Applejack Through the Ages

by Paradise Oasis


The way out....

So, how did you two plan your escape from the mines?

Well, apple blossom, this is how it went down...

CRACK! "Get back to work, you worthless ponies!" A goblin called out, hitting a mare with a whip. "We need to jewel shipments up to the surface!" CRACK!

The loud crack of the lash came down on a mare's back, creating a new scar as it scraped across her dirty coat. On the other side of the mine, another mare dropped over from exhaustion... a mistake she only had a moment to regret, before the horrid goblin guards descended upon her like locusts!

"N-no, please! I can still work! I can still-AIEEEEEE!"

The helpless earth pony barely had time to scream, as the green-skinned horrors turned her over and gutted her with a sword, slicing a clean cut from head to flank. The poor pony's entrails spilled out upon the mine floor, as the goblins dipped their hands down, and greedily lapped up the fluids and innards.

"Mama! Noooo!" A little filly nearby wailed, trying to run over towards the mare who had just fallen. "MAMAMAAAAAAAA!"

"Back ta work, ya little urchin!" One of the goblins bellowed, striking the little filly across the face with a whip. "Lest ye want ta join yer mum in Tartarus, ya little blighter!"

Green Apple watched these events with horror, not believing what was before her very eyes. Equestrian ponies had been enslaved before, and had suffered abuse, but this.... these goblins had no pity or mercy, and seemed to revel in the misery they caused others. She had watched them work ponies nearly to death, then rush up to devour them when they grew too weak to continue. In there eyes, she saw no pity or mercy or compassion- no, the only thing that stared back at her was raw, unadulterated hatred. Was this to be the emotion that would govern ponydom's future from now on? Was their nothing for these mares, having gone totally blind in this horrible darkness, to look forward to in their futures?

But the thing the troubled Green even more was the look of hopelessness and despair she saw in the eyes of her fellow mares. At least a flicker of hope had remained with them in their dreams, where visions of happier times came to them in their precious few hours of sleep. But even that had been taken from them, as the dreams of everypony had degenerated into hellish nightmare these few weeks past. None of the other mares could tell what this meant, but Green figured out the cause of it all to well.

Something had happened to princess Luna.

Now, both of the alicorn sisters were gone... ponykind was own it's own from now on. That suited Green just fine, she had come to rely only upon herself and whoever were her friends at any given time these past few generations. And if everything went correctly with what she and Edgar were planning- well, she had her fellow equines would soon be tasting their vengeance upon the very villains who had enslaved them.

"Edgar, are those crystals ready?" Green called out, as the gnome worked over a column of jewels that rose from the mine floor. "Those guards are going to notice we're up to something soon!"

"Almost got it, Greenie!" The gnome wizard declared, as energy flowed from his fingers into the gems. "Just need a few more minutes...!"

While working in a newly dug corner of the mine, that had found a cache of gemstones charged with a particularly violate form of magical energy. Deciding to hide their find from the goblins, The two had concocted a scheme to charge the magically explosive gems with enough magical energy to overload them totally. But that plan seemed to be in danger, however, as two guards came running up towards their section of tunnel.

"Hey, what are you two doing up there, you bloomin' troublemakers!" One of the guards called out, as they rushed up, and pointed their spears at the two. "Get away from there, or we'll skewer ya!"

"Now Edgar, hurry!" Applejack cried out, kicking one of the guards away. "This is our only chance!"

The gnome poured on the magic, causing the column to glow an eerie color...

... and everything happened at once.

The column of jewels suddenly exploded outward, showering the multicolored gemstones all over the mine. The goblins only shielded their eyes, trying to block the sharp flecks of crystal from getting into their eyes. But as the shards went flying into the blinded of of the mares they enslaved, something totally unexpected started to happen.

"M-my eyes..... I can SEE!" One of the mares called out in shock, as her now-seeing eyes twinkled with a jewel like glow. "The magic gems restored my sight!"

All of the enslaved mares only stood their in shock for a few moments, before everything went totally berserk. The slaves suddenly revolted, snapping their chains, and lunging at their captors. Biting, trampling, and kicking at the guards who had held them prisoner, the angry mares tore the goblins who had tortured them apart. The surprised guards fell quickly at first, but soon grabbed up their spears, and began to fight back. The mines descended into total anarchy, as blood was spilled on both sides.

"Hurry up, Edgar!" Green called out, galloping up towards the cave entrance. "Let's get out of here before-"

"My mine!" The jewel wizard yelled in anger, appearing as if from nowhere. "You two shall pay for destroying the order of my mine!"

The evil mage put his hands in the air, and began to make the whole cave shake from his magical power. Edgar immediately jumped in front of Green Apple though, his own hands beginning to glow.

"I'm sorry, my uncle!" The angry gnome called out. "But I cannot let you hurt my friend!"

Green Apple watched in horror, as rock and earth-shaping spells were thrown back and forth within the mine. Boulders and rock slides were thrown back and forth, as stalagmites dropped from the ceiling as they tried to crush each other. Edgar tried to sink his uncle in a shifting sea of quicksand, while the wizard tried to kill his nephew by opening a yawning chasm beneath him.

"Green, get yourself out of here!" The small gnome declared, dodging one of his uncle's deadly spells. "Don't worry, I'll hold him off!"

The uncertain mare looked back and forth between the two gnomes, before taking a hesitant step towards the bright light of the outside. But looking back at her friend who had done so much to help her, the earth pony made a decision to not abandon him.

"Hey, Jewel Wizard!" Green Apple yelled, galloping straight at the distracted mage. "Have a nice trip, see you next fall!"

Distracted by his spell battle, the jewel wizard was caught off guard as the earth pony mare plowed right into him. Kicking upwards the earth mare sent the evil wizard tumbling down over a cliff, and into the bottomless abyss below.

"AGAAHHHHHHHHHHH! You stupid ponnyyyyyyyyyyyy!" The villain wailed, as he vanished away into the mists.

"Green, you did it!" Edgar called out, falling to his knees in exhaustion from all his spell casting. "We're finally free, and it's all thanks to you!"