//------------------------------//
// The First Cog... 
// Story: Mechanis Maximus 
// by K_and_REDACTED 
//------------------------------//


Sector 23 [formerly Ponyvile] outskirts;
DatusAproximus: 9985
02:34 Pm. EQT
Spring


Should…
The harvest should be good…
When…
When bucking season starts
If…
If the GPD don’t come by again…
Good… The…
Applejack?
So…
Applejack…
Then…
“APPLEJACK!”
“H-huh?”
“Y’aint listen’ t’ me!”
“A-Ah’m sorry sugar cube, what is it?”
“Ya went in t’ tomorrow’s work.”
“O-oh sorry…” She’d zoned out. It wasn’t the first time. Applejack didn’t like the way they taught the children these days; it just reminded her that soon, very soon now, Applebloom would be required to receive modulations, just like the rest of them.
“S’all right. Can I go out n’ play now?”
“Heh, sure y’all can-”
“AJ.” It was Macintosh
“-Huh? What is it Mac?”
“We got sum ‘company’ comin’ our way.”
Applejack’s expression hardened
“Applebloom, go t’ your room.” Her friends could wait, she knew they’d understand.
“Alright sis…”
“Mac, make sure she STAYS there. Ah’ll take care of our guests”
He nodded solemnly before following their sister up the stairs.
AJ stood a moment and said a silent prayer. Then she walked out the door.



It had rained for nearly a week at least, hadn’t stopped for a moment. It was beginning to let up, but the sky wasn’t any brighter. It’d be back; probably worse too. The trees were overwatered, their apples rotting on the branches, and the mud was no help either.
Applejack could see the approaching pony. She knew how to deal with GPD officers. She looked down at the ground as the officer approached her.
“Citizen.” She was surprised to hear the officers’ voice was that of a mare. Not many mares joined the GPD. Then again… not many survived the training.
“E-evening m-am.” Applejack said to the mud at her hooves.
“Citizen, you and your family were ordered to make a shipment of 500 units into Sector 23. Confirm statement;”
“Y-yes ma-am”
“A shipment was sent from your plantation containing 498 units. Confirm statement;”
“Y… Yes… ma-am”
“You knowingly retained two units from your shipment?”
“W-well Ah… uh…”
“Invalid response. Citizen; did you or did you not KNOWINGLY retain two units from your intended shipment of 500?”
“…Yes… B-but five hundred was all we could manage, what with all the rain, a-and we were all out of-”
“You are three.”
“H-huh?”
“You are three, Sector 23 is one thousand three hundred and twenty six; the needs of the many miss, the needs of the many.”
“Ah… Ah…-”
“-Look at me citizen.”
“W-what?”
“I want you to look at me, face to face, eye to eye, mare to mare, and if you can look me in the eye and say it was honestly, TRULY impossible to produce even a single unit more, I will tell my superiors you were misinformed.”
“B-but why would ya-?”
“Honestly I’d rather not add another weight onto my conscience, but really, if you do it or you don’t, I don’t really care, you must simply be extremely lucky I feel like rule bending today.”
Applejack looked up at the Policemare before her. She blinked…Then again…And again… Her jaw fell so low it may have splashed up the mud.
“Well…?”
She didn’t speak for, what was perhaps, the longest twelve seconds in all recorded history. When finally she spoke, all she could muster was a weak, almost silent;
“Y… you…”