Chapter 1: Dust to Dust
“Ah don’t like the looks of that.” Applejack stated gruffly, taking a moment to adjust the sun baked Stetson adorning her head. Her bangs were now partially tucked under her hat, uncovering her emerald green eyes, as well as the scar running across her left temple.
“Neither do I, but I reckon that we should go investigate anyway.” Her sister, Apple Bloom replied. She wore her ruby red mane in a loose ponytail, tied off with her favorite ribbon. Her tool vest covered the front half of her body, exposing her flank, and the cutie mark etched into the side; A small red apple with a slice missing, set on top of a wrench and hammer crossed over one another.
“Oh you do, do ya?” Applejack replied flatly, not looking excited to get roped into another one of her sister’s ill-fated plans. “Why should we leave the relative safety of this here ridge, and mosey on over into that there”—
“Decimated village that was probably sacked by raiders or ravaged by Goddesses knows what?” Apple Bloom supplied as she cut in, “Because whoever, or whatever did that, did it close enough to our home to warrant a good ‘ol fashioned investigation. I wanna know who ‘er what is causing trouble in our neck of the woods.”
Applejacks smile remained flat, contemplating the reality of what her kin had said to her. A sense of pride welled up inside her as she smiled at her little sister. The world had not become a kind place, and the last seven years had brought some of the most challenging trials to their doorstep. Just like a true Apple they stuck it through and now that Apple Bloom could fend for herself and come to decisions on her own, Applejack could only smile and be thankful she was able to watch her sister grow into a mare all her own.
“Alright, you make a good point.” AJ conceded. “Let’s head down there and see what we can find. If you see anything, you know what to do.”
Apple Bloom nodded, tightening the straps on her vest and darting into the bushes leading down the pathway towards the village.
Or what’s left of it… Applejack thought grimly. The scene looked terrible. Only a few of the structures were left standing, one of which looked like some kind of warehouse that closed down long before Equestria did. A few scattered houses were the only other buildings not reduced to rubble, making for a truly deflating image.
With a deep breath, Applejack steeled herself for what lay ahead. Unlike her exuberant younger sister, Applejack felt she was a bit too old to not be paranoid about anything and everything. Regardless, she trotted forward and charted her path into the town.
***
The village looked worse up close. A lot worse, both mares thought. The buildings weren’t just lit aflame; they had been scorched to the point where parts of the walls had melted. Everywhere, piles of rubble and ash lay strewn about, bits of it floating into the air. What struck them as odd was that the ash was somehow in piles, almost like pure white sand, feeding the wind pieces of its essence. Applejack’s stomach tightened, and she swallowed abruptly.
“I ain’t ever seen anything like this, have you Applejack?” Apple Bloom glanced over to her sister as she let a pile of white ash fall from her hooves to the ground. “Applejack?”
Her sister stood completely still, holding her Stetson to her chest and wearing a solemn expression. Apple Bloom’s concern quickly turned to a mild panic as she desperately fought to understand what was going on in her sister’s mind.
“We’ve got to tell the others…” Applejack started, “These weren’t no ordinary bandits that did this. Melted buildings and piles of white ash… Ah wouldn’t believe it if Ah weren’t seein’ it for myself.”
“Applejack? What are you talking about?”
“Only some of the most troublesome bandits this side of the Whitetail Wastes… Lightning Dust and Fire Brand.” Applejack looked to her sister with apprehension in her eyes. She had never thought anypony like those monsters would ever be a danger to her or her kin.
That seemed to be life in Equestria these days though. Ever since that day about seven years back, the land just wasn’t the same. Neither were the ponies that lived there.
“You mean those two ponies that gathered up a bunch of other ponies and became raiders in the first place?” Apple Bloom started to understand her sister’s point. “I thought that they went north a few years ago!”
“Well it looks like they’re back, not sure why though… C’mon, let’s take a look around and see what we can find. Oh, and Apple Bloom,” The older mare turned with a grim expression to look at her sister, “Don’t touch any of the white ash. It’s… disrespectful.”
Apple Bloom swallowed her breath, a deep sadness permeating her very existence. Nothing about this was fair or right. As she turned to look at the ruined town, all she could picture were all the names and faces that had taken up residence in the quant little village. They were only thirty miles north of Sweet Apple Acres, barely outside of the Ponyville town line.
Bandit Behavior eluded Apple Blooms understanding past the black and white; they were nasty ponies that did nasty things to good stallions and mares. She thought about why they would suddenly leave their territory far to the north and attack a nameless little town with next to nothing worth taking. Apple Blooms confusion was only matched by the quiet melancholy taking root in her gut.
Loaded with more unanswered questions, the younger apple continued on through the ruins and set her internal compass towards the large warehouse that had withstood the attack. With nothing but rubble and smoke to frame it, the long, slender building gave off an eerie feeling that reminded Apple Bloom of a graveyard.
Her hoof brushed a pile of ash, kicking a small cloud of it into the air. Wincing, she stepped back, only to trample a different pile of the substance with all four legs. Feeling like a scared little filly for a moment, Apple Bloom galloped away from the remains and closed the distance between herself and dilapidated warehouse.
Up close, the building looked much less foreboding. Apple Bloom saw a faded sign on the top, above what looked like the front entrance. It read ‘Lemon Grass’ Store’ and did not specify what was sold in any way. The building had suffered only minimal damage it seemed, the most prominent feature being a scorched window, though the boarding around it remained intact.
“I wonder how long the lecture would be if I just went on in there alone.” Apple Bloom pondered out loud, a deadpan expression on her face.
She looked to the front door and saw that it was chained shut and locked with a large padlock and key. A quick check of her vest pocket and the yellow earth pony found she had a key as well. It took the form of a compact pair of bolt cutters. Moments later, Apple Bloom had found her way into the store, previously owned by Lemon Grass.
For a store, it looked run down and as if no one had any clear idea what to sell. For a building left standing after being raised by bandits, it looked pristine. Odds and ends populated what shelves existed, the rest simply resting in bins or on tables. Apple Bloom recognized many of the tools splayed out across the work surfaces, but a good many eluded her grasp and did much to intrigue her.
She turned to her left, noting the small, office-like room set into the wall. That was about the only structure the mare could spot in wide open room, so she walked towards it. Another locked door stood between Apple Bloom and her curiosity, this one lacking a padlock and instead configured with a standard deadbolt with a slot for a key.
Looking to both sides instinctually, Apple Bloom got to work on the door with a small lock pick she had fished from the back of her vest. It took a little prayer to the Goddesses and some meandering with the lock, but the hinges creaked with satisfaction as she pushed the door open.
A small office was what she expected, and that’s what she got. A desk in the center, a lone flame-scorched window with boards nailed to the frame, and some filing cabinets on the right hand side made up the dank little room. The smoke from the earlier flames had settled into the floor, creating a tepid smell that made Apple Bloom’s nostrils flare.
“That’s mighty ripe.” She said to herself, stepping into the room to get a better look. The cabinets against the wall looked fairly clean, implying regular use, and the desk was a dark, full bodied mahogany. Whoever had previously owned the building was of simple tastes, clearly valuing function over form.
The window above the desk looked bad. A large hole had been punched through it, letting in the flames from whatever explosive device went off. The glass around the entry point was melted, and the boards surrounding it were charred badly. The window kept the blast out, but the flame trail made its way in and scorched the ceiling and floor a couple feet back towards the door.
Apple Bloom stepped further into the room, walking towards the filing cabinets to see what lay inside. A choked, guttural sound emanated from behind the mare, causing her to spin on her hooves. Scanning the room for the source of the disturbance, Apple Bloom quickly caught sight of a lump of blackened fabrics moving on the floor.
Without a second thought, Apple Bloom bounded forward and with a quick turn, bucked the fabrics with a good amount of force. A pained yelp sounded, followed by the fabric hitting the wall audibly, and falling to the floor. Wrapped up in the charred strings and his own limbs was an earth pony, looking shaken to the core.
His coat was a muddled green, his mane a lighter shade of the same color. Spots of black littered the stallion’s body, signs of burns and lacerations everywhere from head to hoof. If the yelps and cries were any indication, he was at least alive.
“Who are you?” Apple Bloom asked the blanket, leaning back into a defensive position.
“Are they gone? Are you with them!?” The colt asked hurriedly, looking around in all directions.
“Who are you talking about?” Apple Bloom barked, not moving an inch.
“Bandits came and burned down the town… I guess I was knocked unconscious when a cider-bomb hit the window.” He and Apple Bloom both looked back towards the window, the colt shuddering where he stood. “That was close.”
“Who are you?” Apple Bloom asked this time, saving her demanding tone for later should she need it.
“Augustine Grass, but please, call me August.” The green pony said as an afterthought.
“Nice to meet you August, my name’s Apple Bloom. You can call me Apple Bloom.” She deadpanned. “So how come your store”—
“My mom’s store.”
“Say what?”
“It’s my mom’s store. Lemon Grass’s store,” He supplied, “I just do stuff here.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“Store stuff.” He said vaguely, seeming satisfied with the answer.
“Store stuff.” Apple Bloom sighed. “That’s mighty interesting. Y’all sell anything here for protection? Like barbed wire? Or any kinda huntin’ rifle you see every so often?”
“Nope. Just junk, usually the kind of junk ponies use to make other junk or sometimes even other stuff.”
“I see. Well, we should be getting going. It’ll be dark soon and we have to get those wounds of yours treated.” Apple Bloom said, eyeing him up and down.
“Going? No no nonnononono.” August said, pausing to take a breath and look Apple Bloom in the eyes. “No.”
“What do ya mean, no?”
“I can’t leave the store, what if somepony needs to buy some junk?” Apple Bloom didn’t dignify that with a response. “Right, no one is left.”
The earth pony colt sank to his haunches and stared off into space for a moment. He sighed, seeming to accept the situation after a few moments of thought. His eyes lit up, as if he had just remembered something important.
“What am I gonna do with all this stuff?”
“Thought y’all said that was junk.” Applebloom muttered more to herself.
“Yes, exactly! Junk that can be used to make better junk”—
“And sometimes even stuff?”
“Now you’re starting to get it,” August stood up and trotted out of the office and onto the main floor of the shop, “It took my mom years to collect all this stuff- er, junk I mean.”
“Ah can imagine, seein’ as how it looks more like a trash heap in here than, well, a trash heap.” Apple Bloom remarked snidely.
“Call it what you will, but this is important to me…” Augustine Grass looked upon each shelf, table, and bin with a reverence that could have rivaled Applejack gazing at her prized orchard.
Back when it was more than just a few trees to feed the family. Apple Bloom thought morosely.
“THERE YA ARE!” Both August and Apple Bloom were nearly shocked from their skin, both of them for very different reasons. Whichever was scariest, more bandits, or an angry older sister, was up for debate at the moment.
“Howdy sis, heh heh…” The young mare said, her face made more of guilt than skin. “I don’t suppose y’all heard when I called out to you sayin’ I was goin’ inside this here building now…did ya?”
“Ah reckon Ah missed that,” Applejack replied, her anger only seeming to grow, “Though Ah sure as sugar see you lyin’ to mah face this exact second.”
“Hi, I’m August!” The green pony blurted out, now finished picking himself off the ground.
Applejack turned to survey the new face. Normally, a new pony brought with them new problems. Equestria just wasn’t the same old friendly place it used to be, where you could make a friend at the drop of a hat. Literally; Applejack once made a friend when she dropped her hat, and a convenient breeze flung the headwear onto the head of an unsuspecting mare running a flower stand.
This young stallion looked about as far from a bandit as a bunny rabbit did from a grizzly bear. She wasn’t about to take any chances however, sizing him up with intensity reserved for what used to be for choosing the best apples. It was a similar process really, except instead of scanning the skin for bruises and squeezing to check for ripeness, she stared really really hard until he got really really really uncomfortable.
“Uhh…”
“Don’t,” Apple Bloom started, “Let her finish sizing you up.”
“She’s doing what now?” August looked from mare to mare, trying to follow the current events and failing.
“Ah’m just makin’ sure Ah won’t have to skin yer hide fer hurting mah sister.” Applejack drawled more intensely than usual. Family always seemed to bring out the hick in her, Apple Bloom chuckled to herself. “And what do y’all think is so funny? An onion bloom is funnier than you, though maybe not as funny lookin’ as you.”
“I’m going to call you Obie forever now.” August said, earning cross looks from both sisters. “What? Obie? As in ‘O.B.’?”
He was met with more silence as their stares did not falter in the slightest.
“Onion Bloom?” He snickered as the name left his mouth, turning Apple Blooms cheeks a deep red, and causing Applejack to roll her eyes.
“Moving right along,” Applejack said, her stern demeanor rising to the surface once again, “Ah’m hoping mah sister here explained to y’all that we have to get movin. Sweet Apple Acres is far south of here, and we got about a half day trip back from here.”
“He doesn’t wanna leave his stuff.” Apple Bloom spoke up.
“Well Ah ain’t sayin’ he should. Ah just think you should travel light. Ain’t nopony around who enjoys carrying a pack heavier than they are.”
Applejack took a quick look around at the disorganized chaos (yes, the chaos was so bad it was also necessary to call it disorganized) and turned back to the colt to be met with bright neon green eyes. “What exactly do you need to take?”
August grumbled something quietly in response, neither mare catching it.
“Come again?”
He grumbled again, his foreleg pawing at the ground.
“Say what?”
“The whole store.” He whispered
“The cold sore?!” Apple Bloom supplied, a cringe working its way over her expression.
“The whole store! Okay!?” August looked around desperately, like a mother duck without her chicks. “I can’t just…”
“Take what you can use, and then only what you can carry comfortably for a few miles at a time.” Applejack said with an air of finality. “Otherwise Ah reckon your exhausted corpse’ll probably weigh less than whatever ends up breakin’ yer back.”
Apple Bloom shuddered a bit at AJ’s blunt statement; however she also knew her sister was completely right. She decided to try and fix the issue with a classic Apple family move. Compromise.
“How’s about you just take what you can’t live without, and then in the future we can make a few trips to get the rest?” Apple Bloom had absolutely no intention of ever coming back to this Goddesses forsaken town, though she knew better than to let that slip.
August seemed to agree to this plan, as he visibly calmed and looked over the store with appraising eyes rather than crazy ones. After about twenty minutes of “hmm-ing” and “hah-ing” the three ponies left the warehouse, setting a course for home.
As the destroyed town grew smaller and smaller in the distance, the two mares began to relax, and they let out breaths they didn’t realize they’d been holding. August however glanced over his shoulder every few minutes, tensing up with every step away from his mother’s store. Apple Bloom felt a pang of guilt wash through her body.
She decided that lying to August back in the store was not something her Granny Smith would have been proud to hear about. Resolving to make it up him, Apple Bloom at least thought about coming back for the rest of his stuff.
Junk. She corrected herself in her head.
With a heavy sigh, the mare quieted her mind and focused on the long walk home.
Author's Note
Just a concept that's been rattling around in my head for a while, and I have to write something again or I'll go stir crazy. Please let me know what you think, criticism is welcomed, and I will try to respond in a timely fashion to any questions or comments. Thanks again for reading! 