The Fillycaust

Twilight Sparkle walked the empty streets of Ponyville yet again, only this time to her friend Rarity’s house. She needed to talk to someone whom she could trust. Since her meeting with Princess Celestia, Twilight had seen everything for what it really was. She could now see the horror and injustice that ran rancid across Equestria. How couldn’t she have seen it before?

Twilight could never forgive herself for what she had done. The death of Fluttershy would haunt her forever; however she knew that if she had any chance of clearing her conscience it lied with the fates of her friends in Hoofschwitz Canter Camp.

Twilight walked up to the doorstep of carousel boutique. Even during such harsh times the fashionable unicorn’s house stood elegant as ever, it’s candy colored decor welcoming potential customers.

Twilight looked behind her to make sure nopony was following. Convinced she was alone, she knocked on the door with her hoof.

“Just a minute!” Rarity’s voice echoed from inside.

Twilight rolled her eyes, it was obvious Rarity was busy making dresses as usual. Sometimes it seemed all the white mare ever did was work.

The door swung open with magic revealing Rarity standing in the hallway.

“Twilight!” she gasped. “Twilight darling I haven’t seen you in ages!”

“Hi Rarity.” Twilight smiled. “Is it okay if I-”

“But of course come right in!” Rarity interrupted stepping aside to let Twilight into the house.

“Thank you.” Twilight said as she walked into the house closing the door behind her with magic. She turned to Rarity. “Rarity we need to talk, but first I need you to promise me that what we discuss here and now can’t leave this room.”

Rarity looked worried but nodded. “Yes of course Twilight, what’s wrong?”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Fluttershy’s dead.”

Rarity stared into Twilight’s eyes as if not fully comprehending what she had heard. After a few seconds of complete silence Rarity laughed. “Is this a joke Twilight? Fluttershy can’t be dead! Why I only saw her...” she stopped realizing that Twilight was completely serious. “How?”

Twilight opened her mouth but no words came out. She knew what she needed to say but couldn’t bring herself to say it. The shame was too great, plus how could Rarity ever trust and work with her knowing she had cold-bloodedly murdered their friend? “It was Princess Celestia.” Twilight lied. “Fluttershy was hiding Earth Ponies in her attic.”

Rarity looked as though she had just run into a brick wall. Her expression was a mix of horror, fear, anger, and most of all sadness. She stood there silent for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only a couple of seconds.

“I-I don’t believe it...” Rarity finally said. She fell to the ground as if she were drunk. “I can’t believe...”

Twilight sat next to Rarity and embraced her. Soon after the white mare burst into tears, but Twilight herself couldn’t cry. She only felt guilt and shame, she was disgusted with herself. She had not only hurt Fluttershy, she had hurt everyone who had ever loved the innocent yellow mare.

“I can’t keep working for the Princess.” Twilight said when Rarity’s sobs had soften down. “This isn’t the same Princess Celestia that we knew.”

Rarity nodded and wiped her tears with her hoof. “I-I didn’t w-want to side with Celestia,” she sniffled. “but I-I was afraid... I didn’t want my Earth Pony friends to leave, but... I-I was a coward...”

“It’s okay Rarity.” Twilight comforted. “We can still right our wrongs. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and her sister Applebloom have been sent to a Canter Camp. We need to rescue them.”

Rarity looked at Twilight. “How can we do that? We’re just two ponies...”

“We could go to Appaloosa.” Twilight suggested. “There’s a resistance there.”

“They wouldn’t trust us.” Rarity complained. “No offense but they could never trust you Twilight, you’re the Princess’s loyal student.”

She has a good point. Twilight thought. But I don’t know what else to do. I can’t continue living under Princess Celestia’s sadistic rule, which means I can’t stay here. The only place I can go for help is Appaloosa, it’s the only place where I can start making plans to rescue my friends. The longer I stay here, the more likely I am to be caught conspiring. “Going to Appaloosa will have to a be a risk I’m willing to take.” Twilight explained. “I can’t keep living like this. I’ve been changed by the things Celestia has ordered me to do, and now that I see the truth behind everything I can’t go back...”

Rarity nodded but was silent, no doubt still soaking in all the devastating news.

“D-did you s-say Applebloom is in trouble?” came a soft voice from behind the two ponies.

Twilight and Rarity turned around to see Sweetie Bell, Rarity’s younger sister, standing behind them at the bottom of the main stairwell in the house. She had a frightened look upon her face.

“I’m sure Applebloom’s fine dear.” Rarity reassured. She tried to cover up her emotions but it was obvious to anypony that she was lying.

“I-I need to help her!” Sweetie Bell cried. “She’s my friend, I don’t want her to be hurt!”

“She’s going to be fine.” Twilight said trying to calm the filly down. “But you need to decide if you’re going to come with me, Rarity, and fast. The longer we stay here the more danger we’re in.”

Rarity sighed. “I knew this day would come.” she said. “I wanted to believe things would just magically go back to the way they were before, but deep in my heart I knew that the only way for that to happen was for me to take a stand and stop hiding. I’ll come with you Twilight.”

Twilight blinked. She had never known Rarity to be an inspirational speaker, but those last few words really made her think. For the first time ever Twilight realized that she had the capacity to be completely in control of her own life. She didn’t have to bind herself to anypony and follow them without question. It was her own decision to stop working for Princess Celestia, and it was her own decision to decide to help rescue her friends. Never again am I going to blindly follow anypony. She thought. I know the difference between right and wrong and I can make my own judgements. I won’t let anypony tell me otherwise.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie followed the group of Earth Ponies lead by Novelty trying to blend in with the crowd and stay out of Night Flare’s sight. The screams of the poor mare he was teasing rang throughout the camp.

Applejack tried to ignore the screams and looked toward Novelty. It puzzled her that the Unicorns and Pegasi thought Earth Ponies were inferior, treating them cruelly, but yet they would allow an Earth Pony to lead one of their construction projects.

Applejack looked at Pinkie Pie who was still cowering in fear after seeing Night Flare.

“Why do you think they’re letting an Earth Pony be in charge of construction?” Applejack questioned trying to distract Pinkie Pie from her fear as well as start up a conversation.

“What?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Who’s letting who do what?”

Applejack pointed at Novelty. “That Earth Pony is running our construction project today. Don’t you think it’s odd that the Unicorns and Pegasi would let one of the prisoners do that?”

“Oh.” Pinkie Pie said. “I don’t know. I guess so.”

“It seems mighty fishy.” Applejack pointed out. “I think I’m going to have a word with him. C’mon Pinkie.” Applejack nudged Pinkie Pie and started making her way to the front of the crowd. “Excuse me, pardon me.” she said as she brushed past the multitude of sick and starving ponies until she was directly behind Novelty.

“Er um.. Excuse me, Mister Novelty sir?” Applejack said.

The brown Earth Pony glanced over his shoulder. “Yes?”

“I was wondering well.. I’m just curious why the guards would let an Earth Pony run the construction project.” Applejack explained.

Novelty looked away from Applejack and was silent for a few moments. She didn’t think the pony would respond to her but he sighed. “You’re new here aren’t you?”

“Well yes...” Applejack answered.

“I’m not an Earth Pony.” Novelty said.

Applejack was confused. Has he gone insane from the time he’s spent here? She wondered. “What do you mean you’re not an Earth Pony?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.” Novelty hissed startling Applejack. Seeing that he had lashed out the brown stallion softened his voice. “Look I know I look like an Earth Pony, but I didn’t always.”

Applejack didn’t understand.

“Have you heard any rumors yet about the Doctor of Death?” Novelty asked.

Applejack remembered Big Macintosh explaining how the Doctor of Death took colts and fillies and did experiments on them. “Yes.” she answered. “I’ve heard the rumors.”

“Well they’re true, and most of those rumors started with me.” Novelty said.

“You’ve... You’ve met him then?” Applejack asked.

“Well... Not conscious, but yes I met him. Before I met him I used to be a unicorn.” Novelty turned his head toward Applejack and swept his mane to one side revealing a hole where his horn had been removed.

Applejack gasped. “What did he do to you? Why did he do it?”

“You still don’t get it? The Doctor of Death experiments on ponies. He took my horn and tried to implant it onto some poor colt. I don’t know how I survived, but the colt wasn’t so lucky.”

“Why does he do that?” Applejack questioned.

“Because he can.” Novelty explained. “He has power and he exploits it. Does he really think he can change all Earth Ponies to Pegasi and Unicorns? Well maybe, but he can’t really believe that the next generation of those ponies will be Pegasi and Unicorns. He’s a sadist and a monster hiding behind the curtain of science.”

“But why you?”

“Because I’m a prisoner. A traitor of Celestia. They view us as sub-pony like you.”

Applejack remembered Twilight Sparkle’s words before she murdered Fluttershy. A traitor pony is just as revolting as an Earth Pony.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Novelty continued. “I survived. I was an engineer. So they took advantage of that and let me lead construction in this hellhole. They could get the job done themselves if they wanted, and much faster too, but we’re all slaves and we don’t cost a cent. Plus they like to watch us suffer. They’re monsters all of them.”

“They are.” Applejack agreed. “I... I think my baby sister is with the Doctor of Death.”

Novelty looked at Applejack. “What makes you think that?” he asked.

“Well we arrived at the camp together an-”

“And the only way she would still be alive is if she was with the Doctor.” Novelty finished. “I understand. Listen, I know this may be hard for you to hear, but maybe it’s better if she isn’t with the Doctor of Death. From my experience with him I would rather be dead than some kind of sick experiment, plus this is no place for a foal to grow up.”

Applejack couldn’t bear to listen to that kind of pessimism. “No, I believe that if she is still alive then she still has a future.” she argued. “We can still save her.”

Novelty sighed. “You can believe whatever you want to believe. I just don’t believe in hope anymore. Not after everything I’ve seen.”

Applejack was finished with the conversation, she slowed her pace and caught up with Pinkie Pie.

“What did you talk to that stallion about?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Nothing that made me feel better.” Applejack scoffed.

The group of ponies retrieved shovels and pickaxes from the toolshed and then proceeded to the construction site where they began to dig out the foundation for the new barracks under Novelty’s command. The work was strenuous and grueling and the intense heat of the sun only made the job harder.

Applejack faired much better than most of the other ponies working even though her empty stomach weighed her down. Pinkie Pie on the other hoof was having great difficulty with the task. It was obvious the Pink mare was tired, hungry, and in pain, but she never complained and never backed down from the task.

Applejack was sad to see her friend in such a condition, but also proud to see that she wasn’t giving up.

Two ponies lost their lives that day during construction due to a combination of being overworked and malnourished. Three other ponies were beaten to death for not working hard enough. Thankfully Applejack and Pinkie Pie weren’t among the casualties.

The two friends received their meager daily rations and visited Big Macintosh before heading off to the barracks to sleep. Another day in the Canter Camp had passed, and they both knew that many more terrible days awaited them.