Chapters Applejack let out a tired sigh as she pulled her cart to the barn's gates, undoing the heavy padlock around it. She felt the familiar tingle of a magic shield washing over her. Looking out at the tents lining the dirty paths ahead of her, she sighed again, more in pity for those without homes than anything else. Reaching her mouth towards a ratty string, she clenched it tightly in her teeth and began shaking her head, bracing herself against the loud rings the bell sent through the air.
The tolling of the bell was followed by gentle movements in the tents, or of those in the sleeping bags. Behind her, she heard the sound of a door slamming shut, followed by Apple Bloom's hooves against the ground as she charged towards her sister. Ignoring that, she stood patiently as ponies stumbled towards her, their eyes filled with sleep and despair. The first pony to approach was a regular, and Applejack smiled kindly at her.
"G'morning, Miss Hooves," she said kindly, lifting three apples in her teeth by their rough brown stems and setting them on the smooth surface in front of her.
"N-not three today," Derpy said with a soft shake of her head. "There's only two of us now. Sparkler's all I have left," she added, then burst into tears, letting them fall freely onto her face.
"There, there, Miss Hooves," Applejack said while gently patting her on the shoulder. "It's going ta be all right, y'hear?" she comforted, then turned her head towards the young mare behind her. "Apple Bloom?"
"Yes, sis?"
"Go with Miss Hooves here, okay?" she commanded, and Apple Bloom nodded. "You take these," she told Derpy, lifting another apple onto the counter. "Ya deserve it today. Now git along," she reminded Apple Bloom, "and be back by supper or you don't get any. Understood?"
"Yeah sis," replied Apple Bloom dutifully, then turned and ran off with Derpy Hooves towards a small, heavily used tent in the distance. Applejack watched her sister's blank flank run into the distance and let out yet another sigh, something overused in these times. The next pony approached, and Applejack lifted the proper number of apples for the stallion in front of her.
"G'morning, Mista' Pierce," she said kindly, pushing an apple towards him.
"Good morning yerself, Ms. Jack. Have a good day," he added as he trotted away towards a lone sleeping bag. Applejack nodded towards him, then smiled down at the two fillies below her.
"Hello girls," she smiled to the two sisters, and they looked up at her with a sniffle as she lifted three apples towards them.
"Th-thank you, Miss Jack," Diamond Tiara mumbled, and Applejack nodded.
"Thank you," Silver Spoon added, and Applejack nodded again.
"Now hurry on back to your pa, ya hear?"
"Yes ma'am," they chorused, biting into their own apples eagerly as they ran, their dirty manes flying behind them. The next pony approached, and Applejack dutifully hoofed her the apples, exchanging small talk as she came and left. The rest of the ponies came by quickly, forming a scrambled line behind one another and taking their apples quickly so they could move along.
As the line shortened, there were less adult ponies and more fillies and colts, shaking with nerves and hunger. Applejack always gave them an extra apple, for which they were eager to thank her for before running off. The final pony approached just as the sun reached it's eight o'clock mark, and Applejack smiled down at the small colt below her.
"Howdy there, Pip! How're y'all doing today?"
"I'm fine miss, I s'pose," he said, but Applejack saw through his bold face.
"Now, Pip, how are ya really doin'?" Applejack insisted, walking around the sagging cart towards the colt. Squatting next to him, she looked him square in the eye, searching. And as she did, he burst into tears.
"My ma... she was in Trottingham. A-and they got her!" he cried, burying his dirty muzzle in Applejack's coat. "An' they say she won' eva come back, an' I want my mum!" he bawled, ignoring the few stares he received.
"There, there," said Applejack, a single tear sliding down her face and mingling with the ones already dying her coat. "It'll be a'right. She mi' come back. Y'never know," she lied, thankful her choked voice masked the obvious tone that proved she was lying. "D'ya have a place to stay?"
"N-no," he whimpered. "My pa took off afta' her when we got the news. Took everythin'," he sniffed, wiping his eyes with a hoof.
"How'd you like ta stay here?" offered Applejack, wiping her own eyes.
"I couldn', miss. I jus' couldn' do that," he insisted, but Applejack shook her head.
"Ah'm not lettin' a li'l colt like you out on yer own. You go on through that gate, and ah'll be righ' afta you. Gotta pack up," she added, pushing him gently towards the fence. He nodded slowly, then turned around.
"Thank y', Miss Applejack," he said sincerely, and Applejack smiled.
"No. Thank you," she said, and smiled. A true, real smile. As she turned back to her cart, she saw a mare standing there patiently, her creme coat covered in mud, grime, and fluids the nature of which Applejack could only guess at. "How can ah help ya?" asked Applejack, reaching down below her to lift a few paper towels.
"Oh, please miss? Please?" she begged as she saw the paper towels, reaching for them feebly.
"O-of course," replied Applejack, a bit shocked at the mare's behavior as she hoofed her the cloths. The mare set to cleaning herself off, and Applejack caught a glimpse of her cutie mark. "Roseluck?" she asked uncertainly, tilting her head to the side.
"Applejack?" responded the mare with a small sniffle. "Oh, it is you!" she cried, reaching to hug Applejack before remembering the mud covering her body.
"Why 'r' ya here?" asked Applejack, reaching for a hose.
"I'm eating for two now," said Roseluck, and Applejack jumped, accidentally starting the hose in surprise. She dowsed the mare in front of her, getting all the grime off quickly before shutting off the water.
"Tha's great!" exclaimed Applejack, hugging the mare excitedly.
"Not of my own choice," Roseluck added, and Applejack stopped, stepping back a bit.
"Who did this to you?" she scowled, lowering herself to an offensive position and glaring around the camp.
"Nopony here," Roseluck said hurriedly, and Applejack's posture relaxed. "It... it was one of... of His guards," she said, accenting the word 'his'.
"Why that low-down, no good, son of a..." Applejack started, stopping as Roseluck gently touched her.
"It's okay. I was just wondering if you had any spare tents," she said hopefully, her eyes glimmering.
"More 'en that," said Applejack kindly. "Y' can come stay up a' the barn with Apple Bloom, Pipsqueak, an' me," she said.
"Pipsqueak? That little Trottingham colt? I thought his father was with him," asked Roseluck, countering herself.
"He took off aft' his wife when they heard about her gettin' taken," explained Applejack, spitting the last two words. "Now come alon' with me and ah'll get you some food. Ya can't go hungry when eatin' for two!" she added jokingly, grabbing the cart behind her as she pulled it through the gate, locking it carefully behind her.
"Thank you, Applejack," said Roseluck, and Applejack smiled again. Today was a good day.
Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!
Applejack pulled the cart the final steps, Roseluck trailing behind her offering to help. "Fer the las' time, ah'm not lettin' any guest help with work!" she exclaimed, setting the cart down against the barn. "Now, le's git alon', we need ta check on li'l Pip 'fore he runs 'imself ragged," she joked, trotting quickly towards the home in the distance. A comfortable silence was shared between the mares as they ran, Roseluck panting occasionally.
"Pip?" called Roseluck, leaning into the door of the home.
"I'm up 'ere, cap'n!" called a young voice, and Roseluck sighed.
"Good, good," she said, visibly relaxing a bit as Applejack led her through the door, shutting it with a small clang behind her. "What's happened to the place?" asked Roseluck, then raised a hoof to cover her muzzle in embarrassment.
The living room was nearly bare, save a radio sitting on a small side table and a ratty couch that was long past its years. Through the doorway to the left, you saw a kitchen with a lonely gas stove and a small sink and counter with a fold-out table towards the back. Directly ahead was the sagging staircase, creaking ominously with every step Pip took down it.
"'ello, cap'n!" cheered Pip, wrapping his limbs around Applejack and swinging onto her back. "Who's this?" he asked, turning his head to look at Roseluck questioningly.
"This 'ere is Roseluck," said Applejack with a grin. "She's a frien' o' mine an'll be stayin' here fer a while with us," she said, raising a hoof to wrap around Roseluck's neck. "She use ta be one o' the biggest competitors a' market," she chuckled, then released Roseluck, carrying Pip towards the window.
"If all the trees are bare, where do the apples come from?" asked Roseluck plainly, staring at the broken down trees ahead.
"You'll see," said Applejack teasingly, opening the door and walking towards the orchards. As she approached them, she lowered herself to the ground, letting Pipsqueak slide off. "Y'all best stay back 'ere, where i's safe," she warned them, then ran forward several yards. The other two ponies stood back, their slight confusion overruled by eagerness.
Applejack closed her eyes, letting the soil's energy flow through her body as a pale orange glow pulsed around her. It spread in a cracking style towards the trees, and soon they were all covered in their own glow, each pulsing in time with Applejack. Keeping her eyes closed, she raised her rear hooves off the ground, then brought them down with a swift 'crack'. Again and again, she smashed her hooves against the ground, and Roseluck and Pipsqueak watched in fascinated awe as the trees' glow grew, apples sprouting onto the trees at full growth. With a final, deafening bang, they fell into buckets below the trees, each shade of yellow, green, or red shining and perfect. Opening her eyes, she turned towards Pip and Roseluck and chuckling as she saw their jaws hitting the ground.
"How'd you do that?" asked Roseluck, breaking the peaceful silence.
"Ah'm not quite sure. Ah... ah just knew how when ah needed to," she admitted, scuffing her hoof against the ground.
"How do you collect all the apples?"
"Usually ah have li'l Bloom around ta help me, but ah sent her wi' Miss Hooves. Poor thing, losing 'er daughter like that, all up and a sudden," she sighed, the looked across the orchards. "Ah may as well get started. You two best go prepare yerselves. The nights are cold, what with Luna's moon gittin' weaker. Ah'll show y'all the guest room right quick, then ah'll git to work. Follow me," she gestured, and the two still-in-awe ponies followed, dragging their jaws behind them.
Entering the house, Applejack quickly darted up the stairs, trotting down the hall towards the last two rooms. "This here, on yer left, is Roseluck's room," she said, snickering a bit as she pretended to be a hotel manager. "And on yer righ' we have Mista' Pipsqueak's room," she gestured. Dropping the act, she continued. "In fron' o' you is the bathroom, an' my room is jus' down ta hall. Enjoy unpackin'," she added, trotting back down the stairs. Roseluck and Pip shared a glance, then burst out laughing.
"Do you have anything to unpack?" asked Roseluck through chuckles, and he snickered in return.
"Jus' me spyglass, me apples, an' meself," he admitted, and Roseluck gently patted him on the head.
"I'll help you," offered Roseluck, pushing open the door. The first impression of the room was rundown, but that was incorrect, Roseluck realized. Though the paint was peeling, the room was furbished grandly, with a quaint wooden dresser and comfortable bed. Pip quickly removed his spyglass and apples from the small sack across his back, setting them atop the dresser with a satisfied groan as she leaned back to sink into the covers, crashing into Roseluck instead.
"Hmm?" grunted Pipsqueak.
"You are not, under any circumstances, going to dirty up this bed! Go take a bath," she commanded.
"Bu-"
"Now," she added, and he sighed, stomping off to the bath.
Rose Luck shuddered unintentionally against the cold air blowing in through the broken windows of the kitchen. Pipsqueak did the same, and Applejack looked up from the small stove sympathetically.
"Rose? Can y'all watch this fer a min? Ah'll be ri' back," she added, already on her way down the hall. Passing Granny Smith's room, she opened a closet, grabbing two blankets in her jaws and sauntering back towards Rose Luck and Pipsqueak. "Here y'all are," she exclaimed, thrusting a blanket towards the two of them.
"Thank ya kindly, miss!" exclaimed Pip, wrapping a hoof around Applejack.
"It's nothin'," replied Applejack, turning off the stove. Opening the closet, she pulled out a small jar, filled with a brownish red powder. Sprinkling a bit across the pot, she stirred it once more before setting it onto the counter. Wincing away from the heat in her jaws, she blew cold air through her mouth, cooling down the slight burn on her tongue. Withdrawing two cracked bowls from the cupboard, she ladled generous amounts of the applesauce into them, then presented them to the two guests grandly. Without warning, the front door slammed, and Apple Bloom ran in.
"Sis! Sis!" she exclaimed between her gasps for air.
"What is it, 'Bloom?"
"They're here! Lookin' for Pip!" she exclaimed, her mane a frizzy mess.
"For Pip?" repeated Applejack.
"Tha's wha they said," replied Apple Bloom with a slight scowl.
"Pip? Follow me. Now," she added, her voice taking on a seldom-heard tone of seriousness.
"Alrighty then miss," chirped Pip, leaping from his chair and grabbing his applesauce. Applejack began running back past the closet, then out the back door, darting towards the barn. Opening the door, Pip ran straight in, stopping once he hit a pile of hay. Applejack silently led him down a set of concrete steps, then approached a heavy door. Pulling it open with a tired grunt, she ushered Pip in.
"Either Apple Bloom or I will come get ya. Don' open this up fer anypony else, understood?"
"Yes miss," saluted Pip, sitting down on the thin bed located in the vault. Applejack quickly shut the door, then ran back into the house.
"What's happening, Applejack?" inquired Rose Luck, her eyes wide.
"Ah'll tell y'all once They're gone. 'Til then, y'all can' say a thing 'bout Pip bein' here, 'kay?"
"Okay, Applejack," consented Rose Luck, resuming her meal. Applejack quickly served up a bowl for Apple Bloom and herself, then sat down. Her stomach was churning too much for her to eat, so she instead stared, absorbing the intriguing textures of the food.
What if they hurt one of us? What if they hurt that poor little Silver Spoon? Or that filly the adopted, Diamond Tiara? What if they take Sparkler, or Miss Hooves? At least the farm is safe, with the shield Celestia herself set up, she comforted herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by a rough knocking in the distance. Applejack and Apple Bloom shared a glance, then Applejack sighed.
"Ah'll get it," she declared. "Y'all stay here, and don' look ou' none o' them windows," she cautioned, then left the house. The cold winds whistled and howled, warning her to stay back as she fought them towards the gate. Pulling it open, she stepped out, greeted by one of them.
They were tall and slender, similar to the shape of an alicorn. Their bodies were all painted a pale grey, decorated with ominous signs of darker grey. They carried no mane nor tail, and their eyes were a bright yellow, glowing through the night. They had six legs, thinner than the rest of their bodies. Sharp spikes threatened to protrude from any of the many holes covering their body. Applejack suppressed the temptation to shudder at the sight of them, instead looking them straight in the eyes.
"We are here for a young male pony," he enunciated, his voice seeming to slither through the air. "We have heard his name is Pipsqueak. We wish him to rejoin his mother and father," he continued, and this time, Applejack did shudder.
"Mah apologies, mista. The Pip boy was 'ere, bu' he left earlier t'day. May I help you wi' anythin' else?"
"Are you sure he isn't here? We are told to offer a ten thousand bit reward," he added, and Applejack was now attempting not to snicker.
Ten thousand bits? Like we ca' even use money in these times, she thoughts, thankful for her ability to keep a straight face. "Ah'm sorry sir. Bes' o' luck findin' the rascal though!" she exclaimed.
"Very well then miss. Have a good evening," the thing said, turning to walk away. Applejack waited for them to leave before reentering the safe area, running towards the barn. She stomped down the stairs, then banged on the door.
"Pip! It's me!" she called, and she heard the bed creak before he pushed the door open.
"Miss Jack!" he cried, hugging her again.
"Come 'long now," she said with a smile, leading him back inside. "Rose Luck?" she asked as she spotted the mare, rubbing her belly tenderly.
"Yes, Applejack?"
"Can ya come alon' wit' me?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Of course," agreed Rose Luck, jumping up and walking into the hall. "What do you need?"
"It's Pip's parents. They're gone," said Applejack plainly.
"Are you sure?"
"Very. We can' le' Pip know, 'kay?"
"Of course, Applejack," agreed the mare, shifting her gaze to the ground. "I wouldn't dream of telling him."
"Thank ya," replied Applejack appreciatively, before trotting back to the kitchen, where Pip and Apple Bloom were talking to each other. "Hey you two," she called, and the two leaped apart from each other, as if they were two foals with their hooves in the cookie jar.
"Yes sis?"
"I's bedtime. Git along now, y'hear?"
"Fine," grumbled Apple Bloom, stomping up the stairs with Pip at her tail. She turned to enter her room, just in time to see Pip turning into the room next to hers.
"Well look a' tha', Miss Bloom!"
"Looks like we're nex' ta each other," said Apple Bloom, a faint smile at the edges of her mouth.
"Looks like it," he agreed and the two entered their rooms.
