Vanguard Of Harmony

by Enfield

Dead Apples and A Dying Friend

Scott, letting the morale of the town take over led the way to Sweet Apple Acres. He wanted to see if he could end the famine first then restore Applejack's friendship. Lauren ignored Twilight's protests of being brought along and stuck next to Scott, she wasn't expecting Twilight to be unfriendly when they first met but she put her fate in Scott hoping that he could get her to persuade the Mane Six to like her and accept her as a friend. As they made their way through the outskirts of the town, which looked worse than the center of Ponyville due to the charred buildings, the three walked side by side, Scott in the middle of Twilight and Lauren. Wondering why she was here, Lauren decided to ask Twilight what was going on in the world that she created from her imagination.

"Twilight, do you mind if I can ask what's going on in Equestria?"

Twilight looked at Lauren and then to Scott.

"Go on, she's not going to make anything worse."

"Equestria's on the verge of collapse," Twilight said, "From what Princess Celestia told me we are under the threat of attack from the dragons and that a few places in the kingdom are going to secede from Equestria. King Sombra has also made a return and he's taken over the Crystal Empire again. The Crystal ponies became his slaves again and Celestia is powerless to stop him, even with our new allies we can't fix everything."

"Who are the new allies?" Scott asked.

"I don't know," Twilight said, "All I do know is that they're suffering the same problems as us."

"Good thing that some of you are sticking together rather that fighting each other," Lauren said.

"Okay, Scott I wasn't going to say anything before but I really want to know why the human is here."

Scott stopped and walked backwards so he could face Twilight.

"Because my dear Twilight, she's here to help me save Equestria. Aren't you, Miss Faust?"

Twilight stopped dead and her jaw dropped.

"Faust?" she said, "You mean the Faust? Our Creator?"

All Scott did was nod and Twilight dropped to the dirt and cowered under her hooves.

"I'm so sorry great Creator," she whimpered, "Please don't erase me for my hostilities."

Lauren crouched down next to Twilight and placed a hand on her head.

"It's okay Twilight, you said sorry and that's all that matters."

Twilight removed her forelegs from her face and looked up at Lauren, she relaxed when she saw that she was smiling, Twilight sat up and let Lauren take her hooves in her hands.

"I've never dreamed of psychical contact with our Creator," Twilight said as she stared at Lauren's hands.

"I never dreamed of being in the very world that I created," Lauren said. Twilight looked up at her.

"Can we put what happened between you and me behind us? Can we be friends?"

"Sure, I'd be honored to be your friend," Lauren said. She pulled Twilight closer and held her in a hug, Twilight was a little confused at first but she hugged back. Scott was standing back, smiling and looking very pleased.

"One down, five to go," he thought.

After Lauren forgave Twilight, Scott ushered them on. This time Twilight stood between Lauren and Scott talking with both, eager to find out how Scott had brought Equestria's creator to the world that she made. Lauren and Scott were more than happy to entertain Twilight with how Scott managed to get back to Earth and how he acquired the Aston Martin and when he managed to pose as a limo driver and then rescue Lauren from the police and angry fans. It then went to when Scott found the MiG and engaged in an air battle with Discord and his possessed jets and the flight through the Bermuda Triangle. Lauren then ended with her reaction to seeing Scott as a pony and what she thought of Ponyville, Twilight laughed a little and smiled.

"I'm really glad that you're doing this, Scott," Twilight said.

"I did this under order from Celestia," Scott replied, "I'm also doing this because I've been watching over you and your friends. I know that you're all upset and suffering from troubles, I can't sleep knowing that you cry for your friends and for the status of Equestria."

Twilight's ears sagged again and Lauren put her hand on Twilight's head.

"It's okay, we'll help set everything right."

Twilight smiled and ran to catch up to Scott. They passed an empty field then they came across a dead tree, the leaves had rotted and turned brown, the trunk was cracked and a gray color rather than brown and hanging from a branch was a half rotted, fly infested apple.

"Looks like we're here," Scott said as he batted the apple, it fell off the branch and landed with a splat. Twilight and Lauren followed him but then Twilight took the lead saying that it would be best if she explained what was going on to Applejack, even though they hadn't seen each other for a while. Twilight led Scott and Lauren up the path to the house and stopped for a second.

"Something wrong?" Lauren asked. Twilight looked back at her.

"I don't know if Applejack'll want to talk if she sees you, Douglas had her in a Changeling cocoon when the Changelings took over."

"I'll tell her who it is," Scott said, "She'll trust me."

Twilight relaxed and walked over to the door, just like the rest of Ponyville the house was in a state of neglect, faded paint was peeling off the sides of the house. The state of the front porch was shameful, it looked as if was about to fall on top of Twilight so Scott formed a barrier with the Element to hold it up in case it did. Lauren and Scott stepped closer as the sound of someone approaching the door grew louder.

"Who in tarnation is it?" a disgruntled southern voice asked. Scott looked up at Lauren and gave her a sly smile.

"Sound like someone else you know?"

"It's all too familiar."

Twilight leaned closer to the door.

"Applejack, it's me Twilight."

"Oh, what d'you want?" Applejack asked, still sounding grumpy and stressed.

"I've brought a friend who wants to see you."

"And who's that then?"

"Why don't you come out and see?"

The sound of a lock unlatching and then sliding was heard, followed by the rattle of the door knob. The door then opened and standing in the doorway was a haggard and messy looking Applejack, her mane and tail was messy, her normally orange coat was coated in patches of mud and she wasn't wearing her rancher hat. Applejack blinked a few times in the light and when she saw Scott she rubbed her eyes and took a step closer.

"Scott? Is that you?"

"You okay Applejack? You don't look too good," Scott said.

"Ah've been busy lately," Applejack replied. She stretched her back and then saw Lauren.

"Whoa nelly. Get back monster!"

"Applejack, I'm not here to hurt you," Lauren said, but this made Applejack more afraid as she backed up into her house.

"Ho-how do you know mah name?"

"I...uh."

"She's the one who made you Applejack," Scott said as he held the door open with the Element's telekinetic powers. "She is your god."

"Ah don't believe that for a second," Applejack said as she tried to push the door shut.

"Applejack, I'm here to help you," Lauren said, "It's the honest truth."

Applejack stopped pushing the door and looked at Lauren, she was unsure about trusting the human but she needed all the help she could get.

"I also know what's been keeping you occupied," Scott said as he held the door open, "It's your sister isn't it?"

Applejack looked away but Scott could see the tears forming in her eyes, he walked up to her and Applejack hugged him and started to sob.

"Ah don't know if she's gonna make it."

"It's okay," Scott said as she patted her on the back, "Let's go and see her. I might be able to do something."

Applejack let go of Scott and led him, Twilight and Lauren through the house and upstairs. A lot of the house's interior was in the same condition as the outside, wallpaper was peeling, furniture looked like it hadn't been dusted in weeks and the smell of mildew was hanging in the air. Twilight and Scott nervously glanced at each other and followed Applejack into a room, inside the room Applejack's older brother Big Macintosh was sitting on a stool next to a bed while Applejack's grandmother, Granny Smith tended to something that was lying in the bed. Big Mac looked back to Applejack but when he saw Lauren he jumped up and shielded the bed, baring his teeth and pawing the floor. Scott dove between him and Lauren.

"It's okay, she's not going to hurt you guys."

"Promise?" Big Mac asked.

"I promise that I'm not going to hurt you or your family," Lauren said. Scott stepped back and Big Mac sat back on the stool.

"They only want to see Apple Bloom," Applejack said with a hint of sadness. Big Mac let Scott pass but he had Lauren stand back, he didn't fully trust her yet. Scott approached the bed and saw a pink bow sticking out of a pile of covers.

"Apple Bloom?" Scott said softly, the mass stirred and moved.

"Scott?" Apple Bloom said weakly, "Scott, it that you?"

Apple Bloom rolled over and sat up, Scott was shocked on how she looked but he kept it hidden. Apple Bloom's cheeks had gone green and she looked pale and sweaty, she coughed a few times and it sounded heavy and raspy. Granny Smith gave her some water and she drank it but cringed in disgust a second later. Scott sat down on the floor and stroked her cheek.

"What happened to you?"

"She ate a poisoned apple," Applejack said, "It had something in it and we didn't know until Apple Bloom showed us."

"How long ago was this?"

"More than seven months ago."

"I have some books on medicine if you want them," Twilight said, "Oh Applejack, why didn't you bring her to me or Zecora when she got sick?"

"Ah didn't want to leave her side, and don't you remember? Zecora left the forest just after the Changelings attacked."

"Can you guys think of some way to sure her?" Lauren asked.

"There are a few remedies that Granny Smith made but they're not working."

"Applejack," Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah Apple Bloom?"

"Ah'm not gonna make it to tomorrow am ah?"

Applejack started to tear up again as Big Mac and Granny Smith put their forelegs around each other. Scott shook his head and leaned on the bed next to the sick filly's head.

"Have you heard from Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?" he asked.

"No, we disbanded the Cutie Mark Crusaders after the Changelings left, our treehouse got destroyed by Douglas and were we going to rebuild it when he led the attack on Ponyville."

Apple Bloom coughed again and sighed, she leaned back on the headboard and sniffed as tears ran down her face.

"Ah don't wanna die yet."

Scott wiped a tear off himself and sat up, he knew what to do in order to help Apple Bloom. After all, Discord and the Elements of Harmony had given him a few new abilities.

"It's okay Apple Bloom," he said as he placed a hoof on her stomach, "Sometimes things happen and we can't change the outcome, but sometimes a little bit of Chaos can come and change everything."

And with that a jolt of electricity ran from the Element of Chaos, down Scott's foreleg and into Apple Bloom's stomach. Apple Bloom jerked and sat up, clutching her stomach and groaning. She shakily got off the bed and stumbled around until she stopped in the middle of the room, she started shaking and heaving.

"What did you do to her?!" Applejack asked.

"Give it a second," Scott said as he held up a hoof. Apple Bloom sunk down on the floor and started hacking up what sounded like a hairball. She spat something out and pushed herself away from what looked like a small green ball of mucus with tentacles.

"Ew, what is that?" Twilight asked.

"Don't know and don't care," Scott said as he stomped on it repeatedly, the slime ball was reduced to nothing more than a green splat as Scott removed his hoof from the spot where the parasite was.

"Was that inside me?" Apple Bloom asked. Scott turned around was saw that her color had returned and she didn't look green anymore.

"It must have been, looks like it was feeding off of you. But it's okay now, you're cured."

The mush on the floor and on Scott's hoof went up in small fire that lasted a second, when it went out there was no evidence of the squashed parasite on either. Applejack walked over to Apple Bloom and examined her, she then picked up the filly and hugged her. She held Apple Bloom and looked up at Scott.

"Thanks Scott."

"How did you do that?" Lauren asked as she walked over, Apple Bloom saw the human and cowered in her sister's hooves.

"The Element of Chaos," Scott said as he stroked Apple Bloom's mane, "After the Elements of Harmony were absorbed by it I gained a few extra powers along with the ones that Discord gave me. Hey, it's okay, she want hurt you."

Apple Bloom looked up and Lauren and let go of Applejack, she walked over to Lauren, ears flat against her head. Lauren reached out a hand to the filly and she put her hoof in it, Apple Bloom looked up at Lauren and bit her lip.

"You're not gonna hurt us like the last human here?" she asked Lauren. Lauren smiled and nodded

"I could never harm something as innocent as you."

Apple Bloom smiled and leaned into Lauren, who hugged her. Apple Bloom giggled and hugged back. Scott was touched but the matter of the farm being dead still loomed overhead.

"So Applejack, want to go and restore the trees?"

"Can you make them grow again?" Applejack asked.

"I'll think of something," Scott said.

Applejack led the way outside and showed Scott a small cluster of apple trees, the trees were on the verge of dying but there were a few bright red apples and green leaves. Scott plucked an apple and split it in half, it was clean and fresh, he took a bite out of one half and tossed the other half to Lauren who had followed the two outside. She eyed the fruit nervously but she got over her fear and ate the apple.

"Is it good?" Applejack asked. Lauren nodded.

"I didn't know that something I helped create could be so good."

"What?" Applejack asked, Scott nudged her.

"Are these your last living apple trees?"

"Yeah, but we don't have enough apples to supply the town. There's barely enough to keep mah family going."

Scott looked up into the sky and saw a small cloud hovering over the farm, he grinned and nodded as an idea formed and he had the Chimera materialize in his hoof. He turned the cylinder until he found a particular chamber in the cylinder.

"What's that you have there?" Applejack asked.

"Just a little something that might revive the trees," Scott said as he aimed the Chimera up at the cloud. He fired and the bullet blasted the cloud and erupted in a flash of lightning, the cloud then settled and a small rainstorm formed from the cloud and the rain soaked the trees and made the dusty ground turn to mud. Applejack stared in amazement as the rain fell.

"Rain, actual rain."

"Now those trees should grow within a few days," Scott said as the Chimera disappeared in a small haze of metallic dust, "But if we can get a bigger storm cloud then we can revitalize the entire farm."

"We need to get Rainbow Dash back," Twilight said as she watched Apple Bloom and Applejack play in the rain.

"She's on the list but I seriously think that the next pony who we should get back is our party pony," Scott said.

"Pinkie Pie?" Lauren asked. Scott nodded and got the attention of Applejack, she walked over and shook off the rain that had washed the dirt out of her mane, tail and coat.

"Now then, who wants to help me get Pinkie back to her usual self?"

"I'll go with you," Twilight said.

"And me," Applejack added.

"I'm coming anyway aren't I?" Lauren asked. Scott nodded and turned to Twilight.

"Lead the way Twilight, we've got a party to start up."

Twilight nodded and motioned the group to follow, Scott followed close behind her hoping that Pinkie would remember him from when he helped her after Discord took over.