Chapter 10
“I don’t understand. Is it a name? A title? What?”
“It is… both?” The Day-Mare paced a few steps. “We have not the words to say.”
Twilight groaned and sank to her stomach, head between her hooves. “I don’t know if I have the words anymore, either.” She had subconsciously hooked on the name “Celestia” for the Day-Mare, but apparently that hadn’t been entirely accurate, not to mention the few dozen words that no longer meant what they were supposed to.
Her thoughts over the past several minutes were a blur at best; if regular conversation was like a glass of water, the mind-meld had been akin to being hit by a tidal wave. On the one hoof, she was glad they could understand each other, but the cost had been the clarity of her thoughts and some of her knowledge.
The Day-Mare seemed to sense her struggle. “Verily, we are contrite,” she said, picking over her words as if she were reading them from a page. “Much we did give thee, nigh unto excess. We shall understand if thou are filled with confusion.”
“At the moment, I’d settle for just what to call you,” Twilight replied.
With a sigh the Day-Mare looked down. Her eyes searched the empty space between her hooves for a few moments.
“Thou mayest call us Celestia,” she said finally. “‘Tis well as anything in thy tongue.”
Twilight nodded, but before she could reply Rainbow interjected from the neighboring cell. “Okay, now that we’ve got that figured out, how about letting us go?”
Celestia shook her head and stepped slightly to the side. “Remember thou didst deign to remain with thy companions, Rainbow Dash; in our own time enacted thy release may be, predicated upon our judgement.”
“But we didn’t do anything wrong,” Twilight protested. “The Tree is fine, we’ll leave and never come near it again, I promise.”
Turning back to Twilight, Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Mistake not civility for trust, Twilight Sparkle. Thou art a Child of Discord, and we hath seen thy mind is keen to render warning unto him. Counsel us not on thy innocence when thou would cast thy lot so willingly with Disharmony.”
The towering alicorn paced slowly before the cell. “Verily, thy world is strange to us,” she mused. “The Lord of Chaos himself reigns in power over the land, and yet all is not fallen to ruin. How this came to pass we know not, but of a surety we shall discover it.”
“It ‘came to pass’ because Discord doesn’t rule us like a dictator,” Twilight replied without thinking. “Chaos is the only way—” she cut herself off, instantly regretting the conditioned response; after seeing the Night-Mare’s vicious punishments she could only imagine the kind of terrible wrath Celestia might rain down if displeased.
Cold silence fell over the cellblock as Celestia stopped pacing. She stared down at Twilight intently. “Test not our patience with such things,” she said. “We do not favor judgements of suffering as our sister does, but the preaching of sedition shall not be winked at. Rather, ponder on those thoughts we have given thee; perhaps thou shalt find conviction in the truth of things past.”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. Still, she couldn’t help prying a little further. “Not to be rude or anything,” she asked cautiously, “but how do I know you haven’t just filled my head with untreowth—” She shook her head and thought for a moment to find the right word. “— lies?”
Celestia didn’t break her gaze, but knelt in front of the cell, bringing her head level to Twilight’s. She was silent for several moments, head cocked slightly to the side. Her piercing eyes seemed to search Twilight’s own, and Twilight had to consciously resist the urge to look away.
After a moment the intent gaze softened. “Thy falsehoods would become truth, were we to take thy choice in the matter. And know this, Twilight Sparkle: We shall never lie to thee, for Triéwenes, Honesty, is an element of Harmony. Well be it for thee to believe on that.”
The spell around her deadened much of the ambient magic, but through her horn Twilight felt a subtle tingle. The faint magic felt warm, comforting, and distinctly familiar.
Celestia blinked in surprise and glanced at some point that seemed to be outside the dungeon, then smiled. As far as Twilight could tell, it was a genuine smile, with no malice or deceit hidden behind it. “Seo winescípe tréo!” she exclaimed quietly.
“The Tree of Harmony,” Twilight repeated, the ancient words somehow intelligible in her mind. Then she gasped as the import of the event became clear: The Tree and its magic were real; she’d measured the distinct increase in power when the principles of friendship were expressed near the tree. Now faced with yet another example of its power, she could not deny what she felt.
Smile still broad on her face, Celestia turned back to Twilight. “We shall not suppose to convince thee of what magic hath proven,” she said.
“What does that mean?” Rainbow asked.
“It means she’s telling the truth...” Twilight said softly. Part of her was slightly in awe as she realized this gave a certain weight to the principles of Harmony.
She knew that part of the reason for her lingering guilt was the amount of lies she’d told her six former friends. Logically, that meant honesty was likely an inherent trait for a pony like herself. Honesty certainly wasn’t forbidden by any means, and although he didn’t punish blatant falsehood, Discord himself generally seemed to expect a certain measure of truth in her reports.
So if honesty wasn’t bad, and might even be considered good, could that mean, by extension, Harmony wasn’t necessarily all bad either?
But almost as quickly as it came, Twilight crushed the notion. Just because a thing might be natural or good didn’t mean it was worthwhile for an Agent of Chaos. She’d chosen this path because true equality was better than some ethereal definition of “goodness” that served only to enslave those without power. All are equal in anarchy, she reminded herself.
Although she didn’t say anything for fear of angering the physical goddess, Twilight’s face must have betrayed some of what she was feeling, because Celestia’s smile waned and her brow furrowed.
“We perceive thou art conflicted.” It wasn’t a question, almost more like an accusation.
“You could say that…” Twilight replied, actively avoiding eye contact this time.
“Know this, little anhorn,” Celestia said: “Thine allegiance hath been to Chaos, and a castle built upon sand cannot endure the storms. Harmony will reign again, and thou shalt see the error of thy ways.”
Although the tone of voice was even, Twilight shuddered at the implied threat. What might convince her, and what would the punishment be if she didn’t come around?
Part of her wanted to ask more but at the moment it seemed best not to antagonize the princess any further, so she merely looked down and nodded meekly in agreement. For now, the best thing she could do was be patient.
Celestia seemed to take the nod at face value and stood up, addressing both Twilight and Rainbow. “Verily we would speak at length, but the hour is hastening on, and much remains to be done. We shall take our leave and return to thee in some time.”
“Hey wait—” Rainbow Dash called, tapping the cell bars for attention. “Applejack hasn’t woken up yet. Is she going to be okay?”
“The Scourge of the Disobedient is grievous penance even in our time,” Celestia answered sympathetically. “Fain would we have chosen differently… but fear not, for our spell shall soon pass and she shall awake.”
Twilight heard Rainbow’s sigh of relief. “Okay, good to know; thanks.”
“‘Tis our pleasure,” Celestia said. Without further ado, she turned and strode down the hallway, quickly disappearing from sight. A minute later distant hinges creaked, a latch clicked, and the dungeon was once again left in silence.
“She seems cool enough,” Rainbow said after a few seconds. “I’m a little less afraid for my life, at least.”
“Speak for yourself,” Twilight muttered, beginning to pace aimlessly. “You’re not the one on trial.”
“I guess that’s true.” Rainbow agreed. “I’m not the one who tried to poison the Tree of Harmony or whatever.”
“I wasn’t going to poison it!” Twilight exclaimed defensively. “I was just….”
She trailed off, and realized that she still had no idea exactly what the seeds were even supposed to do. Discord had only said they would “bind” the tree and neutralize it. She had the vague idea that involved some sort of magical growth, like vines or something, but beyond that the actual purpose or function of the seeds was a mystery to her.
“Just… what?” Rainbow prodded.
Twilight sighed in exasperation. “Nevermind.” It didn’t help her frustration that the seeds were probably still in the shallow cave with her saddlebags, and she had no idea if she’d be able to find a way back to retrieve them, much less complete her mission at this point.
Out of habit she reached up to massage her head, but before the hoof even touched she realized something was different.
“Huh…” she muttered, “that’s weird.”
“What’s weird?”
“My headache, it’s gone.” The throbbing pain that had plagued her for over a week seemed to be absent, or at least had significantly faded below the threshold of “agonizing” and seemed to reside somewhere around “barely noticeable.”
“Maybe it was that mind-thing Celestia did?” Rainbow suggested.
“I don’t think so…” Twilight shook her head a little, testing if maybe it was a fluke, some deadened nerve waiting to be woken up, but the ache didn’t return. “Now that I'm thinking about it, it’s been fading ever since we teleported in here.”
“Well, that’s a good thing, right?” Rainbow stretched, feathers rustling. “Count yourself lucky; my wing’s still cramped up.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Twilight replied. “I mean, I’m glad it’s gone, but I wish I knew why.” She paused a moment. “Oh, um… sorry about your wing.”
“It’s okay; not the first time it’s happened,” Rainbow said. “It’s my own dumb fault for flying so long and not eating something sooner.”
Her stomach clenched and Twilight groaned involuntarily. “Don’t even mention that,” she grumbled. “I forgot to ask if she ever planned on feeding us.”
“Yeah, that probably would have been a good idea,” Rainbow agreed. “Grazing is okay but not really my speed; I need way more energy than that.”
Twilight made a small noise of assent, but didn’t comment any further. Even the thought of food made the pit in her stomach churn painfully, and she didn’t want to talk about it any more than she had to.
Instead, she turned to the overload of random thoughts, trying to filter the noise that still rattled around in her brain. Some images and memories were easy to recognize as either hers, or Celestia’s. Others were insidiously real: Did she actually like turnip soup? Was there really a book on leatherwork in her library? Had she truly been in love with a stallion named Wind Seeker? The more she pondered, the more confusing some memories became, and she felt a frightening loss of self as everything began to blur together.
An impatient shuffling of hooves sounded in the neighboring cell. “So you gonna share, or just keep mumbling like a crazy pony?”
Sighing in exasperation, Twilight reminded herself to stop thinking out loud. “I’m just trying to make sense of all this,” she explained. “When Celestia touched my horn, it wasn’t just like she was reading my mind. It was almost as if we were mixing thoughts, like two songs playing at once. Now it’s kinda hard to tell which are her thoughts and which are mine.”
“Anything that might help us get out of here?”
“Not really.” Twilight tried again to focus on a particularly vivid memory. “It’s weird; some of her memories are so…” she struggled for the right words, “...glædful? No, that’s not the word… They’re happy, that’s it.”
“Why is that weird?” Rainbow asked, a touch of confusion in her voice. “She was a princess, I’m sure she had everything she could ever want.”
“I don’t know,” Twilight said, still trying to make sense of the feelings, “I guess I just expected there to be more wrath or something. I mean, they‘re dictators; they’re supposed to be despotic and hateful. There’s some of that, like anger and resentment when her sister left, but not as much as I thought there’d be.”
“Her sister left? You mean the Night-Mare?”
“I guess…” Twilight furrowed her brow. The memory was strong but lacked context, as if something was pulling a veil over her understanding of the events, and the more she concentrated the more indistinct it became.
“Nevermind,” she said, and relaxed her focus. “It’s like I’m missing something. Maybe she didn’t want me to know. Until I can get out of these runes and cast a memory spell on myself I don’t think I’m gonna get anywhere with it.”
As she mentally shelved the alien memories, Twilight recalled something else that was bothering her. Unlike Celestia’s thoughts, this memory was clear and recent. “By the way, you never answered my question.
“What question?” Rainbow’s response was just a little too fast, too prepared.
“The one I asked just before Celestia showed up,” Twilight replied. She still wanted an answer, and wouldn’t be deterred this time. “In the forest with the Night-Mare: Why didn’t you run?”
“I told you,” Rainbow said indignantly, “I couldn’t just leave a friend like that; it’s not right.”
“I know, you said so already,” Twilight replied. “But that’s not all, I know it.”
Rainbow huffed. “So? Applejack says I’m loyal, it’s in my blood. Never leave a pony behind.”
“It wasn’t just loyalty!” Twilight’s voice rose slightly. She hated when ponies dodged her questions, and Rainbow’s combative personality didn’t make things any easier. “I’m loyal to Discord, like thousands of other ponies. I know what loyalty is, and what you did was something different.”
The sharp snap of hoof striking stone echoed through the corridor. “Why do you care?” Rainbow growled. “Why is it so important to you?”
“Because I—” Twilight paused in the middle of her reply and racked her brain. Why did she care so much? After all, she took it mainly on face value that Fluttershy was intrinsically kind, or that Pinkie Pie naturally felt compelled to bring laughter. Why couldn’t she simply accept that Rainbow Dash was just blindly, stupidly loyal as part of her nature?
She thought back again to that moment so many weeks ago in the Everfree, when Rainbow had saved her from the timber wolves. She remembered writing about it in her journal, the way her hooves shook and her quill trembled as she relived the moment over and over. She could have died, and probably would have.
Then she found it at the core of the memory, the one thought that had consumed her entire being for the scant few seconds before Rainbow had risked her own life to save Twilights. A tiny seed she’d buried so long ago and tried to forget.
“Because,” Twilight repeated, more evenly, “I need to know why you saved me from the timber wolves. I need to know... why you thought I was worth it.”
Silence settled over the cells, and immediately Twilight’s heart began to race. She’d finally vocalized one of the things that had been eating at her since she’d first left Ponyville: The fact that she, avowed servant of the Emperor or Chaos, had been accepted by a bunch of Harmony-loving seditionists on nothing more than what appeared to be her own intrinsic worth.
More specifically, a worth that she herself couldn’t seem to find. What did she bring to the table? Why was she so special? Why did they all feel so compelled to be her friends, when she herself had forsaken them?
The breathing in the adjacent cell grew shallow, and Twilight found herself leaning toward the bars, a tiny surge of hope growing in her chest. Perhaps she’d finally have an answer, a reason for the feelings she kept trying to rationalize away, why she herself felt such a strong connection to her former friends.
But when Rainbow spoke her voice was thin and bitter. “You’re not my friend,” she said. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
Twilight’s own breath caught in her throat. “B-but—” she stammered, trying not to lose the little flame of hope. “Rainbow, I… you have to tell me, please—”
“I don’t owe you anything!” Rainbow shouted, slamming her hooves against the iron bars. “ANYTHING! You got that!?”
Stunned, Twilight fell back onto her haunches and the tiny flicker of hope in her chest snuffed out, leaving a painful, empty hole in its place. She tried unsuccessfully to avoid hyperventilating, and blinked back an unexpected surge of tears.
She hadn’t expected Rainbow’s reaction to be so violent, so angry. She flashed back to Rarity berating her after leaving Fluttershy’s cottage, and the raw emotions that had left her gasping on the floor of the library. It didn’t make sense, any of it. She knew they couldn’t be friends, and yet every failed reconciliation dug into her heart like a rusty knife.
Then suddenly, a thought popped into her head, something she’d known but never really thought about: If this was so hard for her, a sworn agent of Discord, how much worse must it be for those ponies who willingly opened themselves to Harmony and friendship, even knowing the heartache it could cause?
“I’m sorry.” The words came suddenly, almost involuntarily.
“What?”
Twilight tried to swallow the ball of emotion tightening her throat. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, with as much sincerity as she could manage. “I know I’ve caused a lot of pain for you and your friends; I never meant to do that.”
She paused for a moment. Rainbow remained silent in the neighboring cell.
“And there’s probably nothing I can do to make things better,” Twilight continued, “but I want you to know that I’m honestly sorry things ended up like this. You didn’t deserve it, any of you. I wish it could have been different.”
“Me too,” Rainbow whispered. “Me too.”
Apple Bloom stared up at the looming castle walls and gulped. “Sure is a lot bigger and scarier than AJ said it was,” she whispered.
“I’ll say,” Spike replied.
“We should be glad it is day and the Night-Mare away,” Zecora said softly. “I have been here at night, and it is truly a fright.”
They’d been watching the castle for a few minutes, hidden in the treeline a short distance from the main gate. So far, there was no sign of the Day-Mare, and the Night-Mare had not returned either. Of course, that meant she was probably still in Ponyville, doing Discord-knows-what.
“I sure hope everypony back home is okay,” Apple Bloom said. “I kinda hate that we just snuck out without doin’ anything.”
“Against the Night-Mare we’d have not a chance…” Zecora paused and squinted at the castle again, eyes searching. “I think now it is time for our plans to advance.”
Spike took a deep breath and exhaled nervously. “Okay, let’s do it.”
Apple Bloom’s mouth was suddenly too dry to form words, so she only nodded and watched, waiting for Zecora to make a move.
The plan was simple enough: Zecora knew enough of the old castle layout, and had said there was a dungeon in the caves that catacombed the foundations. They were going to sneak down, and hope the Sky-Mares had simply put their prisoners into one of the cells. With luck, they’d be able to get in and out without anypony knowing they were there.
Almost without warning, Zecora slipped out of the bushes. Apple Bloom followed, with Spike bringing up the rear.
It always unnerved Apple Bloom how incredibly quiet Zecora could be when she wanted. Despite having hooves like any other pony, the zebra’s rapid trot was almost silent. By comparison, Apple Bloom’s own hooves seemed to her like a stampede of panicked cows, and Spike’s claws sounded like a garden rake being dragged over gravel.
They passed the gates and courtyard without incident, and slipped into the main hall of the castle. Zecora stopped at a hallway crossing and glanced both directions for a moment, then cocked her head to the left and continued down the passage, still silent in the echoing stone halls.
A few turns later, they reached another hallway, this one ending in a steep staircase that disappeared into darkness.
“Down those stairs the dungeon lies,” Zecora said quietly. “We won’t have light, but we’ll have my eyes.”
The stairs loomed below like a gaping maw, waiting to swallow anything that dared enter. Apple Bloom swallowed again, her throat still dry and raspy, but Zecora didn’t wait. Turning herself slightly, she began almost side-stepping down the steep risers so as not to tumble forward. Apple Bloom and Spike glanced at each other silently, then followed.
They had barely gone a dozen steps down when Apple Bloom noticed something. “Hey, hold up!” She called to Zecora quietly.
A few paces ahead, Zecora paused and glanced back quizzically.
“What is it?” Spike whispered.
Apple Bloom trotted over to the side of the stairs and squinted at something tucked into a dark alcove. She grabbed a leather strap on her teeth and dragged the object into the light.
“It’s Applejack’s lantern harness!” she exclaimed, recognizing the custom leatherwork and hoof-crafted lantern. “That means she came this way!” She paused, scrunching up her face in thought. “Why would she leave it here?”
Zecora shrugged. “The lantern is heavy, and these stairs are tall. Perhaps she left it to avoid a fall.”
“Makes sense, I guess,” Apple Bloom replied. “I wouldn’t wanna carry it down these either.”
“Leave it then, we should not tarry,” Zecora said, motioning with a hoof. “Stay close, and remain wary.”
They continued down the stairs, reaching the bottom a minute later. By now the light filtering down from above had nearly completely disappeared.
“I can barely see my claws in front of my face,” Spike complained.
“Touch my legs, stay close to me,” Zecora whispered. “For in the dark we zebras can see.”
Shivering from more than just the damp coolness of the dungeon, Apple Bloom eagerly obliged. She stepped close enough to feel Zecora’s shoulder brushing her own. Spike’s claws scooted similarly close on the other side.
In near lockstep they followed Zecora blindly through the darkness. Several times she paused as if listening or looking, before turning down what Apple Bloom could only assume were side passages or corridors.
After about the fourth or fifth turn Zecora suddenly stopped cold, muscles tightening in her flanks and shoulders.
“Oof!” A thump and painful grunt came from somewhere in Spike’s direction.
Apple Bloom nearly stumbled over her own hooves trying to stop. “What in—”
“Shh!” Zecora hissed.
All three froze, silent as equinely possible.
Barely a second later, Apple Bloom heard and saw it. The sound of hooves echoed and a soft glow began to illuminate the walls.
Then the light source came into view and Apple Bloom stifled a gasp. A towering white pony stepped out of a side passage just barely ahead of them, bathed in golden light from a spell at the tip of her long horn.
Not just any pony either. The light was dim, but Apple Bloom could distinctly see the huge folded wings: It had to be the Day-Mare.
She’d barely made the connection when the alicorn’s long strides carried her across the corridor. She strode with purpose, quickly disappearing into the opposite passage as the light faded in her wake.
It seemed almost a full minute before any of them dared even breathe. Spike was the first to speak, a thin whisper barely audible above the pounding blood in Apple Bloom’s ears. “What now?”
Apple Bloom took a shuddering breath as quietly as she was able. It was a good thing the Day-Mare seemed focused on where she was going: Had she looked even a fraction of a degree to the side, she would have spotted them instantly.
“I say we follow her,” she whispered, hoping her voice didn’t waver.
She felt Zecora’s shoulder shift in what felt like a nodding motion. “Though to follow is dangerous indeed, to Applejack and the rest she may lead.”
Taking a few steps forward, they turned down the passage the Day-Mare had entered. Within a few moments, Apple Bloom felt the stone beneath her hooves give way to dirt and rocks. Zecora’s movements became slower, and her turns became more like gentle curves rather than sharp angles; it seemed to Apple Bloom as if they’d entered a cave or something and were no longer in the dungeon.
They curved around a bend in the passage, and suddenly Apple Bloom could see again. Ahead of them was a pale silvery light, emanating from another turn in the passage and bathing the whole tunnel in a dim ambient glow.
Zecora’s walking slowed to a silent creep. Apple Bloom followed suit, making her hoofsteps as light as possible. Even Spike’s claws were nearly inaudible, though he still made slightly more noise than either of them.
As they neared the source of the light, Apple Bloom began to hear a voice coming from around the corner. The trio stopped at the edge of the light, listening.
“Modor Heofonlic, thu cild her gebed. Und to ic gief Bodig Haldful, thaet wid freond stedefaest bodig-berere mæg. Mid Súnne stréngd ónd Móna efenwégnes, laetan beon hit.... Mid Súnne stréngd ónd Móna efenwégnes, laetan beon hit....”
Apple Bloom glanced up at Zecora, eyes questioning, but only received a shrug in return. The voice continued, seemingly repeating the last part over and over like a chant.
Very slowly, Zecora leaned forward, peering around the corner. Apple Bloom and Spike did the same, and Apple Bloom nearly gasped.
The turn in the passage opened to a large cavern, bathed in silver light. In the center of the cavern, an enormous glowing tree made of gems and crystal towered nearly to the ceiling. Even as an earth pony, Apple Bloom began to notice faint tingling in her hooves from the powerful magic that had to be emanating from the tree.
At the base of the tree was the Day-Mare, almost looking small by comparison. She was facing away from the entrance, lying on her stomach. Her warm golden magic mingled with the cool light from the tree as she levitated two glowing gems nearby. She was still chanting, head nodding rhythmically to the flow of the words.
Suddenly, part of the tree near the main trunk split and a rough red gemstone appeared to push out of the crystal, glowing with its own internal power. The Day-Mare’s magic caught the gem, seeming to pull it toward her. As more of the gem became visible it began to change shape, shedding excess material as cuts and facets appeared.
In a few moments the gem had become a refined jewel, and the Day-Mare levitated it over to the other two. She stopped chanting, sighed and shook her head slightly as if fighting off sleep. Then the magic around her horn glowed brighter, and she started again.
“Modor Heofonlic, thu cild her gebed. Und to ic gief….”
Apple Bloom felt a gentle tap on her hip, and looked back. Zecora had already silently stepped back from the light, and Spike motioned to follow. She nodded; they still needed to find Applejack and the others.
Backtracking through the cave was quicker than before, and soon Apple Bloom felt the smooth stone floor beneath her hooves again.
“What do you think that was about?” Spike asked, whispering as softly as possible.
Apple Bloom shook her head reflexively even though she knew Spike couldn’t see. “I dunno, and I’m not sure I like it. Any idea what she was doin’, Zecora?”
“I do not know the purpose for the jewels, whether they are meant as weapons or tools,” Zecora replied, “but now is not the time to wonder; we must hurry to find the others.”
They continued on, hugging closely to each other. Although It was still pitch black, Zecora seemed to be moving faster now. Apple Bloom wondered if she had a better idea of the dungeon layout now, or perhaps an intuitive sense of where to search next.
Her mind wandered to Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Were they under some kind of spell? Were they bound tightly with cold chains, left to waste away in a forgotten cell? Had they been tortured, or worse? As much as she tried to banish the terrible thoughts, she couldn’t stop wondering what they’d find in the dungeon.
Of course, Twilight Sparkle was probably with them and had suffered the same fate, but Apple Bloom couldn’t bring herself to feel any sympathy on that front. Emperor’s Personal Student or not, it was Twilight’s fault they were in this mess; if she hadn’t come back to Ponyville, Applejack wouldn’t have come to the old castle and gotten captured by the Sky-Mares.
Come to think of it, Apple Bloom realized she didn’t exactly know what Twilight had done to earn Applejack’s ire. All she knew was that it was bad, and it had put her sister out of sorts for more than a little while. She’d have to ask when they found them.
Suddenly Zecora jerked to a halt. Instantly Apple Bloom’s mind recalled a few minutes earlier when she’d done the same, and her heart began racing as she wondered what new terror might be lurking around the next corner.
In the silence she heard something, a sound other than the blood pounding in her ears: It was a voice, muffled and barely audible somewhere ahead of her.
She strained her ears, trying to discern any words. At first nothing stood out, and she considered nudging Zecora to move closer, then without warning a metallic clang sounded and a shout echoed faintly through the dungeon.
“I don’t owe you anything! ANYTHING! You got that!?”
The echo faded a moment later. The voice was muffled and distorted, but Apple Bloom had no doubt: It was Rainbow Dash, and she was close.
“Ughhh….”
The unexpected noise violently pulled Twilight out of her silent introspection. She jumped slightly and her head spun to glance across the dungeon hallway. Her heart leapt in spite of herself as she saw the orange earth pony stirring. “Applejack?” she called.
Rainbow reacted just as quickly, hooves clinking against the cell bars. “AJ? AJ, can you hear me?”
Applejack groaned again in response. “I take it back…” she mumbled.
Twilight reared back and put her own hooves up on the bars to get a better look at the opposite cell. “Take what back?” she asked, trying to gauge just how lucid Applejack might be.
“...I ain’t glad she’s awake no more,” Applejack moaned. She stretched and winced, eyes squeezed shut. “What in tarnation did she hit me with? A train?”
Twilight opened her mouth to explain, but Rainbow Dash was quicker. “Celestia said it’s called ‘The Scourge of the Disobedient’, or something like that,” she explained.
“The Day-Mare,” Twilight clarified for Applejack’s benefit. “The spell is painful, but shouldn’t have any lasting effects,” she added, a little annoyed that Rainbow had beaten her to the explanation.
Applejack tilted her head back and blinked groggily at Twilight. “That’s a big heap’a comfort,” she said bitterly, sarcasm practically dripping from her words. With another groan, she rolled onto her stomach and shakily pushed herself to a sitting position. “Ooohhh… Norm’ly I’d say this is jus’ my fair comeuppance, but I know for a fact I didn’t buck her that hard.”
“Whoa!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Are you serious?”
Applejack nodded stiffly. “Two in the face. Don’t seem like it’s done her no harm though.”
“It saved my life,” Twilight said gratefully. “That’s something.”
“Think nothin’ of it.” With another painful moan, Applejack put one foreleg against her muzzle and twisted. A series of hollow pops echoed off the cell walls, and she gasped in apparent relief. “Land sakes, that’s better!”
“Eeeugh, I hate it when you do that!” Rainbow groaned. “You’re gonna break your neck one of these days, you know.”
“I don’t care,” Applejack replied, rolling her neck and shoulders. “How long have I been out?”
“A few hours,” Twilight replied. “The Day-Mare— Celestia— actually just left a few minutes ago.”
“Celestia, huh? Is that what we’re callin’ her now?”
Twilight paused a moment, then shrugged and nodded simultaneously. “It’s the best name we have for her.” In truth she still didn’t quite understand if “Celestia” was a name, title, or alias of some kind, but it was the strongest impression she’d gotten.
“How’d y’all come up with that, then?” Applejack asked. She stretched her back and sighed.
“Well...” Twilight began.
“It was this crazy mind-meld thing,” Rainbow cut in. “She touched horns with Twilight and—”
From down the corridor, the sound of a latch interrupted the explanation. Rainbow fell silent as the distant door creaked open, then quietly thumped shut again.
Twilight’s heart began beating faster, she didn’t think Celestia would have been back so soon. Maybe it was the Night-Mare this time, come to finish them off now that her sister was absent? Yet strangely Twilight couldn’t hear the heavy thump of alicorn hooves; instead a quiet shuffle began to fade into hearing range.
“Applejack? You down here?” a voice whispered.
Gasping in shock, Applejack lept to the front of the cell. “Apple Bloom!? Is that you!?”
The soft shuffling sound turned into an echoing gallop. Within seconds a yellow filly with a mane-bow nearly as large as her head dashed into view and practically threw herself at the bars to Applejack’s cell. “AJ, are you okay?! You’ve been gone forever and we didn’t know where to look for you and then we tried to get help from Fluttershy and—”
“Simmer down there sugarcube,” Applejack replied. She reached through the bars to hug Apple Bloom. “I’m fine, I’m fine...”
Barely a moment later, a zebra and a small dragon rushed up to the cells as well. Twilight didn’t know the dragon, but recognized the zebra immediately. “Zecora?” she exclaimed.
“And Spike too!” Rainbow Dash added excitedly. “What are you doing here?”
“We’re here to rescue you!” the little purple and green dragon replied. “When Applejack didn’t come back to the farm, we went to Zecora’s house and she told us what happened with the Sky-Mares.”
“B-but,” Twilight stammered, still trying to comprehend the sudden turn of events, “How did you know?”
“I was out in the woods near where you were taken,” Zecora said, “so back to the town with my news I did hasten.” She stepped up to Twilight’s cell and peered at the lock. “Simple iron bars are all I can see; why not use magic to set yourself free?”
“There’s some kind of magic-inhibiting imprisonment spell,” Twilight explained, motioning to the floor. “It’s tied to these runes, and I can’t figure out how to break them.”
Zecora leaned down to get a better look at the runes. “Hmm… rune magic is old, a nearly lost art… but I may know enough to give us a start.” She grabbed a rock in her teeth and began scratching symbols on the floor outside Twilight’s cell.
“...an’ then the Night-Mare showed up an’ took all the chaos magic right outta Ponyville!” Apple Bloom said, drawing Twilight’s attention away from Zecora’s runes. “I wanted to go into town and do somethin’, but I didn’t know what.”
“I’m glad you didn’t little sis,” Applejack said. “That Night-Mare is all sorts of mean.”
“She was saying a bunch of stuff too,” Spike added, “Like how she’s gonna ‘cleanse chaos’ and ‘restore harmony,’ things like that.”
Rainbow snorted in derision. “I was down for that until I met her. But if what I’ve seen is her idea of ‘harmony’, then you can count me out.”
Apple Bloom turned and looked quizzically at Rainbow Dash. “But… Emperor Discord protects us from Harmony. Why would you want it?”
Zecora stopped scratching runes. Applejack’s whole body tensed. A barely audible curse sounded from Rainbow’s cell, and silence fell over the dungeon.
Suddenly looking very self-conscious, Apple Bloom glanced around at the other adult ponies. “What? Did I do somethin’ wrong?”
“No Apple Bloom, you’re right,” Twilight said. She realized Applejack had probably been trying to keep her own seditious thoughts private to avoid upsetting her little sister; it wasn’t in her nature to brainwash a filly too young to know any better. After all, foals naturally loved the idea of Chaos, the freedom to do as they pleased, the fun of random happenstance. It wasn’t until they grew older that discontentment might set in.
“The Emperor does protect us,” Twilight continued, now that she had Apple Bloom’s attention. “That’s why we need to act fast, and get back to Ponyville so we can warn—”
“Twilight, don’t say another word.”
The tone in Applejack’s voice made Twilight pause. She glanced up to see the earth pony glaring daggers at her.
“Applejack, we talked about this,” Twilight said. “We have to—”
“No.” Applejack’s voice was now sharp and dangerous. “You are gonna stop talking right now, and you will not say another word to my little sister. Ever. Do I make myself clear?”
In spite of herself, Twilight’s mouth suddenly felt dry as a sand dune. Subtle pain crept into her ribs and skull as Applejack stared her down with eyes like freshly honed razors. Eyes that warned exactly the kind of terrible vengeance Applejack would invoke on anypony attempting to influence her little sister.
After a moment Twilight nodded; this was not a battle she could afford to fight right now, especially when they were so close to possible escape.
Apple Bloom glanced between her sister and Twilight, uncertainty filling her eyes. “I don’t understand,” she said, “We wanna stop the Sky-Mares, right?”
The glint in Applejack’s eyes faded, and she looked down to Apple Bloom. “It’s… complicated, sugarcube. We’re kinda all stuck between a rock and a hard place here, but don’t you fret; I’m gonna do everythin’ I can to make sure it all works out right.”
“Okay…” Apple Bloom still looked confused and unsure, but it was obvious she trusted her sister enough to take the words at face value for now.
Applejack turned to Zecora, who had resumed scratching on the floor with her rock. “Almost done there?”
After digging one last line into the floor, Zecora dropped the rock and spat dust from her mouth. Twilight noted that Zecora’s runes were arranged on a grid, rather than the circular pattern the Sky-Mares used. “These runes should work, as best I can tell, but I need unicorn magic to complete the spell.” She looked to Twilight. “When I touch the circle it will weaken your rune: You will have only moments your spell to attune.”
“So I’ll need to find a weakness in the runes, and use that to cast my magic, right?” Twilight clarified. She’d been passively examining the rune magic for some time, and knew it was built like a lock, so if Zecora was going to break part of the lock then all she had to do was find the right “key” for the last little bit, which should be much easier with fewer combinations.
Zecora nodded in assent, then closed her eyes and began mumbling. “Miungu ya mabonde, kusikia maombi yangu... Kufanya haya Adinkra nguvu ili tuweze kukimbia mahali pengine...” At the last word, she stomped one forehoof on the corner of the rune square.
Magic illuminated Zecora’s crude lines and a glowing beam shot across the floor, bisecting the runes in Twilight’s cell. Immediately, she felt a shift in the magical fields and the spell imprisoning her faltered slightly. She began probing the intricacies of the overlapping layers, thanking her lucky stars the she’d spent so much time getting familiar with it already.
Within a second, she’d found it: A hidden repeating sequence that had to be the master key. She memorized the pattern, prepared an inverse counter-spell, and cast her magic.
An audible pop rippled through the air and instantly Twilight felt the ambient magic rush through her, tingling like blood returning to an asleep limb. The runes on the floor flashed a golden red, and quickly faded to nothingness.
“Whoa, that was cool!” Rainbow exclaimed.
“I’ll say,” Applejack added. “Watch out, y’all!” She turned tail to the iron bars as Apple Bloom and Spike scurried to the side, and bucked the latch. Chunks of stone exploded into the hall and the cell door swung creakily open.
“Huh, I wasn’t expecting that.” Twilight magicked open her own cell, and Rainbow’s in turn. “I thought it would only unlock my own rune; she must have used the same combination for all three.”
“I am glad that it worked, but we should not tarry,” Zecora said, motioning them toward the door at the end of the cellblock. “We must move quick, step light and be wary!”
Nopony needed to be told twice. Twilight ignited a dim light spell at the tip of her horn and followed closely behind Zecora, staying a few steps to the side. Behind her, Spike and Apple Bloom instinctively positioned themselves between Rainbow and Applejack.
Twilight didn’t try to make sense of the labyrinthine corridors as she matched Zecora’s seemingly random turns. She was sure Celestia had heard the breakout, and it was only a matter of time before the princess would come after them. All they could hope for was staying one step ahead long enough to make it into the forest, where they could hide and sneak more easily.
To her shock and relief, they made it to the base of the stairs without incident. Zecora ascended first, checking every corner carefully to make sure Celestia wasn’t waiting for them above. A few minutes later they emerged into the soft light filtering through the castle windows, and Twilight snuffed out her spell.
“Rainbow Dash, fly on ahead,” Zecora whispered, “Check the halls so we know where to tread.”
Rainbow saluted and lifted off, her wings almost silent. She flitted to the end of the hall, peeking around the corner from ceiling level where most ponies wouldn’t be looking. After a moment she waved them forward.
The process continued throughout the castle, and with each corridor Twilight felt her heart beat quicker. It was too easy, too perfect. There was no sign of Celestia or the Night-Mare, not even a hoofstep from behind or ahead. Had they really escaped from right under her nose? It didn’t seem possible.
Despite her fears, none of the turns or twists ended up with them facing an angry alicorn. Within minutes they’d reached the outer gates and and dashed into the dense camouflaging undergrowth.
“I wasn’t sure that was going to work!” Twilight exclaimed quietly, breathing deeply to try and control her racing heart.
“We still gotta get back to Ponyville,” Apple Bloom pointed out nervously, “She might catch us on the way if we take the main path.”
“From here I know trails no-pony trots on,” Zecora said, pointing deeper into the shadowy dark of the forest. “We may reach home before she knows we are gone.”
“Sounds good to me,” Spike said, glancing nervously behind.
Zecora peered into the bushes ahead for a moment, then silently stole forward. Spike and Apple Bloom quickly followed, understandably eager to leave the castle behind.
Twilight began to move after them, but stumbled to a halt as Applejack stepped sharply in front of her. “Applejack? What are y—” Her question was cut short by a steel-shod hoof against her muzzle. She froze in surprise.
Applejack leaned in, eyes glinting. “Let’s get one thing straight, missy,” she whispered: “We might be goin’ back to Ponyville, but if’n you so much as think about pullin’ a fast one, you’ll have me to answer to. Got it?”
In shock, Twilight glanced around to see if anypony else had heard. Zecora, Apple Bloom, and Spike were seemingly already out of earshot. Rainbow Dash looked away pointedly, as if she were completely oblivious.
Suddenly feeling very alone and very frightened, Twilight could only nod in assent.
Applejack stared into Twilight’s eyes for a few more moments. “All right,” she said, lowering her hoof. “Let’s catch up.”
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Now that's some deep insight into someone's character right there.
Turnips, the most boring of foods. Fitting.
Applejack really doesn't learn, does she? She almost outright murdered Twilight once already, out of no real reason but pure indignant rage at getting rejected. What more could she possibly do? It seems Applejack's idea of harmony and friendship has a rather ugly, selfish underbelly. It's no real surprise to me that some people are more than happy to reject it. Twilight may have deceived them, but at least she didn't try to actively do vicious harm to someone. The flip side of Applejack's loyalty coin seems to be "you're either with me or against me, no matter how you happen to feel about that choice" - and if you're against her? You're fair game for any kind of treatment, no matter how brutal. That's not a pretty sentiment by anyone's measure.
One of these days, I kinda want to learn Suaheli. I really like the rhythm it has.
7023352 You kind of summarised my opinion of AJ in a bit more elaborate way, than my simple: She's getting overboard.
Though actually at the moment the two alicorns are not exactly better, so they might ally with her in the future?
7023537
Considering how she thinks and talks about them in previous chapters, I think we can pretty definitely say that Applejack has already aligned herself with them anyway, at least in thought if not in action. She's pretty clearly more sympathetic to their side of the harmony/chaos dichotomy, no matter how bad they are at actually living up to their principles.
7023352 I agree with you over Applejack, she kinda went a bit too far despite the fact the Twilight has made some really bad decisions so far.
I wonder how broad Applejack's interpretation of "pullin’ a fast one" is.
7023558 They are living up to their disciple, only too much (like threatening anyone who disagrees with harony). You made a previous comment saying "harmony isn't necessarily good". I'd like to expand on that with harmony is NOT good, only if mixed with chaos. Too much harmony can curb freedom, stagnate progress and prevent life to get any better (or worse). Too much chaos on the other hand will devalue everything but luck, making any tries to better your living condition sort of meaningless.
7023766
Personally, I think that it contradicts the whole "kindness" and "generosity" aspects of it. In my opinion, it's neither particularly kind nor generous to not grant people the freedom to disagree with you, nevermind even to hurt them for it. I can certainly agree with the rest of that, though. The ironic thing about pure chaos and pure harmony is that they ultimately boil down to the same thing: nobody actually has any real freedom or control over their life. Chaos, because everything is ruled by randomness and impermanence. Harmony, because the "right" course of action in any given situation is decided for you and no dissent is allowed or tolerable. "Dissonance" is literally an antonym of "harmony," after all.
A life that's worth living needs, to a degree, both influences on it. The only thing that can be debated is how much of each.
7023780 Well, we just have to see how these ideals turn out in the future. At the moment I feel both sides are on the extreme ends on the slide and none is better than the other. And a battle would only do more harm than good if that stays the case.
7023352
I cannot agree. Whatever else AJ may have done, Twilight was trying to influence her family into siding with someone she's coming to understand as the monster he really is. Which would put AJ's family at odds with her, when family is clearly important to her. I don't know about you lot but I'd stomp someone's fucking throat for that kind of manipulative bullshit.
Besides, there are reasons not to side with Discord - after all, if everyone is equal in anarchy, why do they have EMPEROR Discord? If everyone were equal he wouldn't have any say in anything, because they don't. The basis of his rule, the fact he rules at all, is completely at odds with the reason for his rule, already casting aspersions on his teachings that the Sky-Mares are evil. Stern and old-fashioned? Certainly. But from what I've seen, certainly not evil. The girls are starting to realize it even if they can't reconcile with it yet.
And besides. Whether she realizes it or not, AJ still represents Honesty. Twilight deceived them. Used them. Rainbow and AJ wanting her broken and beaten for betraying and deceiving sounds like a reasonable sapient response even without the magical alignment. People are too idealistic when it comes to judging characters, as if they're not right unless they're using perfect and unrealistic morality in all their actions. That's like saying someone who gets bullied too much and finally snaps and kicks some serious ass is a bad person for not walking away and getting someone with authority - completely unrealistic expectations, as though the person making this claim has never had any experience in the matter and thus their opinion matters less.
7024744
Of course you'd disagree. From what I've read by you, you always struck me as the type to care a lot less about people's actual lives than about whether they agree with you on whatever your issue of the moment is. I find it and you kind of sickening, personally.
You're wrong. Applejack brutalized and nearly killed Twilight over nothing but her upset feelings and her pride. An actual life, extinguished, over nothing but indignation and a sense of upset entitlement. Twilight Sparkle has done nothing to actually hurt her. At worst, she injured her feelings, by refusing to reciprocate a friendship that she had no right to demand of her to begin with and an honesty she had no right to compel, if Twilight didn't want to give it to her. This is not something that can be demanded, only freely given, and if it's refused, then you never had a right to it in the first place. No one owes you accountability for how they feel about you or why. Hurting and killing people for disagreeing with you, not believing in what you want them to and not giving you the kind of relationship you think you deserve from them? That's tyranny and murder. Applejack is being a barbaric thug and a bully. Nothing more.
If you think that hurting and murdering people for the sake of an ideology is acceptable, then you understand neither the point of having an ideology in the first place nor the value of life. It's the same mistake the Sky-Mares are making and that fanatics and self-absorbed egotists of all stripes always end up eating each other alive over.
It's a platitude, but it's no less true for that: if you actually care for it, you let it go. If it doesn't come back, it was never yours to begin with. And if you don't care enough to let it go? Then you're just another tinpot dictator, abusive boyfriend or other kind of petty autocrat. Death row is full of people who thought their feelings mattered more than someone else's life - and they belong there.
Interesting. Luna seems to be in the very early stages of going Nightmare Moon, Celestia is starting to grasp just how out of date they are and at least has a least a vague idea that discord has mellowed out, Twilight's sloooowly starting to learn that maybe discord is not the greatest thing, Applejack has some issues of her own, and
LunaCelestia's made off with half of the elements.Dis gun be good!
Well it seems like Celestia isn't as far gone as Luna is, this is just ancient Celestia who is used to punishing ponies for disagreeing with her "sedition." It looks like she is planning to use the EoH with Luna against Discord, but I really doubt Luna could actually wield those things.
7024798 Powerful words, but I hadn't really realized just how brutal AJs actions were before you caused me to go back and review it. At the time, I figured she was mostly acting just to silence Twilight and prevent her from warning Discord, as someone loyal to the Sky-Mares. But now she's still planning to hold Twilight prisoner (somehow?) at the farmhouse, I guess.
I think Applejack figures that who rules Equestria doesn't directly matter (which may indicate Discord, for all his fancy titles, has been pretty-hands off, if Applejack doesn't see any danger of a new dictator). She's a farmer, who sits in Canterlot and passes laws won't have a great deal of effect. What will matter is if the Sky Mares turn off the chaos, that would make her life much easier. Now that both Sky Mares have been less than kind to her, she's not going to help them fight, she wants to lay low and let the Sky Mares beat Discord on their own.
7026205
Much appreciated. I did wonder about that.
7030043
Yeah, it's worth making note of. Applejack completely beat Twilight to a pulp with all of her strength. If not for the magical healing applied by Celestia, Twilight would have died. Celestia is clearly not entirely malign, but at the same time, she put a torture spell on Applejack basically for committing lèse majesté. Personally, I can't see Rainbow actively aiding them, even though she's clearly very angry at and hurt by Twilight on a personal level, but with Applejack, I'm not so sure. She spoke out in support of the Sky-Mares before they met them and even after. She seems substantially more partisan about the issue than anyone else besides Twilight and I wouldn't be surprised if she decides to actively work with them in spite of what they did to her.
7024798 Well, I re-read, on your recommendation, the part where Applejack almost kills Twilight [edit: as well as skimming everything afterwards and reading relevant parts] and it seems to me that you've grossly misrepresented her actions.
To me this in no way resembles the passage in question. It seems to me that Twilight and Applejack had a heated but civil conversation about Chaos vs. Harmony, which ended as amicably as could be expected under the circumstances. Then they found the cave entrance, and Twilight revealed her intention to warn Discord about the Sky-Mares. Applejack declared that she would not allow Twilight to do this on account of wanting them to beat Discord. Twilight used false arguments to try to convince Applejack to let her pass, and, failing in this, threw dirt in her face and made a break for it, and Applejack stopped her by force. Excessive force? That question is irrelevant to the fact that you completely misrepresented her motivations—or mistook them, I suppose. I would be interested to hear how that scene could be interpreted as Applejack attacking Twilight out of entitlement, pride, and hurt feelings on account of their broken friendship. Did the author rewrite anything after you made your comment? Did Applejack almost kill Twilight more than once and I'm looking at the wrong one?
[edit: Also, I note that you appear to be attributing the punishment Applejack received to Celestia when in fact it was NMM/Luna who administered it. Are you sure you shouldn't do some rereading yourself?]
7102612
7030085
7030043
I really love hearing all these theories, but for sake of clarity I'll note that I mainly intended Applejack's violence to be a result of her short, volatile temper. She didn't intend to beat Twilight within an inch of her life, but she lost control and perspective in that moment. Imagine being a boxer with a powerful punch: If you get mugged and instinctively react with "fight", a single blow from an unpadded fist might shatter the mugger's jaw or crack his skull because you used all your strength and adrenaline instead of applying the appropriate force to merely stun him. Does that make sense?
I'm not saying A.J. isn't culpable, but she most definitely isn't a bloodthirsty vindictive brute either.
That's Fluttershy. 
7102612
7104782
I'm not saying she ever intended to do it because of this, I'm just saying that, based on how angry she is, how much she feels Twilight owes her and how far she's willing to go because of it, this why she actually did it. She may not even know it, but you don't flip out and nearly beat someone to death if you don't fundamentally have a deep-seated capacity for violence when you think the target just deserves your anger enough. That short, volatile temper is something a lot of people share. Not a lot of people nearly kill someone over it. It's been a while since that chapter, but I do still remember how graphic the descriptions of the fight and of Twilight's injuries were. That's who this Applejack really is, no matter what she may have consciously thought at that moment.
I may have misattributed who actually did it, but at the same time, Celestia does nothing to stop it, reverse it, or even see anything fundamentally wrong with it. It is "unusually harsh," not "wrong." That says nearly as much.
7104782 Thanks for the perspective. That logic about the boxer makes sense, I always figured adult earth ponies are roughly as strong as say, Captain America, and a lot of their "magic training" is just learning to keep themselves under control. There's a recent fic I've been reading where a Aria Blaze returns to Equestria as an earth pony, and keeps yanking the doors off everything because she hasn't learned how to control her own strength yet. Applejack who has completely lost her temper could do a lot of damage to a non-earth pony.
And clearly even Emperor Discord wants to stay out of Fluttershy's Shed.
7104842 There is still no evidence that her actions were the result of personal dislike of Twilight rather than, say, the fact that she's now essentially a revolutionary to the ruler Twilight was trying to warn of a threat to his rule, and Applejack was literally at that moment trying to stop Twilight from doing so.
7104842
I find it interesting how you remember it to be graphic. I actually spent a lot of time figuring out how to write that sequence to not be explicitly graphic; you'll notice that the word "blood" isn't even used. I tried to imply more than I actually told.
This makes me feel like I succeeded.
7105852
Not graphical in the sense of gory but in that it felt very brutal and visceral, so yeah, you did a very good job of leaving a lasting impression with me there. It's not very explicit, but the implied harm she inflicts there is pretty awful.
7105600
Your point being? What kind of evidence would it take, her literally saying "I hate you so much, I'mma bash your face in?" If she was a real person, that's what I would read out of her behaviour, her actions and how she talks about Twilight to the people around her. Obviously it's interpretation, but yeah, that's what the character actually sums up to under the surface, in my view.
7106619 You are of course entitled to your own opinion. I feel that my interpretation (revolutionary using force to stop an agent of the empire from helping the Emperor) fits better with their civil conversation beforehand as well as the fact that Applejack was able to calmly discuss even her defiance of Discord with an agent of that empire up until the moment of conflict, which, by the way, Twilight initiated.
In fact, let me bring this full circle by quoting the post I initially responded to:
Over nothing else? So if Twilight hadn't tried to get past Applejack to warn Discord, Applejack would still have attacked her?
7107585
Except she isn't a revolutionary and there is no revolution going on. There is no previous group of individuals aside from the Sky-Mares themselves that has openly or secretly considered marshalling any organized, violent resistance against Discord. If she actually was a revolutionary of any kind at that point or didn't have a pre-existing grudge against Twilight, it would still make me question why she is incapable of controlling herself to the point that, again, she nearly kills her. That just moves it from blind rage to cold-blooded and premeditated murder attempt, which makes even less sense in terms of the character's behaviour so far. Applejack's relationship to Twilight is fundmentally still that of a jilted friend, which is how she sees her, not that of a terrorist to a faceless government functionary.
7107691 Applejack's actions are explicitly in support of the Sky-Mares taking out Discord. That is what I mean by her being a revolutionary. Feel free to suggest a term you feel is more appropriate, but I think for the purposes of this discussion it fits. And you did not answer my question, which is relevant to this topic.
P.S. There was nothing premeditated or cold-blooded about it. The story is very clear on this. The closest you get to premeditation in my interpretation is that Applejack had already decided that she was going to stop Twilight from leaving, but the brutality of said stopping was in no way premeditated. The phrase "in the heat of the moment" applies.
7107923
If you don't like the answer you get, it's your own problem, not mine. Stop shouting. I don't owe you any kind of answer about anything. If this is so important to you, you can get back to me once and if you remember how this whole "politeness" thing works.
7109339 I thought capslock, not bold, was supposed to be shouting. The goal was emphasis. Pretend it was italicized, I suppose. Should I have been offended when you bolded "consciously" earlier? Admittedly, it wasn't really necessary to use bold to draw special attention to words that already had special attention by virtue of being the first ones in the post; I rewrote it before posting and didn't reevaluate the reason for bolding.
As for not owing me an answer, that is of course true in general, but if you are going to choose to have a debate with someone then repeatedly avoiding one of the points of discussion, even when a reply is specifically requested, is pretty damning in my opinion.
Do I have to revise anything besides avoiding bold typeface to meet your standards?
P.S. What answer did you imply I got that I didn't like, and what was the question?
[edit: P.P.S. You were right about it not really being a revolution, as that term implies a popular movement. I would now say that, strictly speaking, Applejack is a pro-counter-usurpation fifth-columnist, which is a pretty awkward mouthful.]
I don't know if you've noticed it yet, but this story was featured in Wanderer D's latest set of Round Robin reviews. Congratulations!
7128198
Wow, that's awesome! Thanks for letting me know!
7024798
Oh, I think she was being more than a barbaric thug, and a bully. But she was definitely being a barbaric thug, and a bully.
7132361 How's the next chapter going?
7330744
Coincidentally, I just finished it a couple days ago and was just waiting on some feedback from my editor / proofreader (read: my wife). I think it's in more or less finished form though, so I'll be posting it... now :D