• Published 29th Dec 2012
  • 12,587 Views, 1,189 Comments

Mother of Invention - zaponator



Awake and alone, Applejack will find a way to survive.

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Going it Alone

The sun was setting over the lake as Applejack stood silently on the site of the old cabin. A chill wind blew across the water and caused her mane to buffet against her neck. She hadn't realized, but it had grown out almost down to her shoulder now. She would've needed to cut it again soon, if it wasn't for the fact that her time on the island was finally coming to a close.

Applejack took a deep breath, the cool evening air smelled of earth and plant-life. It was a scent she'd been accustomed to years before ever arriving on the island, but that didn't impact her enjoyment of it. She held the air in her lungs for several moments before releasing it in a long, slow exhale. She gazed out over the perfectly still surface of the lake, towards the lush and living jungle beyond, and tried to imagine countless exotic animal sounds and bird calls echoing all around her.

It really was a beautiful place.

With one last breath, Applejack turned around and faced a stack of wood she'd built up behind her. It sat in the center of the bare earth left behind by the cabin, neatly stacked pieces of dry kindling that formed a pony-sized square. Next to the square was a small, glowing fire that Applejack had carefully kept burning all the way from her campsite.

Sitting atop the waiting wood was an ancient-looking book, clasped shut with a plain gold lock. Applejack took a moment to be sure of what she was doing.

He'd done some horrible things, but deep down he wasn't a bad pony. She couldn't bring herself to hate him, despite all that he'd done. If anything, Applejack only pitied him. His one last physical presence on this world, a testament to everything he'd done wrong. He'd left it as, probably thinking it was what he deserved; a penance of sorts. He deserved better. Ponies could be forgiven, but that meant letting go of the past.

Applejack nodded resolutely, and carefully lifted a flaming stick in her forehooves from the small fire. With a grim expression on her face, she tossed the small flame into the stack of wood. She'd placed plenty of bone-dry grass in the bottom, and the stack went up quickly. Within a minute, it was a crackling blaze.

The fire burned bright and hot, and the book seemed to resist at first. Eventually, though, the edges began to blacken and curl, and before long the book itself only added to the conflagration.

The silence was broken occasionally by a crack or a pop from the fire, but that didn't feel like enough. Without really knowing what would come out, Applejack opened her mouth.

"I never really knew you, myself, but you didn't seem like a bad sort." Her disused voice started hoarse and raspy, but became stronger as she went on. "You were just confused, and scared, and probably hurtin' something awful inside."

Applejack blinked. She wasn't quite sure where that last one came from. Nevertheless, she kept going, letting her heart talk instead of her brain.

"You hurt a lot of ponies, but you never meant for it to happen. I know that you loved your family, and I wish you could know that they loved you back."

Applejack didn't consciously realize, but she'd taken her hat off and was wringing it between her hooves. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes as she clutched the hat tightly.

"You felt like you didn't have a choice, and you were wrong. You always had a choice, but you just chose wrong. I… I can't rightly blame you for it. I wanted to. I wanted to blame you so bad. I wanted to hate you, but I just can't."

She was clutching her hat to her chest now, and silent tears ran down her cheeks.

"You were a good pony. I know you were. I just wish you coulda known that yourself." Applejack sniffed loudly, and glanced down at the hat in her forehooves. It was wrinkled and crumpled, and —she noticed for the first time— old. The ancient headwear was faded and covered in small scuffs and nicks. One corner of her mouth tugged upwards slightly, and Applejack looked back up at the fire.

When she spoke, it was directed at two ponies. "So I just wanted you to know, and I'm sorry I never said this before. No matter what you did, or who all you hurt… I…" Her voice came out in a raspy whisper.

"I forgive you."

Then Applejack tossed her hat into the flames. It burned instantly, and brightly. The fire reflected off her grinning smile and her flowing tears in equal measure.

For the first time in her life, Applejack felt ghosts lift from her shoulders.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Applejack awoke the next day, she woke with a mission. She knew what she had to do now, and she knew exactly how to do it. She wasn't about to waste any more time.

Firstly, she had to gain access to the underground facility. Once she disabled the lockdown, she could make a new raft and be on her way, but she wouldn't be taking any chances this time. She would make absolutely positive that her new raft could get the job done, and that meant devoting a lot of time to creating it. Of course, if Applejack was going to spend weeks constructing a seaworthy vessel, then she wanted to get started as soon as possible.

She had considered building the raft first, and venturing into the facility once it was good and ready, but one small hope held her back from that plan. While she was well past sitting around and waiting to be 'rescued', there was still the chance that disabling the lockdown would increase her chances of being found. If a passing ship could make it close to the island without being chased off by storms, then that would certainly be preferable to braving the open seas on a tiny raft. Not that Applejack expected it, but it was a nice thought.

So first things first, she had to deactivate the Faraday Protocol. Today.

After spending the last two days reading, Applejack was itching to be on the move again. Her leg was feeling mostly better by that point. She wouldn't be able to run a marathon, but Applejack was confident enough to brave the jungle again. Not that she had any choice, anyway.

Applejack stepped out of her lean-to with a purposeful stride. She ate a good breakfast in preparation for a long day, and packed a coconut in her saddlebags for lunch. Next she filled her canteen to the brim, and made sure her knife was securely strapped to her left foreleg. Lastly, Applejack unfurled the map and double-checked the location of the closest security station, marked with a solid black circle containing an upside-down triangle.

Her hoof reached up instinctively to adjust a hat that wasn't there, and Applejack chuckled. That chuckle filled the clearing with more mirth than it deserved after what she'd spent the past two days uncovering. Applejack didn't care. She couldn't bring herself to feel down. This was it. Everything was falling into place at last. This wasn't a blind attempt borne on faith, it was a confirmed method with a step-by-step instructions. She was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, going home.

She was going home! Applejack could scarcely believe it herself. She laughed once more for good measure, then trotted off into the jungle. No sense it putting it off any longer. She was on the path to home now.

Applejack entered the jungle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She'd been walking for some time, her pace hindered only slightly by her still-weak leg, and the jungle was thick on all sides. It felt surprisingly good to be among the trees again. Applejack didn't expect to feel almost… nostalgic to be bushwhacking her way through the deep jungle. Then again, that probably had something to do with being cooped up for the past couple weeks in recovery.

The first tower appeared rather suddenly. One moment, she was trotting through the dense underbrush, and in the next Applejack found herself standing out in the open at the base of a concrete tower.

Applejack skidded to a stop and stared at the structure standing before her. It looked pretty much how she remembered, even if she hadn't visited this one in particular before. It was a three or four storey tall cylinder of dark grey concrete. The treeline, same as at the last one Applejack had visited, extended nearly to the base of the tower, only stopping when it gave way to concrete that surrounded the tower.

The sound of Applejack's hooves on the hard surface broke the silence as she trotted towards the building. It didn't take her long to locate the single spot of difference in the otherwise smooth walls. The door was heavy, metal, and adorned with the Daedalus Foundation logo that Applejack was so familiar with.

"Alrighty then." Applejack squared her shoulders and nodded determinedly. "Step one, here we go."

She put her shoulder into the door, and managed to creak it open with some effort. The interior of the station was pitch-black, but Applejack stepped heedlessly into the inky darkness. The moment her hooves crossed the threshold, Applejack detected a faint tingling sensation, a sort of 'buzz' that wasn't heard so much as felt.

She ignored it. The darkness was too much for her to take more than a couple steps inside, so Applejack waited. She hummed idly and tapped her hooves against the cold floor as her eyes slowly adjusted.

As soon as she was able to make out faint, dim shapes, Applejack moved forward. She stepped up to the pedestal in the center of the room, and felt the buzzing sensation grow more palpable as she got closer. It never intensified, but simply became easier to detect.

Applejack sat down on the floor, then reached back into her saddle bags and rummaged around until she located a small canvas bag. She withdrew the bag with great care, and held it delicately in both forehooves. She couldn't see it very clearly, but she knew very well that the bag had the Daedalus symbol, painted on the front, and she knew exactly what the bag contained.

Reaching inside the bag, Applejack was forced to go more by feel than by sight. She grabbed a relatively square-cut gem, and slowly extracted it from the bag. She was so close now, she couldn't bear to risk losing even a single gemstone.

With tentative, inching motions, Applejack eased the small gem onto the pedestal and sat it down.

Nothing happened.

Applejack blinked. Maybe nothing was supposed to happen. Maybe it would only become apparent once all the gems were placed down. Or… maybe she had used the wrong gem. It certainly wouldn't hurt to check.

Snatching the first gem from the pedestal, Applejack carefully set it to her side. She withdrew one more, and squinted at it in the dim light. She could see a little more clearly now; at least clearly enough to identify the new gem as a sapphire.

Applejack carefully set the sapphire down on the pedestal, holding her breath all the while.

That time, something happened. A sound echoed through the small room, a high chime that seemed to come from every direction at once. In the same instant, the constant buzzing sensation that Applejack had felt seemed to fade slightly. It was still there, but it felt dampened and weak compared to when she'd first walked in.

That was much better. Applejack grinned and scooped the failed gem back into the sack with the rest. The sack went into her saddlebags, and Applejack trotted back out into the jungle. She pulled out the map and unfurled it on the ground in front of her. The next security station wasn't terribly far away. If Applejack hurried, she could make it there in three quarters of an hour.

"One down, five to go."

The day was off to a great start.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She made good time to the next tower. Applejack's high spirits kept her energized and raring to go, even as she trudged her way through thick undergrowth. She couldn't help but feel excited, even though she knew there was danger to overcome yet. The mysterious monster hadn't come around since its attack during her recovery, and Applejack wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

Perhaps she'd managed to hurt, or even kill it. Maybe she'd put the fear of fire into it, and it wouldn't dare cross her again. All of those were nice thoughts, but they were overshadowed by far less pleasant ones. Maybe it was out there, waiting for the opportune moment. Maybe it was lulling her into a false sense of security so that she'd be totally unprepared when it struck.

Applejack shuddered, but quickly pushed those thoughts to one side. They didn't matter at the moment. Even if it was still out there somewhere, it wasn't after her at the moment, so she had to take advantage of the peace. Her best bet was to get off the island as quickly as possible, and hope that whatever the monster was planning didn't come to fruition in the meantime. If it was even planning anything at all.

Fortunately, Applejack was spared any more thought on the matter as the next tower came into view through a gap in the foliage. She picked up her pace and quickly found herself standing before the plain concrete structure.

"Second verse, same as the first…" Applejack muttered as she located the thick metal door.

It really was almost exactly the same. It took her a few tries to figure out the correct gem, but as soon as Applejack placed a finely-cut emerald onto the pedestal, she heard the same chime as last time. The buzzing feeling died down again, and Applejack nodded in satisfaction before heading back outside.

She paused outside for a moment, sitting down and taking a drink from her canteen. The sun was still edging its way towards noon, and cast slanted lines of light down through the canopy. It was high enough to shine right down into the small clear area surrounding the tower, and Applejack sat and absorbed the warm light for a few moments.

Her break couldn't last long though. There were still four more security stations to go. Applejack unfurled the map and checked for the next closest one. It was a bit farther than she would've liked, but she was still confident that they could all be done before the end of the day.

That would mean getting a move on, though. Applejack placed the map back into her saddlebags and set out at a quick trot. She plunged through undergrowth and moved between trees with a fluidity born from weeks of mandatory practice.

The sun inched across the sky, and Applejack made progress. By the time she arrived at the third tower, it was just passing midday. She was breathing slightly heavily, and a light sheen of sweat covered her coat, but she'd made very good time.

The security station itself took only a moment. Applejack didn't even wait for her eyes to adjust. She knew very well where the pedestal was already. She trotted through the utter darkness without fear, though she did slow down and feel ahead of her with a forehoof when she knew the pedestal was near. Once she reached it, she pulled a gem out from the bag. Despite the darkness, a miniscule amount of light did filter in from the wide-open door. It was enough for Applejack to catch the glint of a ruby. She set it down on the pedestal, and instantly heard a high chime fill the room.

Satisfied, Applejack left the station and closed the door behind her. She was halfway done, but before she moved on the rest, Applejack figured she could use a short rest. Besides, her stomach was starting to hurt —more than usual, at least— which meant it was as good a time as any for lunch.

The concrete surrounding the tower's base was hardly a good place to sit and relax, but it did provide a decent place to open her coconut. Applejack carved off the outer husk with her knife, then cracked the coconut in two with a sharp smack against the concrete.

She took her lunch into the shade of the jungle and sat down on the much softer grass. Applejack didn't rush her meal, and idly examined the remaining 'access gems' as she ate. They looked entirely normal to her. She wasn't sure if they'd appear different to a unicorn, or if it was one of those things they could just feel. Or maybe they would look like average, mundane gems to everypony, even unicorns. Magic was weird.

Three gems remained: An amethyst, a yellow topaz that Applejack particularly liked the look of, and some other purple gem. It wasn't quite as purple as the amethyst; it was a lighter shade with a bit more pink. Applejack wondered if there was a name for it, or if it was just another type of amethyst. She was hardly an expert on precious stones.

Applejack decided her break had gone on long enough. She'd already finished her lunch, so she tossed the coconut shell into the bush and packed the sack of gems back into her saddlebags. Next, she took out the map once more. The next tower wasn't too far, fortunately. As much as she could tell, Applejack was still on track to finish by the end of the day.

She made to do just that, and set off into the jungle. The next security station passed without incident. She left the unknown purple gem there and moved right along. The sun was crawling downwards now, moving through afternoon and towards evening. The next tower was equally uneventful. Applejack placed the yellow topaz on the pedestal, listened to the rather pleasant chime, and set off for the final tower.

By the time Applejack reached the final tower, it was already evening. She should have brought more food. Her legs, especially the recently injured one, were sore, and her coat was dirty and sweaty. It had been a good day of work, but it wasn't quite over yet.

Applejack entered the final tower, and immediately pulled out the amethyst. She trotted over to the pedestal, as she'd done so many times that day, and wasted no time in placing the access gem where it belonged.

Then something unexpected happened.

Rather than the same old chime she'd heard five times already, the air was split by the sound of a harsh klaxon. Applejack's ears folded against her skull as the harsh siren blared once, then fell silent. It took Applejack a moment to realize what had changed. The buzzing had stopped completely. It hadn't simply dimmed, as it had all the previous times, but it was now entirely gone. The security station was utterly silent and motionless.

"Huh…" Applejack blinked. "Well that's something."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time she dragged herself back into her camp, night was already falling. The sun was casting its last few orange rays across the still island, and on its lone pony inhabitant as she plopped gracelessly onto the grass next to a smoldering fire. Applejack tossed a couple more pieces of wood on just to be sure it wouldn't go out, then laid her head down on folded forehooves with a groan.

She was tired, sweaty, and ached all over. Applejack felt better than she had since arriving on the island. It was the feeling of a good days work, combined with the knowledge that the work had well and truly accomplished something great. Tomorrow, she would venture down into level 1 of the facility. Applejack was endlessly glad that she didn't have to go any deeper than that.

But that was tomorrow. Tonight, she was tired and sore. Applejack crawled into her lean-to and —after a couple failed attempts— managed to remove her saddlebags without getting up from the floor.

She curled up on the gloriously soft pink quilt, and glanced over at the tiny rubber chicken. A tired smile spread across her face as the little toy brought forth the memories of home it always did. Such a small thing had been such a great comfort during her time on the island. Applejack would have to remember to thank Pinkie Pie when she next saw her.

Wouldn't be long now. Applejack had always known, it was only a matter of time.

She drifted off into a deep and pleasant sleep. Applejack dreamed of home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack woke feeling fully energized. She was smiling before she even stood up, and her grin persisted as she put on her saddlebags, equipped her knife, and stepped out into the morning light. The sun was barely over the horizon, and the clearing was still dim and pleasantly cool. That was perfect; it would take a couple hours to get back to the cave entrance, so Applejack wanted to leave as early as possible.

That meant wasting no time. She scarfed down a speedy breakfast of blueberries and wildflowers. She was completely out of tomatoes. She would have to remember to gather some to bring on the raft. Lots of blueberries, too—

She was getting distracted, though. Applejack shook her head to refocus, and set about the tasks that mattered for the day ahead. First, she dove into the jungle for a moment and retrieved three relatively straight sticks. Each one was only a couple feet long, but that was all she needed. Applejack then got one of the old, threadbare quilts from her supply pile, and drew her knife. She cut the ruined blanket into as many strips as possible and set them in a pile.

Applejack briefly considered pouring some of the alcohol over the sliced-up cloth, but decided against it. They would certainly burn more intensely, but there was also the chance she might explode if she didn't know what she was doing. Better to simply not risk it.

So it was that she brought over her three sticks and sat down in front of the dry cloth strips. She took the strips, one at a time, and wrapped them around the end of a stick. After enough strips had been applied to one stick to form a tight ball at the end, she moved on to the next. Within a few minutes, she'd created three serviceable torches.

She then packed a couple hooffuls of dry tinder, and a flint-rock. She would need to be able to actually light the torches, after all.

With all of her supplies, and a freshly-filled canteen, Applejack was ready to go. The sun had barely even broken over the horizon when she plunged into the damp jungle along the well-known patch back towards the beach.

It took a couple hours, as usual, but Applejack eventually found herself standing at the base of the gravel hill leading up to the mouth of a dark cave. She marched up the hill and stopped at the entrance to the cave. There, she reached into her saddlebags and brought out the flint and tinder, as well as a single torch. She knelt down and set the tinder on the stone floor, then drew her knife and struck it against the flint. After several attempts, the sparks managed to catch and a small flame came to life.


Applejack held the torch sideways in her mouth, and lowered the end of it into the tiny fire. Fortunately, it was enough, and the torch quickly went up in glowing orange light. She stamped the tinder out, then moved deeper into the tunnel. For the first time, she truly understood the perfectly smooth walls and precise corners. Her mood had been bright all day, but the realization of exactly where she was did sober her a bit.

She wasn't smiling anymore by the time she reached the bottom of the long, switch-backing corridor. Her first torch was still burning brightly, and would hopefully continue to do so for some time before she had to switch to a new one.

The darkness receded ahead of her as Applejack slowly moved, step by step, down the final corridor. Finally, the back wall came into view at the edge of the flickering torchlight. It looked exactly the same as she remembered it: smooth and covered with a large painting of the Daedalus logo with their signature phrase underneath.

Applejack blinked. Was the wall supposed to still be there? Maybe she just had to get closer…

She took another step. Then another. Her hooves echoed loudly against the stone in the deep tunnel. Finally, when she was only a couple paces away from the wall, Applejack heard a low buzzing noise. She froze up, not even breathing, as the noise persisted for several seconds. Suddenly, the buzzing cut off with a loud, metallic clang that made her ears fold back against her head.

The wall shifted, and a layer of dust fell free to float slowly down to the ground. Before the dust had even touched the floor, the wall slid backwards several inches to the sound of an unpleasant metal grinding. Finally, the wall-turned-door slid noisily to the left and disappeared from view.

Applejack took a deep, deep breath. She exhaled through her nose, and squared her shoulders. This was it.

Applejack stepped through the doorway.

Author's Note:

Edited by Pyromitsu and Aatxe360, who are the two greatest people. These updates wouldn't be happening if not for them!