Chapter Two: Gnosis
Applejack grumbled to herself as she sat in the kitchen. Big Mac had insisted that she wait inside while he headed over to Twilight Sparkle’s place. The stallion rarely said much, but he was one of the only creatures alive who could match her for sheer bull-headed stubbornness. Applejack had managed to get him to relent on summoning the princesses directly, but if anypony knew what was going on it would be Twilight. After all, she’d had more firsthand experience with alicorns than anypony living.
Granny Smith bustled about the well-stocked kitchen baking and mixing as she always did, but she kept a rheumy eye on her granddaughter. The old mare was no longer completely there upstairs, and she would be the first to admit it, but she knew when one of her little ones was having a bad day. Venturing a guess at the cause she said, “Are the crops comin’ along alright?”
“Yes Gran, it’s lookin’ to be a bumper crop a apples this year. Even the corn’s lookin’ good.”
The subtle approach had failed, time for more direct measures. “Well, what’s eatin’ ya girl? Gotchyer eye on some stud who ain’t payin’ you no mind?” She waggled an eyebrow knowingly.
AJ couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “No Gran, it ain’t that. Where’re yer glasses?”
Granny Smith hemmed and hawed for a minute before fishing them out of an open drawer they had fallen into. Putting them on, she turned towards Applejack. The large horn jutting out of her forehead suddenly snapped into focus. “What’re you wearin’ that thing fer?”
“That’s the problem Gran, Ah ain’t wearin’ nothin’.” She extended a wing for examination. “These dang wings and horn jes’ showed up yesterday and now tha cows are spooked at me and Big Mac wants ta send fer the Princesses.”
The matriarchal Apple squinted hard at her granddaughter for an uncomfortably long time. Applejack shied away a bit at the intensity of her scrutiny. Finally the old mare chucked her glasses on a counter and trotted up to Applejack, wrapping as much of her as possible in a hug. “Well, yer still mah little Jackie, don’t you let a little thing like that worry ya none.”
Applejack couldn’t help but smile at that. Nothing much ever got her Gran down for long. Leaning far down into the hug she said, “Thanks Gran, Ah know it ain’t a big deal, Ah jest don’t know what ever’pony else is gonna think.”
***
Twilight trotted alongside Big Mac, still mystified as to why she was being summoned to the farm. The big stallion was a pillar of Ponyville in his own way, but stars help anypony who tried to get a two-sentence explanation out of him. “Sooo, AJ’s in a bit of trouble?”
“Eeyup.”
“And you think I’ll be able to help her out?”
“Eeyup.”
“Okaaay, with what?”
Big Mac tilted his head at this, “You’ll know.”
Twilight shook her head in frustration, it was no use. The two trotted on, one in companionable silence, the other in vague apprehension. As they reached the farmhouse and walked inside there was a rustling from the kitchen and a massive alicorn ducked through the doorway. Twilight was rooted to the spot as the giant pony grinned sheepishly at her. Looking back and forth from Big Mac to the newcomer a light finally clicked on in her head. “Alright, very funny princess. You really had me going for a moment. Why are you impersonating Applejack? That is you isn’t it Celestia? Or Luna… It’s really hard to tell actually.”
‘Celestia’ frowned at Twilight, causing a small tremor of fear in the little unicorn. Her teacher never frowned like that; it must be Luna. “Twi, it’s me, Applejack.”
Twilight began to feel a little insulted, “Um, hate to burst your bubble princess, it sounds like you worked really hard on getting the voice down exactly, and it’s a great prank, but you forgot one little detail. Applejack isn’t a ten-hoof tall alicorn!”
“Consarn-it Twi, Ah am Applejack! Remember that time on tha cliff when Ah swore Ah was tellin’ tha honest truth? Or when Ah finally admitted Ah needed help with apple buckin’? This is one a those times!”
Twilight’s eyes went huge at this revelation, then promptly rolled up as she fainted clean away.
***
“Tell me agin why y’all thought this was a good idea Mac?”
“Ah just thought she’d help.”
Twilight came-to on one of the Apple’s parlor couches. Big Mac and Giant Applejack were having a quiet argument nearby. “A-Applejack?”
The mare walked over, concern in her eyes, “Yeah sugarcube? Y’all took a good little tumble there. You feelin’ alright?”
“I’ll be fine, but what about you? You really are…” The librarian gestured with a hoof.
“You jest pointed ta all of me.”
“Exactly!”
Applejack sighed, “It seems Ah am.” She told Twilight what had happened.
Twilight considered for a moment. “Well, as I see it, there are two possibilities. Possibility one, it’s genetic. The phenotypes of the three races are typically mutually exclusive. Even if you have all three genes in you, generally only one manifests, like with the Cake’s foals. On the other hoof, there are exceptions. Cadence is a rather dramatic one, she exhibits both pegasus and unicorn traits, but she isn’t a true alicorn. Winged unicorn might be more taxonomically accurate. Also, you have ponies like Blueblood and Roid Rage who exhibit more than their share of earth pony traits despite being a unicorn and pegasus respectively…” Twilight paused to take in her friend’s shape, “… but that doesn’t account for why you seem to have all three, and not from birth either.”
AJ nodded, not sure exactly what her friend was driving at, or saying for that matter. “And the other possibility?”
“The other possibility, the one that seems to fit best, even though it’s crazy, is that you really are a goddess.”
“Well, if Ah am a goddess, what exactly am Ah tha goddess of?”
Twilight’s eyes wandered down to her friend’s side, “Well, I might have an idea, could I see your flank?” Applejack grinned at her slyly. “Not like that! I swear, frazzin’ dirty-minded farmers.” Big Mac, having gone and just returned with refreshments, backed quietly out of the room again on hearing this.
“Ya think mah cutie mark has somethin’ ta do with this?”
“I do. The circle with crosshairs is an ancient symbol for the Earth. I don’t know what the leaf is though…”
“It’s an apple leaf.” AJ said quickly.
Twilight looked up at her friend in surprise, “Are you sure?”
“Eeyup.”
“Well, you’d know.” The unicorn frowned in concentration. “Well, I guess the next thing to do is head over to Canterlot and tell Celestia there’s a new goddess to… Raise the Earth? That’s nonsense. I’ll have to look into this a bit more.”
“Ah ain’t goin’ ta Canterlot.”
“But why?”
Applejack’s frown mirrored that of the unicorn. “Ah ain’t exactly comfortable with the idea of bein’ a princess, and besides, there’s too much ta do on tha farm ta get ready fer harvest fer me ta just up an’ take a Celestia-knows-how-long vacation… Ain’t that right Mac?” she shouted. Big Mac, still taking refuge in the kitchen, declined to comment.
Twilight rolled her eyes, “Fine, but I’m still sending a letter. And you,” she poked at Applejack’s chest with a hoof, “Had at least better learn to use that form while you have it.”