Thread 94: Stories 46-54

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>Sunset
"Applejack"
'????'
~~~~~~

This was it.

It was, at last, time to confront her mentor with the horrifying truth she had uncovered. It was time at last to reveal to her, the one who embodied honesty above all, that she had been deceived. She did not know if this would break her, if this would send Appleack into a rage as it had herself, if it would end with perceptions and trusts as damaged as her own had been. Applejack too would be forced to question, as she herself had, just how far this rabbit hole went, how many lines spoken to the princess had been her own, how many choices Dash had made had been of her own planning, just who it was she had turned her back on every day, and if that thing had her best intentions at heart.

For though any fears of the mind of the royals being manipulated had been put to a telling rest, the true damage had been done. The image of the princess and the Element of Loyalty has been tainted, tarnished, and now the secrets of the Wonderbolts and countless sections of the Empire laid bare before those whom Applejack had sooner seen exiled than trusted or believed in. She had heard telling tales of Applejack ignoring the guards harassment, done nothing to stifle any discrimination, and of course she had been the one to finally snap and break the Queen and send her running off to a land that would shelter her. This was the species that held her airforce by the throat, and she dared not even try to imagine how she was going to take it.

She, Sunset Shimmer, would have to be the one to bear the initial reaction of the Element of Honesty learning that so much, from a dearly trusted friend.... had been a lie.

It had all been a lie, perhaps of laziness, perhaps of incompetence, perhaps of something more... sinister and perverted, an exchange for... she dared not think of it. She would not.

She merely told her, the trusted hero, the wise down to earth pony even Celestia had sought, and tried to weather the storm.

"...Yeah, and?"


There was something about the way the pony behind the desk said that, something so surreal. So unnatural.

There should be screaming, her brain cried, but the only screaming was in her own mind.

>...I'm... I'm sorry? Did you not hear me?

"Ah' heard ya'... and?"

Okay, there had to be a problem here. Some sort of mental block spell that prevented her from understanding the severity of what she was saying.

>Applejack, don't you understand!? A Princess has been shoving off important works regarding her kingdom to a changeling, a changeling! Not just minor things, but things that could seriously compromise every possible safety of those inhabited within it if she decides to use them for her own means! And, worse than that, Dash, the Element of Loyalty, has been handing over classified Wonderbolt documents to her and letting her file them as she sees fit with no oversight! Equestrian documents have left the country into another's hooves!

"...And?"

This had to be the work of mind magic, perhaps something even more sinister. Perhaps even Spitfire's initial assurance had been made in falsehood, and the changelings did indeed have ways to-

"Look, did ya'll think Ah' didn't know 'bout it? Listen, Sugar Cube? Ah' tried mah'self ta' get Eighteen ta' come work over here back when this whole mess started a year ago. She's damn good at what she does and she gives it her all, sometimes even more. Ah'm actually more offended ya' thought this somehow slipped past me. Like Ah' somehow didn't notice Cadence suddenly became a dang filing machine. Ah' knew, Sunset, Ah've known since the start. Me, Celly, Twilight, Shinin', it ain't exactly been a club secret. Shoot, think the only ones who aren't in on it were... well, shucks, you Ah' guess? Even the guards at the castle knew all about it."

...No

No, no no no, no no no no.

Not Applejack, not Celestia, not Twilight, they couldn't... not ALL of them...

>You... you knew about Rainbow Dash? Was... was it your idea?

"Nah, it wasn't. Actually? Dash and Eighteen had a chat, then Dash said Eighteen was willin' ta' help, Ah' didn't see the harm. In fact, Ah' encouraged it, and it worked out pretty good fer' her Ah' should say."

>Didn't see the harm!? Wha-buh-hunh-what!?

That she was looking at her with an eyebrow raised, a ever so slight tilt of her head, a body language that said if anything she was the one being irrational somehow made this terrible situation infinitely worse.

"Look, Dash has been havin' a real hard time with filin' these things and workin' her way through a mountain of backlog, so she needs some backup. Ah' recently started helpin' her, but goin' through all these regulations takes time, and she ain't got most of them down."

>Hasn't got most of them down!? What?! What what what!? How can she... she's Captain of the Wonderbolts, how can she not have most of these down!?

"Didn't exactly have a whole lotta time in the month of leadup, she mostly just had ta' look through all the paperwork. Shoot, most of the dang regulations put out in the last year ain't even in the hoofbook. Not like those came from Spitfire, and she sure as heck didn't update the thing regularly. Dash ain't even halfway through most of the regulations or how ta' properly fill out the forms."

>...what?!

"Well, this sorta stuff usually takes years o' trainin', she's had ta' do it in a way shorter time. Eighteen's got a lotta knowledge about airforce regulations, she can fill out the non-specific stuff. Dash just needs time ta' get up ta' where she can handle everything by herself, shouldn't be more than a year or two, understand?"

>....yes! Yes exactly! That's the problem! That is the thing I'm having a problem with! Why is she Captain of the Wonderbolts if she's never had any training!?

This had to be a mistake, she had to be misunderstanding, she had to be getting this wrong, because it sounded like...

"Look, Sugar Cube, Ah' needed someone in charge ta' deal with the quagmire that dang thing had become, and Ah' needed it done now. We wiped out most of them like a fricken natural disaster swept through by administerin' a dang drug test."

>...What?!

"Yep. Took 'em down ta' three, not countin' Dash herself. And Ah'll have ya' know that one was all Dash. Ah' didn't fill out nothin', she's the one who did the medical checkup."

>That's not... that's not better! That's basic! That's literally the first thing any sports team coach does every year! You don't even have to fill anything out, you just say who has to go see the physician! That's not impressive, why would anyone think that's a qualifier!?

She was still looking at her like that. That same tilt of her head, and annoyance on her face.

The same.

"Well, she did it, and since then she's finally managed ta' turn this thing around, thankee. Recruits 'er up, trainin' is goin' back ta' normal, public opinion of 'em has just plain soared this last month or so, and once she gets rid o' those last two buggers, it'll be all fine."

>...It's been a year! How... how is this just now getting back to normal!? Didn't you go through three invasions already!?

"Yeah, well, they managed with just seven."

>Just seven!? Seven!? Our airforce was literally seven ponies!? Wha... that's barely enough for a frisbee game! It's been a year!

She shrugged. She actually just shrugged like that wasn't even a big deal, wasn't even a thing.

"S'what she managed, and she rolled with it. Was hard enough just goin' through all the red tape that was tangled all around that gordian knot of an organization. Ain't surprisin' she was still tryin' ta' figure out how anythin' worked when Ah' stepped in considerin'."

>Why did nobody help her, at the very least!? Just... somebody to mentor her!?

"Well, Ah' didn't know how it worked either, Spitfire sure wasn't gonna, and the others probably weren't gonna either, so-"

>Others!?

"Yeah, Soarin' and Fleetfoot. Ya' know, last two seniors left... a'fore now that is."

No no no no no no no no.

>Why... why didn't you just promote one them!?

"Well, we're pretty sure Fleetfoot is the whole dang reason fer' that whole drug incident, even though we couldn't prove it... probably don't want a gal like that in charge, ya' think?"

>What about the other one, Soarin'?

"Oh... well, Ah' didn't really know him, and seein' as he was in there too, didn't really trust him. Didn't see any reason ta' promote a stranger who was in the dang thing while it was at it's worst."

>But he wasn't involved, right? No drugs, no nothing?

"...well, no, Ah' guess not? Just didn't seem capable is all."

>Did you at least put him in charge for a little bit, just to see if he's capable!?

"...No? Why would Ah' do that instead of Dash?"

>Oh, I don't know, because Dash didn't know how anything in the freaking place worked!? Didn't even know where the fucking bathrooms were before you shoved her into the highest position in the Airforce? That's an issue! Tell me, why the hell did you and Celestia pick Rainbow Dash out of everyone!?

She stamped her hoof, finally doing something besides sitting in her chair and looking at her like she was crazy.

Good, this was good, she was finally going to-

"Look here, promitin' Dash was MAH idea, not Celestia's. Ah' asked her, but she said it was up ta' me, and Ah' used mah' best judgement. Ya' got a problem with it? Put it on me, it was mah' call. And ya' know what? Ah's stand by it. Dash has wanted ta' be captain of the Bolts since forever, has the drive ta' fix it, Ah' trust her ta' get it done, and we sure as shootin' couldn't count on no drugged up wannabe celebrities. She's mah friend, and Ah'll trust her well a'foer Ah' do someone who let all of that happen."

...Oh no. No. No no no.

It... it was true. It was all true.

She couldn't wrap he head around it, truly couldn't conceive of it. Even with the answer literally looking her in the face, straight on, she couldn't believe it. Yet, at the same time... she couldn't deny it.

>...you just promoted your friend, you didn't care if she was capable. You... you cared more about finally giving your friend the position she wants than making sure she can hold this position and succeed in it... you just wanted Dash to fulfill her dream...

She scoffed. She actually had the nerve to scoff, and roll her eyes.

“More like a dang nightmare fer' her, actually.”

>That's... that's not better...

This couldn't be real. That had to be Chrysalis, or Forty Two, or just somebody impersonating Applejack. It couldn't be real.

None of this could be real.

When it had been Cadence, she had been horrified of course. When it had been just a princess alone, she couldn't believe they hadn't been as she thought. But that was Cadence, that was someone she saw was quite flighty and fancyfree, she didn't like it, but she could believe that. She could understand it, even if it made her sick.

But this...

Sunset had been through a lot in the very short time she had been here. Perhaps, some might argue, far too much. Most of it, she admitted, had been her own fault. Her own desire to see something she wanted in her grasp pushed her to do things that left her as she had now.

But none of it, not the return, not the fact Applejack clearly had no idea what to do with her, not the bargain with the changeling Queen and not even dying stung as much as this. Stung as much as seeing someone she thought absolutely trustworthy... every bit the sham Cadence was. Maybe even more so.

Not Applejack...

Not her...

>...you... youuuuuu...

She just cocked an eyebrow, didn't give a care.

“Somethin' ya' wanna say?”

She was going to give her a reason to.

>...You're a disgrace.

That, thankfully, cut through to her.

“...what did you just say...”

Her pretenses of respect, of admiration, were gone.

She was going to make it known.

>Oh, I'm sorry, does the Nepotistic oligarch have an issue with what I said? Well, I certainly don't want to make her mad, I've seen what happens to anyone who gets on her bad side.

Slam came down the hoof, up shot the princess.

“And just what does that mean!?”

And up shot the unicorn.

>I mean you're NOTHING like the Applejack I knew! I was wrong! I've been wrong from the start! The Applejack I knew would never have been so consumed by petty favoritism that she would allow her countries airforce to rot for a YEAR under the command of a half cocked untrained hothead all because 'she's mah friiieeennndddd!'

The impression, while spot on, was clearly not appreciated.

“Now you listen here! Dash has done more with far less than any other would'a done in her situation!”

>Oh, well, I don't know if that's true, seeing as she had NOTHING, she had NOTHING but a name and YOUR say that she deserved this rank at all! Others worked their asses off for years and years and years for a shot at this? But you? Welll, “Ah' don't KNOW them, so clearly they can't be that important no ma'am! Ain't possible for someone ta' be capable iffin' Ah' don't know them!”

“It ain't like that at all!”

They were close now, so close that their noses were mere inches from touching.

>You were so wrapped up in making sure your friend finally got the 'recognition' she deserved for how just so awesome she was that you didn't care how she got it or if she could even handle it! And, guess what!? SHE COULDN'T!

“Ah' just said-”

>Well whoop de doo! She's turning it around after a YEAR and thanks to you and Eighteen carrying her ass! All she did was run some basic attack stuff that any rookie could have done and a year of zero recruitment or growth! Her biggest accomplishment is a drug test and SUMMER CAMP! That's it! Whoopee! She's officially as good as a productive PTA meeting!

“She's done a lot more good than that!”

>Oh, and I'm not surprised nobody joined up! Would you? Tell me, if someone just swooped in, replaced the top of the organization with their best friend and then ABUSED the former head of that organization for all to see, would you join? For what!? You can't advance! If you tried, you'd just end up screwed over like she did! You showed an entire generation 'follow your dreams! But unless you're best friends with royalty and or a national hero, then keep dreaming!' Figures the only thing that could actually inspire anyone is you breaking someone's arm!

“That's a load oh honkey and you know it! She was the best option, that's all!”

>Oh yeah!? Tell me, RIGHT NOW if Soarin' had come up to you before alllll of this, and said “I can do this better”, would you have given him a shot? Would you have kicked Dash out just as abruptly as you did Spitfire if the situation had been reversed?

She went so silent. So tellingly silent.

And every second hurt.

“...Ah' might've, ya' don't know. Just cause it would'a hurt Dash somethin' fierce doesn't mean...”

>See!? How could anyone even hope to advance in these kinds of conditions!? You were so wrapped up in this game of favorites you were willing to let a CHANGELING look over classified documents just to keep up the con! I can't believe how hypocritical you are!

A hoof crooked under her nose, mashing it upwards quite painfully.

“Now listen here missy, Ah' don't care what that gal is, she's as trustworthy as she comes and Ah' ain't gonna have ya'll badmouthin' her! And Ah' especially ain't gonna have it when it was YOU, not her, that was snoopin' around in some other foreign royals affairs! Last Ah' checked, Ah' approved Dash and Eighteen corroborating on this matter, ain't nobody approved you goin' into a heavily guarded area full of sensative info! Far as Ah'm concerned, ya'll ain't got a hoof ta' stand on with callin' changelings untrustworthy!”

With a slap, that hoof was removed, and instead another replaced under Applejack's nose.

>What are you talking about!? Since day one that I've got here, you've done nothing but show everyone how untrustworthy and terrible changelings are! Of course I investigated it, of course I was suspicious! You showed me that's how I'm supposed to react!

Likewise, Applejack slapped the offending appendage gone.

“Baloney, only one Ah' never trusted is Chrysalis, and Ah've got dang good reasons fer' that! Ah've never said word one that they're all untrustworthy!”

>You sure treated them like it!

She wavered, unable to retort, the perfect opportunity to press forwards.

>And you were right! Changeling Queen's are horrible, monstrous things that are evil right down to their very core! Nobody who willingly serves under that can be all good! Nobody! I don't care how nice you think they are! Nobody who is willing to work for a MONSTER like that could ever be trustworthy enough to be put in charge of defending this place!

“Oh, and YOU can?”

Slap.

It reverberated more in her own hoof than it did in the echo of the room, but it shook just the same.

>...I know what I did, and I know that I'm not trustworthy right now... I know that nobody has any reason to trust me right now... not Twilight, not Celestia, not Cadence or Shining Armor, nobody... but I paid for that already-

“No, ya' haven't.”

The seconds turned to days as the slightly red cheeked face turned back to face her. Looking right into her, through her.

“That that wasn't justice, that wasn't penance. That was an accident that ya' caused, and it doesn't mean nothin'... ya' think Ah' didn't think about that, Sunset? That in order fer' that thing ta' be in there, in yer' chest, somethin' had ta' break first? For ya' ta' be like ya' are... that ya' had ta' have... died?”

She winced, moved back, but Applejack would not give her quarter.

“There, Ah' said it, Ah' said the thing ain't nobody else willin' ta' since it happened, ya' died. Ya' were dead, weren't ya'? On the ground, all alone, nobody there. Ya' died. Don't know iffin' it was a second or a minute or whatever, but ya' died, and nobody was there ta' help.”

No influx of love, no matter how powerful, could have kept the coldness from her chest.

“And it wasn't right, and it wasn't fair, and it wasn't somethin' Ah'd wish on mah worst enemy, never. Cause it don't matter who's fault it was, it don't matter iffin' ya' could've avoided it, it don't matter. It was wrong, ya' suffered for it, that's that. Ah' don't blame ya' for what went up ta' that point...”

Nor could it have stilled the chill that raced down her when Applejack leaned forwards.

“...but Ah' blame ya' for everythin' that happened later, and Ah' blame ya' for everythin' yer' doin' now. What happened in the past don't excuse what happens in the future. It was an accident, don't matter who's fault and ya' shouldn't be dragged for what ya' did up till then... but what yer' doin' is somethin' else. And ya' just keep doin' it, ya' just don't learn... and maybe it's mah-”

>I'm going to tell everyone.

She hadn't even heard most of what the orange mare had said. She had droned out the sounds when the memories rushed back into her head like the blood pouring into her skull. The thought of being there, alone, not found for days, nothing gained and nothing to show for her life, just thinking about it made her sick to her stomach, wanting to heave it all up even though nothing was in there. Just thinking about it...

Made her want to make sure if it ever happened again, she would leave a real mark this time.

>I'm going to tell everyone everything. They're going to know all about Dash, all about your actions, and maybe then we'll see if they really think that was the 'best option'... you don't have a problem with that, right? After all... Element of Honesty.

Backed into a corner, there's no way she could possibly-

“O' course Ah' gotta problem with it. Ah' don't care iffin' the whole dang world knows why Ah' did it, that's their business ta' judge or not, but Ah'm not gonna sit by and let ya'll-”

>Do what!? Huh!?

She grabbed hold of her, pulled her in nice and close.

“Ah'm not gonna let ya' try ta' make this out like Dash didn't earn her dang position with yer' spin' docterin' and lies! Ya' wanna go at me, fine, ain't had a positive score with the folks since Ah' got here and this sure as shootin' ain't gonna bring me down, but the moment ya' go at mah friends after the nightmare she's been through this is about a whole somethin' else!"

Nice and close, just where she wanted to be.

>Good! Good! Go ahead, hit me! Not like I'll feel it, I'm DEAD! You want to talk about nightmares!? My whole life since I've got here has been a nightmare!

“And ya' just keep makin' it worse!”

>The REAL Applejack wouldn't stand for this, stand for you picking your buddies and forgiving them for literally everything and giving them ridiculous amounts of leeway and freedom you wouldn't give anyone else!

“Ah' do not!”

>I'm going out there, to the public, and I don't care if you shoot me or they lock me up for being crazy or whatever! They deserve to know! They deserve to know that the princess who wouldn't take two seconds to reprimand her guards for harassing a changeling is all too happy to put them to work when they're useful, and keep mum about it! I'm going to tell them, because yeah, I respect Eighteen for all the work she's done in silence, but I also am well aware that like it or not, she served under a QUEEN, a changeling QUEEN, a monster that has only herself in mind and only her own goals to be obtained, and she's willing to go through anyone to get to it! She might be working for Chrysalis, thinking she's acting under her own interests and NEVER KNOW she's being controlled.

A wince.

No, no that wasn't a wince, that was something far, far worse. That was a memory that hurt like a hoofball to the face. That just plain looked pained.

“...Yeah, there is that risk... but... look, despite how Ah' thought, Chrysalis ain't a total monster, and she ain't like that. She ain't gonna-”

>I'm going to reveal everything, I'm going to tell the world, and won't it be amazing to watch as you, the Element of HONESTY, struggles to keep me down, because I will not stop, I will not be stopped, I am going to bring to light everything Dash did, everything Cadence did, everything every one of you circlejerking secret club bastards have done and I am GOING TO-

The creak of the door may as well have been a bomb going off. The slow screech like a hoof down a chalkboard. It was whisper quiet to anyone else, but to her right now, it was louder than a drill going right into her ears, and she was going to make this known.

'H-hey, AJ? Can we talk?'

...Right after she took the opportunity to let some more steam off her chest.

>Well, look who it is, speak of the devil!

The rainbow haired mare blinked oddly at the words spoken to her, seemingly just noticing that Applejack wasn't alone.

'Oh... hey Sunset. You mind stepping out for a bit? I uh... I need to talk to Applejack for a minute.'

A shared look between herself and the orange mare made it quite clear what would happen if she left the room right now.

“...Can it wait, Dash? We're kinda in the middle of somethin'.”

>Really? Not even going to make her defend herself?

“Ah' normally would, she don't need me... but...”

But is right, there was obviously something very, very wrong here.

'But what?'

“...Sunset here has some... opinions about ya'll being Captain of the Wonderbolts.”

'...Oh...'

Slowly, carefully, she sat down. Not flying off the handle, not getting angry, nothing like Dash normally would react to such accusations. Which could only mean one thing.

Dash was... tired?

'...Maybe she's right...'

“DASH!”

>I knew it!

So triumphant in her crowing, she didn't even notice when Dash made some odd sort of gesture. Reluctantly, Applejack obliged her, and produced some cider from a hidden compartment.

“...That bad? C'mon... ya' knew ya' had ta'.”

'It uh... that's the weird thing, no? It went off like I expected.... mostly like I expected. Told Fleetfoot everything she did wrong, and then... fired her. Then tried to offer Soarin' another chance, but he wouldn't stay without her and... come on, what kind of captain would let someone like that stay? I didn't want him to go, but... well, he did kind of bring it on himself. It's just... it's just really hard, you know? I didn't want to have to... do that. I know it's what I was supposed to do, but it still felt... bad. I didn't want to... Not after what happened with Spitfire.'

>You mean when you made her dress up in a maid costume and abused her until she quit?

“Sunset, shut yer' mouth right now!”

But Dash had no such defense, just a wince of a bad memory.

'...Yeah, just like that, actually. I figured if I kept them around then... then...'

Then...

'...Maybe I should've just asked them for help at the start, they knew how it was. But... damn it, I had to prove them I deserved this position, right? And I couldn't do that while also asking them for help ever other minute... just feels like it would've made it a ton worse if Soarin' or Fleetfoot had felt like they were doing the big stuff, but I still got the position. I just feel really alone in there sometimes, you know? It's not like with you guys where I always felt like you've got my back. I never really felt like... like they respected me. And now I know, they didn't! Neither of them respected me, or cared about me. They just wanted the position... but it still really, really hurt to let them go... even Fleetfoot, and I know how stupid that sounds. I really hated her, but now that she's gone...'


Anonymous Mon 31 Aug 2015 17:16:22 No.24520034 Report
Quoted By: >>24520039
>>24520015
It doesn't matter.

“Dash, ya' shouldn't... handlin' this alone ain't what Ah' wanted ya' ta' do...”

None of this mattered.

'...Being a Wonderbolt Captain wasn't supposed to be this hard. It was supposed to be easy, all the answers just... in a book, or I was awesome enough to figure them out... but...'

It was time to leave.

“And where do ya' think yer' goin'?”

Dash just continued sipping her cider, completely detached from the conversation.

>Exactly where I said I was.

Again, Applejack stood up, seemingly ready to jump across that desk at her.

“And what makes ya' think Ah'm gonna let ya'?”

'Gonna let her do what?'

She had to walk around the desk just a bit to look Dash in the face, but it was well worth it to look her right in the eye for this.

>I'm going to tell everyone that you, Rainbow Dash, have been using a foreign citizen, and a changeling at that, to do all of that paperwork. Sending over classified documents to be looked over by someone Applejack EXILED-

“Ah' did not!”

>-and haven't been paying nearly as much attention. I'm going to tell the whole world the truth.

'...which is?'

>That you, Rainbow Dash... never deserved to be Captain of the Wonderbolts, and the only reason you're here is because Applejack used her authority more akin to how a Dictator would, and put her friend in charge because she is drowning in sickening nepotism. You are going to be revealed for exactly what you are.

'...Uh huhh...'

...She had expected more than that. More... screaming? Angry? Maybe another dive? She had been preparing a shield spell just in case, but nope.

Nothing.

'...M'kay? That it?'

“That it!? Dash, do ya' have any idea what could happen if she tells everyone that Cadence has been hoistin' off her dang work ta' a changelin'!?”

So, that's what Dash looks like utterly confused. Noted.

'Wait, where does Cadence fit into this? She didn't say anything about her.'

"She wants ta' reveal her too! Everythin'!"

'Oh... don't? Seems like that would be kinda bad.'

“No shit! And the same goes fer' you! She's gonna tell everyone yer' only here cause Ah' pulled mah' influence!”

'Yeah, but...'

“...but?”

...but?

The mare fidgeted with her glass, sipping it just a bit.

'...Did you?'

Applejack honestly looked offended.

“Dash! No! Of course not! Ah' picked ya'll cause yer' the best dang flier in Equestria! And it ain't like ya' didn't have experience, ya' headed the weather team a'fore and everythin'! This ain't... it ain't like that! It's cause...”

'...I uh... look, don't want to sound ungrateful, but you do kind of... let stuff slip. Like... you know, the stuff Twilight did, and the whole Spike thing with the gun, and... just a lot of stuff you kinda look the other way for us on.'

That previous offense was nothing compared to this.

“Ah' do not!”

'...then why didn't you tell me I was being such a jackass to Spitfire?”

Even she, as mad as she was, could not help but feel something in that stone instead of a heart that pumped love magic through her veins when she heard how honestly... remorseful she felt.

“Dash... she brought it on herself.”

'Yeah... I know she did, but... but maybe she didn't bring that much. Or if she did... why was it okay?'

She sighed, going back to sipping once more.

'...Look, AJ, I know... I know you're my friend, and you'll always pick my side, but... listen, just... this thing taught me something, okay? This whole thing with Soarin' and Fleetfoot. Just... sometimes there's no way to put things in a good light. Because I believe you when you said that you're not just picking me because we're friends, I get that, you're pretty good about that but that just means...'

Just a bit of a shake to it, she picked up the glass, and poured herself another one.

'...that just means I was the least terrible choice in a bad situation. Not...'

Not the best choice, is what she hoped she wanted to say.

“Dash...”

'So... go on. Just, you know, don't drag Cadence into this... come on, she's been really nice to you, hasn't she?'

...Has she? Or was it... Eighteen, who was nice to me?

She dared not ask that out loud.

...She honestly didn't want to know.

>...Fine. I will. And we'll see how they react.

She looked right to Applejack for that one, daring her to do what she had been planning to, daring her to come at her, to force her hoof.

But she didn't.

She sat right back down.

“...Sunset?”

She didn't answer, already on her way to the door.

“Ah' ain't gonna stop ya', but iffin' ya' go out that door?... Don't come back.”

And she stopped.

“Not ta' me, not ta' Celly, nobody. Just... get gone. Ah' don't care where. Yer' banned from the castle. For good.”

Memories came back, just as they had before.

~You are forbidden from the castle.~

She had heard those words before.

She had done something so rash before.

She had lost decades to this before.

...This had all happened before...

>...A-as opposed to what? Hm? Staying here, letting you arrest me to keep your secret?

She didn't answer.

And she could not turn around to look at her.

>As opposed to what? Going back to nobody ever trusting me? Just... being a walking corpse that everyone's afraid of!?

Still nothing.

>As opposed to what, Applejack!?

At last, she turned around.

And Applejack was waiting.

“As opposed to comin' back over here and listenin' ta' yer' dang teacher... cause she don't want ya' ta' make another mistake.”

A beat.

Two.
Four.
Ten.
Maybe a hundred, she didn't know.
So much time passed, just the two of them looking to the other, just the two of them.

“And don't want ya' ta' go.”

…

The doorknob on her hoof felt cold. So cold.

So cold, it hurt to hold on to it. But....

The seat next to Dash, on the other hoof, looked so... warm.

It looked so very warm and comfortable.

So inviting...

…

And it felt just as she expected it to.

“...good...”

...good...

She was...honestly waiting for her to come back.

She wasn't tricking her, or lying to her... she wanted her to come back.

...It finally felt like her again, the real her... the other her.

>...I... I just want to-

“Ah' know, sugar cube, but ya' can't... why do ya' keep tryin' ta' do the most destructive, solo things here? There's gotta be better answers than this...”

>...It's just like, it feels like those don't work.

There was a silence that hung over them, the three just sitting there, two passing around a drink, the third just sitting, quiet as a mouse. Silent.

“...Ah'm not... that bad, am Ah'?”

She had taken forever to speak again, but when she had...

It was drier than Apploosa.

“Cause... Ah' mean, Ah' really was just tryin' ta' pick the best fer' the airforce, ya' know? And sure, Twi did some... weird stuff, but Ah'm not smart on them there science things, Ah' don't know nothin' bout 'em, how am Ah' supposed ta' tell her no when her tellin' me what they do makes Mah' eyes go cross... and sure, Ah' didn't stop the guards, but Ah' didn't encourage...”

She froze, both her and Dash. Sunset could see it, even if she didn't understand it. The ice on the tips of their tongues at that last sentence.

They both needed a good long drink after that one.

“... it ain't that bad. Ah'm just workin' with what Ah got. Look... we all wanna fix this, right?”

That one was pointed at her, straight at her.

She didn't have an answer to that.

Because the more she thought about it, the more unsure she was what any of this would have fixed.

What would have been gained had Dash been exposed and expelled? Would someone better have taken their place? Appointed by who? Obviously, the princesses... this wouldn't fix a thing. This was a call for actions, results, not repairs. She had wanted a sledgehammer, not nails and a board.

“...Or do ya' just wanna make sure if it happens again, ya' get remembered fer' somethin' this time?'

She prepared to get up, to move, to run. A soft, orange hoof pressed down on her own, preventing it form pulling away. It held there, trying to beckon her to look to the eyes that were waiting for her... that she couldn't.

“...Sunset...”

She just couldn't.

>I won't expose you, what more do you want?'

“Ah' want ta' finally do mah' dang job, and teach ya' that it ain't all about bein' remembered... it's who's gonna miss ya' when yer' gone.”

Then, finally, she looked.

And she regretted it.

She hated that Applejack could see her like this.

“...Lesson two... sometimes the answer that looks right ta' us... might just be because we ain't as smart as we think. Even if we're sure it's the right one... it might be because we want it to be.”

Tellingly, her eyes shifted over to the side, to Rainbow Dash... and she understood.

“...yer' turn...”

'Sometimes the right answer might be the hardest one... that might just look like the hardest one, because you don't want to think about the worse option.'

Dash knew she hadn't been talking to her, she just wanted to say it.

Finally...

>...Don't make the same mistake twice.

The hoof let go.

She didn't move.

“Now, one more time... we all want this ta' get better, right?”

Neither her, nor Dash, answered.

But they both knew what it was.

“...We all learned ta'day we ain't... ain't all we thought we were. Lotta things we thought were... a certain way, well, they ain't. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't fun. Maybe there is somethin' wrong with us... snd a lotta other thing...”

She sighed, looking over to the other desks.

Six in total, counting hers, all in a circle. Surrounding each other... perhaps even protecting each other.

No, they had protected each other, from everything, no matter what. They had stuck by each other and made sure nothing too bad had happened. They had been there to protect them...

From too much.

“But...”

'...When you have a broken window, you don't just complain every time it rains, or just break the rest of it away to clear out the sharp parts.'

A simple analogy, she admitted.

...but it fit.

>So... where do we start?

None of them had the answer to that, obviously. If they had, they wouldn't be in this situaiton.

But they were going to have to find it...

And this time, lesson learned.

They wouldn't do it alone.

"...Think we need ta' talk sometime... all of us."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 >42
"32"
'88'

>...

"..."

'...soooo, I think this is the part where we do the talking, right?'

>Hello 88.

'Hey, how's it going?'

>I'm guarding the ballroom.

"Oh, bumped down to 77's old position, hm? Guess that means there's room for a promotion."

>Can you not be a waste of space for five seconds?

"Can you manage that for even one?"

'And then they fucked, your honor.'

>Not-

"-in-"

>-a-

"-trillion-"

>-fucking-

>"-years!"

>"..."

'Creepy, yeah. But hey, how about we give her the good news?'

>You can give me the good news, another word out of his throat and I'm crushing it.

"Breathplay, really? I figured you were a kinky bitch beneath the ice queen exterior but-"

'Hey guess who's getting married!?'

>...

"..."

'...'

>Is it-

"Not US you damned robot!"

>Then who?

'77.'

>...what?

"77, our brother and yours, is getting hitched to his beloved Cheerilee...at some point. I don't know when, engagements can last a while, especially in this day and age."

>...WHAT!?

"Hey, her emotions kicked in, fancy that."

>WHERE IS HE!?

'Probably at Cheerilee's house still.'

"Doing that thing you really want to do with Shining Armor."

'...the mouth stuff?'

"...okay, one of the many things you want to do with Shining Armor."

>...I'm...happy...but...also want...to murder you.

'He gets that a lot.'

"Ta-ta, sister-dearest...also your daily reminder that that hat is atrocious."

>I WILL END YOU!

"AND NOW WE RUN!"


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Applejack
"Sunset"
'Dash'

"... I am... so very sorry..."

'It's...ok it's not..alright, it just isn't..."

>Horrible?

"'...Yeah...'"

>...

"..."

'...'

>So...Sunset... you.. uhh... y'all ever really... talked to anyone 'bout the whole heart thing?

"...Not...No, I didn't really... want to, feels.... too much"

'...Think you can get a heart transplant?'

>Ah'm sure Twi can... do somethin'

"Least I know, there has to be some genetic tissue of the old organ..."

>...Ah'm sure it'll be fin-...Ah' mean... we'll get to that, soon enough

"...I think... when it...-"

'Don't strain yourself...please...'

"...It.... kinda obliterated my heart..."

>...s'nothing left?

"...I don't know"

'...'

"..."

>...We're gonna fix y'all up...we're gon' fix all of us up...okay?

'Yeah..just have to..."

"...Hmm"

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Pennydrop
"Secretary"
'???'
~~~~

>SERIOUSLY!?

"Is this entrapment? I feel like this is entrapment. You drew me in here, had me give you data I in no way any shape or form can affect or change, and now it looks like you're about to open up the trap door and send me down into the monster pit."

>...what? Why would I put that underneath my office? They poop, everywhere. Just so much shit.

"..."

>No no, if I was really mad at you, I'd just put you on politics duty.

"..."

>Yeah. That said, I'm not a freaking comic character, I instead prefer to take out my anger on the ones actually causing it and make it so they don't do it anymore. Violently.

"Ah... so, uh... does... does this mean you're going to take it out on Coltsly?"

>Wha? No! Wha... no! Why the fuck... did you not just hear me!? What, was she supposed to know enough about ROBOT ENGINEERING to somehow spot a flaw in a mechanical design!? Are you high!?

"...no?"

>No! You're not! Because I drug test!

"You do!?"

>Ugghh... anything else to report? You look like you have something else to report and fear politics duty, I'm not going to take it out on you unless it's your fault.

"Oh! Um.. our agent is missing."

>...

"..."

>...okay, see, I just got done saying I take it out on those who are making me mad, and being vague with a bombshell like that? That's 'He's ninety and he can still get it up' angry.

"I...that's all the message said."

>One period or three.

"Six."

>FUCK!

"Fuck!?"

>FUCK!... Damn it... okay, dismissed.

"Phew!"

*Leaves!*

>...Fuck, that's my Canterlot agent... he didn't mess up planting the device, did he?... no, no noo.... no way. This guy's great, no way would he get caught planting it on the princess's wires... or would he?

Deep, deep inside of Canterlot, a stallion struggled against the restaints holding him down.

From the darkness of the room, many eyes glinted, as did many fanged smiles.

'We would like a word with you, if that's okay.'

His screams would not be heard.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NCOMAKE!
>AJ
"Dash"
'Sunset'
~~~~~

>SHO shen' ah shaysh... SHELLY! AH' gosh a quesshin!

"Sha fuh is shelly?"

>Sherry! Sha big booteh horse!

"Thash you!"

>Ah' ain't gotta... ho shih, ah' DO gohha big booteh.... WOW!

'I hate being the only sober pony in the room.'

>LOOK AT IT! SUNNY LOOK!

'It's rape if you have sex with them it's rape if you have sex with them it's rape if you have sex with them...'

"AH'M GONNA TOUCH IT ALL OVER!"

>A-ahh! Noh sho hard!

"GONNA BITE IT!"

>nnnngggh!

'...totally legal to watch, though...'


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OMAKE!
>42
"Teacher"
'Kids'
~~~

"Kids? Um... it seems we have a special guest here today! The general of the Changeling Army, Forty Two!"

'GASP!'

'No freaking way!'

'PUNCH SOMETHING!'

BOOM!

"MY WALL!"

'EEEEEEEEEEEE! SHE DID THE THING!'

>Hello, class. My name is Forty Two-

"Literally just said that."

>-and today, I would like to speak with you about your previous drawings.

"...Did... did they not like them?"

>Hm? Oh no, they loved them, but that's not surprising. No taste. None.

"Wha-"

>Today, Class, I am going to teach you all something.

'Punching!?'

'SUPER punching!?'

'KICKS!?'

'''''''GASP! BLASPHEMY!'''''''

>I do kicks too.

''''''''''GASP!'''''''''

>No, I'm here to teach you... about ART!

'''''''''wut'''''''''

>This is the sorriest excuse for a robot I have ever seen! You call yourself kindergartners!? I wouldn't pass you out of gradeschool with this!

"...you can't be serious..."

>So, we're going to LEARN TO ART! Now, first less, like any good punch, it's all in the grip!

"Is this an excuse to teach them punching-"

>GRAB YOUR BRUSHES!

~~~~~Two months later~~~~~~

>So, how did they do?

"My students swept both the regional art classes and martial arts competitions nationwide."

>...good... I have done good.

"I teach a class of violent ponies who paint really good."

>My work here is done...

"I fear for when they finally revolt."

>...everyone's getting ice cream.

''''''''''''YAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY""'"""""

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OMAKE!
>Pinkie
"Spike"
'???'
~~~

>HIT IT AGAIN!

ZAP!

'MISS! THIS IS AWFUL!'

>Ha! That means it worked!

"...What are you doing?"

>I'm making this Robot come alive!

"..."

>...

"...With... lightning?"

>That's how they did it in the movie!

"What movie?"

>Short Circuit! The 1986 success about a robot who gets struck by lightning and comes alive! It starred Steve Gutenberg back when anybody knew who that was.

"....what!?"

>Now you know why this is in an omake, that would have been HUGELY canon-breaking in reality.

"WHAT!?"

>JENNY FIVE IS ALIVE!

'I just feel pain! I JUST FEEL PAIN!... Also, I think I want to be a jhonny five.'

BRRRRRRRRRRR

SCKKKKKKKK!

'OH ROBOT GOD WHYYYYYY!'

>YOU'RE JENNY FIVE NOW!

"..."

>Hey, prompt called for JENNY five, and we're sticking with it.

"...I am so confused."

'AHHHHHHHH!'

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OMAKE!
>Cadence
"Rarity"
~~~~

>HRMMMM!

"Still investigating?"

>I need to know the answer!

"Fine. She wants your husband to give her the D-"

>I knew that!

"And also wants to eat YOU out like you had a caramel center."

>...what?

"Play tongue twister with your flowerpot. Play find the pearl in the clam. She wants to FUCK YOU, CADENCE!"

>Rarity, that's silly! We're both girls!

"...'

>...

"..."

>...

"...I can't.

BLAM!

>GAH!... thank god this isn't canon.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SO NON CANON IT HURTS OMAKE!
>AJ
"SA"
'???'
~~~~

>Mmmm... well, lookee there...

The mare let out a satisfied smile as she leaned back on the bed, arching her back in a bent turn to point her chest straight up, lining up with her gaze.

>Looks like it worked... didn't it, Shining?

"O-oh, oh god... oh god... my legs... m-my... I can't feel it...."

>Heh... just like Ah' thought. Look at all that there character development. Dang... got more here than Ah' do in twenty threads.

"I can feel by blood pooling where my hip used to be..."

>Looks like Ah' got what Ah' wanted.. and ya'll certainly got what ya' wanted, didn't ya?

"I WANTED NONE OF THIS!"

>This calls for a celebration...

She popped the cork on the winebottle, letting it spray everywhere as it released. And she knew all about that by now.

>Here's ta' Princess Applejack, and all her new character development.

"Oh fuck oh god oh no this hurts so much just kill me...

She brought the bottle to her lips, taking a deep, deep swing.

>Ta' princess... me.

SLAM!

'SHINY!'

"OH, CADENCE! THANK CELESTIA!"

'You want me to thank her for this? Why? I'm thanking you!'

"...what?"

'With all the character development focused on Applejack, I get none of the downsides! No drama, no problems, just silly stories and lots of fun! No development as a character!... Oh, shoot, but that means I can't have sex with ANYONE... sorry honey!'

>S'okay, Cadence...

She licked some stray wine off her lips, a toothy smile glinting as she looked over the prone stallion.

>Ah' gotcha' covered...

'You sure? I wouldn't want to impose on you, but you know how Shiny likes to chase those mares!'

>Yep, it's fine, consider it a favor... think Ah' need a bit more Character Development, just ta' be sure...

"OH GOD NOOOO!"

'Great! Have fun honey! Lovezap!'

The lovezap returned his lower half back to normal, but he felt no relief.

SLAM!

"Cadence!? CADENCE!?... EITHER SAVE ME OR SHOOT ME, THIS ISN'T FAIR TO GO HALFSIES!... CADENCE?!"

For she was gone. And she had returned something else to normal as well.

"CADENCE COME B-OOF!...NOOO!'

He had tried to run, tried to get up and flee, but it was too late. The hips were upon him again, just as they had been before, pressing him down onto the bed, burying his back in so deep he could almost feel the floor, keeping him from moving. And she wasn't even looking at him. All he could see was her orange back... and all that came with it.

>Heh... get ready, partner, we're goin' fer' a ride... yer' gonna have yer' way with me again, and Ah'm gonna have this thread back.

"MY WAY IS LEAVING MY WAY IS LEAVING DO NOT WANT DO NOT WANT!"

>Well, too bad...

She poured the wine down her back, sending the bubbling liquid trailing down her spine and right onto...

>Ah' want all the character development.

"NOT AGAIIIINNNN!"

Outside his wife just walked away, a skip in her step, a smile on her face... and not a care to the sounds of her husband screaming, and Applejack's grunts and moans that left her behind.

'Not so fun now, is it Shiny?'

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________