Avatar: The Last Alicorn. Book 4: Alicorn

by Jeweled Pen

Chapter 14: You opened up my eyes

After many days of traveling through the Earth Kingdom the ponies came to their first destination. Sweet Apple Acres. They'd been doing their best to avoid any towns, to avoid any mishaps. They'd been keeping off the roads as well, when they could.

However, Applebloom had begged and pleaded to stop there. She wanted to see her family. When the town came into view, however, the group was greeted with the strangest sight. Twilight's mouth fell open. “That's... those are...”

“The buck are those two doin' here? Ah swear if they tried tah take the farm ah'll bury 'em!” Applebloom roared before she galloped off.

“Wait, no!” Twilight shrieked, chasing after the mare.

The town was standing strong, seemingly unaffected by the world of chaos. However, the farm had gotten bigger, flowing over with trees and right up against the town now. The strangest sight were two specific earth ponies working the trees, bucking apples and gathering up baskets. Yellow earth ponies, one with a big mustache. The Flim and Flam brothers. There were other earth ponies with them as well.

“You two swindlers!” Applebloom yelled, her anger bubbling over. “Yah better hope ah don't get mah hooves on yah!”

The two looked over and then gasped. To the young mare's surprise, they didn't try to earth bend at her. Instead, they quickly lowered their heads.

“Oh, Lady Applebloom, we've been cads, monsters!” Flim said.

“Horrible ponies, the worst of the worst!” Flam said with a shake of his head.

“We've had time to reflect on our horrible deeds, all that we've done. Betraying our own ponies, scamming, lies, trickery. All these and more.”

“Monsters, we've truly been monsters. To think we thought of ourselves as ponies!”

The other ponies were coming forward as well, bowing their heads.

“We've seen the error of our ways, however,” Flim said as he slowly raised his head. “Once the war ended, we saw the destruction we had wrought. The pain, the suffering. There was only one thing we could do. We came to the Apples and pleaded for a second chance. All of us.” He motioned back towards the other ponies. “We all had betrayed our country, been the worst of the worst. But please, we beg of you, please give us another chance.”

“Just what are you two up to?” Twilight asked, her gaze shifting from the two, then the other ponies. “What kind of scam is this?”

Applebloom looked them over and gasped. “Ah... ah think these are all the ponies who tried tah capture meh before. For the Water Nation. They were all pretendin' tah be members of the Earth Kingdom an' attackin' towns an' stuff, under Flim an' Flam's command.”

“It's true,” Flim said sadly. “We were deplorable monsters. We cared only for ourselves and didn't mind who we hurt. But that is no longer us! We've changed, developed. Become true, hard working--”

“HEY! I'm not paying you lot to laze about! Five bits deducted from today's pay, the lot of you!” an angry voice roared. Twilight's head whipped around and her jaw nearly hit the floor.

A massive red stallion with a short, orange mane was standing across the field, walking towards them angrily. He was wearing a top hat and a black suit. “Is that... is that Big Mac?” Twilight finally managed to ask.

“Sorry sir!” Flim said and the ponies quickly ran back to work. The large red stallion made his way over, looking at them with disdain. Then his eyes fell on Applebloom and he gasped.

“Applebloom? What are you doing here?” He then chuckled. “Ah, I see. That... Trixie lady has finally released you? About time.”

“Nope! Ah escaped!” the mare said proudly.

Big Mac paused and slowly looked her over. His gaze then turned to the other mare's and he gasped. “Wait one moment. Avatar Twilight? Is that... you? I had heard you were defeated!”

“Defeated, but not dead,” the alicorn said with a smile. “I see you've... been going through a few changes as well.” She glanced back to the brothers. “Also, you've taken on some new help. That's... a bit unexpected.”

“Oh, yes, those.” He gave the workers a disdainful look. “They're lazy and awful workers, but they're cheap. They're barely worth it.” He took an aggressive step towards them. “Hey! Careful with those buckets, they're worth more than you are!”

“Sorry sir!” the pony called out.

Twilight stared for a moment, looking back to them. “Are you doing...” She face hoofed. “Buck.. it. Discord. Hate him so much.”

“Huh?” Applebloom asked.

“Big Mac has obviously had his personality shifted into some kind of megalomaniac, only caring about bits and such. The Flim Flam brothers have become hard working employees who get abused by him. I mean, in a way this is almost too perfect, after the way they hurt him. But still.”

“I am standing RIGHT here,” Big Mac said, his eyes narrowing on her.

“Yes, you are, and frankly I'm not in the mood to deal with it.” Twilight took a step forward and glared into his eyes. “I'll bet right now you're trying to find a way to profit off the fact you know where I am, aren't you? Turning me over to Trixie?”

His eyes widened. “H-how did you know? I-I mean, I wouldn't, I didn't--”

The alicorn just glared into his eyes. “I have one bit of advice for you. I know you're raising your back hoof right now. If you try earth bending at me, I will smash you so far into the ground, your granny will feel it. And I'll bet she's back at the barn, isn't she?”

He gulped and nodded sheepishly before slowly lowering his back hoof to the ground. “S-she's doing her gymnastics.”

“Good, I-- wait, what?” That took her aback as she just stared at him. Finally she glanced back to the others. “Does, errr, does anypony really wanna see that?”

“I uhhh, kinda do,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“Me too,” Spike said.

“That sounds pretty awesome,” Rainbow said. “Even if I can only hear it.”

Twilight nodded. “Okay, take us to see Granny Smith.”

The stallion nodded and motioned back down the field. He watched them pass, nervously shuffling his hooves. However, once they all had their backs to him he raised a hoof and motioned one of the workers over.

“I WILL BREAK YOU!” Twilight yelled back. “I AM IN NO MOOD!”

He yelped and shook his head before galloping after them. “C-coming!”

------

Granny Smith took a low, deep breath as she stood on the highest rafters in the barn. Poles had been set up throughout the building, the lowest of which was at least twenty feet up. She fell forward, her front hooves gripping the first and twirling around it. She spun in a tight blur before letting go, gripping the next pole with her back legs and twirling along. Again and again she leaped from pole to pole, before making it across the barn and then diving down, towards a large pool of water. The splash sent water hurtling through the air, drenching the ponies spectating. They didn't care though, instead just cheering and stomping their hooves.

“Yah know, maybe not everythin' he does is so bad,” Applebloom said with a chuckle. “Ah think Granny Smith is gonna look back on all this awfully fondly.”

Twilight nodded. “Most likely. I think--” She took a step back right before a spike of earth nearly hit her in the head. She turned and thrust a wing out, sending a burst of air into Big Mac's chest and throwing him back against the wall of the building. He let out a weak, pained grunt before falling. “I think she won't look too fondly on what has become of Big Mac, though.” She stared at the red stallion with pity. “I did warn you.”

“A-Applebloom,” the stallion said as he slowly got to his hooves. “H-help me. Together we can take down the Avatar! Just imagine the bits we'd get! Why, we could make enough that we could toss this stupid farm and live like kings!”

Flowerbloom stared at the stallion and slowly shook her head. “How did yah know, Twilight? Ah mean... before.”

“He was changed, that much was obvious. All I had to figure out was how much. Turning him into something like this, well, this is just the kind of thing Discord would do. Making a kind, noble pony like him a greedy, selfish baron.” She then looked to Granny Smith who was already climbing back up to the top of the barn to do another set. It was as if she didn't even realize they were there. She just kept doing the same exercises over and over. “I'm not sure she'll be happy when all this is over, either. I'm beginning to think even the good things he does has a cost.”

“Applebloom, help me! I am your big brother! I-- gah!” He let out a yelp as the ground tossed him into the air. Twilight flapped a wing and caught him in the wind, tossing him into the rafters.

“Stay,” she ordered before looking down to Flowerbloom. “I'm sorry.”

The mare sighed and shook her head. “No. It's... it's fine. Ah'm sure when all this is over an' ah return, he'll be normal. He'll be like he was before. This just gives meh extra motivation.” She looked up at the stallion who was holding onto the rafters for dear life. “Can... can we go now, though? Please?” she asked softly.

Sweetie looked up. “What? Don't you want to--”

“No. Ah want tah get out of here before ah find out he's done horrible, awful things. That... that ain't mah brother.” She turned and walked out from the barn.

The others sighed and followed after. “He'll probably try to chase us, you know,” Scootaloo said softly. “Maybe I should knock him out or something?”

“I'm not worried,” Twilight said with a shrug. “He's... not a fighter anymore. He's slow, hesitates, all around just... nothing like the bender he was. He--” She paused as the path out was suddenly filled by the other workers of the farm. She got low and spread out her wings, ready for an attack.

“Wait, please,” Flim said, holding up a hoof. “We don't mean any harm. We just want to give you a warning.”

Twilight groaned, but nodded. “Fine, go ahead.”

“There's a lot of talk about you being free. It's spreading like wildfire. There are a lot of ponies who will... try to hurt you. When you get to Fillydelpha, you have to be careful. The ponies there are different. They might--”

“I know,” Twilight said bitterly. “Trust me, I know. We've seen what happens. We've seen what Discord can do.” She felt her nerves start to go on edge. Wasn't it bad enough that Discord was an almost all powerful evil being of cruelty and sick, twisted thoughts? He had to twist and turn all of her friends against her, too? It was almost too much to bear!

“It's not only that. It's...” The stallion let out a soft sigh. “The ponies everywhere are different. For example, Big Mac's poison apples were something he'd never--”

“Wait, what?” Flowerbloom asked, her eyes going wide. “Poisoned apples?”

The brothers shared a look before Flam finally spoke up. “Well... you see there is a lot of competition in the apple market. It was his idea to start developing a type of poison that can kill off trees, without the antidote. He's been working for a few months on prototypes and almost--”

“Where is it?” Flowerbloom asked, her hooves digging into the ground.

The brothers gulped. “W-we shouldn't--”

“SHOW ME!” she screamed.

The brothers hung their heads, but turned and led her away. The group was led to a small, metal shack far from all the other trees. The only trees around it were dead and lifeless, their barks black and the fruits shriveled up.

Flowerbloom slowly walked forward, bucking the door in. Inside the room were vials, apples and dead plants. A stench of rotting fruit filled the air. “Tell me exactly what his plan was,” she said softly.

“He wanted to eliminate the competition. Once he made his own trees immune to it, then he could spread it across the land in shipments,” Flam said softly. “He's been making us help him. We... didn't want to, of course. But...”

“How much success has he had?” the mare asked softly as she stared at a vial of dark, purple liquid.

“I'm not sure.”

She stared at it angrily. It had only been a few months, but he was destroying his own trees in order to gain power and bits. This wasn't him. This wasn't their way. She looked to Twilight. “Avatar?”

“Yes?” she asked softly.

“Let's not try tah meet ponies we know anymore. They... they ain't right. Ah don't care if that looks or even sounds like him. That ain't mah big bro.” She stepped out from the building and looked back. She felt... numb. She wanted to be mad, but at who? Her brother? It wasn't his fault, he'd been changed. The Flim Flam brothers? All they did was tell her. She couldn't even really be mad at Discord. He was the cause, but she doubt he intended this. He just changed her brother.

No, wait, that was a good one. “Ah hate Discord,” she muttered darkly. He changed ponies and didn't care about the end result, the pain or sadness he caused. “Ah swear, when all this is over ah'm gonna...” She paused and shrugged. “Ah don't know what ah'm gonna do. But ah'm gonna do it angrily!” She looked over the building before turning back to the trees. “Everypony, get back.”

“What are you going to do?” Sweetie asked nervously.

“Ah'm gonna put all this where it belongs. In the trash. Get outta the way.” She glanced to Twilight. “Yah can help if yah like.”

The alicorn gave a nod. Everypony moved out of the small desolate area, before the two earth benders turned around. They shared a look before stepping forward and stomping their hooves. A circle of dirt began to form all the way around the dead trees and the small shed. It started at their hooves and slowly spread out. Once it connected at the opposite end of the desolace, the two took a deep breath and pushed their hooves forward. In the center of the circle it began to dip, the outer layer of the circle slowly beginning to swirl. The sound of snapping wood and crushed metal soon filled the air as the dark corner of Sweet Apple Acres was slowly crushed and compressed, buried into a deep, dark hole. The ground churned for a while until nothing remained except for dirt and a few rocks. They let it stop as the two benders sat down, panting and sweating.

“T-there, f-feel better?” Twilight asked softly.

“No, ah don't,” Flowerbloom said with a shake of her head. “But... it'll do for now. Come on, let's go.” Weakly she got to her hooves. Her friends helped her into the cart a few moments before helping the alicorn.

Twilight turned back to the Flim and Flam brothers. “Do you really feel bad for what you've done? Do you really regret the decisions you've made?”

The two nodded in unison. “Of course we do, we used to be--”

“Then when the time comes, leave here,” she said softly.

“W-what? But we're trying to--”

“When Discord is purged from you, you'll both turn into those cold, heartless, sick ponies you were before. My advice would be to turn yourselves in before it leaves you. Because once you're back to yourselves, it'll be my duty to take you down,” Twilight said bitterly. The two just stared at her with shocked, hurt expressions. She ignored them as she turned back towards the road. Enemies were becoming friends and friends were becoming enemies. She wished the former could last, and the latter had never occurred.

Comments

[eric-emanwu]

Yeesh. Well that's nasty. It seems Flowerbloom got a big slap in the face coming home to a farm where the bullies are repentant, the brother's a greedy tycoon, and granny's a skilled gymnast. It's also interesting to see what happens after discord's beaten. After all, Sweetie was still conscious of all she thought and did while under discord's thumb. She just found it so silly after the fact. However, what if the time the flims spent working hard improved their character after discord's time is up? That even from all that evil, discord indirectly inspired some good? Wouldn't that be a surprise?

Well, onward to Fillydelphia.

[Blaster M]

Applebloom Flowerbloom Applebloom Flowerbloom

...Discord's the editor?