In Flame

by SteelEagle

Apples

Time flew faster than any pegasi in history when every tick of the clock struck a chord deeper and colder than the last as the march towards war took the form of eventuality. It was all Applejack could do to keep sane was spend the first three weeks away from her friends in a near constant haze of maddening busywork that she was ill-suited for. How ironic was it that one of the strongest ponies they could find in all of the land was doing little more than giving pre-prepared speeches, signing paperwork, and recruiting? She gathered that perhaps nopony in town was quite as well-suited towards recruitment in Ponyville as Applejack. She was trusted, adored, and the ponies of town had a strange loyalty to the Apple Family that could only be attributed to the town's existence being owed to actions of the family. Applejack started to believe that was why she was in charge of recruitment; it was slightly bitter to cash in the town's cache of love and trust in her family by recruiting them for war.

Pinkie wasn't much help, mostly because she was kept busy with logistics. Nopony else around, since Twilight and Rarity were off in Canterlot partaking in activities best suited to a duo of neurotic and detail-oriented unicorns, had the energy or capability to handle it. Applejack could have since she had run the orchard for many years, but her plate was already full. That left Pinkie the task of the quartermaster, corralling what supplies she could in Ponyville before the first actual shipments arrived. There wasn't much to work with, Ponyville not being known for its stock of weapons of war nor for its mass surplus of medical supplies or tents. The only thing Pinkie could readily supply and track was food, something she was more than happy to do. On a few occasions Applejack had to keep Pinkie on task sorting out what was to be stored in Ponyville, given to the army, or used for the town's immediate well being. Contrary to what Applejack may have thought, parties were of vital importance in keeping morale up and the ponies of Ponyville less anxious about the simmering conflict. After one party in particular after her first recruitment drive, Applejack no longer fussed- ponies were happy and oddly willing to recruit in even larger numbers. When added in with the sheer amount of food that was being saved for the army, Applejack could claim no complaint with Pinkie's affairs.

Fluttershy had little she could do, even if she would have been far more readily available than Pinkie. Of all the ponies, she had taken the news the hardest once they reached Ponyville and had taken to locking herself up in her cottage for a few days. She had only been peeled away when Applejack had half broken the door in to send the first two medical recruits to Fluttershy, who was in charge of helping create Ponyville's contribution to the medical corp. It had been an easy first duo to train as both of them were nurses at the local hospital and all Fluttershy had to do was show them once and they took it from there. That had given her the valuable confidence she needed and as Applejack trickled in new trainees, the farmer was herself growing more confident in her friend. Applejack had no doubt about how useless she may be in a fight but war was far more than just fighting, as proper healing and recovery would do more to help an army than any pure number of soldiers. By the end of the three weeks, Applejack had ten field medics and two surgeons, almost double of what she had been ordered to provide thus far.

Between Fluttershy's success and Pinkie's morale-boosting parties and fine distribution of foodstuffs, Applejack's many roles were made easier. The ponies of town felt no need to constantly press the Mayor for some sort of reduction in the town's commitment, meaning when Applejack met with her on a daily basis to discuss where the recruits could muster and where supplies could be stationed, the politician had no nagging complaints to stuff down the mare's throat. The Mayor had been more than accommodating since the start, even before the first and only orders sent from Canterlot arrived. Perhaps she realized the gravity of the situation despite Ponyville seeming relatively secure. Maybe she was a patriot and would give anything to see her beloved town and nation kept safe. Maybe she was a dear friend of the Apple family who knew the weight on Applejack's shoulders was immense and sought no reason to increase it. Or maybe she was a politician playing her games and Applejack's rank was a pawn in her hooves. In all likelihood it was all of these things and more but Applejack could waste not a moment in deciphering truth from lies. Mayor Mare was helpful and Applejack would take all the help she could.

Applejack had to worry about recruitment, which was somewhat more difficult than negotiating with the Mayor. Ponyville was naturally a peaceful town that, like most of Equestria, sought to make friends and live lives of love and peace. War threatened that fabric and the ponies approached the possibility with equal amounts fear and trepidation. It took a valiant few to step forward and offer their services immediately before others discarded cowardly thoughts and stepped hoof in hoof towards her. Six one day, ten the next, four the following. Speeches written were delivered with no noticeable effect as the ponies of Ponyville had made up their minds, even if it would take a while for each and every one to realize it. By the end of the first week she had recruited thirty, the following week forty-seven, and the third week had stopped with an extra sixty. Ponyville was to establish a baseline of at least one-hundred and fifty by the end of the first month before muster orders were to arrive and impress into service up to three-hundred total. Applejack hoped to eclipse the two-hundred mark before the orders arrived, getting in valuable physical work in and building teamwork before the Royal Guards arrived and started whipping them into fighting shape. Better to volunteer than be the unlucky pony torn unwillingly from home.

Beyond setting up a training field, supplies, and the basic recruitment and commitment numbers, Applejack's orders were far too open ended. She knew what she was capable of and what she had and nothing of use in terms of hard military training could be found in the area. In lieu of tactics or weapons training, she opted for marches and other physical activities. While all had joined the army, they had no place to stay but home and little food to eat besides what could be found with family, seeing as the supplies being built up were to be used only for the army once formed. Applejack knew attempting to force this group together under these circumstances was foolish, and allowed them to sleep in their homes, have dinner with their families. Beyond that and the few who were allowed jaunts into town to take care of business, she had them and drilled them. The training books back in the library had been taken by a veritable mob of scribes who were correcting the ancient tomes and reprinting them for widespread use, so Applejack had to go off of what seemed best.

Many, many marches.
They had started off short, maybe one hour outside of town and then back. By the end of the first week, it had been two hours and that had increased until now they were marching four hours out, four hours back. Applejack had guessed that the ponies would have to carry much on their backs and the saddlebags they carried were gradually increased in weight. Apples, rocks, anything that could be used was eventually used, the saddlebags starting off with maybe the requirements of lunch. By the end of the third week, Earth ponies were carrying almost three-quarters their body-weight, Unicorns were levitating almost half, while Pegasi above were keeping up their high speed despite the saddlebags and wing-holders becoming serious burdens.

Had it not been for Soarin, Applejack was certain the pegasi training would be a disaster. Cloudsdale was overflowing with pegasi of a high caliber and upon the declaration of war had sent out dozens of advisors and agents to aid other towns into whipping their own pegasi into shape. Soarin had made the trek to Ponyville within the first week and had more or less dictated to Applejack how he was going to handle the Ponyville pegasi. The Earth-pony was glad to wash her hands of the affair and as she watched the pegasi above fly in good formation, she felt vindicated.

Of course, all was not swell during these marches. Few ponies were beasts of burden like Applejack and many found themselves unprepared for the speed at which Applejack demanded they moved. Pegasi had Soarin and Earth-ponies had Applejack, but the Unicorns felt like the odd pony out and were the source of most complaints. Having to move at a physically demanding pace while levitating one’s increasingly heavy burden was a challenge even on a good day and with little to break the monotony, Unicorns started to slow the entire group down. Applejack countered this with encouragement and a belief they could overcome, and the fact that amongst the townponies these were the ones most willing to throw their futures into doubt meant that very few had turned their back on the burgeoning force. Only four ponies over the course of the first three weeks had hung their heads in shame and, defeated, walked back to town and the ridicule that followed.

Marching was not all they did. Other physical activities such as wind sprints and wrestling were used both as means of some entertainment and ways to test one another. Up above, Pegasi could be seen darting in between cloud cover, chasing one another as Soarin tried to emulate the best he could griffonfighting. Back on the ground, Applejack did her best to remember what she could of the Equestrian way of war and constantly drew blanks. What a comedy this was: The pony in charge of organizing the Ponyville ponies into a military force until the Royal Guards arrived couldn’t remember a lick of what she had so briefly read. She never claimed to be the smartest mare in all of the land and knew that it would one day sink her. For now, she would take solace in the fact that the one weapon she knew that Equestria used, rocks, she had on hoof in plentiful amounts.

Ponyville was ringed by farms, including a scant few rock farms that provided untold numbers of rocks. Untold until Applejack asked Pinkie for exactly half of what they had, and a few days later, sixteen thousand four hundred and eight perfectly sized rocks were placed on Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack was less than thrilled with their location but was happy with the amount, seeing as it was perfect for training. She and Big Mac would often wake up pre-dawn and haul hundreds of rocks to where the marching would step, where they would then set-up scarecrows as targets. By the end of the third week, it was the recruits who were hauling their ammunition to the targets at the end of the long march.

Rock-kickers were valued skirmishers in the Equestrian army. While they were of little use against Griffons or Buffalos, well-placed rocks could injure or kill Diamond Dogs or Zebras. This could entice a static enemy line into a foolish charge, weaken the charge before it hit pony lines, or even cause the enemy to redeploy forces and this was all without counting losses they would inflict. The negative was that they were unarmored as they were to be swift and mobile forces, meaning if caught in open combat they would be massacred. Applejack had no intention of letting that happen just as she had a sneaking suspicion that she was not being asked to lead a group of skirmishers. Still, learning this skill was superior to learning nothing and if there was one thing that Applejack knew as Celestia’s Truth, it was that one could never learn too many skills.

And so they had learned how to kick rocks with purpose behind each bucking of a rock. It had started off rather pathetically, only three hits being scored on the first day out of an obscene number of rocks being kicked. Unicorns were useless, seeing as she had to discount any rock moving so slowly that it was doubtful the enemy would have even felt it. Few had the power to send it shooting through the sky towards a target and Applejack didn’t have any of those unicorns in her little unit. Earth ponies were far more useful, but they were all so green that most couldn’t hit and those that could rarely did so in such a manner as to make Applejack think they counted. After a few days, she had decided that unicorns were to levitate the rocks and aim them and all the Earth ponies had to do was kick them. This proved to be a far more efficient tactic, and with three Earth-ponies to every Unicorn, well-within means. By the end of all three weeks, they were hitting and wounding about fifteen-percent of the time, scoring hundreds of useful hits in any single session.

She was proud of her ponies. They were getting physically fit, accurate, skilled and were working together to accomplish their objectives. She was doing something right, but she had a sneaking suspicion that much of her success could be laid at somepony else’s hooves. He was a mountain of a stallion, his thunderous kicks and unending stamina putting even her to shame. He withstood any physical test with steely determination. He had been banned from joining the army through no official order other than Applejack’s personal desire and yet he had tagged along since the start.

He was Big Mac, Stallion of the Apples, and Celestia as her witness Applejack knew that he would join the army despite her pleading.

***************

Sweet Apple Acres was a true sanctuary for generations of one of the largest and most fundamentally important families in Equestria. It wasn't made overnight nor was it always such a sanctuary, from the hard-scrabble beginnings and the vicious storms from the pre-pegasi colonization era to the swindlers and constant demands as the town grew. Sweet Apple Acres stood next to it as the constant in an evolving land and before Applejack had ever taken her first screaming breath in the world, the Apple Family had stained this land with blood, sweat and tears and earned their place. Applejack had always found comfort in the trees, the way the wind blew, the smell of apples hanging lazily adding to the aura of calm and serenity that allowed a pony to find solace rather than difficulty in hard work. How lucky was she to love her work, love her home, love everything that colored her life; some say she was a pony looking through life with rose-tinted glasses but who gave a hay about roses when there apples that fit the description?

Family played into her content nature to such a degree that it was as synonymous with Sweet Apple Acres. It was a strange thought that none of her friends could claim the sheer change that encapsulated her life with her family and yet of them all it was she who took the greatest comfort in their nature and mere existence. Granny Smith was so old that not only had she outlived all of her siblings save for her much younger brother Apple Strudel, that not a single mare from across the land could lay a claim to anything near her age. That came with its own set of sad milestones, such as burying most of her children, nieces, and nephews and even one unfortunate grand-niece. None of that stopped her from being extremely cheery and full of life and joy, even if her hip had given out and she was physically starting to topple. The matriarch whose stories and actions were as central to the family as their very name wasn't going to go quietly into the night and whatever the Grim Reaper's form, Applejack was sure a few bruises were going to be his punishment for dragging Granny Smith away.

Apple Bloom was the spunkiest yet nicest little sister anypony could ask for. Applejack couldn't describe the depth of love she felt for her little sister and having spent the better part of her life as her caretaker engendered a host of maternal feelings as well. Applejack worried, tossed and turned in her bed, and fretted over everything her sister did with not just the love and care of a sister, but of a mother as well. Sometimes Applejack had to step back and allow Apple Bloom to charge off and commit herself to silliness and trouble, as every filly was want to do. It did her a host of good, her rambunctious nature masking such depths of familial loyalty as to almost be soul-shattering. Apple Bloom would never hurt the family and Applejack resolved to never let family hurt her, and when added to Applejack's already deep reserves of love their bond was inseparable. They had fun together, learned together, worked together. Applejack was blessed to have a sister so well-tailored to good nature. Apple Bloom was blessed to have a sister so devoted.

Then there was Big Mac. Few ponies represented ideals so ideally as he. It was only because he did not represent the Elements of Harmony that it was she who wore one and not he, for if stoicism and work ethic were to be represented nopony in Equestria could compare. If strength or stamina were to be represented, nopony could compare. If being the best damn big brother were to be represented, nopony could compare- not even Twilight's admittedly awesome brother could mount a defense. Big Mac was a mountain of a stallion who could do with one simple extension of a single leg what took Applejack a full on assault, his strength so overwhelming that throughout his life he had been told to be careful and watch out. This was mixed with his natural shyness to produce a stallion of few words; when he spoke, yo listened. He never spoke ill of somepony and was always looking out for somepony else's best interest, his selflessness a shining example to be emulated by all around him. He worked hard and without question, enduring workloads that Applejack herself could only timidly decline in her honest nature. He was the stallion to call, the stallion to lean on and Applejack had leaned on him for much of their lives.

They were no ordinary family. As a filly, Applejack had witnessed their parents getting mauled to death by timberwolves. It had been a mistake born of too much familiarity and that bred a lack of care regarding the various dangers of the forest. It could have been expected out of Applejack's mother, a unicorn who had been in a traveling show who fell in with the most beatific stallion in town, as inexperienced as she was on the nuances of the landscape. Once she had committed that error and her husband committed himself to her defense, their fate was sealed. By the time the collection of seasonal orchard workers and family arrived to drive them off, the wounds inflicted had already ended papa's life and Applejack could do no more than crawl under her mother's form and snuggle in fear and nearly incomprehensible sadness as she too expired. From that funeral on, Big Mac had been expected to grow up far before his time but had done so without complaint.

He helped change Apple Bloom, who was just weeks from her now deceased mother's womb. He helped Granny Smith who was frail even in those days cook and clean and get around town. He worked the vast orchard fields in between these times from dawn to dusk, sometimes before and after respectively. He kept his wayward sister Applejack, who in her grief did everything from wander around Ponyville in a weeping, sobbing haze to running off to Manehattan, in line. He kept her on task, in school, in the right crowds and doing the right things. When she needed help, it was his hoof that was extended. When a bad colt came calling for her, it was Big Mac who took Applejack's angry verbal abuse and with a single kick returned the colt's attempted physical abuse tenfold. Big Mac had given her the hat she wore, the hat worn by their father that was simply too small for the stallion, and it had been he that taught her everything she needed to know about apple bucking. Big Mac was responsible for everything she held dear: The farm still standing, the family still close. He had made Applejack into the mare she was today, even if he would never say nor probably ever thought it. This was only because he had sacrificed practically everything for it. He had a host of health problems that he powered through relating to the years back-breaking labor under all conditions, at times reaching nearly sixteen hours a day. He had no real social life to think of aside from Cheerilee, even with the free time afforded to him by Applejack's maturity. He had no future besides that same labor because he had quit school to work.

He had sacrificed everything but his life and soul and Applejack was determined that if there was one thing she could do to repay her older brother for all of his sacrifice, it was to prevent him from sacrificing that which remained. She was not going to see her brother torn asunder under the inferno of war, either to be killed or to have his soul further scarred. Applejack herself dreaded this eventuality, even if the optimist in her cherished the opportunity for a quick end and peace to come of it. She would not allow her brother in regardless and had told him that her first order as Enomotarch was to ban him from joining the army. It wasn't entirely due to her desire to see him safe, however. He was a stallion of responsibility. The orchard was to lose many of their seasonal workers as well as Applejack, plus Granny Smith was increasingly a pony in such dire physical calamity. Apple Bloom would need a caretaker and Winona needed her medicine; Big Mac was needed here, not out in the mud and dirt.

But he had still followed her on all of the training excursions, stronger, faster, higher endurance and silent stoicism giving others a hero to compare to. It was plain as day what he was doing and Applejack hated him every second of every day for it, especially since she had no authority to tell him to leave. She hated him for it because she knew what the result would be long before he ever asked and as Luna's moon hung over the sky and Applejack rested her body in one of Granny Smith's old rocking chairs, the clop-clop of his massive hooves as they drew close from the orchard stung her head like hornets in a frenzy.

"Ah don't wanna 'ear it, Big Mac," Applejack moaned as the hooves came to a slow stop. Her eyes opened to reveal that her giant of a brother was carrying four whole bushels of apples on his back, catching up as he was on the day's work.

"Well, ya're gonna hear it, 'Jack," He replied, setting the bushels down and sitting down in front of her. Even on his haunches, he came up to her head.

"Don't be so selfish that ya're gonna put the family in jeopardy ov'r somethin' ya aren't needed in, Mac," The mare responded as she sipped the hot chocolate dancing in a mug on her hoof.

"Ah'm not gonna let mah sister, mah fiancee, mah whole dang world go and put their life and limb on tha line while ah'm back 'ome bucking some dang trees all day. Ah'm gonna join, and yer either gonna let me join naw, or ah'll volunteer for tha muster when it 'omes," He replied sternly, not used to having to argue with his little sister. Often his mere presence was enough to force the issue.

Applejack tossed her hoof over her eyes. She knew he was right. When the Guard came and had the muster order, he could join without her so much as being able to fake some control over it. He would be entirely out of her hooves then, the coming dawn. Applejack sighed.

"Ah've known yer'onna ask this, ah tried to ta think o' ways pas it, but I can't, Mac. Ya know ah can't stop ya. Ah know ah can't. But really, really think 'bout this. If we both leave, nopony will be around for Apple Bloom. Granny Smith..." Applejack lowered her voice and bit her lip as she drew close, "We both know she's on 'er last legs. We even took down that one tree to have a nice place ta bury 'er on the very spot where the first barn was built by her great-grand pappy. Whose gonna look after Bloom when she goes if we're still gone? For Land's Sakes Mac, what if we die? Someone needs ta be here for Apple Bloom. For the Orchard! For sweet Celestia, who'll look after tha orchard? Tha farm'd go under and we'd come back ta ruin, both in name AND fortune!" Applejack replied rapidly, her voice gaining desperation as she tried to convince both of them that her reasoning was unstoppable.

Big Mac was silent for a second.
"Ah'll make arrangements," was all he said and it was all he needed to say. So simple a response had dashed her against the rock.

Applejack's face was flush and she slammed her cup down, shattering it against her hoof.
"Celestia damn you, Mac! Damn you for makin' me do this. Why can't you just buckin' agree with me, you selfish piece of soil?!" She started as she got up and loomed over him, eventually appearing snout to snout. She was wild eyed and angry, and he was passive and unmoved. He had expected it.

She huffed a few times and gulped.
"Dawn, town center," She blew through clenched teeth before turning around and storming into the house. In her wake was left a stallion who was as still as he had been the whole time, unmoved or phased by the outburst. After he was sure she was gone, Big Mac took a single strand of straw and put it in his mouth, chewing as he went about finishing his work.

*****************

Dinner was more often than not a family affair, but ever since Applejack had started upon recruiting her fellow ponies, she found herself eating alone increasingly. She didn't like it but had grown accustomed to the time alone to consider ruefully what was in store for the ponies she was bringing along with her. It had served to do little more than allow her to become increasingly darker in tone as the worry compounded upon fears. Apple Bloom needed the rest to get the juices of her constantly moving brain flowing and Granny needed even more just to keep her withered and battered frame from becoming still for the last time. Big Mac was the hardest worker in all of Equestria and despite his immense endurance, even he could not go without sleep. So to see him stay up with her as the rest fell to sleep was a boon for her almost as much as it was a drawback for him.

By the time Applejack had finished her various paperwork duties and Big Mac his orchard work, dinner had become plum cold. Whether or not Granny was upset to see the fruits of her diminishing labor getting wasted was something of a mystery, as the matriarch had kept to herself for much of the past three weeks. Worry could eat at the contented soul as furiously as one given to passion, sometimes even more so when the family line was thin and threatened to be thinned some more. Dinner hadn't suffered in construction and Applejack was grateful to have her hoof-work even if it could be a little cold. Usually it was just one plate that suffered this fate. Tonight it was two as she headed into what was basically Granny's sitting room, Big Mac on his haunches against a wall. Applejack used her tail to hand him a plate as she went to the ground with a relaxed thud.

"Thanks, 'Jack"

Applejack didn't respond, taking the time to dive into the well-cooked daisy. It was something light but she found herself unable to eat anything heavier lately and decided to look at this as an advantage as she found the likelihood of having large, home-cooked meals to be rather slim and it was probably a good idea to get used to lighter meals. That and eating it allowed her to remain somewhat silent, at least for a few seconds longer. She was in no mood to speak with her brother. For a few minutes the two ate in silence, the crackling fire providing the ambient sound. At least the daisy was good. Still, she couldn't avoid it for long.

"Yer welcome, Mac."

Silence again. They had entirely too much to talk about and less time than they could have dared to hope for, so remaining mute was the best use of it. Some things didn't need to be said.

"Eeyup."

"Shut it, Mac. I'm still sore 'bout yer decision. Did ya at least tell Granny Smith?" Applejack tossed her head towards her brother, who had already finished his dinner.

"Nnope."

"Why in tarnation not?"

"She seemed mighty tired. Didn't want ta send her ta bed with such thoughts on 'er mind." Big Mac replied evenly as he set his empty plate on a hoof.

"Ah figure that makes sense, Big Mac, though Ah'm reckoning it had more ta do with ya bein' a coward and all," Applejack said, the sarcasm in her voice only holding a minor amount of deserved venom as she finished off her plate.

"Eeyup," He responded, taking both plates in hoof and onto his back before he walked into the kitchen and out of Applejack's sight.

It was hard to offend him or get a rise out of him, much to Applejack's dismay. Frustrated, she curled up in front of the fire and allowed herself to relax for the first time that evening. Or day, for that matter. It wasn't something she was unfamiliar with but this was a different. She often at least had everything operating on her own terms if she was tired from farm work. Not now. Even if she was adding her own cherished innovations, she was part of a plan and formula many times greater than she and removed from her influence by the sheer volume of its happenings across the country. She had never quite considered the possibility that she desired a degree of uniqueness and contrast from others in her line of work. Nopony was like Applejack, not even other orchard folk and farmers, nor the rodeofolk that she commonly found herself arrayed against. She did things the Apple family way, but even within that broad base she was one of a kind, unique, special, valued. Training these ponies allowed her such little room for reasonable growth and she was so out of her element that she felt like a cog in a larger machine that was just now starting to grind into motion. There was sense to it but feeling as if she could so easily be a number on parchment was disconcerting.

"Ya hear from your friends, 'Jack?" Big Mac asked as he came back in and resumed his position, Applejack's train of thought thankfully stopped.

"Nah, Ah haven't. Ah'm supposed ta be hearin' something soon, but Ah reckon they're all jus' as busy as Ah am. Wouldn't blame them if they weren't able to write or nothin, but...yeah, Ah miss them something fierce. And Ah'm worried 'bout what happens if Ah don't get ta see them and they...well, Ah don't need ta say it, but ya know what Ah mean Mac. Ah don't want our last meeting ta be in a library all shocked and worried, tha last time we talk ta be muttering and stutterin'," Applejack replied swiftly, her voice rising as she expected to be met by some comforting words from her brother.

He took out his stalk of wheat and chewed on it some more, silent save for the sound as his thoughts came together.

"Well, ya have a sturdy bunch a' friends. Still, war's probably gonna be a nasty bit of business...your fear's probably well-founded, sis. But what happens will happen, no sense worryin' about fate," His attempted sage advice fell somewhat flat as Applejack looked back at Big Mac fiercely.

"Mac, Ah ain't gotta accept that drivel not one foot more than an apple tree falls in the wind. We're in charge of what happens, not fate and Ah don't wanna hear such talk from you," Applejack bit back at her brother, her expression softening into a sly smile. "And that's an order."

"Ah don't take mah orders from you just yet."

"Not 'til dawn, Big Mac. But after then, you'll hafta do everything Ah say," Applejack said witha slight giggle. Her brother responded with a moment of silence before he cracked his own grin.

"Not packing any of Granny's dresses, are ya?"

That illicited hearty laughs from both ponies, Applejack's favored reward for a friendly bet between the two not likely to be administered in the army. Unlikely, but she though wryly, probably not impossible. She would need to find the Quartermaster first. Surely they could find some nice summer girdles. Applejack used the brief energy granted her by the laughter to pull herself up and stretch.

"Well, the Guard'll arrive tomorrow at dawn. Long day ahead of us, Mac. Get some rest," Applejack threw her hoof on top of her giant of a brother's mane and patted him as she trotted by.

"Eeyup."

Applejack left her brother in his position near the fire, contemplating the mysteries of the flame as his sister trotted upstairs and to her room. It wasn't long before Applejack's head hit her pillow and sleep started to advance on her. Sleep and a tiny pony who opened her bedroom door not ten minutes after she arrived.

Apple Bloom's head poked into the darkness of Applejack's room, the filly biting her lip and her mane a mess from her bed. Tossing and turning had been the order of the night, sleeplessness coming easily when the mind is sprinting. Applejack rolled over to meet the door with her slightly shut eyes, opening them anxiously before she made out Apple Bloom who now started to enter the room proper, even if pensively.

"Apple Bloom, ya need to get some sleep. You've got school in tha mornin'," Applejack let slip from her position, Apple Bloom having slowed her advance and now looking at the ground and one foreleg rubbing the other.

"Ah know, ah know..." Apple Bloom replied, her voice that often seemed to explode with excitement so unsure and cracking that Applejack's alarms were raised immediately. Apple Bloom took another stutter step forward, which made Applejack respond by sitting up in bed.

"Whatcha need, sugarcube?"

"Ah'm...Big Mac's leavin' too, huh?" She asked Applejack, who nodded in return.

"Yeah, Ah wanted to try and keep him home but, uhh, he had...other...ideas," Applejack replied as her sister looked down.

"...Y'all leavin' tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah- well, we can come back for dinner one last time tomorrow. That should be fun, right?" Applejack tossed out there in an effort to see her sister brighten up. It failed, Apple Bloom suddenly surging towards her sister and launching into a hug. Applejack received her just as the filly started to cry gently.

"Ah don't want none of ya ta go! Ah'm real scared- c-can't they pick other ponies to go? Ah mean, Ah-Ah-" Apple Bloom started blubbering damply into Applejack, who took her sister up and onto her bed, embracing her. It was just like when she was a tiny foal having night terrors and she'd come crying into Applejack's room. The memories were tainted by Applejack's rather erratic teenage year attitudes towards having her sleep ruined, but looking back she could make out the start of a nearly symbiotic relationship. Between two sisters who became friends as well, a bond could be formed of such strength and visceral intensity that imagining one without the other was comical through the sheer ridiculousness of the thought. Applajack's part in this was comfort and tutelage and Apple Bloom provided the emotional hyper-explosion. Applejack soaked it up like a sponge and often found herself empowered to help her. Here, such abilities seemed hollow as she had no answers. That didn't mean she couldn't try.

"No reason worryin' 'bout it, sugarcube. We hafta do what we hafta do and there ain't no point fussin' 'bout it, so don't you worry yourself into a tizzy fit. It's gonna be okay, Apple Bloom," Applejack cooed into her sister's ear, Apple Bloom responding by squeezing her sister tighter and looking back up in an effort to pierce the veil of Applejack's calm expression.

"Yer gonna be alright, right? Ah don't know what Ah'd do if-"

"Shush it, Abby. Y'all don't hafta worry yerself 'bout it. Ah'm gonna take good care of Big Mac and, well, Ah reckon Ah'll be just fine too. Ya hear me? We'll be fine. Promise!" Applejack pulled herself back from her sister and used her hoof to wipe tears off, which was proven somewhat easier than she may have feared.

"Y-ya promise?"

"Pinkie promise."

Some silence, the short and fierce embrace broken by Applejack kissing her sister on the top of the head and smiling.

"Ya wanna sleep here with me, sis?" She offered sweetly, giving her sister a reassuring squeeze. Apple Bloom didn't audibly respond, instead nodding and drilling her head through Applejack's mane some more. Applejack smiled and with excitement wiggled her way further from the side of the bed, throwing the blanket aside.

"Well, whatcha waitin' for? Get in!" Applejack tilted her towards the open space and smiled, Apple Bloom following quickly. She snuggled in towards the end and Applejack closed in, throwing the blanket over both of them and repositioning both ponies. After a few moments, they both faced off the right side, the back of Apple Bloom’s head blocking Applejack’s view and her little body reaching to Applejack’s stomach. Applejack had her left hoof around Apple Bloom, keeping her close and tight, warm and safe, her sister throwing both forelegs over the single arm. They were warm, safe, content. It was nice. In that moment of time, all thoughts of war, danger, threatening motions and looming horror left. It was just two best sisters forever forever entangled in their own bond, as perfect a feeling as she could ever hope for.

“Ah love you, big sis.”

“Ah love you too, little sis. Goodnight.”

Applejack obeyed her own order immediately.
She would later regret that.

Comments

[SteelEagle]

846836

Take your time! There is no rush. See how few comments there are? Isn't like I have a legion of followers waiting.XD If you would like to tackle chapter three, feel free! If you do not have the time nor inclination however, no need to do so.

[SteelEagle]

I am just waiting on the review before I move forward. I apologize for the delay.

[Fattymagee1]

I like this. I hope you continue it

[SteelEagle]

1252155 I will for sure. For now, a combination of being really busy at the shipyard, my second child, and S3 has stayed my hand.

[Fattymagee1]

1749040 Ah. Quite understandable. Well, good luck to ya, and I do hope you continue this soon. I might have to reread some stuff though so I can remember a little better what happened lol.

[SteelEagle]

1749073 Hehehe. Yeah, that will help.

In between S3 and S4, I hope to put out around 100k words split up into maybe 15-20 chapters. I more or less have the whole thing- and the half-dozen subplots- planned out. I just need to make sure that S3 doesn't canon bomb before I get that far into it.