Shattered Harmony Part 2: The Spread of Corruption
Chapter one: A new world and new dangers
My Little Metroid
Odium is coming.
Applejack jerked awake, her heart pumping loudly due to the wave of fear washing over her. She looked around, staring into each of her shadowed corners, then finally out the window. She growled as she noticed that the sun was barely poking above the horizon. She rolled over and tried to fall back asleep, but after a few minutes she gave up and got out of bed. She tossed her stetson on her head and opened the door. If she wasn't able to get some sleep, then she'd better start on the chores.
She trotted down the stairs, careful not to make a sound, and into the kitchen where she grabbed two apples from a bowl on the table. She quickly ate one of them, then hid the other under her hat for later. She walked out the door and closed it behind her. She looked out over the farm and the hundreds of apple trees that were brimming with apples, ready to be harvested. She smiled at the sight, then decided to afford herself a small luxury and walk around the farm. She hopped off the porch and started into the western fields, where the apples were the ripest and juiciest.
It didn't take long before she'd lost sight of the house behind her and was totally enveloped by the trees. She smiled at the work that she and her brother, Big Mac, had in front of them. She trotted down the rows of trees, gazing up at one or another occasionally.
She eventually found herself on a small hilltop that was barren of trees. She crested the hill and spied a small, rough stone half-buried in the ground. She approached it, pulling off her hat and resting it against her chest.
In the morning light, she read the words that were carved there so long ago.
Here lies Sierra Apple,
one of the founders of the Apple clan
A fighter until the end
????-998
Applejack smiled as she ran a hoof over the headstone, then she noticed a hoof-shaped indent at the top of the headstone. She'd always thought that it was the old symbol for the Apple clan, but this time it seemed like it was something different. She ran her hoof over the indent, feeling the slight coolness of the stone, then placed her hoof into the indent.
As soon as her hoof filled the indent, the ground started to shake. It rumbled and trembled like a drunk after a long night at the bar. Applejack fell to the ground as she tried to grab onto something that would steady her, when she saw the ground in front of the headstone split open and a huge gust of air burst from the opening, causing her hat to shoot off her head and into the sky. She tried frantically to grab it, but it got too far too fast. She turned around and gazed at the opening. Light shone from it, soft and inviting. She slowly crept forward, her belly to the ground, until she was close enough to peer down into the opening.
Below her, she saw a hard surface, almost like metal. It seemed like a room was below her. She glanced at the walls and saw that lights flickered on and off, each one a different color. She leaned in closer as she noticed a hallway leading away from the room.
The ground rumbled again, causing her to gasp and lose her grip on the ground. She tumbled into the metal room, landing with a thump on the ground. She shook her head and looked around, in time to see a blue dot blink into existence, then widen and flash down her body, passing over it. She froze in place, not knowing what had happened, then she jumped as a mechanical voice sounded in the room.
“Bioscan complete. Bioform identified as possessing Chozo blood, though several generations removed. DNA detected, identifying bioform as a descendant of Miss Aran.”
Applejack stood there, stunned as the voice went quiet, then a light shone from behind and above her. She looked up at the light and saw it blink once.
“Good evening, Lady,” the voice, though mechanical, was lighthearted and jovial.
“Excuse me?” Applejack asked, “Ah ain't a lady. Ya might be wantin' Rarity for that.”
“Confirmed,” the voice stated, “bioform is not a lady. Female voice recognition detected and compared to old voice recordings. Bioform is not Lady Aran.”
“Ah ain't a bioform!” Applejack stomped a hoof on the metal ground, sending a ringing through the small room, “mah name's Applejack!”
“Very well, Applejack. My name is Adam,” the voice, Adam, replied.
“Adam, tell me how Ah'm supposed ta get outta here,” Applejack stated, looking around.
“Unfortunately no, Ms. Applejack. The elevator that allows for departure is blocked by dirt. I have been here for several generations and the only way to discharge the dirt is through moving the ship,” Adam stated.
“What do ya mean, 'move the ship'?” Applejack asked.
“You are currently in the ship of Ms. Aran,” Adam replied.
“So ya'll sayin' that we've gotta move this here ship? But Ah could return after the dirt's been removed, right?” Applejack asked.
“As you are the Element of Honest, I will be honest with you,” Adam started to say and Applejack detected a slight sadness in the mechanical voice, “Equestria needs your help. In a few years, a creature of great hatred will come to this planet, seeking to destroy everything you hold dear. It is my duty to make sure that you are prepared for that time.”
Applejack thought for a few seconds, then nodded. “Alrigh'”, she said, “what do Ah got ta do?”
Adam paused for a second and Applejack had a feeling that he would be staring at her if he could. “You mean to say,” he started slowly, “that you're ok with leaving everything you know to go off and train somewhere, doing who-knows-what?” Applejack nodded again. “Why?” Adam asked.
“Because, sometimes ya just gotta do hard things for the greater good,” Applejack stated.
“Very well,” Adam replied, then lights on the display in front of Applejack started switching on, “initializing inertial dampeners. Engines set to full. AR drive online and powering up, power at 50% and climbing.”
Applejack heard a rumbling, not unlike the kind she'd heard before, but this time it was louder and concentrated to the area behind her. She heard dirt fall from off the ship, or whatever it was, and she felt the ship rise up. It turned slightly, then she felt a jolt as they shot off into the atmosphere. The area in front of her slid open, revealing the breathtaking sky and landscape below. She moved closer to the window and an opening slid open on the ground as a chair rose up from it. She sat down in it and sighed as it was softer than any chair she'd ever sat in.
Applejack turned her attention back to the window and watched the ship rise steadily through the atmosphere, the blue sky giving way to midnight blue and eventually blackness. She gaped at the number of stars staring back at her through the window and she found herself gaining a new reverence for the night sky and the work that Princess Luna put into it each and every night.
They rocketed out of the planet's atmosphere and Applejack saw a large, familiar sphere center itself in her view.
“We're headin' to tha moon?” Applejack asked out loud.
“Of course,” Adam stated, “we will use it to assist us in our journey.”
They came closer to the moon and Applejack felt the ship adjust its course, angling slightly and slow down. They came to a gentle stop and she watched the moon revolve beneath her, though she had the feeling that they were actually orbiting around it.”
“AR drive at 98%” Adam stated, his voice echoing slightly throughout the ship.
Applejack settled back in her seat. She didn't know what an AR drive was, but she felt that she might want to hold on.
“AR drive at 100%, initializing reality shift.”
Applejack gasped slightly as she blinked once and the moon itself seemed to take on a whole different appearance. There wasn't anything on the outside that looked different, but Applejack could just feel that there was something different.
Before she could think much further, crackling was heard over the speakers.
“Unidentified ship, state your name and destination.” The voice was curt and militaristic-sounding.
Applejack looked around at the dashboard in front of her, searching for a bit, until she found what she was looking for. She pressed a small button with her hoof, then leaned in.
“Mah name is Applejack, and as for mah destination...” she paused for a second, raising an eyebrow.
“The planet, Applejack,” Adam's voice came over the speakers soft enough for her to hear it.
“...the planet,” Applejack finished.
A screen popped up in front of her, obscuring the view out her window slightly, and Applejack saw a purple Pegasus stallion standing in the center of the screen.
“Your destination is the planet? Perhaps you haven't been around for very long, but I should warn you that the planet is not a nice place. What is your reason for heading there,” the stallion stated.
Applejack looked at the stallion, trying to come up with an answer, when something behind him caught her eye. It was a familiar, blue mane that sparkled with thousands of tiny stars.
“Is that Princess Luna behind you?” Applejack asked, leaning closer.
Before the stallion could answer, a shadow moved forward and stepped into the light, revealing Princess Luna with her silver regalia shining in the light. She watched Applejack with a critical eye, then nodded slightly and turned away.
“We wish to speak with you, to know how you got this far without our sensors picking you up. Hanger three has room, land there. We will send a patrol to show you to the meeting room,” she said, looking back at the screen.
“Applejack,” Adam stated, “there is an opening on the moon's surface below us. I will take us in. I would suggest preparing yourself.”
“Very well, Princess. Ah look forward to meeting with you,” Applejack said and the screen vanished. She sighed, then turned to look behind her. There was a small hallway leading back into the ship. She got up and trotted down the hallway, her hooves making a slight ringing sound as they hit the metal floor. She glanced into several of the doorways along the hallway, identifying a small kitchen as well as an eating area and a lounge area.
She finally stopped at the last door at the end of the hallway and pushed it open. Inside was a bedroom, complete with bed covered in soft, orange sheets, and a desk with what looked like a screen on it with a keyboard in front of it. She looked around and noticed a dresser and, as she opened it, she saw that it was full of clothes.
“Rarity would love to go through some of these,” Applejack muttered to herself as she dug through many of the shirts and pants that sat in the drawers, neatly folded. She paused as her hoof fell on something that was an azure blue and she spied small, pink markings on one part of it. She drew it out and held it up as it unfolded to reveal a body suit. She saw that there was a large icon on one side that would be situated on a pony's back if it was worn. She turned it over and saw a smaller marking, but of the same design over the chest of the suit.
She placed a hoof lightly on the smaller marking and she felt a tiny jolt of electricity shoot up her foreleg. She blinked, then shook her head. She felt the ship shudder slightly, then Adam came over the speakers.
“We have docked with the hanger. Lifesign detector is picking up six ponies outside, waiting.”
“Thanks, Adam!” Applejack stated, then stared at the suit in her hooves. She didn't have time to find something else and so she quickly slipped the suit on, finding it comfortable and form fitting. She reached up to touch her head, but sighed as she realized that her hat had flown off before she'd fallen in the ship.
She moved out of the bedroom and back down the hall until she came to a small tube. She guessed that it was the elevator as she hadn't seen anything else that might work as one. She stepped up closer to it and part of the wall slid open to reveal a small chamber, large enough for a pony to stand in the center of it and have room to move. She moved into the chamber and the door slid shut. She felt a slight drop in her stomach as the floor glided downward. A crack of light shone into the chamber and widened until it rose above her head.
She blinked as she looked around and spied the six ponies, each one dressed in silver armor, much like Princess Celestia's guards wore, but there was a crescent moon in the center of each breastplate. She stepped off the elevator and one of the guards stepped forward.
“Miss Applejack?” he asked, “please follow us.”
Applejack followed the six guards as they walked down the corridor, away from her ship. Her hooves rang out as she walked along the metal floor as soft blue lights lit her path. They finally stopped at a large door that bore the same silver moon that emblazoned the guards' armor. One of the guards raised a hoof and gave the door one single rap.
“Come in,” a voice said from the other side and Applejack recognized it as Princess Luna's. The door swung open at the guard's slightest push, revealing a large room that was mostly occupied by a round table that took up the center of the room. Princess Luna sat in a high backed chair, facing the door. She frowned as Applejack entered the room. Then, as the last guard entered and shut the door, she stood up and walked around the table to stare straight into Applejack's emerald green eyes.
“The Changelings don't have the technology for space flight yet,” she muttered to herself, “and I am the Princess of the Night, but that doesn't explain why she's standing right here.”
“Um, Princess?” Applejack asked, pulled back slightly, “why would me standin' here be unexplainable? And why in tarnation are ya still on the moon?”
Princess Luna took a step back with a shocked look on her face.
“It is because of my sister, she would not let me return. In fact, she has even assured her possession of the throne by getting rid of one of the Elements of Harmony,” she replied.
Now it was Applejack's turn to be shocked.
“Got rid of an Element? Is that even possible?” she asked.
Princess Luna shook her head. “No,” she said, “the Elements themselves are immortal and indestructible. However the Bearers are not. All my sister has to do is remove one of the Bearers from Equestria and she secures her rule.”
“And so Ah'm standin' here is a surprise because?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow. She had an inkling of what Princess Luna was talking about, but didn't want her mind to run down that train of thought.
“Because,” Princess Luna said, exasperated, “I personally escorted you to Elysia!”
Applejack stood there, stunned. Her brain refused to think. Elysia was a place where, as Pinkie Pie had once said, 'the party never ends!' It was the place she'd hoped her parents were in, as she could not even entertain the thought of her parents dwelling in Tartarus for eternity.
“So,” Applejack's mouth worked slowly and her tongue felt thick, as if she was eating a mouthful of peanut butter, “what ya'll are sayin' is, Ah'm dead?”
Princess Luna nodded her head and Applejack felt her stomach clench, as if she'd been bucked harder than she bucked trees. She stood there, gasping for breath and trying to take it all in. She was dead, then what happened to the farm? Or her family? Or her friends?
She opened her mouth to ask Princess Luna when a loud blaring noise echoed through the halls. Instantly all six guards drew what looked like to Applejack to be long, metal pipes with a light at one end, closest to the pony wielding it. They pointed their weapons at the door and stood there, waiting.
Then everypony jumped as a voice echoed through the room.
“Lady Applejack,” Adam's voice sounded and Applejack found herself muttering under her breath that she wasn't a lady, “there is an object exiting hyperspace and heading toward the planet below us.”
“What kind of object?” Applejack asked, though not sure if Adam could hear her.
“An object that I'd thought had been completely destroyed,” Adam stated, “a Leviathan.”
Applejack didn't know what a Leviathan was, but the tone of Adam's voice made her insides go cold and for the second time in just as many minutes she found it very hard to breathe.
“A-a Leviathan?” Applejack stuttered.
“Yes,” Adam stated, “ I had thought that they had all been destroyed. Apparently I was wrong.”
“What,” Princess Luna asked, joining in the conversation, “is a Leviathan?”
“A Leviathan is a mineral and biological creation containing a seed filled with a mind-warping, radioactive substance known as Phazon. If it is allowed to impact the surface of any planet, it will slowly and surely spread and infect the entire planet until it converts every bit of land and every drop of water into itself. Any creature that does not die from Phazon exposure will be corrupted and twisted into a harsh mockery of itself as muscle mass increases exponentially the longer it is exposed to Phazon, while the creature's mental faculties decreases at the same rate.” Adam explained. As he did, the room seemed to grow colder with every word he spoke.
“Then we need to stop it from reaching the planet,” Applejack stated.
“Indeed,” Adam replied, then Applejack got the feeling he was turning his attention to Princess Luna because he said, “does this moon have any weapons?”
One of the guards snorted and spoke up, “we would never deface our Princess' moon with weapons!” He was quickly quelled as Princess Luna raised a hoof.
“No,” she stated, “we have only shuttles that we've built for the time when we return to Equestria.”
“I see,” Adam stated, “and the missiles that I have aboard are not powerful enough to puncture the Leviathan's hull, but there is another way. Applejack!” Applejack snapped to attention at her name, “you need to return to the ship. If you harbor any hope of stopping the Leviathan from reaching the planet, you need to leave.”
Applejack nodded, then turned to the door. She paused as she heard a single hooffall of Princes Luna. She turned back to look at her.
“General Raxis,” she barked, and one of the guards by the door stood up straight, “escort Applejack back to her ship. She will be leaving promptly.” General Raxis nodded, then pushed open the door and ran out, Applejack keeping up with him.
They emerged into the hanger and Applejack finally took a look at the ship she'd been flying in. It looked a little like the head of a fork, but with only two prongs, one on each far side. The ship itself was orange, with parts of the prongs being green and hints of red. She saw the elevator that she'd left the ship from resting on the floor and she raced toward it. She breathed a sigh of relief as her hooves fell onto the metal of the platform and Adam raised her into the ship.
“Adam!” she cried, and before she could say much else she felt the ship rumble and raise a few feet.
“Already on it!” he replied.
Applejack hurried to the only chair in the cockpit and fell into it, watching as the ship rotated until it faced the hangar doors, which had been opened wide enough for the ship to pass through. She was pushed back into her chair as they shot out of the hangar and into the starry sky.
They headed into an orbit above the planet, away from the moon. Applejack stared out the cockpit window and caught sight of a glowing, blue meteor streaking through the sky and growing closer to the planet as she watched.
“Missiles armed,” came Adam's voice over the speakers.
The Leviathan drew closer and Applejack could see that it was more like a large, ovoid piece of rock, blue-white tentacles flailing behind it as it glided through space. As she watched it, she couldn't help but find it beautiful.
“Target is the rear hull, a weak point has been detected there,” Adam's voice broke through her train of thought and she shook her head to clear it. “Target is in range of the ship's missiles. Emptying missile racks.”
Applejack felt the ship shudder a little as she saw ten, long, metal objects shoot from the front of the ship, speeding toward the poisonous meteor. She watched attentively as they shot closer and closer. Then, almost like it was a trick of the sun, something blue flashed in the path of the missiles, causing each one of them to explode in a fiery blast.
“Missiles have missed the target, unknown force field comprised of Phazon has been detected,” Adam stated and Applejack couldn't help but feel disappointed.
“There ain't nothin' else we can do?” she asked, turning to look at the speaker behind her.
“We could follow it down, then fire the final missile into one of the tentacle holes when it crashes into the planet,” Adam replied.
“Then let's do that!” Applejack responded, “we have to stop this Phazon thingy from spreadin'!”
“Affirmative, adjusting course to follow the Leviathan,” Adam stated and the ship flew closer to the meteor. Applejack couldn't help but feel apprehensive as they flew closer and closer to the Leviathan until they were close enough to see the pitted surface of the rock.
It was about this time that the Leviathan began to enter the planet's atmosphere, the area in front of it starting to glow red from the friction. Applejack could only imagine what it must have looked like as it streaked over the land far below.
As they flew through the sky, the Leviathan alleviating most of the friction from the ship as they went, Applejack could see the familiar land of Equestria creeping toward them. She saw the familiar Crystal Mountains to the north with their snow capped tips, as well as the central mountain into which Canterlot was carved. The land grew closer and Applejack found herself trying to memorize the view. Then she was pulled out of her revere by a bright blue flash coming from the rear of the Leviathan.
Warning lights and sirens blared as a bolt of blue energy shot past the ship's cockpit window and the ship rolled to the right as another blasted past them. Applejack fell out of the chair as they dodge a third blast and she hurried to get back into the chair, only to see a fourth ball of blue energy slam into the ship's cockpit. She felt a sharp pain stab through her body as the ship careened out of control, Adam shouting over the speakers at himself as he tried to regain control of the ship. Applejack rolled across the floor and the last thing she saw out of the cockpit window before her head smacked into something hard and metal was the tops of tall trees. Then everything went black.
Applejack groaned as she rolled over. Her hooves felt shaky and her head hurt like a buffalo had decided to tap dance on it. She tried to stand, but her hooves slid out from under her and her chin smacked against the ground, causing the single buffalo to multiply into three. She struggled to open her eyes, only to close them again as they were assaulted by an extremely bright light.
She lay there for several minutes as she tried to stop the pain in her head. Finally she tried again, placing one hoof on the ground, then a second. She opened her eyes again and spied the chair she'd been sitting in and she dragged herself over to it. She placed both front hooves on it and pulled herself up, holding herself there until she felt she had her balance back.
As she stood there, she looked out the window where she saw dozens of trees surrounding the ship. She sighed, they had landed in the Everfree Forest. She glanced down at the metal plate in front of her as a small, holographic map appeared. It held a small, red, blinking light where she guessed that they had landed. Then she spied another dot, this one was green and about in the same location as Ponyville was. She smiled to herself, noting that the distance between the two dots was very small.
Adam's voice came over the speakers, “are you alright, Lady?”
“Ah told ya, Ah ain't a lady,” Applejack snapped.
“It appears you are fine,” Adam replied and Applejack could detect a small smile in the voice.
“What happened?” she asked and Adam sighed.
“It appears we were hit with some kind of Phazon-based weapon. Previous scans revealed that Leviathans did not possess such capabilities,” he stated, “hull integrity is holding at 75%. Initiating self-repair. It will be some time before the ship is ready to leave again.”
“Ah'll step outside and see if there ain't anypony who can help,” Applejack stated, getting up from the chair. She paused when she heard him clear his throat.
“Perhaps you should take one of these?” he asked, a small compartment popping open to one side of the levitating map, revealing several small, metal objects. Applejack picked one up.
“What is it?” she asked.
“An earpiece,” Adam replied, “this will allow me to keep in constant communication with you until Lady Aran's suit is refitted for your pony form. You place it in your ear, tip first.”
Applejack nodded, then lifted the earpiece to one ear and pressed it into her ear tube.
“How's that?” she asked, then jumped as Adam's voice came from the earpiece.
“Perfect.”
Applejack headed for the elevator that she'd used to enter the ship and, as she stepped on it, it lowered her to the ground.
She looked around and saw that they had landed in a clearing. Trees bordered the edge while wild grass grew throughout, interrupted by red and yellow flowers. Applejack kept an eye out for any blue flowers as she stepped off the elevator and it rose back into the ship. She ducked under the ship and looked up as the sunlight above fell on her face. The sun was high and a few clouds dotted the sky, but it looked to be wonderful weather. She moved away from the ship and up to the edge of the clearing, turning back to look at the ship before running into the forest in the direction of Ponyville.
It only took her fifteen minutes before she saw the forest thin in front of her and she ran out into the familiar fields and orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. She stopped to smell the breeze, breathing in the smells of apples and hard work.
Her mind lost, she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary until she felt something hard slam into the side of her head. She rolled several feet and tried to stand but was hit again by a light yellow hoof and she barely had time to glimpse a familiar Stetson before her head snapped to the side and she fell over again.
She groaned in pain as her head burned with fire from the two blows. Then she had all the wind knocked out of her as something big, heavy, and red fell on top of her. It pinned her to the ground for only a split second, then she found herself facing upward as her hooves were pinned behind her back, then she was slammed against a tree and she let out a grunt.
“Alrigh',” a familiar and gruff voice stated in her ear, “what in the Princess's name are ya?”
Applejack could only groan in pain and discomfort as she hung there, several inches off the ground.
“Answer me, or Ah'll break both ya hooves!” the voice stated, punctuating the action with a shove against the tree.
“Ah'm a pony,” Applejack grunted, the words coming out very muffled as her cheek was smashed up against the tree.
“Big Mac,” a mare's voice came from behind her and she caught another glimpse of a light yellow mare with a familiar red ribbon tied around a Stetson, “ she smells like...” the next word was lost as the mare whispered it to Applejack's captor.
“That's impossible,” Big Mac, Applejack now recognized the voice, stated, “ya'll know yer sister died several years ago.”
“That's what Princess Luna said,” Applejack stated, her voice still muffled by the tree. Then she fell to the ground as Big Mac released her. She turned to look up at him towering over her as she rubbed her face with a hoof, trying to work out some of the pain.
Big Mac stood there, a look of shock and surprise on his face. The light yellow mare stepped out from behind him and Applejack smiled widely. The mare standing before her was a head shorter than Big Mac and her apple red mane was tied back into a ponytail, much like Applejack's usually was. Sitting on top of the mare's head was the spitting image of Applejack's Stetson, complete with the indent in the front brim.
“Applebloom?” Applejack asked and the yellow mare flinched back in surprise.
“How do ya'll know mah name?” the mare, Applebloom, asked.
“Ah'd know yer name as well as mah own,” Applejack replied.
Applebloom's face hardened, “ya look like mah sister, and ya sound like 'er too, but how do Ah know ya'll ain't one of them Changelings?”
“Simple,” Applejack stated, “Ah know ya'll ain't got yer Cutie Mark.”
Applebloom raised an eyebrow, then turned her flank to face Applejack, who gasped in surprise.
There, sitting proudly on Applebloom's flank, was a picture of a crossed hammer and screwdriver, a nail in the middle of them.
“Now Ah know ya'll ain't Applejack,” Applebloom stated.
“Now hold on, Applebloom,” Big Mac stated, resting a hoof on Applebloom's shoulder, “Applejack died before ya got yer Cutie Mark. If it'n been a Changelin' then they would have known what it was.”
Applebloom seemed to think this over for a second, then nodded slowly. “Yer righ',” she stated, then smiled at Applejack. “Sorry about the roughhousin',” she said, a small blush forming in her cheeks, “Ah didn't want ta take any chances.”
Applejack nodded in understanding, then asked, “where's Granny Smith?”
The look her siblings gave one another was enough to make her guess, but then Big Mac spoke.
“Now Ah know ya ain't a Changelin',” he stated, sadness apparent in his voice, “Granny Smith died shortly after ya'll did. She couldn't take the pain of losin' another Apple.”
Applejack felt something inside her go cold, like she'd swallowed an ice cube. Then the thought of the Leviathan stormed it's way into her mind, shoving out everything else. She shook her head, there would be time to mourn later. She looked at her siblings.
“Is Twilight and the girls in town?” she asked, and Applebloom nodded, but before she could open her mouth Applejack continued, “Ah need ya'll to go get 'em. Ah've got somethin' important to tell them.”
Applebloom nodded, then raced off toward Ponyville to get the girls.
Applejack and Big Mac just stood there at the entrance to the Everfree Forest for a few minutes. It didn't take long before they caught sight of a familiar rainbow trail racing toward them, then five other mares trotting up the hill to see them. She grinned as she saw Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity walking up the hill beside Applebloom, while Rainbow Dash soared above them. She raced toward them, Big Mac trying to stop her with a raise of a hoof but failing.
“Girls!” she cried, tears leaking out of her eyes as she ran.
The five friends stopped and stared as Applejack rushed toward them, looks of surprise and shock rising on their faces. Applejack stopped several hooves away from them and their eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. Fluttershy ducked behind Rarity, while the rest of them froze in shock.
Rainbow Dash glared at Applejack, then shot forward and tackled her to the ground.
“Changeling bastard! You would take the form of our friend!?” she screamed into Applejack's face, then was bowled over by Applebloom.
“She ain't a Changelin'!” she protested, “and we can prove it!”
“Fine,” demanded Twilight, “prove it.”
Big Mac came over the ridge and looked at each one of them. “She didn't know what Applebloom's Cutie Mark was. If she'd been around for that...”
The statement made everypony else pause and Rainbow Dash stopped struggling.
“So,” Fluttershy said, peeking her head out from behind Rarity, “that means that you're the real Applejack?”
Applejack nodded and everypony gasped.
Twilight shook her head. “Wait, if you're the real Applejack,” she turned around and looked at the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres where five stallions wearing golden armor stood, the rest of the six turned with her and looked down at them, “we only have one question.”
Applejack looked at Twilight. “what question is that?” she asked.
Twilight looked back at the five of them, “how do we kill the guards?”
Author's Note
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