Applejack slowly raised herself from the ground.
She rubbed her head with her hoof, she had a splitting headache and her body felt heavy and sluggish.
She picked up her hat as her senses slowly came back to her “W-Where in Tarnation?” she asked finding it hard to speak, her throat was dry and sore. Examining her surroundings she was in the middle of Canterlot but... something was very, very wrong.
Some buildings were smoking, others laid in ruin, roofs collapsed, walls with massive holes and cracks in them. Any doors that remained were severely damaged half of which lucky to be hanging half on their hinges... Barely.
Something else was wrong… the capital of the entire country was in ruin… and nopony was around? Even in the event of an evacuation some guards should’ve been around looking for survivors and such, or even enemy troops looting for plunder… but no… AJ was completely alone.
“Hello?” she called out as she slowly started walking, looking around for… Heck anypony. “Hello? Anypony here?” again no response, a chill ran up her spine and she shivered “Sweet Niblets it’s freezing out here.”
She rushed over to a nearby chest “Sorry Darlin but I promise I’ll get this back to ya.” She said taking out it’s contents, inside was a beaten up old cloak and a big old blacksmith’s hammer “This’ll do I guess an I reckon I might be needin this.” She said picking up the hammer, she fastened it to her side and threw on the cloak which warmed her up a bit, lightening bone rattling effect of the cold.
Then she turned her attention to her flank “What in tarnation?!” she blurted out in shock, her cutie mark, the apples were gone, now replaced by a seemingly endless black void.
A dark circle with a burning ring around it like a bottomless abyss of hoplessness and nothingness.
“M-My Cutiemark.” She said putting her hoof to the strange mark “Consarnit I’m gonna get to the bottom of this.” She said a stern look of determination on her face as she continued walking.
After what seemed like an hour Applejack had reached one building that still stood, it was a guard’s outpost in the edge of the walls that separated the city from the castle. They were erected after the great Changling attack to protect the princess’s Celestia and Luna should Queen Chrysalis or an even worse threat rear it’s ugly head.
She tried to push the gates open but no luck “Hmm locked.” She looked up then reached into her saddlebag finding a set of rope.
She was about to hurl it up and try rope something to pull herself up on… but then form behind her.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” A weak voide called out, AppleJack turned to see a guard sitting behind her next to a small fire, a sword stabbed into it’s centre and what appeared to be bones lay among the ashes keeping the fire burning.
“I beg your pardon?” Applejack asked.
The Guard looked up at her, his helmet was battle worn and his helmet dented out of shape, one of his wings in bandages and he was missing a Hoof which had been replaced by the blade of a waraxe. “The Castle is Heavily fortied.. you go in there you may never come out.”
AppleJack rolled her eyes “Ponyfeathers, I’m the element of Honesty, Princess Celestia won’t let me get hurt.”
“Not with that mark she won’t.” the guard retorted pointing to the mark eclipsing her cutie mark. “That mark earns you no rights here, it strips you of any you had before.” Then AJ noticed that the guard had the same mark on his flank. “It was a few months ago.” He began.
Applejack froze.
A few months?! How long had she been unconscious in that street? Before her mind went any further she returned her attention to the guard hoping for a few answers.
“The Princess’s stood infront of everyone… it had been happening for months before then, Pony’s, the old… and the young, just randomly falling ill, then, when they passed… They came back.”
AppleJack looked confused. “Beg your pardon sugar cube?” she asked tilting her head.
“The curse.” These words made Applejack shiver again, those two words… they were so familiar... and it terrified her to the core. “Pony’s returning form the dead, their cutiemarks eclipsed by a dark mark… ancient tombs found by TwilightSparkle revealed this had happened before, it was called the dark sign… it was mysterious at first... as the Princess’s Disciple studied the affliction all seemed well… no matter what the cursed ones were unable to die… then.” The guard looked up at Applejack for the first time a glint as cold as ice in his gaze. “… It happened.”
AppleJack Gulped. “W-what happened?” she asked.
“One of the cursed, a guard… a friend, his wife came home to find him hunched over in the corner, his wings were broken and a sword was lodged in his side, their son laid on the ground in a pool of his own blood, the poor soul’s coat was dark and his eyes were blank… he’d gone hollow.”
“H-Hollow? Sugarcube y’all aren’t makin any sense.” Applejack said rubbing the back of her head.
“Memory loss.” The guard said with a sigh “it’s happening to you too… after all how can you not know of the curse by now… you’re doomed lass, you’ll go hollow like that poor soul and so many others… that is… unless you can get into the castle… and confront the Princess... only she has the answer… but fear has driven the fair sun goddess mad… she’s locked herself away and ordered her guards to imprison or kill anyone with the dark sign… and the guards rarely go for the irons now adays.”
“What should I do then?” AJ asked right now unable to process any of this and deciding to just go with it.
“Well.” The guard said “You might stand a chance… if you gather some reinforcements… but that would take strength and will the likes no other has managed to muster… this entire country is cursed now… and only few survive and manage to stay off hollowing… best place to look first I’d wager… is.” Before he could finish Applejack stamped a hoof.
“No, It may be my best option but I got other things to worry about first.” She turned and started walking, she had to get back to sweet apple acres, if this curse really had taken all of Equestria, she had to go back and check on the family.
“Wait lass.” The guard called.
“Yeah?” AJ asked turning back to him for a moment over her shoulder.
“If you do return with allies… you can count me among them… meet me here… and we can charge the castle together… co-operation is our best hope… but friends are hard to come by now adays.” Applejack nodded and turned to walk again.
“Wait lass.” The guard repeated.
“Now what?” Applejack asked turning back to him again. He guard the a glowing glass vial to her, she managed to catch it with her hooves, she examined it for a moment then looked up at the guard again.
“A bottle of pure sunlight… the purest flame… and Estus flask, if you find yourself fatigued, a sip of that’ll have you right as rain again... and if you rest at a bonfire like this one, more then just you’re strength will be replenished, your flask will be refilled aswell, with the lesser light of the fire.”
Applejack put the flask into her saddle bag and tipped her hat to the guard “Much obliged partner.” She said and started running for where she hoped the train station still stood. “Hang on Apples I’m on my way.” She said “Sweet Celestia please be alright.” She muttered a tear falling form her eye as the thought of if they weren't crossed her mind.