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// Prologue 
// Story: Aftermath 
// by Longshanks 
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Aftermath
Prologue: A Time of Peace
Discord had been defeated! The Elements of Harmony had been re-united, and all of Equestria had returned to its normal, non-chaotic state. But the costs were unlike anypony could have predicted…
For the first time in a thousand and one years, war had come to Equestria. The mutating powers of Discord allowed him to raise an army of evil doppelgangers and lay siege to Canterlot.  For five years, chaos tore at the very heart of the kingdom. Armies of corrupted ponies, four-headed Hydras, and stranger beasts fought against the loyal defenders of Equestria, almost none of them having seen battle. In a climactic conflict at the palace of Canterlot, Luna and Celestia managed to slay the Lord of Chaos, while the Elements of Harmony unleashed their powers to defeat his army. 
But peace had come at a terrible cost. Trottingham and Manehattan lay in ruins, while the great farmlands of Appleloosa were reduced to crater-marked plains. Ponyville and Canterlot, where the fighting had been the fiercest, were not much better off. However, life in Equestria was slowly making its way back to normal. Five years after the beginning of the war, ponies all over the world could sleep easily once more.
However, for the Elements of Harmony, things would not return to normal for a long time…
Applejack sat under her favorite tree with the pony she loved, a tear rolling down her cheek. “You OK, Applejack?” Rainbow Dash asked, though she knew perfectly well what her friend was crying about. Two fields away, behind the barn, were two simple gravestones; one marked CARAMEL, the other BRAEBURN. 
The earth pony forced a smile. “Oh, Dashie… Ah know Ah’ve got a li’l sister to take care of an’ a farm to run, but if Ah didn’t have you, Ah don’t…” Her voice trailed off. Rainbow Dash put a foreleg around her, pulling her close. “Shh, Applejack… shh. It’s OK, we’ve still got our friends! We’ve still got eachother! Think about how lucky we are.” Applejack knew that Dashie was right. Applebloom was almost a grown mare, but as a filly who had grown up in the midst of a war she needed her big sister around more than ever. Big Macintosh had taken the loss of his brothers hard, but Fluttershy had been helping him through it all, and these past few weeks Applejack seen him the happiest he’d been in years. And Granny Smith, the tough old mare, still moved with a swiftness that belied her years.
She leaned in towards the pegasus for a kiss, feeling better as their lips met in the cool autumn twilight. Just being around Rainbow Dash was enough to lift her spirits. “Dashie, sugarcube, can we go pay ‘em a visit? Please?”
“Of course, babe,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Here, hop on my back. I’ll fly us over there!” The Pegasus strained for a second before taking off, scattering red and orange leaves behind her.
“FLUTTERSHY! FLUTTERSHY, HELP ME!”
The bedroom door flew open. Fluttershy, rubbing her eyes, dashed into the room, followed closely by the lumbering form of Big Macintosh. “Somethin’ the matter there, miss Pinkie?” Fluttershy was already holding the sobbing earth pony, rocking her back and forth. “Oh, Fluttershy, I had the dream again! THE DREAM! The one with the violence and the knives and the blood… Why does this keep happening to me? WHY??!” Pinkie Pie buried her face in Fluttershy’s mane, Big Macintosh placing a protective hoof on her back. “There, there,” Fluttershy whispered, holding her friend tightly. Pinkie’s nightmares had started about three days after the Battle of Canterlot, and almost every night she woke up screaming. She never told anypony exactly what the nightmares contained, but from her nocturnal mumblings they seemed to entail blood, carving knives, and… cupcakes. After a week or so of the gory dreams, Fluttershy and Big Mac had taken her in, and although the dreams were becoming less frequent she still woke up the house at least twice a week.
“Fluttershy, listen to me… All those horrible things in my dreams… Things I see myself doing… Oh, Fluttershy, I’d never hurt you! I’d never hurt any of my friends! She sniffed, wiping her nose on her foreleg. “You… you know that, don’t you?”
“Of course, of course,” the yellow Pegasus soothed. “We all know that. Now, don’t you think some nice cocoa will get those nasty dreams out of your little head?” Pinkie Pie, still sniffling, nodded. “All right, then. I’ll go put on some water…” There was a sudden knock at the front door, making Fluttershy jump. “Oh my goodness… Mac, please go see who that is?”
Twilight Sparkle and Rarity stood on the doorstep, worried expressions on their faces. They had heard the screams, and knew at once what had happened. Pinkie… Big Macintosh opened the door grimly. “Evenin’ Miss Twilight, Miss Rarity…” The big colt looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. Between the loss of Caramel and Braeburn, and Pinkie Pie’s recurring nightmares, he probably hadn’t. “Mac, we brought some tea,” Twilight said sadly. “And brioche!” Rarity piped up. “Please let us help, any way we can…”
The five ponies gathered around the dining room table, Pinkie Pie shaking like a leaf as she sipped her cocoa. Rarity had wrapped the hysterical earth pony in a warm shawl, and Twilight Sparkle had conjured up a tissue box for her friend. “Thank you,” Pinkie Pie squeaked. “Thank you all so much, I’m so sorry… Please, please forgive me.” The door opened again, and Rainbow Dash and Applejack came running in. “We heard the screamin’ and figured somepony was havin’ a nightmare!” Applejack said. The orange-coated pony and her girlfriend sat down at the table on either side of Pinkie. Rainbow Dash patted her on the back. “Look,” Fluttershy whispered, taking the earth pony’s hoof. “Pinkamina Diane, look at all these ponies who love you, who care about you!” Pinkie Pie smiled weakly. “It’s… it’s the war, isn’t it, Twilight?”
“Yes, Pinkie,” Twilight frowned. “But we should be grateful for all of this, for what we have, after so many ponies lost so much.” The ponies all shifted closer to eachother, remembering what life had been like during those dark years…