Chapter 21 - Seed
The adoption into the Orange Family was just a ruse--a way to lull Filly Applejack into complacency and make her vulnerable to kidnapping.
The Manehattan Weather Control Spires outpoured a dark storm in the evening--a perfect cover for President-Adviser of Information Control Photo Finish and her cronies to chase and surround the orange filly in the dead end of a dark alley. The blue mare stepped out of the car, styled in a government uniform too fabulous than it was allowed and glasses too stylishly tinted than necessary. Likewise, her cronies were dressed in fashionably colorful uniforms, and each of them was allowed to have their own hairstyles that were currently protected from the rain by the huge umbrellas carried by their mareservants.
At the President-Adviser's silent call, two stallion escorts leapt out and tackled Filly Applejack into the wet asphalt. With Applejack held down, Photo Finish reached over to swat away the blue scarf that Applejack used to cover her golden necklace. Applejack saw the grin on the President-Adviser widen upon the artifact's revelation. This was a mare who she saw to be a kooky aunt, a pony she thought she could trust. The filly should have known better. This was Manehattan. It was everypony for herself. But Applejack was too small. Too weak. She was going to fail her family and her Nature's Call.
The golden necklace answered her prayers. It ejected from her neck and pushed out an orange barrier that threw back Finish and her goons. The barrier shielded the filly from the rain and bathed her in a warm glow.
"Thy call hath been heeded," a voice resonated. "Thou art the voice who seeks the truth and the sword who will cut down all falsehoods. Receive thy power, bearer of the Element of Truth, and shine the light of destruction upon all ignorance."
"The Element of Truth has awakened!" Photo Finish cried. In a mad dash, she jumped into the barrier and attempted to grab the floating necklace. The Element resisted her, sending out high voltage shocks that would kill any normal pony, and yet Photo Finish continued holding on to it as every hair on her own body coat and mane stood up. The Element resisted even further, and then decided to fight back. It then beamed an orange light from its jewel into her eyes for several minutes, causing Photo Finish to scream and then foam in her mouth. She finally lets go and passed out. The necklace transformed, and before Applejack floated a katana with an apple-shaped guard between the blade and the handle.
Applejack leapt up and grabbed the katana with her teeth. It was a full-size weapon too big for the filly, yet to Applejack it was as light as a feather. Here in the rain, Photo Finish's cronies drew their daggers and closed in.
The Element answered her wish. The katana was all Applejack she needed, and without worry or regret she leapt into the fray for the fight of her life.
"The Oranges were silly little ponies," said Photo Finish. "Too bad I didn't arrest them when zhey fled the country, but it doesn't matter anyway because I have seen and proclaimed--THE TRUTH!"
Did she have to strike that pose every time she ended her sentences? She was like one of those mindless zealots at the propaganda rallies, but Photo Finish wasn't saluting Posey. Behind her, Twilight Sparkle's very own Destiny Glyph had been painted on a white bed sheet as a makeshift flag. Then, without shame, Photo Finish and the rest of her stylish group pulled their pants to reveal the same Glyph branded over their existing Nature's Call. Not for Photo Finish though. As a matter of fact, her Nature's call was almost exactly like Twilight's, but with a film camera drawn on top of it.
So far, Golden Harvest hadn't pulled down her pants. At least she hadn't branded herself, but she might as well be.
"And the truth is that zhey and their ilk will be cleansed by the hellfires of Twilight the Redeemer! Twilight the Destroyer! Twilight our Goddess! And she has sent to us Prophet Applejack who shall deliver unto us the message from our messiah! Hail Twilight!"
Mimicking Photo Finish's pose, her three fashionable cronies chanted, "hail, hail!" repeatedly.
"Prophet Applejack!" cried Photo Finish. "You must forgive us for bringing you here in such a rough manner. We cannot risk introducing ourselves to you due to our misunderstood incident at Manehattan. I was blinded by False Prophet Posey into following her orders to obtain the power of Creation. We shall let bygones be bygones! What news do you bring from Twilight the Redeemer?"
"You crazy cultists," said Applejack. "I ain't got news for your kind. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you one lick of gossip."
"But I have seen you! You were with the Messiah at the station! I have heard that you attacked the Labs and the home of the False Prophet!"
"The reason I ain't tellin' you anything is because… Twilight is dead."
"You lie!"
"Why would I? I'm the bearer of the Element of Truth, and look at me: no Element here."
"I have seen the visions, the vision of our Messiah descending from the sky on top of a colossus to remake the world according to her design. Her destruction shall be swift, and for anypony to be redeemed, we must repent and cleanse this world of sin before her arrival."
"That ain't gonna happen. Twilight's gone."
"It cannot be. Yes, yes, you've been poisoned; brainwashed by the corrupt who run this blasted prison and this sinful nation of ours. Girls, we must cleanse her soul with our holy tools!”
Photo Finish's three fashionable cronies drew out prison-made shivs and surrounded the rebel mare. Initially, she stood ready to take them on. These were easy pickings.
Then she realized, why bother? She would then defeat them and remain trapped in this prison until the day she would die.
Go ahead. I don't care anymore.
With shivs gripped between their hooves, Photo Finish's cronies readied their stab. Just then, the entrance of the laundry room burst open, and whoever came in would not have the time to call for help or come to Applejack's rescue. However, it wasn't just a pony that came in. The audible rumble of a large laundry cart squeaked closer with each passing second. A voice inside Applejack told her to jump out of the way, and she did. The three cronies, distracted by this sudden surprise, were knocked out like bowling pins by the runaway cart that then tripped and toppled over on its front axle to spill piles upon piles of soiled linen and towels onto a screaming Photo Finish and Golden Harvest. Harvest managed to escape and sneak out shortly after, and Applejack decided to give her no chase. She was still miffed at her betrayal. Sure she might have been strong-armed, but the Harvest Applejack knew years ago would never stoop to give in to the interrogations of soldiers and the police. Now she was just a shell of her former self.
"Gangway!" The pony in question ran in running on her hind legs, but eventually slid to a halt on all fours in front of Applejack.
"Hiya, AJ!" Pinkie greeted.
"What the hay are you doing here?"
"I got arrested again."
"For what?"
"I tried getting a job at this one bakeshop called Cupcake Square, but I was blamed for burning it down."
"Somehow, I have a feelin' you did that on purpose."
"The shop burning or the runaway laundry cart? Let me tell ya sister, those were accidents. Accidents!"
"Whatever," Applejack winced. "Let's mosey out of here before we get caught."
"About that…"
Quake, the Flower Guards, and several other guards had surrounded Applejack and Pinkie Pie in the laundry room, preventing their escape, but there was another pony, a bespectacled gray stallion in a lab coat, among them.
"That's her," said the stallion, pointing at Applejack. Two unknown guardsmares punched the orange pony in the gut before dragging her away from Pinkie Pie, who was being dragged towards the opposite direction by Quake and the Flower Guards.
"Where the hay are you takin' me?" Applejack asked.
The gray stallion followed Applejack as she was dragged all the way to the central annex and then eventually into a large interrogation room so dimly lit that she could not see the back wall. The guardsmares pushed her into a bolted chair behind a table, and her hind legs were shackled down to prevent any aggressive movement or escape.
Aside from the scientist stallion, there standing at the corners behind him was a green mare in a lab coat, and Warden Bon Bon. The stallion opened a box that was on the table and jingled the item he held in his hoof for a moment. After a brief inspection of the item, he then threw it across the table for the orange mare to see.
There it was before her eyes, her Element of Truth.
"Put it on," he said.
"Why should I?"
One of guardsmares dealt a blow to Applejack's face with a hard hoof.
"I only demand for you to do one thing," said the stallion. "Put it on."
Applejack spat out the blood made from the blow and grudgingly complied. She reached over saw that the jewel in her Element of Truth had turned gray, reminding her of her foolishness back at the Palace of the Earth. She held her tears back and placed her family heirloom on her neck. Nothing happened.
"Now what do y'all have in plan right now?" she asked.
"We wait," replied the gray stallion. He motioned to the green mare in the lab coat, where she moved over to a portable computer situated at a corner table. The device was connected to several technological sensors Applejack had no idea of what the functions were. As they whirred and glowed, the mare observed on the portable computer whatever readings blipping before her face.
Time passed. The rebel mare sweat in silence as her eyes shifted around the room for any clue as to the reason for this "interrogation" and for a way out, should she feel like it. The stallion professor sat on his haunches the whole time, and the only movement he made were the blinking of his eyes and the incessant tapping of his hoof. Halfway through, Warden Bon Bon tipped-hoofed to the green mare and conversed in very low whispers with her. Judging from their smiles, those two seemed chummy.
The stallion professor cleared his throat, and Bon Bon tipped-hoofed back to her corner. He might have heard her giggling.
"No readings," replied the green mare after more time had passed.
"Rebel Applejack," said the professor. "Care to tell me why your family has been in possession of such a dangerous magical artifact for almost a thousand years?"
Applejack refused to answer.
"Your necklace, the Element of Truth; from I heard from the stark raving mad mare that it has the ability to reveal the truth before a pony's eyes, and it also has the ability to see into the future. What have you seen so far?"
Still she wouldn't answer.
"Your Element of Truth has the ability to transform into a sword. How is it activated?"
No answer. With a nod, he ordered the guardsmares to hold down Applejack's arms as he trotted over to wring the golden necklace off her neck.
"You sure this is the Element of Truth, Professor Heartstrings?" he asked.
"There is no doubt, Professor Bond," replied the green mare in the lab coat. "Unfortunately, it appears to be in an inert state. I ran through all manner of scans and I cannot detect any kind of energy signatures."
"You are fortunate to be alive, Rebel Applejack," said Professor Bond. "After the damage you caused to Tartarus 01, I would have had you put to death before you even came here. But we need you alive, and if you so wish to lessen the severity of your sentence, I'd advise you to volunteer any information in the secret of your Element of Truth. In the meantime, enjoy your accommodations here, Apple."
Bond locked the Element of Truth back into the box and walked right out of the interrogation with Heartstrings, who had put away her portable computer along with the suspicious sensor instruments in her saddlebags. Applejack was finally let go and then escorted back to her cell where somehow the lights have been put out.
The guardsmares left after pushing Applejack into the darkness. Seconds later, the lights exploded on and nearly blinded Applejack. The tip of a pink hoof mashed play on the boombox, and Pinkie somersaulted off the toilet with Gummy following after her.
"Pinkie is back baby!" The pink pony took a deep breath, preparing to burst into a new song. Before she could do so, the cassette deck popped open and spat out most the magnetic tape it refused to play.
"Looks I have to get a new one," said Pinkie. She went back to her toilet, and somehow, beyond all logic and sanitation, she fished out a saran-wrapped slim boombox out of the bowl.
"I better let it dry just in case."
"Pinks, you still haven't answered the question why you're back here," said Applejack.
"Didn't I tell you? They blamed me for accidentally burning down the bakery shop. Something about assisting in insurance fraud or something."
"I don't care about that! You may be born here, but there has to be another reason you're here."
"Come to think of it, there is. I realized that when I left, you were still heartbroken over your Twilight, and I can't leave you hanging like that. What are friends for?"
Applejack couldn't decide if she should feel angry or smile, but she turned around so that her cellmate would not have to see any expression on her face. In some ways, she was glad that she wasn't alone in this pit of hell.
In the next morning, she ran into familiar faces at the cafeteria. Even with bruises, the Twilight Cult still managed to remain stylish in their prison garb. This time however, there was no Photo Finish leading them.
"Hey, it's Pretty Vision, Folio, and Stella!" Pinkie cried. "And heeeeere's Carrot Top!"
Nopony spoke up.
"Hey, there should be somepony that should deliver the straight-mare punch line," complained Pinkie. "Otherwise, the joke falls flat."
"Rebel Applejack," said Vision. "Photo Finish hasn't returned to her cell last night."
"And how is that my problem?" asked Applejack.
"What did you sell her out for?"
"I didn't sell her out."
"Ladies!" cried guardsmare Rose. "Take your seats and eat!"
The Twilight Cultists and Harvest left to take their seats at the far corner while Applejack and Pinkie Pie sat at their usual spot with Lucy and Quirky.
"So did you really sell her out?" Lucy asked.
"Photo Finish may be crazier than a wall-eyed pegasus, but I never rat out anypony," said Applejack. "There are sure more guards here than ever before."
"Word has it that there are two President-Advisers coming to pay us a visit. You know what that means..."
"PARTY TIME!" Pinkie leapt up.
All the prisoners and the guards shushed her, and the pink pony gently floated back down to her seat literally like a feather. Applejack had to do a double take to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
"It means that will be a lot less work today," said Quirky. "Applejack, can you swing a bat?"
"I can swing a sword if that's what you're askin'," replied Applejack.
"Close enough. Welcome to the team, Rebel Batter AJ."
"Huh?"
The whistle had been blown and all the prisonmares were corralled out of the cafeteria and into the lockers to change into their mining overalls. Today seemed a little brighter today, and it wasn't because Pinkie was back. Applejack overheard almost every mare talking about that today was a half workday, and that they need to place bets for the upcoming game.
What game?
During the speedy ride down into mines, Quirky explained that once in a while, all the prisoners were allowed to have half a day for recreational activities out in the outdoor fields. Certain shifts had to work the morning, like the one Applejack was grouped into, and have their break in the afternoon, while others it was the opposite. Still, every mare looked forward to this kind of time, and they had to grasp what little happiness could be found in this prison.
The work in the mines came and went, and supposedly the visiting President-Advisers had already taken a look at the operations at another area. Either that, or Applejack hadn't noticed them passing by with a certain blonde stallion leering at the mares.
At the end of the shift, the guards announced that due to maintenance on one of the main rails, they would have to return to their cells on a line that ran alongside the ones carrying the stallion prisoners. Almost all of the prison mares let out a universal cheer that they would ride in the "Tunnels of Love". Immediately they applied hidden makeup they pulled from their hidden pockets and helped groom each other's manes and tails. Even some of the guardsmares prettied themselves up as discretely as possible. Applejack rejected Pinkies Pie's offer to groom her. She was not in a mood to attract an imprisoned stallion, innocent or not.
Before they could return back to the prison, every mare in Applejack's group had to trek the long and narrow walkways to another train of mine carts. Once they boarded, each mare almost held their breaths in tense anticipation. Applejack couldn't see anything from the left and to the right; just rock. Then all of a sudden, the rock walls on her right opened up, and she saw the other rail and the other mine carts filled with stallion prisoners. Most of them were ugly, but that didn't stop the mares from whistling, hooting, and dancing with their flanks turned towards them. The stallion prisoners did the same, and a few of them tried to throw gifts towards the mares, but all were unsuccessful. The mine carts were too fast for anything to pass between them.
Then one stallion caught Applejack's eye. He was obscured by a caramel-colored one, but before she could recognize his face, the parallel mine rails had split off, thus ending the prisonmares' stud show.
Yet the image of that red stallion burned into her mind. It wasn't love at first sight. Not by a long shot, and where she thought all hope was lost, she felt it slowly rising back up.
As they returned to their lockers, the prisonmares giggled and spoke about the stallions with flirtatious speech. Applejack did want to ask one of them if they knew any of their names, or at least the mellow red one who did not participate in the whistling and the hollering. Since security was tight, and no mare would be able to visit the other side and vice versa without bribing the guards or digging a secret tunnel. They might able to sneak a note or a photo between the prison wings. If anypony was able to gather information about the entire prison, then Applejack knew whom to ask.
"Pinks," said Applejack. "How much do you know about the stallions at the other side?"
"I know all of them!"
"I thought you said you never been to the other side."
"Who do you think I am? I'm Pinkie D. Pie: information gatherer extraordinaire. I've been the go-to gal and matchmaker for pretty much everypony here. Is there somepony you're interested in, AJ?"
"There is a red stallion…"
"There are several. There's Redmond, Burnbottom, and my personal favorite, El Diablo to name a few. Most of them are already taken unfortunately."
"Is there one with orange mane, green eyes, and a green apple for a Nature's Call?"
"Hmm, it matches Redmond's description, but I'm not sure that his Nature's Call."
"Are you sure that's his name?"
"I dunno. Redmond doesn't like to talk with the other stallions from what I heard."
"So much for bein' info gatherer extraordinaire."
"Are you girls still talking about pony meat?" Quirky asked. She had jumped onto the bench and stood on her hind legs in a quasi-threatening manner. The barely-suppressed smile across her face indicated that something exciting was going to happen.
"You're not saying that because you broke up with that one stallion," smirked Lucy.
"He misled me! The photo I received shattered my ideal image of him! But that's not important! Due to the recent cell changes and releases, I'm going to have to form a new Beanballers team on the spot. Pinkie, Lucy, and Applejack, you're my star players!"
"Quirky, you didn't tell me what game we're playing," said Applejack.
"Gaea's favorite past time."
There was no stopping her. Pinkie stuck to Quirky's side as an assistant captain of sorts, jotting down random game plays on a roll of toilet paper, only to lose the toilet paper when Pinkie Pie went to the bathroom. That was a minor setback, despite Quirky's loud sigh, but she assured everpony she drafted onto her team that she memorized all the plays. It was no use suggesting to her any other activity out in the fenced dirt fields, but no mare was going to protest or dare to. Applejack really wanted to get more information from Pinkie on how to come in contact with Redmond, the stallion whom she had a feeling might be family. For now, she would have to play along and get on her cellmate's good side, but it seemed that she only had one side.
Outside between the towering walls and the mares' prison wing erected a baseball diamond, two dugouts, and bleachers segregated for both prisoners and staff. The stands were filled. Bets had been placed, and the normally morose Mrs. Cake helped sell cups of popcorn and government-grade soda to the non-participants.
Quirky's Beanballers challenged their mortal enemy, the Bunters in a never-ending battle between good offense and good defense, inspiration and intimidation, and pure skill and pure bribery. The Beanballers lost the coin toss, but to their luck they played defense for the first inning. Their star pitcher Quirky began the first pitch using the very baseball Pinkie gave to her for her birthday. As the innings passed, Applejack gained a little more appreciation for the game as she watched her teammates play. Most of them were competent, and Pinkie… well, she had her unique style. She seemed to be the best shortstop in the world, and somehow the best outfielder as well. Where the ball went, there she was catching it even at seemingly unreachable heights over the fence.
Her running during the team's offense was hit or miss. Pinkie's agility often confused the opposing team trying to tag her out, but half the time her silliness worked against her. Thus, she had inadvertently caused the loss of a few innings.
When Applejack came to bat, she had the option of standing on her hind legs to swing it with her front hooves or stand on all fours to use her mouth and neck. She chose the latter, and she surprised herself and all that she made a home run on the first try. Granted, she had been swinging a magical katana for several years, so the skills transferred over handedly.
Curious about this sports spectacle, the guests from the Government, President-Adviser Ace the Younger and Teddy, sat in the well-crafted skybox with Warden Bon Bon and the two pony scientists from earlier. Applejack had hoped Ace and Teddy would not recognize her without her Stetson hat, but would it matter anyway? Those two were Posey's personal cronies, and they would have already been aware of Applejack's incarceration. So far, they showed no interest to her, although, as usual, Ace, according to this libidinous and flirtatious nature, whistled at every pretty mare who came up to bat.
At the last inning, the Beanballers had lost yet again to the Bunters, but they had surprised everypony in that they only lost by one point. This was such a significant improvement from their previous games that instead of walking away in humbly, the Beanballers instead celebrated by throwing their captain Quirky up and down the air. The purple pony was so happy that it almost drove her to tears, and Applejack nearly shared her sentiment.
Eventually the spectators and the rival team began dispersing back to the building. Quirky finally landed back on her hooves and accidentally dropped her baseball. She followed her gift, but then stopped when the large hoof stopped the ball's roll. Quirky looked up to see Quake with the three Flower Guards staring down on her.
"Prisoner 0228, Quirky Screw," Quake began. "I believe we have failed to thoroughly inspect this baseball you received from Prisoner 0606 several days ago."
"It's just an ordinary baseball, ma'am," said Quirky.
"The only reason I tolerate Pinkie's constant smuggling is because none of what she had brought inside these walls have yet to negatively impact our operations. Now that we have an Apple here, I cannot risk anything, especially when we have important visitors here."
Quake completely flattened Quirky's baseball, and then sifted the remains with her hoof. Everypony knew there was nothing smuggled inside, and even if there was, the guards could have taken it to an x-ray scanner. What the Lieutenant did just now was to make a statement--a painful and serious one.
“You were lucky Miss Screw,” said Quake. “You would have been severely punished for failure to report smuggled contraband items and the possession of them.”
Quake and the Flower Guard turned away, leaving Quirky to fall flat to her stomach and gather the remains of her baseball with her hooves. She looked ready to cry, and her friends gathered around to console her.
"It's okay Quirky," said Pinkie. "I can get you another ball. I always have balls stashed everywhere in case of emergencies."
“I know Pinkie,” said Quirky. “I know you can, but this... This has gone too far!”
Quirky rose and leapt to throw a punch at the back of Quake’s head. That was not wise move against a burly mare who, like the prisoners themselves, was molded by the prison's oppressive structure for several years. Her bulk belies her true speed, and even slimmer mares could not react with the same precognitive sense as Quake. With just one spin and one hoof, Quake slammed the purple earth pony to the ground by the neck.
Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Lucy could not get to Quirky in time. The Flower Guards and the rest of the guardsmares took aim, and shouted to every prison to stay back. Right as they secured the field, the guards dispersed, and Quirky was nowhere to be found. She was gone, just like that, along with that heartless Lieutenant Warden.
"She is gonna be fine, right?" asked Applejack. "I mean, Gaea does need labor for the mines."
"I… I don't know," replied Lucy. "This is the first baseball game Quirky had played for a while where she almost won. But attacking the Lieutenant Warden like that…"
“It’s all Meanie Quake’s fault!” Pinkie cried. "Why does she have to be mean to all the ponies I make friends with? It just… Argh!"
“She don't look that tough to me,” said Applejack.
Pinkie fell unusually silent.
"Did I say something wrong?" Applejack asked.
"You didn't," said Lucy. "Ever since Lieutenant Quake came here, she's been ruling the mare's ward, if not the entire prison with an iron hoof. There's always going to be ponies like Pinkie who will always have a happy outlook in life, and there's Quake, who loves to make ponies miserable. Quake's perfect for that job."
"So Warden Bon Bon just allows her to do what she wants?"
"The Warden's just a figurehead. A fall mare when things go wrong in Rock Prison. Because of your escape years ago, the previous warden vanished out of thin air. There are even ponies who say that he never existed here."
So it wasn't the head warden Applejack needed to look out for. Quake was almost as big as most stallions, and she took down Quirky with barely a sweat. Even if she were to take down Quake by herself, Applejack would still have to contend with the guards, who were obviously better fed and fit than the prison laborers. Then there was the escape she had to plan in her head.
"Pinks," she said. "You gonna be all right?"
"I think so," sniffed Pinkie. "Don't worry about me! I'm going to throw a party when they release Quirky from solitary confinement! It will be a blast!"
"I look forward to it. Say, I know this might be a bad time, but there is something I want you to do for me."
"Sure! Auntie Pinkie can get you anything! Whaddya need?"
"About that stallion, Redmond…"