Chapter 10: Applejack and the Unwanted Farmhoof
Rebel Against the Night
By
CrossoverManiac
Code Geass is owned by Sunrise, Inc. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and created by Lauren Faust. This is a fan-based work not intended for commercial purposes. Character thoughts are in italics.
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Chapter 10: Applejack and the Unwanted Farmhoof
Two weeks ago
Everything happened so fast. One moment, Suzaku was pushing the Emperor out of the tempest that threatened to suck him into the vortex only to be drawn into it himself, and in the next, he was inside the ruins of what was once a castle. The stone pillars were being eaten away by time. Its teeth left huge cracks along the surface and chucks torn off by an eon of neglect. Spider webs blanketed much of the chamber. Suzaku turned around and saw a stage and a window that stretched to the top of the four-story tall ceiling behind it. Between him and the stage were fragments of two shattered statues. He could tell from the two piles of rumble that the statues were once a mare and a colt.
“Is anyone here?” Suzaku called out. The only reply was a faint echo. “Your majesty! Rolo! Sir Anya! Anyone!” Still, the only answer was the echo of his voice.
A stairway lining the exterior wall of the castle zigzagged downward to the ground below where other dilapidated buildings were left to crumble. A path leading to a suspension bridge ran across a gorge with a trail on the other side. Immediately, Suzaku knew this couldn’t be a part of the ruins of Kamine Island. In fact, this wasn’t Kamine Island at all. There was no way he could have overlooked that massive chasm. The species of flora belonged in a woodland forest, not a tropical island. Suzaku stared at the trail for a moment and then back at his surroundings. His only hope to find civilization was to travel down the path laid before him. Unbeknownst to Suzaku, the stone fragments of the mare and colt were changing form from hard granite to flesh and fur.
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“Hello,” said the stallion, “my name is Suzaku.”
“Cover ya mouth before ya git somepony sick,” Applejack said while cuffing her face.
“He warnt sneezin’ sis,” said Big McIntosh. “That’s his name.” He then said to Suzaku, “this here is mah other younger sister.”
“So you’re Applejack,” Suzaku said as he extended a hoof to her. “Big McIntosh told me all about you.”
Applejack glared at Suzaku with a raised brow. “Oh he did, did he?” She then glared at her brother who then took a step back. “Well, I don’t appreciate’em talkin’ ta strange ponies ‘bout me.”
“He didn’t tell any intimate details, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”
“But ya said he told ya ever’thing.”
Suzaku looked away and scratched his head nervously. “Maybe I exaggerat...”
“And wut sorta high-falootin pony name is Sooh-zah-koo?!?”
“Sis, quit bein rude ta the farm hoof. He came here ta work not ta git the third degree.”
“And why do we have a farm hoof anyhows?!?” Applejack stared down her elder brother.
“That was Granny Smith’s idea.”
“You mean our Granny Smith-the very Granny Smith that taught us ta stand on our own four hooves?”
“Eeyup.”
“We’ll see ‘bout that!” Applejack galloped back to the house. Granny Smith, who was taking an afternoon nap on the couch, was stirred from her sleep when Applejack slammed the door.
“Applebloom, how many times do I hafta tell ya not ta make a ruckus inside,” Granny Smith yelled. To her shock, the pony causing the racket wasn’t her youngest granddaughter, but rather, her older sister. “Applejack! Ya too old for that nonsense!”
“Granny Smith, Imma sorry for wakin’ ya, but I needa talk ta ya about that there farm hoof.”
“He ain’t goofin off on the job he is?” Granny Smith crept to the window as fast as her worn legs could move and took a peep outside. At the far corner of Sweet Apple Acres was Suzaku bucking apples. “How come yer lyin’ bout Suzaku goofin’ off?”
“I didn’t say he was, Granny Smith.”
“Then don’t wake me up from mah nap!” Granny Smith slowly crept back to the couch.
“Granny Smith, ya taught us the Apple family didn’t need no help from anypony.”
“Did ya learn that from me, Applejack?”
“Yes ma’am, I did.”
“Well unlearn it!” With that, Granny Smith laid back on the couch.
Applejack was about to tap Granny Smith on the shoulder when her elder brother walked in. “There’s no need ta be disturbin’ Granny Smith again. I can explain ever’thing, sis.”
“Well, please do, Big McIntosh,” Applejack said condescendingly.
“Not here. I don’t wanna git Granny all riled up.” Big McIntosh gestured to Applejack to follow him outside.
“Yer darn tootin’ y’all don’t,” said Granny Smith in a groggy voice. The two Apple siblings took that as a not-so-subtle hint to hold their conversation outside. The two siblings went to the barn to finish their discussion concerning the hired help.
“Now, how ‘bout that there explanation.” Applejack demanded.
“Bout two weeks ago, there were these weird lights in the sky o’er Canterlot. Our cows got all spooked and ran off. I tried talkin’em into comin’ back, but they just plume refused. Said they wanted ta move south where they’d feel safer. We had all that there grazin’ land but no cows wanted ta eat our grass. And no cows means no milk ta sell on the market. So, Granny Smith decided ta plant more apples trees and ta double up on the apple cider next year to make up for the loss income.”
“And what does all that has to do with him?” Applejack pointed to Suzaku who then waved back at them.
“I hafta plant the new trees and that won’t leave me any time ta help ya apple buck.”
“Ya mean for me ta work with that sneezy pony.”
“Eeyup.”
“Nope!” Applejack mocked. “I’ll do it mahself.”
“Like ya did teh last time.” Big McIntosh reminded Applejack of her disastrous attempt to do all of the farm work all by herself.
“Tat’s different. I was caught unprepared.”
“Well Suzaku’s here ta make sure that don’t happen anymore.”
“Well what makes ya so sure Sneezy can do the work?”
“I’ve seen’em with my own eyes and he’s a good worker, and his name’s Suzaku.”
“We’ll see ‘bout that.” Applejack galloped over to Suzaku.
Big McIntosh just shook his head and followed. “Whadda ya up ta now?”
“Hey!” Applejack called out to Suzaku. “I wanna talk ta ya.”
Suzaku stopped in the middle of his apple bucking. “Sure, what is it?”
“Before anypony works at Sweet Apple Acres, he’s gotta know his stuff. We have a little test that ever’pony dat ever worked on our farm has ta go thru to prove if they’re ready ta go apple buckin’.”
“Where are we going, Applejack?”
“Imma takin’ ya ta meet Big Bertha.”
“Sis, not that.” Big McIntosh objected.
“Anypony workin’ our farm has ta be up to the task.” Applejack led Suzaku to a twisted old apple tree. Its truck was as least three times as thick as any of the other trees in the orchid and was covered in hard knots.
“This here’s Big Bertha. She’s the first apple tree that our family planted, and as ya kin see, she didn’t quite come out so well. I figure a grown pony like yerself oughta be able ta knock the apples offa Big Berta in three bucks. Me ‘n Big McIntosh can buck Big Bertha in two bucks, but Idda lit ya do it in three. I ain’t askin’ anymore from ya than I would ask from any of mah kin. Now, if ya ain’t feelin’ up to it,” Applejack grinned, “I’d understand.”
“I think I can handle it,” said Suzaku. He turned around and bucked Big Bertha, but the only thing to fall from the tree was a few leaves that gently floated down. Suzaku bucked the tree again but with the same disappointing results as before.
“That’s two bucks,” Applejack said with glee. “Ya git one more.”
“That ain’t fair and ya know it!” Big McIntosh said in a raised voice.
“I told’em he had ta give Big Bertha three good licks.”
“Suzaku didn’t know how hard it is to buck apples offa Big Bertha.”
“Well, he oughta know if he’s a fixin’ work here as a farm hoof.”
“It’s alright, Big McIntosh,” said Suzaku. “If that’s what it takes to gain Applejack’s trust...” Suzaku trotted off and gave himself a running head start.
“Ya gonna needa go furthur than that if yer tryin’ to buck Big Bertha in one shot,” Applejack gloated. “Tho’ it’s only fair to warn ya even Big McIntosh...”
All Applejack could see was a blur as Suzaku zipped past her. He then leaped to the very top of Big Bertha’s trunk, spun around in mid-air, and landed a rear hoof at the top of Big Bertha’s trunk. The momentum catapulted Suzaku another ten feet into the air. He did several backflips on the way down before landing gracefully on all four legs. The whiplash from Suzaku’s kick jolted the branches violently causing all of Big Bertha’s apples to fall to the ground. Both Big McIntosh and Applejack stared slack-jawed.
“I hope this settles any doubts you may have concerning my abilities to...” Suzaku was saying before Applejack stormed off in the other direction. “Is there something wrong?”
“Not at t’all,” Applejack grunted. “Ya wun fair ‘n square. Now if ya excuse me, I got mah own chores that needs tendin’ to.”
“I...won?!? What is she talking about?” Suzaku asked.
“Don’t pay her no mind,” said Big McIntosh. “She just got herself a batcha sour apples.”
“Should I work overtime before the rest of the harvest goes bad?”
“I warnt bein’ literal, Suzaku.”
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“...and then Sneezy did sum fancy smancy city slicker apple buckin’ that even I haven’t laid eyes on.” Applejack spent part of the afternoon at the Ponyville Library voicing her frustration at the attentive ears of Twilight Sparkle.
“I didn’t know ‘city slickers’ bucked apples let alone had some fancy way of doing it,” said a skeptical Twilight Sparkle.
“Very funny, Twi. All I knows is dat there new pony put the grasshoppers ta shame and nailed Big Bertha in teh right spot and showed me up.”
“Didn’t you learned your lesson about being too proud to ask for help?”
“Twi, it ain’t the same. I’d come ta ya in a heartbeat for help, but that’s ‘cause I consider ya part of our family. But Sneezy- he ain’t no kin ta me either by blood or by friendship. I couldn’t believe mah ears when Big McIntosh told me we’d let a strange pony on our farm doin’ our work for us.”
“I’m shocked you’d feel that way about the pony that saved your little sister’s life.”
“What in tarnation are ya talkin’ about, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Big McIntosh didn’t tell you?!? Suzaku saved Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.”
“Are ya sayin’ Applebloom and her lit’friends were doin’ sum’thum cutie mark crusader related and got themselves in trouble and Sneezy had ta save’em?”
“I don’t know the whole story. You have to ask Applebloom about that and don’t you think it’s a little rude to call the pony that saved your little sister ‘Sneezy’?”
Applejack looked down and sighed. “Yeah, I know it’s kinda rude of me, but this smell fishier than a barrel fulla Fluttershy’s ferret treats. Why wont’cha trush mah judgment.”
“Because you won’t give Suzaku a chance,” Twilight argued. Applejack rolled her eyes and moaned. “Before you write Suzaku off, just wait here until Cheerilee dismisses class and talk to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I’m sure Suzaku won’t seem so suspicious if you heard their side of the story.”
“Well don’t have yer heart set on that happenin’. It’ll take alotta convincin’ before I trust sum strange pony.”
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“Class dismissed. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow,” said Cheerilee. The room was alive with the sounds of hooves clopping against the wooden floor as little colts and fillies rushed out the door except for three blank flank fillies. Cheerilee bit into three folders and began placing them on their desk when there was a knock at the door.
“Who is it?” Cheerilee asked.
“It’s jist me, Ms. Cheerilee,” said Applejack.
“Oh hi, sis,” said Applebloom said nervously while looking away. “Ya back from yer trip ta Peach Melba’s already?”
“Yeah,” said Applejack. “Mind me talkin’ ta mah little sis for a bit,” she said to Cheerilee.
“Is it about their detention?” Cheerilee asked. “I gave them two weeks for wandering into the Everfree Forest.”
Applejack face-hoofed. “Let me guess: y’all were lookin’ ta git yer cutie mark.”
Applebloom looked down. “Yes Big Sis, but Granny Smith gave me a hoofin on my flank for it already,” said Applebloom. “So please don’t punish me no more.”
“Don’t fret o’er it, Applebloom. Tat’s all water under the bridge. I was just wonderin’ ‘bout that new farm hoof Granny Smith hired.”
“Oh you mean Suzaku?”
“Yeah, I mean him. Twi was just tellin' me that y’all were in a whole mess of trouble and he hadda rescue y’all.”
“We done got our punishment for bein’ out in the Everfree Forest, Sis. Please don’t go addin’ to it.”
“I done told ya it’s all in the past. I just wanna know the whole story about how y’all met Soo-sah-koo. That’s all.”
“Well, it started when Cheerilee let us outta class earlier on account of it bein’ a teacher work day, though I was reckonin’ ever’day we had school was a teacher’s work day.”
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Flashback
“Why do we have to go to the Everfree Forest to be Cutie Mark Trailblazers?” Sweetie Belle cried. She, Applebloom, and Scootaloo trekked through the dense, heavily shaded Everfree Forest. “Rarity will kill me if she finds out.”
“I already told ya why,” said Applebloom. “We can’t be trailblazers if we jist go where sumpony else has already been.”
“This is so boring,” said Scootaloo. “If we did like I suggested, we would have our cutie marks by now.”
“Quit talkin’ like Rainbow Dash is the Cutie Mark Fairy.”
“I didn’t say she was, stupid.” Scootaloo got in Applebloom’s face. Appleboom wouldn’t back down and pressed her face against Scootaloo’s.
“Then don’t talk like she is.”
“Applebloom!” Sweetie Belle said while tapping her on the side.
“Butt out, Sweetie Belle.”
“Timber wolves!”
“Wha?!?”
“Shhh! Just listen.” Applebloom and Scootaloo kept an ear open. The once faint howling was growing in intensity.
“You told us timber wolves don’t come this close to Ponyville except during Zap Apple Season,” said Scootaloo.
Then something with a light-brown, almost gold-colored fur covered in rags flashed out of the corner of Sweetie Belle’s eye. “I saw something, but I think it’s somepony.” Sweetie Belle pointed to the spot where the thing crossed the trail. Then, one by one, a pack of timber wolves ran by. All three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders gasped in terror.
“Maybe we oughta skedaddle back ta Ponyville,” said Applebloom. It was then the last timber wolf in the pack stopped and glanced back at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Its eyes glowed red as its tongue scraped across its wooden fangs. It then tilted its head and howled. The rustling of foliage was growing louder as the rest of the timber wolf pack doubled back.
“Get the hay out of here!” Scootaloo yelled. She began running back to Ponyville. “What are you waiting for? RUN!” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle snapped out of their shock-induced haze and ran for dear life with Scootaloo taking the lead and Sweetie Belle trailing behind the others.
The timber wolf that spotted the three fillies got into a sprinting stance and waited until the rest of the pack to arrive. All it took was a silent cue to signal the others that easier prey was in the direction that he had fixed his gaze upon. The pack began their pursuit.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders ran as fast as their short, stubby legs could move, but it was only delaying the inevitable. The timber wolves were closing the distance and would soon overtake the three.
“We’re goin’ die! We’re goin’ die! We’re goin’ die!” Applebloom cried.
Just the lead timber wolf was about take a bite out of Sweetie Belle, something tackled it. The Cutie Mark Crusaders stopped and saw a stallion with a gold coat of fur, a messy brown mane, and a scraggly old cloak. He was staring down the lead timber wolf, which was the biggest wolf in the pack. The lead timber wolf growled and snapped at the stallion, but this pony wouldn’t back down even though his opponent was twice his size. Then the timber wolf lunged at the stallion who, in one fluid motion, did an about face and back-kicked the timber wolf. The crunching sound of wood was from the crack that ran from the top of its head down to the base of its skull. Two of the braver timber wolves jumped in to save their pack leader. The stallion leaped out of the way and, while still in mid-air, stomped the two timber wolves snapping their spines. Another one leaped from a nearby rock attempting to pounce on the stallion. However, the stallion fell on his back and catapulted the timber wolf into a tree smashing it into pieces. The remaining two timber wolves inched away. It was then the stallion, much to his shock, witnessed the shattered pieces of wood coming back together.
While the rest of the pack waited for their fallen comrades to pull themselves back together, the stallion tossed Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo on his back. The Cutie Mark Crusaders held onto the fleet-hoofed stallion. He was running rather fast for a pony carrying three fillies on his back but was heading in the wrong direction.
Applebloom hastily tapped the stallion on the neck. He glanced back just long enough to see Applebloom pointing towards Ponyville before changing course.
About fifteen minutes later, the four ponies found their way back to Ponyville’s one-room schoolhouse. There, waiting for the Cutie Mark Crusaders were Cheerilee, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon.
“You see, Ms. Cheerilee,” said Diamond Tiara with a malicious smirk across her lips, “I told you the blank flanks sneaked off to the Everfree Forest.”
“I can handle this from here, Ms. Tiara.” Ms. Cheerilee said sternly. “You and Silver Spoon can go back home now.” The two bully fillies deliberately walked away slowly while looking back and forth hoping to catch a glimpse of the Cutie Mark Crusaders getting the third degree from their teacher.
“Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, do you know just how worried we were?” Applebloom was about to say something when Cheerilee interrupted. “Not another word-I was about to go to Mayor Mare and ask for a search party. You’re lucky the timber wolves didn’t track you down and gobble you up.”
“But they did track us down, Ms. Cheerilee,” Sweetie Belle blurted when Applebloom and Scootaloo held their hooves over her mouth.
Cheerilee facehoofed. “Dear Celestia, I can’t believe it. How did you three manage to *not* get eaten?”
“It was this nice stallion that saved us,” said Sweetie Belle pointing to the stallion that rescued them.
Applebloom leaped up and down as she told her teacher about their adventure in the Everfree Forest. “It was awesome Ms. Cheerilee! That there new pony kicked a timber wolf’s head slap off! And then he whupped two more of them timber wolves into toothpicks and then...”
“Applebloom! I heard enough of your tall tales!” Cheerilee trotted over to the stallion and smiled. “Thank you kind sir for saving my students. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if something happened to them.” The stallion stared at Cheerilee with a bewildered look on his face. “Is there something wrong?”
“Ha moushiwake ari mase n ga, nani o it te iru o rikai shi te i nai desu ka?” The stallion said.
“Oh dear,” said Cheerilee. The stallion then said something else. Though she couldn’t understand the words, Cheerilee could tell it was a second foreign language just as alien to her ear as the first.
“The blank flank’s hero is talking jibberish,” Diamond Tiara laughed.
Silver Spoon joined in on the teasing. “Blah be be wah be be boo.” The two of them laughed at each other's taunts.
“If you two aren't at home in five seconds, you’ll be in detention keeping the Cutie Mark Crusaders company!” Cheerilee yelled. The two bullies made a hasty retreat. Cheerilee then looked back at the stallion and sighed. “I hope that was zebra.” Cheerilee took a deep breath. “How did Zecora say ‘hello’ in her language? Oh, now I remember. Jambo! Unasema punda?”
“Whacha doin’ Ms. Cheerilee?” Applebloom asked.
“If he can speak zebra, we can get Zecora to translate for us.”
“Watashi ha mada nani o it te iru rikai shi te i mase n,” said the stallion.
“Is that zebra talk, Ms. Cheerilee?”
“I should be so lucky, Sweetie Belle. Could one of you go the library and ask Twilight if she knows a translation spell?”
“I’ll go, Ms. Cheerilee,” said Scootaloo.
“Look,” Ms. Cheerilee said to the stallion, “I know you don’t understand me, but please wait here.” She then pointed back and forth between the stallion and her mouth. “We’re getting somepony that can help you understand us.”
The stallion gasped and looked away. “Anata ha watashi anata ni kisu o shi tai? Hotondo shit te, watashi no jinsei de tokubetsu na dare ka desu.” There was a bashful look on the stallion’s face.
“Oh dear, I think that came out all wrong.”
Five minutes later, Scootaloo returned to the school house with Twilight Sparkle. The purple unicorn mare wore a saddle bag stuffed with a rather large book that barely fit inside.
“Ms. Cheerilee, Scootaloo said there was some new pony who didn’t speak Ponglish. Can you tell me what the hay is going on?”
Applebloom energetically trotted up to Twilight. “That pony yonder,” she said pointing to the gold-colored stallion, “save us from a pack of timber wolves. He was karate choppin’ em and splittin’ heads right in half.”
“Applebloom!” Cheerilee snapped. “That’s enough out of you. You’re in enough trouble as it is. You three wouldn’t need saving if you weren’t in the Everfree Forest.”
“In the Everfree Forest!” Rarity was tagging behind Twilight and Scootaloo when Applebloom was regaling everypony with her adventure. “Sweetie Belle, you’ll be in such trouble when mother and father hear of this.”
“But Sis,” Sweetie Belle whined. “We were just going in there for a little while.”
“Don’t you dare make excuses, young mare. And what’s this talk about a pack of timber wolves. I’m afraid I was a bit too far away to hear everything Applebloom said.”
Cheerilee pointed to the new pony. “He saved the Cutie Mark Crusaders from a pack of timber wolves.”
“A pack of timber wolves!” Rarity then turned to Sweetie Belle. “You are most *definitely* in trouble.” She then trotted to the new pony. “I would like to thank you for my saving my bothersome little sister.” Rarity glanced back at Sweetie Belle when she said ‘bothersome little sister’. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? I know the perfect spring wear that would suit your coat, though you could use a mane cut.”
“Um...Ms. Rarity,” said Cheerilee, “he doesn’t understand a word you’re saying.”
“What do you mean?”
“Konnichiha , watashi no namae ha kururu ki suzaku desu . Nihongo o hanasu koto o oshie te kudasai . Watashi ha watashi no ibasho o shit te i masu. Kono basho ha kanou na koto ga deki nai nippon de.”
“Oh dear,” said Rarity. “He doesn’t speak Ponglish does he?” Cheerilee shook her head. “That could be a problem. Twilight darling, you wouldn’t by any chance know a translation spell.”
“Way ahead of you Rarity,” said Twilight. She had already taken out the book and flipped through its dusty pages until she came across the translation spell. “According to this, my knowledge of Ponglish will pass over from me to him, and we can understand each other. Though there is one catch-the spell is...debilitating.”
“In what way?”
“It doesn’t specify, but it recommends 1 to 3 days of bed rest for both the caster and the receiver.”
“It’s not dangerous is it?” Rarity asked.
“The spells in this book are benign. It wouldn’t be on the shelves if there were dangerous spells. Give me a moment to study it just to be on the safe side.”
“What’s so strange is that, even though ponies do have different local languages, all ponies speak the language of the realm,” said Cheerilee. “Why he wasn’t taught Ponglish is beyond me.”
“It is odd, isn’t it,” said Rarity.
“You can ask him yourself,” said Twilight as she closed the book. “Here goes nothing.” She pointed her horn at the stallion and emitted a ray of purple energy from it. Then both of them collapsed. The world spun around Twilight like a top while a migraine drilled into her head. The side effects of the spell also affected the stallion. Twilight spewed out the undigested hay sandwich she had for lunch that day. The stallion followed suit and vomited as well.
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The stallion was stirred from his sleep by several ponies congregating together in a dimly lit room. He rose up and then noticed that he was in some pony’s bedroom. In fact, he was in some pony else's bed.
“Oh, you’re awake.” It was the unicorn with the purple mane and pink highlights that had shot the beam of light at him. She held her forehead and moaned.
“Twilight dear, I knew you were overexerting yourself,” said the white unicorn mare.
“No, I’ll be okay. Just give the headache relief spell a little more time to kick in.”
Also in the room were the three young fillies that he saved, the adult earth pony mare and two unicorn mares from earlier, and a few others. The others were all mares except for one rather large, muscularly built earth pony stallion with a red coat and dingy orange mane and what looked like a miniature purple dinosaur. There were two pegasi mares, one with a pink mane and yellow coat of fur and the other with a rainbow-striped mane and cyan coat. The last two were earth ponies-one with a bright pink mane and light pink coat and the other had a gray-white mane and a beige coat. Wait! How did he know the proper names for the three pony races? How did he know that the actual term for the mundane, horned, and winged-types were earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi? Never mind that! He could now understand their language!
“Anata no debaisu o ima rikai suru koto ga deki masu . Shikashi , naze desu ka?”
“Uh oh!” The pink earth pony said. “I think your spell conked out.”
“It’s okay,” said the purple unicorn. “The book warned about this.” She then spoke to the stallion. “Don’t speak your language. Try to speak ours. The knowledge should be in your head.”
She was right. There was a cascade of strange words that matched up with his native Japanese and the English he picked up during the occupation, and he could somehow understand them.
“Oooh...bean...like...this,” he said slowly. “You mean like this?”
“Oh yes, it worked.” The purple unicorn leaped up to clap her front hooves together, but the migraine forced her back down again.
“What happened to me? How is it I can speak your language? And where am I?” The stallion asked.
“I cast a translation spell on you. The headache is just a side effect, which probably explains why everypony is taught Ponglish in school instead of just casting translation spells.” Twilight rubbed her forehead. Just being reminded of the spell was enough to cause another migraine. “And you’re in Ponyville.” The purple unicorn held her forehead on her hoof.
“Ponyville?!?”
“It’s a farming town that’s about a few hours away from Canterlot by train.”
“And where is Canterlot? Is it a part of the Chinese Federation?”
“I don’t know anything about a ‘Chinese Federation’. This is Equestria, and Canterlot is the capital city. Everypony knows that.”
“Ponglish, that’s the name of your language, right?”
Twilight nodded. “It is, but I have no idea why nopony taught it to you. Could you tell us why? Where did you come from?”
“Japan.”
“Is Japan a country or city?”
“A country.”
“And they don’t teach ponies how to speak Ponglish in Japan?”
“Twilight! There’s no need to interrogate the poor thing,” said the white unicorn. “My name is Rarity, and what is yours?”
“It’s Kururugi Suzaku.”
“My, that is a mouth full. I think I’ll shorten it to Suzaku.”
“But I don’t know you that well,” said Suzaku with a bit of panic in his voice.
“Nonsense, of course you do. The little unicorn filly you rescued from those horrible timber wolves happens to be my younger sister Sweetie Belle. Now thank Suzaku for saving you,” Rarity told Sweetie Belle.
“Thank you Mr. Suzaku,” said Sweetie Belle.
“You’re welcome. Timber wolves-is that what you call those things that attacked your sister.”
Rarity nodded. “They usually don’t venture so close to town.”
“Were there any other animals affected by the transformation?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Wolves are made of flesh, not wood,” said Suzaku.
“Some wolves are,” said Twilight, “at least the ones here. If you think they were altered by some transformation spell, you would be mistaken. They’ve been in the Everfree Forest since Ponyville was founded.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Centuries ago by earth ponies,” said Twilight Sparkle.
“Wait! Did you say this town was founded...by ponies.”
“Well, yeah, I mean, it’s called Ponyville for a reason.”
The reality of the situation was coming to an unsettling conclusion. The portal opened by the hybrid pony, a.k.a. alicorn, took him to an alien world. He was no longer on Earth. These beings were born ponies, not human. Suzaku didn’t want to believe it. It could possibly mean not going back home to his friends and Euphie.
“Suzaku, could you take a look at this?” Rarity levitated a sketch of a polo shirt and matching vest. “A purple pullover and white vest would go so nicely with your coat, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s my way of saying ‘thank you’ for saving my sister.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Miss Rarity.”
“Of course I do.”
“What I’m wearing will suffice...” Suzaku stopped to look under the sheets and pulled them up to his neck when he realized that he was completely naked. “What happened to my clothes?”
“Oh those raggedy things-I threw them away.”
“But you shouldn’t have left me with nothing to wear.”
“But why?”
Suzaku wanted to scold them for throwing away his clothes, but, for whatever reason, these ponies did not appear to have any sort of modesty. In fact, none of the clothes in the pictures Rarity show him covered anything from the waist down, which missed the point wearing clothes in the first place. Apparently, public nudity isn’t taboo in their culture.
“Kururugi Suzaku,” said the mare with the beige coat and gray mane, “I’m Mayor Mare, and, on behalf of the citizens of Ponyville, I wish to commend you for placing your life in jeopardy to protect these three young fillies.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m sure the rest of Ponyville feels the same. You averted a tragedy at a considerable risk to your own life, I might add.” Upon hearing the part about Suzaku risking his life, Big McIntosh and Rarity gave Applebloom and Sweetie Belle a sour glance.
“Suzaku, I might be able to help you get back to your home country,” Twilight offered. “I just happen to be the student of Celestia, our country’s princess and I have access to the Canterlot Royal Library. If you’re trying to find your way back to Japan, there should be maps that can lead you back to your homeland, that is, if you want to go back?”
There was no question in Suzaku’s mind-he wanted to go back to Japan and be at the side of the woman that was both his princess and his beloved. The safety and well-being of Euphemia was always in his thoughts. The thing that sent him to this world was still on the loose, though he didn’t have any idea how he would stop it. But should he tell them the truth? Maybe this isn’t an alien world. Maybe it’s some country he’s never heard of. He had to be absolutely sure.
“So, how long have you’ve been ponies?” The reaction to Suzaku’s question was one of befuddlement and confusion.
“Is that a trick question?” Twilight asked. “I’ve been a pony since the day I was born. This wouldn’t be some underhoofed way of asking what my age is?” Twilight pouted her lip.
“I’m sorry for prying into your personal business. I won’t ask about your age again?” Suzaku lied. This confirmed his fears. He was stranded in an alien planet of some kind-most likely the same world that the alicorn came from. “I know where my home country is. I left because...I wanted to see the rest of the world.” Suzaku wasn’t sure if he wanted to divulge the fact that he, unlike the others, wasn’t born a pony.
“Oh, that’s good to hear,” Twilight smiled at Suzaku. “Well, you’re welcome to stay in Ponyville and here in the library with Spike and me until you recover.”
“Oh awesome!” Upon hearing the pet dinosaur talk, Suzaku scooted backwards until his back was against the headboard. “It’ll be nice to have another guy around the library.”
“You can talk?!?”
“You ponies from Japan don’t see many dragons do you.” Suzaku answered Spike by shaking his head ‘no’.
“You can teach Suzaku all about dragons later,” said Twilight. “He needs his rest, and so do I.” Twilight rubbed her aching head.
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End of Flashback
“Ms. Cheerilee, Applebloom, I do appreciate the heads-up, but y’all haven’t explained why Granny Smith hired a complete stranger ta work at Sweet Apple Acres.”
“I can explain that,” said Twilight Sparkle. “He said he didn’t want to be a burden on me, and he picked up one of the flyers Big McIntosh posted all over Ponyville.”
“And I bet he put a mighty strong guilt trip on Big McIntosh ta make’em hire him too.”
“That ain’t true Big Sis,” Applebloom spoke up.
“Quiet Applebloom, grown ponies talkin’. You’re in a heap of trouble already for wandering around the Everfree Forest.”
“But she’s right,” said Twilight. “You said so yourself-Suzaku passed your apple bucking test. He’s has the job because he earned it.”
“You can’t tell me Big McIntosh let some strange pony that popped out of the Everfree Forest work on the farm unless he was feelin’ obligated ta do so.” Applejack stared down at Applebloom. “Well?”
Applebloom backed away from Applejack. “Well, he did tell Suzaku he wanted ta help him in return for savin’ me.”
“Ya see. Sneezy done guilted Big McIntosh inta hiring'em.”
Twilight Sparkle stomped her hoof. “Applebloom said no such thing. In fact, Suzaku wouldn’t accept anything in return for saving the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Look, I know the Apple family prides themselves on being self-reliant, but it’s no excuse to make false accusations against a pony that’s done nothing but help.”
“Well...he...um...dontcha think it’s mighty odd he came out of the Everfree Forest and how come nopony ever heard of Jah-pan.”
“I thought after what happened with Zecora, you’d learn not to judge ponies different from you.” Applejack was silenced by Twilight’s rebuttal. “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“I got chores that need tendin’ ta,” Applejack said before leaving abruptly.
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Applejack dropped by Sugar Cube Corner to deliver some apple cobbler she baked for Pinkie Pie who wanted to offer samples of Applejack’s cooking to her customers. Pinkie Pie took a sniff of one of the apple pastries and wolfed it all down.
“The Cakes will love this, Applejack,” said Pinkie Pie.
“Well, I’m sho’ glad to hear that, Pinkie Pie. Just don’t eat all the merchandise.” Just then, Applejack noticed some white balls with a dark rectangular shape on the surface. “Now what in the hay is this fancy-lookin’ food?” She asked while pointing to the white balls.
“Oh that?!? That’s onigiri. It’s what the ponies in Suzaku’s country eat. It’s made with sticky rice rolled up in a ball. That black strip is supposed to be seaweed but we didn’t have any, but then Suzaku said you can substitute the seaweed with cabbage. And there’s a surprise inside. Guess what it is?”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “What is it, Pinkie Pie?”
“You’re suppose to guess, silly.”
“Ah donna feel like guessin’.”
“Fine, Miss Grumpy Pants, I’ll tell you. It’s jam.”
“I don’t know Pinkie. I would reckon rice and jam wouldn’t mix well in a pony’s mouth.”
“Well, Suzaku thought it did. Wanna try one?”
“Well, I don’t know...”
“Oh please!” The pink pony begged.
“No.”
“Don’t be a party pooper.”
“I said ‘no’.”
“Please.” Now Pinkie Pie had her helpless, crying puppy dog eyes out.
“Oh all right,” Applejack took a bite.
“Whadda think?”
“‘cept for the jam, it’s bland. Now I see why Sneezy like’em. It goes with his personality.”
“That’s mean, Applejack,” Pinkie Pie frown.
“I can’t help it if Sneezy ain’t got no personality.”
“His name is Suzaku,” Pinkie cried out to Applejack who was trotting off to her next errand.
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Why did Granny Smith hafta lit Sneezy sleep in there? Applejack asked herself that each time she passed by her parents’ old bedroom. It wasn’t fair to them to have that weird pony from the Everfree Forest bunking there every single night. She just finished taking Winona for a late night walk when she trotted by her parents’ room. Despite pleads from her left brain not to reopen old wounds, Applejack answered the call of her right brain and peer through the doorway. There, covered up in a thin sheet and moonlight shining through the window, was Suzaku shivering.
Rainbow Dash warned her it would be an especially cold night even though there were still green leaves on the trees. It ain’t even winter and ya already shiverin'. I knew ya weren’t cut out for farm work. Applejack walked halfway down the hall before turning back around. On a second glance, even though Suzaku was an unwanted guest and a tenderhoof trying to do farm pony work, it didn’t feel right leaving him to freeze. Applejack ducked into the hall closet and emerged with a thick blanket in her mouth. She trotted gently in the room and spread the blanket over the sleeping stallion.
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Suzaku was stirred from his peaceful slumber by a knock at the door. “Ya done slept long ‘nuff. Time for breakfast.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Suzaku.
“And don’t call me ‘ma’am’. I ain’t much older than ya.”
“Sorry, Applejack.” Suzaku was about to hop out of bed when the extra blanket caught his attention.
“I don’t remember...” Suzaku mumbled as he tried to figure out where the blanket came from.
“Yer breakfast is gettin’ cold!”
“Coming!” Suzaku hastened to the dinner table and took a seat in front of a waiting plate of eggs over easy and alfalfa. However, other than his own, there was just one other plate. Applejack flipped the skillet over a plate and dumped out the remaining eggs before sitting down to eat.
“Is there sumthing wrong?” Applejack asked. “How come ya hasn’t touched yer plate?”
“I was waiting for the others.”
“Oh them? Granny Smith and Big McIntosh are visitin’ Cousin Apple Rose and Applebloom is havin’ a sleepover at Rarity’s with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.”
“Oh, then can I ask you a question?”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ya just did.”
“Somepony put an extra blanket on my bed last night.”
“That’d be me.”
“Oh. Well, thank you for going through the trouble.”
“Ya know, if yer that cold-natured, ya should’ve just asked for another blanket.”
“But I didn’t want to impose.”
Applejack slammed her hoof against the table so hard half her scrabbled eggs was flung off the plate. “Dagnammit Sneezy! Jist ‘cause we’re farm ponies don’t mean we can’t afford blankets.”
“Wait! Applejack, I didn’t mean like...no, you’re right. I’m sorry that offended you.”
Applejack’s angry glare softened. “No, don’t go apologizin’ ta me," she sighed. "I shoulda known ya didn’t meant no disrespect. I was bein’ a sour apple, Snee...Soo-zak-coo.”
“Applejack?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for the extra blanket.”
“Jist don’t make a big spectacle of it.”
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Applejack was pulling their apple cart back from market when she heard a familiar voice coming from the Carousel Boutique, but it wasn’t Rarity’s. In fact, it was a certain stallion that had recently upset the natural order of Applejack’s life. The farm filly unhitched herself and crept up to the window until she could hear more clearly.
“Hold still, Suzaku. I want to get this right the first time.” Rarity was inside with Suzaku. “It doesn’t match your coat color, but it was all I could come up with on short notice.”
“I don’t think the color really matters,” said Suzaku.
Applejack frowned and snorted steam from her nostrils.
I knew it. Sum stallions ain’t above holdin’ a favor over a pony’s head. Well, Imma goin’ ta give Suzaku a piece of mah mind.
Applejack pushed open the door and saw Rarity wrapping medical bandages around Suzaku’s right foreleg. Flowing around their heads was a first aid kit and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. The bandages partially covered three claw marks. Opalescence, Rarity’s ornery cat, lay beside her hooves. She stared at Suzaku with an annoyed look on her face.
“I’ll be with you in a minute,” Rarity called out to whomever it was that entered her store while keeping her eyes on the task at hoof. “Suzaku, why do you keep trying to pet Opalescence? This is the third time she scratched you.”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Rarity, but cats are my weakness.”
“I’m afraid she made a rather deep cut this time.” Rarity then scolded Opalescence. “You should be glad Suzaku is so forgiving.” The white cat looked away bored and rolled on her back.
“It’s not a big deal.”
“But she drew blood this time.”
“It looks worse than it really is.”
Rarity levitated some tape out of the first aid kit and taped the bandages to the wounded leg and then slid the items into Suzaku’s saddlebag. “Just remember to keep clean wrapping on your cuts.” Just then, Rarity caught sight of Applejack standing beside the door. “Oh I’m sorry for not noticing you sooner, Applejack. How can I help you?”
“Nothin’ really. Jist here checkin’ on our farmhoof.”
“You need me for anything, Applejack,” Suzaku asked.
“Break time ‘bout over. We still got sum more apples to buck before we can call it a day.”
As Applejack and Suzaku were leaving, a pony Applejack never seen before slipped in. The last thing she heard as the door to the boutique close was Rarity yelling something about sapphires.
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Suzaku was pulling a cart full of apples back to the storehouse when Spike, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash galloped pass him with stern looks on their faces.
Twilight Sparkle, who was trailing behind the others, came to a stop and called out. “Hold it!” The others stopped in their tracks.
“Twilight! Stop! No! Rarity! Save! Diamond Dogs!” Spike blurted out while breathing in and out of a paper bag.
“Hold your horses, Spike,” Twilight said.
“Don’t be silly, Twilight,” Pinkie Pie joked. “Spike’s too little to hold a horse.”
“Suzaku, do you know where Applejack is?” Twilight asked.
“She’s bucking apples in the south field,” he said pointing to the left.
“Thanks.” Twilight and the others galloped off.
It was a little disserting for Suzaku to see such grave expressions on their faces. The months of carefree living had almost made Suzaku forget what dread and worry was like. The feeling that some terrible misfortune had befallen Rarity nagged Suzaku causing his mind to drift away from his chores. He was shuffling back from the storehouse at a snail’s pace. A few moments later, Spike and the others were running back the way they came with Applejack following them.
“Applejack, is there something wrong?” Suzaku asked as he ran behind them.
“Not now Suzaku,” Applejack said without turning to look back.
“But maybe I can.”
“We got this covered. Jist keep doin’ yer chores.”
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Suzaku followed the set of hoofprints left by Applejack and her friends. It only took about five minutes of nagging from his conscious to get Suzaku to skip work. From what he could gather, something happened to Rarity and Spike was with her at the time. The tracks lead to an empty field that was spotted with mounds of dirt. The sets of hoofprints split off and weaved around the mounds.
“Noooooooo!” The faint echo of Spike screaming caught Suzaku’s ear. There was a solitary hole in the general direction of the sound.
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“We’re getting close. I can feel it.” said Twilight. She, Spike, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash galloped toward the sound of Rarity’s cries. They stopped at the entrance of a chamber inside of the mine.
“She must be in there,” said Rainbow Dash pointing to a cell door. The cries of their seamstress friend were on the other side. “Let’s go.”
Before they had a chance to reach her, five diamond dogs in armor took them by surprised and leaped on their backs. Each diamond dog held strands of rope in both paws that looped around their muzzles.
“More work horses,” one of them bellowed.
“Oh doggies, if ya can take this bull by the horns,” said Applejack, “ya better be readin’ for a ride.” But before Applejack had a chance to make good on her threat, she felt a slight jolt followed by the diamond dog being knocked to the ground. The diamond dog on Pinkie Pie’s back was also knocked off as well. The diamond dogs dismounted Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash and helped their compatriots back up.
Applejack looked around and saw the five diamond dog guards ganging up on the new pony intruder. “Suzaku?!? What teh hay are ya doing here?”
“Get Rarity out of here while I hold them off!” Suzaku shouted.
“But we can’t just leave you...”
“Forget about me! Just go and save Rarity!”
“Don’t bother. They won’t get jewel finder when we done with you!” A diamond dog guard bragged in broken Ponglish. He was correct. The confrontation wouldn’t last long, but not the way he thought. Suzaku leaped up and caught the middle diamond dog in a head scissors and flipped him over hard enough to knock the wind out of him. He kicked the second one in the chest hard enough to dent his armor inward. He fell to his knees gasping for air while clutching his chest. A third diamond dog fell when Suzaku hit him with a spinning round kick so hard his helmet went flying off his sloped-brow. The last two diamond dogs jumped him at the same and attempted to pile on top of him, but Suzaku sidestepped them. The two diamond dogs collided with each other, and in that instant, Suzaku back-kicked both of them at the same time with a blow powerful enough to knock them unconscious.
Just then, a loud crash was heard coming from the room behind the cell door. Spike, who was sitting on Twilight Sparkle’s back, broke a low-hanging stalactite from the cave ceiling and pointed. “I’m coming for you, mi lady,” he said. Suddenly, Suzaku galloped at top speed and hit the door with a spinning round kick. “Hey! I said I’m rescuing Rarity.” Spike leaned forward and said to Twilight, “whacha waiting for? Suzaku’ll rescue Rarity before I get a chance.”
“I’m not your horse,” Twilight deadpanned.
“Come on Twilight. Just give me this.”
“Fine,” Twilight huffed. She and Spike charged in just in time to see Suzaku standing on top of a diamond dog that was dressed in a red vest. Two other diamond dogs, one larger and the other smaller than the one Suzaku pinned down, were sprawled out on the ground in a daze.
“Where’s Rarity?” Suzaku asked the diamond dog pinned down on the ground.
The diamond dog pointed further back into the cave. “She back there,” he said in broken Ponglish. “We give her back, yes.”
“Suzaku, you’re being far too rough on them.” Rarity emerged from the far end of the cavern pulling a cart full of precious gems.
“Rarity, you’re safe.” Spike ran up to Rarity and hugged her.
“Why yes,” she replied. “Why hello girls and Suzaku-you’re just in time to assist me.
“With wut?” Applejack asked.
“Why with those.” Rarity motioned to the carts filled with gems. “Suzaku, do you mind not standing on him? We’ve come to an understanding, haven’t we?”
“Understanding?” Suzaku asked.
“Yes, we have understanding. Take the gems and her with you, and get off me.” The diamond dog begged.
“Yes, take gems and leave us in peace.” The smaller diamond dog, who was recovering from his beating, pleaded.
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“Now, care to explain yerself, Suzaku,” Applejack said with a crossed look on her face. She tapped a hoof on the wooden floor waiting for an answer.
“I know you told me to keep working,” said Suzaku, “but I was worried about you and the others.”
“I don’t care ‘bout the work. It’s what ya did in the diamond dog mine that got me worried. We had ever’thing under control. There were five o’ us and five o’ dem, but you busted in and tried to take on them diamond dogs all by yer lonesome. Worse, ya told us ta leave ya by yerself without any help wut so ever.”
“But there could have been more of those things in those caves, and you could have gotten captured if you stayed too long.”
“And ya wanna us ta leave yer thinkin’ that?!? Suzaku, I don’t like leavin’ anypony behind. So, don’t go askin’ us ta do that again ‘cause I aims to ignore ya.”
“But Applejack...”
“Don’t “but Applejack’ ta me.” Applejack put her hoof on Suzaku’s shoulder. “Imma glad yer watchin’ out for us but lit us watch out for ya too.” A tingle ran through Applejack when Suzaku gave her a warm smile.
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The edge of Manehattan was home to the most affluent of ponies. The breathtaking view of the Statue of Lipizzaner overlooking the great city across the bay made the land prime real estate too tempting to the rich and powerful and...insufferably arrogant.
“Show us what you got, carny,” Prince Blueblood gloated with unabashed bravado. “You know, it’s not too late to apologize.”
“Not to the likes of you.” Trixie readied herself for the coming onslaught. True, Prince Blueblood was pampered royalty even though he was no real prince at all. Once upon a time, Blueblood was only a duke but Celestia, as a favor to his influential family, recently granted him the title of prince and his already inflated ego threatened to eclipse even Luna’s moon. However, he was also a descendant of the unicorn bloodline that spawned the alicorn princesses. Even a second rate royal was still a relative to the pony goddesses and would carry, in his very genetic makeup, tremendous magical potential, and, worst of all, he knew it.
“I’ll let you make the first move, carnival magician.” Trixie wished she could knock the smirk off his face, but she was too afraid of Blueblood to do anything else than to take a defensive stand and focus her magic into a protective barrier.
“The great and powerful Trixie was going to do the same for you.” Trixie tried to sound as confident as possible, but the ominous presence of defeat that used to be reserved for ponies beneath Trixie was now looming beside her.
“Nopony can say I wasn’t courteous to the plebeian.” Blueblood fired a beam of light at Trixie, but it didn’t hit the shield. Halfway between Blueblood and Trixie, the beam split into multiple beams that traveled just a few feet before stopping and becoming points of light. A ghost-like figure formed around the pattern into a burly, muscular griffon with outstretched wings holding a club. “This is the spirit of Grorion, the greatest of all of griffon hunters. Let’s pit his greatness against yours.”
The magical barrier protecting Trixie grew brighter and more oblique. Blueblood just smirked and shook his head. A dust storm was stirred by the powerful beating of Grorion’s wings. Hovering over Trixie, the apparition raised its club and took a swing. The barrier rippled against the blow. It was a mistake letting Blueblood make the first move. A counter attack was out of the question. It took all of Trixie’s power just to maintain the barrier. Trixie veered off to the right to get enough distance between her and the summoned spirit that she could go on the offensive. Grorion swooped by and took a swing at Trixie as he passed by. The unicorn magician focused her powers and reinforced the barrier just in time, but even that wasn’t enough to keep Trixie from being buffeted. The attack took her off her hooves. Grorion circled around for another pass and came at her at full speed holding the club in both talons. The impact was too much for her. Trixie left a trail of glitter, the magical energy that composed her shield, as she was thrown through the air.
“Had enough.” The aches and pains of Trixie’s bruised and battered body was drowned out by indignation at the taunts escaping Blueblood’s conceited smile. The white unicorn stallion stood over Trixie. Behind him was Grorion. “You look like pig manure, carny.”
“Go to Tartarus!” Trixie summoned all of her magic and cast a final spell, but Grorion shielded Blueblood with his club, which he then raised in anticipation of Blueblood's order to finish off Trixie for good.
“I think that’ll be enough, Grorion.” Prince Blueblood levitated the weakened Trixie to eye level. “I’m sorry to rain on your parade, but you’re a commoner, and I,” Blueblood said as he took a cigar out of the saddlebag of one of his stallion servants and lit it with a flash of light from his horn, “am Celestia’s nephew.” Blueblood took a drag and blew a puff of smoke in Trixie’s face causing her to cough violently. “Silver Platter!”
An older unicorn stallion wearing the top half of a butler’s uniform and sporting a walrus mustache galloped to Blueblood’s side. “Yes, your majesty.”
Blueblood let Trixie fall to the ground. “Dump this vagabond in the nearest doctor’s office. I wouldn’t want her wounds unattended to.”
“I don’t need,” Trixie said in a strained voice as she struggled back on her hooves, “any help from the likes of you.”
“Suit yourself,” Blueblood said with the cigar nestled between his lips. Just then, two waif mares, one an earth pony and the other a pegasi, nuzzled on both sides of Blueblood. Blueblood took the cigar from his mouth. “You two are ready for a night with a real prince?”
“We would be delighted, Bluey.”
“Can you believe they’re both sisters, Silver,” Blueblood leaned into Silver Platter’s ear and whispered, “and they’re into sharing.”
“That’s quite kind of them, sir,” Silver Platter deadpanned.
Between being humiliated in a fight and Blueblood’s lecherousness, it was a struggle for Trixie to keep her temper in check and not to strangle the arrogant flankhole.
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Rarity raced to the front of the Carousel Boutique when she heard the door chime rang. There waiting were Suzaku and Applejack. Each of them had a basket full of apples.
Suzaku placed the basket at Rarity’s front hooves. “Where do you want these, Miss Rarity?”
“Oh, I’ll take care of those.” Rarity levitated the baskets to her work bench. “Now, I have one more chore for you to do.” Rarity glanced at Applejack who mischievously winked back at her.
“Sure, what is it?”
“Just follow me.” Rarity led Suzaku to the back of the town hall. There was a large gathering of ponies on the other side.
Suzaku pointed to the crowd. “Is there something going on?” He asked. “There’s a lot of ponies here.”
“You could say that?” Rarity and Applejack winked at each other. Suzaku followed Rarity from the back entrance to a doorway on the other side. “You first, Suzaku.”
Suzaku looked a bit apprehensive. “Well, okay.” He stepped through and was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of ponies.
“Surprised!” Pinkie Pie cried out. A flurry of confetti erupted from Pinkie Pie’s party cannon and sprinkled everypony with bits of paper in all of the colors of the rainbow littering the ground.
The ponies gathered at the town square began chanting. “Suzaku! Suzaku! Suzaku!”
Suzaku tried to back away but Rarity and Applejack were blocking the way out. “Whacha yer in hurry for?” Applejack said slyly.
“I don’t understand.”
“This is for you,” said Mayor Mare who was at her podium.
Standing beside the mayor with warm, gracious smiles were Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. Applebloom waved at Suzaku. “Suzaku, they’re given ya a medal.”
“Huh?” It was the only word the dumbfounded Suzaku could utter.
“Everypony,” the mayor addressed the crowd, “can I have you attention please? We’re here to honor a pony who offered a helping hoof to three young foals at considerable risk to his own life. He made an impact on our town for the better before we even had the chance to know him.” The mayor trotted up to Suzaku and placed a medallion around his neck. “Please accept this token of our appreciation.”
Suzaku held the medal in his forehoof and stared. He then turned his eyes on the mayor, then on the Cutie Mark Crusaders, then on the townsfolk, and finally to Applejack and Rarity.
“It was Applejack’s idea,” Rarity whispered. Applejack nudged Rarity in the side “What was that for?” Rarity asked while rubbing the sore spot Applejack bumped a tad too hard.
“That was both ours idea, Rarity,” said Applejack who was looking a bit embarrassed.
“No,” whispered Suzaku. “This isn’t right.” He then said out loud, “I can’t accept this.”
Everypony was stunned into silence.
“I appreciate the thought,” said Suzaku, “but I don’t deserve this because...it was my fault.”
“Suzaku, whacha talkin’ bout?” Applejack asked.
“The timber wolf pack followed me from the Everfree Forest. It was my carelessness that put these children in danger. Saving them was the least I could do after leading the timber wolves to them in the first place. Mayor Mare, please take back the medal...”
Applejack then shoved Rarity out of the way and trotted up the podium. “Suzaku done helped save Rarity from dem diamond dogs, right Rarity.”
Rarity gave Applejack a scornful glance as her way of letting her know she didn’t like being shoved before smiling at the crowd while patting Suzaku on the back. “Absolutely, he singlehoofedly took down five diamond dogs just to save yours truly.”
“But I didn’t save Rarity alone. You girls...”
“That’s our Suzaku,” said Mayor Mare while covering Suzaku’s mouth with her hoof, “humble to a fault.” She then whispered in a stern voice, “Just smile and accept the medal. Don’t make me look bad!” She turned to the crowd and waved. Suzaku followed the mayor’s lead. The crowd of ponies slowly warmed back up to their guest of honor and gave a standing ovation of hooves clopping the ground.
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Suzaku, Applejack, Big McIntosh, Applebloom, and Granny Smith were heading back to Sweet Apple Acres. The awards ceremony was the liveliest formal event Suzaku ever frequented. He never would have imagined a game of musical stools would be so tiring let alone one of the planned activities in an official public ceremony.
“Oh Suzaku, I don’t care if them timber wolves were a followin’ ya,” said Applebloom, “yer still mah hero for savin’ me and mah friends.”
“Yeah sure,” Suzaku said listlessly with his eyes pointed to the ground. The medal felt heavier than the neck restraints Suzaku wore when he was falsely accused of assassinating Prince Clovis.
Applebloom tapped her sister on the shoulder. “What’s wrong with Suzaku?”
“Well, sum ponies are kinda modest and don’t like braggin’.”
“Like when Fluttershy quit being a model?”
“Kinda like that.”
“Only ‘kinda’?” Granny Smith griped. “I thought it was a funeral the way Suzaku was a-mopin’.”
“Granny Smith, quit bein’ so hard on him,” Big McIntosh spoke up.
“No, it’s okay,” said Suzaku. “Granny Smith is right. I ruined the occasion for everypony.”
“Then it’s mah fault for draggin’ ya out there without tellin’ ya,” said Applejack.
“But I’m the one that spoiled the award ceremony, Applejack. I shouldn’t have turned down the medal. It was rude of...”
“How was that bein’ rude? Ya were just bein’ honest, that’s all.”
“Will y’all two quit fightin’ over who gettin’ the blame!” Granny Smith yelled.
“Yes Granny Smith,” Suzaku and Applejack said in unison.
Though Applejack didn’t like the way Granny Smith worded it, Suzaku was the least enthused about the ceremony. He forced a smile on his face when he thought somepony was looking but otherwise he was a gloomy Gus and she had a feeling why.
When the Cutie Mark Crusaders asked Applejack about how she got her cutie mark, Applejack told them about her stay in Manehattan with her Aunt and Uncle Orange. What she didn’t tell them was why she left.
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Flashback
“You’re late for class little blank flank.” Applejack had her share of bullies, but the one that got the best of her was her own teacher. Mr. Crabgrass, the new unicorn teacher from Fillydelphia, was bowlegged, balding, and bitter. There was a wide gape between his knees that gave the teacher a striking resemblance to a crab when he stepped sideways while scribbling the lessons on the board. There was morning haze that was thicker than the few strands of hair left on his head. Worst of all, he had a chip on his shoulder. Rumor had it he got the pink slip from Fillydelphia University after hinting at a pretty, barely legal mare that she could improve her grades if she let him ride her, though Applejack wondered why that was such a bad thing. Her father let her ride on his back all the time.
“Sorry, Mr. Crabgrass,” Applejack apologized.
“Sorry don’t cut it here, little blank flank,” he sneered. “You should have gotten your cutie mark by now. How long does it take for stupid hick ponies to figure that their special talent is being a farmhoof? I heard your brother was the last one in his class to get his cutie mark. Does being slow run in your family or you just can’t accept your inevitable fate as dirt farmers?”
The entire class was laughing at her. Everypony thought it was funny. Had Mr. Crabgrass been a student and not a teacher, Applejack would have given him a good hoofing already. Instead, Applejack had to take his abuse. If she fought him, then it would mean being expelled from school and shaming her family.
“Do you feeling like crying, little blank flank?” Mr. Crabgrass mocked. “Please do. Show everypony how pathetic you are.”
“Yeah, cry for us, little blank flank,” said one earth pony filly.
“She’s going to do it,” said another earth pony filly. “She’s going to cry like a little baby.”
“I bet the little baby blank flank needs a diaper,” said a pegasus colt.
“And she needs a diaper for her ugly face too,” said a unicorn filly.
Applejack couldn’t take the abuse anymore. She bolted out the door with tears running down her face.
“Don’t think you can play sick again, little blank flank,” Mr. Crabgrass called out. “You’re not getting away from me even if I have to drag you back.”
Applejack knew Ma Brown Betty wouldn’t be fooled twice. The first time was going along well until Mr. Crabgrass dropped by Sweet Apple Acres and “cured” her from her pony pox with soap and water. No, this time, Applejack would make sure to get sick for real. She ran to the new candy store, Sugar Cube Corner, slipped inside, and hid in their deep freezer for a few hours in the hope of catching a cold.
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Applejack’s plan worked...too well. She was bed-stricken with a bad case of pneumonia. Ma Brown Betty and Pa Apple Turnover were gone out of town on a business trip. So, Granny Smith was left doing double-duty taking care of Applejack while foalsitting Applebloom.
“Granny Smith,” Applejack coughed, “when will Ma and Pa get back?”
“I sent’em a letter, and they should be back soon, though they wouldn’t hafta cut their trip short if sumpony weren’t hidin’ in a freezer all day. What gotten into ya? Well?” Granny Smith tapped her hoof impatiently for an answer.
“I don’t wanna be a snitch.”
“Yer bein’ bullied ain’t ya? Must be a real tough one ta scare ya away from school. Imma goin’ ta find out who it is whether ya tell me or not. So ya might as well save me the trouble of findin’ out on mah own.”
Applejack just looked away.
“Ya usually just hoof the colt or filly that teased ya. What’s different ‘bout this one?”
“What if it.. ain’t a colt or filly?” Applejack hesitantly asked.
The stern look on Granny Smith’s face melted away. “It ain’t sum adult pony, is it?”
“Well, Granny...”
Just then, Big McIntosh busted in, though, ‘big’ was a relative term. Though he was rather large for his age, Big McIntosh was no bigger than Granny Smith at this time.
“Can it wait, McIntosh? I’m having a private filly-to-filly talk with Applejack.”
“It’s Ma and Pa.” Big McIntosh was weeping. The tears running down his eyes mixed with the snot dripping from his nose. “They’re not comin’ back.”
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Years later, as Applejack matured, she realized the letter sent by Granny Smith never reached her parents. They were on the train heading back to Ponyville because of a disagreement over the price of their apples, not because they ended their business trip early to tend to their sick daughter.
But Applejack was just a filly. In her mind, she murdered her Ma and Pa. They were dead because she was too afraid to stand up to her abusive teacher. Mr. Crabgrass was fired once word got out he was bullying a student when a certain white unicorn filly felt pity for Applejack and told her parents who then told the mayor. However, it was little solace for the orphaned farm pony. Applejack was out in the fields in the middle of the night bucking apples when Granny Smith, who had a robe draped over her, placed a hoof between Applejack and the tree she was bucking.
“What the hay are you doing out here in the middle of the night, Applejack?”
Applejack had bags under her eyes from the late nights apple-bucking. “I haffa do Ma and Pa’s share of the work.”
“Ya ain’t supposed to be buckin’ apples in the dark. Not git to bed now.”
“But I haffa make up for killin’ Ma and Pa.”
“YA DIDN’T KILL YER MA AND PA NOW STOP TALKIN’ NONSENSE!” Granny Smith’s sudden outburst startled Applejack.
She held her granddaughter in her forelegs. “I don’t wanna hear that talk comin’ from yer lips no more. Ya had nothin’ to do with that train wreck.” Applejack felt Granny Smith’s cold, wet cheeks pressed against her face. “Yer Ma and Pa, they wouldn’t want ya frettin’ over something ya had no control o’er.” As much as the young filly wanted to believe, Granny Smith’s words gave her no solace.
Eventually, the guilt was too much for Applejack to bear. Watching Big McIntosh bucking apples reminded Applejack of Pa Apple Turnover. The smell of apple cobbler invoked the memory Ma Brown Betty making desserts for the Ponyville Fair. Applejack went days without sleep. She lied awake thinking of all of the should-haves and could-haves that might have saved her parents. When Applejack finally fell asleep from exhaustion, she was tortured by a recurring dream of her at the train station watching her parents lying in coffins leaning against the back of the caboose waving goodbye. Finally, she had enough. Applejack had to get away from Sweet Apple Acres. Manehattan was far enough away as far as she was concerned, and she had relatives there who would welcome her with open hooves.
End of Flashback
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Applejack was beginning to see some of herself in Suzaku. Something from his past was eating Suzaku up from the inside. She had to confront him about it. Suzaku was heading to bed when he was greeted by Applejack who was waiting beside the door to Suzaku’s room.
“Ya got a moment before ya go to bed?”
“Sure, what do you need?”
“Ya did something yer ashamed of didn’t ya?”
Suzaku looked apprehensively at Applejack. “What makes you say that?”
“It’s never feels like it’s enough, does it? No matter how much ya work to make up fur yer mistakes, the guilt ain’t goin’ away. I know ‘cause I went thru the same thing yer did.”
“Applejack,” Suzaku said in a strained voice, “I think it’s time I go to bed.”
“Suzaku, ya saved my sister’s life and my friend’s...”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Whatever it was yer did, I think yer made up for...”
“I said I don’t want to talk!” Suzaku snapped. Realizing what he did, Suzaku looked down shamefully at the floor. “I’m sorry, Applejack. I shouldn’t have...”
“T’ain’t nuthin’ to be sorry ‘bout, Suzaku. I shouldn’t have been pesterin’ yer. I’ll let’cha git yer rest.”
Not since the passing of her parents had Applejack felt so helpless.
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“You’re back for a rematch, carny?” Prince Blueblood couldn’t help but to be entertained by the tenacity of his ‘rival’. “I would feel sorry for you if you weren’t bringing this on yourself, you sad little filly.” Blueblood causally strolled around Trixie with a haughty look on his face.
“Save your pity for yourself,” Trixie boasted. She stared back at Blueblood with a haughty look on her face, as well. “You’ll need it when I send you back to his aunties with your tail tucked between your legs.”
“After the beating I gave you two weeks ago,” Blueblood chucked.
“Your insignificant victory with that old hoof-me-down summoning spell will pale with the stunning defeat you’ll suffer at my hooves.”
“Quit horsin’ around, will ya!” One of the onlookers, who had grown weary of Blueblood and Trixie trying to out-smug each other, yelled out. The sentiment was also voiced by others in the crowd.
“You heard the crowds, let’s finish this,” said Trixie.
“Indeed I will,” said Blueblood.
It was then the unicorn prince noticed a red flash coming from Trixie’s eye. Suddenly, Trixie shot a beam of light from her horn. Prince Blueblood put up a magical barrier, but the beam didn't hit but, rather, split into smaller beams that stopped at a point. Prince Blueblood shook his head in disbelief.
“No! It’s...it’s...it’s not possible. Grorion’s mine, you thief!” Blueblood was staring face-to-face with his Grorion spirit.
“What’s wrong, little hayseed?” Trixie gloated
“That spell belongs to my family. How did you...”
“That simple little spell? It was so easyyyyy to pick up. I only had to see you use it once.”
“That spell takes years to master.”
“For a dimwit like you, yes, it would take that long.”
Blueblood gritted his teeth. The veins in his bulging eyes thickened and grew deep red. “You dare call me 'dimwitted'! I’ll teach you some manners.” Blueblood summoned his Grorion, but it was dwarfed by the one summoned by his opponent. Blueblood’s Grorion only came up to Trixie's Gronion's chest, which was broader and more muscular than Blueblood’s. One swing from his club was all that it took for Trixie’s Grorion to destroy the one summoned by Blueblood. Then the Grorion left standing scooped Blueblood off the ground.
“Look, I’m sorry about last time,” Blueblood cowered. “I was just playing around, I swear.” Grorion stooped down and lowered Blueblood to eye level with Trixie.
“Well, I guess that makes me see my humiliation in a different light.” Trixie levitated a cigar out of Blueblood’s shirt pocket and lit it. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has a sense of humor as well.” She took a drag and blew smoke in Blueblood’s face.
“Then...*cough*...you’ll let...*cough*...me go?”
“Not exactly.” Grorion pressed Blueblood against an overhanging streetlamp. The overhang wailed as Grorion twisted it around Blueblood’s waist.
“Put me down this instant,” Blueblood demanded.
“Sorry, I can’t hear you from way up there!”
“You’d better put me down or else you’ll face the wrath of the crown.”
“Oh, are you’re going to run back to Canterlot crying for your Aunty Celestia?” Trixie taunted. “Are you going to tell her how you got your flank kicked in a magic duel with a carnival pony?”
“Well...I...I”
“And that you were the one who made the challenge in the first place? You’ll win so much respect from the other nobles in Canterlot-the prince who ran home crying to his aunty after being humiliated in a fight he picked with a carnival pony.”
Prince Blueblood slumped against the metal overhang suspending him in mid-air. “Please, let me down.”
“And who are you asking to let you down?”
“You.”
“Could you be more specific?” Trixie smirked.
“Please Trixie, let me down.”
Trixie took another drag from the cigar and blew. “Say the whole thing.”
“Please, Great and Powerful Trixie, let me down.”
“You heard the stallion.” Grorion un-wrapped the metal overhang from around Blueblood’s waist and set him down at Trixie’s hooves.
“Hearing you plead for mercy was sweet music to my ears. Oh and I tasted month-old hay better than your cheap cigar.” Trixie threw the cigar at Blueblood’s hooves.
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Trixie was heading back to her motel room beaming with satisfaction. I made that pampered prince pay for looking down on me, the Great and Powerful Trixie! And now that I made that phony prince look like a pathetic foal, it won’t be long before news of my victory reaches the far ends of Equestria, and then everypony, even that tart Twilight Sparkle will have to acknowledge my abilities. Trixie opened the door to her room and found, to her surprise, a familiar but unwelcome guest.
“Oh, it’s you again.” Inside the motel room was a white earth pony mare with a long green mane and an infinity symbol cutie mark.
“So, did you like it? Did you like the power I gave you?”
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I hope you enjoyed Chapters 9 and 10 of Rebel Against The Night. If God willing, I plan to post my chapters in two parts-one chapter set on Earth focusing on Lelouch and his battle against Nightmare Moon and the other chapter set in Equestria focusing on the ponies there. Also, I will try to keep each pair of chapters more or less chronologically in synch with each other. Tune in next time and find out what Lelouch has planned for Nightmare Moon and what Trixie will do with her new-founded power as well as the development of Suzaku’s friendship with the Mane 6. Please pardon any mistakes I made in the Japanese dialogue as well as my crude attempt at writing a southern accent. I used Babel Fish and an online kanji-to-romanji translation program for Suzaku's Japanese dialogue so the Japanese won't exactly be accurate.
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Two updates in short succession? This is awesome? Also, I can't wait until Zero's triumphant return and I want to see more of Trixie and C.C.
*See's that you updated twice*
.........AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!! AH! AH! AAAAHHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! *foams at the mouth*
Chapter 10 notes:
-*facehoof* Oh right. Celestia MIGHT learn something about the Sword because she's going to get C.C. and V.V.
-.....Ponglish? *raises eyebrow* Actually...I'm guessing it isn't english because I'm pretty sure Suzaku DOES know that language.
-You know...This is the first time I saw an actual youtube video in a story rather than just posting a link.
-Oh dear. AJ can't help Suzaku. She merely FELT responsible for what happened, while Suzaku pretty much IS responsible for the murder of his father...
-Wow. Just wow with Trixie's geass. THAT's going to cause problems.
-You're going to keep doing the two chapter thing? Sweet! Oh my gosh, that alone just made this the. best. fic. eveerrrrrr.....
1952465
I thought they did have four chambers. *looking it up*
You're right. They don't have the four-chambered stomach. I'll make the necessary changes to the story.
BTW: How do you like the story so far?
1937293
I based much of what NMM's plans to erase humanity and what they "teach" in school during her reign on communist dictatorships, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge in particular. This is essentially Nightmare Moon's version of "Year Zero", Equestrian-style.
That's another motive for Celestia to stand by and let NMM take over. It's either her reign or the bozos who were running things before her. Besides, unlike Zero, Emperor Charles, or the high eunuchs of the Chinese Federation, Celestia has a kill switch (Elements of Harmony) she can always use on NMM if things go too far. It's harder to deal with the ponified humans and whatever successors pop up if Celestia began eliminating bad rulers.
1952687 I don't know if he heard you. fimfiction didn't notify me when you replied to my comment.
Also...anybody else miss the Featured box?
I see C.C found a new Lelouch.
Gah. Its so frustrating when you cannot even get a loose translation of foreign words in a story.
I get the impression, from a bit of research, that that is essentially the phontic translation, but doesn't have any meaning. or, if it does, can't be done by any translation program I can find online.
2661662
I probably should have put the translations in the notes. Sorry about not doing that, and I would give you the translation except that I forgot it. The words are romanji (the romanization of the Japanese language) and I used an online program to change it from kanji, which I got from Babel Fish. So, it's a computer translation of a translation except for the part where Cheerilee tried to speak to Suzaku in 'zebra'. That was actually a greeting in Swahili that I found online. From what I remember, Suzaku was introducing himself and asking if they could speak Japanese.
so who is the good guy I am leaning towards nightmare moon on this on oh can not wait for more chapters its going to be good can't wait.
Suzaku!
2790493
Lelouch!
will you ever update?
2807094
If God's willing, soon.
wiil nightmare moon get some lovein for someone(pony) soon.
I have to admit. I like Sukaku here. And Applejack's backstory is really well done.