//------------------------------//
// Episode 12: "The Wicker Mare" 
// Story: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 12 
// by twilightsparkle3562 
//------------------------------//

…

…

Applejack took great pride in her work of running Sweet Apple Acres with the rest of her family. The apples they planted were the sustenance of Equestria and anypony or anycreature seeking apples came to them. That was because they were naturally planted and eventually grew into the apple trees that they were known for. "There," She sighed, wiping sweat off of her face as she stepped back from planting an apple tree. "More than enough to join the other trees."

One of Applejack's royal guards was admiring her work. "So, this is what you do for your non-royal duties, your highness?" He inquired, bending down and briefly touching the soil. "Planting apple trees? No princess I have heard of has done this."

"Well this here princess takes great pride in the work, Sgt. Howler," Applejack proudly replied. "All the trees we plant are nothin' short of natural growth."

Just then, Rarity approached the two ponies while wearing one of her outfits from the time Trenderhoof visited Ponyville, pulling a cart filled with apples behind her. "Oh, Applejack, darling," She remarked while taking a look at one of the white boots on her hooves. "All those trees you wanted bucked are devoid of apples. Although I must admit that I don't think my boots can do any more."

"Now Rarity, you came here to help me and the family out in the orchard, not to admire your outfits," Applejack pointed out. "Granny Smith always said that we all have to get roughed up sometimes to accomplish somethin'."

"Easy for you to say," Rarity muttered. "I happen to be a princess of Equestria. I strive to always look my best no matter what I do. With an outfit like this I came prepared, I just wasn't expecting the work to be so difficult," Rarity then looked over Applejack's shoulder and saw Sergeant Howler standing behind her. "Who is this guy?" She questioned.

"This is Sgt. Howler," Applejack answered, beckoning him to come forward. "He's one of my new guards. Sergeant, meet Rarity, the Princess of Generosity."

The young earth pony took deep notice of Rarity and her beauty, but stood steadfast. "Nice to meet you, your highness," He declared, taking Rarity's front foreleg and was about to kiss it when Applejack cleared her throat loudly. Turning around, Howler was reminded that he needed to be professional. "Oh, sorry, your highness. No offense."

At that moment, the two mares turned around and noticed something. "Hmm, it's been a while," Applejack remarked. "Our cutie marks are glowin'."

"And what does that mean?" Howler asked.

"It means either the map or Twilight is summonin' us for somethin'," Applejack firmly answered. "We'd better get to the Castle of Friendship right away."

"But what about…?" Howler asked, wondering about the apples.

"My family can take care of them, Sergeant!" Applejack replied. And then with their cutie marks glowing, Applejack and Rarity proceeded to the Castle of Friendship to find out what was happening.

…

…

Racing to the Castle of Friendship, Applejack and Rarity made their way into the throne room where Twilight and Spike were waiting for them.

"We came as soon as we felt our cutie marks glow, Twi," Applejack panted. "What's goin' on?!"

"A pony went missing/" Spike replied, causing both Applejack and Rarity to gasp sharply.

"Who? Is it Apple Bloom?! She's supposed to be back at the farm!"

"Is Sweetie Belle in danger?!" Rarity cried. "Because if she is…"

At that moment, the door opened to reveal Tempest Shadow with a male pegasus pony dressed in a black shirt and glasses behind her.

"Captain Tempest," Twilight spoke up. "Have you gotten a description of the missing pony yet?"

"Yes, it's a pegasus filly with glasses," Tempest answered, allowing the male pegasus to step forward, causing both Rarity and Applejack to be surprised at what they were seeing. "And this is her father."

"Wait a minute," Rarity gasped in realization as she recognized the stallion. "Nightjar?"

The male pegasus turned to Rarity with a deeply worried look on his face. "Princess Rarity, thank goodness!" He pleaded, getting down on his belly and looking up at her with worry in his face. "My baby! Zipporwhill! She's missing!"

"Missing?!" Rarity gasped! "How could she be missing?! Where is she?!"

"She just disappeared…in the night," Nightjar cried in dismay. "I went to wake her for school…and she was gone! Her window was open!"

"Sounds to me that she was kidnapped," Twilight declared, directing everypony's attention to the map. "There's been a spot not far from the Hippogriffs' kingdom that we have been watching very closely for suspicious activity."

Twilight then pointed towards a small town on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.

"Wait, there's a town near the Hippogriffs' kingdom?" Applejack asked. "How come we never heard of it until now?"

"Perhaps they were under a spell or something." Rarity guessed.

"Zipporwhill was most likely taken to this town," Twilight instructed. "Nightjar, do you know of anypony who you had close contact with that might want to harm Zipporwhill?"

The traumatic father was taken slightly aback by this questioning. "How can you ask me that?!" He cried. "All the ponies I know would never do such a thing!"

"It's only standard practice, Nightjar," Twilight instructed, placing a hoof on his before turning her attention to Tempest. "We're only trying to get an understanding of the situation. Any leads at all will be a big help. Captain Tempest?"

The broken horned unicorn saluted her superior upon being acknowledged. "Yes, your highness?"

"I need you to go and look for any tracks around Nightjar's house," Twilight ordered. "If we're dealing with a kidnapping then time is of the essence. And if you see anypony around the house acting suspicious, bring them in for questioning, is that clear?"

"Yes, your highness." Tempest answered.

"Good. Now place guards around Nightjar's house and await further instructions." Twilight told Tempest. "It's possible the kidnapper left a ransom note or something similar, so have guards inspect the scene of the crime carefully." Saluting, Tempest left the throne room. Once she was gone, Twilight turned to her friends and Zipporwhill's worried father.

"What happens now?" Nightjar asked worriedly.

"I'm placing you under intense security," Twilight said. "If the kidnappers come back, then they will more than likely go after you. Rarity and Applejack, I need you to go investigate this village near the Hippogriffs' kingdom. It's been on the radar for a while, many suspicious kidnappings have been occurring since it popped up. We have reason to believe there's a connection."

Taking the challenge assigned to them, Applejack and Rarity turned to leave the throne room only to be stopped by Sergeant Howler. "Wait!" He cried. "I'll go with them. They will need protection."

"Are you sure about that?" Rarity asked. "I can assure you that we…"

"It's standard protocol, Rarity," Spike advised. "Besides, Sergeant Howler can prove his worth on this mission just like Gallus proved his worth recently."

Taken slightly aback by Spike's suggestion, Rarity followed Applejack out of the throne room, and soon the two princesses were on their way to the mysterious village.

…

Aboard the friendship express, Applejack immediately began questioning the train's conductor for any clues related to Zipporwhill's disappearance.

"Well, Princess Applejack," The conductor began as he collected the other passengers' tickets. "I may have seen a kidnapped pony, but…"

"-It's really important, sir," Applejack interrupted. "Whoever these kidnappers are they may have taken this train. Do you recall any suspicious passengers on board this mornin''s train to Mount Aris or anywhere close by?"

"I started in the midmorning I'm afraid. If I'd heard anything, one of my fellow conductors would have heard it too," The conductor replied. "I've heard this train's been making a lot of stops near Mount Aris lately, but I've never been around when the stops are made and due to war time restrictions some stops are kept secret for military purposes."

Reaching the front of the car, Applejack prevented the conductor from leaving. "Um, beg pardon, your highness," The conductor gulped. "I do need to get back to my duties."

"Just one more question," Applejack asked. "Are there any conductors doin' the mornin' runs that you know of? Maybe we could ask them if they've seen anything."

"Well, I do have a colleague doing the Ponyville-Mount Aris run until sundown," The conductor answered. "In fact, his train should be arriving around the same time as this train. Now, if you'll excuse me, your highness…"

"Of course." Applejack nodded. Letting the conductor go, Applejack returned to her seat next to Rarity, who was now wearing her Shadow Spade attire.

"What did he say, Applejack?"Rarity asked while applying makeup to her face. "I have a hunch this is a mystery only a detective like Shadow Spade could solve."

"All he said was that there was another conductor workin' the route between Ponyville and Mount Aris," Applejack answered. "So it seems like that conductor could have seen Zipporwhill and her kidnappers if they came by train. Seems unlikely they'd be able to cover their tracks if they went by hoof, even if they were flyin'."

Sighing deeply, Applejack sat down with a worried expression on her face.

"Is something the matter, Applejack?" Rarity asked.

"Of course there's somethin' wrong," Applejack moaned. "I mean…this could have been Apple Bloom. How could anypony do such a thing, especially now of all times when we've got a war to win?!"

"Look.. uh," Sergeant Howler inquired. "I don't mean to interrupt but, could there be a ransom involved? Most kidnappers would leave a ransom." This caused the two princesses to look up at him.

"What makes you say that?" Applejack asked.

"I used to work for the Baltimare police department and we used to average about ten kidnappings a year," Howler explained. "Lots of rich ponies live there. Fortunately, we always managed to get the victims back home safe and sound."

"And what of the kidnappers?" Rarity pondered.

"Their sentences ranged from life imprisonment to execution depending on the crime committed." Howler answered.

Just then, the train pulled to a stop at the Mount Aris train station just as the other train was pulling in. "That must be it," Applejack whispered as she looked out the window. "Come on!" She ran to the other platform, bypassing passing ponies and hippogriffs as Rarity tried to keep up.

Approaching the Ponyville bound train, Applejack approached the conductor. "Excuse me!" Applejack called.

"Do you have a ticket?" The young conductor asked.

"No, but we need to ask you some questions," Applejack replied as she gestured to herself and Rarity. "We're investigating the kidnapping of…"

His eyes widening, the conductor motioned for Applejack, Rarity and Howler to follow him to a hidden room at the end of the station. Closing the door, he motioned for the two princesses to listen closely. "Is it about that pegasus filly I've been hearing about?" He asked.

"If her name is Zipporwhill, yes," Rarity answered in a hushed voice. "Do you know who the kidnappers are? Did you get a good look at them?"

"I don't know their names," The young conductor nervously answered. "But I do know that they were whispering about sacrificing a pony to preserve their apple trees."

Almost immediately, both Applejack and Rarity felt their eyes widen in shock!

"Sacrificing?!" Rarity gasped. "But why?"

"I don't know! They were just saying that they plan to sacrifice somepony to a so-called…wicker mare." The conductor explained.

"Did they say anything else?" Applejack asked.

The conductor nervously answered. "Only that they're happy to be freed after disappearing for over a thousand years."And both Applejack and Rarity realized that time was now of the essence!

"Did you see where they went after they got off?" Applejack asked.

"They headed towards their village, due south of here on the edge of a cliff." The conductor replied.

"Then we've no time to waste!" Applejack firmly declared. "We're not going to let Zipporwhill be sacrificed for anythin'! Not on our watch!"

…

…

Departing the train station, Applejack, Rarity and Howler proceeded towards a lonely road going down towards the village.

"Applejack, look!" Rarity cried, causing the princess of honesty to turn back around. "In the dirt, do you see what I see?"

Looking closely, Applejack studied the tracks and saw what appeared to be hoof tracks that started normal, but one of them suddenly became a dragging line. "This is definitely the tracks of a filly," She concluded, looking down towards the village at the edge of an oceanside cliff. "They've must dragged her here."

"What should we do, then?" Rarity cried. "I can't imagine that poor filly and what she's going through."

Not wanting to waste any more time, Applejack proceeded to follow more of the tracks towards the village.

Keeping a low profile, the two mares and stallion quietly followed the tracks towards the edge of the village. Peaking out of a bush, they saw what appeared to be ponies dressed in costumes.

"What are they doing?" Howler asked in a whisper.

"Do you suppose they're celebrating Nightmare Night?" Rarity pondered.

"I don't think it's Nightmare Night." Applejack whispered back in a gulp. Gesturing to Rarity and Howler, Applejack then proceeded quietly towards another bush. But as they did so Rarity was stunned to see what was down the end of the village: A giant pony made entirely of wood.

"Applejack, look!" Rarity cried as she directed Applejack to look at the giant wooden pony. "Do you see that?!"

Applejack snatched a pair of opera glasses out of Rarity's coat pocket and looked closely at the giant pony of wood. Right away, she got a sickening feeling. "Oh my Celestia!" She gasped before once again pulling Rarity and Howler out of the bush. "I've got a feelin' that what the conductor said is true about these ponies! Rarity, can you send a message to Twilight?!"

"Applejack…" Rarity began in dismay.

"Tell her that this village is planning to sacrifice Zipporwhill inside a wicker pony," Applejack ordered. "Tell her that now!" And then she turned her attention to one of the small houses inside.

"What are you going to do?" Rarity asked.

"I'm going to get Zipporwhill out of here!" Applejack answered, moving quickly towards the house much to Rarity's confusion. "But first…" Approaching the house, Applejack positioned herself against the wall of the house in an effort to keep herself hidden from the occupant.

Just then the door opened and an older gray earth pony wearing a clown costume stepped out of the house. Acting fast, Applejack smacked the pony in the back of the neck, causing him to fall down the stairs and knocking him out cold, much to Rarity's shock!

…

Grunting, Applejack dragged the pony back inside the house and a few moments later, went out the back door of the house dressed in the clown costume. She proceeded to blend in with the crowd as they sang and danced while moving towards a small stage where the costumed ponies were gathering. Trying to dance with the crowd, Applejack struggled to move like the other ponies were and ended up bumping into a few of them."Oops, sorry." Applejack said in a disguised gruff voice.

Meanwhile, Rarity managed to finish up sending the magic message to Twilight as Howler stood guard by the bushes. "Okay, that should do it," She sighed. "Now what?"

"Supposedly, we wait for Princess Applejack to rescue the filly," Howler answered "Until then…" But suddenly the sounds of movement were heard, catching the two ponies' attention! Without warning, the two were attacked by an invisible enemy!

Meanwhile, back at the stage, the disguised Applejack watched as a black coated male unicorn pony and a gray coated female unicorn pony stepped onto the stage followed by two more unicorn ponies carrying a bound and gagged Zipporwhill. Standing in front of the crowd, the two ponies were met by the sounds of cheering.

"My fellow villagers!" The male unicorn pony called out in a Trottingham accent. "For over a thousand years we remained hidden thanks to Nightmare Moon placing a curse on our village. Now that we have returned, we look to restore not only our presence in Equestria but also our supply of sustenance…our beloved apple trees!"

The sounds of cheers were once again heard from the crowd as Applejack stayed focused on trying to find a way to rescue Zipporwhill.

"To this end, my fellow villagers," The male unicorn pony declared. "I, Lord Summer and my lady, Lady Summer, shall offer this sacrifice to the Wicker Mare in exchange for our crops."

Having heard enough, Applejack growled slightly as she charged onto the stage making her way to Zipporwhill, knocking down Lord Summer in the process! "No!" She shouted, kicking the two unicorns holding Zipporwhill off of the stage. "You ain't sacrificin' this young filly, ya hear me?!"

But rather than being frightened, Lord Summer instead could only chuckle to himself in merry amusement. "Why would she be the one sacrificed?" He laughed. "She was merely the bait used for the trap!"

"Yes," Lady Summer giggled, approaching Applejack from the left. "Because she was never the sacrifice to begin with. She wasn't suitable."

"What are you talkin' about?" Applejack demanded and a few moments later, the sounds of struggling were heard as two villagers dragged Rarity and Sergeant Howler onto the stage. "Rarity! Howler!"

"Of course," Lord Summer remarked, removing the clown head off of Applejack's head. "You and Princess Rarity are the sacrifices, Princess Applejack!"

"WHAT?!" Applejack cried as the villagers cheered wildly!

…

…

"Sacrifices?! Us?!" Rarity shouted as she struggled against her bonds. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Yes," Lady Summer sneered while the two of the costumed ponies ripped away Applejack's disguise. "You and Princess Rarity are the fools, Princess Applejack. You have accepted the role of Princess. And who but a fool would do that?"

"I am a Princess, and if you do anything to me your village will not just disappear again," Applejack pointed out. "Let us go and return the filly if you value your lives."

Moving Rarity forward, the fashionista pony was stripped of her Shadow Spade attire as two more brought forth two white robes and placed them both on Applejack and Rarity..

"That is good," Lord Summer replied. "For believing what you do, we confer upon you both a rare gift these days…a martyr's death. Come, it's time to keep your appointment with the wicker mare."

Almost as if on cue, Applejack and Rarity were pushed against their will into the wicker mare where they were in the company of several animals, including pigs and chickens. Terrified to death, all Rarity could do was throw herself onto Applejack as she sobbed loudly much to the amusement of the villagers and their leaders.

"Ma, Pa, Granny!" Applejack cried, tears of fear forming in her eyes. "Help us! Please!"

Looking down at two ponies under the stage, Lord Summer gave them the signal to begin the fire that would burn the Wicker Mare and the two princesses inside!

Suddenly, a thunderous explosion was heard, catching the villagers and their leaders by surprise! Much to their horror, there they saw Princess Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in their battle armor with an army of soldiers behind them.

Without saying a word, Twilight gestured for the soldiers to charge towards the villagers with Tempest Shadow leading the attack.

Grateful that they had now arrived, Sergeant Howler punched and kicked the ponies holding him back as he proceeded to push Lord Summer to the ground.

A few moments later, Twilight flew onto the stage with Tempest behind her and using her magic, freed her friends from the Wicker Mare. "You guys okay?" Twilight asked as she helped them out of the wicker mare.

"Better now that you're here!" Applejack cried, grateful to be freed as Lady Summer approached them, only to be knocked back by Tempest Shadow who then proceeded to free Zipporwhill.

Lady Summer attempted to get back up again, only to be restrained by several guardsponies while Tempest Shadow looked on.

"Curse you all!" Lord Summer cried as he was forced to his hooves. "You know not what you have done!"

But Twilight was unfazed by this accusation. "Arrest the entire village," She ordered to Tempest Shadow. "For attempted murder and kidnapping!"

…

A little while later, the villagers were all loaded into carriages and taken away while Twilight and her friends investigated the village.

"Thank Celestia you came when you did," Applejack gasped as she and Rarity were examined for any injuries by several hippogriffs. "Zipporwhill, she was merely…"

"-The bait for the trap," Twilight interrupted, holding what appeared to be a book in her aura. "Yes, I know. It was all part of the plan."

"What plan?" Rarity pondered.

"A plan to sacrifice a life in exchange for something material," Twilight answered. "This village was cursed over a thousand years ago by King Sombra."

"But Lord Summer said that Nightmare Moon…" Applejack began.

"-He was wrong, Sombra did this to the village and thus tried to put the blame on Luna." Twilight interrupted.

Little did they know that inside one of the carriages, Lord Summer could hear the sounds of an all too familiar voice in his ear. "You failed in the mission assigned to you!"

"Forgive me, Grogar, forgive me," Lord Summer whispered. "I beg you to forgive me!"

"I gave you an opportunity to free yourself of the curse Sombra placed upon you, but you've squandered it," Grogar coldly hissed. "The souls of two princesses in exchange for the curse being lifted. Now you must suffer the consequences of your failure."

Looking down, Lord Summer could see his entire body begin to disappear before his eyes much to his horror! "What?!" He gasped! "No, no, no!"

Watching in horror, Lady Summer also began to disappear and in the other carriages, the other captured villagers followed suit, their souls being dragged back to the moon palace where Grogar was waiting for them.

…

"The ponies you cursed many years ago failed to fulfill their end of the bargain, Sombra." Grogar bitterly remarked as he watched their spirits return to the palace from the balcony.

"Of course, they failed, my emperor," Sombra replied. "So what becomes of them now?"

"Eternal imprisonment, Sombra," Grogar said as the spirits were absorbed into Grogar's bell. "Inside the bell, where the souls of the weak shall go for eternity. At least their failure will render me more powerful."

Listening closely, Sombra eagerly listened to the screams of the souls from inside Grogar's bewitching bell. Once the last soul was pulled into the bell, Grogar turned and walked away without saying a word.

"Well, that's what happens when you don't fulfill your end of the bargain, Lord Summer," Sombra remarked while looking out over the moon. "You stay cursed forever. Hope you love the accommodations of Grogar's bell." Suddenly, Sombra could only smile and chuckle quietly to himself, amused by what had just transpired.

What he and Grogar had done was cause fear amongst Equestria's new minted princesses, fear that hopefully in their minds, would weaken their spirits and give them the advantage needed to win what they so desired…the entirety of Equestria and its inhabitants.

…

…