Apple Bloom woke up stretching after a good night’s rest. Revigorated from the long train ride, she was ready to tackle on her first day of this trip at Appleloosa. Excited to be here accompanied by her little sister, she turned to her to wake her up.
But much to her surprise, Olive was already wide awake, staring at her with tired and puffy eyes. There were little wet stains under her eyes. “Oh... I-Is it morning?” she croaked in a weak voice.
“Well, yeah. Ah think it is.” Apple Bloom responded, gazing out the window. The sun was slowly raising over the horizon. The sky was a beautiful amber just like every other autumn days. It was inviting her to go outside and embark on an adventure with her sister! “Well, let’s go get breakfast, sis! There’s so much Ah wanna show ya!”
The young filly jumped out of bed, expecting her sister to share her excitement. If she can just show her how great Appleloosa is, then all her sister’s worries would go away and they will have fun for the entire week!
Instead, Olive sluggishly rose, blinking heavily. She shambled towards the edge of the bed and methodically stepped down. With the light of the sun just peering in their bedroom, Apple Bloom could see the sorry state Olive was in.
The pink unicorn’s eyes were slightly red and puffy accompanied by heavy bags under them. “Hm?” Olive moaned, struggling to keep her eyes open.
“Did ya... get any sleep?” Apple Bloom asked with concern.
“Hm? Oh, m-maybe. M-May...” Olive leaned forward, her head banging against her sister. The filly’s entire weight shifted onto the earth pony until she opened her eyes in surprise. She pulled back, embarrassed. “I-I’m hungry.”
Apple Bloom blinked. Disappointment took a hold of her as she slowly came to the realisation that she could kiss her plans goodbye. Olive was not going to play with her. “Um, ya probably should take a nap. That way, we could explore Appleloosa together.”
“After I eat. I’m hungwy.” The tired filly fumbled. She opened the lights in the room. Big mistake for it blinded her. So she had to leave the bedroom with one hoof covering her poor eyes.
“Well... ya should take a nap after ya eat. Just sayin’...”
It’s hard to eat breakfast when all you want to do is close your eyes, Olive learned that as she struggled to keep her head above her plate. It was so heavy. In fact, her entire body was heavy but not as much as her eyes. It was a battle just to stay awake. The sun was raising which meant that she missed her chance to rest. She wasn’t comfortable with taking naps during the day because it’ll make her miss her day. Therefore, she had to deal with her fatigue for the entire day.
No problem, she’s had it much worse before. Large gashes, broken leg, fractured skull, if she lived through that, she’ll go through this day easily.
“Mornin’ Olive!” That voice startled her. Braeburn’s loud enthusiasm was something she’ll have to learn to deal with. “Oh sorry, Ah didn’t mean to sneak up on ya like that.”
“... fine.” she muttered in a broken voice. The little filly took a bite out of her bowl of oatmeal, chewing at a snail’s pace. Maybe this day was going to be harder than she imagined. Just the first of seven days here in Appleloosa. That’s not even ¼ of the way through. Talk about terrible statistics.
“Well, today’s gonna be a good day, Ah can smell it! Or maybe it’s just the apple pie Ah’m smellin’. Ya’ll see Appleloosa’s in need of a bit of reparation, but don’t ya worry ‘bout it; we’ve got it covered.”
Olive picked her food, not really understanding what Braeburn said. Her mind was too busy dealing with mathematical equations regarding the number of days left. Add on top of that the constant battle with fatigue and that left little room to understand his words.
The pink filly turned her head to look out the window, finding a more comfortable position. She went from sitting to standing on her chair while she ate her bowl of oatmeal.
Meanwhile, Braeburn continued blabbering about things Olive didn’t care about. “We’re gonna get some special workers sent by royalties! They said they’ll get a lot of work done in just a week, can’t wait to see how it’ll go!”
If she was wide awake, she’ll have enough energy to listen and pretend that this was all interesting. But when she’s facing tough times, she has to make some sacrifices. “Cool...”
“Ya bet yer flank that’s cool! Appleloosa’s never got much help from Canterlot. We’re expectin’ a great deal of work to be done by ta end of ta week! Though, they’re only sendin’ us two but we’re supposed to feed them over four ponies worth of food...” Braeburn shrugged. “Ah suppose one of ‘em’s got quite ta appetite! Reminds of mahself when Ah was a teenager. Ah was an apple eatin’ machine!”
Apple Bloom came into the dining room, now wearing her signature bow. “Hey, have ya told mah sister ‘bout ta time ya won an apple pie eatin’ contest?”
“Sure thin’! Oh mare, that brings me back. So...”
Braeburn started his story, but Olive didn’t hear much of it. Her mind was hazy, struggling to grasp the stallion’s story. His words passed through her ears, leaving no mark whatsoever. Her weak eyes were still locked on the window as she ate mindlessly like a zombie.
“... and, uh, is everythin’ alright?”
Olive blinked, her eyes finally meeting Braeburn’s. The stallion finally noticed her sorry state. He muttered something she barely understood before telling her the exact same thing Apple Bloom advised “Ya should take a nap. Ya don’t look too good.” That she acknowledged.
“Hm hm...” Her weak jaw kept on munching on her breakfast, each bite demanding more effort. At this rate, she’ll probably fall asleep before she finished her bowl. Her eyes slowly closed without her notice. Vertigo overtook her as body and mind separated. She no longer felt anything for a moment. That was until a sudden bludgeoning pain awoke her.
When she opened her eyes, she was laying on the floor. The back of her head hurt terribly and to make matters worse, her bowl spilled all over the floor, wasting her nice breakfast. Clutching her head, she whined, already tired of this trip.
“Ooowww...”
Somewhere on the outskirts of Appleloosa, a lone orange coated stallion roamed aimlessly around the arid land. Blood dripped down the open wound on his head. His foreleg ached with every step he took thanks to a large gash. To his knowledge, there was only one town around these parts, his salvation. The foul beasts of the desert were not so kind to him, but he did not let them have their way with him.
He didn’t have much strength left. His mouth was dry, begging for water. The source of life, but in a dead land, there is not much life to be found. The only life around here is wrathful, powerful, it preys on those weaker than it. A hard lesson he had to learn that night. Going south was a terrible idea, one he cursed himself for even having thought about it.
His old allies must have had better luck than him. They’re probably back in the big cities or in a forested area while he got the short hoof of the stick. Should he ever find Appleloosa, he’ll leave within a week to recuperate. These cowboys don’t know much about the world out there, they shouldn’t know who he is. The perfect town to hide for a while. He’ll leave it a parting gift, to thank it for its convenient location.
His red eyes widened upon seeing a pointy shape in the distance. A shape unlike the endless boulders and mountains of this region. A building. He had found it, Appleloosa. There was water there, lots of food and of course, pretty ponies. The perfect resting place before he’ll give in to his vices once again only this time, Anarchy won’t be around to put him on a leash.
Still, he wished he could have gotten these fifteen maids Celestia proposed. In hindsight, he was probably being played by both leaders. They wanted to get rid of him and yet, both failed.
“Found you...”
Approaching the town, he felt his muscles weakening. They wanted to give up just before the finish line! His head was throbbing with pain, his vision hazy. “W-Water...” His voice was weak, far removed from its once prideful nature. If only he had wings, he could have found Appleloosa much quicker, sparing him all this suffering.
The townsfolk took notice of his arrival. They were shocked to say the least. A dehydrated and bloodied stallion showed up on their doorsteps, begging for water.
Apple Fritter leaned over him, checking the extent of the stallion’s injuries. “Caramel, bring some water, quick! He really needs some!”
The weakened pony raised his head weakly. A subtle smile formed on his face upon seeing the beauty of the mare before him. She was no maid, but those pretty little bows on her mane got him riled up. I’m staying here for the week. Got a bucket list to fill before I leave.
“Sir, can ya ‘ear me?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but all that came out of him was a pathetic puff that sounded like a deflating tire. Simply opening his mouth was painful. His throat was sore, oh so sore. He probably didn’t have long to live. If only that damn Caramel could hurry up and bring him his much-deserved glass of water. He did not come this far to die now.
Apple Fritter gestured at Caramel to hurry up with the bucket of water. Once he arrived, she picked up the bucket and gingerly poured its content in the open mouth of the bloodied stallion. “Here ya go. Drink up.”
Never before had he found water this tasty. When deprived of the source of life, he found it even tastier than a good cup of apple cider and Widow’s Wine. He chugged the entire bucket down in one swing and even then, he was thirsty for more.
Apple Fritter stood up and turned around to call for help. The bloodied stallion had the best point of view in the moment, for her hindquarter was all up in his face. It made his desires grow stronger. Strong enough to convince him to stay at Appleloosa longer. Long enough to get his strength back and long enough to take a bite out of her.
After all, they didn’t seem to know who he was. It’ll be too easy without any opposition. He’ll left his mark and move on somewhere else. Maybe Las Pegasus, lots of good places to hang around. “P-Please, I need to rest. I’m tired.”
He cackled internally. With how weak his body had grown, he didn’t have to fake weakness. Apple Fritter took him to her home and let him rest in her own bed. Such kindness, it’s a shame that not every pony is deserving of hospitality. Especially not those who walked under the shadow of Anarchy for even in death, the evil unicorn’s nefarious deeds spread.
Those who are guided by their desires alone become monsters. They live only to serve their vices like slaves to their master. They carry the eyes of a predator. Unassuming at first, but the moment you take your eyes off them, they pounce.
But not yet, not when he’s weak. He had all the time in the world to pounce. Like any good predator, he shall wait until the moment comes.
The beautiful mare returned with a first aid kit. “Let me patch ya up. Ya look like ya went through Tartarus.” And add on top of that the accent.
The bloodied stallion chuckled. “There’s... nothing out there.”
Apple Fritter smiled sadly. “Indeed, we rely solely on our apple trees for food. Other than that, we do have a nice lake nearby. It’s a miracle it even exists!” She bandaged his wounds, starting with the large gash on his foreleg. Then, she moved up to his bleeding head. “Don’t move now. Ah’ll be gentle, Ah promise.”
He smiled, feeling a little excited. “You’re pretty good.” he muttered. “Have you done this before?”
Apple Fritter giggled. “No, not really but thanks a bunch! Ah hope Ah’m not hurtin’ ya.”
He chuckled, rubbing his injured foreleg. “It’s nothing! I can handle the pain, I’m a tough stallion if you couldn’t tell.”
“Ah can see that. Ah’ve only really seen bison survive out in ta south outside Appleloosa. We don’t leave town on hoof for a reason.” Apple Fritter responded, finishing the last bandage on her patient. She took a step back to make sure she didn’t miss any injuries. “Looks good. Ah’ll bring ya somethin’ to eat. You must be hungry.”
Laying comfortably in her bed, the stallion smiled. “Rightfully so.”
At exactly noon, the distant howl of a train caught the attention of the whole town. The promised workers Luna sent them were now here. All gathered near the station, which included Olive and Apple Bloom.
The small unicorn scrubbed her eyes, trying to keep them open. It took great effort just to stand before the incoming train. She wasn’t interested in it at all, the only thing she wanted was to break from the crowd and spend some time alone with her big sister, the only pony she can reliably trust.
She watched as the train came to a stop. The door opened shortly after and who came out of there surprised her to say the least. Tall, muscular and clad in royal armor. It didn’t take long for Olive to recognise who he was thanks to his wooden leg. The batpony captain of the royal guard. “Captain Mango...”
Braeburn leaned close to her so she could hear the filly amidst the drowning noise of the crowd. “Ya know ‘im?”
Olive nodded. “He helped us fight Anarchy!” She said brightly, before her smile disappeared upon looking at the wooden leg. “But he lost his leg when the monster bit it off.”
The stallion cringed, imagining how agonising it must feel to lose a leg like that. “Well, he seems to be doin’ well, all things considered.”
Mostly, for he wasn’t the biggest fan of the day, and especially the sun. His sensitive eyes were harassed by the bright light of the golden star, forcing him to squint as he stepped out. “Okay, everypony. Give us some space, we’re gonna need a WHOLE lotta space for us.” He waved his wooden leg around to get the crowd to disperse.
Everypony moved out the way, except for one. Captain Mango noticed a little pink unicorn with freckles staring back at him with pity. How could he ever forget that filly? If it wasn’t for her, he probably wouldn’t be standing here. He grinned as he flew to the small pony. “Hey! If it isn’t Olive! Princess Luna told me you’d be here!” His grin quickly faded as he noticed two things wrong with her; that being her tired eyes and the pitiful look she was giving him. “Hey now, what’s wrong?”
Olive responded by pointing at his wooden leg, keeping her soft gaze of compassion on him. It tugged at his heartstrings. “Oh, that? Don’t worry about it. I’m managing just fine without it.”
“But you’ll never get back your leg!”
Mango chuckled weakly. “I know. The same way your scar will forever remain on you; I've learned to deal with mine, partly because of you.” He rubbed her mane playfully before standing up. “And just so I don’t forget, I’ll give you Princess Luna’s letter right now.”
The crowd gasped, all except for Apple Bloom. Olive smiled brightly.
Mango hoofed the letter to the young filly, letting her levitate it. “Alright, I’m going back to work. Catch me later, I’ll buy you a drink.”
“Bye, Captain Mango.” she said softly. Olive glanced at the letter, feeling her heartbeat slow down to a more acceptable level. Never had she been happier to receive a letter from her favorite princess. In an unfamiliar place full of new faces, simply seeing the writing of a pony she idolised eased her worries.
But before she could read it, she noticed Mango waving over to the passengers of the train. None of them left at all in fact. Who else could be with the batpony? More royal guards perhaps? But then, why was the train much bigger than the one they took yesterday?
“Stand back, everypony. Tis a big one.” Mango announced, looking over his shoulder. He took a few step back and shouted, “Terminus! Everypony gets off.”
A few seconds later, the train rumbled, shifting from left to right as something gigantic slowly made its way outside. A few grunts were heard from inside, most likely the other royal guards struggling to maintain their hoofing.
Olive watched in bathed breath, wondering who could be accompanying the nice captain. Who she saw, however, was the last pony she ever wanted to come across. The moment she saw his face, she froze. It was as if lightning struck her brain, shutting it down entirely. The world turned to black. All there was now, was him and her. Strong Hoof and Olive.
Missing his plumbing cap, the behemoth raised his ugly head, full of burnt scars. His eyes were tired just like hers, only redder. His mane was longer and messier, blacker even. His cutie mark was simply gone. A single powerful scarlet eye slowly moved towards her, projecting a dark spotlight above her.
“Hey, big guy. Ya finally got some room to stretch your dogs, ay?” Mango mused, oblivious to the terror in the filly’s eyes.
Olive was in shock, struggling to breathe. She could barely hear the frightened screams of her sister and the horrified gasps of the crowd as they hurried back from the goliath. Her body trembled before the white giant. This was too soon! She wasn’t ready to fight him again! Not ready to be thrusted in the fight of her life for the third time!
And then another stepped out. The mare that once feasted on her leg was there, Dreamcatcher. Unlike Strong Hoof, she wasn’t injured but her ponytail was gone. Her mane was carried by the wind, covering almost her entire face except for her cold, dead purple eye. A lifeless eye that rested upon the pink filly.
Both were staring at her with undecipherable expressions. Regret, bitterness, hostility, hatred, fear? She couldn’t tell and it made her even more scared. Danger came to Appleloosa! Her cousins were in danger, her big sister was in danger, Mango was in danger, SHE was in danger!
Sweat dripped down her head as her breaths got heavier. Her tired eyes had no problem staying wide open.
Mango muttered something to her, but she couldn’t hear it. She couldn’t see him even. Her vision was blurry, unable to focus on anything anymore. The world spun around and the next thing she knew, her face landed on the floor.
“S-Sis? H-Hey, are ya alright ‘sis?”
“Oh crap, we’re losing her, guys!”
And then her eyes closed.
When Olive opened her eyes, it was as if no time has passed. And yet, she was back in Braeburn’s house, in their bedroom. She rubbed her eyes, feeling revigorated as she lifted her head, confused. The image of the two dangerous ponies came back to mind and she gasped, remembering the danger that had just come to Appleloosa. Looking around the room, she found her big sister sitting on the bed, watching over her.
“A-Apple Bloom! Strong Hoof... h-he's here!” she cried out in terror. “Th-They’re here! They’re going to kill us, the-”
Apple Bloom pressed a hoof against her sister’s mouth, hushing her. “It’s okay. There’s no danger.” She pulled her sister closer for a hug. “Don’t be scared.”
Olive’s breaths slowed, staring at the ceiling in desperate confusion.
“Are ya feelin’ alright, sis?” Apple Bloom asked in concern. “Ya had us worried when ya passed out.”
Olive jumped back on her hooves, feeling stronger after this impromptu nap. “What’s going on? Strong Hoof and Dreamcatcher are here! Why is there no danger?” She hopped out of bed and put on her crusader’s cape as a makeshift superhero costume.
“What’re ya doin’?”
Olive took a deep breath. “I have to see what they’re up to. If they’re up to no good, then... then I have to save Appleloosa.”
Apple Bloom smiled. It was nice to hear that her little sister was willing to fight for this town despite having only spent a day there. “It’s fine, Olive. Captain Mango told us they’re only ‘ere to help Appleloosa with all sorts of renovations. Strong Hoof is, um, not dangerous anymore or so he said.”
The pink unicorn couldn’t what she had just heard. “S-Strong Hoof is... not dangerous anymore?”
“Y-Ya. Luna even said so... in ‘er letter. Um, sorry for reading it by ta way.” Apple Bloom sheepishly admitted, hoofing the letter over to her little sister.
Olive levitated it absently, completely lost in her confused thoughts. She stared at the letter with her curious eyes, placing all faith in Princess Luna. The princess might have done some wrong in the past, but she was super smart. She knew what she was doing, surely this letter would clear up any confusion.
Dear Olive,
I understand that traveling to another town seems dauting to you, but I assure you that this experience will be a very important one. Traveling is a part of our lives after all, and the sooner you explore places other than Ponyville, the less scared you’ll be. I know things seems bad for you at the moment, but they’ll get better, don’t worry. On another note, I will admit that writing letters to you is very fun. It is rare that I can write to a pony who can understand what I feel, much less one that sees beauty in my royal duties.
Nevertheless, I must inform you that I have sent two of our prisoners to Appleloosa; that being Strong Hoof and Dreamcatcher. I know of your history with them, and I’m sorry for it, but I assure you they’re slowly getting better. In fact, they haven’t caused us any problems whatsoever for these past weeks. I like to believe that there are some good in them, that they can be brought back into the light.
Again, I’m sorry if that causes you any worries. Mango and his troops will keep an eye on them at all times, so there’s no risk of them causing any harm to you or Appleloosa.
I hope you enjoy your stay at Appleloosa,
Princess Luna
Olive read the note many times, finding comfort in the princess’s writing.
“See? Everypony ‘ere is fine. If ya want, Ah can take ya to Mango if that’ll make ya feel better.”
Going back outside, Olive noticed a shift in the air. The ponies of Appleloosa all talked about the two inmates and the royal guards. They were apparently at the local bar, the guards that is. The white behemoth and the French mare were sitting outside at the back, peering in the distance.
The two fillies were approached by a mare they saw yesterday. Apple Fritter waved them hello. “Hey, Olive! Glad to know yer okay. Ah was worried for a moment that ya got sick or worse.”
“I’m fine. I was just, um, really tired.”
Apple Fritter giggled. “Oh, aren’t ya just precious! Still, if there’s anythin’ wrong, don’t be afraid to come to me!” She patted the filly on the head before returning to her occupations.
For the two fillies, all that was left now was to find Captain Mango and sure enough, where there was cider, there was him.
But just before they could enter, Strong Hoof turned his attention to them. His scarlet eyes clashing with the filly’s olive eyes. Again with that blank expression, Olive didn’t know what to do, so she ran inside, hoping that he wouldn’t suddenly attacked. She was after all responsible for getting him locked in a dungeon, broken and battered. He had more than enough reasons to rip her to pieces. The monster wasn’t fast enough to stop him if he did.
Despite having two dangerous criminals nearby, the atmosphere in the bar was pleasant. Ponies chatting happily, dancing around without a care in the world.
Sure enough, Captain Mango and his fellow royal guards were all sitting at a table, drinking and laughing. They weren’t keeping an eye on the prisoners! Olive panicked, looking out the window at the unsupervised behemoth. “They’re not looking, they’re not looking!” she gasped. “Apple Bloom, we must warn them!”
The two fillies ran to their table and Olive tugged on Mango’s tail, startling him.
“Oh, gee- Hey! Speaking of our star, there she is!” The other guards’ eyes lit up upon seeing the small filly at their table. “Come on, fillies, take a seat with us!” He tapped on the two empty chairs.
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Ya sure we’re old enough to be havin’ a drink?”
Mango laughed. “’f course not! We’re getting you two something other than cider. Hey, waiter! Give them a glass of milk, will ya?”
Olive jumped on her seat. “Captain Mango! You’re not keeping an eye on Strong Hoof!”
The batpony captain patted her on the head with his wooden leg. “Oh, don’t worry! These two are docile! Won’t even hurt a fly! They’ve been like this ever since you took down Anarchy.”
The other guards nodded excitedly. “Never thought the pony that took down this monster was such a cutie!” It was weird to see these otherwise stone-faced guards crack before a filly. In fact, Apple Bloom never saw them look this alive before. They really are different when off duty.
Olive kept her eyes on the stallion’s wooden leg to the point it became abundantly clear she wanted to say something.
“Still worried about my leg? Or are you just curious to know how it feels to walk with a wooden leg?”
Olive’s eyes widened upon being found out. She blushed, awkwardly looking away much to the captain’s amusement. “U-Um...”
“Well, it’s weird lemme tell you that! But you get used to it eventually. It’s not that different from a normal leg.” Mango took a big sip from his cup and burped. “Hey, waiter! Are their glasses coming or what?”
A nervous stallion carefully rushed to them with two glasses of milk ready. “S-Sorry for the delay.”
“Hey come on now, no preferential treatment. Our cups can wait, ya know?” Mango said, softening his voice.
Olive wasted no time chugging down her glass in three quick gulps. There truly was no better drink than milk in this world.
Apple Bloom waited a bit, having some questions on her mind. “So, yer serious ‘bout ‘em? They haven’t tried to escape?”
The batpony chuckled. “Nope! I’ll even say they’re our best prisoners yet! No attacks, no attempts to break out, listen to every order to perfection. It’s no wonder Princess Luna saw so much potential in them. She believes they can be reformed, sorta like Discord.”
Olive blinked, putting down her cup. “Th-They’re not evil anymore?”
Mango nodded. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t recommend you go near him. He might look like a mindless machine, but I assure you there are still some thoughts running through that head. He won’t take it well if you try to bother him.”
“Don’t even think about it, cowboy.”
Olive and Apple Bloom froze. Strong Hoof spoke, loudly! Gazing through the window, the royal guards saw a pale Sheriff Silverstar backing away from the goliath. Groaning, Mango took a sip of his nice apple cider. “See? Treat them with no respect and they’ll bark. Though I don’t believe that’ll be a problem for you, Olive. You’ve got a nice heart, kid.”
Olive lowered her eyes, moaning. “I still hate him...”
This made the captain’s smile falter. “I know, I’m not asking you to like him. Just to tolerate his presence, okay? I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong, not just for Princess Luna’s sake, but for yours as well. Got it?”
The pink filly gave a thankful smile. “You have a nice heart too, Captain Mango.”