Chapters Chapter one: Drawing a blank
Pain. That was all Twilight Sparkle could feel as she rolled around on the cold, metal floor. Red, black and yellow spots danced in front of her vision, as she screamed, a long drawn out scream. Something was happening to her. There was a high-pitched, whistling noise in Twilight's ears which seemed to amplify the pain inside her head. No matter how hard she tried, the Unicorn couldn't remember why this was happening to her or where she even was. It was like water trickling steadily through a sieve. It felt like she was losing something. Something important. Though it was hard to think about anything other than the pain, coursing through her skull. It was like hot needles piercing her skull, over and over again. The writhing around only seemed to make it worse as the pain in her head intensified. It was so bad she thought she was going to pass out. But as soon as the thought entered her head, the pain ended. The flashing spots stopped and the Unicorn collapsed to the floor with a choked gasp.
Something was defiantly wrong. She couldn't remember anything. Twilight felt panic rising inside her as she attempted to center herself. No matter how hard she racked her pain-befuddled brain, nothing sprang to mind. No faces of friends, no sights...nothing. It was like something had gone through the Unicorns head with an eraser, removing everything. Well, almost everything. Twilight's panic abated slightly at the thought. She could still remember her name. Twilight...She screwed up her face in an attempt to remember. Through the fuzziness came the words: Twilight...Sparkle. Yes, that was her name. Though her name didn't bring her much comfort as the Unicorn attempted to take in the room around her. The blurry room around her swayed, giving her no insight into where she actually was and only succeeding in making the Unicorn feel sick. There was a loud click and a bright white light shone, forcing the Unicorn to cover her eyes. In her weakened state, the light was like the sun, blazing so harsh and hot, it threatened to burn her eyes.
"There we go!" Said a rough, male voice. A hoof snaked under Twilight's chin and pulled her head up forcefully. She blinked in the harsh light and another Unicorn came into view. This one was wearing a lime-green bodysuit, obscuring his fur color though what could be seen under the giant, opaque goggles he was wearing, was a cream color. The other Unicorn was smiling thinly as he held up a clipboard. "Do you know where you are?" Twilight shook her head nervously. Looking up into the Unicorn's face, she saw herself reflected back through his goggles. Large, frightened purple eyes stared back her from underneath a long mane of deep purple. There was a light pink streak going through it. Messy purple fur covered her body and a long pinkish-purple horn extended from between the folds of the mane. "Do you know your name my dear?" The Unicorn in front of her asked, giving another of his small smiles. Twilight looked down, suddenly unsure whether or not to give him her name. "Unicorn, I asked you a question!" The other Unicorns voice had suddenly turned sharp and impatient.
"T-T-Twilight Sparkle." She stammered.The Unicorn jerked backwards. His mouth opened and closed several times. He seemed unable to process the fact that Twilight had said her name. "I-I can't remember much else though." She added as an after-thought. The Unicorn lent forward, his lips now pursing. The Unicorn tilted his head and placed a rubber-covered hoof against his ear. Getting the gist, Twilight nodded. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. That's all I can remember." Twilight glanced about the bare room. All Twilight could see was a bare room with grey metal walls. "Where...am I? Can you tell me?" She asked. The Unicorn in front of her had frozen, still with his hoof attached to his ears. His mouth had fallen open. Twilight didn't like that. The confused Unicorn had a nasty feeling that she had done something wrong. Apparently recovering from whatever shock he had suffered, the Unicorn reached down and hauled her to her feet. Twilight staggered slightly. The headache hadn't abated yet and she swayed on her hoofs, her forelegs shaking violently, threatening to collapse from under her.
"Follow me." The other Unicorn said, using his magic to pull her out of the room. Twilight staggered out but the Unicorn refused to give her any leeway. The outside of her room had the same motif. Streamlined grey walls, identical doors indented at intervals. Unicorns and Earth-ponies, each wearing the green bodysuit dashed hither and dither, some leading confused looking ponies about, some carrying clipboards. With a start, Twilight saw that each of the bodysuit wearing ponies had a strange, glowing symbol floating behind their heads. A set of three glowing circles. The outer two were glowing silver while the smallest was an orange color. The circles were spinning slowly, and followed the ponies heads as they turned. Twilight, now feeling thoroughly confused, tried to get a feel for her surroundings. Though the headache was lessening, the bland grey walls, floor and ceiling didn't give her any clues as to where she was or how she'd got there for that matter. The Unicorn in front of her would periodically glance back at her, though the goggles he wore obscured the expression on his face.
Finally, the pair stopped. They had come to a stop in front of what looked like another wall. Though there was one difference. This wall had a large black box attached to the center of it. A glass screen stuck out of the front, under which was a large set of keys, each emblazoned with a number. Producing a pencil from a pocket of his suit, the Unicorn in front of Twilight tapped four of the keys. The glass screen changed from red to green. There was a loud grinding noise and the wall in front of the pair split in half and the halves slid apart, revealing yet another room. This one, whilst sporting the same bland color scheme, was much larger than the ones before, with a domed roof within which were several lanterns. Several of the suited ponies stood along the walls. Each had that strange glowing symbol floating behind their heads. Three long lines of ponies, each a mix of Unicorns, Pegasus and Earth ponies, stood in front of three massive...things. Twilight had no idea what they were. Each had what looked like a cushion in the center of ring of objects, almost like gigantic syringes. Twilight, who was preoccupied with the strange contraptions, jumped as the Unicorn beside her spoke, whilst giving her a hard nudge in the side.
"Step over to that line!" He ordered, pointing with his hoof at the farthest line to the left. Twilight stumbled over to the line, coming to rest just behind a Pegasus, who just like her, swayed dizzily from side to side. She couldn't understand what she was supposed to do. The Unicorn who had led her here had disappeared back down the other hall. The giant door had slid closed again. She watched confusedly as an Earth-Pony at the front of her line moved over and sat down on the cushion in the middle of the giant contraption. As one, the lines moved forward. Noting the threatening looks that the guards were giving her, Twilight moved up a spot, making sure to keep a few paces behind the Pegasus. There was a loud whining noise and the giant needles surrounding the pony, suddenly started moving forward, till they stopped, alarmingly close to the Pony, who looked slightly nervous. Suddenly, without warning, bolts of red energy exploded out of the captive ponies skin, each stream of light draining out into the needles. The Captive Pony screamed. Twilight flinched, covering her ears as the piercing scream echoed through-out the chamber. It seemed like it was going to go on forever, until the red light faded and the pony collapsed onto the pillow.
There was a buzzing noise, then the pillow holding the pony was whisked away, revealing a hole underneath. The unconscious Pony vanished, tumbling down into the hole. The pillow reasserted itself and the process began again. And again. Soon only Twilight and the Pegasus in front of her were left in the line. Twilight was beginning to panic again. She wasn't sure what was going to happen to her when she sat on the pillow but she was positive she didn't want to sit down. Twilight couldn't see what she could do however. In her weakened state, with no memory of herself, she would be no match for the guards. Then she really would be in trouble. She started as another scream rent the air. The Pegasus in front of her had finally moved onto the contraption and was going through...whatever the machine was doing to the Ponies. She watched the horrible process and even managed to watch as the Pegasus was whisked out of sight. Now it was her turn. Feeling as though her legs were about to turn to jelly, Twilight began the slow walk towards her fate. The screams of the ponies before her echoed in her ears. Twilight knew what she had to do. She had to run. And then the lights went out.
Princess Celestia stirred. The Alicorn's horn glowed a bright gold and a fire began crackling in the hearth, throwing light into the her bedroom. Picking herself out of the large bed and moving over to the giant mirror hanging in the corner of the circular room. The white fur and incandescent, multi-colored mane that stirred and floated in a non-existent breeze. The bright violet eyes. She shook her head, so that the mane waved like a flag. Something had changed. Something....important had happened. She could feel it. In the Princess's experience, when she experienced a feeling, then it was important. It was never ever a coincidence. Not ever.
"So Edge has finally made his move." The Princess whispered to herself. Celestia smiled to herself. "Will you ever learn Edge?" She snorted softly, a thin smile gracing her snout. "First you take my student from me. Then you twist her friends." Celestia's smile faded, becoming a snarl. "Now what will you do?" She shook her head again before moving back to her bed. She supposed edge could wait. Right now, she needed a good nights sleep.
Twilight turned her head about, trying to see what was going on in the near darkness. The suited ponies were hurriedly trying to get the other captives into groups with little success. The darkness seemed to have unnerved the captives who were frantically trying to attempt to find escape routes. The low sounds of murmuring was starting to unnerve Twilight who was trying very hard to fight the urge to bang her hooves on every available surface, to find a way out of this room. The urge was growing so powerful now, that her legs were shaking violently with the force of her resistance.
"Twilight..." The voice made her jump. It was soft, like a breath of air, against her ear. The Unicorn turned her head slightly. There! Out of the corner of her eye. She could see him. Standing by the wall. He was another Unicorn but he wasn't wearing the green bodysuit. Instead, thick bronze armor obscured his body, covering everything except his head. The Unicorn had a mane of silvery white, which matched the fur covering his head. A pair of crimson eyes stared at her. He was smiling. "My name is Edge." The Unicorn said, extending his hoof. "Twilight Sparkle. Come with me if you want your memories back."
Princess Celestia sighed as she finally finished her stack of reports. The Princess of the sun could not understand how these procedures could be so simple and yet take so long. She'd been sitting in her room for the best part of 4 hours, checking and double checking her reports. The Ponies of Canterlot could be so frustrating sometimes. They always seemed to think that their problems were worse than any-pony else's. It was like dealing with children and spoiled children at that. Celestia sighed as she put down the quill, placing it on the small table next to her empty glass. The Princess always felt that reports went hoof-in-hoof with a chilled glass of milk. Shaking her head slightly, Celestia turned her attention to the room around her. It was, to the Princess's annoyance, at times when her royal duties needed her, did she find herself most distracted. It was round, large room, with a thick bed next to the fire and a large writing desk, complete with ink-pot, quills and spare bits of parchment. Ideal for any upstanding member of Canterlot. Celestia chuckled to herself. The room, despite it being hers, was so simple, it could've belonged to any-pony. Celestia liked it that way though. It made her feel like an equal to the ponies she had to rule over.
Edge. The thought wiped all traces of a smile from Celestia's face. Edge. The name echoed around Celestia's skull. Celestia groaned in frustration, pushing her gold-plated hooves into her eyes. The pain cleared her head, making him easier to think about. How could she have been so blind? To think that the Unicorn could have stooped so low. To take the Princess's most faithful student and twist her into that...monster Celestia pulled her head back, before looking down at the stack of papers. The top-most slip of parchment was titled with one single word. Errorists. Celestia's lip curled in disgust as she read the word. That name. They were still the figures of Nightmare for young colts and fillies. A group of insolent, evil ponies who worked from the shadows, swooping in and taking the memories of unsuspecting ponies. Though Celestia had noticed something odd about the Ponies that the Errorists had been targeting. They were all high-flying members of the community. Business-ponies, leading fashion tycoons....Celestia frowned. She supposed that there was a reason for their targets. Edge never did anything without a reason. But there again, Edge was a mysterious figure. Not much was known about him other than the fact he was one of the leading Errorists. And there was the fact that he'd taken...Celestia shook her head. She was being silly. That door had closed....hadn't it?
Twilight Sparkle stared at the Unicorn in the near darkness. The crimson eyes continued to watch her, narrowed slightly in impatience. The silver-fur was rippling slightly as though in a non-existent breeze. The Unicorn....no, he'd called himself edge was still smiling at her, showing pearly white teeth. It was a comforting smile, full of warmth. Twilight stood frozen, unsure whether or not to actually trust Edge's offer. He'd promised her the stolen memories, her memories. But on the other hoof, if the smile was fake, if Edge was lying to her, then there was no telling what would happen to her. She was nervous and she was curious at the same time. Edge slowly reached up with one his bronze plated hooves and bent it repeatedly towards her, beckoning as though Twilight was a scared animal. The smile was growing now, stretching wider and wider. The wall behind Edge, suddenly split in Two, each piece sliding a few centimeters apart. The gad was just large enough for a Unicorn to step through. Edge's hoof was still bending backwards and forwards but Twilight couldn't move. It was as if her hooves had frozen to the floor.
"You need to move Twilight. I cannot wait forever." Edge said softly, his warm smile fading slightly. The hoof came down. Edge turned and strode confidently through the gap in the wall. The crack in the wall didn't reveal much about the room on the other side. All Twilight could see was another long, grey corridor. Edge turned once he'd walked through the gap and smiled at Twilight. He raised his hoof one last time and motioned with it. Twilight turned her head to look over her shoulder. The suit-wearing ponies were advancing on her now, none of them looking ready to negotiate. The decision was made in a second. Her hooves were moving before she'd even realized what she was doing. The suit wearing ponies where shouting behind her but she didn't listen. Her hooves were pounding at the metal floor, Twilight was running for all she was worth. She was at the entrance, she was through it. The wall slid closed behind her with a loud snapping noise. Panting, despite the short distance she'd run, Twilight looked up into Edge's face. Edge was smiling widely again. He reached up with an armored hoof and patted her on the back. The force of it nearly knocked her off her hooves. "There we go Twilight. I knew you could do it."
Edge spoke like a parent who was praising a prize-winning child. Twilight blushed, though she wasn't sure why. Now that she was closer to the armored Unicorn, Twilight was positive that she'd seen Edge before. The Crimson eyes bored into her, giving Twilight the impression that Edge was looking straight through her. Edge chuckled slightly before motioning with his hoof. He was pointing down the corridor that they'd run into. Now that the hidden entrance had re-sealed itself, the corridor looked just as bland as the other corridors, with one exception. Several lines, rather like the veins in a ponies body, were fixed along the walls. Each line glowed brightly, as though they were made of gems. With two of the vein-like lines on each side, the corridor looked like several ribbons had been stretched across the walls. The left "Veins" were sapphire whilst the right-sided "Veins" were Emerald colored. They were pulsing slightly, each emitting a humming sound. Twilight stared at them. This corridor. It was familiar to her. She couldn't tell why but...
"This way Twilight." Edge's voice made her jump. The armored Unicorn had moved past her and was walking down the corridor. Feeling...more than a little nervous about following a complete stranger, Twilight hastened to match Edge's strides. Wherever Twilight and Edge were seemed to be made out of nothing but long corridors. It was starting to annoy Twilight. She was sick of these long corridors and pointless walks. She wanted some answers. Edge had promised that her memories would be returned, though, Twilight suddenly realized, with a stab of fear, that Edge hadn't actually said when they'd be returned. Her companion seemed to have realized this to, for he suddenly stopped, turning his crimson eyes upon her and smiling one of those warm smiles. "I understand your concern Twilight." The Stallion said, flashing his pearly teeth again. "I will explain how to get your memories back soon. All I ask is that you trust me for a few hours longer. Please?" The request was said with such sincerity that Twilight found herself unable to say no. Or much else for that matter. Twilight couldn't tell what it was but the deepness of Edge's voice struck something inside her and she blushed. Edge smiled at her before resuming his walk.
"Um....okay." Twilight said brightly, hurrying to keep up with Edge. The pair continued along the corridor in silence. Twilight was to flustered over Edge's smile to consider asking him any questions. She felt a strange twinge of annoyance as they continued their journey down the corridor. Right next to her was probably the only Unicorn who knew what had happened to her and she had been so flustered over a smile that she'd lost all thoughts except to follow him. Though Edge was not helping her situation much. Every-time she would look towards him, the armored Unicorn would smile at her and she'd dissolve again. She was behaving like a filly over her first school-yard crush. Another problem she was having was the familiarity of the corridor. It was maddening. She was positive that she'd walked down this corridor before and yet she had no idea when. Edge wasn't providing any answers either. Just smiling that soft smile that made her legs shake and her cheeks burn. "Edge." The voice that had come out of her mouth didn't sound like hers. It sounded far louder, squeakier. The other Unicorn turned his head to look at her through one of his crimson eyes. "Who are you? Where are you taking me?" Twilight demanded. Edge smiled wider.
"All your questions will now be answered Twilight." He said softly. They had finally stopped. They were now standing in front of...Twilight's face fell slightly. It was another wall. This one however, did have a large rectangular box, with a large glass screen and a small board covered in metal keys. Edge reached out with his hoof and tapped several times on the keys, though since each was blank it was impossible for Twilight to know what. The wall split apart, each piece molding into the sides of the corridor. The room beyond was shrouded in darkness. It was impossible to see exactly what was inside the room. Edge turned to her and smiled. It was the widest smile she had seen yet. Though it was fixed. Almost like a wax figure. Edge tilted his head towards the shadowy room, though his crimson gaze continued to focus on Twilight. It was unnerving.
"I am an Errorist Twilight Sparkle." Edge said, extending his hoof to her. "I would like you to join me in my crusade." Then there was a flash of light and Twilight gasped, utterly blown away by the scene in front of her.
"Princess Celestia?" Asked a voice. Celestia looked up from her paperwork. It was one of her sun guards. The golden armor shone in the firelight. The white fur underneath the armor glowed yellow. The guard was looking extremely uncomfortable. He kept shifting from one hoof to the other, refusing to lock eyes with the Princess. Celestia lowered the quill, feeling uneasy. He didn't like it when her guards wouldn't look at her. It meant bad things were going to happen. "Princess..." the guard mumbled, now positively shaking with fright. "We've...we've received news that....that Twilight Sparkle has escaped from the Bastille." Celestia's quill fell to the floor. The guard cried out as Celestia's golden magic enveloped him and he was tossed across the room. The guard hit the wall with a sickening crunch. Celestia stood. Ignoring the crumpled form of the guard, the Princess strode to the door. The wood stood no chance against her wrath. It crashed open, splintering against the wall. Celestia strode from her room, anger filling her like lava.
"Not this time Edge!" She snarled. "No! This time you've gone to far! This is war!"
Chapter 3: An apple a day....
The giant double doors crashed open. Princess Celestia strode through the doorway, her face twisted into a grim snarl. The green bodysuits the ponies wore inflamed her temper, rising like an inferno, to lick at the back of her throat. She hated this place. From the ice cold air, to the robotic attitudes of the workers, the Bastille had always had an unsettling feeling about it. But this time, Celestia was impervious to its sterile coldness. She strode past lines of suited ponies, each of whom hastened to bow as she passed. Deeper into the complex she walked, her fury increasing with each step she took. Her eyes darted about, her snarl growing each time her gaze landed on one of the suited ponies. The fire inside the Alicorn was growing stronger. Celestia tried to reign it in. It didn't work.
"P-P-Princess Celestia?" Asked a timid voice. Celestia whirled. It was Doctor Grey-matter. True to his name, the Doctor's fur was a dull, gun-metal grey, which stretched up to his horn. His eyes were also a watery grey. The stained and torn lab coat the Earth pony was wearing did not stretch enough to cover his hind quarters, upon which was inscribed the image of a brain. The image of the pink mass had always disgusted Celestia. She had no idea how a pony could get such a cutie mark, nor did she want to. The doctor was shaking violently as he looked up into Celestia's angry face. "Can....Is there something we can help with your highness?" He stammered, now shifting from hoof to hoof in nervousness. "Is there something wrong?" Grey-matter could have no idea what he was about to unleash. "Can I d-do anything?" Now he'd done it.
"Would you care to explain," Celestia growled, every syllable laced with anger. "Why I have only just now learned that Twilight Sparkle has escaped from here? Under your nose?!" The doctor froze. His face fur had gone very white. "Care to explain Doctor Grey-matter?" Celestia snarled taking a step forward. The doctor scrambled backwards, tripped over his own hooves and fell onto his backside. Avoiding Celestia's furious gaze, Grey-matter mumbled something under his breath. Celestia's ears pricked up. "A mistake!?" She shrieked, wrenching the Doctor into a standing position with her magic. The doctor choked as the grip grew tighter around his throat. "Don't you stand there and tell me it was a mistake!" The princess yelled, tossing the doctor across the corridor. He hit the wall and slid to the floor, seemingly paralyzed with fright. "I want her found!" Celestia roared, almost spitting with anger. "Find her and eliminate her!"
Twilight Sparkle gasped as the lights flared. Instead of the giant room she'd been expecting, the Unicorn was staring down at a massive city. Towering spires stretched high into the inky black sky, each constructed of different colored stones and all radiating brilliant flares of light from glass windows. Several strange floating squares floated around the spires, some carrying ponies, others floating along, unburdened. Twilight barely noticed them however. She was too entranced by the city. All the glowing lights, the bustling noises. It was all to much. Her mane was blowing in a soft breeze. She smiled widely. Even the smell was exciting. It was musky, smelling of smoke and...an odd smell that she couldn't quite place. It was flowery and yet, oily. It was all so familiar...and It was all so frustrating, knowing she'd seen this city and yet being unable to remember when. She turned to look at Edge. The armored Unicorn was smiling at her, his bronze armor glowing in the lights.
"Like what you see?" He asked. Twilight smiled widely and nodded. Edge turned his face to the city-scape in front of him and his smile faded slightly. "Welcome to Canterlot. Capital city of our GREAT nation, Neo-Equestria." His voice had attained a bitter quality to it. "I suppose you deserve to know the whole story while we wait." Edge had raised an armored hoof and waved. One of the thin, unoccupied metal platforms floated over to them. Edge stepped out onto the platform, which swayed under his wait. After a minute of unease, Twilight followed him. The platform floated out into the air. Twilight turned back to look. The building was tall but thick, made of black stone and resembling a giant black box. "That is the Bastille." Edge said coldly. "A prison for stealing ponies memory." Twilight frowned. Stealing memories? Edge shook his head, then patted her shoulder. "Understand this Twilight." He said warningly. "I will tell you all you need to know and nothing else. Understand?"
"Edge..." Twilight mumbled after a few seconds of silence. She was not looking at Edge but was pretending to examine the nearby spires. The metal plate underneath their hooves hummed slightly in the silence. "Who am I? Who are you anyways? You show up out of nowhere and..." But Edge interrupted her. It had lost the bitterness but was now dripping with anger. So much so that it made Twilight turn to face her companion. The armored Unicorn was glaring at her, which with his crimson glare, was frightening.
"You want answers? Then shut up and let me talk!" Twilight stared in open-mouthed shock. Then Edge drew in a deep breath and letting it between his teeth. His horn glowed, enveloped in a crimson light. A red version of the symbols that had floated behind the ponies heads appeared in front of them. "These circles are a symbol." He mumbled softly. "They symbolize Sen-Sen. A new breed of Science. It's based upon storing memories in a digital format." Edge smiled at the mystified look on Twilight's face. "You can swap around memories, store them like money, even use them as money." He chuckled lightly, waving his hoof. The red symbol vanished in a puff of smoke. Twilight was still staring at him, drool slipping along the seam of her open mouth. Edge produced a small handkerchief from nowhere and wiped her mouth. Twilight pulled back, blushing. "That is where we come in. The memory hunters, also known at the Errorists." He smiled as Twilight finally reclaimed her senses.
"The Errorists?" She asked, unconsciously aware that the platform was beginning to descend rather rapidly. Edge was grinning wider than ever at the look on Twilight's face. "What?!" She demanded angrily, feeling insulted at the patronizing grin on the other Unicorn's face. "It's not like a have much choice is it? I don't no anything about this place. I can't even remember if I've been here before! So don't just stand there like you're so...so.." There was a loud thump. Twilight staggered and looked down. The platform they'd been standing on had finally hit the ground. The platform had landed outside one of the smaller buildings. Instead of the majestic spires that Twilight had expected, the purple Unicorn saw that this one had a domed roof and was exceptionally smaller than the others. "Now what?" Twilight demanded, still feeling slightly resentful towards Edge. The other Unicorn chuckled, pointing towards the building. Twilight sighed and stepped off the platform. She turned to look at Edge.
"Go uptown of here." Edge said with a smile. "Look for the local bar. It's called the Apple Barrel. Get into contact with the owner. She's called AppleJack." Twilight turned to look down the street Edge was indicating. It was still very dark, and the streetlamps only produced a minimum amount of light. "Good luck Twilight." Twilight whirled round. The platform Edge was standing on was rising into the air again. The armored Unicorn was smiling as the platform rose higher and higher into the night sky. "I'm counting on you!" Edge shouted, giving a wave of his hoof again. Then, he was gone. Twilight turned her head to look down the street. It wasn't very promising. With a shake of her head, Twilight started the long walk down the street.
Twilight sighed in anger as she continued to walk down the street. Canterlot's streets were freezing. The Unicorn shivered. It was unnerving. Twilight had attempted to ask several of the ponies along the street for directions to the Apple Barrel but most had just snorted and ignored her. Others just stared at her. Twilight had noticed that that the amount of stares she'd been getting had increased the longer she walked. It frightened her. She couldn't understand why the ponies here liked to stare so much. Then again, she supposed she had just escaped from...what had Edge called it? The Bastille? Twilight shook her head. Edge had told her to find this bar and what was she doing? She was getting distracted. Instead, the Unicorn focused on looking for...
Twilight stopped dead. There, in giant letters that glowed a bright orange were the words: "The Apple Barrel! Fresh Cider every day!" Twilight frowned, walking up to the bar. It was a shabby looking place. Instead of a tall, majestic building, the bar looked almost like a small shop. Several bales of hay sat in front of the bar, upon which several empty bottles lay scattered.Among the bottles, was a small, rusted bell. Twilight stopped again, just short of one of the bales. The inside of the bar looked filthy. Cobwebs and dust caked every available surface. They weaved in-between the bottles and hung over the side of the bar. What should she do? Edge had told her to find this bar as well as a Pony called AppleJack. But Edge had not told her what AppleJack looked like or even if the Pony was a Stallion or a mare. Feeling completely out of place, Twilight sat down on one of the bales. Twilight reached out, feeling stupid for just being here and rang the bell.
"Howdy do!" A voice said, its owner hidden by the shadows inside the bar. The voice had a southern accent and it was definitely female. Despite the filth in the bar, the voice sounded high spirited. "You wanna' bottle'a Cider?" Twilight mumbled what she supposed was a satisfactory reply, because the next thing she knew a dusty bottle of bubbling liquid had been placed in front of her with a resounding clink. Twilight looked up. The mare standing in front of her had a wavy mane of blonde hair which clashed with the Mares orange fur. The Mare was also wearing a large, though slightly patched Stetson hat perched on top of her head. A pair of grass-green eyes widened as they took in Twilight. The Mare gasped. "Twilight. Is that you?" Twilight frowned at the Orange mare. "Twi!" The mare gasped, tears starting to leak out of the those emerald green eyes. "It's me. AppleJack! It's so good to see ya!"
