Chapter 7: Outgrowth
All too soon, the celebration wound down. When she thought Applejack wasn’t looking, Merry approached Meadow about a job offer with the Rangers. “I saw how quick you were to jump on that no-good Poppy guy. I think anypony that quick on his hooves might be good for the Company.”
Meadow gave Merry a long look before replying. “Well, I’m not really the sort to settle in one town for very long. Guard duty ain’t my game.”
Merry shook her head. “No, that’s not what we’re about. I want us to be travelers. We’re gonna go around, fixing things, not sitting around waiting for stuff to happen. I think it might be right up your alley.”
Meadow squinted at Merry appraisingly. “Alright, I might stick in town for a few days. You can try and convince me.”
Merry grinned. “Sweet. I’m sure I can bring you around.”
***
As Merry and Meadow bumped hooves, the rest of the Apples were busy giving their farewells. Chief Thunderhooves approached Applejack. AJ looked him in the eye, grateful that she didn’t have to crook her neck as far as usual to do so. The mighty chieftain bowed his head low at her for quite a while before saying anything. “Forgive me…”
Applejack reared a little, “Why!? Ah mean, sure, but why do ya need it?”
Thunderhooves shook his head. “They call you Princess of the Ponies… No… You goddesses come down, take the form of the smallest and gentlest of the peoples. The dragons, the dogs, the minotaurs, the bison, the donkeys, all of them scorn your people, yet you stride over the world and move it at your will. I am left with nothing but prayer to defend my people, so I pray to you. Applejack, Mara, Mother Earth, remember that our land is sacred to us, that our very lives are bound to it... as it is bound to you.”
Applejack nodded. It was a sober moment, and one that she was not well equipped for. After a short pause, she said, “Ah will remember ‘n’ protect your people.”
The burly chief smiled warmly and bowed to her. “Many thanks. We of the plains are yours. I pray you will visit us from time to time. Farewell,” and with that, he tromped off to find his daughter.
The last of the raising party left with the overnight train to Appleloosa. Applejack found herself on the station platform with her grandmother, siblings, and seneschal, waving goodbye to the departing train. A tiny hollow gnawed at the pit of her stomach as she watched them disappear. She felt that things were going to get harder from here on out. She also couldn’t shake the feeling that something deep below the surface was off with Celestia. She sighed and turned back towards town.
When she arrived back at the farm, she trudged up to the old farmhouse and climbed up to her too-small bed for the night.
***
The next morning, Merry was puttering around the new barns, picking out an office for herself. Celestia had settled into the east barn the previous night, conjuring a bed from the palace for herself. As Merry glanced out one of the windows, she spotted Celestia sitting in the nearby yard doing what looked like very slow and deliberate yoga. Feeling slightly self-conscious, she examined the goddess as she exercised. Celestia was, if anything, even more breathtaking than the other two princesses. However, as she watched, Merry didn’t get the same subtle feeling of serenity that she did whenever she was around Princess Mara. After a while, Merry shrugged and was about to turn away when she spotted Twilight Sparkle out of the corner of her eye.
Twilight hesitated before approaching Celestia, but she seemed to gather her nerve quickly. Before she reached Celestia, the princess turned to see her. Merry crouched low in the window, though she could faintly hear everything going on below.
“P-princess?”
“Yes, Twilight?”
“I’m glad you’re staying near Ponyville for a while...”
“Yes, it’s a nice change from Canterlot. Was there something that you wanted to talk to me about?”
There was a moment of silence. Merry was crouched completely below the sill, but she still felt like the worst kind of trespasser.
“I—I was curious if you wanted me to deliver my reports in-person since, well, I’m right here and all, and it’s not like it’s a long walk.”
“You never delivered your reports personally when you lived in Canterlot. Is this about something else perhaps?” When Twilight didn’t answer, Celestia continued, “Are you maybe wondering why I would need a faithful student if I am already busy teaching Applejack?” Another silence. “Come here... I will always care about you. There is no pony anywhere who could replace you, Twilight.”
The only answer for a long time was the tiny, hiccuping sobs of Twilight Sparkle. Tears also pricked the corners of Merry’s eyes, urged on by equal measures of compassion and shame. After what seemed like an eternity, Twilight’s weeping stopped as she spoke again with a trembling voice. “I’m not stupid you know...”
Celestia’s voice finally betrayed real shock, “Whyever would you even think I thought that about you!?”
“You... You were training me for something, weren’t you? I never really thought about it seriously, I mean, it was ridiculous, just a silly fantasy. But now, I guess I can see that I really have failed the only test that matters....”
“Twilight Sparkle! You. Have. Not. Failed me. Look at me. Look... Sparkle!” There was the sound of galloping, then a faint whipcrack. Merry continued waiting silently.
After what seemed like a sufficient time had passed, she peeked over the sill. Staring directly back at her from across the yard was Princess Celestia. The goddess’s face looked carved out of solid marble, and her eyes burned like twin furnaces. Merry backpedaled frantically, dashing for a window on the opposite side of the building to leap out of. She sped home at top speed, skipping her front door and slipping inside her room by the upstairs window. She spent the rest of the morning under her blanket with the curtains closed against the sun.
***
Applejack showed up at Twilight’s library a little after noon for her regular practice. She raised a hoof to knock on the door, but Twilight opened it before she could. Twilight’s eyes were red and puffy as if she had just been crying, but she was also forcing a broad smile. Applejack was nearly speechless, she’d only seen her friend like this a couple of times. “Sugar, what’s wrong? You look like a pit to Tartarus opened in yer living room, sucked ya up and spat ya back out.”
Twilight’s mouth stayed fixed in its rictus as she answered, “Nothing. I don’t really want to talk about it. Let’s get to work.”
“Twilight... You know that you can talk ta me, right?”
“I know, you’re always there for me... If I have anything to talk about, I’ll let you know. Now let’s get to work.” Twilight turned around quickly and started heading for the tattered scroll that sat in the center of the room.
“Twi, if it’s me you can’t talk to, please, go tell one of tha girls. Ah just don’t want ta see ya like this.”
Twilight examined the scroll for a moment and made a mark on another scroll nearby. She continued as if she hadn’t heard Applejack at all. “So, I think we can expand the parameters if we just adjust this element here. It’ll take even more power, but not more than you and I can handle. Say, you never told me why you wanted this spell in the first place. You know that when I used it, it didn’t really fix anything.”
Defeated, Applejack sighed and followed Twilight into the library. “Eeyup, Ah’m not tryin’ ta fix anything. Ah jest need somepony ta see somethin’.”
***
That evening, Applejack and Merry were setting up some furniture in a large room that was to be the center of the new Earthly Court. From outside, they heard a group of ponies chatting vigorously with each other, while Celestia’s distinctive alto occasionally interjected. Applejack poked her head out the door to see Celestia and three others wandering in the general direction of the barn.
Celestia spotted Applejack and motioned her over with a nod of her head. AJ trotted up to the group slowly, followed by Merry, not sure what was going on. The three ponies that were chattering at and around Celestia paid Applejack no mind until she was practically on top of them. Celestia coughed lightly to interrupt a particularly drab pony who was outlining all the reasons why expanding farmland grants was a terrible idea. “Ahem, thank you Greygorie. Ponies, this is Princess Mara, to whom you will now report. She is a highly skilled farmer and has helped run her family’s business since she was barely old enough to see over a counter. Princess, these three are those ministers I warned you about earlier.” Celestia paused to glance about herself. “Why don’t you all introduce yourselves and what you do?”
The dark grey pony who had been speaking last bowed deeply at Applejack. His voice was low, slow, and throaty. “I’m Greygorie Chip, minister of the Geological Survey, but you can call me Grey. I see to it that ponies can enjoy the wealth of the earth. I was born in the Foal Mountains, and there’s none else that knows more about the bones of the earth than me. Nought much else to say about meself.”
Applejack nodded at him. “Nice ta meetcha, Ah’m sure. Say, Ah got a friend that grew up around those parts. You ever knew a Pinkamena Pie?”
Greygorie frowned a moment, then shook his head. “No, can’t say as I have, Princess.”
Applejack shrugged and glanced over at the light green unicorn who was standing on the other side of Celestia. The unicorn bobbed her head respectfully at AJ, saying, “My name is Mint Condition; I am head of the treasury.” When Applejack continued looking at her, expecting more, she simply stepped back into Celestia’s shadow, glancing over at the minister of agriculture.
The minister of agriculture, a chubby, yellow stallion with a shock of maroon mane, rolled his eyes and stepped forward. “I’m—”
Applejack raised a hoof to stop him. “Ah already know yer name. It’s Golden Hills. Yer tha minister of agriculture, and Golden Harvest’s pa. Am Ah right?”
Hills nodded. “Guilty as charged. My daughter has… mentioned you a time or two. I understand that you two are sometimes friendly rivals in the marketplace.”
Applejack held back a grimace. She wouldn’t necessarily use the term friendly to describe her and Harvest’s relationship. “Right. Anyhow, what can Ah do fer y’all?”
Golden glanced at the others. Celestia had retreated slightly, looking on with the faintest hint of apprehension around her eyes. Greygorie shrugged. Golden rolled his eyes at him and turned back to Applejack. “Princess Mara, perhaps you could show us what you can do for us? I don’t think any of us has any idea of the scope of your power.”
Applejack frowned, “Like what? Ah’m not too sure what all Ah can do mahself.”
Greygorie raised a hoof. “Well, what about digging? I know there’s a fairly sizable gemfield not too far from town.” Mint blanched at the suggestion.
Hills shot Grey an irritated glance. “I was thinking that, since the Princess is first and foremost a mare of the soil, she might try blessing somepony’s crops… Perhaps somepony she’s had a feud with in the past? As a measure of goodwill, of course.”
Applejack gave Golden Hills a long look. “Ah see… What’re ya gettin’... At…” She gazed suspiciously at the minister for a moment. “Oh! Goldengrape! Ah fergot all about him.” Applejack gave Hills a smirk. “Alright. Ah’m gonna do jest that. Good idea, Hilly. Follow me. Ah’m gonna go help out a pony who needs it. Merry! C’mon, the chairs can wait.” AJ turned around, heading towards the foothills, towards Goldengrape’s vinyard.
The group of ministers followed with various amounts of hesitation. Golden Hills sat on his haunches glaring until Merry nudged him from behind. As they got going, Merry bounced into the air and took a position flying a few yards above and in front of Applejack.
Celestia watched them go, biting her lip. Finally, she shook her head and turned away towards her quarters.
***
Goldengrape’s vinyard was nowhere near as old as Sweet Apple Acres. Its sprawling, modern farmhouse was set low in the side of the hills between Whitetail Woods and the Everfree. Merry swept ahead of Applejack’s delegation. As she glanced over his fields, she saw the carefully covered and protected rows of grapevines. Among the rows of little hills of protective dirt, some kind of black, thorny vine was springing up everywhere in a chaotic tangle.
Merry banked hard and landed with an authoritative thud on Goldengrape’s front porch. There was an answering crash from inside. After some stumbling and hurried hoofsteps, Goldengrape poked his head out the door. “Hello? Oh gosh. What do you want?”
Merry smirked at him. “Princess Mara approaches. I suggest you keep your distance while she looks at your crops.”
Goldengrape paled visibly. “I… I can’t. I’ll - I’ll get one of the farmhooves to show her around.” Goldengrape pulled away from the door for a second, before peeking out again at Merry. “Please, don’t let her see me… And, if she cares, tell her thanks. This is my livelihood.”
Merry nodded slowly. “I’ll tell her, now go grab whoever’s gonna show her around.”
***
Big Mac was sitting in his room in the old farmhouse, working on yield projections and weather proposals for next year. The plot that AJ had spontaneously cleared and planted a month back would need very delicate care if more than half of the saplings were going to last the winter, magic or no. On the other hoof, if AJ continued to give them little nudges like she had, they might give a good crop by the next harvest.
He was interrupted by a knock on his doorframe. Apple Bloom was standing in it with an excited look on her face. Big Mac set down his pencil and nodded her in.
“Hay big brother, there’s somepony at the door askin’ fer ya. He’s all dandied up in a jacket an’ everthin’. Said he wanted to talk ta ‘Prince McIntosh’”
Big Mac looked back at his sister incredulously. “What?”
“It’s true. Cross mah heart. You gonna meet him?”
Big Mac shrugged. “Eeyup.” He trudged downstairs, wondering who in Equestria it was. The top half of the barn door was already hanging open the way Apple Bloom had left it. The face on the other side of it was one that Big Mac recognized from tabloids and newspapers. It was Prince Blueblood.
The prince was waiting, nose in the air, eyes closed, the very picture of affected dignity. There were two very bored-looking royal guardsponies standing at his flanks. One of them nudged the prince as Big Mac approached. Blueblood blinked and looked over at Big Mac. “Ah, peasant, I talked to your daughter a moment ago. She claimed to know where I might find this so-called Prince McIntosh. Would you please direct me to his mansion? I’m told this is his estate. I must grudgingly confess, it is quite a large holding.”
Big Mac gave the prince a flat look and turned away. “Nnope. And she’s mah sister.”
Blueblood stomped impetuously. “Excuse me, peasant. I wasn’t done with you. How dare you turn away from me! Don’t you know that I am the closest living kin to Celestia herself?!”
Big Mac stopped short. Apple Bloom peeked out from where she had been eavesdropping. “Yeah? Well he’s tha brother of Princess Mara. He’s got, like, twice the royal blood ya got!” Big Mac smiled at his sister.
Blueblood sputtered and then laughed. “Hah! You are ‘Prince McIntosh’? And I suppose you, little one, are a Princess? Are you hiding a horn under that mop of a mane?”
Big Mac turned back towards Blueblood. He strode slowly up to the door and butted heads with the prince. Blueblood was truly massive for a unicorn, and could match Big Mac eye to eye, but Macintosh was a knot of solid muscle. He leaned into the prince ever so slightly. “Ah’m Macintosh. That’s mah sister Apple Bloom. Y’all can excuse yerself now.”
Blueblood leaned back, obviously straining. “I will not. I was on vacation in Las Pegasus, and what happens but they decide, in my absence, to elevate a family of imposters to the royal household. The first I heard of it was the sky-chariot sent by my illustrious aunt... and... the other one. I intend to prove that there is only one royal prince in Equestria. I challenge you to a duel. Standard rules, four rounds. If you manage to beat me at two of them, then you may walk away with your dignity intact, though I doubt you’ll do that well. I’ll even let you select the first challenge. I’ll await your reply at the hotel in town.” He shoved hard, then backed off.
Big Mac rolled his eyes. “Nnope.”
Blueblood chuckled as he turned to leave. “We’ll see. I'm glad I managed to skip out on your 'coronation'. What an embarrassment.”
Apple Bloom scampered up to her brother’s side, watching Blueblood retreat with his guards. When she thought he was out of earshot, she looked up at Big Mac. “Y’all are gonna fight him, right?”
Big Mac shook his head and smirked at his littlest sister. “Nnope.”
“Aw, come-on!”
***
Applejack squinted at the black vines that were slowly creeping up among the grapes. They were simple thorns, similar to the ones she had raised into a dome over Sweet Apple Acres before her fight with Luna. However, the color was bizarre. She looked at the farmhoof that was showing her the fields. “So, Spitter was it? Tell me again where yer boss is?”
“He’s away visiting family.” A subtle glance at Merry, who was standing behind Spitter and shaking her head emphatically, confirmed that for the lie that it was.
“Alright. Well, Ah know y’all grow mostly Muscat grapes. What cultivar’s this row? Blanc?”
“Close, Frontignan. These are some of our most prized varieties.” said Spitter.
“Right, this look like anythin’ ya ever seen, Hills? Is it a magical disease we’re lookin’ at?”
Golden Hills, frustration put aside in favor of professional interest, nudged one of the vines. “Nothing I’ve ever seen. How fast did you say they were growing, Miss Spitter?”
“About an inch a day. It’s impossible to keep up with the weeding. We finish a row, and they’re already starting to poke back up at the other end. I have no idea how they’re getting this much vigor when it’s this cold out. The grapes don’t stand a chance if this keeps up until spring.”
Applejack set her jaw. “Well, Ah can’t stand by and watch this happen. Everypony stand back. Outta tha field, actually.”
As the rest of her entourage scampered out of range, Applejack closed her eyes and listened.
She felt the acres of grapevines around her, pruned and resting for the winter. She sensed the soil, and it’s dormant insects and fungi. Then she felt the invading vines. Actually, vine. The whole field shared one long snaking root leading off towards the Everfree. The gargantuan plant felt unnatural. Unnatural, and hungry. Applejack took a deep breath and steadied herself. She called on her magic, her hooves subtly glowing as they dug into the ground.
“C’mon, y’all need ta go now. This ain’t yer field. Y’all belong back in tha Everfree.”
The plant didn’t respond to her nudging. Instead, Applejack felt it starting to put up shoots under her. She pushed back. The vine and its many branches started undulating slowly as she fought with it. It felt like a caged animal, like it was being partially restrained, but vicious nonetheless. The harder she pushed, the harder it writhed and struggled. She slammed her magic against the taproot and was dimly aware of the field being torn up around her. It almost seemed to be feeding off of her magic. She let go.
Keeping her eyes closed, she trotted out of the decimated field, following the underground root. She traced it back to the border of the Everfree and opened her eyes. Looking back, she saw Hills, Greygorie, Mint, Spitter, and Merry all glancing between her and the field, slack-jawed.
“What have you done!” screamed Spitter.
The field was now a churned mess of rock, dirt, exposed rootballs, and shattered wood. Applejack grimaced in embarrassment. “Don’t worry! Ah’ll fix it! Get me a shovel.”
Spitter complied in a stiff, robotic fashion. Applejack dug down to the root and gave it an exploratory hack with the shovel. It was solid wood. She shooed everypony back again and grabbed a large rock in her hooves. Taking off, she went for altitude, as high as she could manage above the root. Taking careful aim, she launched the rock downwards with an explosive kick. The rough missile hurtled down and crushed the exposed root, severing it neatly.
Applejack drifted back down and started pulling on the exposed root end with both teeth and magic. The loam all the way up the hill towards the farm split and furrowed as she tugged the tough vine backwards through the earth. Then AJ went to work on the cleanup.
***
An hour later, the field looked somewhat normal again. At Spitter’s slightly dazed suggestion, she had adjusted the grade slightly, to take best advantage of the sun and drainage of the hill. As AJ came out of her final trance, the field was back in perfect rows, with the grapevines once again resting under little mounds of earth and ready for the winter. The soil was churned and loose, with just the right mix of sand and clay to provide superb aeration and growth. A pile of cast out stones was laid out to one side. Satisfied, and more than a little exhausted, Applejack trotted out towards the watchers.
Spitter was simply gazing out at the field, a slight tear in her eye. Golden Hills had a similar expression on his face. As Applejack approached, he looked at her with new respect in his eyes. “Princess. Princess, that was incredible.” He poked at a nearby mound, exposing the neatly trimmed vines. “Look at those, they’re positively glowing! This is incredible. I would be shocked if the next years grapes weren’t some of the sweetest this valley has ever seen. And it only took you an hour and a half, start to finish! Think what we could do for food production in Equestria if you did this for every farm! Assuming you don’t have to do as severe landscaping for any given farm, and considering there are about seven-hundred farms in Everfree county… You could hit every single farm nearby in about two months. Every. Single. Farm!”
Greygorie stepped up to flank Golden Hills. “Phah! Farms? Thee moved the earth by the ton. Think of the mining potential! My grandfer, Redediah Frack, had a theory that localized earthquakes could be used to release natural gas. He was laughed at, because what he couldn’t explain to anypony was how he proposed to cause those earthquakes. Thee! Thee could do it! And if thee had a team of gemspotters, I bet thou could pick those gemfields south of town clean in an afternoon.”
Mint, who had been fairly quiet until now, trotted over and stomped a hoof dramatically. “NO! That would throw the economy in shambles! The value of the bit is based on Equestria’s gem production. And if you flooded the market with that much food, prices would drop through the floor, putting farms across the country out of business. We would be ruined if the goddesses suddenly took production into their own hooves.”
Greygorie snorted again. “Come now. Nopony was ever hurt by a few extra resources. There’ll be plenty for everypony.”
“A few?” said Mint, “What you’re talking about would have global consequences. The markets wouldn’t have time to adjust. Sure, more is better for everypony, but this is too much, too soon. Princess, surely you can see what I mean?”
“Well, uh. Ah guess?”
“Bah, that’s preposterous. Mara, your Highness, Mint has always been an alarmist. With this much food, we could just set up a government impost. The excess could be sent to Zebrica or something. We’d be doing massive amounts of good. After all, Equestria is the gem of the nations. It is our duty to take care of the needy and weak of the world!” said Hills.
“That sounds okay…” said Applejack, trying desperately to follow the conversation.
Greygorie shook his head. “Now, I am all in favor of helping the needy, but a tax? How is that justifiable? Let the markets take care of themselves. Ponies are strong creatures, and harmony is in our nature. Trust the people to know what to do with their newfound wealth. Is that not right, Princess?”
By this time, all three of the ministers were practically in eachother’s muzzles. Not one of them was paying Applejack any real mind. She looked to Merry May. She shrugged back at AJ, gesturing towards Sweet Apple Acres. The two of them flew off, leaving the wheels of politics gently spinning below and behind them.