Never The Final Word (Vol. 1)

by horizon

Lunae Lumen's "Cutting Ties" (Darth Link 22's "About Last Night")

Author's Note:

[Dark]

This chapter is written by Lunae Lumen. It is a continuation of Darth Link 22's About Last Night (61,780 words, [Romance] [Comedy]). This continuation focuses on an alternate solution which would short-circuit the core story, so you don't need to read all of About Last Night to appreciate it.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT SPOILERS: After a secret plan to get Twilight and Applejack together is launched, the two of them get forcibly married while blackout drunk, the mayor refuses their request for an anullment, and unremovable enchanted wedding bands are put on their hooves which physically compel them to share a bed. Applejack, still shaken by her failure during the changeling invasion, is forced to confront her attraction to Twilight and her own feelings of inadequacy.

Applejack winced as her hoof slammed into the trunk. The apples remained stubbornly in the tree. She'd been working all morning, and she had nothing to show for it but a couple of empty baskets and sore hooves. She hadn't been sleeping well, and it was starting to show.

Giving the golden band on her hoof a long glare, Applejack wound up for another buck. THWACK! A couple of apples dropped into the waiting baskets.

It would have been so much easier if it had been anypony else. She spent every night nestled against that soft coat, listening to the faint sounds of breathing, barely audible over the relentless pounding of her own heart. Imagining the warmth of those hooves wrapped around her. Those bright eyes locked on hers. The taste of those lips —

Applejack yelped as she missed the tree entirely, losing her balance and crashing to the earth. She lay still for a moment, drawing a few shuddering breaths.

Her eyes drifted back down to the ring. With a wordless bellow that rang through the orchard, she leapt to her hooves and started tearing wildly at the ring. She slammed it into rocks and trees, she crushed it with her hooves, she tore at it with her teeth until her hoof was bloody.

Applejack finally stopped, chest heaving, trembling limbs flecked with blood and sweat. The ring was still there.

She wasn't quite sure when her ragged gasps had turned into muffled sobs. Twilight deserved so much better! Twilight was a hero three times already, full of fire and courage and magic, and learning wisdom from the Princess herself! She was the kind of pony a whole country could rely on! And Applejack? Applejack kicked trees for a living.

There was only one thing she had ever done that might have deserved a mare like that, but — green flames and mocking laughter — she had even bucked that up.

As the tears faded, a grim determination took root in Applejack. Maybe I'm not good enough. She hardly registered her hoofsteps carrying her to the barn. Maybe I don't deserve Twilight. She stretched her leg out, the light gleaming brightly from the golden band, untouched by the sweat, or blood, or heartache. Beautiful. But I can still do what's right. I can set her free.

Applejack swung the axe.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Well. That's a deviation from the usual tone of this collection.

[Georg]

7566865 what? A little glue, some bed rest. She'll be good as new next episode.

Or bionic.

[FanOfMostEverything]

7567000
Yes, I suppose you could make a little glue after she done with tha—

Ohhhh. Never mind.

[horizon]

7567000 7567003
Now I'm almost sorry I didn't pair this with Georg's (upcoming) continuation of Baal Bunny's story about gluing together Applejack's broken bowl.

[horizon]

7566865
And yeah, a lot of commentfics tend toward the whimsical. This one is a fascinating study in contrasts.

Frankly? IMHO the source story, which is tagged Comedy, is arguably more broken and disturbing than the grim solution that simply cuts the Gordian knot. (Pun intended and then immediately regretted.) It's just a lot more roundabout about it.

ETA: I say this on the grounds that the continuation fic is just a horror story about a choice made for bad reasons. The original story goes into deeply weird places with consent and manipulation. I mean, it's CADANCE trying to get them together! You have to postulate a pretty damn broken universe where that story's events are the logical result rather than just everyone getting together and talking about it.

[Hobbestc]

I have to believe that the ring would stop her from completing the action. It forced her hoof at everything else afterall.

[Misplaced Mage]

7567129
I'm inclined to agree. I'd wager that the ring would (not-so-) subtly shift position at the last instant to perfectly block the edge of the axe.

Every. Single. Time.

[Sunny]

7567055 Well Cadance does have incurable shipping sickness

[Lunae Lumen]

7566865

I regret nothing!

[King of Kings]

Huh. I was just thinking that she should cut her hoof off...

[King of Kings]

7567779
That's when you aim for a different part of the body!