Applejack admitted to herself that the last 24 hours had taken their toll on her.
She had woken up in the middle of nowhere with no memory of how she had arrived there, been chased by a being out of a foal's story, been rescued and then imprisoned by a trio of hardened and stoic ponies in a hidden underground lair.
Her skin was covered in bruises and scrapes, her tail and mane disheveled beyond repair. Her stomach was aching from the meager rations she had been fed.
Considering the circumstances, she thought to herself, she was surprised she hadn't started hallucinating sooner.
The yellow mare, dressed in the same green fatigues as every other pony she had met so far, stared at her inscrutably. The burly ponies on either side of her looked ready to leap into action at the slightest provocation, so Applejack stood as still as she could.
Belatedly, her sense of good manners kicked in.
"Howdy, stranger." No she would not give in to the hallucination no way no how. "Nice, um, jail y'all got here."
The strange mare didn't look amused. The captain stepped forward and spoke up.
"What's your name, pony?"
Applejack blinked, not expecting an interrogation. "Name's Applejack. I'm jus' tryin' to find my way back home to Ponyville so it's y'all could be so kind..." She trailed off, watching the two mares exchange an odd glance. There was a hint of I told you so on the unicorn's face.
They turned back to her, and then the yellow mare spoke up again.
"So, you say your name's Applejack? From Ponyville?" From the tone of her voice, she could have asked if she was the Cheese Princess of the Moon, but Applejack just nodded.
"That's right. I don't rightly know where I am, but if y'all let me out I'll be outta your hair..."
Hair tied back in a big red ribbon and a smile on her face No stop thinking that that's not possible
"So, if you say you're Applejack, then y'all must know about Sweet Apple Corners, right?" The yellow mare not her couldn't be her continued to glare at her.
"Acres. And yeah, what about them?" She's grown up all grown up that's impossible I don't care if that's her voice or her big orange eyes that ain't her
The yellow mare nodded slightly, as if confirming something to herself. "And y'all must know when the Zap Apples start growin'?"
"When the timber wolves start howlin', of course!" Applejack shifted on her hooves slightly, the line of questioning making her slightly uneasy. More than she would have expected.
The yellow mare took a step forward, her face just behind the bars so close I could kiss it I've missed it so much. "And what was the last thing Ma and Pop said to you before they died.?"
The question hit Applejack like a sledgehammer to the gut. She winced, feeling the tears come on again.
"She said..." She choked, blinking. Through the blurry haze of tears she could suddenly see more clearly the truth of who was standing in front of her. "We fought." She knew it was impossible, but today was a day for impossible things. "I yelled at her." So strong so proud so... old. "She yelled back, sayin'..." Oh sweet Celestia it's her I don't know how but it's her! "...sayin' 'I wish you could be more like your brother'."
Applejack suddenly felt warm forelegs around her, a muzzle brushing up against hers. She hugged back.
I never told nopony that story, not even Big Mac. Only one other pony was there that night, before th'accident. It's HER I know it is
"I missed ya, Applejack." The yellow mare's voice had a ragged edge to it, like she was holding back tears of her own.
"I missed you too, Apple Bloom."
---
Applejack was seated at a table, slowly spooning warm mushroom chowder. It felt good going down her throat, warming her belly. It didn't quite wash away the day's events. But it helped.
Opposite her the yellow mare - her sister, Apple Bloom - sat, watching her in silence.
These ponies sure don't talk much, do they?
As soon as Applejack recognized her sister, she had a million questions bubble up. But the glare she got from the other ponies in the room, seemingly still not trusting her to be who she said she was, made her decide to wait until a more private moment to ask them.
Now, here they were, in Apple Bloom 's private office. It was a large office, including a large desk and a conference table, at which Applejack was now seated.
The nameplate on the desk read "General Bloom". That had taken Applejack aback when she first heard it. When the unicorn from the jail turned and saluted Applejack and called her "General“, Applejack had to refrain herself from laughing out loud. Apparently she hadn't been entirely successful, and one glare from the unicorn wiped the smirk that had crept on her face right off.
General. Last she remembered, Equestria didn't even have an army, let alone one that was run by her baby sister. The world really had gone insane.
Applejack had barely finished her chowder when Apple Bloom opened the door to her office and rejoined her.
She looked tired, but lean and muscular. Now that they didn't have bars between them, Applejack could see the stars sewn on to the shoulders of her uniform, as well as onto the cap. As she stepped through the door, she tossed the cap onto a hook in the stone wall, revealing her hair. The last Applejack had seen it, it was tied in a bow nearly as large as her head. But now it was cut short, businesslike, military.
"Sorry." Apple Bloom set a stack of folders on her desk, then turned to her sister with a smile. "Had to take care of a few things to make sure we had some time t' chat."
Applejack stood up and gave her sister another warm hug, which Apple Bloom returned in kind.
"I reckon y'all got a few questions, Applejack. I know I do." Apple Bloom took a seat opposite the conference table from Applejack, who sat down as well.
"Well, let's start with 'what in tarnation is goin' on here?' and go from there, shall we? I gather I been away a while and don't remember nothin'..." Applejack trailed off, inviting her sister to fill her in.
"Yeah... just a little while." Apple Bloom looked a little sheepish. "We reckon about ten year, give or take a few weeks."
Applejack 's jaw dropped, but Apple Bloom continued. "Now, if y'all had shown up outta the blue, that would've been one thing. I'm y'all had been hidin' out while we'd been fightin' them icicles, y'all might have found yourself not exactly welcome around here." Applejack couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of something between regret and fear in her stomach.
"But you... you look exactly the way you did when I saw you last. Exactly. Y'all ain't got a gray hair, not a wrinkle, not an ounce of gristle on you." Applejack wasn't sure, but she thought her sister just called her fat.
"In short - and I can't say I quite understand it myself, but Sargent Belle says it's happened afore, so I believe her - the closest explanation we can muster is y'all time travelled."
Applejack held silent for a beat, and then guffawed at the absurdity of the notion.
"Time travel, sis? Y'all been readin' too many of those Science-y Fiction comics!" She nearly doubled over with laughter, but after a glance at the look on her sister's face, the laughter died in her throat.
"Applejack." The use of her full name was unnerving, she wished she would call her “AJ” or “sis’” or anything else. "We been fightin' monsters outta a children's fairy tale for almost a decade now. We use heat rays right outta Flash Garden." She sighed. "And I trust Belle. If'n she says "time travel," then that's what I run with."
It took Applejack a second to catch her breath, but when she reflected, it did make a certain amount of sense. After all, it seemed to her like she had gotten here in the blink of an eye. And the evidence that time had passed was literally staring her in the face, waiting for a reaction.
Still... time travel? Seriously!?
She supposed Twi had done it once before, but still. The thought of Twilight suddenly made her realize she hadn't thought of her friends since she woke up here.
"Wait one cotton pickin' minute, where's Twilight? Or Rainbow Dash, for that matter? Or Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie." As a realization struck her, her breath caught in her throat. "Or Big Mac." It was barely a whisper, and she could feel the blood drain from her cheeks. "Granny?"
Apple Bloom shook her head slowly, but her face betrayed not a hint of emotion. "We don't know about your friends. We had assumed they fell when the icicles first attacked." The mask cracked, only so slightly. "Big Mac... he sacrificed himself to save countless ponies in that attack. Granny, she..." Apple Bloom stopped short here, the end of the sentence hanging uncomfortably in the air between them.
Ten years ten years ago ain't got time to mourn ain't got time to cry there'll be time for that later...
"The attack came out of nowhere." Apple Bloom was looking at the table top, not meeting Applejack 's eyes. "There was no warnin', no hint it was comin'. One day, the fields frosted over in mid-July. The next, horses made of ice and snow were rampaging through Equestria, not stoppin' for nothin'."
Applejack took a moment to digest this. "Are they really Windigoes? Like in the Hearth’s Warmin' story?"
Apple Bloom shrugged. "Maybe. The description fits close 'nuff. 'ceptin' they don't seem to care two links about the 'power'a Friendship.'" She smiled. "They do seem to care 'bout the 'power'a concentrated sub-light beams generated by stored magical energy,' though. Or whatever it is that Belle calls it."
Applejack 's ears perked up, a connection suddenly made in her mind. "Belle? As in Sweetie Belle?"
Apple Bloom nodded. "She just goes by Belle now. Well, technically 'Sergeant Belle'. She... she never was the same after losin' her sister. I guess I know what that's like."
Applejack looked up again and into Apple Bloom 's eyes. For the first time, the depth of all those years was reflected in them. Applejack felt like she could lose herself in the pools of sadness and regret and loss she saw there. But a blink, and they were gone. Apple Bloom continued.
"Ponyville was hit early. We reckon we happened to be in the way between them and Canterlot. Or maybe they hit Canterlot first, and saw us as easy pickin’s. Heavens know we would've been wiped out completely if it hadn't been for Mac and Cheerilee." Apple Bloom stood up and walked to a sideboard, pouring two glasses of water. She took the tray with the glasses in her mouth and walked over to Applejack. She gratefully accepted, and took a sip, waiting for Apple Bloom to continue.
"It was jus' us foals for a while. It wasn't easy, but the school basement was safe enough until we figured out the icicles don't move at night. It was Scootaloo who found these caves, and we've been doin' our best to survive ever since." She took a sip of her own glass, pausing to collect her thoughts.
"We found other survivors. We sent out rescue parties all over Equestria in the early days. We still patrol regularly, though we haven't found any survivors in..." Apple Bloom looked briefly at the ceiling, concentrating. "Well, a good long time. ‘Till you, that is."
Applejack leaned back for a moment, and tried to picture the world her sister must have grown up in. Struggling to survive, to build up some semblance of normality after the terrible tragedy. Her own family dead or missing... Applejack would have given anything for the ability to take all the pain and suffering she had to endure from her. Her every muscle screamed at her to rush around the table and wrap her sister in a warm embrace, but the cold, distant look in Apple Bloom's eyes held her off somehow. Instead, she stirred at her soup again, lading a spoonful into her mouth in silence.
After what seemed like far too long, Applejack broke the silence. "Jus' how many of y'all are left?"
This made Apple Bloom's ears sag slightly. "Two thousand, one hundred, and twelve. Well, thirteen now."
Applejack was slightly amazed at the number. "Well that don't sound too bad. They all live here?"
Apple Bloom seemed to ignore her question. "Two thousand. Outta nearly two million ponies in Equestria, we're all that's left. 'Cept those that could flee across the borders, of course. We have no way a'knowin' how many ponies that might be. We can't even be sure any of the other nations survived."
Applejack could only nod, trying to grasp the enormity of the situation. Apple Bloom continued, and it was a comfort to Applejack just to hear her talk.
"We haven't heard from any of the other kingdoms since after the war broke out, and what emissaries and scouts we have sent to the borders never returned. The sad truth is, though, that if we haven't heard from them in all the years we been fightin', it probably means there ain't no one there left to fight."
All this talk of emissaries and kingdoms made a sudden, staggering thought come to Applejack's mind. "Wait a sec, what about the princesses? Celestia, and Luna! Why couldn' they stop the invasion?"
Apple Bloom shook her head, dourly. "They vanished, soon as the Windies appeared. Y'don't think that was our first instinct? Run to Canterlot and get the 'almighty princesses' t' save us?" Apple Bloom spit on the ground, barely hiding a grimace.
"We got there, and found the castle abandoned, Windies everywhere. We don't know whether they Princesses were overpowered and killed, or just vanished t' wherever it is alicorn princesses come from, but there weren't hide nor hair of them t' be found anywhere in the castle once we were able to search it."
"And Twilight? She's a princess too, y'know. Or her sister-in-law, Cadance?"
"Twilight vanished right in front'a our eyes, jus' like you did, jus' like the other princesses probably did in their castle walls. Jus' like the other former Elements'a Harmony. And if the Crystal Empire survived, they sure ain't made themselves known."
"Wait... Twilight vanished, jus' like me?"
Apple Bloom nodded. "So did Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. We figured the Windies knew that, even with the Elements locked away in the Tree, y'all might pose a threat to their plans, and somehow found a way to make y'all disappear."
"By sendin' us ten years into the future? What sense does that make?"
Apple Bloom's eyes narrowed, her lips forming a thin line. "I'm jus' sayin' what we were workin' off of at the time. We don't know whether it was the Windies or the Princesses or somethin' else entirely that made y'all disappear, all we know is y'all were gone. And yes," she held up a hoof, fending off any further statement from Applejack. "A'course we tried to find the Tree and use th'Elements ourselves. It was no use, Windies got there a'fore we did, chopped the thing down n'hauled it off, near as we can tell."
"So you're sayin' a bunch'a horses made of ice'n'snow, not only planned an invasion, but made the only threat to their conquest disappear? Somethin' the Changelings and Discord and King Sombra couldn't do, these old mare's tale creatures managed without any problem."
Apple Bloom just stood there, watching as Applejack let out her frustrations. After Applejack had a chance to catch her breath, Apple Bloom continued.
"We don't know for sure, not even after all these years, whether or not they had help. For all we know, Discord was on their side. Tartarus knows we ain't seen him since the invasion. But the truth is, we jus' don't know. We figure they must've had spies watching us for a while, but that's about as far as we can reckon. We're fightin' here every day jus' to survive, so y'all can imagine a history textbook ain't been our top priority."
Apple Bloom scowled, most of the kindness drained from her face. In that moment, Applejack could see the years of battle and strife reflected in her visage, the scars and lines that accumulated in the years making her look even older than she already was.
Again, the urge to run around the table and hold Apple Bloom close cam over her, but at the same time, the pony sitting across from her felt more like a stranger than her sister. To keep her hooves busy, Applejack reached for another spoonful of soup, only to find the bowl empty.
"If y'all finished your supper, y'all can come with me. I'll show y'all where you can sleep." Apple Bloom's face softened a little at her offer, but Applejack still thought she detected a hint of irritation in the General's voice.
She prob'ly ain't used t’ showin' ponies around like a applebuckin’ tour guide. She prob'ly has more important things t' be attendin' to.
Applejack felt her own irritation grow, but she tried to keep it from entering her face as she followed Apple Bloom wordlessly out the door.
The two ponies walked in silence through the darkened tunnels. The stone walls were smooth, worn away by what looked like years of use. It soon became clear to Applejack, by the sheer number of branching corridors, staircases, and doors, that the underground complex must be massive. Once or twice they passed another pony, and each time the other party stepped aside to let them pass, offering a smart salute to the General.
The deference caught Applejack by surprise. She wouldn't have stood for such silliness had it been directed at her, and it took her slightly aback that her sister allowed them to carry on like that.
Finally, they came to a steeply-slanting corridor that opened up into a small chamber lined with doors. Apple Bloom trotted to one and gave the latch a tug, revealing a small room behind.
"Here y'are. Lav's are up the hall and to the right. Mess is at eight hundred hours sharp. If'n y'all need anythin' else, ask somepony to show y'all to the quartermaster's. But don't expect much. We mostly make do with what we got 'round here."
Applejack barely registered anything the General was saying. The room was small, barely larger than the broom closet she used to have in her old farmhouse. There was a cot with a thin blanket, a bare light bulb mounted to the opposite wall, and a short shelf.
Guess I better make the most of it. What would Granny Smith think if I started bellyachin' now.
She belatedly realized that Granny Smith was gone. As was anyone she knew or loved. Except her sister, and even her she barely recognized.
Apple Bloom took her silence to mean she had no questions, and turned to leave. Applejack just stared after her, watching her hindquarters as she climbed the steep corridor.
In that moment, it occurred to Applejack that Apple Bloom must have gotten her cutie marks by now, but her flank was covered by the dull green fatigues.
She almost wanted to call out, to ask her to come back, to show her them and tell her all about what she had missed. But it was too late. The General had disappeared around the corner. Applejack turned to her small cell - though, actually, her jail cell had been larger - and closed the door. It latched closed, though there was no lock. Left with barely enough room to turn around, she set her hat on the edge of the shelf, curled up on the cot, and turned out the light.
She had no sooner closed her eyes than she had fallen into a restless, dreamless sleep.