Applejack sat quietly in a dimly lit interrogation room, the events of the last few hours weighing on her mind. She’d seen someone die for the first time. Even if it had been the cyanide pill that had killed the mare, Applejack couldn’t help but feel partially responsible for backing the mare into a corner.

Then there was Dr. Reinstein. Applejack had chased after his assassin so quickly she didn’t think to stop and make sure the goat would live. He’d been more than kind to her and she hadn’t even tried to save him. After all he’d done for her, she hadn’t thought about him until it was too late. “Some super soldier Ah turned out to be,” she mumbled to herself, laying her head on the dusty table she sat at.

A moment later the door opened and Applejack looked up to see Howlett walk in followed by Corporal Hurricane, who was carrying a clipboard. “We apologize for the wait Ms. Apple,” Hurricane started off, sounding more official than supportive. The pair sat across the table from Applejack and Hurricane set his clipboard on the table and pulled a pen out of his pocket. “I know you must be under a lot of stress, but we’d like to go over what happened after you left the shop upstairs,” Hurricane stated, holding the pen over the clipboard, ready to copy down everything Applejack said.

Applejack glanced at Howlett, receiving a nod from the diamond dog. Applejack took a moment to collect herself and take a breath before she began, recounting how she had chased the mare down on foot and fought her in the alley. “After that she ate somethin and died right there,” Applejack told them, ending her tale, a distant look in her eye.

“Did she say anything to you during any of this?” Howlett asked, not questioning the legitimacy of Applejack’s story.

Applejack recalled what the mare had said before dying. “She said, ‘cut off one head, two more shall take its place’,” Applejack told them. Howlett and Hurricane shared a look before Hurricane made a note of it on his clipboard. “What does that mean?” Applejack asked, knowing they knew something.

Howlett sighed. “I’m not actually sure how much you’re cleared to know, but Corporal Hurricane can go to the General and find out,” he said, looking at Hurricane and gesturing for him to leave.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” Hurricane said as he stood and left, clipboard in hand.

Applejack and Howlett sat in silence for a moment. “How are ya holding up kid?” Howlett asked, looking at Applejack in a way that reminded her of her father when she was younger. Applejack would have hurt herself or have an asthma attack and he’d be the first to comfort her as she recovered.

“Ah’ve… never seen anyone die before,” she admitted, feeling ashamed that she was saying that to a seasoned soldier. Howlett had probably seen much worse than her. Applejack didn’t feel like she had the right to sulk about this.

“It’s always hard to deal with the first time,” Howlett told her. “Even if ya didn’t know ‘em as well as you knew the doc. What you need to do is accept that what happened was out of your control, experiment and serum be damned. No matter how strong you get, you’ll never be able to save everyone,” Howlett told her, a faraway look in his eyes.

Applejack regarded the diamond dog with a newfound respect. She didn’t know what she had expected him to say, but she didn’t think he’d be so straightforward. “Does it ever get easier?” she asked, hoping he’d tell her it would, even if she knew he wouldn’t lie.

Howlett sighed and looked Applejack in the eye. “In a way. The more ya see of the war, the more you’ll be able to rationalize it, but the faces’ll stay with ya forever,” he told her.

Applejack gulped. She knew she was in over her head, but the fact that Howlett still thought she was going to see how bad the war was added a new level of fear to the situation. Applejack had never even been in a fight. Sure she was shown some basic moves in training, but she had never had the time to practice. She felt horribly ill prepared.

After a few more minutes of silence the door opened again and Hurricane returned with General Pants in tow. Applejack stood and saluted her superior. “At ease soldier,” the General said, taking a seat at the table. Applejack returned to her own seat as Hurricane stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

“Private Apple, what we are about to discuss does not leave this room. Understood?” General Pants started, surprising Applejack with how serious he sounded. Applejack wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he had to say, but if it got her closer to understanding why Reinstein was dead, she’d listen.

“Understood sir,” Applejack replied, ready to get this over with.

General Pants nodded. “A few years ago, just before the war started, a small terrorist cell made itself known. Called themselves Hydra. We didn’t see them as a threat at first and by the time we did they had already convinced the Minotine government to invade the goats,” General Pants explained. “They started forcibly recruiting scientists from among the conquered population and we got word that one of those scientists was developing a formula that could put a stop to several ailments, despite a difference in species,” the General continued

“Dr. Reinstein,” Applejack said, starting to see the pieces falling into place. “So you rescued him?” she asked.

General Hurricane nodded. “We allied with the Canistan military and mounted a rescue, but too little too late. By the time we’d pulled him out he’d already gone past testing. The leader of Hydra, Flim Pinstripe, had forced Reinstein to administer the serum to himself,” Hurricane said, pausing for a moment, as if unsure how to explain the next part. “I can’t say for sure what, but Reinstein told us something had gone wrong during the process. Could have been any number of things, but whatever went wrong it changed Flim, almost the same as it changed you,” the general said, looking Applejack up and down.

Applejack was confused to say the least. “So he’s stronger’n normal… and faster. That’s why you needed super soldiers. If they figure out how tah do this without Reinstein, it’d turn things in their favor,” Applejack guessed earning a nod from the general.

“Fortunately, you were able to stop that mare from getting away,” the general said looking down cast. “Unfortunately at some point she tampered with the serum. Added something to it. Dash is trying to find a way to undo what she did, but he isn’t hopeful and neither are we.”

“Where do we go from here then?” Applejack asked, looking at the General in anticipation, wondering where on the warfront she'd be sent first.

“We don't,” Pants replied, confusing Applejack. “We can't risk you falling into enemy hands and that means you're staying off the front line,” he explained, standing up.

Applejack's jaw fell open. “Then all this was fer nothin’?” she asked, not believing that after what she'd done after coming out if the chamber, they'd keep her out of sight.

“Of course not,” the General replied. “We still intend to have you help in the war effort.” Applejack noticed Howlett shift uncomfortably and look away. Applejack got the feeling she wasn't going to like her part in the war.

General pants held his hand out to Hurricane, who quickly handed him a file Applejack hadn't noticed before. “In the last few months, military budgets have been cut and it's gotten to the point we've had to turn to donations from the citizens to keep our troops fed and armed,” the General began, sliding the file across the table to Applejack. Confused, she hesitated before taking the folder. “We need somepony to raise morale amongst the populace. Somepony foals can look up to and soldiers would follow without question,” General Pants continued as Applejack opened the file and read it's contents.

Applejack grimaced as came upon a poster. “An’ Ah’m supposin’ that somepony is…,” she paused as she looked back at the file. “The Patriot Soldier, Captain Equestria,” Applejack read from the poster depicting a mare that looked much like her, only wearing a gaudy red, white and blue uniform with the Celestial Sun on the chest and a capital E on the forehead of the helmet.

General Pants wore a pleased smile as Howlett rolled his eyes and shook his head. Hurricane simply stood by the door, expressionless. “Is this fer real?” Applejack asked, more than a little put off at that thought of being gawked at like a sideshow attraction.

“It is,” General Pants said, frowning. “I know this wasn't the original plan, but this is what the country needs,” the General urged, nodding his head at the poster Applejack held. Applejack glanced at the advertisement. “We need the people rallied behind us.”

Applejack looked to Howlett who only shrugged in response. “An’ ya think Ah’m the pony they'll follow?” she asked, still unsure.

The General smiled as he held his hand out to Hurricane again, this time receiving a newspaper, the evening edition of the Canterlot Post. “They're already following you,” he said, passing her the paper.

Right on the front page was an unfocused picture of Applejack running through traffic under the headline Mystery Mare Stops Minotine Spy.

Applejack took a breath and looked at the General, who was smiling at Applejack. “Where do we start?” she asked, resigning herself to help the only way she could.

////////////////////

Apple Bloom gulped as the troop transport she was in sped down a dirt road somewhere near the border of Canistan and Minotine. Her platoon had been cleared for combat early due to a lack of soldiers in vital areas along the war front. Dumdum sat next to her, his own lack of panic disturbing Apple Bloom.

“Relax Bloom. It'll still be awhile before we see any actual action. First we have to meet up with our detachment and get a briefing from the CO,” Dumdum explained, helping relieve Apple Bloom's nerves a bit.

“Well ain’t that a relief. Them minotaurs are gonna have to wait another day tah shoot at us,” Apple Bloom replied, expressing her disagreement with the command to send them out early.

“Didn’t you get put in an engineering squad?” a grey stallion sitting across from the pair asked. Sureshot was a sniper trainee Apple Bloom and Dumdum had met the first day of basic training. “How many bullets you think you’re gonna catch fixing our equipment?” Sureshot continued.

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Ah’m on the same squad yer on, an seein as how trouble finds you like rat to cheese, yer gonna get both of us shot at,” Apple Bloom shot back, having had enough of the stallion’s bad attitude.

“Shut up both of you!” a navy blue mare next to Sureshot spoke up, surprising most of the ponies in the transport. Birdie, one of the communications officers, spent as much time as she could sleeping. She was a pleasant conversationalist when she was well rested, but having been at boot camp the last couple of weeks she was anything but. “You two wanna knock eachother out that’s fine, but keep in mind you’ll be sharing a bunk for awhile, so maybe try not to kill each other.” Birdie then turned away from her comrades and closed her eyes again.

“My bits are on her killing the both of you before either of you does the other in,” Dumdum said with a smile as the transport hit another bump in the road. Apple Bloom and Sureshot rolled their eyes at the older stallion as the group fell into silence among the chatter of the other soldiers.

////////////////////

By the time Apple Bloom had arrived at the small camp that would serve as their home for the foreseeable future it was already dark. Lights had been set up at the entrances to several tents. Apple Bloom and the rest of her platoon clambered out of the troop transport in twos and lined up in front of the tent of the officer in charge.

“I’m gonna make this quick,” the aged pony standing before them said. “You lot are going on patrol at first light. I know you’re under trained, but we’ve been losing soldiers faster than we’re recruitin’ ‘em. I’ll assign a captain in the morning. Now get to bed,” he finished quickly, retreating back into his tent.

Apple Bloom blinked in surprise. “Didn’ even introduce himself,” she muttered, as one of the stallions that had helped unload the truck when they arrived led them to a tent on the far edge of the camp.

“They probably don’t see new faces that last long around here,” Dumdum replied, frowning as he scanned the camp. “Didn’t think it was this bad. Almost Nopony here,” he observed.

Apple Bloom followed his gaze with a raised eyebrow. “Maybe everypony’s sleeping or they got a few out on patrol,” she guessed, not quite understanding her friends nervousness.

“There should still be guards posted near the munitions tent,” Dumdum said, nodding towards a tent further away from most of the others. “I’m surprised the CO doesn’t have a few ponies outside his tent too.” Dumdum shook his head as they reached their destination. “This war is taking more of toll than I thought.”

Apple Bloom felt her nerves starting to fail her again. “Weren’t you tellin me not tah worry a lil bit ago,” she said glaring at Dumdum as they entered their tent.

Dumdum grimaced at the reminder. “Yeah well, shit might hit the fan sooner than expected,” he replied taking the top bunk of the bed nearest the entrance, followed by AppleBloom taking the lower bunk.

“Always seems to,” she whispered to herself, praying Applejack was having a better go of it.

////////////////////

Flim stalked through the barren halls of the base his allies had set up for them deep within Minotine’s borders. He stopped when he came to a heavy steel door near the end of the corridor, a bright blue glow visible beneath the door. He entered without knocking, greeted by the sight of brown unicorn stallion wearing thick goggles as he studied several monitors that had been hooked up to the cube to gain some grasp as to how much energy it could put out.

The cube itself was situated in the center of a large, cylindrical machine in the middle of the room, the source of the bright glow. “How goes your research Dr. Solar?” Flim asked, startling the stallion.

The stallion rushed to a table that had papers strewn about it. “Very well sir. I’ve been able to make an unbelievable amount of progress on your weapons now that we have the cube,” he started, an excited smile spreading across his face.

Flim smirked as he stared at the cube. “And how soon can we begin production?” he asked, only giving Solar a brief glance, Flim’s attention absorbed by the artifact.

“Within the week,” Solar replied. “The power output of the cube is so great we can use it not only to power the production plant, but we can also store the energy in battery cells to power every weapon we make,” the scientist explained as he found the documents he was looking for and brought them to Flim.

Flim took the papers and flipped through them. “And have you made any progress replicating the serum from my blood?” he asked, impressed with Solar’s progress.

Solar frowned as he returned to the clutter of his desk and started digging again. “Sadly without test subjects all I can tell you is that the serum does seem active in your blood samples,” the stallion explained nervously, once more locating the files pertaining to replicating Reinstein’s serum.

Flim sighed as he handed the notes he’d finished with back, ignoring Solar’s attempt to show him the failure to recreate the only thing Flim truly wanted.

“If test subjects is all you need, I’ll send Flam out soon to get them for you,” Flim began stepping up to Solar until they were nose to nose. “But I will not tolerate any further failures,” he seethed, watching Solar gulp in fear.

“Yes sir,” the scientist replied meekly.

Flim smiled. “Good. I’ll send Flam out tomorrow and have those test subjects to you within the month,” Flam said as he walked back to the door, feeling an odd discomfort around his lower jaw. “I’ll see you tomorrow about the weapons.” Flim closed the door to the lab, massaging his chin and making sure the false skin he wore, covered his true face completely.

Author's Note

Back again Losers! Hey who's still reading these? Guess it'd be kinda hard to when I almost never update. Oh well. LIfe's been a bitch lately and I'm in need of stress relief. Enjoy the chapter... which you did cause this is at the end.

Stay Tuned.