“Hey Applejack, wait up!”
The orange mare turned as watched while her long-time friend and rumored coltfriend, Iron Forge, running to catch up with her. Her long school day was finally over, and she just wanted to get home as soon as possible before something else went wrong.
“Nothin’ much Iron. Just heading home to do mah chores.”
Noticing the dour expression on his friend’s face, Iron Forge spoke up, “AJ, what’s wrong? You look like Granny Smith just made you take that cough medicine again from when we were kids.”
She slowed down before answering, “I don’t know Iron. I think there might be somthin’ wrong with me.”
“Wrong? You look fine to me.”
“Ah’ always look fine to you,” Applejack replied with a slight smirk. “No, earlier today I was looking at that metal part of mah’ desk when it got really hot and snapped. I didn’t even do anything to it! And watch this.”
She turned her head to look at the wall behind Ironforge, and said, “Principal Rawhide is chewin’ out one of them freshmen for makin’ out behind the locker banks right now. Diamond somethin’-or-another.”
“Now there’s a shock. So you can see through walls now?” Sauntering up to Applejack, Ironforge nudged her side and asked, “So AJ, you ever look into the guys’ locker room?”
Applejack elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to wince. “Quit it Iron, this is serious! How many ponies do you know can do stuff like that?”
He rubbed his side and answered, “Well now, one. I don’t see why you’re freakin’ out AJ. That’s actually pretty awesome.”
Her ears perked up as she heard a loud screech. Looking out a half-mile away at the small road leading into town, she saw a truck’s tires blow out and crash into a gas-station pump. Sparks flew into the air and soon there was a small fire, rapidly approaching the puddle of gasoline seeping out from the car.
“Hang on, gotta’ go,” she said, speeding off towards the accident. When she arrived a few seconds later, the fire had spread out a bit, making the heat almost unbearable. Ignoring it, she jumped onto the truck and ripped off the door off, pulling out a mare and stallion. Setting them down in the grass, she looked back when she heard a cry and saw a small filly trapped beneath the truck.
She rushed back and lifted it with her forelegs, holding the two-ton steel high above her head. Throwing it onto the grassy field behind the gas station, she picked up the little girl just as the heat caused the tanker to explode, debris flying in all direction. Shielding the little filly’s body with her own, Applejack tucked her into her arm and ran out of the wreckage, devoid of even a small cut.
Iron Forge ran up shortly thereafter, two firetrucks in tow. They quickly set about putting out the fire while he tried to reach Applejack. She stared at the fire for a few moments before running off down the road, towards Granny’s apple orchard. Ignoring Iron Forge calling her name, she ran to the hill overlooking the orchard, finally stopping to think over what just happened.
Applejack paced nervously at the crest of the hill, worry and fear plaguing her heart. She wondered how Granny would take the news, picturing the look on her face when she told her what had happened a mere two hours before. Picking up a two-ton truck like it was a plastic toy, walking away from the explosion without even a scratch, and burning through her desk just by looking at it wasn’t exactly typical behavior for a high school kid, especially one just barely past the age when stallions and mares start to take a peculiar interest in each other.
What am I gonna’ do? I can’t just walk up to Granny and say, “Hey Granny, I know this might be a bit odd, but Ah’ just found out I’m invincible and make stuff melt with mah eyes!”
She sighed as she watched two birds fly by, blissfully wondering what it would be like to soar among the clouds as she did. Even as such fanciful thoughts replaced her doubt, she closed her eyes and imagined herself floating high above the trees, gazing down on the landscape below. Opening them again, she looked down and realized she was floating high above the trees! She panicked and started to fall, only to catch herself just before she hit the ground.
That does it, she thought, I need to talk to Granny. Maybe she knows what in tarnation is goin’ on here. But first I should finish these chores, before I start blowing up trees with my mind or somethin’.
Casting a wary eye at the nearest apple tree, she walked over and kicked it, relieved when the apples fell into the baskets without anything else weird happening. After clearing what she had thought was a small section of the orchard and hauling the apples back to the barn, she turned back and saw that half the apples in the entire orchard had been harvested in under ten minutes!
She ran back to the house as fast as she could, throwing open the door as soon as she had arrived. Granny was knitting something in her rocking chair, needles clicking against each other when she noticed Applejack racing in.
“Applejack, what’s wrong darlin’? Did them wolves-”
“Granny, what’s wrong with me?” the young mare blurted out.
A stunned silence descended on the room, the soft squeaking of the rocking chair cut off as if it were on a skipped record.
“What do ya’ mean?”
“I mean why can I pick up cars like they’re toys, why can I burn through stuff just by looking at it, walk away from an explosion without so much as a scratch, and why can I fly without wings!?” Applejack almost screamed towards the end. Hanging her head, she whispered, “Why am I a...a freak?”
She rambled on about the accident for a few minutes before Granny stood up, gently setting the needle and cloth down on her chair. Motioning for the mare to come closer, she pulled the young farm pony into a tight hug and told her.
“Applejack, yer’ not a freak. Being different aint’ nothing to be ashamed of, and Ah’m proud of you for saving that family from certain death. But...there is something you should know, and I think now is the right time. I’ll have to show ya’ what Ah mean, words just wouldn’t get the job done.”
Pulling out of the hug, she motioned for Applejack to follow her to the barn. Grabbing a lantern from the rack, she lit it despite the sun still being out and motioned for her to follow her to the locked cellar.
“Granny, why-”
“Hush child. See this lock here? The one I told you to never try and open? Well, Ah’ need you to open it now. Thing is, Ah’ sorta’ lost the key to it years ago, and I was wondering if you could…well, you know...”
Applejack did as she was told, easily burning through the lock like a hot knife through butter. She opened the double doors and waited as Granny made her way down first, the orange and yellow flame flickering in the blackness and dust of the unused cellar.
Reaching the bottom, Granny reached over and grabbed the string hanging from the light, turning on the dim bulb and illuminating a small rocket. Its sleek red and silver colors were unfaded after seventeen years of sitting in the dust, a bright silver S-shield gleaming on its side.
“Granny, what is this thing? Where did it come from, who built it, how come-,” Applejack said before Granny silenced her with a look.
“Sheesh Applejack, I swear you’re talkin’ faster n’ that pink mare I ran into at the grocery store yesterday. Rattlin’ off my grocery list like we were at an auction or somthin’. Anywho, this is the rocket me and Big Mac found you in when you was just a young’un.”
“A rocket? But Granny, you said I was adopted from the Ponyville orphanage after my parents were killed in a plane crash.”
“Nope. There was a plane crash happenin’ around the same time, so Ah’ told you that so you wouldn’t freak out like ya’ just did earlier.”
Surveying the rocket, Applejack opened the canopy and looked inside to spot a cube-like device tucked away between the side of the capsule and the tiny seat. She took it out and showed it to Granny.
“That old thing? It came with yer blankets, but we left it in the canopy. The darn thing just wouldn’t do anything for us. Maybe you got the touch...”
. Golden in color and covered in alien symbols, the screen on the front began scrolling through the symbols as soon as Applejack touched it, eventually matching up to form the same S-shield on the rocket and blankets. A bright light flashed from it before the barn began changing into an advanced science lab, tools, wires, and equipment replacing the old hay and broken farm tools. A large window looked out over green pastures, showing a bright red sun shining in the purple sky.
“What? Granny, where’d ya’ go? What is this place?” Applejack asked, checking out her surroundings.
“You are on the planet Krypton, my daughter. Or at the very least, a holographic representation of it.”
Spinning around to find who had spoken to her, she saw a middle-aged stallion and mare standing at the entrance to the lab. The stallion had a short beard with a black shirt, covered by a red cape and two gold balls held together by a single gold bar. The mare was dressed the same.
“Pardon me for poppin’ into this holograph-thingy, but who are you?”
“My name is Jor-El, and this is my wife, Lara Jor-El. We are your parents, Lana,” the stallion said.
“Mah’ parents? And why’d ya’ call me Lana? ”
“Lana Jor-El is your kryptonian name. By this time, you may have already discovered that you are much stronger and faster than a normal pony.”
“But I am a normal pony!” she interrupted.
“This is because you are not from Earth,” Jor-El continued, “but are instead the sole survivor of Krypton. Your unique physiology draws its strength from the yellow sun, giving you abilities no other pony has.”
Applejack backed away, tears forming in her eyes. Shaking her head, she choked out, “I don’t believe any of this.”
“Your powers will make you beloved by some, and feared by others. Some may even try to kill you, in their fear and rage. Despite this, however you use your powers is a choice left solely to you. Just know that no matter what happens, we love you, Lana Jor-El. If you ever feel the need to speak with us more, there is a list of coordinates embedded into your ship’s computer. Follow them when you are ready, and we will explain more there.”
He stretched out his hoof, a gesture that Applejack assumed meant he wanted her to take it. Reaching out, it passed through his arm as though nothing were there, and the hologram ended. The lab disappeared, and Granny Smith was looking at her with an odd look on her face. The sky outside the cellar door was dark, crickets chirping in the night.
“No, it’s not true! I’m not a freak! I’m not!,” she shouted, punching one of the stone walls of the cellar. Large cracks extended from the point of impact, and the entire barn shook from the hit. Applejack backed away from it with a horrified expression, and raced out of the cellar and into the forest.
“Applejack, wait! Come back!” Granny shouted after her. She ignored her, however, and kept running until she reached the edge of a deep gorge. Looking into the dark river below, she got a running start and jumped, floating into the air once more.
She flew over the landscape, taking in the cool night air. The light of the full moon reflected off everything, making it seem calm and peaceful. Her manic heart began to slow, and soon she had stopped panicking. Flying over a neighboring farm, she flew around the grain silo a few times before attracting the attention of a barking dog, which was frantically running to try and catch her. Laughing, she reached out her hoof to pet it and considered flying between the tall skyscrapers of Ponyville before deciding against it. Ah’ should probably keep this between me n’ Granny. Big Mac too, nobody wants some news reporter snoopin’ around the farm.
She headed back to farm, landing just in front of Big Mac and Granny, who were walking away from the barn. Smiling at them, she embraced both mare and stallion before explaining what had happened. Telling the what it was she had to do, Granny nodded in understanding while Big Mac stayed silent, wondering when he’d see his adoptive sister again.
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Ms. Merry Winters never liked mornings. Despite her name, she’d never been one for the coldness of it and rushing around to get Autumn Breeze off to school on time and still make it to work. Shuffling out of her bedroom in pink fuzzy slippers, she felt a light breeze ruffle her robe and saw that her eight year-old daughter was playing with the window.
A sudden spurt of panic hit her, and she shouted, “Autumn, don’t play with that! You could fall!”
Autumn jumped with a start at the noise and, slipping on the small patch of ice on the windowsill, fell backwards and out the window.
“AUTUMN!” Ms. Winters rushed over to the window, looking down for any sign of her daughter. Her white mane whipped back and forth in the window, obscuring her vision for a bit before she brushed it out of the way.
“Mommy! ”
Merry whipped her head around and saw Autumn standing on the balcony. Running to the balcony door to unlock it, she grabbed her into a tight hug, gently rocking her as she did so. After a few minutes she set her down and asked Autumn how she got over to the balcony after falling.
Autumn wiped her eyes before saying, “A blue angel rescued me.”
“A blue angel?”
“Yeah. She had a red cape too, and this big red S on her chest,” she explained. “She caught me and set me down on the balcony and then flew off.”
Merry shook her head a bit before saying, “Well, it’d certainly take a miracle to do that. In the meantime, you’re grounded.”
“Aww, but mom-”
“No buts,” she said sternly. “Now you go off and get dressed for school. Mommy needs to get ready for work and drink a strong cup of coffee.”
Autumn sulked off to her room, wondering why she was being punished when she wasn’t even hurt. Merry poured herself a large mug of black coffee in the small kitchen, then grabbed the phone off the wall and dialed the number for the most popular newspaper in the entire city, the Daily Star.
Boy do I have a story for them...