Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G3LjkH8woZX-p6zWgerlAPZYPrZN81gD4rR5zU8HGAU/edit?usp=sharing

If there was one thing the Crystal Empire had more of than ever before, it was migrants. Half the world knew by now that the rebellion was becoming a real force to be reckoned with and could count some major success on their side. More than enough reason for thousands to flee from the demons and cultists invading their homes and seek shelter in this remote fortress near the icy mountains. With Applejack being the only one of the leadership circle present, she had to make a lot of decisions. Eventually, she became fed up with this and decided on her own to reorganize the structure of the rebellion. She did not want to be troubled with unimportant mundane tasks the rebels very well could solve themselves. The individual beings from all sorts of species had already grown close due to their common goals, letting the rebellion now start to almost run itself completely. Applejack was sure that this was a big step forward and could not wait for Twilight to see the results of her work.

At last, the orange mare could focus on what made her happy again. She could finally dedicate herself to the crystal berry plantation again. Manual labor was just so much more satisfying to her than going through documents and audiences, like she was some sort of princess. That just wasn’t her world and she was way too humble to ever wanting to be seen as any form of leader. Being a farmer was all she ever wanted. Well, that and being a mother some day. But this just wasn’t the right time for that. Raising children during times of war, having them witness the cruelty of the cult and demon, as well as the corruption of their king… No. Applejack wanted to avoid all this. Sure she would love to start a family as soon as possible and make sure that the Apple family lives on, but she figured she would just have to wait a bit longer. After all she had gone through together with her friends, she was certain that the war was just about to be over anyway.

Outside of the empire’s magic, it was getting cold again. Soon, snow would start to fall, giving the empire its unique and strange look of being the only clear spot in an ocean of white. It was just so weird to stare up into the sky and see the snowflakes deliberately avoid falling down on the ponies. Instead, they were sliding down an invisible dome that was so smooth, not a single flake could settle on top. At times, Applejack wondered where this snow even came from. There were no weather pegasi around the empire, yet the seasons still changed. She once heard the donkey scientists working on the elements and Crystal Heart talk about this before, saying it had something to do with the magic from the mountains. Or was it a lack of magic, colliding with the overflow of the empire? Whichever it was, Applejack did not get all those magical terms. Maybe she should ask Twilight for a better explanation at some point.

“Ever thought about taking some time off?” Spring Sapling asked suddenly, tearing the orange mare out of her train of thought.

“Oh, uh. Nah, not really. And honestly, after havin’ to do all that leadin’ business, bein’ back to the farm is pretty much vacation to me,” Applejack replied.

“As much as I love having you around, you have to take a breather every now and then. There are so many newcomers to the empire these days, I can easily find someone to jump in while you are away,” the plantation owner suggested.

“That kinda sounds like ya want to replace me,” Applejack analyzed with a sly smirk.

“Haha. Don’t worry. You are irreplaceable to me. I have never met anypony as dedicated as you. In fact, I am the one who actually needs to be careful about my position. If you keep going at this pace, you will be taking over my whole plantation!” Sapling said jokingly.

“So that’s why ya want me to take some time off, ya old fox,” the orange mare spoke, half laughing.

“Exactly! Haha! No, in all honest now. I think you should only stay for half the time today and spend the rest with Babs,” the plantation owner suggested in an almost ordering tone.

“Well, as ya wish, sir!” Applejack agreed, saluting to him. “Ah’ll finish up here and be on mah way home then.”

“That’s my girl! Gosh, I wished I had you working for me sooner,” Sapling spoke, then turned around and went away.

Applejack chuckled a little. Spring Sapling was quite a nice guy. Not as cute as Caramel, but still a nice guy. Where was Caramel anyway? Applejack hadn’t seen him all day. Maybe she should check on him, now that she could leave early anyway. The orange mare finished up her chores, clocked herself out and left, aiming for the south of the empire.

It was another busy day for the other members of the rebellion. Little griffons and diamond dogs were playing on the streets, some minotaurs were using oversized hammers to flatten the ground in order to build a new house, a saddle arabian merchant was pulling his cart down the main road, selling goods from his homeland, clones were teaming up to help wherever they could. Even a few zebras could be found, talking to some crystal ponies and looking around in awe. Never before in its entire history had this place been so crowded. It even surpassed Manehattan at this point. But not all rebels were in a good mood. Several could be seen with worried expressions on their faces and small groups were talking about the Red Day. Most rebels so far only had been partaking in some basic combat training. Even the cultists knew to avoid the empire. They stood no chance against so many rebels as there had been clustering up now. But it became clearer with every day passing that war was just around the corner, even here in the headquarter of the rebellion. Soon, they would start to prepare for the battle. More and more jobs in security, weapon production and armor crafting were opening up. Due to the blooming interspecial friendships and romances, the rebels could keep each other calm very well. But the mood was bond to change sooner or later. Not even a full year was left before the demons would come.

Applejack finally arrived at Caramel’s house, a small apartment building with only three floors. The orange mare entered and aimed straight to the first door she found, knocking at it. Several seconds passed without anything happening, so Applejack knocked again.

“Caramel? Are ya home?” she spoke loudly.

This time, she could hear something move on the other side, though it still took a while before the door finally opened.

“Hi, AJ…” Caramel spoke with a really sad tone, leaving his head and ears hanging.

“What’s wrong, Sugarcube? Why didn’t ya show up at work today?” Applejack wondered.

“Little point in going back to the plantation when I don’t work there anymore…” the light brown stallion spoke with a sigh.

“Huh?! Don’t tell me…” the orange mare spoke in worry.

“Yep… I lost something again… twice over, actually. First Sapling’s keys, then my job…” Caramel replied, getting even more depressed.

Applejack came a step closer, hugging the stallion. She felt really bad for him. He really didn’t deserve constantly being so unfortunate.

“Well, I guess this means goodbye,” Caramel started again.

“Come on now. Just because ya lost yer job doesn’t mean ya have to leave the empire,” the orange mare replied, petting his neck.

“Actually, that’s exactly what it means. You, of all ponies, should know this,” Caramel commented.

“What do you mean?” Applejack wanted to know, letting go of him.

“Well, soon after Spring Sapling fired me, a bunch of guards showed up at my door. They said that the resources of the empire are being stretched extremely thin now and that we have big problems providing for everyone. Apparently there is no room for ponies that don’t actively support the rebellion. If I don’t get a new job within a week, which is pretty much impossible with all the competition for jobs going on, I would have to leave,” the light brown stallion explained.

Applejack eyes and mouth went wide open. She was shocked to hear this. Is that what the rebels understood by ‘handling things themselves’? It seemed like she definitely would have to fix this attitude, but that would take a while. Maybe too long for Caramel.

“What?! Ah can’t believe it! Ah never agreed to somethin’ like that! Hang on, Sugarcube. I’ll talk to Saplin’ about this. He just has to take ya back in!” the orange mare stated.

“Don’t bother. He said I should never dare to show my face at the plantation ever again. Even you can’t do anything about it,” the stallion spoke, sighing again.

“Well, then I’ll just have to work even harder to make up for ya!” Applejack suggested.

“You already did that the whole time, AJ. Quite honestly, I was never really good at plantation work. It’s no use… My bad luck has struck again. I will just have to find some other place to go to and hope the cultists don’t catch me on the way…” Caramel spoke.

“Ah can not believe this! What are they thinkin’?!” Applejack shouted in anger.

“It’s okay… I have been wandering around for so long now, looking for a job to keep. I kind of expected this to happen eventually as soon as I got into my first fight with Sapling. I will be fine, I guess. In any case, thank you for everything, AJ. I really enjoyed the time we could spend together and I appreciate that you helped me overcome Sassa’s death. Maybe, when this madness is finally over, we will meet each other again,” the light brown stallion stated with a fake smile.

“Sugarcube… at least try to find a job!” Applejack requested in an almost desperate tone.

“Well, for you, I will try my best. But I can’t make any promises. Now, if you excuse me, I need to be alone for a while…” Caramel spoke.

With a frown on her face, Applejack hugged her friend a second time before turning back around. As the door closed behind her, her own ears were hanging in worry. This was certainly not what she wanted when she gave the rebels more freedom to arrange things themselves. Moments after returning outside of the building, she started running towards the Crystal Palace.

---

The sun wasn’t even full up yet when Caramel woke up from a very restless night. He looked drained and very depressed. Gradually, he climbed out of his bed and walked over to the calendar on his wall. Using a pen, he crossed out the last day of his deadline. He didn’t make it. A week had passed and even though he turned half of the empire upside down, he couldn’t find a job, just as he predicted. His gaze wandered over to the clock in his kitchen. He still had five hours before the guards would come. Although expecting it, he still hoped to avoid having to leave the empire’s protection. Due to this, he did not pack his things together, yet. It was high time now he got to that. After having a very small breakfast due to a lack of appetite, he began to collect all that belonged to him and put it into the only saddlebag he owned. Caramel toyed with the idea to just run over to Applejack’s and Babs’ place, wake them up and spend some final moments with them. But he figured he would only make them angry. After all, who is he to claim to be so important as to rob some hard working and successful ponies of their badly needed sleep?

Unfortunately, time passed much faster than he wished for. Two hours vanished by the time he finally completed gathering his things. But that also was not much to his surprise. He had lost his toothbrush and needed to look for it first. Then he discovered he had lost a scarf, then another thing and so on. Losing, losing, losing. That was all Caramel could do. Now, he was even going to lose Applejack.

For the rest of the time, the light brown stallion just sat in place and stared to the floor, sunken in thought. He had surrendered to his situation completely and just waited for the guards. After all, he was good for nothing, so he probably should just do nothing.

Three knocks were heard on his door. Caramel let out a sigh, got up, walked over and opened it. Two guards in crystal armor were waiting on the other side.

“Are you ready, Mr. Caramel?” one of them asked.

“One moment,” the unfortunate stallion requested, then turned around and picked up his saddlebag.

Obviously, AJ couldn’t change things. The guards stepped aside and let him out. Caramel had to hand over the key immediately, letting one of the guards lock the door. Then they began walking down the streets. One last time, Caramel’s gaze wandered around, absorbing this wonderful sight. So many creatures living together and getting along. So many cultures colliding and exchanging. A smile grew on his face. He really liked being here and hoped he could return one day.

“Wait!” a voice called from behind.

The guards and Caramel turned around. An orange mare was running towards them.

“Is that one of her clones?” the left guard wondered.

“Hm…” the other spoke, lifting a front hoof and placing it over his forehead to cast a shadow so he could see better. “No, that’s the real one!”

Instantly, the guards straightened themselves and saluted. As Applejack arrived in front of them, she was breathless. A satchel was hanging from her neck. After taking a short breather, she gained a furious expression.

“What in tarnation do ya think ya’ll doin’ here?!” she shouted.

“Look, Miss Applejack. We have been trying to explain this to you before. The empire is already overcrowded and we already can’t keep up with the ever increasing number of migrants. As much as we would love to provide a safe place for everypony, we just can’t. At least at the moment, it is not manageable to just let them stay here if they don’t do anything,” one of the guards spoke.

“We are aware of his situation and that this might seem pretty unfair. We also know that this sends a bad message. But what can we do? Even we have our limits!” the other one added.

“Well hold your horseshoes for just one second there,” Applejack ordered, then opened up her satchel and pulled out a piece of paper. “There. An employment document for Caramel. Ah managed to get him a place as armorsmith just five minutes ago.”

Caramel’s eyes went wide open. He couldn’t believe it! She actually got him a place just by recommendation! This was such a close call, too! She must have been working to get one for him all week! The guards picked up the piece of paper, read it through and then gave it to Caramel along with his key.

“Suppose these are yours. Don’t know what this will look like to the outside, though, if we start keeping extra migrants through personal favors from the leadership circle,” the guard commented.

“Ah don’t give a darn about what it looks like to the outside!” Applejack began to shout in fury. “Yes, this is personal! Ah don’t want him to go and Ah don’t give a flying feather if this causes trouble! Ya can’t just kick people out of the empire as you see fit! We are preparin’ for a war, dagnabbit! We need every helpin’ hoof, claw or whatever we can get, even if it means that we’ll have less to eat for a few nights!”

“If I may make a recommendation…?” the other guard spoke, lifting his front leg. “The donkeys seem to be pretty good at this kind of organisation. Maybe they can give a few pointers on how to arrange the empire’s situation.”

“That’s more of the way Ah’d wanted ya guys to start thinkin’. Now stop pickin’ on those who can’t defend themselves and actually do somethin’ useful like trainin’ soldiers!” Applejack ordered.

The guards saluted again, then quickly walked away. Applejack kept on focusing them with an angry and distrusting glance for a while longer before she eventually let out a relieved sigh, turned back around and smiled at Caramel.

“Boy am Ah glad Ah got ya in time,” she commented.

Caramel’s eyes were still wide open. He stared at the document, reading it over and over, unbelieving this was real. Nopony had ever gone through so much trouble for him.

“Are you okay, Sugarcube?” Applejack wondered in worry.

The stallion’s focus returned to the orange mare. He kept on staring in disbelief for a moment longer, before eventually breaking out in tears and hugging her.

“Thank you, AJ! Thank you so much!” he spoke, tightly holding the mare. “I was so scared! I was convinced that I wouldn’t survive for even a day outside of the empire!”

The orange mare did not respond. She just embraced Caramel back and tried her best to comfort him. Secretly, she was shedding a tear herself. He was probably right. Equestria had become extremely dangerous these days. He just needed to be unfortunate enough to come across a cultist and he would have been done for. But now, he was safe. All he needed to do now was to prove that he really was as skilled in fitting horse shoes as he claimed to be.

---

She was up on her legs for hours now. She, her friends, her enemies, her teachers… The whole kindergarden had to join this endless line. Demons to the left. Demons to the right. There was no way to escape. They all just stood there, sobbing quietly in fear.

The air was red as always. The filly couldn’t remember when she had last seen a proper sun or moon. Everything looked the same with this red, dark aura in the air. The demons stared at them with their glowing red eyes, grinned at them with their sharp teeth. They were being observed, watched, kept in place. Every now and then, the line moved forward into the distance. A few steps, then waiting again. Another few steps, then waiting again. Her legs were starting to hurt from all the standing. She wanted to sit down, but the demons would not let her. The line had to keep on moving.

The kindergarden teachers were mumbling something. Probably to comfort them and calm them down. But she couldn’t hear it. She was too far away from them. She was so scared.

A mountain could be seen in the distance. A mountain where there was none before. The endless queue lead up straight to it. There was no escape. No way out. Her legs hurt and she was scared. The children were crying and the kindergarden teachers whimpering. Demons were smiling and staring. A step forward. Another step. They were coming closer and closer.

A scream! She heard screams in the distance. Her legs were shaking. Another scream! She wanted to run, but she couldn’t. They were getting closer and closer. The screams were getting louder!

A purple demon with black mane and a red stripe was nearby. She was watching, walking up and down, making notes on a hovering scroll with a hovering quil. She was scary. Her front legs were mouths, her back legs had bandages and blades, her chest had a bleeding heart-shaped hole. Her horn was weirdly shaped, edgy and sharp. She was so scary and she looked right at her! The filly cowered. The filly looked away. Was she still there? No. The demoness had moved on.

The mountain was close now. Water was running down from it and the screams were very clear now. Countless at once, wave after wave. Never the same voice twice. Something was moving in the mountain, digging through it like a mole. Something small and bright green popped out of it. It was another filly! Did she escape?

No. It wasn’t a filly. It had red eyes and her mane and tail were like green clouds. It was another demon. But she was chewing. Was she eating the dirt? She disappeared again…

The filly heard something new. When the ponies screamed, they all stopped very suddenly at the same time and another sound could be heard. She didn’t know what it was. The queue moved forward again. She stepped in a puddle. The water was sticking to her hoof. It would not go off!

“Those were over a million by now, but we still have plenty more.”

The purple demoness was back! The filly cowered and tried to hide between her friends. She wasn’t looking at her, but talking to the mountain.

“Good.”

The mountain talks! Ponies screamed again, then suddenly stopped again.

“What is their latest status?”

“The group arrived at the Flaming Islands. The empire is overflowing with rebels and they are preparing for war.”

“The elements and the Crystal Heart?”

“No progress.”

Ponies screamed again, then became silent. The filly was shaking. The little green demoness popped out of the mountain again, chewing and swallowing. She looked confused. The filly was watching her as she flapped her little wings, flew over the queue and landed next to the purple demoness.

“Despy?”

“What is it?”

“I have been eating non-stop for the past two days. I ate so much and still, I feel hungry. How much does a demon need to eat to be satisfied?”

Suddenly, the purple demoness looked sad. She was looking at the ground and not smiling anymore.

“Well, you could eat the whole world and you would not feel satisfied. It’s the same reason why we can’t rest or sleep. As long as our queen is restless and has cravings, so do we. No matter what we do, we will forever feel nothing but burning hatred.”

“Really?”

Now the little green demon looked sad as well. Her ears were hanging and she was frowning.

“Focus.”

The mountain spoke again! The green and the purple demon now looked at it. Then they went away.

The queue kept going. Step after step. Scream after scream. It was going around the mountain. It looked so wet and weird. Those were strange white rocks sticking out of it. It was squishy. Why are the others crying so much now? They were making her even more scared!

Heads. Heads without bodies were lying on the ground! And in the mountain! No… The mountain… It was heads! Heads and pieces of ponies! Rivers of blood were flowing out underneath it!

The filly was in terror. She screamed. She cried. She tried to run away, but the demons wouldn’t let her. They were getting closer and closer to the mountain of dead ponies.

A massive black hoof. A massive black bone attached to it. The black skeleton of a giant was sitting on the mountain! It was huge! So huge!

Ten ponies lifted into the air in front of the skeleton. It had a massive red scythe. It lifted the scythe into the air and swung! The ponies screamed for a moment, then became silent. A strange metal sound could be heard before their heads fell to the ground. The whole kindergarden group was screaming and crying. All tried to run, but none could get away. The skeleton lifted the other hand and made glowing lights come out of the headless bodies and gather in it. Then he ate them.

The filly couldn’t feel the ground beneath her anymore. She wiggled her legs, but only kicked air. She was floating up! All her friends were screaming. Even the teachers were screaming!

The skeleton had no eyes. But there was a red glow where the eyes should be. It was over and over drenched in blood, as well as its cloak. The purple demoness was back and looking at the black skeleton.

“When should I go to Master Blueblood?”

“We still need a few more months. Another six hundred thousand, then you can tell him about our plans.”

She nodded, turned around and left again. The black skeleton stared at the filly now. It lifted the massive scythe into the air. The filly screamed. She screamed like never before, as hard as she could. Then she became silent.