//------------------------------// // Dead Mare Trotting // Story: Captain Applejack Harkness // by Inthretis //------------------------------// March 31, 1619 Ponyville Elementary It was a hard math test. Twenty-five foals struggling to do basic algebra and even more basic geometry. Twenty-five pencils scribbled away on twenty-five pieces of paper. Scootaloo sat in the far right side of the class, trying to figure out the area of a rectangle. It was… Base times height. Or maybe side time side. Both? Wait, what about dividing? I’m sure I have to divide somewhere. Or was that for triangles? Circles? Scootaloo had spent another restless night writing down everything she “knew”. She knew about Sapphire Shores’ musical patterns partially harmonizing with that of an ancient Ponynesian tribe. She knew that the Mayor was some sort of non-equine entity from beyond the stars. She knew that her teacher, Applejack, and her mother were all involved in some plot to do… something. What she didn’t know was how to find the area of a rectangle. After five minutes of trying to remember formulas she never studied, she decided to skip to the extra credit question: List as many digits of π that you can remember. Scootaloo stopped. She knew what pi was. Sort of. It was around three, and was useful in finding the area of a circle… which she did not know the formula for. She was stuck. Not only that, but she was doomed. She hadn’t studied for this test, and wasn’t always that great of a student. She had only completed about half of the questions, but those she answered weren’t necessarily correct. Her only hope was the extra credit question. Which she had no idea what the answer to it was. She started to write slowly: 3. She stopped. Then, without thinking, she began to write more: 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286208998628034825342117067982148… The exasperated filly stopped as she looked at her paper. Her heart began pumping faster as she went back to the question about the rectangle. She began writing her answer: The area of a rectangle is… Her hoof began writing again as the thought entered her mind. The area of a rectangle is base times height. Scootaloo tried plugging in some numbers: 6 x 22 = Her hoof filled it in without thinking. 6 x 22 = 132. She kept going, and after only five minutes, she had completed the rest of the math test. She looked at her hooves before looking at her flank. Still no cutie mark. Well, at least I could try to see what else I can do with this… --0o0-- April 3, 1619 Fluttershy’s Cottage of Doom (According to Scootaloo) “It’s alright Mr. Mouse, just get some rest and you’ll be fine,” Fluttershy assured the mouse in the world’s smallest wheelchair as he rolled back into his mouse hole. Fluttershy loved taking care of her animals, it was a nice way to relax, especially considering what had happened recently. Despite the comfort she got from the guards and her friends, Fluttershy still had hangups from being held hostage by a beautician. She had spent the last several days in her cottage, only visited by her friends and a psychologist sent in by the guard. He was personally sent there by Princess Celestia. Yet Fluttershy was still surprised to learn who he was. “Hello. I’m Herald Klaxon, your new psychologist,” the blond earth pony said with a smile. Ever since then, Fluttershy has been meeting with him daily, talking about the incident and Fluttershy’s personal issues. The day before, Herald asked her a very specific question at the end of their session: “Do you take care of sick animals because you want to, or is it because you need to? Is the health of others paramount to yours?” Fluttershy thought it was a silly question. Of course she needed it. It was her cutie mark, her destiny! To go against your cutie mark would be like trying to swim up a volcano with no hooves! It is the most important aspect of a pony, unchangeable and sacrosanct. Her cutie mark was caring for animals, ergo she cares for animals. No ifs or buts about it. Yet, she couldn’t help but have this nagging feeling… Fluttershy’s journey into introspection was cut short by Angel Bunny rushing up to her, waving around a pocket watch and chittering away. Fluttershy turned around and looked at Angel, looking at the small watch that the rabbit was holding. “Oh my, Angel, is it that time already? Oh dear, oh dear, I’m late for the brunch. What should I do? Should I go? Oh my, oh my, oh my… ” --0o0-- Princess Celestia smiled as she looked out towards all her little ponies enjoying the brunch she planned. As expected, Rarity was wearing an overly decorated dress, Fluttershy was having a quiet conversation, and Twilight was busy fussing over everything along with the Cakes. Celestia expected that. She understood that her student and friends should be comforted after the ordeal two weeks earlier. She was there to remind them that they were not alone. That they were protected, that help was available, even if Celestia was only able to help from a distance. The incident was not going to happen again. Her guards, especially Captain Klaxon, were swift. They were able to interrogate the prisoner, Aloe Vera, on the whereabouts of Black Ness. As expected, she denied any knowledge of her existence. Schematics for the crystal star during Hearthwarming’s Eve were found in Neighsayer’s throat. Aloe continued denying. Thus, the best psions available, including Commander Soarin, were tasked with extracting the memories from her mind. It would probably take at least another week, but they were making progress. Princess Celestia looked forward, smiling elegantly as she looked out towards her subjects. This is what I’m trying to save. Diligent workers like the Cakes. Party-goers like Pinkie. Awkward mares like Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Spike, ever diligent, always helping out. And faithful students… They all don’t know what is happening, the secret war taking place. Untroubled, dealing with relatively minor problems. I envy them. Celestia looked to her left and saw Applejack moving back and forth, unsure of which food to eat first. Applejack kept opening her mouth, swaying side to side, from the salad to sandwich and back again. The alicorn smiled inside at the attempt to have table manners. --0o0-- Applejack couldn’t take it. Her neck was constantly moving back and forth and her jaw was unable to grasp anything. That is it! No more Do-It-Yourself brain biopsies! Argh, I can’t tell the difference between left and right, and my muscles are confusing the hay out of me. Grumbling, she tried to use her hooves to reach for some food, but to no avail. She merely slipped and fell over. I can still hear ponies calling me “silly”. You get lobotomized one time, and nobody will ever let you live it down! She was about to give up, but was struck with inspiration. Maybe I could try teleporting the food into my stomach. Eh, what could go wrong? She tried reaching for her Vortex Manipulator, but realized the problem. Okay, so typing in coordinates is out of the question. I’m just going to take a break and reset my body in the restroom. Applejack slipped away while the Princess pranked the Cakes using tea. She looked at the alicorn with a feeling of anger in her stomach. Deep, steady breaths. She is not the enemy. She is an obstacle. An evil, murdering witch- The incognito mare trotted quickly into the restroom. It’s getting worse. A resurrection won’t do it. I’m going to need some help. --0o0-- Scootaloo buzzed her wings in irritation as she was blocked by the two guards in front of her. She had tried her best to convince the pegasi guards in front of Sugarcube Corner to let her enter. She had spent two weeks trying to find Rainbow Dash, but every attempt had failed. For whatever reason, the rainbow-maned pegasus avoided everyone except for Fluttershy ever since the incident with Aloe. The murder of Neighsayer had been hot news for days since the arrest. Because of the blue pony. “Come on, let me in! I gotta tell Rainbow Dash something important!” the filly yelled. “No! You are not on the list, now scram, kid!” the guard to her left said menacingly. Scootaloo frowned and squinted in a failed attempt to look threatening. She continued staring until she had an idea. What if I… She trotted back a few steps before the wave of information hit her. She braced herself, and as the wave passed she became more determined. Alright, I can do this. She stepped forward again and looked straight in the eye of the guard on the left. “Listen here, White feather!” Scootaloo shouted. The guard on the left’s ears perked when he heard his name. “I don’t think your mother would be happy at you, since you just yelled at a filly!” Scootaloo continued, “Also your brother would want you to remember what happened the last time!” White Feather ground his teeth, “Why you little-” “And-and your father feels even more ashamed now than ever! Ever since Storm Chaser broke up with you, you’ve been an angry misanthrope!” Scootaloo kept going, digging in her verbal attacks. The guard on the right stepped forward, “Alright you’ve made your point. Now get inside, and never talk to him again.” Scootaloo nodded and proceeded to enter. White Feather began to shake as he gripped his partner tightly, trying to hold back tears. Scootaloo stopped when she saw the two guards, and she decided it was time to leave. She walked away, deciding to return home. I shouldn’t have done that. I went too far. The orange pegasus sighed as she passed several ponies. Why did I do that? I could have done anything else. I never even did this to Diamond Tiara! He was just doing his job. I could have just waited. She continued down the road. She passed by Neighsayer’s boarded home. Is it really that important? How do I know about Neighsayer? I only heard recently that they caught who killed him. Scootaloo passed by the park and the town hall. She continued as her thoughts began to jumble again. How do I know these things? Why am I so sure? It’s all crazy. Applejack’s not bad. Fluttershy isn’t dangerous. We don’t need help, but I do. After ten minutes of walking, she approached her house. Is there anypony out there who can help me? --0o0-- Despite visiting the underground chambers located beneath Sweet Apple Acres, Cheerilee couldn’t help but feel jittery every time she passed the dwarf star alloy door and into the sanctum. Once she entered, she quickly trotted past the odd relics of impending doom towards a door at the end of the expansive room. The door appeared to be a normal wooden door painted white, but once Cheerilee opened it, she was greeted with an empty metal elevator complete with muzak. It had a chrome finish and was about seven feet squared. The elevator was twice as tall as a normal pony. She stepped in and looked at the control panel to side. Cheerilee closed the wooden door, then noted the floors listed: -1. Main Vault -2. Greenhouse -3. File Room -4. Biohazard (Warning: Biohazard) -5. Gun Range -6. Armory -7. Workshop (Warning: May cause cancer) -8. Forge (Do not enter unless magma-proof) -9. W-Core (Do not enter unless immortal: that means you, Cheerilee!) She rolled her eyes as she pressed “Workshop” and waited as the elevator began to vibrate. A couple seconds of lighting errors followed by a minute of mild screeching later, the elevator stopped moving, then suddenly made a Ding! sound. Cheerilee sighed as she opened the door to reveal a dimly lit room about two hundred square feet with an eight foot tall ceiling. The room was cluttered, filled with strange metal objects hanging from the ceiling by string as well as odd diagrams and blueprints covering the walls. To the side was a work table full of tools and papers strewn across it. A book labeled “No. 22” was opened to show a sketch of metal pony. In the center of the workshop was an exoskeleton lying backside up, four hooves pointed towards the tail end. It resembled an incomplete Cyberpony, only missing its head and the chest cavity being open. It also had wings. They were black, covered in a fabric that was wound tightly. Cheerilee noted the small blue lights blinking on the wing tips. The exoskeleton was suspended by rope, and the innards were completely visible. If Cheerilee didn’t know any better, she would have suspected that Applejack was building herself a pegasus body to wrap herself in. But that was utterly ridiculous, Cheerilee peered inside the inner workings where she noticed that it was covered in sharp needles. The spine protruded several spikes long enough to skewer a pony. Any pony crazy enough to put it on would die- Cheerilee facehooved. Of course. Build yourself a supersuit, make it impossible for anypony else to use. Despite the insanity of what she was observing, she couldn’t help but marvel at its ingenuity. Rainbow Dash had described the incident a while back to many ponies, but fell mostly to deaf ears, as the news that the local spa was home to a murderer was much more interesting than two pegasi chasing each other. What she did listen to, however, was at the very least somewhat interesting. A black pegasus outmaneuvering Rainbow Dash, making ninety-degree turns able to fly and reaching speeds that would put most pegasi in the dust. At any other time, it would have been a great mystery, but murder beats races every time. Cheerilee scanned the wings, noticing that the energy source seemed to come from a small batteries wrapped along the sides. After staring at the contraption with awe, she heard the sound of a whistle. “Ya like? It’s workin’ pretty well, but it’s still got some kinks. Also can’t go faster than mach 6, but teleportin’ will probably cover it,” Applejack said as she scrubbed the exoskeleton’s wings with a brush. "M-mach 6!?” Cheerilee sputtered, “That is ridiculously fast! There’s only a hoofful of pegasi that can reach mach 4! And you think you can go faster?!” “Rainbow Dash clocks in at around Mach 10. Luna can reach escape velocity. Ah’m not sure about others, but considerin’ the folks ah deal with, ah gotta pass mach 11, minimum. After this, ah need ta add some magic disruptors and weapons,” Applejack answered bluntly. “How did you beat Rainbow?” Cheerilee asked. “She only goes up ta mach 10 with a sonic rainboom, otherwise she’s slower’n me. But never mind that, ah need yer help with something.” “What do you need?” Cheerilee asked. “Ah need some help.” --0o0-- As Twilight and Fluttershy chased the runaway phoenix, their mission ended suddenly as the odd bird suddenly and inexplicably burst into flames, then transmuted into ash. As the gasping passed through the town square, Celestia comforted the pile of hyper-fried chicken, the ashes reconstituted itself into a majestic red and gold bird of wondrous grace. Fluttershy, the expert on all non-magical animals, was completely in shock, “I don't understand! What is that thing? What happened to Philomena?” Princess Celestia smiled, “This is Philomena. She's quite a sight, as I said. But nothing unusual for a phoenix. Isn't that right, Philomena?” Philomena squawked as she stretched her wings. “A… A phoenix?” Fluttershy asked with confusion. Princess Celestia answered Fluttershy’s question with amusement, “A phoenix is a majestic and magical bird. Legends say that phoenixes hailed from the time vortex, and so must regenerate every so often. While it appears healthy most of the time, every so often it must regenerate by shedding all of its feathers and bursting into flame.” Celestia came up close to Fluttershy and whispered, “Rather melodramatic, if you ask me.” “It then rises from the ashes, fresh as a daisy. All just a normal part of the life cycle of a phoenix. Every time she does so, she comes back, albeit slightly different in size and shape. Her personality might change a little, but overall she’s still a mischievous little bird. Philomena here took the occasion to have a little fun with you, Fluttershy. Say you're sorry, young lady.” Philomena flew close to Fluttershy, nuzzling her. Fluttershy smiled, but then regained her confusion, “So… aren't you gonna banish me? Or throw me in a dungeon? Or banish me and then throw me in a dungeon in the place that you banish me to?” “Of course not, my little pony. Where on Earth would you get such an idea?” Celestia was completely confused. I guess some things stay in public memory longer than I thought. Fluttershy glanced at Twilight, who blushed slightly, “I guess I have some imagination.” Twilight spoke up, “Fluttershy really did do everything she could to try to take care of Philomena for you.” Celestia smiled as she told her student, “I do appreciate that your heart was in the right place, child. But all you had to do was ask me and I could have told you Philomena was a phoenix and saved you all this trouble.” I guess keeping things secret has become sort of a bad habit. Fluttershy grinned as well, “I know. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Next time I'll ask before taking matters into my own hooves.” Twilight blinked then asked, “Should I write you a letter about that lesson, Princess?” Princess Celestia smiled before a small laugh escaped her lips, “No, that's quite all right. I think I can remember.” Philomena flew down again and gave Fluttershy one of her feathers, “It's beautiful. Thank you, Philomena. No hard feelings.” Philomena squawked as Rainbow Dash flew up to her. Rainbow whispered into Philomena’s ears, then the two of them went over to the guards, both of whom were stoic as ever. Rainbow Dash smirked as she pulled out a red feather and tickled the two guards. With three seconds, the two guards were laughing uncontrollably. Soon after, the infectious laughter spread across the town square as all the ponies and birds laughed together. --0o0-- Princess Celestia had left Ponyville on her golden chariot. As the vehicle flew across the sky and soared back to the mountainside city of Canterlot, the ponies below were all happy as another successful princess visit went off without a hitch. All except one. Scootaloo sighed from a distance as she remembered what she saw. Rainbow Dash made the guards smile and laugh, whereas I only made them cry. How can I be her greatest fan if I end up doing the opposite of what she would do? What would Rainbow Dash do? She’s the element of Loyalty. What I’ve been trying to tell her would break that. It’ll spread mistrust. It will ruin her friendship. Harmony would be broken. But what about Applejack? She’s the element of Honesty, yet she’s keeping secrets from her friends. A secret so dangerous, it scares even the princess. She’s already broken harmony, she no longer represents her element. I need to tell her. It’s the only way. Scootaloo got off her scooter and ran towards the rainbow maned pegasus, “Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow Dash flew down towards the filly, “Hey squirt, how’s my number one fan doing?” “Um, okay I guess, but Rainbow Dash, I need to tell you something important!” Scootaloo’s wings buzzed as she began squirming. “Okay, how important is this exactly?” Rainbow Dash’s skepticism began to creep as she raised an eyebrow. “It’s about the black pegasus from earlier, and Applejack is in cahoots with my mom and Cheerilee to be a terrorist group called Black Ness and mmph!” Scootaloo’s rambling was cut off by a blue hoof being put over her muzzle. Rainbow Dash picked up Scootaloo, then carried her into a quiet alley, far away from eavesdroppers, “Okay Scoots, now slow down and tell me everything.” Rainbow’s magenta eyes grew determined as Scootaloo began recounting every little tidbit over the past several months, starting with last Nightmare Night… --0o0-- It was sunset at Sweet Apple Acres as Big Macintosh was counting the seedlings watered during the day. “Message for Applejack.” Big Macintosh looked up to see a gray earth pony with a treble cutie mark. Her ink black mane and serious expression could only mean one thing. Time for business, “Eeyup. I’ll get her.” The red stallion went back inside his home. He called out, “Applejack, ya got mail!” “Be there in a bit!” Big Mac went outside and continued to count the seedlings. The gray mare shifted to the side, “So… You know Applejack for long.” Big Mac said, “Eeyup,” then went back to counting. “Yeah, I’ve known her for about six years. Met her a while before Canary Wharf, thought she was a bit odd and all. A while before that, there was this creep that blackmailed me with the cure for Sabre Syndrome. “Can you believe it? A cure for a disease that has ravaged the unicorn population for generations, my mom one of them. The saying goes, ‘If you live in Canterlot, chances are you know at least three unicorns afflicted with Sabre.’ I couldn’t say no, and then after pulling off a heist of the Canterlot Archives, I got jailed by Torchwood for stealing alien tech. “Alien tech? It’s crazy, in my hooves, I was holding technology that came from space. Made by strange beings from beyond the stars, living, breathing, creating things I could only dream of,” the mare sighed as she looked at the setting sun. “Anyways, after I stole the thing from the archives, I took it home and looked at it. It was this weird cylinder made of odd metal with a circuit running through the back. It used a Type W battery. It was apparently some sort of heat ray. “I messed around with it, then met up with the guys blackmailing me. I was about to make the switch, the gadget for the serum, but then we were found. Torchwood broke in, held everypony in the room responsible and I was jailed indefinitely. The mare looked back at Big Mac before finishing, “I spent two months in there before Applejack pulled some strings and released me. Ever since then, I worked for her. My mom’s stable now, but it was too late to cure her. She’s still in the coma ward today.” The mare spoke one last time, “Oh yeah, my name’s Octavia by the way.” Big Macintosh had finished counting the seedlings, all 645 of them, yet continued to listen to her story. In the meantime, he filled up his cart with bags of fertilizer. As he was doing so, the front door to the house opened as Applejack came out; her signature stetson fitted atop her head. “What do ya got fer me this time?” Applejack asked as she trotted towards the two ponies. “It’s a message.” “Really? And what was that the two o’ ya were talkin’ about?” Applejack asked again as she took the envelope in her hooves. “Just life, you know, it’s great mysteries and complexities,” Octavia said with a restful sigh. “Okay, what have you been sniffin’?” Applejack got closer to Octavia and smelled her breath. It reeked of chlorine. “Ya went swimmin’?” Applejack asked, her face becoming bemused. “It was for the best, I haven’t felt like this in a long time,” Octavia smiled as she turned around and skipped out of the orchard. Big Mac frowned, looked at Applejack, then raised his left eyebrow. “Ah’m gonna say either morphine or intense philosophical debate that changed her life for the better,” Applejack opened the envelope in her hooves. Inside was a note: A, Come to Appleloosa as quickly as you can. Newspeak has gone missing. We’ve also been having problems with the buffalo. Need some help investigating. -B. Applejack turned around and began trotting back into the house, “AJ, what’s the matter?” Big Macintosh asked with concern. “Business as usual. Ah need you ta go dig up Bloomberg, pack him in a bag and leave’m by the doorstep by tomorrow afternoon. Can ya do that?” Big Mac sighed, then went to get his shovel, “Eeyup.” --0o0-- April 5, 1619 “Thanks everypony. Bloomberg here and ah really appreciate you guys bein’ here fer us,” Applejack told her friends as they boarded the Friendship Express, which was departing for Appleloosa, the frontier town out in the desert. “Not a problem, Applejack, we’re always here to help a friend,” Twilight replied. “Yeah! I mean, you are totally a great friend, always dependable, and loyal, and honest, you could totally take the place of one of us in case of emergency, unless you’re Spike, because he’s a dragon. Ooh! You can talk to trees, which is like Fluttershy, except with animals! You’re the tree whisperer!” Pinkie Pie rambled until she started playing with the confetti coming out of her ears. “Yeah, I guess Pinkie’s right, you are dependable, loyal, and honest,” Rainbow Dash said. Or not. What are you hiding? Scootaloo pointed out enough holes in your story. Bloomberg doesn’t need to go to Appleloosa, you do. Why? “Okay, girls, ah need ta prep Bloomberg fer tomorrow,” Applejack said as she went towards the car door, “See ya’ll in a bit” --0o0-- Applejack walked past several carriages until she reached the caboose. She opened the door to see Bloomberg the apple tree lying on his side. She walked up to him, pulling up a stool, then proceeded to sit down. “Howdy Bloomberg. Sorry fer diggin’ you up without prior notice, it’s just really urgent,” Applejack rubbed her eyes. “...” “Don’t look at me like that! Seriously, Neighsayer’s missin’, and it’s bad enough ah had ta come up with an excuse. Now ah don’t need mah tree glarin’ at me! You’ll like Appleloosa, it’s got nice trees, plenty of good soil, and some of the best apple farmers around.” “...” “Fine, whatever. Give me the silent treatment. Rarity’ll probably pop in soon, so act natural. Okay with that?” “... Eeyup.” --0o0-- April 7, 1619 Two days, a war, and an intense negotiation later, the ponies of Appleloosa and the buffalo tribe of the eastern winds made peace. Harmony was restored to the land, and everyone was happy. Except for a certain immortal. Applejack told her friends that she had stuff to do, and that was the truth. She just couldn’t say what it was. She had talked to several dozen ponies about Neighsayer’s whereabouts, but all the leads came to a dead end. Braeburn, her ever trustworthy relative, gave her a list of everybody, pony or buffalo, that Neighsayer came into contact with. When that reached another dead end, Applejack increased her search parameters. Everybody in the the town was accounted for when Neighsayer disappeared. That left travelers, tourists, and the buffalo. No travelers within 150 feet of him when he went missing. No tourists two days before and three days after. That left the buffalo. Applejack went through some records Braeburn had regarding Appleloosa’s former Torchwood branch. She looked through several files before she saw one that made her smack herself in the head. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Should have kept track over the years. Applejack grabbed her jacket and trotted out of city hall, and towards the buffalo camp. --0o0-- Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were beginning to board the train home. Earlier, Applejack told them that she had some unfinished business, and that she would return home in a couple of days. They had no reason not to believe her. Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, wanted to stay in Appleloosa for an extra night for some sightseeing. Rainbow Dash lied. She spent the time she was supposedly “sightseeing” searching for Applejack. As she flew in the night sky, watching the stars shine, she noticed a strange chill as wind blew past her wings. That’s odd, this is supposed to be a desert. She continued flying, scanning the ground for any sign of Applejack. She came towards the buffalo camp, a circle of tents numbering around twenty, with several buffalo milling around. Rainbow noticed how they had set up only two miles from the town. Well, at least they think we’re trustworthy. Eventually, Rainbow Dash saw Applejack walking towards a large tent on the outskirts of the camp. For some reason, she wore a black jacket, similar to the one she wore on Nightmare Night. Her stetson was gone, and her face remained grim. The frown extended far enough, such strength that the buffalo around her quickly walked past, avoiding the orange earth pony. Well, what do we have here? Rainbow’s excitement and anxiety flared slightly. She had watched Applejack throughout the day, noticing how she talked to strangers, interviewing them for information dealing with “Newspeak”. Rainbow had never heard of him, but Applejack was angry nearly the entire time. She knew him very well, from what Rainbow Dash could gather. Rainbow Dash hid herself using a particularly dark cloud, the only one she could find in the entire desert. Riding on top of it, the cloud hid her well, and she blended in with the night sky. Applejack reached the tent, which was shaped like a cone, about seven feet high and six feet in diameter. A faint green light glew from the inside. She went inside, closing the opening behind her. Rainbow Dash moved her cloud towards a flap in the top of the teepee. Rainbow peeked inside. She barely held back her gasp. Inside the teepee was Applejack standing in front of a cauldron filled with a bubbling green liquid. The only light came from the cauldron, which flickered intermittently. Lining the inside was a string that was beaded with skulls. Real life, completely legitimate pony skulls. Even more unbelievable was the buffalo standing on the other side of the cauldron, facing opposite to Applejack: Little Strongheart. The same Little Strongheart that Rainbow Dash and her friends came to know after her father declared war on Appleloosa. The same sweet buffalo who was almost as kind as Fluttershy, and nearly as fast as Rainbow Dash on land. The young female buffalo smiled at the orange earth pony as she entered the tent; her hooves were polishing the side of the cauldron with a rag. When she saw Applejack, Strongheart threw her rag to side and spoke, “Ah, good to see you again Applejack. Nice night for a walk?” “Cut the horse apples. You know why ah’m here,” Applejack continued staring at Strongheart. “Little Strongheart continued smiling cheerfully as she asked, “You’re here about him, aren’t you?” “Yes. Where is Newspeak?” Applejack took an intimidating stance. squaring her shoulders and widening the space between her legs slightly. “Oh, you and I both know that’s not his name. Come on, did the poor pegasus not deserve to be called by his real name?” “Fine. Where’s Neighsayer?” Applejack looked more disgruntled than angry now. When Rainbow Dash heard the name, a dozen conversations popped into her head. All whispering about what happened. Aloe Vera arrested for murder. Neighsayer’s body found after the Royal Guard dug up some ice west of Ponyville. Drowned to death. Suspicious connections to the terrorist group Black Ness. The crystal star schematics found in Neighsayer’s throat. Little Strongheart continued smiling, but the look on her face became slightly sinister, “Dear me, Applejack, you've gone soft after all these years. Look in this cauldron, what do you see?” Applejack looked over the bubbling green liquid, strange swirls flowing. She saw… “It’s him. Now, are ya going to tell me why?” Applejack questioned. “Why does anybody do anything? I guess for the benefit,” Strongheart took out a large wooden spoon and stirred the liquid in the cauldron, “What can I say? Pegasus bones are incredibly useful. I haven’t been able to run this fast since I was… little.” Little Strongheart’s smile grew wider as she stirred, “Now I have a question for you. What are you going to do about it?” “...” “Oh, don’t speak if you don’t want to. I am perfectly capable of spelling out your choices. One, kill me. Two, have me arrested. Or three, leave me alone and just ignore my further… bodily acquisitions,” Strongheart sighed as she took a sip of the liquid, “Hmm, needs some more dragon scales.” “Ya booby trapped yerself,” Applejack replied. “Oh, you are a smart mare. I can see why my grandmother spoke so fondly of you. If you kill me, then I die, but I left evidence pointing towards the sheriff. I die a martyr, war comes back. Xenophobia rises, ponies never trust other species again. The war happens. You fail. “You get me arrested, I leave enough evidence connecting the crystal star to your farm. You go to jail, all your friends leave you, harmony ends. Star searcher begins a century earlier. The war happens even quicker. Also, a buffalo murdering ponies? Protests as far as the eye can see. “Don’t you see? I’ve covered everything. You leave me alone, and I’ll only kill one pony a year. That’s about 100 more deaths, compared to, oh I don’t know, 300 million,” Strongheart stood up and walked around to the orange mare, her face less than a foot from Applejack, “Isn’t that right, Black Ness?” Rainbow Dash put her hoof over her muzzle, trying extremely hard not to scream. "I think that protecting Equestria from its destiny is more important than a few deaths. After all, all I want is enough resources to support my sorcery. In exchange, I won’t rat you out to the Royal Guard," Strongheart smirked before turning around to check on her concoction. “Ah’ll give mahself to you. Every week, ah’ll come to you. Take everything you need from me, ah’m like the fountain of youth. Just don’t kill any more ponies.” “Ha! You think I want immortality? That’s boring of you to think. You’re an earth pony, I need more than you. Pegasi grant me more dexterity, unicorns more focused magic, and even a donkey can increase my eyesight much better than an average earth pony,” Strongheart cackled madly. "What makes you think ah'm gonna let you get away with this?" Applejack glared at the buffalo sorceress with anger seething through her voice. "Oh, Applejack, you won't let me get away with this. I've won. There's nothing you can so about it." "Well, ah'm not goin' down quietly. Ah've got some tricks up mah sleeve." "Like the teacher? Or the Cyberpony? Please, I've accounted for everything. Even that explosive griffon of yours. You use her, I connect GILDA back to you." Gilda's in on this too? How deep does this go? Rainbow Dash fought every urge to scream, every instinct to fly away and call for help. "You've lost. Give up, retreat and love to fight another day. Or are you so stubborn as to let your immortality dictate your 'never stop until it's done' mindset? Don’t you get it? Even if what I did was wrong, you have no chance of stopping me. In history’s eyes, I didn’t do anything.” “You killed an innocent pony,” Applejack retorted. “Did I? I could have sworn he died six months ago, they even found his body and everything. Even that book you own, it said he died on Nightmare Night. Aloe Vera drowned him, stuck his body in a freezer, then dumped him outside of town and buried him under some ice. “The body I have? Nopony. According to fate, he died, and there’s nothing to stop it. You can’t control destiny. Try as you might, it will catch up to you. One day, Applejack, you will die, permanently. You've escaped it for four hundred years and have been a thorn in history’s side. “You think you have what it takes? The Doctor can’t even do it, and you have the gall to believe you even had a chance? Fate is immutable, as your cutie mark shows,” Little Strongheart pointed to Applejack’s three apple cutie mark, “Your cutie mark defined your destiny the very moment it appeared. You ponies are blessed with knowing your purpose in life, and yet you act as though it’s a curse. Take your allotment in life, know your place! “There isn’t anything you can do. Your plan to change history, it’s doomed. Failed the moment it formed in your unaging mind. Chaos only goes so far, black always loses to white, and your future will happen. “You’ve changed history, that is true, but it hasn’t changed enough. You. Have. Lost. Neighsayer won’t come back. Your friends won’t either. Even if you defeat Celestia, what then? You rule? Hah! You and I both know you aren’t fit. Celestia will end up the same way every time. The more you push history, the more it pushes back. It’s like a rubber band, it either goes back to normal, or it breaks. “And that’s all I have to say to you. Oh, and before I forget,” Strongheart walked back to her side and resumed stirring her cauldron, “My employer sends her regards. She knows you won’t listen, but know that you are failing.” Applejack stared silently at the emerald smoke billowing from the cauldron. After a moment, she sighed and trotted out of the tent. The mare reached into her coat and pulled out her trademark stetson, which she placed atop her head. The sky remained dark, only the stars were visible, as well as a couple of fires from the buffalo. Applejack began trotting towards Appleloosa silently, the open expanse of desert surrounding her. Rainbow Dash saw this and began flying to catch up to her. I have to talk to her NOW. Rainbow Dash followed Applejack until they were both out of eyesight from the camp. Rainbow’s cloud had started to disintegrate, being barely large enough to hide Rainbow’s figure. Applejack continued trotting before abruptly stopping, “Ah know yer there, Rainbow. Get down here and talk ta me.” Rainbow Dash froze. Her eyes bulged out, her wings twitched. She remembered Scootaloo’s warning: She’s dangerous. She’s much smarter than she appears, it’s all an act. Rainbow Dash’s heart began beating faster, her breathing became shallow and ragged. She peeked over her cloud to see an angry earth pony staring back, “Are ya gonna come down, or am ah gonna have ta make ya?” Rainbow Dash blinked and gulped as she saw Applejack pull out a lasso out of her hat. Sighing in defeat, Rainbow Dash lowered her cloud down to ground level. She looked straight into Applejack’s eyes, before glancing away due to sheer anxiety and nervousness. “So you know. Kinda expected Twilight to find out first. What do you want to ask?” Applejack’s shoulders slumped back. For the first time, Rainbow Dash saw her for what she truly was: a tired mare way out of her depth, trying so hard to do something impossible. Unable to ask for help from her friends, not because she was prideful, but out of fear. “Applejack, what are you?” Applejack sighed before answering, “Ah’m an earth pony, ‘cept not entirely. Ah am immortal, unable to die. Ah’ve spent the last 400 or so years dealin’ with that.” “And… You’re Black Ness?” “Yeah, ah am. But ta be fair, ah didn’t do all the stuff they said. Only about half of it. If they can’t explain it, or it’s gotta do with aliens, they blame it on me.” “Aliens?” “Long story short, they’re real, and before you ask, ah am not one. Ah’m merely a time traveler.” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow in skepticism. “Oh, so ya believe in immortality and aliens, but not time travel?” Applejack said with irritation. “Celestia and Luna are immortal, so it’s not that much of a stretch. But time travel and aliens? That sounds insane and complicated.” “It is. It’s a long story, and it’ll be too long to-” “Then let’s hear it.” Applejack froze, “Ah’m sorry what?” Rainbow Dash’s face showed determination, “Let’s hear it. Tell me everything, from the beginning. The aliens, the war, time travel, all of it.” Applejack stared at the pegasus before taking in a breath, “Alright, ah’ve been meaning to get this off mah chest, so let’s do it.” “Alright! Let’s go into town and get a hotel,” Rainbow Dash jumped off her cloud and began hovering towards Appleloosa. “Hold on there, sugarcube. Ah got another place in mind,” Applejack replied. Rainbow Dash dropped down to the ground. “What place do want to go to?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Not a what. Who,” Applejack grabbed onto the pegasus while pulling up the sleeve of her jacket, revealing a strange watch on her hoof. “Alpha seven Tango Charlie Pie,” Applejack exclaimed. The watch beeped before… Bzzt! Warp-Worp! --0o0-- Ponyville Bzzt! Warp-Worp! A flash of light appeared inside a small house. The two mares landed inside a living room, decorated with a fireplace, couch, and a desk, which was covered with stacks of paper and markers. When they appeared, Rainbow Dash lurched forward, surprise taking her astride. “What the? Did we just- What? Where are we!?” Rainbow Dash panicked and looked around at their new surroundings. “To answer yer questions, yes, we teleported. We’re now back in Ponyville, more specifically, we’re at-” Bang! “Alright, nopony move! I have a ruler and I’m not afraid to use it!” Rainbow and Applejack turned around to see a frazzled maned earth pony with a three flower cutie mark waving around a ruler. The purple earth pony mare looked at the two intruders and groaned, “Seriously!? Applejack, I told you, no popping into my house, it’s completely disrespectful!” Rainbow Dash’s face showed confusion once more, “Wait, Cheerilee, you know that Applejack’s-!?” “An immortal, annoying, crazy mare with no sense of manners or etiquette? Yes, I do,” she turned to Applejack, “Now get over here so I can crack open your skull with this ruler, watch you bleed out, revive, then do it again.” “Ah told you, ya’ll can only do that if ah break the law,” Applejack replied. “You broke into my house!” Cheerilee yelled. “Ah have a key! Ah just didn’t bother to use it,” Applejack responded. “I never gave you a key!” Cheerilee’s voiced raised higher. “Ya dropped it, and ah’ve been meanin’ ta return it to you!” “Funny how it must have dropped out of my safety deposit-” “ENOUGH!” Rainbow Dash yelled at the top of her lungs. “Geez, Rainbow, ya don’t hafta get so miffed,” Applejack advised. “Wh-what!? But I- You two,” Rainbow Dash blurted. “Yeah, come on, it’s only a key,” Cheerilee added. “You- and you, loud- Aargh!” Rainbow Dash slumped down onto the nearby couch. Cheerilee turned on a nearby lamp, then proceeded to the kitchen, “Can I get you two anything?” “No, ah think we’re good,” Applejack answered. “Okay,” Cheerilee got herself a cup of water and made her way to the couch, sitting to Rainbow Dash’s right, “So, why are you two here in my house at 1:30 in the morning?” “Remember what we talked about earlier? Ah think it’s time ah started. Ya know, tellin’ you guys mah story, gettin’ it off mah chest.” “Well then, go ahead,” Cheerilee said as she took a sip of her water. “Ah guess ah gotta start with the fact that’s it’ll be confusin’. It involves a lot of time travel, aliens, and a bunch of stuff that’s pretty crazy,” Applejack warned. “Go on, we’ll be ready to ask questions,” Cheerilee assured. “Ah guess it first started back when Rainbow Dash died of old age,” Applejack started. “Wait what?” Rainbow stood up. “Hush, hun. Time travel. She croaked way back in the 1702, which ah guess is in about eighty years, the Zebrican continent was in turmoil,” Applejack began relaying a story so long that it will take at least six hours to explain fully, “Spike became elected to parliament shortly after Mayor Mare retired…”