Long ago, in a magical land, I Discord, lord of chaos, defeated the Elements of Harmony and their bearers. But, a foolish earth pony mare, wielding all six Elements in the form of a magic sword, continued to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time, and flung her into the future, where my chaos is law. Now the fool seeks to return to the past and undo the future that is Discord.

"Applejack?" the dragon exclaimed. "No no no! I really am crazy!" he groaned, stepping back from the door.

"Spike, its me!"

"It can't be! I watched Discord vaporize you!" Spike cried.

"He didn't."

"What then?" Spike asked.

"You tell me. Ah haven't the slightest clue what's goin' on. Last Ah know Ah was taking on Discord, the next Ah'm here. Ah'm not even sure if this is mah home."

"Oh, it is alright. Applejack, you'd better come inside and sit down. This is going to be hard to hear," Spike said. He walked inside and Applejack followed, shutting the door behind herself.

She looked about the library. Much to her pleasure, it seemed mostly unchanged. There were a couple more doors leading off the main chamber, probably to new wings as the tree grew, but the rest seemed to be the same. Spike lead her up the stairs and into Twilight's bedroom. Only it wasn't anymore.

In the middle was a pile of gems, glinting in the light. The bed was larger than before, and there was no basket beside it. Of course not. Spike was clearly too big to fit now. Near a window was a nest of twigs where two red and yellow birds slept. Spike easily climbed up the walls with his claws and began closing the curtains.

"Spike, what's goin' on? What happened?"

Spike kept going until all the curtains were closed. The artificial lights were more then enough to see by, but their eerie glow put the pony on edge. Applejack slowly trotted up the stairs and sat, waiting for an explanation.

"Applejack," Spike said quietly. He had finished and had walked over to her. "The last time I saw you...."

"Ah got hit bah a cheap bah Discord, Ah know. But Ah'm alright now."

"That... was a thousand years ago," Spike said bluntly.

"What? It can't be?! It just can't!" Applejack cried, breaking down. Not only were her friends gone, but her family would be too. Everypony she had known would be long dead.

"Well one thousand and twelve to be exact, but yes, a thousand years ago," Spike said. "I'm sorry, but your brother and sister died a long time ago...."

"Did they at least have good lives?" Applejack asked, tears streaming from her eyes.

"The Apples still run Sweet Apple Acres. Kendall Apple has been doing a good job running it. I don't know what happened to Big Mac or Apple Bloom. I had some things I needed to take care of, and I had to stay hidden from Lord Discord. It was more than century before I made it back to Ponyville."

"Lord? Since when is he a lord?"

"Discord controls everything. He has since about a year after you were defeated."

"Well Ah can still beat him. Ah got this!" Applejack declared, drawing forth the sword.

"What in Equestria..." Spike said in awe.

"This is the Blade of Harmony. Mah ancestors have used this tah beat Discord bahfore and Ah can do it again. He's afraid of it cause it can hurt him and it stops a lot ah his worst powers. That's whah he sent me to the future, instead of fightin', the coward. He gets stronger the longer he's free. All Ah need is a unicorn tah use their magic tah send me back and Ah can take him down."

"That's impossible," Spike said simply.

"Ah know it can be done. Twahlight did it once!"

"That was only for a few seconds," Spike countered.

"But there must be another spell that can do it!"

"Look, there are four reason why it's impossible. One, Discord shut down all the magic schools, so hardly any unicorns know how to do anything but basic magic anymore. Two, the Canterlot archives are gone, so I don't know where you could find such a spell, if it even exists. Three, Discord's influence stunts pony magic. It's more dramatic the closer you are, so to get the kind of power a spell like that would require, you would need to be on the other side of the world. And four, how would you find a unicorn willing to risk it? They could be executed for even considering it."

"So yer just gonna give up? Is that it? After seein' all our friends get killed, yer just gonna give up and not help me set things right?" Applejack shouted.

"I know for you it must seem like yesterday, but it wasn't. I've been here for a millennium, under the hoof of Discord. Giving up was the easiest thing I've done."

"So yer a quitter."

"I dug your graves, Applejack. I buried what I could scrape together. It... it wasn't much. I was just a baby and I had to bury my sister, Applejack," Spike said quietly. "She's right outside. Discord doesn't allow gravestones, but I know where they all are. I was left only because Discord didn't see me."

"And how could he take over? Surely Princess Celestia-"

"Dead. Luna too," Spike interrupted. "That's another reason why we can't stop him. Without Discord, there will be nopony to raise the sun. We'll all die."

"So help me get tah the past. If Ah beat him, then none a this'll happen."

"Look, I just can't okay. I just can't. I can't do magic, I don't know any ways to go back in time, I've only kept tabs on the world through the letters I get as they pass through the dragon network, and time travel hasn't been my priority," Spike said sadly. "Plus if I get caught, I'm dead. You at least have that sword to protect you."

"Then Ah'll do it mahself," Applejack declared.

"Here. I can't help you directly, but I can give you some things that you might find useful," Spike said. He walked off and opened a wooden chest. He rummaged around and pulled out two things. A large pocket watch, and a set of white robes. The watch didn't seem to have any way to wind it or alter the time in any way. He walked back and placed them in front of Applejack. "First, you'll need this. I call it a chaos clock. Be careful, it's the only spare one I have and they're very rare. I only know of four. It's a clock and a compass in one, but contrary to the name, it cuts through Discord's power and anyway he tries to warp reality. An hour on this is a real hour, and where it points is where you want it to point, ignoring anything Discord does."

"Ah don't need ah compass, Ah can navigate with the stars and sun. It's an earth pony trick."

"Not with Discord's power everywhere. It renders everything we used to use worthless, but a chaos clock isn't affected, though I don't know why, I just found them and anypony who could explain them is long dead. Plus, it can be used to locate custom destinations. Just tell it where you're trying to go and the needle will show you, but it's finicky. I only figured out how to use it through trial and error," Spike explained. Then he moved onto the other object. "This robe is enchanted. It won't protect you much more than regular clothes, but it will repair itself if it gets torn or stained. I wore it when I went outside when I was younger. You probably won't stick out so much with it. Ponies don't go naked anymore."

"And it's just mah size."

"You might want to get your hat enchanted the same. A smart unicorn should be able to duplicate the spell even with no real training."

"Ah already had that done years ago. How do yah think mah hat's survived all our adventures? How did yah get this?" Applejack asked, pulling the robe on, and tying it tightly, and slinging the sword over it.

"I made it," Spike replied.

"Made it? Since when do you know how tah sew?" Applejack asked, putting the chaos clock away.

"I've had a long time to learn," Spike said. "I learned it so I could help Rarity."

"Rarity survived?" Applejack said surprised.

"She's right here," Spike said. He walked over to the bed and picked up a stuffed toy. It seemed worn a bit, but had obviously been well taken care of. It was a white unicorn doll with an indigo yarn mane. It looked eerily like the deceased Element of Generosity. Something in it's blue, glass eyes unnerved Applejack. On one side was a strange symbol stitched into the fabric that Applejack couldn't identify.

"Spike... what is that?"

"This is Rarity."

"Uh huh."

"No really. I rescued her after Discord beat you."

"Spike, how long have yah been livin' here bah yerself?" Applejack asked apprehensively. She began backing away towards the door but made sure he didn't see it.

"I'm not alone. I have Peewee, and Philomeena, and Rarity, though they aren’t very talkative. I have plenty of friends from around town too."

"Ain't that Princess Celestia's pet phoenix?"

"Somepony needed to take care of her after Celestia was killed. I took her with me when I came back here. They get along well as you can see."

"Whah don't yah tell me what happened after Discord blasted me here. Now? Yah know what Ah mean."

"Well, he went into the castle, killed most of the guards, killed Celestia, then Luna, then declared himself King. I tried to salvage what I could after he destroyed the castle, but all I could manage was Rarity and Philomeena. And a couple chaos clocks, though I didn't know what they were at the time, they were just really shiny."

"Spike. As yer friend, Ah should tell yah, that's a toy. That ain't Rarity."

"It is Rarity!" Spike growled. "I've been taking care of her ever since Discord did this to her! I've kept her clean, fixed her when she got torn or worn away, even replaced an eye when it broke. I'll always take care of the prettiest unicorn in the world."

"Spike, it's a toy. Rarity's dead and yah have tah accept that."

"She's not," Spike snapped, but he was crying. "One day I'll find a way to fix this. I'll make her a real pony again and we can be together. I'll do it no matter how long it takes." He sat there patting her mane and sobbing. "I'll fix you. I promised."

"Spike..."

"Don't you have a sucky future to fix?" Spike yelled at her.

"Fine!" Applejack shouted back. Angrily she stormed out of the room and exited the library, slamming the door behind her. She'd just get help somewhere else. Surely this 'Kendall Apple' would be able to help her.

"What in tarnation..." Applejack said in surprise. There was no longer a barn at Sweet Apple Acres. Instead there was a massive aluminum building. All around the fields, ponies worked to harvest apples. The farm had clearly grown since she had been gone, it covered at least five times the land and there were at least a hundred ponies bucking and gathering apples. Most of the trees were in different spots then she had known, but that she had expected, now knowing how long she had been gone.

As she walked, she noticed something strange about the ponies. They were all similar shades of brown and were completely bald. Confused, she examined one closer and cringed in horror at what she saw. Their faces had no expressions, and their eyes were made of glass. Their mouths hung open and there were no cutie marks upon their flanks. They seemed to be made of dirt, with strange symbols dung into it.

"Ah'm gonna get tah the bottom ah this," Applejack growled. "Show me who runs this show!" she commanded one of the strange ponies. It stared blankly at her but pointed with a hoof toward the metal building. Then it went back to work.

She stormed up to the building where all the ponies were bringing their harvest. Inside it was very similar. The same brown ponies were packing apples into crates and loading them onto carts. And there were a dozen carts at least. This wouldn't do. She had to speak with a real pony. She looked about and saw a green and yellow pony on a walkway. Finally some answers.

Applejack found some stairs that led up to the walkway and stormed over to the multicolored pony. As she got closer, she looked him over. He was sized between Big Macintosh and Braeburn. The thing that struck her was that he wasn't a single color like most ponies. He was mostly a lime green but with yellow stripes. His mane, pulled back in a ponytail, was the same, but different shades of green and yellow.

"Who are yah, and what have yah done with mah farm?" Applejack demanded.

The pony turned. "Ah don't mean yah no harm, but Ah suggest yah take yer attitude off mah farm," the pony growled.

"This here's mah farm. Ah worked her mah whole life with mah brother and sister. Don't yah be tellin' me tah leave," Applejack growled back.

"Ha. Good one. This farm's been nothing but ruins fer a nine hundred years. It wasn't til mah grandfather came here that it once again produced apples."

"Ruins? Ah did work on this farm, Ah just got hit bah a time travel spell. Accordin' tah Spike that was just about a thousand years ago. What happened tah mah home?"

"A thousand years ago there was a fire here, but only one casualty; she didn't make it out in time, the poor old mare, it was a pity."

"What a way tah go. Oh, poor Granny Smith.... But what happened tah mah brother and sister?"

"What were their names?"

"Ah should be askin' you, yers," Applejack said.

"Ah'm Kendall Apple. Sole owner of Sweet Apple Acres."

"Fine, Kendall, mah brother was called Big Macintosh-"

"That doesn't ring a bell, Ah'm sorry."

"And mah sister was called Apple Bloom." At her words Kendall's jaw dropped and he looked at her in surprise.

"Come with me to mah office. There's somethin' yah won't wanna miss," Kendall said, moving along the walkway. Eagerly Applejack followed. Along the metal walkway was a small boxy room with just a plain door on the side. Kendall opened it and motioned for Applejack to followed. Once inside, he pointed to a very old painting on the wall. It was faded, but had obviously been touched up many times over the centuries.

The painting depicted three ponies, all around a small tree, in faded color. On one side, a yellow mare stood on her hind legs and leaned on the tree. Gold bands adorned her front legs, and gold hoops hung in her ears. Her red mane had two braided locks, while the rest hung free. Her tail was twisted at the base but the rest was curly. The mare looked tired, but happy. On her exposed flank was a mark. Applejack had to look closely but it seemed to look like the outline of a zap apple.

The second wasn't a pony at all, but a zebra standing there. There was no gold on his legs but there was a band on the base of his tail, which was braided around the band. His mane was in one long braid that fell down his back. Applejack couldn't see his cutie mark.

The third was a foal sitting in front of the tree. It was clearly a zebra foal, but something was off. Applejack had to look closely to tell this zebra wasn't black and white, but red and white.

"That's Apple Bloom. The mother of the entire Apple zony line," Kendall Apple said in a reverent tone.

"Apple what line?"

"Zony. Yah know, zebra-pony."

"Yer half zebra?" Applejack asked, surprised.

"Quarter, actually. We call ourselves teh Apple zonies because there are Apples all over the world, but we’re the only ones with zebra blood."

"So, how did mah sister end up with the zebras?"

"Everypony in my family knows this story well. We've passed it down through the generations. After all, it's the whole reason we existed. Did you know a zebra named Zecora in your time?"

"Ah course."

"After the fire, Apple Bloom lived with her and Zecora made her, her apprentice. When Discord took over, Zecora fled to Zebanna, our native land, and took Apple Bloom with her. She not only mothered our line, but also found a way to grow apple trees in the savanna. There's quite the orchard there, or so the folks back home say so."

"Wow... Ah missed so much..."

"The Apple zony family lived there till mah grandfather, Zusoff Apple, decided it was time the Apples ran Sweet Apple Acres again, so he packed up his things and moved here. He fixed up the place, settled down, married a mare in town and restarted the Ponyville Apples. Mah father created the early golem workers, and Ah perfected the apple harvesting algorithm," Kendall said, looking proud of himself.

"He made what now?" Applejack asked.

"Golems are an ancient form of magic kept alive by the zebras, though Ah don’t know its exact origin. It uses magic and a deceased soul to power an artificial body. We can make the body out of anything, we just need to carve the right runes into it so the golem will follow orders properly. All the workers on this farm are golems. Everypony uses them now since magic is so scarce."

"Ah soul? Yah mean yah used dead ponies tah make them move?"

"They were already dead," Kendall Apple replied. "We've used them forever. They're great workers.They're a bit like timber wolves, only made of clay and more slaves than wild animals, but it's the same thing: inanimate material brought to life with magic and a bit of soul. They don't get tired or think, they don't need to eat or sleep, or demand pay. On the down side they are very stupid. They can only do what they are told and exactly what they are told. "

"Like how Ah asked one where tah find the owner and it pointed this way?"

"Right. Ah gave them the command to follow vocal orders from any Apple with a cutie mark, that way it won't listen to foals or strangers."

"It's still mighty creepy," Applejack said, shivering.

"Ah'll admit, Ah'd rather employ ponies, but this is the only way Ah can keep up with Discord’s unreasonable demands and still make a profit. Like Ah said, they're stupid. They'll do exactly as they're told to the letter but they can't deviate from it."

"Sounds dangerous tah me."

"It's not," Kendall replied. "When Ah make one, they are given four instructions that override all others: This golem cannot cause harm to a being unless it is necessary to prevent greater harm to the being; this golem cannot, through inaction, allow harm to come to a being; this golem can take any action to prevent harm to itself unless doing so would conflict with previous instructions; this golem is to obey any order given by any member of the Apple family, with a cutie mark, written or verbal, as long as it does not conflict with previous instructions. In the case of conflicting orders that do not conflict with orders previous to this one, the newer one takes priority."

"Okay... and that means?"

"It tells the golem that it can't hurt a pony, it must help a pony in danger, it can save itself if it is in danger if doing so won’t hurt a pony, and it has to obey us and only our family. Ah have tah use being, not pony, otherwise Ah don't qualify, being not a full pony."

"And it just follows that? How?"

"It's magic. Yah just write the order on a paper and put it in the mouth of a golem, and some take vocal commands. Though, yah have to spell out any actions. The 'harvest apples' command is a three foot long scroll Ah have to write out every time ah make a golem."

Before Kendall could go into more detail, a black thing on his desk made a chirping noise so he walked over and picked it up part that resembled a black banana. He held it to his ear, but Applejack was very confused.

"Sweet Apple Acres, this is Kendall Apple, what can Ah do for you?"

"..."

"Look, Long Strider, Ah can't help you. Ah'm just barely going to make mah own quota."

"..."

"Even if Ah could spare the apples, how could Ah get them to yah in time and without Discord noticin'? Ah'm sorry, but Ah can't help. Ah'm sorry," Kendall repeated, putting the black thing down.

"What they hay was that?"

"Right... yah haven't been around for a thousand years. It's a telephone. Ah can use it to talk to ponies far away through it, if they have one too."

"So who were yah talkin' to?"

Kendall Apple sighed. "Long Strider. He's a good friend of the family, but he's in a lot of trouble."

"Discord trouble?" Applejack growled.

"Yeah. See Discord has a quota that each farm has tah harvest so much. It ain't a totally bad idea, it makes sure there's enough food fer everypony. The folks in Appleloosa ain't gonna make it though. Long Strider's the current mayor, but he won't be for long."

"What happens if they don't meet the quota?" Applejack asked. Kendall Apple was silent. "Tell me!"

"They send in the war golems," Kendall said, a pained expression on his face.

"Ah thought golems can't hurt ponies."

"These can't. They're labor golems. War golems are a whole other kind. They're made of metal, and can kill. They're also made from a live soul, not a dead one, so they tend to be a bit smarter. They follow the command of Discord alone. When they are sent in as punishment, there is exactly ninety-nine. They then destroy and kill everything until there is nothing left to destroy or kill, or the golems are destroyed. If you beat the golems, it's like a second chance. No pony has ever gotten a second chance, they're just too strong."

"Ah live soul?"

"As in they pull the soul out of a live pony and stick it in the golem," Kendall explained.

"That's awful!"

"The worst part is they use criminals, usually murderers. It may seem like a good idea, punishin' them and all, but it means the soul inside the golem is extra mean."

"And they're headed fer Appleloosa?"

"Yes."

"And yah ain't gunna help?"

"Mah golems would slow down the war golems like tall grass slows down a charging bull."

“Ah just have two questions. How can Ah kill them, and how can Ah get there?"

"You'd have to be crazy to take on the war golems! Just one is a match for a dozen ponies!"

"Ah'll do what Ah have tah, if it's ruinin' Discord's day."

"Yah gotta be crazy tah fight them!" Kendall exclaimed.

"Ah got the Sword of Harmony. Ah ain't afraid," Applejack said. She drew forth the sword then put it back so she could still talk.

"The what?"

"The Sword of Harmony. Everypony in the Apple family's taught how tah sword-fight and how tah use it... except... ah no wonder, Granny Smith never told Apple Bloom, she only taught me and Big Mac. Anyway, this sword's the only thing that can actually hurt Discord. It also pertects me from the worst a his powers."

"Look, yah can't kill golems, yah can only damage them. Cutting off the head don't do much, yah have tah damage the runes carved into it. Damage the right ones and the golem won't be able to function, but they're metal so it ain't easy. That or get some fire into it's mouth tah burn the instructions. Without instructions it'll just stand there. As for getting there, the train is the best way."

"How can Ah get a train? Ah ain't got any money," Applejack said pulling out her bag of bits. "All Ah got are bits and these don't seem tah mean much."

"Is... is that gold?" Kendall asked, staring at the coins.

"Yeah, its real gold. Bits were always made from gold."

"With this much gold, Ah could expand the farm another five acres! Maybe exceed Discord's quota enough to really make a profit! Ah'll hook you up with some modern currency in exchange fer it."

"Enough tah get me tah Appleloosa?"

"And beyond. Yah won't have tah worry about payin' fer anything. This is a small fortune here, they just don't take it anymore. Ah can sell this tah the right pony. Yah give me this, Ah'll expand the farm, and use the profit tah help you."

"Ah need the money now," Applejack demanded.

"Ya'll get it as soon as Ah set yah up. Ah'm make sure yah get tah Appleloosa, after all, we are kin, the golems listenin' tah yah proves that," Kendall replied. "Money works a lot different than it did in yer time."

"Well Ah appreciate the help, and what yer doin' here. As creepy as it is, havin' basically zombies doin' the work, Ah feel a bit better knowin' the farm's still around."

"No problem..." Kendall slapped himself. "Mah bad, Ah never got yer name."

"They call me... Applejack."

An hour later Applejack sat in the train terminal, waiting for the next train to Appleloosa. She had been doubtful when Kendall had told her the plastic card he gave her was money, but the ticket pony had accepted it without question. She hadn't been able to get a ticket to Appleloosa, as it had already been removed from the possible destinations, a rather chilling sentiment, but she had picked a city farther along the line and she would just have to figure out a way to get off.

"Applejack?" asked a familiar voice. She looked over and saw Spike was nearby carrying a heavy metal suitcase.

"Spike. Ah didn't expect tah see yah here," Applejack replied coolly.

"I didn't expect to be here," Spike said taking a seat beside her but kept the suitcase close to himself. "You never knew this, but over the years I’ve learned I’m a messenger dragon, not a wild one. So a lot of mail gets sent through me as it travels through the messenger dragon network, plus I have a few contacts in the network who forward certain bits of information to me, and I do it in return."

"Ah don't really know anythin' about dragons."

"Anyway, I'm always on the lookout for any mail that can help... her."

"Maybe yah should ask Kendall. He has lots a lifeless things on his farm," Applejack grunted.

"Yes, well, he's no expert on golem runes. That's who I'm going to see. I have to use the right runes, or I'll end up with a mindless slave, but I want her to have freedom. I don't know if I'll ever find a way to turn her back into a pony, but this is the next best thing. I also brought some thread so I can try it."

"Yer sure Rarity's even still in there?"

"I've had it verified by at least one golem maker that her soul is still inside. I stitched a rune on her so it won't degrade, and I have figured out nearly every rune I need, I just need to work out the right order and find the last few, speech, and one that will wake up her consciousness. Even with the others, it'll still be a hollow soul unless I can wake it back up."

"Well, good luck with that," Applejack said.

"So, where are you headed?" Spike asked.

"Appleloosa. Discord's aimin' tah wreck it, and Ah aim tah stop him."

"You're a brave pony to willingly fight the war golems."

"So Ah've been told."

"Applejack," Spike said quietly. "I'm sorry for how I acted before. It's just.... you've been gone for so long... you've all been gone.... I didn't want to believe you could have survived."

"It's okay Spike. Ah can't imagine how it must feel waiting a thousand years tah see ah friend again."

"I'll help you," Spike said finally.

"Yah'll come with me?"

"No," Spike said shaking his head. "I made a promise to Rarity and I will keep it. But, as I said, I get a lot of mail filtered through me. If I catch word of anything that might send you back, I'll pass it along to you."

"How can Ah get in touch with you if Ah need tah speak with yah?" Applejack asked.

"You'd have to find another messenger dragon and have him send a letter. I don't have a telephone; can't stand the things."

"And how do Ah know it's a messenger dragon?"

"No wings," Spike said like it was a silly question. "I'll let my contacts know to be on the lookout for you and to help you if they can. We're mostly united against Discord, but we can't exactly engage in open rebellion so we do what we can from the shadows, disrupting mail and warning towns before the war golems show up."

"Ah appreciate it," Applejack replied. There was a bell and she looked up. "There's mah train. Ah'll see yah if Ah head back this way."

"Applejack... is it even worth it?"

"What do yah mean Spike? Ah course it's worth it tah stop Discord."

"But if you go back and beat him... it doesn't change much. This timeline already exists. To you and I, they're gone and that will never change, even if you do save them. They'll only be saved for past Applejack, not you."

Applejack was silent for a moment. "Ah know Spike. Ah haven't even had the chance tah miss them yet. Take care of Rarity. Bah."

"My Lord?" the ticket pony said nervously into the video screen. It came to life, displaying a misshapen pony face.

"What is it?" Discord snapped.

"Sorry to disturb you, but a strange pony just tried to buy a ticket to Appleloosa," the ticket pony said.

"Hmmm. Is the pony still there?"

"Yes. You can see her on camera three," the ticket pony said. Discord moved about and glanced off to the side. For a moment he was silent.

"Hmmm. It seems my past has come back to haunt me. No matter. The golems will take care of her," Discord growled.

"I should let her go?"

"Yes," Discord said, shutting off the screen. "Well, my little samurai pony nemesis, you finally decided to reveal yourself after all these years. Well, you are going to pay for your defiance in the past with pain in the present. Goodbye, Applejack. Muah hah hah hah!"

If you like this story, you should check out some of my other works:

My tumblr, an alternate universe mixing MLP and Cyborg 009.

The Seven Tribes, a rather long fanfic that, like many stories, tries to explain the past.

Forever a Changeling, my new story starring Rainbow Dash as a changeling.

Night of the Werepony, what I consider to be my worst story, but it’s surprisingly popular. It’s just one chapter long.