Chapters Twilight had just finished tacking up the posters. They read:
GUARDS NEEDED
CONTACT PRINCESS TWILIGHT OR SHINING ARMOR FOR DETAILS
MUST BE STRONG, DEDICATED, AND BRAVE
Rainbow Dash flew over. "Okay, egghead, whatcha up to now, huh?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure you can read, Rainbow Dash. Since I'm a new princess, I need royal guards."
"Oh, cool! Are they gonna be like your elite hit squad or something?" The Pegasus looked genuinely excited at the idea of a princess running a hit squad.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You know, hit squads are banned in Canterlot..."
"Of course I know that, Twi. I know, like, everything there is to know about awesomeness. Well, see ya later!" Then she sped off.
The next morning, applicants were already filing in. All of them were buff, tall stallions who probably could've taken down a timberwolf with one hoof. Most of them were Pegasi and Unicorns, with a few Earth ponies here and there. Of course, with Twilight being the princess, she had to review every single one of them.
The first one was a Unicorn a white coat, sky-blue eyes, and his mane was golden and buzz-cut. "The name's Noble Act, ma'am. I was raised in Fillydelphia and I wish to join your royal guard."
Without looking up from the applicant's resume, Twilight waved towards a security guard. "Do a background check."
And so it continued, with many other similar ponies. "I am Steel Heart, from Cloudsdale!" "Your majesty, my name is Clear Thought, hailing from near Horseshoe Bay!" "Pleasure to meet you, your highness. They call me Silver Crest." This went on through the day.
There was only one more to review, and Princess Twilight was bordering on sleep. If this was another Noble Act re-color, she would fall off her throne. Bracing for boredom, she prepared for another stallion with the same looks to introduce himself when she heard, "Howdy, Twi. I do think ya know me, but I'm Applejack."
She almost face-planted on the royal Canterlot floor. "Applejack?"
The orange apple-bucker was grinning. "Took you long enough."
Unfortunately, the security guard had noticed too. "Whoa, there! This is supposed to be a tryout for royal guards, miss!"
Applejack looked slightly annoyed. "I know that. I'm here to apply."
He repeated himself. "This is for future royal guards! No mares allowed!"
Now she looked furious. "That's gender bias! I'm gonna apply and nopony's gonna stop me!"
They had a silent staredown before Twilight interrupted. "Okay, okay. Let's calm down here. She can apply, I'll make sure of that."
The guard was about ready to explode. "She's a mare!"
Both Twilight and Applejack glared at him and said, "What's wrong with that?"
All of a sudden, he shrank back. "Because, uh, because mares are supposed to be princesses and stuff?"
Long story short, Twilight fired him. As for Applejack, she became a royal guard in no time, passing the boot camp, history tests, and weapon training with flying colors. Nopony could be more determined than that. A lot of credit could also go to her friends, who supported her all the way through. Fluttershy brought entire herds of woodland creatures to cheer Applejack on, Pinkie Pie baked all sorts of tasty energy bars, Twilight helped her study, Rainbow Dash provided extra training exercises, and Rarity ,of course, flirted with the other guards-in-training.
One day, the others decided to visit Applejack and Twilight in Canterlot. They hopped aboard the Friendship Express and arrived just before lunchtime. At the mess hall where the royal guards ate, they found Applejack eating in a small, dark corner.
Pinkie Pie immediately bounced over. "What's up, ol'-buddy-of-mine?"
She looked incredibly dejected. "Nothing."
Rarity immediately caught on... Sort of. "Oh, darling, it must be the armor. Don't you see how terribly heavy it is? Oh dear, let me help, I can design a custom one for you! After all, these are supposed to be stallion's clothes..."
"No thanks, Rare, but I appreciate it." Then Applejack turned her back to them.
Rainbow Dash was getting frustrated. "AJ, if you don't want to talk to us, then fine! If you do, cough it up!"
She sighed. "I guess I shoulda expected it, but every single day I'm shoved, teased, or thrown off of a balance beam. All the stallions say I'm a buckin' country mare who doesn't deserve to be a guard. Maybe they're right. I don't belong here."
"Don't worry, Applejack," said Fluttershy. "You can show them just how good you are. I know it."
"Yeah! I'll bet that you can take 'em all down without any trouble!" added Rainbow Dash.
A loud trumpet fanfare echoed through the noisy lunch hall. Twilight was hovering in the center of the room, spotlighted by a ray of sun. "Excuse me, everypony, but I have an announcement to make! Shining Armor is looking for apprentices, and wishes to nominate one of you as Secondary Captain of the Royal Guard! This way, if he is ever unable to fulfill his duty, he will have a replacement. Also, the Secondary Captain will be the leader of my elite protection force. Tryouts are in the weapons training hall tomorrow at six o'clock, sharp!" Then she flew out of the hall and lunch continued.
Rainbow was beside herself. "So she does have a hit squad."
Abruptly, Pinkie Pie squealed. "Hey, Applejack, you should try out! You can be the Secondary Captain!"
Rarity nodded. "Yes, that's a fine idea. The Secondary Captain gets custom armor, you know."
"We're all going to be rooting for you," whispered Fluttershy.
Applejack straightened up and looked at her friends. "All right. I'll do it."
The weapons training room looked sharp. And not just in a literal way. The walls seemed to stand straighter than the others. All the swords and spears gleamed with a hidden malice. Even the ceiling radiated a disciplined aura.
All in all, the perfect place to hold tryouts.
Captain Shining Armor stood with his little sister, Princess Twilight, at the judging podium. The first contender introduced himself to the siblings. "The name's Noble Act..." Twilight had to refrain from smacking her horn against the wall.
After all the contestants introduced themselves, they drew their swords. Shining Armor bellowed, "Partner up!" All of them faced another pony until one was left without one. That was, of course, the only mare in the room. Applejack.
"I will duel you, ma'am," said the captain, drawing his own blade. The other stallions snickered.
"Don't go easy on me," she replied. "Also, you don't have to call me ma'am."
Twilight yelled, "Let the swordfighting commence!"
Metal clashed on metal. Helmets flew everywhere. Swords danced about like snakes under the influence of coffee. Each royal guard was fighting like it was their last day on Equestria. The winners of the duel got to stay. The losers had to leave. Once everypony was done, only half of them remained. Among them was Applejack.
"Whoa," whispered Shining Armor. "That is one talented friend you've got there."
Both Twilight and Applejack beamed with pride. The competitions continued, including tug-of-war, javelin throwing, push-ups, and staring contests. At the end, only five entrants remained. And yes, Applejack was one of them.
Shining Armor and Twilight whispered to each other, deciding the final competition. Finally, the princess said, "The tiebreaker will be a task of determination... Saving me! Each of you will have different obstacles, but they will all be at the same level of challenge. Now get in line, please."
They all filed into a straight line, with Applejack shoved to the end. All they had to do was run over, get Twilight out of a cage, and run back with Twilight. Oh, and they had to dodge the obstacles, too. That was an important detail.
Noble Act went first. He galloped full speed at Twilight and forgot about the obstacles. A barrel full of oil was dumped at his hooves and he slipped into a wall,knocking himself out. The second one, a Pegasus, flew above the obstacles, unlocked the cage, and just left without Twilight. Another Pegasus went third. He tried to dodge all the obstacles, but clipped his wing and went down. The fourth just charged so fast a the cage that he somehow got stuck in between the bars. Then came Applejack. She expertly blocked the swinging blade, leaped over the trapdoor, and caught a ride on the giant swinging mace. Upon arriving at the cage, she bucked it open and loaded Twilight onto her back. Then she dodged the obstacles again, and returned Twilight without a single scratch.
Shining Armor looked very pleased. "Well, looks like we have our Secondary Captain!" He drew his sword and tapped each of Applejack shoulders. "I hereby dub thee Secondary Captain Applejack of the Royal Guard." There was no applause, except for Twilight. The stallions glared in envy at the Earth pony who had beaten them all. Applejack just gave them orders to go to their rooms.
That night, Applejack mailed all her friends about the good news. Pinkie Pie screamed so loud that she could be heard not just in Ponyville. Fluttershy gave her trademark "Yay!", Rarity began planning the custom armor, and Rainbow Dash wooped a whole lecture about kicking stallions' plots. Then Twilight entered Applejack's quarters. "I just wanted to let you know, I'm really grateful you stepped up to this. I don't think I could take anymore of those big-headed stallions."
Applejack smiled, then sighed. "Me too. I just hope I stop getting shoved everywhere I go."
"Wait, you get shoved all the time?" Twilight's eyes widened.
She cocked her head to the side. "I never told you that? Musta slipped my mind."
"I'm going to make another announcement that says you can't shove anypony!" proclaimed Twilight.
"Them darn stallions are just gonna find a loophole, y'know. Don't worry, I got it down."
"But..."
"It's all right. It's my job to worry about you, not vice-versa. G'night, Twi." Then she closed the door.
Twilight stared at the closed door. She couldn't tell Applejack just why she was worried, or why she couldn't stand most stallions... Not yet. Maybe later.
Applejack's dreams weren't much better. A shadow vaguely resembling Princess Luna swirled before her in the Everfree forest. It boomed, "You seem so simple, so boring, but you are so much more than that. You are such a secret keeper for the bearer of Honesty..." It turned into a giant tornado and swirled towards her, about to suck her in...
BRIIIIIIIIING!
The morning bell. Of course. Applejack got up, stretched her sore muscles, and found a large package at her front door. When she opened it, she found a custom suit of armor from Rarity. It was gold and orange, with an apple crest on the helmet and an absurdly large plume. She put it on and rushed to the mess hall for breakfast.
As she entered she could feel about a bazillion pairs of eyes staring at her. Stallions muttered under their breath and gave Applejack the stink eye. When she passed Noble Act, he yelled, "Let's dunk her!" All the others roared in agreement.
Almost as if rehearsed (Applejack wouldn't have put it behind them to do so), five of them grabbed her onto their shoulders and carried her towards the giant barrel of oatmeal. Oh, great. I'm gonna be dunked into my own breakfast. Thinking fast, Applejack twisted around, bit a stallion, and pulled free. She jumped from head to head and made it to her table in the corner. In the confusion, the stallions bumped into the oatmeal barrel and it sprayed all over the crowd. Luckily, Applejack was hiding under her table.
Shining Armor trotted in to see a whole herd of royal guards smacking each other and flailing around while covered in oatmeal. Everypony was given a detention and sent to their rooms, except Applejack. "Hey, Secondary Captain? I need you to come to my office."
She followed, wondering whether or not she was in trouble. Waiting in Shining Armor's office was Twilight, poring over a bunch of musty old documents. "Hey, Applejack, we need you to know about this."
The captain tapped a map with a Changeling in the corner. "We have reviewed all the Changeling documents in the library, and we found a pattern. All of them have some sort of subliminal message that states that they will make a large-scale attack on Canterlot when the 274th Crab Nebula Eclipse occurs."
"And when is that?" asked Applejack, who was thoroughly puzzled.
Twilight and Shining Armor exchanged a grave look. "Tomorrow."
"Wait, what!?"
"Applejack, do you have the bunker rations in place?" Twilight was waiting outside the hidden bunker for her friend to give the OK.
"Yup! I think you might wanna bring some pillows, though. The ground's really hard." She had stepped out in full armor, ready to guard the bunker when the Changeling attack came.
"Do you have any ponies in mind to help you protect me? I mean, all the best soldiers were taken for the other three princesses, but I'm sure you found some..."
"I found better than that." Applejack gestured behind herself, revealing none other than Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy, all decked out in custom armor. Each had a unique weapon in their hooves. Pinkie Pie, being Pinkie Pie, had her party cannon locked and loaded. Rainbow Dash was carrying a wicked-looking spear. Fluttershy had a pair of nunchuks that she probably had no idea how to use. As for Rarity, she had a diamond-tipped, stainless steel mace. Of course.
"I got a bit carried away, dear," said Rarity. "So I hope you don't mind these fancy suits of armor. I just couldn't wear a stallion's armor, their physique is quite different."
Twilight coughed. "Er... yeah."
Applejack clapped her hooves. "Okay, positions, everypony! Remember, guard Twilight, and Twilight only."
Then the purple alicorn descended into the depths of the bunker and Rainbow Dash locked the multiple sets of doors.
"I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo nervicited!" squealed Pinkie Pie. "I just love apocalypses!"
Fluttershy timidly said, "I don't know if this is an apocalypse..."
"You're right, Shy-shy, it's actually a complete and utter destruction of life as we know it!" proclaimed Rainbow Dash.
Then the Changelings came. Well, not so much came as barged through the ceiling and immediately destroyed everything in their path. It was incredibly spontaneous, yet somehow predictable. As soon as they touched down in front of the five friends, they transformed into a bunch of Fluttershy look-alikes.
"Remember, they're not wearing armor!" yelled Applejack as she stood her ground and fended off the Changelings.
Each time the Changelings shifted their appearances, one thing stood out. None of them was wearing armor. That helped to differentiate between friend and foe. Otherwise, things could've taken a turn for the worse.
Once the hall was cleared, Applejack was breathing hard. "I think that's all of them."
"Oh, not all of them." A voice like rancid ramen noodles rang through the hall. A green, mystical vapor filled the air.
"Queen Chrysalis," growled Applejack.
"You flatter me, you really do. Now, if you'll step aside, I need to get my revenge on that nasty Twilight Sparkle for ruining my wedding."
Rarity rolled her eyes. "It wasn't really your wedding, you know. It was Princess Cadence's wedding."
The queen's eyes narrowed. "Whatever. Get out of my way!"
Applejack stood in front of the bunker doors. "You'll have to go through us first."
"So be it." A flash of green magic shot into them, blasting open the doors and revealing the stairs into the bunker.
The others were unconscious. But not Applejack. She had to protect Twilight. She just had to. Mustering up all her remaining strength, she tackled Chrysalis and they tumbled down the stairs. Applejack slashed her sword at the Changeling queen, hoping to finish her off once and for all. Chrysalis flung her off, and she smacked against a wall.
"Applejack!" Twilight's pleading cry echoed from below. She had to get down there and save her friend. When she arrived at the bunker, she saw Twilight pinned against the wall by Chrysalis.
"Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!" cackled Chrysalis. "My magic is so much stronger now, stronger than that of an alicorn princess! This astronomical occurrence, the Eclipse of the Crab Nebula, gives me such strength! Yes, it's mine, all mine! Ha-ha-ha-ha!"
"You know, Earth ponies have magic too. They just never really use it." Applejack pointed her sword at Chrysalis. A beam of energy shot from the sword, straight into the queen's heart. The energy enveloped Chrysalis, but at the same time engulfed Applejack. Both of them yelled and the energy drew them closer and closer. Twilight's eyes widened. She couldn't let this happen.
"Twilight, before I go, I have one thing to tell ya. I love you." Applejack smiled sadly. Then the energy completely swallowed the two combatants, and in a flash of light, they were gone.
Tears welled up at the corner of Twilight's eyes. "No." She sobbed all alone, in the darkness of the bunker. Time passed with no meaning.
Her four other friends arrived at the bottom of the stairwell. Fluttershy rushed over. "What happened, Twilight? Are you okay?"
"No, I'll never be okay!" Twilight wailed. "Applejack sacrificed herself to kill Queen Chrysalis, but I have a crush on her, and then I found out she has a crush on me, and... WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" She burst into more tears.
"Wait..." said Rainbow Dash, making a time-out sign with her hooves. "You had a crush on Applejack?"
She nodded and rubbed her eyes.
Rarity interjected. "It's all right, Twilight. We'll be here with you."
Pinkie Pie nodded so fast that her head seemed to pop off. "Uh huh! C'mon, we're safe and that's what matters."
Then they all shared a group hug. Twilight smiled appreciatively at her friends. She would be okay, in time. Meanwhile, watching from an endless, dark void, Applejack smiled too. Twilight was safe.
