The Fillycaust

Applejack had forsaken any attempts to resist ever since Pinkie Pie was taken away by Night Flare. She watched as the yellow hair from her mane fell to her hooves; the unicorn barber, Quick Trim, shaving it from her head and neck harshly paying no mind to whatever pain he caused her.

The recent events were enough to break anyponys mentality, even a tough Earth Pony like Applejack. The weight of everything just kept piling up. How can I ever be happy again? she thought. I just want to give up and die...

NO! she forced herself away from the negativity. I have to be strong! I have to somehow find and save Applebloom! The resistance in Appaloosa could show up at any time and save us! I have to stay positive, I can’t give up!

A sharp pinch from the razor that was shaving her mane off distracted her thoughts. She cringed at the discomfort but avoided letting any sound of pain escape her mouth. She had noticed earlier that the barber intentionally mistreated the other ponies and even more so if they complained.

“Oops!” Quick Trim said sarcastically as he again misdirected the razor. He let out a cold laugh. “I didn’t think Earth Ponies could get any uglier, boy was I wrong! You mares look disgusting without manes!”

Applejack’s head felt significantly lighter as the last of her hair fell to the ground. The coldness of room stabbed at the back of her head and neck, an alien feeling as her mane had usually sheltered these areas from cold. She also felt naked and awkward, before today she had never seen or heard of a pony without a mane. What’s the meaning of this? She thought. It’s just downright degrading!

The sound of the metal door opening caught her attention. She looked up to see Pinkie Pie standing at the door with Night Flare behind her. Pinkie’s head was down so low to the ground that her pink mane blocked her face. Night Flare was smiling sinisterly.

“Here you go Quick Trim!” the red pegasus laughed. “I’m done with this one!” Night Flare pushed Pinkie Pie into the room with his front hooves. She stumbled and with a squeak fell to the ground. Night Flare laughed again and slammed the door shut as he left.

“Get the fuck up and get in line!” Quick Trim yelled.

Pinkie Pie slowly stood up, walked over to Applejack, and stood in line next to her.

Applejack noticed Pinkie Pie had tears in her eyes and a look of shame upon her face. Although Applejack was happy to see her friend again she could only imagine the horror that the Pink mare had just been through.

“Pinkie Pie...” Applejack began.

“Shut up!” Quick Trim shouted viciously. The yellow unicorn walked over to Pinkie Pie and began to shave her head.

As Pinkie’s hair fell off Applejack noticed bruises down her neck and back. Applejack felt a surge of sympathy rise in her heart. Poor Pinkie... What do I say to her? What can I say to her?

Quick Trim finished shaving Pinkie Pie’s mane and moved on to the next mare who was the last in line. When he was finished with her he turned towards all the Earth ponies who were trembling with coldness and fear.

“You are now ready to begin working in the camp!” he exclaimed. “I’ll be back in five minutes with the guards that will see you to your posts.” He walked out of the room using magic to close the door behind him.

Applejack turned to Pinkie Pie. “H-Hey Pinkie.” she stammered. “I.. Well.. I um..”

Before Applejack could say anything Pinkie Pie hugged her and sobbed hysterically into her shoulder.

“I-I..” the Pink mare tried to say through the tears.

Applejack hugged Pinkie back and stroked the back of her neck where her mane used to be. “Shh Pinkie. It’s okay sugarcube.”

“I-I couldn’t s-stop him...” Pinkie Pie cried. “H-he... h-he...”

Tears began to fill Applejack’s eyes too. “I know Pinkie, I know. I’m here for you.”

After a few moments Pinkie Pie’s crying calmed down a bit. “It... It was my first t-time...” she managed to say. Her breathing increased rapidly. “I-I wanted the first time to be special...”

“It’s okay Pinkie.” Applejack reassured her. “You don’t have to talk about it. I’m here for you.”

“I-I want to go home!” Pinkie Pie sobbed.

“Me too Pinkie. Me too.”

The moment was interrupted when the metal door again swung open. Two unicorn and two pegasus guards marched in.

One of the guards, a white unicorn, spoke up. “By order of Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria, we are to take you to section A of the Hoofschwitz. There you will work from sunrise till sundown building additional parts of the camp. Rest is not an option, anypony who is seen slacking will be severely punished. Now follow me.”

The two unicorns walked out of the room while the pegasi stood guard at the door making sure everypony left the room.

“We have to go now Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said. “We’ll do this together.”

Applejack nudged Pinkie who eventually began to slowly walk out of the room following the rest of the ponies.

Once everypony had left the room the two pegasi guards closed the door and trailed behind the group. Applejack saw one of the unicorn guards in front of her open a door at the end of the hall, a bright light shone through it. As the ponies began to walk through the door and Applejack came closer she noticed the light was from the sun and the door led outside.

Pinkie Pie was still crying softly and Applejack didn’t blame her. It broke her heart to see Pinkie Pie so distressed, the happy and life loving pony didn’t deserve what had happened to her. Applejack also still felt guilty for getting angry at Pinkie earlier.

I’ll never go off like that on Pinkie Pie or any of my friends ever again. She told herself. You never know how long you’ll have them... Her thoughts shifted to Fluttershy and the all too familiar tears again filled her eyes.

Then a gasp from somepony in front of her distracted her thoughts. Applejack and Pinkie Pie walked through the door and into the heart of the Hoofschwitz Canter Camp.

Applejack’s eyes quickly adjusted to the light of the sun and she received her first glimpse of the Canter Camp. She gasped in horror.

The Canter Camp was a mess of tattered tents, run-down buildings, and crudely constructed walls of barbed and razor wire. The ground consisted of mud and dirt with a mixture of waste and pony remains, the putrid smell of the death and decay filled the air. The camp was full of Earth Ponies digging trenches and building new structures, they looked more dead than alive. The majority of them were starved, nothing but skin and bones. It was also clear that many of them were deathly ill. The sound of construction and moans resonated eerily around the camp.

Guard towers with unicorns at the ready and pegusi keeping watch from the sky made any thoughts of escape impossible. The Earth Ponies within the camp weren’t just sick and dying, they had also lost any traces of hope.

“It’s... It’s...” Pinkie Pie said, her crying had stopped with shock.

“It’s hell.” Applejack finished.

Twilight Sparkle walked through the palace of Princess Celestia in Canterlot, her two pegasus guards at her back. She had to talk to the princess, she had to know the reasoning behind the extermination of the Earth Ponies, she needed to have her conscience cleared.

It had only been two days since she had killed Fluttershy, and the image of the innocent mare’s death could not leave Twilight’s mind. She had not slept since the incident and found herself bursting out in tears randomly. She had tried to remove herself from the Pegasus guards when she had these episodes but even they had grown to become suspicious.

If anypony can help clear this all up it’s Princess Celestia. Twilight thought.

Twilight opened the grand door to Princess Celestia’s throne room with her magic and trotted in. The cathedral like hall was lined with pegasus guards standing at attention like statues. Princess Celestia sat on her throne at the end of the hall. The alicorn was looking at some sort of documents suspended in midair by magic in front of her eyes.

Twilight stopped about twenty feet in front of the princess and bowed. “Hail Princess Celestia,” she greeted. “Ruler of Equestria.

“I do not recall summoning you Twilight Sparkle.” the princess said still reading the parchment. “I am very busy, what is it you want?”

“I need your advice Princess.” Twilight began. She paused trying to think of the right words. “I did as you commanded and cleared Ponyville of all Earth Ponies.”

“And?” asked Princess Celestia. “You wish for a new task? I suggest staying in Ponyville and making sure it is indeed cleared out.”

“Well... That’s not exactly what I wanted to talk about.” Twilight explained.

“Then what do you want to talk about?” the Princess questioned.

“One of my... my old friends, Fluttershy, was hiding three Earth Ponies. Applejack, her sister Applebloom, and Pinkie Pie. I... I killed Fluttershy...” Twilight winced as the memory raced back through her mind. “And I sent the three Earth Ponies to Hoofschwitz Canter Camp.”

“Very good, very good now get to the point.” the Princess insisted.

“Yes well... I actually... I really regret the whole situation.”

Princess Celestia looked up from the parchment. “You what?” she asked coldly. Her eyes flared up with rage.

“I-I just don’t understand why you would have me make friends with Earth Ponies and then later send them to a Canter Camp.” Twilight admitted. She felt her knees tremble as she looked into the Princess’s eyes.

“When I sent you to Ponyville I ordered you to make friends Twilight Sparkle. I never specified that they be Pegasi, Unicorns, or Earth Ponies. It was you became fond of them, never me.” the Princess explained.

“But why all of the sudden Princess? If you’ve always despised Earth Ponies why didn’t you remove them earlier?”

The Princess was taken aback by the question, but she quickly hid the shock with a look of rage. “That is none of your concern miss Sparkle. All you need to know is that Earth Ponies are useless. Unicorns have the gift of magic, Pegasi have the gift of flight, but what do Earth Ponies have? Nothing. They are lesser than us, they are inferior. They control and corrupt Equestria’s businesses. They are a nuisance and they deserve their fate.”

At this point Twilight had begun to see the insanity behind Princess Celestia’s words. Her loyalty and unquestioning obedience to the Princess had clouded her judgement in the past, but now she noticed there was something different about the Princess. This was not the Princess Celestia she knew before, it couldn’t be. I can’t do anything about it though. Twilight thought. There’s too many guards here, I have to pretend to understand the Princess’s words, but I can’t go along with this anymore. And I have to get to the bottom of this.

“Are we clear Twilight?” Princess Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

Twilight bowed and raised her head to look Princess Celestia directly in the eye. “Yes Princess, we are clear. Please forgive me for doubting your divine judgement.”

Princess Celestia smiled. “Of course I forgive you Twilight, my faithful student. Please write to me when you arrive back in Ponyville.”

My faithful student. It replayed in Twilight’s mind. Part of her still felt that she had to obey the princess’s every will as she had done ever since she was a young filly. “Hail Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed and with that she turned and began to walk away, the clopping of her hooves echoing in the silence of the hall.

I’m going to make things right. She convinced herself. I’m sorry Fluttershy and everypony I’ve hurt. She remembered Applejack, Applebloom, and Pinkie Pie. I can still right the wrong I’ve done.