The morning came too quick. I opened my weary eyes with a yawn and stretched my legs out. I reeled back suddenly as the sun shined through the purple crystal window of my bedroom. Speaking of my bedroom, it was quaint and quite cozy, despite being made of cold dark crystals. It was nothing like my own previous home, but I had to admit, I could become acquainted to such design if it was not so covered in glittering walls.
My hooves touched the floor and I removed myself from my bed. My neck felt sore from the night and I stretched it as well. I was used to such soreness. In Our Village, our beds often gave us back or neck pain from their simple designs. It was not that they were poorly made, but more like not everypony slept the same, so some beds unfortunately were less effective to some than to others. However, we had to keep the beds the same to show equality, though I often considered revising that rule to end the minor inconvenience that was neck pain.
A knocking on my door startled me slightly. It was too early for such a scare. It was not the action that scared me, but the sound the crystal made when a hoof banged against it. The sound was high-pitched and sudden, like metal smacking metal. I regained my composure from the sound and cleared my throat. The knocking was too high on the door to be the dragon fledgling, so I rightly assumed it was the Princess of Friendship here to greet me in the early morning light.
"Good morning," I said with a yawn in my throat, "Already have your plans ready for today?"
"Of course," the princess replied, "Spent most of the night thinking of you. So I have a surprise for you."
"I assume it won't be good for me?"
"Well, you won't like it, but I will not say that."
Twilight opened the door immediately after saying this. I had thought the door was locked, but obviously that was not so as she opened it with ease. Much to disapproval, she was not the only there to greet me. Her other comrades, all five of them, were present, giving me forced smiles that not even my former followers could conjure.
"You see," she gestured at her companions, "since you didn't want to hang around my friends, I decided to bring them here."
"How kind of you," I growled with gritted teeth.
"It is," She smiled proudly, my sarcasm clearly went over her head, "I have your schedule all planned for you."
"What freedom you preach, princess," I mocked.
I sighed as she turned gestured me to come out of the room. She was obviously confident in her juvenile schemes. I was hesitant to leave my small sanctuary, but I felt that I had to play her game for now. I strode out while her "friends" watched me suspiciously. Rainbow had a scowl on her face and that farmer one had a deep frown. Hmm, they were not on board with their leader's plans it seemed. Not surprising that Twilight could not force the reluctance out of them. She lacked the leadership to do so.
Twilight led us through the long hallways. The five behind me and the princess in front. This formation had to have been planned to keep me within their boundaries. They did it so casually, yet with so much assertiveness. I was a mere unicorn to them. Six versus one. Did they fear me? I knew very well that they did not trust me, but it seemed more than that. My thoughts were interrupted when Twilight turned around and explained her plans to me.
"I have it that this week, you will spend one day with one of my friends. Applejack is for today. She volunteered, isn't that right, Applejack?"
"Hmm...Yeah," the farmer responded with indifference.
"You seem very ecstatic about this. I thought you couldn't 'forgive' me?" I asked.
"Oh, I was just exaggerating," the princess replied, "I mean, yeah, you hurt me, but if Celestia wants you to become a friend, then I'll have to push my grudge aside because friends don't keep such things."
What a liar! I could see right through her fake smiles and false gestures of kindness. She had no care for my well-being at all. Was I really the one that needed reforming? Here was a princess, a ruler, a leader, that couldn't be sincere even in the privacy of her own home. I hid my aggravation from their view and simply nodded at her. I did not want them to think I could see their true feelings.
"So you are going to help Applejack around the farm until three O' clock this afternoon. Then you and Applejack will come back here to discuss how the day went. Then it's Rarity tomorrow!" the princess giggled in her excitement.
"What!" the Rainbow one shouted, "Then why are we here?"
"You four are here to tell me your own plans for Starlight. While she's at Applejack's farm, we'll discuss this," Twilight told her.
"That sounds so boring."
"Not with Pinkie here." Twilight pointed at the skeptical pink pony.
The pink, I think her name was Picky or something like that, jumped in joy with confetti all around. I had seen such behavior before, ah yes, Party Favor was like her. He was always obsessed with balloons and summoning them out of nowhere. He was one of the hardest to equalize because he fought us with his balloon weapons. I never knew a balloon could bruise somepony until he whacked me with one across the face. I made him remember not to do that again.
All of them except Applejack walked away toward the throne room. The farmer sighed and sat right next to me, her stetson blocking her eyes from the sunlight that swarmed through one of the high windows. She appeared far less enthusiastic than her leader. I raised a brow at her, but she did not notice.
"Well," she began, "we better head on out. Not because I wan' to start my day with ya, but that we need to get bucking. Lots of chores need to be done."
I pointed to the door. "Lead the way."
=
Unfortunately, since I was a "free mare" I no longer had the reason to wear my traveling dress, which meant my cutie mark was present to all who saw me. As Applejack and I walked through the town, I felt a constant hotness in my cheeks because of this. I desperately hoped that my pink coat would cover the redness.
"What's with ya?" Applejack asked me.
"They can see my cutie mark," I answered.
"Uhh...so?"
"I don't want to give them the wrong impression," I explained, "I feel like I'm flaunting my mark. It's just so clear for all of them to see."
"Ya was dropped when you was a foal."
"There's no reason to be mean, farmer."
My eyes darted at each resident of the moderately sized village. They were so peaceful in their own little worlds where each was king or queen. They are greeted each other with the usual "how are you?" and always answer automatically with "fine, thanks" even if the statement was not true. Why they did this I will never know. It was a refusal of help from their fellow pony. Did they do it to not deal with the issue? Did they do it so that the other would not be troubled by it? It was a question that I've asked myself since I was little. Mother could not understand it either.
In Our Village, I made sure that everypony was sincere at all times. If they were troubled, they would say so and we would help them. It was a simple concept of helping your neighbor. However, this concept was foreign here. My theory was that they were too different to help each other. That each one would not fully understand the other and what troubles them. Some would say that the issue was nothing to be afraid of, another would be worried to death by it, and another would not care at all. Since they all lacked similar thinking, they could not understand one another and in turn, could not help each other properly.
"We're almost there. Just over this hill."
As she said this, I saw apple trees rise over the Ponyville huts. Apparently the farm was on the side of a hill that overlooked the village. Normally I would comment on how building your home high above others was unequal, but with a quick glance around and observing the terribly hilly terrain that was Ponyville, this could not be avoided and thus was most likely an accident.
I could tell the farmer was not one for starting conversations. As we approached the farm, her eyes mostly avoided my direction. It was obvious that she was worried or in some way scared. She watched her hoofs more than looking in the direction she traveled. When she was in Our Village, I did not see such behavior from her. I remembered her being stubborn and with the hard face of a rock. It was not until I took her cutie mark did I see her not act so proud. She was not acting like that though. It seemed more of a sense of regret that she felt like she did not need to hide.
"How long have you had this place?" I asked to create conversation.
"Longer than I've been alive," she replied, "My ancestors came here over 50 years ago. Started from the ground up. Apples grew well and our family business grew. Granny can tell the story much better than I can."
"That's fascinating," I said.
"How 'bout ya family? I know ya probably didn't have much family in your village. All your brainwashed folk acted like they's unrelated to you."
I sighed in slight annoyance. "I'll have you know that all of them were my family. I do stress 'were' as they are no longer. My blood-related family...I uhh....I don't know much about them."
I should not have said this. In my attempt to brush off the question, I had only increased the farmer's interest and piqued her curiosity. That or I stumbled over my lie, which could be easily picked up by the former Element of Honesty. Either way, she was not allowing me to move on to a different topic.
"What ya mean, 'I don't know much 'bout them?' They's ya family."
I stopped and lifted a hoof at her to give a gesture of silence. Applejack moved back slightly as if she had been insulted by the gesture. It was a silent plea to forget the subject. However, it was no use as I was forced to answer.
"It's complicated. Look, I don't like discussing it with strangers. So, maybe some other time when...or if we are ever more friendly to each other."
Applejack huffed and continued up the hill, much to my relief. We passed the first scattered apple trees. I breathed quietly through my nostrils. My "reformers" seemed much more like "interrogators" to me. Why did they need to always try to pry open my past? Not only was it rude, but unnecessary for their purpose. Unless they tried to spread lies about my family like they did with me, there was no reason for them to gain the knowledge of my past.
"That's Big Mac over there. Usually I would have helpers go and take orders from him, but I rather keep ya under my eye."
I was delighted in the change of topic. "Oh, is that a sign of distrust?" I emitted a small giggle.
"Yeah, it is," she said unamused, "I won't have ya workin' out here alone. Twilight told me ya still under the anti-magic spell, so I don't worry 'bout that. I just worry 'bout the rest.
"Anti-magic?" I uttered in surprise, "But the Royal Guard placed that on me two days ago. It should have worn off."
After saying this, I tried to levitate an apple off a tree. To both my disappointment and my anger, I could not do even that. Anti-magic spells never last for so long. Twilight must have cast a spell on me when I was sleeping, the slimy princess. She preaches about "being your best" and yet she was preventing me from doing so by hindering my magic!
Applejack raised her brow at me. I found myself mumbling curses upon Twilight aloud. As it was not sensible to do this in front of her comrade, I quickly shut my mouth. It would have been foolish of me to anger the farmer. I could only hope she would not respond to my curses with violence.
"Here," she began, "We'll start on the west side of the orchard. Apple Bloom and Mac got this side for now."
She started to walk towards some apple trees after she had picked up a nearby basket. I assumed I was meant to follow and soon caught up to her side once again. We arrived at one large tree and stopped to look at the bright red fruit that hung from its sturdy boughs.
"Have ya ever bucked a tree?" the farmer asked.
"Never to get the fruit," I answered with a slight nod.
"Heh. I guess ya do have some humor in ya," she muttered.
I raised a brow at this. Of course I did. When had humor ever been against the message of equality? Laughter and humor were essential to any stable mind, especially through tough times. Joy and laughter were always promoted in Our Village. Now, it was only promoted when it did not include the ridicule of fellow ponies. Jokes were fine if they were not mocking. Even if it was lighthearted mockery, it indirectly promoted that making fun of another was alright.
"I was known for my humor in Our Village," I told her.
She huffed. "Sure they didn't laugh just to make sure they didn't get punished?"
"How dare you! All you ponies think I am some monster!"
The response I received was not what I expected. Applejack started giggling uncontrollably. I could only glare at her as she mocked me. This giggling lasted far longer than what it should have. The farmer had to place the basket down because of how much she was giggling. It was not until she saw my stern face that she ceased her mocking.
"Wait, ya really, really think ya not some monster?"
"Of course I don't!"
"Ya really believe in what ya do? Ya don't think you're some manipulative pony?"
"Of course I don't!" I repeated.
Applejack fell on her haunches. She blinked a couple of times before simply gazing at me skeptically. I knew my "reformers" thought that my ways were wrong, but I did not actually believe they thought I did them with the intention of being evil. This was a revelation to me and made me understand why they perceived me as some sort of villain.
"I do not need reforming," I said decisively.
She was still confused. "Ya think what you do is right?"
"Yes. Equality is the only way for us to be happy. That's all I want to do: make ponies have happy lives."
She shook her head. "Ya don't do that very well. I can tell ya sincere though. Makes ya even worse than before."
She placed the basket beneath the tree and proceeded to buck the tree until its fruit fell into the baskets that surrounded it. Some of the apples almost collided with me. I did not try to avoid the falling apples as I was slightly stunned by her last sentence. "Worse than before?" How? My mind traveled through every circumstance that being "sincere" meant "worse." I could not find any situations where such a statement would be true.
"How...How am I evil?" I finally asked her.
She sighed and quit bucking the tree. "Nightmare Moon wanted the night last forever cause she was jealous. Discord just wanted to have fun. That bug queen wanted to feed on love. Sombra enslaved ponies. Tirek was just a bully and wanted power. You...You want to make ponies happy."
"I'm not affiliated with that group of terrorists and dictators. I'm just a pony," I assured her.
"And that's why ya the most dangerous of them all."
She went back to her work after saying this. I would usually feel angry at one who spoke to me like so, but I did not. I felt sad actually. Was it that hard to make others see equality? I was just listed with some of the most horrid creatures that have plagued Equestria! My demonstration of equality was seen as an act of dictatorship? This society was more disillusioned with their own "freedoms" than I had previously imagined, and that was saying something.
"I'm not evil, Applejack," my words seemed more like a plea than anything else.
"Well then, ya better get to helping. Evil ponies don't usually like workin' on farms."
=
I wiped the sweat from my brow. I had not worked this hard for some time and I was out of shape. Labor and I had been friends all my life, especially in Our Village, but the past few weeks have made me grown weak in the muscles. It was only noon and I had felt like I was working for the whole day.
I bucked the tree again. Lacking the strength of earth ponies, I had to kick every tree more than once. Of course, I would use my magic to aid me in this, but I apparently was far too dangerous to even let me use levitation. The apples finally fell into the baskets and I was done for now.
Applejack was walking towards me with a cart of apple baskets behind her. Throughout the morning, we drifted farther apart. I would hope that it was a sign of trust, but I saw it as more of a recognition that I was no threat to her or her farm. She stopped right in front of me with her usual emotionless expression.
"Ya done?" she asked.
"Yes. Lunch is next I presume?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Granny's got the meal all ready for us. I told her to expect a guest and she got all excited."
I loaded the baskets into the vacant spaces on her cart. It was a process we had done before, so I did not need any instruction. We then started towards the Apple's home. As we walked past the now fruitless trees, Applejack nudged me with her elbow.
"I jus' wanna remind ya that you're about to meet my family. They's good ponies, each one of 'em. I haven't told them who you really are. They think ya some traveler or something."
"You lied to them?"
"Nah. That's what they assumed ya were. I jus' said that a helper will be with us today. Twilight threw it on me all of a sudden. By sudden, I mean late last night. "Have Starlight for a day" she said."
"Hmph. I guess I'm some burden to you."
"Not yet. But once again, this is my family. You be nice to them. Granny made ya lunch. She already has done more than what you deserve. I respected your culture for a day, ya respect mine. It's only equal."
"Fine. I will use an alias to avoid those certain topics."
She shook her head. "Naw. Just tell 'em who you are. This ain't the first time we had a villain among us. Discord caused a lot of trouble when he was here. Well, at least his beavers did. I'll explain Twilight's plan to them later.
"Do you really believe Twilight's plan is going to work?"
"I can only hope, Starlight. Ya a very intelligent mare, just somehow misguided. I know what ya think you're doin' is right, but it's not. Not the way ya going about it. All I wish is to make you see that difference ain't that bad. That's all."
"And you'll see that equality is not bad either. That's all I hope," I told her.
=
I sipped my apple juice quietly as I sat at the square table. Applejack's grandmother, Granny Smith, was placing the dishes on the table. She had a limp to her back legs and she could only slowly get about the kitchen. Hmm. The elderly. They were a group of ponies I never thought much of. In Our Village, we were all middle age and below. I could never wrap my mind around the thought of when we were all old and feeble. What would we do then? We could no longer help everypony else like before. The young would have to aid us. Seemed unequal for the young to be always taking care of the old, who could not return the favor. I had thought of several solutions to this, but most of them were rather depressing.
"Here ya go, youngin'."
Granny Smith placed a bowl of a green salad with fresh apple slices dotting the top. It was not an extravagant meal, but it was fancier than I had anticipated. The produce that filled the bowl was far greener and healthier looking than anything we grew on the barren land that surrounded Our Village. One of my biggest mistakes was deciding that would be the starting place of the grand utopia. I should have been far more patient back then.
"It's rare for us to have a stranger on this farm. Ya know why?" Granny asked me with a twinkle in her aged eye.
"Why?"
"Because we never have strangers here. They don't exist on this farm."
I placed a hoof to my lips and giggled politely. "That's sweet of you, Mrs. Smith."
"Not as sweet as you look!" Granny guffawed, "Oh, I remember when I was pretty and young like ya are now. I caught the eyes of many stallions. I'm sure ya get that trouble too."
"Can't say I haven't," I smiled, "But it's not as much as you may think. I don't really like showing favor to one stallion and not the other."
"Ah, so ya one that deals in the love triangles eh?"
I raised a brow. "What? Oh no. It's not like that at all."
"That's what they all say. Hehe."
Granny chuckled to herself as she went to get another bowl of salad. I could only roll my eyes at her behavior. I guess I did make it sound like I saw more than one stallion at once. What I meant to say was that I did not like being closer to one pony more than another. It seemed unequal to shield yourself away with one "special" somepony. Now, romantic relationships were not bad, as we had plenty of happy couples in Our Village. I just never fully understood how to go about such things myself, so I often avoided them.
I suddenly heard hoofsteps fly down the stairs. From the quickness of the hooves, I could tell it was a filly. Soon a bright red head with a pink bow entered the dining room. We both were instantly surprised to see each other. It was the young filly I met at the school. One of the three whispers of freedom I had talked to. It was clear that she recognized me.
"It's you!" she gasped, "I thought ya left Ponyville."
"I had to return. It's complicated. However, as far as I can tell, I'm staying in Ponyville for a while," I told her.
"That's great! I'll tell the others."
I raised a brow. "You mean Spike didn't tell you that I was still in town?"
She shook her head. "Nope. Ain't nobody said anything 'bout ya since Twilight told us not to listen to you."
"Did she?" I leaned back, "Well that's not nice of her. I guess she still holds a grudge against me."
The filly jumped on her seat at the table. Fortunately, Granny had not returned yet from the kitchen, so we were alone as Applejack and her brother were upstairs. I smiled at the girl like I did before. I did not know this filly who if I remembered correctly was named Apple Bloom, was a part of Applejack's family. It made sense as I saw plenty of Applejack's habits in her, like the way she raised her brow was reminiscent of her older sister.
"So why would Twilight have a grudge?" Apple Bloom asked sweetly.
I answered her just as sweetly. "Oh nothing really. We've had some issues of course. Nothing that should have her say that about me."
"Well, she was pretty mad. Told us not to talk to strangers and then sent us home."
"I'm no stranger to you girls," I told her, "I'm just a traveler that's fallen on some hard times."
"We told Diamond Tiara 'bout ya," Apple Bloom said proudly, "We told her how she could be jealous of us since we don't have cutie marks. She kinda thought we were being stupid."
"Of course she did. When they are in denial like that, they lash out instead. It's almost predictable."
"She said we were lying. Twilight said you were lying. Is all that cutie mark stuff ya told us a lie?"
I shook my head. "The only liar here is Twilight. Her lies were one of the reasons why we never got along. I preach that cutie marks are a plague on this world. She preaches the opposite. Sometimes she preaches her lies right in front of my face, in front of those who respect me and purposely turn them against me. She is the reason I am traveler. Her words never allowed me to stay in one place."
Apple Bloom looked appalled. "But...Twilight would never do that to anypony. And why would she?"
"Some ponies are just like that. They don't like being argued with, or be proven wrong. They make sure this doesn't happen by running away from the argument or by making it personal, or even by running you off so that they don't need to deal with you."
"Twilight is one of the nicest ponies I know. She's always been nice to me. I'm her friend."
"And I'm sure Diamond Tiara is nice to her friends."
This made the filly fall silent. It was just in time as the rest of the Apple Family entered the room. Applejack paused in the doorway as her brother and grandmother took their seats. Her green eyes darted from her younger sister to my grin and back. She knew what had just taken place. Oh the fear of having a loved one know more about the truth. Truly something to be afraid right? Oh Applejack, if only I could feel the anxiety you were feeling. It would be identical to the emotions I felt when Our Village collapsed on itself.
"Ya gonna sit or what?" Granny Smith chastised Applejack.
"What? Oh...yeah."
The farmer took her hat off and sat at the table, next to Apple Bloom and across from Big Mac. She started to eat hesitantly. After her first bites, we all started the meal. The greens and apples were tasty. It was a fine meal indeed. It was the sort of food I had not eaten in years. Fresh food.
The first five minutes were only covered by the noise of chewing. No words were uttered. Applejack kept glancing at me and then at her sister. Our eyes met several times and most of the meetings ended up with her looking away instantly. Her brother seemed completely calm as he ate with a stoic demeanor.
"So where ya from, youngin'?" Granny asked me to end the silence.
"Up northeast. Just south of the mountains."
"Oh? That some far away land. Ya came all the way down here?"
"I guess I could not stay away from civilization for so long," I chuckled, "It's awfully cold up there."
"Heh. So what business are ya in? I saw your cutie mark, but I can't really tell what it is." Granny insisted.
Oh, a question on my cutie mark. A thousand stories formed themselves in my mind, all of them far from the truth. I hated lying. However, sometimes I could only lie to keep the peace. I swallowed my food and answered carefully.
"It's a stargazing cutie mark. Yes, it looks different from most, but that's what it is. The star is for well, stars. The green wisp is for the auras that go across the sky that up north. Not much of a special talent, I know."
"It sounds wonderful," Granny nodded, "Being a great apple baker can get boring sometimes, but hey, I make it work! I've always been fascinated in the stars. Sometimes I just watch him on a summer night."
"And you can do so without a stargazing cutie mark," I remarked.
"Ya sound sad about ya mark. Not what ya wanted?" Granny seemed sympathetic.
"No, it wasn't. Never been one to stargaze. My interests fall under..." I turned to Applejack, "Sociology."
"Wow! Miss Cheerilee talked about soc...whatever last week! She said it was cool stuff."
I smiled at the child. "And it is. Learning about how ponies form their thoughts. Keep their thoughts. Decide what's wrong and what's right. And also denying what's right for their own gains or believes. It's fascinating to study pony behavior and how they perceive the world around them."
"Does it go into the stuff about cutie marks?"
"Especially cutie marks."
Applejack coughed. "Alright! That's a...mighty fascinating, Miss Glimmer. So...Uhh...How 'bout the Wonderbolts? They came here last week to do some race. Rainbow was very happy to see them again."
Her change of topic was amusing. I could see the sweat on her fur, certainly not gained from the work she did outside. I could some desperate attempt at straying away from the topics I discussed most. However, she had forgotten how broad equality is.
"Ah, your athletes who show themselves off for money and attention," I huffed, "Certainly a great change of topic, Applejack."
This was my way of telling her that I knew exactly what she was doing. Applejack gulped and glanced at each of her family members before looking at me. It was the kind of look one would give another when they went too far.
"Now, Miss Glimmer, ya don't wanna start anything. Ya just a helper remember?" Applejack tried to brush off my growing hostility.
"Applejack! That's no way to talk to a guest!" Granny grunted.
"She's right," I pointed at the grandmother while facing Applejack.
""C'mon Miss Glimmer, it was going well so far," Applejack sighed.
I opened my mouth to respond, but remained silent. The path that I was traveling would eventually lead to all in the room knowing who I was and probably an oral battle. They knew my name, but it had not clicked in them yet that I was the one Applejack faced in Our Village. Any previous knowledge of me, though false, would rise quickly to the surface. It could ruin the image I had shaped for them already, especially Apple Bloom's. I closed my mouth and nodded.
"Of course, Applejack," I said simply.
I refrained from speaking about such things again. It was hard to not voice my opinions on every topic that flew by, but I did so with my usual smile. Apple Bloom flooded me with petty questions, like what I liked to do, what hobbies I had, or what it was like back at home. I answered the last question with a rather truthful description of Our Village, much to Applejack's disapproval. Apparently all that she said about letting me be myself since they had "villains" here before were all air as she prevented me from straying too close to the topic of equality or anything that would lead to the topic itself.
When we finished lunch, Applejack escorted me outside because we still had some chores to do. Once outside however, her smile faded. I expected some sort of chastising on my behavior, but none came as she placed a hoof on my shoulder.
"So what ya tell Bloom?" she asked rather casually.
"Nothing much. Well, not much that you didn't hear."
"Ya know Starlight, Twilight told me what ya tried to do to her and her friends."
I shrugged her hoof off in aggravation. "You act like I tried to poison them."
She started to walk away and I followed. "Ya did. They have dreams ya know. It seems like you wanna kill those dreams."
"You can't have a nightmare if you never dream," I reminded her, "They dream of getting their cutie marks. It's a worthless endeavor and they will regret it. I'm only trying to help-"
"Well, ya not!" Applejack hissed, "Starlight, think of what "helping" actually is. I know you think ya perfect in your mind, but ya not. You know that you could be wrong right?"
"If I can be wrong, so can you," I replied, "Have you ever thought that?"
"I do. And I know that what ya teach is jus' foolish. There's been no evidence for your claims. There's no reason why you act like ya do."
"Evidence? Evidence? Reason! I....I...."
I felt like punching that farmer's lip until it was black. Evidence? I had all the evidence in the world. I've seen ponies lead miserable lives because they earned the wrong cutie mark. Mistakes happen because they try to forge their own destines. Cutie marks were the evil that indulged themselves in ponies' lives. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were evidence of that! These fillies were spending their whole life chasing something as hurtful as a cutie mark. Cutie marks restricted ponies. Cutie marks tore ponies apart as they screamed their differences to the world! The question should not be "where is the evidence?" but "where is there not evidence?"
Reason, I had reason. I was enlightened with this truth that everypony else denied. Everypony believed themselves the top of the world, and thus could not see they were all equal. I was blessed to have the discernment to see this. I saved my ego just before it became of average size. Ponies are arrogant! Ponies are ignorant! Ponies are misguided by the society they live in. The same society that promotes diversity and the like. There is no diversity! We are all ponies! This was my purpose: to show ponies that they had never experienced happiness. Equality leads to happiness. I did what I did to help them see the light.
Applejack heard none of these words. All she saw was my distorted face and only heard my grumblings. My breathing became shallow as I stomped about. The farmer watched me with curious eyes as I basically showed her how upset I was. Of course, it was not a tantrum as I would never become that childish.
"Really?" I shouted incredulously, "How? How can I ever tell you guys the truth if you keep denying my words? If I were Wisdom Incarnate, you still wouldn't listen to me! What is a visionary like me supposed to do?
"Starlight..."
"No! No! I know what you're doing. You don't want to understand. I get it. You and your family have a good life out here. Your cutie marks did you well. You don't care about the rest out there who suffer because of their blasted marks! I get it. Just like the rest, you only look out for yourself."
"Starlight..."
"You'll see that I'm right. Apple Bloom is going to get her mark, and she'll be disappointed in it. Someone is always disappointed. It'll haunt her. You'll see. Her friends will split up since she was gained it first. She'll flaunt it and act like she loves it, but the truth will be that she hates it!"
"...Miss Glimmer?"
I turned to see Apple Bloom staring at me with wide eyes. She looked scared and worried. There was not doubt she was listening to our conversation as we were not far from the house. I parted my mouth as I gazed at her guiltily.
"I am sorry, Apple Bloom. You heard all that, didn't you?"
She merely nodded. The last thing I wanted to do was upset the filly. I already regretted lashing out at Applejack when in close proximity to the young girl. Applejack breathed heavily through her nostrils as I stumbled over my words.
"I....Uh...I should not have....have yelled at your sister."
These words were hollow to her. I could not stand the look on her face and turned away. I did not know exactly why I cared about how feelings at the moment. I saw some of myself in the filly at that time. Those eyes were so familiar. Not being able to think of anything else to say, I started to walk away. Applejack started to follow, her eyebrows tight across her face.
"Now ya see what ya did? Ya scared her!"
"Yes, I realize that!" I hissed back before quieting down, "Can I go back to Twilight?"
"I don't see why not. Why?"
"I...I just don't feel great. That's all."
"Alright. We didn't get everything done, but I can do it myself. Come on."
She gestured for me to follow. I risked a glance back at where Apple Bloom was standing, but she was no where to be found. She must of went back inside. I sighed a long sigh, making the farmer glance at me with curiosity.
"What's with ya all of a sudden?" she asked.
"I didn't want to upset your sister. I hope I did not go too far by threatening her future. It's one thing to encourage her to cease chasing her cutie mark; it's another to condemn her prematurely."
"So even ya got boundaries? Heh," Applejack huffed.
"I know you perceive me as a monster. I don't go about trying to ruin every ponies' lives through shear malevolence. I want you to understand that I am not evil. I made the filly upset and that was not my intention."
"Well, ya can do better about it."
I sighed. "I know you may look at this like I am becoming "soft" or something. The truth is, I have always cared for the feelings of others. It's the reason I do this. If I was power-hungry like you believe I am, I wouldn't care for how ponies felt."
Applejack did not respond as we walked away from the farm. She did not believe my words. How typical. I could not remember the rest of that day. All I knew was that I was going to be with the pompous Rarity tomorrow. That meant seeing Sweetie Belle, I hoped. All I could do the rest of the day was hope that my words were not too much for young Apple Bloom. I would have never confronted a filly or colt with those words of condemnation. They could work for a mark-bearing adult, but never for such a sweet and innocent child. If I wanted to instruct this young generation about the ways of equality, I needed to be more careful.
Twilight, Applejack, and I had a quick discussion when we arrived back at the castle. The farmer, surprisingly, put the day in good light. She said I helped and did my work with diligence. She also said that my interaction with others could improve. Like she knew how to interact with ponies. Applejack did not mention the end with Apple Bloom, much to my silent approval. I assumed she rather take of her sister by herself than let the princess do it for her. I remained silent throughout the report like I was some student and Applejack was a teacher explaining my grades to a parent. Although, it was far less frightening. Unlike a parent, I had no fear of Twilight.
Twilight's comrades held Ponyville in their tight grasp, telling everypony to be different. The denizens would see me as a lunatic. Trust was needed before I made my bold moves. Yes, I must realize that my plans were not always going to be precise and effective. My only tool was my tongue and I needed to sharpen it. The best way to sharpen a tongue was by using it, and using it to gain trust and respect. Trust and respect...
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