Harmony Arisen

by Panoramic Toast

Chapter 9: Apples and Pie

Chapter 9: Apples and Pie

Two weeks later

“This alliance with Lunaria puts us in some very uncomfortable positions,” General Blackhoof said.

“True,” said King Filthy Rich, “but it also opens up possibilities. For one, it clears up the need to reserve our forces at our borders. I will still order frequent patrols, just in case; but it would be foolish of them to attack us now that they require Britannia and Solaria’s assistance. Without us, Lunaria is as good as dead against the forces of Germaneigh and Neighpon.”

“What assurance do we have that they won’t attack us after we have defeated Germaneigh?” Blackhoof asked.

“There is none,” Filthy Rich said bluntly, “but we already know that if they do, Britannia will have our side. I doubt it will come to that, though. President Spitfire is a warmonger and hotheaded, true enough, but she’s also cold and calculating. She know’s that there is nothing to gain by attacking us at this point in time. That’s why she called for an alliance in the first place; she knew that they’d never stand a chance against Germaneigh and Neighpon alone.”

He nodded. “As you say, you Majesty.”

Diamond Tiara watched her father take a sip from a glass of cold water that lay against the metallic table. “It’s amazing. Britannia, Solaria, and Lunaria are fighting side by side. Never would I have believed that three of the world’s most powerful countries could ever forge a functional alliance. I haven’t seen anything close to this since the Great War.”

Diamond Tiara had often heard her father speak of the Great War. It ended nearly thirteen years ago. Back then, Filthy Rich was only a prince, heir to the Solar Empire’s throne. The Great War began soon after Filthy Rich’s younger brother, Very Rich, was killed by a Lunarian soldier who was sent to guard a passing ambassador from East Lunaria. The king, Mighty Rich, was furious and declared war on Solaria for the event.

Shortly after, Lunaria invaded the borders of Solaria, burning down everything in their path. Their actions caused such an uproar that Britannia joined an alliance with Solaria in order to defend their land. Prance followed suit. Even the poor nation of Zebrica took notice and aided Solaria with what they could. It was expected that Germaneigh would join the other countries from the Eastern Union, but they surprised everyone when they took sides with both Lunaria and East Lunaria. They stated that they had signed some secret treaty with Lunaria prior to the war, probably signed after one of their numerous continental wars.

After two years of fighting, Lunaria signed a treaty with Solaria and the other allied nations. As a consequence, Germaneigh was left with no allies and left alone to face the world. Solaria and the other nations used this opportunity to force them into a peace treaty, which ordered them to take full responsibility for the war and pay all the requested damages that were inflicted as a result of the fighting. With no choice, they signed and their government collapsed, leaving the country in chaos.

“So tell me,” Filthy Rich said. “why did they choose the eagle for our symbol?”

“The eagle represents our fighting spirit. We are the eagle that soars over the enemy, grasping him in our sharp talons. That is what they tell me,” Blackhoof said.

He shrugged. “It works, I suppose. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bobcat, an eagle, or a gopher; as long as we can win this war, I don’t care what symbol we put on our flags. Anyway, that’s enough about war for today. I wish to speak with my heirs. Alone.”

He nodded. “As you wish.”

After leaving, he stood up and sat across the table from Diamond Tiara, Prince Blueblood, and Princess Cadence. He faced them a stern look drawn about him. “As you are all aware, the forging of this alliance complicates things. As members of the Solarian royal court, we are expected to show attendance. I can’t afford to leave now, but chances are that we will be called very soon.”

“When that time comes, we will need to send representatives; this presents an opportunity for all three of you. As you all know, I’ve began making accommodations for all three of you, in case something were to happen to me due to this war. As king, I will be expected to show up before the Alliance and confirm this country’s resolve. I already expect that Prime Minister Rarity and President Spitfire will be there when the time comes. Due to these reasons, I’ve decided to take Princess Cadence and Princess Diamond Tiara with me on my trip to the Britannian headquarters when they call upon us. It will provide an opportunity for you two to get experience at diplomatic relations.”

“What about me?” Blueblood asked.

“You will stay behind and take temporary charge of the country in my place. I have assistants, aides, and all sorts of help, should you require it.”

Blueblood seemed very happy about that. Diamond Tiara was shocked. He’s going to separate me from my prince! “I want to stay too,” she declared.

“No,” he said firmly. “You have to learn the ways of the world and the different types of ponies. You won’t learn that cooped up in a castle all day.”

Cadence smiled. She’s actually smiling. She’s mocking me. “It’s okay, Diamond Tiara. I know I’m not much, but I can still be fun to be around,” she said with a sincere grin.

Diamond Tiara frowned. Great. A chance to be alone in the castle with my prince, and I’m stuck with her.

“But why? I don’t want to go!” she complained.

“There are plenty of things that I don’t want as well. I don’t want to be at war. I don’t want to send off millions of my citizens to their deaths. I don’t want to sit at the table with boring old mares and stallions for hours at a time. Why do I do it? I do these things because I must. That is the life of a king. A king doesn’t get to choose his duties, but he still does them, because he must.”

“Intrinsic magic,” Captain Shining Armor began, “as you all know, is a special form of magic that resides in all ponies from the day they are born. Each race possesses unique abilities in accordance to their race. Unicorns can gain access to their intrinsic magic using their horns as a focal point. Using our horns, we can access a variety of spells that make us a danger to any foe. Pegasus magic is accessed through their wings and allows them to gain access to godlike speed and reflexes. Using their pegasus magic, some can even control the very elements around them and turn a simple drizzle into a fierce typhoon. This brings us to earth ponies.

Earth ponies very rarely are ever able to gain full access to their intrinsic magic. All earth ponies make some use of their intrinsic magic to communicate with the earth, making them very suitable farmers and agricultural experts, but very few earth ponies can actually access the true potential of their magic. Unlike the other two, earth ponies don’t have a focal point of their magic such as a horn or wings and must instead draw in their power from all around them and use their own bodies as an outlet for their magic. Through this magic, earth ponies can tap into incredible strength, stamina, and endurance that can make them a deadly foe in combat. On top of this, they can bend the very earth around them to their will!

This leads to the final type of magic: alicorn magic. Alicorns have access to all three type of magic. In addition to these three types of magic, alicorns have the ability to heal their wounds at a moment’s notice. Some legends say that the royal sisters managed to master this ability to the point where they could subconsciously regenerate at a cellular level, allowing them to achieve eternal youth.

Why am I telling you all this? The reason is that throughout this war, you will be faced with a plethora of enemies that will put your abilities to the test. In order to defeat the enemy, you must first understand the enemy. Always take these facts into account when going into battle.”

Shining Armor looked upon the unicorns in front of him, all clad in silver armor that bore the crest of the alliance: a large, white, five pointed star surrounded on all sides by five small blades. “I believe that we’ve spent enough time lecturing. We’re going to divide into groups for dueling like we’ve been doing all week!”

Shining Armor and Lieutenant Dawnstar, wearing her signature sunglasses, began sorting the ponies into groups and setting up boundaries. The rules of the duels were simple. Two opponents are placed into a bright-red, circular arena with a diameter of about fifty feet. You lose if you get knocked out of the arena or stay down for longer than ten seconds. One could surrender if they wished, however, if they did, they would be forced to duel Lieutenant Dawnstar. No lethal spells were allowed, but spells that inflict minor harm were allowed, as long as the effects did not cause permanent injury. Currently, they trained in the training grounds of the camp, providing them a large grass field to practice their skills. The training grounds was currently littered with holes and skid marks from their previous days of training.

This training served two purposes. The first was to give the unicorns combat experience that would prepare them for the battlefield and get them used to one on one combat with another unicorn. The second purpose was to test strength of each individual so they could measure progress.

The battles proceeded as normal, with a flurry of bright spells being cast in all directions. Shining Armor and Dawnstar took careful measures to dodge their spells while simultaneously instructing them on how to better themselves as a magic user.

The duels proceeded as usual, with half of the unicorns being eliminated within the first five minutes. Dawnstar continued to blow her whistle while Shining Armor began examining the remaining fights. One by one, ponies were burned, frozen, blown away, paralyzed, and sustained a variety of injury that caused their defeat. As time went on, only two unicorns remained in combat, same as usual.

There was a flash of indigo as Twilight Sparkle teleported behind Star Dust, evading a right hook. Twilight immediately leaped out of the teleport and shot a telekinetic blast in Star Dust’s direction. Star Dust quickly shot a blast of orange into the ground. The ground below their hooves immediately shot up causing bits of dirt and large clusters of rock to impede the path of Twilight’s attack, giving Star Dust enough time to strafe to the side.

Taking advantage of the visual distraction, Star Dust lept forward, shooting herself through the rocks and landing a punch on the side of Twilight’s cheek. Twilight went flying, her body skidding against the ground. Twilight could see the edge of the arena as she went flying. In an act of desperation, Twilight shot a telekinetic blast at the ground that sent her flying backwards, changing her course directly towards Star Dust.

Star Dust was too slow to react as Twilight grappled her hind legs around Star Dust’s chest, sending the two to the ground. The two struggled desperately as Twilight continued to pin down Star Dust, her forelegs now holding down Star Dust’s head. Twilight began counting down.

“One.”

Star Dust began firing off orange blasts into the sky, screaming as she tried to break free of Twilight’s hold.

“Two.”

Star Dust began to squirm as Shining could see the gears in her head moving.

“Three.”

The sky above was beginning to darken.

“Four.”

Star Dust’s eyes grew wide as she looked up and shot a bolt of magic into the sky. There was a moment of silence followed by a bolt of lightning striking the ground beside them, filling the air with mud and loose soil. The momentary distraction had caused Twilight’s hold over Star Dust to loosen for just the slightest second.

“So gullible,” Star Dust said with a chuckle before using her hind legs to kick Twilight off of her. Star Dust quickly rolled to the side and shot a concussive blast at Twilight, sending her flying.

Twilight Sparkle quickly regained her senses and teleported just before she could cross the red lines of the arena. Twilight reappeared directly behind Star Dust and threw her right foreleg at Star Dust, in midair. Star Dust twisted her upper body and blocked Twilight’s foreleg with her own. As their legs made contact, Twilight’s horn glowed bright lavender and they both teleported.

It was only an instant, but it was enough for Shining Armor to process what had just happened. In just a split second, Star Dust had managed to push Twilight back, teleporting away an instant later. By the time Twilight got her hooves, her eyes had gazed upon Star Dust’s grin.

“What’s so funny?” Twilight asked.

Star Dust chuckled as she pointed her hoof at Twilight’s side. Twilight gasped and gritted her teeth as she noticed the red line just outside her grasp.

“What does that make it now?” Star Dust teased. “That’s right! in the lead, five to two!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Twilight said, annoyed. “Just you wait. I’ll get you next time and wipe that smug grin off your face.”

Twilight backed up into Shining Armor, her look changing into one of fear as she noticed his face. “C-C-Captain!” Twilight said in shock as she fumbled to a salute.

Shining Armor let out a playful laugh. “At easy, private. That was very impressive spellcasting!”

“But...I lost,” Twilight said in confusion.

Shining Armor smiled. “You learn through your defeats just as you learn through your victories. Besides, you’re skill has improved immensely in the past two weeks!”

Twilight blushed at the compliment before fumbling a nervous, “Thank you sir!”
Shining Armor gave a positive nod, and said in a more critical tone, “Unfortunately, you’re still sloppy in terms of physical combat. However, I’m very impressed with the progress that you two have made. Anyways, we’re about to move on to weapons training, so you both better be prepared to work up a sweat!”

“Yes sir!” Star Dust and Twilight Sparkle said as they saluted Shining Armor. Shining Armor returned it and made his way back to Lieutenant Dawnstar.

It had been another rough day of training for Twilight Sparkle. Wake up at the crack of dawn. Eat breakfast then do morning exercises. After morning exercises, they spent 2 hours working on magic control followed by another 2 hours of offensive and defensive magic. After that, was a one hour lunch break. After lunch was dueling, followed by weapons training. After weapons training, they would work on various exercises to build teamwork and leadership. After all that was done, normally Twilight would eat dinner, study for the remainder of the day, and get some sleep. Today, she felt different. Today, she just wanted to drown her wounds and aches in the sweet taste of cider.

Twilight began her journey as she approached the camp walls. The camp wall was a massive steel wall that surrounded the camp on all sides and had a height of several stories and was thick enough to stand at least ten ponies side by side. At the top of the wall, there was always a group of armed soldiers on patrol positioned next to them was a full stock of heavy artillery in case of an enemy invasion. As usual, before she could pass, she was forced to hand over the proper identification to a guard pony as to keep track of who entered and who left.

After handing in her papers, the guard pony gave a quick examination before returning them and opening the metallic gates of the wall.

After leaving the camp’s walls, she slowly approached a large wooden building, the town tavern. It was a relatively short distance from the camp as Camp Unita was conveniently located near the edge of a small Britannian town, known as Poninburg, with a population density of around ten thousand.

Of course, after the camp was established, a tavern was built right along the outskirts of the town in an attempt to drum up business as well as provide an outlet for the soldiers living in the camp. Sometimes the only way to keep a pony fighting is with a cup of hard cider. Twilight had never been too fond of alcohol, but after the pain that her body was in, she could use just about anything to take her mind off the pain. Using what little of her magic that she had remaining, she gently pushed the door open and entered the tavern.

When she opened the door, she was greeted to the soothing rhythms of Duke Hoofington. The room was dimly lit by old lightbulbs that desperately needed to be replaced, revealing the filthy floors and walls of the wooden tavern that were covered with cider, various bodily fluids, and Celestia knows what else. The building had two floors, the second being visible from the first. On the first floor, a handful of stallions and mares sat at tables playing cards, drinking, and exchanging dirty looks with the waitresses.

On the second floor, as visible beyond the wooden railing, were a series of guest rooms for patrons, often used for stallions who got a little “lonely” and required the company of a lovely mare.

The bar was surprisingly empty today, only a handful of ponies stood in her path as she began heading to the front counter. That was when she noticed a familiar face.

“Captain?”

“Twilight? what are you doing here? I never figured you for a drinker.”

“I could say the same about you, captain.”

Shining Armor dismissively waved his hoof before taking a sip from his glass. “You can drop the formalities, Twilight, we’re off base. You can just call me Shining.”

Twilight tried to get a word in but was interrupted by Shining’s voice as he waved to the bartender, “Hey, a fresh cup of cider for my friend here!”

The bartender, an older stallion, quickly filled up a glass and slid it over the counter.

“Okay, ‘Shining’, Twilight Sparkle said as she took a seat by the counter next to him, “what are you doing here? I figured you’d be filing paperwork of doing some sort of secret training.”

“Yeah, that’s me,” Shining Armor laughed, “Secret training and special missions. Nah, I’m just a regular pony trying to do his job and get as few ponies killed in the process.”

“I know, but it’s just kind of weird drinking with your commanding officer,” Twilight said, taking a quick sip of the cider in front of her.

“You were the one who decided to sit with me,” Shining Armor retorted.

“You’re the one who ordered me a drink,” she said with a playful grin.

They both smiled and silently drank their cider, avoiding eye contact. It was several minutes before Shining Armor decided to break the silence. “So, Twilight, tell me about yourself. I like to try and know the ponies serving under me.”

“Oh,” Twilight stumbled, taken aback by the sudden question, “well, my home is in Fillydelphia. I actually live in a library, believe it or not. The library was actually started by my mother when I was very young. I live there with her and Spike.”

“Spike?”

“Spike’s the name of the baby dragon that lives with us.”

Shining Armor’s eyes went wide. “YOU LIVE WITH A DRAGON!?”

Twilight began laughing at Shining’s reaction and dismissively waved her hoof. “Oh, relax! He’s about as dangerous as a box of kittens! Like I said, he’s a baby dragon; he’s only about 13 years old. I’ve known him since I was a young filly, and both my mother and I raised him like a member of the family. I guess you could say he’s kind of like a little brother to me.”

Shining Armor’s original look of terror was now replaced by one of intrigue. “How on earth did you manage to obtain a dragon? Most dragons live in the southern continent. Very few can be found in pony territory.”

“My father was a biologist. His research team received a dragon egg that was picked up during an expedition to the southern continent. His team was supposed to research it so they could gather more data on how dragons are born and how their body functions since we have near zero interaction with the dragons nowadays. Long story short, they deemed the project to be a waste of funds, and the government shut it down. They were going to try and destroy the egg, but my father refused. He decided to adopt the egg and just sort of brought it home one day.”

“That’s odd; Solaria’s done a lot of research regarding dragons in the past. Why would they just suddenly decide to drop the project and kill an innocent dragon?”

“Actually,” Twilight began, turning her gaze away from Shining Armor’s, “I wasn’t born in Solaria. I was born and raised in Germaneigh until I was around five. I left Germaneigh right after the war with Solaria and since then, I’ve been a citizen of the Solar Empire.”

“I see. Does your father still do research?”

Twilight’s voice began cracking slightly as she spoke, “No. He.... died during the first night of the riots; right after the civil war started to spread across the country.

Shining Armor gently placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I...I’m sorry to hear that. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Twilight looked back up to him and wiped a tear from her eye. “Thanks. I know it’s been a long time, but it’s still painful to talk about.”

Still wiping off her tears, Twilight looked at him with a smile. “You know, you remind me of my brother.”

“Your brother?”

“Yeah, you look just like him,” she said with a distant look in her eyes.

“I didn’t know you had a brother. Does he not live with you and your mother?”

“No,” she said with a sniffle, “he died during the night that I escaped. There was an explosion on the east side of town where my brother was heading. There’s no way he could have survived it, but you look just him. You have a different name, but when I first saw you, I could have sworn that you were my brother.”

“What about now?”

“Now?” Twilight repeated with a sigh. Her eyes were no longer filled with tears as she lifted her head up high. She had grown past it, or at least, she was hoping to grow past that. Her face formed a bright smile as she looked at Shining Armor with a new warmth in her eyes. Her voice was no longer sad, but hopeful and optimistic. “Now I’ve accepted the fact that he’s long gone, but I’ll try and live on for his sake. Anyway, I’ve told you all about me, and I still know next to nothing about you, Mr. Hero of the Battle of Britannia.”

Shining Armor took a long drink from his glass of cider and leaned back in his stool, staring at the ceiling. “Well, I wasn’t actually born in Britannia. I was born in Germaneigh, like you. From the sounds of it, we may have even grown up in the same town. My mother was a blacksmith and my father did magical research for the government. Things were pretty normal until shortly after the big war with the Solar Empire and Britannia. Shortly afterwards, the German government collapsed and my dad was left without a job.That’s when the riots started breaking out.

There was an explosion on the eastern side of the city. My dad was caught in the explosion. I would have died too, if my mom didn’t teleport us away. She did a blind teleport and we ended up two stories in the air. She ended up breaking my fall.

I blacked out right after the teleport, and by the time that I came to, she was gone. I tried to wake her up. I tried for hours until it finally clicked in that I was alone. I was all alone. I remember just wandering the streets, trying to head north. That was all I could think of; heading north, where my parents wanted to go. It took several days, but I finally made it to the shores and snuck on board a boat.

When I finally arrived, I came to the realization that I had no idea where I was going. I had no direction, no plan, and not even a cutie mark. I just sort of scavenged the city. I worked odd jobs here and there. I snuck around. I stole and engaged in a lot of regrettable actions. It was all that I could do to survive.

As time went on, I grew more desperate. I got into trouble with the law quite abit. I always hated the way they looked at me. The didn’t see a kid who was starving and had no home; they saw a parasite leeching on society. They hated me.

It was one particular day that I stumbled across this stallion in a military uniform. Being the reckless idiot that I was, I decided to snatch a few dollars off the old geezer. The police saw me and came after me with everything that they had. It was the first time that they brought out their swords; they were ready to kill me.

It was at that moment that my instinct kicked in, and I summoned my first magical barrier. It didn't last long but it still managed to knock the police off their hooves, and it give me a chance to escape. I didn’t even have enough time to revel in my new cutie mark. I had to get out of there quick.

Unfortunately, I only made it about a block before I ran into that old man that I stole from. He put me in a binding spell and held me in place. I thought that he was going to kill me for stealing from him. He didn’t. Instead, he asked me my name and asked where I lived.

After I told him that I didn’t have a home or family, he did the craziest thing. He told me to hold on to the bag that I stole from him, and he undid the binding spell. I was about to get out of there, but he made me an offer. He told me that I had a lot of potential and that the spell that I did was on a level way above many adult mages. He said that if I wanted a home; if I wanted to truly have a future, to come with him. He promised to raise me, house me, feed me, and train me to hone my magical abilities.

I would have been a fool to say no to such an unbelievable offer. It was soon after that I learned his name: General William Ebenhauser.”

Twilight interrupted, “General Ebenhauser!? He was one of the top ranking generals during the war between Germaneigh and Solaria!”

“Yeah”, Shining said with a chuckle, “He was veteran and a war hero that stood so many levels above me and yet, he still saw something in the pathetic colt that I was. He took me in and raised me like I was his own son. I always looked up to him and wanted to be just like him. That’s the reason I decided to become an officer for the Britannian military.”

Twilight leaned back in her stool, her mouth agape. “Wow,” is the only word that Twilight could say. “I...had no idea that you went through so much.”

Shining Armor smiled and patted Twilight’s back. “Don’t worry it! Sure things were tough back then, but things worked out just fine. I have a wonderful adoptive family. I have great friends, and I finally have a direction in my life.”

Twilight smiled. “That’s wonderful to hear. I’m glad that things got better.”

Shining Armor raised his glass to Twilight and proclaimed in a slightly dramatic voice, “To a brighter future!”

Twilight maintained her smile and nodded. “To a brighter future!” she yelled back as she tapped her glass against his and took a long gulp, finishing off her glass. Shining Armor let out a content sigh as he too, finished his glass and gently sat it on the counter.

“Twilight,” he said, causing her to face him, “I must confess, there’s something else that I intended to tell you. As you know, one of the purposes of this camp is to gather the best from all allied nations into one place. Very soon, all the unicorns that arrived from all across the world will be placed into various teams depending on their skill level. Twilight, I’ve already arranged it so that you and Star Dust will be placed directly under my command.”

Twilight tried to utter a word, but could only garble out, ”W-W-What? Why us?”

“It doesn’t take a genius to see the kind of talent that you two have. It’s not a coincidence that you two are always the last ones to end their duel. You both possess an immense level of potential, and I believe that I can help bring that out. I believe that with a little more training you two could be an invaluable resource for the war effort.”

Invaluable? It took a minute for those words to register in Twilight’s mind. This is exactly what she had wanted from the beginning: a chance to make a difference. Twilight saluted Shining and said in a firm voice, “I accept this position! I promise that I won’t let you down!”

Shining Armor gave a sincere smile. “I know you won’t.”

Without another word, Shining Armor tossed his bits over the counter and stood up, heading for the door. Before opening it, he turned to Twilight. “I’m going to start training you two, along with the rest of my team, tomorrow morning. Be sure to get some rest and let Star Dust know about this. It’s going to be hard work, but I know that you guys can handle it.”

With that, Shining Armor exited and left Twilight alone. I’ll do it! Twilight thought to herself, for everyone. She remembered that night with Star Dust at Camp Orion. One of us. One of us will be the one who brings an end to war.

The ride through Germaneigh had been rather seamless thanks to Pinkie Pie’s ingenuity. Still, the ride throughout the country had been unbearable for Applejack as she wiggled and squirmed about the wooden seat of the truck which housed her family. On the outside, it was disguised to look like a simple delivery truck owned by the Pie Corporation, logo and all. Pinkie sat in the front, next to the driver, an older stallion by the name of Dave.

Pinkie Pie promised that she was good friends with Dave and that he was trustworthy enough to handle the transportation. This was evident from the giggles and laughs that erupted every so often from the front. Meanwhile, on the inside of the truck, hidden by a layer of rectangular shaped metal and wood on the bed of the truck, sat the apple family. To say that they were cramped in the back would be an understatement.

To make their story more convincing, Pinkie Pie had decided to store real shipments of red crystal in the back. She had been kind enough to build wooden benches inside, but that provided little comfort and was offset by the vibrations caused by the bumpy roads and the beating sunlight that snuck in through the cracks of the truck. Even now, the heat was unbearable for the family as they sit in the back, quiet as to not alert attention from the outside.

“Applejack,” Applebloom whispered to her older sister.

“Yeah?”

“I’m thirsty,” Applebloom said, fanning herself with her hoof.

“Alright,” Applejack said as she reached beside her, to a large, round, wooden barrel. Below the barrel lied three tin canteens. Applejack scooped one up into her hooves and placed it underneath a tube sticking out from the barrel. Above the tube was a small red switch. Using her other hoof, she applied pressure to the switch. Water began to flow out of the barrel and into the canteen.

“Here,” Applejack whispered as she handed the canteen to Applebloom, who quickly began gulping it down. Applejack turned to Granny Smith who was laying against the seat, just now waking up from a nap.

“You okay, Granny? You need any water?”

“What?” she asked looking around, somewhat absent-mindedly, “Oh! No thank ya. I’m just fine.”

Applejack nodded and leaned forward, tilting her tan stetson to the left. Just a little longer. That was all she had to endure. Just a little longer until her family was finally free, and she could finally see her big brother once more.

Just as Applebloom had finally finished off her canteen, she felt the van coming to a stop as the engine cut off. This meant two possible things. First, that they had been caught and were about to be pulled over and sent to a camp or possibly shot. The second, was that they had finally arrived at their intended destination. Applejack decided to go with the later scenario.

“Guess we’re here,” Applejack said, standing up and stretching her hind legs.

The doors in the back slowly opened, letting sunlight pour through. Seeing the doors open, Applebloom and Granny Smith made their way to their hooves. As the light cleared, they could see that outside the van was a lush garden, with several pony shaped bushes painting the landscape. Before the three could get a chance to leave, they heard a the distinct voice of Pinkie Pie as she ran into the back of the truck shouting, “We’re here! We’re here! We’re here! Oh my gosh, I can’t wait for you guys to meet my parents! They’re gonna be super excited to meet you! It’s gonna be so awesome! I mean you’re awesome, and they’re awesome! It’ll be like a super duper quadruple everyone’s awesome party!”

“Pinkie!” Applejack shouted, causing the mare in question to stop mid sentence.

“Yes, Applejack?” Pinkie Pie said inquisitively.

“Can you please just show us around? It’s a might hot in here, and I’m sure that my family could use some fresh air.”

Pinkie Pie began laughing and rubbed the back of her neck. “Oh, yeah. You guys were probably dying in there! Well, not literally dy-”

“Pinkie.”

“Anyway, come on out!” Pinkie said as she stepped aside and extended her hoof towards them in a welcoming manner.

“Thank ya, very much,” Applejack said as Pinkie Pie helped her out of the truck. The others soon followed and were left with an unobstructed view of Pinkie’s parent’s home.

Now that they were out, they could see a marble fountain in the distance. On it, were two adult pones, a mare and stallion. Below them were three fillies, prancing about. Surrounding the fountain was a brick road that circled around the house. Pinkie had told them that to keep suspicion to a minimum, they would drop them off in the back of the house.

The house in which the brick road circled, was one that entranced the apple family. The home was three stories tall and the outside brick walls were painted white. The many windows were crystal clear, giving a good view of the rooms which were coated in velvet wallpaper. The mansard roof was painted red and had a small chimney that puffed out tiny bits of smoke.

“Well what do you think?” Pinkie Pie asked with a smile on her face.

Applejack could barely stammer out her words as she looked upon the impressive building. “I-I umm....”

“Well I’ll be,” said Granny Smith as she stared at the mansion, examining every little wonder. “In all my years, I ain’t never seen fancy house quite as fancy as this!”

“It’s amazing!” shouted Applebloom as she began jumping up and down.

“Yeah,” Applejack finally said, “that’s a word for it.”

After averting her gaze from the mansion, Applejack noticed Pinkie Pie motioning them towards a large set of mahogany doors. The three followed them while Pinkie waved goodbye to the driver. As they made their way, Pinkie Pie pushed the doors open to a corridor decorated with a red carpet and several portraits hung on the walls, just below several sets of symmetrically aligned candles.

“Over here! the main room’s just over here and hopefully my parents will be there too! If we’re really lucky, my sisters will be there too! That’ll be like four times the fun!” Pinkie shouted as she bounced up and down the corridor.

Applejack began to imagine what Pinkie's family would be like. An image of a whole family of bouncing, energetic, chatty ponies appeared in Applejack’s mind. One Pinkie Pie was enough. A whole family threatened the sanity of an entire nation. Applejack’s thoughts came to a halt as she exited the corridor.

At the end of the corridor, they were greeted to a magnificent sight as they entered the main room. In it, there stood two opposing spiral staircases that led to the second and third floor. Below them, on the first floor where they all stood, a large silk carpet spread across the entirety of the room, ending at the large front doors. Above the entire room was a large chandelier that spread light throughout the remainder of the house.

Applejack was almost too caught up in her surroundings to hear a masculine voice calling out, “Pinkie Pie! You’re back!”

In front of them stood a tall stallion with a light tan coat and a pickaxe cutie mark. He had long dark grey sideburns while the rest of his mane was grey with shades of white. He wore a simple, yellow button up shirt with trees decorating the shirt. Above the shirt, he wore a white collar, separate from his clothing. Attached to the collar was a long black tie. If anything, this stallion had a very eccentric vibe about him, rather like the pink mare to their side. However, unlike Pinkie, he seemed rather calm and relaxed.

Pinkie Pie ran forward and attempted to tackle the stallion in a hug, but the tables were turned as he lunged forward and grabbed hold of Pinkie Pie. The stallion continued to hold Pinkie Pie in a tight hug while Pinkie nuzzled against his neck stringing together words. “Oh my gosh, I missed you so much! I can’t wait for you to meet my new friends, they’re super awesome! Hey, is mom making dessert, because that would be super awesome too!”

Applejack let out a loud cough in an attempt to draw their attention. The stallion loosened his hold of Pinkie, allowing her to bounce to the ground.

“Oh, sorry about that!” he said with a laugh, “I just haven’t seen my daughter in quite a while!”

“Your daughter? So that mean-” Applebloom said before Pinkie Pie cut her off.

“This is my dad, you guys!” Pinkie Pie said excitedly.

“Pleasure to meet all of you,” he said with a small bow. “My name’s Clementine August Pie, but you can just call me Clyde.”

Applejack walked forward and shook Clyde’s hoof. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet ya, Clyde. My name’s Applejack. This one here’s my granny, Granny Smith. And this one’s my little sis, Applebloom,” she said pointing to each of her relatives.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. Hey, my wife should be cooking u-” Clementine said before he was interrupted by a pair of higher pitched voices.

Two mares, one with a grey coat and one with a light purple coat, ran down the staircase and tackled Pinkie Pie in a tight hug. Pinkie returned the hug and began giggling, “I missed you guys so much! Did you do anything fun while I was away?”

The two mares loosened their grip and pulled away. The grey said in an energetic voice, “Nah, nothing too exciting. Blinkie played with some squirrels, but that’s about it.”

“Pinkie, it’s so good to see you,” the purple mare said in a reserved, somewhat timid voice.

“I missed you guys too. Now, come on! I need to introduce you to my new friends!”

“Everyone, these two are my sisters!” Pinkie shouted as she arranged them side by side. She pointed to grey one with her hoof. Upon inspection, she was slightly taller than other one, but she was not quite as tall as Pinkie either. Her mane was the shortest of the three and styled very wildy, with the front slanting towards the right side of her face and the back of her mane cutting off just below the back of her neck. Her mane was a darker shade of grey that complimented her coat, and for a cutie mark she had three evenly shaped rocks.

“This is Inkie! She’s the middle child!” Pinkie chirped. Inkie Pie flipped her mane to the side and gave a calm “What’ up?” while Pinkie moved to her other sister. She was the shortest of the three and had a long straight mane that was a light shade of grey. Her cutie depicted two bright red gemstones.

“And this one is Blinkie! She’s the youngest!” Pinkie Pie said, giving her little sister a surprise hug. “Hi there, it’s nice to meet you,” is all she said before a feminine voice boomed throughout the room.

A mare with a grey coat and a bluish green mane, curled into a bun walked into the halls. She was wearing a set of glasses around her neck, dangling by golden beads and her cutie mark showed three rock encrusted diamonds. “I’m trying to cook a meal! What on earth is all the-” she said before coming to a halt.

“My sweet little angel, you’re back!” the mare said as she galloped towards Pinkie and gave her a hug. After another minute of hugging, Pinkie Pie turned to the apple family and said, “This is my mom, she’s an awesome cook!”

Pinkie’s mother slightly blushed at the compliment and spoke in a fluent and traditional manner. “Thank you, Pinkie.” She turned towards her new guests and gave a welcoming smile, “Now who might these three be?”

“They’re my new friends that I’m taking to Britannia! This is Applejack, Applebloom, and Granny Smith! They’re super duper awesome, I know you’ll love them!” Pinkie Pie said in one breath.

“I’m sure that I will. My name’s Marianna Rockbell Pie, and it’s a pleasure to meet you all,” she said with a slight curtsy. “Anyway, I heard that Pinkie was getting back today, so I was cooking a nice welcome back meal. Would you three care to join us?”

Applejack looked back at the other two who were grinning from ear to ear. “That’d be much appreciated, Misses Marianna.”

Food was spread evenly and thoroughly throughout the elongated table at which the Apple and Pie family sat. The Pie family, with the exception of Pinkie, sat on the right side while the Apple family sat on the left along with Pinkie; Pinkie had opted to sit next to Applejack.

Pinkie and Applejack were the first to dive into the food, taking in as much as they could. “Don’t worry,” Marianna said, “Knowing Pinkie’s appetite, I made plenty of extras and second helpings!”

Inkie and Blinkie watched in awe as Pinkie and Applejack were neck in neck in terms of speed. Both of them gulping down whole pies and desserts. “Wow,” Inkie said, “I didn’t think anyone could keep up with Pinkie’s stomach.”

“Hey now,” Applejack said in between bites, “It was a long tiring day, and I didn’t get no lunch, so I’m just making up for it.”

Pinkie Pie was completely oblivious to the stares that she and Applejack were receiving and continued to eat with gusto.

Eventually, they all began to dig into the delicious food that Marianna served. Applebloom and Granny Smith began immediately digging in, abandoning all previously learned table manners. Neither one of them could recall how long it had been since they had been presented with such a nice meal. Since they left the farm to head to Britannia, they had been eating an odd assortment of treats and desserts made by Pinkie as well as the occasional slice of bread or fruit.

Still, even through all this amazing hospitality shown to three unknown ponies, a few questions lingered in the back of Applejack’s mind that needed answers. After finishing off a cupcake, Applejack turned her attention to Clyde.

“Clyde?”

Clyde swallowed his bite and said in an inviting voice, “Yes, Applejack?”

“I’m mighty grateful for everything that you and your family have done for us, but I still have some questions that I was hoping you could answer, if you’re willing.”

“Sure, ask away!”

“Aww fiddlesticks, Applejack!” Granny Smith said pointing an accusing hoof at Applejack, “We just got here! Relax and enjoy the food!”

Applejack faced her grandmother with an almost apologetic look. She didn’t want to be too stern or rude, but she had to hold her ground. “Now, Granny, I’m mighty grateful to these kind folks, but I have some question that have been burning in the back of my mind.”

Granny Smith was about to speak, but was silenced by Clyde standing up and waving his hooves about. He began laughing and smiled. “Listen, it’s okay, Granny Smith. I understand your concern and have no problem with any questions. Please, don’t argue. I want you guys to feel comfortable while you’re here; you’re our guests after all.”

Clyde faced Applejack and motioned her with his hoof. “Now Applejack, what was it that you wanted to ask me?”

“Well,” Applejack said with a cough, “When I heard Pinkie talk about the Pie Corporation to this one stallion that she was threatening.”

Pinkie’s parents gave Pinkie an odd glare. Applejack waved her hooves in an attempt to clear the situation, “It was for a good reason, I swear! Anyway, she mentioned something about Trixie getting red crystals from here. If you’re against Trixie, then why do you give them to her? More importantly, what exactly are they, and what’s so important about them?”

Clyde put on a smile and answered in a clear voice, “To start off, red crystals are the backbone for Trixie’s army. They’re what gives her a technical advantage over all the over nations and led to the development of the ravager technology.

You see, most countries power their ships through steam powered engines. Some have began using crystals and gems as a means of containing magical energy and using them as a source of energy. Red crystals are on a completely different level. Unlike regular crystals, red crystals can only be found around Germaneigh, giving us an advantage. In terms of power, there is no comparison.

A typical crystal or gem infused with magic can power a typical airship for about 12 hours before needing to be replaced. A red crystal holds properties that can power a single airship for over a week without having to be replaced.

With this excessive amount of energy, Trixie can begin rerouting power and using only the minimal level of magic required for basic ship functions. Trixie can then use the excessive power to allow for other functions such as magic shielding and weaponry. This is the concept behind the ravager line. As of now, only fifteen ravagers are in production due to the aftermath of the Battle of Britannia, which led to the destruction of over two-thirds of the first line of ravagers. Still, Trixie is looking for ways to improve the efficiency of a typical airship and plans to ramp up production of the ravagers.

So as you can tell, these crystals are very valuable to her majesty’s reign. As it turns out, I’m the only one who can locate these red crystals. It might sound strange, but I have this sort of....sixth sense that can allow me to locate them, as silly as that sounds.”

Applejack titled her head in confusion. “Wait.....you have some sort of superpower that lets you find red crystals?”

“Er...sort of. When I scout out locations around Germaneigh, I can....feel the world around me and the part of that involves me being able to find them. I guess you can say it has something to do with my intrinsic earth pony magic. However, that doesn’t explain Pinkie Pie.”

“Pinkie Pie?” Applejack asked in confusion.

“Pinkie, care to explain?” Clyde said to his daughter.

“Sure thing!” Pinkie Pie chirped, “I have this kind of.....Pinkie sense that lets me know when certain things are gonna happen, like if a doors about to open or a vase is about to land on my head. When that happens, my body acts all weird and I can just ‘know’ what’s about to happen!”

“Seriously?” Applejack said, not believing a word of it. “Are you trying to tell me that Pinkie has some sort of weird power to see the future? I’m sorry, but that’s just plain redic-”

“Twitcha Twitch!” Pinkie Pie interrupted as her tail began vibrating rapidly. Before Applejack could respond, she was knocked out of her chair by Pinkie Pie. Suddenly, a large stream of water began pouring out from the ceiling.

“What the-” Applejack muttered as she watched the water leak onto where she would have been sitting if Pinkie Pie hadn't have moved her. Did she really just predict that water was going to leak onto her head?

“When my tail starts twitching, it means stuff’s gonna fall!” Pinkie Pie said, unaffected by Applejack’s gaze of wonder.

“Sorry about that Applejack,” Clyde said, “We’ve been having some plumbing problems recently. Inkie, I showed you how to fix that. Can you go and stop that leak?”

“Yes sir!” Inkie said before running upstairs.

Geez, and I thought that my family was crazy, Applejack thought to herself.

“Here,” Pinkie said extending a hoof towards Applejack, “Let me help you up!”

Applejack thanked her as Pinkie Pie helped her back to her seat.

“Anyway,” Applejack began immediately upon returning to her seat, “You still haven’t answered my final question. I know what red crystals are and how you can find them, but that still doesn’t explain why you’re still helping them out.”

“Well,” Clyde said, leaning back in his chair, “there are many reasons for that. One, that’s my income. Sure, I’d get by as a rock farming company, but the government pays me a heck of a lot for red crystals. It’s also that money that allows me to fund the smuggling of refugees. Second, it’s a good form of insurance.”

“Insurance?”

“Yes, you see, I’m the only pony alive with the ability to locate red crystals. Without me, they’d be fumbling around their own hooves to find red crystal deposits. As such, if anything, the holy goddesses forbid, were to ever befall my sweet Pinkie Pie and they were to hurt her, I would simply refuse to find them. They could try and torture me if they really wanted, but they’d find out very soon that I don’t give in.”

There was a brief silence as the information sunk in. “That answers my question, thank you very much,” Applejack said.

“It was no problem,” Clyde said with a smile, “If you think of anything else, let me know.”

Applejack nodded and the meal continued, picking up a much more cheerful tone after a long talk of business and crystals.

“Well, thanks again for the food, Misses Marianna! I’m feeling plum tuckered. Any chance you could show us where we’ll be sleeping?” Applejack asked with a yawn.

“Sure thing!” Marianna said as she began to clear off the table, “Pinkie will show you all to your rooms. I had the maids clean up the guest rooms since you’ll be staying here for two weeks before you depart to the docks.”

“Woooooah!” Applejack said as she took another look at the main room, “Two weeks of this; I don’t even know if I’ll wanna leave! Just kidding, of course. If you need anything from us, just ask. We’d be glad to help out around here!”

“I’ll have to take you up on that,” Marianna said with a chuckle. “Now, Pinkie!”

There was a zipping sound as Pinkie Pie appeared beside Applejack. Applejack jumped back with a mild gasp. “How on earth do you do that?” she said as she regained her nerves.

Pinkie Pie gave Applejack a slight grin and then turned to her mother, puffing out her chest and giving a playful salute. “Pinkie Pie reporting for duty!”

“Miss Pinkie, will please show our guests to the bedrooms?” Marianna said in an authoritative tone, obviously used to Pinkie’s antics.

“Yes ma’am!” Pinkie Pie shouted back. Mariana rolled her eyes and returned Pinkie’s salute. Afterwards, Pinkie turned to Applejack and said in her regularly cheerful tone, “Come with me, I’ll show you the way!”

Pinkie Pie began hopping towards the staircase while Applejack searched for Granny Smith and Applebloom, who were nowhere to be found. Applejack was about to continue searching when she heard Applebloom’s laughter in another room.

“Just what is that little filly up t-” Applejack’s voice was cut off by Blinkie loudly exclaiming, “It’s true! I don’t care what you say, humans are real and one day we’re gonna find them!”

“I think you’ve been reading too many of Lyra Heartstring’s books,” Blinkie said with a soft chuckle.

“Well, that’s Applebloom, but what about Gran-”

“And there I was, facing a timberwolf eye to eye! That was the scariest moment I’ve ever been in; I just ran and ran as fast as I could!” Granny Smith’s raggedy voice yelled in the distance.

“Ha! I’ll bet,” Clyde replied to Granny Smith in a relaxed voice, “I’ve ran into a timberwolf once; it’s not a very pleasant experience.”

I guess Applebloom can stay up a little longer, and I don’t need to worry too much about Granny Smith, Applejack thought to herself.

“Hey Pinkie!” Applejack called the edge of the staircase.

“Yes, Applejack?” Pinkie said, stopping mid bounce.

“Do you think you can come and get Applebloom in about an hour and send her to bed?”

“No problemo!” Pinkie chirped and continued bouncing up the stairs.

“I guess that’s taken care of,” she said with a yawn.

When Applejack finally made it up the stairs, to the third floor, she was greeted to a small set of corridors with candles lighting the way. The floors and walls were matted with a maroon colored rug. and had pictures of freshly baked pie stitched on the side. Pinkie continued on a straight path, just right of the staircase and made it to the edge of the corridor. There was a clear window right next to the door at which Pinkie stood. From the window, Applejack could see the moon in full view, unobstructed by weather or other celestial bodies.

“Here’s your room!” Pinkie said, knocking on the white, wooden door.

“Well, I guess no one's in here!” she said before opening the door.

“Pinkie, you live here. Shouldn’t you know if someone was sleeping in here?”

“Well, it’s still polite to knock! What if some poor starving filly wandered in and decided to sleep in here!”

“We’re on the third floor.” Applejack said flatly.

“Window,” she said, pointing to the window just beside the door.

Applejack gave a defeated sigh and followed her into the pitch black room. There was a sudden click as Pinkie Pie turned on the light switch and illuminated the room. The room was rather large, especially for a typical bedroom and consisted of a walk in closet, a small wooden desk, a large mirror on the side of the room, and a queen sized bed, equipped with soft lavender sheets. The walls matched the theme of the room, covered in a bright violet color.

“Wow,” Applejack said as her eyes adjusted to the light, “Are you guys made of money?”

“No silly! We’re made of water, carbon, oxygen, calcium, and all sorts of other sciency things, but not money!”

“You don’t say?” Applejack asked sarcastically. She turned around and extended a hoof. “Thanks again, Pinkie! It was a fun night, and it was great to finally meet your parents.”

Pinkie Pie looked at the hoof for a split second before enveloping Applejack in a tight hug. “Silly! We’re friends; we don’t need to shake hooves like a pair of business ponies! Besides, hugs are way better!”

Applejack felt a fierce blush on her face as she returned the hug very lightly. “Yeah,” she said with a small chuckle, “I guess that’s true.”

After a few more seconds, Pinkie Pie released her from the hug and began walking for the door.

“If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask,” Pinkie said before closing the door.

Applejack nodded and threw herself on the bed, letting herself sink into the covers. Before she could adjust to the comfortable bed, she heard a somber masculine voice, soon accompanied by a choir of elder male singers. It was the same melody as before. At this point, Applejack had stopped giving the song any attention. As long as it wasn’t accompanied by any painful mental images, it wasn't a big deal. Still, Applejack continued to think about it until she finally fell asleep. Why did it sound like they were crying?