The Back Forty

by Snooj

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, Tragedy, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance
Length: 18148

Innocence is lost as a dark secret unveils itself on Apple Acres. Will the Kingdom prevail?

Applejack and Pinkie Pie innocently stumble upon something dark at Apple Acres. A foreboding secret raises ghosts from long ago and Twilight is forced to choose between her friends and her loyalties.Will her valued lessons in friendship assist her or hinder her? Will Applejack be able to keep her family safe? Will Pinkie be able to keep herself coherent enough to help her friends?

Published 2012-11-15 17:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-11-26 04:35:19 UTC

Chapter One - A Midnight Stroll

The branch came out of the darkness and caught Twilight square across the face, delivering a sting as painful as it was aggravating. She could barely suppress an annoyed grunt before focusing her anger on the pony storming ahead in the underbrush, the cause of this and several other unminded branches snapping back to assault Twilight as she attempted to keep up with her friend in the moonlit woods.

The chill in the air didn’t help, either. The days were still warm, but as the sun disappeared behind the distant hills, the brisk night offered a reminder that winter was soon approaching. It also reminded Twilight of precisely why, not too long ago, she had been curled up in a nice soft bed instead of forging through the darkened woods.

“Pinkie! Y’know, I love trotting through thick forest in the middle of the night just as much as anypony…”

“Great! I’m glad you love this part, but you gotta be careful, the next part is going to be scary. I promise!”

“But,” continued Twilight, “the new Daring Do just came out and that’s not a book you simply set down halfway through Chapter 4 to go take a midnight stroll.”

“Oh, don’t be silly Twilight! You couldn’t read it out here, it’s too dark! And it’s not midnight yet, that’s a whole hour from now. C’mon, we’re just about to the hill. I think I recognize this spot, there was definitely a tree here.”

“Pinkie, we’re in a forest. There are trees everywhere.”

“Yeah, but this is more of a tree-y tree than the other trees. See?”

Twilight didn’t see. It wasn’t just the extra tree-y nature of the tree she didn’t see, it was the reason she was out at night, deep in the forest behind Apple Acres, following Pinkie on an adventure that was apparently worth a late night visit and an excited story told in the only the way Pinkie could relay a tale: a broken narrative, delivered with unbridled excitement, peppered with promising adjectives and completely without cohesion. Not spun like a tale of Daring Do, a pony who currently happened to be suspended above a pit of spikes back on Twilight’s bed. That was a tale Twilight hoped to get back to very soon.

“Hmmmm,” Pinkie paused mid-step, “hold on a second, I have to think.”

Twilight trotted up next to Pinkie, thankful for the small patches of moonlight shining through the dense canopy of leaves overhead. Most of the grounds of Apple Acres were neatly groomed, tight rows of apple trees, rolling fields of flowers, corn, and celery stalks, and open pastures of lush grass for grazing. Beyond the well manicured farmlands lay this parcel, still owned by the Apple Family farm but untamed. Trees grew in random patches, weeds choked the ground, there wasn’t even a well traveled path to facilitate their late-night jaunt. It wasn’t the Everfree Forest, but it was equally intimidating in the dark.

Twilight's impatience began chipping away at her normally gracious manner. “So have you thought of where we’re going yet?”

“What? Oh, no, I was just thinking of cake. I wish I had picked one up when I got back to town. I’ve been working with Applejack all day and I’m starving! Okay, I’m done thinking of cake. Let’s go!”

Twilight was all out of frustrated sighs but managed to roll her eyes as Pinkie trotted off into a nearby copse of trees. The sound of crunching leaves provided a beacon for Twilight to follow, although she was careful to stay far enough back to avoid any wayward branches flipping back and smacking her face. Pinkie’s mouth was mercifully closed as they trotted in the crisp night air. Whatever mystery lie at the end of their walk seemed to finally be diminishing her exuberant spirit. When first presenting her case, she had been unwilling to leave Twilight alone to read, acting like a mix of lost puppy and hungry foal. Whatever the payoff, it had better transcend confections, which were typically the only things Pinkie got excited about.

“Took y’all long enough.”

Twilight let out a squeak and almost jumped out of her skin. Nestled in the shadow of a particularly large pine tree was Applejack. She slowly rose to her hooves and, despite the darkness, Twilight noticed a forlorn grimace shadowing her face. Despair was out of place on Applejack, even hard work made her grin. What was this look? Was it concern? Worry? It couldn’t be fear. Applejack wasn’t afraid of anything. Well, nothing unless it deserved being afraid of.

“Applejack! What are you doing here? This isn’t the…”

“I know, Pinkie, I just couldn’t stay there any longer. It was too…well, you know. Did you ask Twilight what she thought?”

“No, I didn’t tell her. It’s a surprise!”

“Pinkie! This ain’t a surprise! A surprise is like a birthday party. This is…is…well, I don’t know what it is.” Applejack was unable to suppress a shudder. Twilight noted that when the shudder calmed down, Applejack was still slightly trembling, unable to calm herself. What had she found on her own land that could be so terrifying? Apple Acres had been in the Apple family for generations, Applejack had grown up here. She should know all its secrets. “C’mon, Twilight. You need t’see this.”

Applejack slowly turned around, took a deep breath, and brought them over the top of a small hill. Past the small summit the land sloped sharply and opened into a few acres of flat, dead earth punctuated by twisted, misshapen trees. The trees were thinner than those in the surrounding forest, with uneven limbs and jagged slivers of bark pulling away from the gnarled trunks. If it weren’t for leaves sparsely populating the fractured branches, the trees would have looked dead. Twilight couldn’t see how far this section of the forest went on, but it was as far as she could see in the dim moonlight. Unlike the rest of the forest, there were also large white rocks scattered about and an unusually high concentration of broken branches, all of them barkless and white in the moonlight. Strange piles of loose earth littered the landscape around the rocks and branches. No wonder the trees here looked so awful, it was a wonder they could survive at all in this unfriendly soil.

The three ponies stood for a moment, listening to the quiet sounds of the forest. Applejack was breathing faster and louder, as if just having run a race, her breath ticking off the otherwise silent seconds. Pinkie swallowed. So quietly that she could have been talking to herself, she whispered, “you’re right. It’s not a surprise.”

“I just had to leave this place Pinkie. There was something I noticed, something we somehow didn’t see all day. They … they’re all alike. I don’t know how we didn’t catch it, but they … they’re all …” she cast a disturbing sidelong glance at Twilight and then leaned over to Pinkie and whispered something in her ear.

Pinkie’s eyes became unnaturally wide. “Well, that’s a surprise.”

Twilight waited patiently, but it didn’t look like either of her friends were about to push forward. A single crow cawed loudly overhead. Strange, thought Twilight, weren’t crows diurnal? What an odd omen.

Omen? What was she thinking? There was no scientific evidence of omens! It was just a crow up late. In a spooky forest. Waiting until they had arrived at this place so it could caw directly over their heads. And her friends hadn’t seemed to hear it.

“All right!” shouted Twilight, causing both her friends to scream and look around for some unimaginable terror in the wilderness.

“Twilight!” reprimanded Applejack, “don’t do that!”

In a slightly quieter, but still irritated voice, Twilight stated, “All right. So what is this thing you guys wanted to show me? It’s midnight…”

“Nearly midnight!”

“And I’ve been walking through the forest for an hour and I’m tired and I have a book waiting for me and quite frankly, I’m ready to see whatever it is you wanted to show me so I can go back home, curl up in bed, and find out what happens to Daring Do before daylight breaks because I have a big list of tasks to accomplish tomorrow.” She ended her tirade with a quick snort and almost immediately regretted it. Now her friends seemed more afraid of her than their mystery destination. She softened, “I mean, just, please. Can we please just get moving?”

“Uh, Twilight, you didn’t notice, hon? We’re here.”

“Yeah Twilight, this is it.”

“This. This? A part of the forest with weird looking trees? Littered with rocks and sticks and dirt? Okay, it’s really scary! Whoa, terrifying. Look at those trees, they’re pretty darn frightening! I’m ready to go now.”

Applejack shook her head slowly, her eyes widening. “No, sugar, take a closer look. I know it’s dark, but, just look.”

Twilight squinted in the darkness. “What am I looking for?”

“Twilight,” said Applejack slowly, “those aren’t rocks and branches. They’re bones. Bones from ponies.”

Twilight’s nimble mind wasn’t even given a second to process this before a streak of lightening tore across the sky. With a thunderous crash it struck a tree only a few feet away, splitting the trunk into two. Each half hit the ground with a splintering thud, sending dirt and dry leaves swirling into the air.

Standing on the charred stump, fire blazing in her eyes, was Luna. Her anger wasn’t directed at the three hastily bowing ponies before her, but instead she was surveying the landscape at the base of the hill.

“My little ponies,” she commanded, “what have you unleashed?”

Chapter Two - It Begins

The ground underneath Applejack was barren, hoof-beaten dirt. No leaves, no rocks, no bones. None of those terrifying bones. Countless bones from countless ponies. Ponies that were buried on her own land, practically under her nose. She couldn’t see the bones now, all she stared at was the small patch of dirt directly in front of her.

Applejack, Pinkie, and Twilight were locked in a deep, terrified bow in the presence of Luna. Not one of them spoke. Luna had offered nothing past her ominous greeting, but Applejack was too terrified to look up, too terrified to do anything but stare at the ground.

Her mind wandered back to earlier that day. Earlier, before her life was changed forever. Earlier, when a visit from a friend was to steal away her own innocence.

It was a beautiful day at Apple Acres. Big Mac had been out the night before, enjoying a “friendly milkshake” with Cheerilee over at Sugarcube Corner, and his productivity after such an encounter was usually doubled. He had been hauling in so many apples for the autumn harvest that Applejack was having a hard time bucking fast enough. When Pinkie Pie stopped in shortly after lunch and offered to help with the bucking, Applejack agreed before considering that “help” might include conversation, and any conversation with Pinkie Pie was akin to asking Rarity to talk about fashion or Twilight to recommend a couple good books, except without the same topical focus.

Still, Pinkie was a good-hearted pony. Not the best apple bucker but every little bit would help to keep up with Big Mac, especially with Granny Smith and Apple Bloom out enjoying a shopping day.

The early afternoon passed pleasantly enough. Pinkie was busy with singing, frolicking, talking to Applejack about different places she had stood on her head, and occasionally getting some bucking done. It was, for Applejack, tolerable.

“So AJ, what do you do when you’re done bucking?”

“Eat dinner and go to bed.”

“And then what do you do when you get up?”

“Keep bucking until the season is over.”

“And what about when the season is over?”

“Well, we have plenty of other land that needs workin’ besides the orchards.”

“Like where?”

“The fields where we grow food for the winter.”

“Where else?”

“Keeping the fencing in good order to keep the pastures safe.”

“Where else?”

“Uh, making sure all the outbuildings are repaired and in good shape.”

“Where else?”

“Uh…” Applejack was too focused on her work to be annoyed with the question stream. In fact, her mind wandered enough to keep answering, whether she intended to or not. “Well, there’s one piece of land we don’t work, actually.”

“Really? Is it that one right there?” Pinkie pointed to a tiny patch of green, tangled weeds growing next to an apple tree.

Applejack sighed, “No, Pinkie, much bigger than that. It’s about 40 acres of land out by the northwest orchard. It’s just forest, actually. Like the Everfree Forest except not so spooky. Granny Smith says it’s good for us to leave some land untouched, helps the balance of nature.”

“Well that’s silly, aren’t all the forests around Apple Acres untouched?”

“Yeah, but this is our land. It’s important for us to keep some of our land unspoiled. It helps the orchards.”

“So it doesn’t matter that there’s other forests out there, you have to let some of your own land be forest so your other crops grow better?”

“Now yer getting it.”

“But how do your apple trees know which land belongs to you?”

“Pinkie, I don’t think I could explain it to you proper. It’s just there. It’s good for the trees and we don’t work it. Don’t even set foot on it.”

Pinkie gasped. “Really? You haven’t even been on the land? Then we have to go! What an adventure!”

“No, Pinkie, we have…”

“An adventure with just Pinkie and Applejack! This is so fun, we never get to hang out together!”

“Well, yeah, because…”

“Good thing I ate a big breakfast this morning. C’mon!” Pinkie trotted merrily toward the north, singing as she went. “Adventure time! C’mon, grab your saddle. We’ll gallop to AJ’s … distant trees. Hmmmm, no, that needs some work.” She continued humming different melodies, not even looking back.

“Well,” muttered Applejack, “if I don’t go with her, who knows what trouble she’ll get in.” Giving a final buck to the closest apple tree, she took off after Pinkie.

To Applejack, every inch of Sweet Apple Acres was home. She would be as comfortable sleeping out here under the stars as she would in her own bed. She could find her way around blindfolded if she needed to. The gentle slopes of the hills, the smells of different types of apples in different parts of the orchard, the feel of the different dirt paths under her hooves, it was all so familiar. She was the fourth generation of the Apple Family to work these fields and she could feel the blood of her ancestors pumping through her veins, whispers from her lineage guiding her in even the most mundane chores. The constant ethereal encouragement from her past was part of the satisfaction of working the farm. When she bucked a tree, she could feel dozens of other ponies strengthening her legs, focusing exactly where to hit, dislodging more apples than anypony else. This land was her land now, and she would die to protect it.

Wait, what was that? Die to protect it? What a strange thought. She would protect it, yes, but she’d never have to die to protect it. She gave her head a big shake, whipping her pony tail back and forth and nearly dislodging her hat. Hanging around Pinkie for the day was certainly getting to her.

Music continued to flow from the bubbly pink pony leading the way. “With Pinkie the pony and Applejack the … other pony. No, that’s not good.” Pinkie continued to work on her tune as they neared the northern perimeter of the orchard. Applejack paused to pluck an apple off a nearby tree. As she cantered behind Pinkie she chewed it slowly, admiring its sweetness. She hadn’t traveled much, always preferring to be home with the family instead of big cities like Manehattan or Los Pegasus. Even Canterlot made her a little nervous. One thing all those fancy places had in common was the bland food. Nowhere in Equestria were the apples as sweet as Sweet Apple Acres.

“Woooo, that looks like the Everfree forest!” Pinkie was perched on two legs, her front left and her back right, balancing mid trot, while cocking her head at a sudden wall of thick trees. They were at the edge of the maintained orchard and the beginning of the back forty acres of land that Applejack had never stepped hoof on.

Under the bright noonday sun it didn’t seem intimidating, not like the dark and eerie Everfree Forest. This looked just like any forested land, apart from the fact that Applejack was inclined to never walk on it.

A sudden distant memory clouded over Applejack, “Uh, Pinkie, I’m not sure we should really go in. Granny Smith was always pretty insistent that we not bother the trees there.”

“Well, what if I was north of here, and I wanted to come here, and I came through it without knowing I was walking through it, would that be okay?”

“Uh…” was all Applejack could manage. Confound Pinkie and her beguiling logic!

“Because it can’t only be not okay to go there if you know it’s there and be not okay to go if you do know, unless if nothing happens and you don’t know then you didn’t cause nothing so it wasn’t your fault, unless you knew, but if you did and nothing happened then there’s no reason not to until after you already did, but then you’d know already.”

“Pinkie, if we just peek in for five minutes, will you stop talking?”

“Sure!”

Five minutes later they were walking quietly through the only patch of forest in Apple Acres that Applejack had never seen. It didn’t look any different from any other forest. The trees were thick and tall, deadfall choked the ground where nopony had ever cleaned away fallen branches. Broken stumps punctuated fallen, moss-covered trunks. Everything was covered in mushrooms. There was no path, they simply picked their way in and around trees and ferns. The sun came down in small patches through the thick covering of leaves overhead. It was a fairly enjoyable walk, so peaceful and quiet. Too quiet. Applejack glanced at Pinkie and noticed her fidgeting with her mouth, a look of mild desperation on her face, and Applejack was familiar enough with her friend to know exactly what was going on.

“It’s okay Pinkie, you can talk now. Just not so much.”

“It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed. “So beautiful! I can’t believe you never come here.”

“Yeah, well, this will be the last time. I ain’t so sure Granny Smith will like the idea that we’re out here.”

“Just look at the trees and leaves! And the other trees! And the … huh, I guess it’s not all beautiful,” said Pinkie, standing on top of a tiny hill.

“What’cha see there, hon?” Applejack trotted over to stand next to Pinkie. The other side of the hill sloped down sharply and gave way to a low, flat area where the trees thinned out. It was darker, even though the trees here had far fewer leaves, it felt like less sunlight was making it through. The trees themselves looked like they never got sun. They were thin, gnarled, and missing large pieces of bark.

“Woooo, it’s like a tree graveyard!”

“Those trees have leaves, darlin’. They ain’t dead.”

“Woooo, it’s like a tree graveyard with living trees! Let’s go see them!” Decisive action always seemed so easy for Pinkie.

Applejack decisively wanted to leave, but realized that seeing these strange trees may be just the right amount of adventure for Pinkie and after that they could depart. Big Mac was probably wondering where they were. Even though they had been bucking trees pretty far from the barn, he had certainly made enough round trips to cart off the surplus by now.

Down into the scattered litter of trees the two friends went, Applejack leading the way. Pinkie suddenly held back and wrinkled her nose. “Ugh, what’s that smell? Wait, is that a smell?”

“I don’t smell anythin’, what’s it smell like?”

Pinkie looked confused. She backed up. She trotted in a circle. She stood still, reached her head as far forward as she could without moving her hooves, and promptly fell over.

“Okay, I think it’s time we left here now, we gotta get back to work.”

“You don’t smell the smell, do you?”

“I smell trees, dirt, forest. What do you smell?”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know if it’s a smell. I smell it here,” she stood a few feet from one of the gnarled trees, “but not here,” she leaned forward about two feet, “and then I smell it again here,” returning to her original posture, “but if I go over here, I smell it again,” she trotted in a wide circle, stopping halfway through. “I don’t get it, it’s not like a smell at all. But it stinks.”

Applejack tentatively stepped where Pinkie had been moments before. She still smelled trees, dirt, and forest. She tried to lean toward the nearby tree but it just smelled like a tree. “I don’t smell anything.”

“You’re right, you can’t. It’s not a smell.” Pinkie’s eyes grew wide and she gasped melodramatically. “It’s my Pinkie sense! But what’sit for? I’ve never smelled anything with my Pinkie sense before. What does a smell mean?” Pinkie wandered around in between the trees. She looked up and down. Applejack had never seen her look so serious before, it was like watching Twilight try to solve a math problem. Pinkie would stop, sniff, lean over, back up, walk in circles, run, stop quickly, then shuffle from side to side, the whole time wearing an uncharacteristic look of deep concentration. The longer Applejack watched, the less random the patterns looked. Pinkie was actually performing one wide circuit around several trees, incorporating all her strange maneuvers, and then doing the exact same circuit again, doing all the same moves in the same places, like she was playing a game of follow-the-pony with just herself.

She suddenly looked up at Applejack, eyes wide. “We have to dig!”

“Dig?”

“Dig! I smell the smell everywhere, it’s in patches all over the place. But always the same places. It’s like a super Pinkie Pie Pinkie Sense cornucopia explosion of smells! But I don’t know what else they’d be telling me except that there’s something buried. Nothing’s falling, nothing’s moving, whatever I’m getting, it’s sitting still, but I don’t see anything sitting still above the dirt, do you?”

“Okay, Pinkie, we’ll dig one hole, that’s it, then it’s time to go. I’m sure Big Mac is wondering where we’re at right now and we have to get home.”

“Oh sure, just one hole! It’s probably the same thing in each hole.”

Pinkie selected the spot, it was as far away as they could get from the gnarled trees, a suggestion of Applejack’s, to avoid hitting roots as they dug. This one spot seemed to have fairly loose dirt, hopefully minimizing their time investment. Applejack almost chuckled when she thought how keen Rarity or Fluttershy would be to come on an adventure like this with Pinkie and suddenly start digging when commanded. It made her feel like a pretty good friend. Pinkie was an interesting pony and, when not talking too much, could be downright fun, creating a party or an adventure out of thin air. She definitely wasn’t lazy or afraid of getting her hooves dirty, she started digging the hole just as eagerly as Applejack. In fact, it was Pinkie that first exclaimed “Ohhh, what’s this?”

They had been digging side by side, two halves to one giant hole, and merely a foot below ground level Pinkie had struck a large, smooth, white stone.

“Oh, it smells, it smells!” Pinkie backed away, making gagging noises, and Applejack was unsurprised to discover that she still couldn’t smell anything.

“I’ll dig it up for ya, sweetie.” Applejack loosened the dirt walls of the hole to enlarge it enough to clear dirt away from the sides of the stone. She hoped this wasn’t a tiny tip of a much larger rock; they could be here all day. As she managed to clear away most of the soil from one side of the stone, she tapped it roughly with her hoof and saw it wiggle slightly. That was good news, it had to be fairly small if she could already shift it. From what she could see it was a round white stone, about the size of her head. She should be able to unearth it shortly.

Applejack didn’t mind that Pinkie was standing back now, she was happy to do the work. Digging was difficult, which meant that it was rewarding. She was so focused on excavating the stone that she didn’t notice Pinkie lie down. She didn’t see the distress on Pinkie’s face or hear the anguished gurgling coming from Pinkie’s half-open mouth, nor could she hear Pinkie whispering “so bad…smells sooooo bad.”

With the top and one side of the stone cleared away, Applejack rocked the stone up a bit, jammed a stick in the tight space between the stone and the dirt, and launched herself onto the stick. With a gravelly rasp, the hole released its grip on the stone. Leverage from the stick launched the stone out and it landed on the ground next to Pinkie.

“Well, it doesn’t smell anymore,” exclaimed Pinkie, quickly getting to her feet. “Buuuuut I don’t think it’s a stone, and believe me, I know stones,” she tapped it with her hoof, rotating it around so Applejack could see the view from the front. The stone had two dirt-packed holes in the front, and it took a moment before Applejack realized what she was looking at.

“Is that a … skull?”

“Sure looks like it! That must be what my Pinkie Pie sense was telling me. Bad smell means buried skull. I have to add that one to the list.” Pinkie cocked her head to one side and stared off in the distance.

A few moments passed, filled only with the quiet of Pinkie managing her internal files and Applejack staring helplessly at a skull that appeared to be staring back at her with large, dirt packed sockets. She wasn’t sure what to expect, certainly it wasn’t going to come to life. What was it doing out here? Were there more? Wait, of course there were more! “Pinkie! How many different places did you get the smell?”

Pinkie snapped to attention, “What? Oh, I dunno, maybe 20?”

Twenty? Pinkie hadn’t covered much ground, either. This area, with the twisted trees, and dull light, was big, a couple acres or more. Pinkie had only explored around a few trees. A compulsion grabbed Applejack. This was her land. She had every right to know what was here. “Pinkie, I need you to help me dig. I know it’s a bad smell, but it’s not really a smell, it’s just in yer head. Can you work with me?”

Pinkie seemed to consider this very seriously for a minute. She looked back and forth from Applejack to the skull to the land before her expression completely softened and she exploded out a joyful “Okee dokee lokee!”

They dug in near silence, two ponies dutifully focused on a single goal. Wherever there was a smell, there was a skull. Wherever there was a skull, more digging would uncover a mostly complete skeleton. When satisfied there were no more bones to be found, they would pile them together next to the hole and hastily push the dirt back in, the bones and the unpacked mound marking each excavation site. Pinkie never had to walk far before her Pinkie Sense would trigger the awful smell again and they would begin to dig. Applejack could only imagine how terrible the smell was because she never caught a whiff of anything.

As they focused intently on their project, Applejack didn’t even notice the sun going down, the light dimming, and darkness setting it. It wasn’t until she almost ran into a tree following Pinkie when she realized it was night time. “Pinkie! It’s dark! What time is it?”

“Night time, silly!” exclaimed Pinkie, not appearing to be the least bit tired from what must have been five hours of solid digging.

“How … how many do you think we dug up?”

“I dunno,” said Pinkie, surveying their worksite, “looks like almost forty. And we didn’t even cover much ground. There’s probably a lot of them out there.”

Despite the horror of unearthing 40 skeletons on her own land, Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. At one point her brain had started to play tricks on her, telling her that she had no business digging this up, that for all she knew, this was a family burial site and she was digging up her own relatives, but no way had so many died since her family first moved to Sweet Apple Acres. This was something older, from long before their time.

“Pinkie, you can find your way back here, right?”

“Um, yes?”

“Good. You need to go get Twilight Sparkle. She needs to see this. Don’t tell her where you’re bringing her or what we found. Just get her out here.”

Without a word, but humming a tune extra-loud, Pinkie sped off in the night, leaving Applejack alone with the mass grave of unknown ponies.

Chapter Three - Sisters

“Twilight Sparkle! What are you doing here? What have you done?” Luna’s voice jerked Applejack back to the present, back to the dark, miserable night, where all she could do was stare at the ground and replay that one pivotal part of her day over and over again.

“No, Pinkie, we can’t go. Ever. No, Pinkie, I’m not going with you. Okay Pinkie, you’ve seen the forest, now let’s go. I’m sorry Pinkie, I have to work hard, I can’t go with you. Big Mac needs these trees bucked, we can’t go off alone.” There were a thousand excuses she could have used to stay away from this land, a thousand ways to avoid this. Pinkie wasn’t especially persuasive, why had it been so easy to follow her? Why couldn’t she have just shut it down, kept working, stayed at the orchard? She would be in bed right now. Over the last few hours, she hadn’t even considered what was going on back at the farm. Big Mac would be looking for her. Granny and Apple Bloom would be home, wondering where she was. She had simply walked off the job!

Her chest started to seize up, this whole situation was so avoidable, so painfully preventable. Why was she here?

“Y-your highness,” stammered a crackly voice next to her. It sounded like Twilight was about to start crying. “I, I was just, um…”

Say something! Applejack knew this was her fault, not Pinkie, not Twilight, only she could have stopped this. Say something, save Twilight!

“We found these, there were, I mean, I haven’t studied them, but it appears that on Applejack’s land here, well…”

Twilight trailed off again. Applejack took a deep breath. If she didn’t say anything, Twilight would take all the blame. She couldn’t let that happen. But it was so easy to be quiet. Perhaps nothing bad would happen. They would apologize, go home.

“Save your breath, Twilight, I know you just got here. A good thing, too. We need to stop this before it goes any further. I need you to fetch a book for me, a book that will explain all this. Can you do that for me?”

“Of course, your highness! Oh, yes, of course! Which book? I probably know right where it’s filed.” Twilights tone conveyed relief beyond measure.

“It’s an ancient book, one you may know by a different name. It was originally called Scribblefeather’s Brief History of Three. Do you know it?”

“Um…”

Applejack could hear Twilight scuffing one hoof on the ground. Once addressed, Twilight had risen up but Applejack and Pinkie were still crouched in a deep bow, hoping to sink directly into the earth. It might be more comforting to be one of those unearthed piles of bones right now.

“The name may have been changed over the years, but I can tell you how it begins,” Luna cleared her throat and spoke in a metered, oratory tone, “’I tell you this, my children, if you recall nothing else to the end of your days, be mindful of this one fact. There are three, and only three, and will always be three, and you shall never know what it is that drives them.’ Does that passage sound familiar to you?”

Applejack could tell that Twilight’s brief affair with confidence was already waning, “N-no. Your highness.”

“Very well. You must look for it. Either in History or in Science. You will find it. Now go!”

Twilight did not wait another second, didn’t say goodbye, didn’t promise to be back quickly. Her hoof beats were fading in the distance before the echo of Luna’s mandate had faded from Applejack’s ears.

When not even the slightest tremble of those furiously galloping hooves could be felt on the ground, Luna looked back at the two ponies cowering before her.

“Who did this?”

Applejack seized her chance, “I did, your highness. It was me who dug up these here bones.”

“I see. And what was your intent?”

“That’s a … hard question to answer. Your highness.”

“How did you come to know about the existence of these bones?”

“Oh, me! Me!” chimed in Pinkie, as cheerfully as if the question had been “Who like cookies?”

For the first time, Luna regarded the small pink pony. “Oh yes, the chicken. How did you come to know of these bones?”

“They smell awful. See, sometimes, when I can’t see something, or feel something or smell something, I end up seeing it or feeling it or smelling it when it’s not around, and that reminds me that it’s there and I need to go see it or feel it or smell it. Unless it’s that cheap frosting that tastes bad, then I don’t need to taste it at all, I just trust my feelings.”

Luna stared at Pinkie for a few seconds, trying to digest this. “And you, Applejack, is it?”

“Yes. Uh, yes ma’am. Your highness. Ma’am.”

“Are you equally as confusing as this pony?”

“No ma’am. Pinkie is a little strange,” at this she gave her friend a sidelong grin to assure her she meant “strange” in the best possible way, “but she’s never wrong! If her tail is a twitchin’, you’d best hide under something. And today, she could smell this weird smell and whenever she did, it meant we were over a skeleton.”

“And what caused you to come to this part of your property? You are part of the Apple family, are you not?”

“Adventure!” helped Pinkie.

“Yes ma’am, I’m Granny Smith’s grand-daughter. Born and raised this land. Been in my family for generations and I’ve never set hoof out here. Never.”

“My little ponies, we have a problem. And we need to find resolution before Twilight comes back.”

“Um, if I may, how is that book you sent her for going to help us?”

Luna tilted her head to the heavens and for a brief second, Applejack could swear there was a hint of sadness on her face. Luna was always so well guarded, even better than Celestia; it was rare to see so powerful an emotion overcome her.

“It won’t. She will not find it. That book hasn’t existed for nearly a thousand years.”

“Beg pardon?”

“When excavating these bones, did you notice anything unusual about them?” as she asked, Luna stepped down off the remains of the stump and started down the hill. She did not have to indicate that she was to be followed, both Pinkie and Applejack immediately fell in step on either side of her. It felt strange, mused Applejack, it was a feeling of belonging. Like she was Luna’s own personal guard, suddenly far more important than just a country farmer pony caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.

“Well, there was one thing I noticed after we dug them all up.”

“Oh, I know, I know!” Pinkie jumped up and down in excitement, “Applejack told me. Every single one we’ve dug up is an Earth Pony.”

Luna stopped short as if she had suddenly noticed she was at the brink of a deep, endless chasm. It was a moment before she spoke again, and when she did, Applejack noticed a slight waver in her voice.

“That is correct, they are all Earth Ponies. No pegasi, no unicorns. Every single pony buried here is an Earth Pony. I suspect there is one exception. You haven’t found anything else, have you?”

“No ma’am, just the bones and dirt.”

Luna turned on Applejack, her eyes once more ablaze, her lips curled up in a snarl, “You wouldn’t ever LIE to me, would you?”

Applejack once again resumed the submissive crouch, “No Princess Luna, absolutely not!”

“It’s true! Applejack’s Element of Harmony is Honesty. She couldn’t lie even if she wanted to. And if she did want to, which she doesn’t, but if she did, she’s a TERRIBLE liar. You could tell in a heartbeat,” added Pinkie helpfully.

“This will be put to the test often in the coming days,” said Luna cryptically.

“I think she’s bad at tests, too.”

“Pinkie, can you jus’ be quiet for two minutes? Princess, what … what is all this? This isn’t just a graveyard, is it? It’s somethin’ worse.”

Luna betrayed no acknowledgement of the question. She had turned her gaze back to the mounds of dirt, the bleached white bones shining in the moonlight, and said softly, “so many. So very many.”

Neither of the small ponies dared so much as shuffle a hoof and destroy the ominous silence that hung over them. Luna was fiercely studying the remains, her jaw clenched, and Applejack noticed both sadness and anger struggling for dominion over her face.

“Do you guys like hide and seek?” as Pinkie asked a typical Pinkie question, Applejack felt like giving her a swift kick in the flank. Did she understand nothing? This was a solemn moment, ultimately confusing, but Luna could very well be close to…

“So many,” asserted Luna. “So many dead. This is not how it was supposed to be. You!” she addressed Applejack, “you dug these up. How did you find them? I see one pile of remains next to each of the backfilled holes. You knew exactly where to dig. Explain this.”

“Uh, well, it wasn’t actually me. I did the diggin’ alright, but it was Pinkie there who found them. She’s got this sense, you see, her Pinkie sense, and it’s never wrong about stuff! Just ask Twilight, even she believes!”

“Pinkie Pie. Laughter. That is your element, but this is not a time for amusement. What was it that caused you to search for and find these poor, brave ponies?”

Applejack shuddered. You never asked Pinkie Pie to relay a story, especially one describing her actions and motives. The saga that followed was thankfully short, as far as Pinkie stories were concerned, and Luna listened intently to every sentence of the adventure, not once asking her to stay on topic or get to the point. Even the tangential mentions of cake were treated as if the information was a necessary instrument to properly unfold the epic yarn. Promptly, Pinkie brought the story to a close, “and then I told you the whole story of how we got here, and now I’m here in front of you finishing the story. And that’s it until more happens.”

“So you smell them.”

“Yes!”

“But, I smell nothing, how is it you smell them?”

“Well, my Pinkie sense is different than your nose. Usually I feel something happen, like a shiver or a twitch, but this time it was a smell. Only I can smell it, so don’t feel bad. Even Applejack couldn’t smell anything.”

“And you dug up every one you could find?”

“Oh no, of course not!”

“Why not?”

“Well, there are so many! I ran all around here earlier, look at how far this tree graveyard goes! They’re everywhere. Like hundreds. Maybe hundreds of hundreds! Maybe tens of hundreds of hundreds.”

Luna didn’t look well, and if it wasn’t so dark, or if the patches of moonlight weren’t so mottled, Applejack might have thought that there were tears in her eyes. In fact, Luna nearly convinced her of this fact when she attempted to speak, made a desperate choke, and fell silent. Applejack surveyed the bones, then looked out in the darkness, her eyes tracing the boundary of the decaying trees. Hundreds. Maybe hundreds of hundreds. This couldn’t be a graveyard, this was enormous. She wanted desperately to ask what all this meant to Luna but she couldn’t bring the words to her lips.

Mercifully, the night seemed to be showing the first signs of giving way to morning. Applejack was always up before the crack of dawn, it was her most favorite time of day to be alive, with the sun just starting to dig its warm rays in from the north, the…

North? Wait, sun? No no no, this was all wrong, it couldn’t be morning. It was barely midnight! The sun didn’t rise from the north, either. What was going on? It still seemed to be dark as night if Applejack looked straight up into the starry sky.

Whatever fear or sadness had been plaguing Luna was gone in an instant. “No! She knows, she’s coming! Quick, my little ponies, we must hide!”

Luna galloped to the edge of the trees to the south, in the opposite direction from where the light was coming from, Pinkie right behind her with a completely out of place grin on her face. Luna stopped between two thick gnarled trees, far from any area where remains had been exhumed. She turned, opened her wings, Pinkie galloped underneath, and they were gone.

Applejack blinked. This wasn’t a trick of light, they hadn’t disappeared into a shadow, they were simply gone. As Applejack stared helplessly at the void between the trees, a black, disembodied wing rose up, revealing an absolutely thrilled Pinkie Pie and part of Luna’s terrified face. “Quickly!” she hissed, “Get under my wing, you’ll be safe!”

What the hay, thought Applejack, nothing else had been under her control today. As she took off for the mysterious comfort of the wing, she promised herself that tomorrow, when this was all over, she’d buck twice as hard and help Big Mac carry in the apples and never go on any crazy forest exploring adventure again. Home, that’s where she belonged. With Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac. That was her family and those ponies were her responsibility.

The wing lowered over her just as she skidded to a stop underneath it, and then she was gone. She was still there, she could feel her four hooves planted firmly on the ground, she felt the familiar tightness of the hat on her head, she could even vaguely smell sugar, which she assumed was due to her Pinkie proximity.

“Well?” inquired Pinkie. “Do you?”

Applejack blinked, and noticed that even when her eyes were closed, she could see plainly. It was a very disorienting feeling. “Do I what?”

“Do you like hide and seek? Because this hiding place is the best!”

“No, Pinkie. No I do not.”

“Well you should, because if you did, you’d…”

A soft thud stopped Pinkie mid-sentence and Luna hissed “Quiet!” Applejack guessed that Luna’s wing was still extended over them. This was strong magic. Something that made them completely invisible. Twilight didn’t know this spell, that was for sure. “My little ponies, whatever you do, whatever you see, do not make any noise until I tell you it is safe. Do you understand?”

“Mmmm hmmm,” they said in unison.

Everything was silent, even the wind and the leaves seemed to obey Luna’s mandate. The dim light from the north that Applejack had mistaken for the rising sun seemed to brighten only slightly, but it was a strange, focused light. The rest of the sky was still as black as it should have been. What was happening?

The light approached like a whisper, gliding over the trees, and just as it seemed they would see the source, it snuffed out, as if sucked into the forest.

“Remain quiet. It is not over yet.”

Applejack began counting her heartbeats. What could be coming through the woods so terrifying that even Luna would cower in fear? And what if that thing could see them? Applejack couldn’t even see herself, but most predators hunted by their sense of smell. She smelled like fresh dirt and dry sweat, this had been a vigorous day. What would she do then? Would Luna protect them?

“Not one word. Not one breath. No matter what.”

A faint glow became visible through the forest to the north. Applejack couldn’t even hear the others breathing, although it was comfortingly warm underneath Luna’s wing.

Celestia stepped out from the woods. Applejack nearly gasped and she heard Pinkie stifle some type of noise.

“Not a sound,” whispered Luna so quietly that it might have been a gentle breeze, “what’s happening now goes beyond what you know.”

The warm glow of sun emanating from Celestia’s wings cast faint sunlight over the burial ground. The gnarled trees laid long, faint shadows. Instinctively, Applejack looked down to ensure she wasn’t making a shadow. It was dizzying to look down and not see your hooves, but she noted with some relief that there was no shadow, nor any other hint that she was standing there, not more than 100 feet from Celestia.

Celestia was grimly surveying the grounds. She slowly picked her way among the bones, occasionally kicking one aside with what looked like, but certainly couldn’t be, a casual indifference. This Celestia seemed cold and uncaring, not the Celestia that Applejack was familiar with at all.

The imposter Celestia looked skyward, toward the moon, for a long contemplative moment, then back down at the grounds. “Luna!” she commanded.

Applejack felt Luna shift. Celestia couldn’t possibly have detected the noise, but she suddenly held her head up, tilted ever so slightly to the side, as if listening for something. Had she heard them? Applejack could hear her own heart beating, could feel the intense pounding strong enough to escape her ribcage. It felt as if the noise were moving through her entire body, so loud that Celestia could certainly hear it. The beats grew louder, she could feel them in her hooves, it was so loud it sounded like it was coming from outside her body.

And it was. The noise wasn’t her heart at all, it was hoof beats. Somepony was approaching quickly.

Applejack’s blood turned to ice. Twilight! From over the hill came a familiar face, one Applejack would have been relieved to see on any occasion but now. Celestia turned her back on the three invisible figures under the tree to greet the new visitor, who stopped short, out of breath, obviously confused. Applejack’s senses abandoned her and she leapt out from under the safety of Luna’s wing, unsurprised to find Pinkie running along side her. “Twilight!” she yelled, and suddenly realized she had no idea what to say. Only a moment ago, she had been gripped with a need to save her friend, but from what?

Celestia spun around to face the other two ponies, he face suddenly as soft as Applejack remembered. What was there to be afraid of, anyway? Obviously Luna still had resentment for her sister, their history wasn’t as short and blissful as what Applejack shared with her own sister.

Celestia turned back to Twilight, “Twilight Sparkle! Why, what are you doing out here on such a dark, foreboding night. And in such a dreadful part of the forest! And you have two of your earth… uh, your friends with you. What is this place?”

Twilight was speechless, her confusion over the replacement princess still playing across her face. As Luna predicted, she did not have a book with her.

Applejack immediately took over, quickly telling a watered down version of their tale, leaving out some key events like Pinkie being able to detect the skeletons, instead insisting that they were digging just because the soil looked odd. It was a terrible lie told poorly, and she could tell Celestia didn’t believe her. Mercifully, nothing she said was questioned. At the end, she was careful to omit any mention of Luna.

“Well, this sounds like quite an adventure. I’d like to hear more about it back at my castle. Twilight, would you please accompany your friends back to my chariot? You’ll find it waiting in the woods, only a few hundred paces past those trees. My guards will take you. Also,” she put her head very low to Twilight and spoke in a firm tone, “I need you, as my trusted student, to help them to their rooms. I will explain it all to you later.”

“Yes your highness, of course. What rooms?”

Celestia touched her horn to Twilight’s head and a soft golden glow passed between them. “That memory spell should show you the way. You are my most trusted student, you know. I am greatly anticipating the time we’ll spend together in the next few days.”

Twilight looked as if she had just been struck. Her mouth moved but no words came out. She looked over at her friends but Applejack couldn’t catch her eye, it was as if she was looking through them, not at them. Could she see Luna?

“Go now. Do not wait for me. We can meet in my chambers tomorrow.”

Twilight’s voice cracked as she said, “Come on girls, you heard the Princess. Let’s go.”

Pinkie obliged without hesitation. Applejack took a moment, forcing herself not to look back at the spot where Luna was watching events play out. An encouraging nod from Twilight helped Applejack to move forward although every bone in her body was holding her back. It was difficult to walk, it felt like the shadows of her ancestors and the spirits of these countless ponies where reaching from the ground and holding her fast. Briefly she thought of Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, Big Mac, and how very, very far away they all suddenly felt. A simple trot was impossible, merely walking felt like foraging through mud. Everything she knew was telling her to stop, to run, to get away.

Everything except for Twilight Sparkle. She looked into Twilight’s eyes. This was her friend. Her friend forever. If her friend was telling her to go, she would do it. She tore her hooves free from the soil and followed Twilight into the woods.

Within minutes they were in sight of the majestic white chariot where Celestia’s guards, tethered to the front, waited patiently. A few words to them from Twilight, all the ponies climbed aboard, and before they knew it, they were sailing over the tops of the trees to Canterlot.

Applejack took a long look at Sweet Apple Acres as it disappeared in the distance, just in case it was the last time she’d ever see it.

Chapter Four - Flight and Fright

So fast! The crazy wind! They were so high! This chariot was amazing, spectacular, like no ride she had ever been on! It was too bad her friends didn’t seem to be enjoying it. Obviously Twilight had already ridden on this before and Applejack, well, maybe she was happier being on the ground, but Pinkie still couldn’t see why they didn’t look at least a little bit happy to be up here. The air was chilly, sure, but the moon and the stars were out and Canterlot Castle, their destination, was glowing in the distance. It was so beautiful, why couldn’t her friends just appreciate the moment they were sharing right now?

“Hey, I can see Canterlot Castle from here!”

“Pinkie,” said Applejack, “you can see Canterlot Castle from just about everywhere in Ponyville.

See? That’s what she was up against. Obviously you didn’t have to be in the air to see the Castle, but there was nothing wrong with a silly joke. There was so much sadness ahead, why couldn’t her friends enjoy a good laugh now, while it was still possible? She reprimanded herself for the internal conflict. Don’t trouble yourself with their worries, Pinkie. Keep reminding them to stay positive.

Plus, the wind really did feel good blowing through her mane, and the noise of the rapidly moving air was helpful in keeping her head quiet. Besides maintaining levels of joy in her friends, she always had a running list of things she had to remember to do. So many things, always pecking at her! She still had a cake waiting for her back at home, there was a party to plan for Fluttershy, she had to find out what kind of flowers Applejack liked, and there was something else to remember, something about digging, but that was kinda confusing. She filed it away in the “Confusing Things” drawer. So many things pecking at her. Pecking! Oh, a chicken! What a great idea for a Nightmare Night costume! Or did she do that one already?

Her friends looked so pensive. She knew by instinct that she couldn’t lighten this mood. She had no party supplies and ever since Celestia had shown up, everyone had seemed so gloomy. Oh, that reminded her, better check the water level in the Ponyville water tower! So many things to do.

Well, in lieu of jokes, perhaps a song. She started humming a casual tune, knowing that if she hummed long enough, she could bring forth words. Sometimes that made everyone happy, maybe it could break through this dark cloud that hung over her friends. Just look at Applejack, eyes fixed on the Castle. Boy, the Castle is getting close, too! And Twilight, she’s looking at nothing. Not her friends, not the castle, not even the night sky. Her eyes are out of focus. Doesn’t even feel like she’s in the chariot. Strange.

Twilight was always under so much pressure with Celestia, trying to prove her worth as a pupil. Silly Twilight, she had 5 of the best friends a pony could have, what more could anypony ever want? She was smart, well organized, always had everything under control. Even Luna recognized it, trusted her so much she sent her to get a book that didn’t even exist!

Pinkie decided that Twilight needed a song most of all. That would help break her out of her trance, help to alleviate the coming storm. Something to remind her of how lucky she was. Oooh! A six verse song, one verse for each of her friends, with a simple chorus to bring it all together. Or would that be five verses?

Pinkie was so deep in thought that she barely noticed the chariot touch down in the darkness behind Canterlot Castle.

Twilight mumbled a quiet thanks to Celestia’s guards who obligingly trotted off. “C’mon, guys, we have to go. You have rooms waiting. For both of you.”

Pinkie failed to notice Applejack’s confused stare or Twilight’s complete lack of emotion. Typically any visit to Canterlot, particularly one initiated by Celestia, would send Twilight in a hectic daze for a week. Instead she was in funeral director mode.

“Uh, Twilight, what’re we doin’ in the back of the Castle? Are we sleeping outside or somethin’?”

“No, Applejack, just follow me.”

They approached a thick wooded section and entered a small opening between two trees. Despite the darkness and the underbrush, a disused cobblestone path grudgingly appeared in front of them. It was dark and overgrown, unlike the neatly pruned paths that surrounded most of the castle. The castle’s stone walls rose high on one side of them, unkempt growth on the other side, moss-coated stones underneath. There was enough stone to make a pleasant clip-clopping sound and, as the three friends walked in slow unison, it started to sound like a beat to Pinkie.

That’s what she needed, an uplifting song to a steady beat. Simple humming wouldn’t do it. Clip, clop. Clip, clop. Clip, clop. The rhythm wrapped itself around words in Pinkie’s head.

Clip clop clip clop

Twilight Twilight Sparkle

And Pinkie Pie are friends

Clip clop clip clop

Twilight Twilight Sparkle

And Applejack are friends

Clip clop clip clop

Needs a second part, can’t just repeat that friend part.

“We’re here.”

“Well, that’s just a wall, where are we?”

The path had come to an abrupt end, curving sharply into the outer castle wall and ending. Twilight put her horn to the stones and concentrated. A familiar purple glow surrounded her horn, almost enough to distract Pinkie from her song. The purple spread to the stonework in front of them, and as it glowed, the rocks became transparent, revealing a corridor beyond, stretching into the darkness.

Pinkie forgot about the song. She forgot about music. She forgot about her friends. For a moment, there was only this place, this hole, this opening into the unknown. It was terrifying, like nothing she’d ever felt before. It was black and dark, it threatened to eat her alive. It was a storm and a dragon and an end to all parties everywhere.

Neither Applejack nor Twilight seemed to be bothered by it, although Applejack did send a pleading look to Twilight and asked, with a hint of doubt, “you sure this is where Celestia wanted us to stay?”

“Just a little farther, girls. You go on ahead of me, I’ll be right behind you.”

The first few feet of the opening was the top landing to a set of stairs that descended into a corridor lit with a dim blue glow. It was the most terrifying thing Pinkie had ever experienced and, if not for Twilight, she would have bolted. She couldn’t see down the stairs at all. Well, she could see, but she couldn’t see.

Fearless brave Applejack led the way, with Pinkie a close second. She would have taken up the rear but Twilight seemed pretty adamant about them going first and she really wanted her friend to be happy right now. Oh, the song!

The stairs were also a nice solid rock, again helping to beat out a perfect cadence.

Clip clop clip clop

Twilight Twilight Sparkle

And Pinkie Pie are friends.

Needs an important next line, something beautiful, something to chase away the darkness. She tried to hum to help her think of words, a technique that worked best when she was cooking or otherwise not doing something that was scaring her to death, but her humming sounded so dry and forced.

At the bottom of the stairs was a long corridor. The storm was here, so foreboding it was practically raining although Twilight and Applejack didn’t seem to be able to detect it. It was important, now more than ever, maybe now more than ever in her whole life, to maintain a happy attitude. She wasn’t sure, but it felt like the storm was partially made of Twilight.

The song, think of the song.

Long dark corridor, large wooden doors reinforced with strips of metal and ugly, hard rivets. A dungeon themed wing? Imprisonment motif? This stay at the castle was going to be fun. Somehow.

Two doors, side by side, opened up at Twilight’s prodding. She stepped back. “Um, these are your rooms, girls.” With haste she added, “I’ll come back first thing in the morning, I promise! We just need to sort this out.”

“Twilight, I don’t see a handle on the inside of these doors.”

“I know AJ, just trust me, okay? The Princess just needs to – do a little damage control.”

“Damage Control?”

Got it! She had the second part of the verse! “Hey Twilight, this calls for a song!”

Twilight sighed, “No, Pinkie, it doesn’t.”

“What’s damage control? How are we going to control any damage from here? Anyway, ain’t nothing damaged but part of my property that I never use.”

Twilight gave Applejack a meaningful look and begged, “Applejack, you trust me, right? This is just for tonight, I'll come get you tomorrow. Please. I don’t want to get in any trouble.”

Wordlessly, Applejack stepped into the tiny, dark cell. She did not turn around as the door closed. With a click, she was gone. The storm clouds gathered.

Twilight looked at Pinkie. “Now you.”

The storm was loud, so loud she almost couldn’t hear Twilight, but she smiled. She fought the storm, stood against it, let the fear and thunder pelt her without mercy. A smile so large enough to hide all her discomfort spread across Pinkie’s face. This was her moment.

“Okee dokee lokee, but you have to listen to a song first! I made it just for you!” Pinkie hid her desperation, the storm was upon them, there wasn’t much time!

She clopped her hooves on the stone to form a beat, walking into her cell as she did so. She let the storm consume her but she sang out in defiance.

“Twilight, Twilight Sparkle!

And Pinkie Pie are friends!

Friendship’s more than a state of mind,

It’s a book that never ends!”

Before Pinkie could launch into verse two, Twilight slowly closed the door behind her and said, “Pinkie, don’t be ridiculous, all books come to an end.”

The storm hit.

“Kid. Hey, kid. Wake up.”

She was drowning. No, not drowning, she was breathing, but it was difficult. The storm had knocked her unconscious and left her with a terrible headache. Everything seemed quieter now. Was the storm over?

“Hey kid, you took a nasty blow there, fell right over and hit your head. Sit up slowly now, that’s it. Take your time.”

Pinkie sat up with some difficulty. Her legs were dead weights, her back felt weak, she knew if she tried to stand she would just fall again. It was dark in here, not exactly like the last time she had stayed at Canterlot Castle.

“You okay kid? I’d offer you some water but, well, you don't want to drink what's available. You gotta wait for someone to come by. Don’t bother yelling, no one will hear you.”

“Who’s there?” Pinkie squinted into the darkness. Her eyes had adjusted but there still wasn’t much light to draw from. The interior of her room was so dark that she couldn’t see the bed, or tapestries, or plush rugs, or the room service, or anything. A tiny square hole in the door allowed in a thin stream of faint blue light but it illuminated nothing.

“What, you don’t recognize an old friend? It hasn’t been that long, kid. Why, not more than a year ago I came to your birthday party, remember?”

Pinkie knew the voice sounded familiar, it wasn’t a Ponyville accent, it sounded more like somepony from Manehattan. “Rocky?”

“Yeah kid. Long time no see, eh? So what’re you in for? You must have done something awful to end up down here.”

“There was a storm.”

“A storm, huh? Well, you ain’t no pegasus so that can’t be your fault. There must be another…”

BANG.

Pinkie jumped out of her skin at the noise, like a piece of steel hitting a piece of bone. It had come from outside her room so she ran to the door. She was unable to find a doorknob in the darkness and she couldn’t figure out how to pry open the large wooden barricade. Where was Twilight to help her out of here?

BANG.

“Kid, you should look out the window. Let me help.”

Before she knew it there was a large rock at her feet, just in front of the door.

“Rocky?”

“Yeah, I know, I’ve gained a few pounds since we last met. This prison detail is killin’ me.”

Pinkie set her front hooves on top of him, raising her head enough to nearly fit in the meager opening of light.

BANG. “Consarn it!”

“Applejack?”

“Pinkie! Pinkie Pie, you finally awake?” Applejack’s voice came floating down the corridor, not too far away, but far enough that Pinkie’s viewing angle from her small window disallowed her to see her friend.

“Yeah, I just woke up. Where are we? This is a weird room, I can’t figure out how to get out. I can’t even turn on the lights. Can you come help?”

Silence. A familiar frustrated sigh. “Pinkie, we’re not in a room at Canterlot Castle. Well, it’s a room alright, and we’re in the castle, but we’re not guests here. This is a dungeon. We’re in cells.”

“Like, cells cells? That we can’t escape from?”

“Well, I aim to.”

BANG.

“Is that you?”

“Yeah. I ain’t met a tree that I can’t buck, and these doors, well, they’re mostly wood. There’s some metal in them reinforcing them, giving me some problems, but I may be able to get through.

BANG.

Pinkie nearly screamed as the surly face of a guard appeared from nowhere, only inches from her own.

“Get your head back in or we’ll have trouble.”

That was rude. Her head wasn’t even out, just her nose, barely even her eyes. The window was quite small. His face disappeared and a moment later Pinkie heard “And you, cut down that noise or we’ll have a problem. Trust me, you don’t want us to have a problem.”

Pinkie stepped off Rocky. She wasn’t in a room at Canterlot Castle. She wasn’t waiting for Twilight to come and talk to them. She wasn’t sure what was happening. This adventure had not turned out to be very much fun. “Hey, AJ?”

A faint voice replied, “Yeah Pinkie?”

“I’m scared.”

“Don’t worry, Pinkie.” But Applejack had nothing more to offer.

Pinkie couldn’t find a song for this occasion. It didn’t seem right. “I just have to trust in Twilight” she mumbled to herself.

“I wouldn’t wait around for that one,” Rocky had compassion in his voice, but it wasn’t meant to be comforting.

“But, she’s my friend.”

“Kid, if she was your friend, she’d be on the same side of these bars as you.”

BANG.

Applejack didn’t seem to be worried about attracting trouble.

Chapter Five - Within These Walls

The plush sleeping accommodations at the castle were little comfort to a troubled mind. Daring Do could have been no further from Twilight’s thoughts as she lay awake for hours, settled into a room in one of the higher towers of the castle, far from the guard patrols, far from the residents, and far from her friends down below.

She put thoughts of the musty dungeon out of her mind. She evicted the chill of those granite cells, she buried the echoing sound of hooves on cobblestones, and she forcibly repressed that image of Applejack refusing to look at her as the cell door closed.

Hours passed before she could lose consciousness, slipping into an uneasy sleep vibrant with nightmares. Her friends surrounded her, uncharacteristic disappointment splattered across their faces, nothing she said could rekindle a lost connection, every movement was hindered by ropes binding her feet, ropes that snaked off into a mystical darkness, ropes that would tug at her, guide her, prevent her from apologizing or making things right. Her close friends galloped around her, taunting her, mocking her inability to struggle to her feet, to control her own actions. Her magic wouldn’t work, wouldn’t affect them, she fell, crying, yelling without sound. Suddenly her friends were shrouded in tangible pain and despair. They screamed, fading from her sight. The ropes wound around her, pulling tight, she couldn’t breathe, sinister voices whispered in her ear but she couldn’t tell what they were saying, couldn’t see her friends, couldn’t help them, couldn’t stop what was happening, couldn’t breathe.

A voice touched her, the color of hope. “Twilight!” It sliced into the fabric of her dream, cut the darkness, letting light stream in. “Twilight!” It severed the ropes, let her breathe. “Hey, Twilight!”

She screamed as she woke, a pathetic noise that quieted as she shook off the fog of unconsciousness. Where was she? Who was calling her name?

“Twilight, hey, wake up kid!” A heavy hoof was prodding her, loosening blankets that were wrapped so tightly around her she could barely move.

“Oh, my head,” she looked up at the dark silhouette, a face made almost invisible by the brilliance of the sun from behind.

“Rough dream, sis?”

“Shining Armor! What are…how did? Ooooh, my head.”

“You were mumbling in your sleep. When did you get here? I was only told an hour ago that you were even in the castle. It took me forever to find you. Why didn’t you tell me you were visiting?”

So tired. How long had she slept? The sun was up and her brother has mercifully stepped to the side so she no longer had to gaze directly toward it to see him. The bright beam stabbing through the window indicated a sun fairly high in the sky. It was mid-morning, a few hours before noon. Sunrise was hours ago. She had no concept of when she had arrived, when she had finally passed out, or how long she had been awake, but the day was certainly in full bloom.

“It wasn’t planned. Sort of crept up on me. I was…” how much information to divulge? “I was talking to Celestia. Writing to her, she wanted me to come to the castle quickly. So I came in last night. On the Friendship Express.” She felt like Applejack, spinning a horribly transparent lie to a politely accepting audience.

“Well, it’s good to see you, kid. Been a rough day here already. If you can pull yourself out of bed we could go have a bite to eat, maybe you can help me out around the castle.”

“Help out? You’re Captain of the Guard. I’m a librarian. You need some books read or something?” Her attempt at humor was weak but he offered her a consoling chuckle.

“No, I’ve just… It’s been a hard morning. Celestia has me working an odd detail, would be nice to get some help. Or some council from somepony as wise as yourself.” The line was delivered with a small grin, not at all condescending as the phrasing might suggest. Only Shining Armor could make her feel like a little colt and a trusted elder in one sentence.

“What’s going on?”

“Well, she seems worried about something. I think she was gone all night, don’t know if she was meeting with Luna or what. She didn’t offer any details and it’s best not to ask. She’s talking about a possible threat on the kingdom. She wasn’t forthcoming with details, but she spoke with certainty. Not like last time, when we didn’t know what to expect. She hinted that soon we may have to impose a curfew, she wants me to prepare the guard. And she even—“ he stopped short, staring at the ground. It seemed so easy for him to open up to Twilight, what had he been about to say when his guard was down?

“She what?”

“Well, we’ve had curfews before, that’s not strange, but this morning she asked me to … relieve certain guards of duty. She named them individually. I don’t understand it, but it was all the earth ponies, every single one in the guard. We don’t have many, mostly we’re pegasi and unicorns. It takes a special breed of Earth Pony to be tough enough for the guard, to compare for power and versatility, so some of these guys, well, they’re the best. Guys I’d trust to get my back. This morning I had to reclaim their helmets and give them a leave of absence and I couldn’t even tell them why.”

“That’s awful!” sympathized Twilight.

“I’m the Captain. Before giving orders I spent many years taking them so I’m not going to question Celestia. But to send these guys home, without explanation, I…” he faltered. Twilight needed no more information. “And there’s something else, but I don’t want to you worry. Twilie, I’m so sorry to dump all this on you. I’m sorry, how was your trip? You hungry?”

“Hey big brother, you can’t tell me there’s something else and change the subject. While you’re spilling the bad news, tell me everything.” Twilight could see a hint of regret flash across Shining Armor’s face. The Captain of the Guard kept his secrets guarded unless talking to his sister.

“Just keep this under your hoof, okay?”

“Of course.”

“When I woke up this morning, Cadance was gone.”

Twilight’s spine suffered a chilling spasm. “Gone? What? Could Chrysalis …”

“No, no, we’ve been keeping tabs on her. It’s nothing like that. Last night, everything was fine. Normal. Wonderful, she’s really … well, this morning, she was gone. No sign of a struggle, she even,” Shining Armor’s voice began to crack, “she packed up some special…” he struggled to find words. “Oh sis, I don’t know.”

Twilight unwound her back hooves from the blanket’s remaining hold on her and moved forward to Shining Armor. She gently nuzzled her nose up to his neck, slightly comforted by his staunch resolve to not break down when faced by this multi-pronged crisis.

“Oh sis,” he whispered, “I don’t know what to do.”

“Maybe we should get that breakfast,” she offered.

“Yeah, I could do that. I have one thing to do first, meet me in the back garden in about twenty minutes. We can get some fresh greens by ourselves. It’ll be sweet. Honestly, I don’t feel like asking anyone to prepare food for me today.”

“Twenty minutes,” she repeated, “I’ll see you then.”

He left without another word and Twilight felt the weight of her situation settle back on her shoulders. Still tired from the sleepless night, she quickly made the bed, freshened herself up, and left the room with fifteen minutes to spare. The time was spent wandering the castle in a fog. The halls echoed with an unusual emptiness, eerie and lonely. Out of nowhere, and with a sudden pang of guilt for not having thought of them earlier, her friends galloped into her thoughts. How greedy she had been, how selfish! To sleep in a large, soft bed, luxurious pillows, hoof-woven blankets, and to suffer thoughts of a bad night’s sleep. Her friends were in cells, in prison, cold and dark. Were there even beds? She hadn’t seen the inside. Did Shining Armor know about those cells? Did he know about her friends?

No, he couldn’t. He certainly would have told her. Maybe. She decided not to bring up the topic, but she resolved to go see them soon. Not now, to skip out on her commitment would look suspicious. As it was, she couldn’t even properly explain to him how she got to the castle.

Before long she found herself in the back garden, waiting nervously for Shining Armor. She realized that she wasn’t far from the ominous portal she had traveled through the night before. Within five minutes, she could be standing there. Celestia had given her a memory spell, immediately transferring the knowledge of the location and the spell to use to open the hidden doorway. She could find it again, she could bring Shining Armor there. What would he do? He had just sent home several of his best guards today, obviously his loyalties were to Celestia. He would, of course, advise Twilight to stay the course and trust Celestia. He would never free prisoners, especially ones put there by Celestia’s command. Obviously, there was no reason to bother him with this matter with everything else on his mind. She would wait until after breakfast and visit them in secret.

“Twilight!”

She barely wasted a breath on a surprised squeal. “Hey big brother.”

“Sorry I’m a little late. Wow, would you look at that alfalfa? Man, I don’t know what the gardeners do here, but this fresh growth is so good. Some of the best food in Equestria!”

“Yeah, right after the apples from Apple Acres!” Twilight felt some guilt in saying this, not for her incarcerated friend, but because her only reason for mentioning Apple Acres was to see if she could startle a response out of her brother. If he knew Applejack was locked up, the mention of her homestead was sure to cause him to miss a beat.

“Oh yeah, you’ve told me about those before. You’ll have to bring a bushel next time you come. I hardly got any of the food at the wedding! I was pretty exhausted by the time those great treats hit the tables. Hey, follow me, there’s an open pasture of some amazing fescue this way. It really thrives in cold weather, and the evenings have been brutal up this way.”

Well, that was a lost cause. If he knew anything, his guard training would certainly prepare him for her inept interrogation techniques. She didn’t know what else to do besides ask him straight out or try to convince herself that he knew nothing. Since neither mindset would change her current course of action, she chose simply to believe in her brother. She followed him down a sloping hill, through a spinney of tall oak trees, and out into a pasture with grass every bit as sweet as Shining Armor has promised. They spent a leisurely breakfast there, grazing, joking around, mock racing, and for a few minutes Twilight let herself believe they were foals again.

Their joy was almost unbearable to Twilight, it was almost a compulsion that she bring them back down to Earth lest they both forget that they had actual responsibilities. “So,” she began slowly, reluctant to lose this one fleeting piece of heaven, “you don’t have any idea where Cadance went?”

She could see the shadow of his responsibilities seep back over him and at once she regretted asking the question.

“No. Nothing. I mean, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t me. I think there’s something at play here, something big and dangerous. If anything, I’m more bothered by her lack of explanation than the disappearance. She should be able to tell me anything, and if there’s trouble on the horizon, I want to be prepared.”

Fair enough, he didn’t know about his own wife, he probably didn’t know about his prisoners. Or he was lying about everything? No! Shake that thought from your head, Twilight.

“I’ve got to get back to the castle, kiddo. I’m a few guards down today to we have to pull some double-shifts. Got a lot of reorganizing to do and a tiny amount of time to do it. Race ya back!”

He took off like the bold fighter he was. Twilight was just able to keep up, but even if she could pass him she wouldn’t, it was exhilarating to watch him run. He glanced back at her and genuine smile played across his face as the wind whipped his mane out behind him. Moments later he proclaimed his victory and Twilight was sad to see the smile gently fade as the looming castle reminded him that he was no longer a colt free to run wild in the pastures.

They walked back through the garden with the delectable alfalfa, stopped for one last bite together, and Shining Armor excused himself back to duty with promises of a great feast later that night. He turned to face her, all vestiges of mirth completely departed.

“Twilight, I know you love your friends, and I respect that. Just don’t forget that I’m your brother. There aren’t many ponies I’d die for, but I would for you,” his sincerity cut her like a knife. “If I can do anything, I would do it for you. You know that, right kiddo?”

“Of course! You’re my big brother.”

“Right, yeah. It’s just, I’ve lived in Canterlot practically my whole life. I know the schedule of the Friendship Express by heart. There are no nighttime arrivals on weekdays.” He interrupted her as she started to open her mouth, “it’s fine, I don’t need to know what you’re hiding. I trust your judgment. Just know that you can tell me anything. Don’t tell me simply because I know you’re hiding it. Tell me if you think I need to know. Okay?”

She nodded, a lump in her throat preventing coherent speech. He trotted away, up a set of stone steps and into a back entrance of the castle. Fantastic, here she was trying to prod secrets from him, and instead she had given up her own.

Dismissing her frustration with herself, she locked eyes on the castle’s secret entrance, invisible from where she stood but so charged with emotional turmoil she could feel it beckon to her. Only a few hours ago she had led her friends through that entrance, two more ponies who trusted her, perhaps even more than Shining Armor did. Had she betrayed them? She was following Celestia, who certainly must know what’s best.

Celestia hadn’t specifically mandated that she keep away, though, and she did make a promise that she would come see them in the morning. Wait, did she actually promise? She couldn’t recall the exact phrasing of her commitment.

No, she said she would come for them, she had to honor that. Twilight emptied her mind of all rational reasoning to ensure she wouldn’t talk herself out of the mistake she was about to endure. After a cursory glance around to ensure she wasn’t being watched, she made her way to the thick overgrowth of trees, no less ominous in the light of day. She located the cobblestone path with ease and traced it to the solid castle wall.

Before she could succumb her looming doubts, she performed the portal spell with a feeble hope that it would fail. She was almost disappointed when the castle wall shimmered under the faint glow of her magic and gave way to the dark passage that led to her friends. If she had been unable to regain access, she could have explained to them later why she was unable to visit. An apology would have been preferable to walking down those steps again, to venturing deep into that horrid, dank space. The place devoid of hope, buried deep below the castle she loved so much.

The fog of regret and fear brought her through the passage, depositing her unceremoniously in front of the wooden door she remembered to contain Pinkie Pie, and she found herself unsure of how to announce her presence. Had her friends eaten? Might they still be sleeping, lost without the sunlight to guide them? She couldn’t hear anything, perhaps they had already been taken somewhere else, perhaps they were already in court with Celestia, clearing this matter up. The cells might be occupied by some other miscreant, best not to disturb them!

Twilight’s thoughts might have convinced her to leave without announcing herself, but a gruff and strangely familiar voice shattered the silence.

“Hey kid, sounds like we got some company.”

Then Pinkie, sounding more forlorn than any pony Twilight had ever heard, replied, “yeah, probably just a guard again. I won’t bug him, not after…”

She trailed off. No hints were forthcoming as to what a previous guard may have done. Twilight really wanted to run now, to escape, to see the sun again, she couldn’t breath down here! She nearly fled when another familiar voice caught her, holding her tight.

“Twilight? We almost thought you weren’t coming back. You gonna let us out now?”

“Applejack!” all thoughts of fleeing vanished. What cowardly notions were those, anyway? Twilight shook her head and trotted to the next cell over where the dim light in the hallway illuminated part of Applejack’s face in tiny window. The shadows must be playing tricks on her. Sometimes Applejack could get a little dirty working the farm, but her face looked awful. Twilight reared up gently, placing her front hooves on the door so she could be face to face with her friend. No, that wasn’t dirt, those dark patches were something far worse. “Applejack, what happened to you? Your face…” she couldn’t summon words to describe it.

“I fell down the stairs.”

“But … that’s not …”

“Twilight, I’m gonna put it to you straight. Pinkie ain’t doin’ well. I can’t get a shred of normal chatter out of her. You said we’d be here for a night and then we’d sort it all out in the mornin’. I can’t see the sun from here, but I reckon’ it’s gotta be morning by now. You’re here to let us out, right?”

“I haven’t seen Celestia today.”

“But you said there here arrangement was only for the night.”

“I know, I mean, I have to talk to Celestia first. Let me, um, I’ll go see her, okay? Right now, I’ll go see her. I’ll talk to her and then we’ll come down. I’ll come back.”

“Twilight, I ain’t doin’ so well either.”

“I know, Applejack, I’m sorry.”

“I ain’t gonna last here another night.”

“I know. Just let me try, okay?”

“You don’t understand. There’s something in this cell. I don’t know what it is, but it’s horrible. A feelin’. Something bad happened here. I won’t last another night.”

Applejack’s repetition of the ominous phrase ended with her extending her slender tan leg through the meager window. Twilight leaned in to touch it to the side of her cheek, the most comforting move she could think of.

“Please.”

“I’ll go to the Princess right now.” She turned and ran to the stairs, ignoring the strange, gruff voice calling from Pinkie’s cell.

“There goes Goodie Four-Hooves, off to save Equestria. Better ration your food, kid. We ain’t goin’ anywhere soon.”

Chapter Six - Family Values

Applejack stared at the door for a long time. She knew it was foolish to expect her friend to come bursting back through in just a few minutes. Even with Twilight in a hurry, running to Celestia, presenting her case, and getting permission to free them, it could take hours. In fact, how much sway did Twilight have over the Princess? Would she have to wait in line? However that whole fancy court system worked, it probably involved a lot more steps than just getting apples to market.

The musty air bothered her. There was no fresh produce to smell, no newly tilled soil to dig her hooves into, no sunlight to play warmly on her face. This dark room was so far from the outdoors. This might be longer than Applejack had ever gone without being outside. What time of day was it, even? They weren’t brought food at regular intervals, there was merely a dank supply of hay festering unceremoniously in one corner. The guards hadn’t even entered the cell except to reassure her that her efforts to break down the door were unappreciated. Her face was still tender from that visit. At least Twilight had noticed. As far as she could figure, Twilight was the only key out of this prison.

Prison. The word sounded awful to her, and the idea that she was stuck here brought up a fear she had been refusing to think about since uncovering those bones. No one was allowed to go onto those back forty acres of land, Granny had always made that clear. No one ever spoke of what might be out there, they were contended enough to leave it alone. What if the thing they uncovered was bad, what if they were going to be punished. What if no one was intending to let them out of here? Twilight was a good friend, but she was more a small-town pony every day. What if Canterlot had forgotten her?

The walls once again closed in on Applejack, the threat of never seeing the outside again made her heart pound, her breathing intensify. She leapt to her hooves to take some kind of action, anything, just to take her mind off of all the horrible possibilities.

Once again she circled the cell, examining the walls in another futile attempt to find a way out. As she slowly prodded at the walls, she felt that strange presence again. Her rabid imagination was inserting shadows into the dark corners. When she walked, she could hear whispers echoing alongside her hoof steps. As her imagination dominated her rational thought, a strange voice gurgled down the hallway, shocking Applejack back to reality. “Hey, you, the apple pony over in that cell. What’s your name?”

Another prisoner in the complex? Why hadn’t they said anything before? Applejack ran to the window, feeling a subdued excitement.

“Hello? Who’s there?”

“Oh, my name, you say. Well, what’s yours? And why do you perchance to favor a visit in my happenstance dungeon? Of darkness?”

Oh. The voice was raspy and bubbly, but the delivery was suddenly familiar. “Pinkie Pie, is that you?”

“Of course not AJ! That was Mr. Puddlesworth. He’s stuck in here with me and Rocky. They are just collecting the prisoners down here! Hey, so what did Twilight say? Will we be out in time for dinner?”

“Hones’ly Pinkie, I was hopin’ we’d be out in time fer lunch.”

“Well that would be impossible, lunch was hours ago. It’s four thirty-five right now.”

“Pinkie, how do you know exactly what time is it?”

“I don’t know exactly, it’s hard to keep track of seconds. All I know is it’s four thirty-five and something seconds. Maybe forty-two. That’s usually the answer. I have an internal clock! It’s never wrong, approximately, unless I forget to set it ahead after Winter Wrap-Up. Then I’m eating lunch at one in the afternoon, going to bed late, I don’t know what time Sugarcube Corner opens and closes, it’s chaos!”

“Uh, right.

“But we’re being rude. Mr. Puddlesworth wanted to come visit, can he?”

“Um, sure Pinkie. Why don’tcha send him on over?”

“Okay, he’s there.”

“Oh, well, howdy there, Mr. Puddle.”

“You have to address him. Look down.”

Applejack was disconcerted when a quick examination of the floor revealed a small puddle of water. Had it been there before? Did it just appear there? No, scratch that. It must have been there all along. She couldn’t remember specifically searching the floor, and this was a dank cell with moist walls. Of course there would be puddles. But how would Pinkie have known she wasn’t looking at it?

“Pinkie, are you messin’ around with me?”

“I always find life easier to understand if you don’t think about it too much.”

Without missing a beat, her voice became bubbly again, the sound a puddle might make if it were talking. Applejack felt a strange relief that the noise was clearly coming from Pinkie’s cell and not the puddle on the floor.

“Applejack, is it?”

“Uh, yeah. Applejack.”

“Applejack, do you love your family?”

“Well of course, puddle, I do love my family. More’n anything, I suppose.” She felt absolutely ridiculous, but at least Pinkie was interacting with her. The neighboring cell had been disturbingly quiet all night.

“Good, then listen,” continued the voice.

Applejack paused in anticipation of the forthcoming wisdom. After a few moments of silence, she ventured, “yes?”

“You love your family, right?”

“I do!”

“Then listen!”

Applejack waited a moment for the puddle to speak. Losing patience, she snapped, “well?”

“I said listen!”

“I am!”

“Not if you’re talking you’re not. I said listen!”

Applejack had to check herself before slamming a hoof down into the insolent puddle. It was just a puddle, and the voice was just Pinkie being silly. That filly possessed an amazing temperament to keep a light heart in awful situations like this. It was beyond Applejack’s understanding.

“Good. Glad you’re listening. Keep it up. I’m going back to see Pinkie Pie. Just remember, listen!”

Applejack didn’t stop herself, she raked her hoof sideways against the small puddle, dispersing it. “Pinkie, can you just come back down to solid ground for a second?”

“Oh, can’t talk now, Mr. Puddlesworth just showed back up.” sang out Pinkie Pie, followed by a quiet succession of gurgly conversation sounds. Applejack supposed that was the answer.

Listen. Listen to what? She’d rather keep bucking at that door, but didn’t want to risk another visit from the guards. What was the puddle telling her to listen to? When things got too quiet in the cell, she could hear her own breathing echoing from the closely confined walls, providing a solemn reminder of what stood between her and freedom.

Listen. There was nothing to listen to down here. Pinkie, nearby, mumbling nonsense to her rocks and water and whatever else she could find to talk to. A skittering noise, probably a rat or mouse, skulking in the darkness. Dripping water, a sound so constant it had faded into her subconscious. Some kind of rhythmic tapping, probably Pinkie tapping to herself.

The tapping. Like a hoof. A hoof on stone. That rhythm. Three short measured beats following by three in rapid succession. Tok…tok…tok. Tok-tok-tok. There was a long pause and then it sounded again. Three measured taps, three in rapid succession. The noise tugged at something, a memory buried deep inside Applejack. She closed her eyes, listened to the noise, tried to unearth the desperate familiarity.

Tok…tok…tok. Tok-tok-tok. It was nighttime, she was small, helpless, alone.

Tok…tok…tok. Tok-tok-tok. A figure towered over her. It lifted a dark hoof.

Tok…tok…tok. Tok-tok-tok. It started tapping near her face.

Tok…tok…tok. Tok-tok-tok. It was a code. He was talking to her. A glint of moonlight caught the side of his face and she saw into his deep emerald eyes. It was like looking into a mirror. It was…

“Dad!” she yelled. It all came back in a flash, bursting forth from her past. Her father was a stoic pony, a hard worker who rarely spoke. He always said goodnight in his special way, tapping out a message on her bedpost in the quiet of the night.

Tok…tok…tok. Tok-tok-tok.

I...love...you. Applejack.

It was how he said goodnight, every night. Until he disappeared.

“Dad!” The tapping was coming from the back wall of her cell. She leapt to the wall in a single bound, spun on her front hooves and slammed the rear wall with her back legs. “Dad! It’s me, Applejack!” The stone wall offered complete resistance. The door she had felt buckle and crack, but this stone was unyielding. Bucking it was pointless, but it didn’t slow her down. She hit the wall again. Was this the strange presence she had felt in the cell? Tears began to well in her eyes. “Dad! Can you hear me?” she hit the wall again, so hard that she felt something shift in her ankle. When her feet hit the floor, her left leg buckled and she faltered.

The pain was sharp, but not debilitating. She stood up and faced the wall, listening, almost unwilling to let reason regain control. What had she been thinking? Listen? What impractical advice. Now her ankle hurt, and for what? Stupid wall. Stupid tapping noise. Stupid block.

Probably the darkness was playing tricks on her, but it did look like one of those blocks was pushed in a bit. She closed her eyes for a minute, trying to clear her mind of whatever nonsense was affecting her. She wasn’t built for this, not for being underground, not for being caged up like an animal. She was losing her mind, just like Pinkie. She’d be talking to the rock next.

It moved.

She stopped breathing, eyes wide, staring at the block in the darkness. If she was going to lose her mind, might as well watch it happen.

It moved again. It was a large block, slightly bigger than her head, but no different than the other impenetrable slabs that made up the wall of her tiny room. But it was definitely, definitely moving. It didn’t make any sense, a solid buck could have shifted it, if there was hollow space behind, but it wouldn’t have kept moving.

Yet there it went, again and again. Small shifts, slowly edging away from her, creating a deepening hollow in the cell wall. She lifted up her front hoof and touched the rock, as if needing the reassurance that her eyes weren’t failing her. It continued to move in short bursts. She would have helped push if her hind leg weren’t starting to throb. Instead she watched, transfixed, her front leg reassuring her that the rock persisted in its forward motion, freeing itself from the wall.

The block gave way with a graveled crunch and a sound like clanking metal. Applejack was shuddering. A dim yellow light spilled through the new opening. She peered in, squinting her eyes, was that a shape, moving slowly? Something approached, a dark silhouette bringing with it the sound of dragging metal, clanking chains, and suddenly, through the void that previously held a solid chunk of stone, there was a face. A large red face with sparkling green eyes.

Applejack swallowed. “Dad?”

“Sis?”

“Big Mac? What in tarnation, what the hay, what, how … Big Mac?”

“Eeeyup.”

“How’d you find … What’re y’all, I mean, Big Mac? Is that you?”

“Eeeyup.”

Foolishly, but unable to contain herself, she asked, “Are you alone?”

“Eeeyup.”

“How did you find me?”

“No time. Old tunnels. Granny’s waiting. C’mon now.”

“Hold on a sec,” she galloped back two steps toward the cell door before being reminded of her hoof and nearly falling again. She couldn’t reach up on her hind legs to stick her face through the window so she yelled to her friend, “Pinkie! Pinkie, sit tight! Big Mac is rescuing us!”

“I don’t feel very rescued.”

“Just wait, there’s a tunnel behind the cells. We be there in a minute, jus’ hang tight darlin’!” she cantered back to the opening, took off her hat, and passed it through to her brother. “Big Mac, take this. I can just squeeze through but I think I busted up my ankle so I’m gonna need some help.”

With minor difficulty, she managed to reach her front legs into the hole, Big Mac helping her along, and together they slowly fed her body out of the cell and into the crisp air in the tunnel beyond. No sooner had her four hooves touched the floor next to Big Mac that they heard a commotion in the hallway beyond.

“The guards!” hissed Applejack. “C’mon, we gotta get that stone back in place before they spot it!” Big Mac supplied most of the heavy lifting, as they rapidly hoisted the stone off the hard floor and set it on the edge of the hole. Applejack noticed a thick metal loop attached to the back with a chain leading off. That must have been the metallic sound she heard earlier and explained how Big Mac was able to pull the stone straight out of the wall. It didn’t explain the existence of the tunnel, though, or how he had found her or why the … whoa there, girl. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Plenty of time for supposin’ later. Now they just had to get out.

The stone wasn’t pushed all the way in when they heard the slam of the large fortified cell door. They both froze in the darkness. They could hear loud, anxious voices. “Escape” and “prisoner” and “Celestia” were some choice words that echoed from the tiny cell.

She whispered to Big Mac, “we gotta get Pinkie out lickety-split, before there’s trouble!”

“Uh,” came the quick reply from the darkness.

The voices in the cell faded, there was a crash of the door closing again.

“Big Mac,” said Applejack, a little louder now that the immediate threat had passed, “Pinkie is in the cell next to me. We gotta get to her out before they come back. There can’t be much time!”

“Uh, the next cell?”

“Yeah, hurry, where do we go?” Big Mac had a small lantern set on the floor, casting a warm yellow glow on the walls. They were in a very narrow tunnel, dug straight up to the back of her cell wall. The chain from the block was hooked onto a harness he was wearing. It all looked old and rusted, a remnant from a time long past. This escape system had been used before. How did her brother know about it?

“Sis, there’s just this tunnel. Granny told me to follow it, maybe find you.”

“But.” Applejack felt a squeezing on her heart, “but, we need to get Pinkie out. We can’t leave her. The … the guards.”

“I dunno, sis.”

Applejack stared helplessly at the back side of the stone wall. The guards knew she was missing. She couldn’t just magically show up back in the cell. What would happen to Pinkie? “Open ‘er up!”

“Huh?”

“The stone, pull it out!”

Big Mac could never turn down his sister. With a single fluid motion he ran the length of the chain, pulling it taught, and the stone, already loosened, slid out so fast that Applejack has to jump backwards to avoid it. She climbed back through the hole to find her cell unchanged, an optimistic hope that the door would be open was quickly crushed. She ran to the small window and winced as she stood on her hind legs and spoke loudly through the opening.

“Pinkie! Pinkie, you there?”

“Of course, AJ. Been here all along.”

“Pinkie, Big Mac is here. There’s a tunnel, he can get me out.”

“Say ‘Hi’ to Granny Smith for me!”

“But, Pinkie, there’s only one tunnel. We … we can’t get you out just yet.”

“It’s okay Applejack. We’re fine here, we’ll wait.”

“We? Oh, uh, yeah. You and yer friends.”

“You’d better hurry, it’s a long walk back. I’ll be fine, okay? There’s lots to do here and I’ll probably see Twilight soon!”

Applejack backed up. Was this the right thing to do? Would her other friends have abandoned Pinkie like this? Well, obviously Twilight would, but would Rainbow Dash leave a friend in this place? Did Rainbow Dash even know they were here? Had Twilight told anyone else?

Distant hoofsteps broke her trance.

“Sis, we gotta go.”

She darted to the hole as quickly as her ankle would allow. She knew it was going to cause a lot of trouble, better get it splinted up as soon as possible.

Big Mac practically dragged her through and lifted the stone by himself to set it back in place. Applejack marveled at his speed and strength. She always considered herself to be pretty athletic, strong, and reliable, but Big Mac was so soft spoken it was easy to forget the power he contained in those massive flanks.

He pushed the stone until it was flush with the wall. They were alone in the narrow tunnel, both appeared dark gold in the dim lantern light. Sounds from beyond the wall barely registered with Applejack. She regretfully put Pinkie out of her mind. “What now?” she asked her brother.

“Uh, Granny knows.” With his teeth he grabbed a short stick attached to the lantern and started walking. Applejack had no choice but to follow. The tunnel had rough dirt walls with a few wooden supports, but only stretched on for about 50 feet before opening up into something far more majestic.

It was a cavern, unlike anything she’d ever seen. The ceilings disappeared into darkness, the meager lantern they held was unable to penetrate its depths. All around them the walls weren’t the coarse dirt of the tunnel, they were covered in crystals. Huge, magnificent gems protruded from every surface, reflecting a thousand small lanterns in their facets.

“What … what is this?” asked Applejack, lost in their darkened splendor.

“Dunno,” replied Big Mac, “ask Granny.”

“Is she here somewhere?”

“Eeeyup.”

“Big Mac, how did you know to tap on my wall? I mean, to tap out what you did? That I’d know it was you? Not you, but y’know.”

Big Mac didn’t answer. Applejack decided she had strained her brother’s talkative powers enough for one day and limped slowly along behind him, being careful to try and walk normally whenever he glanced back.

They walked for a while in silence, Applejack frequently glancing around at the jagged structures. They looked pretty useless, but she knew Rarity might burst a blood vessel if she knew something so faaaaabulous was down here. The caverns all looked the same to her but Big Mac seemed to know the way so she followed in silence. Her foot was starting to give her trouble she couldn’t ignore. She would have to get off it soon or she would be in serious pain. The crystalline caverns stretched on forever, but before she could convince herself to tell Big Mac to slow down, a shape rose up out of the darkness.

“You got her! Oh, you big beast, I knew I could count on you!” It was Granny Smith, looking exhausted. She still had enough fire in her when she turned on her granddaughter and spat out “at least one of my grandkids knows how t’ follow directions! Now c’mon!” She turned and started making her way through the jagged crystal structures.

Applejack was taken aback. Wasn’t she the one Granny should be happy to see? Still, her own safety was second to that of the friend she left behind. “Granny, I wasn’t alone. Pinkie was with me.”

“Well good, where is she?”

“She’s still back there, we couldn’t rescue her, Big Mac said there was only one tunnel. She was in another cell, next to mine.”

“Yeah, there’s only one tunnel, and them fellers probably know yer gone now. Leave it.”

“But Granny, Pinkie is still back in her cell!”

“Don’t you worry there, she’s fine. Smart lil’ cracker, that one.”

“Granny, it’s Pinkie Pie I’m talking about.”

“Yeah, that one really has a handle on things. She can take care of herself.”

“The pink one, Granny. The one who eats cake for a livin’. You’ve met her.”

Granny Smith spun around with surprising agility, “Consarn it young’un, don’t you treat me like I’m old and worthless! I know who yer talkin’ about. I know her parents, I knew her parent’s parents, and I know her. She’ll be fine, and if she isn’t, it's you to blame! You know we don’t go on the back forty. Never. Now get’cher self moving and not another word!”

Applejack fell in step but had too many questions nagging at her. “Granny, one thing I don’t get. How’d y’all know where I was? I mean, you never even saw me leave!”

The slow-moving shape stopped. Its head drooped down as if the question drained all its energy. “Cuz I been here before.”

“What, you were in this cell? Why didn’t you ever…”

“No, no, I weren’t in the cell. I visited the cell. Then I led the effort to dig the tunnels. To break ‘em out.”

“Who?”

“Don’t ask me to explain it now.”

“Who?”

“We gotta git yer foot bound, that’ll help the healing…”

Applejack lunged forward, cutting Granny Smith off in one decisive move, ignoring the sharp pain in her hind leg. She planted her hooves firmly in front of her grandmother, and with an audacity that should have been bred out of her at a young age, she glared directly into her eyes and demanded, “Who was in the cell, Granny?”

Granny Smith had tears in her eyes. She looked sad, forlorn, lost. Applejack was about to back down when Granny spoke.

“This was the last place I ever seen ‘em. I got to say goodbye, and then I planned to get ‘em out, but by the time we finished the tunnel, we was too late. The cell was empty. I didn’t want that to happen again to you. Not after they took my daughter and her husband. It was your parents in that cell. There, you got’cher answer, now you comin’ or what?” The old green mare gave a resolute snort and pushed past Applejack, stomping off into the darkness of the cavern.