The sizzling, soothing smell of pancakes permeated the kitchen, enveloping the noses of all who occupied it, but Applebloom had more pressing matters to discuss with her big sister. She bounced on her tiny legs as she held her plate with her mouth and muffled excitedly.
“So you’re ACTUALLY taking Mr. Filthy on his offer? Are you going to wear one of those hats? You want mine? As a former reporter, I can give you some pointers! Can you write about how cool I am? Or about how dumb Diamond Tiara is?”
Applejack allowed herself a chuckle. “I thought we said we was done with hurting people’s feelings on the paper!”
“Diamond Tiara ain’t people.”
Applejack shook her head good naturedly and dropped a shimmering stack of pancakes that nearly oozed syrup to the floor. Applebloom placed her plate on the table and started digging in like crazy, shoveling pancakes into her mouth.
“Rarity would have gagged at this.”, Applejack thought melancholically, but she shook her head to get rid of the memory. Enough moping: It was time to get to work.
Placing a satchel on her back, already packed to the brim with pencils, note pads and a light snack, she looked back at Applebloom, who was still eating heartily.
She was still so small…
“Don’t eat too fast, sis. And don’t forget you’ve got a CMC meeting today.”
“Applejack! Why would I forget?”, Applebloom asked, pulling a face.
Applejack laughed in embarrassment. “I just… Just makin’ sure, is all.”
She stayed back for a moment, just to make sure she was still there. She then looked up and shouted out “Big Mac, Granny Smith, you good?”
“Yes, dearie! I think we can finally get some work done in them there fields!”, Granny Smith shouted down.
“Eeyup.”, Big Mac confirmed.
Applejack sighed. They’re still alive, thank Celestia. But would they be when she came back? What if something happened? Maybe she could prevent it…
Or make it worse.
And they needed the money right now more than anything…
But what if she DID control her powers? What if something attacked again, what if…
Applejack gritted her teeth, and began to pace around, trying to reason with herself.
“Nothing will happen, nothing will happen, Tirek is gone, no one is coming, it’s fine, it’s fine, it’s (not) fine GRRR!”
“You all right, sis?”, Applebloom asked from the table, confused as to her big sister’s pacing. She raised a questioning eyebrow.
Applejack gulped and froze, and just like that her heart settled and her brain zipped itself as one fact more important than the rest popped up:
Applebloom, Granny Smith, Big Mac, they needed her right now.
And since she couldn’t save them from physical threats, she could at least get them some extra money to survive the winter.
There was no time to think about what she couldn’t do.
Only about what she could.
“Yeah, Applebloom…”, Applejack struggled to lie through her teeth, but she tried for her sis.
“I’m all right…”
At first glance, it was hard to tell anything was too different about Ponyville. The roads had been mostly repaired, the buildings had been mostly restored, and daily life had mostly resumed.
But that was the key word: “Mostly”.
The florists smiled prettily enough, but their eyes didn’t match the bright colors of the flowers they carried.
Sugarcube Corner may have wafted delicious and soothing smells, but the Cakes tones weren’t quite as sweet as you’d expect.
Even Cranky Dankey Doodle seemed crankier than usual. But in a tired, resigned sort of way.
Surrender.
Tirek may have not beaten them, but their spirits had surely surrendered.
“I guess that would fit in the article. I just wish it didn’t fit so well.”, Applejack thought glumly, as she trotted slowly but surely. She had been trying to keep her head down, out of shame and out of avoiding the triggering memories, but then she reached a part of town she never really visited: The Favelas.
The Favelas were an unofficial nickname by its residents to the less fortunate parts of Ponyville. Applejack had never really frequented the area since she only really visited the town for her friends or for the market, and those were on the other side of town. It made the trek even more unfamiliar, and Applejack was not a big fan of strange new experiences.
From the first step, however, it had her complete attention. Had there been a road there once, she did not know, but whatever the answer was there was now a dirt pass, dust and grime kicking up no matter what way she stepped. It tickled her nose, and she sniffed defiantly to get it out of her system.
Passing a food cart, Applejack greeted the operator with a smile, hoping his day was at least better than hers. “Mornin’!”
“Nnff.”, was the grunt she received in return.
Applejack swiveled her head away, upset at how empty his eyes were, when a cart nearly smashed into her. Applejack barely avoided the careening vehicle, not that the driver minded. “Hey, watch where you’re going, estúpida!”
Applejack stood up slowly, cautiously, but was still clattered into by a bunch of ragged and dirty looking ponies, torn clothes hanging off of their bodies. She wasn’t hurt, of course, but one of the stallions was.
“Ay! Mi hombro!”
“No tiempo, tenemos que apurarnos!”, the others responded, and they rushed off, leaving Applejack in the gathering dust cloud.
“Place could use a real pick me up. Gosh, Rarity would almost bawl!”, Applejack commented in her head, and she frowned sympathetically. She got to live in a nice farm, far off from the chaos. Whatever the area was like before Tirek, it surely only got worse. Everything was dirty, people seemed to be wearing rags, and not a single smile could be spied on anyone’s faces.
And it was her fault.
“Ahh, ahh…”, Applejack suddenly began to sound out, as too much dust had entered her nose. With a mighty blow, she sneezed, and thanks to her extra-terrestial DNA, smashed into a sour elderly lady with a pink purse, buttoned up like her lips.
Applejack was quick to apologize, and quicker to help. “Oh, gosh, I’m SO sorry, ma’am! I had no idea mah sneeze would be as windy as a fall evenin’ in hurricane country.” Noticing the purse lying on the filthy ground, Applejack reached out with her hoof to pick it up for the old lady.
But the old lady was having none of that. “Qué estás haciendo?!”
Applejack smiled good naturedly. “Why, I’m helping you pick up your…”
“Give me that!”, the old lady shouted, offended, and she observed Applejack with distaste. “Gamberra…”, she muttered under her breath, as Applejack continued to apologize.
“Anyhow, I really am sorry, ma’am, I was just a little distracted…”
“Distracted? You’re not from this neighborhood, are you? No, you wouldn’t be… You’re too well off.”, those last words were laced with contempt, and Applejack tried not to let them go under her skin.
“No… No I’m not.”, Applejack said, though she started to wonder if she deserved to.
The old lady stared straight into Applejack’s eyes, judging her in an instant, and gave her the score. “You don’t get to be distracted here. Here you either live, or die.”
And like that she marched straight off to where Applejack was going, which made Applejack even more curious and confused. She had no idea some ponies had such struggles. Most everybody in Ponyville seemed to live comfortably enough.
“…But maybe not everybody.”, she said to herself, and she made a mental note to herself to check this place out. Something was off, she could already feel it.
And her suspicions were immediately doubled when she arrived at her new workplace, only to find the steps swamped by the poor stallions from before, now joined by many, many more ponies. They all looked up, and when Applejack did, she realized why: She had never seen such a tall building in all her life, not even in Canterlot City. She almost doubled over as she did, and as she regained her balance, she thought she could see a figure standing near the top of the building through an open window. Even with her powers, though, it was hard to see, and she found herself almost floating to get a better look, before stopping herself.
“Espero que ella me elija!”, said one Stallion, wheezing as he finished his sentence, a terrible cough errupting from his lungs. “Bless you.”, Applejack said.
“我今天實際上可能會餵飽我的孩子們!”, a middle aged pony with 3 babies in her arms exclaimed in wonderment. Applejack offered to hold one of them for her, attempting to ignore the fear of dropping the child.
“اخترني من فضلك اخترني”, an young pony with a hijab looked up with hope.
Applejack’s curiosity was more than piqued. She looked over to her left and saw a security guard whistle impressively. “This never stops surprising.”
“What does?”, Applejack asked, keeping the baby safe in her arms.
“You don’t know?”, he asked, his eyes widening. Applejack shook her head, and the security guard shrugged. “Well, um… Ever since the Mane 6 failed, we’ve been lookin’ for reasons to check out that big blue sky.”
Applejack bit her lip, nearly shivering. “And?”
“Look up.”
As Applejack did, she was surprised to see the balcony leading out from that window all the way to the top start to move down, like it was floating in midair. The golden, shimmering elevator of sorts swooped down in an instant, so fast that Applejack nearly felt nauseous. And standing on the balcony was none other than…
“Spoiled Rich!!!”, the crowd crowed out, and Spoiled Rich, standing tall and proud, waved courteously, a simple smile on her face, her chest puffed up.
Applejack did not know what to say. It was a lot to take in.
As the wild applause droned on, Spoiled suddenly snapped her fingers, and the noise immediately died out, replaced by hushed awe. Clearing her throat, Spoiled Rich addressed the crowd.
“People of Ponyville, People of The Favelas, lend me your ears! I come out here, as I do every morning, to do one thing: Say thank you.”
“You sure about that?”, Applejack thought, doubtful of the meaning of this “show”. She didn’t dare say anything, however. Least she could do was see things play out before she acted on her gut instinct.
Spoiled continued her speech, standing just above the crowd, as if she were floating above them, like a guardian angel. “And I do that by choosing one of you, dear citizens, to help. To use my vast resources for anything other than that would be a waste. We are all in this together, and we will continue to persevere from the severe tragedy we encountered.”
She smirked, looking up to the sky, the sun shining off of her. “One of you will be saved, as you all deserve. You need not worry: Heroes still exist.”
Looking down at the crowd, she seemed to glaze over most of them until her eyes locked on a particularly strong green stallion.
“You. Today is your lucky day.”
The rest of the crowd didn’t seem to mind they were not chosen, instead cheering wildly once more for Spoiled, as the grateful stallion cried heavily. “Oh maraming salamat, aking bayani!”
“You’re welcome.”, she replied warmly, and the stallion was led into the building as the crowd parted and dispersed, all talking loudly about how tomorrow would be their day.
Applejack, handing back the baby she took care of, however, was less sure. “Somethin’ feels off about all a this…”, she said, scratching her chin. “Spoiled isn’t nearly this generous…”
But then she sighed, as she remembered the attack. “But maybe this is what Ponyville needs… I only made things worse, after all…”
Trudging slowly into the building, Applejack looked back to see the Muslim pony hang her head in shame. As she looked up, she locked eyes with Applejack. “سيدة, you think… You think I’ll be saved too?”
Applejack’s distant, lonely eyes looked away in guilt. “…I hope. Because you deserved better.”
“…Better than me…”, she whispered, as she walked off.
“I’m so glad you came, Applejack!”, Filthy greeted happily, a soft smile on his face as he sipped from his mug of coffee that said “Work Smarter, Not Harder” on it’s face.
“Um… What?!”, Applejack shouted out loud, struggling to hear anything in the hustle and bustle of the room. Dozens of mares and stallions rushed around the room, slamming papers on desks, preparing photographs in the film room, and shouting out lunch orders, headlines, tasks, you name it.
Three ponies had already stepped on her hooves, and two coffees had been spilled on her person.
A part of her hated it, but a part of her loved it as well. A spirit of hard work and partnership, with a hint of chaos.
The Apple family way, in a sense.
“…Don’t think about it.”, she repeated once more, and focused her attention on Filthy, who sheepishly shrugged. “Sorry, I guess we all got accustomed to the noise here. I’ll take you to Spoiled’s office, we can talk there.”
Placing his mug down, Filthy waded across the chaos like a natural, while Applejack ducked 3 paper airplanes that contained essential scoops. She chuckled for a second, before gazing at the walls of Spoiled’s office and gasping for a moment.
The framed reminders of her past were not a welcome sight. Applejack could see pictures of the chaos she had inflicted by failing, and it hurt. The memories came flooding back, and she had to close her eyes and breath heavily to ignore the pain.
“I’m sorry about the… Gallery, Spoiled decorates in her own “unique” way.”, Filthy apologized, but he knew it wouldn’t really help. He felt like an idiot for taking Applejack to this place. “Perhaps we could go outside?”
Applejack shook her head. If anything, the reminders outside were worse. She would just have to suck it up. “Apples don’t feel pain. We truck on. Just gimmie the short version of the grand tour.”
Filthy sighed with familiarity. “Like father, like daughter.”, he thought, and he sat on Spoiled’s chair, inviting Applejack to sit on the guest chair. She refused.
“Well, like I told you yesterday, we are going to be interviewing residents of this neighborhood, and asking them about the aftermath of the attack. Now, I know this is not going to be easy for you, which is why I will be accompanying you. You’re not only new, you need… Well, I’m just there to show you the ropes.”
Filthy then narrowed his eyes in concern. “But considering your reactions to this office… Are you sure you can do this?”
“Consarn it, Filthy, I’m not some helpless lil filly, am I?”, Applejack huffed angrily. She wanted nothing more than to forget, but her family… The Apples couldn’t afford that, and she had made things bad enough for them.
“…I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“…It’s not me you should be worryin’ about. These people need to talk about what happened. If that’s the least I can do…”
Applejack took a deep breath. Remembering hurt, being a stranger to her own family hurt, but it was the fear of hurting those ponies even more that was the killer, the knife that wouldn’t let go.
She could just run. She could just run and never come back…
…No. She had hurt enough people. She couldn’t leave all those poor citizens to suffer from HER failure.
“…It’s the least I can do, so I’ll do that at least.”, she finally stated, closing the escape route with the words from her lips.
“…All right, then.”, Filthy responded, and he offered his hoof. Applejack took a moment, and shook back firmly.
The door suddenly swung open, making both ponies jump, as Spoiled Rich reentered her office with a haughty laugh. “Another job well done!”
Applejack turned to observe Spoiled. She had never been a… Big fan of the high society mare, to say the least. She kind of reminded her of her first impression of Rarity, before she had fall… Well, realized what a good FRIEND she was!
…She really was bad at lying, huh?
But putting that aside, Applejack always felt a veneer of superiority from the mare, and an air of superficiality. “Puttin’ on a show, I reckon.”, she thought.
But over the years she had learned not to always judge others. Gut instincts weren’t always right. And these days Applejack found it hard enough to trust her own gut.
“She’s my boss now, too. I s'pose I can try and make nice with her!”, Applejack decided in her head, and she offered a friendly hoof, that was shook with mild disinterest.
“Ah, yes, our new employee. I do wish we could have spoken about your past experiences, but all the same, it is a pleasure to have you on board, Ms. Applejack.”, Spoiled declared. It seemed like she dotted every word with the utmost importance. It was like talking to a commercial, almost.
“Likewise, I guess. This isn’t quite my kind of hootenanny, but, well, if people need me…”, Applejack replied honestly, a simple shrug and a smile on her face.
“Wonderful, we share the same outlook! As you can see, I am in the “helping others” business too! You Mane 6 made it look so hard.”
Applejack wasn’t sure if that was an insult, or an odd attempt to connect, but she resolved to ignore it, just in case.
Spoiled kept on, standing on her hind legs to reach one of the framed headline so she could shine it. “It is so very rewarding! Seeing all those people in the streets looking up with hope…”
Applejack nodded. She could get that. But she didn’t get something else. “Well, pardon my askin’, but how come ya only help one, then?”
Filthy, who never really intervened in Spoiled’s conversations with anyone, seemed alarmed at the question, but Spoiled didn’t seem to mind it at all. “Oh, no need to beg my pardon, there’s a simple answer to that! Different problems require different solutions! One could take a few minutes, the other whole months! I can only do so much by myself!”
She put the picture back up and smirked at Applejack. “You can’t save everyone, after all.”
Applejack had to admit, it checked out. “I suppose…”
But a small feeling of doubt would not creep out of Applejack’s heart, as she and Filthy set off on their way to the heart of the Favelas…
“It was… It was 5 o’clock in the morning when the attack woke me up. I… ¿Estás segura de que no hablas español?”
Applejack, pen in mouth, sighed wearily. “’Fraid not, ma’am.”
She then smiled reassuringly. “But I’m sure I can translate it sometimes this evenin’. I don’t want to be a bother, with mah ignorance and all that.”
Filthy nodded too, urging the ancient but sweet lady they were interviewing to keep talking.
“Gracias, Señorita y Señor.”, the old woman replied, politely bowing. She gestured towards the dusty coffee table, which was barely holding together, but still managed to hold up a bowl of dry croissants, a plate of old churros sprinkled with brown sugar, and a few mugs of cold coffee. “¿No tienes hambre?”
It wasn’t the lack of hunger that did it for Applejack, rather the knowledge this was the best they had to offer. She didn’t want to insult her hosts, but surely taking the little they had left was worse?
Still, Applejack was no stranger to customs, and she wasn’t about to break any. So she took a churro and took a healthy bite out of it. “G…Gracias?”
“¡Correcta!”, the old mare congratulated her enthusiastically, clapping her hooves. Applejack chuckled brightly, but her heart still felt heavy.
The lights hadn’t stopped flickering the entire time they had sat there, the couches had gaping holes in them, Applejack had spotted a family of cockroaches hiding in the bathroom when she had washed her hooves there.
And that was all there BEFORE Tirek had attacked.
“umfazi akakuthandi ukutya kwakho, makazame okwam!”, an elderly black stallion with a greying and thinning mane teased the elderly latino mare, who laughed and wagged her finger at him.
Applejack seemed lost, and embarrassed to be, but the old mare came to her rescue. “He says, you would prefer his food. Lo dudo!”, she joked, laughing again. The old stallion laughed too.
“ຢຸດລົບກວນນາງ, ນາງຕ້ອງໄດ້ ສຳ ພາດພວກເຮົາ!”, another elderly mare, one with a very serious look in her eyes, scolded the other seniors, and resumed staring intently at Applejack.
“She says we should focus. And she is right. Since you can write me down best, I’ll do the talking. But do add when you feel like it.”, the old latino mare told the others
Applejack nodded, slowly but surely. She had already seen much evidence of how bad the place had been, and a part of her was deathly afraid of what Tirek’s attack had done.
But she had to take responsibility for that disastrous day, and recount the truth of these people who had suffered under her failure.
Clicking her pen, Applejack placed it in her mouth, and began to write. She nodded for them to continue.
The old mare took a deep breath, and began to tell her tale, the other seniors listening silently, tears in their eyes.
“Mi nombre es Lilianna Hernandez. Mi familia ha vivido aquí durante las últimas 20 generaciones. Pero a veces ... siento que acabo de llegar de una tierra lejana.”
Lilianna pointed with her hoof at the rooms in her floor, and one could feel the years roll back in her mind.
“Teníamos una granja aquí, aquí mismo, abajo. Acerca de dónde estaba el baño, teníamos las gallinas y la cocina era la pocilga. La hierba estaba cubierta de tréboles de cuatro hojas y el cielo era de un azul más profundo que el mar.”
Her eyes seemed to twinkle at all this, but Applejack didn’t notice, ‘cause she was surprised by something else. For some reason, she could understand every single word, despite never having learned Spanish. She couldn’t explain it, but…
Her powers. For once, they seemed to have come in handy. She felt dirty using them, using her wrong, her sinful abilities, but if it meant giving the lady an ear to listen to…
“I did promise I’d help.”, she resigned, and focusing her newly found power, she kept on listening.
“El domingo íbamos a la plaza del pueblo, que todavía está en pie, y vendíamos nuestro maíz. Era el mejor maíz de toda Equestria. O al menos, eso me dijo mi familia, no me gusta mucho el maíz.”, she joked, laughing once more. Her laugh was more of a cough than a laugh, and Applejack wondered how come, when Filthy had been told not to bring any cigerettes into the house. But hearing such a lovely laugh tampered with a cough made her feel even worse. The story sounded so beautiful. But she knew there was a tragic twist coming. And it made her insides twist too.
“Por las noches la familia se juntaba, bailamos, cantábamos, contamos historias y nos abrigábamos en el invierno así.”
Her voice turned soft, as she locked eyes with Applejack, who knew exactly what that was like. It was… It was home. The home she once had before she remembered her alien origin. The home she had no more.
“Fue encantador.”, she whispered, longingly, fighting a sob. Filthy didn’t know what to say, and Applejack offered her a warm, comforting hoof on the shoulder. In her heart, she could feel… She could feel something brewing.
“Pero supongo que todas las cosas bellas deben terminar algún día. Cuando comenzaron a construir nuevas secciones en Ponyville, nuestro vecindario no estaba incluido. Estábamos confundidos. Nuestros caminos estaban embarrados, nuestra agua estaba sucia y los precios de los alimentos estaban subiendo.”
Lilianna sighed wearily, and she looked towards the mantelpiece, at a memento of a stallion dear to her hear. “Mi abuelo, bendito sea, decidió averiguar qué estaba pasando. Marchó a la misma ciudad de Canterlot, a pie, ¡estaba tan enojado! Y cuando llegó, fue redirigido al gobernador de Ponyville, creo que su nombre era...”
Having stayed silent the entire time to accomodate her tale, the African stallion spoke up. “Ronald!”
“¡Sí, Ronald!”, Lilianna exclaimed, nodding in remembrance. “Y Ronald, le dijo a mi abuelo, que había caminado TODO el camino hasta la ciudad a pie, le dijo que ellos resolverían el problema de inmediato. Bueno ... mira a tu alrededor.”
Applejack did. Outside was like inside. It wasn’t just this apartment building… This entire neighborhood was on the brink of disaster. How had this happened?
And how had she let herself let this place get that close to the end?
“Así que durante años aquí, apenas hemos aguantado. Y ahora, ahora cuando ese diablo nos atacó, cuando ese monstruo nos atacó a todos, el resto de Ponyville se está recuperando lentamente, ¿pero nosotros?”
Lilianna was getting emotional, and she calmed herself down.
“ຫົວໃຈຂອງທ່ານ, ທີ່ຮັກ. ທ່ານຮູ້ບໍ່ວ່າທ່ານບໍ່ສາມາດຕື່ນເຕັ້ນເກີນໄປ.”, The lao mare responded anxiously, and Lilianna nodded slowly to reassure her. Applejack felt like she could cry at any minute, but she kept her stiff upper lip, as usual.
Her hoof was trembling though, as was Filthy’s, who seemed even more forlorn than her.
“Señora, la luz se apaga por la noche. El agua es negra. Los cielos son más negros. Y el alquiler subió. ¡Aumentado! Nosotros ... No podemos vivir más aquí. Están ... Nos echarán a todos mañana. No sé si esta historia ayudará, pero a menos que ... A menos que se arregle este lugar, a menos que se considere que este lugar tiene valor nuevamente, no intentarán mantenernos aquí para que paguemos. No podremos pagar el alquiler, pero todavía tendremos un techo sobre nosotros por un tiempo, ¿y luego lo sabe Celestia? Quizás, solo quizás, podamos seguir viviendo aquí, y ellos se apiadarán de nosotros. Pero ahora mismo, señora...”
Lilanna took Applejack’s hoof by her hoof and squeezed gently, pleading, her eyes begging for help in some way, some form, not from her…
But Applejack felt like it was directed at her soul.
“…Ni siquiera podemos permitirnos falsas esperanzas.”
“I have to help them.”
Applejack’s words were as flat as the ground she now trotted on, as she and Filthy made their way back to the office. Once she dropped her findings, a translator would ready the English version of Applejack’s interview for tomorrow’s paper. And then Applejack would go back home to rest before another day of work at her new job.
But Applejack could only think of one thing: The old woman, and how similar she was to her.
Except for one thing: That woman was having it harder than anyone else, for no clear reason.
While Applejack was not having it hard despite all the reasons.
Filthy looked aside at Applejack, clear regret lacing his vision. He hadn’t really spoken during the whole affair, but it had clearly affected him too. “Applejack, I’d do it right now if I could. But it’s impossible.”
Applejack scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Why? You’re loaded with cash! Your name isn’t Filthy Rich for nothin’!”
“That was a given name, fitting as it has turned out. And I’m sorry, but it’s true.”
“Why?”
“Because I legally can’t.”
That made Applejack stop in her tracks and stare wide eyed at Filthy, who was a little ahead of her now. “Whaaaat?”
“You heard me.”, Filthy said, as he kept pacing.
Applejack galloped over next to his side. “That just don’t make a lick of sense! Legally? What in tarnation are ya talkin’ about, Filthy?”
Filthy sighed once more and stopped to observe her. They were still surrounded by dust, ashes, and smog, and all around them stallions and mares wheezed, and coughed in near synchronization. “Since the… You know, since then, the new mayoral office is flat out broke. They took all the loans they could on repairing the main parts of Ponyville. Sadly, a place like The Favelas were always going to be last on the pecking order.”
He shook his head in dissatisfaction. She could tell he was as repulsed by this as her. “So even if I rolled up to them now with every last bit I own, they’d reject me. And say they did take my money, Applejack. You heard them! The building has to be fixed by tomorrow!”
He stared right into her eyes, and Applejack almost felt as if a powerful force was calling onto her. “…So unless you’re faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive, those people’s lives are over.”
He silenced, looking down with pain. Applejack bit her lip; she had been harsh to him. Too harsh. He had helped her a lot today with this job, and she knew that deep down, he would have done all he could if he could.
“…I’m sorry. It just… It just makes me mad to see such injustice.”
“I understand you. Really I do. Just like your parents. A true Apple.”, he smiled proudly, but Applejack felt no pride, only shame.
“Yeah… True apple… That’s me…”
Applejack kept walking away, calmly telling herself that Filthy was right. There was nothing that could be done. She wasn’t faster than a speeding bullet, and she wasn’t more powerful than a locomotive, and there was no way in Tarterous that she could help those poor ponies.
…
Looking up, Applejack could see a row of houses that were still completely torn down to the ground, homeless ponies struggling to huddle together for warmth. All because Tirek had slammed her to the ground…
Because she wasn’t strong enough.
Or perhaps…
Because she hadn’t chosen to be.
That night, Applejack couldn’t stop tossing and turning in her bed. Usually she was a sound sleeper, with a tight schedule. She went to sleep at 20:00 sharp, so she could get eight hours of solid sleep before waking up at the crack of dawn (summer or winter, it didn’t matter) and get to work. She would finish dinner, wash the dishes as fast as… Well, as fast as she let herself, she’d run upstairs to brush her teeth, and with a warm glass of milk, she’d drift off to sleep and dream of apple pies, and family gatherings, and of a certain white mare’s shimmering smile.
But recently she had been getting nightmares. Horrible, all to real nightmares.
First they had been all about Tirek killing her, leaving all her family and friends helpless from future problems. They’d all grow cold and distant, afraid to move forwards in fear that more would die.
More always did die.
That was bad enough, she had thought, but once her foreign heritage came back to the forefront of her mind, Applejack had rerouted to dreams about being shunned, ostracized, feared. Her own family, screaming in fright from the monster she was. She’d sport strange colors and spots, and she’d feel a stranger in her own skin. She’d look in the mirror and see a frightening fiend. And they would all run away, leaving her dreadfully alone.
Tonight had managed to be worse than both combined.
Applejack had tried fluffing her pillows, changing her sheets from the crumbs she would accidentally leave at times, and even counting sheep, silly as it had always sounded to her. But none of those ways worked. Her eyes squinted in pain from the harshly lit night, her heart raced from the events in her mind, and her brain attacked her with rapidly escalating images of guilt. Of shame. Of failure.
Maybe she wouldn’t have beaten Tirek with her powers. Maybe they would have made things worse for her. But maybe she could have saved the Favelas. Maybe just maybe the tenants could sue for the damages done to them by the city council with the knowledge that their building could be salvaged so easily, but wasn’t.
But what had she done? She had been afraid. Always so afraid. Afraid to hurt, afraid to disappoint, and in the end, she had done both.
She was no hero.
Just a freak.
A monster…
“Consarn it!”, Applejack whispered harshly, and she wrapped the pillow around her head to block the thoughts. Her breathing as rapid as she saw Lilianna’s eyes pierce into her soul.
Twilight was handicapped… Her fault.
Rainbow was hurt, and fervently in denial… Her fault.
Granny Smith and Big Mac had been nearly put out of working order forever… Her fault.
Rarity…
Applejack tossed and turned once more, begging, pleading for it to stop.
But the voice inside her would not let go.
“I must do something!”, she thought, before she countered herself. “No, no, I can’t! I’ll only make things worse!”
“You already made things worse!”, She retorted, angrily.
“Two wrongs don’t make a right!”
“But what if this isn’t a wrong? What if this is a right you just didn’t know how to use?”
“I’m tired of hurting people!”
“You are hurting them right now by not flying over there right now and…”
Applejack nearly screamed, and she held her head in pain, sobbing. “No! I can’t fly! I don’t have powers! I’m! Not! A! Freak!”
She sobbed and sobbed into her pillow, wetting it with her tears. She hiccupped. “I’m… I’m an Apple. Please… I want to be an Apple. I want… I just want to help. And earn my name.”
“…An Apple would help them. An Apple would make up for her mistakes. An Apple doesn’t sit by when people are in need.”
Applejack shook her head. “Ma and Pa didn’t want me to, ‘member?”
“Ma and Pa didn’t want you to do it AT FIRST. They wanted you to learn how to control it.”
“Well, tough. I can’t. I tried.”
“…Did you?”
Applejack gulped. Had she, really? Had she tried enough?
Or had she let her fears take over her?
“I… I can’t, no. Even with the best of intentions, my powers are too wild. It won’t be good enough.”
“But what if it IS good enough? What if, just if, you work hard enough to make it work?”
Applejack sniffed, thinking of those ponies in need. They wouldn’t have a bed to cry in… A roof to feel lonely under… They would have nothing, not even the most basic of requirements.
“…Nopony deserves such treatment. They didn’t do nothin’. They was jus’ livin’. They… They deserve better.”
“…Then give them better.”
Applejack bit her lip. The possibility of failure, of hurting more people… It still laid out there in the open.
But another realization came to her. Only she could help. Truly, she was the only option, good or bad.
And even if she wasn’t…
“…Ponies deserve better than this. They deserve… Better than what I gave them. It’s the least I can do…”
She stood up slowly from her bed, staring out of the window, defiant. Her heart slowed down, and she closed her eyes. In her heart of hearts, away from the madding crowd, away from her fears and doubts and concerns, her true spirit knew: Kindness was not some gift or donation…
It was the bare minimum.
And it was what anypony deserved.
To see those ponies live under their roof, like they deserve to…
“It’s the least I can do. I reckon I should do that at least.”
Her eyes narrowed. She slowed her breath.
She hadn’t used her powers in years. It could be bumpy.
But she had to.
She wanted to.
And so she did.
Out the window she went, silent as the night but as fast as the light. She narrowly avoided some trees, and a bridge or two, but soon enough she was there.
It looked even worse from up here. The sorry sight made Applejack even more determined. Those people would have a roof above their heads, Celestia be damned.
“With my speed, I should be able to get trees over here and make planks of wood in a jiffy. A nice, sturdy wooden home would stay up long enough until they can sue the asses of the city council. And then I could build them a better home, once I learn how to work with bricks. But for now, it’s good old wood.”
Whooshing back as quickly as she could, Applejack reached a grove on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, one that’s absence wouldn’t be noticed by Granny Smith or Big Mac in a hurry.
There was more than enough wood, she counted as she zoomed past each tree. The challenge was keeping quiet, and…
Keeping her strength at bay.
One kick had emptied a whole tree of apples, and it was her softest kick. How could she pick up the wood without sending it hurtling over the skies?
Applejack hesitated again, her teeth chattering. “There’s gotta be another way, there’s gotta be!”
But then she remembered the people she had failed, and, narrowing her eyes, she clenched her fists. “No. No! I’m NOT failing, not this time! Get a grip, Applejack!”
Holding her breath, she placed her hooves on the tree and slowly but surely lifted, her most gentle, careful touch appliyng as little pressure as possible to the tree’s surface.
She just managed not to send it flying through the sky.
But that was the word: She JUST managed.
A small, proud smile appeared on her lips. “Huh… Whatdaya know?”
But she shook the thought out of her head quickly. She could shower herself with praise later, she had work to do.
“Think of it like farm work, only… Not, farm work.”
Applejack made herself a mental note to work on her inner monologue. When she wasn’t experiencing intense shame, she was struggling to make sense.
Flying back, it had only been half a minute since she had left. Applejack couldn’t believe the time. “Darn tootin’! In this pace, I should build it in no time!”
But time did pass quickly. Her fears had not let go of her, so she did everything almost too carefully. It required a lot of sneaking around, quiet sawing (“There’s one power I’m actually glad to have”), fast nailing.
Everything had to be done just right, but also 100 times faster. And while Applejack’s powers meant she got tired and hurt way less than others, she was getting worn out towards the end herself.
But as she worked, Applejack couldn’t help but note that she felt an odd sensation, a joy at her work, and not just from how it would help the tenants (though it was a major part): there was something about finally making a difference, however small, that was immensely satisfying. Like, she was building a house of amends, and she had laid the first stone. It was only one…
But it would mean a lot to a lot of people. And that was good enough for now.
The sun had already risen as Applejack laid the finishing touches, smiling at her work. “Whhoo wee! Not bad, if I do say so myself.”, she allowed herself a little self congratulating, but she backtracked when she heard the sound of an approaching crowd.
“Oh, crap, they’re nearly here!”
Applejack frantically searched for an escape. If they saw her now, no amount of good deeds would ever stop them from fearing her. And then she would never be able to make up for her failures!
Hoping no one could see her, Applejack flew faster than she had ever flown, nearly creating a sonic rainboom in the process. She flew and flew until she crashed into her bedroom, and hurridley, she buried herself under the covers.
The tenants were in shock as they looked up. It wasn’t their building… It was somehow even better!
While some problems remained, in the form of flickering lights and contaminated water, the rooms and floors looked brand new! But…
“Akunakwenzeka! Ingathi sibuyele emva ngexesha!”, The elderly mare responded with amazed eyes.
“ມັນຕ້ອງເປັນສິ່ງມະຫັດສະຈັນ ... ແຕ່ວ່າແນວໃດ?”, the lao mare exclaimed in shock.
Lilianna’s tears would not subside, but they were happy tears. In her room, there laid a basket of freshly picked corn.
“…Whatever it is, familia, it must be some kind of… Ángel guardian.”
Applejack had somehow managed to hear all of that from her room. She wasn’t sure how, but a smile tugged at her heart strings.
“…No. Just a friend.”
It may not be enough…
And she was still so afraid, and definitely unsure of doing something like this again. She had gotten VERY lucky.
And she wasn’t even sure she deserved it.
But it was at least something.
She could at least say she had truly helped a few souls in need.
And that was better than what she could say about herself yesterday.
“Maybe there is a little Apple in me after all…”
Nuzzling up to the pillow, Applejack began to snore lightly…
Only for Granny Smith to forcibly remove the blanket.
“Rise and shine, sleepy head!”
“Granny Smith? It’s still early!”, Applejack protested, and Granny Smith laughed heartily.
“You must have had some kooky dreams, Applejack! It’s 7:00 in the mornin’, and we have work to do!”
Applejack stumbled downstairs, dazed. A little lighter, yes.
But it seemed like sleep would be in short supply.