Big Mac and Granny Smith,
A lot of that stuff they’ve said about the Northwest is just tall tales and such. That’s not to say there ain’t any truth to it, though. I can’t lie and tell you that it’s all OK. I can’t tell you not to worry when McIntosh knows that you should. I can’t tell you that we spend most of our time lying around, bored, or that I haven’t taken life.
I wish that I could. I really do, but I couldn’t do that to you, brother, and I couldn’t write to you both in separate. You’d know I was trying to hide something from you, Granny – you always have. I’d come to regret it, anyway. I’m sorry to do this, but I have to believe that this is less painful than the lie. That’s what Applejack would do, right?
I haven’t heard anything about her, but to know that she’s written takes a huge load off my back. She’s still out there rolling around in one of those tanks, I reckon. I’m always thinking of you three and the farm. That batch of apples you sent with Twilight was some of the finest things I’d ever laid eyes on. I’m sorry about what I said back when. You probably don’t even remember, but I take it back – apples are the most perfect fruit in the whole wide world. I’m also sorry about what I said of the farm. The Acres are my home and always will be.
I’m so glad Mackie’s shoulder’s all patched up, too. Takes more than a little bullet to keep my big brother down! You must have brought in some hired hooves to tend the farm, I bet. Keep them in line, and mind Little Bitsy. She’s probably grown up to be a mighty respectable young tree by now. Say hi to old Winona, too.
…Don’t mind the little spots – it’s just a leak in the tent. It rains a lot up here.
I’m also sending my weapon home, just like McIntosh did. I won’t be coming after it, but Twilight just gave us some new ones and… I just figure…
McIntosh ought to understand. I named it after him - rugged and tough. This here new one is AJ – faithful and strong. That kind of describes Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, I reckon. You know Scoots got her cutie mark? After all this time she’s finally gone and done it. It’s a little box, having to deal with what you’ve heard about communication magic and the like. Me and Sweetie are still crusading. Maybe I’ll have something to show when I come home.
You’ll know who the enemy is soon. We got a hold of a prisoner and Scoots got him to squeal. They’re not looking to settle anything peacefully, that’s for sure. You’ll read all about it, and when you do you’ll wish you were up here with me and Applejack. We’re doing the right thing.
I love you. So, so much. We’ll be heading out soon, so it might be some time before I can write you again. I’ll be careful. I promise.
Love,
Applebloom
--
Big McIntosh set the paper down and rose from the soft bed. He sighed to the moonlit room and subtly shifted his weight to his good shoulder.
“She’ll be a’ight, Mac,” a raspy, hollow voice assured him, “She got Pa’s grit and Ma’s resolve.”
He sucked in a breath and swallowed hard.
“Yup,” he whispered.
“Lemme see that gun,” Applejack croaked under the numerous stitches holding her throat together.
He looked to the corner where a beat-up, long rifle stood upright. He gently set it next to the bed then stood back, silent.
“I’m gonna get some shut eye,” she finally announced.
He nodded and limped out into the hall, softly clicking the door behind him.
When his hoofsteps could no longer be heard a pair of scarred orange hooves grasped the rifle. One hoof slowly ran over the twenty-six notches etched into the body. When it met the spot where the trigger ought to be Applejack frowned. She grunted in the great struggle to sit up to get a better look in the moonlight. She sighed and studied the weapon. The trigger was tiny – far too small for a hoof to get a hold of like normal rifles.
Which meant that this wasn’t a normal long rifle.
She suddenly choked out a sob and opened her eyes wide, letting the tears fall freely.
“No,” she whispered and snatched the rifle up, hugging the cold metal close.
She clenched her eyes as tight as she could and sobbed in long pained hums, lips firmly pursed.
“No!” she cried out, drawing tiny beads of blood from the myriad stitches.
She began to rock back and forth. She’d seen them herself in the forests of the Northwest. She continued to see them in her frequent nightmares. The mares with legs of steel, who could lift a stallion with ease and crush his head with their bare hooves.
“Not her,” she whimpered.
She blinked her eyes open and saw them – merciless, cold and terrifyingly lethal. She looked into their eyes and immediately shut her own, hanging her head. Nopony could know. Nopony could know until they absolutely had to. It was their secret.
Applejack laid her head over the gun and whimpered.
“Not Apple Bloom…”
Dafuq happened to AJ?! Also, first.
5334071
Her sweet little sister is now a cold, killing cyborg.
Question: if the good guys win the war, who would Celestia put in charge of the conquered country, and what polices would apply?
5334075 I know that, but it said she had stitches on her throat, thats what I was curious. about.
I was worried for a moment that Applejack was dead, when Apple Bloom talked about her in the past tense like that.
This is... Better. Still sucks though.
On another note, maybe it was mentioned before, but I'd forgotten that not even their families knew the cmc were cyborgs.
Well, that's just gonna make the (hopefully) eventual reunions all the more interesting.
5334079 My guesses are that her throat got cut open by the metal from her tank bending into her neck. I would think that the cause of that metal bending would be from a hostile tank firing at her's.
5334128
gonna be a long way yet. May never ever be truly home again.
And I though that Sweetie´s letter was good. This, this is pure gold.
We know that Rarity is watching from the sidelines, and Applejack a tank pilot. But what about Rainbow Dash? Is she with the Wonderbolts Aerial Force? I don't think she's been mentioned before. Also, I can't think of another pony that Scootaloo would write to. That is, if you make her an orphan like the majority of the fics out there.
I'm curious of how Scootaloo will react to this whole war. In Sweetie Belle's letter, we've learned that she's mentally wounded and still has trouble to cope with it. Apple Bloom seemed more chill, either that or she's hiding her distress from her family. They say letters are the most honest when it comes to expressing your feelings.
I cannot wait for the next chapter!
I feel bad for Applejack, knowing a pony could easily kill with their bare hooves, or what was left of them. Though this short chapter raises a question, did Twilight break the spells and are they gonna get a new rifle? A rifle like the M1 Garand or gewehr 43? Also, what happened to her neck? Maybe Apple Blooms dream wasn't a dream after all...
This tiny chapter sent shivers down my spine, Scootaloo's gonna have to write some mean stuff to top this...
Is she talking about the CMC here? Did she see the CMC?? She did didn't she?
5334136 Actually, the technical term of what I would guess happened here would be spalling. Spalling was common back in WW2, as when tank shells would hit the outside of the tank, they wouldn't go through the armor, but tiny fragments of metal of the armor would go flying like shrapnel. These have been known to kill the crew, I believe.
This is prevented in modern warfare through Kevlar layers behind the metal to catch the metal.
5334767 Luna commissioned the creation and training of several squads of Night Mare Special Forces. The CMC are only one squad. I don't remember how many others there are. Truly potent weapons. Living, breathing weapons.
But they best tread carefully.
After all, when a new, incredibly effective weapon gets deployed onto a battlefield...
...it is only a matter of time before the enemy gets the same idea...
Damn... Can't say I didn't see that coming. Was worried for a sec what she had planned for that rifle, but I guess she's too strong for that.
Oh no. Well guess we saw Applejack's reaction, sad as it is.
T
This is...
I don't have adaquate words to do it justice.
I'm no soldier. I'm more of an amateur engineer... I can pick a system apart, analyze it and reconstruct it (usually so it works better than it did before). Heck, one of the first things my mind jumped to when I first saw the cybernetics in the artwork for this story was "I wonder how that would work", without even thinking about what *Else* it would be used for...
Cold of me, I know, and suddenly I'm reminded of the Manhattan Project scientists and what most of them probably felt after that first test detonation...
I don't know war from first hand experience. Sure, I've studied history... Read and heard stories that touch on the subject... Caught fleeting glimpses of what its done to others from an admittedly warped lense...
The closest I come is when my brother spent a tour in Kuwait several years ago. I was nervous the whole time he was over there, but with him being FDC with the National Guard I knew that he was spending most of his time at a desk/table/what have you.
He doesn't talk about it much and I don't ask. Life's simpler for both of us that way...
But what Applejack is going through? She knows... She's SEEN... And I...
I can't even begin to imagine...
*cough*
Ladies and Gents... Let us take off our hats and bow our heads... May this story stand testament to that which we do not know or understand, and by it's completion, let us hope we walk away a little wiser than we once were...
Oh wow. I didn't know that Bloom's family didn't know what happened to her and the Crusaders. That just takes it to a whole new level.
Also, the emotion displayed here...just wow. Now words can really describe what you've put here.
5335001 No joke. I half expect to see an enemy augmented pony whenever I read a new chapter.
Oh gosh. That was another wonderful chapter! I'm a little too tired to really write anything in detail, but I'm certainly happy to see this story progressing again. It's truly one of my favorites- so much so that I check daily for new chapters!
You're still doing a wonderful job on this; this chapter and the last have been a joy to read, just like all the rest. It's always nice to see into the mind of such lovable characters, and these letters are just right for that. I'm quite looking forward to the Scootaloo one!
I do wonder if what happened to Applejack will be revealed in more detail later. And goodness! I'd never thought any Equestrians would find the Night Mares to be so terrifying, but given Applejack's feelings, I think now that she can't be the only one to be disturbed by them.
Anyway... Love it!
5335001
I've read the story too ya know?
Anyway, Applejack was in the Northwest, just like the CMC are. Applebloom had that dream of AJ's tank being blown up. Maybe it wasn't just a dream? AJ also says "The mares with legs of steel, who could lift a stallion with ease", Scootaloo launched a enemy soldier earlier in the story, and "crush his head with their bare hooves.", Applebloom I think it was landed on a enemy soldier earlier, pulping their head.
See what I'm getting at?
5337216 It must have been one of the other squads she saw. I think Applejack would have instantly recognized not only her own sister, but her sister's fillyhood friends as well. Even if they are augmented.
5336119 All we know about this enemy so far is that they are highly fanatical. Though I am still waiting for more information about them, what I do know is that fanatics and technology are NOT a good mix. They could create something truly horrifying, maybe even more dangerous than the Night Mares...
And if they truly believe that their cause is a holy one, you can damn well bet that there will be plenty of volunteers lining up for the procedure.
5334828 Interesting.
5337303
You never know man, the chaos of war can do funny things to a person's mind.
I find it kind of funny that my OC could use Apple bloom's rifle fairly easy. Most problems would probably come from the recoil.
5337385 Ha! That's a massive understatement.
The sad thing is that for the CMC (and all the Night Mares for that matter), it's not just the psychological effects. They will never be able to live a normal life again. Even if the war ends and another long millennium of peace begins (even though I doubt it), these mares will be walking monuments to the horrors of what happened. All of the sacrifices.
I can only hope it all pays off in the end.
5338159
I dunno man, fingers are pretty cool :3
Seriously tho, you're right.
5334828
That's a myth actually, what was happening was the loader loaded High Explosive shells instead of Armor Piercing Ballistic Capped. High explosive at the time was nothing more than a shell filled with explosives, so they were easy to mix up, seeing on how they looked the same. When the gunner fired and missed but hit close enough to the underside, the shells explosive power would push out rivets and small bits of rust at tremendous force, mostly cause the underside was so thin. Why do you think AT mines were so effective? Anyway, they finally marked their shells (and soon made HE a Flathead shell) so this problem was resolved.
Due to NCMares design for the Equestrian Tank being heavy influenced by German panzer's, I doubt we would see this problem occur.
Though I hear they burn nicely...
5339446 Uh, I don't think so. Spalling is not really just the rivets or rust, but actual flakes of the metal. How it worked is, like you said, high explosive based. The compression of the explosive would not penetrate the armor, but the compressive wave would create a shock wave to reflect against the only open surface, the side facing the crew.
See mechanical spalling, antitank warfare.
5339472
I think we are on diferent pages here, I was talking about early to mid WW2 tank technology, the stuff the tanks were based upon. Also, I shoudnt have said rivets, true metal flakes did fly out, but tanks that have been weathered by storms and battered by sand from the africa campaign are weak around the bolts, causing said effect.
I dont mean to be rude but don't trust wikipedea, people can change anything on that site to any random BS (I know from personal experience)
I. AM. BACK BABY.
Ferst, NC loving the hole letter thing.
And second I got some ideas and thoughts and questions if any ones up for the debate.
Wow, this was a great chapter. Can't wait to read the next up date
Frightening. Truly frightening. There's so much more to say but I am incapable.
When you said Applejack held the letter I thought you typoed. But no, you wrote right. Yes, very well written, Mares.
This fic may replace my favorite MLP war story, and that's a difficult thing to do.
War...war never changes
5339904
Shoot.
5339904
Lets hear it, I'm always up for a good debate.
5339504 Alright... I'm not sure how much more clear I can be about this: Tanks in WW2 suffered from a physics phenomena called SPALLING which is my explanation to how Applejack had her injury but no death. Just a guess, but spalling sends actual metal flakes, like tiny sheets of metal. PFFFFFT.
PHYYYYYSICS. I DON'T THINK I CAN EXPLAIN HOW SPALLING EXISTS. IT JUST DOES, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW METAL WORKS.
5342078
Shite, sorry I didn't mean to make you mad...
My grandfather was in the polish first armored division, he was a gunner in a T-34-85 at one point, it was taken out by splash damage from a HE shell, he always said it was from another tank. My great great grandfather also served in a British Churchill, the battles in Africa caused the bolts on his tank to rust and wear down, and in extreme cases in his battalion, fall off. I did do research on spalling and HE at the museums in Canada and I got my info from there. Spalling does exist, yes I know that, but I cant remember why.
Sorry again, didn't mean to make ya mad and start an argument over this.
5342124 iambrony.dget.cc/mlp/gif/237147__UNOPT__safe_animated_solo_octavia_angry_seizure-warning_rage_vibrating_artist-scramjet747.gif.gif
5342131 img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120531112802/smuff/images/5/55/Twilight_nope.gif
Great. Lets start with something thats bin nipping me sins I first found this little jowl, isn't AJ part of the government, being in Twilights court and all?I mean is she at LEST an officer! Next, more tech talk and some strategy. First is tactical sonic rain booms, if you remember "Lesson Zero" RD used it to destroy a old barn, we now(and have agreed) that a good number of the Equestrian Air Force is capable of the traditional S.R.D so why not make a elite flight team to perform tactical S.R.Ds on high value targets. And lastly helicopters(), now hear me out, we have seen pedal powered helies in the show(see episodes "Griffon the Brush Off" and "Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3" as proof), now all that needs doing is the add engines to um, Im not saying apaches here(yet:rainbow kiss:), more along the lines of the Bell UH-1 Iroquois(the huey) or if thats to advanced made something older like the Focke Achgelis 223(we can call it Lunas pet dragon).
5339799
Thank you for the thanks, but I've always felt it was my privilege and duty to serve our country. It is nice to be appreciated!
5314367
Thank you...it's great to hear appreciation even after all this time. Good luck in your career. Remember, the enlisted corp is the backbone of any military. Take care of them, they will take care of you!
Another awesome and wel done chapter! I loved it!
Poor Apple Jack ;-; I wonder what happened to her? I have a few guesses.
Good work on this! once more.
You made me cry damnit!
Oh man that's chilling. For a minute I thought that was Granny Smith speaking and then I scrolled down a little further. And then I just sat there, stunned, for about ten seconds. Poor Applejack. But at least she's alive.
Aw shit, the Night Mares are scary soldiers that are only good because they're on our side. Or the tech is yet another thing stolen from the Union.
I really hope it's the former.
Olympic National Forest type of raining?
Foreshadowing? Is AJ going to "buck" some enemy in the head? I know some rifles had metal plates on the stock for bashing people's heads in, M14 and M39 being two of them.
cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/15409427.jpg
Guess AB never told anyone in her family she is a Night Mare.
Look on the bright side, least AB is doing the crushing and not the crushee.
I have seen this name spelled "Apple Blood" and "Applebloom" in this story. Pick one spelling and stick with it. Unless you want to send me to an early grave...
6655646
Oh god.
Many tears were coming.
So many manly tears.
There was even the revelation that AJ knew about the project.
And then I see fucking Gimli.
6655646
"Apple Blood"?
Chocking this up as one of my favorite typos.