Equestria: Underground Assualt

AJ sighed, laying in her bed stretched right out. 'Somehow, something just don't feel right around here.' She should've gotten suspicious when Apple Bloom had awoken her big sister with scrounging around, looking for something for some reason of other. Normally, the Apples' family home would've been filled with snoring, but there wasn't any coming from anywhere, not even from ol' Granny Smith's bedroom.

Something was wrong, and the whole family could feel it. Applejack could say that it was simply Apple Bloom was still out of bed and we were waiting for her to return to it, but no. This feeling felt a bit worse than a filly being out of bed. It was a bit like Pinkie Sense in a way. Somewhere on the farm, something was wrong. They knew that much.

Earth Ponies were tied to the earth, much more than the Pegusi and Unicorns will likely ever know. More than some earth ponies will find their special talents in dealing with the earth somehow, likely growing a certain type of crop better than any other pony. With Earth Ponies and farms, it's like they feel that something's happening. Certainly would be useless if they didn't get out of bed to check on it.

Applejack sighed again, this time sitting up on her haunches. Surely, a quick look around outside would end her anxiousness, but her first check would be on her little sister, Apple Bloom's room. If she's not in there then she'll likely be outside somewhere, quite possibly with the other two Crusaders.

Much to her chargin, Apple Bloom's bed was untouched from the morning. Exasperated, AJ trotted outside quickly, eager to be back into her bed, which she could swear was calling for her to come back. "Apple Bloom! You better come back to bed!" No answer. "Ah mean it, Apple Bloom! I'm sick and tired a'-" AJ paused, catching the scent of something that shouldn't be there. The usual smell ould be earth and apples only, but that was the smell of- "Smoke?"

The acrid tang awaken her senses and quickly looked around, seeing a bright orange glow coming from the wrong side of the world. There was no doubt about it. There was fire a growing fire... coming from the Clubhouse... where the Crusaders should be if Apple Bloom was up this late.

From Applejack's point of view, everything afterwards past by in a superheated blur. She remembered galloping towards the Clubhouse, screaming blood murder and very well waking up everyone on the farm. She remembered breaking down the door and rushing in, feeling like she was already getting bad burns just being near these accursed flames. But she certainly did not remember falling unconsious as a result of inhaling too much smoke of the clubhouse.

She didn't know how long she'd been out, but the farm was in flames by the time she had come around.

Jumping up, Applejack had stumbled towards the Sweet Apple Acres, only to be held up in a light purple glow and pulled back away from her burning home, her lively hood, her family. A voice reached her ears as if it was trying to comfort the distressed farmer but she just yelled back. "That's my sister in there! I can't let her die!"

Next thing she knows is a sharp prick in her neck, and everything is black.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Applejack heard the alarm clock, but she didn't feel like moving to turn it off just yet. Times like this, she just hopes that alarm would just quit it's job and stop, and it does not stop unless somepony breaks it "accidentally".

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Would it just stop that infernal beeping already? AJ tried opening her eyes, but she was just too groggy to try and move. And her muscles hurt much more than usual. 'Musta just overworked ma'self again.' She figured.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Okay, now that's just getting annoying. Attemping to lift her forehoof was hard but then she wished she hadn't. Pains she hadn't felt before shot up and down her legs as she let her hoof back down gently as she could. Now she was becoming more awake.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

That sure wasn't from bucking apples too much. What happened yesterday? Certainly nothing unusual, that's she was certain of. But what about last night?

Beep. Beep. Beep.

It was foggy sure, but AJ was determined, even with her memories. Highly unlikely that she had druken too much cider and gotten into a fight. She wasn't about to fight anypony soon, that's for sure.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

'Come on, Applejack,' She said to herself mentally. 'Can't be that hard to remember somethin' from last night.' Searching from her senses, she found a smell about herself. What was it?

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Smoke? Now she was getting worried. Where there's smoke, there's fire. But it seems fairly weak, plenty of time to get away. That is, if somepony would just get her outta there. What if... what there wasn't anypony there to save her?

Beep, beep, beep.

Shouldn't she be in Sweet Apple Acres, with Granny Smith calling from downstairs in the kitchen to move her caboose by now? No, there was something more.

Beep, beep, beep.

She definitely felt the "Earth Pony" Sense last night, and was worse than the usual signals that had came with it. Pinkie Sense in a way, but it was more of an instinctual need to protect the land.

Beep, beep, beep.

Come to think of it, that wasn't an alarm clock either. It sounds like one of those hospital things.used to measure your heartbeat.

Beep, beep, beep.

Put this straight here. Smoke, hospital, and it hurts when AJ tries to move, like she was burned all over. Smoke means fire. Fire means burns, possibly serious. Serious burns mean the hospital.

Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep

Sweet Apple Acres was on fire last night. And here she was knocked out for who-the-buck knows how many days in a hospital. Surely, everypony made it out okay.

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

They would've saved everypony right? Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom and Winona. Granny Smith would've been dragged out by Big Mac, Winona could take care of herself but Apple Bloom.... did she...

"I think she's awake, Nurse Redheart. Her heartbeat moniter was speeding up, but it seems to be slowing." Nurse Redheart? Oh, the resident nurse. No doubt she wasn't expecting a catastrophe. Ponyville was an exceptionally ordinary town, with little to no crime at all. The fire could've been an accident after all. But then there's those three fillies, innocent as they are, they are still foalish enough to play with fire. But there would be dire consequences for Apple Bloom when AJ gets her hooves on her.

"Ah, Applejack. You have no idea how glad I am to see you. I am sorry it had to be under such a dire situation." That's what I woulda... Dire situation?

"You can't move unless if you want to exprience pain from those burns you have there." Well duh. I'm no doctor, but even I know when I can't move. but I do have one question to ask.

"Did... did my family get out? Safe?" This had gotten some silence for a few moments. At first, I thought I was the only one who made it. But I wish I didn't ask.

She sighed, as if she didn't want to say, but consented anyway. "Almost all of your family members made it out safely and few minor burns, Granny Smith and Big Macintosh should be fine and good as new in a few days. Your dog, was singed in a few places but her fur will grow back. Apple Bloom, however... we couldn't find her anywhere, along with the fillies Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle."

I could've started crying right there, but it seemed I was bandaged right to ears to my hindhooves. Explained what tightness I was feeling anyways. Somepony had walked in at that point and requested, no,downright ordered Nurse Redheart to get out of the room along with everypony else. To my surprise, they complied.

"Can I help you?" Sounded appropriate, and I had managed to squeeze a weary chuckle from whoever was in the room with me. Unfortunately, this pony was all business.

"Miss Applejack, my name is Ferret Flatfoot, Private Investigator from Marabama. I was in Canterlot looking for any cases-" why would you go and look for crimes here? It's outside of Central Equestria you want to look at. And Marabama? That's quite a ways away to just be looking for work, especially in the most crime-free place on this planet too. "-when I heard about the fire at Sweet Apple Acres. I'm sorry for you're loss, but your sister doesn't seem to be anywhere."

I sure hope he isn't saying what I think he was going to say. "Along with those two fillies; Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle I believe? The local blankflanks, last in their class to not have a cutie mark? Wouldn't you say that the three would go for the most dangerous roads to get a cutie mark? Legally, they've been almost over the line. But we have reason to believe that it was Arson, and it was those three fillies that caused total destruction of your farm."

Total... destruction? Everything really was destroyed in the farm?

"I know it is so much to take in, but it is suspicious to say in the least, that nopony's bodies remained." So she wasn't dead. But why do I feel a cold dread? Surely... they could've just been playing with fire.

"I know you think they were playing with fire, but then, the fire could've just destroyed one or two fields of your farm, wouldn't it? Recent tests have resulted that the fire was triggered by gasoline and possibly a fire spell or flint. Lots of gasoline surrounded by hundreds of trees and some sort of spark to light it, would be a death sentence in the hands of innocent fillies. What if they had succeded and earned their cutie mark that way, by being arsonists?"

It can't be true, it just can't! My sister would be a known criminal throughout Equestria, she would be on the run forever!

"I'll go over what evidence I have and look around Ponyville some more. I'm sorry about this whole situation, but it's my job to look over all the possibilities, no matter how far-fetched they seem. Should your sister and those fillies be found guilty... they'll be hunted down to be brung to justice. And you know the law. Criminal activity is to be punished severely for an example." With that, he left me alone with what I just heard.

It was true that those three fillies were going to cross the line with the law sooner or later, but as her big sister, she would've put a stop to that before it had gotten so far as that. But she had failed to see what lengths they would go to get their cutie marks. Had she just failed her sisterly duties?

And the more she thought about what Ferret said, the more it seemed plausible. Feeling drowsy, she relaxedd and slowly fell asleep, wondering why. "Why?" AJ mumbled out before blackness slowly enveloped her.