Upheaval: Reckoning
Chapter 14: Heroic Strangers
After her first night back in Ponyville, Twilight was scanning the shelves of her beloved library. At first, it appeared that everything was neat, and in order. Fortunately, somepony had taken over the library’s maintenance.
Closer inspection, however, left Twilight wide-eyed in horror. The library may be neat, but the shelving was in complete chaos: Classics mixing with History, Fiction with Non-Fiction…it was a disaster hiding under a veneer of order. She grabbed hold of every book in sight with her telekinesis, and dropped them on the floor. “Spike!” she called out. “Get down here and help--”
Twilight stopped. There was no Spike sleeping upstairs to wake up. Though Twilight had agreed because Spike had felt so strongly about it, she still wasn't fine with his decision. He had tried something like that before, and he gained nothing from being around dragons. Why would a half-dragon be any different?
Spike’s absence only served to make the library seem even emptier. Twilight considered setting aside re-shelving, and visiting her friends. However, Applejack, and Rarity were spending time with their families. Cutting in on that time only made her an intruder. Pinkie, and Fluttershy were also spending time with their adopted families.
That left Rainbow, who looked uncomfortable all throughout yesterday. Perhaps, she could use some company. Twilight replaced the books without any attention to their order, then headed out. She paused when she opened the door. Traveling to Canterlot to see her family was also an option. It would ease the lonelinesst. Besides, today was Princess Celestia’s and Prince Terrato’s address. She could go there, and help out.
Which might be exactly what Black Rose wanted.
Twilight peered outside, suddenly aware of an enemy she had nearly pushed to the sidelines because of Nightmare Moon, and Pyre Valor. Black Rose was out there. It was Black Rose's sun that now covered the village with its early morning rays. She could already have agents running around the Heartland this very moment. She might even be in the village in disguise. It would be so easy for her to abduct somepony, then replace him or her. Twilight felt unprepared. She didn't even bring her mage-coat, and none of her friends had come in barding. They were unprepared, and surrounded by loved ones should an attack suddenly come.
Twilight shook her head and headed out. If she started thinking that, she would soon be suspecting everypony of being either Black Rose, or a pawn of Black Rose. And all of this because Black Rose had actually succeeded in making sunlight ominous.
Morning always started with a hearty breakfast in Sweet Apple Acres. With the harvest done, and the first snow already falling, breakfast was heartier, and livelier than ever. That was also due in no small part to the return of the Apple Family’s lost daughter. Applejack sat at the center of a veritable feast. After the big dinner last night, she had to show a little restraint to make sure her barding still fit by the time she returned to her duties.
“…then I tried again, and a bunch of them actually fell!” Applebloom said. “Ain’t that right, Big Mac?”
“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied.
“I can’t believe I wasn't around to see my little sister buck her first apple tree,” Applejack said. “I’m mighty proud of you!” Applejack grinned, and ruffled Applebloom’s mane. She finished an apple cobbler in a few swift bites, and washed down the sweetness with a couple of gulps of cider. All the while, she was careful not to spill anything on the chain she still had wrapped around her neck. After weeks of D Grade Winter Moss and water, having so many apples in one sitting was utter paradise.
“Woah there, AJ, you’re done?” Big Macintosh asked.
Applejack looked at her clean plate. Had she taken too little? No, she recalled filling it with food before settling down. “I, uh…” She considered filling the plate up again so she could keep pace with her family, but she was already full. “I guess I am.”
The others were barely halfway through their dishes. Applejack realized that she had been eating as she did back with the Legion; with a strict time limit, and an officer watching if they were delaying. She was chowing down her plate quickly, and efficiently throughout Applebloom’s story, and was done by the end. She needed to start up a conversation as an excuse to remain at the table. “By the way, Granny, I was planning on looking through some of our family records for today,” she said.
Granny Smith looked vacantly ahead of her for a while. “Huh?” she asked. She perked up a second later. “Oh, records? You know where the family albums are.”
Applejack shook her head. “I was hoping we had ones that go back longer than those.”
Granny Smith tapped her chin with a hoof for a while. “Longer than those huh? Just how long are you goin’ back?”
Applejack thought carefully for a moment. Apple Slice was “the Last Great Apple” who stayed behind while the rest of the Apples moved into the Heartland. That would be around a thousand years or so. “About a thousand years back,” she said. Her heart sank when she actually said the words. There was no way that they’d have records going back that far.
“Silly filly, we don’t have albums that go back that far! They didn't have photos back then!”
Applejack lowered her gaze.
“I think we have a bunch of scrolls that might have something. You know us Apples stay close to our roots, and best way to do that’s to make sure everypony’s accounted for!”
Applejack brightened. “Great!” she said. “I really want to find out about somepony."
“Well, I’ll have you know that I know a lot about the Apples of old. Which one are you looking for?”
“A pony called Apple Slice.”
Granny Smith nearly choked on a bit of apple. “Apple Slice, you say?” she asked.
“Do you know him, Granny?” Applejack asked. She leaned on the table eagerly.
“Who’s this Apple Slice, and why’d you want to find out so much about him, AJ?” Applebloom asked. Though Big Macintosh said nothing, he looked on curiously.
“Not personally,” Granny Smith replied. “My great grandpa told me the story of Apple Slice, and his great grandpa was the one who told him. It’s an old, old story that one.” With the siblings finished, Granny Smith led all of them to their living room, where the old family albums were kept. She looked around aimlessly for a while. “Now, where was that again…ponyfeathers, I keep forgetting…oh!” She fiddled with the walls until one section slid to its side, revealing a small shelf-like space. She took out a few scrolls, and laid them out on the floor. “Now, Apple Slice…Apple Slice…here we go!”
Applejack followed her grandmother’s hoof as it traced a path from one Apple to another. The scrolls were impressive; there had to be hundreds of Apples listed in there, each one connected to the rest like a branch from a massive apple tree. Eventually, she spotted Apple Slice. Two things quickly stood out: the name was quite close to the very beginning of this family tree, and the name wasn't attached to anything.
“Here he is!" Granny Smith said. "‘The One Bad Apple’ Apple Slice!”
“Why is he just floating there?” Applebloom asked. “Ain’t he related to anypony? How can he be an Apple, and not be related to anypony?”
“And what do you mean by ‘the One Bad Apple’?” Applejack added.
“I was just getting to that until you young’uns interrupted me!" Granny Smith snapped. "Now, like I was sayin’, Apple Slice lived a long, long time ago, when the Apple Family was barely starting out. Even when he was colt, he already stood out in all the wrong ways: he couldn't grow weeds even if he tried his best, animals hated him, and he was just as bad at trying to trade, or sell their harvest. His one good talent was that he was really good at lassoing things, but that didn't help much on account of the rest of the family not wanting him anywhere near animals he could lasso. Worst of all, Apple Slice was afflicted with one of the worst conditions that could fall on our family.”
All three siblings leaned closer, and held their breath. Granny Smith gave them a foreboding look, and paused for dramatic effect.
“He was allergic to apples!”
Applebloom gasped, and Big Macintosh shuddered. Even Applejack winced at the thought of being unable to be anywhere near apples.
“It’s true!” Granny Smith said. “The poor stallion couldn't even touch a single peel without breaking out in hives. Now, being left out does strange things to a pony, and Apple Slice was no exemption. He started to blame and hate the Apple Family for the things he couldn't do until, one day, he just went plumb crazy. According to his brother, Apple Peel, Apple Slice lassoed every apple tree he could find, and ripped them from the ground, ruining that year’s harvest. He then lassoed his family’s house, and tore it in half.”
“He must be awful strong to do all that!” Applebloom remarked. Big Macintosh nodded.
“Or have a magic lasso…” Applejack mumbled.
“Did you say something, Applejack?” Granny Smith asked.
“No…nothing." Applejack shook her head. "What happened then?”
“Oh, he didn't stop there. Apple Slice turned on the family in a rampage. He even attacked his own pa, Apple Core.” Granny Smith shook her head sadly. “Apple turning on Apple, ain’t nuthin more tragic than that. After that, he disappeared, never to be seen again. The family cast him out. His name appears on this scroll so everypony can remember that he existed, but he ain’t connected to the tree ‘cause of what he did.”
Applejack tugged on the chain around her neck. “But…but that doesn't make any sense!” She brightened briefly. “Maybe there’s more than one pony called Apple Slice. I mean, there can’t be only one Apple Slice this long list of ponies right?”
“I don’t know,” Granny Smith replied. “After this Apple Slice, nopony in the family dared to name their foals with that name. It’s a bad omen naming your foal after ‘the One Bad Apple’.”
“Why are you getting so upset, AJ?” Applebloom asked.
“Because Apple Slice is supposed to be a hero!" Applejack put a front hoof down hard. "The Queen said that he died valiantly, and that Crow Quill feller said that Apple Slice did something really nice for his ancestor, so generations of his family made sure that Apple Slice’s magic lasso returned to the Apples! In the Barrier Lands, they call him ‘the Last Great Apple’ because of all the heroic things he did. Wait...since the princess didn't want stories about Barrier Lands spreading through the Heartland, the Apples must have done some changing to it, and--”
Applejack paused at the sight of her family watching her with wide eyes.
“Apple Slice...a hero?” Granny Smith asked.
“He had a magic lasso?” Applebloom added. She noticed the chain hanging by Applejack’s neck. “Is that it? Is that the magic lasso that Crow Quill feller returned? Can I try it out?”
Before Applejack could reply, Big Macintosh broke in. “Hold on now, I don’t know who this “Queen” is, but I think we Apples know our kin best. Even the bad ones.” He looked at Applejack in disbelief. “Are you honestly going to believe some strangers from a far away land over your kin?”
Applejack looked away. “Well, I--”
“And if that’s his lasso around you like what Applebloom was asking about, I don’t think you should be carrying it around,” Big Macintosh said. “I reckon it might be cursed!”
Applejack put her hooves on the chain. “It ain’t cursed!” she said. “Why, it’s mighty useful for what I’m doing in the Legion. Besides--”
“I still don’t like it,” Big Macintosh said. “Maybe you should keep it outside the house.”
“I’m keeping it right where it is!” Applejack snapped. “Unless I should stay out of the house too?”
“Hey, now…” Granny Smith said. “No need to get your manes ruffled up.”
“I’m really starting to worry about you, AJ,” Big Macintosh said. “I don’t like that them Legion types look up to somepony who abandoned his family as a hero. Maybe it ain’t right for you to be around them.”
“Now just wait a pony-picking minute here!” Applejack said. “That ain’t fair to the Legion, Big Macintosh!”
Big Macintosh scowled. “What ain’t fair is them thinking that ‘the One Bad Apple’ is ‘the Last Great Apple’, and making you fight for them for the rest of your life!”
“Nopony made me fight for them for the rest of my life,” Applejack said between grit teeth. “I didn't get drafted, I joined up. The Legion does good work, Big Macintosh, just 'cause it ain’t about apples doesn't mean that it’s bad. If a lot of ponies in the Legion think Apple Slice is a hero, there has to be a good reason!”
“There ain’t a reason good enough to--”
“Stop!”
Both of them fell silent at the loud cry from their youngest sibling. Applebloom was in tears by the time they noticed her. “Stop fighting please!” she said between sniffles. “Applejack only has two weeks to be with us, and I don’t want to spend that time with the two of you being angry at each other!”
“Your sister’s right, you two!” Granny Smith said. “There ain’t gonna be more Apples fighting each other in this house, you hear? Applejack, what are you crouching like that for?”
It was then that Applejack realized that she had fallen into a low stance. She had all her hooves on the floor, ready for a low charge to sweep the bigger enemy off his legs, just like she was taught during training. She righted herself quickly, and guiltily. “Hey…hey, there’s no need to cry, Applebloom,” she said. “Big Mac and I weren't really fighting. We were just…expressing our ideas really loudly. Ain’t that right, Big Mac?”
“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied. He moved closer to comfort Applebloom, giving the chain around Applejack’s neck one more suspicious glance.
“I’m gonna take a walk,” Applejack said. “I need to cool off.”
The bolt flew from Rainbow's crossbow, and struck the makeshift bullseye just a couple of inches from the center. She clucked her tongue, loaded another one, and adjusted her aim.
During this time of the morning, Rainbow would normally still be fast asleep on a cloud around Ponyville. Normal times, however, had long since gone. Now, she was spending her morning practicing in at the very edge of the Everfree Forest. She had been up almost at dawn, a habit she had to learn in Flight Dreadwing, and wandered aimlessly through the skies of Ponyville. The back of her mind would not stop nagging her about how she should be glad to be back, and that every minute of the two weeks she was given should be one heartwarming moment after another. The rest of her, however, was stuck on waiting for the break to be over so she could get back to doing her part towards protecting Equestria. She had flown over to Sugar Cube Corner, Fluttershy’s Cottage, even Carousel Boutique, but she couldn't bring herself to disturb them when she saw them enjoying their time with their families.
The second bolt struck much closer to the bullseye. With a grin, Rainbow loaded a third bolt. It was a good thing that she decided to bring her crossbow along for the return home. Target practice wasn't much, but it helped ease her mind a bit. At least she was moving towards something useful. She looked towards Ponyville. She knew every pegasus in there, and was friends with all of them. It should be easy to strike up a conversation: talk about good old days, tell them about her adventures in the Northern Barrier Land, and all the ponies and creatures she encountered there…
Yet, she couldn't. Some kind of paralyzing apathy rooted her to the spot whenever she thought about doing that. Underneath the need to focus on the fights to come, she felt…tainted; unworthy of going back to a life that she had willfully abandoned for a life in the Legion. She was so smug when she told Applejack about candy-hoofed chosen. During her time in the Northern Barrier Land, she had missed nothing. She hadn't even paused for a moment to think about missing her home here between fighting, training, and drinking. How could she go back here, and act like it was the most wonderful thing that had happened to her recently?
“Hey, Rainbow Dash!”
Scootaloo ran towards Rainbow excitedly. How Scootaloo managed to find this spot was beyond her. “Hey, pipsqueak,” she said.
“I was looking all over town for you! What are you doing all the way out here?”
Rainbow finished reloading. “Just a little target practice,” she replied. “Got to keep myself sharp, you know.” Scootaloo held herself still while Rainbow took aim, and fired. The bolt struck much farther than the first shot. “Foal of a nag!” Rainbow said.
“What was that?” Scootaloo asked.
Rainbow clapped a hoof over her mouth. “Nothing!” she said. “Nothing at all! Say, pipsqueak, want to make yourself useful?”
“Sure, Rainbow Dash! What do you want me to do?”
Rainbow pointed towards the target. “Go pull those bolts out, will you?”
Scootaloo galloped over to the target, and did as she was asked while Rainbow watched quietly. Scootaloo… wasn't bad. The constant admiration was actually a comfort. Yesterday, there was a lot of hesitation on the faces of the other ponies from Ponyville when she and her friends arrived. There was gladness there, but there was also apprehension. The villagers did not just see returning friends, they also saw messengers of war.
It wasn't so for Scootaloo, however. She still only saw the amazing Rainbow Dash. In fact, she probably saw Rainbow as having become even more amazing for taking part in a war to protect Equestria.
Before Rainbow could continue to ponder that, however, Scootaloo had come back with the bolts grasped firmly with her teeth. Rainbow reloaded, and was about to take a shot when she looked at Scootaloo with a smile. “Want to try?” she asked.
“Would I?” Scootaloo sang out.
Rainbow offered the crossbow. As the weapon was still too big for Scootaloo, Rainbow stood behind her, and held the weapon steady. “Alright,” Rainbow said. “You just keep your shoulders relaxed, take aim and, when you’re ready, pull the firing lever.”
Scootaloo did as she was instructed, and fired. Before Rainbow could see how the shot went, a sudden, familiar voice called from behind them. Rainbow nearly dropped the weapon when she saw who it was.
“What are you two doing?” Twilight asked as she approached the two. She looked disapprovingly at Rainbow, who hastily took the crossbow away from Scootaloo.
“H-hey, Twilight, what are you doing all the way out here?” Rainbow asked.
Twilight’s expression softened a little as she turned her attention towards Rainbow's companion. “Sorry, Scootaloo, I need to talk to Rainbow about something. Mind playing somewhere else for a while? Preferably somewhere not so close to the Everfree Forest.”
“But I--” Scootaloo looked to Rainbow for some support.
“Sorry, pipsqueak,” Rainbow said with a sheepish grin. “I’ll catch up with you later!”
Scootaloo kicked up a bit of dirt with a foreleg. “Oh, foal of a nag!” she said before running off.
“What?” Twilight looked at Scootaloo’s distant figure first, then glared at Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash!”
“I didn't teach her that!” Rainbow said. She shook her head, and waved her front hooves in front of her. “I…uh…I accidentally said it, and she picked it up on her own!”
Twilight let out a snort. “We’re going to have a hard time getting her to unlearn that, if we can even do so. And if she spreads that to Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle…”
Rainbow cringed inwardly, already imagining the looks on Applejack, and Rarity. She made a mental note to talk to Scootaloo later. “Anyway,” she said. “What about you, Twilight? Don’t tell me that you were just taking a walk, and found yourself all the way out here!”
“I was looking for you,” Twilight replied flatly.
“And you found me. Now what?”
Twilight frowned. “You just looked really uncomfortable yesterday. Are you alright? How are you adjusting back here?”
“I’m not,” Rainbow replied.
The frown softened. “What do you mean?” Twilight asked. “Aren’t you glad to be back here?”
Rainbow shook her head. “Princess Celestia meant well when she asked her brother to send us here, Twilight, but I just don’t think this is what we should be doing right now.”
Twilight gasped, then stomped a front hoof. “This is our home, Rainbow!”
“I know that!” Rainbow snapped. “It’s not like I haven’t tried feeling great about coming back! It’s just that…this place doesn't feel like home anymore.” She paced about, trying to get her thoughts into the right words. “I mean, all our friends are still here, so are all the sights. I just don’t understand what’s missing. We spent about a month out in the Northern Barrier Land. How does a month change so much?”
“It may have been only a month,” Twilight replied, “but we had to take in a lot during our time there. What’s the matter, Rainbow? Didn't we join the Legion to protect our home?”
“Did we?” Rainbow asked. “Tell me, if you had known that Princess Celestia would put down the barrier in a month, and we wouldn't be banished anymore, would you have still joined the Legion?”
“Well, I…” Twilight opened her mouth, but all that came out was air.
“I was so sure that the Northern Barrier Land was going to be our new home,” Rainbow went on. “I was even making fun of Applejack for not thinking that way! I don’t know why, but it was so easy to make that change…”
“Do you regret it now?” Twilight asked.
Rainbow stopped pacing. “Regret what?”
“Joining me in getting banished." Twilight took a step towards Rainbow. "You were the first to burst through those doors, and tell the princess that you’re going to be banished alongside me, remember? Do you regret that?”
Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “Not for a single minute,” she replied, her voice steely. She sighed, and relaxed. “But the others…Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, even Fluttershy...they just looked so happy when they met up with their loved ones. I…I don’t have that.”
“I didn't have anypony specific waiting for me here either,” Twilight replied.
“Then you’d understand how it feels, right? Or are you just waiting to get back to Canterlot before you get your heartwarming homecoming?”
It was Twilight’s turn to sigh. “Yes, and no,” she said. “Of course I want to see my family again, but I think I also understand what you feel.” She paused for a bit. “If you think about it, we haven’t come back anywhere. In a few days, the Legion will start drafting ponies here. Now that we've found out about the Barrier Lands, and the barrier is gone, that Ponyville we were hoping to go back to is long gone.” Twilight’s gaze turned towards the ground. “And I caused it,” she added.
“So do you regret getting banished?” Rainbow asked.
Twilight sighed again. “What for? It’s done, and I still think it was the right thing to do.”
The lack of conviction in Twilight's voice didn't go unnoticed. There was regret there. “So what do we do about it?” Rainbow asked.
For a time, the two of them shivered without another word as a cold breeze rustled through the Everfree.
“How about we pledge to protect this ‘new’ Ponyville?” Twilight suggested.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”
“It’s not so bad," Twilight gestured towards Ponyville. "So a lot of ponies will be leaving and a lot of changes will be arriving. It’s still worth fighting for.”
“That’s all we have to do?” Rainbow crossed her forelegs in front of her.
“I don’t think the princess just sent us back here to relax for a while,” Twilight said. “We needed to be reminded of what we were protecting even if that something has changed. Maybe it’s a way to get the Elements back, and working properly.”
“Maybe,” Rainbow replied. She looked towards Ponyville. Perhaps there was something true in what Twilight was saying. She could reconcile her urgent need to get back to the fighting with a desire to make sure this place was safe. “I’ll take that pledge,” she said with a grin.
“What’s this about a pledge?” somepony called out. They looked towards the speaker and found Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie, all walking towards them.
“What are you two going about here?” Applejack asked.
“I could ask the same of you, Applejack.” Twilight said.
“I got to walking for a while, and decided to see how the others were doing,” Applejack replied. “We saw Scootaloo and she told us about this place.”
“The truth be told, I was also worried about how you were doing, Rainbow,” Rarity said. Pinkie and Fluttershy, nodded. “You did look a bit upset.”
“I’m feeling a little better now,” Rainbow said. “Much better actually!” She laughed heartily. “I can’t believe I had to drag all of you out here for that!”
The others followed suit, and came together. Around them, the wind continued to blow, and fresh snow began to fall.