59 - Into the Everfree
Applejack led the way into the foreboding thickets of the Everfree. "We won't be stickin' to the paths none. We want ta get attention, ya see? Tha more aggressive, tha better." She drew the scythe from her back, holding it in her muzzle easily. It felt so light and ready, it was like it was barely there to begin with.
Rainbow flew just behind and above Applejack, flying at a sedate rate with her friend while staring with a frown at the scythe that seemed to be forcing her along a road she didn't like. "Yeah, the better..."
Applejack suddenly looked over her shoulder up at Rainbow. "Stop starin' like that, yer makin' him nervous."
Rainbow blinked softly. "Uh, AJ, it's a weapon, not a pony. I can't make it nervous."
Applejack snorted softly and pushed on through the brambles with a swipe of her head, cutting them aside. "Did ya hear that?"
Rainbow tilted her head, trying to hear whatever Applejack was referring to, but it found them first. A cockatrice jumped from the bushes with an angry hiss, charging right for Applejack. She pulled her head back, scythe at the ready for it even as touches of grey began to show around her hooves. The moment it came into range, Severance was brought down in a deadly arc, bisecting the creature.
Instead of the wild spray of blood Rainbow was expecting, it simply staggered and collapsed at Applejack's hooves with a final defeated squawk. "Uh... What did you just do?"
Applejack slipped the scythe onto her back and pulled out some rope, tying up the cockatrice, one thick band going over its eyes. "We done captured our first varmint. Fluttershy can teach it ta stop being so ornery and it can protect the ponies of the town instead of being a threat." She smiled up at Rainbow dash. "Doesn't that sound a mite better?"
Rainbow landed softly on the forest floor, looking quizzical indeed. "Uh, I mean... Yeah, actually, that does. You alright? You were starting to... you know?"
Applejack stomped a hoof on the ground, shattering the thin shell of stone that had formed there. "Ah'm fine. It didn't have near long enough ta get me." She turned to face Rainbow. "Do ya see what I wanna do?" Her eyes were full of hope. "We can turn this whole forest here into an asset instead of a danger. The... The Night Mare may be a mighty frightful mare, but she ain't wrong about this. The critters in here'll be happier if we feed 'em, and we'll be happier with them not tryin' to eat us."
Rainbow gave a hesitant nod. "Sure, alright. I can get behind that, just..." she raised a hoof. "No more bringing the hammer, or scythe, down on ponies." She trotted around Applejack. "Unless you're already forgetting most ponies are already nice, and the ones that aren't are usually more confused than... you know... evil?"
Applejack winced. "Ah already said ah'm sorry fer doin' that! It was a mistake. Ah won't do it again." She set her rump on the floor. "You want me ta be quicker about offerin' mercy, how about ya start with me?"
Rainbow Dash looked at the sorrowful eyes of the pony she liked a great deal and shuffled in place. "Well... So long as you promise, we're cool. I don't have any problem with you clobbering some monsters." She moved up to the unconscious cockatrice, gently poking it with a hoof. "You didn't even leave a mark on it..."
Applejack smiled. "Ah 'course not! Ah'm not trying ta be mean, just catch it so we can reform it. That was my mistake, y'see. Ya can't reform nopony by sendin' them far away. Ah shoulda caught those little fillies and taught them personal-like until they stopped being such bullies. Ah just lost mah temper and did something right foolish." She suddenly paused in thought. "Do ya think ah should be punished?"
Rainbow perked an ear. "What?"
"Punished." She tilted her head. "Ya know, for doin' wrong. Ah trust you, go on, decide on somethin', then we'll move on ta better things."
Rainbow frowned, unsure how to properly parse what was going on. Applejack wanted to be punished? Well... "The scythe."
"What about it?" Applejack raised a brow.
Rainbow held out a hoof. "Give it up for a week."
Applejack went rigid, teeth clenching and shuffling half a step away from Rainbow before stopping and going limp. Her head sank. "We should get outta here before we do that. Ya promise ta give it back? Ah seen ya starin' at it all unkind-like. Promise."
Rainbow Dash gave a relieved smile, feeling hope blossom in her chest. "I absolutely promise. If you want the scythe back after the week's up, I'll hoof it over personally. Pinkie Promise." She did the gesture, ending with a poke in the eye. "But! You have to not ask about it or try to get it back before the week's up, or we add another week."
Applejack held up a hoof. "Scout's honor! Once we're out of here, Ah'll give it up and not ask fer it until noon next week today."
They trotted out of the forest with their still-sleeping cockatrice. Rainbow gently bumped into Applejack's side, looking happier, and Applejack returned the gesture, the friction between them lessened to an almost giddy relief.
Once they were free of the trees, Applejack put the scythe down hesitantly and backed away from it. "There, take it. Just remember ya promised, one week."
Rainbow advanced on it and gently batted it away a little. "Uh, give me a second, AJ. I'll be right back." Knowing it would sting, she steeled herself then scooped it up in her mouth. She threw herself into the sky and flew home as quick as she could, getting it on her dining-room table as quickly as she could, whimpering a little at the renewed hurting in her mouth. The price one paid for their friends. After gulping down some water and catching her breath, she returned to find Applejack waiting patiently.
"Let's head ta Fluttershy. She's the only one ah reckon can tame this bird/lizard critter." She turned and started walking and Rainbow followed alongside. "Do ya think she ever tried ta make friends with a cockatrice before?"
Rainbow shook her head. "I doubt that. The closest I heard was one time she used the stare on one and got it to back off, but they weren't friends." She rubbed behind her head. "So, uh... how long have you... had feelings for me?"
Applejack stopped in place, flushing a bright red through her fur. "Oh, uh... Ah think it was when we did the runnin' of tha leaves? Ah was so furious with ya... but ya wouldn't get out of mah head." She licked over her lips lightly. "Watchin' ya run like a proper earth pony... yer a right work of art, Dash, on tha ground or in tha air." She shook her head. "Ah sound like a love-struck little filly. Ya must think Ah'm so..."
Rainbow softly bumped against Applejack. "Hey, relax!" She reared up onto hind-legs and spread her hooves. "We're practically sisters. I'm not upset, AJ, it's just... Look, I don't like lying about as much as you don't. I'm really worried that scythe is messing with your head." She fell back to all fours. "And I really like what's in that head already."
Applejack frowned. "Yer not gonna steal mah scythe now, are ya?"
Rainbow shook her head. "We made a promise. I'll give it back, but... come on... You haven't been acting yourself."
Applejack grunted softly. "Ah made a mistake! Ah'm sorry! Yer supposed to forgive me now. I did what ya asked all the way."
Rainbow shuffled a little in place. "I guess you did... Even if you did stretch the truth a bit with Filthy." She rubbed behind her own head with a hoof. "Though I guess that was probably for the best..."
Applejack nodded. "Exactly! Besides, look, no scythe. Now tell me straight. Do ya like me back or not? Ah'm a big girl. If Ah'm barkin' up tha wrong tree, just tell me."
Rainbow internally screamed. She wanted to throw herself at Applejack and hold her and tell her everything was fine, but how could she know this was the real Applejack, and that the real Applejack wouldn't hate her guts afterwards? "I..."
Applejack turned away with a hurt expression. "It's fine. Like ah said, ah'm a big girl." She trotted off with the cockatrice, seeming to take the delay for a denial.
Rainbow dashed after Applejack and tackled her to the ground. "No! You don't get to do that!"
Applejack rolled over beneath Rainbow and shoved her off with her powerful legs. "Get ta do what?" She was back on her hooves in a flash, snorting and looking agitated.
Rainbow flared her wings wide. "I am totally in love with you, Applejack."
Applejack took a step back as if slapped across the snout. "Y-you do? Ah mean, ya are?"
Rainbow folded her wings tightly. "I just want to be sure the Applejack I love is the one I'm talking to. I just want to be sure I'm telling the right Applejack my feelings. I just... don't want the real Applejack... to hate me." A single angry tear escaped from her as she glared at Applejack.
Applejack trembled and pawed at the ground, unsure what to say or do. "It's... Ah'm still Applejack. Why wouldn't I be the real Applejack?"
Rainbow stomped the ground. "The real Applejack wouldn't try to steal my heart! You reached for it, and your hooves were cold and terrible."
Applejack winced, a few tears of her own starting to form. "Ah... didn't... what do you mean?"
Rainbow lifted a hoof to her chest. "I felt it, just before you decided on me being your right-hoof mare. You tried to take my heart, to... force me." She flashed a brief smile. "I was way too awesome for that to work on, but I still felt it, and it was dark and cold. It wasn't Applejack. The Applejack I know would just tell me straight and--"
Applejack perked up. "That's what I just did!"
Rainbow pointed at Applejack. "It's the scythe, AJ... It wants to help you, but it's evil. It doesn't care who gets run over so long as you're happy." She swallowed heavily. "If you... promise to throw it away, like... forsake it, I'll be your marefriend right this very instant."
Applejack clenched her teeth. "That's a dangerous path, sugarcube. What if ah don't?"
Rainbow sagged a little. "Then I won't. I can't. I won't do it until I know I'm hugging my Applejack."
Applejack's breathing became erratic as she stomped the ground with a hoof, then did so with another, throwing a bit of a temper tantrum. "Ah just wanna do what's right fer everypony! Even ya agreed we were doin' the right thing!"
Rainbow advanced on Applejack until their eyes met. "I will never abandon you, Applejack. If you want to do this, we'll do it together, and we don't need any stupid scythes to do it with."
Applejack stared into those bright eyes, and the darkness offered by the scythe seemed pale in comparison. She wanted the company of the bright-blue pegasus, walking side-by-side, not... With the scythe so far away, she was starting to forget what was so good about it, but she could clearly see, hear, and even smell what was great about Rainbow Danger Dash. "Ah..."
Her weak sentence was cut off with a sudden fierce kiss. Though she had strength enough to throw Rainbow Dash away, she yielded to it, melting into it as they collapsed together. The warmth she felt from her future marefriend was so bright... How could she have been misled by the cold steel of that weapon?
Rainbow pulled back with a soft gasp. "Am I talking to the real Applejack?"
Applejack smiled, tears staining her snout. "Ya sure are... Ah was so dumb... Will ya--" Her words were cut off by a sudden wet splitting sound and Rainbow's expression of shock and pain. The scythe was lodged through her, embedded in her like a cruel curved spike. Rainbow sagged with a bloody gurgle, losing consciousness.
Applejack sprung to her hooves, looking around for who wielded the weapon, but saw nothing. In a panic she dropped the cockatrice off her back and gathered up the heavily-bleeding Rainbow Dash, but barely made it a step before she was surrounded by the Crusaders. Sweetie was singing soft songs of restoration for the injured Rainbow Dash while Scootaloo and Sunflower moved for the weapon. Apple Bloom moved in front of Applejack. "We're here. Everything's gonna be alright!"
"Ah... Ah didn't do it! Ah swear!" Applejack's eyes were wide and wild, irises contracted with abject terror. "I-is she alright? S-s-save her!"
Apple Bloom nodded quickly. "We saw everythin', we know. That weapon jus' flew outta nowhere!"
Applejack suddenly tensed. "Ya saw... everythin'?"
Apple Bloom snorted, but was happy to keep Applejack's attentions on her and let her friends work. "Everythin'. Ah didn't know Rainbow Dash was such a good kisser."
Applejack went cherry red. "That wasn't fer little fillies ta see!"
Apple Bloom gave a gentle smile. "Ah'm not a little filly anymore, sis. Lay down and relax. We got this."
Applejack slowly sank back down and looked over her shoulder. The scythe had been removed and was being held down under Sunflower, though it seemed to be trying to get out from underneath him. Sweetie's soft songs had closed the horrible wounds in Rainbow Dash. "All out," cried Sweetie, and Apple Bloom moved in to replace her, pulling free a potion and carefully feeding it to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow jerked away about halfway into the flask, coughing and sputtering, but clearly conscious. "What happened?! Apple Bloom?"
Applejack gentle smiled. "Relax, sugarcube. Our little ones just saved our hides."
Scootaloo grinned at Rainbow Dash. "Cutie Mark Crusaders, emergency triage?"
Rainbow Dash snorted softly, but had a bit of a smile. "Thanks for the assist, but really, what happened?"
Apple Bloom pointed across to where Sunflower was keeping the scythe pinned down. "Applejack's weapon just came flyin' outta the sky and got ya good. Are ya alright?"
Rainbow rose to her hooves, wobbling a little. "Nothing I can't walk off!"
Apple Bloom snorted softly and pulled out a second potion, offering it to Rainbow. Despite her haughty words, she accepted the potion and soon drank it down.
Applejack got to her hooves and advanced on the squirming scythe. "Ya just made your last mistake! Yer a broken tool, and ah ain't got time fer broken tools. Sunflower, get off of that."
Sunflower scurried free of it just in time for Applejack to stomp down on it. "Ya tell that Night Mare that ah think yer busted and I don't need ya anymore!" Dismissed with authority, the scythe simply vanished from whence it came with an almost sad sigh.
Rainbow laughed with joy. "Now that's my Applejack! How about we celebrate with a little cider?"
Applejack raised a brow. "Girl, ya really do have a problem."
Rainbow threw her forehooves in the air. "How can I have a problem with something nopony ever lets me have!"
Stats
Page generated in 0.031 seconds
Total duration
1,081 users online
1,783,603 hits today, 1,872,792 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Evil keeps losing, because its just too pushy.
Dash might have got hit by Backstab, but Sweetie got extra on her Sing?
At this rate, the CMC are going to be leveling up almost as fast as in Everglow itself.
Replace the comma with an ellipsis, since she was trailing off and finished with a "you know."
There are two spaces between "should" and "be."
Also, I suspect that "ah" should be capitalized, since it's standing in for "I."
The only one "Ah" reckon can tame this bird/lizard critter.
"Ah'm" a big girl.
Change "under" to "beneath."
Also, capitalize the "R" in "rainbow."
Change "do" to "are."
Capitalize "ah."
Capitalize the second "ah."
Change "iris'" to "irises."
6066145 The Night Mare will be disappointed when typos are sent along with Severance.
Maybe the cockatrice can be taught to turn the typos to stone.
That scythe needs to be reformed. It's too clingy and rash. Wielder has the hots? Let's force the issue! Wielder has a fillyfriend? Jealous rage! Intelligent weapons have issues.
6066173 This chapter kept things moving at a surprisingly fast clip! Things were just starting to really move along when Rainbow threw down the gauntlet, and brought the situation to a head. Severance pushed back, but in the end everything wound up for the better...or so it seems.
It was interesting that Applejack's plan to attack the Everfree Forest was based around subduing the creatures there, rather than slaughtering them. In fact, this shouldn't have been such a surprise; conquering monsters and making them work for you is one of the core tenets of The Night Mare. As it was, it was interesting that Applejack was out-and-out praising that deity by name in her endeavors. Given that The Night Mare is a goddess of tyranny, one can only imagine where that would have ended up leading.
While that plan had the kibosh put on it, they still wound up with a cockatrice being captured. While I suppose they could just let it go, it'll be interesting to see what happens if they bring it to Fluttershy. As it stands, I'm still very eager to see how she's doing ever since the events of A Dangerous Sparkle, something that we haven't seen up until now. Though I imagine that they'll keep the recent events hidden from her, or at least mostly edit them to be less frightening, since even before her torture, Fluttershy wasn't the most courageous of ponies.
The real meat of this chapter, however, was Rainbow Dash bearing her heart to Applejack to try and break her free of Severance's influence. It was clever of her to demand that AJ give up the scythe as her "punishment" for being too hard on Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, though she should have realized - after it was yanked down through the floor of her house - that simply putting it some distance from Applejack wasn't really any guarantee that it'd be removed from her. However, that was an excellent opportunity to try and get through to AJ without it there.
Miraculously, it worked. Rainbow's heartfelt honesty really felt like it got through to Applejack, even if it meant putting their future happiness on the line. Of course, Severance had something to say about that, and if there was ever any doubt that the weapon was sentient, this was enough to dispel it, since it tried to kill Rainbow Dash. Luckily the CMC chose that moment to make their dramatic reappearance. Even more luckily, Severance can apparently be banished if it's wielder formally repudiates it. That's...certainly convenient.
Of course, this leaves The Night Mare with no presence on Equestria anymore. Perhaps she'll rethink her current arrangement with no longer offering Lex her power?
That said, this really seems like the story is on the verge of ending. Lex and Sonata have ridden off into the sunset, Willow is ready to give Equestria a chance, and Sunflower and the CMC are back to doing their thing (even if Apple Bloom and Scootaloo haven't earned their cutie marks yet, in contrast to Sweetie Belle, which is a rather nice break from the usual symmetry between the three of them). The situation with Applejack and Rainbow Dash was the only remaining situation that needed to be resolved, notwithstanding having Pinkie back on Everglow to watch over the "adorabullies" (as another poster dubbed them).
While there should probably be another chapter or two dealing with some of the immediate fallout from everything (e.g. Twilight still thinks that there's a crisis, and talking to Fluttershy), it really feels like everything has been wrapped up, and that this fic is about to end. Hopefully, a sequel is on the horizon.
Nice. That was clearly a team effort. Not only did Dash apply the redemptive power of love, Applejack subconsciously turned the Night Mare's philosophy against herself. Those who err must be punished. Fantastic resolution to the subplot.
That said, the Night Mare is not going to be happy about this, and she has three new Equestrians readily available... though I can't imagine she'd get anywhere with Pinkie Pie.
6066366 You missed a bit, though it was intended to be quite subtle, so I'm not upset about it. Applejack never actually expressed anger at The Night Mare. She blamed the scythe and renounced it specifically. The Night Mare still has a pawn, and a willing one at that. Applejack will spread her gospel on her own. The seed is planted, and a mighty tree will grow from the respected pony.
It was far better to have Applejack continue on her path without the brute force of the scythe than to press any further and likely lose everything, so The Night Mare withdrew her gift, but she is still very present, watching Applejack dance to her song. The scythe did what it had to do, tainting Applejack and getting her first few steps down the right direction. Patience will win the day.
I enjoyed Rainbow and AJs emotional bouncing off one another. Was Dash the cleverest pony ever? No, but her loyalty paid off in the end, and borrowing a little of AJs brute force honesty brought them through to the other end of the dark tunnel, even if Applejack still has soot covering her pelt for the trip.
So, the scythe turned out to be a +1 scythe of Deus Ex Machina. Applejack + Rainbow Dash because the Night Mare says so. Mission accomplished, the scythe can now return to its master.
There were a whole lot of implications that were just buried. Evil Applejack was pretty brief, and so far appears to have dodged all negative consequences. Lex would have had a very interesting reaction to the whole situation, but he's off to his spin-off with no interference. Pinkie Pie and the bullies are in Everglow, but no-one is going to worry about them. Twi, Spike, Soft and the CMC are trapped in Equestria and nobody else exists.
To put it another way, there was enough conflict and complication in the evil Applejack scenario to make an entire separate story out of, but instead, it's just a few chapters that changed very little besides accelerating the AppleDash.
6067752 You seem unusually cross lately. Pinkie awaits a new story, along with the terrible duo. Twilight was looking something up. They're on the way to Fluttershy... and it's pretty discouraging that you write off everything that went down as 'yawn shipping', but it's your opinion to have.
6067752
There's a certain irony in calling something a deus ex machina when a literal god is involved.
That said, that AJ and Rainbow hooked up had nothing to do with The Night Mare. That was a side effect of AJ's becoming less willing to restrain herself and instead trying to take what she wants.
I disagree that there were a lot of implications that were buried - there simply wasn't enough time for there to be very many implications to form in the first place. It's worth remembering just how fast the last few chapters have taken place; literally, the last exchange with Silvertail, all of the time in Viljatown, the debacle in Kara's realm, and everything that's happened in Ponyville...all of that happened in the course of a single day. Applejack had that scythe for an afternoon, at the most. Her total accomplishments with it were banishing Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon (and Pinkie after them), and capturing a cockatrice. That's it.
I know you think that the circumstances with Diamond and Silver should have been a five-alarm event, but I disagree, for reasons that I've outlined previously. Having said why I don't think there'd be any immediate panic, I'll simply reiterate that it's too soon for anypony to seriously worry about the fillies - they haven't been gone long enough, Equestria (where it's presumed they still are) is generally safe enough (notwithstanding places like the Everfree Forest, and unusual circumstances like the elemental bleeds), and Applejack is trusted enough that no one is going to be concerned about them...at least not for a little while.
I do agree that it would have been interesting to see how Lex reacted to the situation, but unfortunately we never got the chance. He was in Ponyville at the time the events happened, but they didn't cross his path, and didn't make a big enough fuss to draw his attention. So it was just one of those things that was so close and yet so far. Personally, I don't think he's necessarily done with The Night Mare, but we'll have to wait until his (inevitable) reappearance before we have any chance of exploring that further.
"Twi, Spike, Soft and the CMC are trapped in Equestria and nobody else exists." ...I honestly don't know what you mean, here.
I would sympathetic to the point you're raising, here, except, well...did you not see the comment David posted before yours? Like, literally, the comment right before yours? The one that was there for almost seven hours before you posted? The one where he says this is not a neat-and-tidy ending after all, because Applejack is still (as I understand it) operating with an altered alignment? The immediate circumstance was dealt with, yes, but this did not solve all of the problems that were raised here, even if everypony thinks that banishing the scythe was the end of it.
Now, it's questionable how much we'll actually get to see of this, simply because it really does seem like this fic is going to be ending soon. Hopefully I'm wrong and we'll keep the focus on Applejack's slow slide towards Lawful Evil (though to be fair, she seems more Lawful Neutral right now), but if not then - unless this comes up in the sequel (which seems unlikely, given that that's likely to focus on the fillies and Pinkie on Everglow) - it will be something of a dangling plot-thread.
6067858 I don't mean to sound cross, I just think there was so much potential here that wasn't used. The same thing happened at the end of A Dangerous Sparkle. You set up the quest to save the shortlegs, they had a long and arduous journey to reach them and they fought a dangerous foe...then they rescue two ponies, dump them at Lumi's temple and forget the whole thing. Your set up left me expecting to hear the whole story of the shortlegs and to see them either saved or avenged. Kara taunted them with their failure, but they didn't really care.
In this case, AJ turns into someone evil enough to send foals to their doom, but then you immediately start pulling her back, even before Rainbow starts trying to do damage control. By this chapter, she is acting like her old self, which makes the banishing seem strange and detached. It feels like you had a great idea, but had to cut most of it because you wanted to end the story.
6067943
It's not ironic. The phrase was coined by Romans who were mocking the Greek use of the gods as a plot device in their plays; when a plot got too far from the goal, a set of pulleys was used to lower a painting of a god to the stage and he/she would tell the characters what to do and explain crucial plot points. That is the source of the modern usage of the phrase to mean a forced or convenient plot device.
The lack of time is part of my objection. What is the rush? Why does the fic have to end here?
As far as I can tell, she's back to normal. She became Lawful Evil almost immediately and then started sliding back to good. She had already mellowed out considerably by the time she caught up with Rainbow, and by the end of this chapter, she's just slightly grumpy.
6068482
I know where the phrase comes from. The phrase as it's used today does not mean "a forced or convenient plot device" - it means any sudden or unexpected resolution to a problem via the introduction of some new or unexpected element, character, or event. In other words, it doesn't need to be a god, and hasn't needed to be one since those ancient plays. Hence, the use of a literal god, in this case, could indeed be considered ironic.
There's no particular in-character answer for this. It's authorial fiat to decide to bring things to a close (probably) here.
Again, see David's comment. It may seem that way, but it's evidently not the case.
Dashie's last comment proves a point. How can you have a problem with something you never get to enjoy? It only makes sense for you to long for a vacation, say, if you never get to take one.
So, corrupting, dimension tearing, evil, intelligent, possessive, and slightly stupid, weapon? Yeah that thing needed to go. Still, AJ should have known better, especially if we're counting the comic stories, than to accept something from anyone named Nightmare after dealing with two Nightmare Moons.
I don't suppose AJ'll get her book back? Probably not.
Also
: I'm Rainbow Dash! I can take a magic scythe through the chest and swim in the resulting blood loss, but I'm good to go(with some magic healing) because I'm just that awesome!
9143426 Actually, no. The scythe was given to her by the goddess of monsters, the night, and tyranny.
I like how AJ has more mercy for monsters than she does a pair of brats
For now I guess I'll have to wait and see if the Night Mare was able to establish herself a presence in Equestria with the short time the scythe was there. Speaking of which, is Night Mare the kind of god who would be angry at Applejack at rejecting her, or respect the fact that Applejack stood up to her? It's always hard to tell how Evil aligned gods will react to things.
9455788 I'm sure I've said it before, but don't forget to read this story's direct sequel!
.............. Okay, what? The Night Mare said (of the sword, at least), that "It will never harm an ally, no matter how frenzied the battle becomes, instead seeking the hearts of those who mean you ill."
The only way for the scythe to have intentionally harmed Applejack like that is if they were in fact not the same as the first weapon the Night Mare described. Because we know for a fact that RD did not mean her ill.
I had assumed that the sword and the scythe were effectively the same weapon, just different shapes, but that is seeming far less likely now.