//------------------------------// // Act I - 02 - Haven't You Heard It's a Battle of Words // Story: Harmony's Warriors: Captain Equestria // by Avenging-Hobbits //------------------------------// Act I: “Smoke on the Horizon” Chapter Two: "Haven't You Heard It's a Battle of Words" Applejack let out a grumbling sigh as she entered the kitchen, making a beeline for the staircase. She didn’t even need to see Purity’s disapproving glare out of the corner of her eye to know that she was in hot water. She could feel those angry eyes bore into the back of her skull, but she was not sorry in the slightest sense and knew that she was right to lash out. But she also knew that Purity didn’t see things that way, and for the sake of Apple Bloom, she continued her trek to the stairs and hoped that by avoiding eye contact she can postpone the inevitable. “Applejack, I need ta talk wit’ ya,” Purity said, causing Applejack to halt with her hoof on the first step. “What is it Purity? I need ta get Apple Bloom ta school…” Applejack replied, hoping to use that as an excuse not to talk about the obvious white elephant in the room. “Applejack ya’ll know exactly what I’m talkin’ ‘bout.” Purity said, her voice insistent. “Now, come on I need ta talk ta ya. ‘Bloom can wait.” Applejack let out a quiet sigh before letting her shoulders slump, and she reluctantly walked back towards the table where her sister is sitting. Without saying a word, she sat down. Purity’s expression softened slightly, and she let out her own, tired sounding sigh. Applejack could tell that whatever Glory Belle had said to her had been important and, most likely, incredibly cruel. In front of her was an official looking paper. Applejack felt a stab of guilt go through her, and she looked down at the floor ashamed. “Look,” she said, taking a breath. “I’m sorry fer what I did. I guess I’m just sick of her always comin’ ‘round just ta mock us and humiliate us. I mean her daddy didn’t do that right?” Applejack looked at Purity, hoping that her sister would at least agree with her on that. Much to her relief, Purity did acknowledge that Applejack was right with a slight nod. “AJ I don’t like it either, but there was another reason fer Miss Belle comin’ down here taday. Ya know what that was?” Purity started, her voice sounding as if it were trying to be firm. Applejack shook her head. “Well,” Purity said, taking a breath of her own. “It seems that she also wanted ta talk ‘bout our rent. Apparently, ‘cause of tha war, tha government in Canterlot says we farmers gotta pay an extra tax.” Applejack blinked, her expression turning sour. “What?! That’s horsefeathers! She’s gotta be lyin’!” “AJ, calm down,” Purity said, “She ain’t lyin’. See?” Purity pushed forward the piece of paper, and Applejack quickly took it and read it over. Then she read it over again just to make sure she was reading it right. In very official looking print, was what seemed to be a government announcement: “By Word of the One Hundredth Annual Equestrian Parliament: Due to the recent military setbacks on the South Eastern Front, the One Hundredth Annual Equestrian Parliament has declared that, in light of the pressures put upon the economy and the general populace, and due to the lower than average crop outputs of the South East, all farms and their owners within the borders of Equestria are asked to comply to the new farm tax that is being set into effect on the first of May, Nineteen Forty One. The exact amount of the tax shall be determined by the size of the farm. Those who do not comply shall be fined in excess of ten times the amount of the tax. - Dated: June 14th, Nineteen Forty-Four, by word of the One Hundredth Annual Equestrian Parliament.” “Ya see Applejack? That’s why she came here. Since she’s tha owner, she’s tha one who has ta pay tha tax.” Purity continued, “and, because of what ya up an’ said, she says that she’s now gonna spike up our rent so she can pay it off faster.” Applejack sighed heavily. “Look...iffin I’d had known ‘bout this, ya know I probably would ‘ave acted more…I don’t know, sophisticated or somethin’. But that doesn’t mean I can just let her offend us like that. We’re not her slaves ya know.” Purity shook her head. “Either way Applejack, you can’t just up an’ yell at the pony who can take our house from us at any time....” Applejack said nothing, her mind instead replaying memories of the look on her father’s face when he had heard similar news. she felt an intense feeling of guilt come over her, and instead made due with looking down at the floor. The sound of hoofsteps came from the staircase, causing Purity to trail off, and Applejack turned to see Apple Bloom, her book bag filled with her school books and sketchbooks, which were filled with doodles and sketches of pretty much everything. “Alright AJ, I’m ready.” she said, her voice lacking much enthusiasm as she made her way to the door. Applejack and Purity shared a look. “Just think ‘bout what I said, ‘kay AJ?” Purity said, standing up and making her way towards the front door. Applejack bit her lip slightly and stood up, following Purity to the door. “Alright then ‘Bloom,” she said, taking her hat from the rack by the door. “Let’s get ya ta school.” //////////////////////////////// Applejack now walked Apple Bloom towards the old, red walled school house, from which the tolling of the school bell could be heard. A small crowd of fillies all poured into the school house, most of them earth ponies, as most unicorn fillies went to private schools in Canterlot. However, there were still a few unicorn students here and there, mostly from the upper middle class whose parents were too stingy for private schools. Those few fillies and colts however, made their presence known by constantly hovering in little clutches and groups, tending to shun the other ponies. There was a noticeable absence of pegasi fillies and colts, as they went to school in Cloudsdale, which hovered high in the sky above. Apple Bloom swallowed slightly, preparing herself for the long day. She gave her blank shoulder a glance, her heart sinking slightly. Her brilliant scheme in getting a plumbing cutie mark had failed, and only managed to flood the kitchen. And on the day that nasty unicorn landlady Miss Belle was scheduled to visit. At least the stuffy unicorn hadn’t come inside, having instead left in a huff, seemingly offended. When she had asked Applejack about what had happened, Applejack hadn’t answered, instead simply saying that Apple Bloom should get ready for school. “So, ya’ll ready ‘Bloom?” Applejack asked, her attention obviously focused elsewhere. Apple Bloom nodded. “Yeah I guess,” she replied, looking up at Applejack. “Um, AJ, what was Miss Belle so angry ‘bout this mornin’?” Applejack shrugged. “Oh nuthin’ ‘Bloom. Just her bein’ a snob. That’s all.” Her expression however, made it clear that something more serious had happened to cause Miss Belle to leave so angry. Apple Bloom nodded slightly, looking down at the ground for a moment. She could hear the bell calling the other fillies and colts in ringing in the background. That meant it was time for her to leave. “Um, sis,” she said, looking up at Applejack. “Can ya walk me ta tha door?” Applejack looked down at Apple Bloom and nodded, a warm smile on her face. “Sure thing, sis. Come on now, let’s get ya ta school.” The two started towards the school house, with Apple Bloom taking notice of how the clutches of unicorns would point and snicker at her and Applejack as they passed. She glanced towards her shoulder, rolling up her sleeve slightly to see it. It’s bare yellow coat drove the failure of that morning’s attempt back home. She pulled her sleeve down again, and subconsciously stepped a little closer to Applejack. Applejack meanwhile, ignored the sounds of snickering, instead keeping her head held high. She caught sight of Apple Bloom looking intensely embarrassed, and she leaned down so she was by her ear. “Don’t let them pick on ya like that, ‘kay? Stand up straight,” whispered Applejack to Apple Bloom in her ear. Applejack gave her a reassuring smile and Apple Bloom nodded slightly, attempting to mirror Applejack’s stance as the two walked up the schoolhouse. However, even with her attempts to maintain her self worth and not let the obvious mockery get to her, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but feel demeaned by the constant heckling from the unicorns. It also didn’t help that she knew she wasn’t the only one who was being picked on. For every hoof or sideways glance directed at her, she would see three or four directed towards her big sister, almost all of them focusing on her scrawny, scarecrow like build. After what seemed like an eternity of walking, they finally reached the front door of the schoolhouse, which opened to reveal an elderly looking unicorn stallion, who peered out from underneath his bush like eyebrows with sharp looking eyes. Apple Bloom swallowed slightly. It was Hard Discipline, the head teacher at the school. “You’re late,” he practically hissed towards Applejack, his accent causing it to sound as if he had a buzzsaw at the back of his throat. His eyes darting towards Applejack and staring daggers at her. Applejack simply nodded, but visibly tensed up and ground her jaw. “I’m sorry sir, won’t happen’ again. Problem at the farm is all.” she said. Hard Discipline simply scoffed, his eyes pivoting towards Apple Bloom. “Get your flank to class.” he ordered, his hoof sharply stomping the floorboards threateningly. Apple Bloom nodded, looking up towards Applejack, who was now staring at Hard Discipline venomously. Hard Discipline simply responded with a glare of his own, and Apple Bloom wondered if they were trying to stare a hole through each other. “Now ‘Bloom, ya’ll be good taday ya hear?” Applejack said, still staring daggers at Hard Discipline. “An’ don’t let nopony push ya ‘round got it?” Apple Bloom nodded. “Yes Applejack,” she replied as she stepped inside, making a beeline towards the classroom. Applejack watched Apple Bloom leave before focusing her attention back on the unicorn standing in the doorway. “Now listen here you,” she said, pointing a hoof towards him. “Iffin’ ya as much as lay a hoof on her ya’ll gonna have ta have ta deal with me got it?” Hard Discipline simply scoffed. “I will run this here schoolhouse as I see fit, and not under the advisement of some skinny mud pony.” He spat out the last two words with extra venom, and Applejack simply glared in response, fighting the urge to punch this self-righteous unicorn right in the face. However, she was interrupted by a new voice. “Excuse me,” the new voice said, catching Applejack’s attention. She looked over Hard Discipline’s shoulder to see a yellow unicorn mare trotting up from inside the schoolhouse, her hair a wild frizzy orange beehive. She had a concerned look on her face, and eyed Hard Discipline with visible dislike. “Nothing Ms. Frizzle, go back to your class,” Hard Discipline said, still glaring at Applejack. The unicorn, who was apparently named Miss Frizzle, shook her head. “Nonsense Mr. Discipline. I intend to keep good relations with the families of all my students,” she said, causing Hard Discipline to simply roll his eyes and scoff, turning away and trotting inside, muttering and grumbling under his breath. The mare simply watched him leave, shaking her head and clicking her tongue. She then turned towards Applejack. “Hello there, I’m Ms. Frizzle, how may I help you?” Applejack nodded, tipping her head slightly. For once it seemed as if this unicorn actually seemed nice and not instantly prejudiced towards her. “I just want ta know that Mr. Discipline here won’t cause any trouble fer mah sister, Apple Bloom.” Applejack said, her voice calming slightly. Ms. Frizzle nodded. “Ah yes, I’ve heard some complaints on the performance of Mr. Discipline,” she said, causing Applejack to cock an eyebrow. “Really? Then why haven’t they done anythin’ ‘bout it?” Applejack asked. “Well, that’s why I’m here. I’m Mr. Discipline’s replacement.” Ms. Frizzle said, smiling warmly. Applejack looked at her, taking a moment to study her. The mare, aside from her somewhat off kilter hair, looked like a good natured pony, who actually cared for her students. Not like Mr. Discipline, who seemed to view the entire world through some sort of ultra-cynical and mean-spirited lens. Of course, this mare was also a unicorn, and from Applejack’s experience, all this supposed kindness could just be pandering her. She looked over Ms. Frizzle’s shoulder, and could still see Apple Bloom looking at her through the schoolhouse window like a sad puppy and Applejack let out a loud exhale. “Alright then, I’ll be back fer her at three,” she said. Ms. Frizzle nodded. “Of course. And don’t worry. I’ll make sure your sister isn’t bullied in anyway,” assured the teacher with an equally warm smile. Applejack simply nodded and turned to walk away, still feeling bitter towards Mr. Discipline. She hated that schoolhouse. As long as she could remember, the teachers had always been unicorns, and, more often than not, had been especially mean towards the earth pony students, including herself. The worse thing about the schoolhouse was the fact that it was literally the only schoolhouse in town, and therefore the only place Apple Bloom had any real chance of receiving a proper education. So, they had been forced to send her there, and leave her behind with the teachers, hoping that any potential verbal abuse she would suffer could be remedied by the comfort of home. Apparently though, it seemed that someone in Canterlot got the memo, and finally sent a pony to deal with the problem. Personally though, Applejack always hoped that somehow, they’d be able to have Apple Bloom receive an education somewhere else, so that she wouldn’t be forced to suffer the constant mockery of being a blank flank or an earth pony. Applejack let out a frustrated sigh, looking at the clock at was built into the spire of the schoolhouse. It was 9:30 in the morning. She still had the rest of the day ahead of her to get farm work done. She started back towards home, readying herself for the days work. As she walked, she would occasionally catch sight of the odd propaganda poster advertising support for the war effort, along with dozens of recruitment posters all nailed up on whichever surface they could find. One in particular, however, caught her attention. It was rather brightly colored, with the bright red, white and gold colors of the Equestrian military. In big letters was written the following: ATTENTION ALL ABLE-BODIED AND/OR WILLING EARTH PONY CITIZENS: Are you a patriot?! Do you seek adventure?! Do you seek fame?! Fortune?! Perhaps all of the above?! Then join the Equestrian Armed forces to help beat back in the incoming HYDRA/Griffinhiem menace! Join now and be assured safe and secure payments for the entirety of your tenure in the armed forces of Equestria! All volunteers shall be given one months rent and payment for their services. See your local Recruitment office for more details. Applejack raised an eyebrow. Among all the propagandistic language that was there, one sentence in particular caught her attention: Be assured safe and secure payments for the entirety of your tenure. She thought back to what she had read earlier about the tax. Applejack knew that there was no way they would be able to pay the rent in time, and that would give Miss Belle more than enough motivation and legal reason to kick them off the farm. Which she knows is exactly what the snotty unicorn wants to happen. And as she studied the sign, two options came to mind: One was to ignore this opportunity and go back home, and find some other, less surefire way to come up with a solution to the problem. The other was to give enlistment a shot, since, even if she managed to get only a desk job, it would be a job, and that meant that her, Purity and, most importantly, Apple Bloom, could keep a roof over their heads. It didn’t take long for the scales to tip to the only logical choice, and knowing what had to be done, Applejack sighed and started towards the nearest recruitment center. //////////////////////////////// Shining Armor let out an unimpressed sigh as he idly stood backstage of one of the scientific presentation at the 10th Annual Equestrian Fair. This year, the Equestrian Government had decided to have the annual fair dedicated to whichever new doodads Canterlot Scientists had come up with in the small town of Ponyville. When he had asked about it, his father had responded with something along the lines of “Science isn’t just for rich Unicorns. It can benefit everypony. And that includes Earth Ponies.” Shining Armor looked over the audience, taking notice of the fact that a good ninety percent of them were unicorns, all of which looked wealthy. Almost everypony else was a pegasus, with Shining Armor having seen only one or two earth ponies during the entire affair. Of course, who could blame them not for coming? Shining could feel himself nearly falling asleep as another scientist, who wasn’t his father, prattled on and on about the wonders of some new fangled device known as a ‘transistor’, and how they could supposedly do anything anyone wanted them to do. “You okay, son?” his father, Night Light, asked, walking up next to Shining. “You look a little tired.” Shining shook his head. “No I’m okay...just a little bored is all.” he answered, idly ironing out the creases in his uniform with the help of his magic. His dad raised an eyebrow, a wry smile on his face. “Bored? What could be boring about science?” he asked, sitting down next to Shining. Shining shrugged and idly pawed the ground, trying to keep his disappointed and raging boredom from influencing his tone. He failed. “It’s just….I don’t know really,” began Shining with a deep sigh. “I just don’t see why we should be wasting our time prattling about transistors or whatever the heck Dr. Heartstrings is babbling about, when we’ve got ponies fighting for their lives in a war.” Night Light thought for a second, then he placed a supportive hoof on his son’s shoulder. “Son...is this about me not letting you get a field station?” he asked. Shining glanced his way briefly before focusing back on the pattern he was doodling in the dirt. “Not at all dad...I mean, why else would I want to do something more then just stand around and watch everypony babble and watch you and the Professor twiddle in his lab,” replied Shining lowly. Night Light chuckled and let his hoof slide off as he shook his head, taking Shining’s complaint very lightly. “‘Twiddle?’ is that what you think me and Dr. Schultz do all day? I’m offended,” he said, his voice carrying an over dramatic tone. “You’d think breaking new ground in biochemistry and magical studies would get a little more appreciation.” “What?” Shining asked, raising his eyebrows. “I didn’t say I didn’t appreciate you Dad…” Night Light smiled. “I know that Shining. Relax a little. And don’t worry, I understand how you feel. Celestia knows I felt that way at your age. Watching ponies do all sorts of awesome things, while I spent my time indoors with the feather flu or something. It’s okay to want be doing something or going someplace a little more…” he paused, tapping his chin slightly. “...ambitious than where you are right now, but you still have a use right here. You just haven’t seen that yet.” Shining sighed. “But do I have to do here? All I do is follow the Professor around,” “Making sure he’s safe,” Night Light said, cutting Shining off. “I know that might not seem all that important compared to the pony who’s at the front lines shooting a gun, but trust me, everyday you spend with the Professor, is another day we’re a little closer to ending the war faster. He might be a little eccentric, but he’s the smartest guy we’ve got, and thankfully, he’s on our side of the war.” There was a garbled announcement over the speaker system, which caught Night Light’s attention. “Oh, time for my presentation,” he said, ironing out the wrinkles in his tuxedo and giving Shining a gentle pat on the back. “Just keep what I said in mind, okay Shining?” Shining nodded. “Alright Dad. Have fun with your presentation.” he said, his voice however still unenthusiastic. Night Light nodded, turning towards the stage and walking off towards the stage, leaving Shining alone.