//------------------------------// // Injustice 03 // Story: Injustice for All // by Kaliann25 //------------------------------// Metachanges Sweet Apple Acres: The solid thunk of hooves against wood rang out as Apple Bloom bucked a tree. A single apple shook loose and dropped into the basket waiting underneath. It was an effort worthy of the beginner that she was, but she did not mind. After being bedridden for so long, it felt good to be able to go outdoors again. A pair of startled sparrows flew into her field of view, fleeing their shaken home. Apple Bloom giggled, enthralled as she watched the two flap into the distance. When they finally disappeared from view, Apple Bloom shook her head to clear it. Lately, she seemed to have developed an obsession with animals. Something about the way they looked, something about the way they sounded, something about the way they moved seemed to speak to her very soul, triggering instincts she never knew she had before. She yearned to move with their style and grace; she yearned to have their freedom. It was with great effort that she forced herself back to reality. Just like every time before, she had realized that she could not keep daydreaming like this, lest somepony think she was lazy, crazy, or worse. Absently, Apple Bloom said, "Not wrong, but unusual." “What’s unusual, sis’?” asked Applejack, coming from behind the trees. Startled, Apple Bloom gasped. Hastily, she pointed at the sky with a forehoof. "Uh, oh. Uh, that cloud. I cain't decide what it looks like." Demonstrating, she continued. "If Ah look this way, it looks like a bear. If Ah turn mah head sideways, it looks like a lizard. Upside down, it looks like a fish." “Yer mentioning a lot of animals lately, ain't cha?” Applejack smiled as she ruffled her sister’s mane. “Why don’t ya let me finish for ya today so's ya can keep watching clouds?” Apple Bloom shook her head. “Thanks, but no thanks Applejack. This is the first time Ah’ve been in the orchard since Ah got outta the hospital. Ah wanna help!” “Don’t ya press yerself too hard, sis. Remember, the doctor said ya have to take it easy.” “Ah can still buck a few trees, Applejack.” The older sister sighed. “Fine, but take a break first. Granny just made a pitcher of fresh lemonade. Can ya do yer big sis a favor and get yerself a glass before you start bucking again?” Apple Bloom smiled broadly. “Ah can’t say ‘no’ to fresh lemonade. See ya, Applejack!” The orange mare sighed, relieved, as she watched her little sister rush back to the house. She was proud that the filly was being so responsible, but she had to keep an eye on her for at least the next two weeks. Too much exercise would erase all the progress that had been made. Although it was a great relief that Apple Bloom was on her feet again, Applejack still shuddered a little every time she looked at her sister's eyes. Bright green had replaced what had been hazel eyes. Applejack was uncomfortable with their constant reminder of how close she had come to losing her sister. Little by little, she and the other Apples were learning to live with the change. In the meantime, Apple Bloom walked to the house, humming a tune. She could already taste Granny's award-winning lemonade. Knowing that Applejack would insist on her taking a long break, the filly took the scenic route back, walking beside the fence that bordered the creek. A soft growl caught her attention. Nothing big enough to do that should be anywhere near her. Apple Bloom spun toward the sound. It had come from the Everfree Forest side of the creek. "Manticore!" she screamed as she bolted. On a good day, there was no way a little filly could outrun a manticore. The shadow that leapt across the creek showed it was not a good day. Abruptly, Apple Bloom stopped. The red beast slammed into the ground in front of her. The filly started to back away as the manticore spun to face her. Its scorpion tail lashed out at her. The filly stood, paralyzed as time slowed to a crawl. The stinger came ever closer. Fear was replaced with understanding. Everything the manticore did now made sense to Apple Bloom. She could practically feel what the beast was feeling. The manticore snarled in anticipation of an easy meal. The filly would fill its belly for a day or so. To its surprise, the filly changed, going from yellow to green as it grew, transforming into a mirror image of the beast. Green tail intercepted red tail, batting the stinger away. Apple Bloom roared. This was her home. This was her territory. The red manticore would pay. The red beast lunged with claws extended. Apple Bloom fell to her back with claws extended, raking her opponent's tender underside as it flew overhead. She rolled back onto her paws as soon as it passed and leapt at her opponent. The red manticore kicked back as soon as it landed, intercepting Apple Bloom's attack. The green manticore touched down just as the red manticore spun around. They roared, trying to assert dominance as they savagely swiped at each other. The sound of hoofbeats announced the arrival of adult ponies. Outnumbered, the red manticore retreated to the relative safety of the Everfree. Grinning, Apple Bloom roared in triumph. Applejack screamed, "WHAT HAVE YA DONE WITH APPLE BLOOM, YA MONSTER?" Apple Bloom turned to face her sister. Her head tilted as she looked at the mare in confusion. Big Macintosh looked at the green manticore, horrified at what he thought had happened. His expression turned to one of determination, and then anger. Snorting, he pawed at the ground with a forehoof. Vainly, Apple Bloom tried to plea her case. Try as she might, only roars came from her mouth. Her new instincts screamed that danger was near. Big Macintosh charged. Rearing up, he brought his forehooves down on the green manticore's face. Apple Bloom fell to the ground, groaning with pain. Applejack jumped onto her back and tore at her mane with her teeth. Stamping at her head, the mare cried, "That's Apple Bloom's bow! GIVE ME MAH SISTER, YA MONSTER!" Big Macintosh pushed Applejack away before delivering a powerful buck to Apple Bloom's midsection, launching the green manticore into a tree. The truck cracked, and it groaned as the top portion of the tree toppled over. Apple Bloom cried in pain as she slowly shrank. Her fur shifted from green to yellow, and her mane reverted to fiery red. Claws morphed back to hooves, and the battered body of a filly now lay where the green manticore had fallen. The filly looked at her siblings. “Applejack . . . Big Mac . . . it’s me . . .” With that, she fell unconscious. Applejack shivered. “Apple Bloom? APPLE BLOOM!” As gently as she could, Applejack lifted the filly onto her back. “Big Mac, what have we done?” Big Mac stayed silent. Anything he could say would just make things worse. … Apple Bloom found herself in a world of pain. There didn't seem to be a part of her that didn't hurt. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes. Wherever she was did not look familiar. Her bed, at least, didn't seem to add to her misery. With difficulty, she turned toward a sound to her right. A familiar face greeted her. “Applejack? What happened?” asked the filly. The mare gently hugged her sister as tears streamed from her eyes. "Oh, Apple Bloom! Ah'm so sorry! We thought ya were a monster that ate ya. When ya turned back into ya, we . . . we . . ." She cried, unable to continue. Deeper sobs drew Apple Bloom's attention to the other side of her bed. There, she saw Big Macintosh. When he saw her eyes, he held her gently and mumbled, "Sorry, sorry, sorry . . ." “Where are we?” asked Apple Bloom. “In my castle,” said Twilight, approaching the bed. “Applejack and Big Mac brought you to me, saying that they have attacked you. They seemed devastated. It took a lot of magic, but I managed to mend every bone in your body.” Apple Bloom nodded. “Ah’m sorry!” “Apple Bloom, ya don’t have anything to apologize for! We’re sorry! We did this to ya!” “But what happened?” asked Big Mac. “You were . . . were . . .” “A manticore. Ah know. But Ah have no idea what happened. First thing Ah knew was that a manticore was about to eat me, and next thing Ah knew Ah'd turned into a manticore mahself!” As she talked, her instincts took hold. It was either fight or flight. In the embrace of her siblings, she felt trapped. There was only one thing to do. Apple Bloom shook as the familiar warmth spread throughout her body. Yellow fur turned green. Hooves morphed into claws. Tail hairs became segmented chitin. She grew back into a familiar shape and roared. Shocked, the ponies stared. Apple Bloom no longer saw friend and family; she saw prey, and she hungered. Princess Twilight had no time to react as she was about to receive a faceful of claws. A green energy shield took the blow in its stead, and it formed a force bubble that captured the rampaging manticore. The surprise broke her instincts' hold on her attention. Shaking, she transformed back into a filly. She shivered as she turned to Green Lantern. Looking past him, she saw Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. “Spike? Girls? What happened?” “That’s what we should be asking!” said Sweetie Belle. “We were looking for Twilight for our meeting when . . .” Scootaloo nodded. “Apple Bloom, since when you are a . . .” “MAH SIS IS NO MONSTER!” shouted Applejack. “Hey, I was going to say ‘metapony’,” explained Scootaloo. “Metapony?” asked the three Apple siblings. “Metapony?” repeated Applejack. “So, she is like the two of you?” “I guess so. She has the power to shapeshift!” Sweetie Belle smiled. Apple Bloom looked at her hooves, surprised. “So, this is what I am?” “But how is that possible?” asked Twilight. “I mean, yes, she has changeling blood in her system, but there’s no other pony who's received a changeling transfusion who's developed this kind of ability!” “Well, she has Thorax’s blood in her. He is the king, right?” asked Spike. “His blood must be stronger than the average changeling’s. Twilight frowned as she considered the situation. “You may be right. Yes, it makes sense. But, why a manticore? Apple Bloom, can you transform into anything else? Like another pony.” “Ah don’t know; this is the first time this has happened!” protested the youngest of the Apples. “But lately, Ah’ve been feeling funny around animals, like Ah want to be like them. When Ah turned into a manticore, Ah was wondering how would it feel to be a manticore and then it happened.” “So, animals. Interesting, seems like your shapeshifting is limited, but if you use it well, you can be very powerful,” whispered a voice in the shadows. They all turned to a corner where Batmare revealed herself. “Hi, Diamond Tiara,” greeted Apple Bloom. Since the Cutie Mark Crusaders didn’t keep secrets from each other, Apple Bloom had been aware of the true identity of the Dark Knight almost as soon as her fellow Crusaders had known. “Wait just a second!” said Applejack. “What d'ya mean with ‘can be very powerful’? Are ya suggesting Apple Bloom join yer little League?” Diamond Tiara nodded. “It’s dangerous, of course. But, do you think you can keep her away from her friends now that she has powers of her own? Yes, she needs to learn how to control them, but we can help. If she trains with us, she’ll be surrounded by others like her. We can stop her from harming others or herself.” Applejack was about to protest but Big Mac put his hoof on her shoulder. “She’s right, Applejack.” The orange mare sighed, defeated. “Don’t worry about me, Applejack! Ah’ll be fine, just like the old times, but now with superpowers!” asserted Apple Bloom. “She’ll learn from the best!” added Scootaloo. “Yes, we have each other’s backs.” The girls excitedly made a high-hoof. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS JUSTICE LEAGUERS, YAY!” Applejack simply shook her head. “Just promise me that ya won’t fight until yer ready.” Apple Bloom nodded. “Sure. Ah don’t even know what Ah can actually do anyway.” “Well, it is linked to animals. So, that means we should take you to animals,” said Batmare. “Fluttershy’s sanctuary?” Twilight considered for a fraction of a second. “That sounds . . . reasonable.” “So, what are we waiting for?” asked Apple Bloom. “Let’s go!” “Are you sure yer feeling okay?” asked Big Mac. "You had a lot of broken bones." “My spells and potions have restored her a hundred percent.” Twilight said in a reassuring manner. “She’ll be fine." Lantern nodded, looking at his ring. “And, if something happens and she loses control or an animal does, I can stop her or the animal without harming anyone.” Sweetie Borg transformed her right hoof into a tranquilizer dart launcher. “Me too!” “Fiiiine . . . but as soon as something happens, we go back home!” declared Applejack. “You have our word,” said Twilight. “So, what are we waiting for?” asked Apple Bloom cheerfully. Fluttershy was sweeping the path to the door of her cottage when the sound of thundering hooves drew her attention to the approach of a group of ponies led by Apple Bloom. “Oh! Hello. Can I help you with something?” asked Fluttershy, confused by the sudden visit. Apple Bloom nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Fluttershy, let me meet all your animal friends. Please!” “Are you looking for a pet?” asked Fluttershy. Twilight shook her head. “I’ll explain you later, I promise. It's urgent that Apple Bloom get to meet as many different animals as she can right now.” “Um, I mean, no problem but . . .” “Thanks, Fluttershy!” said Apple Bloom, galloping past the gate. Fluttershy looked first to the filly in confusion, and then to her company, still perplexed. “What is going on here?!” "Later," said Twilight as the group followed Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom stopped at a mulberry tree, looking up at its branches in wonder. A bright red cardinal flitted from branch to branch, feasting on the ripe fruit. With that image fixed in her mind, Apple Bloom closed her eyes and set her instincts free. A wave of warmth radiated throughout her body as she imagined being the cardinal's companion. Her body trebled as she shrank and transformed. Yellow fur became green feathers and her limbs reformed into avian wings and legs. Her muzzle became a beak. Once the transformation was complete, she chirped happily and took wing. The cardinal abruptly stopped its meal to turn to the intruder it felt land beside it. When it saw its green doppelganger, it backed away. The green bird chirped a merry greeting. The cardinal stared at the other bird for a moment before looking back at the berries. Looking back at the green bird, it fell from the tree in shock. Startled, Apple Bloom's pony side came to the fore. She reverted to her normal appearance. The overloaded branch snapped, sending her groundward. Twilight grabbed her with her magic before she struck the ground while Sweetie Belle rescued the startled cardinal. Fluttershy stared, astonished at the transformations. The other Crusaders cheered at their member's performance. While Applejack continued to stare at her little sister, Fluttershy asked, "Did she just . . ." Big Macintosh replied, "Yee-up." “Thanks, Twilight!” exclaimed the transformed filly. “No problem . . .” mumbled Twilight as she updated her notes. “Wow, that was . . .” Fluttershy hip-checked Twilight out of the way. The pegasus grabbed the Apple Bloom with her forehooves and spun the filly so they could see eye-to-eye. Fluttershy asked, "How could you do that? How did you turn into a bird?" Apple Bloom gulped nervously. “Ah . . . Ah don’t know. Ah'm a metapony now, Ah think.” “But that’s amazing!” said Fluttershy. “Can you turn into any another animal?” “Ah've turned into a manticore too . . .” “Oh, this is amazing!” said Fluttershy. “Friends!” All the animals on the grounds came at Fluttershy’s call. The yellow pegasus smiled at them. “Thank you all for interrupting your busy days for me. You see, we need to see if Apple Bloom is able to transform into each one of you. Can you please form a line in front of her?” The animals did as she said while Apple Bloom looked at them nervously. Fluttershy gasped. “Oh, I’m sorry. I got a bit too excited. Do you prefer if we use smaller groups?” Apple Bloom shook her head. Pointing a forehoof at Harry the bear’s shoulder, she said, “Ah don’t like the way that caterpillar is staring at me.” “Everyone is staring at you,” said Batmare. “I don’t know. Something about that insect just feels wrong,” said Scootaloo scratching her head. “You’re just imagining things,” said Fluttershy with a smile. “These caterpillars aren’t dangerous. Now come on; try to transform into a bunny!” Woods of Tambelon: Maniacal laughter waxed and waned in the cavernous quarters. A bleary-eyed Sombra shuffled downstairs to the kitchen where he found Chrysalis and Tirek feebly fighting over a carafe of coffee with their telekinesis. Not bothering to stifle his yawn, Sombra said, "I thought you were going to keep an eye on that damned clown." Absently touching the eyepatch he wore over his regenerating eye, the centaur said with a yawn, "Sleep deprivation hasn't sharpened what little wit you have." Chrysalis rubbed her eyes. "Doesn't that clown ever shut up? I swear, he's been going on like that since we brought him in." Tirek groaned. "I swear I saw Grogar cast a silence spell on his room. You'd think that clown would have to sleep some time." A drowsy young voice replied, "He sleeps. He laughs. He laughs in his sleep." The trio at the table turned and stared. The speaker was wearing a black and red harlequin costume. White makeup and a domino mask covered her face. “What are you wearing?” asked Tirek. “The outfit Mr. J wants me to use. He says my new name is Cozy Clown.” Sombra shook his head. "I'm too tired to deal with this." He shuffled to a cupboard and started rummaging through with his magic. He pulled out a jar of zap apple jam. "I always wanted to try this." “No, wait! DON’T OPEN THAT!” screamed Cozy Glow. A black mamba flew from the jar, only to bounce off the shield that Sombra reflexively raised. “What was that?” asked Sombra icily. “I tried to warn you. He woke up early to set up pranks all over the house,” explained Cozy. A demented laugh came from the kitchen entrance. “A snake jar! Aren’t the classics the best?” Cozy forced a nervous laugh. “Ahahahahaha! You are hilarious Mister J!” Sombra glared at Cozy and then caught the Joker in his magic aura. “Let me see what makes you shiver. Let’s see if you keep laughing after that.” The Joker smiled as Sombra looked him in the eye. To Sombra, the Joker's mind was laid bare. The former king recoiled; there was no rhyme or reason to what he saw. He pulled back before the lost himself to the madness. The Joker pulled a rubber chicken from his poncho with his mouth. Speaking around its neck, he said, “Do you know what you need? A laugh! There’s no better way to wake up in the morning!” With a twist of his head, he swung the chicken, striking Sombra in the face. Flatulently, the toy released a could of green gas. Sombra giggled uncontrollably. His giggles graduated to full-belly laughs. Wild-eyed, he collapsed, looking about as he started to panic. The Joker joined Sombra in laughter until a black and gold aura grabbed the clown and slammed him through a wall. Grogar entered the kitchen as he continued casting. After a quick diagnostic spell, he frowned. “Well?” asked Chrysalis. “He has been poisoned. Tirek!” “Yes sir?” asked the centaur. “Go to the bathroom. Bring me the blue potion from the first aid kit.” “Yes sir.” Grogar turned to Cozy, glaring. Trembling, the filly shrank back. The ram went to the pantry. As he started to open the cupboard doors with his magic, he growled, "Just look at this mess. You said you could control him, you little tw . . ." “WAIT!” cried Cozy. It was too late. As the cupboard door opened, a little catapult flung a cake at Grogar's head. The dagger hidden inside buried itself deep between the ram's eyes. From the other room, Joker cackled, "Ah, ah, ah! Watch your language; there's a little filly present."