The Question Recurring 11 - Will To Power

>You awoke to an unusually unmovovable hoof on your chest.

>Attached to the hoof was a tan earth p0ny with a cowboy hat on, looking pretty pissed.

>She gestured to the pile of apple cores next to you.

>"Now jis where do you get off stealing my famly's apples?"

>Before you could open your mouth she continued.

>"We don' take kindly ta theivery on this here orchard. Defend yerself thief."

>That accent. What a southern drwl.

>She was the first p0ny you had met with any kind of accent at all.

"Jesus I was told you were the hospitable sort. Uh... I was hungry I guess..."

>"My name is Applejack. Ah don' know who this Gee-zus feller is, but he certainly ain't round here."

>You couldn't help but to laugh.

"A hick who hasn't accepted the lord and savior, Jesus Christ into her heart? That's a first."

>She narrowed her eyes.

>"Did you jus' call me a hick stranger?"

>She emphasized each word menacingly.

>It was probably not the best idea to insult the p0ny holding you down that you were intending to ask for help from, but you couldn't resist.

"Ah reckon I did." You said imitating her accent.

>"That seems to me to be a darned foolish thing to say to the gal who could easily put ya in a world-a-hurt."

"I suppose it is." You said dropping the accent. "My name is Anon. I came by last night but the lights were off and I figured it would be better to wait until sun-up to talk to you. I was going to ask..."

>"Ah know who ya are an' what yer here for. Twi stopped by earlier an' asked on yer behalf. Seems ya missed a date with her."

 

"What time is it?"

>"One fifty-two in the afternoon ya lazy fool." She removed her hoof. "I woulda said no, but since she asked so nicely, ah'm forced to oblige her."

>You must have been more tired from the walk home yesterday than you had realized.

>"Now as a favor ta Twilight, ah'll let ya stay here, but yer gonna hafta earn yer keep jis like the rest of us, an' you already owe me for those there apples."

You affected you most sorrowful face, and dropped back into the drawl.

"Well ah'm mighty sorrowful-like about thievin those there apples. Ah'd be much obliged to you fer yer hospitality."

>This time she laughed.

>"Two things that ain't gonna git ya nowhere with me are insults an' flattery, but the latter ah don' mind so much. Ah am impressed by the balls you must have to keep truckin' on with that ridiculous accent o' yers. To start, go git the ladies to move to the fresher pasture."

"Ladies?"

>"The cows. Ya might hafta sweet talk em a bit. They can be awfully ornery this time o' the year. C'mon Winona, let's go."

>As she walked out, a small dog ran to her side.

>The two soon disappeared around the corner.

>Funny, a p0ny with a dog for a pet.

>Like a chicken with a man for a pet.

>You hadn't had chicken in a long time...

>Whatever you had a job to do.

>Probably best to keep the way humans viewed lower animals to yourself.

 

>You walked outside and spotted the herd of cattle next to the barn.

>You walked over and opened the gate.

"All right what would be the best way to do this?"

>"Do what mister?" Said the front-most cow.

>You weren't incredibly surprised at the talking cow, just a little taken aback.

"I... uh... you cows need to come with me to the fresher pasture. Let's form an orderly line and get moving. I have places to be, and people to see."

>She looked around and smiled.

>"Nah, the grass is still pretty fresh here. We'll stay."

>You heard murmurs of approval throughout the herd.

>You did not have the time or patience for this shit.

>You curled your lips into a snarl, purposefully revealing your canines.

"Do you know what my all-time favorite food was back home, cow?"

>At the sight of your teeth she hesitated.

>"W-what?"

"New York strip steak."

>An anxious murmur went through the herd now.

>"A-and what is that?"

>You smiled even wider, showing even more teeth.

"Cow. Bovine. Beef. Steer. Red meat. After more than a week of pastries and the odd fruit... the very thought of that slab of flesh searing in a pan in its own blood... oh it makes my mouth water just to think of it."

 

>The whispering grew louder as the cows in the front visibly gulped.

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>You walked towards Applejack.

>"Ah'm impressed again there Anon. Ah've never before seen the ladies so quick an' orderly. What'd ya say?"

"Oh nothing in particular. You know, you just... uh treat them as equals. I've been told before that I have a way with words."

>"Well good job Anon. Yer welcome ta stay in the barn as long as ya'd like to, or at least until ya git me so riled I hafta kick ya out. Whichever comes first."

"Thanks Applejack, now if you'll excuse me I have a couple p0nies to see."

>"See ya later then."

>With that you headed back towards town to Sugarcube Corner to see Pinkie.

>You were not looking forward to it.

>You glanced behind you to see Applejack disappearing inside the farmhouse.

>You snagged a couple apples off a tree and continued walking.

>The apples were nothing but cores by the time you reached the bakery, so you tossed them in a bush.

>You raised your arm to knock, but before you could even touch the door, it swung open.

>This time the pink p0ny's hair was poofed up, resembling pink cumulus clouds, and she wore a grin that seemed to big for her face.

>Before you could say anything or even lower your arm, she took a deep breath and began to assault you with her words.

 

>Oh my gosh I've never seen you before who are you are you anon Twilight's anon she came by earlier and said you'd be by later I'm so excited how have we not met I should throw you a welcome party doesn't that sound fun and exciting I will throw you a welcome party it will be fun and exciting we'll have cake and cups and cupcakes and cider and balloons I'll invite everyp0ny it'll be the best welcome party ever okie dokie come back at 8 and everp0ny will be here and we'll start see you then.

>And with that the door slammed shut and you heard a commotion begin inside.

>you lowered you arm slowly.

>Insane for sure, but at least now she was less sinister.

>You turned and headed over to the library.

>Spike was leaving as you got there.

"What's up dude?

>"Not too much bro. I'm kinda busy right now. I hope you have a good party; I can't go. I'm looking after Rarity. I'll see you later."

>You waved as he walked off.

>How the hell did he know about your party?

>Wasn't that decided upon just now?

>Whatever.

>You walked in and shut the door behind you.

>Twilight was sitting on the couch reading a book.

 

>You checked the title.

>Behavior and Physical Attributes of Equestrian Primates.

>You looked at the book sitting next to her.

>Creatures Possessing Magical Characteristics.

"Doing a little research are we?"

>She quickly shut the book and put it under the other one.

>"You're late and I had to run your errands for you."

"I'm sorry Twi. I didn't mean to oversleep. I put far too much faith in the roosters on Applejack's farm. They're clearly shirking their alarm duties."

>She feigned annoyance.

>"You can make it up to me by going to Pinkie's party tonight."

>You acted like you were insulted.

"You assume I didn't want to go?"

>"Well you have avoided meeting anyone unless you had to."

"With the store and our little tête-à-tête's monopolizing my time, I haven't been free much."

>You thought you could see a little color come over the sides of her mouth.

>"You chose to come over here as much as you have."

"Well you haven't exactly introduced me to anyone else. You're selfish."

>There was a definite lighter shade of violet around her mouth, but she changed her tone to a more serious, less playful one.

>"We do have a lesson today, even if you are late."

>She adopted her schoolteacher look.

"Teach then Professor Sparkle."

 

>"Let's start with the most basic aspect of magic. What do you care about? What brings about a strong emotional response from you?"

>You had to grimace a bit.

>You had spent a good deal of effort over the years trying your best to suppress strong emotions to the point where you felt very few, and even then they just barely affected you.

"Uh... I like cigarettes."

>You spawned one, but before you could light it, it disappeared.

"Hey..."

>"I mean real happiness, not chemically induced happiness or satisfaction, or whatever you see in those things. What do you really care about?"

"Oh okay. That's easy. Myself of course."

>She gave you a stern look.

>"Anon that's just conceited."

"Nah. A healthy amount of self-interest is what I like to call 'survival instinct'"

>She sighed.

>"Fine, but that is the most positive and flimsy way I've ever heard plain old selfishness spun. Is there anything else?"

>She looked at you closely.

"Are you really gonna make me say it? Fine. I care about you, as much as I can care about someone I barely know."

>She smiled, but only a little.

>"If I didn't know you better, I'd be insulted, but I suppose I'm still a little flattered to hear you say that. Since you're being difficult, let's go with your 'survival instinct'"

>Suddenly a large book from the shelf across the room flew directly at your head.

>You put up your hands and looked at the floor, waiting for impact.

 

>Nothing.

>You saw the book drop to the floor about three inches in front of your raised hands.

"Hey! It looks like I'll be harder to kill. Good to know." Your tone switched from triumph to accusation. "And what the hell? What if that didn't work? And why such a big book?"

>She gave you a darker smile than you had imagined she was capable of giving.

>"Don't be so morbid Anon. Let's just say I had faith in your love of yourself. Oh excuse me, your 'survival instinct.' Until you can come up with something you really care about, I can't help you with anything specific. It seems your magic use will be limited to the purely reactionary."

>You shrugged, spawned and lit another cigarette.

"Eh, I'll take it. Thanks for trying."

>"I can't say that I'm not somewhat disappointed with you Anon, but you can do more than most creatures can manage." Let's get headed over to Pinkie's."

"Why? It's only 2:00."

>"Since it's your party, I figured you ought to help set it up."

"That doesn't make sense. That is not how parties work."

>"Are you hungry?"

"Very."

>"Then the sooner we get it set up, the sooner we eat."

>You sighed.

"Your logic is inescapable. Let's go."