“…An’ then Ah woke up to find you standin’ above me with an empty bucket o’ water.”
Big Macintosh chuckled to himself as he remembered his sister’s rude awakening. Applejack only grumbled to herself, grateful for her brother bothering to wake them up but nevertheless annoyed with his methods. The two Apples were making their way back through town in the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about his sister once again willingly going into the most notoriously dangerous place within thirty miles, but as a brother he knew he would need to believe in her. She was one of the Elements of Harmony after all. She was a member of the six greatest mares since Princess Celestia herself. He was sure she’d be okay. If not, then he’d just have to find whoever it was that hurt her and teach them a lesson they’d never forget.
“But Ah’m sure we’ll be done in no time.” Applejack continued, “Twilight’s got the Elements so savin’ the Princess should be as easy as makin’ apple p–”
The red stallion stopped and turned when he noticed that his sister was no longer walking by his side. He saw her standing in mid step, her eyes locked with the crowd some short distance away. Even they seemed to be concerned with something. Behind them Big Mac could see what looked like two other ponies making their way forward as if it were a regular day – and every other pony was doing their best to give them a wide berth.
“That’s them!” Big Mac was a little startled at his sister’s sudden return to life. “Those are some o’ the ponies that kidnapped the Princess!”
His eyes returned to the crowd, where the two ponies had now become more visible. One was large and looked like he had just spent some time sweeping out a chimney. He wore a horned mask that covered his whole face except the two holes to allow his wide and bloodshot eyes to see, and on his back was what appeared to be a large sword made from the same material. Beside him was a much smaller mare. She looked maybe about Applejack’s age, but a few inches shorter. Her coat was a deep red like his and he couldn’t tell whether her mane was a dark brown or simply black. Around her neck was a metal collar like the one prisoners wore, and around each of her hooves were similar shackles. Two chains dragged across the ground from her back hooves. By far the most curious thing about the two was the lack of a cutie mark on either of their flanks.
“Hey you!”
Applejack began rushing forward before her brother had a chance to stop her. Even if he did, it was still too late. She had managed to get their attention, so there was no turning back now. He quickly made his way forward to stand by her side lest the worst come to pass.
“What did you do with our Princess!?” The country mare demanded.
The larger stallion gave no answer. He didn’t even appear to be phased by the fact that he was being shouted at by some mare on the street. The red mare, however, seemed to have a look of disgust on her face. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me…” she said, not even trying to hide her distaste.
“Are you listenin’ to what Ah’m sayin’?” Applejack pressed further. “Ah’m askin’ ya’ll a darn question!”
The mare sat down and tried to cover her ears with her hooves. She began to growl, trying to block out the sound of the orange earth pony. “Ugh, shut up! Will you please!?”
Applejack looked taken back, but her temper was slowly beginning to get the better of her. “Excuse me?”
“Just… Just…” She pressed her hooves back to the ground. “Have you ever just taken like… five minutes to listen to yourself? Because damn, your accent is annoying!”
Applejack deadpanned. There was a short silence between the two parties before she spoke again. “Big Mac?”
“Eeyup.” The older brother made his way forward, ready to defend his sister.
“Now Ah know that welcome parties are usually Pinkie’s thing, but whaddya say we show these two the good ol’ Apple Family welcome?”
“Eeeeyup.”
The red mare smiled before rather violently cracking her neck. “Bring it, bitch.” She looked over towards the one with the sword, “Hey, take your time with this one, Silence,” She grinned wickedly at Applejack, “I know I will.”
The one known as Silence simply nodded before walking off in a different direction. “Be careful.” Big Mac whispered to his sister before following after. After judging that there was enough distance between the two – by walking for what felt like a full five minutes – Silence finally came to a stop and turned to face the older Apple.
“We don’t need to fight, ya know.” Big Mac said in a calm tone. Silence did not respond. He simply reached behind himself and grabbed the sword. “Or Ah suppose we could.” Big Mac sighed heavily before stretching himself for a short time. Thankfully, Silence made no signs of attacking before he was finished. He supposed he could respect that.
“Well, Ah’m ready if you are.”
Silence nodded before quickly rushing forward. For a big stallion running on only three legs, he was fast. Certainly faster than Big Mac had initially thought he would be. He barely had enough time to jump to the right before Silence’s sword crashed into the ground with enough force for the red stallion to feel the vibrations in his hooves. He wasn’t given much time to recover before Silence was back in front of him, swinging wildly but with enough precision to keep the Apple dodging. While such a large weapon would normally have the drawback of being heavy and slow to swing, but Silence was quick on his hooves and had the strength to back up his swings. That and he was using the momentum of his swings to spin and be able to gain ground without having to use more energy to build up more force from a stationary position.
His strikes were quick but years of working on the farm had left Big Mac’s legs in excellent condition. He was quick on his hooves and that’s just what he needed right about now. All he had to do was keep out of the line of fire, practice a little patience, and then… There! Silence had brought his sword down into the ground again, meaning he’d have to lift it back up again in order to attack once more. Big Mac took the opportunity and spun around on his forelegs before throwing out a mighty kick. It wasn’t his full strength, since he had to react quickly or else he would lose his chance, but it was still enough to bring Silence on the defensive.
Silence reacted just in time, pulling his sword back and placing his other hoof against the side of the blade to brace his defense. The kick was enough to push him sliding back across the ground. Swearing he heard something, Silence looked down at the other side of the sword. His bloodshot eyes widened a little more when he noticed a crack in the material. His surprise was further shown by the way his head slightly cocked to the side.
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The farm mare waited patiently – it was a very reluctant patience, of course, but still patience – as the red mare across from her continued to stretch her legs and pop a joint here and there. By now at least half a dozen other ponies had gathered around to watch the coming events. Another full dozen observed the scene as well, but had opted to do so from the safety of their homes. They all remembered what happened the last time somepony made a jab at one of the Apples by insulting their accent. How long ago had that been? Three years, maybe? Those fools were probably checking out of the hospital by now.
“… Ya done yet?” Applejack said, starting to get a little annoyed.
“Hold on, I almost…” The mare continued rolling her shoulder until an audible pop could finally be heard. She let out a relieved sigh before smiling what seemed to be a genuine smile. “Ahh… Alright, all done.”
In a heartbeat the red mare was already practically on top of her. Applejack barely had enough time to back up before her opponent slammed both hooves into the ground where she had been just a moment ago. The stone that was packed into the dirt had visible cracks and even the ponies watching from the sidelines could feel the tremors created by such a blow.
Applejack looked shocked by the fact that such a pony could strike with such force all on her own, while she merely wore a smile that suggested she was already enjoying herself as she glared forward. Before the apple bucker had a chance to react, the mare swung herself around and kicked out, landing a blow that hit Applejack right in the jaw. The orange mare was sent soaring through the air until she collided with a nearby fruit stand. The wood bent around her, cradling the mare as apples and oranges and other various foods rolled away.
She shifted her jaw back and forth as she rubbed it. She had to feel sorry for all the trees in the Apple’s orchard, now knowing just what they had to go through when applebucking season came around. Finding it difficult to get back onto her hooves, she thankfully took the first hoof that offered a way out of the wooden trap. However, it wasn’t until she was already grasped that she realized just who’s hoof it was.
A quick strike caught her right in the side, causing Applejack to flinch in pain. She made a vain attempt to grab the red hoof that stuck to her side and looked up at her attacker with one eye open.
“Gotta keep those eyes open, Barnyard.” She said, still keeping that same smile that just begged for Applejack to try and take a swing at her. And take a swing she did, aiming right at the mare’s stomach. There wasn’t much room or time to make a blow truly effective, but it was enough for Applejack knowing she caught the mare off guard. However, she was quick to react. With a slip of her leg forward to push the farm mare off balance and a swing of her foreleg, Applejack quickly found herself slapped back onto the ground.
She smiled as she watched her foe try to prop herself up. She always did love butting heads with someone with at least a bit of resilience. “The name’s Fury, by the way.”
Applejack rubbed her cheek before spitting on the ground. “Applejack.” She muttered as she rose back up.
“Hm. Pleasure.” Fury bound forward once more, ready to strike down at her opponent just as she had tried before.
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Big Mac quickly dodged to the right as Silence’s greatsword swung in another attempt to strike him down. The crimson stallion was growing tired, which was putting him at a strong disadvantage in this game of endurance. Silence, however, was proving to be barely short of breath. Big Mac threw himself forward, catching the stallion in one of the few times he left an opening. Silence was of course thrown back by the force of such a ram, but like always he merely shook it off before returning to the fray.
He knew he wouldn’t last much longer against an opponent like this. If he could land another good kick then perhaps he could do some damage, but this was no apple tree. This was a pony who clearly knew what he was doing, and it didn’t take a genius to realize his mask and sword weren’t your average weapon and armor material.
All the evasive maneuvers had left the stallion in a tired, sweaty state. The tip of his golden mane became weighed down by this and fell into his eye. This disturbance was enough to make him flinch, which Silence immediately noticed and took advantage of. Big Mac had been so focused on avoiding his large sword that he never expected a left hook to hit him.
For a moment, Big Macintosh felt weightless. Everything seemed to stop save for the wind that blew around him. It almost felt nice if not for the slow throbs against the side of his jaw. And then suddenly all of the calmness fell apart. His body slid across the ground, kicking up dust. His eyes refused to open and his limbs ignored his commands to move. No matter how much he willed himself to get back up again, his body was content with getting its well-earned rest there on the ground.
The crowd looked torn between whether or not to help the poor stallion. Each and every one of them felt those wide, haunting eyes observing them just in case they would dare make a move to interfere. One brave pony that stood off to the side managed to shake off that fear and stepped forward to aid the fallen Apple, but the moment that step was taken the bloodshot orbs locked with his. His brain was screaming at him to run away but he didn’t listen. Another step.
A black spark shot out spontaneously from one of the horns on Silence’s mask. It was like lightening, arcing out in a jagged line. It stood alone, but was soon followed by another and another, quickly becoming more and more frequent as the two horns became connected like coils. In the center, right in front of his forehead the electric bolts came to form a ball of unstable darkness. Without any warning, the ball shot forward towards the stallion that dared come forward. It hit the ground just in front of him, causing a small explosion and sending him off his feet.
The seemingly distant sound was enough for Big Macintosh’s tired eyes to pull themselves open. He saw the plume of dust, and when it was cleared the sight of ponies running frantically was the new scenery. He couldn’t quite tell, but some of them seemed to be shouting something. Something about finding somepony, but who?
Beyond all the shouting and the sound of hooves scattering in different directions as ponies the way they tended to when danger presented itself. But from beyond all these sounds, even as they slowly faded away, one stuck out to him. One voice out of the crowd was enough to make his eyes snap open.
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Applejack’s entire body tensed up all at once. She had been making an attempt at holding town the furious crimson mare beneath her, and was somehow managing to succeed for the time being. But then she heard the voice of a filly that caused her to lose all concentration. “Oh no…” was all she could say, even as Fury managed to pull out from the pin and reverse it. Applejack was too slow to react and soon found herself pressed against the ground with the other mare’s force and weight being pressed against her to keep her down. Her right foreleg had been pulled back, and any attempt the Apple made at trying to escape was met with the response of immediate pain. She huffed, irritated that she had lost her momentary advantage over the other. However, that feeling was lost as she heard the voice again.
“Big brother!”
Both sets of eyes looked up as a little pale yellow and red filly with a brilliant crimson bow ran towards the fallen stallion with all the strength her little legs could give.
“Applebloom, stay away!” Applejack tried to shout to her younger sister, but it wasn’t enough. The little filly could hear nothing over the sound of her own heartbeat and her eyes were stuck on her brother. It was only too late that she noticed the black mass forming before Silence, its dark energy flaring out as it grew. Applebloom skid to a halt just a few yards from her brother, her eyes locking with that of Silence’s. She barely had enough time to take a breath before it fired forward.
“Applebloom, NO!!” Applejack could only scream as she struggled to break free, but Fury kept her pinned down. All she could do was watch.
The explosion came and the dust flew. Unlike with the first shot, this one was set to hit dead on and this time nopony came flying off their hooves. Applejack could already feel the tears that threatened to burst forward. She watched the dust, begging for the winds to come and blow it away and reveal just what had become of her little sister. An answer to her prayers came and the dust was blown away.
And there stood Applebloom, untouched save for a little dirt in her coat and mane… and just before her stood Big Macintosh himself. In less than a heartbeat he had picked himself up, throwing away all the exhaustion that threatened to bring him back down. His body was covered in dirt and bruises, but still there he stood: braced and with eyes burning.
“That not possible…” Was all Applejack heard come from Fury’s mouth. She didn’t need to turn around to know that mare’s jaw was almost on the floor. Taking advantage of Fury’s surprise, Applejack used her free hoof to grab the closest thing she could: a small rock. She chucked it as hard as she could, watching it arc high into the air before it hit its target. The little thing bounced off of Silence’s mask with a little thud; just enough to break the stallion out of his own surprise. Reacting to this little upset, his eyes immediately snapped towards where Fury and Applejack lay. It wasn’t much time, but it was all Big Macintosh needed. Using what strength he had left, he sprinted forward before Silence had a chance to turn his head back around. By the time his attention was brought back to the matter at hoof, it was far too late. Big Mac quickly spun around and bucked with all his strength.
The sound of Silence’s mask shattering could be heard all throughout Ponyville. All eyes in the area watched as the coal colored stallion was thrown back by the kick in seemingly slow motion. One could almost count the number of shards the mask had broken into before time resumed at its natural pace. Silence slid across the ground before coming to a quick stop. Nopony moved, not even he.
The first one to break the silence was Fury, who quickly jumped off of Applejack and sprinted to where her companion lay. She barely made an effort to stop, practically sliding across the ground in an effort to save time and get to him. She quickly brushed away and loose remnants of the mask before shaking him roughly.
“No, no, no no no…” She muttered frantically to herself. Applejack slowly made her way forward, unsure of what action to take. It didn’t take somepony with the eyes of an eagle to notice how panicked Fury was quickly becoming. Her chest rapidly moved back and forth as her heart rate skyrocketed.
Sneaking a look past the mare, Applejack considered herself lucky she felt so tired, otherwise she may have threw up a bit. Silence’s face was distorted and disfigured. His skull had apparently caved in slightly from Big Mac’s kick, but she was sure that it had been twisted long before that blow had ever been made. His face seemed flattened, and flappy tendrils of skin hung from his lips. They hung one with another, as if his skin had grown over his mouth and he had been forced to cut it just to ensure he could keep his mouth open.
“G-Goliath…” The mare’s voice was shaking just as she was as she threw herself on top of him, covering his face and bringing Applejack’s attention back, “Please… wake up…” Applejack tried to take a step forward, but Fury’s ears picked up on the sound despite her current state.
“Stay away from him…”
“Please, maybe we can–”
“I said,” Fury’s entire body tensed up as an essence almost like fire began to form around her. She turned around to face the farm mare, revealing that her eyes had faded behind a bright white light that wasn’t too dissimilar from the look she and her friends got whenever the Elements of Harmony came into use. “STAY AWAY!!”
The scream itself almost seemed to carry its own weight, as it caused Applejack to recoil back. A pressure could be felt on all of their bodies as the mare only grew angrier and angrier.
It was just then that a familiar voice entered the fray, earning a glance from both sides. Twilight and the rest of the girls were making their way towards the scene, Elements already equipped and followed by a few ponies that Applejack recognized from the crowd from before.
Fury cared not for them. She turned and grabbed Silence with a single hoof, easily pulling his larger body onto her back. Without a single look back, she fired off like a bullet in the direction of the Everfree forest.
As the distance between them grew, Applejack suddenly felt herself able to breathe once again. “Wait!” she said to the other five, who looked ready to follow after the mare that they had been informed was causing so much trouble. “Let ‘er go.”
“What? Why?” Rainbow Dash said, already debating with herself on whether or not to make the chase regardless of what her friend had to say.
“Enough has already happened. Besides,” AJ’s eyes turned to where a small group of ponies were helping Big Mac off the ground. It seemed that during the confusion he had collapsed once more, this time passing out for real. “The Princess is safe, wherever she is… and right now, somepony needs me just a little bit more.”
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Princess Luna shivered. She tried to curl into herself more to combat the cold, but it did little to help. She had finally achieved sleep in the desolate wasteland that surrounded her, but she found no comfort in her dreams. All that seemed to exist here was nightmares.
Her posture relaxed slightly as a red shroud was draped around her body. Her breathing steadied, and that was enough for Relinquish. He gently ran his hoof through his Queen’s starlight mane, “Don’t worry, my Queen… soon this will all be over, and you’ll be back to your old self in no time.”
He sat there quietly for a moment, simply taking pleasure in finally being able to see the one he adored and admired so very much once more. Bending down, he pulled the shroud a little higher up the Alicorn’s body. “I do apologize for not finding something more suitable… little is left of the city and it was all I could find. But soon things will be back to normal.” He looked down and frowned a little when he saw the streaks that stained Luna’s beautiful blue coat just beneath her eyes.
“I know this is hard for you… and it pains me to have to resort to this.” He gently brought his face near to hers and lightly kissed her forehead, making sure to be careful not to touch her horn lest it disturb her sleep. “Soon you will be the Queen we all swore to follow once more… and I will be there right at your side. Always… and forever.”