Times of Woe

Applejack ran. She ran and ran and ran. Her hooves fell hard and jagged onto the rocky paths but she kept going. There was something freeing about being able to run. Her hooves had grown rougher and stronger over the years her family had lived in the area. No matter what the circumstance below her hooves, she could run against it.

“Applejack!”

She heard a familiar voice cry out. It made her stop in her tracks with a long skid toward the side. Whirling around, she looked at her younger sister.

“Granny says she needs you!”

It seemed like the young filly would scream her lungs out hollering. The whole countryside could have heard her, but thankfully, Applejack’s running paths were well away from the orchards and all the day laborers.

The sight that greeted her when she got back to the main barn was enough to make her wish she never stopped, that she could just keep running.

Granny had been trying to shear the sheep. They had gotten through maybe three or five sheep, but each one was covered in rough patches and baaing forlornly toward the newcomer. The current one Granny was attempting to shear had looked at her predecessors and fled the confines of the pen. Baaing hysterically for its mother, it kept running in circles and knocking over everything.

Applejack pulled out a rope from beneath her hat. In two seconds she had the sheep tackled and began to soothingly whisper to it that it would be alright. The sheep calmed down.

“I don’t know what in the world that little sheep was thinking. If we don’t get the wool finished up in time this winter we could lose the farm.”

“You don’t know that Granny!”

Applejack looked toward where her sister was seated. Apple Bloom looked slightly concerned, but turned away and began studying the dirt floor. As Applejack and Granny began arguing over control of shearing, Apple Bloom made her way to the loft.

It had been a long day in the city for her.

Her older sister had always told her to make an honest living, and gave her a good amount of chores to do around the farm. They would sell apple cider and wool and harvest all the apples and pears year round.

Even though it was a more modern time, pegasus ponies were still in control of the weather. And with that, any earth pony with a large plot of land could harvest any type of fruit whose seed is available in the market.

In earlier times, there was a limit to that, but now the harbor is a bustling port. Run by the monastery ponyfolk, it had never seen more success and activity. Seeds of all sorts had come through. Plants to heal, feed, kill, clothe, and shelter could be grown from those seeds. Apple Bloom was always learning about new kinds of plants every day.

Yes, her older sister had always told her to make an honest living, but sometimes she’d go into the city and wonder what it’d be like to be a street urchin. There were a few that she’d see huddling around on the street corners. Some were known pick pockets, but since nopony in the city or the jail wanted to deal with them, they’d be in and out constantly.

There was only one great jail that no one could escape from. It was somewhere on the far edge of the castle. The ordinary jail for thieves was run down and shabby. The small colts and fillies could come in and out through the sewer systems.

Apple Bloom noticed one in particular a few weeks ago.

Orange coat and purple hair, she limped around with a cast on her tiny wings. Apple Bloom was almost worried about her. But yesterday she saw the same pony in another street, this time with the cast on the left instead of the usual right. And then today the cast was on the right side again on the usual street.

Still, Apple Bloom thought sometimes about asking Applejack about taking this pony in. They had room for more laborers at the orchard, and they could pay well. Well, if they could get the sheep sheared.

Apple Bloom looked back down the rickety stairs that led to her loft. Granny had gone back toward the main house, but Applejack was still there. She seemed almost in a trance, working on the sheep. They were all calm now. The ones that were roughly sheared were now neatly taken care of, and the others followed suit. Apple Bloom could almost hear the soft lullaby her sister was muttering to them.
It was the same lullaby their parents used to sing to them.

The harvest
Will come in
Softly.
And always
Remember
You’re lovely.
There’s endless delight
From day and from night
No need to worry
And no need for fright.

Just whisper
Whisper
All comes right.

***

“AND ALWAYS REMEMBER…”

“That’s enough Pinkie Pie!!”

The pink bundle of pony cut off midsentence as the blackhaired secretary looked at her. The big bouncy ball beneath her popped and all her bells jangled as she descended back toward the floor.

“I thought the Queen would want a lullaby…”

“You’re no good at lullabies, Pinkie, and that’s not what we hired you for. Go back to the main hall and back to your room until the Queen needs you again.”

The pink pony nodded, her jangly bells rippling on her felt hat.

Her room was a small closet coming off the throne room. On some days, Celestia would have her brought out to entertain foreign dignitaries. On others, she would play with her best friend Luna. It was really Princess Luna, but Pinkie was always allowed to just call her Luna when they were together.

Pinkie and Luna had grown up together. When Pinkie was a little filly, the old king bought her off the slave market and tried to find some job for her to do.

She was good at baking sweets, but she preferred being the life of the party. And so, she went full time into being the jester. Although, when the kitchens needed extra help, she would be right there alongside them.

She didn’t want Luna to go. Ever since Luna left, the castle seemed so much more darker and menacing. Which Pinkie thought was funny because Luna was the one who could be dark. Luna was always coming up with these bloody battles and epic tales when they were together.

Once, Pinkie and Luna went out into the forest together at night. It was the bit of forest enclosed within the castle grounds. Old Timeotheus was still around at the time. The two were supposed to be in bed early for the Fall Weather Celebration the next day, but they weren’t having it.

Somewhere in there, Pinkie remembered falling into a creek, and Luna saving her, and for some reason they adopted a possum. And everything was the best.

It hurt Pinkie when Luna said she was going on the Parasprite Crusade without her. She felt like maybe her friend didn’t think of her as much of a friend as Pinkie thought. But all the same, she encouraged her and helped her pack and saw her off from the castle gates.

One lone pony was there among all the throng heading off into the unknown lands of Everfree Country, filled with barbarian ponies and mystic creatures.