And then there was darkness

Twilight Sparkle and Spike arrived on the Apple Farm shortly before Rainbow Dash destroyed the central generator.

-

Applejack was working harder than ever.

Big Macintosh was worried. He was not a colt of many words, but he was trying to find the right ones. So far, nothing got through to her.

By now she was harvesting and delivering most of the apples herself. It almost looked as if she was obsessed to get them off the farm as quickly as possible.

Of course Big Macintosh didn't see what his little sister DIDN'T see.

Because what she DIDN'T see were the worms. Swarming all over the harvest, but hey, no worries. They were not really there. Business as usual. Work must go on.

-

"Hello, Applejack!"

"Howdy Twilight! Spike. Fancy seeing you here. I'm afraid I'm a little busy right now, why don't you go inside. Applebloom can..."

"I take it from here, Applejack", Big Macintosh said, "You go with your friends."

"But..."

Before she could say anything else, her brother had pulled the cart away from her.

"Alright, I guess..."

Twilight and Spike looked at each other for a brief moment. They had both noticed the dark rings beneath Applejack's eyes, the way her tail was twitching.

"Okay, Applejack... There is something we'd like to talk to you about..."

"Talk? About what, in tarnation?"

"About... Apples."

"Apples."

"Yesss! Your stock. We need to inspect your apple cellars. We'll explain there."

"Ma apples are fine..."

"SURE they are. Let's just go down to the cellar, alright? We'll explain."

"Come on in, then..."

Applejack didn't like this. Sure, they were her friends, but why were they so eager to keep her from working? All of this was mighty suspicious.

"Hey! What's Spike doing over there?"

"I'm locking us in. Don't worry, Applejack. You need to relax."

Twilight smiled at her.

"We need your help, Applejack. What we are going to tell you might sound strange, but as long as we all work together..."

Normally, the cellars were only lit in the small, orange glow of what the farm ponies thought of as candles or oil lamps. Now Spike had activated the main light, revealing the place for what it really was- a high-tech storage facility.

Spike uttered a tiny squeak of terror and disgust.

All around them, robotic arms were pushing needles into apples, or bombarding them with green rays. And the worms. Worms everywhere. Some were even crawling on the floor, coming closer, as if these blind creatures had a way of sensing the presence of their warm, inviting flesh.

"Spike, what is this?"

"The Apple Farm is not my department! I knew they were manipulating the food, but I had no idea... No idea..."

The awful calm in Applejack's voice made them shiver. "What are you two babbling about?"

"Applejack, can't you see? There is something horrible going on..."

"I can see alright. Listen, I don't know what got into you to, but I'm mighty uncomfortable with this. I would be glad if you could just... leave. Maybe come visit me some other day? I got work to do."

"Applejack, please! you need to come with us to Pinkie Pie's place. This has gone too far..."

"It has! Get out already!"

"The WORMS, Applejack! The freakin' WORMS! You're seeing them too, aren't you?"

"I AIN'T seeing nothing. NOTHING!"

Twilight wasn't prepared for this. She had always thought of Applejack as the most loyal friend, as someone rational and most of all, honest.

"We won't leave you like this! There is no way back, Applejack! You need to come with us."

"Get off mah property!"

"Applejack..."

-

And then there was darkness.

It was not so much of an earthquake as a sudden, high frequency vibration. One of the many inofficial names the inhabitants of Ponyville would later give to this event would be "the moment hundreds of ponies peed themselves".

There were the sounds of explosions, wires being torn apart, debris flying around like shrapnels. At some places, big chunks of machinery were falling from the iron sky.

And then the lights went out. Everywhere. From the artificial sun in the sky to the tiniest desk lamp.

Spike knew that this was a blackout, even though nothing in his training or his own research had prepared him for something like this.

The ponies however did not know.

-

Sufficient to say that not all ponies who died that day were victims of the explosion itself; there was a fair share of ponies who died of shock, had horrible accidents in the dark or even killed themselves on purpose.

From one second to the next, their world had vanished. They were lurking in the darkness, crying and trembling of terror and cold. Because the warmth had gone as well.

-

"Spike..."

"I am here, Twilight."

"Spike, I can't see anything... Am I blind?"

"I don't think so. Turn your head. Do you see the green emergency light at the other side of the room?"

"I do. Oh Spike, I'm so scared."

"I hear you, sister. Let's get out of this place. Where's Applejack?"

"Applejack!"

There was no answer.

Twilight used her horn to light the way. Her light was very small and pale now, but it was still there.

The worms on the floor were dying. Apparently, they couldn't stand the cold. Finally some good news.

"Applejack!"

"Twilight, I think she left us here."

"We... Oh Spike, let's leave. We need to know what is going on outside."

-

A night sky without stars. Twilight was staring into the void.

"What happened, Spike?"

"The juice is gone. But They didn't turn it out... Something has gone very wrong."

The world had become so quiet. So very cold. Part of Twilight wondered whether she was already dead.

"Hop on, Spike. We need to get going. Meet up with the others. Figure this out. Something."

The young unicorn pony felt like diving through a black sea. From time to time, structures and objects would appear in her hornlight, just to be swallowed again by the darkness.

They had reached Ponyville, and now she heard the whimpering. Thousands of voices, scared, lonely, hurting.

"Oh, Spike..."

"We're not the only survivors, Twilight. Think of it this way."

"Look!"

Other ponies were drawn to her light. A face rose from the darkness, and another.

"Hi... come closer. That's right, don't be scared."

"S-so cold..."

"I know. Shhh. We will go to Sugar Cube Corner, why don't you come with us?"

"Do you think this is a good idea, Twilight?"

"What else can we do? Why would we leave them here?"

There were more and more faces. There were other unicorns as well, but they were either not as skilled as Twilight or too scared to use their own magic.

"Everpony, follow me. That's right. Follow the light."

"Are you the Pony of Death?", someone whispered.

"I... No! It's just me, Twilight Sparkle. You know me!"

"What happened to us?"

"Stay calm. We need to organize ourselves. Just come with us."

They reached Sugar Cube Corner together with about twenty other ponies. Pinkie Pie was already waiting for them at the doorstep, and as surreal as this was, she had prepared a can of hot chocolate.

She let them inside.

-

They were resting on the floor of the shop, wrapped in blankets. There were tiny campfires everywhere, made of sheets and lit by Spike's flame.

"So this is it, then. Everything has changed. What do you think is going to happen, Spike?"

"Hard to tell... Obviously, They will try to fix this. The question is, what are They going to do to us? They can't use their gizmos to neutralize us, not anymore. If this sector is the only one touched by the blackout, They will probably quarantine us. And then? They just wait until we die of cold and starvation, and then They move in and fix this place. Or They move in right away. They might send drones..."

"Like this one?"

Pinkie Pie dropped a metal sphere in front of them. It had a large camera eye, but didn't seem to be active.

"It was floating around, and I just thought to myself... Well, no, I didn't, I just killed it."

"You know, maybe we can turn this to our advantage... Maybe we can figure a way out of here before they make their move."

-

Suddenly, a flash of light. It was coming from outside, from town square.

"PONIES OF PONYVILLE. DO NOT PANIC. PRINCESS CELESTIA AND HER ROYAL GUARD ARE HERE TO RESTORE ORDER AND SUPPORT YOU IN THIS DARKEST HOUR."

"Too late. They're here."

-

It was truly a sight to behold.

Princess Celestia had appeared, in all of her glory. She was like a living torch of angelic light.

Ponies gathered all around, their faces suddenly full of hope.

Even Twilight almost cried in relief. The glammer was so very strong.

She had long escaped the effect of the drugs, but Princess Celestia was an entirely different category. Twilight saw the "Pincess" for what she really was, and yet... The shiny white metal, the lights, the powerful aura, the wonderful voice... Celestia was the very incarnation of "home". Even knowing what she really was, you had no choice but to rejoice. Princess Celestia was easily the most treacherous of all Their creations.

"Greetings to you, my loyal subjects. A great cataclysm has brought darkness to our land. Be assured that I will do all that is in my might to protect you.

There are hard times ahead, but as long as we all work together and be faithful, we will survive, and prosper once again."

"Take us to Canterlot, Princess!"

"Please, take us with you!"

"Do not worry, My Little Ponies. I will make sure that things get back to normal as soon as possible. However, I need you to stay here, to rebuild your town. Rebuild your lives. This is what you have to do for me. My guards and my loyal servants will stay here to protect you."

The white pegasus guards were stepping forward. They were real ponies of flesh and bone, though the probes in their brains probably affected the way they were thinking and acting.

The Princess summoned a swarm of magical fireflies (only Spike could tell that they were tiny drones released from a hatch on her underside) who would spread over the iron sky like so many stars. And they were not only giving them light. Suddenly, it was warm again. A warm summer night. The ponies gasped. This was pure bliss.

"Now, it is my wish that all ponies gather at town hall to have themselves registered. A few ponies which I trust more than anyone else will head a committee that shall oversee the reconstruction effort.

Twilight Sparkle! My faithful student, please, do step forward."

Twilight was trembling all over. Did Celestia know about the Resistance? How could she hide her true feelings? How could she possibly pretend to be just one of her stooges?

"M-my Princess."

"I was told that you were very brave, Twilight, leading your fellow ponies through the darkness. I am very proud of you."

"T-thank you, majesty..."

"I want you to be part of the committee. You will assist another dear student of mine to bring order back to Ponyville."

"Another student...?"

A young earth pony colt appeared by Celestia's side. He was brown and had light blue eyes, almost as pale as ice.

"This is Bronyvistus. His loyalty and devotion to our cause are unmatched."

"I will do everything that is in my power to serve my people."

"I want you both to move into the major's office right away. It is time to organize the counting. But tell me, Twilight, where is your little assistant?"

"Spike? He..."

He was gone.

"No worries. I am sure he will turn up soon enough."

-

She and Bronyvistus were alone in his office.

"Twilight Sparkle... You think you are so special. Well, if your zeal to the right cause is matching your skills, you will be fine. Otherwise... We have been watching you, Sparkle. You're useful to us, but me, I don't trust you. Neither does the Princess, in fact."

Twilight's lips seemed to be moving on their own.

"You do know that the Princess is a machine, right?"

"Oh boo-hoo, you don't say. Do you think I'm STUPID, like these ponies out there? I know everything you could possibly know, and more. I know how our race was created..."

"So you know that we are slaves?"

Bronyvistus hissed.

"Careful, Sparkle. This is the only warning you'll get. Watch your tongue. Embrace the rules of this world, and survive. Start nagging and whining, and you'll be... left behind."

"So... what exactly are we supposed to do?"

"Simple. We organize. First of all, we register all inhabitants of Ponyville, carefully dividing them by breeds..."

"Come again?"

"You heard me. Segregation is the key. We can't have everyone running all over the place.

The earth ponies shall have the greatest share of the town, and the biggest rations of food. Medical care shall also be attributed to earth ponies by priority.

We will build one camp for unicorn ponies, and one for pegasus ponies. Trott Street and Muzzle Street should do nicely to quarantine these populations."

"What are you even talking about...?"

"IDIOT! Don't you know anything? Earth ponies are the most important breed. Our blood and flesh is what the mecha lords need. The two other breeds were important before the blackout, but right now, you're useless ballast. You unicorn ponies with your oh-so awesome powers, the pegasus ponies, who are always buzzing around... you're a nuisance. The peons of chaos and decay..."

"You... you're insane..."

Bronyvistus sighted.

"No, Sparkle, I'm not insane. You are just incredibly stupid. Are you blind to the things around you? Didn't you ever compare the roles of the pony populations in our community? WHO is doing all the hard work? Who is lazy, filthy and arrogant? Are you telling me you don't see a pattern? Don't you know the statistics? Or are you lying on purpose to protect your little politically correct world, in which differences are oh so special?"

"You have issues. That's fine with me. But I could really do without this horrible segregation thing. You think you can just impose your obsession on all of Ponyville?"

"That's exactly what I am SUPPOSED to do. And I'm your superior, both by breed and by appointment. You WILL obey me and stop farting offending nonsense out of your snout."

"Do you even notice you're insulting me in every sentence?"

"That's because I'm running out of patience. If you allow every idiot to babble around unpunished, you'll never get things done. Now start preparing the lists, Sparkle."

-

"Twilight...?"

At first, Twilight didn't even recognize the pegasus pony that was stepping into the big scanner next to her desk. She was pale, shaking...

"Rainbow Dash? Thank odd you're alright! You were not with the others, I almost thought... What happened to you?"

One of the white guards who had escorted Rainbow to the town hall was clearing his throat.

"Oh, right. I will have to register you, Rainbow. This will just take a minute. But please, do tell me where you've been..."

"I'm not sure. I don't remember anything... Not clearly... There was the explosion, and I..."

"Shhh... I think I'm done for today, why don't you wait outside my office while I finish the paperwork...? You can come to the library with me, and..."

Bronyvistus stepped into the office.

"What did I tell you about 'Segregation', Sparkle?"

"She's my friend. I want to invite her over."

"Uuuuuuh, I want two inwite hew owew... I really can't tell why Celestia thinks you're smart, Sparkle. I honestly can't. The pegasus ponies stay in Trott Street. As for you... you don't really think you get to stay at the library, unicorn?"

"How long you think you can keep this up? The ponies won't accept the way you're treating them."

"Once we have opened their eyes, they generally know what's good for them. Guards, please escort the pegasus and Sparkle to their respective camps."

"My friend needs medical care."

"She won't get any. Not before all the earth ponies have been treated."

-

The day and night cycle was gone, it was replaced by resting hours and working hours.

Twilight lay down in her new bed, in a tiny room she was sharing with seven other unicorns. She was gazing out of the window, into the black skies covered in Celestia's artificial stars. She was already falling asleep, even though there were still so many things to think about.

She was tired. She didn't know where her friends were, even Spike had abandoned her.

She needed to figure a way out of this mess, more than ever. But how? Where would she start? In Ponyville, there were Bronyvistus and his minions, and outside, there was the darkness. It was hard to tell which was worse.

Maybe, she thought before she fell asleep, maybe it's into the darkness that I need to go. Run, and leave all of this behind... and vanish... forever.