The frigid air of winter suddenly popped the bubble of artificial warmth Applejack hadn’t known she had been resting in. A chill crept down her spine and branched out, wracking her body with an unrelenting case of the shivers. She fell over on her side from her former position on her back, rubbing against what felt like a dirt road. Her body felt sore in several places, and her joints seemed to creak like that of an old mare’s. She noticed her stomach seemed to beg for food in a way she didn’t remember ever experiencing before, and the sensation made her weakness feel only that much stronger. Slowly, she curled into a ball, groaning in agony.

“She’s alive!” came an urgent whisper, piercing through the silence. The voice sounded warped as it bounced against Applejack’s eardrum, as though the pony was speaking through a tin can. She grimaced at the harshness as the metallic reverberation met her, her confusion only doubling at the lack of familiarity it gifted her.

“Wake up,” commanded another. Things sounded a little clearer. Despite hearing the order, Applejack felt the need to ignore it. Her exhaustion was overwhelming, and she despised being bossed about. Besides, the voice sounded almost like a filly, and she certainly had no reason to be taking orders from someone younger than her. These things considered, she briefly considered remaining in her position. Then, however, she recalled her innate inability to lie, and, ultimately, this was lying.

She had taken too long thinking about it. She felt a hoof kick her in the back, and, instinctively, let out a groan of pain. “Seriously, AJ,” the second pony complained, “get up already.”

Applejack was confused; who was this pony, and how did she know who she was? What had happened to her to cause her to black out, anyways? And was she in Ponyville, or somewhere else? She found these questions themselves gave her enough strength to open her eyes and face this strange reality. Slowly, she turned on her back and peered through half-open lids as the world around her came into focus.

Two fillies sat before her, both earth ponies. The one who sat directly in front of her had a sapphire blue coat and cream coloured eyes. Strangely, Applejack noted, she didn’t have any mane, although she had an extremely long and matted white tail. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with a long-suppressed joy as Applejack looked into them, though it grew weaker by the second.

The other’s coat was pale yellow in hue, and she bore chocolate brown mane that was also very long and tousled, though half it was tied into a messy braid (likely in an attempt to control the tangled masses of curls). She glared at Applejack in a way that made her think this filly had bottled up disdain for everypony for much of her life. Frown lines were etched into her face even at her young age, digging into a large orange beauty mark that covered much of her face. She snorted as a wicked smile stretched its way across her tiny muzzle. “I knew she was awake,” she snarled, her angry brown eyes darting from Applejack to the blue pony and back again. “Now, get up.”

“Sunflower,” the bald filly said the other’s name with distaste, as though it was a curse word. She stalked forward grumpily, like an old stallion forced to suffocate his inner colt in order to control the grandfoals. “Be patient. That was a nasty fall she took.”

Applejack frowned in confusion before raising her head to examine her surroundings. She appeared to be in some sort of marketplace, though it certainly wasn’t the one she was accustomed to selling apples in. The place was a dump, to put things nicely. Run-down buildings stood on each side of the road, some even so damaged as to have walls missing and charred patches. Stands had been placed in the street, clearly hoof-made by ponies who didn’t really know what they were doing. Many  bore crooked wooden signs with items prices sloppily written on them. As Applejack rose to her hooves, she noticed that nearly everything seemed to be outrageously priced: a simple apple was priced at thirty bits!

Furthermore, the sky was covered in angry-looking clouds, as though nopony had bothered to clear it in weeks. She winced a bit upon seeing it; it looked as though they were doomed for a huge downpour. She turned and frowned at the fillies beside her, only to find yet another shocking bit of information. She was a filly. She had to be, to be almost the same height as the other two. “What... What in Equestria is goin’ on?” she said, suddenly gripped by fear. Where was everything she knew? Why was she a filly?

“What?” the blue filly looked concerned. “Applejack, we’re trying out for that job, remember?”

“Who are ya’ll?” Applejack addressed them both, her heart pounding against her chest. “And... work? Y’all are- Ah mean...” she rubbed her temple, “we are too young fer that!”

Sunflower laughed harshly, drawing the orange filly’s attention. “Seriously? Pretending to have amnesia? Bluebonnet, get a load of this pile o’ horsecrap,” she paused to punch the cream-eyed filly in the shoulder before continuing. “Do you really think moneybags over there will give us the job if you’re already horsing around?” Sunflower gestured at the lone unicorns in the marketplace, a stallion standing beside a mare who levitated a clipboard and quill. The pair stood in front of a trio consisting of a colt and two fillies who were speaking with them, although not making eye contact.

Applejack’s attention was caught by the stallion, though, and she stared at him for a moment before recognition blossomed through her strangely-distant memories. It was Filthy Rich, the pony who had a partnership with the Apple family. She paused for a moment and glanced back at his horn. Now, wait just a minute, she thought to herself, since when was he a unicorn?

Her thoughts were broken by Sunflower, whose face was now taking up her entire field of vision. “You wanna provide for Apple Bloom, right? Well, this is how. And by messing around, you’re not only ruining the chances for your family’s survival, but for ours. Besides, why would you wanna stick around this town anyway? Ponyville’s a miserable place...” she trailed off and backed away, her eyes getting misty and filled with even more anger. Despite her own confusion and distress, Applejack felt a pang of pity for Sunflower.

Bluebonnet rested a hoof on the Sunflower’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay,” she said. “I’m sure we’ll get the job, and then no more empty tummies.” Her voice squeaked in a way that reminded Applejack of Sweetie Belle. Then, her eyes darted back to the unicorns a few yards away. “Are you feeling better, AJ? It looks like those three will be done soon.”

“Uh, sure,” Applejack lied awfully, mostly because she felt it was necessary for their safety. Brutal honesty was not always a good thing, and she hated that she couldn’t cover up her true feelings sometimes. She got the feeling that her future safety depended on her ability to tell a fib right now, and, since she was virtually incapable, she spoke quickly to make up for it. “Don’t worry about me, Ah’ll be fine. Let’s just try ta get that job, then. But, uh, if’n I may ask, could ya remind me what this job’s for, and where it is? I reckon I did forget some after, uh, hittin’ my head like that.”

Sunflower looked unconvinced and rolled her eyes before walking towards the unicorns. Bluebonnet gestured for Applejack to follow her over, and, although not looking too certain of the truth of AJ’s words, decided to recap those things anyway. “Mr. Rich is looking for ponies to staff his two Barnyard Bargains stores in downtown Manehatten. In a way, it sorta sucks, since we’ll have to put up with unicorns, but it’s worth it for the money. Hopefully, we’ll all earn four bits an hour, we should be able to help support our families and still have enough left for something to eat at the end of the day. I’m so glad he came here, to Ponyville! I hear he used to live here, before the Separation. Weird, huh?”

Applejack was tempted to question her about what exactly the Separation was, verify that she was indeed in Ponyville, and ask why she had such a problem with unicorns, but, before she could, she bumped into Mr. Rich himself. “Watch where you’re going, kid!” he snapped, surprising Applejack with his retort.

Typically, Applejack would not have responded well to such a situation. It was unlike her to not assert herself, but she knew she had to fit in here, wherever here was, if only until she got answers. Because of this, she mimicked her “friends” in their submissive ways and lowered her gaze. “Sorry, sir,” she mumbled, backing up so that she stood in between Bluebonnet and Sunflower.

“Good,” he stated, sounding as though he had expected such a response. “Now, you girls are looking for a job at Barnyard Bargains, huh?”

“Yessir,” Sunflower spoke up now, sounding like a completely different pony than she had moments before. Applejack risked glancing over at her. The filly looked uncomfortable, her eyes locked on the ground beneath her, practically radiating hatred. Her voice, though, and the way she hung her head low to the ground and had her ears flattened was the route she had taken to show that she agreed the unicorns were in charge. Applejack could tell that inside she was screaming and furiously punching Filthy Rich.

“Names,” the unicorn mare she had demanded before monotoned. It wasn’t a question. Each filly said her name in turn.

“Now,” Filthy said, with a flick of his tail, “you all agree to Barnyard’s standard eleven-hour work day for... your kind, correct?”

Applejack instinctively scrunched up her face upon hearing him say your kind. What exactly did he mean by that? He wasn’t referring to the fact that they were earth ponies, was he? Upon realising her potentially disrespectful facial expression, she donned an emotionless expression and quickly nodded as sounds of the others’ approval reached her ears.

“Well, you seem capable of showing respect... Hm, I suppose they’re good, Pen Streak,” he addressed the unicorn, who made three marks on her paper. Then, he turned back to the three fillies. “Go to the train station tomorrow morning at three for the train to Manehatten.. If you have the bits to pay for tickets, that is, and if you don’t, don’t bother showing up at all. I’m not wasting any of my sweet money on a bunch of lowlifes like you three. Assuming you can afford it, the train will take you to the train station there, and you’ll have to figure out how to get the rest of the way; the managers are expecting new workers to arrive by six for orientation or you won’t be hired. Understood?”

“Yes,” the three said in unison. Applejack had, much to her disdain, realised her place in this strange world and, in order to protect herself, she would need to accept that until she could figure out a way to escape.

“Good. Now go,” he ordered, before gesturing to a line that had appeared behind him. “Don’t waste anymore of our valuable time.”

The group departed from the two adults, headed in the opposite direction of the marketplace. “I think it’s that time, AJ,” Bluebonnet glanced at a clock that hung on what Applejack assumed was this world’s Ponyville Town Hall.

“What ‘time’?” Applejack said irritably, quickly tiring of the constant vague comments coming from everypony.

“Um, for you to pick up Apple Bloom from her sitter?” Sunflower said, sounding a bit more worried about AJ’s difficulty “remembering”. “And time for me to go to work, gonna get those last few bits for our tickets tomorrow.”

“Thanks so much for that, Sunny,” Bluebonnet smiled before her expression morphed into one of guilt. “Sorry you had to work your tail off while we searched for another job.”

“Meh, it’s alright. Soon, we’ll all be a team again,” Sunflower replied with a smile. “‘Sides, I got to rub it your lazy little faces.” She stuck out her tongue and winked before heading in another direction.

“Bye!” Bluebonnet called, before turning back to Applejack. “I suppose I should come with you, Cherry doesn’t get out of class for a half hour.”

“Okay,” AJ said simply, assuming Cherry was Bluebonnet’s sister. She let her mind wander as she essentially followed Bluebonnet through the streets. She found, despite the strangeness of the entire situation, her mind kept wandering one odd little detail she wanted an immediate answer for, something that disturbed her. Finally, she decided to simply ask. “Uh, can Ah ask you somethin’?”

“Sure,” the filly replied cheerfully as she pushed her way through a crowd of earth ponies, AJ close behind.

“Well, Ah really do think I forgot some things when Ah fell, and, um...” she paused, wondering how to work her question. “Just, um, I was wondering... what happened to yer mane?”

Bluebonnet’s reaction was instantaneous, and it appeared to come from instinct rather than common sense, which was clear as she did it. Applejack was surprised by the sudden slap across her cheek from the filly who had seemed the more docile of the two of her new friends. Applejack did not fight back; she had a feeling this was a touchy subject for her and deeply regretted even asking. Slowly, she reached her hoof up to her cheek and pressed against it to dull the sting.

“Oh, Sweet Celestia, I’m sorry,” she muttered, lowering her head in guilt. “I... I just-

“Nah,” Applejack shook her head apologetically and started walking again. “Ah... shouldn’t have asked.”

Bluebonnet smiled sadly and trotted to catch up with her friend. “No, I’ll tell you.”

The orange filly tilted her head and looked at her in surprise. “If you’re sure, I’m all ears.”

“It was our last employer,” she swallowed her tears, looking away from Applejack. “I... I got in trouble and he said I had to shave my head or I would get fired. H-he thought it was funny... I knew I’d be the laughingstock of town, but... I really had no choice. My family really needs the bits, Mom's too sick to work...”

There was a silence as Applejack digested her words. “Great day in the mornin’, Bluebonnet, Ah’m sorry... That’s plum awful.”

She grinned halfheartedly. “It’s not your fault. I deserved it anyway, I yelled at a unicorn...”

Applejack felt her chest swell with fury. “No, if’n ya needed to defend yerself, there ain’t nothin’ wrong with that!”

There was again a lull in conversation before Bluebonnet replied in a gentle, melancholy voice. “You know that’s not what they think...”

The two walked under a blanket of quiet for the next few minutes until Bluebonnet gestured to a grey mare standing just outside of an alley cradling a baby Apple Bloom. Applejack wasn’t surprised about her sister’s age; she had already gathered that most ponies had retained the age differences they had when she’d known them as they did here, although they were all younger by about ten years. Therefore, Applejack reasoned she was about ten and, therefore, Apple Bloom was a just a little foal.

What did surprise Applejack, however, was the pony she spotted holding her sister. If she didn’t know better, she’d argue the pony was Derpy Hooves, only...

“Hi, Applejack” the grey “earth pony” filly greeted, avoiding eye contact with her as best as she could.

Applejack tilted her head in confusion and glanced where the pony’s right wing should be, only to be met by a scar running down her side. Applejack felt a chill pump through her veins at the sight. “Land’s sakes, Derpy, what happened to yer wings?” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them, but she instantly regretted saying it aloud. She was beginning to think she should just keep her mouth shut.

Bluebonnet winced at the question and gently nudged AJ in the side, but it was too late; the damage had already been done. Derpy winced and sat down, eyes filling with tears. “I...”

“Oh, Derpy, I’m very sorry,” Bluebonnet tried to make up for her friend’s actions. “She bumped her head today and forgot some things... I-I’m gonna go pick up Cherry Shine...” she awkwardly trotted away from the situation that had escalated so quickly.

Applejack watched her newfound friend go sullenly before facing Derpy. She wore a guilty look as she glanced at the distressed pony who held the sleeping baby. “You really don’t remember huh?”

“No, and that’s the honest truth. Ah swear,” Applejack said, flattening her ears.

“It’s... okay, I believe you. After all, you’re the most honest pony in Ponyville!” she smiled, though her eyes still held tears. Carefully, she hoofed Apple Bloom to her big sister. The foal stirred a bit but didn’t wake, nuzzling into her sister’s fur. Applejack smiled warmly as she remembered the days when Apple Bloom was so young in “her world”, as she was now calling it.

“Thanks, Derpy,” Applejack spoke softly, so as to not wake her sister. “Though, I won’t be in Ponyville any longer after today.”

Derpy frowned. “Why’s that?”

“Well, mah friends and Ah landed a new job in Manehatten, workin’ for Fil- Mr. Rich.”

“Oh, that’s good; I hear he pays well,” she wore a smile as her eyes separated.

“Yep. Well, y’know, Ah best be gettin’ back to... er... where Ah live,” Applejack bit her lip uncomfortably. A thought came to her then, and she realised she really needed to ask it. “Wait, don’t Ah pay you?”

“Well, er... Usually I walk home with you and you give me some of the extra food from your family’s garden...” Derpy scuffed her hoof against the dirt path. “But you don’t have to...” she lowered her head in submission. Applejack had somewhat of a flashback back to how her friends had acted towards Mr. Rich, and she was hit with a wave of confusion. Based off the quality of life for the average earth pony, she had assumed they were the lowest social class. However, Derpy was acting like earth ponies were more respected than she was. The thought, plus the evidence from earlier, made Applejack start to believe that the removal of Derpy’s wings was whoever was in charge’s way of taking the inner magic that most ponies express through their race’s abilities from her and, therefore, making her the lowest social rank in Equestria at this time. Poor filly, she must have an awful life, Applejack sympathised.

These new connections made, Applejack shot her a wide smile. “‘Course ya can, sugarcube! It’d be plum wrong a’ me not to pay a great sitter like yerself!”

Derpy smiled humbly. “Thanks; I don’t know what I’ll do when you’re gone...”

Applejack sucked in a breath and took a chance with what she was about to say, unsure if this world had all the same ponies as hers did. After all, she had never seen Sunflower or Bluebonnet in Ponyville before, and, if there were ponies added, there, logically, could be ponies missing. “Ah’ll tell Big Mac to give you somethin’ whenever you ask, assumin’ he and AB got enough, and you can just come n’ stop by whenever yer hungry.

“Wow, that’s really nice of you,” she said as she led Applejack through the streets.

Again, she took a risk, assuming the current state of affairs was the way things had been for a long time. “Well, it’s a might kind of ya to keep an eye on this little ball of energy when Ah’m at work. Ah’m sure Big Mac’ll have ya keep watchin’ her, if yer alright with that.”

“I sure am, she’s a really sweet little foal,” Derpy said as the pair approached a village of shack-like buildings, many of them adorned with flowers and surrounded by gardens to the point where there was no grass to be seen on that lot. The two stopped in front of a shack that was apparently Applejack’s. The place was just like the rest- a small, log home surrounded by plants. However, the front had two apple trees, one on either side of the house. The trees were flanked by collections of various vegetable-producing plant growths.

Applejack gently placed Apple Bloom on her back so she could use her hooves before trotting over to the garden. She carefully picked out some of the decent vegetables, though she didn’t pick out the best of anything, nor too much; she always had to look out for family first, friends second. “I’ll be right back,” she told Derpy quickly before trotting inside.

Applejack was disgusted by the smell she was met with upon entering the room. She had definitely dealt with some awful smells around the farm, with manure being one of the prominent examples, but she would have taken anything over this. The sorry-excuse-for-a-home smelled terribly musty and of rotting wood. She was also assaulted by the fragrance of rotting food as she trotted past a bag in the corner- a bag she had no intentions of looking in. She plugged her nose and scanned the room for a crib. To her delight, it appeared Big Mac had fashioned a decent-enough place for Apple Bloom to sleep in the corner. The wooden “crib” was built into the corner and had a soft quilt laid across the bottom. Carefully, Applejack set Apple Bloom on her back and kissed her on the forehead for old time’s sake. Then, she looked under both of the two beds (she was a bit dismayed upon seeing only two, as it verified her fears that Granny Smith had not survived in this world) in search of a bag for Derpy to take home the vegetables in. She found a box of plastic bags under her bed and briefly wondered if this was what she typically gave Derpy before taking one and heading back outside.

“Here ya go,” Applejack said, placing the vegetables inside the bag and hoofing it to the other filly.

“Thanks, good luck in Manehatten,” Derpy said, waving and trotting off.

“Thanks to you too, Derpy,” Applejack smiled and waved before turning around and heading inside for a much needed nap before Big Mac showed up.