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// Chapter 2 - Sweet Apple Acres 
// Story: Unfinished Business 
// by 1Bit 
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The duo trotted through Ponyville at a snail's pace. They were surrounded by boarded up windows and run down buildings. Everywhere they looked, a shroud of decay coated the once peaceful town and the vibrant colours there once was were now faded into greys and dull whites. Ominous clouds in the sky spoke of the dreaded path that awaited them on their long journey and Starlight could do little to hold back her nerves.

"I-I did this?" Starlight's voice cracked slightly, stuttering. "It looks so...empty."

"I know it looks bad Starlight, and I agree that it looks empty." Twilight replied, glancing sideways as they passed Sugarcube Corner; a hollow and plain rendition of the one Twilight knew and loved. "But if we can pull this off, then it won't ever look this way again." She cracked a smile.

"I'm still not entirely sure what we're trying to pull off here." Starlight blushed, rubbing the back of her head.

The two mares followed a winding, dusty path out of Ponyville towards Sweet Apple Acres. Each hoof they put down sent clouds of dust soaring into the air in little pirouettes. "When King Sombra and the Crystal Empire returned to Equestria, it took all of my friends and I to stop him before it was too late. While it would be difficult to create a crystal fair like we did last time, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used the elements of harmony to banish King Sombra when he first rose to power. If we can bring out the power of the elements once again, perhaps we can end this war before it's too late and Equestria falls because of it." Twilight sighed. "Of course, it all depends on how we're able to approach our friends in this world. I have a funny feeling they've taken up very different roles in this alternate Equestria."

The telltale signs of putrid, black smoke rising over the hill suggested they would soon reach their destination. Twilight gulped nervously as more and more of the farm came into view; that is, if it could still be called a farm after all the industrialisation. The brick red columns soared up into the air and sliced through the thick smoke cover which held a tight grasp around the surrounding area. Starlight had a similar initial reaction to Twilight, her mouth agape and her eyes transfixed on the machine that Sweet Apple Acres had become. There seemed to be more activity than when Twilight had visited previously, with towers of barrels all positioned neatly together along the front of the barn. Twilight could make out Applejack and Big Mac's figures through all the smog, bending over various machinery and appliances within the main barn. It pained her to think where Granny Smith and Apple Bloom had ended up in this reality. 

Twilight galloped up to the window and rapidly tapped a hoof against one of the soot covered glass panes. She continued her incessant tapping until Applejack looked up from her work. It didn't take long for her gaze to rest solely on the purple alicorn standing outside her barn window and she slowly walked out to meet her. 

"Applejack?" Twilight asked nervously. It had struck her quite soon after their arrival, that the farm pony may not even remember her from the last visit.

Applejack was silent for a moment, mentally mulling the situation over. "Hey, yeah, I remember you." She finally spoke up, the southern accent coming through crisp and clear. "You were that, uh, time-travelling alicorn, weren't you?" She looked down at the ground in despair. "Guessing you weren't able to fix anything, considering life is just as miserable as usual."

Twilight exchanged glances with Starlight, who merely took a step back and bit her bottom lip. "It didn't turn out how I expected it to, to say the least." Twilight confessed. "We fixed the past, but-"

"It didn't fix nothing here, I know." Applejack turned tail and led them into the barn with her. "After the last time you came, I kept thinking about what you said and after the life I've been living, I honestly didn't expect much good would come from whatever you were up to, fixing things and putting things right." The orange pony grabbed one of the rations tins in front of her, bringing it up to her muzzle to inspect it closely. "And I guess I was correct in my assumptions. Because frankly, I don't see much change around these here parts."

"Well you're in luck, because this time, I'm here to make sure that everything gets set right." Twilight beamed at her.

Applejack rolled her eyes and raised an eyebrow. "And just how do you expect to do that?" She asked the princess.

Twilight grinned, levitating out a scroll from Starlight's saddlebags. The scroll was littered from top to bottom with a variety of scribbles and diagrams, all of which were crudely drawn and barely legible. "I have a plan, but if we're going to solve anything, we'll need all of our friends help. Remember those friends I told you about?"

Applejack scratched her head, mulling it over. "You mean Pinkiebow and Flutterdash?"

"Well actually it's Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity." Twilight replied, blushing. "But yes, we need their help. And well, I'll need your help too."

There was a small pause from Applejack. Her face fell and she turned away from Twilight and Starlight, staring up into the vast and dusty expanse of the barn roof. "Look, I know you've never been in a war before, but the work I do here is important. Do you know how hard it is keeping up supply chains for our soldiers on the front line when King Sombra is cutting off half of Equestria from the other half? Shoot, just last week, Appleloosa came under attack from the Crystal Empire." Tears began to form in her eyes and meander down her cheeks. "That was our last main bastion for food production, without them, even more food has to be rationed and we here at Sweet Apple Acres have to work overtime." She looked over to Twilight solemnly. Her face slowly became a contorted mess of sadness and she fell to the ground whimpering. "I-I had family there...lots of them. I even sent my little sister over there hoping she could avoid this whole conflict. Look where that got her. Right in the thick of it." 

Twilight trotted over to her and sat down. She brought Applejack close and hugged her. "I know it seems crazy, but if you join us, we can make sure they're all safe. We can stop Sombra."

Applejack smiled but pushed Twilight away from her, wiping up the last few tears that leaked from her eyes. "I'm sorry but I can't leave. I want to help, I do, but if we're going to win this war, I need to be here. Big Mac won't be able to handle all the production on his own." The earth pony got back up off the dirt, brushing down her overalls. "But if you really are intent on helping, I can at least tell you where Rarity is. If I know Rarity, she'll be helping out in the clothing district in Manehattan." Applejack sighed. "Even clothing's had to be rationed."

"Thank you." Twilight replied softly. Applejack simply nodded in reply. "And we'll make sure your sister's okay too."

Applejack paused at the door, choking on another wave of tears. "...Thank you." She whispered, before leaving Twilight and Starlight standing alone in the barn, both staring at the farm pony as she trotted away with her head hanging low.