Friendships Forgotten: Honesty Against All Odds
She was cold. She was hungry. She was tired. Most of all, she felt alone.
Applejack rolled over in the pile of hay and blankets that served as a makeshift bed. The hay was old and getting too dry, and it made her itch every time she moved. She shifted the blanket underneath her slightly, trying to keep it between her and the hay as much as possible.
She had just arrived in the barracks on the outskirts of the town of Gladhoof less than a week ago, having been sent as part of a small squad meant to replace the losses recently suffered in battle against soldiers of the Solar Empire earlier in the month. There were less than 30 ponies here in total, and most of the “buildings” were hastily constructed tents made out of tarps held up by branches.
She hated it here.
For all her weariness, however, she just couldn’t fall asleep. Three hours had gone by since she had first lain down on the makeshift bedding, and she was still wide awake. She sighed and rolled off the pile, stretching her legs as she stood. As she started to walk outside to get some fresh air, she took a look around at the other ponies in the tent.
The ponies all around her were all earth ponies, Applejack noticed. She hadn’t seen any pegasi or unicorns around the barracks since she arrived, and she knew that none had come with her when her small group got transferred here.
Shoot, Ah guess they’re needed more near Ponyville, she thought to herself. Since Luna’s gone and made that her capital, she’d want ta have th’ best magic defenses she can. Still, ah wish we had some sorta backup here. If’n the commander’s right, an’ there are Solars comin’ back this way, we’re not gonna fare well.
She didn’t know any of the other ponies that were stationed here. None of them came from Ponyville, and for as large as the Apple family was, not a single one of them were here either. Everypony here was tired, worn down, and seemed to just...not care anymore. They all just went about their routines. Eating, sleeping, training...the monotony of it was driving her crazy.
Exiting the tent, she looked up at the sky. Even though the two alicorn princesses were at war with each other, they both knew the importance of keeping the day/night schedule going. The night sky was filled with thousands of stars, each a little pinprick of light in Luna’s sky. Applejack stared into those points of light, and wondered how her friends were doing. She hadn’t seen any of them since the Lunar Republic’s secession, and she was starting to dearly miss all of them. Even Rarity, the snooty pain-in-the-flank, she thought.
As she walked outside the barracks' border into a small wooded area, she began to think about why she was even here to begin with. She wasn't a soldier pony, though she might be stronger or tougher than some of the so-called "soldiers" back at camp. She was just a simple farm pony, who got caught up in the fervor of the war declarations that she left home and went out to fight.
"What I wouldn't give to be back at Sweet Apple Acres, doin' some applebuckin'," she muttered to herself as she passed by a pair of large willow trees and stepped into a clearing. "That's honest work, not sittin' here, waitin' for somepony to wander by so we can kick the tar out of 'em. Not like this group's gonna pull that off."
The clearing was well-lit, the light from the stars and moon making it feel like a safe haven, protected from the outside world. She sighed and laid herself down on the soft grass, just listening to the sounds of the woods around her. This was peaceful, and comfortable, unlike those old hay beds back at the camp. "This is how an earth pony should spend her time outside," she said around a yawn that snuck up on her. "I'll just catch a wink of sleep here, then be back at camp for the mornin' hooey." She laid her head down beside her hooves, and was quickly asleep.
The first thing she noticed when she woke up was that it was rather bright out for the morning. The next thing she noticed was the single apple laid in front of her. Blinking and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, her still-waking brain began to process this information. She leaned forward and took a bite of the apple, chewed for a moment, then sat up completely straight and looked skyward.
"Aw horseapples, how late did I sleep? It's gotta be almost noon, and I'm gonna be in a heap o' trouble back at the camp!" She quickly stood, and took another glance at the apple on the ground. She decided that one more bite for the trip was for the best, then turned and ran off towards the barracks. It wasn't until she rounded the final tree and was within view of the camp that she noticed the smell.
Thick plumes of acrid smoke billowed up from nearly every tent and hay pile. Ponies lay bleeding, unconscious or dead, nearly everywhere. There were craters in the ground, most likely from unicorn battle magic. The entire camp was destroyed, and it looked like it had been done so very thoroughly. A single flag bearing the emblem of the Solar Empire stood in the center of camp untouched, obviously planted after the destruction had been finished. Applejack couldn't help but stare, her flank falling to the ground as her back legs nearly fell out from underneath her.
"What did they do? I don't see anypony that's not ours layin' here," she said quietly to herself. "They musta come in the middle of the night. Took us out quick." Her eyes began to water as she replayed the likely scenario in her mind. "Why would they go through all this trouble for just a little camp like this?"
A rustle in the brush on her left made her jump to her feet. She ran back around the tree she was standing near, crouching low to the ground behind its trunk. Did they leave someone behind to watch for ponies comin' back? she thought. A murmur of voices she didn't recognize moving towards the camp confirmed her thoughts, and once they had moved far enough away, she sprang up and broke into a run back into the forest.
If I go this way far enough, I should get near Ponyville in 2 or 3 days. I've gotta tell Princess Luna what happened. She needs to know, she thought as she ran. What coulda been so important that they had to blast apart an entire camp near a town like this for?
The smoke from the fires was finally starting to thin out as five unicorns in all-black bodysuits gathered near the banner that had been planted in the former camp. The masks they were wearing kept out the acrid air and the terrible smell, but it didn't prevent the sight of the devastation from getting through. Though they had been the ones to do this, it never seemed to get any easier.
"We searched the entire camp, milady. There was no sign of the target among the bodies," one with "III" embroidered on the flank of his suit stated in a business-like manner.
The one bearing "I" on their flank sighed through her mask and glanced around before speaking.
"That means she left before we got here. It's also likely that she's still alive. The reports said she was here less than two days ago, so she can't be far. I'm going to track her down, the rest of you report back to Canterlot. Inform Princess Celestia of the mission's result, and carry out whatever further orders you're given."
The other four unicorns saluted, then concentrated for a moment and disappeared in a flash. The lone remaining unicorn took one long, last look around at the camp and sighed again.
So much destruction...it must be stopped. Applejack, where ARE you? she thought, as a purple glow enveloped her horn. A set of ghostly hoofprints glowed nearby, heading into the forest. I hope you're alive, I need to talk to you!
She disappeared in a flash of purple magic, heading into the forest after the orange earth pony.