Soon before long, it was already morning. Despite that, the sun was never sighted, ever since the day Celestia was dethrown from her place as the ruler of Equestria. It has being that way ever since she was imprisoned in her own stone prison, by Discord as to return the "favour" .
Applejack softly closes the door behind her with care, so that she won't wake Twilight. The sky is as glommy as ever, since the sun has never actually risen. Grey clouds shadows the land, and sky simply dull. Applejack procede towards the main door of the barn, where the tireless dragon lay waiting.
" Morning Spike..." Applejack greets Spike as he moves his body away from the door.
" How's Twilight doing? " He ask.
" She's doing fine, at least for now. I'm kinda worried she might lose her mind and all, after telling her what happen when she disppeared." Applejack procede towards a stack of old hay at the corner. A gentle push, she reveals a brute looking machine.
" How long has it been, since you worked on that so-called suit of yours? Machines...I never liked them..." Spike is clearly upset, but it didn't matter to Applejack. She procede to pull the machine out, towards a place where there are some lights passing through the cracks and holes of the roof. As it moves into the light, it reveals a suit-like machine, gears and clogs glimers, while a large word in red present itself humbly. "Big Mac"
" Well, it's not like I had a choice. I once thought all this tecnology was all bullshit and crap, but now it's been the only thing I can put my faith into. The pride of the Apple family..." Applejack eyes were a little teary. She remembers this suit that she and Big Mac and Applebloom used to help her built. This power-suit acts like an external body, but much stronger, much more agile, and defiantly more resilent, as it can carry 10 times more weight than an average pony could, and it's so strong it can take a manticore head-on. Despite the sudden influx of this kind of technologies, few could graps the full potential of it. Applejack however, could do much more.
The Apple business still strives, but Applejack found a new ambition. She started making prototype after prototypes of the power-suit. Her endless search for new parts and gears became a habit, new tech became like a drug to her, fueling her need to make better power-suits.
"After the death of my brother, this suit was the only thing left to remember him by. I just hope somewhere out there, Applebloom is fine." Applejack clenches a odd looking tool betweeb her teeth, trying to thighten every lose nuts and bolts she could find.
" You know...clinging to something you name after lost ones isn't very...healty..." Spike being honest about his opinion. Applejack climb into the suit, her body slumbs into the small cockpit while the hatch closes. As the power-suit powers up, sounds of electronic beeps loudly, the limbs of the bulky suit clanks and clings as Applejack manuvoure the suit to her every movement.
" The night my farm was ambushed, I heard Big Mac was trapped in the barn while it caught fire. To save him I foolishly charge into the barn, and got myself trapped. The last thing I saw was Big Mac in the power-suit holding me in his mechanical arm, as he shield me when the barn finnaly collapsed. When I woke up, all I ever knew was up in flames. Big Mac survived the fire, but he was too badly injured. He died later in the hospital. When I could finnaly leave the hospital, the nurses passed me the last remaining item Big Mac had with him. The ash-striken power-suit he wore to save me. "Applejack power down the suit as she got out of it.
" I-i'm sorry to hear that. " Spike apologies.
Applejack stood silent. Her eyes gaze upon the power-suit that had saved her life. A single drop of tear fell from her eyes, as she recall her big brother that used to pilot the suit. He never really talk much, but even those few words means a world to her and her family.
" Now that Twilight has return...what are we going to do now? " Applejack's question seems to worry Spike a little.
" Only what's left to do.....surviving." Spike reply with a concern tone.
"I'll go get Twilight when she's ready....."
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Twilight join Spike and Applejack in the barn for some discussion. She doesn't appear very well, but she's pulling through. Spike procede to the center of the barn, drawing a brief map on the dirt ground. A few circles here and there indicates some familiar location, including Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville.
" Best of hope now is trying to fix the thing that should be done a long time ago..." Spike continue to draw some marking on the ground.
" The element of Harmony? " Applejack reply
" Yes. And I think I know where to start looking 1st..." Spike drew three smaller circles on the floor, briefly indicating their location and other possible place. " Princess Celestia told me that all of you are kept hidden away in a special location. At first I didn't know what she ment by "Special", but when you were released from the time spell, I guess it relates to the cutiemark. "
" And mine was the Sweet Apple Acres. So that means....."
" Yes...over the hills from where we are now is the rock farm, where I presume that's Pinkie must be somewhere in there..." Spike drags the dirt on the ground, an arrow points towards a batch of circles.
" But isn't that place..." Applejack interupt.
" Yes, that's where also lies the underground refuge, Orion.The underground town that only refugess know, the last safe heaven....for now. And that's where I hope we could find Pinkie, if she's still alive."
" But how are we gonna find her? " Twilight question also puzzle Applejack. Spike reachd out toward a small pouch at his side. Carefully he pulls out something all too familar. The element of magic, the head gear only one can use. He place it carefully on Twilight's head, which immediatly shines. A faint beam of light appears, the light directly points towards Applejack.
" There's only one way to find the others. If we so happens to came across anyone of the elements, it will immediatly shots out a beam of light. And with the elements being found, we too also find, our friends."
" So starts the journey then...."
"Even the long way back home starts, with a single step Twilight. Tomoro, we head for Orion, and hopefully we find Pinkie before somebody does..."