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Please Open The Door

by naturalbornderpy

Chapter 1: Visitor One

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VISITOR ONE

Three-hundred forty-two apples.

Six barrels of water. One barrel of cider.

Sixty-one sealed cans of preserves.

Thirteen planks of wood remaining.

Over two-hundred nails left in the tin.

Four jars of Zap apple jam still left on the counter. One half-empty.

One hammer and one pickaxe.

Applejack set her small list of supplies on the table as a solid lump formed in her throat. She had made the list hours ago, and read it more times than she could remember since realizing keeping stock of supplies might become necessary. It wasn’t the redundancy of reviewing the list that made her want to break down on the spot, but rather the leftover half-empty jar of jam. Zap apple jam was a specialty of the Apple family’s. It was hard to think those four jars might be the last ever made.

According to the clock, Granny Smith had been missing for fourteen hours and thirty-one minutes. The same went for Big Macintosh.

Along with the rest of Ponyville.

***

An abrupt town meeting had been called late into the night. Invitations were sent to every household in town and attendance was mandatory. The mayor was to speak of something important that had come up due to recent political events and, like everyone else in Ponyville, Applejack and her family went with avid interest.

There had never been much to do around town, so any reason to venture out and join the rest of the populace was always a welcome change for the family, and she knew her five friends would be in the crowd.

The town hall had been filled to capacity and then some. The usual neat rows of seats had been removed, so that meant every pony had to stand. They arrived later than most and was forced to stand at the very back near the doors. She reasoned that was how she made it out of there at all, unlike the rest.

The murmur in the large room was overwhelming—ponies conversing and nervously waiting. It was unusual for a meeting to start so late and with so little foresight. They all thought it must have been big news indeed.

The doors slammed shut behind her, the voices in the room drowning out the clicks of the locks outside.

Next to Mayor Mare and another dozen officials on the stage stood her friend, Twilight Sparkle, already yawning from the possible long speech they might all need to endure. They made eye contact and Applejack waved at her. In return, Twilight rolled her eyes in that way that meant, Here we go again, and Applejack could agree. Since becoming Princess, Twilight could barely go a single week without having to officiate some event around town.

Three minutes later, Applejack could have sworn she saw the group of changelings that had hidden as the Mayor’s aids bite at her friend’s throat and attempt to pry off one of her wings. She knew she shouldn’t have been able to hear it over the others’ screams, but later, in the silent hours in her home, the sound of her friend’s cracking bones still haunted her.

Moments before it all began, Mayor Mare took the podium and for close to thirty-seconds surveyed the crowd hungrily. She wore no glasses or her usual clothes. With a slight smile, she told them, “Thank you all for coming here tonight. I know it was short notice, but I believe we have almost everyone in attendance. So now we can begin.”

The window panes on all sides of the room exploded inward in a shower of broken glass. Dozens of changeling drones descended in to grab at those closest, thrashing and biting and clawing with fury.

By the time Applejack saw the stage again, Mayor Mare had been replaced by Queen Chrysalis, once again surveying the crowd with the same smirk from before. Applejack was quickly blinded, as a wave of panic-stricken ponies crashed into her and her family, pinning them against the locked doors behind them.

She yelled for them to back away so she could help those on the stage, but the fear was too great—the smell of blood and screams of anguish already filled the small building. Shoving a couple ponies away from her, she bucked against the locked doors and heard the lock snap as they flew outwards. The rush of the crowd pushed against them again, and she was forced outside with the rest. The sight beyond the doors was not all that welcoming.

Hundreds more changelings stood waiting for those that escaped.

***

That was fourteen-hours and thirty-one minutes ago.

Applejack went to the living room and pressed her face against the nailed up boards that carefully lined each window and door. She left a two inch crack between a pair to allow her to look outside, although what she could see wasn’t all that much to begin with.

A few hours following the changeling attack, a slow and steady fog crept along every inch of town, enveloping each building and home. Applejack could see her porch and the three steps that fed out onto the lawn. That was it.

When she saw nothing of interest on the porch, she carefully made her way up the stairs, trying her best to navigate the creakiest of boards. A trio of candles was lit to cover the entire living room and kitchen, leaving deep pockets of shadows in most corners. Any more than that, and she thought someone outside might take notice of the light through the boards.

Applejack stopped before Apple Bloom’s door and laid her head against it. She could hear her sister sleeping inside, her breaths ragged and troubled. She’d had to fight her sister to pry her from the hall. She’d wanted to go back for the others; more than anything, Applejack had wanted to do the same. But she had seen no one in that mass of ponies that she could have helped without damning both herself and her sister. There were too many of them. The town had been left unprepared for the onslaught.

Once back at home, Apple Bloom wept while Applejack got to work, first gathering leftover wood from the barn along with the hammer and nails. Missing close to half the nails in her haste, she sealed off the house, hammering and cursing until sweat poured into her tear-stained eyes. She knew she had to protect her home—protect them both, along with any survivors she could gather.

Over time, Apple Bloom’s tears dried and then came the hard questions she didn’t have the heart to explain.

“Where is Big Mac and Granny?”

“Why has nobody come by yet?”

“Why’d you let go of my hoof, Applejack? I was so scared you were gonna leave me behind.”

“If they find us, will they try an’ kill us, too?”

Applejack held her close and whispered sweet words into her ears. Everything was going to be fine, she told her. Everything was going to be okay. Everyone would come to them and they would make them safe and together they’d save the town, just like they always had before.

It hurt to think that her element used to be Honesty.

When the family home was boarded and locked tight, Applejack made a series of short runs to the barn and nearby storage shacks. Food, provisions—anything she could load up and carry back without much fuss, she gathered, all the while keeping her ears perked for the sounds of those papery wings in the distance.

If only it would have been that easy.

She had expected those that had escaped the attack to start arriving at her door soon after the incident. But as the hours crept by, she began to think something entirely different was in store for them.

***

Finally, she heard a knock on the door.

Applejack hitched in a breath and cautiously walked into the living room. With nerves as tight as wire, she approached the boarded door, anxiety making the art of walking a chore.

“Applejack? Are you in there?” the voice outside her door said—the very familiar voice.

Applejack swallowed and almost choked on the spit. Forgetting how quiet she had been trying to be the whole time, she trotted to the window next to the door, peering through the thin crack.

“Applejack, are you in there! It’s Twilight! I need to know if you’re all right!”

From her limited view, Applejack could see her friend standing on her porch, every few moments hastily glancing behind her. A few small spots of crimson dotted her coat, but nothing more.

Applejack asked softly, “Twilight? What happened in there? In town hall?”

Twilight found the source of the noise and came closer to the window, a wash of relief on her face. “Applejack? Oh, thank Celestia you’re all right. Did anyone make it out with you? Did you see anyone else? Oh, thank Celestia you’re okay! Let me inside and we’ll think of what to do next.”

“Okay. Okay, just give me a sec.” A stray tear wormed its way down Applejack’s cheek. Never in her life had she been so happy hearing her friend’s voice. Nodding enthusiastically, she reached for the highest board on the door, preparing to pry it loose. But even feeling as good as she did, she could not ignore that painful notion in her mind.

Regretfully, she went back to the crack in the window.

She said, “Twilight, I saw them attack you. You were… they were biting you—there was so much blood. Your wing… it looks fine now, but earlier…”

Twilight on the porch unfurled one of her wings to glance at, coming away with a bewildered expression. “Applejack, I was attacked, yes, but I was able to find a way out the back. Later, I used a spell on my wing. I’m okay now.”

“What happened to the rest of them? To Rarity and Fluttershy and them? They were there, too, Twilight. Did you see what happened to them?”

Twilight shook her head. “The crowd was too crazy once they attacked and I had my own problems to deal with. I barely got out of there. I think Fluttershy got out one of the windows once they crashed in, but I don’t know what happened after that. But I really shouldn’t be standing out in the open, Applejack. I know they’ll be searching for me.”

Applejack pressed her head against the window. “How could a spell reset your wing, Twilight? And fix the bones? I saw you torn to pieces. I saw your wing pulled from its socket.”

Twilight glanced around hurriedly. “It wasn’t that bad, Applejack. Really. I’ve used those types of spells before. They’re not that hard.”

Applejack exhaled slowly. “Then when’s my birthday, Twilight? If it’s really you, that’s something I don’t think you’d ever forget.”

She answered without hesitation. “One-hundred and ten days ago.”

“And Pinkie Pie’s?”

“She’ll claim to have several, but the one the rest of us use is next month on the fourth.” Twilight smiled warmly. “I’m not a changeling, Applejack. You can trust me. And right now you and I need to go get our friends back.”

Applejack reached for the boards again, every word from Twilight filling her with warmth. The urge to join her friend and rescue the town pulled at her like no other, but so did the thought of her sleeping sister upstairs.

She told her, “I can’t leave with you, Twilight. There’s… I just can’t right now. Not with that fog, at least.”

Twilight looked behind her again. “I understand. That’s fine. It’ll give us time to talk. But I’d rather not do it through a window, if you don’t mind.”

Applejack chuckled and she pried the first board off the door. While she worked on the next one down, the image of Twilight being torn apart came to her again. She thought, She couldn’t have made it out. Not on her own. Right?

Well away from the window, she said, “Twilight? A thought occured to me. Why haven’t you just teleported in here by now? Instead of me wrecking all the boards across the door?”

Twilight chuckled. “I really don’t think I have the energy for that, Applejack.”

“You sure? Your horn looks fine, as far as I can tell.”

Twilight came closer to the window. “I really need to get out from the open. It’s been hours already and I don’t want them finding this place, if we can help it.”

Applejack pressed her hooves against the boards, making noise and nothing more. She tried to speak cheerfully, “Give me a second, then.” She hammered against the door with her hoof a bit. “Hey, Twi, doesn’t this fog remind you a bit of when one of Trixie’s shows ended with half the town covered in six-feet of pink bubbles? It was fun for a while, but then when everyone had to go to work the next day, it was kinda hard to get anywhere. You remember what spell you used to clear that up? Might be a good one to use again.”

Twilight sighed tiredly. “Maybe after I sit down. That was a pretty big spell.”

Applejack mumbled, “I’m sure it would be, Twilight. I’m sure it would.”

She stopped hammered against the door and went back to the window.

Twilight stared at her confused. “Are all the boards off?”

Applejack looked at the floor. “No. And they aren’t coming off. Not for you.”

“What do you mean, Applejack?”

“Because that story never happened. You might have memorized ponies and dates, but I doubt you could remember every single event in my life. And I also don’t believe Twilight ever made it out of that hall yesterday, at least on her own accord. So, I’m sorry, but I can’t believe it’s really you, Twilight, as much as I want to.”

Twilight put a hoof to the window. “Then… then I just remembered it wrong, that’s all. I haven’t slept since the attack, Applejack. I can’t remember everything so well. Please, just…”

Applejack said thickly, “Go away, whatever you are. I’m sure we could trade facts and stories all day long, but, truthfully, I just don’t want to talk to the image of my friend anymore.”

“Applejack, really…”

For a moment longer, Twilight tried to read her friend’s face. Coming away with nothing, all expression left her as she neared the small crack between the boards. Emotionless, she told her, “Twilight Sparkle is dead. The rest of your friends and family have been found and caught and are being held with the others. It would be easier for you to give up willingly. Unless you refuse, you don’t need to die. The same can be said for whoever you’re hiding.”

Not wanting to see her anymore, Applejack shut her eyes and turned away from her, collapsing to the floor.

She told her, “I can’t believe a word you’re telling me.”

“You should. It would be so much easier that way.”

Then the image of Twilight Sparkle left her porch, and the world around her home went silent once more.

Next Chapter: Visitor Two Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 42 Minutes
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