//------------------------------// // Why pick me? // Story: A Risk She is Willing to Take. // by CreativeCreatures //------------------------------// Rain rippled through the cracked ceiling as a once beloved farmer sat at her now crumbled throne, the ruby remains of her cutie mark scattered along the floor in an ugly irony. Dust bugs and decay crept the walls like the changelings used to do eons ago. Bits of rock and musty air dotted the room as darkness sang lullabies of old battles Applejack fought with her friends. Friends, who were now standing still as stone upon their old thrones. Friends who died years ago.  Bits of the farmer's mane stuck together, hanging over her face and throne, dangling across the floor in an unkept overgrown mess. Her coat was no better, battered and speckled with spots clinging to dirt and uneven hair. The rain left an unwelcome friz on the mare's mane, but little motivation remained in the farmer to even try to fix it.  Applejack's emerald eyes had long since darkened by the years of isolation. Almost all bits of life were snuffed from the once vibrant green. Though the years continued and the world moved by, the farmer hung on to the slight hope that someone would find her. That didn't stop the hate however, the same burning hate glaring at the crystals her old idol held.     The old idol was decorated with moss and vines, all of which cracked its stone. Though nature was relentless to the statue, it did not seem to affect the 2 glowing gems engraved into the stone idol's chest. But, there was something missing: a hole where there used to live a 3rd crystal.    A large set of wings kept to the idols back, folded neatly without a single feather poking out. On top was a narrow, broken by age, horn sitting magnificently upon the ponies forehead. The pony known as Twilight Sparkle... The bringer and breaker of harmony. Honestly speaking though, Applejack couldn't blame Twilight. Seeing how desperate the poor mare was and the horrid situation the former friends were forced into, anyone would grab at straws! If only it could have gone another way. If only Applejack fought harder! If only doomsday never happened. Applejack could remember the very day Twilight broke everything she and her friends worked so hard for. The former farmer remembered the day like it was yesterday even! Twilight had Applejack join her in a secret meeting within the library of the castle. She said stuff about holding friendship through the fall, how this civil war had to end, how someone had to stay behind… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The purple crystallized walls loomed around the farmer as she sat awkwardly in her pristine white throne, something she wished she didn't have. Twilight, in all her alicorn glory, sat across the table from Applejack. The princess kept tapping her hoofs on the stone in a panicky silence, only worsening Applejack's already frightful mood. A sickening silence filled the room fast as Applejack's confused mind raced.  “What's wrong, sugarcube?” AJ finally asked. Twilight's wings physically fluffed up in a panic. Whatever the conversation was going to be about was clearly going to be hard for Twilight. It was best for Applejack to keep her cool. “Well… you see, Applejack. I have a plan to end this war.” Twilight started, gulping down her words in a panicked fashion. “I will take away magic.”  Silence. There was only silence after that. Everything Twilight stood for, everything the friends fought for… she was gonna take away? What about the elements of harmony? AJ wouldn't allow this, it was best to break it softly.  “You shouldn't do that sugar.” Applejack reacted bluntly.  There goes keeping her cool. “I can't allow you to do that. After everything we do, we stand for, I can't allow this to happen.” “Please AJ, let me finish-” Twilight started, sighed after she noticed an unhappy look.. Then continued. “It's the only thing we can do.”  “No, no it's not!” Applejack slammed one of her hoofs onto the table, “we fought tyrants, queens and even gods! What about when Chrysalis, Cozy and Tirek turned ponies against each other? Why is it so different now? As long as we stay toge-”  “That won't work this time!” Twilight hissed. Tears dripped from the princess’s eyes, “Listen, I already talked to the others about this and they agree. We will put the power into something. Ponies will just kill each other with their magic at this rate! This is a step we have to take to make a path to victory.”  “A step the ponies won't like.” AJ responded coldly, causing the already panicked Twilight to freeze. Applejack could see Twilight agreed. Maybe the farm mare was being to hard on h- “A step I'm willing to take.” Oh no.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And a step she ultimately took. That very day she ‘blessed’ Applejack with being the caretaker of the very gems they shoved innocent ponies' powers into. Chaining the farmer to the castle and magic of the angered world. After this chaining the princess made it all to clear AJ wouldn’t be able to leave unless the gems were put together by a pony other than AJ herself. Apparently it was to protect the gems and Applejack, but the orange mare still had yet to find out how it served that purpose. Why she chose Applejack, a question the old farmer mare still asked to today. Possibly due to the farmer's disagreeing views, or maybe she just felt Applejack would handle it the best. Whatever the reason, it was too late to ask.  The day the powers were taken the angered ponies stormed the castle, brutally attacking the princess in a blind rage. Discord grabbed Fluttershy and fled into the 4th dimension as ponies screamed at Rainbow and Rarity. Pinkie was berated with insults by unhappy ponies, something that showed to physically and mentally break the pony in two. Applejack was cornered, shamed and attacked. Only after hours of screaming did the ponies finally leave, and one by one so did Applejack's old friends.     Applejack tried to follow Pinkie, knowing the party pony would take it all the worst, only to find she couldn't leave the castle due to her caretaker role. Pinkie reassured her she would be ok, leaving Applejack behind with false hope.  Around a week after the ‘accident’ Pinkie hung herself with her balloons due to the guilt of failing her 'purpose'. A year after that Rainbow fell from cloudsdale, unable to fly and splattered across the floor like a rotten pie. Rarity was found frozen to death by the yacks village two years after Rainbow's demise, who knew how long the poor mare was there. Twilight was murdered in the war. Fluttershy was never seen again. One by one they disappeared, one by one they left.      Discord came by every time one of the friends died, leaving a statue of the recent fallen friend. He would tell how they died and apologize, but he had nothing to apologize for. The last time he appeared he left the stature of Fluttershy, ignored Applejack's questions and left. She could only assume her friend was dead. It was only around a few weeks after Discord's last visit that the pegasus gem was taken, only adding insult to injury for Applejack's unwelcome situation. That was all years ago, years Applejack stopped keeping track of. Now she just sat alone, hating the gems who tore the world apart, asking the mare who forced her into the prison why. Hating everything she herself stood for.  Applejack's hateful gaze landed on the two glowing gems formed to represent earth and unicorn kind. Oh, how the mare wanted to just shatter them, but she couldn't. She couldn't even touch them! Unable to leave the castle prison and forced to stare at the old memories unable to ever move on, Applejack was practically driven mad!    She had been alone for so long, the last pony to ever check on her being her sister's great grandchild. And even then, it was just to yell at her for ruining the poor fillies life! Guilt and anger boiled together growing into the very mare who sat on the throne today. But, she couldn't afford losing herself… no, She just didn't want to be alone anymore. She didn't like being useless! Maybe somepony would come, maybe somepony would find the long abandoned castle! Maybe…  Hoof-steps echoed the halls, approaching the throne room AJ sat in. Applejack froze, her ears darting around as she sat up in her seat. Was it somepony? Or was it just her mind? Her mind did tend to make fake noises recently to deal with the isolation… The mare decided to wait and find out.   A few painful minutes passed as a small filly stepped into the room. He had a light blue coat and a darker blue mane. Large glasses sat over his snout as his eyes darted around the room, not yet noticing Applejack. He had a large brown pouch upon his back, which he quickly pulled off and sat to rest upon the damp floor. Applejack watched in a frozen shock from her throne, seeing as he jumped onto the table and approached the two gems. His little hoof raised up and touched the glowing gems as a sound of admiration and confusion was whispered. A single eyebrow of the farmers was raised as she slowly stood up, watching the dazed filly with a curious frown.  “It's rude to ignore ponies, y’know.” Applejack chuckled dryly, her voice spooking the filly from his daze. “Whatcha doin all the way out here?”  The filly quickly spun to meet the eyes of the long since worn mare, but that didn't seem to bother him. A wide smile grew on his face as his eyes practically sparkled. He began to mutter a few things before blurting out her name with an excited squeak. He spoke on how he read so much about her and her friends, how he looked up to them. How he wanted to be like them. Be like the mares who only worsened the problem.  Applejack's ears lowered as she listened to the filly talk, her warm smile growing strained. She raised her hoof in an attempt to say something, only for the filly to talk more. Every now and then she would say “sugar” or “sugarcube” as a way to try to butt in. After a few minutes she finally got a chance to talk. “Sugarcube-” the filly quickly fell silent, staring at her with a huge smile. “May I please learn yer name?” the filly stuttered and giggled before finally speaking with an embarrassed look.  “Oh, I am very sorry! My name is Argyle Starshine!” the filly smiled again, “I came here to see if the gems were actually real! A-and they are- and you're alive! This is incredible!” incredible for some maybe. Applejack frowned as the filly kept talking, he clearly didn't just want to see the gems. He went on to talk about taking the gems and possibly reuniting the world.  “Sugar, these things are dangerous. They tore the species apart, they might just make things worse.” Applejack tried, the filly didn't listen. “But what if it doesn't? What if we can fix everything!”  “We?” Applejack questioned, the filly nodded.  “We just need to find the third gem!” the filly was full of so much hope, could Applejack shatter that..? This was the first life she's seen after many years and he was leaving her already. But she couldn't just keep him here, and what if he was right..? She needed a way to make sure, but should she risk it? This might be the only chance left to save the pony kind.  Was there anything left to lose?  “Alright sugar, take the other two gems and return here when you find the third. We can find a way to bring back the ponies' magic together.” Applejack smiled, causing the filly to jump with a happy squeak. This was a chance she was willing to take, just like Twilight took all those years ago. But unlike Twilight, this time, the magic would be returned. The pony races would be together again, ponies would be happy again! All because of this little filly. The filly left after around an hour of chatting. A chat the worn farmer was all too happy to oblige in. She trusted he would come back with the other gem, that they could find a solution together! He knew now she couldn’t leave, and he promised he would be back. so then she wouldn't be alone. Then she could leave the damn castle once the gems were all reunited! She could run under the leaves again! She just had to continue to hold out for a little while longer! A little while longer. … He didn't come back.