"Ah remember now!" Applejack said as Sweetie Belle opened a secret door behind one of Celestia's posters that led to a big corridor. "There was that magical experiment in Canterlot, then suddenly weird varmints started poppin' all over the city, then all over Equestria!"

"Yes. A few years after you were gone, the Combine, or 'Our Benefactors', as Celestia likes to call them, appeared. Since that day, everything went wrong."

"Whaddya mean?"

"First, there was the Seven Hours War."

"There was a war?!"

"Well, everypony likes to call it a war to make it sound like we did something, but it was just a carnage. First the Combine appeared, then they erradicated everything and everypony that tried to stop them. In seven hours, we were finished. Celestia negotiated a surrender, even though we were already defeated."

"Then why is Celestia in charge now?"

"In charge? It's not the time for jokes, Applejack! She's just a puppet of the Combine, to keep appearances. After we were defeated, they practically enslaved us. We're forced to live in Cities, because 'it's safe since the Invaders can't get in, because the Combine protect us'. They also forbid us of having foals, can you believe it? Celestia says it's to control the overpopulation problem, but there's no overpopulation! They killed almost half of ponykind!"

"But ponies can always 'mate secretly'." Applejack chuckled.

"It's no use. There's a field around the city called Suppression Field that keeps certain protein chains important to the process of embryonic development from working properly. Summarizing, it keeps the stallions infertile."

"Why are they doin' that?"

"To kill what's left of us in a non-violent way. The Seven Hour War is over, but they still want our species dead. The 'fittest', though, are spared and given the opportunity, a.k.a. forced to join the Overwatch, their military force."

"Ya mean, the CPs?"

"The Civil Protection is just a branch of the Overwatch forces, designed to 'keep ponies in line'. If you screw things up pretty bad, then the Overwatch Soldiers step in. There is also the Overwatch Elite, designed to protect the Citadel, that damn big building out there. A there's also the Synths. Some say they used to be living creatures enslaved by the Combine that were turned into machines."

"Freaky! But why would they say that?"

"You will understand once you meet one of them."

"Ah still can't believe Ah was away when everythin' happened. Ah could've been of some use 'round here."

"Believe me, it was better for you to be away. Many ponies died in that war, but most of them were Earth Ponies since they couldn't fly away or magically protect themselves."

"Does... Does that mean Apple Bloom, Big Mac an' Granny Smith...?"

Sweetie Belle smiled. "I was wondering when would you ask about them. They managed to survive and are fine. We've been secretly helping ponies escape the City on hoof, and they are no exception. We are giving priority to Earth Ponies, since you're now practically an endangered species. We send them straight to my sister's lab through the old canals."

"Yer sister? Rarity?"

"Yes! She may be all prissy, but she can rival Twilight's IQ when she is really focused! She is one of the leaders of the Resistance, alongside Twilight, Luna and Lyra."

"So, Princess Luna is not on Princess Celestia's side?"

"Nope. And she doesn't like when we call her 'Princess'. According to herself, she is our equal. Anyway, today we're finally on the verge of having a better way to help ponies out."

"And that means...?"

"You will see." Sweetie Belle suddenly stopped in front of a soda vending machine. "Here, let me buy you a drink!"

Sweetie Belle inserted a bit into the machine and pressed a few buttons. Applejack rolled her eyes.

"Aren't we supposed to be on our way to Twi's lab?"

Sweetie Belle chuckled, then kicked the machine, making it open; the vending machine was actually the secret entrance of Twilight's laboratory.

"Owlowiscious?" Applejack heard a voice calling. "Where are you hiding now?"

"Twi!" Applejack said, running toward her old friend. The unicorn mare turned around and only had time to brace herself for Applejack's hug.

"It's so much better to see you in front of me than through a screen." Twulight said, hugging her back.

"What happened to Equestria, Twi? Everythin' is so... Crazy!"

"I know. Ever since the so called 'Our Benefectors' appeared, things only went south. But we still have hope. Did you found it?"

"Found what?"

"Borealis!"

"What's that?"

Twilight sighed. "You really forgot, didn't you?" she let go of her friend. "The Borealis is the whole reason we sent you to Aperture Science. It's filled with advanced technology that could really help us!"

"Still doesn't ring any bells."

"The ship!" she almost shouted. "Did you found the ship?"

Applejack blinked. She couldn't remember any ship in that facility, but she could remember four words:

"The ship was stolen."

"What? Why? How?"

"Ah dunno. Ah was at the docks, and there was that suspicious stallion. The docks were empty and the stallion told me the ship was stolen. Talkin' about him, Ah'd like to meet him again! He knocked me out cold and Ah don't even know how, but there will be retaliation!"

"Stolen, huh? Well, I'm glad I have a plan B in case we couldn't locate or use what's inside the Borealis."

"So, on our way here, I told her about the 'better way'. Let's show her!" Sweetie Belle said, bouncing in excitement.

"Alright, Sweetie Belle. In a minute! I'm just waiting for Rainbow Dash to arrive."

Something on the corner of Applejack's eyes caught her attention. She turned her head and noticed a few screens showing the images of cameras near the surroundings of the laboratory. Her eyes widened when she saw a familiar pony in one of them, looking at the camera. Almost as if he was looking directly at her.

"It's him!" Applejack turned around to see if her friends heard her. "It's him! The stallion from Aperture!"

Twilight and Sweetie Belle approached the screen.

"Who?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"It's--" Applejack turned around again and looked at the screen again; there was nopony there. "He... He was there, Ah swear!"

Another thing caught their attentions; the door opening again and Rainbow Dash walking in. She was still wearing the Civil Protection uniform, but without the mask.

"Is she here?" the pegasus mare asked. "Oh, there you are, Applejack. Couldn't you at least try to be a little sneaky? Half of the CP radio frequencies are talking about you."

"Sorry 'bout that, Rainbow."

"It's ok. What matters now is that you're safe and back with us."

"Since we're not in a dangerous place anymore, Ah want to ask a few questions."

"Go on!" Twilight said, magically pulling four chairs; they sat in a square formation.

"First, where are the others? Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie."

"Rarity is at New Ponyville; it's the name we gave the abandoned facility we reformed and are now using as one of the main bases of our operations." Sweetie Belle explained.

"We sent Fluttershy to New Appleloosa, since it's both a safe (let's agree that Fluttershy can do many things, but fight a war is not one of them) and strategically well located." Rainbow Dash said.

"Strategically well located?" Applejack asked, tilting her head. "Sorry if Ah'm askin' too many things or that sound too stupid, but Ah just arrived, Ah need to know."

"It's ok, AJ! Well, New Appleloosa is a small coastal city located not too far away from New Canterlot, which makes it a perfect for spying on what's going on there."

"What's New Canterlot and why there are so many 'News' 'round here?"

"New Canterlot used to be a prison to where Celestia sent us Rebels." Sweetie Belle said. "It's something much worse now. And about the 'News'... Well, not many cities were left after the Seven Hour War."

"What about Ponyville? Did it fell too?"

"No, Ponyville stood. For a while." Twilight said, looking down. "And that leads to what happened to Pinkie Pie."

"Is... Is she...?"

"We're not sure." Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Ponyville was bombarded with Headcrab Shells. We left in a hurry. Many didn't make it. When we checked the survivors, Pinkie was not among them."

Applejack took a deep breath to calm herself. Those were hard news, but compared to what they've been through, she had been in a summer trip. She had no right to cry!

"Any more questions?" Twilight asked. Applejack simply shook her head. "Good. Follow me!"

Twilight walked toward a gate, but it was soon stopped by Rainbow Dash.

"Wait a second, Egghead. I guess we should give her the Suit BEFORE sending her to Rarity's!"

"Oh, I almost forgot! Silly me. I'll give you the honor!"

Rainbow Dash saluted her and flew toward a metal door, followed by Applejack.

"You're gonna love this, AJ!"

But as soon as she opened the door, a big spider-like creature jumped on her face. She screamed!

"Rainbow Dash is bein' attacked!" Applejack shouted.

Rainbow Dash grabbed the creature with her forelegs and threw it on the ground. Applejack stood on her hind legs, about to stomp on the vile creature, but Twilight froze her with her magic.

"NO!" the unicorn said. "Don't hurt Owlowiscious!"

"Owlowiscious? My mind may be a little confused, but Ah remember Owlowiscious bein' an owl not a... What's that, anyway?"

"That's a Headcrab." explained Sweetie Belle while petting Owlowiscious. "One of the creatures that invaded our planet. But don't be deceived, Owlowiscious is one of his kind; Twilight trained him and removed his parts used for biting pony heads and controlling their bodies."

"The worst he can do is try to... Couple with your head." said Twilight. "Fruitlessly!"

Owlowiscious jumped on top of Twilight's head, snuggling. She giggled.

"Still gives me the shivers." Rainbow Dash said as she returned to the small room and turned the lights on. In the middle of the room was standing an orange and black suit that looked more like an armor. Applejack wasted no time and wore it. A little tricky, since she had to dismount the parts and wear them individually, but soon she was done.

"Ah feel... Different, but still the same. Does that make sense? What's that, anyway?"

"This, Applejack, is the Hazardous Evirontment Suit, or HEV Suit." explained Twilight. "It's like a second skin, it will protect you from a certain amount of damage and it comes with a Geiger counter! It has a lantern located on the chest panel and--"

"Hurry up, Egghead!" interrupted Rainbow Dash. "I can hear the sirens!"

"Oh, yes, right. Follow me, Applejack!"

They walked toward the gate again. Twilight inserted her horn in a hole on the panel next to it and the gate opened.

"Are you sure this is gonna work this time?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Because that image of Opal is still fresh in my mind."

"What? Opal?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Oh, forget about that, Sweetie Belle." Twilight said, pushing her toward the big machine in the center of the room. Sweetie Belle entered it, but still with a raised eyebrow. Twilight closed the door.

"But seriously, what happened with Opal in this machine?" her muffled voice asked from within the machine.

"What in tarnation is that?" Applejack asked.

"This is a Megaport Chamber." the unicorn explained. "It multiplies the power of a teleport spell in hundreds of times. I could send Sweetie Belle to the other side of the world without breaking a sweat."

"But for now, let's just stick to sending me to my sister's lab."

"Yes, right."

Twilight pressed a button on a panel and a screen lit up, revealing Rarity's face. Her face was missing all the usual makeup, but she was still as pretty as always.

"Rarity?" Twilight called. Rarity finally noticed the other unicorn and smiled.

"Oh, darling!" the white unicorn said. "It's good to see you! Loved the new hat!"

Twilight chuckled and levitated Owlowiscious, placing him on the floor. "You know who else is good to see?"

Twilight stepped out of the way, revealing the orange coated Earth Pony with a blond mane. She waved her hoof.

"Howdy, Rarity!"

"Applejack!" Rarity nearly screamed. "Oh my stars, I can't believe it's really you. We all thought you were dead! Well, except for the Apples, they always had the feeling that--"

"Yes, let's leave the reunion for later, Rare!" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "But we're kind of running out of time here. And I need to get back to my shift as soon as I can!"

"Rainbow Dash is right. I'll send your sister first and Applejack right after her!"

"Gotcha! Our end of the Megaport Chamber is running and ready to go!"

"Rarity, when I get here, I want you to explain everything about Opal and this machine." Sweetie shouted. The white unicorn mare gave her a crooked smile.

"Get ready, Sweetie Belle." Twilight announced before inserting her horn in a hole on the machine. In just a few seconds, Sweetie Belle was gone in a flash of purple light.

"Did it worked?" she asked, removing her horn from the machine.

"See for yourself, darling!"

Rarity took a few steps away, giving room for Sweetie Belle to appear, smile and wave her hoof.

"Hi, Twi! Hi, RD! Hi, AJ!"

"Whoa, what a relief!" Twilight said.

"Congrats, Egghead!" praised Rainbow. "You managed to send her in one piece."

"And Applejack is next."

The former-farmmare opened the door and entered the machine. Rainbow Dash saluted her.

"If you get there in one piece too, you don't need to worry about that cider anymore."

"Uh... Twi?" Applejack called. "Ah'm not sure if Ah want to go anymore. Rainbow wouldn't pass a chance of free cider like that!"

"Just ignore her and you'll be fine!" Twilight inserted her horn in the machine, but just when she started to charge it with magic Owlowiscious jumped on her head, breaking her concentration. After a show of lights, Applejack opened her eyes and found herself staring at none other than Princess Celestia herself. She was sitting at a table, reading documents. She then noticed the intruder in her office.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked. "WHo are you and how did you get in--" she gasped. "Apple--"

Before the ditactor could finish her sentence, the scenario around her changed again: now she was facing Rarity, Sweetie Belle and Princess Luna.

"What's happening, Luna?" Rarity asked.

"I'm not sure." the former ruler said, turning her attention to the screens next to her. "It seems to be some kind of interference."

Another change of scenario; she was now staring back at Twilight and Dash, but this time from another angle. Twilight was lying on the floor, panting, and Rainbow Dash was holding her head with her forelegs. Owlowiscious slowly approached them.

"GET AWAY!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "You caused enough trouble already."

"Where... Where is Applejack?" Twilight asked, her voice sounding really weak.

"Behind you." Rarity said, looking at Applejack from the screen.

Rainbow Dash turned her head toward the window Applejack was stading behind. She quickly turned off the main switch of the Megaport Chamber, making the purple glow around . "How did you got-- Nevermind! Follow down the path, I'll meet you at the gate."

Applejack nodded and climbed down some stairs and followed the dirt path that led to a broken and boarded small gate. She heard the sound of a door being opened and looked around; Rainbow Dash was standing on the other side of a fence.

"There you are, you gave us such as scare. Get out of City 17 as fast as you can, the Citadel is at full alert. Go through the sewers, it's a pretty straight path from here to Rare's. It's pretty dangerous, but it's our only plan B! I'd come with you, but Twilight's condition is pretty serious and she needs me right now." Applejack nodded and walked toward the boarded gate. "Oh! Wait, wait, wait. Before I forget!" Rainbow Dash quickly flew inside the bulding and came back with a small cardboard box. "You dropped this back in Ponyville!" she threw the box over the fence and Applejack grabbed it.

Applejack opened the box and smiled; her old Stetson was in there. And in good conditions too! She placed it on her head. "Thanks, RD!"

"You're welcome. Be careful and good luck; you'll need it!" Next Chapter: Part 1: Chapter 03 Estimated time remaining: 40 Minutes