Chapter One:
The Beginning of The End.
Another ordinary day. This simple sentence runs through your thoughts every morning when you wake up. Nothing changes; everything stays the same. Your mind wants you to feel comfortable, not a care to be given. Your life is like a breeze of wind, carelessly floating along the way. At least, that's what we all want, right?
"Ah wish..." Applejack replied solemnly to her own thoughts before letting out a rough sigh as she shifted her weight to lean against the wall. Her steel plated armor made a 'cling' sound as it hit the stone wall of the building she was guarding. For the third day in a row, Applejack was assigned guard duty. She had missed two ambushes and three patrols because she had other duties. The poor farm mare wanted to get out and help with this war between the royal sisters, but Luna continuously put her on guard at the ruins of an abandoned warehouse not too far from Fillydelphia.
Of course, being that Fillydelphia is ran by the Lunar soldiers, they were able to resupply this base well enough to survive on their own for weeks. Fillydelphia was close to the border of the land Luna called her own, receiving threats and attacks from passing Celestial patrols on a daily basis. The land was practically split down the center of Equestria, leaving several cities to fend for themselves. The South and the East side of the land belonged to the night princess while The North and the West side belonged to her sister, Celestia. Along that border was where the battles took place as the two sisters took claim to the land they thought rightfully belonged to them.
All Applejack wanted was to go back to her farm in Ponyville to enjoy the fresh air of the orchard and the company of her family. She missed her family and friends dearly. She missed her old life, carefree but hard working. She would give anything to go back to it. Anything.
"Why the gloomy face?" A loud, chirpy voice sounded form behind Applejack, shocking her from her thoughts. She nearly fell over as she tried to turn and face the perky pony.
"Pinkie! Can ya not say that so loudly?" Applejack retorted, regaining her balance before looking up at the smirking pony. Applejack's accent was as thick as it ever was. A newcomer would easily tell that she was once a country mare just from a single sentence.
"Okie Dokie Lokie, Applejack!" Pinkie chirped once again; her smile seemed to be growing larger with every word she spoke. Pinkie's voice was loud and quick; like someone had taken a trumpet and filled it with sugary treats. Instead of armor, the pink maned pony was wearing a simple white cape-like fabric. The whiteness of the cloth had faded to a dirty looking grey with several bloodstains splattered on the front. "So, whatcha doin' standing around here? Shouldn't you be out there on the field, kicking some Celestial flank?" The perky pony asked questioningly.
"Ah would be if Ah could, Pinkie. But Princess Luna put me on guard duty... again... for the third time." Applejack replied with another rough sigh.
"Aw! I'm so sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I have to sit in the smelly infirmary all day tending to the ponies that are injured in battle. At least you aren't one of them!" Pinkie was trying to look on the bright side, attempting to cheer Applejack up. By the way Applejack was starring at the ground told Pinkie differently.
"Ah guess y'all are right," Applejack agreed with the pink, perky pony. She shifted her weight once again to where she was leaning against the wall. She then proceeded to crossing her hooves in front of her chest plate, her defense completely lowered. She was obviously not prepared for an attack if one were to happen.
A slightly awkward silence fell upon the two mares as they gazed into the forest, the only sound being the chirping of birds in the distance.
"Well... Do you have any interesting stories?" Pinkie tried to spark a conversation to end the awkward silence.
"Ah've been on guard duty the whole morning. The least that has happened is a rabbit hopping along the path. I nearly attacked it because of how borin' this duty is!" Applejack pointed to her left toward a patch of over grown, tall grass where the bunny had been. Just as Applejack pointed, the same bunny poked it's head through the grass. It was chewing on a piece of grass as it looked toward the two mares.
"That's pretty... interesting?" The pink maned pony stated questionably. Pinkie forced back the urge to roll her eyes at Applejack's stance. A story about a bunny is never as interesting as a battle story. Not by a long shot.
Just as Pinkie was about to say something about her experience in the infirmary, a rustling sound came from the forest in front of them. The two mares ignored it at first, but it soon became louder and closer. Applejack quickly shifted to a defensive position, grasping the iron sword she had holstered on her waist in her mouth. Clenching the handle tightly, she stepped forward, her eyes narrowed in concentration.
"Get inside, now." she ordered Pinkie, her voice slightly muffled by the sword grasped in her jaw. Pinkie nodded understandingly before trotting toward the abandoned building. Ducking inside, she quickly stuck her head around the corner to watch what was about to happen.
Applejack continued forward, steadily moving closer to the sound. As her hooves left the gravel path leading to the ruined building and onto the grassy patches of the forest floor, a sudden rush of energy flowed through the orange mare's body. The thrill of being on the field again made her forcibly smirk. This was the thrill she was seeking: the feeling of adrenaline as she stepped closer to danger.
The rustling in the undergrowth of the forest seemed so close, but Applejack could not see any movement. The mare's ears twitched from left to right, pinpointing every sound. Her emerald green gaze shifted from bush to bush, alert for any sudden movement.
Suddenly, the orange coated mare's head whirled around as the rustling seemed to be behind her. A sudden flash of white leaped from a bush to Applejack's right side, catching her off guard long enough to barrel into her. As the weight of the attacker clashed into her, the sword in her mouth was released form her mouth forcibly. She let out a surprised breath before using the weight and the velocity of the surprise attacker to roll it onto it's back. After tussling with her grip, she soon had it pinned, ready to strike it with a quick jab of her hoof. She let out a exasperated sigh when she recognized the white coated soldier in her squad. Removing her hooves from the stallion, she turned around irritably.
"You still have that energy in you, Captain. No amount of guard duty will change that," the white Unicorn she had pinned noted, smirking at the stetson wearing mare. An irritated sigh escaped Applejack's mouth before she turned to face the stallion. His white coat was now caked with light brown patches as he sprawled on the ground, several winces following his movements. Perhaps Applejack wounded him a little more than intended.
"Harrow, How many times do Ah need ta tell ya, stay in view when approachin' me!" Applejack warned, offering a hoof to help the stallion up. Harrow accepted the assist, shaking off some of the dirt from his coat as he stood. Harrow's dark green gaze shifted from Applejack's unfaltering stare. Applejack knew that this made Harrow uncontrollably jittery.
"I was just testing you, Applejack. I know you have told me that before, which is exactly why I did it." Harrow pointed out, his chin held high in attempt to show his courage. Applejack ignored the fake triumphant look as she began circling the muscly Unicorn.
"Any news 'bout the patrol? Where's the rest of the group?" Applejack asked before she began walking back to the spot she had originally been standing. A long silence came after the question Applejack had asked. The orange mare turned back toward Harrow. The white Unicorn was looking at the ground now, a frown replacing his normal smirk.
"They were captured..." Harrow replied. As the words left Harrow's lips, Applejack froze in her spot, her green eyes widening at the stallion.
"Captured?" She echoed, her gaze faltering from the soldier. She couldn't believe they had been captured! They were the best of the best, elite beyond compare. If anything, they would be the ones capturing ponies.
"The Celestial troops that caught them said they were taking them to Canterlot. I couldn't do anything about it, I swear! There were too many of them..." The white Unicorn spoke through gritted teeth. "The only thing I could do was run. One of them gave chase, but I lost him before reaching the forest," the stallion added, looking behind him as if showing where he came from.
"Ya did what ya could. Go get patched up. Redheart will take care of ya," Applejack ordered. With a salute, Harrow limped past Applejack and entered the ruined building.
"Just another day..." Applejack sighed. "When is it just another day?"
"You look fine, Harrow. Nothing too serious." The pink maned pony noted, smiling at the white Unicorn.
"Thanks, Miss Pinkie." The stallion replied, nodding in farewell before heading off to report the fate of his squad to Luna. Pinkie watched as Harrow walked away, shifting her weight to a more comfortable position. She did not rest at all today; she was too busy running errands for Redheart and assisting the soldiers as much as she could. Pinkie was going to take this time to lay her head on her hooves and take a little snooze. Resting her head on her hooves, she starred off at the wall, thoughts rushing through her mind. One thought seemed to stick out from the rest; like a needle in a haystack. Applejack's orders rung clearly in her head as she recalled their previous meeting. Something about the way the farm mare spoke told Pinkie she was trying to protect her friend. When she found out it was only Harrow that was making the sounds, she couldn't help but sigh in relief. Pinkie was glad to have a friend like Applejack. She felt safe around her compared to the other soldiers.
"Pinkie! I need your help, stat!" Just as she was about to drift away, a loud voice startled her into full awareness. Pinkie's head shot up as her eyes darted around the room. Redheart was standing by closed curtains, blood staining her protective mask and her white chest fur.
"What is it?" Pinkie asked, shooting up onto her hooves as quickly as possible.
"One of the soldiers! His side wound opened again! I can't re-stitch it by myself. I need you to hold him down while I reapply the stitches," Redheart commanded. She led the pink pony to the closed curtains. She pushed the fabric aside violently to reveal a spazzing stallion. Blood flowed from a large gash in his side like a river, a crimson current splashing onto the table. The stallion's eyes were shaking in pain, his mouth open wide. He was trying to speak, but all that came out were gurgled sounds. Pinkie's eyes widened at the sight. She had never seen a wound so large! What could have caused this? A blade? A blunt object?
"Stop gawking and get over here!" Redheart snapped at Pinkie, returning her from her daze. Redheart was already at the patients side. Pinkie quickly rushed to Redheart's side, ready to do whatever she was asked to do.
"Hold his shoulders while I seal the wound." The nurse instructed, pulling the protective mask down to her neck before grasping a needle in her mouth. Pinkie did as she was told, moving to the front of the table. The stallion stared up into Pinkie's eyes, fear and blood-loss filling his pupils. She reluctantly placed her hooves over his shoulders, holding the stallion down the best she could. As Redheart began weaving the medical stitches into the stallion's flesh, he screamed in pain. The stallion attempted to throw his hooves toward the wound, but Pinkie had him pinned enough to keep his hooves on the table.
"Don't we have anything to put him to sleep?" Pinkie asked while the soldier took breaths between screams.
"We ran out! We were supposed to get a resupply yesterday, but it never arrived." Redheart answered Pinkie. She pulled up on the needle, another shrill screech escaping the stallion's mouth. If this keeps up, he'll end up going hoarse.
"Can you hurry?" Pinkie rushed.
"I can only go so fast." Redheart replied, her voice slightly muffled by the needle. She let out a sudden grunt; a slight clang sound came from where Redheart was standing. Pinkie looked down to her hooves, seeing a bloody needle sliding along the floor with a string attached to it. Redheart cursed aloud before rushing over to the medical cabinet.
"What happened?" Pinkie asked, her voice tipped with worry.
"I dropped the needle! It's not sterile anymore. I cannot use it to seal the wound now. I need a new one." Redheart answered, rustling through the supplies frantically. "I can't find any!"
Pinkie looked from the stallion to the needle with a determined look crossing her face. She ducked down, grasping the needle in her mouth. It was warm and sticky from the crimson blood but still cold from being on the floor. She traveled underneath the table, soon reaching the spot where Redheart had been standing. Ignoring the shouts of pain coming from the stallion, she began sealing the rest of the wound. With nothing holding down the stallion's hooves, they shot for his side, nearly pushing Pinkie away. Without taking her sight off of the needle, she swatted away the hooves each time they attempted to interrupt the surgery.
"What are you doing?!" Redheart gasped when she turned to see what the commotion was.
"Don't worry, I got this! If we don't do it now, he'll die!" Pinkie answered, quickly pulling the needle upward. The stallion had suddenly stopped flailing his hooves. The pink pony looked up to see that he was cringing in pain, his head resting on the pillow behind him. She continued sewing the gash until she reached the opposite side of the wound. She placed the needle down next to the closed wound with a sigh.
"It's going to get infected if we don't replace the stitches. He will have to go through tremendous pain again." Redheart put out bluntly, slowly approaching the pink mare.
"I know..." Another sigh escaped her mouth, her head hanging low. "At least he's alive," the pink mare added. She looked up at the stallion, his eyes shut. He had passed out. She let out a small laugh, looking down at her chest. The cloth robe she was wearing had been splashed by the red liquid, adding onto the existing stains.
"I am guessing my muzzle is the same way, right?" She asked Nurse Redheart. The white coated mare nodded in reply.
"Why don't you go get washed up? I'll watch over the stallion while you are gone," Redheart suggested. Pinkie Pie nodded at the suggestion before heading toward the halls of the ruins. She looked both directions before walking down two doors. The room was darkened, but the cracks in the roof gave enough sunlight to lighten the room. Curtains lined the back of the wall just like in the infirmary. Behind the curtains were the showers. Pinkie looked over to the sides of the room, several bathtubs have been installed. She began approaching the nearest one with the feeling of cleansing already running through her mind.
With a simple twist of the handle, the water began pouring into the tub, slowly filling it up. Removing her cloth robe, she gently set it aside. It would need to be washed, but that could wait. After the robe was off, she sat down to watch as the faucet sprayed the steaming water. Once it had filled close to the brim, she reached for the handle again, returning it to it's original resting spot. With a slight hesitation, she lowered herself into the water; the relaxing feeling slowly filling her body. Once she was fully submerged, she lowered her muzzle into the water as well, scrubbing the bloodstained parts with her hooves. The water slowly turned light red as the thick liquid merged with the bath water. Once she felt the last of the blood leave her fur, she sat back, resting her head on the back of the tub. She closed her eyes as she relaxed further. For the first time today she was completely at peace.
A sudden clopping of hooves shocked her from her restful state. Her eye's shot open and stared at the entrance. Just as she looked, Applejack was walking into the room.
"A-Applejack? What are you doing here?" Pinkie sounded surprised, lowering herself further into the water.
"After Harrow tackled me, Ah got a lil' dirty. Ah Thought about takin' a quick bath. You don't mind, do ya?" The orange mare asked, pointing to the bathtub behind Pinkie. The pink maned pony shook her head in reply, her insecurity slowly fading. After getting the okay, Applejack approached the tub, placing her brown hat on the cold tab. The blonde maned pony reached over and turned on the hot water, watching as it began to fill. She then began removing her armor, gently placing it in a small pile. Reaching back over to turn off the water, she waited for it to stop dripping before quickly submerging herself. Applejack let out a relaxed sigh as she sat back.
"Nothin' beats a nice relaxin' bath." She spoke, chuckling afterward.
It seemed that the awkward silence had followed Applejack from room to room. Pinkie wanted to spark a conversation,
but she didn't want to stress her friend out. Instead, she kept her trap shut and just sat there.
"Ya asked me earlier if Ah had any interesting stories, right?" Applejack was the one to start the conversation. Pinkie looked over her shoulder at her friend, nodding in reply.
"How 'bout Ah tell ya about one of my battles?" The orange pony suggested and Pinkie was suddenly intrigued. She turned around, splashing in the water until she was facing the orange mare.
"Let's hear it!" Pinkie chirped happily, her smile as wide as possible. She was glad that her best friend was being social enough to tell her a story. It was a large change from her normal 'quietly sitting on guard duty while complaining about not being on the field' attitude. She didn't like that attitude. It was too grouchy.
Pinkie listened to the story, nodding and giving her opinion when she could. A few chuckles followed a statement from Pinkie, but the story continued on. The story Applejack was telling soon ended, leaving the orange pony blushing slightly. Pinkie couldn't help but giggle at her reaction, making the orange mare blush even more. Pinkie found it cute when Applejack's freckled cheeks grew a deep red. She wasn't going to say it aloud in fear of making this bonding moment awkward, even though deep inside she wanted to speak her mind.
The time will come, just not now.