//------------------------------// // Mini-Chapter: Chains // Story: My Little Civil Activist: Equality is Magic // by GrouchoMarxDisciple //------------------------------// "Well, unfortunately, that's about all I can do. The rest is up to them. Hopefully I was convincing enough." "Eeyup." "Maybe you can give a speech after the debate. Really send them home impressed." "Eenope." "Can you say anything but Yes or No?" "Ee-sometimes." Laughter. --- The crowd was oppressive. There were literally ponies shoulder-to-shoulder, jockeying for position in an ill-defined and frequently contradictory line. What was normally a pretty clear spot in town had suddenly become the epicenter of a flood of people. And Applebloom really, really, didn't want to go in there. Not that she had much choice. She was already in trouble for sneaking away from home. "Alright, 'Bloom. Do ya see him anywhere?" She didn't have to ask. The glut of ponies in and around the town square was enough to successfully hide anypony, even one as large and brightly colored as her brother. "Well, he can't go in to the debate. We can jus' wait him out." Applebloom said hopefully. "Maybe once all these ponies are seated, he'll stick out like a sore thumb!" "Ah don't think so. The debate's not startin' fer another forty minutes. We can find him sooner than that, ah'm sure of it." Applejack said, sternly. "Besides, Ah want this mess taken care of as fast as we can, so that we can get out of here and put this nonsense behind us. Ah think all this talk of "change" got to his head, and it'll get to ours if we let it." Applebloom's face fell. "I don't like this very much..." "Just stay close to me. You'll be fine." There was a moment of silence, and then a mischievous smirk crossed the elder Apple's face. "Maybe you can git a "Private Investigator" Cutie Mark." --- "Ah still can't believe you knocked the entire line over. Ponies don't jus' fall down like dominoes." As ponies licked their wounds and gave Applebloom dirty looks, Applejack attempted the impossible task of scanning the crowd without making eye contact with anypony. "Bloom! Bloom! Ah think I see him." Applejack held her hoof over her eyes like a visor and squinted. "Isn't that him over there?" Applebloom started to look in the direction of her elder sister's hoof, but was immediately deterred by the glares of those she was pointing over. She replied with a neutral "Maybe." "Let's go find out. C'mon." Applejack snagged her sister's arm, and the two began plowing through the crowd, one with a determined look and the other staring at the ground. --- The Doctor, Carmel, and Big Macintosh stood by the wall of a nearby house. Whooves and Carmel were talking while Big Mac listened attentively. "So, how did you get into the debate again, Carmel?" Doctor Whooves asked, a quizzical look on his face. "I thought the limited seating kept all but voters out." Carmel smiled. "Voters and Campaign Staff. It was quite simple, really. I am Golden Harvest's official "Grassroots Coordinator". As such, I have a seat right behind the debaters." The Good Doctor smirked. "You realize that title is completely AS, right?" "100%" The two shared a laugh. The normally stoic Big Mac even hinted at a grin. Carmel shook his head. "But seriously, I can't wait to see the look on the Mayor's face. She'll take one look at me, turn red, and then she'll say-" "-What in tarnation are ya doin out here?" The conversation halted, as the intruder made herself known. Applejack had just detached herself and Applebloom (who was very interested in the specific kind of dirt on the courtyard ground) from the ponies in the courtyard. Carmel and The Doctor moved defensively between Applejack and Big Mac, who simply closed his eyes. "Big Macintosh! I demand an answer!" Applejack stomped her hoof. "Ya've been acting might foalish, stormin' off the farm an' leavin' us high an' dry like that. I had always thought higher of ya then that. You are just like Bloom!" Bloom moved to complain, but thought better of it. Applejack's expression softened. "C'mon. We're going home. We lost a lot of light as it is. We're gonna have to stay up late to make up the lost time." Carmel simply stared at her, almost appraisingly. Whooves mirrored Carmel's extreme calm. "I'd like to kindly ask ya to step aside. This ain't yer business." Applejack said, addressing the other two for the first time. When they didn't move, she lifted her hoof. "Shoo." Carmel looked back over at Mac. His eyes remained closed, his head down. There was a tense moment, as both Carmel and Applejack searched for words. Carmel struck first. "Mac, you don't have to listen to her." "Mac, listen to me!" "You are your own stallion." "Ya have responsibilities!" "You can make your own choices." "Family comes first, Mac." "We need you here." "We need you home." They alternated sentences at an almost staggering pace, but the last one was spoken in unison. "Do the right thing." Carmel turned around once more, and his eyes met Applejack's. She was a pony, just like him. Just because somepony is being unreasonable didn't mean they were somehow sub-pony, despite his political rhetoric. He looked into her green eyes with that piercing stare of his, and then suddenly smiled. "You can't control him anymore, Applejack. No one can." Before she could respond, they were gone, and she was left with a (very muddy) Applebloom. The crowd closed in, and the light faded. "Mac?"