Chapter X: The Beasts Without
Miles away, Applejack and Fluttershy trudged along a set of train tracks under the heat of the setting sun. There was no shelter to be had from the harsh rays- no trees grew from the dry, cracked earth, and there were no stones tall enough to take refuge behind. The only relief to be had would come from the rapidly-approaching night.
Fluttershy struggled to keep up with Applejack, panting and sweating profusely. “Applejack…” she gasped. “Slow down… I can’t… keep up…”
Applejack looked back, but didn’t stop. “C’mon now,” she replied. “We can’t stop here. Not when we’re so close.”
Fluttershy stumbled to a stop and took a moment to catch her breath. Then she looked up at Applejack. “…Um, Applejack? I don’t mean to be rude, but there’s nothing here.” She looked to the flat, dry, empty badlands surrounding them on all sides- all that could be seen were strange, flat-topped mountains with steep sides rising above the horizon far in the distance (“mesas,” if Fluttershy remembered correctly). “What could we possibly be close to?”
Applejack stopped as well. “Ah wouldn’t blame ya fer thinkin’ there’s nothin’ out here. But Ah’m startin’ ta recognize this landscape- we’re real close to a town called ‘Appleoosa.’”
Fluttershy wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her robe. “Is that… good?”
Applejack nodded. “Yeah, it’s good. Appleloosa’s only a couple hours away from the southern border. And on top of that, a cousin of mine lives there. So if nothin’ else, we gotta safe place ta stay fer the night.”
“…How close are we?” Fluttershy pulled back the hood of her robe and tugged at its collar, in a fruitless attempt to cool herself off.
Applejack looked at their surroundings. “Not sure. But these tracks go right through the middle of town; we just gotta keep followin’ ‘em.” Then she turned and resumed walking. “…We should be able to see it once we get to the top of this hill. C’mon now.”
Fluttershy hurried to follow. Applejack had been to this area more than once- she knew the two of them were very close to Appleoosa now. But as they climbed a short hill alongside the train tracks, she could see something slowly rising above the hill’s crest, something that hadn’t been there in all the times she’d visited before: a rocky spire rising from the ground. And as the two neared the top of the hill, Applejack realized that the spire was…
The two reached the top of the hill. The train tracks stretched onward a short distance, to the place where Appleoosa should have been… but the town- with its dusty main street and wooden buildings with their great facades- was gone. In its place, a steep, rocky mountain rose high above the surrounding badlands.
Fluttershy looked out over the landscape. “…I don’t see a town anywhere, Applejack. Are you sure we’re in the right place?”
Applejack fell to her knees. “…It… It’s gone…”
Fluttershy looked over, surprised. “Applejack?”
“Appleoosa… it should be right there.” Applejack raised her hand and pointed at the mountain. “But, I don’t understand…”
At that moment, there was a distant pop, and a bright flash flared at the bottom of Applejack’s vision. She looked down, and a saw a wall surrounding the base of the mountain- more bright flashes flared along the top of the wall, followed by a distant crackle. At the same time, numerous black dots circled in a barren field just outside the wall.
“What’s that?” Fluttershy asked, looking at the commotion.
“That sounds like gunfire,” Applejack said, before drawing her guns. “C’mon. We gotta help.”
Fluttershy looked to her friend. “But what about Appleoosa?”
“We’ll have time enough ta worry about that later. Now let’s go!” Then she ran down the hill towards the mountain.
For a moment, Fluttershy hesitated, and said, “I still don’t think this is a good idea…” But all the same, she gripped her staff and ran after her friend.
As the two approached the mountain, the black dots they saw grew more distinct; they became beasts resembling wolves with black coats, but they were bigger, and had long, bony spikes growing from their legs and spines. As they ran, Applejack took aim at the beasts, and fired. Her bullets missed their mark, but all the same, the sound drew the beasts’ attention. And when the two reached the flat field at the bottom of the hill, the pack rapidly surrounded them.
One of the wolves stalked toward the two. Applejack aimed her revolver at it- it froze for a moment… before continuing its advance with a defiant snarl. Applejack glanced back. “Stay behind me.”
Fluttershy held out her staff, in a feeble attempt to ward off the other wolves. “Um… where would behind you be?”
But suddenly, something launched itself over the wall, and landed nearby with an earth-shaking impact. The impact threw up a cloud of dust that soon cleared away, revealing a large man kneeling in a shallow crater. Slowly, he stood; as he rose, one of the wolves snarled and charged, leaping at the man with its fangs bared.
…but the man seized the wolf mid-jump with a single hand. He held it up by the neck, the beast twisting violently and snarling. Then, the man tightened his grip- there was a loud snap, the wolf yelped… and then fell limp. The man tossed the wolf’s body aside, and cracked his knuckles.
The rest of the pack turned its attention away from the girls and towards the man. Another charged at him. The man punched, despite the wolf being nowhere near him… but then a spire of rock erupted out of the ground and speared the wolf through its side. It kicked and writhed, suspended in the air by the rocky spear, but after several moments, it too fell limp, blood dripping from its wounds.
The rest of the pack withdrew, letting out fearful whines… but one wolf among them stood its ground: it was larger than the others, with a silvery coat, and was covered in scars. The man noticed this lone wolf, and said aloud, “You.” The man held out his arms- at once, countless stones flew from the ground, and coated his arms in a thick shell. “Lobo… we meet at last.”
With a snarl, the silver wolf charged. The giant man cocked back his fist, and punched the ground- great spikes made of stone erupted from the ground in a line aimed directly at the wolf. But the wolf weaved through the spikes with stunning ease, avoiding impalement. Then, the man held out one arm, and ran his other hand over it- a swarm of stones flew from the rocky shell to the wolf, like a spray of bullets. But again, with seemingly impossible speed, the wolf evaded the attack, closing the distance between itself and the man. The man brought up his arms and slammed them down, trying to crush the wolf- his fists struck the ground, leaving a deep crater… but as before, the wolf dodged the attack and circled around behind the man. Before he could turn, the wolf leapt at him.
“Get down!” Applejack shouted, aiming and firing at the wolf. The man immediately dropped down to one knee, and Applejack’s bullet struck the silver wolf in the chest. The wolf flew back and slid across the ground, but quickly rose to its feet. But it stumbled, and blood flowed from the fresh wound in its chest. So it reared back, and let out a deep howl, before it turned and ran, the rest of the wolves following in its wake.
The man rose to his feet, before his attention snapped to the fleeing wolves. He looked on at the beasts for several moments, body tensed as if to give chase… but then he relaxed, and the stones coating his arms fell away.
Now that he was standing still, the two could see that the man had long black hair and dark brown skin. He wore jeans, a sleeveless denim jacket, and a headdress adorned with countless feathers. But what truly astounded the two was his size- Fluttershy was the taller of the two, if only slightly, but she barely reached up to the man’s chest.
The giant man then turned, and began to approach Applejack and Fluttershy. Fluttershy shrank back from the stranger, but Applejack held firm. The man stopped before the two and looked down at them, folding his arms across his chest. “Had you not intervened, that beast would surely have struck a lethal blow,” the man said. “You have my thanks.” He paused for a moment as he regarded them further. “Hmm… it is unsafe to travel the roads these days, especially for ones as young as yourselves. Tell me: why have you come here?”
“We were headed down to the southern border,” Applejack replied. “But when we heard the shots, we figured someone needed help and came ta lend y’all a hand.” She looked past the man, to the massive wall behind. “But from the looks of things, Ah’d say ya’ve got everything taken care of.”
“Attacks from these monsters are not new to us. But all the same, I thank you.” The man fell silent as he regarded Applejack and Fluttershy again. “…It would not do well to turn you away at this late hour, and I am in your debt.” He turned away from them, towards the mountain. “Come. I have a few beds to spare for the night. And I’m certain my daughter would appreciate the company.” With that, he began to walk towards the mountain, and after a moment, Applejack and Fluttershy followed.
The three approached the wall- it was smooth and completely featureless, without gates, ladders, steps, or any obvious means of getting through. But then, the giant men held out and, and slowly lowered it. As he did, section of the wall before them slid into the ground, seemingly at his command. And within the wall, Applejack could see… houses. And people. And as her gaze drifted up the mountain, she could see more houses set into its side, bright lights blazing in their windows. How in the world had she not noticed them before?
The three entered the wall, and the man closed the hole he had made. As he did, Applejack looked at the people. Their clothes were thick and tough, intended to protect their wearers from the rough environment. But what’s more, she thought she recognized a few of them…
But before Applejack could ponder this thought any further, a stranger leapt down from on top of the wall, and landed next to the giant man. “Gee Chief, that was somethin’ else!” he said excitedly. “Ah’m glad y’all’re livin’ with us- Ah don’t think we would’ve made it this long without ya!”
The Chief looked down at the man. “I see no reason to celebrate. Lobo escaped..”
“Hey, don’t worry about that!” The stranger clapped his hand on “Chief’s” shoulder… or tried to, at least- he could only reach up to the small of his back. “You’ll get ‘em next time! You’ll see!”
“Hey! Get back to yer post!” a voice suddenly shouted from atop the wall. “You ain’t finished with yer shift yet!”
“Oh, sorry about that, sir!” The stranger scrambled up a ladder to the top of the wall, calling out, “See ya later, Chief!”
Applejack looked over to the Chief. “Lobo? Was he talkin’ about that silver wolf back there?”
The Chief nodded. “Yes. I understand that this monster- the Silver Lobo, as the locals call it- has plagued this town for some time now- no matter how many are sent to hunt it, no matter how many wounds it suffers, it always seems to escape to menace the town in the future.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “‘Locals?’ Yer not from around here, then?”
The giant man shook his head. “No, we are not. We are of the Buffalo tribe, from the northeastern plains. And I am their chief, Thunderhooves.” He began to walk toward a cave at the very foot of the mountain. “Come. It would be best if you introduce yourselves to the Sheriff.”
Applejack and Fluttershy followed. As they did, Applejack looked around at the other people. Although all wore the same protective clothes, some were unmistakably different from the rest- their hair was dark, long and braided, and they wore various decorations: beads, feathers, and charms of bone. But before Applejack could examine the strangers any further, she and Fluttershy were led into a cave at the base of the mountain, and began to climb up a roughly-hewn stone staircase. A flickering string of lights hung from the stone ceiling lit the way forward.
As they climbed, Applejack asked Thunderhooves, “What’re y’all doin’ in a place like this? Ah thought people in the Buffalo tribe were supposed ta be ‘one with the land,’ or some such. Ya know, livin’ in harmony with nature and so forth.”
“Yes, that was the way of our tribe, not long ago,” Thunderhooves replied. “But that was before… they came to our lands.”
“They?” Fluttershy asked.
He glanced back. “The monsters from the south. When these creatures came to our lands some months ago, we reached out to them, as with any other. But they lashed out against us, without warning, and without mercy. These beasts… they are not creatures of this world. The threat of death or injury does not dissuade them. For then, pain and dismemberment are only minor inconveniences. They are soulless, evil things. And I will see my people protected, by any means necessary. Even if I must kill every last one of these monsters myself.”
Thunderhooves brought up his fists- for a moment, they trembled in anger… but then they fell to his sides once more, and he let out a deep sigh. “…but I’m certain you didn’t come all this way to be burdened by tales of others’ suffering.”
Fluttershy looked over to Applejack. “Ah know what tha look means…” Applejack began. “But we got a job ta do. Ya remember what Twilight said.”
“But there has to be something we can do to help them,” Fluttershy pleaded.
“What can we do?” Applejack asked back. “It ain’t like we can go around huntin’ down every last monster in the world by ourselves…”
As the three climbed the stone steps, they could hear voices floating on the air- indistinct at first, but growing clearer as they climbed: “…and what about the electricity problems?” a deep, gravelly voice asked.
“Still workin’ on ‘em,” a second voice replied- a younger man’s. “We’ve got some more windmills lined up, but we’re gonna need some time before they’re finished. Whispering Wind thinks he can make some solar panels, but he’s short on materials, and there’s no way he can get to the mines on his own.”
“Can’t we just wire everything to the windmills we already have?”
“Nah, that won’t work. Goldengrape says it’ll put too much strain on the electric grid as it is- could cause a blackout in the whole town.”
Thunderhooves finally came to a stop at a small landing, in front of a door marked “Sherriff.” He looked back at the two and said, “Wait here for a moment,” and knocked.
“Just a sec!” the gravelly voice called, before saying “Alright… Ah’ll see if I can rustle up some free hands to work the mine. And some more free hands to protect ‘em.” Then he called again, “Alright, c’mon in.”
Thunderhooves opened the door and stepped inside. But his massive size kept Fluttershy and Applejack from following, or from seeing into the room.
“Chief!” the younger voice asked. “Yer back already?”
Thunderhooves nodded. “I am.”
The gravelly voice asked, “And Lobo?”
“…Escaped.”
“Damn…” the gravelly voice muttered, before saying out loud, “Well Ah can’t really say Ah’m surprised. That Lobo’s one slippery varmint- even with yer help, Ah wasn’t sure we could bring ‘em down.”
“I have more to tell,” Thunderhooves continued.
“Ya do?” the young voice asked.
“There were a pair of travelers outside the wall. They saved me from Lobo, and they seem to be an honest sort, so I brought them to meet you.”
“Ya brought them inside!?” the gravelly voice shouted. There was silence for a moment, before he sighed. “…well, bring ‘em in. Ah’ll see how trustworthy they are with mah own eyes.”
Thunderhooves looked back and said, “You may enter,” stepping aside so the two could pass.
Inside the door was a small cluttered office. In the center of the room was a desk with various maps and diagrams laid across it. Behind the desk stood a dark-haired man with a mustache, a silver sheriff’s star pinned to his desk. But there was another man standing in front of the desk, one that caught Applejack’s attention. He was just a little older than her, with blonde hair, a brown leather vest, and a hat much like her own. And as he looked over, he blinked several times, as if unable to believe what he was seeing.
He began to approach them, slowly, his attention focused on Applejack. “…AJ?”
Applejack recognized the stranger… but to her, the man was no stranger at all. “Cousin Braeburn? …Is that you?”
A bright smile broke across his face. “‘Course it is!” he replied happily. “Who else could Ah be?”
“But… Ah don’t get it. Ya told me once that ya’d never turn yer back on Appleoosa. That ya’d-” At that moment, something clicked in Applejack’s mind. “Wait… this place… is it…?”
“Just startin’ ta put it all together, huh? Well Ah wouldn’t blame ya for not seein’ it sooner.” Braeburn tipped his hat to the two. “Welcome to the new and improved Appleoosa, cousin. Hope ya like what we’ve done with the place.”
“Aw, come on Sunset! Why would you pass up a chance to sleep in a real bed?” Rainbow complained.
“We need to hold on to every bit we can.” Sunset replied. “Besides, didn’t you say you liked camping?”
Rainbow sat down next to their unlit campfire. “Yeah, camping. Not… whatever you’d call this.”
Sunset and Rainbow had set up camp in the wilderness a few miles outside of Mustangia. Their pace was slow, but it was the safest route, even with the monsters- Rainbow Dash had heard on the radio that gangs of outlaws were roaming up and down the highways all over the east coast, attacking everyone they came across.
Sunset snapped her fingers, summoning a small fireball into her hand, before tossing it into the kindling- their fire roared to life, and Sunset said, “That’s better.” She watched the flames in silence for a few moments, before asking, “…Hey, do you think that Shill guy is okay? He said he was driving down the highway to Mareami…”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Rainbow replied, her attention turned to her cellphone. “I mean, you saw all the stuff he had, right? The guy could take on an army!”
Silence fell between the two once again. Sunset looked away from the fire, and to the stars overhead. “You know,” she began, “call me crazy, but despite everything that’s happened so far, things are kinda… nice.”
Rainbow didn’t look up. “Yeah. Running around, killing monsters… gotta admit, it’s all pretty awesome.”
Sunset let out a small laugh. “Well, it’s definitely starting to feel like my old world. But that’s not what I meant. It’s nice to be away from Canterlot.” Her smile faded. “From the school. From… everyone.”
Rainbow looked to her companion- she knew what was coming next. “Sunset…”
Sunset looked at Rainbow. “They hate me, you know. The other students, the teachers… they do their best to hide it, but even Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna resent me.” She looked down sadly. “…and after what I did, who’d blame them?”
With a sigh, Rainbow put her phone away and sat up. “Come on Sunset, we’ve talked about this before. Sure, you did a lot of bad stuff before- like, a lot of bad stuff, and-” Rainbow immediately stopped once she saw Sunset’s expression. “-but the point is is that you’re not like that anymore! The old Sunset Shimmer is gone and she’s never coming back!”
Sunset hugged her legs against her chest. “Maybe. It’s too bad that the old Sunset Shimmer is all people see when they look at me.”
Rainbow searched for something- anything to reassure her friend. “…Think about it this way- once you help save the world, people’ll have to change their minds about you!”
Sunset doubted that other people’s view of her would be changed so easily, even if she did save the world. But she decided not to voice her doubts. “…I guess we’ll see.” She looked to Rainbow. “And speaking of saving the world, do you have a map of Manehattan on that thing?”
“Uh, yeah.” Rainbow pulled out her phone and brought up a map of Manehattan, before handing it off to Sunset.
Sunset examined the map in silence for several moments. “…huh, there aren’t as many bridges into Manehattan in this world…” she said. “It looks like this-” she tapped a bridge on the map. “-is the closest route into the city. …Unless you’d prefer to swim…”
“…I won’t be gone for too long. Take good care of our guests, and behave yourself,” Thunderhooves said.
“I will, Papa,” a young woman replied. She was a small girl- smaller than Thunderhooves, of course, but even smaller than Applejack and Fluttershy- with curly light brown hair, and a headband adorned with two feathers.
Thunderhooves rested a massive hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Spirits keep you, Strongheart.” Then he turned, and left the room.
The girl, Strongheart, turned to Applejack and Fluttershy with an excited gleam in her eye. “I’m glad to meet you two. I wasn’t expecting company but I’m sure I can cook something for all of us. I’ll get started once Papa comes back.”
“Sorry to intrude on y’all like this,” Applejack said. “We really should be stayin’ with mah cousin Braeburn, but Mr. Thunderhooves insisted.”
Strongheart smiled. “It’s not a problem at all. He might not look like it but Papa loves to have guests stay with us.”
Night had fallen over Appleoosa. Although he had his misgivings, the Sheriff allowed Applejack and Fluttershy to stay for the night in town. Despite Braeburn’s appeals, Chief Thunderhooves insisted that the two spend the night in his home. And it was there that the two were introduced to the Chief’s daughter, Little Strongheart.
“Speakin’ of yer Pa,” Applejack began, “where’d he run off to?”
“Papa went to listen to the earth.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “…Huh?”
Strongheart paused for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to explain. “When you helped Papa earlier, you saw how he can move the earth, right? Well, Papa can move the earth with his mind, but he says that the earth also… speaks to him. It tells him where the tunnels and walls are weak, when monsters try to dig into the town, sometimes it even tells him where gold and stuff is buried. So every evening, Papa goes out, and listens to the earth…”
As Applejack and Strongheart talked, Fluttershy looked around the small house Thunderhooves and his daughter called home. It was one of the many wooden houses that clung to the side of the mountain- though small, Strongheart, Thunderhooves, and guests each had their own room (Applejack and Fluttershy would have to share). The common room was sparsely furnished, with only a stove, a table, and a few chairs- no doubt because Thunderhooves and Strongheart spent little of their time here. But there was something draped across one of the walls that caught Fluttershy’s attention: a long, wide strip of fabric, painted with all sorts of pictures. It looked very old, and very important- Fluttershy approached it and looked at the paintings closely, wishing she knew their meaning.
“Curious about that, huh?” Strongheart asked. “Guests usually are. Papa’s usually the one to explain things, but I can tell you all about it if you want.”
“Would you?” Fluttershy replied. “If it’s not asking too much…”
Strongheart walked up and gazed at the fabric as well. “It’s one of the Buffalo tribe’s most precious relics,” she explained. “It shows the history of our tribe.” Strongheart then pointed to a square section in the middle- there, a group of people had been painted, facing towards a white winged monster. Four other figures had been painted in each of the square’s corners. “This right here is the most important part. It shows the ancient shamans of our tribe forming a covenant with the Great Guardian Spirits. And this painting is proof of our covenant- as long as we have it, the Guardian Spirits will come to our tribe’s aid when we call them. …At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work.”
Fluttershy looked over. “Guardian spirits?”
Strongheart scratched her head in embarrassment. “Oh, right. You wouldn’t know about them. Well, a long time ago, our tribe’s shamans could speak to spirits, and call upon them in times of need. There were a lot of spirits- as many as there are humans on the earth, according to the legends- but there were five our tribe revered above all others. Those five are the Great Guardian Spirits.” Strongheart pointed to the center of the cloth, where four figures had been painted. “They’re the Vermillion Bird, the Woman in Shadow, the Winged Man, and the Thousand-Handed Giant,” she continued, pointing to each in turn.
Fluttershy looked at the figures in turn, but was the Vermillion Bird in particular that caught her attention- it was a red-and-yellow bird, painted as if wreathed in flames. She muttered to herself, “I wonder if that could be…”
“What? Did you say something?” Strongheart asked.
“Eep! No, um, i-it’s nothing,” Fluttershy stammered, shaking her head. She then pointed to one of the other figures- the white monster in the center. “W-What about this one in the middle? Is he a Guardian Spirit too?”
Strongheart looked at the figure. “The Albino Dragon. The lord of all spirits,” she replied, her tone reverent. “Our shamans could speak to him, but he was the only one they couldn’t summon. He said that he would only come forth when the entire world itself was in danger.”
The room was silent for several moments… until there was a loud knock on the front door. “Chief?” Braeburn’s voice called from the other side. “Ah hate ta bother ya so late, but ya said mah cousin was stayin’ with y’all.”
Strongheart crossed the room and opened the door. “Papa stepped out for the moment. But your cousin is here. Come in.” She stepped aside, and Braeburn entered, removing his hat.
His eyes fell on Applejack. “There ya are, AJ. Ya got a sec?”
“Ah always got time fer family,” she replied. “What’s up?”
“Well, Ah know y’all can’t stay long, so Ah was hopin’ you and me could squeeze in a little shootin’ practice. It’s been a while, and Ah wanted to show ya some new tricks Ah learned.”
“Ah s’pose Ah could do that.” Applejack looked to Strongheart. “If Miss Strongheart don’t object.”
Strongheart shook her head slightly. “Papa should be coming back soon,” she replied. “The two of you can head out after we eat. …Would you like anything, Mr. Braeburn?”
Braeburn took a seat. “Nah, Ah already ate. But Ah hope ya don’t mind me stayin’ fer a spell.”
“Not at all.” Another short silence fell, before Strongheart asked. “Applejack, Fluttershy… is it true what Papa said? That you’re headed for the border?”
Applejack nodded. “Yep. The road between here and Canterlot was rough, but we ain’t even close ta being finished.”
“Canterlot? You came all the way from up there?” Strongheart asked, taking a seat as well. “What could be so important that you’d risk getting ripped apart by all these monsters?”
Fluttershy glanced at Applejack, before she began to tell that had happened, starting on that fateful day in Canterlot: “It started… about a month ago. It was Spring Break, and Applejack and I were getting ready to go camping with our friends. But then… a monster attacked us. We had no idea what was going on outside of Canterlot at the time, but a girl named Twilight Sparkle came, and saved us…”