//------------------------------// // Equality // Story: Story of the Shadowmane // by Navras97 //------------------------------// “Alright Big Mac, are the Apple Pies ready?” I ask him. The beefy farmer gives me his signature “eeyup” and goes to check on the rest of the spread. “Who’s this new pony y’all are talkin about? That you thawed out of ice who was sittin in an ancient bunker under the Ponyville library?” Says Applebloom, “You’ll see him soon sugar,” I tell my puzzled sister, “he told me he’ll come along.” The little filly goes back to mixing the Apple cider. “This pony is new, and he’s an Alicorn! So you best be on your good behavior alrighty?” both of my siblings look at each other wide-eyed then go back to their jobs, except with double the effort and efficiency. The barn is nice and clean, and the interior walls have been glossed to give that exciting look. This potluck has got to go perfectly for Shadowmane; disappointing ancient royalty could have its consequences. Granny Smith slowly walks over to me, “You look a bit tense deary, you doin okay?” she asks me. “I just want this to be perfect for him” I tell my elderly grandma, “he’s a very important pony.” Granny sweeps up some straw with her, “Important eh? Well if he’s an alicorn, he must be mighty dashing!” Don’t know what Granny is getting to. “Is this stallion you boyfriend or somethin deary?” I can feel my face blush redder than Big Mac when Fluttershy crashed into him last week. “H-he ain’t my colt-friend granny! I just met him not a while ago!” Not to offend Shadowmane but I doubt he would seem attractive to any pony. His black coat and mane, those blood red eyes, the fangs, and traveling through portals on a daily basis just spell out freak show. But what kind of Apple sibling am I for thinking stuff like this? Every pony would be ashamed of me thinking like that. “I’m just tugging your stem sweetie,” Granny playfully said, sitting back in her rocking chair. “Now if you’ll excuse me it’s time for my daily nap”, Granny falls asleep instantly in her rocking chair. Maybe it’s for the best; she would probably force me to marry Shadowmane or something. I hear a knock on the barn door, must be Shadowmane. “Alright you two” I stare at Big Mac and Applebloom, “… when our guest walks through that door his appearance may seem a bit unsettling so don’t show him any negativity or it may end badly for all of us.” They both give me an “eeyup” and I nod back. I open the barn door to see the black stallion in his cloak again except his headwear that is hanging on his neck. He’s under a large white parasol, giving him complete shade from the sun. He reminds me a lot like Rarity, except a stallion. “Howdy Sir Shadowmane, how’s Ponyville so far?” I ask him, taking my hat off. He twitched slightly then spoke up, “Just fine really, besides the eyeballing I get from the ponies and clerks in the square when I’m grocery shopping I’m fine.” He replied with a hint of rage under his voice. I shake hoofs with him, his hoofs are colder than winter. That ain’t a good start… hope the family aren’t about to respond the same way. “I’m really sorry about that your highness, but trust me the ponies are very nice once you get to know them.” I apologetically say to our Alicorn guest. “Come in, relax yourself for a spell!” Shadowmane walks in putting his parasol down, I take it and put it on the nearby wall shelf. Shadowmane lifts his cloak off his body and sets the clothes next to the umbrella. I can now see all of his artistic swirled tattoos on his neck, legs, jaw, and forehead. What I also saw which I didn’t notice when I first saw him was his flank, it has no cutie mark! This freaky colt can bend time, feelings, and make portals from thin air and still hasn’t found his destiny?? Just what is he!? Big Mac and Applebloom stand there perfectly still, wide-eyed towards the blank flank alicorn. “U-uh… Shadowmane,” I gesture a hand to my wordless siblings, “I’d like you to meet my big brother Big Macintosh or Big Mac for short, and my little sister Applebloom.” “It’s a pleasure you two”, said Shadowmane, with a warm smile on his face. He extends his hoof to shake with Big Mac and Applebloom. They accept, feeling the freezing hoof I just felt a second ago. “…Eyup…” said Big Mac, still wide-eyed until he regained his normal composure. “Nice to meet you…” Applebloom looked like she seen a ghost, or whatever Shadowmane is anyway. “Oh, I forgot”, I point at Granny, “the old pony in the corner is our Granny Smith, don’t mind her, she’s casting light for today.” Shadowmane looks up at the ceiling, “Who are those fillies up there?” I raise an eyebrow, raising my head, “What fillies- what in tarnation?!” I see two fillies in black jumpsuits hanging with plunger gloves. Based on the manes on those ninjas, its Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sticking to the top of the barnhouse probably trying out for cutie marks again. “We’ve been spotted Scootaloo!” yelled Sweetie Belle with a sharp squeak, “attack!” They drop down, getting out Nun chucks and tanfos, striking karate yells. I was ready to hit the deck while Shadowmane just stood there, staring at the falling battle ready fillies. His bat wings perched back and took a super-fast swipe. Suddenly I felt a small rumble as a strong wind picked up from his wings, sending the fillies flying through the ceiling and into the sky. The fillies were about to plummet down until Shadowmane caught them with a levitating spell, bringing them to his face while stepping out of the sunlight. The fillies look terrified, Shadowmane spoke, “You need to work on your approach little fillies” said Shadowmane smirking, not surprised in the slightest “your manes don’t blend very well with the shadows, let alone the outfits.” He set the out-of-breath ponies on the nearby benches. “I told ya two should’ve had full headwear, didn't you make masks last week Sweetie Belle?” said Applebloom, walking to her friends. Sweetie Belle couldn't respond since she was still seeing two of every pony. “You knew about this honey?” I asked the crusaders. “I wanted us to pull a little prank on the new pony” Applebloom responded, gesturing to the ninja fillies, “I guess it didn’t work”. “I guess… Cutie Mark Crusader ninjas are… off the list” Sweetie Belle groggily announced taking a list and quill from her tail and mane, making an X swipe. “You three do various activities to find your cutie mark?” asked Shadowmane calmly intrigued. “You bet mister” Said Scootaloo, instantly recuperated but still a bit loopy “say, you wanna join us? We’re always looking for new members!” Shadowmane waved his hoof, shaking his head, “That’s quite all right, I don’t mind not having a cutie mark, I like to expand my skills, besides I’m too old for this.” Just how old is Shadowmane? Is he just as old as Celestia? That would be freaky! “I’m Shadowmane;” he said kneeling to the fillies’ eye level. “I’m guessing your names are Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?” They both nod, taking in the black stallion’s dark appearance. “How old are you mister?” Asked Sweetie Belle, regaining her composure. What are you thinking darling? That’s rude, especially for royalty. “Well besides the time I was frozen for who knows millenniums, I would say I’m as old as Applejack here.” I guess being frozen really does retain the youth. Shadowmane looks the 2 filly sized holes in the ceiling. “My bad, Applejack, let me get that.” I was about to say I’ll do it until the hole flashed and was mysteriously reverted back to being sealed. I didn’t see him pick up any wood, it’s still on the floor, and he just filled it up. “How’d you do that, er uh your majesty?” I ask him, he replies while treating the fillies’ injuries with a golden light, removing the splinters and sealing any cuts, he shot a glare at me for a split second then turned back, tending to the fillies, “Materialization, a pretty common move I use often, this spell was how I was able to build my house without buying materials.” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were starting to regain their liveliness again; they were soon jumping up and down and ripping off their ninja costumes. He can treat wounds with magic? And he can make houses from thin air now? My head’s starting to feel a bit woozy. “You wanna look at the spread now?” Big Mac spoke up, pointing at the lunch table. “Sure,” he replied, “the rest of you should join me.” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo seemed to take an instant liking to Shadowmane and joined him, not intimidated in the slightest by the black alicorn. Applebloom followed them, standing at the spread. Shadowmane examines every meal on the table with persistent eyes. He locks his eyes on one of the apple pies, cuts a slice and takes a bite. I’m ready for the hoe-down, ready for the critique to hit me with his rating. “This is… amazing!” He eats the whole slice in one bite, savoring the taste with a hearty smile across his stuffed face. I keep a proud expression on the outside, a cheering and hollering expression on the inside. The crusaders start munching down after his majesty’s first but not last bite. I give a bow to my head, lower my forelegs and put my hat over my chest, “I’m so glad you like our humble food… your highness.” Shadowmane suddenly stops eating; I keep my head down, glancing up. He approaches me, with a disappointed look on his face. He doesn’t look too happy. “Stop the act”, he says in an authoritative tone. I quickly shoot back up, dropping my hat on the ground. The stallion stares at me for a long time; I can feel my stomach cave into itself. Finally he goes to pick up my hat, staring at it. And speaks up “Applejack, I know you want to impress me, the alicorn that is assumed to be royalty. But I want you to simply address me like you do with everyone else, this friend asks for humbleness.” He puts it back on his head, with his own hoof without magic. I stare into his eyes; I can feel his whole pleading send through me like telepathy. He wants equality, not inequality. Shadowmane wants to be a normal pony despite his appearance, just like me. I’ve been all uptight about every action he made since he walked in the barn and trying to impress him as much as possible. Turns out there is a normal pony under that coat. I look down, guilty, and confess “I’m sorry partner, it’s just meeting an alicorn is such a big deal for a normal family of mine. We live in a triarchy world and 3 ponies are at the center of it, soon it’s going to be 4. I can’t help but feel so overworked every time Cadence, Luna, or Celestia show up. Now I wonder if I have to treat my friend Twilight like that now that she’s a princess.” Shadowmane looks at me, still staring, and then makes a recommendation, “Don’t look of me as of royalty, but as an honest one like you.” The phrase hits me and lingers for a while. An honest one like me…? I give him a light smile, “I’ll try.” Not making any promises I can’t keep, I’m sure Shadowmane understands. “Cool, now how about you quit stiffing up and join us, it’s not about just me is it?” he walks back to the table, giving Sweetie Belle a quick rubbin on the noggin. Big Mac stops tensing before I do and plummets on the frail wooden bench, relaxing his tense muscles. “Come on big sis, enjoy the fruits of our labor!” exclaimed Applebloom, dunking her face in an apple pie. Shadowmane laughs… and proceeds to do likewise; getting apple slices in his dark mane. He lifts his face out only to find the tin plate stuck through his horn. Every pony laughs with the unicorn-pegasus while they grab a pie and join in with the face food. I guess Shadowmane really is just an ordinary pony like me. Everyone is having a great laugh while Granny sleeps through it all. I can’t help but join in, I scoot next to Shadowmane and bump his cold skin, grabbing a pie and smashing my face in it. After we all get cleaned up, Shadowmane asks if he could know more about the Apple family. I oblige, chatting along about us being all across Equestria and where we came from. After the part where I said all of the apple families are almost nothing but Earth ponies he looks at our apple harvest today in the corner of the barn house. “That’s a lot of apples in just a day for just 3 earth ponies. How do you do it?” I feel the need to SHOW him how we do it here at the orchard. I ask him to follow me and every pony else follows leaving Granny smith alone to her nap. I approach the ripe orchard of apples, about 1 mile long of the abundant juicy orbs. I buck a tree, making the tree drop all the apples at once. “I never thought of harvesting them that way, impressive.” He looks at the bucket full of apples. He turns to look at the abundant green apple tree next to the one I bucked. He looks me in the eye and asks, “Can I give it a shot?” “Sure,” I reply, “just hit it as hard as you can with your hind legs, simple as that.” Right before he goes to buck he takes something out from under his cape. It looks like a white ball, the size of a gumball. The stallion sends it upward and it detonates. It forms a small grey cloud over him, protecting him from the sunlight. What’s up with him and avoiding sunlight? Maybe he has some crazy skin sensitivity disorder, I don’t know, it would seem too personal to ask. The black stallion takes off his cloak and hands it to Big Mac, perching it on his back. Shadowmane positions himself near the tree, and then gives his hind legs a good moment to build up strength… KABOOOOM!!! It took about a minute for the dust and the earthquake to settle down. What in the hay happened…? Celestia’s mane…The tree does way more than just shake. The tree splinters off its firm root in the ground and is sent flying horizontally to the other trees. The other trees also splinter off, causing a massive burst effect. That stallion just decimated almost an entire half mile of apple trees, landing only 1 measly apple in the bucket. As the dust and debris settles Shadowmane slowly turns around, freaked out by his own strength. “Uhhhh… sorry about that…” He sheepishly grins, showing his fangs in a more comical manner. I don’t feel mad at him or in any way negative for some odd reason. I actually feel… very impressed! And I thought Big Mac was stronger at first, well his mouth is currently gaping to the ground so I stand corrected. Every pony’s jaws are about halfway to the ground. Now Shadowmane looks worried “Applejack, I am so sorry, you said to hit it as strong as I could so I trusted you and it's been too long since been careful with my own strength and...” He looks back at the unintentional destruction he just made. “…Dang” Big Mac one-lined, then went for two, “nice one…”. “Hoo boy you got some kickers on your body!” I tell him, absolutely astounded. “You’re not mad…?” He asks, as wide-eyed as I was 2 hours ago. “Well I’m impressed for you having such amazing strength; it ain’t nothing I’ve ever seen before.” I wonder if Celestia or Luna are just as physically powerful, possibly. “I guessing you want me to help in repairing the damage…?” He said. I feel like he wants me to say it okay and he can leave… and I would totally be okay with that… but that wouldn’t be very honest now is that? Granny Smith comes out of the barnhouse, galloping towards us. “Kids!” she yells out, extremely worried. She brings me, Big Mac, and Applebloom together in a big and warm hug. “Are y’all all right? I heard an explosion and I-“she turns to the partially destroyed apple orchard. “How and what in Celestia’s name caused something like this??” she exclaimed, her jaw dropping down her withered face. “Shadowmane accidentally bucked too hard and the tree couldn’t handle it" says Applebloom. “We invite you over for lunch and you destroy a part of our orchard in return?!” Granny shouted, scowling at Shadowmane, furious. She wasn’t taking a minute to take in Shadowmane’s appearance let alone greet him, since he just destroyed hundreds of trees in an instant. “I’m truly sorry Mrs. Apple,” said Shadowmane bowing his head, “let me fix the damage for you.” Shadowmane did that nifty magic trick again, lifting hundreds of tons of trees and reaffixing them to their crudely torn stumps, they were brand new in 30 seconds! Granny looked a whole lot less angry now, giving Shadowmane credit for such such an amazing feat. Me and Big Mac repaired the grass fields while the Cutie Mark Crusaders tried their luck at speed gathering cutie marks (no avail, real shocker). *2 hours later* “Well good job partner, you helped out a might today” I tell Shadowmane, slapping him on the hind legs. “This was a fun experience Applejack, I hope we get to do stuff like this more soon.” He calmly replies, tilting his head. Applebloom trots over to me, “Hey sister can I make dinner today?” “If you can do that, I know y’all are plum tuckered out.” I tell her, nuzzling her head. “I’m up for it, trust me!” She pulls on my foreleg, wanting to go back to the house and trying cooking cutie marks. “Well we’ll be seeing you soon Shadowmane, keep those hindlegs strong and deadly”. “Bye Shadowmane today was super-duper awesome!” Applebloom hopped to the house like Pinkie Pie would hop. I tip my hat and walk back to the house with her. But right when I turned around I noticed Shadowmane’s face when I was nuzzling Applebloom’s head. His face… was melancholy, a gentle smile… but obviously sad. I turned back to ask him what’s wrong, but he was already gone, going through a portal back to his manor. The wind picking up leaves where Shadowmane stood a second ago.