Not What They Seem
"Are you all sure about this? They're just three fillies." Princess Twilight asked. She was sitting on the throne formally belonging to her old mentor Princess Celestia. She was already as big as Luna had been at her age and had grown into her wings and larger horn. Her mane seemed to be undergoing a kind of transformation and she was wearing golden horseshoes and a crown baring her own cutie mark.
Magnificent as she was, years of stress and lack of sleep were evident in her weary eyes. Princess Twilight Sparkle had been Equestria's sole ruler for ten years since the assassination of Celestia and Luna and subsequent start of the war.
"Yes." Applejack said firmly. Neither she nor the other two with her bowed before the Princess, for Twilight herself did not wish it. The four of them, as well as their other friends, were all equals in her eyes, so there was no need for formalities. "Anything to protect Blossom. It might not be perfect, but Equestria was so much safer back then."
"Agreed." Rarity said looking unusually serious. "My little Melody is very smart for her age. She'll be of great help."
"I am, too." said Rainbow Dash, looking determined. "Firefly needs to get away from here. They'll appreciate the skills she does have there."
"And they all realize that if they succeed in this mission, they might be erased from existence? Are you all prepared for that?" Twilight asked.
"They are. All three of 'em." Applejack said. Rarity let her tears fall silently, and Rainbow tried to keep from tearing up, but eventually caved and choked up. Applejack herself tries to blink her tears away, to no avail. Ether way, none of them would ever see their little girls again. "And...So are we."
Twilight sighed and looked at her guard. "Bring them all in."
The massive doors to the throne room opened in an aura of blue magic to reveal seven other ponies. Two of them Twilight recognized easily as Fancy Pants and Soarin, though it was clear the last ten years of war had taken it's toll on both of them. Fancy Pants was no longer the dignified stallion he once was; no suit, no manacle, no expertly styled mane. He still held an air of finest, but the ten years had clearly been stressful to him.
Soarin, once a young, wild stallion, seemed much older these days. His body was covered with scars and his eyes had the look of someone who had little left, seen far too much. Most tellingly, though, both stallions held themselves with a slight fatigue, as though they had been doing something difficult for years, stopped caring about it and just wanted it to be over. Even then, both still had something of a spring in their steps for the ponies beside them.
Beside them were five fouls. The two oldest were a pare of pegasus colts, the taller one cyan with green eyes and a lush rainbow mane and tail. The shorter colt was off-white with amber eyes and a sleek black mane and tail. The remaining three were all young fillies.
One, standing next to Fancy Pants was a small white unicorn filly with pale green eyes and a curly purple and pink mane and tail. Beside her was a pale yellowish earth filly with bright orange eyes, a red main and tail and a big red bow in her hair. The last, between the two colts, was an orange filly with a scruffy looking purple mane and tail and eyes the same purple.
"Apple Blossom, Melody, Firefly?" Twilight summoned. After a moments' hesitation, the three fillies walked timidly up to the princess. Their mothers might have been close personal friends with her, but that didn't mean they had ever even seen her before. "Your mothers tell me that you're all willing to do this."
"Y-yes." Apple Blossom didn't look up. "We'll do anything to help prevent this war. Even if it costs us our lives." Melody and Firefly nodded in agreement. They looked fearful, but willing.
Twilight nodded back and began to walk to the doorway. "Okay. I'll get working on the memory spell. It'll alter the minds of everyone in the past to make them believe you three didn't just come out of nowhere. In the meantime, I suggest you all say your goodbyes." And with that she was gone. The fillies looked at their families before running to them.
Apple Blossom cried into Applejack's embrace. Applejack had been the first to make the choice, figuring that the possibility of never seeing each other again but knowing that Apple Blossom was safe was better than having her here in this dangerous war. They were all each other had left because Granny Smith's age had caught up to her long before the war had begun and Big Mac had perished in one of the first battles.
A distant kin of hers, Caramel, had comforted her very sweetly. At first Applejack was unbalanced that she was having romantic feelings for her own kin, no matter how distant the relationship was, but she eventually got used to the idea and they married. Caramel was one of the next to go, and before Applejack had a chance to tell him what should have been wonderful news. Months later, Applejack delivered her twins. The colt was stillborn and the filly was barely hanging on.
But she did, and she grew into a healthy little thing. Applejack allowed a final tear to escape her eyes. "Goodbye, sugercube." was all she could say.
Melody sniffled into her parents' chests. Rarity and Fancy Pants had been reluctant to admit their attraction for a long time because of the age gap between them, but it had not stood in the way of their love.
Melody was their only foal and so was the light of their lives. They both had high hopes for her as any parent would and what higher hopes could there be than changing history for the better? "We love you so much." Rarity cooed as tears rolled down her cheeks and the pair smothered their daughter with kisses.
Firefly was surrounded by the pegasi and was crying freely. Her parents, Rainbow Dash and Saorin, had fallen in love while they were both in the Wonderbolts. The team was no more because of the war, but there were rumors that others had survived this long. She was the couple's third foal and only filly and something was wrong with her wings.
Her parents and brothers were all such amazing fliers but for the life of her, she couldn't do more than hover. They all insisted that they were proud of her all the same and her brothers acted like body guards, doing their best to keep bullies away. The trouble was that they couldn't keep defending her forever and Rainbow decided that if Firefly was ever going to learn to stick up for herself she'd need to build up her confidence, which she just couldn't do as long as she was here. "We'll always be proud of you, Firefly. We love you." Rainbow Dash fought to hold back the tears.
In a few minutes, Twilight returned looking somewhat concerned. "The memory spell was cast, but it might have hit a bit of a snag."
"A snag?" Rarity asked. Twilight nodded.
"It looks like it'll work in the long run, but one of the three of you will need to come up with another story." she said. The original ruse was that Apple Blossom, Melody and Firefly would take on the roles of their mothers' younger sisters under false names. None of the mares had ever truly had sisters and they wondered what it would be like for their younger selves. "Are you ready?"
The fillies nodded and huddled together. Twilight closed her eyes and a bright light flashed from her horn. When any of them were able to see anything, the three were gone, allowing the mares finally cry freely.
"What if," Rarity sniffled, cuddling into Fancy Pants' chest. "they can't do it? What of something happens?"
"Rarity," Twilight said, looking forlorn at her old friends. "Applejack, Rainbow Dash. You're all incredible ponies. If your daughters are anything like you three, I know they can do it."
"Apple Bloom!" Apple Blossom's head ached when she woke up. She was laying on a hey-bale in a strange place. The sky was bluer than she'd ever seen it before and the grass was a bright green, so unlike home. And there were trees with apples – real apples. Apple Blossom had never seen real apples before, only her mother's cutie mark.
Apple Blossom jumped with a start and found herself looking at none other than Applejack. She looked far different from the war-worn, tiered but loving mare that was her mother but there was no mistaking that look; the look Apple Blossom always got when she was in trouble. "Quite sleepin' on the job, girl. There's chores to do!" Apple Blossom shook her head and got up to follow her...sister.
"Sorry...Applejack." Apple Blossom said, her heart cracking a bit. She wondered how Melody and Firefly were doing now.
"Sweetie Belle..." Melody opened her eyes. She was in a bed, in a room she didn't recognize. And why did she feel so drained? Her eyes rested on a very familiar pair of blue eyes filled with the same concern they gave her in the past whenever she'd been sick or hurt. Her mother looked a fair bit younger and very beautiful, as her father had told her many times. Her coat had a glamorous sheen that Melody had never seen before and her eyes were free of the horror and grief that had always been there before. "Oh, thank Celestia! You've been running a very high fever, Sweetie. Are you alright?"
"I'm okay...Rarity." Melody said uncertainly. She took a sip from the glass of cool apple juice Rarity was levitating for her.
"Scootaloo!" Firefly woke up with a start. A strange dark blue unicorn colt with a rocket cutie mark was in her face. She was in a room that certainly wasn't her own. "Since when do you sleep this late? Medley just said that Rainbow Dash was flying this way!"
Her heart pounding, Firefly raced outside, stopping to look in the kitchen where two adult ponies, a stallion and a mare, where talking. When they caught sight of her they smiled and waved before going back to their conversation.
Barging outside, Firefly saw a small town she didn't recognize, The ground was smooth and clean, there were small houses here and there, surrounded by trees. It was all so different then what she was used to.
As they looked up at the clear sky, the colt, apparently named Rocket, said something that made Scootaloo freeze up; "How lucky are we to have been adopted by such nice ponies? The only thing that would make it better is if Rainbow Dash could be our sister."
So, it was her that the memory spell didn't work on, at least not the way it was supposed to. Firefly began to tear up. It just wasn't fair! She should have been with Rainbow Dash!
Her tears dried, though, seeing a familiar rainbow trail across the sky. High up, while she looked much younger and wilder, Firefly knew it was her mother. Her heart ached and lifted at the same time. There was no time to dwell, she needed to find Apple Blossom and Melody.
And the three of them needed to save the future.