//------------------------------// // 95. The Crystal Empire // Story: Tales of the Oppressed // by Terran34 //------------------------------// My sleep that night is restless, because I'm constantly plagued by dreams of things I'd rather have forgotten. Once or twice, I find myself jerking awake in the middle of the night, sweating. I can never remember what I was dreaming about only a few seconds before, but that bastard Sombra is always fresh on my mind. If it weren't for Rainbow curled up against me and breathing softly into my neck, I'd have never gotten back to sleep again. I'm finally awoken for good when I feel the airship stop moving. Go figure, but it's actually the lack of the hum of the engine or whatever keeps this thing in the air that wakes me up. I groan, my eyelids still feeling heavy from lack of sleep. I wonder what time it is? A quick glance at my clock tells me it's seven in the morning. I guess the Crystal Empire is further away from Canterlot than I thought. I've only seen a few maps of Equestria during my time here, but I've never been able to memorize where everything is in relation to one another. I've never actually gone anywhere other than Ponyville or Canterlot. “Rainbow...wake up. I think we're here,” I groan, nudging my marefriend with my elbow. God, it's so weird to refer to her like that. Rainbow moans softly in her sleep and rolls over, much to my frustration. “Ugh, you're so annoying.” Her turning over reveals to me that she never took off her Element of Harmony last night. Now that I've got a closer look at it, I peer closer at the ruby lightning bolt with curious eyes. It's a gorgeous gemstone, for sure. However, when I brush it with my finger, I feel a spark of magical energy. Holy shit. Just touching this thing lets me feel exactly how much power it holds. If just one of these things holds this much power, I can certainly see how all of them together could take out something as powerful as Discord, a literal god. Rainbow still hasn't stirred. I huff and extricate myself from her grasp, such that she's left clutching at air as I get up from the bed. Without hesitating, I pick her up roughly off of the bed and sling her over my shoulder, figuring that she'll wake up eventually. “Stupid sleepy Rainbow,” I grunt as I head for the door. To my surprise, opening the door to my room reveals a guard who looks like he was just raising his hoof to knock. “You're already awake, sir?” the unicorn emits, surprised. To his credit, he doesn't bat an eye at the mare draped over my shoulder. I give him a terse nod. I'm still tired, but he doesn't need to know that. I'll be fully awake soon. “Good. The princesses sent me to retrieve you. We've arrived in the Crystal Empire.” After I acknowledge his announcement, the guard departs with a dip of his head, likely going to awaken the others as well. Now that I'm alone, I shift Rainbow in my arms and then slowly press her nose into the wall. “Ow, what the hay!?” Rainbow complains, waking up with a start to find herself against the wall. “Where am I? Seth, what did you do?” “I love how at this point if anything is wrong when you wake up, you blame me,” I respond without answering her question. I sling the squirming Rainbow back over my shoulder and start walking down the hallway. “You should be awake now. We're here.” “Would you put me down?” Rainbow protests, attempting to worm out of my grip. “I'm awake, now let go!” “Why should I? You haven't given me a good morning kiss yet,” I tease her, remembering our conversation from the other night. Rainbow picks right up on it, because she stops squirming and smirks at me. “What are you, three years old?” Rainbow returns, bopping my nose with her free hoof. “You don't seem the type for good morning kisses.” “That's because I'm not. I just wanted to see if you'd do it,” I reveal with a knowing chuckle. Rainbow laughs as well, because this conversation is seriously happening again. “Besides, if I wanted a kiss...” I trail off with a smirk of my own. Rainbow knows what's coming, so she leans in and meets me halfway in a brief kiss. “...I'd just take one.” “Someone's all confident this morning,” Rainbow remarks once I pull away. I notice she's blushing with some amusement. I guess she's not used to me kissing her first. That's fine, because I'm not used to it either. “Are you feeling better?” “Honestly, no,” I reply, getting serious again. I let her go as we reach the stairs and start to ascend to the upper deck. “But I figured Applejack had the right idea. There's no point worrying about what might be, especially when we don't know all the details.” “Exactly! Applejack knows how to keep a level head, that's for sure,” Rainbow agrees enthusiastically, climbing the stairs beside me. She reaches the door that leads out onto the deck before I do and pushes it open. “Now come on. I hear about this Crystal Empire all the time, so let's go see what it's really like.” The first thing I notice is that it's fucking cold...way worse than the weather ever was during the winter. Snow falls thickly all across the area, littering the deck with spots of white that are constantly being stirred up by the many soldiers marching every which way. The upper deck of the airship is alive with activity, soldiers moving quickly to carry out Gilded Skies's orders. “I wonder how far north we are?” I muse, ignoring the soldiers around us. The first thing Rainbow and I do is head for the side of the airship, until the two of us can see over the edge...and down to the Crystal Empire below. “Holy shit.” “Wow...it looks even cooler than it did in the hologram...” Rainbow trails off, looking down at the Crystal Empire spread out before us. I agree. It looked kinda cool in the hologram, but seeing it in person like this, I'm honestly in awe. There are no clouds within the vicinity of the city for some odd reason, and crystal streets are lined with lush grass and colorful flowers. The sun reflects off of the crystalline buildings, giving the whole place a mystical air about it. However, the most eye catching feature is the incredibly tall and extravagant crystal tower smack dab in the middle of the city. There's also a strange phenomenon that occurs on the very edge of the city. While the city itself is beautiful and filled with colorful plants, the grass seems to just stop, giving way to the frozen wasteland beyond. It's as if the whole city had been inserted right into the middle of this wasteland. In addition to the city itself, I notice several other airships floating down around the outskirts of the city, indicating that troops had been sent out before us. Actually, a lot of soldiers are here, because I can see large military camps scattered around the city. Each camp consists of several white tents arranged in a rectangular pattern, along with a larger white tent in the center. In total, I estimate there's several hundred tents or so scattered around the city. Celestia is certainly taking this seriously. Not only did she gather the Elements of Harmony, but she also sent a small army here. Speaking of the army, I can see some of them. They look to be either remaining on standby in their camps, or patrolling the streets for signs of danger. In addition, there are flocks of pegasi soaring over the city, each one led by a pegasus wearing the distinctive uniform of the Wonderbolts. “Ohmigosh, Captain Spitfire is here! Look, can you see her?” Rainbow squeals, noticing the Wonderbolt captain around the same time I do. I shake my head, remembering Rainbow's obsession with Spitfire. I guess with the whole relationship thing, I forgot about that. I place a hand on Rainbow's back. “What the...don't worry, I'm not going to fly away. She's busy, I know.” “Good. But seriously though, look at all of them. You'd think we were expecting a war,” I remark, my eyes following a column of marching unicorns. “We must be ready for anything, Seth.” I turn around to see Celestia and Luna striding out from below decks...and their appearance takes me off guard. Luna is wearing the same armor that she'd worn during the royal wedding, the interlocking plates clanking slightly with every step. Her mane is pulled back and fastened by several black rings to keep it out of her face. As for Celestia...holy shit, I've never seen her in battle armor before. As if she wasn't intimidating before, she's doubly so now. I think I'd shit myself if I saw her coming at me at full power wearing that armor. Firstly, Celestia is wearing a suit made of crimson cloth that hugs her body closely. Over top of this, she wore thick gold armor made of overlapping plates over each of her vital areas: such as her chest, underside, hooves, and wing joints, while still giving her room to move. To cover her backside, several interlocking strips of golden metal stream over her rump almost like a dress, except it serves a far more important purpose. To finish off the whole outfit, she wore a golden headpiece that protected her ears and the back of her neck, but left her horn and face unimpeded. Goddamn. She looks every inch the ruler of Equestria. “Holy shit, Celestia,” I remark, suddenly wishing I had some armor like that for myself. Unfortunately, I'm the only one of my kind in Equestria. There's no way they'll have armor that'll fit me. “Are you sure we're not going into battle?” “This is simply a necessary precaution. If you recall, the last time my sister and I were here, it was during a war between the Crystal Empire and Equestria,” Celestia reminds me. Her eyes narrow as she gazes down at the city below. “I will not be caught off guard this time, like I was during the royal wedding.” I start to relax a little. As odd as it is for this city to return after a millennium, we still have Celestia, and she's fucking unstoppable in battle. So what if Sombra was stronger than her before? That was a thousand years ago. Even if Sombra somehow made it out of his seal, Celestia and I will fuck him up good. “Wear this,” Luna commands me all of a sudden. I look over at her just in time to feel a thick sheet wrap around my body, courtesy of her magic. “Thou dost not possess a fur coat, as we ponies do. This should assist in keeping thee warm.” “Thank you,” I reply gratefully, drawing the brown sheet closer to my body. Luna also passes me a pin, which I use to fasten the makeshift cloak together at my neck. The door to the lower decks opens again, and this time Twilight and Applejack emerge from within. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie come out next, followed by Spike. When they reach us, there's a short moment where we exchange typical morning pleasantries. “That's some armor. Wow, totally cool!” Spike marvels, gazing up at Celestia with admiration in his eyes. Celestia gives a small smile in response to his enthusiasm. To me, she seems a little sad to be wearing it. “Lookit the size o' that tower! Whoo-ie!” Applejack exclaims from her position next to Rainbow and I. She's looking down at the city in awe. Rarity soon joins us, and her response is a bit more vocal. “Oh my goodness! The Crystal Empire is simply marvelous! Look at all of that gorgeous crystal!” Rarity gushes, her eyes practically sparkling. “Look at how the buildings reflect the light...if only I could get my hooves on a sample. Imagine if I devised a Crystal Empire-themed dress line. The sales would skyrocket!” “Right. Because making dresses is what we came to do,” I remind her with a sarcastic edge in my voice. Rarity winces. “It never hurts to look toward the future, darling,” Rarity returns with a confident smile. I shake my head. It's only because she has no idea what we're walking into that she can act so carefree. Next to me, Pinkie zooms over to the edge and sticks her head over, looking down at the city below. “Wow! Sparklerific!” she squeals, bouncing in place. Oh come on, please tell me one of them is going to take this seriously. “What are we going to do once we get down there, Princess? I don't see any sign of King Sombra,” Twilight addresses Celestia, glancing down at the city herself. “You are correct .According to the troops I've stationed below, the city has been peaceful,” Celestia reveals. “However, the city was not the only thing that returned. The crystal ponies have returned as well, unharmed.” “There are crystal ponies!?” Rarity exclaims, tugging on her mane out of sheer delight. However, the looks she's given from many of us visibly deflate her, to the point where she gives a nervous chuckle. “Uh...I'm sorry. Do continue, please.” “Crystal ponies? You mean Sombra's soldiers? Or the ones he enslaved?” I ask, remembering everything Celestia has ever told me about the Crystal Empire. “The latter. This is made clear by the fact that they all refuse to leave their homes,” Celestia answers. “None of my soldiers have been able to get anything out of them. That leads us to our first order of business.” “Give us somethin' ta do, princess, an' we'll do it!” Applejack affirms, moving to stand by Twilight and Fluttershy. Celestia smiles gratefully at her. “We must gather information before we can make any sort of definitive action,” Celestia tells us. “Therefore, I am going to split the eight of you into groups, and then you shall each take a different sector of the city and question the crystal ponies. It is my hope that they will have some inkling of how the city returned.” “Sounds good to me. Who am I going with?” I respond, knowing for sure that I'm likely going to be put in a group with Rainbow, because Celestia knows me well enough by now. “Twilight, I want you to go with Fluttershy and take the northeastern quadrant of the city,” Celestia begins, pointing with a hoof at the area she mentioned. Twilight and Fluttershy exchange glances, and then nod their understanding. “Next, Rainbow Dash, go with Rarity and take the southeastern quadrant.” Rainbow and I look at Celestia in surprise. Wait, I'm not going with Rainbow? Why the hell not? I'm sure she has some reason for these choices, but I'm not sure what it is. Celestia notices my stare, but says nothing about it. “Pinkie Pie, take Spike and handle the northwestern quadrant. Lastly, Seth, take Applejack with you and search the remaining quadrant,” Celestia finishes. I look at Applejack, meeting her gaze. Huh. I mean, I don't mind going with Applejack. “I chose these teams in order to maximize mobility.” Huh, actually that makes sense. Two groups have a pegasus, and a third has me, and I can fly too. Hold on a second... “How the fuck does Pinkie maximize mobility? She can't fly,” I point out. “Of course I can! Just give me one second!” Pinkie corrects me. She bounces over to the door that leads below deck, and as the rest of us watch incredulously, she sticks her head and front hooves inside and starts pulling on something hidden inside. “C'mere, you...oh, you silly, you're stuck on the door jamb.” To everyone's shock and bemusement, Pinkie proceeds to pull out the weirdest fucking contraption that looks like it's made out of candy canes. There's a seat for somepony to sit on, complete with pedals akin to that of a bicycle's just beneath the seat. There's also another tiny seat behind it that's just the right size for Spike. To top all of this off, there's a propeller up top that looks like it's connected to the pedals. “See? I can move around with this!” Pinkie proclaims, indicating her machine with both front hooves. My brow slowly flattens, and suddenly I have the urge to beat my head against the edge of the airship. “What the hell is that!? There's no way in hell that thing should be able to fly! And even if by some measure of bullshit that it does, there's absolutely no way it could hold up the weight of not just a pony, but also a dragon!” I rant, making Rainbow facehoof next to me. I nearly fall over from the sheer stupidity when Pinkie's response is to hop into the machine and start hovering around the deck with it, her little hooves pedaling furiously. “How does that...I don't even...no, you know what? I'm done. I'm just...I'm fucking done.” “Seth, some things in life you just have to accept...and Pinkie is one of them,” Twilight assures me with a knowing smile. “It'll cause you much less of a headache if you do.” “Whatever. Can we just get going now before watching her gives me an aneurism?” I express, rubbing my forehead furiously to alleviate the oncoming headache. “Princess, what are you going to be doing?” Twilight asks curiously as she moves closer to Fluttershy. “We shall be meeting with the military and consolidate any new information,” Celestia responds, referring to Luna with her head. “So far, there has been no sign of any possible threat, but we must remain vigilant. Let's go, everyone. Your priority is to discover the cause of the city's appearance; every little detail helps.” “Sounds good to me. Come here, Applejack,” I say, being the first to take action. Applejack gives a panicked yelp as I reach down and scoop her up off of her hooves and hoist her over my shoulder, much like what I did with Lyra last night. “Seth, what in tarnation are ya doin'!?” Applejack exclaims, struggling. She's a lot stronger than she looks, so I actually have to try to keep her in place. “What, you didn't think you were just going to jump over the edge, were you? Now stop fucking struggling so I can carry you!” I snap at her. Applejack abruptly stops squirming, understanding the sense in that. However, she does hold her hat to her head with a hoof. Next to us, Fluttershy tenderly picks up Twilight, though she's clearly struggling. Rainbow easily lifts Rarity off of the ground, even though the latter protests at the indignity of it. Pinkie sets Spike onto her dumb little flying machine, and then she takes off; easily flying over the edge of the airship and descending to the city. That stupid fucking machine. There's no way it should work. “Hold on,” I warn Applejack, and then I jump right off the edge of the airship. Immediately the cold air starts to whip against my face, chilling me to the point where I start shivering. The Crystal Empire grows ever closer. Celestia gave Applejack and I the southwestern portion of the city, so when the ground starts to grow dangerously close, I flare my magic and zoom towards a random street in the aforementioned region. Applejack leaps off of my shoulder and frantically embraces the ground. “Couldn't ya have taken the fall a little...uh...slower?” Applejack asks me, gulping. I don't answer, instead looking around at our surroundings. “So this is the Crystal Empire, huh?” I ask aloud. The buildings are all polygonal; even the circular ones consist of many flat edges with sharp corners. The edges of the buildings are sharp and angled, as if cut like a gemstone. “Yup...it's mighty pretty, ah'll give it that,” Applejack responds, even though my question was mostly rhetorical. “It's also a mite eerie. Where is everypony?” I stride up to one of the buildings and press my hand against the side. The surface is cool and hard, and shines with the luster of a gemstone. I flick it curiously, finding the hardness and texture to be very similar to that of a crystal. So everything here is literally made of crystal, even the streets that I'm walking on. The only differences between buildings are the colors of the crystals used to make them, as well as the different designs. “That's a good point,” I return, stepping back from the building and looking around. There's no sign of anypony in the streets. However, upon casting my gaze across the upper level of one of the houses, I catch sight of a strange bluish mare gazing at me from an upstairs window. The moment our eyes meet, she retreats inside frantically and slams the window shut. Applejack jumps in surprise from the sudden noise echoing through the silent empty streets. “They're inside. Celestia did say that the crystal ponies refused to leave their houses.” “All of 'em? So that's why ah feel like ah'm bein' watched,” Applejack remarks, shuddering a bit. I nod, feeling it myself in the way the hairs on the back of my neck are prickling. The two of us cast our gaze around the street that we're in, searching for any signs of life. Sure enough, now that we're looking for them, there's signs of ponies watching us all over the place. Windows are cracked open, doors are left hanging slightly ajar, and one time I even think I spot a pony moving through the tiny alleys between houses. Frightened eyes watch us with every step. At this point, the fear in the air is practically palpable. “Hey there, would you mind answerin' a few...” Applejack calls to one of the ponies watching us from a doorway, only for the door to slam shut. The sounds of rapidly retreating hoofsteps could be heard from inside. Applejack's brow flattens. “...questions. Gosh, what do ya think happened here to make 'em all so scared?” “Honestly, I don't know much more than you do. All I know is that Sombra was an evil son of a bitch who ruled this place and enslaved his subjects,” I admit. Applejack nods, having put that much together from what she heard of our conversation with Celestia. “Exactly what that entails, however, I'm not exactly sure.” “Ah'm not sure ah want to know,” Applejack says with a shudder. You know, neither do I. Celestia said that Sombra inflicted such horrors on his ponies, that she felt morally obligated to invade the Crystal Empire to put an end to him. That's pretty huge, especially when you consider the political ramifications of such an invasion. “Still, we gotta get 'em to talk to us. How're we gonna do that if they keep runnin'?” “I'm not sure. We have to do something to let them know we're not a threat, I guess,” I surmise. Though at this point I'm considering just kicking down a door and finding answers that way. But I know I can't do that. I'll just end up freaking them out even more. “Any ideas?” “Well, ah got one. Ah dunno if it'll work, though,” Applejack replies. As I watch curious, she approaches the door to a house that looks like it's made of pure garnet. With her hoof, she reaches up and knocks on the door firmly. The sound of hoof tapping on crystal echoes through the streets, which are absent of any other sound. “Really? You knocked on the door? Like it's really going to be that simple,” I criticize her, watching the house with my arms crossed. Applejack shrugs, taking my disapproval in stride. “Ah figured the straightforward approach was worth a shot,” she explains. We wait for several seconds, hoping that the denizens of the home would answer. I turn away with a scoff, having expected as much. “Of course. God forbid these ponies open the damn...” I start to complain, but then Applejack quickly hushes me, just as the front door to the house gently clicks open. Really? There's no way that just worked. It was as easy as knocking on the door? The door opens just a crack to reveal a trembling filly who looked to be no older than Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle. Her mane was the same color as her house, but it hangs limply down one side of her face, as if it had lost its luster. The same went for her drab cream colored coat. The scared filly looked up at the two of us with frightened liquid eyes. Applejack gives me a stare, as if warning me to stay out of this one. “Howdy there, little fella.” Applejack greets the pitiful looking filly in a soft voice, leaning down so that she didn't tower over her so much. “What's yer name?” The filly gulps, looking between us. Upon hearing Applejack's voice, she retreats further inside, as if hoping the door would protect her from harm. “Are...” when the filly finally spoke, her voice cracked from neglect and disuse. “Are you going to h-hurt me?” “What? O' course not.,” Applejack answers her, looking appalled by the very suggestion. She reached down painstakingly slowly with her hoof, giving the filly a reassuring smile. The filly eyes the approaching hoof with terror, but Applejack's smile seems to reassure her. When Applejack's hoof comes into contact with the side of the filly's head in a comforting rub, she closes her eyes and leans into the contact. Well, I'll be damned. Applejack, holy shit. “We're here ta help you...ah promise.” “You promise?” the filly responds once Applejack retreats her hoof. Applejack nods firmly, never once letting that smile leave her face. The filly watches Applejack for a little while longer, before she finally speaks again. “I'm...my name is...I think it's...Am...Amber.” “It's mighty nice to meetcha, Amber. Mah name's Applejack, and this big guy here is Seth,” Applejack introduces us as I watch. Amber's eyes look over to me and widen when she sees how tall I am compared to her. “Don't worry 'bout him none. He looks scary but he's really nice once ya get to know 'im.” I really want to fucking retort to that. Like, you don't even understand how much I'm biting my tongue. But, as much as I hate to admit it, Applejack is doing way better at this than I could ever hope to, so I'll let her say what she wants. I'd probably just traumatize the poor thing far more than she already is. “Amber, wouldja mind if Seth and ah came in an' spoke to your parents?” Applejack asks, getting to the point of why we're here in the first place. “I...I don't have any parents. King S..Sombra made them go away,” Amber reveals. Applejack gives a gasp, understanding Amber's plight in an instant. “My sis is raising me, but it's hard.” That one statement seems to affect Applejack a great deal, because her eyes widen slightly and her mouth falls slightly open. “Raised...by your sister?” Applejack repeats, her voice barely above a whisper. Amber nods in confirmation. “Can we come in an' speak to her? It's really important.” “...Okay,” Amber replies uncertainly after a long pause. Finally, she steps back, allowing Applejack to open the door outwards. I follow Applejack and Amber inside wordlessly, looking around as I do so. A narrow hallway stretches out from the doorway, a crystal end table tucked against one wall. The hall opens out into a small living area devoid of any kind of luxuries, apart from a ragged carpet on the floor and a few rickety chairs. “The overseers didn't come today,” Amber says softly as we walk into the living area. I blink. Overseers? I glance at Applejack, but she looks just as confused as I do. “They always come, every morning....they hurt me. They hurt Sis more.” Applejack stays quiet, her expression turning pained. I start to get a terrible inkling of why the crystal ponies so frightened of us. They were all enslaved. Even this little filly in front of me looks like she's been through hell. I don't care who the fuck you are, you do not put a filly through something like that. Especially not one this young. “No one's gonna hurt ya, Amber,” Applejack attempts to reassure her, despite the fact that we know so little of what this poor thing went through. “There's no overseers. Not anymore.” Amber looks up at Applejack hopefully, but that hope dies as soon as it appears, making me cringe. “You shouldn't lie. They always come. Ever since I can remember, they've come,” the filly reveals, her little body trembling. She covers her eyes with her hooves. “I don't wanna go back in the cave...please don't make me...” “Then why didn't they come this mornin'?” Applejack presses. Just as Amber looks like she's going to respond, there's a gasp from the hallway on the other side of the room. “Get away from her!” a mare's voice cries desperately. Applejack and I both look at the hallway to see a unicorn mare with a lifeless white coat and a limp pinkish mane that looks like it hasn't been tended to in a long, long time. The mare cowers when our gazes fall upon her, the sudden bravery dying , to be replaced with pure despair. “I...I mean...please...don't hurt my sister...she's all I have...” “This is getting annoying,” I mutter, rubbing my forehead. I understand that we probably look like more captors to them, but this is really slowing us down. Next to me, Applejack gives me a light nudge...which I translate as “shut the hell up and let me handle this.” “This is yer little sister? She's a cute little thing, and well mannered too,” Applejack compliments, choosing not to respond to the mare's pleas directly. Amber looks down at the floor, shuffling a hoof. Judging by the way she's turning a little pink, I don't think she's gotten very many compliments. The mare in the hallway looks confused, though her wild-eyed expression of fear doesn't leave her face. Applejack approaches the mare slowly, but surely. The mare steps away from her in fright, but she eventually hits the back wall, so that all she can do is watch as Applejack nears her. When Applejack lifts her hooves, the mare squeaks and shuts her eyes, expecting the worst. She certainly didn't expect Applejack to embrace her gently, her hooves wrapping around the poor mare's neck. Applejack's cheek brushes up against the mare's in a comforting nuzzle. The mare freezes, her body still trembling. Eventually she realizes she's not being attacked, and she finally, slowly relaxes her muscles. “You should be proud. Take it from me, it ain't easy raisin' a sister yerself,” Applejack whispers to her. Take it from...Applejack is referring to her and Apple Bloom, isn't she? I did notice that there weren't any parents around the farm, but I never asked. “Don't worry, yer safe now. Nopony's gonna hurt you again, ya hear me? I promise.” The mare suddenly lets out a choking sob, and then she finally returns Applejack's hug, squeezing the farm pony tightly with such intensity that I'm a little surprised. “Whoa there,” Applejack comments, but she doesn't try to remove her. Applejack's words calm the mare down, so it isn't long before the four of us are seated on the shitty chairs in the living room, an awkward silence between us. Well, awkward for me. Applejack seems to have this whole thing under control. To be honest, I'm more than a little impressed. “I'm sorry for shouting at you,” the mare apologizes, looking as if she's trying desperately to hold back hope. “But they always hurt us...I couldn't bear to see it happen again.” “Ah don't blame ya. Ah can't imagine what ya'll went through, but it sounds awful,” Applejack returns graciously. The mare nods sadly, looking at the ground. “Mah name's Applejack. What's yers?” “I'm...my name is Rubella,” the mare reveals. Huh, another gem inspired name. I wonder if that's going to be a trend. “But that's not what the soldiers call me...” “Ah don't think ah want to know what they call ya,” Applejack wisely surmises. She even shudders at the thought. Honestly, I don't want to know either. I've heard what soldiers do to slaves, and it's never pretty. “Sis, why does she talk so funny?” Amber asks Rubella blatantly, without regard to Applejack's presence within earshot right next to her. I have to stifle a laugh at that. Kids will be kids, whatever species they are. Rubella's eyes widen and she hushes her sister harshly, causing the little filly to flinch. “Amber!” she hisses. Applejack gives a little chuckle, though she looks caught off guard as well. I wonder when the last time somepony called her out on her accent was? “It's fine, no need ta scold her. It's just part o' growin' up where ah'm from,” Applejack explains, smiling reassuringly at Amber to let her know that no harm was done. “If...if you don't mind me asking, if you're not soldiers, then who are you? I've never seen anypony like you...and...that thing next to you...I...” Rubella asks, her head moving from Applejack to me, her expression wavering visibly upon looking at me. I get a little angry upon hearing her refer to me as a thing, but with common sense as well as a reassuring hoof from Applejack on my leg, I keep quiet. Of course they don't know what I am. “Miss Applejack says he's really nice, though,” Amber pipes up. “Ah'm just a simple farm pony from down south, and Seth here is mah friend,” Applejack responds, tipping her hat cordially. Rubella looks even more confused to hear that we're just two ordinary people (or pony in Applejack's case). No doubt she's used to nothing but more soldiers. “If it ain't too much trouble, could ya tell me the last thing y'all remember?” “O...Oh...I guess,” Rubella replies uncertainly. She closes her eyes for a moment, as if trying to remember. “It was...I think it was late at night. All I remember was being in this room with my sister, eating what little the soldiers would let us have.” “Then there was this noise...all this noise. Ponies kept yelling and shouting outside. I didn't know what was happening,” Amber adds, squeezing her eyes shut. “There was a bright light, colored all the colors of the rainbow...and then...nothing,” Rubella finishes, opening her eyes once more. “I feel like I've been sleeping for a long time.” “That's cuz you have,” Applejack reveals, much to their shock. Applejack looks to me, as if asking for confirmation. Yeah, I think if we're going to get anything out of them, we should tell them the full story. I give her a nod. “Seth and ah are gonna tell ya something that's gonna sound crazy, but ya'll gotta trust us, okay?” “Okay,” Rubella responds uncertainly. “Seth, you know more about the tale than ah do. Why don't you start?” Applejack asks. I guess that's fair. I did hear it directly from Celestia, after all. Rubella and Amber look at me in surprise, which is compounded when I start talking. “Yeah, it's a hell of a long story. Sit back, because this is gonna take a while...”