"It's been two years, Rainbow Dash!"
The cyan pony crossed her hooves, hovering over the table. "You think I don't know that, Applejack? I've been working my tail off since this whole ordeal happened," she spat. "Frankly, I don't know what else to do!"
The dim, damp atmosphere of the underground bunker wasn't helping the mood. The ponies that were cramped in the space were all dirty, cold, and hungry. The shelves that once lined the walls with canned apples and water were now merely supporting the infrastructure. There remained virtually no food left.
"Send a patrol to find food! Or supplies!" Applejack slammed the table with her hoof. "Anything, Rainbow Dash. Either Twilight's gonna kill us, or we'll die down here cold n' hungry."
Murmurs of agreement spread across the cramped room. Rainbow Dash looked around to see her friends among the friendly faces of the ponies brave enough to stand up to Twilight. She gritted her teeth, trying to work out a solution.
"Last time I sent a patrol, Ditzy didn't come back.” She rested her eyes on Applejack, who doubled back. Everypony's face seemed to darken. "We need to be strategic so we don't keep losing ponies to Twilight’s brainwashing magic."
Even though she still looked upset, Applejack ducked her head in defeat. "Yeah, I suppose you're right," Applejack muttered. "Sorry, I reckon we're all going a bit stir crazy. Just five months ago, we were out there trying to win back some territory, and now we're down here cowering." She frowned at the table. "At least we have control of Sweet Apple Acres."
What else is there to do? Rainbow Dash lowered down, taking a seat at the table. Half of our group was taken. She looked around at the remaining ponies. Her friends—except for Twilight of course—Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, Zecora, and a few of the Wonderbolts were all that was left of the active part of the rebellion. Everypony else was either taken by Twilight’s army or living in the underground town.
"I noticed that a lot of the ponies in town have been really down lately," Pinkie Pie spoke up. "Maybe I should throw them a party! Keeping everypony happy is important, too," she pointed out. "Being happy and hungry is better than being sad and hungry!"
Rainbow Dash sighed. Morale was important, she knew that. "Yeah, sure, let's do that." She rubbed her temple with her wing. "Do you have enough supplies to throw a party?"
Pinkie Pie shrugged. "I dunno. I could take the tunnel to Sugarcube Corner and get into my Party Planning Cave. Maybe I have stuff I haven't used yet." Pinkie leaned on the table, looking quizzically at the ceiling.
Rainbow Dash shook her head. "No, that's too dangerous, Pinkie. If you get caught there's no way you'll be able to fight off a patrol." She looked at Pinkie Pie, whose expression was still somehow happy as ever. She had to be faking it.
"But—"
"I said no," Rainbow Dash repeated. "It's too risky."
"Now, hold on there, sugarcube." Applejack took off her dusty, torn hat and placed it on the table, giving the top of her mane a quick rub. "I could go with Pinkie Pie to make sure it goes smoothly," she offered. "I sneak around the tunnels all the time, and I have to go over near Sugarcube anyway. Apple Bloom told me yesterday that the pipe at the surface ain't getting water to the farm anymore. I suspect the opening over near the lake got clogged by plants again."
Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow. "Okay, I guess it'll be safer if both of you go." She glanced reluctantly between the two of them. "I trust you two to keep each other safe. Besides, we need that water problem fixed if we're going to keep the crops alive in time for the harvest. But you leave at sunset. It's safer." Pinkie Pie and Applejack nodded in unison.
"Yay! I get to go on a mission with my 'maybe distant cousin, maybe not, who knows since the ink was smudged, but I guess it doesn't matter since we are basically together all the time now anyway' friend!" Pinkie Pie swayed happily in her seat, nudging Applejack who sighed but couldn't help the smile on her face.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Okay, anyway, does anypony else have another issue to bring up or anything else?" She looked around the group of ponies standing around the wooden, chipped table. After a few moments of silence, she nodded. "Okay, great! We'll do the last debriefing before nightfall. Fleetfoot and Starlight, you have the first shift tonight, so get some rest now. Starlight, you especially. You’ll have to make sure to reset the enchantment on the border, so I'll wake the both of you when it's your turn. Soarin and Fluttershy, you take the shift after. I'll take the last shift." She looked around the group, looking for confused expressions, but was satisfied when she found none. "Sounds good?" Several nods confirmed it. "Alright, now go back to whatever you were doing before. See you all in a few hours."
As everypony started to file through the tunnel leading into the rest of the underground or going back up to the surface, Rainbow Dash remained at the table. She rubbed her temple again with her wing, the pain shooting into her skull. The more time went on, the more she knew that something had to happen. It was too idle for her liking. Anypony else would see that as a good thing. There was no more fighting every day, no more ponies being lost in battle.
Sure, it was less risky now to go up and try to find supplies in Ponyville, but Rainbow Dash had already made the mistake of taking the situation lightly and Ditzy had been taken by one of Twilight’s patrols. Maybe it was her own fault for letting Ditzy join what was supposed to be an easy mission to clear the pipe leading to the farm. After all, Ditzy was not exactly the stealthiest of ponies. As far as Rainbow Dash was concerned, it was her fault for letting her guard down and Ditzy was the one who paid for it.
Even with the apple orchard and the bigger farm above ground and the small farms below ground, there was not enough food to feed everypony. What they had was split first between the sick ponies, then to the oldest and the youngest ponies, then to the workers, and finally to the rebellion members. By the time it got to the rebellion, though, it was leftover scraps. They insisted it be like that, though. The rebellion was full of selfless ponies.
Rainbow Dash's stomach growled again. It was a feeling that they all had grown used to. As far as Rainbow Dash's leadership skills went, she couldn't make food appear, no matter how hard she tried.
Something has to be done, she thought to herself, watching the lamp hanging from above. It remained perfectly still. There was no wind underground, nor any movement from above to make it move anyway. I should be the one to find us food. She rested her chin on the table, keeping her eyes glued to the lamp. Everypony is counting on me. I can't let them down.
Rainbow Dash ran a hoof through her mane. It felt tangled and dirty, although not surprising. Nothing could remain nice underground, much to Rarity's dismay. She kept trying though, which definitely humoured Rainbow Dash. She huffed and lifted herself from her seat, placing herself on her hooves. Never would she have thought she'd pick to walk over flying. There just wasn't enough room to fly in the bunker.
She took the tunnel that led to the main underground town. There were multiple huts of different sizes, as well as tents and roofed-off areas. It was lit up by magical spells and lanterns. Although it wasn't usually an energetic place to begin with, what Pinkie Pie said was true. It was a lot more glum than usual. She decided to head to her shack and take a nap. She hadn’t slept the night before since she had to take the last night shift, and since she was taking it again, she needed to sleep.
It wasn’t very big, and it was definitely no Cloudominium, but it had a bed, a small kitchen, and a place to sit, it would have to do. The floor was made up of packed dirt, but everything was already dirty anyway, so it didn’t matter. She crawled to her small bed and jumped on it. Instantly, she felt the exhaustion take over, and soon her pounding headache came to a stop.
It was a weird dream. Something about flying next to a freshly baked loaf of bread she could almost smell, but the more time she spent awake, the less she remembered it. Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes groggily and stood up. It must have been a few hours judging by how much less tired she felt. Still, she dreaded waking up, but she knew she had to do so anyway. It had to be ration time soon, and she was in charge of splitting them between her group.
Rainbow Dash left her shack and made her way to the main opening, looking at the ponies surrounding her. Everyone was quiet, watching the tunnel on the left side of the clearing. The Apples and the other ponies who worked on the farm were due to bring back whatever food they rationed for the day at any moment. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but look as well, even though she knew she would be getting none of the food.
The sound of rolling wheels and heavy hoofsteps echoed through the room, causing the ponies who were inside the makeshift homes to stick their heads out to look. Over at the tunnel, a red stallion with an orange mane pulled a cart of baked goods and raw fruits and vegetables through the clearing. Rainbow Dash felt her mouth water. Big Mac stopped at the opening of the large tunnel that Rainbow Dash had come from, followed by Apple Bloom.
"Alright, everypony," Apple Bloom called loudly. "Y'all know the drill! Sick and injured ponies first!"
Rainbow Dash watched nervously, counting the number of ponies that went up to claim food for themselves or their family. Her nerves disappeared once she saw that only three ponies went up, meaning only three ponies were sick or injured. She recognized Cheerilee first, as she had been staying in the medical tent for a sprained hoof for the past few days.
She was glad to see that the number of sick and injured ponies dropped noticeably in the past few days. After one of the tunnels partially collapsed a month prior, a dozen ponies were injured from the collapse itself, or from helping fix it. Since everypony knew that strength came from numbers, there were hardly any complaints about what ponies got to eat first as long as it meant that nopony would be suffering. The food was usually enough for the townsponies anyway, it was the ‘rebels’ that had to worry.
Most of the time, there was little to no food left for the increasingly dwindling forces of the active members, and when there was, it had to be split between them in rations. Some ponies got to eat some days and the other ponies got to eat other days. There were times when the town would donate food to them, but Rainbow Dash and the rest of the rebellion tried their best to make sure the other ponies were eating first. It's their job to keep them safe, after all.
All that meant was that food and supply runs were inevitable, and had to be executed with extreme caution. There had been times where one of the runners had been captured, and way too many close calls for Rainbow Dash's taste. As soon as harvest season came, there would be no need to worry, but until then, the demand for food grew.
She watched the cart become increasingly emptier until the farmworkers themselves got to take their share and what was left was taken to the small bunker. Rainbow Dash noticed some of her fellow rebels stalk into the room to split off rations. She gave the small town one last lookover to ensure everything seemed okay and made her way back.
The tunnel always seemed longer on the way to the bunker than out of it. The fact that she knew she probably wasn't going to get any food definitely didn't help either. She kept her eyes peeled for any telltale signs of tunnel collapse as she walked. Other than the occasional tumbling specks of dirt (caused by earthworms or moles digging around, according to Fluttershy), everything seemed to be in place. Rainbow Dash was not going to let the same mistake happen twice.
As she re-entered the small bunker decorated with old strategies and lists of all kinds on the walls, she was met with less than half of the ponies who were originally here. She looked at the now even smaller group with the passive frown that seemed permanently etched into her face.
"Where's everypony else?" she asked, looking around at the ponies who were in the room with her.
A golden pegasus with a spikey orange and yellow mane stepped forward. "I think Applejack went to go help up on the farm again, and Fluttershy is at the vet clinic I believe. Not sure where the others are though."
Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Okay, that's fine. As long as they're back for the debrief later." She looked at the items on the table. Four apples and a regular loaf of bread. "We'll leave the bread for Bulk Biceps and Lightning Dust when they get back from guard duty. We can split the apples between the rest of us," she suggested. "You and Zecora each take one, and I'll bring the other ones to Applejack and Fluttershy." She gave one apple to Zecora and one to Spitfire and kept two in front of her.
Zecora shook her head. "You have not eaten for quite a few days. If you keep starving yourself, the pain in your head won't go away."
Rainbow Dash rubbed the front of her head in some kind of reflex. "I'll have some food next time. There's only so much to go around," she pointed out.
"Nonsense, you must not let this go on. Take mine, I insist. You'll be glad the pain is gone." Zecora nudged her apple to Rainbow Dash with a nod of her head.
Rainbow Dash looked at the apple reluctantly. The pain in her skull sharpened a little, and suddenly she was glad for Zecora's generous nature. She took a bite of the apple, fearing the thought of eating it too quickly. It was delicious, as was usual of Sweet Apple Acres crops. The crunchy bite with the trademark taste of the apple that only the family that shared its name could grow reminded Rainbow Dash of when things were simpler. Back when her whole friend group would sit under an apple tree in the heat, eating apples until they couldn't fit anymore.
But those times were over. Rainbow Dash snapped out of her memories and ate the rest of the apple quickly. "Thank you, Zecora. I'd better go find the others." She took a step back. "By the way, Cheerilee seems to have hurt her hoof or something. They might need one of your potions over at the medical area," she ordered quickly. "Oh and Spitfire, could you find Soarin and go give the school-aged foals a visit? They've been asking to see some…" The words caught in her throat. Another memory of the past. "Some Wonderbolt action."
Zecora and Spitfire nodded as Rainbow Dash sped out of the bunker, holding an apple under each wing. She rushed through the crowd, noticing Pinkie Pie bouncing around with the youngest foals, doing her best to put a smile on their faces. She waved at Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash gave her a small smile in return. Pinkie Pie got to eat yesterday, she reminded herself. She can have food next time.
The hard reality of being a leader was picking which of your friends got food, and which didn't. Rainbow Dash always wanted to be a leader. Just not this type of leader, but when somepony had to step up, Rainbow Dash knew it had to be her. It was either that or live under Twilight’s reign of terror forever. Until they could figure out a way to get to Twilight to talk some sense into her or defeat her if they must, they had to stay hidden and most importantly, stay alive.
She recognized the animal care tent by smell before she even saw it. The mix of animal scent and medicine was now a part of this side of the underground town, and less remarkably, a part of Fluttershy. As she ran closer to the tent, she noticed numerous small rodents running around and a dog that Rainbow Dash assumed to be somepony's pet. Ducking her head through an opening in the back was Fluttershy. Her usually silky, light pink mane was now matted and dirty from being underground and working with dirty animals, but the smile on her face as she worked with those animals told Rainbow Dash that the yellow pony thought it was worth it.
"Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash called out to her friend. "Over here!" She sat outside the tent, not wanting to disturb the animals and the other caretakers.
Fluttershy's eyes widened when she saw Rainbow Dash. She ducked back behind the tent and ran around to meet Rainbow Dash out front. "Oh, hi Rainbow Dash. What is it?"
Rainbow Dash eyed Fluttershy's coat. "Uh, Fluttershy? You got something right… well everywhere." She gestured at all of Fluttershy's body with her hoof. Her coat was covered in different colours of creams and salves.
Fluttershy looked down and giggled a bit. "Yeah, I know." She shook her head with a smile. "Bigsby the dog didn't want me to put the healing cream on him," she explained, looking back at the big white dog. "I got more on me than on him, really."
Rainbow Dash chuckled. Fluttershy always had good animal stories to tell to liven the mood. "Anyway, I'm here to give you this.”. She untucked her wing, holding out the apple under Fluttershy's nose. "It's your turn to eat today," she explained.
Fluttershy blinked. "Are you sure?" She looked at the apple with uncertainty. "You haven't eaten in a while."
"Yes, I'm sure. And besides, Zecora gave me her apple, so I'm okay." She pushed the apple into Fluttershy's chest. "Just take it, I have to go find Applejack." She gave her a friendly nod as she watched her take the apple with her own cream-covered wing.
"Okay, thank you! I hope you find her quickly," Fluttershy called while Rainbow Dash hurried off.
Finding Applejack could prove to be a problem if too much time had passed. She often went to help her family at the farm as she had done for so many years. The Apples were about the only family that could remain in any semblance of normality and routine. Rainbow Dash often thought that Applejack needed that routine in one way or another. With her position as an active part of the rebellion, she still enjoyed going to help on the farm. Maybe it's some kind of coping mechanism.
The tunnel that led to the outside was always the one most worn down. The wooden floors that the other tunnels did not have were deemed a priority after Big Mac had fallen and hurt himself bringing the cart of food to the town months prior. They were a nice touch, Rainbow Dash decided. The dirt floors were easy to pack and harden into paths, but with the number of ponies going up and down with carts down that particular tunnel, the decision to give it proper flooring was nearly unanimous.
Once Rainbow Dash reached the top of the tunnel, she was extremely glad that the sun wasn't high in the sky. She never really noticed just how dark it was underground, and adjusting between light levels was always hard. And kind of painful on the way up. She squinted as she breathed in fresh, apple-scented air, covering the sun with her wing. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light, but once they did, she blinked the tears away. The storm clouds over the distant Castle of Friendship remained as ominous as ever.
It wasn't often that Rainbow Dash went up to the farm. There was no need for her to, and being around all the food just made her feel even hungrier. She couldn't help her mouth-watering as she caught sight of the maturing apples on the trees. The apple-bucking season was starting soon, and by that point, there would be no shortage of food. They just had to wait patiently for that.
Rainbow looked around, trying to find her orange friend. Instead, she found her younger sister. She figured Apple Bloom would probably know where Applejack was. She stretched her wings, taking the opportunity to do what she once loved and flew over to her. The cool wind in her mane and the fresh air in her lungs was something she definitely missed.
"Oi, Apple Bloom!" She waved at her from the air, hoping to catch her attention.
Apple Bloom dropped the hoe in her mouth and looked up. "Oh hey, Rainbow Dash!" She put a hoof over her chest. "You scared me! I thought you were one of Twilight’s pegasi," she exclaimed with a laugh.
Rainbow Dash dropped to the ground, disappointed that her flying time was cut short. "Sorry," she apologized. "I was actually looking for Applejack. Do you know where she is?"
Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes, racking her brain for the information. "Yeah, I think she's over by the cornfield," she suggested. "Just checking on the crops before harvest season," she explained with an excited smile.
Rainbow Dash couldn't help but feel excited herself. "That's great! We've been really short on food lately, huh?" She made sure to employ a playful tone. She didn't want Apple Bloom to think that she was blaming anyone.
The smaller pony nodded. "Yeah, we're working on getting more land ready for crops." She motioned to the dirt she was previously working on. "Radishes grow quickly, but we still need to grow more at a time to have enough food for everypony."
Rainbow Dash nodded her head, although she didn't completely understand how farming worked. There was something about earth pony magic, but she didn’t know the details. If whatever Apple Bloom was doing meant that there would be more food to go around, that's all she needed to hear. “I’m sure you’ll have that worked out soon,” she assured her, hoping it was the right thing to say. “Anyway, I gotta go find Applejack. Thanks, Apple Bloom.” She dipped her head at the smaller pony who waved goodbye and picked up a packet of seeds, dropping a few into the ditch she made.
Rainbow ran off toward the field of cornstalk, keeping her eyes peeled for Applejack. It shouldn’t be too hard to find her, she usually sticks out against the crops, Rainbow Dash reminded herself. What her eyes laid upon told another story, however. No matter how much Applejack’s coat would stick out from the green husk of the corn, it was much too dense to see anything, and especially not anypony. She flapped her wings, hoping to get a better vantage point, but the view was almost worse from above.
“Damn it,” she muttered under her breath. She lowered down closer to the floor, but didn’t touch down, and began searching in the maze of corn. “Applejack?” She called out cautiously. It was silly, but it was almost scaring her to be in the field. The fact that she could barely see anything past ten hoof-lengths worth of corn was putting her on edge. One of Twilight’s ponies could come to get her at any time.
So she stayed quiet enough. She decided that looking for Applejack slowly and staying alive was safer than yelling her name and risking somepony hearing. Rainbow Dash knew it was a stupid fear, but she could never be too careful. "Hey, AJ? You around?" Her voice was barely audible through the crop.
Then, she heard muffled arguing. Rainbow Dash froze in her place, quietly dropping to the ground, not wanting to risk rustling the corn with her wings and making any noise. She tensed her body and forced her hearing.
"Oh fer land sakes…"
Rainbow Dash sighed loudly in relief. It was just Applejack. Who else would it be? She shook her head dismissively, almost laughing at her own stupidity.
"Who's there?" Applejack's voice was stern. Rainbow Dash had no sight on the pony, but she sounded closer than before. "Don't make me find you," she warned.
And that's when Rainbow Dash decided to step out. Applejack was not a pony of empty threats, especially considering the circumstances. "It's me, don't worry," she called loud enough so Applejack could definitely hear. She found her way quickly to Applejack, who had dirt all over her.
Applejack brushed loose soil off the brim of her hat. "What can I do ya for, Rainbow?"
Although she'd never admit to it, Applejack sounded tired. Rainbow definitely wouldn't blame her for being tired. She was practically doing two physically demanding jobs at the same time, constantly. Rainbow Dash knew what that was like, to some extent, although for her it was more mentally exhausting than anything. She definitely held a large amount of respect for her hard-working friend.
"Apple Bloom said you'd be here.” She walked up closer to her friend. "I came to give you this." She held out the last apple on her wing again. Talk about reliving the past.
"An apple? You sure?" Applejack's doubt just made Rainbow Dash relive the last conversation with Fluttershy even more.
She nodded affirmatively. "Yes, I'm sure," she groaned. "I already went through this with Fluttershy, please don't make me do it again," she whined.
Applejack rolled her eyes and took the apple in her mouth. "Fank ye kin'ly," she mumbled through the red fruit. She lowered her head, placing it gently on the ground.
"Don't worry about it," Rainbow Dash assured with a friendly nod. "So what are you up to?" She observed Applejack's dirty coat. It seemed like nopony could stay clean that day.
"Nothin', really. I found a varmint hole and I wanted to make sure it wouldn't come up and mess up the crop," she explained. "I dunno if it's a mole or some kinda badger, but it's definitely big enough to uproot this corn." She gestured to a stalk of corn that was laid over on its side next to the impressive hole.
"Why don't you ask Fluttershy for help?" Rainbow Dash assumed that anything dealing with wild animals would be easier with her help.
But Applejack was too proud, even now. "Naw, us Apples have always dealt with critters. It's all a part of workin' on a farm," she explained dismissively. "I appreciate the concern, though. If’n you'll excuse me, I gotta get back to finding whatever is responsible for this." She stuck her head back in the tunnel.
At least that part she's definitely used to, Rainbow Dash thought with a grin. "I'll see you soon, then. The sun should be setting within the hour." She looked at the position of the sun through squinted eyes, making sure she was right. She was. “Don’t be late or Pinkie’s going to start a search party.”
The only response she got was a snort from Applejack.
Rainbow Dash took off to the sky, locating the barn, and next to it, the tunnel. Apple Bloom was still preparing the land and replanting seeds, and she noticed Big Mac and some other farmhooves putting away the larger machinery. It never really hit her how much work the Apples and the other ponies who worked on the farm every day did until that moment when she saw it with her own eyes. Even Apple Bloom, the youngest Apple, was hard at work every day providing food for nearly every pony and receiving a lot less than it was worth. But she assumed that helping other ponies was payment enough for the Apples. They were that kind of family. Being the very embodiment of loyalty, Rainbow Dash understood that.
Times were tough. Everpony knew that, even the young foals. At first, it was difficult for them to understand why they had to be hungry sometimes, but once they did, they were surprisingly okay with it. A lot of ponies lost friends and family to Twilight’s magic, but if Rainbow Dash and the rebels had anything to do with it, they'd bring back as many as were still alive, which was hopefully all of them.
As Rainbow Dash entered the dark, claustrophobia-inducing tunnel again, her mind wandered aimlessly. She had been wanting answers for the last two years and it seemed like nopony had them. What really happened to Twilight was unknown, and only petty speculation was passed around. Her hooves met the worn-down wood of the particular tunnel and the sound of her hoofsteps echoed, giving her thoughts a unique cadence.
Cadance. She clenched her jaw. What happened to the other princesses?
That seemed to be its own mystery. Early on after the incident, before the disaster had taken place, the other three princesses had decided to go "visit" Twilight once they had become worried about her lack of letters, check-ins, and visits. The truth was, Twilight’s own friends went to Princess Celestia to inform her about the purple pony's unusual behaviour. She was bitter, rude, and a completely different pony.
Appearance-wise, she was almost identical. Everything remained the same, except for her sclera which turned a tint of red. Twilight had tried to pass it off as pinkeye, but after a week, it had been too long. Judging by the sudden change in appearance and behaviour, it was easy to assume—or so Rainbow Dash thought—that something was wrong.
The three princesses went in. None of them came out. With a loud crack of thunder, a giant, dark stormcloud formed over the castle, striking the top of it with an impressive show of lightning. The ponies who were fortunate enough to be inside of their homes were not affected by the ring of magic that exploded out at the same time. That had to have been how Twilight got so many ponies on her side at once, Rainbow Dash knew.
And then she felt dirt under her hooves again. She had made it back to the underground town again, suddenly thankful for the darkness of the trench. They were well hidden this way. She looked around at the underground town they had created. It was almost normal. But not quite. Will anything ever be normal again?
It didn't matter anyway. There was no future without action.