Empire Apple

by CalmBreezes

Chapter 4: Push and Pull

It was morning, if only by name. The glow of the never-ending sunset leaked through the windows of the magic school. Applejack kicked open the front door and stormed through the halls, weaving past young unicorns crowding the halls. They were lounging around in a stupor, wasting time gossiping and napping between magic theory classes. There was no point in practical casting lessons after all since all magic was gone from the world.

The bored students were startled as the Applejack stampeded past them. She skidded to a halt in front of one of them. She was sitting on the floor outside a classroom, playing with what looked like a golden spinning orb within a silver cage. A magical artifact. "Missy, where do ya'll keep those!" Applejack pointed at the magical object. The young unicorn almost jumped out of her robes and fumbled with the artifact. "T-the artifact room Ma'am." She squeaked and pointed towards the nearest staircase. Applejack tipped her hat. "Thanks a bunch, sugar cube."

Applejack rushed off once again, leaving behind a trail of gawking and whispering colts and fillies. She rounded a corner and came face to face with a sign reading "Artifact preservation". The sign pointed down a flight of stairs. Applejack almost jumped the entire flight of stairs as she headed down to the basement of the magic school.

The wizard pony, she thought. One of the experts at the meeting, a stallion with a short black beard, what was his name. He had stood in front of the Gathering and tried to explain his research on if there was any way to raise the sun and end this cursed twilight. He had mentioned something about a lead between his jabbering. It had been cut short by the panic caused by the professor who went before him. The potential end of the world shocked everypony. His explanations had gone to deaf ears, except for one pair. Applejack had listened. It might be just a lead, but it was the best she had. And like Granny always said, no smoke without fire and a couple of naughty fillies playing with matchsticks waiting to get their bee-hinds tanned.

Raising the sun. That was the key to her problems. Celestia's dusty old rules were clear about that. '...The gathering is only disbanded by consensus, or if the princess, or other, returns to once again raise the sun.' She was going to be that other. She had to be if she wanted to get rid of those self-serving good-for-nothings standing in her way.

Applejack knew that Twilight had once possessed a talisman that could raise the sun without Celestia. That one had been destroyed or lost, but it wasn't too out there to assume there might be another one somewhere in Equestria. Besides, neither her friends nor her farm could wait. If there was a chance to raise the sun, no matter how minuscule or farfetched, then she had to try. With that, the Gathering would be out of their hair once and for all, and Stern Sentinel could focus on what mattered; they needed to put all their effort into saving her friends and the princesses.

The three flights down the stairs came to a stop in a dank old cellar, the walls made of heavy stone and abandoned dusty office furniture cluttering the hallway. A few measly oil lamps lit the passageway. She made her way past the doors, squinting at the dimly lit names and plaques along the passageway. The fifth door on the left read 'Artifact Restoration', with flaky gold letters. 'Research Assistant Black Creek' was screwed below it on a small tarnished plaque. This had to be it.

Applejack knocked on the door. There was no reply. She let herself in. The room resembled her cider cellar. The majority of the space was taken by rows and rows of long shelves, full of strange-looking contraptions and objects. Some of them glowed. To the right of the doorway was a small alcove with a workbench, a writing desk, and a depressed-looking couch. A black-bearded pony was quietly sleeping on it, his wizard robes turned into a makeshift blanket. Dirty plates and empty glasses besieged the couch.

Applejack walked over to the sleeping pony and tapped his shoulder.

"Mister Black Creek? I need to talk with you."

The bearded unicorn turned over without even looking at her.

"G'away."

Applejack didn't have time for this. She grabbed his robe with her teeth and pulled it off. The young wizard scrambled up indignantly.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"You're Black Creek right?" Applejack pointed her hoof straight in his face. "The pony those highfalutin jerks dragged out to jaw about raising the sun yesterday? The one no pony listened to?"

The young wizard looked frazzled and slightly taken aback by the sudden calling out.

"Well, if you want to put it like that, then yes, that was me."

"You know something about raising the sun?"

The annoyance on his face faded once Applejack mentioned his research topic. Black Creek sat down on the couch and pulled his wizard robe over his haunches. He fastened the buckle under his chin with a silver brooch depicting a turtle nestled in the fire of a lit torch.

"I might. Is that the reason you so abruptly woke me up, Miss...?"

"Applejack. And you hit the bullseye pardner. You said yesterday that you had some kind of a lead. I need to know what you know right now."

Black Creek was taken aback by her enthusiasm. No mare, or stallion for that matter, had ever burst into his office-slash-bedroom and showed so much enthusiasm about his research. And now a friend of Princess Twilight herself was demanding to know what he knew.

"Yes, oh my, Miss Applejack. Of course, right this way."

Realizing the importance of his guest, the last guardian of harmony, he climbed off the sofa and stumbled over to his writing desk. His cutie mark was a dark stream reflecting a shining silver star. The desk was piled high with parchments. One long list sat half-opened in a reclaimed area of free space. Black Creek rolled the scroll fully open and fixed it open with heavy paperweights.

"Indeed, I did try to report my findings at the Gathering meeting, but you saw how well that went."

He traced the list with his hoof and adjusted his glasses.

"My area of expertise is artifacts. Rituals are Toadleg's department, not that those will be of any use. Rituals without magic? A waste of time."

Applejack trotted over to the table and looked over his shoulder. The parchment was barely held together and was covered in a script so tiny she had to squint her eyes to read it. Not that she could make heads or tails of it. Black Creek's eyes lit up.

"Which brings us to artifacts, which, for reasons still unknown, are unaffected by the nullification. I suspect it's because they're just that great, but I digress. The lead I was talking about is here. Let me explain."

He pulled out a notebook and flipped to a page. The page had an illustration of a bunch of squiggly symbols on it. It was complete hogwash to Applejack.

"During my work, I often have had to consult old inventory lists. Mostly to find out when an artifact I am working on restoring originally arrived at the school. It allows me to extrapolate how, why, and where it was created, making it easier for me to mend it. The inventory lists go back to the event before the founding of the school, over a thousand years ago."

Black Creek pointed down to the open scroll.

"This is one of the oldest inventory lists we have in our possession. It's so old clerks still wrote in ancient ponish, as was the style at the time. For the most part, it's fairly mundane. The items listed are either kept in vaults for safekeeping or have been lost to time, or even to other worlds."

"It's all fascinating n' all, but what does the paperwork have to do with anything?"

"All those ancient and mythical artifacts, even the lost ones, were well documented in our bookkeeping. Except for one."

Black Creek pointed at one specific row on the list. It was small, almost hidden, and at the very bottom of the parchment.

"This entry describes an item that was. Other than that there is not a single mention of it in any of our archives. The function, the exact time of creation, the maker, none of those details are listed in this entry. It is as if it was mistakenly listed. Only the fact that it was recorded with red ink tells us that it was an extremely important item, an item too important to mistakenly write down."

"What exactly makes it so important then?"

"Red ink means it was delivered for safekeeping by none other than Princess Celestia herself."

"And ya'll don't know nothing else about it?"

"We do know the name. The artifact was recorded as 'Lightstaff'. This list was compiled hundreds of years ago and kept in our archives from generation to generation. The name did not raise any eyebrows for almost a thousand years, since it sounds like a simple illumination binding, but I got curious."

"You think there's something fishy about it?"

"Yes. After the Princesses disappeared and the twilight began, I started to suspect what the true nature of this mystery artifact might be. Six months ago I received confirmation that the name was a translation error."

He pointed at the squiggles in his notebook.

"Ancient ponish is a very creative, and often obtuse, symbol-based language. In this case, the word we thought meant 'light' was a combination of two words, which together resemble the symbol for 'light'. The first part means 'star' or 'sun', while the second part is the verb for 'rise', but also the verbal noun 'to raise' and agent noun 'raiser'.

"Now wait just a goshdarn second. It's been a while since grade school. My grammar's a bit rusty. So it's something you do, the act of doing it, and the one doing it. To farm, farming, farmer. Which means... It might not be just a light staff, it's a sun raiser staff!"

"Exactly, Miss Applejack. Add to this the mystery surrounding the cataloging of this staff and I think we're onto something big. No mention of it in our storage manifestos. No mention of the staff being sent away from the school vaults. And all this with an artifact gifted by Princess Celestia herself. I have spent the last week and a half furiously combing through our artifact collections. It is not here."

Black Creek fumbled with his glasses, still unused to not using magic for mundane tasks. He placed them on the desk and looked at Applejack. He looked almost relieved to finally share his findings with somepony else.

"A pattern emerges once you start following the paper trail, Or in this case the lack thereof. This has all led me to believe that there exists an artifact powerful enough to raise the sun without the unique magical power of the alicorn princesses. And since it's an artifact, it should work even after the nullification of magic."

Applejack contemplated everything that Black Creek had laid out in front of her. She turned around and paced up and down the first row of shelves, deep in thought. She absentmindedly eyed the defunct and broken artifacts sitting on the rough wooden shelves.

A kooky conspiracy to hide a magical artifact powerful enough to move the sun without the princesses? All found by some egghead in a basement? It sounded just crazy enough to be true. It made sense. Celestia was wise. She probably guessed long ago there might come a time when neither she nor the other alicorns were around. Regular ponies would need to keep the sun moving by themselves.

Cynical thoughts suddenly clouded her mind. But then why keep it a secret? What point was there to hide the lifejackets if you knew the boat was heading into a storm? Was it her pride? Did she think ponies would think less of her if they had the option to raise the sun themselves? In that case, hiding it probably felt like the right call. With the little guys thinking she was the only thing keeping the stars dancing, life must have been good.

No, it couldn't be. She had to keep her faith. It's good to play your cards close to the chest. It made perfect horse sense. Equestria had a lot of enemies who would have loved to take the power of raising the sun for themselves. But you also had to be prepared for the worst. She had learned that lesson the hard way. If all your best workers are out of commission during applebucking season, then you got to have an ace up your sleeve. Take fate into your hooves. Make sure you were the one holding all the cards. That's what Applejack was going to do.

"Twilight kept all the magical do-hickeys us girls gathered on our adventures here in Canterlot. Down in the catacombs. There's a room there where she stashed all the really bad stuff." AppIejack turned back to Black Creek, still standing over his desk. "If this here sunstaff does exist, then that's where it has to be. You can bet your boots on it."

Black Creeks looked surprised. "P-princess Twilight collected artifacts? Here in Canterlot?"

"Sure as shootin'. Couldn't let them stay out there causing a mess."

"But I- all the artifacts in Canterlot have to go through here for the vetting process. It was ordered by Princess Celestia after the incident with the Alicorn Amulet. How is this possible." Black Creek was getting visibly distressed. "You can't just throw artifacts in a room and forget about them! Powerful artifacts need curation! Restoration! Constant vigilance!"

Applejack turned back to the row of broken artifacts. She poked one of them with her hoof. The strange object shook and then crumpled into a small pile of hoops, metal plates, and screws. Black Creek winced. Applejack stared at the broken artifact. "I reckon being a Princess means you ain't always gotta worry about getting permission from other ponies."

Or worry about the consequences, she added, just to herself.

The clock chimed ten. Her meeting with Black Creek could not have gone any better. It took very little for Applejack to convince the wizard to join her in finding the staff. She already knew where it was, but having someone who was an expert on magical doodads would not hurt, and as a researcher, Black Creek was more than enthusiastic enough to join her.

Getting into the Castle was going to require approval from the Royal Guard though, seeing as the palace had been closed and locked down ever since the disappearance of the princesses. That meant getting permission from Stern. Shouldn't be much of a problem, Applejack thought as she climbed back up and out of the school basement. He wanted to save Equestria, or at least Princess Celestia, as much as she did, after all. Applejack left Black Creek behind in his workspace to prepare. He needed to gather some choice equipment for the search.

Applejack ran into Shining Armor not long after she climbed out of the basement. He had just finished his early morning committee meetings and was happy to see her since she had rushed off after breakfast without so much as a word. They started walking together down the hallway towards the grand foyer. His eye grew large as Applejack explained her plan as they walked. Get the Sunstaff, raise the sun, dismantle the Emergency Gathering, and get back to searching for her friends. Shining Armor didn't object to the plan, but he had reservations.

"Are you sure this is what you should be doing?"

"Darn tootin I'm sure. We don't have time to muck around. Not with the list of bad things happening to Equestria growing by the day."

"I know it's taken much longer than I'd hoped, but the gathering is finally starting to get things under control. We might be able to start sending out search parties again."

"Shining, you know that's a load of ponyberries. Shining please, I need your help. This thing ain't going to find itself."

"Yes, Applejack but—"

"Your sister and wife are still out there. This is how we're going to find them!"

"I would love nothing more than to find my family, but things are never that simple."

Applejack and Shining Armor entered the large room between the front doors and the lecture hall. Members of the gathering were mulling around the room in between sessions. Shining Armor walked over opposite them to the left side of the foyer. On the wall hung four large oil paintings, arranged side by side. The paintings grandly depicted the four Princesses. In the middle were Luna and Celestia, with Twilight and Cadence to their right. Shining Armor stopped in front of the one depicting Twilight.

It was a great portrait of her. Even Applejack, who didn't have much interest in fancy art, could appreciate it. Twilight was portrayed in a beautiful golden dress with her crown on her head. Her head held high, eyes closed and her wings opened wide. She looked like she was contemplating in silence. Piles of books, scrolls, and astronomical instruments surrounded her. The background depicted, ironically enough, a view through a balcony of Canterlot in the twilight, with the moon and the sun placed next to her wings on her left and right side. The painting's beautiful depiction of the twilight sky was nothing like the nightmare waiting for them outside.

Shining Armor stopped in front of the painting depicting Twilight. He looked at it with sorrow in his eyes.

"There isn't a single moment I don't think about them. They and Flurry Heart are my entire world. I'd want nothing more than for them to come back safely. "

He turned back to Applejack.

"But Equestria needs me, and so does my daughter. That is why I can't join you."

Shining Armor put his hoof on Applejack's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I didn't let you know earlier, but I'm going back to the Crystal Empire today."

Applejack looked dejected. This was going to make things a lot more difficult. She didn't have many friends in Canterlot, and with Shining leaving that number just went down further.

"But I'm not abandoning you. I have an old friend from the guard who owes me big time. I've asked him to watch your back while I'm gone. I'd trust my life in his hooves any day of the week."

Shining Armor lowered his hoof.

"I'll send for him. When you meet him just tell him you're a friend of sparky sparkles."

She couldn't help but chortle.

"Sparky sparkles?"

"Hey now, other ponies got a lot worse nicknames than that in basic training."

"Sorry, sorry, my bad. Can't say I'm jumpin' with joy over you leaving, but thanks for thinking about me."

"Any time AJ. Sounds like the Gathering is... Gathering again. I'll see you back at my parent's house in about an hour. I'll tell you more then."

The gathering was about to continue. Ponies started shuffling back inside the lecture hall. Shining Armor went with them. Applejack was left alone in the foyer. It gave her a moment to consider what to do next. She needed help, that much was clear. You couldn't plant an orchard all on your own, and also she knew zip about artifacts. It was good Black Creek was coming with her. His knowledge of artifacts made him a valuable ally. On the other hoof, Shining's friend was a wild card, but if he vouched for him, then she had no reason not to take him along. Another pair of hooves would only be a good thing. She also needed approval from Stern if she wanted to get inside the catacombs. The Guard had locked down the entire fortification after Celestia disappeared. That's where she'd go first then.

Applejack trotted out the front door of the Magic School for Gifted Unicorns and trotted down the empty streets of Canterlot. She was starting to get used to the permanent twilight. The permanent velvet glow seemed almost bearable as it settled on the spires and walls of Canterlot. She didn't know if getting used to the end of the world was a very good thing.

Stern Sentinel had to take over again. Applejack was dead set on it. The captain of the Royal Guard had been in charge for the first few days after the disappearance and before the Gathering. That's the only time any progress had been made toward finding Twilight and everypony else. The deteriorating situation had forced the guard to call back the search parties to keep the peace around Equestria and in Canterlot, but that didn't help with the root of the problem. It was just a small bandage on a broken leg.

However, Applejack knew the Gathering would probably not go down easy, even if she did everything by the book. Ponies like Silky Smooth were tough. Stare down a charging minotaur tough. Applejack had seen those types of ponies before as near as Ponyville's town halls. Some ponies would never let go of even an ounce of power. Even if that power was just deciding what color to paint the picket fences. She was going to need help from somepony with their hooves deep in Canterlot high society and a knack for politics. Somepony like Rarity. Oh, how she wished Rarity was here with her.

The sadness was followed by an intense feeling of hunger. Her breakfast had been exceptionally light and noon was fast approaching. A quick pass by the marketplace didn't seem like such a bad idea. She was hankering for an apple or two.

The market of Canterlot had been one of the most crowded places in all of the city before the disappearance, but now only a few scattered ponies wandered around. Guards on the streets stopped everypony trying to get in. They stopped Applejack and asked her to open her saddlebags. What the hay is going on, she thought. The guards at the entrances were acting standoffish and almost angry. Well, I guess everyone's a bit on edge these days.

Ponies were queuing up for bread and vegetables. All other stalls were closed. Applejack joined them at the back of the fruit line. A few heads turned towards her. Ponies whispered around her. She didn't mind.

The queue moved slowly. After fifteen minutes the old mare in front of Applejack started looking pale. She managed to buy a bag of goods and then walked away. It was Applejack's turn. For twenty bits she bought half a dozen apples, a tomato sandwich, and a jar of applesauce. The prices had gone up in the past week and a half.

Applejack looked for a place to enjoy her lunch and spotted an empty bench right next to the fountain in the center of the marketplace. The old mare who had waited in front of her sat on the opposite bench. Applejack set her things down and dug into the apples and sandwich. The applesauce she was going to save for later.

As Applejack munched on the sandwich she couldn't help watching the ponies around her do their business at the market. Every single one of them seemed tense and jumpy. No pony greeted anypony else. Some even hid themselves in cloaks, as if afraid to be exposed to the red twilight. She wondered if all of Equestria was as scared and confused as the ponies in Canterlot.

The old mare sitting opposite her across the fountain was preparing to leave. As she rose from the bench her knees gave out and she fell on her side with a thud. Applejack dropped her sandwich on the bench and rushed over to her. The mare's groceries had fallen on the ground. Other ponies at the marketplace looked in their direction but backed off after they noticed Applejack was already helping her.

Applejack reached her hoof out to help. "You alright Ma'am?"

"Oh, oh. Good heavens. How did that happen." She took Applejack's hoof.

Applejack carefully helped her back on the bench. Then she helped gather her groceries. They were all intact, if a bit dusty. Nothing that couldn't be washed off. Applejack put them into her bag and hoofed it over.

"Oh, bless you, sweetheart. How embarrassing, I was heading back home but found myself on the ground."

"No worries Ma'am. Accidents happen." She sat down next to her on the bench after fetching her lunch. The old mare looked just like Granny Smith, except for the mane style. She was a pumpkin orange unicorn, and her mane was a garish blue beehive. The idea of Granny ever getting a mane like that made Applejack smile. The shawl around her shoulders was dirty and stained, and she looked tired.

"Ma'am, is everything alright?"

"Aren't you the sweetest thing ever? Oh, don't worry about old Proud Pumpkin. Having no magic is tough, but I'll manage. Except for the clothes washing, I just can't get the hang of it without the ol' horn. Having to do everything by hoof and mouth is such a chore."

Applejack kept a straight face.

"Yup, it probably has been."

She took out the last apple she had left and bit into it. Sitting next to a rambling old pony while eating apples and watching the sun setting was oddly comforting. It was a feeling she didn't realize she had missed dearly.

"It was! All of this has been! When Princess Celestia disappeared, bless her soul, and that captain character was in charge they closed the city off. Had to, you know, all the guards went looking for the Princesses. My friend's daughter's coltfriend is a guard, he told her who told Pecan Pie who told me all about it. Everypony panicked and hoarded food and such. I'm much too old. Don't have family, I'm all alone except for the nice girl next door who looks after me, but she has three foals, I foalsit them once in a while, the youngest is sweet but the older colts can be a real hoof-full."

Applejack just sat next to her silently, nodding, and eating her apple. Once an old girl like her got going it was pointless to try and stop them.

"Anyway, the day I was going to go shopping was when it happened. Before I knew it everything was gone and there wasn't anything coming. The guards started pushing ponies around. Four days without food. Had to go ask my neighbors for scraps. Never been more humiliated in my life. But then those Gathering ponies arrived and started straightening things up. The first thing they did was open the doors again and let the produce sellers back. It's still rough for me queueing with my bad back and all, but at least I didn't have to beg my neighbors for food. They even started giving me my pension again. That Captain would have us locked up like bunny rabbits."

The mention of the Gathering made Applejack respond with a tinge of annoyance.

"Hold on there Missus, so you're saying you actually like having those ponies in charge?"

Those no-good time-wasting charlatans got someponies fooled, she thought to herself.

"Oh yes, they're quite lovely folk. I've had a chance to speak with some of them. They come for lunch here at the marketplace. They even let ponies come watch their meetings, you know. Can you believe it! Anypony can go watch them work if they want to. Couldn't do that when Princess Celestia was in charge. The Princess did listen to us, but you couldn't talk with her or go watch her work, you know? Not that many do cause they've got other things to do in the middle of the day, but not me. My calendar is as clear as my complexion."

The old mare giggled at her joke. Applejack couldn't help but again be reminded of Granny Smith. She was starting to like the old mare.

"Sure they bicker and go on and on for hours about who gets to say what and who sits next to who and it takes time to get anything sorted because everypony needs to agree, but they do make good decisions. Like opening the city again."

"So you're doing better now? What if they have to close the gates again?"

"Not so bad this time, I got my friend Swan Song to sell me some of her self-made preservatives. Should last me a month or so. I don't eat that much, to be honest. It does make me afraid of what will happen when winter comes and there's no snow or rain or sunlight. Won't have much to eat next year and that won't be good, I should know. When I was a filly there was terrible sickness in Cloudsdale. All the cloud wranglers were out of work for months, some never even flew again. The snow lasted months longer than it was supposed to. The hunger year they called it. Ponies fighting for scraps. Entire towns full of ponies fleeing to other cities. That's how my parents and I ended up here in Canterlot."

"Granny Smith never talked about ponies going hungry in her time."

"Granny Smith? You're related to Granola Smith? Ponyville Apples?"

"Yup, she's mah grandmare".

"Oh, what luck! She's the one that saved my family during the hunger year. Her specialty, that zesty rainbow apple jam, saved hundreds of ponies. One spoonful could keep a pony walking for seven days straight!"

The old unicorn shifted herself closer to Applejack and pulled her into a hug. Applejack didn't fight back.

"When you see her, say thanks for me. I was just a young filly, a face in a hungry crowd for her, but she saved me and mine. I never forgot about her kindness."

Proud Pumpkin let go of Applejack and slowly climbed off the bench. She grabbed her groceries and gave Applejack a final serious look.

"I know you lost your friends, sweetheart. I know how much it can hurt. But if it's any help, then know that me and all the rest of the little ponies believe in you, Applejack. You'll find them."

Applejack was left sitting on the bench. So she knew her friends disappeared along with the princesses. I guess everypony did by now. Proud Pumpkin might even have been in the audience at the Gathering when Applejack lost her cool.

Applejack opened her saddlebag and pulled out the jar of applesauce she had stashed. The golden contents of the glass jar stayed motionless as she turned the jar around and around. Zap apple jam, huh... Of course, she knew she wasn't the only pony suffering. All kinds of bad things had happened. Ponies across Equestria were scared and worried because the world was broken. And there would be much larger consequences to deal with, even if she managed to save her friends. It was all so much bigger than her. Hopelessly big.

Protect Equestria while I'm gone...

Was she doing that? Was taking down the gathering and setting Stern Sentinel as regent really what Twilight would have wanted? Applejack was forced to confront the one thought she had tried to repress all this time. There was an infinitely small chance that her friends were gone forever. The slimmest of chances, but it did still exist. Twilight could have made a miscalculation. She wasn't perfect, none of them were.

But she was her friend, and Applejack believed in her. If Twilight said she'd come back with everypony, then she would. It was that belief in her friends that kept her going, but it did not mean Equestria couldn't or shouldn't prepare for the worst. Once Stern was in charge they would continue the search for her friends, but they would not forget about the everypony else, all the ponies who just wanted to live their lives in peace. She was going to protect Equestria. Twilight had asked her to do it, so she was going to do it. No ifs or buts.

It didn't take long for her to gallop to the castle now that she was recharged with apple power. Running up to the main gate, Applejack expected to be stopped and questioned at the door. Instead, the guards let her through without saying a word. Stern Sentinel must have been expecting her.

Applejack crossed the inner courtyard of the Castle and headed towards the guard barracks. Entering through the main door, the tower of the captain was just up the stairs to the left. She was finally stopped on the highest floor of the castle by a pair of guards. One of them went inside to inform Captain Sentinel that Guardian Apple had arrived. A call from inside the room asked her to come in.

Sitting in the spacious tower room was Stern. Curved bookshelves lined the office. The only doors in and out were the one she had just stepped in and the glass door to the balcony. This was the first time she'd seen Stern out of armor. His cutie mark was a metal helmet surrounded by a yellow sun. His auburn brown coat looked steeped in blood, as the red light of the twilight flooded in through the open balcony door.

"Guardian Apple. I am pleased to see you. Corporal Axe, please close the door. I will call you if I need you."

He stood up and looked at the clock on the wall. It was five minutes past one. He walked over to the balcony door.

"Care to join me outside Guardian Apple? I would very much like some fresh air."

"Sure, no problem Cap'n."

She walked over. The pair stood on the balcony overlooking Canterlot. Applejack could see the entire city from up here. The walls, the main plaza, the magic school, even the hospital she had stayed in. Further away were the great walls, embracing the city as it clung to the side of the mountain. It always surprised her how big Canterlot truly was.

"The monotony of this cursed twilight has started getting on my nerves. I imagine being forced to endure such profanity for prolonged periods cannot be good for anypony. Not that I ever much enjoyed sunsets. Sunrises on the other hoof, do you not agree that those truly are the greatest moment of every day? Now, was there a specific reason for your visit?"

"You can bet your britches there is. I've figured out how to get rid of the gathering and get you back in charge."

Stern's stoic façade broke for a second. His eyebrows rose.

"Really?"

"Real as real is. No hanky-panky, just one special surprise, and the whole show is all history again."

Stern Sentinel didn't seem entirely convinced, but he did seem interested.

"The rules are very clear that only the Princess can disband the Gathering."

His eye twitched.

"Don't tell me you're planning on becoming a princess, are you?"

Applejack let out a hearty laugh.

"Hoo boy, not on your life pardner. I'm just doing what you said we should do; take fate into our hooves. That's why I'm here. I need access to the palace."

Stern was surprised by her demand, but he nodded with a grunt.

"You'll have what you came for, but I trust you know what you are doing, Guardian Applejack."

"As much as a prairie dog with a spinning wheel."

Stern was not amused.

He went back inside to retrieve the master key to the palace. He placed it on his desk. Applejack took it and tied it around her neck. She gave him a hurried thank you and rushed out. All she needed now was to fetch Mr. Artifact and Shining Armor's pal, and everything was set for them to fetch the Sunstaff. She rushed down the stairs of the tower, out the barracks, and through the main gate.

As Applejack was galloping through Canterlot along one of the many small backstreets, the sound of breaking ceramic made her stop. Applejack looked back. A roof tile had dropped down and broken on the cobblestone. She looked up. A glimpse of a figure leaping out of sight. Dark blue...

"What in hollering hound dogs."

She was being watched. Not the first time she had had the feeling, but now she knew for sure. Applejack wasn't used to all the scheming and skullduggery Canterlot had to offer, but apparently, it came with the territory. She shrugged and galloped off. No time to worry about that, she had a world to save.

Comments

[MagicS]

This has been a good read so far. It's engaging.

[Ice Star]

I’m glad to see this continuing with such regularity.