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Prologue: May the odds ever be in your favour
"Mum, I'm scared..."
The voice of a young filly quivered in the storm. She had her hooves firmly gripped to her mother.
"Do not worry my little apple, I'm always here to protect you," her mother's voice soothed her nerves greatly.
Together, they sat in front of the fireplace while the storm raged on...
"MOM CAN YOU HEAR ME?" An orange pony jumped out of bed in the middle of the night. Beads of perspiration trickled down her forehead as she gripped onto the bedsheets. Looking out of the window, she saw the beautifully arranged stars and noticed the full moon It was always the same. This ALWAYS happened every fifth full moon. Dismissing the thought, she fell back in her bed, as if the events that just took place in her mind had vanished...
"APPLE JACK WAKE UP!" A rainbow maned pegasus shook Apple Jack with trembling hooves.
"Five more minutes..." she grumbled, while pulling the blanket to keep her warm. The rays of the sun poured into her bedroom, and she brought the blanket over her to shield herself from the light. Sheesh, couldn't she get a break?
"CELESTIA WANTS TO SEE YOU!" The cyan coloured pegasus slapped a hoof across the earth pony.
Snapped into reality, Apple Jack instantly got out of bed.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY EARLIER?!?!?!?" She yelled while shaking Rainbow Dash violently. Without another word, she ran out of the farmhouse...
"Your highness, why have you called me?" Apple Jack ran into the throne room of the Canterlot castle, and galloped frantically accross to the princess.
Celestia looked up, her hair waving regally, sparkling under the sun she had just raised. Noticing the orange mare, a smiel was brough to her face. "Apple Jack, please follow me," she said, walking with her usual grandeur.
They arrived in a the garden. Green trees surrounded them. Flowers of all kinds were planted, making the garden look like a magnicent and magical forest. Celestia brought the young orange mare to a large brown door. She carefully slid her horn into the keyhole, and unlocked the door to a secret area. In the middle was a small pond. Its water shimmered under the sunlight, and it was a fusion of colours. It looked like a magical world of its own.
"What is this?"
"Apple Jack, as you have known, Tirek has returned, and he is intending to attack Equestria, and if we do not solve this problem soon, out beloved home will be destroyed," she paused, laying a hoof on Apple Jack's shoulder. "However, we have found a way to solve this," inhaling a breath, she said, "an old riddle I may say myself, but we have found a spell that we can use to counteract him." "Yet, what we need is "the apple of my eye," Celestia turned her focus to the pond, a magical aura forming around it.
"This is what we call, 'The Memory Pond', it is known for bringing a pony back in time," Celestia gazed at Apple Jack, watching her green eyes staring intently at her, and sighed. "Apple Jack, you are a strong, resilient mare, thus, I feel that I can entrust you with this mission," Apple Jack stared at Celestia in disbelief.
"But bu-" her lips quivered, eyes wide as saucers, tears forming in her eyes. She was overwhelmed with fear and disbelief.
"No, Apple Jack, you are the only hope for Equestria's survival," waving her hoof, she redirected Apple Jack's attention to the pond. "I had a vision, that you were the only mare able to complete this mission, and I KNOW you can."
Celestia raised the orange mare's chin. "Do you understand?"
Why should I risk my life? This isn't my business! Why not Twilight? Rainbow? What about Fluttershy? NO! APPLE JACK! Calm yourself, you can do this...
In a sea of confusion and anxiety, Apple Jack nodded her head, tears glistening in her eyes.
"Thank you Apple Jack," Celestia nodded.
She handed Apple Jack's element: a crystal apple, likened to her cutie mark. With the wave of her horn, a yellow aura formed around Apple Jack and the pond. A feeling of fear, darkness, happiness, anxiety, anger suddenly gripped her heart. She could feel herself vanishing from the very fabric of the world of time and space. A sudden replay of all her memories flashed before her eyes. "Mom?" she whispered, her voice sounding like the croak of witch. Her hooves, fur, mane all dissolved in the water of the pond.
"May the odds ever be in your favour, Apple Jack."
Then a flash of bright light. She felt herself tumbling through a bottomless pit. Cannonballing through the very fabric of time and space, she shielded her eyes from what beheld her.
Darkness.
Chapter one: The beginning of time
"Wha-" The orange mare opened her eyes groggily. Using her hooves, she dusted herself clean. Turning her head, she observed her surroundings. All around her was a beautiful apple orchard, full of apple trees. Rose red apples adorned the trees, making her mouth water. She felt that this environment rang a few bells in her head. But where was she? All that she could gather was that she was in an apple orchard in the past.
Getting up to her hooves, she conducted a "reconnaissance" of the area. Walking along the dirt path, she saw a few farm ponies. A green pony with her white mane tied in two plaits, in her sixties, and and a magenta pony and her yellow mane tied in a sloppy braid. A huge red farmhouse was located in the centre of the orchard.
Wait a minute, it's all coming back...isn't this SWEET APPLE ACRES?
Curiosity got the better of her and she made her way to the two farm ponies. Hiding behind an apple tree, she cranked her neck and put into practice "Rarity's eavesdropping lessons".
"Well mother smith, looks like we're done planting all these apple trees. Ah say we head back and hit the hay now." The magenta pony raised a hoof to stifle a yawn, heading back to the farmhouse for a well-deserved break.
"Ah'm just gonna stay and plant more seeds. Go help yourself to some apple pies now sugarcube." The green mare said as she continued ploughing the fields.
Apple Jack watched the magenta pony trudging back to the farmhouse, her curiosity rising by the minute. She seemed rather familiar. The voice, appearance, body gestures reminded her of somepony, but she couldn't quite put her hoof on it.
Walking over to the farmhouse, she entered by the back door instead, and hid behind the cabinets in the kitchen. Soon, the magenta pony entered the kitchen, grabbing the pie off the table.
"I know you're there sugarcube, come out of there would 'ya?"
Apple Jack's eyes bulged out of her eye sockets. How did she know she was here? Inhaling multiple breaths, she started to panic. She contemplated running away or bucking the pony down.
"Don't worry, I don't bite." The mare said, making her way over to the cupboard. Spotting the orange mare curled up in a ball, she offered a hoof over to her. Pulling her up, she swiftly brought herself into combat mode.
"Enough friendly talk. I don't bite, but I sure do kick flanks. Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you here?" She demanded, jabbing a hoof into Apple Jack's chest.
"My name is Apple Jack, I'm from the future-"
"Wait, Apple Jack? Why do you have the same name as my daughter who's now in Manehatten?" The magenta pony brought her hoof down, rubbing her chin with confusion.
A sudden memory struck Apple Jack's mind.
"Mum, I'm gonna leave for Manehatten, and I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY! I HATE BEING AN OLD FARMPONY! I want to live the SOPHISTICATED LIFE!"
"But honey-" her mother extended her hooves, intending to bring her daughter into a hug. Tears started to form in her eyes, as she watched the young filly scowl at her.
"No mum! Just leave me alone!" The orange filly slapped her mother's hooves away and galloped as fast as her hooves could carry her...
"Mum?" Apple Jack stared at the magenta pony. She brought up her trembling hooves and wrapped them around her. She was overwhelmed with joy and regret. She soon stared bawling like a school filly who was being bullied. "I'm so sorry mum..." she choked between her sobs.
"Woah there sugarcube, you alright?" the magenta pony lifted the mare's face up, staring right back into her now red eyes.
"Mum, I'm..your daughter..from the future..." Apple Jack said while burying her head into her mother's chest, melting in her warm embrace.
Chapter two: Battles and Love
In the grand throne the majestic white alicorn sat, her bod wavering due to lack of sleep and eat. The familiar yellow aura glowed from her horn, and she tried her best to prevent her eyelids from closing. A yellow forcefield surrounded the entire land of Equestria. As she wavered back and forth in a rhythmic manner, her sister arose from her good "day's" sleep.
"Sister! Thou cannot stand to see you stay up all day and night with no sleep and food! I volunteer as protector!"
Celestia barely heard anything from her sister, only hearing a constant ringing in her ears which never seemed to stop. Only when she opened her eyes for a second did she see Luna making wild gestures, and rambling on and on about magic, sufficient sleep and...you get the picture.
"...or Tirek will prevail!"
Hearing those four words, Celestia immediately stood upright. She glared at her sister with her red eyes, and all luna could do was crouch down and surrender.
"TIREK WILL NOT PREVAIL! I AM THE RULER OF EQUESTRIA! AND I WILL PROTECT MY SUBJECTS WITH ALL MY LIFE!" The white alicorn bellowed at her sister. However, at the end of her statement, she flinched a little, and her legs started to tremble.
"AAAaaaHhHHH!" Celestia forced out of her longs as she covered her ears. She fell onto the the floor, a loud thud echoing throughout the throne room. Her eyes turned totally white as she gasped for air. Everything around her started to fade and lose its colour, and the ground felt as if it was spinning uncontrollably.
"Sister!" She fell into Luna's arms and lost consciousness.
Oh sweet Princess, you only have so much time before you lose your energy...
A voice sounded in her head as the princess struggled to her hooves. The only thing that surrounded her was white.
"WHO IS IT? SHOW YOURSELF!" The princess demanded as she shot lasers all over the area.
Oh Celestia...I never knew you had such a temper...
The voice was smooth, intimidating. It sent shivers down her body and all she could do was prepare for the worst. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?" Her voice trembled with fear as she took two steps backwards, only to trip over her own hooves and land roughly on the "floor".
Oh...you better hope your little orange filly comes home soon, as I have the power to control YOU
Celestia felt her power being sucked slowly out of her body and let out an inaudible scream.
The clock is ticking my dear, and sooner or later I will possess all the magic in you, and soon, all the magic of your pathetic little world...
"ARGH!" Celestia inhaled sharply as her waving mane started to fade. Her wing feathers fell as if they were being plucked out slowly, one by one. She gasped for air and fell into her sister's embrace, drifting into a small sleep. Her hair turned completely gray, and the yellow aura around her horn had dissipated. Her breathing was low and steady, yet her heart was still accelerating.
"SISTER!" Luna wailed into the morning light, while tears fell from her face and rolled down her cheeks...
In the apple orchards of sweet apple acres, an orange mare collected apples with her young mother, while recounting her adventures to her.
"And then...there was cotton candy clouds with chocolate rain everywhere! You should have see Pinkie's face! It was hilarious!" Apple Jack exclaimed while tossing the apples into the buckets using her tail. She skillfully bucked the trees, sending all the apples down from the tree. With quick reflexes, she used her flank to bat the apples towards the buckets, while using her tail to throw the bruised and rotton apples in the opposite direction.
Her mother could only smile and chuckle at her daughter. She was proud that her daughter had grown into a fine and strong mare, and even earned the title "the Elemnt of Honesty". My...my little filly has grown into such a beautiful mare... This triggered a question in her mind.
"Say honey, do you have a coltfriend yet? Or at least a crush?" Hearing that question, Apple Jack flinched and bucked the tree inaccurately. She yelped as she lost her balance and fell onto her rump.
"Sorry, that kinda caught me off guard..." Apple Jack said as she used her hoof to rub the bruised area. "Well, I don't have a coltfriend and I've never taken interest in any colt. End of story." She huffed, while pushing herself off the ground. She waved her head nonchalantly in the air, and walked over to the next tree and was preaparing to buck it when...
"Well, I don't suppose you know Caramel?"
Apple Jack immediately stopped her actions, and felt the heat rushing towards her cheeks. She blushed madly while avoiding eye contact with her mother. "Nonsense mum, that was somepony I liked when I was a filly, and I've never seen him since then."
"I don't think so..." Her mother giggled like a schoolfilly while clapping her hooves together. "Come on honey, tell me all about your love life!"
"Fine, but DO NOT TELL ANYONE ."
Celestia awoke from her slumber. Her eyelids lifted in slow motion, as if they were as heavy as boulders. She struggled to get onto her hooves, but she felt weaker than granny smith. She had difficulties inhaling, and her wings felt as if they were ripped from her;she felt as if she had lost the ability to fly. She was unable to produce magic, and suddenly it occurred to her
EQUESTRIA HAD NO PROTECTION AGAINST TIREK
She immediately stumbled out of a makeshift bed, made out of several cushions, and dragged herself towards the throne. She pushed open the doors with all her might, and crawled towards what she thought was her empty throne. When she reached the footsteps, she was greeted with the sight of her sister mustering all her magic. Luna had a bright blue aura around her horn, and her eyes were a full white. She was panting heavily and beads of sweat trickled down her forehead. Celestia gazed out of the window, and noticed that a blue forcefield was surrounding equestria. She sighed contently while closing her eyelids, knowing that her sister had everything under control.
"If only Apple Jack dear knew she needs to hurry up, we don't have much time till Tirek attacks..." Celestia mumbled before falling into a deep sleep.
Chapter three: Dreams and Discoveries
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