The Magnificent Six

by Paradise Oasis

Fifth Lesson- Truth and Consequences

Fifth Lesson- Truth and Consequences

"Ok AJ, right hoof on green. Be careful not to knock Firefly over!"

"I'm tryin', Poesy. But Glory won't get her flank offa my tail."

"Ah'd love ta, AJ, but I cain't move until Fiahfly gets her flank out of my-"

"Awwww, nuts! I'm sorry Glory, but I can't move at all!"

"Why did we decide ta play twister again, exactly?"

It was at that point, that a wailing unicorn barreled into the room, zooming past the tangled up ponies on the multicolored mat.

"What in the world?" Applejack called out, as the three startled fillies collapsed to the floor in a heap. "Aahhhhhh!"

"Get off of me, you morons," Firefly grumbled, the weight of two collapsed ponies on her back. "Horsemaster, you two need ta lay off the midnight snacks!"

Poesy, who had been manning the spinner, trotted over to the weeping unicorn as the other three tried to untangle themselves.

"Twilight, are you okay?" The concerned little earth filly asked, putting a hoof on her crying friend. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Surprise... Surprise ruined my grandma's dress!" Twilight wailed, tears streaming out of her bloodshot eyes. Over the next few minutes, the three friends got the whole story out of the blubbering unicorn filly. The three fillies faces darkened with anger at every word Twilight spoke.

"Why that little lunatic, how dare she?" Firefly snorted, steam coming out of her nostrils. "I'm gonna kick some horse sense inta her!"

"Leave some fah me, Fiafly," Glory growled, fire flashing from her eyes and horn. "Ah'll be moah than happy tah teach her a lesson, as wail."

"I-I thought it was Tornado, coming to sweep me off my hooves." Twilight sobbed, bury her face in the pillow. "I was so stupid to believe my wishes could come true."

"Oh no, Twilight! You can't stop believing in fairy tales and wishes." Poesy replied soothingly, standing over the sad unicorn and running her hoof though her mane. "You can't stop believing in wishes, wishes and hope are your life."

"Girls, I want you two to stay here, and help Poesy comfort Twilight." Applejack told Firefly and Glory, staring over at her weeping friend. "We need to keep this from getting back to Tornado and the other colts, until this whole thing is settled."

"What about you, AJ?" Firefly asked. "You gonna go and deal with Surprise?"

The orange earth mare nodded. "Don't worry girls, I'll fix that little nutball's wagon."

...

"Twilight, wait!" Surprise called after her, zooming back towards the room as fast as her wings could carry her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

The Pegasus was cut off, as she heard the sound of bitter sobbing coming from inside the room. Standing at the door, an angry Applejack glared at the white Pegasus, scowling.

"Hey AJ, is Twilight all right?" The white pony asked, coming to a screeching halt in front of the other pony. "I thought she might've come back here."

"Just what the hell did you think you were doing?" Applejack yelled, so angry that she had used a human curse word. "Did you actually think it would be funny to ruin a cherished treasure of Twilight's. To trick her into believing the colt she likes had invited her out? What in the Horsemaster's name were you thinking?"

"Aww c'mon, AJ." Surprise laughed nervously, stunned that her friend was so angry. "It was just a harmless prank."

"It wasn't just harmless prank, you bucking psycho!" The orange earth mare yelled. "You destroyed a dress her dead grandma gave her! You hurt your friend's feelings and laughed about it. I can't believe I defended you to the others. I cannot believe I stood up for you when every other pony around me was calling you a demented little freak!"

"What? I had no idea that dress was so special!" Surprise protested. "Applejack, you have to believe me. I didn't mean to hurt her! I thought she'd find it funny, too!"

"You think other ponies find it funny when you put a mouse trap in their bed, or put itching powder in their bubble bath?" Applejack seemed to tower over the cringing Pegasus. "Everybody knows Fizzy is a blathering idiot, but you've got no such excuse. The element of laughter should have known better!"

"So I play some pranks that upset some ponies, so what?" The white filly whinnied, trying to defend herself. "Pinkie Pie played jokes on other ponies, too. And they all laughed right along with her!"

"Your ancestor knew where to draw the line. She never played a practical joke she thought might hurt somebody else's feelings!" The orange mare snorted. "Pinkie Pie's antics made people laugh, but all your tricks do is make everybody cry!"

"Oh yeah? Well, how are you such an expert on Pinkie Pie, huh?" Surprise snapped back, spreading her wings angrily. "How come you think you know more about her than her own family does?"

Applejack stared at the white Pegasus before her for several minutes, an uncertain look on her face. "Are- are you sure you really want ta know?"

"Yeah, honestly." Surprise snorted sarcastically, stamping her hoof. "I'd really love ta know why you have the right ta tell me off."

After quickly glancing around the hallway to make sure they were alone, Applejack turned away and closed her eyes. Pulling herself up slightly taller, the mare took a breath, and cleared her throat. Turning back to face the other pony, She began to speak in a gruff voice that had not been uttered aloud in over nine hundred years.

"The reason ah'm qualified ta tell ya'll about Pinkie Pie, sugar cube, is because ah knew her mahself." AJ looked the stunned Surprise straight in the eye. "The truth is Suhpraise... Ah was the original Applejack."

As her friend uttered these words, the Pegasus prankster's eyes suddenly went wide. She just stood there, staring at the earth pony mare for several minutes, before suddenly collapsing backwards in a fit of hysterical laughter.

"You? Honest Applejack? And they say I'm the prankster!" Tears rolled down the Pegasus's face. "That's a good one, AJ. You almost had me going there for a second."

"Still, it would be a mean trick to play on you, now wouldn't it?" The orange earth mare coughed, her throat hurting from a voice it was unaccustomed to using. "Just like destroying a precious keepsake of Twilight's, was a very cruel thing to do to her."

"Yeah, you're right AJ. That was a really really mean thing I did." Surprise replied sadly, her ears drooping. "I hurt my friend 's feelings, and I don't think she'll ever forgive me."

"Now, don't worry yourself none, sugar cube." AJ replied, making her voice go clear again. "Ah reckon ya'll' will figure somethin' out."

"Wow, you do that too well, AJ." Surprise giggled, happy that her earth pony friend was trying to cheer her up. "C'mon, lets go back to the room now. I've got an apology to make."

"You go ahead on back without me, kid." Applejack replied, trotting on down the corridor. "I've got some business to take care of downstairs."

The white Pegasus nodded, and flew on down the hallway back towards the room. Trotting on down the spiral staircase to the palace's first floor, the orange earth mare walked back towards the grand galley, a narrow chamber with gold-painted walls . Entering the 'hall of the Harmony Bearers' trophy gallery, Applejack looked up at all of the ancient relics in the glass cases.

It's remarkable how well magic has persevered some of this junk. She thought to herself, trotting by Pinkie Pie's party cannon, and Rarity's spectacles. As she walked by a case with six elegant pony gowns on display, AJ hummed 'at the gala' under her breath. Trotting past the carved likenesses of the six harmony bearer's pets, the old mare averted her gaze from the small life like statue of the collie at the end of the display case.

Amazing that all of the clans donated all the Harmony Bearer stuff to be displayed here. Applejack thought to herself with a chuckle. But as she approached an orange cased labeled honesty, the earth pony noticed a very familiar item tucked in between an old lasso, and a hair ribbon that once belonged to a long-gone little sister. Stopping dead in her tracks, Applejack stared an old, dirty cowpony hat that had not been worn in centuries. Staring at her reflection underneath the hat, it almost looked to the old mare as if she were actually wearing it.

I told her the absolute truth, and she didn't even believe me. AJ thought with a smile. I guess honesty really is the best policy.

Hearing the sound of hoofsteps in the corridor, Applejack turned away from the glass case. She noticed that one of the unicorn servants had come trotting in, levitating the pink crown Twilight had been wearing when she had left the room earlier.

"Excuse me, sir?" She called out to him, as he was about to place it in the Twilight Sparkle case. "But that tiara belongs to one of the Harmony Bearer candidates."

"Really, I found it out near the fountain. I thought someone had taken it out of one of the displays. Terribly sorry." He levitated the tiara down to her, and AJ took it in her mouth. "Normally, I wouldn't believe some strange filly who just trotted in here," He gestured up to a portrait of the original Applejack on the wall. "But I've worked in this gallery my whole life, and you look just like, her."

"Mister, you have no idea." AJ snorted, trotting out of the hallway with the crown.

...

Deep within the volcano of Gloom, Hydia and the other witches and warlocks stood around a large cauldron, chanting incantations and curses so ancient that no living pony knew what they meant. With worked long into the night, pouring all sorts of noxious brews and powders into the cauldron, turning the swirling liquid inside a myriad of colors. As they wove their evil magic, tendrils of shadowy energy slithered out of the cauldron, and wove around the stolen Solar Chariot, infusing it with the order of gloom's hatred and malice.

"What the hay are they doing to Celestia's chariot?" Lucky asked, as he and his companion looked on from outside the witch's circle.

"Corrupting it with their dark magic," The apple cross goblin whispered back, as the chariot's color changed from it's bright golden hue to a dark purple. "infusing a curse into the vehicle that will affect all whom the chariot passes over."

"But for what purpose?" Lucky demanded, letting his voice raising slightly in his annoyance. "You saw the way all those colts we kidnapped for then were drained to power this spell. What magic could possibly require that much power?"

"This kind of spell, you impudent worm!" Hydia hissed pointing her enchanted ladle at the mouthy pony. "You've served your purpose. Now be silent, like a good little best of burden!"

"What are you- urk!" Lucky's eyes suddenly bulged out, and his hooves went to his throat as he began to choke. As his goblin companion watched in horror, the earth colt's body began to change. His hooves became stiffer, and his eyes slowly moved around to the sides of his head. "You stupid witch, what did to do- neigh! Neeeeiiggghhhh!"

The goblin moved to restrain the kicking and bucking equine, as two of the witch's servants moved to put a bridle and bit into much longer face, "Lady Hydia, w-what did you do to him?"

"Why, turned him into a normal pony, of course." The old witch cackled. "This magic returns the ponies it strikes into the stupid animals they were always meant to be."

"And you infused this spell into the chariot." The Apple Cross goblin smiled, realizing what the witch's plan was. "Once this chariot passes over all of Ponyland..."

"...every one of those stupid, friendship loving ponies will be reduced to a mindless beast!" The old hag cackled. "They'll all be reduced to helpless slaves, and Dream Valley will be ours for the taking!"

Comments

[xXQw3rtyXx]

FAWWK

2 MUCH WERDS!!

This'll take a couple of days.

[Fluttermac36]

Applejack is IMMORTAL!

[nodamnbrakes]

this story needs more reviews because it's better than mine
and that's saying something because i am an amazing and near perfect writer
so i am going to put it up at the top of the next solitary locust chapter
and tell people to read and review it

[Tovan]

2319154
If you read "Twilight Then, Twilight Now", you'll know more about how she gained and lost it.

[Fluttershy24]

Poor Twilight
This was a really good chapter, keep it up!

[PinkiePieCupCakeSlayer]

Like we didn't already know the deal with AJ

[punzil504]

2420270

I was hoping that "AJ" was really Pinkie Pie. That would have been a twist.

[Leave a Whisper]

lucky deserved it. he helped them kill babies. poor twilight