//------------------------------//
// Chapter 24: The Farm 
// Story: The Story of Reik: The Communist Revolutionary: MLP 
// by Reik 
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	TORCHES, THEY WERE everywhere, along every path, attached to every wall, one out of five guards carried one. Despite the lazy moon hanging just above their heads, it might as well have been mid day on the Apple family farm.  The brutal wind had picked up just as Twilight entered the farm, its rigid sweep forcing everypony to brace against the cold. The civilians were the worst off, only a token few actually having any form of clothing to protect them against the weathers assault. 

Casting her gaze to the ground, Twilight saw that the snow she traversed was far from white. The constant hoofsteps created trenches along the white ground, wood chippings crunched underhoof, and soot formed in areas under torches.
What was the point? Twilight wondered this over and over again. Why where they tearing down the forest, why where they utilizing practically everypony in Ponyville for whatever it was? Normally, Twilight was no stranger to confusion or inquiry. Her studies began and ended with many questions. Not knowing something was but a reason to look for something to the purple pony.  But this was different. This, whatever it was, had an ominous feeling about it. Even though all of this was happening within the confines of Ponyville, and even then, only parts of Ponyville, Twilight felt as if she would soon be helping to stir a giant.

Twilight was brought from her thoughts by the sudden impact with a guard, he had been standing motionless and she had not noticed him.  The armored guard didn't budge an inch when Twilight bumped into him; the only acknowledgment he offered her was a short glance out of his peripheral vision in her direction. Twilight was surprised to see such little response the stallion, yet his gaze on her that must have lasted only a second was terrifying, those grey eyes that starred seemed to stare through her kept her in a sitting position even after he turned away.

Regaining her sense, Twilight rose and examined her surroundings. The group had stopped along with several other groups. They had all congregated around the front of the Apple family house, despite the battle between the creeping darkness and sea of torches, the house looked just as it did before the takeover. 

The ponies around her where silent, like before they hung their heads and shuffled their hooves uneasily. As before, they all had a look of forlorn exhaustion about them, any attempt to communicate was met with a threatening glare from a nearby guard. Around her, the sound of the wind mixed with the sound of construction. Above the ambient clamor, Twilight could hear a voice, not a deep commanding one used by the guards; this was the voice of a mare. However she could not pick up any specific words, just the sound that somepony was speaking. 

As the voice continued, sections of the congregation broke off, moving in separate directions around the farm, each accompanied by a pair of guards like they had in the town center, shouting and directing to whatever destination they were given.

When the ponies around her began moving off to one direction, Twilight caught a sense of fearful confusion. She didn't understand a single bit of what was going on; everypony seemed ignorant of her existence. Deciding it better to mix with the closest party and move with them, Twilight caught up to the group that had just departed and moved with them across the farm.

Their trip was short, instead of venturing into the forest or back towards town as others had, Twilight found herself before the great barn, its silhouette fading with the black backdrop due to a decrease in the frequency of torches.  Despite the darkness though, the barn was still its old red self subject to little overall change, despite the new flag flying over its roof. 
From within, Twilight heard a large crash. The crash was one of both wood and metal and its report was quickly followed by an uproar of voices.

Around her, Twilight was encircled by other working ponies, rushing about their tasks to and fro. To each side of the great barn, two equally large expansions where taking shape. Only skeletons now, but Twilight could see that the endeavor would triple the size and capacity of the barn, but for what purpose, she could only guess. 

Poking her head above the party, Twilight saw, albeit when a stray head was not blocking her view, Twilight could see their two escort guards fumbling with the doors, the locking mechanism for which had shattered; a swift kick from one of them solving the problem. Stepping back, the guards pulled the doors apart, exposing the inner structure. 

The first thing Twilight noticed was the metal mess covering the ceiling which she assumed had been the source of the crash. It was a tangle of metal bar and wooden planks, the purpose for which she could not devise.  Around the mess, Twilight saw a mix of guards and civilian ponies simply staring at the collection of scrap.

"Second things done go according ta plan, they're as useful as a screen door on a submarine." A familiar voice sounded to Twilight's side. Recognizing the sounds owner immediately, Twilight spun around and embraced the orange coat of her friend Applejack. Applejack jumped slightly at the embrace, surprised by the embrace. "Calm down hun, you ok?" She asked reassuringly. Twilight broke the hug reluctantly, but was still happy to see such a familiar friend. "Yeah, fine, I'm just happy to see a familiar face today." Applejack smiled in response and started to move into the barn, motioning for Twilight to follow. Unlike the armored guards, Twilight was more than happy to follow her friend, as she entered the barn Twilight examined her friend. The coat she wore, tattered at its ends, and her cap, a light coat of snow resting on it, were such a contradiction to her true self. Twilight found it odd to find somepony like Applejack adorning the colors of the occupation but reminded herself that Applejack was not doing it by choice. What Twilight had also noticed about her friend was her expression. It was a weathered one, a tired one, the kind you'd see on a pony who hadn't slept for days.

Applejack continued into the barn until she reached the collection around the metal spaghetti now occupying the center of the building. With but only a few shouts and a tone of authority, Applejack had everypony around her rushing about, some grabbing planks of wood and metal, others grabbing wheelbarrows which were quickly loaded with the materials. Turning away from the production she had just produced, the orange pony moved towards the new congregation, addressing them with the same tone of command.

First demanding the barn doors to be shut, and continuing only once the task was complete and the frigid outside air was kept at bay, Applejack described their task. They were building a farm, an artificial one, inside the barn, the barn that was quickly being expanded. The barn would utilize special lighting, mimicking that of the sun, to induce food growth, and the survival of Ponyville rested on its completion on schedule. The lighting equipment was on its way from Ponyville and the metal chassis that would hold it, the same one a section of which had just fallen, would need adjustment and repairs before the lights could be mounted. 

Twilight was intrigued be such an audacious construction. She had heard and read about such forms of farming, but never in depth, artificial forms of farming never being a big issue in Equestria. Finishing her address, Applejack directed groups of ponies to their guard handlers and sent them off to work. She directed Twilight personally to help her organize all the workers go about their tasks in the most productive and efficient order. Happy to be of assistance to her friend and in a way she was most proficient with, Twilight happily directed the whole operation. The metal and wood strips that had one littered the floor where quickly repaired and put back into place alongside their brethren on the ceiling. Twilight still marveled at the prospect of an artificial farm, in contrast to her fearful ignorance that defined her not a couple hours ago, she now wanted only to be a part of this great and production. She even felt a little tinge of sadness when the final bolt was put into place and work had come to an abrupt pause. The chassis repaired but the equipment still on its way to the barn.

As the ponies around them pointed blank stares at one another, some going so far as to whisper to one another, Twilight and Applejack took a seat on several planks of unused wood. For several seconds, they simply starred at each other, so much needed to be asked and said, yet there was no proper place to start. Twilight, still sifting through her thoughts and organizing her armory of questions, turned her gaze to the silent ponies around her, both guard and civilian, just standing silently, as if oblivious to each other's existence. Reminded of an inquiry she had, Twilight abruptly blurted out. "Remember when you told me they were as useful as a screen, uh." applejack interjected at Twilights verbal stumble. "Screen door on a submarine?" Twilight nodded and continued. "Yeah, uh, who where you talking about, the guards? Or ponies?" Applejack gave Twilight an odd stare; in such a situation she probably thought it odd to inquire such a thing when Twilight clearly had many other important questions. "Uh, I, err." The orange pony started to chuckle as she continued. "Ah guess both of em."