of betrayal, friendships won out in most cases.

A warm shower later, AJ looked at her Element of Laughter and put it around her neck and laughed as she struck a pose in the mirror naked. She wasn't one of those crazy closet nudists, but she wasn't ashamed of herself either.

She didn't know in the next room her brother was looking in his bedroom mirror holding his own Element of Harmony in hoof and his other on the glass. Wondering what new world he and his friends ushered in.

All will accept the truth. No one will deny the truth. All lies and illusion will be destroyed!

"Huh?" Big Mac startled as a shady Alicorn with green eyes formed in the mirror as it began to ripple. His hoof sank in, and pulled in the more he tried to pull out.

All truths, all version of me, come to me. There will be nowhere for the liars to hide.

Big Mac yelled in alarm.

Applejack reacted and barged into her brother's room covering herself with a towel. She saw him being pulled into the mirror, she grabbed hold of him, but was only pulled in as well, the towel being lost, leaving only her Element of Laughter around her neck.

Applejack had seen enough Neighponese anime to know what was coming next, "Dang Ah'm goin' into another universe naked?!"

++++

The young AJ was the last to leave the funeral. The hat protected the bandage on her face from the rain (the pegasi apparently had a tradition of making it rain on final farewells). The hat always made her feel adult before, now it made her feel childish.

"Ah promise Applebloom, Ah promise, Ah'll stay loyal and true to everypony else. I won't let this happen again if Ah can ever help it with anypony."
-
"Yer leavin' the farm?!" Granny Smith gasped.

"Follow yer heart AJ." Big Mac said, putting a hoof on Granny Smith's should to reassure her.

-
"Welcome to the Day Guard Cadet."

"Yer welcome."
-
"Hey big brother."

"Whoa! AJ is that you?! You look dang magnificent!"

"Ya too big brother!"

"Whatcha doin' back in Ponyville?"

"The Princess wants me to be bodyguard to her prize pupil here." She put a hoof around Twilight Sparkle's shoulder, "And besides, not like Ah'm gonna miss the Family Reunion, right?"
-
"We are the shadow guard, we offer you a position in our ranks as leader, and ultimate power, powerful enough to protect all of Equestria. Merely swear yourself to Nightmare Moon."

"Applejack? APPLEJACK!" Big Mac called out in the fog.

AJ heard her brother and his voice cut through the treacherous promises.
-
AJ spoke to the Element of Kindness, "Fluttershy, Dash and Gilda DESERVE each other, they're both jerks."

"NO!" Fluttershy snapped, "There IS good in her! And she IS my friend! And I'm not letting her twist into something ugly! I won't abandon her!"

The Element of Loyalty thought this over, wouldn't she be the same way if she were in Shy's place? "Whao then, count me in, we'll get 'er out of that gang."
-
All truths, all version of me, come to me. There will be nowhere for the liars to hide.

Big Mac's eyes turned swirlie as he followed the invisible source of the familiar, but enticing voice.

AJ didn't even hesitate to follow her brother through the rippling mirror.

++++

"It's a miracle you survived that accident."

The filly smiled, "Thanks doc, can ya get me outta here, Ah have buckin' to do."

"I'm sorry... You won't be doing any bucking with that injury... ever again."

"W-WHAT?! U-USE YOUR magic or s-something!"

"I'm sorry. I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker. The techniques to repair this kind of damage simply don't exist yet. Medical magic is ten or twenty years away from that."

"T-That's ... that's not fair."

"I'm sorry."
-
"What's this thing?"

"It's called a book."

"I don't want it."

"But you need it."

"It won't make my leg better."

"But it might make you better."
-
"You got any more books from the library today big brother?"

"A few more actually. Ya know the librarian is lookin' to retire in a few years."

"Really?"
-
"We're sorry. While you are within the proper age range and your grades are all above average, the fact remains this is a good for gifted UNICORNS. As an Earth Pony you simply don't apply."
-
"AJ, this idea of yers is just plain stupid."

"Ah gotta try."

"No pony's gonna be fooled by that there fake horn. And ya can't do the floaty stuff!"

"Ah'll think of somethin'."
-
"All right then ... 'Magica De Apple?' Since you seem SO eager, it's simple, hatch this dragon egg as your entrance examine."

What? That wasn't on any of the lists for entry tests! She was sure she hid her limp! They had to be onto her! Well! She had to try. Earth pony magic was life right? Then she could help this life along!

She had to! She had to . . she had to prove ... she was worth something ...

KAAAA-BOOOM!
-
The glowing spell circle materialized around AJ's hoof as the spell runes in her mind formed, sending out the spell, turning the rock into a very large mustache. "HA! Beat that!"

"Ya know AJ." Spike said checking off another spell done. "Some of the unicorns hate your guts."

"Ah know. Ah don't care. Not as long as Ah have you, mah family, and teach'."
-
Unlike many unicorns at Celestia's school, Twilight hadn't cared about AJ's race, and while never deep friends, Twilight had proven an invaluable source of information to the Element of Magic again and again. Twilight may not have been a Element of Harmony herself, but she was happy with her books rather than going on dangerous adventures.

When the show Pony Trixie had arrived in town and had been outdone by an EARTH PONY, it had driven her pride and need to hold her false self image to pathological levels. This had turned her into a useful pawn for Discord, and later Queen Chrysalis, the blue unicorn seemingly more insane each encounter. Their fourth confrontation had left the blue unicorn so broken she couldn't seem to understand she had lost. The unicorn's four sister came to take her into their care. AJ thought she finally understood where her enemy had been coming from seeing the identical ponies.

AJ sat next to her brother as Princess Luna explained the alternate universes to her. And Big Mac's need to confront the truth of himself and reality if he was going to stay sane when this reality separated from the heart world. The Element of Magic would act as a stabilizer. (Celestia had thought of it in the precious extra time she had when the invading army of Trolls decided on peaceful negotiations for the betterment of their people instead of fighting to the last troll to uphold their honor.)

Both ponies looked into the mirror, and into Big Mac's eyes.


Ah'm drownin'! Burnin'! Eatin' me alive! Just end it! Ya hate me too so just end it!

Silver. Everywhere quicksilver. Like mirrors. White light.

Ah break the surface! Gag out that awful awful Truth! Breathe in air! Sweet air! Ah think. I'm risin' out! Ah think. Everythin's so bright. Wait a sec'. Feels like Ah'm being pulled out by somethin'. Wait! Gravity! I'm falling out! What crazy horseapples is this?! Whoa-whoa-whoooooooaaaa!

Ah'm falling away from a whole sea of that silver slime? Farther, farther away. This here's crazy!

Ah tumble around and Ah'm staring at ah big white nothin'! How am Ah fallin' if there's nowhere fer me to fall to-?!

Oh what the heck Ah'm just gonna scream!!!

This is silly!

AND WHERE IS THAT STUPID MUSIC COMING FROM-!?

"Who's a silly pony?"

"Not me!"

SPLAT!

Ya think creepy white voids would be a hay lot softer. Ugh.

That hurt a lot less than last time I fell that far.

Okay. Ah went splat. So Ah gotta be on somethin' right? So why does it feel like Ah'm laying on less than air?

Ah get to mah hooves.

White everywhere, the horizon, far out in the distance, but there's not a trace of fog or mist here. The white seems like light, there ain't no shadows or secrets here. Ah couldn't feel any illusions, any lies, this place was as real as meh. And Ah felt more naked than naked.

Ah looked around at nothin', but it didn't feel like nothin', it felt like... Ah don't rightly know what. There's somethin' behind me... a little black dot. Ah trotted towards it but it didn't get any closer. Ah looked the opposite way and Ah saw, well, it was a point that looked 'whiter than white,' a brightness stronger than the light 'round it. Ah don't know! Ah ain't no poet! And Ah'm havein' trouble just thinking of words to describe this place as it is! It was as far away and not movin' as the black dot.

"Howdy big sister!"

"Applebloom-?!" She just, just, Ah blinked and there she was!

She looked... solid, and no glowin'. Ah backed up a bit. She frowned a bit.

"Applebloom? But... but how did ya get here?"

"Get with the program, big sister! Ah'm dead! Ah can be anywhere Ah want!"

"Ah-When Ah last say ya, when ... when ya died, yer were a mare. Now yer a filly?"

"Ya didn't really pay attention to the last thing Ah said, did ya? Ah don't have time to explain to yah what it's like bein' dead, but it actually comes with a couple perks."

"Applebloom, what WAS all that?"

"What was what?"

"That crazy picture show showin' stuff that never happened!"

"Oh ya mean the The Pool Of All Truths. Yeah, that's what the Pool does: it shows ya a bunch of stuff."

"Showed me a bunch of nonsense ya mean!"

She sighed. "Applejack ... we all make choices, and what choices we make, and everypony else makes, decide how the world is. Ah got shown that there are a zillion other ponies named Applebloom makin' lots of different choices from me after Ah died. Some even made choices Ah never got the chance to make. But none are exactly alike. What did ya see?"

"Like Ah said! Stuff that never happened!"

"Only stuff that never happened for ya."

"How'd YEW know?! Were ya watching me the whole time?!"

"Nope! Ah ain't got a CLUE what it showed ya. Ah just know that whatever ya DID see was truth... just not THIS world's truth."

"THEN WAS THERE A ---POINT--- TA THAT?!" Yes Ah was mad!

Applebloom sighed. "Applejack. After all yer centuries of lying ta yerself 'n' others, ya needed ta see the Truth before we could talk proper. Ya an' me. It was the best for ya. Ya needed to see what'cha doin' ain't the ONLY choice."

"Alright. Fine. BUT HOW IN BUCKING TARTARUS DO AH GO FROM DROWNIN' IN A POOL OF SILVER GUNK TO BEIN' IN A BLANK WHITE NOWHERE?!"

"Applejack, Ah know yer upset but-"

"YA buckin' bet Ah'm upset! Ya go and leave me alone! Demand Ah let ya die! Then when Ah finally see ya again, ya mess with mah head, lure me to some place Ah can't stand, scare me to pieces, then PUSH ME into a well of somethin' Ah hate? Ya expect a 'thank ya'?!"

Silent tears came down Applebloom's face.

"Ah was tryin' ta help. Crossin' over ain't some train station ya can just take round trips on, big sister. The livin' and spirit worlds aren't some neighborin' houses ya can just jump a fence ta visit yer friends. Them's the rules. Ya don't know WHAT Ah had to go through ta arrange THIS intervention."

"Let's say... jest for the sake a' argument, that yer right, and Ah NEEDED to take a swim in that horrible, horrible, Truth. Couldn't you've done it sooner? Like, say, when ya were still alive... undead... whatever?!"

"It wasn't until AFTER Ah died fer good that Ah even LEARNED this here pool existed at all!"

"Okay, fine! But that was five-hundred years ago! Why wait THAT long?"

"It wouldn't have made any difference before."

"Yeah, right!"

"No, big sister. It wouldn't have. If this here had happened any earlier for ya, ya'd still have yer head buried in the sand. And ya'd have been thinkin' more 'bout me than everypony else."

"There is no 'everypony else.' Ah told ya, they're all as good as dead."

Applebloom frowned. "Liar."

It felt like Ah got hit by ah lance by that one. It ain't make no sense. An' no good comes of thinkin' 'bout things that ain't make no sense. Gets ya nowhere in Master's world.

"Applebloom, WHERE are we? Am Ah dead?"

"No. Ya ain't dead, and this ain't the Afterlife. What we're standing in limbo between life and death," Applebloom said calmly.

"No need to say it all grim and darkly," Ah remarked sarcastically.

"Ah've had eternity to get used to stuff like this."

"Wha? But it hasn't BEEN eternity since you died!" Was Ah really debating Alicorn-fearin' metaphysics with mah dead little sister?

"'Time' don't exactly work the way yer used ta in the hereafter."

"Then how does it work?"

"Sorta like walkin' along a river. Ya walk along, and the river rushes by. Ah can't explain it." She looked like somepony trying to figure out how to tell a blind pony what colors were like.

"That's hogwash!"

"Applejack, we're drifting WAY off-course. This ain't what Ah brought ya here ta 'talk 'bout."

"Brought me here? Ya pushed me!"

"Applejack ... please."

"Applebloom, ya pushed me into the worst nasty thing this here world has ever put together! Truth!"

'Bloom replied all sad and distant-like. "...Ah love ya. THAT'S the truth. Is that so bad?"

Ah was startled a little. Then Ah sighed and shook mah head. "Applebloom, ya remember what happened to yer pet mouse, Mr. Cheese, when ya were just starin' ta go to school?"

"... Yeah."

"Big Mac told ya that Mr. Cheese went and joined the circus. Me? Ah went an' told ya Opalescence's old ma ate it! And Ma gave ME the spankin'! And what did ya do?"

" ...Ah tried to perform surgery on Opal's ma to cut Mr. Cheese out."

"YA SEE?! That's what Truth does to ya! But Ah ignored the lesson till Master came along! It ain't been easy! It's been torture! But at least the six of us are still together!"

"So they ain't as 'good as dead?'"

"Ah-Ah-ah! Agh! Don't go contradicting yer elders, missy!"

"Sis, what part of 'time ain't king in the afterlife' didn't yah get?"

"Ah don't GET ya, Applebloom! what's the POINT of ya bringin' me here? What's the POINT of us talkin' here and not someplace else? What was the point of TORTURING me?!"

"If You Paid Attention To What Appleboom Was Saying, You Would Know The Answer Already, Applejack."

Huh?

Did everything just popped into existence 'round here?

There was an Alicorn stallion behind Applebloom. There was such a thing as a male Alicorn? Ah figured they were ALL girls. Wait, he's a foal, now he's a colt, wait, yes a foal, not a stallion, ugh! Ah can't keep track! It ain't in a cycle. It ain't really shifting, Ah just, Ah just can't tell.

When he's standing next ta 'Bloom, Ah'm sure he's just a colt, but when he starts talkin' to me, Ah'm sure he's a stallion. The heck?

Lookin' at 'im, it's like he's a window, like he's a night sky, so many stars, but they ain't just white. There's yellow with a little pink, a pink one with a little darker pink, a red one with bits of orange, so many different colored stars balancing out to a white light inside 'im, but are they really inside 'im? They all look so far away. His wings are folded. His horn, Ah can see the base and the tip, but when Ah try to follow one to the other Ah just keep on goin' forever. Again, Ah ask: the heck?!

So yeah, an Alicon stallion lookin' like a cut out of a night sky with rainbow-colored stars. Simple. But . . . it was like he was a million miles away and right next to me at the same time. Ah felt smaller than an ant next to 'im, but he didn't look THAT big... and come ta think of it, with him by my side, Ah was sure my life had more meanin' and worth than ever. This was makin' mah head hurt! And the way light reflected off him, it was more like everything was a reflection of him! Okay. I'm done now tryin' to describe this guy! Mah first word to this guy?

"Who are ya?"

"My 'Name' Does Not Translate Properly Into Sounds, Applejack. But There Are Many Approximations: 'He Who Is All And All Is Him', 'The Universe', 'Father Of All Alicorns', 'The Fifth Concept,' 'The Hierophant', 'Wisdom,' 'Sanity,' 'The Perfect Existence,' 'Reality,' 'The Spirit World."

"Erm. Okay, So... So WHAT are ya?"

"Who And What I Am Are One And The Same. I Am Not Whatever You Want To Me To Be. Nor Am I What You Decide I Am... As Others Have Erroneously Concluded.

"Please Pay Attention, Abigail. You Were Once One Of My Most Devoted Children, One Of The Ones Who Strove Hardest To Reach For My Ideal, Applejack."

Ah frowned at this big pony. "That ain't mah name no more. Ah'm a liar! Ah'm Liarjack!"

"Is A Liar All You Are, Then? You Are Not A Big Sister? You Are Not A Life? You Are Not An Apple? You Are Not A Friend To Your Friends?"

"Ah said mah friends are as good as dead."

"Then Why Do You Comfort Rainbow Dash? Why Do You Tell Twilight The Least Unpleasant Version Of Things? Why Do You Play Along With Rarity's Fantasies That You Know Make Her Happy? Why Have You Protected Angry Pie's Apprentices As Fiercely As She Does? Why Whisper Lullabies To Fluttercruel In Her Sleep?"

"SHUDDUP!"

"You Were Born Clinging To My Ideal As Fervently As You Clung To The Love Of Your Family. But When Discordance Showed You The Other Side Of Truth, You Shunned That Ideal As Ardently As You Had Once Embraced It. And So Discordance's Taint Twisted Your Heart Until You Came To Believe You Had Transformed Into A Completely Different Individual Altogether, Dear Applejack."

"If the truth make yer heart ache, perhaps a lie is easier to take."

"You Have Taken Those Words, That Truth, And Made Them Your Mantra. The New Center Of Your Whole Sense Of Morality. You Distort Every Truth You Fear Might Cause Anyone Any Fraction Of Pain Or Suffering."

"Lies are often kinder than truth, and Ah'd rather tell a lie than see ponies hurt! So If yer all 'bout truth and Ah'm all about lyin' then ya can just kill me! Cause Ah ain't bein' chummy with somethin' so cruel again!"

"What Purpose Would That Serve? The Element You Carry Is Part Of Freedom Of Will. All Things Are Defined By The Context They Happen In. Without Context, They Are Neither Good Nor Evil. Do Not Confuse The Subjectively With the Objectively. Lying To A Person You Stole An Apple From Is Not The Same As Lying To A Dangerous Burglar That Your Pet Is A Deadly Attack Dog. Both Are Lies. But They Are Not The Same."

"WHA? Dangnabbit ya agree with me?!"

"He's really surprisin' like that," Applebloom said reminding me she was still here. She actually rubbed herself against the Alicorn's leg. Dang. She looked so, so happy. And not like Rarity's fantasy happiness or how Pinkie used ta be. She looked so fully happy... So ... whole.

"Truths Can Be Hurtful. Truths Can Be Cruel. Truths Can Bring Pain.

"If You Found Out A Hero Who Died Five Hundred Years Ago, Who Helped Found Your Hometown, Was Really An Unrepentant Pirate.

"Would You Uphold The Fiction Of A Selfless Hero, For The Sake Of Inspiring Others To Aspire To Selfless Heroism?"

"YES!" I snapped planting all fours firmly on the ground, feelin' ready for a fight but he didn't move an inch.

"If You Were An Earth Pony Who Wanted To Prove She Could Learn Spell Magic As Well Any Unicorn.

"Would You Hide What You Were So You Could Be Given The Chance?"

"YES!"

"Would You Maintain The Deception Forever?

"So No Earth Pony Would Know That The Unicorn Who Had Done So Much Was Really One Of Them And That They Too Could Accomplish So Much?"

Ah was startled. "Ah, uh-"

"If You Lived Where It Was Law For All Earth Ponies To Pretend To Be Unicorns And Pretend Earth Ponies Never Existed:

"Would You Continue To Pretend Forever? No Matter How Much It Killed So Many Earth Ponies Inside That They Could Never Share Their True Selves With The Unicorns They Loved Or Were Friends With, Applejack?"

I shuddered. When did this guy get so big? Nah...he'd always been big, just now he looked it. Right?

"If You Had Learned Skills That Could Help Your Close Family: Would You Still Pretend You Didn't Feel A Thing Except Relief When Leaving Your Aunt And Uncle?"

I felt better. "Of course!"

"And Would You Hide The Talents You Had Learned From Your Close Family? Even If They Would Become Destitute And Homeless Without Those Talents? Because It Would Mean Showing That A Part Of Yourself Had Changed And You Were No Longer The Exact Same Applejack They Knew?"

Mah stomach didn't feel so good. "Ah...Ah don't know."

"Is It Really Deception You Have Embraced All This Time, Applejack?"

"Yes!"

"Or Has It Been Kindness Towards All Others?"

Mah legs shuddered. "All ponies look away from PART of the truth, we all pretend SOME of it isn't there. It's how we all live!"

"After A Thousand Years I Ask Of You: Haven't You Learned There Are Always Exceptions?"

Ah really didn't like how this guy was makin' me feel. And that ain't no lie.

"Exceptions don't change the rules!"

"Big sister." Applebloom looked at me, pleadingly. "When you said you love me, was that a lie? That ya loved big brother? That mom and dad loved us? That Granny Smith loved us? Is that Ah love ya a lie? Are all truths completely awful?"

Dang that hurt! But, "Most are!"

"No they're not!"

"The world was pain even before ponies ever heard of Master, or Nightmare Moon, or Grogar! Ponies have always lied to themselves to get by day by day: that if they work hard enough, if they don't give up, if they just believe in themselves, that things will turn out alright! But nine times outta time their choices don't mean squat!" Thunder boomed.

The Alicorn didn't flinch.

" . . . The World Is Far More Complex Than Something As Simplistic As Pain, Applejack. Some View The World As A Chessboard: Simple Black And White Squares Of What Is Right And Wrong. Others Think The World Is A Rainbow Of Gray, With No Truly 'Wrong' Or Truly 'Right' Decisions. They Are Both Wrong.


"The World Is A Rorschach. Ever Shifting, Ever Moving, Who Is In The Right And Who Is In The Wrong, Who Is The Hero And Who Is The Villain Always Changing. The 'Black' And 'White' Never Meld Into Gray, But Rather Twist Around Each Other In A Endless Dance.

"What You Think Is 'Black And 'White' Changes With Perspective, But The Pattern Itself Does Not Submit Itself To Your Preferences.

"A Sin Does Not Become A Good Deed Simply Because The Wrongdoer Has Convinced Herself Her Actions Are Virtuous. And No Choice Is Without Meaning. Simply Consider Your Journey Here To Understand That. Listen, Applejack, For The Sake Of Those Who Love You, Listen."

"Ah ain't never becoming the element of truth again. Ya can forget it."

"When Did I Say I Wished You To?"

"Say wha-?!" Okay I'm sick of bein' late to the party now!

"You Embraced One Absolute: But Lied To Yourself More Than Once. Then When That Absolute Was Proven False, You Embraced Another Absolute: But Consistently Told The Truth When It Served The Happiness Of Others.

"You Have Been A Servant Of Sin. But Also You Have Been Kind And Generous."

"With Master rulin' the world, it's the best Ah can do. Master rules, everythin' else drools. That's the truth of everything."

"Celestia And Luna Negated Discordance Before. You Know He Is Not Infallible Nor Invincible Nor All Knowing. The Greatest Lie You Have Told Is The One To Yourself: That He Is Impossible To Defeat. Because You're Scared That If You Lose, He Will Make Things Even Worse For Those You Care For."

Mah lip quivered. "At least where Ah am Ah can do some good for 'em!"

"Is That All You Want? For Those You Still Love? Is That All They Want? Are You Happy? Are They Happy?"

"STOPIT!" Dang, Ah was cryin' now! "Ah don't want anythin' ta to do with ya!"

Ah turn an' run. Ah skid ta a halt. That tiny black dot ain't so tiny no more. It's like the jaw of an dragon. All Ah can feel from it is nothin', and Ah mean nothin'.

Shadows, shadow of ponies, of dragons, of zebras, and a whole bunch of other folk. They came out of the black hole, tumbling over each other, pushing against each other like a mob. Right towards me.

"Applejack! Come inside quick!"

Ah turn and see Applebloom. 'Except she's INSIDE the Alicorn, who's grown to the size of an Ursa Major now. His wings are open, same trick as with his horn, Ah can see the ends, but when Ah try to follow the edge, it goes on forever. The front space between his front legs and his neck level with her. There was a slight glimmer to her. Like she was on the other side of a body of water or somethin'.

Ah look back at the shadows, they look at me hungry like. They're so cold. Ah can feel their coldness all the way from here. They're surrounding me almost like an enormous blob they're so many.

Enter into the Alicorn? But... all his Truth-talk... Ah wasn't gonna be part of somethin' so cruel again. Didn't Ah promise?

"Please~!" 'Bloom begged.

Applebloom. Ah race fer her, Ah out run them shadows like nothin'.

Ah reach the Alicorn an' ... ah zillion electric shocks, mah hoof touchin' molten lava, Ah don't how to describe but, it hurt so bad. Ah jerked back.

The big Alicorn looked down at me. Before, his voice and eyes were all even before, now they were plain sad. It reminded me of Pa when he got called after Ah got in a fight at school.

"I Am So Truly Sorry, Applejack. But You Are Holding Onto Too Many Of Your Sins. You Are Covered In Too Many Weights To Come Inside."

Ah suddenly could feel somethin' all over me.

Ah looked at mahself.

There were little purple blobs, with eyes lookin' at me, gigglin', burblin', grinnin' at me. They were all over me!

"Suspended?! That skinny colt was lucky all Ah gave 'em was a broken nose for takin' mah lunch apples!"

"Write a letter? To Aunt and Uncle Orange? Ha. Ah bet they just bought themselves some new fancy clothes and forgot Ah ever came to live with'em."

"Unicorn magic isn't work! It's a trick! An easy way out! They don't have to earn it!"

"Ah was talkin' to no pony!"

"HA-HA!" Nice way fer 'Shy to bump ya Pinkie!

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty! I couldn't just..."

"Everything was rigidly frozen with order before Master Discord took control. Nothing and no one ever changed. The world was caught in a predictable monotone cycle."

"It's okay Twili, ya know ya can trust me to help ya defeat- MASTER DISCORD SHE'S RIGHT HERE!"

"NO!" Ah tried to get them off but they just stuck to mah hooves and slimed up mah legs.

The shadows grabbed me. Ah felt mah legs go numb. They were draggin' me along. Out of the white space, and inta the dark...inta the notin'.

"APPLEJACK!!!" Ah heard some filly shout ...

++++

Applebloom looked in dismay as the shadows of existence dragged Applejack into the darkness. 'AJ's havin' a heart attack in the livin' world by now,' She thought.

After Applejack was dragged into the hole, the hole shrank down to nothing. A brief icy wind blew through the void.

"But, this ain't how it was supposed to go. This was supposed to HELP her, Ah ... Ah didn't mean to, I didn't plan to . . . this wasn't . . ."

"This Is Not What You Intended. This Was Not What You Desired. Nor Is It What I Desire. But No Pony Can Ever Be Saved Unless They Wish To Be Saved. That Is Truth."

Applebloom shuddered. "Ah know that ... now."

"It Would Appear That Applejack Had To Pay The Price For Your Lesson. And-"

"HI-YA!" A shadow of existence was knocked sailing into the void landing head first. Like a jammed barn door being bucked in, the hole cracked back open again. "AAAAAAGGGGHHH!" Applejack snarled, the shadow covering her like a herd of hoofball tacklers.

"-Appearances Can Be Deceiving." I smiled lightly. "You Underestimate How Much She Loves You."

"APPLEBLOOM!" Applejack marched out of the black hole, the shadows holding onto her, and onto each other like tar stretching all the way back to the black hole.

"Applejack!" Applebloom tried to push her way back out of me.

"Appleboom Ah'm sorry! Ah never meant to be mean or cruel! Please forgive me, little sister!"

Applejack's muscles bulged as she dragged the entire mass of shadows along with her back towards me. More being pulled out of the black hole trying to pull her back in. The purple blobs on Applejack's body poking and wailing.

"Applebloom, just ya wait! Ah'm gettin' this gunk off! Then Ah'm coming ta join ya! Just ya wait! An' we'll be together! All of us! Ah promise! Just wait a bit longer! Ya big sister promises!"

Applebloom blinked and she made a snap decision. Golden light sparkled around her for a moment before a gold necklace formed around her neck. In the center was a red gem shaped like a hammer crossed with an open-ended wrench.

The hoard was beginning to gain strength as AJ's advance slowed.

Using her hooves like ponies of the Second Age could, Applebloom undid her necklace and reached through My body as if I were liquid.

AJ reached out her hoof, slowly now, with determination like iron. Their hooves almost touching...

Applebloom slapped her Element of Harmony into Applejack's out stretched hoof. AJ's mouth opened in wonder.

Applebloom smiled. "Ah forgive ya, Abigail. Ah'll be waitin' for ya. Now ya take good care of that now, ya hear?"

A duplicate appeared around Applebloom's neck. The sisters' love increased, thus defying Entropy and her grasping shadows. And makes My Bride and I proud.

The gem on Applejack's hoof shifted shape to that of an orange Apple.

"Applebloom ..." AJ's eyes widened. "Right, Ah promise! Second chances like this don't come around every day, and Ah intend to make the best of it! So wait fer me! Cause Ah'm joining you someday, you and the Big Male Alicorn! YA HEAR? Save a space fer me next ta Lance and Swordbloom cause Ah'm gettin' in!"

"How do Ah know yer not just sayin' that?"

Applejack smiled. "An' disappoint mah sister later? What's the point of sayin' a lie or the truth if all it does is hurt somepony? What's the point of holdin' back the truth if it helps somepony?"

"You Did It Applejack! That Is The Right Answer!" I cheered.

Somewhere an orange black crystal shaped like an apple turned right side up.

The horde of shadows pulling back Applejack, broke in two like a cane sugar sculpture. The shadows still holding onto her scattered like pepper in soapy water. All the shadows fell back into the black hole like gravity had gone sideways to them.

One shadow fluttered her purple wings holding off falling away for a few spare moments. "Don't think Thi- i- over Applejack! --e d-y you'll ente- Her Nothingness Entropy, a-d we will be wai-in- for you!"

AJ spoke calmly and breathlessly to the shadow of existence, "Sorry, but that ain't never happin'."

The shadow fell back into the black hole.

Applejack slowly breathed out, she looked at the treasure in her hooves. She understood. "Kindness," she whispered.

She gazed up at me. "Yah couldn't have just told meh from the start!"

"If I Had Just Told You, You Would Have Treated It As Nothing More Than A Lecture."

"Ah guess yah got a point there," she replied humbled looking at her sister.

"You're Free! Go On Home!" I said, and so it would be.

Gravity seemed to reverse for Applejack as she slowly began falling 'upwards.'

"Applebloom! See you later!"

"I know!" Applebloom smiled.

Applejack began to float back towards The Truth.

++++

Oh. Ya wanna know what happened next? No biggie. Ah met the laughin' version of me. We talked for a bit. Ah lied through mah teeth pretending Equestria was still the world it was before Discord showed up. Really got her hopes and imagination goin'. She asked meh if Sea Ponies and Flutterponies were real, cause she and her friends were planning to go lookin' for em next to bring 'em back together with the other tribes. Ah said they were in my world, didn't have the heart to tell her how come they did, just they were. She looked so excited. Ah hope she finds 'em. We had lotta good laughs and it's sure been awhile since Ah had'em that good!

We also teamed up with four more versions of me, each with an Element of Harmony (strangely, meh and my new friend seemed to be the only ones not covered in horseshoe marks), beat the hay outta a truth fixated Nightmare me, got a few sec's ta say how great the other way before everything went white. Got a nice tingly feelin' inside, cleared away some of mah sin. Meh.

Compared to seein' 'Bloom again, the rest just seems kinda a hoof note ta me. Ah should spent more of it huggin' 'er and less time yellin' at 'er. But dangit, let me tell ya, savin' the world? Been there done that. Seein' 'Bloom again? Ya can't put a price on that. Yeah Ah'm a silly pony.

Then Ah woke up in mah bed. Good as new.

"Oh come on! Of all the dirty, snake bellied, apple rustlin', lousy, low-down, cheats! Oh no! You are NOT gettin' away with that!" Ah yelled straight at the heavens.

Ah noticed a slight glow over mah heart. A light shaped like golden apple flickered fer just a moment, just long enough fer me ta know that Ah wasn't seeing things. A warm feelin' were Ah'd been cold fer a thousand years didn't go away. "Okay. Erm. Never mind. Okay. That's good. Ah gotcha."

Ah breathed in, then slowly breathed out. "Ah promise Applebloom. Ah promise." Ah found my trusty lasso and Pa's trusty hat. Then Ah thought. What the heck was Ah even thinkin'? Ah learned over the last thousand years that chargin' head first without thinkin' didn't get ya much of anywhere. What was Ah supposed ta do? What could Ah do? Ah said some fancy words. But was there anythin' behind'em?

Ah needed ta think. Ah took a walk 'round the castle. Cleaner than normal. The dust maids must be having a patty cake and hugging contest again.

Ah was kinda surprised at who Ah ran into.

"Angry Pie!"

"Outta my way!"

Omph!

Angry Pie sure didn't like ponies in her space even when they weren't laughin' at her, or thought they were laughin' at her. Yeah she skinned Gummy for laughing at her when he was 'bout the size of a bus from growin'. But Ah still think it's weird. Ah'm pretty sure that there gator wasn't even BUILT ta laugh! Ah never asked 'bout it. And Ah never known Angry Pie to take 'trophies' that was more Fluttercruel's gig. Ah doubt any of us will know the truth of what really happened.

Angry Pie threw her thoughts and feelings 'round like nopony's business. But what she didn't share she kept like her students, viciously protected and goodness help ya if try ta touch'em.

Ah remembered when somethin' like this happened before.

"Hey! Angry! Ah just wanna ... Ah wanna say: Remember when, when everything began in the maze? Ah'm sorry fer laughin' at ya. It wasn't kind."

She looked at me ready to kill. "You're SORRY-?! " Her front hooves came straight fer mah neck, Ah didn't move. "What right do you have to be-!" Her hooves stopped right in front of me, shaking, if she had fingers, they'd be twitchin'. Ah just let her look in my eyes so she'd know Ah weren't lyin'. "What gives you the right to-! How DARE YOU BE-! ... " She stopped. Turning around, and gave me a quick slap in the face with her tail. "You're not worth it."

She trotted the way she had been going before.

"Hey! Angry Pie," Ah called out.

"What?" She looked back at me like Ah was the world biggest pest.

"What do you think 'bout promises?"

That wasn't a question she was expectin'. Been a while since Ah saw anythin' but anger on that pink face.

After a bit she finally said, " ...Promises... should be kept."

And without even a goodbye she trotted along, that ticked off look back on her face.

Promises.

Apple Pie. Promises. The Apples of Sweet Rock Acres.

Ah made a PROMISE TO APPLEBLOOM to look after her family an' it's 'bout time Ah kept it the right way!

Ah'm done hidin' in lies. They work fer me, not the other way 'round. The Apple family. The Pie family.... little Apple Pie, who'd laughed. Ah'm there fer ya all.

And Master, ya watch out, yer done treatin' Mah family like toys. Watch out Master. Whatever sins yer up to right now. Enjoy'em while they last.

++++

Discord and Fluttercruel visited the hundredth village they had in the last few hours.

"Why are you doing this again?"

"Because it was a random idea, it's unexpected, and I feel like it," Discord said.

"You've done this ninety-nine times today already."

"So?" Discord wiggled his nose. Instantly all the dead puppies in the settlement were teleported out of the ground, resurrected, given full health and youth with instantaneous magic, and transported to their owners or their next of kin. Happy barking filled the town with foals laughing. Next Discord wiggled his eyebrows and candy (non-chocolate) and dog biscuits began to rain on the town.

Fluttercruel slowly shook her head in confusion. "This makes no sense."

"And doesn't it feel good to say that again?"

+++

Ah, for the first time in a thousand years, washed Pa's hat. Ah'd noticed my coat was a muted orange now, not dusty grey, and an old hat in gray dusty just didn't look right.

Ah know this much. The Alicorn was right. Ah'm free.

Next Chapter: Episode 77: (Dark World) The Chapter That Had No Name Estimated time remaining: 49 Hours, 58 Minutes
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