//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: “I know this has gotta be a lot to take in” // Story: The Might of a Quill // by derpyland //------------------------------// A moment later, Applejack and Rainbow Dash reappeared in the past – but what they saw took them by surprise. “I think we did something wrong,” Rainbow Dash commented. Applejack instantly knew what the problem was. She face-hoofed. “I can't believe I did that! What was I thinking?” Applejack and Rainbow Dash were in the basement of Twilight's castle in Ponyville. The room was completely empty. There was no furniture, magical decorations, or even any chairs. It was just an empty room. “Did this happen because we time-travelled from the castle's ruins?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I think so. When we went back in time we stayed in the same place – only, y'know, I thought we were a lot further below the surface than this. I'm just glad we didn't reappear in the middle of a wall or somethin'. That would have been awkward.” “No kidding. So what do we do now?” “I guess we–” At that moment the two ponies heard hoofsteps coming down the stairs. Applejack groaned. “I guess there's no gettin' around it. Looks like our plans have changed. I have a feeling this is going to be mighty awkward.” Applejack and Rainbow Dash waited. As the seconds went by the hoofsteps grew louder. A moment later Twilight Sparkle walked into the room. “Hello!” she said cheerfully. “I didn't hear you come in. What are you–” Then she froze. She started at Applejack and her mouth fell open. “What in Equestria happened to you?” Applejack sighed. “It's, um, kind of a long and complicated story. The short version of the story is that Rainbow Dash and I are from the future, and we've made a trip back through time to stop Equestria from being destroyed.” “Only we appeared in your basement by mistake,” Rainbow Dash added. “We were actually aiming for Sweet Apple Acres. So, sorry about that.” “Wait a minute,” Twilight said. “You're from the future? But that doesn't make any sense! Time travel only lets you appear in the past for a brief moment and then you disappear. But I don't see you disappearing. And how did Applejack become an alicorn?” Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Starswirl the Bearded did that. He gave her a horn so she could cast his time travel spell. Oh – and you're the one who gave her wings. Which is awesome, by the way.” “Starswirl the Bearded? But he's been dead for centuries! How could you possibly have met him?” “Like I said, it's a long and complicated story,” Applejack replied. “And I will explain everything – honest. But right now I've got to get to Sweet Apple Acres. If I don't then a tree is going to fall on me tomorrow and get me killed, and then an awful lot of bad stuff is going to happen.” “That doesn't make sense either! If a tree killed you then how are you still alive?” Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Oh, that's easy. After Applejack died I pestered you day and night until you brought her back to life. You finally did figure out how to do it, which is cool and all, but after you invented that new magic you kinda went crazy and lost your marbles. In the end you and Celestia fought each other in a huge epic battle and killed everything in the whole world. There wasn't even any grass left.” “I did what?” Twilight exclaimed. Applejack could see that Twilight's good mood had evaporated. She now looked worried and distressed. I guess I would be too, Applejack thought. She raised a hoof. “Look. Rainbow Dash ain't the most diplomatic of ponies, and she left out a lot of details. But I promise I'll explain everything, right after I go kill that tree. Twilight, do you think you can round up the whole gang? I'd like to explain the story just once, and everypony needs to hear it. And can you see if Celestia and Luna could come? They need to hear it too.” “Right,” Rainbow Dash said. “We need to convince Celestia not to kill you. That really didn't turn out well.” “Is this some kind of prank?” Twilight asked. Her voice trembled, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. “Because if it is it's not very funny! Why are you being so mean to me?” Applejack shook her head. “No, it ain't no prank. I wish it was, Twilight, I really do. Here, let me show you something.” Applejack lit up her horn and projected an image into the air. The image showed the distant future. There was nothing in the image at all – no grass, no trees, no buildings, and not even the sun. The only thing Twilight could see was the hard ground and an empty sky. “What's that supposed to be?” Twilight asked. “That's what Sweet Apple Acres is going to look like a hundred years from now,” Applejack replied. “It's why we're here – to stop that future from ever happening.” Twilight took a step back away from Applejack. The purple alicorn looked terrified. “That's impossible. There's no way I would destroy the world! I would never attack Celestia, and I'm positive she would never attack me! You've got to be mistaken.” Applejack shut down the memory. “Believe me, this ain't no mistake. It's all very real. As I said, I'll explain it all to you, but I've got an errand to run first. You will get everypony together, won't you?” “Why would I do that?” Twilight asked defensively. There was a hint of panic in her voice. “This is obviously some kind of ridiculous lie. I'm not going to waste anypony's time on this nonsense!” “Really?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Why do you doubt the Element of Honesty? I mean, c'mon, she's an Apple. Applejack would never lie to you.” “That's not the Element of Honesty! Look at her. She's got wings and a horn. The real Applejack doesn't have either of those things. This is clearly just one of your stupid pranks. I bet Discord is involved in this somewhere.” “You've got to be kidding me! Does this really seem like the kind of prank I'd pull? Even Pinkie wouldn't come up with something like this. My pranks tend to be more practical – and they're actually funny. I'm not seeing any humor here at all.” “That makes two of us,” Twilight replied testily. Rainbow Dash frowned. “Fine, fine. Then let me ask you something. What would you do if Applejack died?” “I don't know. That's not really something I like to think about.” “Well, think about it for a minute. Suppose that she did die, and suppose that I asked you to bring her back to life. How would you do it?” “But that's impossible! It can't be done. Once a pony dies, that's it. You can't bring them back.” “That's exactly what you told me in the other timeline. But then I pestered you for days and you had your big breakthrough. You finally remembered the Power Ponies comic book. That's when it all came together.” “Power Ponies?” Twilight asked, incredulous. “What in Equestria have they got to do with anything?” “Pinkie Pie was able to take cupcakes out of the comics, remember? That told you it's possible to create things with pure magic. Which I guess is something that Discord does all the time, now that I think about it, only you never thought to talk to him. Anyway, that's when you decided to write Applejack back into existence. You just created her in a comic book and then copied her memories from her corpse into her new body. Then you grabbed her out of the comic, and there she stands.” “I guess that might work,” Twilight said slowly. “It just seems awfully far fetched.” Applejack spoke up. “I know it does, but it's true. Rainbow ain't lyin'.” The orange alicorn levitated open her saddlebag and took out her definition book. She then gave it to Twilight. “That's the comic you wrote to bring me back from the dead. I was the first pony that you created.” Twilight took the comic and read through it. Her eyes widened when she saw the contents of its pages. “This... this is pretty groundbreaking.” A look of wonder appeared on her face. “This is real, isn't it? There's too much new magic in here for it to be a prank. Do you mean that I raised Applejack from the dead using this book?” “Not exactly,” Applejack replied. “What you actually did was create a new Applejack that was an exact copy of the old one. The original one was still dead; I think you buried her body in your basement somewhere. I'm more like a clone.” “This is so amazing!” Twilight said enthusiastically. “Here is the passage that defines your wings – oh, and over here is the unicorn definition. I never dreamed any of this was even possible! This could change Equestria forever.” Applejack nodded. “It sure did. When you released this magic into the world, you started a chain of events that eventually led to the death of everypony. That magic is downright dangerous. It has got to be stopped.” “It's not all bad,” Rainbow Dash protested. “I think Sunshine was the real problem. If it hadn't been for her things might have turned out ok. As long as Twilight doesn't make that same mistake, I think we'll be safe.” “Sunshine?” Twilight asked. She looked up from the comic. “Who is Sunshine?” Rainbow snickered. “Apparently you decided that Celestia wasn't chummy enough for you, so you created a duplicate of her and turned her into your own loyal servant. Sunshine lived across the hall and did anything you told her to do. She was so supportive that when your real friends told you that you were losing your marbles, she put them all in prison and replaced them with mind-controlled clones. She was your best friend.” Twilight blushed. She gave the comic back to Applejack. “I would never use this magic to create a friend for me.” “Really?” Applejack said, as she took the comic and put it into her saddlebag. “Because that's exactly what you did. You decided that you were all alone in the world, and you didn't have any friends that you could talk about magic with. So you decided to make yourself the perfect friend. Someone who would always be there for you and support you.” “It does sound tempting,” Twilight admitted. “Now that you mention it, I guess it would be nice to have someone to talk to. You don't know how difficult it gets sometimes, when I make a new discovery and have no one to share it with. This new magic has all sorts of great possibilities. The more I think about it the more excited I get! Would it really be that bad to make a new friend?” “It was way worse than simply 'bad',” Rainbow Dash replied. “It was way bad. It killed everypony. Literally! You were the last pony on the planet, and Applejack and I found you just in time to watch you die. Speaking of which, it's great to see you alive again. I like you better that way.” “This is all so confusing,” Twilight said. “I don't even know how to react to all this. At first I was upset, but now I'm just excited. This magic has so much potential! I don't see how it could possibly go wrong. That comic book is one of the most exciting discoveries I've ever seen. I really, really don't believe it could destroy the world, but I guess I need to hear your story before I tell you that you're wrong. I'll go round up the gang while you go to Sweet Apple Acres and, um, stop yourself from getting killed. Once everyone is together you can tell us the story of the future.” “Before you tell us we're wrong?” Applejack said. “Did I say that out loud?” Twilight replied. “Sorry. I didn't mean it that way.” “Look,” Applejack said, her voice hardening. “I–” Rainbow Dash nudged her. “C'mon, we've got work to do. This isn't important right now. I'm sure you'll have no trouble crushing her soul later.” “I told you this would happen,” Applejack said. The orange alicorn was clearly irritated. “This is why I wanted Twilight's memories! Do you see now?” “Wait,” Twilight said. “You have my memories? How did that happen?” “Oh, Apples grabbed them out of your corpse after you died,” Rainbow said casually. “She thought they'd come in handy.” “She did what?” Twilight exclaimed. “Applejack, those are my private memories! I didn't give you permission to do that. And since when does Rainbow Dash call you 'apples'?” Applejack sighed. “Since you brought me back from the dead. All Rainbow Dash does anymore is hang out right next to me. She never gives me a moment's peace. I think it's guilt or somethin'. Anyway, we'll see you later, Twilight. And it really is good to see you alive again. Even if you do think we're a pair of nitwits.” “Thanks – I guess. But when you get back, you and I are going to have a talk about the whole memories thing. I'm not comfortable with that.” Rainbow snickered. “You know, Twilight, that's an excellent point. Maybe Applejack should just give you those memories. After all, they're your memories, right? Why should she have them?” Applejack whacked the blue pegasus on the back of the head. “That's enough, Rainbow! When we get back from the farm I'll tell her and everypony the whole story. Then Twilight can decide if she wants to remember what it felt like to have every bone in her body broken and then die a slow, painful death.” “It can't be that bad,” Twilight said. “Once you see these memories I'll let you make that decision,” Applejack said coldly. * * * * * When Applejack and Rainbow Dash left Twilight's castle, they flew through the air and made their way to Sweet Apple Acres. High above them, pegasi were busy pushing angry-looking clouds into position. The storm was now just a few hours away. When Rainbow saw the clouds, she shook her head. Applejack knew she was thinking about the coming storm and the awful damage that it did. But Rainbow didn't say anything. The two ponies made it to the farm in just a few minutes, and landed in the clearing in front of the barn. Beside them, about twenty feet away, was the tree. It was still standing. “I hate that tree,” Applejack said. “Just look at it! You'd never guess that it was thoroughly rotten inside. It looks all nice and sturdy. But sturdy it ain't.” “Exactly my point! How was I supposed to know that it was bad? This whole accident wasn't my fault. I don't know anything about apple trees! That's your department.” “No one is blaming you, Rainbow,” Applejack replied. “Then why do I feel so bad?” “Feel so bad about what?” a voice called out. An orange earth pony trotted out of the barn and walked toward them. When she saw the two of them she got a strange look on her face. The orange pony studied them for a few seconds. “All right. I recognize Rainbow Dash; why, I'd know her anywhere. But who in Equestria are you? I know my Apple kinfolk pretty well, and I'm positive there ain't any alicorns in the family.” “Oh my goodness – you're alive!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Rainbow rushed over to the original Applejack and hugged her. “You have no idea how good it is to see you again. I thought I had lost you forever.” “Um, hello to you too,” the original Applejack said. She hugged Rainbow Dash back and then let go of her. “That's nice and all, but I just saw you five minutes ago. Remember? You wanted to make sure that the farm was ready for that storm that's gonna hit tonight. I told you that everything was fastened down tight.” “And I believed you,” Rainbow Dash said bitterly. “I believed you and flew away, and didn't give it another thought. Then that blasted storm hit and destroyed your barn and weakened that tree. The next morning you went out and kicked the tree, and it killed you. It killed you, Applejack! It was horrible. There was blood everywhere, and–” “Hey now, it's ok,” Applejack said, surprised. “I don't know what you're talkin' about, but I'm just as right as can be. I haven't been crushed by no tree.” Alicorn Applejack spoke up. “But you would have been crushed, if we hadn't come back in time to save you. That's why we're here. Rainbow Dash and I are from the future.” “Oh. Really? Just how far in the future? Are you from tomorrow?” “Not exactly,” Rainbow Dash said. “More like a hundred years.” “A hundred years! Why, you don't look a hundred years old to me.” “That's because we didn't start out a hundred years into the future. At first we were just a few weeks from, well, right now. Then we traveled a hundred years into the future. Then we traveled back in a time a bit, because everypony was dead. It's kind of complicated. I've been doing a lot of time travel with your clone.” “My clone?” Applejack asked. She turned to the alicorn. “Is that who you are? Some kinda copy of me?” Alicorn Applejack nodded. “Twilight took your death mighty hard. Well, everypony did, I reckon. So Twilight created a copy of you and gave it all your memories and personality. I'm basically your clone.” “You have all of my memories?” Applejack asked The alicorn nodded. “Yup, all of 'em. I'm as much you as you are, in a way. Only I've had a little work done. Rainbow wanted a flyin' buddy, and I figured I'd give it a shot.” “I see that,” Applejack said, as she looked at her clone's wings. “So what's it like to fly?” “It's pretty nice. I like it more than I thought I would. But to be honest, I kinda miss bein' an earth pony. Magic and flight just ain't who I am, you know? It feels phony. And if there's one thing I can't abide it's phoniness.” “I hear you. I guess you and I are a lot alike. So what tree is going to kill me tomorrow?” The alicorn pointed. “That one right there. But don't worry – I've got this.” The orange alicorn fired up her horn and blasted the tree with a powerful bolt of orange magic. The tree immediately went up in flames. Applejack's eyes widened as she watched the fire consume the tree. Smoke poured up into the sky. “Um, are you sure that was a good idea? I don't know how y'all do things in the future, but I ain't real big on forest fires.” “I hate that tree,” the alicorn said angrily. “It killed me – well, you, actually – and it ended up killin' everypony in Equestria. Do you know what the future is like? It's dead. Everything in the whole world is dead! Not even a single blade of grass survived. And it all started with that stupid tree. If anything deserves to go up in flames it's that rotten piece excuse for timber.” As the alicorn spoke, the tree snapped and fell over onto the ground. “Huh. I see what you mean. That tree was kinda rotten! A good storm could'a been just the thing to weaken it. I recon maybe you did save my life. But didn't you say the barn collapsed too?” “Yup,” alicorn Applejack said. “All the support beams are shot. They've gotta be replaced.” “All of them?” Applejack asked incredulously. “How did that happen?” “You've got termites.” “Termites? I guess that would explain a lot. But – hold on, that's terrible news. I've gotta take care of that immediately! There's wood everywhere here on the farm.” “Don't I know it,” the alicorn said. “After Twilight raised me from the dead I had all kinds of work to do. The first thing–” The conversation was interrupted by cries of panic and dismay. A small herd of ponies rushed into the yard. “What's goin' on, sister?” Apple Bloom said. “There's a fire!” Granny Smith yelled. “Quick, somepony, do something!” “I'm on it,” Big Mac hollered out. “Hold on, everypony!” alicorn Applejack shouted. “There's no need for alarm. I'll put out the fire. Just calm down!” The alicorn lit up her horn and zapped the burning tree. A moment later the fire went out. Thin tendrils of smoke continued to drift into the sky, but the flames were gone. There was nothing left of the tree itself but a charred hulk. “What in tarnation was that all about?” Granny Smith asked. “Applejack, why are you burnin' trees? Don't you know that's dangerous?” Apple Bloom spoke up. “Wait a minute. Who's that orange princess? Is she some distant cousin of ours? I didn't know we had royalty in the family!” “I'm not your cousin,” the alicorn said. “It's a mite more complicated than that. You see–” She was interrupted when a rainbow streak soared across the sky and landed right in front of the group. “So where's the blaze?” Rainbow Dash asked, panting. “I came as soon as I saw the smoke. I can have a whole troop of fireponies here in minutes. What happened?” Rainbow then noticed the other Rainbow Dash, who was hovering in the air beside the alicorn. “Wait a minute. What's going on here? Who are you and where did you come from?” “This is all your fault,” future Rainbow said through gritted teeth. She got right in the face of her past self. “If you had just done your job then none of this would have happened! You were supposed to save lives, you moron!” “Woah woah woah,” past Rainbow said. She scooted back a bit. “I'll have you know that I'm great at my job. Do I even know you?” “Great, huh? You're so 'great' that you didn't even notice that tree was rotten. Thanks to you, that tree fell on Applejack and killed her! And now I have to live with that guilt.” “Applejack looks fine to me,” past Rainbow pointed out. The original Applejack spoke up. “These two are time travelers, Rainbow. Apparently the tree was gonna fall on me tomorrow, after the storm. They've come back in time to stop it.” “Seriously?” past Rainbow said. “You mean she's my future self? Then why is she such a jerk? Did a tree fall on her too?” “Calm down, everypony,” alicorn Applejack called out. “I know you've got a lot of questions. I'm gettin' together everypony at Twilight's castle and I'm gonna tell the whole story. So if y'all will make your way there I'll explain what happened.” “Sounds good to me,” Applejack replied cheerfully. “Except – what about the barn? I don't want to see it destroyed. We kinda need it.” “What's this about the barn now?” Granny Smith asked. “We've got termites,” Applejack explained. “Termites! That ain't good. Big Mac, you've got a barn to fix!” “I'm on it,” Big Mac replied. “Thanks,” Applejack said. “I'll come back and help as soon as I'm done at the castle.” “Can I come with you?” Apple Bloom asked. “I wanna hear the story!” Alicorn Applejack shook her head. “Um, sorry, sis, but the story is kinda gruesome in parts. I think it might be better if you stayed here and helped your brother.” “Aw, please?” Apple Bloom begged. Applejack looked curious. “Gruesome? You mean because a tree fell on me?” Future Rainbow spoke up. “No, 'gruesome' because everypony in the whole world dies. Then Apples here dragged me to go talk to Twilight. She actually had this long conversation with her while Twilight was dying, with blood everywhere and–” The alicorn quickly put a hoof over Rainbow's mouth. “As I was saying, the memories I'm gonna show y'all are not appropriate for little fillies.” “Memories?” Applejack echoed, surprised. “You mean you're gonna show us memories of the future? You can do that?” “Sure can.” Applejack turned to her little sister. “Maybe it would be best if you stayed here on the farm. I'm sure your brother can use the help. But don't worry. When I get back I'll tell you the story. All right?” “Oh, all right,” Apple Bloom said sadly. “But hurry back, ok?” * * * * * It took another two hours for everyone to meet at Twilight's castle. When Twilight sent a message to Celestia and Luna the princesses were busy in Canterlot, attempting to arrange a meeting between the griffons and the ponies of Saddle Arabia. They came as soon as they could. Since there was a delay, the two Applejacks went back to Sweet Apple Acres. The alicorn was able to cast a spell that removed the termite infestation, and Big Mac and the original Applejack then repaired the damage that had been done to the barn. By the time the princesses arrived in Ponyville the barn was ready for the storm. Everyone gathered inside the map room. Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were all there, seated in their thrones. Spike's throne was empty because the young dragon was on an extended visit to the Crystal Empire. Alicorn Applejack and Rainbow Dash hovered in the air above the map. Future Rainbow kept her distance from past Rainbow. The last two ponies who arrived were Celestia and Luna. They both teleported directly into the map room. “Thank you so much for coming,” alicorn Applejack said. “I know this has gotta be a lot to take in.” Celestia gazed at the orange alicorn with a look of wonder. “That is certainly one way to put it! When I received word that a future Applejack had traveled back in time to save Equestria from disaster, I found it difficult to believe. Yet here you are.” “And I see that Rainbow Dash has joined you,” Luna commented. “I find it strange that you two were chosen to make the journey through time and convey this message. I never imagined that either of you might become time travelers.” A familiar voice interrupted. “Oh, it's so lovely to see everyone together again! How I do love these touching reunions.” Discord materialized out of nowhere and appeared directly beside Twilight's throne. He bent his body over her throne and stared at Twilight, grinning. “And to think that these two ponies traveled all this way just to see you! You must be so honored.” “Discord?” alicorn Applejack said, surprised. “I thought you were busy in your dimension! I don't recall askin' you to join us.” “And miss out on all the fun? Why, what kind of friend do you take me for? Speaking of which, I'm glad to see you made it back in time safe and sound. Time travel can be a bit dicey at times. You appear to be more competent than I thought.” Alicorn Applejack frowned. “You can't expect me to believe that you remember the conversation we had in the future! That's ridiculous. It hasn't even happened in this timeline! You're just messin' with us.” “Believe what you want, Apples. I will say, however, that if you still want to visit those Super Mutants, my offer remains on the table.” “Super Mutants?” Fluttershy said. “I've never heard of those creatures before. Are they nice?” Alicorn Applejack waved a hoof. “Don't let him distract you, Fluttershy. He's just bein' Discord. As I was about to say, the reason I've asked y'all to come here today is because we need to change the future.” Celestia nodded. “That is what Twilight told me in her letter. She said that after you died, Twilight invented some sort of book magic that let her bring you back to life. However, that magic also led to a series of events that ultimately killed everypony in Equestria. Is this true?” “Yes ma'am. But let me start at the beginning. It all started with that blasted tree.” * * * * * Using Twilight's memories as illustrations, alicorn Applejack told the story of how Equestria came to be destroyed. She explained how Twilight invented a new type of enchanted comic book, which she used to create her. Applejack then told the group about the creation of Sunshine and the resurrection of Starswirl. She showed the group how Twilight gave the magical comics out to the whole world, and how the world became empty and abandoned. She then told them how Celestia was finally freed from her prison, and how she battled Twilight for the future of Equestria – and how both of them were killed. She finished by playing back the final conversation that she had with Twilight. The whole group was visibly affected. They were all struggling to hold back tears – especially after watching Twilight die. Twilight, however, was the most distraught. Her earlier enthusiasm over the new type of magic had completely evaporated. She was more than just dejected; she was in complete despair. She desperately wanted to believe that it was all some kind of misunderstanding. She just couldn't have done those things. That just wasn't her. “That is so sad!” Pinkie said, with tears in her eyes. “I don't like that future at all.” “Me either,” Fluttershy said firmly. “That Sunshine was an awful pony.” “She certainly was,” Rarity agreed. “To think that she replaced us all with clones – and just because we dared to disagree with Twilight! I had no idea that Twilight was so sensitive.” “I'm not,” Twilight protested. “Honestly. I don't know what came over me. I would never do any of those things. I'm not a bad pony.” Future Rainbow spoke up. “Except you kinda did do those things. And it turned out pretty bad. Which, y'know, is why we're here.” Celestia spoke up. “Twilight, if you truly were feeling lonely then why didn't you tell me? There are many ponies in Equestria who would love to talk to you about magic. I'm sure that Moondancer would gladly talk to you about any discoveries that you have made. You're more than welcome to visit her whenever you like; I'm sure she would enjoy seeing more of you. Even Trixie would probably welcome a visit from you.” Future Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Oh, right. Trixie. That's exactly what this timeline needs: more of the most stuck-up pony in Equestria! If Sunshine had ever met Trixie, she would have been one of the first ponies to go. And don't even get me started on what she would do to Starlight Glimmer.” “Trixie's not so bad,” Twilight replied defensively. “I still think there's hope for her. But, ok, I see your point. Maybe I do need to spend a little less time in my books, and a little more time with my friends. I know I have friends out there – I guess I just forget about them sometimes.” Applejack spoke up. “So where did everything go wrong? What's the real problem?” Future Rainbow stared angrily at past Rainbow. “It all started when she failed at her job and didn't take care of that rotten tree! That is her job, you know. If she had just taken her job a little more seriously then none of these things would have happened.” Past Rainbow shot an angry look at her future self. She started to speak up, but Applejack held up a hoof. “That's enough, you two. I never imagined you'd have such a hard time gettin' along with yourself. You ponies have got to make peace with yourself.” Pinkie Pie spoke up. “I bet I would get along with myself! In fact, didn't Applejack say that Sunshine created a clone of me? That sounds so amazing! Do you think you can do that again?” “I dunno,” alicorn Applejack said. “Life in Ponyville got kinda crazy after you teamed up with your flying clone. I'm not sure if the world ready for a second Pinkie Pie.” Applejack interrupted. “We can have that conversation later. Let's stay focused on the issue at hoof. The whole reason you and Rainbow came here was to fix whatever went wrong in the past. Well, here we are in your past. So what went wrong? What's the real problem? And don't tell me it was the tree, because trees fall all the time without causin' the sun to explode. Why did this tree destroy everything?” Future Rainbow spoke up. “Because it killed you, of course! Isn't that obvious? I couldn't take the thought of you being dead, so I begged Twilight to fix it.” “And apparently she did,” Applejack replied. “But it doesn't sound like my clone did anything bad. She just went back to the farm and resumed her old life. Sure, she let Rainbow talk her into gettin' a pair of wings, but even that don't seem to have done any harm. It looks to me like if that's all that happened then we wouldn't be havin' this conversation. So where did things go wrong?” Rarity spoke up. “I believe it was that horrid Sunshine. She's the real villain of this story! Why, the moment any of Twilight's friends voiced the tiniest dissent, she sneaked into their homes and replaced them with mind-controlled clones. It's dreadful – positively dreadful!” Fluttershy spoke up. “Rarity has a good point. Sunshine does seem to have been rather mean. Isn't she the one who put Celestia in prison? Why, if she had just left Celestia alone then she would never have gotten into that fight with Twilight.” Luna spoke up. “Speaking of that fight, sister, I must say that you are not without blame in all this. I know these crimes were done by your future self, but even so: what were you thinking, trying to harness the sun as a weapon? Did not Starswirl warn you of the terrible consequences of such a desperate act? What did you think would happen when you unleashed its power upon Twilight? Surely you must have known that it would destroy the world. The consequences of that spell are only too well-understood.” “Wait a minute,” Twilight said. “You mean Celestia used a known magical spell to attack me? I've never heard of a spell like that!” Celestia sighed. “It is a well-kept secret – for reasons that should be obvious now. Starswirl made me promise to never learn it, but I suppose it is obvious now that I did not keep that promise. Yes, I know the spell. It can only be wielded by one such as I, who is in tune with the sun.” “Interesting,” Discord said. “Very interesting! You've got a naughty side. And to think all these years I thought you were hopelessly boring. I suppose I should have been tipped off when you invited me to the Gala. But tell me something. Was that spell's dreadful effects really just an accident? Did it really go wrong?” “It – did not go wrong,” Celestia said at last. “That spell was designed to destroy everything. It was meant to be used as a last resort. When I saw that I could not defeat Twilight in battle I must have become desperate. Perhaps I thought that I could recreate the world after I destroyed it. I do not know. But I should never have used that spell. It was a foolish choice.” “Well, it's quite understandable,” Discord said. “After all, you had been in prison for 90 years, and you just found out that Twilight had destroyed your kingdom. It's no wonder that you were a little testy! Speaking of that, I realize we're all busy pointing hooves at poor Sunshine, but isn't it true that Twilight created her? Sunshine didn't create herself, did she?” “That's true,” alicorn Applejack replied. “She was Twilight's creation.” “If that is true, then isn't it also true that Twilight created every aspect of her? Her personality, her desires, her sense of right and wrong, her focus in life – all of that came from Twilight. Isn't that right? Yes, I understand that Sunshine imprisoned all of Twilight's happy little friends. I understand that Sunshine put Celestia in prison, and flooded the world with those boring books, and lied to Twilight about what was going on. But Sunshine was Twilight's creation, wasn't she? Isn't it possible that Sunshine acted the way she did because that's what Twilight wanted?” “But I would never want any of that!” Twilight exclaimed. “Then what did you want?” Discord asked. Alicorn Applejack spoke up. “She wanted a loyal friend – somepony who would never disappoint her.” Celestia shook her head. “I believe there is more to it than that. What Twilight truly wanted was a world without pain. That's it, isn't it? When Applejack died it made Twilight realize how painful life could be. She began to think about what it meant to be an alicorn – to live on for centuries and have to watch your friends die. Twilight came to believe that she could fix all the pain and suffering in Equestria by creating new fantasy worlds. In these make-believe worlds everypony could have everything they ever wanted. She would put an end to death itself.” Luna spoke up. “But it did not work. Twilight could not keep her real friends from dying, for even she cannot defeat death. All she could do was replace them with clones that could only give her artificial feelings and forced sympathy. This magic could not give her what she wanted.” Alicorn Applejack nodded. “I think you've got it. As you said, it was a pretty silly thing to do. But pretty much everypony in Equestria made the same mistake. All the ones that Sunshine didn't put in prison took the comics and made new worlds for themselves. They then used 'em to do pretty awful things, until they all died. Things just went from bad to worse.” “Which is also easily foreseen,” Luna commented. “It is all too easy for a pony to give into their darker instincts, even in the best of times. I know firsthoof how tempting the darkness can be. If ponies were given a world without consequences then things would take a very evil turn indeed. It is no wonder the future turned out as it did.” “Stop it!” Twilight shouted. Tears were running down her face. “Just stop it, ok? I haven't done any of those things! I know my future self did, but I promise I'm not her. I would never, ever be like that! If I had know what would happen I never would have invented that stupid magic in the first place. I never wanted to hurt anypony. You have to believe me! I don't want to – to become that pony. I don't want to hurt my friends.” Celestia immediately teleported over to Twilight's side and wrapped a wing around her. “It is all right, my dear little pony. I know you must think that all of this is frightfully unfair. You are being blamed for actions that you have not committed. But Twilight, you must remember that we all love you and care about you. We will work together to make sure that you never become that monster.” “I'll never use magic again,” Twilight said bitterly. Alicorn Applejack spoke up. “I don't think that's the right answer. Twilight is the Element of Magic; it's who she is. If she uses her magic in a good way then it can help a lot of ponies. We've all seen her use magic to save Equestria. However, if she uses her magic for selfish reasons then things can go wrong pretty fast. Remember that one time she enchanted her doll with that spell and caused a riot? The problem ain't the magic. It's what you do with it.” “Which is what I've been saying all along!” future Rainbow said. “This enchanted comic stuff can be used to do a lot of good. It can feed ponies, and help those who don't have very much, and do all kinds of good things. We shouldn't destroy it anymore than we should throw Twilight in a dungeon somewhere. We should use it to help Equestria.” Fluttershy spoke up. “Throw Twilight in a dungeon? Is that our plan?” “Surely not!” Rarity replied. “That sounds frightfully unfair. No matter what dreadful things Twilight may have done in the future, she hasn't done anything yet.” “I am not going to throw Twilight into my dungeon,” Celestia said firmly. “Are you sure?” Twilight asked. “Maybe – maybe that would be for the best.” Future Rainbow rolled her eyes. “C'mon, Twilight. Get real. That isn't going to fix anything.” Applejack spoke up. “If you ask me, the whole problem is that Twilight tried to fix her problems by replacing reality with fantasy. That's when everything started going wrong. Maybe if we just don't do that, everything will be fine.” Celestia spoke up. “That is certainly a wise place to start. This new magic should be used to help this world, not replace it with a make-believe dream. I believe I also need to have some talks with Twilight about how to handle life as an alicorn. I did not realize that the loss of her friends was weighing so heavily on her. Since she is going to live for a long time, there are matters that we need to discuss.” “Thanks,” Twilight said. “But I promise I haven't been obsessing over it.” “Not until I got killed, anyway,” Applejack commented. “Y'know, it's kinda flattering to see just how much you all care. I had no idea you would go that far for me! Maybe I'm just biased, but this new magic don't sound all that bad. Maybe there's some way we can use it without destroyin' everything.” Luna spoke up. “It would be wonderful to speak to Starswirl again. I do miss him. He was such a wise pony.” Alicorn Applejack spoke up. “You do realize that this book magic destroyed all of Equestria, right? There were literally no survivors. This magic is downright dangerous.” “I agree we would have to be careful,” Luna replied. “We would need to put together a set of rules on how to use it wisely. Perhaps a Code of Conduct.” Celestia nodded. “The magic should also be very restricted. Until we understand how to use it and have taken precautions against its abuse, the secret should only be known to a small group of highly trusted ponies. We would need proceed cautiously and be aware of any potential downfalls. We may never be able to release this to the public.” “I agree,” Rarity said. “Now, let me be clear of one thing: I do not want to be replaced by a clone. In my opinion there should only be one Rarity in this world. But I can see that it could be a great benefit to many. We just want to make sure that it never gets out of hoof.” “What fun is that?” Discord asked. “If you ask me you should embrace the possibilities. Think of all the delightful chaos you could spread! Why, it's positively enchanting.” “That is exactly what we want to prevent,” alicorn Applejack said firmly. “What a pity. Here you have a wonderful chance to spread a little chaos into your drab little lives, and all you can do is start talking about rules and guidelines. Leave it to ponies to take all the fun out of magic.” Discord yawned. “This meeting is getting too boring for me. Let me know if anything interesting happens.” He then snapped his talon and disappeared. “It has been a long meeting,” Celestia agreed. “It is going to take a long time to write new laws to govern the use of this magic. That is not something we can accomplish today.” “So that's really what we're gonna do?” alicorn Applejack asked. “After all that's happened, and after all the suffering and death this magic caused, you're not gonna destroy it?” Celestia shook her head. “I believe this magic can be used for good – much like Discord himself. At one time he was a force of chaos, but now he is our ally. This magic can be used responsibly. If things do start to go wrong then we can act immediately to take whatever action is required. The future will not be like the nightmare that you witnessed. Since we are aware of what might happen, we can guard against it ever happening again.” “If you're sure,” alicorn Applejack said reluctantly. “We'll just need to have some good rules in place, I guess. And enforce them pretty strictly.” Twilight spoke up. “I bet the first rule will be to keep me far, far away from it,” she said bitterly. “I clearly can't be trusted.” “I would not say that,” Celestia said gently. “But I do think that everypony who uses this new magic will need to be watched. All of us are prone to giving into temptation. You are not the first creature who gave into temptation and destroyed the world. All I ask is that you don't do it again.” “I did not destroy the world,” Luna said heatedly. “As I recall, it took you less than five minutes to defeat me and send me to the moon. Your precious world was left very much undestroyed.” “I was talking about Discord,” Celestia replied. “He used his chaotic magic to turn all of Equestria into his playground. Remember?” “Oh.” Luna blushed. “Sorry, sister. My apologies.” “So what now?” alicorn Applejack asked. “It's time to party, of course!” Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically. “Although it would be an even better party if there were two Pinkies. I don't suppose you could make that happen, could you?” Alicorn Applejack shook her head. “Sorry, Pinkie. I have a hunch that the princesses are gonna want to have a talk about that first. I'm afraid that the ethics of clonin' a pony – even if the pony is willin' – are kinda unclear. Just give 'em some time, Pinkie. I'm sure they'll work out all the details soon enough.” “Oh, all right,” Pinkie said. “Can't blame me for asking, though!” * * * * * Once the party was over, Twilight invited the two time travelers to live with her in her castle. Applejack invited her future self to live at Sweet Apple Acres, but Twilight begged her to stay at the castle instead. When she asked why, Twilight explained that she really wanted to spend some time with the alicorn. After all, the alicorn knew all of Starswirl's spells – even his unpublished ones – and had a deeper understanding of magic than any other pony in Equestria. Alicorn Applejack had no interest in magic whatsoever, but she did care about Twilight. She reluctantly agreed to live with her for a while and teach her what she knew. The orange alicorn was tempted to take the easy way out. She knew that she could simply transfer Starswirl's knowledge directly into Twilight's mind, but that was another piece of magic that needed to be discussed. She wasn't going to use that trick again until Celestia's council had created some guidelines on its use. As for Rainbow Dash, she agreed to live with Twilight because she was still unable to get along with her past self. At the party Fluttershy had tried her best to get the two Rainbows to make up with each other, but it didn't work. The future Rainbow had watched Twilight die just a few hours earlier, and she was still too emotional about the timeline she had witnessed. She would eventually learn to get along with herself, but it would not happen quickly. After they reached the castle, Rainbow Dash headed off to bed. When Twilight went into her bedroom, alicorn Applejack followed her. “Do you need something?” Twilight asked. “No, but I think you do,” Applejack replied. “You look positively unhappy. In fact, I haven't seen you happy in a long time. Not since before I died, I guess. It's just been one thing after another.” “You expect me to be happy?” Twilight said incredulously. “I'll have you know I was perfectly happy before you showed up. I was just going about my life without a care in the world. Then suddenly I found out that I was on the road to becoming a monster straight out of Tartarus.” Twilight started to tear up. “I thought I was a good pony, Applejack. I really did. But apparently not. It seems that I'm just one bad choice away from becoming a supervillain.” “Hey now,” Applejack said. She put a hoof around Twilight's neck. “I know today was a lot to handle, but tomorrow's gonna be better. Tomorrow morning no tree is going to fall on me. You are never going to create Sunshine, and your friends are never going to be replaced by clones, and you and Celestia are never going to fight each other. Everything will be different now. Best of all, you're not alone. You've got your friends right here, and we're gonna look after you. When the hard times come, we're gonna be right by your side. It'll be all right – you just wait and see.” “Maybe you're right,” Twilight said. “Maybe I need to just wait and see what tomorrow brings. After all, I've got my friends. Right?” “Right,” Applejack replied. Twilight climbed into bed, and Applejack turned to leave. As she was heading out the door, Twilight's voice called out to her. “So what was she like?” “What was who like?” “Sunshine. You have my memories, right? What was she like?” Applejack hesitated. “Are you tryin' to ask me to give you your memories back?” “Oh no!” Twilight said hurriedly. “No no no no no. I do not want to remember becoming a monster and destroying the world. Or the whole dying thing. You can keep that memory to yourself. But I would like to know a little bit more about Sunshine. It sounds like we were pretty close.” “Hmmm. Let me think. Um, she was nice, I guess. At least, she was nice to you. She liked you a lot – but then you wrote her that way, so no surprise there. In fact, she was kinda obsessed over you. She took care of you, she ran your house, she tucked you into bed every night, and every morning when you woke up Sunshine was standin' there right by your bed. It was a bit weird.” “That sounds kinda creepy. I really let her do that?” “Yup,” Applejack replied. “So tell me something. Why didn't I give Sunshine a moral code? I mean, I understand that I created her to make me happy, but why didn't I give her some guidelines? After all, once I found out what Sunshine had been doing I wasn't very happy at all. Sunshine really should have seen that coming and taken it into account. It seems to me that I just didn't design her correctly! What I should have done was told her to make me happy without resorting to lying or doing other evil things.” Applejack's eyes narrowed. “You are not going to create a new Sunshine. Absolutely, positively not! Do I make myself clear?” “Didn't you say I had servants?” Twilight asked innocently. “And guards? And I got breakfast in bed ever morning?” “Don't even think about it,” Applejack said firmly. “If you want a cook then you can go out and hire a real pony, and you can pay her real bits – not bits made of magic. That's the way we do things here in Equestria. I am not going to allow a repeat of what happened last time.” “Oh, all right,” Twilight replied. “Can't blame me for asking.” “Goodnight, Twilight,” Applejack said. She closed the door behind her. * * * * * The next morning, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight were sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast. There was a knock on the door. Twilight looked puzzled. “I wonder who that could be?” Applejack groaned. “I know exactly who it is! I'd forgotten all about him. Let me go talk to him.” “Who is it?” Rainbow asked. “Frosted Arrow.” “Oh. I don't remember him at all. Do I know him? Was he in our timeline?” “He works at the comic book store,” Applejack explained. “He's here to deliver some comic books to Spike.” “But Spike is at the Crystal Empire,” Twilight replied. “I know. That's why I'm going to go handle this. The last thing you need is for a working pony to convince you that you're a pony of privilege who doesn't care about others, and that everypony has a right to your magical powers. You can be a bit too impressionable.” “I'm what?” Twilight asked, confused. “Just eat your breakfast and try not to save the world while I'm gone,” Applejack replied. “Sometimes it's best to not give ponies what they want.” Applejack then lit up her horn and teleported out of sight. Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash. “What was that all about?” “Beats me,” Rainbow said. “She's the one that has all your memories. I'm, like, a totally innocent bystander. I would never approve of taking somepony's memories and giving them to someone else. Can you pass me another haycake?” * * * * * Frosted Arrow was about to knock on the castle's door again when it suddenly opened. What he saw made him gasp and drop his delivery. An orange alicorn was standing in the doorway. She did not look happy. “Um, hello,” Frosted Arrow said. His heart was beating wildly. He scrambled to pick up the comic books he dropped. “Um, I'm so sorry to bother you. I didn't know Twilight had company. Princess Twilight, I mean.” “She does not have company,” Applejack replied. “I live here.” “Oh. Well, uh, good for you. That is, I didn't know there was a new princess in Equestria. I mean, I'm assuming you're a princess. Since you have a horn. And wings.” “Let me guess. You are here to deliver some comic books to Spike. I'll make this easy for you: Spike is out of town. Just give the comics to me and I'll make sure he gets them.” “Thank you,” Frosted Arrow said nervously. He handed them over to the alicorn, who took them with her hooves. “And another thing,” Applejack continued. “I don't want you to ever come around here and lecture Twilight on how she's a stuck-up pony who doesn't care about others. Oh, I know you look down on her and think she's just awful. I'll have you know that she's done more to save ponies like you than any other creature in all of Equestria! You have no right to come around here and tell her off. Do I make myself clear?” “What?” Frosted Arrow gasped. “I swear I've never, ever talked to the princess – not even one time! I have no idea what you're talking about.” “Just see that you behave yourself. I know you don't like to hear this, but Twilight can be trusted with her magic. Well, for the most part, anyway. There are lots of ponies who can't be trusted, and giving them superpowers is just plain stupid. I don't think I'd trust you as far as I can throw you – and I bet I can throw you mighty far.” “No need for that,” Frosted Arrow said hastily. “Have a nice day.” The white stallion turned around and galloped away as fast as his hooves could carry him. Applejack smiled. I may have been a bit too harsh on him, she thought to herself. He's not all bad. He did try to stop Twilight, after all. Gotta give him credit for that. Applejack looked out over the horizon. The sun had risen and the storm was gone. Today no tree would fall and crush her. The future looked bright. Equestria was going to take a different path this time – she would make sure of it. True, she didn't know what was going to happen. The world was going to change; the magic she had brought back to the past would make sure of that. But she had a feeling that this time the change would be for the better. Perhaps Celestia was right. All that this new magic really needed was a pony to look after it and make sure that it wasn't abused – and Applejack could be that pony. After all, Applejack was artificial. She was controlled by her comic definition, and she knew it. She could make sure that she was incorruptible and immune to temptation. She could be the voice of reason, the pony who made sure that abuses never crept into the system. Before she had merely been the Element of Honesty. Now she was a great deal more. And best of all, she would never grow any older. She would live as long as her comic continued to exist – and with the right spells she could make that book last forever. As long as Equestria lasted, she would be there as its watchful protector. Which was a big step for a humble apple farmer.