Story Time, Part 2
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The bright lights stirred Applejack’s eyes open as she awoke. The fluorescent light bulbs above her showered down the color white, painting her surroundings with an eerie glow. Groaning as her joints unstiffened, she got off the floor and stood up on her four hooves.
She turned her head around, seeing the room in its entirety. It was small, maybe four times her own body in width and length, creating a square. The ceiling was at least six feet above her head, with four tube-shaped light bulbs beaming down on her.
Applejack blinked after rubbing her eyes. She hadn’t noticed it at first, but there was a table in front of her, smack dab in the center of the room. Like everything else, it was painted white, but her attention was drawn to it for a different reason. On top of the table was a brown book with words scrawled on its cover: Diary IV.
She took the book into her hooves and opened it to the first page. For some reason, it was smudged, the very first entry only showing the date: March 30. Curiosity filled Applejack, urging her to find out why the diary was ruined.
She turned the page again to see another smudged entry. After turning more than a dozen pages, she found the first readable day, June 10.
--0o0--
Tuesday, June 12
Dear diary,
Today we learned some more math, and prepared for the IQ test again. I think it’s stupid how we have to take this test every single year. I mean, my score has always been the same, 120. Just because I have a super smart uncle doesn’t mean I’m going to start building spaceships in my spare time.
Meh, it was a normal day, overall. I still don’t like these tests.
Sincerely,
Applejack Harkness
--0o0--
Wednesday, June 11
Dear diary,
Took the test today, and I had some free time so I started doodling. I drew a hippo. It was so boring!
Sincerely,
Applejack Harkness
Friday, June 13
Dear diary,
School’s almost out, but we still have that math test. Studying is so boring. Nothing else happened today.
Sincerely,
Applejack Harkness
Tuesday, June 16
Dear diary,
School’s finally out, and that means 3 months of summer! It sucks how all my friends are going out of town for the whole break, but I can totally think of something fun to do. Tomorrow I’m going to Sugarcube Corner and trying out that new ice cream flavor. And then when they come back, I’ll tell them about it. Then again, I’ve always wanted to visit the new park too, so that might be fun.
Sincerely,
Applejack Harkness
Wednesday, June 17
Dear diary,
Nopony told me Wasabi wasn’t a flavor of ice cream! Why were they selling that? It’s crazy!
Sincerely,
Applejack Harkness
June 18
Dear diary,
It’s summer now, so I might as well ignore the day of the week. Anyways, Dad, Gray and I went to the park to play with kites today. You ever see two kites hit each other and then explode? Well I did. It was awesome.
Sincerely,
Applejack Harkness
June 19
Dear diary,
I finished all my chores and Gray is busy with his friends flying around Ponyville. It must be nice being a pegasus, able to fly around see everything from above. Free like a bird. Apparently our grandpa was a pegasus, so it was possible for one of us to have wings.
Yeah, Gray got totally lucky, being born a pegasus. He even gets out of a couple chores because they can only be done by earth ponies. Just because it’s a mud pit, doesn’t mean it’s got to do with the earth! He can totally clean pigs as good as me, not like he’ll ever do it.
Well, whatever, after cleaning the pigs, I had almost the entire day left, so I walked around town. It was quiet as usual. Kinda boring.
Sincerely,
Applejack Harkness
June 20
Dear diary,
Today I met this colt named Sonic Dash. He’s got this weird hairdo, and a funny looking tail. He’s a mule, but with wings! I asked him how come he has wings, and he said his mom was a pegasus. It’s still weird, because I never heard of a mule with wings. Maybe they’re rare?
Anyways, we raced on the ground because he can’t fly (something about weak joints?). And he beat me, barely! By like a hair. I think I’m going to challenge him again, and this time I’ll win!
Sincerely,
Applejack Harkness
June 22
Dear diary,
I kept thinking about the race earlier, and couldn’t help but notice how he kept flapping his wings while going uphill. I think that might be helping him.
Sincerely,
Applejack Harkness
June 23
Dear diary,
I won! This time I told him no using his wings to boost himself, and he agreed and I won! I told Gray about it, and he wants to try that out so he can go faster. Sonic is cool, but he’s going back to Fillydelphia, because he was just visiting his relatives here in Ponyville.
Mom heard about that and thought it was a good idea, and she wants me, Gray and Ginger to visit our uncle later this summer. Dad likes it too, but he wants to wait a bit, maybe call Uncle Job and plan stuff out.
I really want to go, because it’s Manehattan! I hear it’s so big and everything is all fancy. They even have hover autos over there, and it would be so cool if we could.
Sincerely,
Applejack Harkness
June 25
Dad’s been planning out our trip, so I started going out to get supplies from the market for him. He won’t let me do his chores, because I’m not big enough (I am 2 feet tall! I’m big enough!)
Anyways, when I walked towards the market this morning, I noticed these 3 guard members near our fence. They all had white coats and golden armor with the sun on it, and they were all so tall! They were almost as big as dad, but they were even more quiet than he was. They always frowned, and sneered at me every time they caught me looking.
I kind of run every time I’m near our fence now. I told dad about them, and he told me to not worry. He says everything is going to stay fine.
I really hope so, because those guards are really mean looking.
Sincerely,
Applejack Harkness
June 27
Dad said everything was going to stay the same. He was wrong.
--0o0--
Applejack looked at that last sentence again. Why was he wrong? What happened? Why can’t I remember? She flipped the page to see the next entry, but there was nothing written on that page. She flipped two more pages until she saw a new entry, July 26.
--0o0--
July 26
Dear diary,
Tomorrow I’m going to go live in Manehattan with my Uncle Job and Aunt Windy. I actually want to know why our dog is named after our aunt. Maybe it’s a funny story. I’ve packed everything I need into this neat bindle that Ginger showed me how to make. I’m a little scared, but it’s gonna be good. It’ll be nice to get out of Ponyville.
It only took two weeks to get a town transfer, way faster than normal.
Applejack
July 27
Dear diary,
The train’s stalled right now at Hollow Shades. We’ve been stuck here for almost two hours, so I decided to start writing in here. Apparently a hydragon crashed nearby, so the whole area’s being evacuated. Everypony around knows it was probably a ship too, but we all know to keep our mouths shut.
Of course, the Whitecoats around us assured that it was only a hydragon. They say it could be at up to another two hours before we’re clear to go again.
I’ve been thinking about what happened, and something doesn’t seem right. When it started, the clubhouse caught on fire, and there were sparks flying out. Then there was a big commotion, and then it died down until the second group came.
What seems weird is how after the first 3 came in, 5 more guards came after. The guards in the reinforcements were different: 2 of them were white pegasi, but the other 3 were unicorns in a different uniform. It was kind of creepy, actually.
Actually now that I think about, today’s going to be the first day I won’t see my brothers since like, ever. Gray was so close to crying last night, and Ginger too, even if he tried to hide it. I still don’t know why Grandma sent me and not Ginger or Gray.
I don’t know. I can’t think of anything else, so I think I’ll just sleep. The train seats don’t actually feel that bad.
Applejack
July 28
Dear diary,
Manehattan is so cool! And big! After I got off the train station, I met my Uncle Job and Aunt Windy for the first time ever! Uncle Job owns a computer company called Apple Computers. He’s really smart, and wants to show me the town tomorrow.
Aunt Windy is a blue pegasus that makes ice cream for a job! There are a lot of tasty flavors like cinnamon and apple, and I get to try out her new flavors when Aunt Windy makes them! They’re pretty nice and I think I’m gonna have fun here in the Big Apple.
Sincerely,
Applejack
July 29
Dear diary,
We went to the top of the Solar Empire State Building, and the we could see the whole city! We even saw our house from there it was that tall! We then went out to see the market, and it was gigantic. There were so many ponies there, I got lost for almost five minutes.
Uncle Job avoided the guard stations carefully, he told me we were never within 1000 feet of a single Whitecoat the entire day. He seems happy, but I can’t help but think he’s feeling sad deep down. I think what happened hurt him too.
Sincerely,
Applejack
August 1
Dear diary,
Today I spent time at Uncle Job’s office, and it was really interesting. He taught how to rewire old machines together, and said he was going to teach me a bunch of cool stuff for the rest of the month.
Sincerely,
Applejack
August 3
Dear diary,
Remind me to never mention Windigos XP or Vista in front of Uncle Job. He just won’t stop ranting about it. Aunt Windy said this usually happened at least once a week. He really hates his competition. She just smiled throughout the whole thing.
After a while, he calmed down, and Aunt Windy gave us some really nice ice cream. It tasted better today for some reason. Or maybe it’s just because it’s so hot outside.
Sincerely,
Applejack
September 2
Dear diary,
Starting school again. Apparently foals in Manehattan have to take this stupid training regimen in the nearby Central Park. Anyways, I met some nice ponies from around here. There’s Humble Pie and Pencil Pusher, a couple of nice unicorns. Then there’s Iris, this weird prissy pegasus. I kind of miss my friends back home, but I can at least send letters.
I’ll write more later, I have to study for my Equish test. It’s only the first day, and I’ve already got homework.
Sincerely,
Applejack
September 10
Dear diary,
Humble, Iris, Pusher, and I hung out together today. We decided to study together too, because we have like 5 tests over the next week to “assess our current capabilities in pragmatic and idealistic conditions”. Basically combat situations and other stuff.
Humble does this weird thing where she disappears from one spot, and then pops up somewhere else. Without teleporting. And she sometimes pulls toys and supplies out of thin air. Guess that explains why she never brought saddlebags to class.
Aunt Windy told me to be average, not too good and not too bad, so I don’t get drafted. If I try too hard to fail, they’ll make me retake the tests again until I get a passing score. So try to be average.
I can totally do that.
Sincerely,
Applejack
September 14
Dear diary,
Humble Pie disappeared today. Nopony knows where she went, but there have been rumors. The Whitecoats took her, but we don’t know where to. Now it’s just the 3 of us, and we need 4 ponies for that physical at the end of next week. I still don’t get why we have to tag team for the physical this year, seems kind of weird.
Sincerely,
Applejack
September 16
Dear diary,
Another day, another test. Iris has had some problems with long distance flying, but Pusher and I helped her out. Uncle Job helped me with the science test tomorrow, and Aunt Windy helped me with the history.
Sincerely,
Applejack
September 18
Dear diary,
Guess what! I got my cutie mark! Wanna know how? Well first, it’s kind of a long explanation. Today we had the physical, but it was totally different than what we expected. Instead of us running laps or jumping over fences in a tag team, we had to play paintball.
Instead of having 4 ponies in a group, we had 12. We were the black team, with our black vests, black guns, and black paintballs. Five groups, 60 ponies across Central Park. Grandma once told me paintball was fun, but it didn’t feel like it here. They were watching us, testing our performance, and what happens to us at the end of this year was determined by this.
It was scary, I heard that those that failed the physical ended up in a crystal mine up north, or even in an “embassy” out in another country. It’s a good thing we won.
Okay, so here’s how we did it: First we organized ourselves into pairs, then we split up and took positions to the west and north of the park. Next, Iris and I, pair 2, went towards where red team’s base was located. We ambushed them with 6 of us...
--0o0--
Applejack saw that the remainder of the page, as well as the next two, were ripped out. The next page she saw that was actually there seemed to still be part of that day.
--0o0--
Everypony cheered when I took out the last member in the yellow team. My plan worked! We all were so happy, especially since we won! Pusher and Iris were hugging me when we saw the light coming from my flank, and there it was! Uncle Job was right, no matter what we got, everypony in my family has an apple somewhere on our butts. The symbol was funny looking, but since it wasn’t a picture to do with planning, it meant my talent was leading our group to victory!
The test ended, and we got full marks! (Heh heh, Aunt Windy was right! Puns are funny.)
We celebrated, and tomorrow is my cutecenara, which means even more celebrating. Aunt Windy and Uncle Job took me out to this fancy restaurant because they were “so proud of me”. I think they’d make great parents, and I’d like some more cousins. I didn’t ask, but it makes me wonder why they never had kids.
Anyways, they also thought that it was going to be time to send me home soon. I begged them to let me stay for a while longer, and they agreed that I could stay in Manehattan for the rest of the month. I guess it’s okay, and I still have almost 2 weeks with Pusher and Iris.
It’s going to be great, now that I’ve got my cutie mark, I bet there are a bunch of cool things I can do now that I’ve got my cutie mark!
It’s getting late now. Wow, I’ve been writing for almost half an hour and I’m getting kind of sleepy. Good night diary.
Sincerely,
Applejack
September 25
Dear diary,
Iris, Pusher, and I had a lot of fun at Unicorney Island.The games were totally rigged, but we actually won a few. Then there was this giant ferris wheel called the “Eye”. It was huge! Pusher said that it was once home to a plastic alien, but Iris told him it sounded stupid.
It sounded weird for sure. I mean, who uses plastic anymore?
Sincerely,
Applejack
September 30
Dear diary,
Tomorrow I go back to Ponyville. I really wonder how much things have changed in the past two months.
I said goodbye to my friends, and I hope we can be pen pals now. I’m going to miss Pusher’s antics and Iris breaking everything that wasn’t high grade material. I didn’t write down their addresses because I wanted to remember where they lived in my mind.
I packed everything back into my bindle, so I can go on the train early in the morning so I’ll be able to get back before nightfall.
Sincerely,
Applejack
October 2
Dear diary,
I got home today around noon, mostly because a hydragon destroyed the rails around Hollow Shades, so I had to take the long way around.
Surprisingly, Gray got taller and his wings are slightly less stubby. Ginger looks the same, except with longer hair. Grandma’s taken a turn for the worse, though. She now spends a lot of time in her rocking chair, and she can’t walk up the stairs anymore. She says she’s fine, but I’m starting to worry.
Ginger and Gray like my cutie mark, and grandma told me to remember how it looks for later. I don’t know what she meant, but I guess I should try to.
Also, the kids in my class were on a field trip today, so I won’t see them until tomorrow. It’s good to be home. Now I wonder what kind of job you can get with leadership as a cutie mark? I think I’ll buck apples for a while before I look for something.
Sincerely,
Applejack
--0o0--
Applejack finished reading the last entry and looked in front of her. The table had changed again, this time appearing more square. Opposite to her was another chair, the same color as the surroundings. She blinked again, noticing for the first time a door in front of her. It was made of steel, and it had a small window that showed a gray outside.
Between her and the door was the table and chair, and yet Applejack decided to leave the room. But before she had a chance to get up, the door opened with a slight creaking sound. A unicorn stallion in his twenties, with a white coat, white mane, and a cutie mark of a wooden box entered. He had strange gray eyes and sported a kind smile. He looked straight at Applejack before sitting down in the chair opposite to her.
Applejack frowned before the stallion asked, “Do you know why you’re here?”
She shook her head before the stallion introduced himself, “My name is Adam. I work for the Solar Empire in the Destiny Division, where you are located right now. Our seers determined that you were to be put under scrutiny. Now before we begin, would you like a glass of water?”
Applejack nodded, followed by Adam smiling slightly. When Applejack blinked again, she saw a pitcher filled with water, and two glasses in front of her.
Adam picked up the pitcher with his magic, pouring water into both glasses before taking a sip from his cup. Applejack looked at the glass in front of her before remembering what her uncle once said: Never eat or drink anything if you don’t know where it came from.
Applejack pushed the glass away from her as Adam put his glass down, “Now tell me, what is your special talent?”
“Mah talent?” Applejack asked before frowning more.
“Yes, tell me about it. What is your talent?” Adam stared directly into Applejack’s eyes, his glare piercing her mind.
“I-it’s, ah mean, mah talent is leadership,” Applejack barely got the words out of her mouth.
“And you believe that?” Adam raised an eyebrow.
“Wha? ah mean, yes. That’s how it happened. That what mah cutie mark stands for.”
The stallion continued looking at her before he spoke, “Look again.”
Applejack immediately turned her head and looked at her flank. It was blank.
“What? Where did it go? Mah cutie mark’s gone!” Applejack turned to see both sides, and sure enough, her cutie mark was absent from her left and right side.
“Your cutie mark never existed. Your talent is not leadership.”
“Is too!” Applejack raised her voice.
“Where is your proof? Your flank is barren,” Adam’s eyes darkened slightly.
“It’s written in my diary! Right there!” She pointed to the brown book on the table, only to find it missing.
“What the-?” Applejack’s eyes began showing fear. She looked back at Adam, who was staring back at her.
“Our seers saw your future, and they saw how your rebellious nature and talent as a leader would damage the Empire’s war progress. We could not allow that. So we decided to change your talent. Your grandmother’s influence on you was powerful, but in the end, it was futile.
“History exists for a reason, and you must fill your role. Any change in what has been foretold will only result in disaster. Take your role. Be a farmer.”
Applejack frowned again, “Well ah don’t wanna! Take mah role and give it to someone else. Ah won’t fight against ya.”
“Now that is a lie. Your loyalty to your family is too strong. Making you a farmer and taking your cutie mark is the best option.”
“Options? There are no options! It already happened! I already had mah cutie mark, and then ya took it! Ya can’t change a pony’s past like that! T’ain’t fair! I got mah cutie mark by passin’ that dumb physical with flyin’ colors!”
“You failed the physical. Your team came in last place because there was no one to lead. You had the idea, but you never spoke up.”
Applejack spoke again, her voice began taking in some elements of anger, “No! I passed that test! Me and my friends celebrated that day! And then my cutecenara happened the day after!”
“You and your friends broke up. There was a fight, and the three of you went your separate ways. You resented Iris’s love of upper-class culture, so that resentment spread out to all parts of Manehattan for you. The party you had was full of your uncle’s rich business partners. You didn’t like them, and you began missing home.
“Later on, you decided to leave Manehattan and go back to Ponyville with your family. That is what happened,” Adam finished.
“No it’s not! That is not what happened, you’re lying!” Applejack screamed, her eyes began to water.
“How can I be lying? You have no proof, and your friends were relocated out to separate ends of the country. You will never see them again.”
“But that’s wrong! It didn’t happen that way, it’s not honest!” Applejack stood up on her chair.
“But how do you know what you are saying is honest? It could go either way.”
“No it can’t! There’s only one truth, and that’s not even part of it! None of what you said is- ” Applejack stopped, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open, “No, no that can’t be right. It didn’t happen that way.”
She couldn’t believe it. New memories were forming, and they began to replace the old. She saw herself leaving Ponyville. Meeting her aunt and uncle. Meeting her friends. Failing the test. The anger, the tears. She couldn’t remember the address they gave her. She remembered the party. The snooty rich patrons, the stockholders. How awkward she felt.
She remembered feeling homesick. She remembered packing her bindle and running to the train station, leaving only a note for Uncle Job. She remembered the agonizing wait home. This time, it only took one day because she left before the hydragon destroyed the rails.
She remembered returning home. The tears and happiness. She remembered promising to never leave home again. And then she remembered the light. The bright light that showed her cutie mark: three red apples signifying her destiny on the farm.
She remembered.
And then she began to forget. She never went to Unicorney Island because she and her friends had already fought before the trip. She never exchanged addresses. She never knew where all of the ponies she shot were. She only dodged paint bullets before she got hit with blue paint. She never saw that proud look on her uncle and aunt’s faces.
She forgot.
“No!” Applejack clutched her head with her hooves. Sweat began pouring down her as her breathing became ragged. The sharp pain in her head only increased as her memories began fighting. Her mind was a battlefield, and the ensuing struggle was destroying her mind.
“Hmm, it seems the memories are too deeply ingrained,” Adam’s horn lit up, the familiar flash of light appeared again, enveloping Applejack. Soon her flank was adorned with the familiar three red apples that popped up in her memories.
“NO!” tears began flowing freely as the pain escalated. You are a farmer. After all, that’s what your name means.
“Mah name is Applejack and ah am a leader!”
But your cutie mark.
“That doesn’t change anything!”
What was the phrase grandma said? ‘Everything changes, for good or bad’. Your past has changed. Accept it.
“No, I won’t!” Applejack’s face was coated in tears, and she had started sobbing.
The room began to fade to black, the white surrounding her transitioning o gray before disappearing completely. Soon she was alone, with only her thoughts.
“A-ah am a l-leader!” her voice cracked as she began sobbing. She missed her friends. She missed her family. She missed Uncle Job and Aunt Windy.
Would a leader be crying like this? You’ve lost. Admit defeat.
“NO. AH. WON’T!”
Two sides. Two sets of memories. There is no third. One side has been chosen. Take it.
“NO! Ah choose the one ah got! Ah won’t lose mah friends! Ah won’t lose mah memories! Ah earned them!”
You never earned anything. The Empress has spoken. Your memories are to be changed. Your talent, your experiences, your cutie mark, it has been decided.
“No! Ah decide mah destiny! Ah’m mah own master!”
You are the master of nothing. You have nothing, except what we give you, and we will take back what we want. You are not your own master.
“Aargh!” Applejack was squealing her words now, the inky darkness surrounding her began to vibrate as a piercing sound assaulted her eardrums.
You have two sides. The leader and the farmer. We took one and we gave one. Take the talent we gave you with and be grateful we didn’t leave you a blank flank.
And then the darkness consumed her.
--0o0--
Applejack woke up. Her mind was quiet, as well as the rest of the dark room surrounding her. It was her bedroom back at Sweet Apple Acres. The same bed with its white sheets, the same apple symbols adorning everything in the room.
From what she could tell, it was very early in the morning, before the sun rose. She got up quietly and entered the bathroom. She looked into the mirror above her sink, barely able to make out her reflection in the pale moonlight.
Her mane was unkempt, and she still had that wound under her chin from where she scraped herself during the physical. She sighed before looking down to her flank. On it was three red apples, arranged in a triangle.
It would be a long process, but she was going to recover from this ordeal.
--0o0--
A week passed, and nothing changed. Applejack discovered that she was very good at applebucking, and exceptional at other types of farm work. Gray was happy that Applejack was no longer sick, and Ginger was glad to have someone else help with the farm chores who wasn’t a scrawny pegasus colt. They were patiently waiting for their sister to start speaking again, however.
For some odd reason that Applejack couldn’t place, she felt a sadness deep within her gut. Something that made her feel depressed just thinking about it. She stopped paying bother, and continued to buck trees.
--0o0--
Applejack spent the next week in silence. When she wasn’t bucking apples or tending to other chores on the farm, she stayed on the front porch, staring off into the distance. Eventually she began speaking again, but mostly in single word replies and a hushed tone.
Her eyes were nearly devoid of life, yet she wasn’t a zombie. Her actions were swift and deliberate, but never quick. Her brothers both agreed to stay supportive and not bother her. They couldn’t place why she was acting like this, they only knew it started after she returned from Manehattan after she decided to stay on the farm forever.
Whatever was wrong, they were sure they could overcome it. They were just glad their sister came back.
--0o0--
She felt the darkness disappear with the light. That was what happened to her every morning as she woke up with the dawn. The inevitable defeat of the darkness by the light. The sun created light, and thus was good.
She smiled at the window, and decided it was finally time to clean up her desk. After throwing away a lot of useless junk from years past, she came across her old diary. Applejack frowned. She hadn’t written in it since she came back. She opened the diary to the last place written, only to find most of the pages that she wrote while in Manehattan were gone.
On the page after October 3, she saw a single word written down:
Remember.
When she saw that word, something sparked within her. That single word was enough to change the feeling in her gut into something new. Something that was old. She began to remember.
She remembered everything. Both sides of the same story. She remembered winning. She remembered losing. She remembered Unicorney Island. She remembered the fight. But which side was the right one? Which one actually happened? The conflict in her mind ravaged her young brain almost as badly as the first time.
Which one was the truth? Which one was the honestly best choice? She couldn’t decide. On the one hand, she has her friends. On the other hand, she liked being here with her family. She didn’t want to leave that badly anymore.
Which one? Left or right? Black or white? Leader or farmer?
Master of none.
Mah name is Applejack, and ah am a leader!
What do I choose?
Which one?
…
…
…
…
Why not both?
--0o0--
Things were different now. She remembered everything. Unfortunately, her choice had some odd effects. While she was still good at farming, she couldn’t buck as many apples as before. She always did her job well, but never as fast.
Her baking was excellent, but it felt like something was a little off. Only when she cooked with Apple Bloom or Gray did the pie come out perfectly every time. She decided to perform other odd jobs, like fixing the fence, planning out next year’s profits and harvests, and cleaning the chicken coop.
She hadn’t noticed it until after the picking up the eggs, but now it was unmistakable. She had changed. And yet, she had never felt better. Applejack smiled before going back to the house to drop off the eggs.
--0o0--
Now that she had recovered completely from Manehattan, she was scheduled to to return to school at the end of the week. But before she did, she had to take one more test: the Star Searcher exam.
--0o0--
The test was short, sixty questions followed by a resonance field test via a magical scanner. Applejack finished it in an hour and a half. She didn’t think much about it, at least until the news broke out a week later.
--0o0--
Excerpt from The Solar Equestrian Empire Daily
PONYVILLE FILLY RECEIVES PERFECT STAR SEARCHER SCORE
In an incredible turn of events, a twelve year old filly from Ponyville, Boeshane Province is the first pony in the exam’s 44 year history to receive a perfect score on any section. Applejack Harkness, the aforementioned filly, received a perfect 100 on the honesty section, as well as an unprecedented 95 in loyalty.
She has been granted a full scholarship to Six-Point Academy, and is believed to be on the track to a Space Fleet officer of the highest caliber. Applejack was born to Arkansas Black Smith, the town blacksmith and his wife, Golden Apple Brightness, who both perished earlier this year in an accidental fire. Her uncle Zap Apple Job, is the founder and CEO of Apple Computing Equipment.
Quoted from the mayor of Ponyville: “She is our pride and joy. Many ponies in our city have called her ‘The Muzzle of Ponyville’ while those in the greater Boeshane province have dubbed her ‘The Face of Boe’. I‘ve met her once, and I always knew she had what it takes to be a prodigy, what with her apple powered engine that partially worked during the science fair last year. It at least crushed the apples that time.”
Quoted from Dr. White Noise: “A perfect score. Nopony has ever gotten higher than 80 in honesty before, and that loyalty score is the highest in the entire province. She would make an excellent bearer. We can expect great things from her, and she might very well help us defeat the hydragon menace.”
We at the SEED were unable to contact the members of Applejack’s family, but were assured that they were ecstatic about young Applejack’s scholarship to Six-Point Academy…
--0o0--
The farm had not been this somber since Applejack’s parents died. No one said anything, there wasn’t much need to. They all knew: Six-Point Academy led to a position on a starship. A position on a starship led to a premature death. There was no need to say anything. For they all knew what was to come.
In the week leading up to Applejack being shipped off, she spent the majority of her time playing with Gray. When he was in school, she spent her time bucking apples or helping her grandmother bake pies.
One day, while the two were waiting for the pie to cool, Applejack finally asked, “What does yer cutie mark mean?”
Apple Bloom looked up at Applejack from her crossword puzzle. The old mare reached for her flask and downed another gulp of the elixir, “What do ya think of when you see it?”
Applejack looked at the red apple in the center of the wheel. The wooden circle with spokes sticking directly into the apple seemed to draw a sense of familiarity to her, “Ah don’t know. Ah think it has somethin’ ta do with ya fixin’ a wagon when it broke, after ya fought off the chimera in yer story.”
Apple Bloom chuckled, “It was actually fer putting stuff together. When ah first defied the psions, they messed me up real badly. By the time ah recovered, the rest of mah class had also gotten their destinies. Ah’ve come ta terms with what happened. Some days ah look at a house and think ‘ah could have helped build that.’ But then ah looked at ma flank and saw the apple between the flower petals.”
Applejack’s eyes widened.
“It took me so long, but eventually ah got some of mah talent back. Fixin’ things became easy and ah started ta get a mind fer machines. Ah was content. Ah didn’t lose, but ah didn’t win. It was as far as ah could go. It was where mah destiny went. Course, ah did send a couple o’ blueprints ta city hall under a pseudonym. It was some good times.
“But now, ah’m an old, dying mare. The Blue Flu took a hundred and sixty-two years ta get me ta where ah am now, and it’s finally beating everything mah medicine’s got. But it’s okay. I’ve lived three times what they wanted outta me, and that was enough. Ah made a promise, but ah don’t think it could’ve ever been fulfilled in the first place.”
Apple Bloom coughed, “So what’s yer talent now? Leader of apple farming?”
Applejack shook her head, “No, apples.”
“Apple farming? Baking? Apple computers?”
Applejack shook her head, “Everything ta do with apples.”
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow, “Sounds insane. Mind you explainin’?”
Applejack pointed at her flank, “Three apples. What do you see? Ah see apples, but there ain’t any context. And then ah thought about mah name.”
“Harkness?” Apple Bloom tilted her head.
The filly shook her head, “No, mah first name. Ya said it means a type of alcohol made with apples. But then ah thought ‘Jack’. And then ah decided if ah wasn’t the master of mah own destiny, and ah wasn’t gonna be a master at anythin’ else, ah decided ta be the Jack.
“Mah name is Applejack Harkness, jack of all trades, master of none. Ah was born with one side, and then Adam gave me another. But ah was missin’ the third side, so ah combined them together. And this is what ah got,” Applejack pointed her hoof into her chest.
“Me.”
Apple Bloom smiled, “I think yer parents would be proud of ya.”
A tear fell down Applejack’s face as she smiled.
--0o0--
Admiral Firewall was a burly yellow and orange pegasus with a cutie mark of a wall on fire. When asked what it meant, he usually replied how he was tough enough to stop anything, even enemy fire. While as cool as that sounds, it probably implied he got bullied a lot when he was a colt.
Today was not a good day for him. He was the pony in charge of Six-Point, as well as all of the fleets in the armada. But right now, he had to deal with the results of listening to psychics that were completely wrong.
“You told me we would have surpassed the lagrange point by the end of this year,” he said to the zebra in front of him. The striped equine was laying on the stone floor, his back left hoof chained to the wall.
“You said that the hydragons would be no match for our fleet. You said we would suffer minimal losses. You said we would not lose to the enormous forty headed hydragon that attacked the second fleet.
“You didn’t say that that hydragon could could regrow lost heads! You didn’t say that the hydragon army had literally quadrupled in size! You didn’t say that they knew our attack pattern and destroyed thirty-four ships in under an hour.”
The stallion came forward, his nose almost touching the zebra’s muzzle. Firewall snarled before grabbing the zebra by his iron collar, “And because of this, we lost many valuable assets.
“Did you hear the news? Or did you divine that yourself? A little filly with a perfect score, and you convinced us that she was better off as a farmer because we didn’t need her because we were winning the war!
“And then there were her parents! You said we would only need three vamps, and look what happened!” Firewall raised his hoof above his head, ready to strike the zebra seer, “The couple killed our agents. We kept sending more in. Eight of them died. Three vamps and six sabres! They defeated six sabres! They beat eight of the strongest using a burning treehouse!
“But of course, it’s not your fault,” Firewall brought his hoof down and threw the zebra down onto the cell floor, “There are just so many variables, and no one ever said psychics were infallible. After all, we only have fifty of you stuck here in this building.”
He smiled maniacally, “It’s alright. Mistakes were made,” he got up onto his hind legs and stood next to the zebra, “But you know what? I’m willing to forgive you,” Firewall took his left hind leg and kicked the zebra in the gut.
The seer wheezed, but his quiet moans in pain were overshadowed as the admiral kept talking, “I know what you are doing, and it’s not going to work. Your brother is joining Six-Point next week. I also plan to take Applejack and make her an officer. With her harmony, we can defeat the Republic,” he spat out the last word.
The seer winced when he felt his bruised rib, “What about her loyalties? Surely she is not loyal to the Empire. Her mind is made up in its entirety.”
Firewall smiled, “A loyalty score of 95 can be surely redirected to a… more productive purpose. Ta ta, I’ll be back tomorrow for some more predictions.”
As the admiral left, the zebra seer sighed. Great. I had one job. One job! Keep Applejack out of the battlefield, was that so hard? But no, she just had to be a prodigy.
He sighed before laying back down on the ground, careful not to touch his wound. At least my brother will be with her. With any luck, they’ll get together and she’ll save his ass a few times. He closed his eyes and began concentrating. Darn, something is blocking me. Some kind of interference?
He opened his eyes again and looked up at the dark ceiling. Good luck, little brother. You’ll need it.
--0o0--
The day finally came. Applejack had packed her bindle once again, and stood in the kitchen, waiting for the inevitable. Her siblings were there with her. Gray was quietly sobbing, wiping the tears with his front hooves. Ginger was standing stock-still, unwilling to show any more emotion other than sadness. He wanted to be there for his little brother.
The three of them stood around the kitchen table silently. After a few minutes, Apple Bloom walked in, carrying a small vial with her.
Applejack looked at her, “What is that?”
Apple Bloom handed over the vial to her granddaughter, “It’s fer you. When yer in trouble, drink it and it will make ya better.”
The filly looked at the vial, “No grandma, you need this.”
Apple Bloom smiled, “You’ll need it more,” she placed the vial inside Applejack’s bindle.
“Okay, grandma,” Applejack replied.
Outside, a screeching noise was heard, “That’s probably the carriage,” Ginger Gold said, “Ah’ll get yer bag.”
He took the bindle and put it on his back, and was about to open the door, “We don’t got much time.”
Gray walked up to Applejack and hugged her hind leg, “Please don’t go. I don’t want you to die,” he whispered.
Barely holding back tears, Applejack hugged Gray back, kissing him on the forehead, “Don’t worry sugarcube. Ah promise ah’ll be fine.”
“Pinkie promise?” Gray asked.
“Cross mah heart, hope ta fly. Stick a cupcake in mah eye,” Applejack went through the motions and noogied her brother.
Applejack walked outside, with Gray in tow. When the four of them reached the fence, they saw a large armored hover carriage in front of them. Powered by electricity, it hovered a full foot above the ground, and was painted chrome.
The back door was open, revealing an inside with two benches on the side. It was empty, meaning that Applejack was probably the only pony drafted in Ponyville. On both sides of the back door were two guards, each with white coats and standard gold armor.
Applejack took her bindle and let made Gray let go. She trotted up to guards and stood before the back end of the hover carriage. She looked back at her family, the three of them waving their hooves at her, tears flowing down their cheeks.
Before she stepped in, she looked at the guard on her left. His white coat and unicorn horn, his white mane… and his gray eyes.
Applejack gasped, “A-Adam?”
The stallion smiled, “You didn’t think you won, did you?”
Applejack turned around and tried to flee, but was immediately tackled to the ground the other guard.
She tried struggling, but the guard was over twice her size, “No! Yer not gettin’ in mah mind again!”
At those words, Ginger yelled and rocketed towards Adam. The white stallion smirked and sidestepped, dodging the yellow earth pony. Adam socked Ginger in the face and tripped his back hooves with magic.
The earth pony fell to the ground, his face bruised. Adam went towards Ginger and kicked him in the ribs, “You ponies never know when to back down.”
Adam picked up Applejack with his magic and tossed her inside the back of the carriage, “For the next four hours, your mind is mine to play with,” he stepped into the back with her and sat down.
The other guard climbed into the front of the hover carriage and started the engine. The back door closed and the vehicle moved away from Sweet Apple Acres.
--0o0--
San Flankcisco. Alternatively called San Prancisco or San Franciscolt, is the home of Six-Point Academy, where the best and brightest are brought together to fight the most insidious and dangerous of enemies: the hydragon.
Towering over four hundred feet, weighing over two tons, one of them can destroy an entire city. Over 100,000 tons in weight, and able to breathe fire hot enough to melt steel, its ten heads means ten different lines of fire. Fighting even one is incredibly dangerous, with a survival percentage in the low forties.
But that didn’t matter to Applejack now. She swore to protect the Empire from its enemies. Praise the Empress and all of her divine glory. The Sun is the source of all that is good.
Of course, that doesn’t mean she has to like it.
As she fumbled down the hall, she finally reached her room: Number 048. With her bindle in one hoof, she proceeded to open the door. Sliding it open, she saw what was to be her accommodations and residence for the next four years.
Two beds, two desks, a bathroom. The room was painted a light orange, and the furniture itself was made out of wood. The sheets were white, and the room was well lit. On the bed to Applejack’s left a pink unicorn with a white mane. On her flank was a crystalline heart superimposed over a six point star. She was reading several textbooks, eagerly taking notes.
At the sound of the door sliding open, the unicorn looked up and gasped. She stood up, and quickly closed the gap between her and Applejack.
The mare grinned and squealed with excitement, “Oh my Celestia, my roommate’s Applejack Harkness! I’m rooming with a prodigy!”
The unicorn wrapped her front hooves around Applejack, “My name’s Crystal Heart, and I just know we’re going to be the best of friends!”
--0o0--
1619 AD
“And that was mah childhood. Anythin’ after that doesn’t really count. Bein’ drafted into the military at age twelve was the end of that,” Applejack tilted her head and stared at the ceiling. Cheerilee’s comfy chair was warm after Applejack had sat in it for so long.
Rainbow Dash and Cheerilee sat quietly in their seats, the latter having finished her cup of water long ago. Despite the confusion they both had, they didn’t want to ask Applejack any questions. The look on the immortal’s face was blank, and yet the two of them felt something unnervingly sad and angry within.
Eventually, Rainbow Dash spoke up, “So let me get this straight,” Applejack turned her head towards Rainbow.
“You’re an immortal who was born into Empress Celestia’s fascist regime in the distant future. In said future, she has complete control of your memories. Your cutie mark is everything involving apples at the cost of never being the absolute best at anything, and you got it shortly before being brainwashed and drafted into the military of the future, which has spaceships fighting super dragons with a really high death rate. Is that right?”
Applejack nodded before Rainbow Dash continued, “I really don’t get it. For two weeks now, I've been, you know, chasing a mysterious mare that flies really fast. Then I get caught up in this conspiracy about the murder of a writer, involving a farmer from the future, a schoolteacher, and a buffalo… witch.”
Applejack opened her mouth, about to say something, until Rainbow said, “But that doesn't matter. I am never gonna understand everything. I won’t know everything. What I do understand and do know is that my best friend is hurting, and she totally needs a hug.”
Applejack got off the comfy chair, “Rainbow… ”
“Get over here before I make ya,” Rainbow and Applejack got together and platonically embraced.
Cheerilee put her glass down and shrugged. She got up and joined the hug. They kept on hugging until they were bathed in the light from the rising sun.
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*Reads title* Harkness? That reminds me of A Colt Once Forgotten.
5312448
It's from Doctor Who and Torchwood.
5312501 I know. It's just that the main character of the fic I read used that as a cover name so it remember it like that
Wow...Applejack's backstory is very Dystopic, pretty sad. I like how you broke it up with the occasional bit of humor, especially the Steve Jobs jokes, those got quite a few laughs out of me.
Very clever of Celestia to use Seer's to predict which kids might grow up to usurp her. Also, that scene between Adam and Applejack fighting over memories was really intense, and got across a lot of emotion, if it was a little hammy towards the end.
The way you used Apple Bloom's stories and the diary entries as stories within a story within a story was actually pretty effective, and kind of reminds me of how Ovid's "Metamorphoses" was told.
I remember who Adam is, but I can't quite put my finger on this Crystal Heart character. Is she from Torchwood or Doctor Who...right now I'm leaning towards either Rose or Donna but I could be waaaay off the mark.
Oh, and Rainbow Dash's accurate summation was accurate. While all the stuff that's happened so far has been super cool and the pieces easily flow into one another it is kind of hard to piece together the big picture sometimes.
But anyway, can't wait to see you go back to write some fighting evil stuff, that stuff's always the fun part!
5313878
Crystal Heart is John Hart.
5316124
Oh...oh! Wow, that makes so much sense! Didn't expect him to have such a love based cutie mark though.
5316169
Well, he does have lower standards than even Jack Harkness does...
Jack at least sticks with sentient life-forms.
5316610
cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6OIjaqAwElmwfKVvkJ7hmJyPfa0=/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3339502/Leonardo-DiCaprio-Django-Unchained-You-Had-my-Curiosity.0.gif
Been ages since I've seen Torchwood or Dr. Who.
Because I thought that this would be an AMAZING story where Applejack was Captain Jack Harkness (that part was correct at least), and she'd be traveling with The Doctor! I later found out that this was an OUTSTANDING story where Applejack is Captain Jack Harkness, but it deals with his/her time in Torchwood instead of his time as a companion of The Doctor's...
