//------------------------------// // Celestia's bastards // Story: The Changeling empire // by red reaper //------------------------------// Pinkie, Fluttershy and all of the resistance of Everfree were under the mercy of Celestia’s bastards, the most dangerous mercenaries and bounty hunters in the changeling empire, led by the fearsome, Applejack. The bastards took their captured ponies to their base. It was a big cave in the mountains. The camp was filled with some ponies, griffons, diamond dogs, dragons, and yaks. All laughing, drinking cider, and competing with each other.. Pinkie and Fluttershy were tied up and they brought to the captain cabin in the top of a hill in the cave. The cabin was filled with gold, animal heads, and weapons, from guns to arrows. “Feel at home,” Applejack smirked at the Pinkie and Fluttershy as she took a cider from a closed treasure chest, “Drink something, if Eclipse will buy yah, it will be yar last drink.” “So,” a blue unicorn with white mane entered the cabin, and asked Applejack, “What you brought us today?” “A bounty, Trixie, " Applejack answered the blue mare, “And ah believe Eclipse would give us a good amount of bits for them.” Trixie smiled to the sound of good bits, but fear was in her to the sound of Eclipse. “Hey boss!” a female griffon with brown and white feathers called for Applejack, “The Crusaders are here, with two mares.” “What have ya done, Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked herself and she turned to the griffon, “Bring them, Gilda.” Gilda nodded and she signed the three fillies to come in with a purple unicorn with a purple mane and a lavender alicorn. Pinkie and Fluttershy gasped to see their friends again, and Trixie smiled and ordered the diamond dogs to capture the two. “Well, it seems your sister and their friends finally got something good,” Trixie looked at Twilight. “What do ya mean?” Applejack asked as she drank a cider and gave one to the three fillies. “This alicorn has a price of 2,000 bits on her head.” Applejack smiled as the fillies dropped their drinks and looked at Applejack. “Sis, we cannot send them to Eclipse,” Apple Bloom shouted. “Why is it?” Trixie asked. “Because they could change what happened,” Sweetie Belle said, “They can turn back time and stop this war before it ever happened.” There was a silence in the room until Trixie started to burst in laughter, and after her, the diamond dogs, Gilda, and Applejack laughed. “Ya can’t trust everything someone tells ya, girls” Applejack wiped a tear of joy out of her eye, “Now Trixie, go write a letter to the General, and tell him that the alicorn is here with us.” Trixie nodded and she and the dogs left the cabin. “I can do this,” Twilight proclaimed. “So if ya can time travel, why haven’t ya gone from here already?” Applejack asked as she ate an apple. “Because I need my table, to travel back.” “So, and where the table is?” “I don’t know.” “So, even if ya can travel through time, ya can help us, because the table ya used it to time to create this ‘time spell’ is in an unknown place.” “Actually, the unicorn next to me, Starlight, cast the spell,” Twilight smiled nervously. “Thank you for throwing me under the train,” Starlight said to the alicorn. “Well, That’s true!” “Ah heard enough,” Applejack stopped the two mares, “Ya’ speaking nonsense, whoever ya’ are, ya important to Eclipse, and ah don’t wanna do anything against Eclipse.” “Sis!” Apple Bloom shouted, “Ya’ can’t do that!” “They can return Equestria back to days before Chrysalis and her general!” Scootaloo stood with her friend and defended the alicorn and unicorn. “They can bring back Rarity!” Sweetie Belle cried. “And Rainbow Dash!” “And Big Mac, And Granny!” Those four names made Applejack stop in her place, and tears threatened to leave her eyes. “Is it true?” Applejack asked Twilight, “Can ya’ bring them back?” “Yes,” Twilight answered, “We can bring them back.” Applejack nodded and she took Apple bloom’s knife and she cut down the ropes that held the two mares.