Shifting Morals

by Leafdoggy

Chapter 3

“I thought all your friends lived in Ponyville.”

Pinkie’s has brought me to a small road leading out of town. It’s pretty empty, but behind us the streets bustle with activity. Ponies have started finishing their chores and work, and are starting to form small groups along the street to socialize. Food carts and other vendors are getting crowded as ponies mingle with the shopkeeper, and then mingle with the other minglers. I can’t say I’m upset Pinkie is leading us away from the mobs, but I do want to know how far we’re going.

“Oh, Applejack lives in Ponyville,” Pinkie says. “Just not in Ponyville. She has a farm! It’s humongous, just wait til you see it.”

“A farm? What does she grow?”

“Apples, mostly. They do some other stuff sometimes, but it all comes back to apples. You oughta see some coming up soon.” She points ahead of us down the road. “She works real hard on it. Way harder than I ever could.” She shivers thinking about it.

Sure enough, squinting, I see she’s right; the forest ahead slowly starts transitioning into an apple orchard. “Huh, alright.” I say. “How much work can there be though? I mean, apples don’t grow in a day.”

“Oh, it’s biiiiig.” Pinkie flings her forelegs out to the side to exaggerate. “She can’t get all the apples in one day. Plus there’s always stuff to fill out the time. Fixing things, making cider, taking care of Applebloom. Oh, uh, her little sister. There’s a lotta hidden work behind the scenes.”

“Well doesn’t all that work stress her out?” I ask. “That’s a lot to take on by herself.”

“That’s why she has friends!” Pinkie flashes me a wide grin. “I try to get over to the farm pretty often. A Pinkie a day keeps the sadness away, they say. ‘Take one hug and call me in the morning’ I tell her. Well, I don’t actually say that. But it is somethin she should do!” She giggles at her own silliness.

“You know, you put a lot more thought into these things than I would have expected,” I tell her. “I had figured you were just going about things randomly.”

Pinkie laughs. “Of course I plan things out, silly.” She turns around and starts walking backwards so she can point at me to emphasize her points. “Fun and games are no laughing matter.” To her credit, she manages to keep a serious look on her face for a good few moments before it makes her giggle.

“So it’s really that important to you, huh?”

“Of course it’s important!” she shouts. “What could be more important than making your friends happy? I mean, if your friends aren’t happy, then you’re not happy, and then they feel bad for makin you feel bad, and then you feel bad for makin them feel bad, and- it’s awful! Making my friends happy isn’t just important, it’s the most important.”

“That’s a very admirable mindset, Pinkie,” I say with a smile. She’s not wrong at least. The emotional connection between friends is strong. In a way, you feel the things your friends feel. That’s also why it's dangerous. It's that deep connection that lets me do what I do.

“So, what’s this Applejack like?" I ask. "Do you think she’ll like me?”

“I dunno why she wouldn’t. She’s uhh… Well, she’s hardworking. And not just at work! Even when we talk, it’s like she’s puttin tons of effort into it. Always telling the truth, stopping arguments. I don’t think you’ll hit it off as naturally as you did with Rarity,” she says, punching me playfully in the shoulder. It makes me smile. “But you’ll like her. Speaking of which, we oughta be coming up on the farm now!”

Ahead of us the orchard splits and gives way to a huge clearing. Acres of grass interspersed with sheds and silos and barns. A small creek runs along one side, out of one set of trees and into another. In the center of the clearing is a big house, bigger than I would expect for just a farmer and her sister. It’s by far the most normal house I’ve seen in this town. I’m not the biggest fan of the pink paint, but for all intents and purposes it’s just.. A house. A regular house.

Pinkie stops and takes a look around. “Hmm,” she ponders. “I don’t see her out here. Let’s see, afternoon, monday, sunny day, mild winds, pancake breakfast… She must be in the barn!” She starts hopping towards a nearby building.

Walking inside, it’s immediately clear what this barn is used for.Both walls are lined with sturdy shelves, covered floor to ceiling with baskets. Most of the baskets are empty, but partway down there’s a line where they transition to being filled to the brim with apples. Clearly, this is their main storage. At the turning point is a little orange pony tossing baskets of apples onto empty shelves. She catches sight of us, kicks one more basket up, then waves and starts walking over.

“Well I’ll be. Pinkie, you didn’t tell me you’d made a new pal. Since when do you keep secrets?” The pony’s drawl is severe. When she reaches us she gives Pinkie a playful nudge, and then a tight hug. She certainly isn’t what I expected. When Pinkie described the farm work, I was expecting a massive, lumbering pony, but she’s... Well, she’s tiny! She’s as small as I am. There must be a ridiculous amount of muscle crammed into that tiny frame. “Well, c’mon, don’t keep me waitin here! Introduce us!”

“Hi Applejack!” Pinkie says enthusiastically. It’s rare that she’s the one playing catch up in a conversation, but it looks like she enjoys it. “This is Strawberry Tart! I just met them yesterday, but I’m helpin them out cuz they have amnesty.”

“Amnesia,” I correct her.

“Well, if that ain’t the saddest thing I’ve heard in a dog’s age,” Applejack says, taking her hat off and putting it over her chest. “You’re lucky you got Pinkie lookin after you. This girl could make a statue laugh.” Pinkie blushes and smiles at her. Applejack continues, “And I gotta say, I do love the name. It’s got Pinkie written all over it, but she did good.”

“Well, thank you Applejack,” I say. “I have to say, you’re not what I was expecting when Pinkie said you ran a farm all by yourself. Not that, uh, that’s a bad thing.”

Applejack laughs. It’s a hearty, genuine laugh. “Well it’s not quite all on my own. Big Mac does a lot of the heavy lifting, plus we’ve got Applebloom and Granny Smith here. And I always make Pinkie burn off a few calories when she visits! But yeah, I getcha. What can I say, I was blessed with good looks.” She shoots a smile at me. A playful smile, but also a proud one. “C’mere, lemme show you around.”

She leads us out of the barn, and we start walking through the farm. “As you can probably tell, this is mostly an apple kind of operation. We’ve got a couple animals around, but aside from that it’s all apples. Applesauce, apple cider, apple butter, apple pies. We tried apple plushies a while back, but well. Let’s just say we don’t keep sewing needles in the same house as Applebloom anymore.”

“Do the ponies around here not get tired of apples?” I ask. “It seems a bit overwhelming.”

“Nah, are you kiddin?” Applejack replies. “This is apple country. We’ve got apples flowin through our veins.”

“I see. Well, what about when you’re not working?” I ask. “What do you do for fun?”

“She hangs out with me!” Pinkie says.

“And the others,” Applejack adds.

“Just how many of there are you?” I ask. “It seems like Pinkie’s been introducing me to an endless flood of ponies.”

“Oh, after this we only have Rainbow Dash left.” Pinkie says.

“Ah, yeah, you’ll run into her eventually.” Applejack replies. “You never can find that girl when you want to, but she’ll sure find you. So, whatcha think? You’ve met most of us, how do you like Ponyville?”

“It’s nice.” I say. “I certainly can’t say I disliked any of you. Today made me feel a bit better about the whole amnesia thing. Like, that if I never get my memory back, maybe I’ll still be okay.”

Saying that gets me thinking. Is there truth to that? Would I be okay, if I was forced to just blend in? At this point, it’s been so long, I don’t even know. I can’t even picture what it would be like. Regardless, it’s not what I’m here for.

Pinkie breaks the short silence that had fallen. “Hey, Strawberry, why don’t you tell Applejack who your favorite out of us is?”

Applejack gives an “Oh?” and looks at me expectantly.

“What? I don’t have a favorite.” I can feel my face getting hot again. Dang it, why can she get a rise out of me so easy. “You’re all... Equally fine.”

Pinkie leans over and talk-whispers “It’s Rarity” into Applejack’s ear. I scowl at her as my face reddens, and she starts giggling.

Applejack gives that honest laugh again. “Aw, don’t worry Strawberry. I know she’s just messin. I can’t blame her though, you’re cute when you’re flustered.”

“Hmph.” I try to push the feeling away. I’m not flustered, I’m just... Inexperienced. I never usually spend significant time as, well, myself. “I think I need to take a walk to clear my head.”

“Okie Dokie,” Pinkie says cheerfully. “We’ll be on the porch when you’re all good.” Applejack gives her a look, then nods sympathetically towards me.

I break off towards the orchard and exhale hard. This is rough. Pinkie Pie is just so friendly. What kind of person is so genuinely friendly with a stranger? It’s asinine. Doesn’t she know she’ll get hurt?

I shake my head. As I walk through the trees, the fog in my mind slowly starts to lift. A few minutes later and I’m back to calm. Everything’s a learning experience, a way to be stronger in the future, and this is no different.

In the meantime, though, it looks like getting emotional has actually put me in a perfect position to get some work done.

I stop to think. It’s late enough in the day that this will probably be the last thing I can get done today. I’d like to finish up with Fluttershy today, so I should make this something big. The storage barn seems like the perfect target, but what to do with it? It needs to be noisy and destructive, something that can’t be fixed easily. Something fun.

I have some ideas, but I need to see inside the barn to know which will work, so it’s time to go. I shift quickly back into Fluttershy and take to the sky. I’ve finally gotten used to pony wings, so flying isn’t an issue.

Sneaking to the edge of the trees, I look around for other ponies. I’m not ready for attention yet. I’m behind the house, so if they’re on the porch I should be clear. It doesn’t look like anyone else is home, so I carefully tiptoe my way over to the apple storage.

Inside the barn, I start testing things out. Hitting the main support beams shows me that they’re not budging. I try lifting a basket, but they’re heavy enough that I can barely fly with just one. I land on one of the large shelves and jump up and down a bit, and I hear it. A creaking from below, the sound of bending wood. It seems the supports for the shelves aren’t quite up to the task.

It only takes a little searching to find a rope I can use. I find the shelf that seems the most overloaded with apples, one that seems to be barely holding the weight as it is, and tie the rope around the supports. The other end of the rope gets tied into a loop that I hold in my mouth. This is going to hurt.

I grit my teeth and fly full speed ahead. The first time the rope goes taut it snaps me back, flipping me head over hooves and sending me spinning towards the ground. The world swirls around me as I push myself back up. I shake it off and brace myself, then take off again.

The second attempt works beautifully. The rope goes taut and digs at my mouth, but brings with it a deafening crack as the wood gives away. I flip through the air again, but manage to catch myself and refocus. Hovering in place, I watch as the top shelf slowly tips, spilling apples onto the floor below.

The gradual collapse hits a tipping point and suddenly becomes catastrophic. The top shelf gives way, dropping the whole of its load onto the shelf below. This forces the second shelf off the wall entirely, and the force cascades down, a hail of wood and apples.

I’m floating in the air admiring my handiwork when Applejack runs in behind me. “What in tarnation?” She yells. “Fluttershy, what in the sam hill is goin on here?”

I turn towards her and smile. There’s nothing I could say here to improve this. Instead I just take off, zooming over her head. Now I just have to find a quiet spot and- “Get back here!” Applejack yells behind me. I glance over my shoulder. Ah, geez, she’s chasing after me. How is she so fast?

I fly into the trees and start swerving around them. Every time I look back she’s there, keeping pace. Of course, she must know these trees like nobody else. I seems like my only choice is to outrun her, so I redouble my efforts.

Just as I feel like I’m getting some headway, a rope flies past my head. I look back and she’s twirling a lasso in her mouth, readying another volley. The best cover here is the treetops, so I fly into the branches, bracing through the wood crashing against me. A couple more misses grab branches near me before I feel a loop catch over one of my legs and yank me down.

I hit the ground hard. My mind goes blank for a moment, before being filled with a dizzy aching. Before I can get up she’s on top of me, holding me down. “Fluttershy, what is going on?” She asks. Her eyes look blurry, her face distraught. I can feel her distress leaking out, making me feel sick. I shut my eyes tight and look away.

Luckily, she still thinks I’m Fluttershy, so she isn’t using her full strength. “Let me go,” I plead. When she doesn’t, I push up using one wing, making us roll over. It’s enough that I can toss her away from me, and instantly take to the sky away from her.

The rope on my leg goes tight, and I see Applejack standing back up, holding the rope to keep me from flying away. It’s clear I’m not strong enough to make her lose her grip. Fine, I can play at that game.

Instead of away, I fly straight up, pulling her off the ground. I break through the treetops, and soon after she does too, holding the tether like a vice. “Please Applejack, you have to let go!” I shout at her. The world falls away from us. We both know I’m quickly nearing the point where falling would be very bad news. I keep flying straight up; I can’t give her any choice.

A moment later I feel the weight under me drop, and see her falling towards the trees. It’s a long fall, and she has no way to control her landing. Her only hope is for the tree branches to cushion her fall.

She breaks through the foliage, and after what feels like an eternity, I hear a dull thud. I’m tense as I watch, unable to take my eyes away from the spot where she fell. The quiet around me is oppressive. Birds in the distance mock me.

Just as I think that I should go down and check, I hear a string of curses from the forest floor. Relief washes over me instantly. Good enough to curse is good enough for an easy recovery. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I couldn’t be caught. I had no choice.

Then I run away.

I don’t slow down until I see the trees of the orchard give way to the untamed forest, at which point I drop back down to the ground and catch my breath. That was harrowing. I’ve been chased before, of course, but in the past I’ve always handled it without restraint. This time I just… It would have been a problem if I hurt her.

Well, it’s over now. I got away, and there’s no way Applejack will forgive Fluttershy for all that. No amount of denial can take away the image of your friend dropping you out of the sky. Now I just need to meet back up with Pinkie and go home.

I look around to check my cover and see a treehouse nearby, bustling with activity. It’s actually a little fortunate; something calmer ought to help me cool down. I float over to the entrance and knock on their wall. “Hello?” I say.

Inside are the three smallest ponies I’ve ever seen. I didn’t realize pony children would be this small. It’s adorable.

The orange one is drawing incomprehensible diagrams on a chalkboard while the other two watch. They all turn to me as I walk in. “Oh, hi Fluttershy!” the yellow one says. “What brings you around here?”

“Oh, I was just nearby, and thought I’d come say hello,” I respond. “See how you all are doing. What are you up to?” I smile at them softly.

“Oh, we’re trying to get our cutie marks in trebuchet expertise!” the white one says excitedly. “Scootaloo is making the designs, while Applebloom picks the materials, and I’m gonna choose the targets!” She beams in pride.

“Aww,” I say. I try to make my face into a melancholy expression. “That is so...” I sigh.

Applebloom gives me a confused look. “What’s the matter, Fluttershy? That’s a weird reaction.”

I shake my head. “It’s just… I find it so sweet how children can have so much hope for something impossible.” The three gasp, stunned. “I mean,” I continue, “everyone knows that if you were going to get a cutie mark, you would have already gotten an apple one like the rest of your family. And yet you press on. It’s just so admirable.”

The three are speechless. They haven’t even processed what I said enough to know how upset to be. I decide not to stick around to see it though. “Well, I have to get going,” I say, shooting them a kind smile. “It was nice seeing you.”

I fly away from the little clubhouse with a smile. Those are sweet kids. Talking to them really calmed my nerves.

Comments

[Emperor]

My oh my, the main character certainly isn't making themself any friends. Just digging the hole deeper for when they inevitably get caught. At this point, I really got no sympathy, considering they dropped Applejack from high up and tried to make the CMC cry