An Apple's Reflection
Applejack had run home and buried herself under her bed. She was shaking with fear and dripping in cold sweat. The truth was just so frightening that she couldn't bear to face it. When that happened, she, she started telling lies. But it wasn't right. It was never right. Oh, why did the truth just have to be so sweat-inducing, tree-pruning, boot-quaking, teeth-chipping terrifying?
Applejack took a deep breath and willed herself to crawl out from under the bed. She had to be strong. She had to face this sooner or later. She couldn't hide from the truth forever. Applejack plopped her rump on the floor and buried her face in her hooves. She almost never cried, but she had to let it out now. She wasn't even sure why she was crying. It just felt like the thing to do.
Applejack dried up her tears and hung up the holey Brimbrim on her hat rack. She'd get him fixed later. She'd just have to wear Rimbrimmer today. With her hat sorted out, she paced around the room in thought.
Having a foal? Her? She was the right age to start thinking about it, but, she had so, so many responsibilities too. She couldn't just abandon them to chase after colts. Any time either she or Big Mac couldn't do their duties the place just started falling to pieces. She just couldn't imagine taking any time off to wait out a pregnancy and then having a foal to care for on top of all her other duties.
Ideally though, any foal of her own would come from a stallion who'd stay by her side and enjoy working the trees. She'd want him to be as honest and dependable as she was. If there was a pony like that in Ponyville than wouldn't she have meet him by now? Granted, it was hard to meet other farm ponies since they had farms of their own and not all the farmers would come to town when their wares were sold in the markets.
Hmm, there was another place that was good for meeting hard workers. The agricultural Bucktanical University Gardens near Canterlot was the hub for science and farm related activities. Of course Applejack, had never really considered going that route – she much preferred keeping in shape as a rodeo pony. Still, a lot of wonderful things had come from B.U.G. like the non-toxic varieties of tulips and daisies. Those plants are so commonly consumed now that most ponies would be shocked to hear that they were originally inedible.
It would be hard to get accepted there. Applejack was never any good at sciences. Although... a sports scholarship to join their rodeo team she could see happening. Even if she was accepted she wouldn't want to abandon the farm for summer classes. Winter classes she could fit in, but it would be too late then. She really would be anestrus at that point and Celestia had asked for a foal by next year. Well, leaving for a week of summer classes probably wouldn't do too much harm, but could she really find a pony to make a lifelong commitment based off just a week-long relationship? If she could even find a pony she liked in the first place?
That was far too big a gamble. If she was going to take this seriously she'd have to come up with a plan that would actually work. Applejack got up and looked at herself in the mirror. “It would be so much simpler if there was a way to create another pony just like me.” Oh. A chill crept down her withers. There was.
What did Pinkie Pie say about the mirror pool? The clones were just shallow imitations that only reflected what was on the surface. That it was a bad idea. The clones had no memories. That it was a really bad idea. One clone just never seemed to be enough and the clones could make their own clones and that it was an awful, terrible, seal-it up forever and hope no pony ever finds it again ever idea.
This would answer all of Applejack's problems though. It would even excuse her from making a foal since it would count as a pony. She was sure that she had more self-control than Pinkie Pie and could stop at just one clone. Pinkie's clones were disruptive because all they wanted to do was have fun. Any clone of Applejack's would just want to work on the farm. Well, it'd be a right bit strange to have another version of herself bouncing around and shouting 'Apples! Apples! Apples!' all the time. Hmm, kind of like having another Apple Bloom, actually.
Well that settles it. Off to see Tom.
Applejack got up and straightened her hat. It wasn't going to be a long trip, but she grabbed her saddlebags to take some supplies anyway. It wouldn't hurt to go prepared when venturing into the Everfree Forest.
Applejack cleared her thoughts as she left the farm to wander into the forest. That place was spooky and full of hidden dangers. She didn't want to be caught off-guard. She knew the way to the mirror pool, but there was no real path and she had to keep her eyes out for trouble.
The animals were quiet. The plants kept to themselves. The ground felt firm, and solid. It was still spooky though. One misstep, and that could all change. She'd seen it happen before. The wind picked up. Some dead leaves came fluttering down. Applejack hid in a bush.
A creature that she did not recognize came slithering past. It was translucent, and its body seemed to made entirely of dust. It had eerie red eyes that glowed bright with fire. It paused to glance at Applejack's bush. She gulped with fear. It turned away though, and set its fiery gaze on something else- a tree. It coiled itself around the trunk and bit into the bark with fangs of smoke. The tree wilted and dried up before her eyes.
Applejack shivered as she finally recognized the beast from old stories. It was a Dry Snake – a creature of dust and famine. There was a crunching noise as it bit into the branches and stripped off all the leaves with its mouth. Dry Snakes weren't known for their hostility, but it was unwise to provoke them or get in the way of a meal. Applejack suddenly felt highly conspicuous in the leafy bush where she was hiding. She'd be safer in the open.
Dry Snakes didn't attack ponies directly, but they could ruin entire crops and they dessicated the ground as they passed. So even once they'd left, it'd be a long time before anything could grow there again. Earth ponies never really stood a chance against them. Any that tried to stop them would suffer the same fate as their fields. Unicorns could only hold them at bay. The only thing they truly feared, were pegasus. Cloud-busting techniques worked on the snakes too, and pegasus could make it rain, which the snakes hated.
Applejack dug through her saddlebags to pull out a single blue feather. It belonged to Rainbow Dash, but she'd kept it as a memento. Holding it in front of her as a warning, Applejack slowly and carefully backed out of the bush. The Dry Snake spotted her. It narrowed its eyes and flicked its fiery tongue at her, but went back to its meal as she continued to back away.
Breathing heavily, Applejack returned the feather to her bags and paused to wipe the sweat from her brow. She'd have to take a different route. Jumpy and nervous, she kept as quiet and inconspicuous as possible. It was slower going, but it wasn't long before she reached her goal.
“Tom. So we meet again.” Applejack greeted Tom. Tom the rock. “Diamond” Tom.
This was the boulder that Rarity had laid claim to on Discord's return, believing it to be a giant diamond. She could barely lift the boulder herself and Twilight didn't fare much better. After that whole business with the Pinkie storm, they'd brought Tom out here to the Everfree Forest to seal off the entrance to the Mirror Pool. He'd done his job so far. No pony else had stumbled on the Mirror Pool (not that they came out to the Everfree Forest anyway). But to a pony like Applejack who knew what was there, Tom just served as a beacon to mark the way.
“Eeyup” Applejack shoved Tom out of the way. The dark hole was uninviting. Applejack pulled a lantern out of her saddlebags and woke up the sleeping lightning beetles. They crawled around and glowed in protest. The passage was damp and spooky, and got lighter as she descended. Effervescent fungus helped to illuminate the place. Applejack set the lantern down and walked up to the edge of the pool.
She could see herself quite clearly. While the pool was still, she also thought she caught glimpses of pink dancing on the surface. Her fur stood on end. Echoes of 'fun' seemed to haunt at the corners of her mind. She shook. “Ai do hereby solemnly swear, not to be s-s-scared at the prospect of b-being d-doubly mared.”
Applejack extended a hoof to the surface of the pool, but the orange pony before her was terrified and wouldn't come out. It was nerve wracking. In a place like this, one just couldn't say the words – she had to mean them. Applejack backed away from the edge of the pool. She couldn't bear to look at it. She grabbed her lantern and ran.
With a heave, she pushed Tom back in place and leaned on him for support. This was a bad idea from the start – and she was glad she'd failed. It meant that she'd have to do things Twilight's way though – which was even more terrifying. With deep breaths, she pressed against Tom's cold, unyielding surface and waited for her heart to stop pounding. She'd have to come up with a new plan. A sharp breeze howled by, and Applejack swallowed in response. It'd be a lot easier to come up with a plan back home, where it was safe.
Applejack started to retrace her path but got chills when she'd come near the place she'd encountered the Dry Snake. She gave that place a wide berth. The ground wasn't as firm in her new path, and she tripped on a root and came tumbling down a hill. She came to rest at the base of a strange vine-covered tree that groaned and moaned at her. It sounded almost like- “Apple Bloom?”
“Applejack! Boy am ai glad to hear you.” Apple Bloom's voice cried out.
“Help!” Scootaloo shouted.
“Get us down from here!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
“Ah, hold on.” Applejack walked up to the tree. She bucked the tree as hard as she could. Crack.
“Aah” “Oof” “Ow” The Cutie Mark Crusaders fell down and landed in a pile. They were dazed and sore and not moving very much.
“Are you all right sugarcubes?” Applejack asked them with concern. They just continued to sit there and moan. Applejack put Apple Bloom and Sweetie belle in their wagon and draped Scootaloo on her back. She pulled the wagon with her tail. “Ai better take you to the hospital.”
“Just give us a minute and we'll be okay.” Scootaloo finally spoke up. She didn't make any effort to actually get up, though.
“Um, if ya don't mind my asking, but what in the world were you doing to get in such a bind?” Applejack asked.
“Well, when you wouldn't let us work on any of the apple trees, we thought we'd try going to the Everfree Forest instead. We grafted some peppermint ivy to one of those spooky looking trees,” Apple Bloom explained.
“And it worked,” Scootaloo said.
“Too well,” Sweetie Belle wailed.
Come to think of it, that did explain why the tree looked so odd. Peppermint ivy was a valuable spice but it was a difficult plant to work with. It had a tendency to choke the life out of other plants and wouldn't grow on its own. So all they'd done was create a tree that just chocked itself to death. In another hour or so it probably would have wilted enough for them to free themselves. It must have grown explosively at first for them to get tangled up like that.
“That book on obscure farming techniques has been nothing but trouble for you,” Applejack said. “You'll have to take it back to the library and find something else to do.”
“Aww,” the three of them sighed in failure.
Applejack carried the three of them out of the forest, past the farm and brought them all the way to the Ponyville Hospital. “Well, we'll just stop here a sec to get y'all checked out and you can be on your way.”
Scootaloo retrieved her scooter from Applejack's saddlebag and hopped off her back. “But I feel fine,” she protested before wobbling and falling over. “I meant to do that.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle also started to protest but Applejack cut them off, “Y'all sure don't look fine.” She bit Scootaloo's tail and dragged her inside with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle still in tow.
Nurse Sweetheart came to greet them as they entered the lobby and took a quick look at them all. “What seems to be the problem?” she asked.
“Well, they've taken quite a rough-and-tumble, and have been unusually lethargic and off-balance since then,” Applejack said.
“Take a seat, I'll get Doctor Stable.” Nurse Sweetheart left them alone in the lobby for a bit. Applejack helped the others sit down. It wasn't long before the nurse returned with the doctor. “We're ready for you in examining room five.”
Applejack bent down to pick Apple Bloom up, but the nurse motioned for her to stop. The doctor rested his chin against his hoof in thought as he watched the fillies wobble their way into the examination room. After they entered, the doctor immediately set to work inspecting each of them in turn. He scribbled down some notes when looking at their scrapes and bruises. He briefly checked their eyes, mouths, reflexes and hearing as well. It was a thorough, but quick, examination.
“Well, their bumps and bruises are healing just fine. They're just a bit dizzy because they're suffering from a mild case of peppermint poisoning. That's all.” The doctor gave his report.
“What,” Applejack said. She wondered if the three of them had actually been stuck in the tree, or if they'd just been pigging themselves out until they got sick. It would certainly explain the groans she heard when she found them.
“We tried to free ourselves by eating our way out,” Apple Bloom explained, “but we ate too much.” The doctor gave Apple Bloom a bit of an odd look, and opened a drawer to pull out three packets of some dried, grassy-looking plant. He gave one to each of the fillies.
“The best cure for peppermint poisoning is activated alfalfa,” he said. “Eat that and you'll feel better.”
No sooner than they'd tasted it than their faces scrunched up in utter disgust. “Ugh.” “Eww.” “Yuck.”
“It won't work unless you eat it,” the doctor said again. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, but couldn't see any way out of this. With a single bite, they shoved the green stuff into their mouths and made a show of chewing it a few times before forcing the horrid stuff down their throats. They stuck their tongues out in disgust.
“That should do the trick. You should be fine in an hour or two,” the doctor said. They couldn't be happier to hear that and raced each other out of the room.
“Remember to return that book,” Applejack called out. Once they were gone, Applejack made no attempt to leave the room, but turned to the doctor and confessed, “Doctor, ai'm glad you could help them, but in truth ai knew all along they were fine. Ai came here for a different reason.”
“Hrm?” Doctor Stable asked.
“Do you still do artificial insemination here?” Applejack trembled. Her color seemed to drain as she spoke and she nervously gnawed on her hat.
Years of working in the medical field allowed the doctor to maintain his neutral expression. It was never good practice to question the motives of his clients. “Sorry, but we had to end that practice years ago,” he said.
“Was it outlawed?” Applejack asked.
“No no, nothing like that. There just wasn't enough demand for the procedure to go through the trouble of keeping fresh donor material in stock. We had to keep it sorted by donor type and the few who opted for the procedure always seemed to ask the questions that we weren't actually allowed to answer. No pony, certainly not us, seemed happy with it.” The doctor sighed. “There's a clinic in Las Pegasus that still does it though.”
“What? That's on the other side of the map. And it's a cloud city. Ai can't go there. No, there are ways, we've done it before. But, the donors, they'd all be pegasus wouldn't they? Ai wouldn't want a pegasus. Well, thanks anyway doctor.” Applejack flopped her abused hat back on and started to leave.
“I have a bit of a confession of my own to make,” Doctor Stable said.
“Huh?” Applejack stopped to listen.
“The activated alfalfa doesn't actually do anything. Their symptoms would clear up on their own. It 'works' by forcing them to eat something that tastes so terrible that they'll stop to think twice before overindulging in sweets again,” he said.
“Ha haha ha ha,” Applejack had to laugh at that. “Thanks doctor, I needed a god laugh.” Indeed, she brightened up. She left just as orange as she'd arrived.
Next Chapter:
Of Doormats and Trees
