Lanterns of Equestria- The Blackest Night

by Moon Chaser

A talk with the salt of the Earth

A talk with the salt of the earth
by Crazymike Prime/Moon Chaser

Morning came again to Sweet Apple Acres, and found Applejack lost in her sorrow.

‘That was a heck of a dream,' she said to herself.

Applejack rolled out of bed and stretched. She felt sore all over as if she had run all night. Her legs seemed to burn with every step. It felt like it was not a dream.

She had run all night, at least in her dreams. It was the same as the last couple of nights. They felt like memories and dreams mixed together. She seemed to relive many of the most difficult times in her life. She had relived apple buckin’ time, confronting Discord, competing against Rainbow Dash in the Iron Pony competition and a host of other difficult moments in her life. She had relived the running of the leaves. And strangest of all was the feeling she had looking at her opponent next to her at the start. Not hate…pride? No...It was more primal than that -- almost like the sense one gets before the breaking of a storm when all is still and quiet, but the storm tells you, on a level not perceived by yer senses but in yer soul -- it tells you it is coming and it will not stop. That feeling…it seemed to come from her core, to be a part of her, yet in a way she had only perceived in slight moments. It was like the tension of her legs just before she bucked an apple tree, or the flex of her body getting ready to race with Dash, or before a Rodeo. Was it her muscles? No...That wasn’t it either. It was more than that. It focused her; it directed her body with those muscles. It gave force to her actions. It even magnified her other emotions and made them more intense, like her notorious pride. It seemed to make her pride like stone! But it was more that even that. It seemed to fortify her, completely.

But then the night of the terrible fight at Sweet Apple Acres would replay in her mind again, and she would see her kinfolk raised from their rest, hearing their voices call out to her and the rest of the Apple family still living. Those voices…so hollow and cold, calling them to the grave! Granny had stared at her parents in horror, as they tried to consume her emotions.

“aNd WhaT cHaNCes dO yOu thINk yOu HaVE aGaInsT uSSS? Undead Three-Leaf’s words that night continued to haunt her.

And then Zecora’s face would appear to her in these dreams. At first alive and friendly as she had ever been. But then the visage would change to that of the Black Lantern. And seeing her zebra friend under the power of a black ring meant that she was dead!

"Green Lantern Jack. A way to win YOU LACK. You have tried YER BEST. Now you should lay down AND REST"

Tears started to run down the sides of her face.

The Black Lanterns had taken Zecora and made her one of them. She had been alone when they came, with no defense against those horrors. Nopony had gone to look in on her. Nopony had gone to warn her of what had been happening. All of her Ponyville friends hadn’t given a thought about whether or not their friend was safe in her seclusion. Nopony questioned if her magic and her skills in the forest would protect her. It had been a grave mistake! Somepony should have gone to her at least see if she was all right. Somepony should have gone and gotten her to leave the forest and come to Ponyville where Zecora could have been….

Saved.

And Applejack, remembered an old farm saying “Always check, ‘cause not checkin’ can git ya hurt”

…and she had not checked, and not checking had got her friend, the kindly and wise zebra of the woods…

Celestia’s wings…

…her negligence had got somepony killed and made into one of those… things!

…to compound her crime, she almost got her family killed too. Applejack had failed to act at that critical moment, allowed herself to falter, and caused her ring to deputize Big Mac, forcing him to have to intervene to save her and the family, and pulling him into this insanity. She didn’t want anypony else to have to do that.

Applejack rolled over on her stomach and opened her eyes. “Zecora” she sighed as guilt washed over her in a flood and ran out of her through her tears. They had started on such a bad hoof, but they had become good friends after that initial misunderstanding. She was always kind, friendly, and downright helpful . It was even fun to listen to her talk in rhyme...all the time.

Apple Bloom had seen Zecora as well! That had broken Apple Bloom’s mind, and her heart.
Zecora’s friendship, the life she shared with her friends, even family ties..that was all gone now. The Black Lanterns had seen to that.

“What a friend Ah’ am.”

She created a construct of a pair of tongs and looked at them, making them open and close, feeling their solidity in her mind through the ring. She had them rap on the bed post, hearing a faint echoing metallic ring as they struck. The tongs seemed solid, but were they solid enough? She sat back on her haunches and looked at herself in the mirror in her room. The Element of Honesty regarded herself in the mirror. She rarely looked at herself in any mirror. She looked at herself in a penetrating gaze that was for one purpose -- to assesses something deeper. Long ago when she was a filly she had done the very same thing the night before leaving Manehattan to return to Ponyville. That night she had made a decision that would determine the rest of her life, and had not looked back since. She was proud of the life she had led, fiercely so. She had sampled the glamorous life in Manehattan and at the end of that part of her life she found it meaningless.

And now? What meaning was there now?

She had not asked herself that question in a very long time! Not during her struggles with Nightmare Moon or Discord using her Element of Harmony, nor during the other mishaps and adventures she and her friends had experienced had she ever questioned what she was doing and why. This ring, these powers, her kinfolk coming back from the grave as Black Lanterns, the effect the rings were having on everypony, Dash building an army. it was different this time. The Chaos of Discord was easy to face, she just lied to herself until Twilight broke Discord’s spell. It was easy after that too, she united with her friends to vanquish Discord and lock him back in stone. That was not happening this time. She felt..alone. So alone and lost without a guide and Applejack was in a place she almost never was in…

“Applejack ole’ filly” she said softly out loud to herself staring into her soul with the tongs floating next to her on her right “what are ya doin?”

When those words came to her mind, the force she felt in her, that drove her in her dreams, and fueled her power ring, seemed to shatter like glass!

As the question echoed in the room, the sound waves of her voice seemed to cause the construct to fade and scatter into green sparks popping from a dying fire. The tongs were gone, blown away by the wind of her voice.

But…she hadn’t willed them to fade away! She hadn’t pictured them dissolving to nothing!

“That ain’t right!” she said to herself.

She pushed her mind into the ring again, forcing the tongs back into existence in front of her. They appeared again, but something was different this time. They seemed less solid, less ‘real’. She also had to push harder than the last time to manifest them.

Using the ring was tiring every time -- like staying up late for one of Pinkie’s late night parties, or Twilight’s star watching sessions. It was a tired that didn’t come from a hard day of work on the farm. It was more like being worn out just by dreaming.
‘Twilight must not be havin’ that problem’ she said to herself ‘She exercises that noggin of hers every day like I use mah legs, She must be used to it.’

She let the tongs dissipate and got onto all of her hooves.” Ah’ should git somethin’ ta eat…time to git some breakfast.” But she really was not hungry.

She knocked the hat rack with her front left leg. The Stetson popped off the hat hook and on to her head as she headed downstairs to breakfast.

Applejack had only come down for breakfast for that last week, staying in her room and only venturing out to do little chores here and there. Mac and Apple Bloom had both tried to get her to come out of her room but she just answered their inquires by saying she’d be out in a bit. She’d come out, but say little and return to her room.

The sun had not come up yet, and the only light on in the ground floor of the house was from the kitchen. Big Macintosh was already up getting ready for the day. A big pot of oatmeal was already made and he was eating a huge bowl of oats with butter and honey. Next to him was a large hot mug of apple cider.

“Mormim’ AJ” Mac said, munching his breakfast. He was acting very normally.

“Mornin’ big brother. “ She grabbed the kettle and placed it on the cooking burners and lit the fire.

Mac swallowed. “Ah’m fixin the back fence along the creek.” Applejack made an Uh huh sound. She had turned to rummage in the cabinets. “Ah just want tea or coffee” she said to herself.

“Then Ah’m repairin’ the main cart wheels. After that Ah’ll head to Twilight’s ta see if she needs any lantern help.”

She looked up from the cabinets, frustration fanning along her face. “We ain’t got any tea or coffee do we?”

“Nope.” Mac got up and rinsed his bowl in the sink. “Ran out 3 days ago. Told ya last week we were runnin’ out. Didn’t ya git any in town last week like ya said ya would?”
Applejack sat back on her hind legs “Nope, Ah plum forgot!” She closed her eyes and sighed. “Seems Ah’m forgettin’ a lot lately…like how to be a friend.” She lowered her head, closed her eyes and sighed.

Mac finished at the sink and walked over to his sister. He gently nuzzled her “ Hey now lil’ sis…”

“Forget it Mac…Ah’m just a lil outa sorts is all.”

Mac sniffed.” AJ, bottling up is only going to make you pop yer cork, or crack tha bottle. It ain’t healthy if-n Ah have ta pry what’s wrong out of ya. Com’on, talk to me."

Mac put his forelegs around her and pulled her into a hug. From under his hooves he heard her ask “is anypony else up?”

“Nope. We’re alone.”

She opened her eyes and looked at Mac. Her eyes were filled with tears. She shivered and trembled as she spoke.“Ah’ messed up big brother…Ah’ messed up somthin’ awful...an’ now one of my friends is dead.”

She was silent for what seemed like hours, Mac not letting go. “AJ…” he said softly.

“Friends look out fer one another…they help each other…” she was sobbing a little.

“..but ya were, AJ, don’cha see? Ya were…” the big red stallion said, still holding on to his little sister. Mac had only seen Applejack like this once before. ‘She was just like this when Ma and Pa died’ Big Macintosh thought to himself. ‘Just like when she was a filly.’

When she was a filly, Applejack had blamed herself for what happened to her parents. According to her child logic, she should have been big enough to help, and Ma and Pa would be alive because the accident would not have occurred.

Tears were falling down her hot cheeks now, ”Was Ah’? Ah’ wasn’t helpin’ Zecora…Ah’ was …”

“Ya were helping other ponies who weren’t yer friends, ya were helping Ponyville, an ya were helpin us.” He held her tighter.

She closed her eyes, tears still streaming out of them.

“Ah’should have been there fer her….Ah’ shudda at least checked in on her…”

“AJ…”

“The most dependable of ponies my eye…” she was sobbing now.

“AJ,” Big Mac said gently, ”even Celestia Herself can’t be everywhere all the time.”
Applejack stopped sobbing at those words.

“Even Celestia has lost loved ones.”
Applejack broke away from Mac and looked at her brother in the eyes, still crying.

“..and she’s had to do things as princess, make decisions as princess and take actions as princess, that hurt her or others, as hard as it is ta say.”
Applejack rubbed the tears from her eyes with her forelegs and sniffed.

“Mac..how can ya talk that way about the Princess? She’s been…”

“ I love and respect our princess, AJ! She’s been there fer all ponies more times than anyone can count fer eons! EVER! But even she is not all powerful. Even she needs help sometimes. Remember… she needed Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie…and YOU, to do things she could not do herself, with all her power, at least twice. She needed you to be who you are.”

“An who would that be? Ah pony that gits too wrapped up in her new toy ta care about what she was doin’?”

“No.” Mac got onto all his hooves and looked at his sister in the eye.. “a pony who is honest with herself, and with others, who says what needs to be said and even if it will hurt because a lie will hurt more, stands fast when it gits tough, won’t give up on her friends…”

Applejack teared up a little again, ”Ah’ ain’t gave up on ma’h friends! Ah’m the…” she started to interject.

“an’ especially..WON’T GIVE UP ON HERSELF.”

At those words, Applejack was quiet and looking at her brother. His words cut her to the quick.

Big Mackintosh nuzzled his sister softly, then grabbed his yoke off the peg on the wall and put it on over his head.

“Tell you what,” he turned towards the outside door. “Talk with me on the way to the fence. We’ll walk. Ya need to get outside anyway. Git some air.”

Applejack stood up and trotted to the door. “Ok,” she said.

The sunlight of Celestia was starting to make the sky pink as the night sky of Luna was slowly melting away. Only the brightest of her stars were now visible. The air was moist and cool. Dew clung to the soft grass. This was the sort of morning Applejack loved. When she was just a filly, Applejack would wake to a morning like this and go to the barn and watch the world wake up, listening to the sounds and taking in the smells of the morning. It was beautiful and peaceful, and it helped her mood greatly.

A gentle breeze lifted some of Mac’s mane. He looked behind him as they walked. “ I love mornin’s like this, ” he said with a small smile.

Applejack simply sniffed. They walked to the back of the main barn to get to the repair cart.

She spoke first, “Big Brother…..”

“Umhum”

“It’s…well,” she stuttered a little, looking for the right words. “This business with the rings an’ all. It’s kinda eatin at me.”
Mac walked to the front of the repair wagon to hitch up. “ If it didn’t bother you, Ah’d think you had lost yer head sis. Rings that glow, let ya fly, make stuff outta nowhere…”

“ ..an the dead risin’ from the grave like some Nightmare Night story…only fer REAL!”, Applejack said as she helped Mac secure his yoke to the tool cart.

“Mac…our kinfolk came after us…US! Our own family! And they weren’t mindless like in those stories told at campfires! They KNEW us, knew Granny! They wanted us ta despair an’ die! All of us!” She shivered. “Havin’ Granny see it wus bad enough..but Applebloom ! Ah’d have done anything to save her from that!”

“Ah’ know AJ…..Ah’ wish she hadn’t of seen it either.” Mac began to pull the cart. “But that ain’t the whole of it, is it..?”

“It’s Zecora. They took Zecora and made her inta’ one ah those..things! My long dead kinfolk..somehow that ain’t as bad as ya might think….but Zecora! They made her come after us…her friends!” her voice trailed off.” Ah’ blame myself fer not checking in on her…”

“An’ now Ah’m asking m'self why. WHY?!? Why are our dead relatives comin’ back to try and get us? What’s with these rings? Somthin’ like these rings were made fer a reason? And why I….” She stopped and stood shaking in her hooves.”Why didn’t Ah check on mah friend? An why ahm Ah'..”

Mac stopped and turned to look at her, waiting for her to finish,. The sun was just starting to show her face and the light played off the dew and made the grass sparkle.”

Why are ya…?” Mac asked.

Applejack paused and took stock for a moment. She wanted to get this right..and Mac, frankly was more eloquent than she ever was.

“This ring stuff is like magic..only this time I can’t lay it at the foot of no unicorn! It’s different..it’s like my Element of Harmony.. This thing… “ she raised her foreleg with the ring on it, ” ..it feels like it’s a part of me. No. It IS a part of me. An’ Celestia help me Mac…Ah’ like it, Ah’ REALLY LIKE it!”

“ All right,” the big red pony sniffed” where’s the ‘but’, AJ”

“Ah’m afraid of what I may turn into because of it..the power in it is..well maybe more than we know...”

“Wise to be cautious of the unknown, especially if it helps ya,” Mac said.

“An’ now you’ve got one of these rings…you didn’t ask fer that…you shouldn’t of had ta get that ring...I shoulda’…”

“AJ, if the roles were reversed, you’d a done the same thing…and don’t josh me or yerself, Ah’m grateful Ah’ COULD help. So many times with this kinda thing..Ah’ can’t help ya, all Ah’ can do is sit by while….”

“But ya shouldn’t of had to..I should have been the one..”

“ Lil’ sister…me helping ain’t THE issue…is it?”

”No…” she said quietly, looking her brother in the eyes.”Ah’m afraid of messin’ up again!…fer letting what happened to Zecora happen to somepony else,” she sighed

“Understandable…” said Mac as he pulled the cart, its wheels creaking quietly with each step.

“An then there’s Dash…that ring of hers…the thing’s she’s done…Ah’ hardly recognize her with that red chip on her shoulders.”

Mac continued walking. Applejack trotted to catch up to him. “Sounds silly don’t it?”

“ No,” Mac said simply. “Sounds sensible ta me, frankly.”

That helped Applejack feel a little better.

“..the problem comes in when ya beat the tar outta yerself. Ah think it’s the other side of yer pride.”

Applejack gave Mac a hard look. “Whatcha’ mean by that?”

Mac shrugged. “ Ya take pride in yer work, which is good, ya ought to! Now because yer proud of yer work, ya work hard and make sure ya do a great job! Trouble is, when you mess up. When ya make a mistake, or fall short, or fail..that pride bites ya. Ya whip yerself frr NOT making expectations, or heap on yerself guilt fer letting others down. That pride of yers keeps ya from seeking out help when yer in over yer head…cause’ ya don’t want to look like a fool, or stupid, or weak. Thing is AJ… NOT seekin’ out help is what makes ya look foolish.”

Mac approached the fence rail section he was set to repair. He raised his forelock and used the ring to lift the wood out of the cart and stack the fence rail next to the section to be repaired. Power rings did make chores easier.

“Do you remember that harvest time when Ah’ had a cracked rib?” Applejack nodded.

“ You got yerself all in a lather sayin’ ya were gonna harvest all of the farm yerself, and sis, you did a heck of a job, no lie. But that stubburn pride of yers wouldn’t let you ask fer help, even when ya clearly needed it., and part of the reason ya wouldn’t ask fer help was because you didn’t want to admit it was too much fer ya alone. ”

Applejack stamped the ground with her hoof. “Ya don’t have ta remind me how stupid Ah was Mac”

“Yah…Ah’ do, because the other side of that pride is that ya don’t forgive yerself when ya make a mistake..ya tear yerself up and forgive everyone but yerself.

”If ya ask me, Ah think it stems from that time when ya moved to Manehattan to live with Aunt and Uncle Orange.”

Applejack glared sickles at her brother . ‘Ah’ hit a nerve’ he said to himself.

She growled, “What’s that supposed ta mean?”

“It means this, little sister. No matter what ya do, ya always want to be the best at it, an’ this green lantern thing is no exception. Ah’ think..” Mac manipulated a hammer using his ring. He also used it to levitate the nails he’d use with the fence repairs. “Ah’ think you should stop beatin’ yerself up. An in spite of all that’s happened, Ah’ think Zecora would say the same thing.”

Applejack looked at her brother with eyes a mix of mad, sad and glad.

“An.. Ah’ also think, with all that is going on, and all that’s likely to, all things considerin’: you need to take a break and clear yer head.”
HUH?!?

“..and ya need to see yer friends..ya NEED their help?
Ah’..need…?

“..an’ Ah’ do mean today sis.”
Her eyes bugged in confusion, “What the hay?!?”

“Take a day off AJ; take some time to think this through, look at it more clearly. Go in ta town; get breakfast out, visit friends just as friends.”
Applejack stood stunned.

“Ah’can’t lay about, Ah’ve got responsibilities!” she growled. ”Ah’ should be doing chores with ya! Ah’ should be doin’ somthin’ useful! Ah’m an Element of Harmony and the first Green Lantern of Equestria, dagnabbit! Other ponies are countin’ on me ta…” She was cut off by Mac.

“AJ..Yer fierce, smart, and brave! But ya NEED to step back..and let yer friends help ya help yerself. If Zecora was still here…Ah’m sure she’d say the same thing.”

“But..” Applejack stammered.

“Ya can’t help anypony without helping yer self first, lil' sis.”

“But..”

“It ain’t selfish, and it ain’t letting anyone down if-n ya can’t help somepony else stand because ya can’t stand up yerself because ya were knocked down an’ hurt. The first thing ya need ta do is tell yer friends yer hurt, and admit to yerself that it happens time to time. The only time it IS failure is if-n because of ya pride ya refuse to accept help, or that yer hurt.

Applejack stood speechless.

“ Now go on an’git. Head on out to Ponyville. Ah got work to do.”

And with that, Big Mac, using his ring, began to rebuild a fence in record time, and left Applejack in her own thoughts.

“These here rings can be useful,” he said.

Applejack for her part walked back to the house.”Maybe Mac’s right. Maybe Ah’ do need…mah’ friends...more than Ah’ know.”

Author's Note:

Inspired by the art of Cynos-Zilla

For BrutalityInc story of the Lantern's of Equestria: The Blackest Night.

In the aftermath of the Attack on the Apple Farm and learning that Zacora is dead and been made into a Black Lantern Applejack comes to grips with what it means and questions why the green ring chose her.

Comments

[Darth Gonzo]

I was going to say something about Zecora being the first character dead but then I thought against it.

[Snowdrifter]

5139048

Yeah, I see what yhou didn't do there.

Wonder if Zecora has a red shirrt in her hut somewhere...