The Worst of All Possible Worlds

by TheTimeSword

World 3: Chapter 7

The guard marched without words in front of Sunset, the dark plate armor jiggling with every step. She wondered if this had been one of the guards who escorted her to Shining Armor or had been in the library the previous night. Other than the fur, it was impossible to tell who sat beneath. This was also the first time a guard escorted her off premises, traveling away from the castle into the noble district. Tower homes sat in lines, painted gold and purple, and each one more unique than the last. Sunset knew the area. As pupil to Celestia, she would often be required to sit in on visits to the Canterlot’s noble elite.

Even so, she didn't expect such an extravagant home to be owned by one of her friends. The three-story building looked like a small castle. An enclosed patio with a veranda atop sat out front, while the home looked large enough to have eight separate bedrooms. The form of a tower could be seen poking up in the back behind the roof’s ridge, which stretched as long as the gymnasium of CHS. The rakes of the roof held hanging vines, apple decorations sitting beneath every window, both blowing gently with the common wind. The enclosed patio sheltered four seats all shaped like apples, and a table carved like an apple core sat between two. Yep, Applejack lives here.

Coming up to the front door, Sunset saw the frosted glass windows that surrounded the great brown oak wood. The architecture was nothing like the rest of Canterlot, though this home had been here long before Applejack. Being one of the oldest homes in Canterlot, it rivaled the age of even the castle itself. The wooden floorboards beneath her hooves didn’t seem too old, and Sunset guessed the earth pony owner enjoyed carpentry much like her mirror counterpart.

A doorbell was also surprising to see. Having pushed the small red button, a jingle playing overhead, Sunset wondered who or what she might find inside. Turning back to the guard, she realized she was alone. The guard was already halfway down the stony road. Not a very good guard, I could easily vanish right now, she thought just as the door opened. Sunset expected a servant or staff of the home to answer, not Applejack herself.

The pretty earth pony smiled at the sight of Sunset. Her wavy golden hair glowed like pure molten metal. The contemporary outfit she wore seemed to fit right in with the home, a brown and tan blouse covered in different colored flowers and a yellow skirt trickling down her backside. No shoes tonight, however. “Howdy there. I’m so glad you were able to make it.” Applejack grabbed gently onto Sunset’s shoulder, leading her into the vestibule. The way Applejack moved was prim and proper, a disillusioning sight when compared to other versions.

“You have no idea how impatiently I’ve been waiting for this night,” Sunset told Applejack. “Even more so now that I finished reading The Great Napple Discovery.”

“Only been here a few nights and you’ve already finished one of my books?” Applejack was surprised. “That’s mighty humbling. What did you think of it? Don’t be shy now. Anything you say within my home is kept between you and me.” Trotting through the foyer and into the hall that connected it, Applejack turned left. A staircase sat on the furthest wall in this hallway, great and ligneous; five ponies could walk up it in a row without stepping on each other’s hooves.

Sunset followed Applejack past that staircase and into another large room. This one was even bigger than the foyer and hall combined. There was a fireplace so huge that you could cut up an entire tree and fit it into the hearth. Three rocking chairs sat close to it, with a set of sage-colored couches and a peanut-colored coffee table to the left. Further into the room was a dining area, though it looked too great to be used by one or two ponies. “I was very impressed,” Sunset replied. “Utilizing leftover zap apple parts to coat apple seeds was a genius move. I was almost in tears at the part where you thought you had failed, only to figure out the seeds needed the moonlight to grow.”

“Shucks, everypony seems to like that part. At the time it didn’t give the impression that it was such a discovery,” Applejack explained, taking a seat on one of the couches. Sunset sat opposite, glancing past the earth pony at the gigantic window that brought in the moonlight. She hadn’t noticed it from the outside but the window was separated into small, square panels, briefly reminding her of the changeling’s hatchery. “My granny was the one who found the zap apples. The Everfree Forest was the only place in the world to grow ‘em. We got real lucky with the harvest the year of the Forever Night. Had a bunch of extras that we planned to preserve.”

“I’d love to see their growth process. Being from a world where there is no Forever Night, it’s nice to hear that, had things gone wrong, we would have been alright,” Sunset said.

“Had things gone wrong? I’m not sure I can agree with that statement. You’re from a world where the sun shines, ain'tcha? Sounds to me like things have gone very wrong!” the earth pony chortled teasingly. “Not to say I don’t miss my namesake. I often contemplate renaming myself Napplejack. I figure that best be saved for the next generation, though.”

“Are all the fruits and vegetables from the sun times gone?”

“No, no. We’ve got some in greenhouses, though they’re limited. Under my instruction, they’re increasing, and we’ve got a large supply of moon-coated produce for everyone poor and rich to eat. Napples, moongos, white grains, and pink bananas. I didn’t name that last one, just in case you’re wondering.”

Sunset nodded as she listened along. “I had a pink banana the other night. Tasted the same. So, you’ve been successful in your career, but has the world been successful? I mean, what of the places that don’t have zap apples?”

“Oh my stars! You don’t know much about this world, do you? Excuse my awful manners, I had assumed you learned everything about us, what with you just finishing my book. I’ve got an awfully bad habit of assuming—let me start from the beginning. Get comfortable it’s a long story,” Applejack said, leaning and winking. “The whole reason we even discovered the napples was because my little sister, Apple Bloom, pointed out that the vines, grass, trees, and shrubs weren’t wilting, but our crops were! Almost anything with buds was dying off. Though Nightmare Moon tried her best to strengthen the moon’s power, it didn’t help the smaller, weaker crops. The flower business really went out like a light for a while, now they’ve mostly been replaced by plastics.

“Anyway, once we discovered that little fact and the napples took off, I turned the Apple Family focus onto preserving some of the old. My business associates, Flim and Flam, they had thought it would be a good idea to start out that way. They built tons of greenhouses to try and utilize unicorn magic, but to no avail. That’s when I came on board, buying out their produce farms. I let them handle the Manehattan branch, and we’ve been successful in the last couple of years in bringing back a thriving amount of old world plants. We’ve even got some in use here in Canterlot, I believe a big portion of next week’s banquet celebration will be old world foods.”

“That doesn’t really answer my question. What about the rest of the planet? I mean, surely Griffonstone has the resources, but what about the dragons? What about the other creatures? The change couldn’t have been good for everyone.”

Applejack shrugged. “I can’t really answer that, suffice it to say. Dragons seem fine, the griffons are more prosperous than ever, and we even recently made contact with a place called Yakyakistan. They’ve been livin’ off something all this time, so they might have figured it out like we did.”

“If things hadn’t gone right, if you hadn’t found a new plant, what would have happened?”

“You’re really into the metaphysical what ifs, ain’tcha?” Applejack slapped her knee, hooting like a jackal. “That’s mighty alright. I don’t have all the answers for you. From what I was told, this wasn’t supposed to be a sort of class. I would have prepared more.”

Sunset shook her head, patting the watch on her foreleg. “No, you’re right. Sorry. I spent so much time with Twilight that I’m stuck on a learning kick. My brain’s working in overdrive.” She laughed it off, but the truth was she needed sleep. If I keep going with these sleepless nights, I’m going to collapse. “Is there something you wanted to do tonight?”

“Oh, no. I’ve cleared my plans for the night to accommodate the princess. I do have something friendly you and I could do, but everything business related is taken care of, which is quite surprising with the banquet so near. From what I hear, it’s going to be a small banquet as all resources are going toward you and the Elements of Harmony.”

“I’ve heard of the banquet, but I didn’t know that. What resources?”

“Ponies, specifically,” Applejack answered, pointing to herself. “But don’t you sweat it. I’m sure you’ll be able to get our Elements of Harmony in no time! I haven’t bothered asking, even though I’ve been a smidge curious, but what’s my Element?”

“You’re honesty. The Element of Honesty.”

That made Applejack burst into laughter. “Yeah, I suppose that’d be the right choice,” she said through tears. “Honest to the core, that’s me.” Taking a stand, the yellow skirt smoothed out as she strode around the coffee table to seat herself next to the unicorn. “If I’m being honest, it doesn’t seem like you’re having much luck with the Elements. I would’ve heard about one of the others getting their piece of the ol’ magical puzzle.”

“You’ve got that right. But it’s only been about a week since I arrived in this world. The first world I visited, I didn’t find Pinkie Pie till I was deep inside the Crystal Empire, behind enemy lines. I still remember the cold chill that I felt when I entered the city, it was colder inside than out in the snow.”

The earth pony frowned, her ears sunk. “That must’ve been horrible. I can’t even imagine going through all that.” She pulled away for a moment, clearly thinking, and then slapped the edge of the couch. “The princess only wants you to get us our Elements and go, but I don’t think that’s fair. Especially not after everythin’ you’ve been through! This world should be like a vacation for you, a place to rest your gams and not worry about what’s going on. I think I’ve lucked out and picked the best thing for us to do tonight!”

Sunset sat forward. “What did you have in mind?”

“You seem like a stressed out mare, probably could use a lil’ R and R. I know the feeling all too well, and more often I’ll bet. C’mon, we don’t even have to leave the home for this!” The earth pony clapped her hooves together excitedly. She rose up, trotted across the large room, past the rocking chairs, and over to another open doorway near the dining room set.

Sunset stood as well, chasing cautiously after the earth pony. As she rounded the corner into the kitchen, she saw the yellow skirt disappear down a hall on the other side. Crossing the inlaid tile floor, passing an island counter and stove, Sunset followed into the darkness of the hall. Another corridor opened to the right where she could see the vestibule’s decor, but a noise further down the path drew her attention. A light popped on as she snuck closer, lighting up a large bathroom. It was the largest bathroom Sunset had ever seen. Without even glancing back, Applejack called out to the unicorn, “Could you press that button on the wall?”

Surprised that Applejack had sensed her, Sunset was careful to lean her head in to find said request. An intercom with a big red button sat on the wall just above the light switch, multicolored pink wallpaper all around. Sunset stepped in, pressed the button, and waited for a moment. A screeching let out from the blackness of the speaker, followed by a voice. “Right away,” it said, and Sunset stood perplexed.

The room was large but there was a reason for it. In the furthest corner sat a tub big enough to hold five ponies at once, and in another corner were hair dryers, massage cots, and a lovely tan shelf full of rolled up towels. Closer to the door was a full body mirror next to a set of sinks, and across from that was a white two-piece divider. “Come on in,” the beautiful mare called as she disappeared behind the divider, pulling it together. Her shadow was visible from Sunset’s side, however, and Sunset watched the silhouette for a moment before realizing the earth pony was changing. Her eyes twisted to the mirror only to see the silhouette once again. In a last-ditch effort, she turned to face the door and was startled by a pale mare dressed in a black suit.

“Wabuhlah!” was the sound that echoed vibrantly from Sunset’s lips just before she toppled backwards, landing firmly on her side. “A-A-Applejack!” she yelled, staring at the sunken eyes hidden behind the red-rimmed glasses.

Coming out from the divider, Applejack had tossed on a beige robe. “Don’t be frightened now, that’s just Raven. She’s my main assistant here in Canterlot,” she explained and then turned to the mare in the doorway. “Be a delight and call for a masseuse. The unobtrusive one.”

The dark-haired mare nodded, disappearing as quickly as she appeared.

“A masseuse?” Sunset said, exhaling heavily as she rose from the white tiled floor. “I never thought of you as one to enjoy spa days.”

“Oh, it was quite an adjustment coming from my good ol’ country roots, but being such a celebrity has come with added stress. A good relaxing dip in the spa and a massage relaxes the body and the mind. Like I always say, being pony, having your health, that’s the most important thing.” Applejack strode back across the room to the white porcelain tub, taking a moment to release a knob and pour hot water into the bath. Gushing from the faucet, steam and spray rose from the indentation in the tub. “Come on, the water’s just getting warm!”

Sunset didn’t dare deny the earth pony anything. Taking a moment to close the bathroom door, Sunset found that Applejack already dipped herself in, her golden silky hair strung along the rim of the tub like a curtain of ambrosia. The warm smell enticed Sunset with each passing second. She crossed the room, glancing the innards of the half-full tub. “Better take my watch off,” she casually said, levitating it over to the towel shelf. With about as much grace as a boulder being slung across a lake, Sunset climbed in and felt the glowing warmth seethe up her legs. Goosebumps rose, sending hairs shooting up her shoulders and back. The tub was deeper than it appeared. Once she sat down, she found that it was already up to her neck.

Slamming the knob to the side, Applejack turned the water off, letting the steam fill the air. Minutes passed but the water didn’t cool. “Though I sometimes hate to admit it, this sure beats sitting in a cold bucket of water out on the farm,” the earth mare mentioned, her eyes were closed and her head tilted. The robe she had been wearing made for an excellent pillow along the rim.

“Thank you for being so accommodating. We barely know each other, well, you know me barely to be more accurate. I’ve had plenty of experiences with you—this one is the best so far, by the way. Last two I crawled through jungles and caves.”

“We’re going to be the best of friends, Sunset, that’s the honest truth. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re well taken care of. Nightmare Moon’s got you all cornered up in the castle, keeping you to herself. It ain’t right. It’s for your safety, though, there’re some real lunatics out there that would likely run you out of town if you didn’t see eye to eye with ‘em.”

“I’ve met a few of the zealots, yes. Though I wouldn’t say Nightmare Moon is perfectly sane either.”

“What do you mean?” the earth pony asked.

A knock interrupted Sunset before she could explain the previous night. Two ponies who Sunset did not recognize entered the humid room, their plaid outfits and bunched up manes made her look twice. “Hello, Miss Applejack! You’ve got a friend tonight? Wonderful. Wonderful!” A pale pewter-colored stallion with blonde hair led a mare of green fur and autumn hair into the room, the door closing behind them. Both their sleeves were rolled up as they came closer. “Oh my, what a fetching little prize you have, Miss Applejack. If you were not you, I might have had to switch with Berrice here.” The stallion extended a hoof to Sunset.

“Hello, my name’s Sunset Shimmer,” the unicorn greeted, a sloppy wet shake of her hoof.

“You may simply call me Charmer, though I am quite charmed with your beauty.”

“Oh stop it,” commanded Applejack. “You say that to every mare.” She gave a wink to Sunset and said, “I would know, I’ve heard it about a million times.”

‘Charmer’ croaked, holding a hoof to his chest. “You wound me, Miss Applejack! I shall make you scream in delight in front of your friend!” He tapped the rim of the tub, making the water reverberate.

“I’m out first,” she said to Sunset with a wink. Wrapping her robe around her as she stood, Applejack shook her hooves onto a wooly floor mat and ambled over to the cushy cots. The mare named Berrice stood silently beside the tub, a smile on her lips, while Charmer helped Applejack up onto the low cushiony table, flexing his petite forelegs before massaging the earth pony’s neck. “Ohhh, yah. C’mon Sunset, a steamy rinse just before a magnificent kneading really helps relieve that tension. It’ll help you think better, too,” Applejack claimed, her left cheek and chin bunched up against the towel pillow.

The warmth of the water was too perfect that Sunset didn’t want out. It reminded her of the gel that had engulfed her body in the last world, trapped inside a cocoon. The main difference being, this trapped her in a moment of self-indulgence. Berrice was standing on the outside of the tub, staring down at Sunset, and Sunset couldn’t help but feel awkward. With a sigh of delight, Sunset put both forelegs on the rim and crawled out, feeling the warm air pressing down on her fur, giving a tingly sensation. It felt good, but was overshadowed as the other mare wrapped Sunset in a robe. She hadn’t even seen where Berrice got it from, but the cozy touch of the wooly bathroom coat felt so nice that she didn’t care.

After sliding onto the massage cot and feeling the soft hooves of Berrice on her back, Sunset exhaled heavy breaths, feeling herself become lighter. She could hear the little gasps of Applejack next to her as she closed her eyes. She didn’t want to speak; to ruin the moment. Berrice was performing pure bliss on her rough shoulders, the same ones that had become tight and constricted from the unnatural shape of her bipedal backpack. Sunset hadn’t expected the light hooves to feel so good around the ball of her shoulder, pressing it into the socket as if it were a hitch wrench.

“So, who’s your friend, Miss Applejack?” Sunset heard Charmer say, but it sounded like he was on the other side of the large house.

“A mare from another world,” the apple pony answered, and both the masseuses stopped.

The world reformed in front of Sunset’s eyes as she opened them, surprised by the sudden stop. She could see the divider, the mirror, the door, and then turned her head to see the flicked up brow of Charmer staring at Berrice. His eyes moved to Sunset and he shook his head, closing his gaping mouth and smiling. “Then we must perform admirably if we’re going to start getting new customers from another world!” Charmer dug his hooves into Applejack’s robe and the earth pony lifted her head to gasp, but nothing more than a rasp came out.

“I’ll be the only one,” Sunset said, continuing Charmer’s offhanded comment. “Nopony else will be able to follow me through the portal.”

She could see the stallion furrow his brows as he moved around, putting his back to Sunset. “Sunset here is helping the princess shore up our defenses. Apparently, I’m one of the Elements of Harmony, a bearer,” Applejack told the masseuse.

“She is not just a friend to you Miss Applejack, but to the princess too? Oh, Berrice, you are the lucky one tonight!” Charmer exclaimed. The mare named Berrice said nothing, going about her meticulous work.

No, I’m definitely the lucky one, Sunset thought as she sighed a pleasant sigh.

“How you holding up, Sunset?” Applejack asked, her face smudged against the cot.

“Wonderful,” Sunset breathed.

“Just remember, so long as you stick with me, you’ll have a pleasant time while you’re here. I’ll make certain of it.”

“Hey, if you could get me into see Celestia, I’d appreciate it,” Sunset absentmindedly joked.

Silence. Other than a few drips from the faucet, the room stopped. When Sunset opened her eyes, she didn’t know what to expect. Celestia wasn’t a name to be said around most ponies, but Applejack wasn’t most ponies. Still, the two masseuses held their tongues. Charmer had become the quietest he’d been since he arrived with Berrice, who also, somehow, got even more quiet. When she saw Applejack face down into her pillow, Sunset almost assumed she had not heard the remark while the other two did. That was when the earth pony clapped her hooves together above her head.

The movements of the two masseuse ponies were fast, quickly returning to their places beside the cots. When Berrice placed her hooves on Sunset again, Sunset could feel the trembling of the silent mare. “Celestia, huh?” Sunset heard Applejack muffledly say through the pillow towel. “You want a visit with her?”

“Y-yeah,” was all Sunset answered. She hadn’t become worried until she felt the wincing of Berrice’s hooves every time Applejack spoke. The massage changed from working with dough to playing with clay, a sense of hostility in the air.

“Why?” the earth pony asked.

“She might know of a way to bring out the Elements of Harmony. She was one of the two who originally used them, after all.” Sunset hoped her honesty would relieve the anxiety of the two masseuses, but Charmer said nothing. In her peripherals, she could see the sweat slogging on the stallion’s face.

The orange mare rose her golden head, a smile on her lips. “That’ll be all for tonight, Charmer.”

“It’s been a pleasure,” Charmer gave a breathy reply, taking his leave with Berrice without another word.

When the door closed and the room grew silent, Applejack said, “I could arrange a visit, perhaps, yes. The princess would listen to my request, and she is not above reason.” She rose from her cot, stretching out the relieved muscles before trotting around to the bath and uncorking the stopper. The sounds of a draining whirlpool echoed out as she asked, “If I helped in that regard, could you do something for me?”

Sunset rolled to her side, kicking her back legs off the cot. She pushed the lapel of the robe to her mouth, wiping the drool off. “Of course. Anything. What are friends for, after all?”

The orange earth mare sat on the side of the tub, her golden hair melting and forming beautiful shapes against the beige robe. The massage had made her glow. The smile on her face suddenly lurched forward as she leaned and whispered a question to Sunset. Her question surprised the unicorn, an odd thing to hear. “Do you think you can ask her that?” Applejack asked. “Can you keep it a secret from Nightmare Moon?”

“Of course.” Sunset did her best to try and sound confident, but the question rambled in her brain. Why would she want to know that?

“That’s mighty fine to hear!” Applejack slapped Sunset’s shoulder and crossed the room to the divider. While she removed her robe and changed, she yelled, “I’ll talk to the princess and set up a time for tomorrow, if that’s not too soon for you.”

“No. That’s fine,” replied Sunset as she shrugged off the robe, tossing it onto her cot. She trotted toward the door just as Applejack’s silhouette flooded out, her wardrobe returned to what it was when Sunset arrived. The humid air of the steamy bathroom made the golden strands come alive against her colorful blouse.

Applejack led Sunset back to the foyer, passing underneath the large staircase. “I best get to it then,” the earth pony said and then called for her assistant. The dark-haired mare came trotting down the stairs, as stern a walk as Sunset had seen from anypony else. “Raven, dear, please escort Sunset back to the castle for me. And would you notify Nightmare Moon that I request her audience as well?”

A nod as firm as her walk was all the assistant replied with, taking charge of guiding Sunset to the front door and out onto the patio. “Remember now, Sunset. If you need anything, you can always come to me!”

“Thank you again, Applejack, for everything. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other until I get you your Element.” Sunset wasn’t surprised when the earth pony came in for a hug. Feeling the golden mane against her cheek, Sunset understood why Nightmare Moon valued Applejack so highly. She might be the nicest pony in this world. When they pulled apart and Sunset turned to leave, she realized she’d forgotten something important. “My watch!” she shouted, clasping a hoof down on her left foreleg.

When she turned back, she saw Applejack holding the burnt orange watch in her hoof. With a grin and a wink, Applejack said, “Don’tchu worry. I’ve got it. What are friends for?”

Comments

[TheTimeSword]

8578065
Thank you!

[Eddy13]

I wonder what Applejack's question was. Guess we'll find out in the next chapter.

Very interesting that you managed to get this one out so quick.

[sporklasagna]

This chapter turned a little... weird

[Csquared08]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Crashriot39]

🤔

[Tillion]

The pretty earth pony smiled at the sight of Sunset.

“Come on in,” the beautiful mare called as she disappeared behind the divider, pulling it together. Her shadow was visible from Sunset’s side, however, and Sunset watched the silhouette for a moment before realizing the earth pony was changing. Her eyes twisted to the mirror only to see the silhouette once again.

Sunset didn’t dare deny the earth pony anything. Taking a moment to close the bathroom door, Sunset found that Applejack already dipped herself in, her golden silky hair strung along the rim of the tub like a curtain of ambrosia.

The orange earth mare sat on the side of the tub, her golden hair melting and forming beautiful shapes against the beige robe. The massage had made her glow.

The humid air of the steamy bathroom made the golden strands come alive against her colorful blouse.

the Applejack bits are by far the most descriptive of the characters, and focus quite a bit on beauty
methinks Sunny is having a bit of a time holding in her gay

[Silvered Ink]

10400253
I'm loving every second of it