Sigil of Souls, Stream of Memories

by Piccolo Sky

Nightwatch: There in a Fortnight

Author's Note:

Sorry for the long delay. I originally intended this to be one chapter but it ran far too long, so I had to split it in two.

“Durn it, coz… Feels like someone tried ta’ split my head open with ah fryin’ pan…”

“I will split yer damn fool head open the next time ya’ don’t stop when I tell ya’!”

“But I told ya’ I don’t even remember that!”

Two days after the incident, Braeburn had resumed alternating his position as shotgun, although he spent a lot time cowering from dirty glares whenever he wasn’t walking off injuries. While the beating he had gotten two nights earlier hadn’t seemed to stall him much at the time, now he was in more pain than any of them. He was also quite clueless about the entire event.

The Apples weren’t traveling nearly as easily as they had been before. Some of the family members, especially the ones he had hurt, continued to give Braeburn uneasy looks. However, Twilight got the worst of it. Although it had been their relative who had gone mad and attacked, all of the Apples seemed to think the mysterious girl, by stopping it, was somehow responsible or at least holding out a crucial bit of information on them. Applejack herself leaned toward the latter, but nevertheless not only continued to give her a berth but made the other family members do the same.

She had done her share of walking alongside the wagon over the past two days, but was now back in the driver’s seat along with her cousin and able to talk more intimately. By now, they weren’t too far from their destination. They had crossed through Hill Valley and the road had not only gotten bigger but had signs directing them to Fort Chestnut. Unfortunately, neither Applejack nor any of the others looked too thrilled in the wake of what had happened.

She looked up and behind them. Nervous and somewhat drawn in on herself, Twilight walked alongside her wagon and struggled hard not to notice the stares of the surrounding Apples. However, she was also out of earshot.

Turning back to her cousin, she spoke quietly. “Awright now, come clean, Braeburn. What happened that night?”

“I already told ya’ I can’t remember! All I remember is wakin’ up feelin’ like apple mash!”

“That don’t help none! Do ya’ remember tellin’ me that you didn’t feel good ‘round Twilight?”

“Well yeah, I remember that much…”

“Ok then…what do ya’ remember from then until wakin’ up?”

Braeburn hesitated, thinking over that question. “Well…it’s really odd, cousin. After I said that to ya’, I couldn’t stop thinkin’ ‘bout Twilight. And not inna elementary school way or nothin’ neither. I just kept thinkin’ ‘bout her and gettin’ angry…”

“Why?”

“That’s just it; I dunno why. I just got real angry…and then I got hateful… Got to where I couldn’t think ‘bout anythin’ else. Started forgettin’ my chores…forgot to be neighborly… I think I thought at one point I couldn’t even remember where we were goin’ an’ why, and I had to work ta’ even care we were headin’ for Fort Chestnut. Even when I tried thinkin’ of somethin’ else, I kept seein’ her. And then…”

“What?”

“And then…here’s the real weird part…I didn’t want ta’ think ‘bout anythin’ else. I almost feel like I wanted ta’ just get angrier and angrier at her… And…and, well…” He grimaced and lowered his voice. “The last thing I remember is real weird like… Ya’ know how sometimes when yer havin’ a dream you find yourself thinkin’ things that you’d never think if you were awake? That’s kind of what it was like. Like…like…”

He again trailed off. Applejack leaned in close and pressed it. “Like what?”

“Like…someone else’s thoughts were in my head and bein’ thought of…if that makes any sense.”

She looked rather uneasy at the entire thing. Again she turned her head back and glanced at Twilight. This time, unfortunately, she was looking up and saw her glance back to her, but Applejack was the sort of person who didn’t care too much about potential rudeness at a time like this, and looked back at Braeburn soon after. “Is that it? Nothin’ else?”

“Nothin’ else…’cept maybe one thing.” He held up his head a little, looking uneasily at the mark on the back of it. “I don’t remember this thing poppin’ up on my hand, but I sure as heck remember itchin’ and itchin’. Got to the point where all I could do was just sit there and itch and not even know I was doin’ it. And it itched real funny-like too, so I was scratchin’ all funny-like as well…”

“Funny like how?”

“Funny like…” he looked up and thought a moment, drifting his eyes back over to Applejack. Suddenly, he pointed. “Like that.”

Applejack was confused for a moment about what he just said, until she looked to where he was pointing.

The back of Applejack’s hand was exposed, and her other one was methodically itching it. She hadn’t even noticed, but she realized as she had sat there talking she had been absent-mindedly itching the back of her hand the entire time. Not only that, but she realized her fingers were itching around her hand in a pattern in six different straight lines.

Outlining a hexagon.

It took a lot to startle Applejack at the worst of times, but at that moment she nearly jumped where she was and tried to throw her own hand away like it was a piece of filth. It was such a start that all of the nearby Apples turned to her, but quickly she stifled it and sat down again. It didn’t change the fact she was now sweating nervously.

At that moment, it seemed to click with Braeburn. “Um…say cousin, you ain’t…I mean, you-”

“N-No!” she nearly shouted back, before quickly reining it in. “I mean…I…I…I put my hand in some poison oak lookin’ for firewood last night! That’s all!”

Braeburn looked at her a moment uneasily, then to her hand, then back to her. Applejack, on her part, was already grasping the reins and keeping her eyes forward on the road again. “Ya’ sure?”

“Sure I’m sure! Let’s…let’s just focus on makin’ good time! We’ll be at Fort Chestnut tomorrow!”

Her cousin continued to look apprehensive a few seconds more before looking forward. As for Applejack, she bit the inside of her lip and spent the rest of the afternoon glancing at her hand repeatedly. Every so often, she had to consciously keep from scratching.

---

While the Apple caravan had made their way past the hills and back into more populated country, it hardly mattered at this point. This close to the border, most of the countryside had cleared out or taken refuge in the cities with walls. The next small town they came upon was practically abandoned; assuming there was anyone there at all. While in more modern times, the tradition of letting travelers stay in the town square had gone by the wayside, rules had become more lax in the post Lunar Fall world. As a result, the Apples set up on the grassy patch there for a somewhat more secure evening.

Twilight, as on the night before, had not settled down that well. While on the first night the Apples invited her to lay down among them, the following nights it had been clear none of them wished for her to be that close, and so she drew off with her dog in her own well-worn sleeping bag at a distance. Even then, she lay awake longer than most of them, feeling the eyes of a few family members on her. It made her nervous but eventually they all nodded off. Only then did she finally roll over and close her own eyes.

An hour later, however, and she was still fully alert and restless. She had tossed and turned several times, disturbing Spike more than once, but still kept her eyes shut trying to get to sleep.

And as a result of this, it only took her moments to react when she felt a hand suddenly clamp over her mouth.

Her eyes shot open, but she couldn’t make out anything in the darkness. Only that there was a figure standing over her. She tried to flail out, but not only had Spike relocated, unable to sleep with her own shifting around, the figure quickly put its other arm around her and began to forcefully drag her out of her sleeping bag. She tried to shout, but the hand was clamped over her mouth too tightly. Normally the slightest noise would be enough to get Spike’s attention, but either she was having bad luck or the dog was more tired than usual, for he didn’t stir.

Suddenly her upper body was pulled off the ground and she heard a sharp whisper in her ear.

“Keep yer voice down or you’ll wake the whole family!”

Twilight stilled at that, recognizing Applejack’s voice, but the farmer didn’t waste time. She quickly yanked her all the way to her feet and, once there, quickly half-pulled, half-dragged her back with her while keeping her mouth covered. She didn’t get far before it occurred to Twilight to try and struggle, but physically she wasn’t the slightest match for the woman. She was being pulled back so forcefully that she realized Applejack could sling her over her shoulder and drag her the rest of the way if she wanted. Not only that, but who exactly would she call for help? Spike couldn’t take the entire family.

As a result, she soon found herself drug all the way to the edge of the square. There was a large, public outhouse there that had been used for special events at one point, and Applejack pulled her right inside. Only once she was in, the door was shut behind, and she was whirled away from it such that Applejack now stood between her and the exit when she released. Simply getting free made her stumble a bit, but now she was in total darkness and stuck in there with the farmer.

“What are you-”

“I said keep yer voice down!” Applejack harshly whispered back. A few moments later, sparks came out from a bit of flint and steel. It lit up a bit of tinder, and soon after the flame went over and lit up a candle. Twilight soon realized why she had been drug inside there—to avoid exposing the light. Now that she could see she quickly made out Applejack’s features and saw that she was sweating and looking nervous. Almost frantic. Between her rough way in which she had gotten there and the look, Twilight began to look uneasy as well.

“What’s going on?”

“What’s goin’ on?” Applejack echoed back as she set the candle down nearby. A moment later, she advanced right in Twilight’s face, almost making her back up to the nearest stall. Yet before she could, the farmer thrust the back of her hand right in her face.

Although the shadows spilled over it, she could make out a hexagonal symbol.

“That’s what’s goin’ on! Yer explainin’ whatever the hell this thing is and yer doin’ it now!”

Twilight was so caught off guard she had to blink a few times to even recognize what she was seeing, but on doing so she gave a sharp exhale and cupped her hand to her mouth. “Oh…”

“Yeah, I know! Now what is it and how do I get rid of it?”

Twilight nearly stammered, still cringing in on herself. “I…I…”

She nearly leapt back as Applejack shoved a finger against her chest. “And none of that bull about not bein’ able ta’ say nothin’! This is the same weird symbol Braeburn had and you saw what happened ta’ him! He’s still got his! Now what is it? Spill yer guts!”

“I…I can’t!” she finally spat out. “I told you I can’t tell you!”

“And I’m tellin’ you I wanna know!”

“But this is what I was talking about before! I was afraid something like this would happen if I told anyone about it! Now you have one too!”

This made Applejack hesitate, and some of her anger abated. However, after only a moment or so she stood her ground. “Well, it don’t matter how I got it…what matters is I got it. And I reckon it can’t get any worse fer me now. It’s just the two of us in here.”

“Applejack…”

“I wanna know what happened to Braeburn and what’s gonna happen ta’ me! I wanna know if my whole family is gonna be in danger ‘cause I could go crazy like he did!”

Twilight was silenced by that. The way Applejack spoke wasn’t the voice of someone angry or demanding, but someone who was quickly growing afraid and desperate. Her face, previously tight and furious, was now softening with fear for her family’s safety.

She looked Twilight in the eye more imploringly. “Please.”

That last word softened something in the lavender-haired girl. She stared at the ground for several seconds, clearly torn. Her eyes closed and she sighed.

Idly, she shifted one of her hands over the other one and began to rub against the back of it. Applejack saw something come off as a result, as if it was some form of foundation-like cosmetic. She rubbed for only a few moments before Applejack gasped. A hexagonal symbol just like the one on her hand was revealed…only, like Braeburn’s from the day before, there was a larger sigil on one corner.

She held it up for Applejack to see clearly. “This is called a Promethian Sigil. Only some people in the world can have one, and even fewer of them actually have it develop. What it means, more or less, is that your own body and spirit are capable of housing and using spirits or souls that aren’t its own.”

Applejack’s jaw hung. “Wait now…what? What’dya mean I can ‘house’ souls that ain’t my own? Or ‘use’, fer that matter?”

“Like I said…the more I tell you the more risk there is, but aside from that I don’t fully understand it myself either. My old teacher was just starting to tell me about it when…” She paused, looking uneasy. “…when something happened to her. She did tell me, however, that there would come a time when people around Greater Everfree would start seeing these appear all over the place. And when that happened, she warned me that most people who would get them would lose their minds and they would try and attack other people with these sigils, including me. That’s why she taught me the Household Seal only a little while before she died along with a handful of other spells. She said that one was the most important because it’s the only way to stop someone who goes crazy like Braeburn did without killing them.”

That last part really stunned Applejack, realizing what that would have meant last night if Twilight hadn’t been there. She swallowed once before she quickly put her hand forward. “Alright then, do that seal thing right now on me.”

She winced. “I-I’m sorry…I can’t.”

“Why not?!” she nearly shouted.

“It won’t work right now. The spell only works if the sigil starts to manifest itself like it did with Braeburn.”

Applejack reared back and nearly threw her hat on the ground in frustration. “Damnit! How the hell did this all end up happenin’ ta’ me? And what’s all this damn fool talk ‘bout ‘spells’ in the first place? Ya’ ain’t a witch or somethin’, are ya’?”

“No! I mean…” she paused and thought. “Well…not exactly… I mean I don’t think… Er…”

“Aw, to hell with it!” Applejack cut off. She put her hands on her hips and fumed for a moment in thought, before finally looking up to her again. “Awright, here’s what. Ya’ gotta stick with us from now on.”

Twilight looked surprised. “Huh?”

“At least until I start acting loopy! Then once ya’ seal me, ya’ can move along.”

“But…that might take a long time! Not everyone even has a reaction! I could be waiting the rest of your life!”

“You could be wait-?!” Applejack began to shoot back, more alarmed than ever, before she groaned and let out an expletive. “Look, just…stick with us fer now, ok? At least until I figure out what I’m gonna do!”

“But I really can’t stay!” she protested. “I mean, it’s been nice traveling with you this far, but I was going to move on once we hit Fort Chestnut!”

“Well, what for? The whole country’s in a tizzy and that’d be safest!”

She hesitated; her voice growing softer. “I don’t want to stay in any one place too long.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”

Twilight grimaced, realizing she had said too much, and began to bow her head.

The farmer groaned. “Yeah, yeah, ya’ can’t say. But could ya’ at least spare me a couple days? I planned this whole dang trip because I meant ta’ save my farm, and right now I don’t know if I can even afford to stay with my family, let alone in the army.”

She hesitated, once more staring at Applejack and thinking this over while the farmer looked back at her imploringly. She finally exhaled.

“Alright…I’ll try to spare you a couple of days, but I can’t make any promises. If something comes up and I have to run, then…then I’m sorry, that’s the way it is.”

Applejack frowned, but realized she wasn’t going to get any better than that. She looked again at the mark on her hand and scowled. “Dagnabbit, why do we even have these things? Why did I have to get one?”

Twilight let out a sigh. “I wish I knew…”

She looked up puzzled. “Wait…ya’ don’t know?”

“I think my old teacher was going to tell me, but she never got the chance. She said to watch out for when they started to appear on more people though…” She looked up again. “And on that note, remember what I said. You have to keep this quiet, or it’ll get worse.”

Applejack kept frowning. “There’s one member of my family who deserves to know all this…”

---

“So we’re stuck with these weird…I dunno…tattoos? And you could go crazy-like any time?”

Applejack leveled a frown at her cousin. It was the morning after her brief evening ‘chat’ with Twilight. In spite of how much more annoyed she was at her situation, the farmer realized now that the only way she’d be safe would be to keep Twilight around, and so she had gone out of her way to not only be more welcoming again but to try and encourage the rest of the family to do the same. After that, she waited until it was her and Braeburn’s turn to head up a wagon again (the second this time) before she spilled her guts.

“I really don’t like thinkin’ ‘bout that part, Braeburn, but that’s how it is. Now remember…keep this quiet. Don’t know why I got mine, but if Twilight’s right and I got it ‘cause she blabbed ‘bout yours, then the less of the family that knows this the better.”

Braeburn looked down at her hands. Today she had elected to wear her work gloves, keeping anyone from seeing she had a newly-emerged symbol identical to her cousin’s. He also noticed one hand was grasping the reins while the other was holding onto her hammer.

“Ya’ really think ya’ got that jus’ cause she told ya’ a bit ‘bout mine? That sounds kinda off ta’ me…”

“Well, me too, but I don’t wanna take any chances. ‘Specially when I don’t know anythin’ ‘bout it.”

“I hate ta’ tell you this, coz…but…” He winced and pointed. “You’ve been holdin’ onto that hammer most of the day.”

“Aw, come off it, Braeburn,” she snorted back. “I ain’t been plannin’ on beatin’ anyone in the head with it all day, if that’s what yer thinkin’. I may be a bit upset at Twilight, but that’s only ‘cause she still ain’t comin’ clean. ‘Sides…”

She looked down at it, shifting her grip a little.

“To be honest…I feel kinda better hangin’ onto it.”

“Huh?”

“I’m serious. Last night I couldn’t sleep a wink. Kept thinkin’ ‘bout this thing comin’ out on my hand, and after that everythin’ Twilight told me. Got so frustrated I just grabbed my hammer with that hand to try and put my mind off of it and…and…”

She paused, her face softening.

“It’s…it’s real weird. I always liked this old thing ‘cause it’s somethin’ I have of pa’s, but…now it feels like more than that. I feel less antsy somehow. Like…like pa’s right here pattin’ me on the back and tellin’ me I’ll be fine.”

“Really?” Braeburn answered. “Huh… Wonder if I would’ve been fine if I had somethin’ from-”

He cut himself off and winced, pulling into his seat, as another wagon being pulled by a pair of galloping horses shot by on his side. He was so alarmed he nearly fired off the shotgun in sheer shock, but even after it passed the dust and wind continued to blow up around him and the other Apples walking alongside. He quickly adjusted his hat and closed his eyes until the dirt settled, then looked out and behind them to see the cart wagon speeding away.

“Now what in tarnation got that those folks racin’ away so fast?”

“I dunno, but I ain’t sure I wanna find out.”

Braeburn turned back to Applejack, who was now looking ahead with a worried expression.

“What do ya’ mean, coz?”

“They came from the direction of Fort Chestnut.”

---

That wasn’t the last wagon the caravan saw race by. Before giving up, Apple Tart called out twenty passing them by going the opposite way. There were a few more wagons, but some of them were simply riders on horseback in teams. The family was more nervous about the latter, especially on seeing their faces. The fact they were riding away without any loads and not even stopping to say why didn’t bode well.

The road eventually widened and became a bit better maintained, and a few miles later the caravan, at long last, saw Fort Chestnut up ahead. It wasn’t a terribly old fort, and considering the terrain and placement most would consider it an odd place for one, but that was only because the Lunar Fall had required all the countries bordering Equestria to rapidly rethink their defensive emplacements and structures like this had to be built. One of the larger railroads in Appleloosa ran nearby, with a single waystation set up behind it. About ten miles beyond it, across a broad stretch of prairie, were the thick forests of Equestria. Just like back home, the caravan could see the shadows hanging over it even in broad daylight.

The fort itself was built like a grand semicircle, with the flat portion facing the tracks. The circular portion had “spikes” emerging from it that protruded out all around with gun emplacements on top, designed to cover and attract the bulk of attacking forces. Those nodes were the most well-protected, with earthworks dug around them to provide trenches and uneven terrain and a double-layer of timber making up the palisades around it. The rest of the layout was similarly bordered with palisade wall reinforced at the base with stones and mortar. They weren’t cut but rather gathered from the landscape, leaving them rough and sharp in places. The wall surrounded it all about, but the central blockhouse’s second tier rose just over the wall enough to be visible.

Even as they approached, they saw the main gate, currently closed, start to split open. It didn’t get far before the sounds of gunshots echoed over the flat landscape. Soon after, the gates closed again.

Applejack didn’t need to be in the military to know that someone had just been stopped from deserting. Permanently.

Everyone in the family felt a bit more on edge as they approached.

When they finally reached the front gates, a number of Appleloosan soldiers came out on the wall. Each one was armed and looked over the side, but they didn’t draw the weapons on them. Unfortunately, they didn’t look too friendly either, or, as far as Applejack could see, in the best shape.

“Halt there!” one finally shouted.

Obediently, the Apple family caravan brought their wagons to a halt and looked up.

“State your business!”

“We’re volunteering for armed service! The whole lot of us!” Applejack shouted back from her own wagon. “There’s twenty of us here who can fire a gun and trudge through a muddy field with the best of them! Heard they were accepting volunteers here at Fort Chestnut!”

Silence from the wall. A few of the soldiers actually looked just slightly confused. The one who had shouted down to them, however, looked older and more seasoned. He eyed them a few moments before turning inside and disappearing over the edge. The group was left to stand and wait. Applejack, from her position on the second wagon, didn’t get as good a view of the people as those in front of her, but she did see that many of them looked rather tired and dirty to say nothing of anxious. Something was definitely up there.

Finally, the sound of wooden timbers being moved off of the gates began to ring out. As soon as it did, all those on the wall leveled their gun barrels—not at the Apples, but rather the inside of the wall. Remembering what she had heard a little while ago, Applejack swallowed as the gates were slowly drawn aside, and soon led her wagon in alongside the rest of the caravan. As she passed through the threshold, she looked behind her to see if all of the Apples were making it. She noticed that Twilight hesitated, seeming to not like the idea of being shut up in there, but eventually she obliged.

As soon as all were in, Applejack heard the loud creaking of wood as the doors were shut and barred behind them. She tried not to think about that as she led the carts in a short distance. There were several buildings erected inside the fort for various purposes, all surrounding a large square that looked like it had been set up as a staging area for the new volunteer recruits. Key word: “had”. It was a disheveled mess now. It had been run over by wagon wheels and horse hooves several times over and lay in unused disarray.

There were a lot of people inside the fort as well. Only a small number of them were Appleloosan soldiers, although all the ones who were soldiers were armed and studying everyone who came in. They, on their part, could have been volunteers, but a quick look around showed that wasn’t the case. For one thing, the other wagons that were currently crammed into the inner walls of the fort weren’t for transport with minimal supplies but loaded with all the belongings one could carry, and many of the “volunteers” had the elderly and children with them. It was clear that they had come for refuge, which made a number of the Apples nervous.

Trying not to pay it any mind, Applejack and Apple Strudel led their respective wagons to a good spot and parked them. Soon after, they all began to dismount. Applejack, on her part, had hardly set foot on the ground when she noticed a small troop of Appleloosan soldiers walking right up to them headed by an older officer with a broad, gray mustache and a weather-beaten look.

He halted in front of Applejack just as she was stepping out, giving her a nod along with all the others. “Folks, first things first. I’m going to have to ask you to turn over any weapons you have.”

All of the Apples, Applejack included, looked puzzled. They glanced to one another before looking back. “Pardon me?”

“If you’re really meaning to volunteer for the Appleloosan Civil Defense Corps, we’ll be happy to arm you closer to nightfall. Right now, however, you’re going to have to turn them over.”

“Like heck am I turnin’ over this shotgun!” Braeburn complained. “It’s my aunt’s! She’d whoop me if I came back without it!”

“And I trust my carbine over whatever musket you plan on putting in my hands!” Red Delicious shouted.

Applejack frowned as well. “Look, we brought some of our own weapons and ammunition along. What’s the harm in lettin’ us use what we’re familiar with?”

The officer frowned. “You came in here wanting to enlist. If you want to join up, the rule is you turn over your weapons. You may not be military folk, but I’m not in the mood to argue. Hand them over.”

Applejack frowned more. “And if we refuse?”

“We’ve got to save all the cartridges we can for the Nighttouched,” he answered back rather coldly. “Don’t make me waste any more than I’ve already had to today.”

The way he said that was dead serious enough to send a cold chill over the entire Apple family. The soldiers with him were just as stony-eyed, and all of them had such a tight grip on their own firearms it was clear they weren’t kidding. Applejack didn’t care for it, but realized this was one fight they weren’t going to win. Frowning, she turned and gave a nod.

Regretfully, and in some cases angrily, the Apple family handed over their respective guns, hunting knives, and pistols. When that was done, the officer still wasn’t satisfied and forced them to hand over their cooking knives, axes, and some of their tools. Twilight, currently roped in with the rest of them, earned a few stares on how different she looked, which in turn earned a few growls from Spike, but nothing else came of it.

When almost everything that could be used as a weapon was handed over, the officer noticed Applejack’s hammer. “That too.”

She ground a foot audibly into the dirt. “Ya’ ain’t gettin’ this.”

“I told you all to hand over all weapons.”

“It’s a hammer, fer cryin’ out loud.”

“A claw hammer. That counts.”

“This here hammer is the only thing I brought of my pa out here with me,” she retorted. “I swear I won’t use it, but if ya’ want it, ya’ better get yer powder ready. ‘Cause yer only takin’ it from my cold dead fingers.”

Her threat may have been ill-placed, considering the fact several of the soldiers began to raise their weapons to take her up on that, but the officer, who by now was eyeing Applejack rather intently, held out a hand to stop them. Apparently, he wasn’t willing to spill any more blood over a hammer. The rest of the weapons were handed to the soldiers and they took them away.

“Right now we got to keep weapons to a minimum. A lot of folks in this fort are starting to lose their minds and we don’t need people like that brandishing guns until they need them. Now then,”

He gestured to one of the structures.

“That there is building E. Right now, it’s mostly vacant, so pick yourselves out a bunk and set up there. You got about thirty minutes, and then we’ll start getting you all set.”

Without another word, he turned and began to walk away. The rest of the troop followed after him.

The Apples were left standing in some puzzlement. Applejack in particular may not have been too familiar with the military, but from the looks of the place, who was currently residing in it, and the brief interaction with that officer, to say nothing of the trip there, she wasn't satisfied with so brusque and introduction. She watched the lead officer walk away for a few seconds before she turned her head slightly to one side.

“Braeburn?”

“Yeah, cousin?”

“You and the rest of the family go on and do as he said and settle in. I’m gonna have a bit of a talk first…”

Adjusting her hat, she began to walk after him.

She didn’t try to “chase him down” in a sense. She had a feeling that would be going a little too far in a place like this where she was surrounded with soldiers. However, she did follow at a fairly rapid pace as he left the courtyard with his troop and marched toward one of the buildings made of more sturdy materials, where he ordered the soldiers to store the weapons. Some of them stayed to do so and others broke off with him for one of the stairwells built against the wall, allowing those stationed to walk to a gangway built around the top to patrol the palisade. At that point, he was temporarily by himself, and Applejack quickly seized her moment.

“Uh,” she called as she rushed in, “’scuse me, um, sir?”

“Since you haven’t officially joined the Appleloosan Civil Defense Corps, ma’am, I can’t reprimand you for not obeying my directives,” he answered as he kept walking without looking at her. “Instead you’re still a civilian, which means I’ve got nothing to say that concerns you and you’re in the way. Please wait at building E.”

Applejack didn't care for his dismissive tone, but she kept following. “I just wanted…I mean…I just was kinda curious ‘bout what’s goin’ on in the fort at the moment.”

“What do you mean, ma’am?”

“I mean…it’s all mighty unusual. The looks on people’s faces…how disorganized everythin’ looks… And I heard gunshots on the way in-”

“Have you ever been inside a fort before, ma’am?”

She paused, a bit taken off guard by that question. “Uh, no sir.”

“Then how do you know what’s unusual and what isn’t?”

Applejack, rather than be abashed by that as most might have been, frowned in response. Before she could say a word, however, he spoke again.

“It’s my understanding that you came to Fort Chestnut to join the Appleloosan Civil Defense Corps. Is that correct?”

“Well…yes sir, but-”

“Then you should know you won’t last long in this corps talking back to superior officers. Just because you’re a civilian doesn’t mean we tolerate insubordination or interjecting with stupid questions.”

Now Applejack really did frown, but she held it back this time. The officer’s comments had reminded her why she was there in the first place, after all. She couldn’t protect the farm if she got herself and the family kicked out over having a chip on her shoulder knocked off.

“That being said, the Nighttouched have been active over the past couple nights,” he finally answered, still walking. “Nothing too special. The whole reason that this fort was set up in the first place was because they tended to come out of the nearby woods at night. But since we’re expecting the next surge around here and last night was bad enough that the cannons went off a couple times, a lot of folks are on edge and a lot of locals have relocated here. It’s more likely now than ever that a surge will break on this fort, but it’s by no means certain. Odds are we’ll have need of you and your family soon enough, including the members who are overaged, but I’m not going to be working anyone up into a needless panic and I won’t let anyone else do the same. I’ve been out here for years and most of you haven’t. If that’s all, please head back to building E.”

Applejack slowed and fell back at that, as the officer quickened his pace and left her behind before passing into one of the larger buildings. This one was flanked by soldiers standing guard at the entrance, so she realized she’d get no further. Instead, she stood there and frowned for several moments before simply muttering to herself and turning around to head back.

She had barely gotten the length of two buildings when she heard a shout. “Hey, hey! You down there!”

She perked her head up at the sound of a soldier on the wall shouting, but quickly found out she wasn’t the one being addressed. She traced her eyes to the voice and saw one of the men near the gate shouting below it. She got a bit of a surprise on seeing a stunned Twilight standing there with Spike.

“Wh-what?”

“Gate’s closed! Stand away!”

“I…I’m just wanting to let him out to do his business!” she protested nervously. “I’ll only be a second…”

“He can do it on the yard! Stay inside!”

“But I…”

“Gate’s closed! Stay inside!”

Looking a little nervous but also relenting, Twilight turned away and began to walk back to building E. Applejack, on her part, eyed this situation with some suspicion. While she was initially a bit cross on seeing Twilight was headed for the gate, as it brought to mind thoughts of her trying to leave before she had performed the seal, she also noticed that the soldiers seemed rather adamant about people staying inside…

As tense as she was about this, she didn’t want to leave the family alone any longer. Still eyeing Twilight, she headed back the same way.

---

Considering the dire straits the Apple family had been in, Building E was almost an upgrade even if it was little more than some old barracks. They already had to share with another forty or so volunteers. A quick round of hellos revealed that they were mostly locals and, not surprisingly, volunteering under the Homestead Act as well.

In thirty minutes exactly, the officer walked in again, introducing himself more formally as Lt. Colonel Burnt Oak. Applejack noticed that a few of the older members of the family looked up a little at that, but they had little time to wonder as he jumped right in with evaluation. They had to go out to the yard to receive it. At this point, with so much ground to protect and a surge and/or invasion on the horizon, the Appleloosan Civil Defense Corps really couldn’t afford to be choosy. Nevertheless, Apple Strudel was in his mid-60s and two other family members were in their 40s, so he said the best those three could do was support duty.

The others, however, were brought in readily. Considering how strong the Apple family as a whole was, they more than passed any physical trial they had to go through. Only about half of them had experience with firearms, however, and at a time like this they couldn’t really afford target practice. He ended up splitting the family into two companies. One would need to at least be drilled with unloaded guns first. The second would start being drilled on proper conduct in the military.

Applejack was in the second group, and couldn’t say she cared for it. Even expecting this all along, she wasn’t the sort of person who liked being ordered around by someone who wasn’t an older family member. Fortunately, there wasn’t much to go over before it started getting late. Just the basic rules. They had to line up for inspection every morning, speak when spoken to, answer every question “yes sir” or “no sir”, and generally do whatever the lt. colonel ordered them to do. As they were only Civil Defense rather than Army, the rules and discipline wasn’t quite as stringent, but they all had to act as one when necessary.

By then, it was nearly sundown, and so the group got a basic rundown of rules in the fort before they were adjourned for the night. Each was allowed to hit the mess hall before they would need to turn in so they could be up an hour before dawn. The hours were nothing to Applejack, as she was more than used to them back home, although she didn’t care much for the mess hall’s fare compared to Apple family cooking. What she did dislike, however, was how they were re-armed at sundown. Rather than get their old weapons back, they were passed Appleloosan stock-issue rifles with only three paper cartridges apiece. Worse yet, the family members not accustomed to firearms were not given any. Applejack was rather disgusted by that and wasn’t alone. She actually complained that they get their old weapons back, but the comment was dismissed and they were stuck with it.

The only good side about all of this was it got Applejack’s mind off her current problem and focused on the issue of being in the military, and as she disobeyed yet another first day command and stepped out to get some air she began to wonder if this was going to work out at all. Even then, however, she knew she was more well off than the others because she still had her hammer. With the sun going down, she had actually taken time to loosen up even more. Her gloves came off and, for the sake of familiarity, she actually had a bit of rope from the wagon tied at her hip. The hammer, however, was the biggest godsend of all. As the sun finally dipped under the horizon she felt more at ease than ever to have it at hand. Just keeping it out and hefting it made her feel more secure than any gun or palisade wall.

She didn’t try to go far once out, though. Like everywhere else in the country, the fort had lights out well before dark. As unfamiliar as she was, she knew she’d easily get lost even among the few buildings if she wandered around, and in the dark she wasn’t eager to offer an opportunity to get shot at. She confined herself to pacing around behind the back of building E for a bit before she decided to head back in before she could get the ire of anyone on the wall.

Yet just as she was turning around, she heard a voice call just above a whisper. “Applejack!”

She turned back and saw a shadow advance on her. There was still just enough light to make out Twilight’s hair style.

“There ya’ are,” she sounded on seeing her. “Where you run off to? Settlin’ in with the rest of the townsfolk, I reckon?”

“Applejack,” she continued as she came to a stop, lowering her voice. “We need to leave this fort as soon as possible.”

The farmer looked confused. “Wait, what?”

“We never should have even stopped here. If I had known I would have told us to move on…”

“What’re you talkin’ about?”

“This place isn’t safe!" Her voice raised, showing its anxiety. "Not for anyone! And if what I heard is true, I’m not sure if we can even afford to stay here tonight!”

“Now just hold on!” she almost shouted as she held her hands up. “What in tarnation is all this? What’s safer out here than a fort?”

“Any fort other than this!”

Applejack groaned. “Ya’ ain’t makin’ any sense!”

Twilight flustered a moment before she spoke quieter again. “Come here…”

She turned and beckoned. Applejack rolled her eyes and sighed again, but couldn’t let her get far before she’d lose track of her in the growing darkness, so she followed. Twilight led her straight up to the fort’s wall and began to walk alongside it.

“I asked around and heard that the Nighttouched have been running around in the countryside lately. But when I talked to the people hiding in here, they said they’d been running around the fort walls at night.”

“So? Jus’ means they couldn’t get in, right?”

Twilight paused and suddenly hit her fist against the side of the palisade wall. Since the timber used to make it was so solid, it was akin to her hitting a rock, but she simply moved along afterward and hit it again a bit further on with the same result. She continued to do so as she led Applejack on.

“Early after the Lunar Fall, there was a town south of Hoofheim that tried to take the ‘fight’ to the Nighttouched by using mortars to shoot firebombs into Equestrian territory. Not only did it not work that well, but the bombs flushed out something worse.”

Applejack crooked her eyebrow. “Worse?”

“Most of the Nighttouched we see are the ones that were corrupted recently. They hang out near the edges of the forests and can tolerate looking at dim light. Older ones that were corrupted earlier, though…they’ve changed a lot more. They don’t even look like what they were originally anymore. That one town ended up flushing out some kind of insect swarm that got heavily altered into things we called ‘Parasprites’.”

“What the hell is a ‘parasprite’?”

“I’ve only seen the remains of one but I've heard all about them. They’re a swarming creature that buzzes around like a fly but has a mouth like a termite. The good news is they don’t seem to eat anything organic that isn’t dead…you know, like people. The bad news is they eat almost everything else. They seem to change their diet at a whim. They devastated that town. They destroyed all the buildings and left it open to attack from another swarm of Nighttouched.”

Applejack admitted she didn’t like the sound of that. She had experience with pest swarms as a farmer, and the thought of pests that were Nighttouched were even worse. “Awright, but what’s that got ta’ do with this fort?”

“Like any Nighttouched, you can only make out their eyes. The people here couldn’t see what they actually were. They only said they kept seeing them going around. What if they weren’t going around? What if they were just seeing random ones looking up? What if most of them were right where they wanted to be?”

“I don’t follow…”

“This is an open field in the middle of nowhere. A good distance from the forest. So if anything wanted to eat wood, this is the only place to get it.”

Applejack frowned. “Sounds like a lot of supposin’ ta’ me. And the last thing anyone needs is ta’ be worked up over nothin’. I don’t suppose ya’ got any evidence at all ta’ back this-”

She cut herself off. At that very moment, Twilight drove her fist into a new location, and she watched as she punched a hole into the supposedly solid log as if it was made of nothing more than dried out crackers. Her jaw dropped as she pulled it back out, revealing flimsy, eaten-out bits of wood that tunneled deep into the wall.

She turned fully to Applejack and pointed at it. “There’s my evidence. Who knows how much of these walls look like this now?”

She took only a moment to compose herself, swallow, and readjust her thoughts before she quickly fell in accord. “Awright…I’m with ya’ now. How ‘bout you run back ta’ the barracks and tell the others while I rustle up that lt. colonel and-”

For the second time, Applejack was cut off. This time, however, both she and Twilight went rigid, and soon many other people in the fort, both civilians and soldiers, did the same. Over the wall, at what had to be some distance, a loud horn suddenly grew in volume and blasted out a long note.

The response was fast. The soldiers on the wall instantly began to shuffle about. Those on the ground perked up before quickly rushing to the palisades. Orders were shouted out calling for the gunnery teams as rifles were drawn.

“What in tarnation was that?”

To be continued...

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[Crack-Fic Casey]

Oh, it's called Sigil of Souls because there are actaul Sigils that effect people's souls!