Apple Crisp leaned against her plow in the early morning on the farm, watching the dawn break over the distant mountains. The morning had been a bit chilly for mid-Summer, and she took a deep sniff and let the fresh smell of Summer grass pass through her nose. The ultramarine horizon turned a turquoise hue as the sun peeked over the distant mountains.
“Hey, what do you think yer lookin’ at?” said an apple-green Earth Pony. “You’ve only been workin’ for two hours! It’s not break time yet!”
“Just enjoying the sunrise, ma,” said Apple Crisp, touching her hoof to her stetson. “I always did like the colors. Reminds me that even unicorns can do great things, you know?”
“Well, you can look an’ work at the same time, can’t you? It’s nearly mid-Summer, and we still haven’t got enough food t'er satisfy those greedy unicorns running the show. The apples need plantin, the wheat needs sowin, and we’re not even halfway done with the walnuts yet! Get yer hiney to work!”
“Yes ma,” Apple Crisp said. She smiled for a bit as the sunrays warmed her chilly skin, and then reshouldered her plow.
“”I wonder how much of the harvest they’ll let us keep this time,” she said.
Her ma sighed. “Depends on how much the unicorns wanna keep. I heard the magistrate say that she heard Puddingfoot and Smart Cookie are goin ter try an’ talk ter Clover, so she can help us keep more of our harvest this time around. But those are the high-up ponies, I don't know if they'll listen to little folks like us. if the Unicorn Castle don’t get enough food out a’ this harvest, they’re threatenin that there won’t be any more sunrises. At least, not here in the earth pony lands."
"Aw ma," said Apple Crisp. "Ain't no way they'd do that. Everypony needs the sun!"
“You don't know what these unicorns would stoop to if it came to it,” her ma said. “Anyways, quit yer yappin' and get to work! My word… stoppin’ work to watch the sunrise after two hours… must be your father’s lazy genes comin’ out of you, Discord rest his soul.”
__________________________________________________________
The village was small and simple, built with log cabins in the traditional Earth pony style, as well as a few more rustic tents and teepees set up by the poorer families on the outskirts of the neighborhood. Though it was already well into Summer, the snow had only just begun to melt.
Now that it was half past noon, her ma had taken her midday rest and Apple Crisp was free to wander. Ma said something about "not walking the streets this time at noon today" before dozing off, but Apple Crisp was feeling a bit cheeky. So she went on her usual routine, skipping up and down the sidewalk with a whistle. Usually there were other ponies her age playing by the long wooden fences that lined the city streets, and the streets were alive with laughter. Oftentimes, she would hear a "hey!" from Sweetie Pie's farm, and her best friend and her other best friend Simple Scone would playfully jump her from behind.
But today, the streets were dead quiet. Apple Crisp wondered what was going on, but she kept walking anyways. Surely there wasn't any danger, not in this simple village. The warning bell hadn't been rung anyway, so there couldn't be anything too terrible going on.
"Psssst," a whisper came.
"Sweetie Pie?" Apple Crisp asked.
"Not too loud!" Sweetie Pie said. She peeked over her fence. "Come in. Don't make noise."
"WHY SHOULDNT I MAKE NOISE?"
"This is serious! Come in! Don't let them see you."
Apple Crisp, realizing a seriousness in her friend's eyes that she had never seen before, obliged. The gate creaked open a crack, and a marshmallow colored hoof pulled Apple Crisp into the enclosure.
Sweetie Pie's farm always smelled like cows, Apple Crisp noted. A few moos sounded from a pen in the corner.
"Hey now," Apple Crisp said. "What's going on here, Sweetie Pie?"
"Haven't you heard?" Sweetie Pie said in a low whisper. "There's a unicorn in town. Here to visit the magistrate. We're to keep the streets clear til he's gone."
"Why's that?" Apple Crisp said.
"Crispie!" Sweetie Pie replied. "You have no idea what unicorns will do to an earth pony foal. You know the history."
"There are some good unicorns too," Apple Crisp said. "Like Clover the Clever."
Sweetie Pie sighed. "Don't be a foal, Apple Crisp. Not all unicorns are like Clover. This is serious! This colt is a unicorn from the Center. Wearing that big fancy armor and all that, the crest of our new Princess Platinum. We cannot give him any reason to get mad at us. Stay here with me, we'll play jacks and cards while our ma's are a sleepin."
But Apple Crisp, who had never seen a real unicorn before, was not to be put off. Besides, she reasoned, the unicorn had probably never been to a village like their's. Couldn't be so bad talking to somepony, showing them a bit of Earth Pony hospitality.
"Catch me if you can!" Apple Crisp laughed, racing off.
"No!" Sweetie Pie said. She caught herself. She could either tell the adults, and maybe get Apple Crisp into serious doo doo, or else... she could go after and watch after her friend herself. Make sure she didn't their town into too much trouble....
Biting her lip, she chased off after her friend. "Wait up, Crispie!"
"Na na, catch me if you can!" Apple Crisp teased.
"No seriously," Sweetie Pie said, out of breath. "I changed my mind. I want to go with you."
____________________________________
A snooty unicorn carrying a clipboard walked through the small and disgustingly rustic village, noting with visible distaste the mud getting on his hooves. The sun had now climbed well past the midday point, and he walked rather quickly on his way up the main road.
“Hmph,” he muttered to himself. “If I weren’t a messenger for Princess Platinum, I would never stoop to such disgustingly lows.”
“Hey!” a voice called.
Rule 1, the unicorn thought. Never talk to the rabble.
“Heyyyy, slow down! I just wanna talk to you!” the bright, childish voice came a bit louder. It was almost like that of his own fillies back at home, not the usual catcall or snootiness from many a savage earth pony. Odd. Earth pony fillies were supposed to be spiritless, dull creatures, unlike the pure unicorn foals. She couldn’t help but be a bit intrigued.
The unicorn turned around, and found herself eying with a yellow earth pony filly with a stetson and an apple colored mane. The yellow pony's eyes were filled with this foal-like wonder -- and next to her, a marshmallow white filly stood nervously, shaking but defiantly looking her in the eye.
“What do you want?” the unicorn said.
“Yer a unicorn!” Apple Crisp said. "Nice ta meet ya. Name's Apple Crisp. What are you doing in this part o’ town? We never get unicorns around here except for the harvest times.”
“I’m here to talk to what you earth ponies call a magistrate,” the unicorn replied. "Orders from the Center think this town needs to be cleaned out. Your disgusting little village is crawling with Earth Equalists.”
“A what now?” Apple Crisp asked. The unicorn sneered.
“Earth Equalists,” the unicorn said. “They’re the most wanted group of terrorists in all of Equestria. Everyone from Hurricane to Puddingfoot agrees. They're always up in a huff saying that they ought to have rights for this, rights for that! Ha! Next time I see an earth pony raise the sun, we can talk about rights.”
“What’s wrong with rights?” Apple Crisp asked, an edge to her voice. The marshmallow pony next to her nudged her in the ribs, but Apple Crisp stood defiantly.
“Oh you’re an earth pony, of course you wouldn’t understand,” the unicorn said. “But even you should see the problem. There's a war with the windigos going on, and we can’t have Equalists causing disunity in our ranks. That means no agitating, no internal fighting. Besides, anypony can grow crops if they just put their back into it, but only the unicorns can raise the sun, and only the pegasi can make weather. Each pony gets according to what they do, and I’m sorry to say that farming is the most replaceable job of them all..”
"Yer lucky you're a filly," the unicorn said, surprisingly gently. "You better wise up when you grow into a pony. Know your place, and be better than your grandparents were. Now go on, shoo, before I have to get angry at you."
Apple Crisp was about to speak, when Sweetie Pie whispered into her ear.
"Let's get out of here," Sweetie Pie said. "Look at his eyes. He means business."
The Borderland Magistrate
Above the horizon, the radiant sun cast the palette of colors, as if a fire burned right beneath the horizon. It was the perfect temperature for an October evening in Equestria.
The only problem was that it was mid-July. Tips of leaves were still iced over in frost.
Humble Pie stood on a hill overlooking his small village, feeling the pleasantly chilly mud squish underneath her hooves. Threads of smoke from cooking fires in the village hovels climbed high into the air.
“Nervous?” his wife asked.
“A little,” he admitted. “I never thought I would meet the legendary Clover the Clever in my lifetime. I wish she told me what she was coming for.”
“She’s only here because she wants something from our village,” his wife warned. “As our leader, you must stand up to her. She is, after all, a unicorn.”
“Yes,” he admitted. “But Smart Cookie thinks her heart’s in the right place. Said that Clover was essential in ending the first Winter.”
“That’s true,” his wife said thoughtfully. “I wonder what she could be here for now though. You know, it has been quite cold for mid-Summer. What if… what if the windigos are returning?”
“Impossible,” Humble Pie said. “Those creatures were banished a long time ago. It will be a warm day in Tartarus when they come back.”
_______________________
"The Equalists need to be stopped." Clover said.
*
“You can’t come in here,” Humble Pie said, gritting his teeth. “This is our home. You are not welcome.”
Triumph’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Your daughter,” she said, “is a terrorist. She has been arranging secret meetings at the general store for over a month now. Unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies have all died in Equalist attacks, and as a member of the group she is complicit.”
“Don’t let them take me dad,” Angel Cake said.
“Don’t try this on us,” Triumph said, advancing on the trembling young mare. “We know that you’ve been in communication with Upper Crust and the other fugitives. Our sources have never been wrong before.”
“I won’t let you in,” Humble Pie said. “I am the magistrate of this town. Stay back, or else."
“She can come quietly with us, or we can take her by force,” Triumph said, baring her teeth. “If you oppose us, we will have you court martialed for high treason against United Equestria. Stand down at once.”
“Dad please,” his daughter said. Tears formed in her eyes. “I don’t want to go!”
“Take her away!” the blood unicorn said. Magic cuffs appeared, and the ponies dragged Angel Cake away in shackles.
Humble Pie looked on helplessly as the unicorns took her daughter away. To oppose the unicorns now would be a dangerous maneuver, one that would almost certainly destroy Angel Cake's already minuscule chances for a fair trial. It took all he could to master his fatherly instincts.
“I’ll come back for you,” Humble Pie whispered. “I promise.”
