54 - Welcome Party
Scootaloo and Rainbow came down from the sky when they spotted the other Crusaders walking along below them. Scootaloo spotted Sweetie Belle's cutie mark and gasped loudly. "What happened? I was only gone for like a minute!"
Sweetie smiled brightly at Scoots. "It was amazing! I was singing for my sister, and I could feel what she was feeling, and what I wanted her to feel, and everything just felt... right. I was in my element, even if it made me cry like a foal." She raised a fetlock, rubbing at her still stained snout. "I sound like a bit of a doofus right now."
Scootaloo shook her head defiantly. "No way! That sounds awesome! So, uh, that means you graduate from the Crusaders, right?"
Sweetie and Apple Bloom both shook their head before Bloom Spoke, "She's stayin' with us until we get our cutie marks too."
Scootaloo tilted her head. "Oh, OK!"
They had lost track of Rainbow, who flew off while they were talking so quickly, but she returned just as swiftly, holding a familiar object. Scootaloo took up her scooter with a grin. "It feels like forever!" She hopped onto it and tried to buzz her wings, but her Everglow wings were made for flapping, not buzzing, and it wasn't working the way it used to. "Huh..."
Apple Bloom tilted her head one way and then the other. "Don't reckon that's gonna work while ya got them fancy wings."
Rainbow crossed her forelegs. "I didn't think of that, but yeah. You can't flap those wings like a hummingbird or a butterfly."
Scootaloo frowned a bit and lowered a hoof to the ground to give a shove, propelling herself the earth pony way along on her scooter. "It's not quite the same... I... It's like my scooter's trying to convince me too." She thunked her head against the handlebar with a fresh wave of annoyance and grief.
Sunflower rubbed behind his head a little. "What is that?"
Sweetie provided a quick answer. "That's a scooter. Scootaloo used to ride it all the time, and even take us places with it. She's really good at it."
"Was!" exclaimed Scootaloo as she threw it to the ground with a deep frown and the threat of new tears overtaking her. "This isn't fair at all." She pointed at Sweetie Belle. "You can sing real good, good enough to get a cutie mark in it." Her hoof moved to Apple Bloom. "And you're awesome at potions and stuff and I bet you'll get yours in a second or two, but what about me?! I... I really like flying, but that can't be my natural talent, can it? What about all the things I worked so hard to be good at before now? I'm so confused!" She sank to her belly in a ball of misery, and her friends gathered around her. "It's not fair... All of your talents don't care what kind of pony you are, but I can't keep flying if I go back to 'old' Scootaloo."
Apple Bloom tapped her chin, thinking about their adventures. "Ah apologize if this sounds weird or nothin', but the part ah remember best about ya during our adventure was not that ya could fly, but that ya were always ready to go. Nothin' scared ya, nothin' could stop you from coming to help us." She smiled at Scootalooo. "I was so jealous of how well ya were handling everythin'. Even when yer wings stopped workin' in that scary place, ya threw yerself right into a hole with us and kept right on goin'."
Sweetie bobbed her head fiercely. "You have a huge heart! I was ready to just give up and cry but you were always so brave. I was jealous too, a little. I kept wondering how you could want to adventure more, how could any filly be so full of bravery... You were amazing Scootaloo, and that has nothing to do with what you look like at all."
Sunflower shuffled a little. "I saw that too. I'm from Everglow and even I felt more hesitation than you ever did, Scootaloo. It's been a... an honor to have met you, and to call you a friend. You are an amazing pony."
Scootaloo took a long slow breath, then smiled. "Maybe you're right..." She pointed at Rainbow Dash. "You said you were still awesome without your wings, right?"
Rainbow thumped her chest with a hoof. "Sure was. Nothing can keep the Dash down!"
Scootaloo smiled. "Well... nothing's going to keep me down either. Whether I fly like a hawk or hover, I'll do it with class!" She spread her wings wide. "Because... I'm awesome, from the inside, not the outside, and nothing's going to make me stop being that." Her smile took on a sad hint. "I'd prefer to keep flying, and I'm not rushing to Twilight to 'fix' that, but... I don't think that's 'who' I am."
Scootaloo's words were returned with strong hugs from the other Crusaders, but then there was suddenly another presence between them. They pulled back to reveal a Pinkie Pie. "Hi everypony! It's party time!" She handed out an invitation to everyone present, Rainbow Dash and Sunflower included. "You can't miss it because it's for you!" And off she bounced, as if her appearance were entirely normal.
Rainbow shook her head a little. "That mare is crazy." She flipped open her invitation and looked at it. "Wow. This party's in just fifteen minutes!"
The rest confirmed their invitation quickly before the entire group began to head to Sugarcube Corner, leaving behind their heavy conversation for the moment.
Sonata had succeeded in securing a hefty bag of bits from the pony in charge of such accounting. A flutter of her lashes and a few sweet words, as well as the written note confirming their new positions, and they were well on their way with enough money to get started. As they wandered towards the train station Sonata asked, "Why are we stopping by Ponyville?"
"I want to speak to Willow before we leave," replied Lex. He glanced at the bag of bits, wondering if it had been a mistake not to count it all when they were there, but brushed the thought aside. There was enough in there to get things started. "I told her that I would make sure she and Sunflower were comfortable in Equestria, and so I need to check their status before we go to Vanhoover."
Sonata nodded. "That's, like, totally good of you." She tapped her chin suddenly. "Wait, before we leave Canterlot, we should totally go native. We don't want to creep out the ponies by not looking like an Equestrian one. I bet Celestia could fix it."
"I am not letting that self-righteous nag cast a spell on me!" Lex's reaction was immediate. "I'm not against the idea of returning to my original appearance, but I refuse to let her use her magic on me. I can figure out how to perform that procedure on my own."
Sonata shrugged a little. "Maybe Twilight then? She's, like, totally smart and stuff. I just don't think we should go to Vanhoover until we look our best. First impression, right?"
"I suppose asking Twilight wouldn't be out of the question," huffed Lex grudgingly.
Pinkie fell from an apple tree after Applejack bucked it and fell into a bushel among other falling apples. "What in tarnation are ya doin' up there, Pinkie?"
Pinkie got herself upright quickly and tried speaking, but there was an apple in her mouth. she crunched down on it, the other half falling to the ground. "Mmm, delicious as always. Here!" She thrust forward an invitation letter.
Applejack looked it over. "Uh, Pinkie. This says yer fancy shindig is startin' right now?"
Pinkie Pie gasped with alarm and grabbed Applejack. "Then we better go!" Before Applejack could get out much complaint, Pinkie was hauling her speedily through town, headed for Sugarcube Corner.
They arrived to find the place already a mild bustle of activity. Ponies were gawking at the CMC in their altered forms, oggling at Sunflower, and then turned their attention to Applejack. The ponies of Ponyville were eager to greet trusty Applejack, a bit odd-looking or not.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were in attendance, and approached slowly, their eyes fixed on Sweetie Belle's cutie mark, which had earned no few comments and compliments from the other ponies.
Silver Spoon tilted her head at Sweetie Belle. "I guess you aren't a blank flank anymore..."
Sweetie blinked in surprise at the words. "I guess not..." She smiled at Silver Spoon. "Does that mean you'll stop being mean and we can be friends?"
Diamond Tiara shoved forward. "Of course not! Don't be stupid. Your cutie mark is lame anyway!"
Silver Spoon flinched back, looking not entirely in agreement.
Applejack heard the exchange and something in her burned. That filly wouldn't ever change. She would keep right on hurting everypony around her, even as an adult. Somepony should do something about it... Someone like...
Applejack marched up to the bullying twins. "Say yer sorry, right now."
Diamond Tiara turned up her little nose. "Make me."
"Ya asked for it." She pulled her scythe free and it seemed to buzz wildly with power. She knew it could be rid her of these pests, but killing wasn't the right answer. It rarely was. No, a better idea came to her, and she swung the scythe just in front of the little fillies, rending the space between Equestria and Everglow. The rift was short lived but violent, drawing the two fillies away to lands far removed from their home.
The room was silent, all eyes on Applejack for a moment before Sweetie raised a shaking hoof. "D-did you just... What did you do?"
Applejack swung the scythe back onto her back. "I sent them where they'll learn to be better ponies." Or die, but she didn't voice that. "So where's the cake at? Ain't no Pinkie party without some cake."
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An Honest Nightmare has a horrifying ring to it.
Scythe of Plainswalking?
No wonder AJ keeps it on her back, whoever knows what would happen if she put it in a bag of holding.
Bets on DT and SS ending up in Everglow, SS is the one that ends up as the leather clad barbarian and DT ends up as the Rincewind, but without the Luggage, charisma, magic, or being useful.
Yes Yes Yes about time some one took control of the too Plot heads.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, O I cant weight for that sequel this will be so good.
Harts Fire
All of your talents don't care what kind of pony you are
-or-
For all of your talents it doesn't matter what kind of pony you are
weird
too, a
extra space
I'm glad I'm not the only one that picked up the subtle hints of there being more to Silver Spoon than meets the eye
she
Holy sh--
I like where this is going. AJ as the merciless enforcer of her own law. This would be a great opportunity to redeem the bullies' personalities (or maybe just Silver Spoon, depending on your interpretation of them). If the CMC go back to Everglow to rescue them--and that would be totally in character--it will have huge potential for development in all six of them: The CMC will have a heroic quest and the bullies will have a chance to realize how much better it is to have them as friends.
Edit: Oh and Applejack's evil. Someone should probably do something about that.
Darn it, the like button is broken. I only pressed it once, but now it doesn't do anything anymore.
6048391 I've reported this bug several times. :(
AJ is obviously not herself, but this is not a logical assumption. If they fall in with the wrong crowd (and Everglow abounds with those) they could go from being trash-talkers to full-on criminals.
6048383 'It' was the scythe, not Applejack, hence it being 'it' instead of 'she'. All other typos sent to other planes to harass somepony else.
Glad you liked the chapter though!
6048405 And they won't bother Equestrians anymore. Still sounds like better ponies to Applejack.
6048418 Well, in that case,
it could rid her of these pests
Scootaloo reaffirms her awesomeness, with a little help from friends and quasi-family. D'aww.
And congratulations, Applejack. You're the monster of the week. Have fun with that. Maybe Lex will be able to lend a hoof in that regard... assuming he can be convinced to bother. And if he's willing to risk the conflict of interests with his divine patron... though it's unclear if she's still supporting him.
Yeah, scratch that. He's probably not going to do anything.
6048418 Luna, Trixie, Gilda, Discord, Sunset Shimmer, Sonata, Iron Will, Rarity, Twilight and Fluttershy all got a chance to repent. Now we're just waiting on these two and Angel Bunny (he may be too far gone though)
6048434 Yeah, Lex is much too close to this trap to pull her out of it.
Side story,
yay!
6048470 Or a whole new arc. I doubt DT and SS have what it takes to rescue themselves; even the CMC had an adult with them.
With the bulk of its attention given to Scootaloo, this chapter spends most of its time exploring the immediate aftermath both of her acceptance of having to give up her wings, and her reaction to Sweetie Belle's having gained her cutie mark. We also get another vignette of Lex, with him moving to rejoin the group, at least briefly. And of course, Applejack takes a turn for the worse...
With regards to Scootaloo, watching her pathos over realizing that she couldn't use her scooter the way she used to was an interesting, and very insightful, way to drive home the disconnect between her "real" self and her Everglow body. That really drove home that she's not who she's "supposed" to be when she's in that form, and that the flight that it grants her is not only artificial, but comes at a cost. While it is a shame that she can't have it all (maybe...I still don't know why she hasn't seen an Equestrian doctor about her lack of flight), it was sweet that her friends were there to help convince her that there's more to her than just a pair of wings.
In a way, this felt like a retread of "Flight to the Finish," simply because it was the same lesson all over again. The difference here was that Scootaloo had what she thought she wanted, and had to be made to realize that it came with a cost. While it's easy to ask "why can't Scootaloo just keep her Everglow body," that's leaving aside not only questions of what she'd lose in doing so, but also skirts potential - albeit unproven - issues of the consequences of keeping an other-planar form in Equestria. While it's easy to dismiss that, Rainbow raised a valid point that there could be complications in doing so. Trying to manipulate planar mechanics in your favor isn't something that tends to end well.
Ironically, that's an issue that Lex doesn't seem to have realized. His attitude towards Sonata's entirely-reasonable suggestion that they revert back to being Equestrian ponies seems to indicate that he thinks of any change to his appearance as being a vanity project, considering that he was more concerned about who was doing the casting than what the consequences would be. That said, he is back on his way to Ponyville (though Twilight is currently in Canterlot, so maybe he'll meet her at the train station?), where he'll run right into what's happening there...
...which is that Applejack has just gone off the reservation. We'd been getting hints for some time now that the scythe was affecting her, and now we have proof. Leaving aside the irrational anger at seeing Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon being jerks to her sister and co., her response was quite clearly out of bounds. Sending two defenseless children - those two haven't been studying magic, after all - to such a dangerous place all alone? Yeah, time for an intervention!
Luckily, as noted earlier, Lex is in-bound. I disagree with albedo and FanOfMostEverything with regards to how cut-and-dried it is that Lex wouldn't care. There's a case to be made that this is his fault, albeit indirectly, since he was the one who put AJ into contact with The Night Mare (who gave her that weapon) in the first place. Likewise, he's made it clear that while he's coming to consider having a divine sponsor to be useful, he doesn't seem particularly beholden to her...if he's even still connected to her at all, which is iffy. Between all of that, and that he's likely to be outraged by her having so callously dumped two children on Everglow, I can see him sticking his nose into this situation quite readily.
Wouldn't that be just like him to get into a fight just as he's about to leave Ponyville?
6048549
You misunderstand. I am certain that he will care, and care deeply, but his own connection to the Nightmare will make it very difficult for him to respond correctly. The new Applejack is what Lex could have become himself without Sonata's mellowing influence.
What the hay, Applejack?
Seriously, how are you going to explain it to their parents? Or are you just going to send them into the corn too?
(That was not just a schoche! That was a whole bunch of schoches!)
So Diamond tiara and Silver Spoon are off to Everglow?
Equestria is Now a better place.
6048580
I honestly don't understand what you mean by this. Whether or not he still has any connection to The Night Mare is questionable at this point, and even if he had one, I'm not sure that would necessarily hamper him confronting Applejack, correctly or otherwise.
A distinct possibility. Though I suspect that the specifics would be different - Lex maintains that he's acting in the best interests of the ponies of Equestria, and sending children to a dangerous, untamed world doesn't really comply with that - the general point does seem very true. That is, order without compassion.
6048637
He originally became involved with the Night Mare without knowing who it was, because his alignment was close enough to hers that she approved of his behavior. Applejack seems to have adopted NM's philosophy completely. The difficulty comes when Lex tries to show AJ she is wrong, since the only difference between their philosophies is mercy. Although Lex is more merciful than the Night Mare, it is definitely not the first virtue that comes to mind when describing him. He would likely have a very difficult time trying to explain the value of mercy, since it frequently appears to directly oppose justice. (and honestly, what happened to DT and SS was just, even if it was horrible).
Best case for Lex would be if AJ proves Sonata's point and attacks Lex while everyone is watching. Then he can do his best to beat her up, and as long as he leaves her alive, he'll be the good guy.
6048618 maybe I'll visit equestria then, the mountains of Freljord are pretty boring anyway...
6048667 Okay, I understand your point now.
You're saying that Lex won't be able to talk AJ down, and in that regard I fully agree with you. That's mostly because Applejack seems to be under the influence of that weapon; she's literally not in her right mind. Even if Lex knew that (at this point he doesn't seem to even have realized that she has that weapon, let alone know its properties), I suspect that negotiating with her would be impossible - telling someone "you're under the sway of a supernatural influence" has virtually never been enough to dispel said influence.
In other words, I'm presuming that - after what will probably be a very short discussion - things will degenerate into a fight.
One minor point that I disagree with is the assertion that what happened to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon is just. I don't think that it is; excessive cruelty in punishments - which throwing children into an alien environment where they have no connections and no means of defending themselves certainly is - is not justice.
6048685
That depends entirely on your system of law. As long as the same crime always gets the same punishment, it's still fair. In the Night Mare's code of law, death may be the prescribed punishment for any crime, and being weak is a crime, iirc. Even the most draconian human systems of justice have some mercy in them (cutting a hand off for stealing is severe, but not as severe as death).
The fact that they are children is of no significance in a merciless system of justice.
6048707
6048685 Applejack offered the chance to just apologize. Many legal systems don't give that option.
6048717 Well, she's still a work in progress. I'm sure the Night Mare will wean her off that eventually. :whydon'twehaveanightmaremoonemote:
i fucking love the new AJ! and i've always been partial to the scythe, so double awesome!
6048889 I would read that fic.
Not necessarily. "Justice" and "the law" are not the same thing.
I find that to be overly simplistic. Just because the same crime has occurred does not mean that the circumstances are necessarily the same, and those are an important part of sentencing.
That's presuming that The Night Mare has a "code of laws" to begin with, as opposed to religious tenets that she demands be enforced. Even then, Applejack is not one of her worshippers, by her own admission (I'd wager, if she were asked), nor does she have any secular law enforcement capacity within Equestria. As such, there's no way to suggest that her actions were lawful, or just.
I disagree. The same way that mercy can be said to be relative, so can the lack of mercy. If a harsh community wants to remain strong, for example, they probably wouldn't cast away healthy young females that are just about to enter their childbearing years for the crime of being a little bitchy.
I enjoyed the discussion with the CMC, Sunflower, and Rainbow. It was not forced, yetvit was needed to show Scootaloo's realization of her now current standing as a pony.
Applejack enforces some self rightous cold punishment. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would likely come to terms of how their how constant belitttling of others have affected of how they view themselves, gotten to their current predictament, and possibly starin their questionable friendship. After much blameing, complaining, and denial of course. If they even last long enough to that is.
I wonder how exactly FAR can Applejack fall into temptation before she either has a "My Celestia What have I done moment?", or recieves a heartfelt intervention of sorts. In the meantime sourness continues.
Oh my gosh Applejack, you can't just banish ponies to other dimensions!
6050679 Says who?!
img1.derpicdn.net/img/2013/7/20/379205/medium.jpg
That... is horrific of Applejack... I am disappointed in her. Oh, sure, it's COMPLETELY dangerous for the CMC to be there, but Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara? Sure! They're TOTALLY ready for a world of life and death, just because they never got spanked! I'm SURE that sending them to ANOTHER WORLD was the right way to handle that situation. Certainly NOT an over-reaction by being a potential accessory to murder. Eenope!
41.media.tumblr.com/49c055695f9e3dfa343e856dd0061d03/tumblr_n62enjxlWr1t50yvoo4_1280.png
Did that...did she....BWUH!?
Ok, I'm torn here. On the one hand, it's Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, so...no big loss. On the other...APPLEJACK JUST BANISHED TWO FILLES TO (presumably) A RANDOM SPOT ON EVERGLOW, WTF!?!? I knew this was coming because of the sequel, but I assumed that it was an ACCIDENT...
I think we can safely confirm the scythe as a corrupting or even outright cursed weapon...
Holeeeee, makes me wonder if that Scythe might have a teeeeeeny tine effect on its wielder.
6050767 ya, the sythe is definitely affecting her in a dark way
Well, she warned 'em.
Okay, that was awesome. So can Applejack send people to the asylum? That would be interesting
Annnnnd that's what you get when you slap a divine artifact-level item on an earth pony.
Zero tolerance for horseapples.
6048707
Depending on the Equestria in question, a pony with a cutie mark is at least "adult" enough to be emancipated, and if you go back far enough, a pony that's reached the beginning of adulthood.
But that was absolutely a You Get What You Bucking Deserve moment.
Well now, I wasn't expecting that end... What's the saying? "Always read the fine print"? Those who hurt your family can mean more than just physical harm. Hurting their feelings counts also, even over something minor. You agreed to more than you realized, Applejack. And now you're bound to it.
To be honest though I don't feel the least bit sorry for Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon. They could die and I wouldn't shed a tear.
Still, that is a VERY powerful scythe if it can so easily slice a rend between planes, short lived or not.
I got to admit, I'm VERY curious if there was ever a connection between Nightmare Moon and The Night Mare "legal reasons" aside, that is. Was there at some point a cross planer connection? OR are the two planes just close enough to be "reflections" of each other, as it were?