Because She Loved Us: The True Story of Seven Mares

We stood there, hooves bound by rope, chains around our ankles before the last remaining royal alicorn of Equestria. The now Queen of Love glared at us as the ponies gathered before the stage watched. This was the end. Our reign of terror had come to an end, and we were ready. This was not a trial, no, there would be no way out. We were going to die today, that much was certain. The glares from the crowd were coupled by the harsh insults being thrown. "Burn in Tartarus, Monsters!"

I raised my head to look at the sky as the rain began to fall. My stetson hat frayed and torn. Off in the distance I could see our former home, Ponyville awash in smoke and flame. To the East rubble indicated the only remains of Canterlot Castle. I turned and faced Cadance as the guillotine came crashing down with a sickening THUD followed by a scream as the headless body of Twilight Sparkle began to spurt that dark red hue we had grown so accustomed to. One of my most cherished friends was gone. Tears fell down my muzzle. My heart screamed in agony. My queen was dead. Now as I stood there, I realized something. We were going to die. We deserved as much. Each of us had accepted that. Still, they needed to know. The truth, the reason behind it all. Her story needed to be told! "Y'all call us monsters. If not fer us ya'll would be facing the same fate as them!"

I blinked as the tears I had bottled up, streaked down my face. Them. The ponies of Canterlot and Ponyville. My sister and my brother. My friends and family. I would see them soon. After twenty-five miserable years of existence, I would see them soon.

The crowd went silent as they attempted to hear my words. It had been days since we last had water and my throat was dry, my voice was cracked and hoarse. "Ya haven't seen what true monsters are, what we endured. What we encountered in that forsaken kingdom. If ya knew our tale, Ah bet ya would be in the same horseshoes as us!"

It was time. I was led to the guillotine, I had my head roughly shoved into the stockade as the blade gleamed and glinted above me as the rain drizzled over the surroundings. What a day to die. I closed my eyes, and I was prepared to see my family again. I had missed them so much. At that moment I hear Cadence yell, "WAIT, what they did, is unforgivable, but I wish to hear what twisted reasoning drove them to such madness. Tell me Applejack, what reason could you or them possibly have for slaughtering the royal princess; Luna, as well as slaughtering the populace of Ponyville and Canterlot. Tell me why did they have to die for your amusement?"

I slowly raised my head and looked around. Finding what I was searching for I placed my hat back upon my head and turned to look into the glaring eyes of Queen Cadence. "Yer Majesty my, no, our story began twenty-five years ago. The seven of us had been called to Manehatten and Appleloosa to solve a friendship problem..."

25 years prior

Twilight stood before her friends, Rarity and Rainbow Dash and addressed them. "Girls, we should be very proud of ourselves. If not for us the citizens of this city would have completely gone to war over such a trivial concept. I'm glad they realize the Apples and Oranges are both wonderful and can get along."

Looking at Applejack and Pinkie as they walked up, Twilight's voice was full of anxious curiosity. "We got Manehatten sorted out, how did it go on your end, AJ?"

Scuffing a hoof, Applejack looked a bit disturbed. "Ah reckon, we got 'em calmed down enough...still this whole thing ain't sittin' right with me. "

Pinkie Pie spoke up. Her voice was peppy, but what she said was unsettling. "All taken care of Twilight! The plan worked well. It's a good thing it did. Boy they sure were upset when we arrived too! Almost like they were surprised to see us arrive."

The image of the train derailing halfway there, entered Applejack's mind. "Twi, something ain't right about this."
Rarity was next to speak. "Dah-ling I agree. Why would two cities so far apart want to go to war and did you see the looks we got when we arrived? Even from our friends like Sassy Saddles?"

Flapping her wings beside the alabaster unicorn, Rainbow Dash interjected. "It was weird. The problem is solved so let's go! The place gives me the creeps."

Pinkie had a smile on her face like always but it was a bit off, Applejack thought. "This place gives you the creeps? Appleloosa looked like somethin' from when we met Starlight! Those weird, happy smiles. Gave meh the heebyjeebies!"

The Princess of Friendship spread her wings to signal the need to talk. Everypony fell silent. "Speaking of Starlight, has anypony heard from her or Fluttershy since we split up?"

A voice behind them sounding exhausted was heard. "We're coming Twilight!"

Turning around, the mares watched Starlight limping towards them carrying an unconscious Fluttershy on her back. Twilight's eyes went wide. "Starlight what happened?"

Starlight's voice was strained and tired, almost as if she hadn't stopped for days to rest. "Was ambushed! Animals...Everfree. Too many to handle, Fluttershy was attacked. Shielded us, bolted."

Twilight quickly shouted to Rarity."We need to get them to somewhere safe! Quick! Have any ideas?"

At that moment, Starlight fell to the ground, completely out of energy. Rarity spoke up. "My boutique dah-ling. We can have privacy there."

A short while later Twilight stood in front of Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbowdash. Fluttershy and Starlight lay recovering in cots near the corner, each tenderly wrapped in a warm cotton blanket. "Girls, we are getting too old for this game and it seems to be getting worse and worse each time. I think a certain somepony wants us out of the picture because of this."

Applejack scuffed her hoof. "Twi, what are you saying?"

Twilight's horn glowed and scenes of their youth thirty years ago, played as she exclaimed. "Do you not understand it? My magic has begun diminishing. Each of your special talents have as well. We aren't the young mares of friendship we used to be Applejack. Just how long do you think we can go on like this? Poor Fluttershy was unable to tame the beasts this time and nearly perished. Do you think Celestia hasn't noticed? It seems like lately our problems are a bit too convenient to be our end. Tell me I'm wrong Applejack! Tell me it's all in my head."

She wanted nothing more than to do so. To tell Twilight it was just paranoia brought on by the stress of their job, Applejack wanted it more than Celestia knows what. However, she was the pony of Honesty. The light of pure Truth coarsed through her being. She thought about the train ride and how the explosion had derailed it. She wanted to lie, to Twilight to herself, but she couldn't. "Ah can't Twi. I've noticed it myself."

Pinkie looked at her friends and seeing their frowns, attempted to make them smile. Normally the pink mare of Laughter would be instantly rewarded with the bright smiles of her closest friends from her antics but this time it was different. "Come on girls! Remember you have to smile in bad times!"

Twilight looked at her and said softly, "Alright Pinkie, if anypony can make me smile you can. Tell me a joke, do something wacky...please anything I haven't seen before."

Nodding at the challenge, Pinkie instantly came up with a great idea. She pulled out a balloon and blew it up twisting it into the form of a giraffe. Placing a kazoo in the balloon animals mouth, she made it play "happy birthday" while she deliberately sang "Twinkle Twinkle,Little Star" soon as both finished she began arguing with the inanimate object. "You call that a song, you overblow windbag?!"

Looking at her friends, her ears drooped. They weren't smiling. What went wrong, that should have worked! "Pinkie, dah-ling, you did that one already."

Pinkie looked at Rarity. "No way! I just made it up on the spot! Silly Rari-"

Twilight shook her head. "No Pinkie, you did that literally fifteen minutes ago."

"B-but that can't be!"

"Pinkie, tell me, what day is my birthday?"

"Um..hold on..I...it's the...um..I...Twilight I forgot!"

Twilight trotted forward and gave her aged friend a warm hug. "It's alright Pinkie, it's alright."

Magic and mental prowess over age diminishing was nothing new, but as Twilight lay there in bed she was restless. They had said their goodnights and as AJ stood guard for the group, Twilight had tucked herself in. Now she lay in bed angrily going over the thoughts in her mind, unable to go to sleep.

This is all wrong, it shouldn't be possible. She promised! It's true, aging would reduce many abilities in her friends. After all the time they had been in service to Equestria, it truly was only natural. There was just one problem. They hadn't begun aging until lately.

For hundreds of years the seven had traveled the realm of Equestria, solving friendship problems. Never once a wrinkle or mane out of place. In fact, truth was nopony within Celestia's ruling juristiction had aged a single day since Twilight's 26th birthday. She recalled that night. The wish she had made, the power she had been granted. The magic that had been used. She frowned. so why take it back now?

She was interrupted by a throat clearing from the doorway. She turned her head and saw Applejack. The stalwart Earthpony had been watching as her friend had been worrying, wondering how to help. "AJ, why would Celestia do this to us? Why now? We kept our promise...didn't we?"

Removing her hat Applejack looked at it and after thinking for a moment spoke softly in her warm country accent. "Ah wish I had the answers Sugarcube. Ah reckon somethin has changed the rules. Perhaps we ken ask her when we get back home. Right now yer royal flank needs some rest. Close yer eyes get some shut eye, Twi. We've a long trot ahead tomorrow t' get home."

Twilight feeling reassured, slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Her dreams, however, were anything but peaceful. "Twi what are we doin' here?"

"Relax, AJ just stand on the marks I told you to."

"Dah-ling what is this all about?"

As her horn glowed purple, flames spread to her friends radiating from the markings on the ground. She could hear their screams as their bodies were enveloped in the black flames. "Relax it will all be over soon, remember girls, I love you."
Her body began to glow as the screams seemed to fade one by one. Her wings unfolded to their full length and as her body quit glowing she smiled at the smoking ashes where her friends had once stood.

"Thank you girls...I shall never forget you."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH"

"Twi! What's wrong, Sugarcube?"

Twilight's eyes opened in a panic. Her breathing was erratic but slowly calmed down as she saw AJ wrapping her in a warm hug and whispering. "It's all right, Twi. It was just a bad dream."

Just a dream, of course. I didn't really do that...not to them. It was all a dream.

The rest of the night passed without incident. All the mares, beside AJ had soon drift off to a peaceful slumber. Ever stalwart, Applejack stood there at the doorway, guarding the entrance to the remains of Rarity's Botique. Her thoughts and a pair of brass hooves made specially by Twilight, were all that kept her company in the lonely hours of the starfilled night.

This city hates us. We solved their issues and yet they hate us for it. Can't say I blame them.After all... looking around at the destroyed buildings surrounding them, AJ felt a small smile cross her muzzle. It isn't everyday Queen Celestia orders us to use force as a means of getting others to listen to us. Off in the distance she watched a line of survivors slowly approach, and they were angry and armed with farming tools. I'll let the girls sleep, I was getting restless anyway. Time for some late night stretching. With those thoughts she Slowly trotted through the doors towards the dissenters. A rather chilling smile crossed her muzzle. This will be fun. Throughout the night The sounds of Applejack's metal hooves rang out as they collided with her foes. The continued screams and shouts of panic from her targets fell on the deaf ears of the silently snoozing mares of Canterlot.

The next morning, it was as if a veil of rainbows and happiness had been lifted and the grim reality in which they lived was revealed. Twilight slid out of her cot and went to the table in the mostly intact kitchen, to find AJ snoozing with her head in her hooves. The red hue dying the hooves of her friend as well as the speckled red pattern adorning her orange hide did not escape the gaze of the Princess. Trotting over slowly she gently nudged her friend who slowly opened one eye. "Morning AJ. Busy night?"