As Zidane climbed after Freya, Pinkie and Applejack shared a look. As he slipped into the palace, Pinkie stood rigid as Applejack threw her as hard as she could, planting her atop a statue near the opening the other two slipped in through. Pinkie let out a 'nailed it~' as she turned around to see Applejack stuck on the ground beneath her.
“I'll be right behind ya! Make sure they don't do somethin' foolish!” Applejack asked. Seeing Pinkie nod, Applejack glanced again at the bodies of the knights around her. What are the odds that what's inside played a part in this? She thought, her ears low.
Looking back where her friends disappeared, she quickly ran back to the group of survivors tailing them. They need to leave the city, it isn't safe here, and we can't protect them while we're inside the palace!
Reaching them in quick order, she instructed them to travel to Lindblum, hopefully running into Cid's reinforcements on the way there. She knew the regent would shelter them. She asked them not to wait for her or her friends. The fear of them not returning weighed on her mind.
She never once believed anything about this endeavor was safe, and she had a feeling this dive into the palace was the most dangerous part of it. The Burmecians they saved now numbered above twenty. With those numbers the monsters of the mist shouldn't pose a problem to them on their trek to Lindblum. She didn't like sending them off alone, but she believed they were better off leaving now than later. And if the palace was safe and she was simply putting caution where it needn't be, they could catch up to the survivors quickly enough.
Driven by worry for her friends, she quickly sent the survivors off and returned to the palace entrance. Seeing that her form wasn't suited to hopping up the statue like Zidane did, she ran around the side of the palace, hoping to find a lower entrance or a breach in the wall.
She heard the sounds of clashing metal from within, and her hooves struck the cobblestones harder, and faster. Seeing a small break in the wall, she quickly jumped through it. Getting inside, she galloped to the source of the noise, hoping it wasn't as bad as she feared.
Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Zidane and Pinkie lying on the ground, still and unmoving, her stride faltering. Freya stood before Beatrix, and Applejack barely noticed the presence of the queen or the white stranger.
Freya charged the general of Alexandria as Applejack rushed to her friend's aid, hoping beyond hope that she wasn't too late to save them, and fearing that she was. Beatrix slipped past Freya's spear, and got in close, bringing her sword up, catching Freya's helmet, sending her helm flying. Freya fell past Beatrix, and didn't get back up. Beatrix looked to see the orange mare heading towards her friends and faced her.
“Beatrix, stop!” Applejack pleaded. She had talked with the warrior shortly after appearing in Alexandria, and she hoped the knight would stay her hand for her. Beatrix eyed Applejack with curiosity, and so did the queen, but it was the look the white stranger gave her that left an impression on the mare. He both looked surprised, and overjoyed, like her addition to the palace was more gratifying then winning all the blue ribbons at the rodeo competition.
“I see, so this rabble is with you?” Beatrix asked as she made a dismissive gesture to Applejack's friends. “What business do you have here, Applejack?” She asked as she took up a stance, her sword ready to strike if needed.
“My friends are not rabble!” Applejack then shook her head, “Was all this your doing!?” She asked as she indicated the ruins around them. While talking she cautiously walked to her fallen comrades, seeing that they were all still breathing, but they were in desperate need of healing. She noted that Beatrix was allowing her to get close to her friends.
“Not all of it, but I didn't play any small part in it. I guess I should have known you were around, considering the other pony here,” she said as she nodded to Pinkie.
“Why!?” Applejack asked with anger, “Why did you do this, what reason was there to kill so many Burmecians, to kill anyone!?” It made no sense to Applejack. All the villains she encountered simply wanted to take power at the misery of others, but Gaian villains killed. What sense is there in killin'!?
“Because it was what my queen wished. What more reason do I need?” She stalwartly replied.
She does it out of loyalty!? Then why does the Queen order her to take the lives of so many others?
“Enough chatter,” Queen Brahne interjected, “Slay the fool, we have a tree to burn!” she barked, and Beatrix prepared to attack Applejack, the conversation over. Applejack's anger quickly shifted to worry, her three friends fell to this single swordswoman.
What chance do I have against her?
“Now, let's not be so hasty, your Majesty. If you kill them all, then who will be alive to send the message?” The white man stated, making the queen and Beatrix hesitate.
“What message did you have in mind, Kuja?” The queen asked, failing to hide a small amount of annoyance.
“Why, what else then your might? Surely she is working with Equestria, if she's slain, how will they know you are someone best left alone?” Applejack eyed the man, his words rang with poison. She could tell that wasn't the reason he wanted her spared. The way he said 'Equestria' implied something, but Applejack couldn't pin down what it was.
Wait, how does he know about Equestria? Did Beatrix tell him?
“I told ya, I don't know how to get back to Equestria, I came here to help a friend, nothin' more.” She admitted, tossing away the opportunity to lie her way out of this situation. The man named Kuja appraised her, clearly amused she had tossed away his offer of salvation.
“Hmph, like we would take your word on that!” the queen declared, “I already know that you're a lair! Take her down, I want her to be interrogated. We're going to learn everything we can about Equestria from her. Let the pink one be the 'messenger'.”
“Yes, your Majesty,” Beatrix coldly said as Kuja looked pleased that the mare's would be spared.
Seeing the situation she was in, she knew she wouldn't be able to handle Beatrix. And try as she might, she couldn't think of a way out of it. A way to save her friends. A way to save herself. She had felt this feeling looming over her before, when she failed to earn the prize money to help repair town hall. Failure, and the shame born of it. It weighed down her sword, and made her poorly equipped to fight the general.
Beatrix attacked her, and she tried everything she could to defend herself, and her friends.
It wasn't anywhere near enough.
Her sword was broken. She lay on the ground, beaten and barely capable of moving. And yet, even at the most precarious moment of her life, where her friends lives hanged in the balance, she didn't feel the surge of power that she'd seen Pinkie and Zidane embrace.
No Trance fell upon her to save the day, and she couldn't help but wonder why. Am I simply too weak for Trance? She though as her eyes stung. Despite herself, she couldn't keep her tears in check. Is my desire to save them not good enough!?
Beatrix stood over her, surprised to see the mare crying. Applejack was the most dependable, most reliable pony in Ponyville, and she lay defeated, unable to protect her friends, unable to save them.
“Come on, show some dignity,” Beatrix said softly, so quiet that Applejack almost didn't hear it. As Applejack tried to glance to Beatrix, the twin jesters entered the palace. “Zorn, Thorn, send her to the castle. Lock her in the dungeon for interrogation.”
Twilight, anypony? Please, help my friends, please, save them. She quietly begged, hoping that the words echoing in her heart would bring about some miracle.
Applejack was stripped of her armor and hat, her possessions left in the rain in that ruined palace, and the twin jesters dragged her away. They dragged her to an airship that was settled behind the palace, she felt a spell wash over her as she was dragged aboard, and as her heart was still praying for her friends, she passed out.
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ATE: An Apple's Impression
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It wasn't the first time Beatrix had seen a defeated opponent cry from their own weakness, but for some reason, it really left an impression on her this time.
Maybe it was the unbridled honesty behind those tears. Applejack wasn't upset at losing to her blade, she was upset at failing to protect the others. That really struck a cord for the hardened general, it reminded her of the days before she had lost her eye, when she was proud to protect, rather than proud to serve.
Watching the two clowns drag her away, she heard the sound of Kuja approaching the pink mare. See what the weapons dealer was up to, she was surprised to see him use a restoration spell, shortly followed by a sleeping spell on her.
“Since that hassle is done with,” Queen Brahne began, “let's move to surround Cleyra!” With a nod, Beatrix went to work, following her queen back to the ship.
Kuja didn't follow them, and she didn't care. She didn't like the man, his words were poison, and his power expensive. The queen parted with a great deal of the kingdoms wealth to fund the Black Mage army, and Beatrix was not happy with it.
Boarding their airship, the Red Rose, she saw the jesters put Applejack in one of the teleportation urns. The magic of the urn turned the mare into an orb of magic, and it flew off to a receptacle in Alexandira, and the jesters went in the urns too, following her. They would be in Alexandria in less than an hour because of that magic.
Encountering Applejack was an unexpected boon of this siege. With her in their custody, they could finally learn where princess Garnet was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Applejack awoke in a strange place. She was standing in a field of twilight and stars. She was naked, her beloved hat gone, her armor missing. Looking around, she felt lost, just as lost when she left for Manehattan before getting her cutie mark.
“Uh, hello? Is anypony out there!?” She shouted into the stary landscape. Several of the stars twinkled in response to her voice, and everything shifted slightly, as if she had moved, without actually moving. After looking around for a couple minutes, she heard a light popping sound from behind her.
“Applejack?” Turning to the familiar voice in surprise, her heart skipped a beat as she saw Twilight standing near her in the suspended space. Her mane was a little messy, like she had just gotten into a scuffle. “Applejack!” Twilight shouted in joy as she jumped at the orange mare, giving her a loving hug.
“Twilight!? I, I don't understand,” Seeing her friend didn't wash away the shame of her failure, but it did light a spark of happiness. She immediately returned the hug, and in the comfort of her embrace, she began to shower Twilight with her troubles.
Once it started, there was no stopping, she told her everything that's happened over the last five days. Alexandria, the Evil Forest, the Black Waltz's, the Burmecian messenger, Gizamaluke's Grotto, Burmecia, everything that weighed on her heart.
Twilight never let go of her friend, she listened intently, and comforted her as best she could. If she was troubled by what she heard concerning the Burmecians, she hid it well. As Applejack calmed down, the she finally started to take things in, having already let so much out.
“Twilight, what's going on? Where are we? Is there a way fer us to come back?” She asked. After what's happened at Burmecia, Applejack was terribly homesick, she never had to deal with so much loss before. And she hoped she never would again, but her hope has failed her several times in the last couple days.
“This is the Realm of Twilight," Twilight explained, rolling her eyes at the name, "I gained my wings here. To elaborate, this is what lies between the space of a teleport, and it rests somewhere between both worlds. The fact that you're here means that you're under some slow teleportation magic.” She said with a slightly ponderous look, a look that suggested there was more to it than that, but Applejack probably wouldn't understand it. “Whatever the reason, it's given us a chance to talk, for me to help you,” her horn glowed as her magic briefly enveloped Applejack.
“Looks like there's some time left till the spell expires, so let me fill you in as best I can." She then gave her friend an apologetic look, "We cannot retrieve you, the means of returning to Equestria lies somewhere in Gaia. I'm sorry, I wish we could pull you back, but when we tried, we lost Pinkie Pie." She then smiled, "I'm glad you found her. We're so worried about the three of you.” She looked into Applejack's eyes for a moment, treasuring the very notion, before shaking her head.
“From what Discord learned after we accidentally sent Pinkie over," she continued, "some large ritual is at play. It's more powerful than all the combined magic of Equestria, and he called it Unified Fantasy. This ritual has connected Gaia and Equestria, but for what reason we're not sure.”
Her brow furrowed, “The connection is powerful, and it's getting stronger. The mist is from Gaia, though it hasn't gotten thicker in Equestria, it has spread to other areas. Magic between both worlds is now being shared between them. Because of that, equipment now grants power! It's fascinating, and a little frustrating that I now need to wear clothes to learn new spells for fighting!” She admitted with some annoyance, “Since Gaia's magic is now present in Equestria, I assume that Equestrian magic is also present over there.”
“Ya don't say,” Applejack replied, trying to take in everything her friend told her. She was still stuck on Gaia, and the means home lay somewhere there. Applejack had a sneaking suspicion that Kuja knew something about this. He wanted both ponies spared, there was a reason for it beyond what he told the queen. Thinking about Pinkie, Applejack remembered something she had mentioned. “Pinkie said that when we ended up in Gaia, someone else ended up in Equestria in our place?” Twilight nodded.
“Yes. Steiner, Vivi, and Quina. Like I said, the connection is powerful. When you were sent to Gaia, someone in Gaia who best matched you was sent to Equestria. I think the ritual sent Steiner over here when you were sent over there. We've been trying to get them back to Gaia. While we cannot retrieve you, I think there's a way for them to be sent back, if we manage that, then you should be returned in the process.” That was a promising prospect, but Applejack wasn't going to count on it, she needed to find a way back with Pinkie and Spike.
Wait just a darn minute, Applejack thought as something Twilight said stood out to her.
“You said 'sent'. Somepony sent me to Gaia?” She asked, wondering why anyone would send her to another world.
“That's my theory, it's the only one that makes sense,” Twilight stated, confident with her reply.
“And what about Spike?”
“I don't think he was sent, I think that was an accident. The magical residue that was all over Vivi looked more natural then fabricated,” Twilight said, matter-of-factly. “How is he?” She asked with a strong sense of concern.
“I don't honestly know,” she weakly admitted as her ears fell, “he ran off with princess Garnet. I hoped to find him headin' to Burmecia, but there was no sign of either.” Applejack then adopted a reassuring smile, “He's really taken a likin' to Gaia's magic, he can teleport just like ya can now.” She finished, getting a surprised look from Twilight.
“Spike can teleport? That's amazing!” She exclaimed, clearly proud of the young dragon.
“He can also summon fire and ice and lightning. He's taken the whole thing as an adventure, which makes me worry. He's still a baby dragon after all. He shouldn't see what Pinkie and I saw.” She said with a downcast look, which Twilight reflected.
“I hope this princess Garnet knows what she's doing. I'll be pretty cross with her is Spike is harmed because of her,” Twilight said with a dangerous tone.
“How is everypony holdin' without us?” Twilight seemed to consider her question for a moment before replying.
“Big Mac is managing the farm, and the cutie-mark crusaders are helping out as well.” She assured her friend, “Ponyville has been a little gloomy though, Pinkie really meant a lot to Ponyville. I'll also admit, things have been a little rough for me without Spike, but I'll manage, with Sunset Shimmer's, and everpony else's help.”
“Wait, Sunset Shimmer, the pony that stole yer crown, is back, and helpin' ya?” She asked incredulously. Before Twilight could answer, Applejack felt a strange sensation travel up her legs, and saw that her hooves were becoming transparent. She looked back to Twilight in alarm, who seemed to be drifting away from her.
“We're out of time! Applejack!” Twilight shouted, noticing her friend's change, “Don't give up. No matter how sad it is, how painful it is, how hard it is. Do not give up! We haven't given up, so don't you give up either!” She said, almost crying now that their time together was about to end. “Even if we're worlds apart, we're still here for you! We have faith in you, so don't lose faith in yourself! I promise, when you and the others return, we'll all be there for you, to welcome you home!”
Her words, they touched Applejack's heart, and the power of her friendship shattered the shame Applejack's heart was wrapped in. She needed to believe in herself. Anypony would have fallen to Beatrix, she would just need to become stronger. She would become stronger. She had friends to protect, and a path home to uncover.
As the Realm of Twilight started to fade away, Applejack yelled out to Twilight, assuring that they would indeed find the way. She had no intention of losing her way. She had a farm, a family, a town, and a group of the best friends a pony could ask for waiting for her. And she hoped that when she returned, she could introduce them to her new friends, Zidane, Garnet, and Freya. The last thing she saw as everything faded away was Twilight giving her a big smile, tears running down her cheeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Moogle Notes:
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'Howdy Equestrian, Mois the moogle here with more tid-bits about Gaia!'
'As you can see, Beatrix is a mighty warrior of terrifying skill. The blade she wields is enchanted to only be usable by a knight of her caliber, and her strength has led her to be, well, rude to others less skilled than herself, which is most everyone.'
'The teleportation urns were crafted by Kuja. He made a lot of nifty devices that Queen Brahne used to terrible affect.'
'The Realm of Twilight is used by us moogles to help with our mail delivery, though we had lost our connection to it shortly before Applejack appeared in Alexandria. Kupo!'
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Applejack
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Items Equipped:
Lvl-16 HP 6/820 MP 26/54
AP 9/26
*Bird Killer (3) - Deals lethal damage to flying enemies.
*Beast Killer (4) - Deals lethal damage to beasts.
*Antibody (4) - Prevents Poison and Venom.
*Cover(6) - You take damage in place of an ally.
Abilities:
Apple Arts:
Applebuck 12 MP - High chance of removing an enemy from battle.
Apple Toss 8 MP - Restores HP of single target, Cures Doom and Trouble.
Hog Tie 8 Mp - Traps single target, causes Applebuck to do high damage.
Sword Arts:
Minus Strike 8 MP - Damages with the difference between your max HP and current HP