Unforeseen Consequences - The chaos carnival (pt11)

>It seems that the only pony who got to the meeting point before you and Aegia was Applejack. Both Rarity and RD were nowhere to be seen
>And this was actually suspicious, why would they not be here? You can be sure that the situation back at Mrs. Dust’s shop took you more than an hour. You frown and turn to Aegia
“Hey, Aegia…”
>”I know what you are going to ask” Aegia strokes your mane” Don’t worry, I’m sure zat zose mares got caught on zeir shopping spree. If I’m right zen I have to admit zat is a little funny zat Rainbow Dash actually has such feminine side to her…”
“Are you sure? What if something else happened?”
>But your worries are quickly dismissed once you get a little closer to Applejack
>”Ah can’t believe those mares! Ah understand that every dog should have a few fleas, but why in tarnation did they agree to be here after an hour if they were just gonna  tell me to wait longer! Ah swear that if those other two don’t show up then Ah…Oh, howdy Anon!”
>You chuckle and give the orange earth pony a soft grin
“Hey Applejack, no need to be so angry, we are right here. Sorry for making you wait, we had some….stuff that took us a little more time than what we anticipated, again, I’m sorry, but anyways, I take that both RD and Rarity are still out there buying stuff, right?”
>Applejack raises an eyebrow “Ya know, fer a colt ya sure like yer fancy talkin’” She then shrugs and rolls her eyes “But Ah guess that comes with bein’ a prince n’ all that stuff, and thinkin’ about it, Ah suppose that is good that you haven’t gone back on your raisin’”
>”But Ah’m ramblin’ about things that ain’t mah stompin’ grounds…” Applejack sighs in defeat “As fer yer question’, ya got that right, those two ran off like a scalded haint! Ah suppose that Ah was two bricks shy of a full load fer trustin’ them to actually get here in time…or at all…”
“Ah come on, I’m sure that they are enjoying themselves, I suppose that just having a one hour limit was a little too tight.”
>”Yeah, they told me that they were goin’ to take a little long, and that always means hours of waitin’” Applejack takes off her hat and cleans some sweat from her face “So Ah got an idea fer you two…”
“That is quite funny, because we actually had a proposition for you too. But please, continue…”
>”Well Ah suppose that Ah have to ask first if ya have any other business in here, and if ya do, don’t worry, Ah have no axe to grind about how ya use yer spare time, but if ya don’t, why not pack our things and go to mah farm? Ya know, we could relax there instead of bein’ in the middle of this jungle”
>”Actually mademoiselle Applejack, zat is actually what we were going to request. I would like to do some scouting around your farm, if that’s not a problem wiz you. And I would like for ze prince to get some rest after everyzing zat he has gone zrough today”
>”Well ain’t that the apples! Let’s move on then, Ah can’t wait to introduce the rest of the family to ya. As fer scoutin’ or inspectin’ mah farm, sure why not? To be honest with ya, Granny Smith has been as nervous as a long tail cat in a room of rockin’ chairs about ponies sneakin’ into the farm. Ah’m sure that knowin’ that somepony from the Guard is doin’ rounds around the farm will make her happier than a sleepin’ pig in the sunshine”
“Well, seems like we are all set then, I feel bad for not saying goodbye to Rarity and RD but if they are having so much fun with their shopping, then I suppose that it can’t be helped. So please, lead the way Applejack, I can’t wait to see your place”
>Well, it was time to meet Sweet Apple Acres you guess; there wasn’t a way back from this. You and Aegia start to follow Applejack through the different districts that encompassed the chaos carnival.
>You sure hope that this won’t be just a one-time thing only. Discord has really achieved something of importance here
>This need to be at least an annual celebration, something that brings happiness to everyone by giving them something out of the ordinary.
>As you walk through Ponyville, you ask Applejack again if Rarity and RD wouldn’t get angry or offended because you decided to part ways.
>Applejack lets out a small laugh as she adjusts her saddlebag “Don’t worry about ‘em, in fact Ah hope that ya weren’t planning to go to bed with the chickens, because we are havin’ a little celebration later, and ya can be sure that those two will be there”
“That sounds wonderful…so, only Rarity and RD are joining us later?”
>”Well, if Twi n’ the rest of the gang mend fences early with that Starlight, then they will come too! But Ah reckon that might not happen’ because first of all, that Starlight doesn’t seem to be the best apple in the orchard and then they have that Discord to worry about…”
>Applejack chuckles “Don’t get me wrong, Ah suppose that Discord might be a good fella, but most of the time he won’t hit a lick at a snake”
>A celebration? Oh sweet mother of everything that is good and sexy, please don’t let that pink pony to be there.
>Please Discord, if there was any time for you to be a hassle for anyone, this is the time, please, entertain Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie so they are so tired that they can’t go to the farm.
>”Zen zere is ze fact zat ze Princess of Friendship will have to deal wiz ze General of ze Night Guard if she even wants to talk wiz ze prisoner, and I don’t zink zat ze Princesses will take kindly zat ze Princesses will take kindly zat Twilight is trying to make friends wiz ze pony who tried to hurt zeir little colt”
>”Exactly! Maybe Twi is too big for one’s britches because she doesn’t understand that the mare she wants to befriend tried to hurt a small colt. Ah suppose that she counts on Princess Celestia to be on her side”
>Applejack looks at you for a moment “Ah can understand that Princess Luna n’ Princess Celestia has the biggest hearts in Equestria, but a mother who would forgive the pony who wanted to take their foal away forever? That’s as scarce as a hen’s teeth!”
“Well, regardless of that I do hope that Twilight succeeds at making Starlight see the error of her ways, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to talk to that mare...at least not soon. What makes me nervous is that Starlight knows how to take advantage of you…what if she tricks Twilight and the girls so she can get out of jail just to try again to force her ideals onto everyone?”
>Once again Aegia reads your mood like an open book, it was clear to her that you were worried of a potential revenge by Glimmer, so she stops and looks you in the eye.
>”Zat won’t happen, Mon Petit. Even if ze Princess of Friendship pleads for Starlight Glimmer’s release, she won’t be able to do anyzing considering zat she’s under ze jurisdiction of ze Night Guard. Only Princess Luna can dictate such command. Let me ask you, how do you zink zat you mozer would act when she meets ze prisoner?”
“You mean my mom Luna?”
>Aegia nods ”Oui.”
>You were going to say that Luna is probably the kindest pony that has ever lived, but then you remembered how she gets when she’s angry. And you can bet everything that she’s angry as all hell for all of this…
“Well, I think that even Discord with all his whacky magic will have troubles at keeping my mom Luna from blasting Starlight into pieces. Don’t get me wrong, what Applejack said is true, they are the kindest and most forgiving ponies that has ever lived but…you haven’t seen my mom Luna angry…Scary doesn’t even begin to describe her”
>”And zat is only on her daily life. I have read reports of her actions on ze battlefield. Princess Luna has led many missions for boz ze Night Guard and ze Secret Service. I can tell from moi experience zat she’s not a pony zat you want to anger. And zat is only one of your mozers, I doubt zat Princess Celestia will take ze news kindly…”
>Applejack can’t help but to gasp at what Aegia just said ”Princess Luna?! Well shut mah mouth! Hoo-weee, Ah never expected that pony to be that scary! But Ah suppose that’s one of the alicorn sisters fer ya!”
>That actually made you curious; your moms are warriors too? You know that they are powerful beings, but leading missions for the Guard to protect Equestria? That’s completely and totally awesome.
“I have never actually seen my mom Celestia getting completely angered…not like I ever want to but you actually peaked my interest there…how’s she when, you know…”
>Aegia shakes her head “Ze missions zat Princess Celestia handles are always highly classified. Not even I know ze specifics…” Aegia strokes your mane “But if it means somezing for you, Mon petit. Zere are tons of…rumors among ze secret service about Princess Celestia combat capabilities, especially when she gets angry, and all of zem speak of somezing zat nopony in zeir right mind would ever want to face”
“Is my mom Celestia that bad when she gets mad?”
>Aegia nods “One of ze only rumors zat I can take as true is zat ze zreat alone of having to face ze anger of ze Princess of ze Sun can make even ze lord of ze dragons to zink twice before acting”
>Applejack walks to you, takes off her hat and gives you a soft smile “Ya see, sugar cube? Ya don’t have anythin’ ‘bout anythin’ to worry, if that Starlight comes back with her crazy talkin’, then me and the girls will send her packin’ faster than a bee stung stallion”
>”Oui, ze might of ze elements of harmony are nozing to take lightly…” Aegia looks away for a couple seconds, thinking of something  “I got ze impression zat ze spirit of chaos himself is quite fond of you, it would need a “special” kind of pony to even zink of dealing wiz zat…”
>”But even with all that…” Applejack intervenes “Ya still have to learn how to fend fer yerself, but Ah reckon that ya can do that considerin’ how many friends ya have”
>Yeah…yeah! They were right! You had nothing to worry about when it came to Starlight Glimmer potential return! You have friends and family that cares about you.  You just have to continue improving yourself, just like Applejack said
“Thanks girls…thank you a lot, I really feel so much better now and trust me, when Starlight comes back, I will be prepared. I don’t want to fight her though, something tells me that won’t be the right course of action. I feel that it would be better if I point her to the right path so she can achieve harmony, real harmony, not the lies that she tried to force upon everypony.”
>Everypony? Why did you even say that? You don’t like to speak with those cheesy words…but meh, it must have been the spur of the moment that got to you.
>Applejack chuckles “Ah keep forgettin’ that yer cutie mark is harmony, well as Granny Smith always told me when Ah was younger,  a whistlin’ woman and a crowing hen never comes to a very good end, ya know? If ya wanna handle Starlight with harmony, then that’s fine and dandy fer me because that’s who ya are”
>You nod and give the two mares a smile
“I’m glad, but…let’s get moving, I actually want to get to know your farm before more things happen. To be honest, I do hope that is as cozy as you made it out to be, because you kinda sold me on the relaxing part…”
>”Colt, if Ah tell ya a rooster can pull out a wagon, ya better hitch'em up! Mah farm is the best relaxin’ spot in all of Equestria, and the best part is that ya don’t have to wait much longer because Sweet Apple Acres is not far from here!” Applejack puts her hat on and starts walking “Ya just have to follow me, pardner!”
>The rest of the walk was spent with a pleasant conversation. As it turns out, Discord promised Applejack to not cast any sort of chaos shenanigans on her farm, not even the stained glasses that serves as the sky.
>Kinda surprised that Discord actually agreed on that, well for the most part, you can see that he did that so Applejack would have his back with the carnival stuff.
>Supposedly Rarity also made a deal with him that involved the security of her boutique and a bunch of super rare fabrics.
>But that was it, other than having Discord guaranteeing the safety of Ponyville, these 6 ponies pretty much supported Discord…so what Moonlight told to you was actually right.
>That was nice to see, Discord is a jackass a lot of the time, but he has a big heart, you have seen those actions, and you hoped that you could do a little bit more to prove that he wasn’t a monster as Glimmer painted him to be
>But it didn’t take long to reach the farm that Applejack called her own. And just like she told you, there was nothing weird or fantastic or extraordinaire going on inside of it.
>The sun above the farm displayed a beautiful blue sky with cotton clouds that were as white as the snow.
>As the name suggested it, the farm was an apple orchard. A big, red barn could be seen in the distance, and a yellowish house wasn’t far from it.
>”Sweet Apple Acres” read the sign that hung high on the entrance of the farm. The whole place almost looked like a small oasis in the middle of this impossible landscape that came from far beyond the dreams.
>”Here it is! Sweet Apple Acres!” Applejack waved her hoof at her farm with proud smile on her face “If y’all wanted a place to relax and have a nice day then ya came to the right place! Mah farm will keep ya happier than a woodpecker in a lumber yard!”
>”Zat is good to know, I’m sure zat ze Prince will be able to relax” Aegia strokes your mane before looking at the farm “But you will have to excuse moi, I have to scout zis place in case of somepony zinking zat zey can camp here or try to get to Mon petit”
>Applejack nods and tips her hat ”Ah understand and if ya find somepony who wants to take advantage of mah farm, please slap so much schtuff on their heads that not even Hoofjax will be able to clean it!”
>”Zat won’t be a problem. I will be back around dinner time, I suppose zat will take place after ze sun sets”
>”Eeeyup, ah can ring a cowbell fer ya when dinner is ready”
>”Oui, zat seems like a good idea…” Aegia looks at you and gives you a soft smile “As for you, mon Petit. You better obey everyzing zat ze element of honesty tells you and put on your best behavior. Because if you don’t…” She gives you a small stare for just a second…but it was enough to deliver the message.
>You gulp and give Aegia a military salute
“I-I understand ma’am Aegia! I won’t do anything to upset Applejack or her family, ma’am Aegia!”
>”Good…” Aegia nods “Zose are just part of your orders, mon petit. Ze last order and ze most important is…” Aegia pulls you closer and gives you a brief but warm hug “Take care, above anyzing else, take care. I don’t want to fail zis mission and not get paid… and I suppose zat losing a friend twice in ze same day would be very bad too”
>You let out a small chuckle and return the hug
“I understand ma’am Aegia. You have nothing to worry about”
>“I hope zat is true, zis carnival seems to bring more troubles zan what ze entire secret service was expecting. I will see you at dinner, so for ze moment” Aegia kiss you on both cheeks, making your mind go blank and your face to go red “Adieu”
>You put both hooves on your cheeks and ask Aegia with a shy voice
“W-What was that?”
>Aegia rolls her eyes, and even giggles for a second “You need to get out of zat castle a little more, Mon petit. Zat is how ponies in Prance bid farewell to each ozer. Now, I have to go…” Aegia gives you a wink before taking off
>You were still red as a tomato
>Applejack chuckles and taps your shoulder “Seems to me that ya got caught with yer pants down “Moun Pahteet”” The orange earth pony gives you a teasing look “But if yer done with that, we better get movin’ so ya can meet the rest of the…”
>Applejack gasps and slaps her face “Awww shoot! Ah can’t believe that Ah remembered just now!”
>That seemed odd…so much in fact that it took you back into reality
“What is it Applejack?”
>”Ah forgot that Big Mac is at town sellin’ apples and Granny Smith must be busier than a one-legged cat on a sandbox from making dinner fer all of us!” Applejack rubs her chin for a moment before rolling her eyes “Ah sure hope that Applebloom is still at that tree house doin’ her homework as Ah told her to…. Say Anon, ya already meet Rarity’s sister, right?”
>Rarity’s siter? She has one? Hmmm….Oh yeah!
“Sweetie Belle, right? Yup, I met her when Discord kid…invited me to have a tea party with Fluttershy, she gave me the impression of being a good hearted girl. I remember that she got excited when she saw that I didn’t have a cutie mark and offered me her help to get one…heh that would have been useful until today I guess…but anyways, yes, I know her, why?”
>”Well, butter my flank and call me a biscuit! Ah reckon that ya dodged a mighty arrow there! Ah don’t want to talk bad about mah sister, but she and her friends always come up with these plans to get their cutie marks that make as much sense as a trapdoor on a canoe!”
“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad, Sweetie Belle didn’t struck me as someone who would come up with over convoluted plans so she can know her special talent. But anyways, why did you ask that?”
>”Ya just wait n’ see, but eh…” Applejack rubs the back of her neck “Ah think that Ah skipped a few parts, ya see, Rarity’s sister is one of the best friends of mah lil’ sister Applebloom, so Ah guess that ya won’t have any problem with meetin’ ‘em”
“Aaah, I see, now that I remember, back at the castle RD mentioned a pony named Scootaloo when you know… you, Rarity and RD told Twilight that you weren’t going with her. Is she a friend of your sister too?”
>Applejack nods “Eeyup! The three of ‘em has this group called the cutie mark crusaders, they meet in this lil’ clubhouse that Ah gave to ‘em, which is actually where we are goin’ right now”
>You nod and follow Applejack through her apple orchard passing through the barn and the little house. It wasn’t long until the two of you reached a small opening were you saw a decently sized tree house
>The tree holding the small building went through it, acting as its support pillar. On the outside there was a small wooden table with three chairs. The tree house was, well, quite girly.
>It was painted with peachy colors, the front door had a heart shaped window. Above of it was another window decorated with small flowers.
>Nonetheless, you had to recognize that this was a very well done job in terms of crafting. From the ramp that served as the main access to the secondary ramp that lead higher into the tree and into a small cabin that displayed a waving flag on the top and a telescope that was inside of it
>Applejack motions you to follow her to the front door, order that you do without complain. But before she knocks on the door, the farm pony takes off her hat and sighs
 >”Now, Ah said that they always are chugged full with these crazy ideas about getting’ their cutie marks, but Ah gotta give it to ‘em, those fillies always go hog wild fer everythin’ that they do, those gals are serious workers, ya will see…”
>The proud that Applejack was feeling towards her little sister and her group of friends was so much that she forgot about knocking the door and instead she just opened it from pair to pair.
>”Now Anon, Ah would like you to meet- What in tarnation?!”
>The three fillies were indeed inside their clubhouse, as Applejack had hoped for, but what surprised her was the fact that rather of working diligently on whatever they were supposed to, the three fillies were scattered around the small clubhouse….doing nothing.
>Well, the little clubhouse was rather comfy on the inside…if it wasn’t such a mess of course. There were some posters hanging on the walls, oddly enough, one displayed a pixelated Rainbow Dash.
>The little curtains on the windows had heart patterns, and there were tons of…stuff on the floor that ranged from crayons, sheets, notebooks and papers to toys, helmets and much more random possessions.
>Speaking of the fillies, they were…cute, none was as cute as your little bat, but cute nonetheless.
>There was Sweetie Belle with her white coat, green eyes and bicolor mane. She was sitting at a small round table that had a bunch of papers on it
>Seems like Sweetie Belle wasn’t on the best of moods, because she was scribbling furiously on her little notepad while angrily mustering something to herself
>On the far end of the room there was an orange pegasi with a purple mane, her eyes were of the same color.
>Just as Sweetie Belle, she was angrily writing, with the difference that instead of doing it on a notepad, the pegasi was angrily writing on the chalkboard “Homework stinks!!!”
>One of the things that you notice about Scootaloo was that her wings were smaller when compared to all of the pegasi foals that you’ve seen in both Canterlot and Ponyville… hmm better not touch on that.
>And finally, sitting at the small round table was an earth filly who you assumed was Applejack’s sister: Applebloom.
>Her mane was red and had a cute pink bow on it. Her eyes were orange and coat was completely yellow. She was banging her head repeatedly against the table.
>Well, if that was Applebloom and the other was Sweetie Belle, then the pegasi must be Scootaloo. None of them had a cutie mark though and the all of them were…incredibly frustrated to the point of almost depression.
>”Applebloom! What the hay is goin’ on here! Ah was talkin’ to Anon about how hard workin’ y’all are and now ya made me look like like Ah was talkin’ with mah tongue outta mah hoof!”
>”Applejaaaaaack heeeeelp…” Applebloom whines as she slowly turns her head to her sister and gives her a piece of paper
>Applejack raises an eyebrow and takes the paper from Applebloom’s hoof; she gives it a glance but throws it away when she couldn’t understand a thing that was written on it.
>”Just what in Equestria were y’all tryin’ to do?” Applejack asks with some annoyance in her voice.
>You get curious about what in the world could have caused this descent into madness. Using your magic, you pick up the paper and give it a quick glance….oh….come the fuck on….this was…
>”Fraaaactions….Ah haaaaaaaate fractions! Why Miss Cheerilee gave us so much homework about fraaaactions?” Applebloom whines as she starts to bang her head on the table once again
>”I swear that I got it!” Sweetie Belle speaks up while she continues to furiously writing on her notebook “If we take the 4 and duplicate so we can have…wait a minute…did somepony said…Anon?”
>In just a second, the anger of the little unicorn changes into glee. Sweetie Belle takes her eyes off from her notepad so she could look at you
>Her smile becomes so sweet when she saw you, that for a moment you thought that you got diabetes
>Sweetie Belle dashes to you, getting really, really close to your muzzle “Anon! Hiiiii! How have you been?! I never thought that I would see you so soon and… wait a minute… what are you doing here? “ She gasps for a moment and takes a step back “I-It’s not like I’m not happy to see you…its…it’s you know….hehehe I can’t believe it….I’m soooohappy that you are here!”
>You notice that Sweetie Belle was blushing and giggling, but to not be rude and risking for Aegia to come and kick your butt, you give the small unicorn a polite smile while taking a step back
“It is a pleasure to see you too, Miss. Belle. I don’t believe that it has been that long since we met, but it’s always nice to see a dear friend like you”
>”Oh my!” Sweetie Belle blushes even more and waves her hoof to ventilate herself “I-I mean…it is nice to see you too!”
>You turn to Applejack who stopped her scolding and was trying to understand her sister’s homework, but clearly was failing miserably since the big sister was getting more and more frustrated.
“Applejack, I think that I will be fine from here on out…well, that is, if you have something else to do. I can even help Miss. Belle and her friends with their homework too…”
>”Alright! I like this dude already!” Scootaloo jumps forward, almost dancing in joy
>”Well…” Applejack throws the paper away and rubs her chin “Ah suppose that Ah could lend Granny Smith a hoof at the kitchen and let her know that she won’t have to worry about anypony causin’ a ruckus on the farm and leavin’ the barn all cattywampus… but Ah have to ask, are ya sure about that? Yah don’t have to do this ya know?” Applejack asks with some concern
>”What?! He has to help us! We have been here for hours!” Scootaloo immediately interjects
>”Pleaaaaaase take me out from this math nightmare! Ah can’t take it anymore!” Applebloom slams her head on the table once more
>”P-Please Anon…I know that you don’t have to…but you would be like a prince in a shining armor that came to rescue us from the big meany…” Sweetie Belle looks at you with pleading eyes
>You nod and chuckle
“Quite sure, believe me if it’s just math, then I will have no problem”
>Applejack looks at the three fillies and then at you “Well, if ya are so sure, then why not, just don’t do everythin’ fer them, Ah don’t want  Appleboom to become as useful as a steerin’ wheel on a mule…”
>You nod again
“Then I won’t do such thing, I have my orders, remember? You can go without any worry so you can help your Granny”
>”Alright, if ya say so…” Applejack walks past the door “Just remember to come to the house when it gets dark, alright?”
“We will…”
>And with that Applejack leaves the small club house. You don’t say a word, just see through the window and wait until she was completely gone
“Alright, she’s gone….”
>You turn to the three fillies and give them a slight cocky smile. You walk past them and get to the chalkboard
“It is clear to me that you are actually three fillies who do their best, and work hard…”
>You erase the big message that Scootaloo wrote in the chalkboard. You scan the room and find a box of chalk lying around which of course you bring to you by using your magic.
>”Yeah, but that doesn’t make homework to not stink!” Scootaloo grumbles as she takes a seat on the round table
>Applebloom raises her head and cocks an eyebrow ”Are ya sure that ya can help us with this mumbo-jumbo? We have tried fer hours and-“
> Sweetie Belle takes a seat at the table too ”Applebloom! Shhhhhh! Let Anon speak! I’m sure that if there’s anypony who can help us out is….” She places her front hooves on the table and rest her head on them, looking at you with bubbly eyes “Anon….” Sweetie Belle says with a sigh
>You stretch yourself a little. Then using your magic you start to order the chalks by colors…
>You know, this gave you memories back from when you had to give classes at the MIT since your Ph.D. program demanded you to do that…
>Speaking of your previous life…Cathy… Where are you? Please be okay….no, focus Anon, you can’t let yourself to start to divagate.
“Well, to answer your doubts, yes, I can…no…I WILL help you with your homework. I saw what you are dealing with, and I don’t want to sound rude but it’s nothing for me…”
>Applebloom wasn’t really convinced by this, maybe it was her pride or maybe she was a little more cautious than her other two friends “Are ya really sure about that? Because fractions are the worst!”
>You roll your eyes and give her a cocky grin
“I’m sure… oh wait! before anything, I think that introductions must take place. My name is Anon, and the three of you are in luck, because there’s no one in Equestria who’s as good in mathematics as me”