8 - The Key is Awareness
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE KEY IS AWARENESS
“Applejack, don’tcha see? Equestria is Rainbow Dash!”
“Huh?”
“She’s lost her way! She’s turnin’ into somethin’ she’s not! Somepony’s gotta remind her of who she is, and I’m volunteerin’!”
“Apple Bloom, take off that silly mask. Yer talkin’ crazy, girl…”
“I ain’t talkin’ crazy! I’m talkin’ hope! I’m talkin’ justice and redemption and—”
“You’re talkin’ absolute nonsense ‘cause you’ve been traumatized more than I can rightly imagine. Now pull back that mask so I can see yer eyes.”
Surprised, Apple Bloom set the wide, purple hat on the kitchen table and slid the mask toward her shoulder blades. “See my eyes?”
Applejack frowned. “Eyes are the window t’the soul, sugarcube. I wanna see what’s really botherin’ ya instead o' hearin’ ya try to talk around it.”
After a few uncertain blinks, Apple Bloom cleared her throat and tried explaining slower.
“I know I haven’t told you much about what happened in Canterlot, Sis,” she acknowledged sadly, “but that’s only ‘cause it’s hard for me to think about. Now, I don’t know if you can imagine how bad it is over there, and I’ve heard it’s just as bad in Equestria’s other cities. All the ponies I met at school and in town, they all seemed so hopeless. Even Sweetie Belle had a little sadness in her all the time. I could see it in her eyes.”
Applejack interjected a little nod as if to say “What did I tell ya? Window to the soul.”
“Twilight doesn’t come out of her castle; some folks even blame her for all the spreadin’ crimes and violence. I don’t know whose fault it is, but I can tell when an apple’s gone rotten, and Equestria’s headed that way.”
She couldn’t bring herself to call Equestria rotten as it was. If she was going to go through with the plan brewing in her brain, she had to believe that her beloved country was not beyond redemption.
“Maybe all she needs to get back on track is a reminder,” Apple Bloom continued strongly. “The Princesses stood as examples fer everypony. Maybe all Equestria needs is another hero in Canterlot: somepony who cares about them and wants the best for them, and is willing to fight for their happiness.”
“Fight?” Applejack repeated worriedly.
“Yeah, fight! That’s the best part!” Apple Bloom rose on her hind legs and delivered a series of controlled kicks in the air. “It’s like I’ve been trainin’ fer this my whole life!”
“You always were a brave little filly,” Applejack remembered, “always lookin’ to help out and solve problems.” Her expression hardened. “But you were also brash and made quick, stupid decisions that led you into heaps o’ trouble.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes narrowed at her sister. “Just what are you talkin’ about?”
“Remember when you followed Zecora into the woods?”
Apple Bloom giggled in spite of herself. “You mean when you were all tiny-like?”
“Exactly! You were barely eight years old and off you went, trompin’ all on your own through the Everfree Forest. Twice! And leavin’ me, your own big sister—”
“Little sister, at the time.”
“—shrunken and helpless on the branch of tree. What was I supposed to do if a timberwolf came by, huh? Or a manticore?”
“We were barely a hundred trots into the forest,” Apple Bloom defended, rolling her eyes. “You were fine!”
“And don’t think Fluttershy never told me about the time you led your friends into the forest again to find her dag-blamed chicken and nearly got turned to stone!”
“That was a long time ago, Applejack!” Apple Bloom said. “I didn’t even have my Cutie Mark yet. Everypony makes a stupid choice or two at that age. Didn’t you try to move to Manehattan?”
“That’s decidedly different,” Applejack said. “If yer anythin’ like me—and ya are—then you’ll realize, with a little coaxin’, that this grandiose idea you got stuck in your head is just a product of too little sleep and too much stress. Tryin’ to take on the crime o’ Canterlot all on yer own with nothing but a mask and couple good kickers is nothing short of suicide, Apple Bloom.”
The younger pony threw her hooves into the ground. “Applejack, how could you? I knew someponies were gonna throw this in my face, but not you. Why can’t you see this is the only way? I don’t even feel like I’m makin’ this decision. I feel like it’s been made for me. I have to do this, Applejack! I have to help, because I can!”
“Hold on there, Bloom,” Applejack said seriously, taking her sister by the shoulders. “You told us that Harper Heartstrings was murdered in his own apartment. Are those the kinds of ponies you wanna go up against here? Criminals and murderers?”
Just hearing Harper’s name seemed to blow a hole through Apple Bloom’s enthusiasm. She slumped into Applejack’s forelegs, frowning with sorrowful determination.
“It won’t be easy, Applejack. I already know that. This ain’t Nightmare Night or another Crusade. It’s gonna be scary and dangerous, and I’ll have to be more careful than I’ve ever been before. But I gotta do somethin’, because I can do something. It’s like it’s all been set up, just waiting for me to find the startin’ line.”
She stroked the brim of the iconic hat lying on the table.
Applejack’s features began to soften. “What in Ponyville were ya thinkin’ o’ doin’ first?” she asked.
“I have to learn about the underworld,” Apple Bloom answered, straightened up and massaging her cheeks with the flats of her hooves.
“The what?”
“The underworld. The gangs and criminals in Canterlot. I have to find out where they are and what they’re doin’ and how to stop ‘em.”
Applejack guffawed. “How?”
“I’ll start with the gang that… that killed Harper.” She winced and sat up straight, staring at the ceiling with fiery eyes. “He told us all the stallions who attacked him in the alleyway had creepy Cutie Marks, like they’d been tampered with. I bet that means they’re all part o’ the same gang. With a little diggin’, I’m sure I can track ‘em down.”
“You’re insane!” Applejack suddenly yelled, all the panic returning to her eyes. Apple Bloom leaned away from her volume. “You’re actually… thinkin’ this through? Do you really think you can just saddle up and dosey-doe back into town, Apple Bloom? You think they’ll let you go right back to school after missin’ two weeks and introduce you to the Creepy Cutie Mark Club?”
Apple Bloom groaned. “No, Applejack, o’ course not! I’d stay hidden during the day: researchin’, plannin’, doin’ all I can to get my head around the inner workings o’ Canterlot—”
“You’ve gotta be…” Applejack turned from her sister and ran a hoof down her face.
“—and at night I’ll put the costume on and teach ‘em all a lesson. I’ll strike fear in the hearts of the criminals and plant hope in the hearts of Equestrians—”
“Oh, yeah, and you sure as Tartarus ain’t gonna get caught up in the drama of it all,” Applejack taunted her. “It’s not like you’ve always had a hankerin’ fer adventure or nothin’. It’ll all be for the ponies who need yer help.”
Apple Bloom’s face grew hard and sure. “Yes, in fact, it will be fer them, Sis. I still have a couple things to do here in Ponyville… just in case I… never come back.” She shook her head clear and snorted resolutely. “But whether or not you—my own sister—supports me in doin’ what I know is the right thing to do, I’m makin’ my way back to Canterlot and I’ll be focused as a lasso. I ain’t doin’ this for the thrill, I’m doin’ it fer Canterlot. I’m doin’ it fer Equestria. I’m doin’ it for all the ponies I love… you, and Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle… and Harper…” She drifted off, flicking away a warm tear.
Applejack’s jaw stuck out defiantly. “You just don’t get it, Apple Bloom,” she breathed. “You really think you can even dent what’s happened in Canterlot? You think there’s any way to get it back under control?” She leaned in closer, making Apple Bloom flatten her ears. “How could you make Canterlot a better place if Twilight Sparkle can’t?”
Apple Bloom’s brow creased. “What?”
“I don’t know what’s happened to her,” Applejack said, pursing her lips, “but I have a feelin’ she’s sufferin’ just as much as anypony else. You knew Twilight, Apple Bloom. You know how organized she is and how she takes care of every little detail just so.” She sighed and tucked a strand of Apple Bloom’s brilliant red mane behind her ear. “What could you do that Twilight hasn’t surely tried?”
“You’ve got it all wrong, Applejack,” she said, swatting her sister’s hoof away. “Twilight’s not doin’ anything. That’s why all this is happenin'. She just locked herself in the castle and stopped… stopped lovin’ anypony. I have no doubt that Canterlot would be just fine in the hooves of the Twilight we knew and loved, but that big winged monster—” She pointed emphatically in Canterlot’s direction. “—is not Twilight Sparkle. She ain’t no egghead librarian with a cute grin, Applejack. She’s the Princess of the Dusk, and she’s ruinin' Equestria.”
Applejack’s head was bowed, her eyes closed tightly. Apple Bloom breathed harshly through her nose, waiting for another rebuttal from her sister.
“Get out,” Applejack finally said.
Apple Bloom reeled. “What?”
“Get out.” Applejack snarled and stomped her front hooves. “You say Twilight ain’t my friend anymore? That she’s not the Element of Magic? Well then, if ponies can suddenly change so much…” Her snout crinkled. “Then you must not be my sister no more.”
“Excuuuse me?” Apple Bloom asked, lowering her brow.
“You get outta my house and offa my land,” Applejack said. “And take yer stupid costume with ya.” She grabbed the hat from the table and threw it in Apple Bloom’s face. “Do whatever ya want, Bloom. Go and get yerself killed crusadin’ in Canterlot. But I ain’t lettin’ my hooves have any part of your dangerous mistakes.” She looked away and added quietly, “Not this time.”
Apple Bloom’s jaw hung open. “This time?” she squeaked. “How dare you?”
Applejack ground her teeth. “Get out, Bloom, before I say somethin’ else I’ll regret.”
“How dare you!?” Apple Bloom bent down, trying to look her sister in the eyes. “Did you really just bring that up?”
“Bloom…”
“That was not my fault, Applejack!” she wailed, nearing hysteria. “That was… oh, Celestia! You know that was an accident!”
“Get outta here, Bloom!” Applejack thundered for the last time, ramming into her sister’s chest with her Stetson-topped head and pushing her toward the door. “Go on, git!”
Apple Bloom shouted angrily and turned around, bolting for the front porch. Without so much a glance over her shoulder, she bit the wide-brimmed, purple hat in her teeth and galloped away from Applejack’s homestead, far from Sweet Apple Acres. It didn’t look quite as beautiful anymore, even in the glowing Moonlight. Apple Bloom looked up at the night’s glowing orb with teary, narrowed eyes, hating the Alicorn who lifted it and crying for those on its surface.
It was a bitter huff that accompanied Apple Bloom’s eventual deceleration. She found that, in her confusion and anger, she had absentmindedly run into the Everfree Forest. The irony of her subconscious direction in light of her sister’s accusations left a bitter taste in her mouth as she trudged on, steadying her breath and trying to sort out what had just happened.
Applejack had always been a stubborn pony. It was a trait that all the mares in the Apple family inherited. But there was a big difference between stubbornness and head-butting somepony out of your house. Was her plan really that frustrating? Was she being that blind to its possible danger?
Apple Bloom clenched her teeth and snorted. No; she wasn’t blind. Ponyville was blind—deliberately so—to the gut-wrenching horrors that took place just up the train tracks. Applejack had no idea what it was like to lose a dear friend under such bizarre circumstances…
Sighing, Apple Bloom took back her last thought. Of course her sister knew the pain of loss, far deeper than Apple Bloom could even imagine.
“She’s worried about me, is all,” Apple Bloom decided aloud, kicking pebbles with one forehoof while she repositioned her hat with the other, resting it over her ears. “She doesn’t wanna see me disappear like everypony else she loved.”
Apple Bloom’s cheeks scrunched up. She sighed and kicked the next pebble harder. It was deeper in the cold dirt road than she expected and sent a stab of pain through her costume-shod hoof. Her yelp reverberated off the buildings around her, and only then did Apple Bloom take notice of the area. She stood among the many houses crammed outside the Town Hall's plaza. She had never liked this neighborhood, accustomed to open spaces.
Surprised at how far she'd already walked, it took Apple Bloom a moment to recognize the house on the corner. A tiny gasp pulled in her nostrils. She glanced up at the starry sky, clear of recent rainclouds, and wondered at the hour. Was it too late for an unannounced visit? Was she even in the right frame of mind for something so serious?
Regardless, she found herself standing at the front door. She knocked. A breezy silence passed beneath the Moon. She was patient for several minutes, then knocked a bit harder. Suddenly the door cracked open. A single golden eye peered on the costumed pony.
“L-Lyra?” Apple Bloom stuttered. “Er, I mean… Miss Heartstrings?” A scratchy lump gathered in the farmpony’s throat. “Sorry t'bother you so late, but... can I... that is... can I come in?”
The mare couldn’t reply. Apple Bloom noticed a stream of tears glisten in the Moonlight. Her heart racing, Apple Bloom began to back away.
“I'm sorry, Miss Hearstrings,” Apple Bloom muttered, unsure of what to say or how to help.
She shook her head and took two deep breaths. “No, Apple Bloom. I’m sorry.”
Apple Bloom stopped her retreat as the door swung open in Lyra's golden magic. Lyra herself disappeared into the house, but the invitation was clear. Apple Bloom made a controlled, quick sigh and trotted in. “It’s all right, Miss Heartstrings. Thanks for lettin' me in. I shoulda waited 'til tomorrow, but—”
“No, Apple Bloom,” Lyra said from another room. “You're very timely. I was just thinking about you.”
The moment hit her hard, and Apple Bloom's knees began to wobble. She shut the door and hurried to steady herself on the front room's couch. The coffee table was covered in sheet music and an open flute box.
Lyra came back into the room with two steaming cups. She used her magic to ignite an overhead light, which burned enough to illuminate the room quite nicely compared to the night's natural glow. As Apple Bloom got her first good look at Lyra in several years, she remembered that the musician was about as old as Applejack and the other Elements of Harmony, but she didn’t look it. She looked older. Apple Bloom could only guess at the scope of her sorrows.
“Oh, gosh, Miss Heartstrings,” Apple Bloom chuckled. "Y'don't have to be bringin' me tea."
Lyra finished her trot and hoofed forth a cup, smiling despite the leak at the corners of her eyes. "It's cold outside, and I was already making it. It's my favorite. Ginger and cinnamon." She took a sip of her own and sighed. "Goes well with apples."
Something broke in the unicorn's resolve. Her neck tensed up and her cheeks tightened. Apple Bloom noticed it instantly and set the cup she had just taken by the flute box.
"I'm here, Miss Heartstrings," Apple Bloom said, reaching out a foreleg. Suddenly Lyra collapsed into Apple Bloom’s open gesture and wept into the purple fabric hugging her young coat. Surprised and embarrassed, Apple Bloom did her best to stand her ground and comfort the mare, even if every stroke through her laurel-green-and-white mane sent dark shivers of guilt through her entire body.
“I-I’m sorry, Apple Bloom,” Lyra choked, rubbing her snout into the farmpony’s shoulder.
Apple Bloom bit her lip. “Sorry fer what, Miss Heartstrings?”
“Well… for a lot of things,” she admitted with a painful bark of a laugh. “I’m sorry for this, first of all. You hardly know me and… and to just…”
“That’s fine, Miss Heartstrings, really,” Apple Bloom said with as much sincerity as she could muster. “I’d do the same, I’m sure of it.”
Sniffing loudly, Lyra continued, “I’m especially sorry for…” She gasped. “For what happened to… Harper…”
“Oh, Miss Heartstrings!” Apple Bloom practically wailed, feeling tears brim her own eyes. “Why would you be sorry about that? I’m the one who oughtta be sorry to you. It—it was all my fault!”
Lyra stepped back and stared into Apple Bloom’s eyes. “What? No! Don’t you say that, Apple Bloom! Is that really what you believe?”
Their roles seemed to reverse as a mess of cruel thoughts and emotions bubbled up in Apple Bloom at once.
“I-I told him to… to try out for the drum line,” she remembered miserably. “That’s what got him beat up in the first place. Then I had the gall to tell authorities about the attack, and… and that just invited the wrath of whatever gang had messed with him in the first place!” Apple Bloom closed her eyes tightly, pushing a line of tears from their corners. “It was my fault, Miss Heartstrings. If it weren’t for me, your sweet, sweet son would still be alive.”
Lyra stomped a hoof. The music on the table shifted. “Do not say that again, Apple Bloom. Never. Do you hear me?” With sudden seriousness as hard as a diamond, Lyra used her magic to redirect Apple Bloom’s gaze. Their eyes, amber and golden, met once more. “You are not responsible for the death of my son. I don’t know much of the details, I’ll admit, but just the way you’re talking about him… I can tell that you loved him. Anything you did, you did to make him happy. You did to make him feel safe. Is that right?”
She shook Apple Bloom’s face a bit with her magic, prompting the earth pony to nod.
“Of course it is. You would never do anything to hurt him, and you and I are both very aware of that. The monsters who—” She gulped away another wave of tears. “—who murdered my son, they’re the ones to blame. It’s their fault he is gone, and none of yours. Do you understand me?”
Her gaze hardened. She did not release her glowing grip on Apple Bloom’s face until the filly nodded again. After a heavy sigh, Lyra turned her magic to the sheets of music on the short table. They lifted and spun, organizing themselves into a neat pile. Taking them reverently into her forehooves, a breathy chuckle left Lyra's body as her eyes scanned the first notes.
“He would have loved this song,” she said in a warm, distant voice.
Apple Bloom used the edge of her hoof to brush some of her tears away before asking, “Did you write it?”
“Mmmhmm.” Lyra rested her chin on top of the pages. “A long time ago. I wrote it for him.”
Apple Bloom blinked. “And he... never heard it?"
"I never showed it to him," Lyra said. "I was going to wait until he got married."
An especially cold lump lodged under Apple Bloom's jaw. "That's... sweet," she managed to say. She cleared her throat. "I sure like yer music, Miss Heartstrings. I don't know if I ever toldja to yer face, 'cause I was tryin' to be cool with Scootaloo, but I loved every concert o' yers the Cutie Mark Crusaders ever came to."
"Oh, yes," Lyra breathed. A smile played around the words. "Your little group came often. Sweetie Belle once told me she had to force you. Ha!" The tears finally stopped. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders,” she repeated with a chuckle. “What happened to you three? Do you still keep in touch?”
Apple Bloom’s shoulders sagged a little. “We get along fine. Sweetie Belle’s in—”
“Canterlot,” Lyra interrupted, nodding. “I know that. And Scootaloo?”
Apple Bloom gave her a quizzical look. “You do live here in Ponyville, right, Miss Heartstrings?”
Lyra’s ears folded down. “Heh. I, uh… I don’t get out much. Should I already know what Scootaloo does?”
“She took over Rainbow Dash’s job years ago,” Apple Bloom explained, “as chief weather flier. I feel a little bad sayin’ this, but I didn’t even know you knew the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
“You came to my concerts.”
“Well, sure, but so did a whole lotta other ponies.”
“Heheh. I suppose you’re right.” She looked out the window at nothing and shivered.
Apple Bloom eyed her body. "I know Winter's all wrapped up, Miss Heartstrings, but don't you think you oughtta wear a coat or somethin'? Even indoors, it gets chilly."
Lyra squinted at her. "I'm not a big fan of outerwear," she said. "No offense... heheh." She tousled the dark blue mask bunched up behind Apple Bloom’s neck and flicked the rim of her giant purple hat. Apple Bloom snorted and pulled the hat off, setting it on the ground beside the table.
“If I'm too bare, you're overdressed," Lyra continued. "What's with the get up?"
Apple Bloom cleared her throat again. "It’s, uh… part of an idea I have."
“An idea for next Nightmare Night?”
Apple Bloom was relieved with Lyra’s attitude. Even in light of recent tragedies, she remained bright and reverently cheerful. Apple Bloom wondered what Harper had meant by his mother suffering from bouts of depression. She couldn’t imagine lively old Lyra ever giving up.
“Not exactly,” Apple Bloom answered, playing with one of the long purple collars arching above her back.
Lyra raised her eyebrows. “Well, then?”
“You don’t wanna hear it,” Apple Bloom said, turning away.
“I promise I do,” Lyra said. “Believe me, I’m a very good listener.”
(/\/\)
The iron bars slid away. “You’re free to go,” an armored guard grumbled. Foaly Edge looked up from his hard, smelly bed bathed in pale Moonlight.
“Huh?”
“Your bail’s been posted,” the guard continued without looking Edge in the eyes. “You’re free to go.”
Foaly Edge should have been excited at the news. Instead, he gulped and slid onto his hooves, trotting sullenly past the pair of guards that were holding his cell doors open. The rest of the jail passed by in a blur and suddenly he was standing in its lobby, staring at the inside of the building’s entrance.
“This is gonna be a long night,” he prophesied, pensively moving forward.
(/\/\)
“I wanna make a change,” Apple Bloom said. “I wanna give the ponies of Canterlot—of Equestria—somepony to look up to. Something to hope for.”
“That is a noble and wise desire, Apple Bloom,” Lyra said, nodding. “My only concern comes from your motivations.”
Apple Bloom groaned. “That’s what Applejack said. Look, Miss Hearstrings, I’m not doin’ this fer myself. I’m not doin’ it to avenge Harper or nothin’—”
“Exactly.”
“…huh?”
“What are your goals, Apple Bloom? Why do you want to make a change?”
Apple Bloom blinked. “Because there needs to be one! Because everything’s goin’ to Tartarus and I have the means to help ponies…” She stopped when she noticed Lyra shaking her head.
“Not good enough,” the older mare said. “Try again.”
(/\/\)
As Foaly Edge trotted down the Moonlit city streets of a crumbling Canterlot, he was suddenly flanked on both sides by stallions almost as large as him.
“Where are we going?” he asked them quietly.
“Base Eight,” said the maroon stallion at his left in a raspy voice.
“Whoa. What’s this meeting about, anyway?”
“It’s held in Base Eight and you think we’re gonna talk about it here?”
Edge growled. “It was rhetorical.”
“No it wasn’t.”
“Shut up.”
They turned a corner in perfect unison and glanced around for guards. None were in sight, but they picked up their pace all the same.
(/\/\)
“I… I…”
“You mentioned that Equestria is like Rainbow Dash,” Lyra said, squinting at Apple Bloom. “How did you mean that?”
Apple Bloom coughed out a perplexed laugh. “I-I dunno! The Elements o’ Harmony invented Mare Do Well to show Dash how cocky and annoyin’ she was bein’—”
“And did it help?”
“Yeah! She went right back to her normal, little-less-cocky self—”
“Right back?”
Apple Bloom paused. “Huh?”
“She went right back to how she used to be? She changed immediately? She fell to her knees and thanked her friends for teaching her such a valuable lesson?”
“Uh… well… no, that’s not how I remember it.” Apple Bloom pawed at the floor. “In fact, when Applejack told the story to Granny, she mentioned that she thought they mighta kinda missed the point…”
Lyra smirked. “Oh? How’s that?”
“Well… the way she saw it, things mighta gone a lot quicker if the girls told Rainbow the secret behind Mare Do Well after she got a taste of her own medicine. The way they left it up in the air and stayed behind the mask just made Rainbow mad at herself, until the truth finally came around.”
With a steady hoof, Lyra pointed at Apple Bloom’s snout. “Not just quicker, Apple Bloom. Rainbow Dash nearly learned the wrong lesson. If Mare Do Well had gone unmasked, our brash friend may have given up entirely. Until the girls revealed their plan, Rainbow Dash was simply under the impression that a new hero was spitefully stealing her well-deserved spotlight. It was not until the delayed reveal that she became aware of her obnoxiousness.”
Apple Bloom’s brow creased. “What are ya sayin’?”
“I’m saying that it all comes down to awareness,” Lyra began.
(/\/\)
Foaly Edge stopped in his tracks. “What was that?” he asked, peeking over his shoulder.
His companions turned their heads around. “What? What’dja hear?”
All three were silent, their ears pricked high and twitching in all directions.
“Come on, Edge, what’dja hear?” the maroon stallion asked.
“You guys didn’t hear that?” Foaly Edge asked, bouncing his emerald eyes from alleyway to pitch black alleyway branching from the blue-lit road behind them.
“No, I didn’t hear nothin’,” his raspy comrade drawled, “and if we don’t get to Base Eight in five minutes, the boss is gonna regret posting your bail after just one week.”
Edge gulped and nodded, trotting briskly between the other ponies and toward the rising Moon.
(/\/\)
“When Bon Bon first learned she had cancer, she didn’t tell me. She didn’t tell anypony. She decided to continue living exactly as she had before the news. But even while she went through all the motions as if unaffected by the disease, her mind and attitude were fundamentally changed. She began acting as if everything we did was very urgent, to the point of becoming snappy and agitated when I got sidetracked by… well, by anything.
“In turn, I began to be frustrated with her. Our relationship began to stiffen and stale, an all-too-familiar experience for me. I didn’t want to see Bon Bon in the same light as my ex-husband, so I confronted her about the issue. I told her how I was feeling and asked for a reason behind her shift in attitude. After some coaxing, she revealed to me her diagnosis. I later learned from Nurse Redheart that she had been carrying the secret for nearly six months.
“I had a hard time trusting Bon Bon after that, up until the day she passed away. I wanted to believe every word she said, but part of me was always worried that she was hiding something. Had she been honest with me from the start, that would have never been an issue.
“Compare that to Rainbow Dash’s experience with Mare Do Well. Had her friends been honest with her near the beginning of their deceit, just as Rainbow Dash tasted the bitterness of another pony’s senselessly excessive fame, their intended lesson would have manifested itself quicker and clearer: that while celebrating accomplishments is natural, rubbing them in others’ faces is not. Instead, they let Rainbow Dash suffer under Mare Do Well’s rise, twisting the knife while she learned nothing.”
Apple Bloom blinked. “B-but then… how does that tie into Canterlot?”
Lyra smiled. “Do you remember what I asked you, Apple Bloom?”
“About my motivations?”
Lyra nodded. Apple Bloom bit her lip.
“Uh… well, I s’pose my motivation is to… to make Equestria aware of the terrible things that are happenin’ under its snout. And to put a stop to it.”
“What terrible things?”
“Well… the gangs, I guess. At school I heard about thievery and muggin’ in the streets…”
“What terrible things have you seen?”
The sharpness in Lyra’s voice sent a shiver down Apple Bloom’s spine. She swallowed hard and made herself say, “I saw your son beaten half to death and… and drowned in his own kitchen sink.” Her tongue felt very large and dry. “Oh, Miss Heartstrings… I saw murder. Senseless murder for no good reason.”
Lyra stepped forward. “And how does it make you feel?”
Apple Bloom’s heart skipped a beat. “Er… a-awful!” she stammered. “I… I hate it! It makes me so… so sad, and so angry! How dare they? What were they thinkin’? What gave them the idea that killin’ such an innocent pony was okay?”
“You’re angry?”
“I’m angry!” Apple Bloom gnashed her teeth and began trotting back and forth inside the hut. “I wanna… I wanna see ‘em brought to justice.” She growled and said, “But the Canterlot Guards don’t do a thing! They don’t help anypony, even when they’re screamin’ for their lives!”
Lyra was nodding. “What does that make you want to do?”
“Change things!” Apple Bloom yelled. “Fix somethin’! Go back there and find those dirty creeps and teach ‘em a lesson those Celestia-forsaken guards couldn’t imagine in a thousand years!”
“Yes!” Lyra stomped a hoof and grinned below misty eyes. “Yes, there is your motivation. It’s not enough to want to help ponies, Apple Bloom. There have been millions of souls who have wanted to help ponies, and thousands who had the opportunity. But there are very few—and you have become one of them—who are given the proper motivation. You’ve been hurt by this, Apple Bloom.” She had to blink away a film of tears before adding, “We’ve been very hurt by all of this. They killed your friend. They killed my son. And we are not the kinds of ponies to let that go ignored.”
(/\/\)
“Zap Apple Jam,” the maroon pony whispered into a slot on the doorway. The trio waited as a series of locks were unlatched from the other side.
“Mmm… Zap Apple Jam,” the white pegasus on Foaly Edge’s other side drooled. “I remember that stuff. Hey, remember when they used to sell that in Canterlot? We must have been, what, eight years old? Ten?”
“Shut up, Topper,” the maroon earth pony growled. Foaly Edge couldn’t help but imagine the sweet taste of Zap Apple Jam as the metal door to Base Eight opened and the three of them cantered in. A black coated, sickly thin pegasus greeted them with an icy stare and locked the door behind them as they sauntered warily down the long hallway.
Foaly Edge had never been inside Base Eight, but he knew what kinds of meetings were held there. The deeper they traveled into the isolated building, the noisier the frigid air became. The raucous sounds of savage ponies lit his apprehension on fire, and by the time the jet-black pegasus swooped over their heads to open another door, his innards felt roasted.
Beyond the second door was a huge, dimly lit room full of bulky, rowdy ponies adorned with tarnished Cutie Marks. They fought and screamed and argued with each other with no apparent rhyme or reason until the skeletal pegasus in front of Foaly Edge took to the air. He hovered wordlessly above the throngs until every silenced eye was turned to him. With their rapt attention, the pegasus shook his head. Groups of grumbling ponies with bruises and bite marks broke up and diffused among the entire, spacious floor. Edge estimated there were at least a hundred and fifty ponies in attendance.
Satisfied, the black pegasus flew to a balcony carved into the middle of the opposite wall from Foaly Edge. His flanking companions prodded him forward and he joined the gathered mass, looking up with them at the balcony where the imposing stallion was knocking on the wall. The door behind them remained open.
(/\/\)
“But Mare Do Well won’t work!” Apple Bloom wailed. “You just finished tellin’ me how it almost ruined Rainbow Dash…”
“The plan was poorly executed,” Lyra explained. “As I said, the key is awareness. If you’re going to use a mask to attack the crime in Canterlot, you had better make sure they know exactly why they’re being punished. None of this mysterious nonsense. You have to use as many words as you do punches.”
Apple Bloom nodded, wringing her hat between her hooves.
“If Equestria is Rainbow Dash, then she ought to be told to her face that she has a problem. She ought to know from the very beginning that her present state is nowhere near her potential. And you must be the one to tell her, because she will respect you.”
“How?” Apple Bloom asked, though it came out as a whisper.
Lyra sighed. “Oh, Apple Bloom. You know how.”
(/\/\)
A hidden door behind the balcony glowed with unicorn magic and slid up into the wall. From the dark cavity it left behind, a figure shrouded by a thick black cloak stepped onto the balcony and took his place beside the emaciated pegasus watching over the sea of ponies below with a pair of shockingly pale blue eyes.
“Mares and stallions!” the hooded figure bellowed over the crowd of cretins bearing corrupted Cutie Marks. “It is not often we gather here, together as a single body, and I will waste none of your time.”
Foaly Edge stood far from the balcony, watching the elusive leader of his gang address the entirety of its membership.
“As you all should be aware, there was recently a dangerous breach to our establishment. Due to the unfathomably stupid and selfish actions of a faction of our newest brothers, some of our operations were investigated and made public by the likes of the Canterlot Sun!”
He let the declaration echo over all their heads. Foaly Edge was already beginning to sweat.
“A student at the Canterlot School of Art was harshly beaten by some of our own. His story was publicized, leading to the public arrest of the attack’s leading stallion. The few detectives left in this city flocked to the case like a life source. We lost two of our most valuable drop-off points to their snooping, an accumulated loss of over eight hundred bits a week.” He snarled briefly before going on. “They have a deeper understanding of our inner workings than ever before. And don’t you dare roll your eyes at this; the government may not be much of a threat to us now, but do not forget the advantages a rival may take from our exposure.”
An anxious murmur rippled through the crowd. Foaly Edge was backing up, glancing at the open door leading to the hallway.
“The Mangled Marks own more than half of Canterlot’s underground industries,” their leader thundered, “but that number will not rise—in fact, it will fall—if our rivals gain power from our mistakes.” Another thought seemed to strike him and he lifted a hoof. “Or even if they think they have gained power when we show signs of weakness! We cannot afford any notions of instability!”
Several riled ponies shouted their approval. Foaly Edge turned to run.
“The student was killed as an example to citizens, officers, and rivals alike: the Mangled Marks are not to be tested. But while the spilling of such innocent blood may keep those outside our circle at bay, we must also remind our own members that we do not take such devastating mistakes lightly.”
Before Edge could reach the door, the spider-like, impossibly black pegasus slammed into the ground and blocked his path. With a yelp, the brown earth pony tried to turn away, slipping on his hooves and landing hard on his side. Several heads turned from the audience and began to laugh at his misfortune.
“This is the offender,” the cloaked one introduced from above. “This is your offender. This is my offender. His selfish actions led to the biggest blow the Mangled Marks have suffered in three years. So I implore all those who are yet loyal to the sanctity of our operations… to make him suffer in return.”
The sounds that spread among the gathered were sinister enough to bring an angel to its knees. But there were no angels in Base Eight; only a self-righteous dictator, a skeletal demon, one hundred and fifty monsters bearing mutilated flanks and minds, one cowering earth pony destined to pay for his pride… and one vigilante, driven by righteous anger, whose unexpected kick slammed the snout of the tall black pegasus guarding the exit into the floor.
The caped pony stood tall in the doorway, gazing at its first victim from behind a concealing mask. As all eyes turned to ogle it, one hoof wrapped in dark blue bands was lifted to the brim of its angular hat. With a modest tip toward its fallen prey, it spoke with a gravelly voice and a distinctly Trottingham accent before offensively facing its frozen audience.
“Get well soon.”
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It's all in the PRESENTATION! And you AB have nailed it.
YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES!!
More awful one-liners and evil plots! And props to Lyra for helping Applebloom figure out her motivations for this.
It's not dead!
What just happened? Did Applebloom get revenge or was it someone else? And Applejack you idiot. I hope you feel horrible pain or guilt in the coming chapters.
I have to admit, I was afraid this story would never be updated. You kept being so hard on yourself about it. But now that it has been...
What the hell, Applejack?! Why is she so bound and determined to crush Apple Bloom's heroic spirit, even to the point of disowning her? Did Pinkie's death and Twilight's fall into darkness really screw her up that much, or am I missing the real reason entirely? Whatever the case, I hope that she comes to utterly regret her cruel words before it's too late.
Zecora dead? God...I felt like Apple Bloom herself when I learned that.
But thank heavens for Lyra - she seems to be serving the role of Alfred to Apple Bloom's Bruce Wayne in a way, giving her the insight and advice she needs to truly make a difference. And of course she isn't going to let our beloved filly blame herself for Harper's murder - the monsters who did it are the only ones who should be blamed.
Speaking of said monsters...well, looks like this gang of scumbags and their would-be king have gotten a very nasty surprise in the form of Mare-Do-Well. With any luck, this is just the kick-off to her dismantling their underground empire - which, in turn, will likely serve as a warm-up for tackling the actual empire ruled by the Princess of the Dusk. In any case, I hope you don't go overboard on the one-liners - Mare-Do-Well should dispense some actual wisdom to make her blows truly decisive.
Soooo yeah - here's looking forward to Chapter Nine!
UUUUUUUGH, you're going to be ending EVERY chapter with a line like that now, aren't you? XD
I'm not sure how I feel about you borrowing some of Background's Lyra. From what we'd heard about her from previous chapters (if I recall, it's been a while), she doesn't seem like the same mare.
1344230 She ain't.
Well, that's a little misleading. She is, but... only kinda. I dunno. I guess we can call this version of her AUBP!Lyra or something, because while she is almost entirely based on shortskirtsandexplosions' philosophical mare of misfortune, there's quite a bit of Ponkified backstory between the end of her curse and her team-up with Bloom.
FINALLY
Yes, soon she'll get some "gadgets" please for the sake of my happiness... give her a Battarang. 
Nah, give her a throwing HAT!
Dat timejump.
In any event, it's nice to finally see an update for this.
And now, thanks to Steam, I can badger you even more for the next update!
Happy writing.
Live long and write pony fics.
Awesome job with this one.
Mix of motivation, betrayal, and a cliche entrance to boot.
You, sir, deserve a mustache.
Good Luck, have fun
1613508
*sarcasm* Oh, yes they had to die. *end sarcasm*
A good story and a story I want to keep reading like are two different things, though. Having the second main character murdered five chapters in isn't really my cup of tea. Bruce Wayne's parents, last I checked (mind you, I'm not a fan of batman at all really), weren't ever introduced to the viewer. You can't really have any stake or interest in their well-being beyond vague concern.
1613521 I understand that. This certainly is my darkest fic. Sorry to see you go before the cover art makes sense.
That "On Hiatus" better be a joke. This had best continue.
Or else.
1613964 Thanks for reminding me. Fixed!
Moar!
Please
Now that is an Entrance! I am lovin this fic throughout, with plenty of Batman memories going through my head. Though, and I dont know if you have read or intended it, I can help but make this a strange what if continuation of "Legend of Mare Do well". It almost works to well
This is awesome already, and all the writing so far has just been leading up to what's happening next. The cool stuff hasn't even happened yet!
Can I favorite this twice? Or give it more likes? I feel this story deserves it.
Good stuff, looking forward to more.
And yeah, don't assume that there's a direct correlation between how many reads a story gets and how good a story is. This story has a few technical issues, but in terms of its story, it is quite good.
1617600 Wow! Thank you! (I'd say it has more like a thousand technical issues, but thanks for the vote of confidence.) I look forward to hearing from you on the 20th!
1342821 evil plots? I see what you did there...
1618899 not those plots, thank you very much
1618913 oh okay. but you have to admit it is quite punny when you think of it like that.
1623637 Yeah, how do you think it felt to write it?
Fantastic. Magnificent. Brilliant. BEAUTIFUL.
More. God, I want more. This story is amazing. And you, Ponky, are an amazing author. I wish I could write like you.
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw2604-Luna_saw_what_you_did_there.jpg
While this Lyra does seem like bacground pony, she isnt because applebloom knew that harper was lyra's son. so it's ore of a tip of the hat... at least I think so
“Your bale’s been posted,” the guard continued without looking Edge in the eyes
lol 'BALE' heheh its a horse pun
Lyra's home? How'd that happen?
5844447 Whoops! Big thanks! This scene used to take place somewhere else.
Alright, here we go, first comment on this story.
It was a great buildup of course, and rather emotional to a point as well.
I myself am looking real forward to when Mare-Do-Well gets found out by Twilight, she's going to know something is up.
And Apple Bloom needs to get more than her Apple Bucking legs to take down an entire underground of villains, a lesson of bruises and words just as strong won't be able to stand up to Unicorns or determined Pegasus.
Track and favorite, hope that you keep this up and continue updating.
Rainbow Dash is Equestria, and so can you!
Yes, AJ, it's like Apple Bloom's backstory was set up so she'd be the perfect Mare-Do-Well candidate! :V
Are they talking about Pinkie's death? AJ blames Apple Bloom for it? D:
Lyra talking about Bon-Bon before her death is another good scene.
I like the gang meeting, and I'm glad she went for the Trottingham. :D I kinda figured she would after that scene on the train. (Seriously, your Chekov's guns are extremely blatant, not that that's a bad thing.)
I'm pumped. Again. It's about time we got some action in a costume!
Silly AB. First rule of becoming a superhero is don't ask your family if it's okay!
I'm putting my money on Applejack doing what she did for secret supportive reasons, without compromising her honest stubbornness.
orig06.deviantart.net/0f46/f/2012/142/8/f/mare_do_well__canterlot_city_by_nickyv917-d50p3bh.png
If this story becomes nothing but one-liners like that, it'll still be great.