Determination of the Strong
Chapter 4: One Step Forward…
Applejack was lightly sweeping off the front porch of her family's barn, mostly because she had
nothing better to do. While she did enjoy her family have some time off so that she could be at
her very best for helping sell apple products at the Week of Elements celebration, she wasn't
quite used to all the peace and quiet. One good thing about it for her though was that it gave her
time to think about what happened with her and Rainbow Dash last time. She remembered that
they were talking about how much they liked Sonic and Shadow and how Rainbow was joking
about how Applejack "liked" Shadow before said black-and-red hedgehog teleported in front of
them. Knowing Rainbow was making a mistake in judging Shadow before actually knowing him,
she stood as a human (or pony, in this case) shield to barely stop her from flying right into
Shadow. Right after that, she just up and left the scene. She didn't mind Rainbow leaving, she
was fine in dealing with Shadow. But what she was confused about was why Rainbow was
seeming to act so prejudicial towards Shadow. Was he mean to her when he arrived here? Then
again, Shadow didn't seem to be the type to cozy on up and share a cider with. Although the
last pony she remembered seeing him be happy with was Twilight; she didn't hear anything
important from Twi about Shadow. Had something bad happened between the two? Would she
know why Rainbow would act so aggressively towards him? She decided to put that thought to
bed and gazed at the apple orchard and its beauty. It's been a while since she actually was able
to fully glimpse at the magnificent beauty of the apples shining bright up in their large, healthy
trees thanks to the dew reflecting the sun's light off of them. The beauty was so evident that only
the air she breathed would have been much more normal for her to soak in. She was grateful for
everyone that was in her life. Friends, Mobians, Shadow, all of them. She was about to mentally
dive into what a fascinating creature she found him to be, when her brother, Big Mac walked up
to her from inside the barn.
(Ok guys, I swear, that this has nothing to do with McDonald's. The "Mac" in here stands for
McIntosh, a brand of apple. And when I mean apple, I also don't mean the tech store either,
although they have REALLY awesome stuff and… you know what? Google "Big Mac MLP" for
yourself and you'll most likely find out what I mean.)
"Hey sis, have you seen Wynonna anywhere?" he asked, looking around actively searching for
the dog while he spoke. Applejack also looked around as well and then turned her eyes towards
the apple orchards where she saw the dog, Apple Bloom (her little sister) and Shadow the
Hedgehog walking through the trees. "Yep, I see 'em." She said, causing her big brother to turn
towards where she was looking at. Big Mac still was confused. "Uh, Apple Bloom never told me
anything about taking the dog for a walk." he said, as the pair slowly trotted off towards the
orchard to catch the trio. "That's weird." Applejack thought, "Why would she not tell us about
this?"
The closer they got, the sooner that both of them could make out the three figures walking out in
the woods and heard Apple Bloom's familiar voice ring out. They continued to walk closer
towards them to catch what Apple Bloom's conversation with Shadow was about. "I understand
you don't want to risk lives Shadow, I really do respect ya for that; but I don't wanna
see ya risking your own either." Shadow then turned to her and said, "Living life is risking it,
Apple Bloom. You never know what's going to happen to you today. Or the next. Or the next. Or
even all the days after that. That's why you need to make the most of them, so that when your
days really will end; someone will show for your funeral because they know you will have made
the most of them." Shadow appeared to be a bit heartbroken in tone as he said that, but
successfully controlled it so he wouldn't sound (or look) weak as he said that. Apple Bloom on
the other hand, seemed to shudder a little bit at those words, but shook off her emotion as well
and smiled again. Applejack - watching this - on the other hand, was worried. "Oh no. You
really haven't been spookin' my sis all that time, have you?" she thought out loud. Apple Bloom
continued to talk to Shadow. "Wow, I mean, that is deep. No one's ever told it to me like that
before." Shadow now looked at her like a father would his daughter. "I know. People really try to
hold you back and show you a sugar-coated version of life hoping it will protect you from reality.
Unfortunately, it can't. No matter how hard you try. That's why I'm going alone. So that no one
else will have to experience that pain." Applejack and Big Mac both sighed in relief, glad to hear
that Shadow didn't seem to scar their sister to the point of fear. "I still think you should at least
think of taking Applejack with you. She's smart, honest, loyal to a fault, tough as steel
hammered through nails and who knows? Maybe she won't be just be a battle buddy, but a
buddy for all your life." Apple Bloom's statement didn't phase Shadow as much, but it certainly
flattered Applejack in the way how her sister was upholding her in front of the very handsome
Ultimate Life Form.
After experiencing a very high love adrenaline crush (see what I did there?), she
began to think about something. "Hang on a minute? Something smells fishier than two
pounds of bass in a cider barrel. Is Apple Bloom actually trying to hook me up with him?" Before
Applejack could continue thinking about that, Apple Bloom, Shadow, Wynonna, Applejack and
Big Mac finally met in the orchard. "And lookie who it is, Shadow." Apple Bloom said, looking at
Shadow. "Hey big sis!" she said, jumping up and down like an extremely high-voltage ball of
enthusiasm. Applejack and Big Mac just shrugged at each other in confusion as Apple Bloom
finally stopped bouncing and hugged her big sister, who was still looking at the whole situation
through a confused lense. She then release her sister and walked over to Shadow. "Shadow,
this is my big sister…" but her introduction was interrupted by Shadow gently pushing her aside.
"Yes, we've met." he said, in a cold, annoyed tone as he walked towards Applejack. Applejack,
on the other hand, turned towards Apple Bloom with a stern look in her eye and asked, "Where
in tarnation have you galloped off to?!" Apple Bloom swallowed, then looked nervously at her
sister. "Well, ya see…" Apple Bloom was quickly trying to come up with an excuse as to what
she was really up to, the more she realized that her sister, the Element of Honesty, could figure
out that it was a lie pretty easily; so she decided why bother making an excuse. So she took a
deep breath and told her what happened. "I was taking the dog out for a walk into the woods like
you said I could and then, when I was in the woods, I saw Shadow up ahead fighting off some
timberwolves. I thought to myself, 'Hmmm… my big sister really likes this Shadow feller for
some reason. I wonder if I could bring him over to Applejack so I could see what she really
thinks of him…" Shadow had enough of Apple Bloom's story and interrupted from there on out in
a harsh tone. "... so I was right in deducing that you simply let your dog off the leash at a time
where I was at my most vulnerable," he said, looking angrily at Apple Bloom before turning
towards Applejack. "Then after that, she tried to manufacture a 'friendship' by taking advantage
of the fact that I'm leaving for Mobius tomorrow… " Applejack looked at him rather confused.
"Uh, what?! You're leavin' for Mobius tomorrow?" she asked, in genuine concern and taken aback confusion.
Shadow took a deep breath to
calm himself down. He knew that he needed to get this out to at least one of them so that it
wouldn't get worse later. To say that Shadow is completely emotionless is false; to say that
Shadow is usually very well in control of his emotions is accurate. To say that Shadow never
shows them, however, is up to your definition. He's always had positive and negative emotions
like everyone else; but unlike everyone else, he chooses not to be too emotional. Not because
he didn't want to; but because he knew that emotions could either strengthen or ultimately
distract and hinder someone from focusing on what's really important in their lives. To Shadow,
emotions can either enhance or hinder focus; and more often than not, they would hinder. So he
kept to himself, until the time called for him not to. "Apple Bloom, Big Mac; would you excuse us
for a minute?" Shadow asked them. "Sure thing." Apple Bloom said, happy that her little scheme
was starting to work; until Shadow gave her a "don't even think about it" glare that told her
otherwise. "We'll be with you guys in a bit." Applejack said, as the two wandered off towards the
barn. "So, Big Mac?" Apple Bloom asked her big brother, "Do you think my plan will work?" Big
Mac turned to her with a wink and said, "Eeyup."
Meanwhile, inside the barn…
Once the two were inside the barn, Shadow was looking sternly at Applejack, who did indeed
appear to be blushing. "Well," Shadow thought internally, "if the 'Element of Honesty' really is
crushing on me, she's not doing a really good job at hiding it." He knew that having someone
else in his life right now might not be the best idea after what happened between him and
Twilight; yet he wondered why she seemed to act that certain, lovesick way towards him.
Shadow is no fool. He indeed noticed the way Applejack was talking to him after she defended
him against Rainbow Dash, he saw how emotionally upset she seemed to be when he said he
didn't need anyone. Come to think of it, that nervous tone he thought he heard when he ran into
Applejack and Rainbow Dash now seemed to be a type of nervousness of one when they have
a crush rather than being afraid of someone. What could this actually mean? That she liked
him? As a friend? As a curiosity? Just something that she felt like she didn't know very well and
wanted to know better? What was she feeling? Love? Fascination? Whatever it is, he was going
to get to the bottom of it. Maybe not all of it before he left, but at least the majority of it. As the
two finally went into the barn, they each pulled up a hay-bale (putting one right next to the other)
and sat down right next to each other. Shadow stared off into the distance in frustrated
thoughtfulness while Applejack stared at him with loving eyes. She wondered how so many
people in Equestria could just write him off like that. Sure, she understood the reasoning behind
it. It was understandable for someone to be suspicious of something/someone that seemed out
of place, especially in a naturally peaceful planet like Equestria, but applejack also sensed that
their caution seemed to be more like prejudice. Plus, she wasn't wrong to be at least attracted to
him, right? "Find anything interesting in here, yet?" Shadow said, breaking Applejack's
daydreamish gaze on him. "Huh, oh yes. I'm sorry, you were sayin' sugarcube?" she asked,
snapping out of her apparent trance; but slightly embarrassed that she let "sugarcube"
slip off of her tongue instead of waiting to see how far their relationship would go (if they were
going to have one.) Shadow sighed in embarrassment. "So, you were interested in my little
excursion to Mobius?" he asked her. "Uh yeah," Applejack responded, "I mean, that came out of
absolutely nowhere. What's all this about? If you don't mind me asking, that is." Shadow knew
that Applejack was an expert at deduction, so he decided to be low-key honest with her for now.
"I'm heading back to Mobius for a few days to search for an ancient artifact." he said. She
looked at him with a searching spirit in her eyes. "What is this ancient artifact?" she asked, out
of pure curiosity. "It's just a rare artifact, Applejack. You shouldn't have to know everything about
my quest." Shadow replied. "No no, of course not." Applejack replied, defensively, expecting
shadow to get cross. However, an interesting thought popped up in Shadow's head. "So, Apple
Bloom thinks Applejack is good enough for this 'adventure' stuff, huh?" he thought to himself
internally. "Well then, let's experiment with this a little bit…" he thought in all slyness. "Although,
if you're wanting to know some things, it's in the ancient caverns of Solennia. The trip would be
easy enough in it of itself, but no one comes back from the caverns. At least, the same anyway."
Applejack stared at him suspiciously, "What do you mean by 'not the same'?" she asked.
Shadow smiled at her suspicion. He really wanted to wind her up like a toy just to see how far
she was willing to go along with him; and he was actually telling the truth, no less. What he
wanted to test out was to see if Apple Bloom was correct on Applejack having a crush on him.
The visible signs were there, such as the blushing and the stuttering when she was around him,
but how many active signs were there? How far was she actually willing to go to prove herself to
him? Although he wasn't going to be in a romantic relationship with her, he might as well have
some fun and make apples into cider (or lemons to lemonade or whatever similar analogy you
wanna use) of the situation. If he indeed had a fangirl, ok, that's all he was going to let her be.
He doesn't need anyone. But if she was just all neigh and no pay, then it really didn't even
matter either which way. He wasn't planning on making another 'friend' after Twilight hid the
truth from him about her feelings for Tails and how Apple Bloom just flat-out deceived him (even
though he saw all of that coming, he made the mistake of letting his emotions get the better of
him. A mistake he would never make again.)
"Oh," Shadow replied, "I can't really tell because
there are many different explanations of what could have happened. Some stories I heard said
that this artifact drove them mad. Had them seeing things. Some say that they barely survived
the trials of the caverns alone. Others came back more physically scarred because of the traps."
Shadow stopped there so that Applejack could process all of the information. "Ok, so what's so
special about this here artifact?" Applejack asked, really wanting to get to the bottom of this
adventure. Shadow then smirked at her. "Only that it's known as The Heart of the Cavern and
that it plays tricks on its victims to scare them off. Like a security system for the cave." Applejack
then nodded understandingly, "I see," she said, "Let me get my stuff packed up and I'll join ya for
the trip." she said with much optimism. Shadow just scowled at the situation. The last thing he
needed was a tagalong, so he walked right in front of her and stopped her in her hooves. "You
can be truthful and say you've forgotten about everything that happened yesterday, 'Element of
Honesty, but like I said, I don't need anyone." he said, sternly. However, what Shadow should
have figured out was that he wasn't the only one who could be stubborn. "I know that, Shadie."
she replied in a stubborn sort of way. "But just because you don't need to have someone come
with you, doesn't mean that others wouldn't wanna come with ya. Besides that, I care too much
about my friends to let them go wanderin' off in some illusiony chasm all by their lonesome!"
This just left Shadow even more ticked, "You know nothing about me. Most of the 'challenges'
life offered me were nothing more than the air I breathe. Easy to breath in and just as easy to
puff out." he said, before going back to a much calmer demeanor. "Now, if you'll excuse me; I'm
going alone." Shadow walked out of the barn as Applejack was almost thinking about crying
when she remembered that her showing weakness around him was the very same way that he
got away from her last time. Down at Winsome. She was not going to let an opportunity like this,
an opportunity to truly know Shadow the Hedgehog, go to waste this time. She backflipped right
over Shadow and kicked him in the head while flipping which sent Shadow careening over,
somersaulting backwards on the ground before quickly recovering and standing back up. "What
was that for?!" he asked, as he stared down Applejack angrily. She stared him down in all
stubborn seriousness, "That, Shadow, was to knock some sense into your thick skull! I know ya
wanna do this on yer own and I respect that. But because I don't wanna see my apparently very
stubborn friend go out there and get himself drove insane." she yelled, not backing down.
Shadow smirked, clearly unimpressed with Applejack's attempt as an insult (or what he took as
an insult) "Right," he retorted, "Said the apron right before she got taken out to the wash."
Applejack wasn't backing down that easy, so she fired off another idea. "And what if I stood
toe-to-toe with you?" she said, in a sly and confident tone, smiling right at him. Shadow then
looked at her confused, wondering if she was serious about this, but seeing it might happen
anyway, she decided to call her bluff. "You're kidding, right? Stand toe-to-toe with me?" He was
about to say something else before being interrupted by the familiar Southern voice of
Applejack. "That's right mister 'ultimate lifeform!' And if you don't believe me, fight out for
yourself." she said, winking at her own pun before continuing. "If I can keep up to your standards
and expectations while fighting you, then you'll have to take me with ya on your adventure. If
not, then forget that I said anything. Plus, I'll also bet you that there might not be that much here
in Equestria that would be willing to go with you on such an adventure anyway." Shadow
appeared to be taken aback fo a bit; which made Applejack immediately regret the tone in which
she spat out her words. Shadow quickly recovered from that remark; yet simply didn't have time
to deal with this issue any longer. Still, it wasn't like Shadow couldn't deal with a warm-up fight
before he left for Mobius. He smiled at Applejack and then said, "I'll take your second
challenge first, and then if (which won't happen) but if no one else offers to come with
me, then I suppose you're at least owed a training session. Impress me then, and I will be more
than 'happy' to take you along with me on my trip." after saying this, he extended out his hoof for
Applejack to shake in agreement. She was more than happy to extend her hoof to seal the deal.
After the two shook hands/hooves, Applejack went back out to the barn to start training in her
ultimate "prove it" fight; while Shadow hovered the opposite direction to see if anyone else
would want to join him on his upcoming adventure. I mean, he's the Ultimate Lifeform. It's not
like anyone would turn down an offer from him, right?
Would they?
To Be Continued in "Determination of the Strong"...
Next Story Update: "Love In The Open: Infinity Rising"
