The earth pony pushed on. His hooves were sore. His legs were aching. His saddlebags were chafing. His black mane was a tangled mess, matted with days’ worth of sweat and road dust. His green coat was ragged and dirty. Celestia’s sun was vanishing behind the western horizon, and his entire body screamed at him to rest, but his mind, and the years of training he had undergone, pushed him onwards. Just a few more miles. He could always rest up as soon as he was there. He came to a road sign, and looked at it. “Sweet Apple Acres - 4”. Four miles. Then he would be there. Cousin Elstar would know what to do. He had to know. He always did. “Four miles, you lazy old nag. Get going.” he mumbled to himself. Then he collapsed onto the road. He heard hooves approaching, but he couldn’t even raise his head. Darkness descended.
He woke up in a bed. That was somewhat surprising. Then he panicked. Could they have… no. This was a room. In a house. Someone’s house. Not a dungeon. Not a tent. Not a hospital room. Not a cage. He thrust himself to his hooves, carefully opened the door and peeked out. No guards. Good sign. A small corridor led off into the distance, with a staircase going down at the far end. There were smells of cooking wafting up from the bottom floor. He felt his mouth water, and his stomach rumbled. How long had it been since he had eaten? Two days? Three? Probably three, and a few stolen carrots hardly made a meal. He began to walk towards the stairs, when he heard a voice from downstairs, singing a merry but off-key tune. He followed the sound and the smell until he found himself in a kitchen. There were eggshells and splashes of milk everywhere, and almost every surface in the room was covered in a thin coating of flour. A small yellow filly with a large red bow on her head stood by the stove, next to a huge stack of pancakes, intently watching the one in the pan. She turned around, startled.
“Oh, heya mister. Ah woke up early, so Ah decided ta make pancakes. Ya woke up just in time fer breakfast.” she said. She walked over to the doorway and shouted “Soup’s on, everypony!”.
There was a rumble of hooves and suddenly two other earth ponies stood in the doorway, a red, yellow-maned stallion and an orange mare with a similar mane. The two of them walked in and sat down at the table. The stallion smiled and nodded to him, and the mare greeted him with a hearty “Mornin’, stranger.”.
Then, a small wrinkled white-maned green mare appeared in the doorway. She stared at him for a moment, then her jaw dropped. “Rambo Apple, izzat you?” she asked.
The other mare’s jaw dropped too. “Uncle Rambo?”.
He turned towards her and scrutinized her. A light flicked on in his head. “Applejack?” he asked. She nodded. He looked at the red stallion. “Little Macintosh? You certainly grew up.”
The huge stallion smiled. “Eeyup. Most folks call me Big Macintosh these days.”.
“And this here’s Applebloom. She wouldn’t have been more’n a twinkle in yer cousin’s eye last time ya was here.”. Granny Smith said and idly ruffled Applebloom’s mane.
The filly held out a hoof. He shook it, and looked closer at her. She didn’t look much like her siblings, but then again, Litt… BIG Macintosh was very much his father’s son, and Applejack took after Elstar only slightly less. But there was something about the little one that reminded him of his cousin, though. Her behavior. She was energetic. Impulsive. And judging from the state of the kitchen, she apparently shared her father’s tendency to cause accidents.
He was pulled from his musings by a shrill old-mare’s yell. “Now, what happened to them pancakes!?”.
Applebloom rushed to the stove, grabbed the pancakes and set them on the table. The room settled into silent, contented munching. Rambo idly wondered if the pancakes were as good as he thought, or if he was just hungry. A bit of both, he settled on, looking at the happy expressions of the others around the table. He continued his attack on his pancakes. After the five of them had demolished the pancakes, Rambo sank back into his seat with a contented sigh. Applebloom shot off to the door and slid on a pair of saddlebags.
“Bye, everypony, Ah’m off ta school!”.
The others said goodbye, and Applebloom shot out the door and down the road.
Rambo looked at the others. “How did I end up here?” he asked.
“Ah found ya lyin’ in the middle of the road on mah way home from Ponyville yesterday, an’ I couldn’t jus’ leave ya there, could I?”. Applejack answered, in a slightly offended tone.
Rambo nodded. “Now, I need to speak to Elstar. Where is he?” he asked.
The other Apples looked at each other. Finally Granny Smith spoke up.
“Sonny, mah boy’s been gone fer five years now.”.
“So, where is he now?”. Rambo asked, testily.
Granny Smith sighed. “Not gone, son. Gone gone.” she said, her voice edged with grief.
Tears began to form in the eyes of Applejack and Big Macintosh. Rambo slumped.
“Oh no.”. He rose. “Well, thanks for the bed and breakfast. I have to…”. He staggered, caught the table and steadied himself.
Granny Smith stared at him. “You ain’t goin’ nowhere ‘til ye’ve rested an’ we’ve got ya fed proper. Weak as a newborn kitten, y’are.”.
Rambo looked up. “Thank you.” he said.
Applejack shrugged. “Ain’t nothin’ ta speak of. Ye’re kin.“.
Applebloom trotted through town to school. When she reached the schoolhouse, she spotted a poster. A poster with “Uncle Rambo” on it. The picture was clearly him, but he looked younger, more fit, and he was wearing armor. Not the kind the Princesses’ guards used, but one that looked far more practical, like nothing she’d ever seen. She sauntered over to the noticeboard and read the poster.
WANTED
Rambo Apple
Vagrancy, Felony Assault and Battery (Multiple counts), Assault and Battery (Multiple counts), Resisting Arrest (Multiple counts), Felony Theft, Theft (Multiple counts), Desertion from the Equestrian Armed Forces
Reward for information leading to arrest: 150000 bits
Information to be given to nearest representative of Her Highness Princess Celestia’s government
or the nearest EAF barracks
THIS FUGITIVE IS CONSIDERED EXTREMELY DANGEROUS
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO APPREHEND THIS PONY
Applebloom gulped. She yanked the poster from the noticeboard and galloped for home, as fast as she could.
Applejack and Big Mac were still sitting at the table when Applebloom burst in through the door, panting.
“Applebloom!” came Big Mac’s voice. “Ain’t you supposed ta be in school!?”.
“Where’s Uncle Rambo?” she asked.
“He jus’ went out ta the outhouse.” Applejack answered in an exasperated tone. “Now what in tarnation’s goin’ on?!”.
Applebloom laid the poster on the table. Applejack and Big Mac read it, and sat back with uneasy faces.
“So what do we do now?” Applebloom asked in an attempt to break the awkward silence.
“About what?” came Rambo’s voice from the door. His eyes landed on the poster. Then they fell on Applejack and Big Macintosh. Then they narrowed suddenly and Rambo moved. Applejack had never seen anyone move that fast. Rambo blurred. Before anyone could blink, he had grabbed Applebloom. He was holding her with one foreleg around her neck, and the other behind her head.
“You’re in league with them! You were going to sell me out!” he snarled accusingly.
Applejack rose and began to walk towards him, but he pressed Applebloom forward, beginning to choke her.
“Don’t move! Back to the table and keep your hooves where I can see them!”
Applejack sat back down. Rambo moved for the door.
“Just keep still, and I won’t have to hurt the little one. Sit still, close your eyes and count to five hundred. I may be gone by the time you get to twenty, but open your eyes and I’m not gone…”. He moved his forelegs for emphasis, leaving little doubt as to what he meant.
Applejack was shocked. She numbly closed her eyes and began counting. She heard the door open.
Rambo Apple ran through the orchards, with Applebloom in tow. Applebloom did her best to keep up, but she was almost dragged most of the way. She knew she was a fast runner, but Uncle Rambo was just eerie. They ran all the way to the edge of the Everfree Forest. Applebloom wondered if he was going to drag her all the way out there, but when they came to the forest’s edge, he stopped. He looked down at her and released his grip. Between the shock, the confusion and the outrage, Applebloom realized something. Uncle Rambo had galloped at full speed from the farm to the Everfree Forest, and he wasn’t winded. He didn’t even breathe hard. Rambo looked Applebloom in the eyes. His eyes were large and sad.
“I’m sorry, Applebloom, but I had to do this?” he said.
Applebloom was outraged. “How come ye’re runnin’! Yer an Apple! You would never do all them horrible things like the poster said! And we’re kin! You can trust us! We ain’t gonna sell you ta anypony!” she yelled, hurt and angry.
Rambo smiled. His voice warmed a little. “I wish I could believe you. Now, go home, and tell everypony not to try to come after me.” he warned. Then he set off into the Everfree. Applebloom watched him vanish in the foliage. Then she ran back towards the farm.
The next morning, Applejack woke up and looked out her bedroom window. Her jaw dropped. There was a camp in the fallow field down the road. She rushed out and down the road. As she entered the camp, she looked around in disbelief. There were so many ponies here, and not only ponies, but griffins and even a few minotaurs. The ponies were all wearing field armor, with the Equestrian Armed Forces insignia, the griffins and minotaurs wore a more varied selection of equipment.
Finally Applejack got a hold of herself, grabbed one of the ponies and yelled “What in tarnation are y’all doin’ on mah land?! Who’s in charge?!”.
The soldier quivered. “You’ll have to talk to the major, ma’am.” he stuttered out, and pointed towards a large tent at the center of the camp.
Applejack began walking towards the tent, silently fuming. As she approached the tent, she heard voices from within. Two stallions were arguing.
“No, no, no! That won’t accomplish anything, Major!”
“Now you just listen to me, Mister highfalutin’ Colonel! I have eighty earth pony soldiers here, twenty unicorns, twenty pegasi, eighty griffon auxiliaries and twenty minotaurs! He’s just one pony!”.
“Just one pony! The disaster which destroyed the entire crop in eastern Zebrica last year was just one storm! If you insist on sending them into the Everfree after him, you have two hundred walking corpses, nothing more!”.
Applejack tore the tent flap open, and stalked in. The tent was large. At the center stood a large table with a map of the Everfree, as much as was mapped, with pins in various colors dotting it. Along the sides of the tent were chairs, tables and a small stove. A coffeepot was boiling. Several ponies in uniform stood around the large table, but all attention was directed at a large, black, green-maned pegasus in EAF field uniform and a lithe unicorn with a uniformly light grey coat and mane, wearing a black heavy canvas coat and a green beret with a metal badge. The pegasus was pointing at the unicorn.
“Now, I know this project was your foal, Gila, but…!” he said angrily.
Applejack was in no mood to wait. “Which one o’ y’all is in charge here!?” she demanded, interrupting the two arguing soldiers. All heads turned towards her. The black pegasus drew himself up.
“That would be me, miss. Now what can I do for you?” he asked icily.
“The name’s Applejack, and y’all can start by tellin’ me what yer doin’ and get offa mah land!” Applejack yelled. The Major put on a haughty sneer.
“We’re here to capture a fugitive named Rambo Apple, who was last seen in these parts. And we’re not going anywhere without him.” he said.
The unicorn’s head spun towards Applejack. “Applejack? Elstar Apple’s daughter?” he asked quickly.
Applejack nodded cautiously. The unicorn looked back at the pegasus.
“We’ll talk later, Major.” he said.
He turned to Applejack.
“Miss, I need to speak to you in private. Now.” he said. Applejack glared at him. “Please.” he added after a moment.
Applejack felt her glare fade. “Alright, but this had better be important.” she said.
Applejack, Big Macintosh and the unicorn sat at the kitchen table, nursing glasses of water.
.
“Now, will ya tell us what this commotion’s all about?” Applejack asked asked in a decidedly frosty tone.
“I should probably introduce myself first. Colonel Silver Gila, Her Highness’ Secret Service.” The unicorn said and held out a hoof. Applejack and Big Macintosh shook it somewhat apprehensively.
Pleasantries over, the unicorn leaned back in his chair and smiled. “Applejack and Macintosh. Elstar would be proud if he could see you now.” he said.
Applejack and Big Macintosh stared at the Colonel like he had just sprouted antlers.
“What does this have ta do with Uncle Rambo?! An’ how do ya know our pa?!” Applejack blurted out.
“This has everything to do with Rambo. And as for how I knew your father… I trained them. Both Rambo and him.” the colonel answered.
“It all began eight years ago, at the start of the Diamond Dog War. Are you two old enough to remember it?” the Colonel asked.
“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh answered. “ They foalnapped ponies, and made them work in their mines. Celestia asked King Rex to let them go. He refused and there was a war.”.
“That’s right. We fought them, and we did a damned good job of it, at least as long as the fighting stayed on the surface. Griffon mercenaries are no match for well-disciplined pegasi, and the Diamond Dog curs never had the stomach for a stand-up fight themselves. However, when we tried to get into the mines, we were both literally and metaphorically in over our heads. The tight passages negated our advantage in numbers. The Diamond Dogs had the home ground and found their way around flawlessly. What little spellwork we unicorns could do down there was almost useless, the light gave us away. Existing mapping spells, devised for use above ground, were useless in three-dimensional tunnel networks. No matter how hard we tried, mapping those tunnels and getting our people out seemed impossible.”.
“But ya succeeded.” Big Macintosh said. “Ah remember hearin’ ‘bout ponies bein’ re-united with their families every day when the war ended.”.
“We did. Our underground operations were crippled by our inability to use unicorn magic in the tunnels, so we started a project, codenamed Ysengrim, to look at other ways. Other forms of magic. Earth pony magic.” the Colonel answered.
He took a sip of water.
“Earth pony magic mostly establishes itself as a connection with the earth, and living creatures. Subtle yet extremely powerful. We began to think. What if we could find a way to… boost… that connection? If the link was made powerful enough, an earth pony should be able to feel the shape of a tunnel system. Know where living creatures were. Find their way in the total darkness. Tell ponies from Diamond Dogs without sight.” he continued.
Applejack looked at him incredulously. “Ah know earth pony magic is supposed ta be powerful an’ all, but this sounds crazy.”.
The colonel continued to sip at his water.
“It did to us too. But the even crazier thing was this: We managed to get it to work. It took almost a year, with several of Equestria’s top minds working on it, but in the end, we developed a series of treatments, magical, chemical and physical, that would boost an earth pony’s innate magic to unheard levels. Now all we needed was volunteers to undergo the process.” he said.
Big Macintosh closed his eyes. “This woulda been… seven years ago.”. He nodded to himself. “Ah remember that year. We lost nearly th’ entire harvest ta apple scab.”.
Applejack nodded. “Ah remember hearin’ ma an’ pa arguin’ a lot at night. Pa claimed he could solve our money troubles, but ma wouldn’t have none of it.”.
Colonel Gila nodded. “That was probably when Rambo and Elstar learned about Project Ysengrim. The procedure was risky and experimental, so we offered volunteers large sums of money as an incentive.”.He shook his head. “We got a hold of our volunteers, and put them through the program, and the training. Some didn’t survive. The strain was simply too much. Others washed out from the military part. Others panicked and deserted. But, at the end, we had eight soldiers who could fight the Diamond Dog hegemony on its own terms. The Ferrets, we called them.”.
Applejack slammed her hooves onto the table. “Hold up. Are ya sayin’ our pa was some kind o’… super-soldier?! Like in ‘em comic books?!”.
Gila just smiled. “The best there ever was. I trained him, remember.”
Rambo Apple ran through the Everfree Forest. His eyes were closed, but his magical sense stretched out further than he could see in the thick underbrush. They were coming for him now. He couldn’t sense them, but he knew. They were going to take him back, stop him from finding the others. He had to hide. He sidestepped a wasp nest buried underneath a bush, and continued into the woods. A manticore was making its den over to his right. To his left, there was an underground river running. He continued running, trying to get as much distance as possible between him and his pursuers. More distance meant more time. More time meant more preparation. More preparation meant survival.
“The first missions the Ferrets were sent on were resounding successes.” the Colonel said. “Ponies freed. Slave mining operations destroyed. Our leaders were overjoyed. I only wish we’d seen what happened then, but…”. He shrugged. “… in hindsight everything becomes clear.”.
“What are ya talkin’ about?!” Applejack wondered.
The Colonel clarified. “The Ferrets were always a close-knit group, but the more times they went underground, the more silent and introverted they became. They kept to themselves, and rarely spoke to anypony outside their own little group. They were downright frightening at times, and when two of them, Blackstar and Highridge, were killed when Operation Three Towers went sour, it got worse.”.
Big Mac nodded. “Ah remember when pa came home. The first times, he was his old self, but later…. He wouldn’t talk about anythin’. Just sit and watch us play. Only time he’d talk was in his sleep. I was scared of him, what he said.”.
The Colonel nodded. “Sounds like the other Ferrets. Something they found down in those tunnels broke them. If we had reached out to them in time….”.
“What happened to ‘em?” Applejack asked.
The Colonel’s expression turned sad and grim. “The war ended. The unit was disbanded. The ones who wanted to stay in the EAF were re-assigned. The others were honorably discharged and sent home with a pension large enough to live on. We figured they’d earned it.”.
The Colonel paused, took a long drink of water and took a deep, shuddering breath.
“That was the biggest mistake we could have made.”. He slumped forward and held his head in his hooves. “Four ponies took the discharge. Three of them committed suicide within the first six months. The fourth, Sageblossom… that was bad. She tried to reverse the process. She failed. She’s been in a coma in Canterlot University Hospital since then.”.
Applejack thought she saw the Colonel’s eyes go bright with tears, and his mouth set in a grim line. “They pawn her off to arrogant interns as an exercise in humility. She was one of the best, most dedicated soldiers I have seen. She gave everything for this country, and now she’s reduced to a med-school in-joke.” he said. A single tear trickled down his cheek.
“What happened to pa and Uncle Rambo?!” Applejack asked quietly, not quite sure how to handle the situation.
“Rambo and Elstar stayed on.” the Colonel mumbled. “Rambo went with the Expeditionary Corps to the Dragonreach jungle. Your father and I were assigned to the Mountain Rangers, on the Zebrican border.”. He sniffled, a sound Applejack never had expected to hear from a Colonel in Her Highness’ Army.
Applejack shot back in her seat. “Ya served with pa when he died?”.
Colonel Gila nodded.
“What happened to him?” Big Mac asked cautiously.
The Colonel looked shocked. “Didn’t you get a letter?” he asked.
Applejack leaned forward, her voice deadly quiet. “Colonel. What. Happened. To. Elstar. Apple?”.
The Colonel looked at Applejack and Big Macintosh. “Your father died a hero. I recommended him for the “Sun-and-Moon”, but the higher-ups wouldn’t sign off on it. He drew off a company of griffon raiders, and gave the rest of the scout platoon a chance to escape from an ambush. Twenty-eight ponies owe their lives to him.”. He smiled. “I’m one of them.”.
“So what happened to Uncle Rambo?” Big Mac asked.
“To be blunt, he found out and he snapped. He became convinced that the other Ferrets were still alive, and that the Government was keeping them apart. He believes that he can find the others and put the unit back together.” the Colonel answered.
Applejack looked shocked. “But the others are dead. Haven’t ya told him?!”
“We have. He forgets it almost instantly. It’s like….”. The Colonel groped for words. “… he knows the others are still alive. In his mind, anything that contradicts that can't be true, so he ignores it until it goes away.”.
Applejack eyed the colonel suspiciously. “Are you sayin’ Uncle Rambo’s gone loco?”.
The Colonel nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”.
“So what are y’all doin’ here? Gonna take him in?!”. Applejack snarled. She got up from her seat and gestured towards the poster, which was still lying on the table. “Get him in front o’ a judge and get yerself some o’ that reward money?!”.
The Colonel slammed his hooves onto the table, stood up and looked Applejack straight in the eyes. “I’m here to make sure nopony else gets hurt, and that Rambo gets help! He’s a sick pony, and with proper care and treatment, he might be able to go back to some form of normal life, instead of walking around Equestria on this fool’s crusade of his!”.
Applejack and Colonel Gila traded glares. Suddenly Applejack felt something heavy and warm on her shoulder. Big Mac had laid one of his hooves on her shoulder and was pulling her gently back into her seat..
“Simmer down, sis.” he said quietly.
Applejack and Colonel Gila settled into their seats. Applejack looked at the list of offenses on the poster.
“What is all this? Did he really do all this?” she asked, looking up at Colonel Gila.
“He did what he thought he had to do to stay alive and out of the claws of the government he knew was keeping him from the others. I don’t blame him in the slightest.” the Colonel answered soberly.
“What happens now?” Big Macintosh asked nervously.
“I need to get into those woods, find him, and convince him I want to help him.” the Colonel answered.
“What about…?” Applejack asked, waving a hoof vaguely down the road.
The Colonel snorted. “That bunch of weekend warriors? They have a better chance of eating the moon than of finding and capturing or killing Rambo Apple. I’m more worried about them and their families than him, to be honest.”.
Applejack nodded and squared her shoulders. “Best we get goin’, then.” she said.
Colonel Gila stared at her. Applejack snorted.
“Ya think I’m jus’ gonna stand by while one o’ mah kin is in trouble, you can think again, mister. I’m gonna do what I can ta help.”.
Colonel Gila nodded. “It seems the can-do attitude runs in the family. Thank you.”.
