don't blink - it's already happened
“Honestly, the only name I recognize is Rarity.”
Rarity. Stupid, foolish Rarity. A fragile thing like her running off to fight for The Cause. Deep down in her heart, Applejack knew it should have been her instead. But when they were taking the drafts, she hadn’t made it in time. The soldiers were dragging off the recruits, assigning them to their castes.
Applejack didn’t know where Rarity had been ranked, she couldn’t hear over the crowd. Some ponies were crying, others screaming; drafts were never easy to go through. All they needed were ten volunteers, five mares and five stallions. Yet Applejack had been able to see the soldiers chop off Rarity’s mane, put her in line and … her tears.
All of the other recruits were emotionless or frowning, but Rarity was full-on crying.
Why would a beautiful mare such as herself volunteer for the draft? She had everything going for her; money, looks, family, she could have been married off-
-instead, she was going to fight, or at the very least, help with The Cause.
Only Applejack knew why. Because Rarity was generous, far too generous for her own good.
They had talked about it the night before. Oh, how Applejack wished she could have forgotten it.
“Yer crazy, Rares,” Applejack muttered, blinking back tears. “Ya can’t go and fight. Please, just think ‘bout it a little more. Few months from now, there’s gonna be ‘nother chance.”
Rarity frowned. “I’ve been contemplating this for months,” she admitted. “And I’ve made my decision.”
Applejack swallowed hard. She couldn’t find the courage to look Rarity in the eye, let alone say what was on her mind. Then again, maybe she didn’t have to say a thing. Maybe, just with these small actions, Rarity somehow knew.
“What am I going to do?” she continued. “Just sit around and work in this small town while the world around us crumbles? What about my parents- my sister? I can’t let them feel helpless. I have to do something for them, and for-” She was cut off when she noticed the sudden coldness in Applejack’s expression and emerald eyes. “Darling?”
“Don’t ya dare say it,” Applejack said hoarsely. “Don’t ya dare say yer doin’ such a foolish thing fer me.”
“Applejack-”
“Rarity, please,” she pleaded. “I won’t be able to live with myself if’n I know yer putting your life at risk for me. I ain’t nothin’ worth fighting for.”
Rarity didn’t say a thing, but her eyes said enough.
Yes, my dear. According to me, you’re worth the world, she thought.
They had risked it. They could have been imprisoned by King Sombra for their relationship. Which was why Applejack had miraculously managed to hold back tears during the draft - she couldn’t cry. Because once she started, she wouldn’t be able to stop. She had shed enough tears the night before, her comforter soaked and the full moon being her only comfort.
Now, today was another lonely day; one of many.
A stranger had told her silly stories, but otherwise, the normal routine.
Work. Worry. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
She couldn’t have fought, because despite her hard-working skills, strength and honesty, Applejack knew she was a coward. She would have turned tail, running home for her grandmother once they had her fight.
How long had it been since the draft? Weeks? Months?
It didn’t matter.
A part of Applejack knew she’d never see Rarity again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Volunteering to fight for The Cause was not what Rarity had expected. She could have fought in the war amongst others, if only they had toughened her up a little more. But with one look at her stocky form and innocent appearance, they placed her in the workforce; making uniforms and creating rations for the soldiers who were out on the battlefield.
Everyday, she saw the darkness loom on the horizon, and she felt even more hopeless than she was back in Ponyville. Her work went unnoticed, it almost felt futile.
Back home, she never liked getting her hooves dirty, let alone being rough and brutish, but drastic times called for drastic measures. The fragile, feminine Rarity those back in Ponyville knew was fading away within every day of the Crystal War.
She just wanted it to end.
She wanted to help somepony, anypony.
But sewing blankets, crafting armor and boiling beans didn’t feel like enough. She didn’t want the glory of the title, she wanted the satisfaction of doing the right thing.
And had she? Had she made the right decision, stepping forward three months ago for the draft?
The Cause was not she had thought. She was treated poorly, almost as badly as she had been back in Ponyville. Two meals a day, if she was lucky. Working over forty hours a week, and in terrible conditions at that. Being treated like dirt.
This was laughable compared to her fillyhood dreams, back when everything was alright and no looming threat was on the brink of killing them all.
She couldn’t even remember those silly dreams these days.
Her only glimmers of hope in this cruel world was the meaning of her cutie mark and the feeling of home. The meaning of her cutie mark was the ability to see beauty in everything; despite this War, she longed for everything to go back to normal soon. That was her prayer everyday. And home - how she wished for it to be restored. The little white-picket fence surrounded home, with her mother and father and precious little sister.
Before leaving home, Rarity had made many promises.
To her sister: “Sweetie Belle, whatever you do, do not volunteer for a draft. Do you hear me? I’m going to keep you safe, and I promise I won’t return until I know you’ll be alright.”
To Equestria: “As a member of The Cause, as a volunteer of the draft, and as a citizen of Equestria, I promise to fully devote myself and all of my hard work to the War, in hopes that we win this battle and defeat the darkness.”
...and to one pony she had always tried to forgot. A promise she had never actually said out loud before leaving to join The Cause: “Applejack, darling, I promise to love you. From now until the world crumbles - and I’ll be brave for the both of us.”
She wouldn’t come home until told to do so, or until she felt satisfied with helping.
Whichever came first.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Applejack was waiting, sitting on the edge of her bed, stargazing until a blackened sun would rise and another work day would commence. That was all she was these days; a worker. She had let everything else of who she was fade away since the War started.
All that mattered was the business; because the business kept her and her family alive and well, for now.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Equestria, Rarity was scribbling letters down in between work. Letters that would never get sent, but poured out her heart. Apologies, wishes of love and wellness, and simplistic elements of life, “how are you?” and “stay safe” all in one.
She felt like a child once again, with big, useless dreams.
But despite their differences, their hearts were both breaking.
Author's Note
This was written in about an hour and half, while having songs from "The Hunger Games" soundtrack on repeat, but whatever. I just thought that this AU would be fun to play with after the Finale.
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