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.

"Oooff," Applejack grunted as she hit the ground rolling. She'd tried to find a way to slow the train down, and in the end had been forced to simply jump off. Getting up, she inspected herself. Her robe was scuffed a bit, but already she could see the fibers repairing themselves.

The train ride had been very... therapeutic, though she was sure whoever cleaned the trains would be upset having to mop up her compartment. Still, she felt a lot better now, if a bit drained.

She really didn't have time to waste. Discord's golems could be there any minute. She made sure her sword was secure, then wandered into the town to see if she could find this ‘Mayor Long Strider’. Never heard of a pony with a name like that in mah time.

The first thing she noticed was Appleloosa looked very similar to how it had in her time. There were a lot more buildings, but this small corner of Equestria had kept the same feel. She actually enjoyed walking through the rustic town. All around she could see ponies, and of all things buffalo scurrying about, loading things into wagons. Some were barricading their homes, but most were making ready to leave.

Applejack wasn't sure where the mayor's office was, so she headed toward what had been the sheriff's office in her time. As she approached, she noticed a tall buffalo standing outside the building where the sheriff's office had been, directing the townsfolk about.

"Scuse me," Applejack called.

"Can I help you, stranger?" the buffalo asked.

"Ah'm lookin' fer Long Strider," Applejack replied.

"I am he," Long Strider said.

"Ah'm Applejack. Mah... well call him mah nephew, Kendall said yer havin' Discord trouble."

"As you can see, we are."

"Ah can see yer gunna run."

"It's not like they have a choice. They can stay and die, or run and live. Buildings can be rebuilt, ponies cannot," Long Strider said.

"Long Strider!" shouted a pony, galloping over. He skidded to a halt, and had to wait a minute to catch his breath. "Long Strider," he repeated, "We just lost tower four."

"WHAT? NO!" Long Strider roared in fear. He turned to the townsfolk. "Ponies, get ready to move now! You have ten minutes to clear out or you're staying! I need all stallions over here now!"

"What's the matter?" Applejack asked as every male pony and buffalo galloped over.

"Get back and monitor them," Long Strider said to the pony, who galloped off. "We knew they were coming, so we set up some small radio towers in their path. As they get closer, they destroy the towers so we know how fast they’re coming, and from what direction.

"Alright stallions, listen up. The golems are coming way too fast. We need some ponies to volunteer to stay behind and hold them off long enough for the rest of us to escape. I won't lie, staying is a death sentence. I won't make anyone stay, but if enough don't, none of us will make it."

"Ah'll stay," Applejack declared.

"I don't know who you are, stranger, but I will not allow a mare to stay," Long Strider said.

"Excuse me? Yah think cause Ah'm a mare that somehow means Ah can't fight?" Applejack snarled. "You listen here and you listen good. Ah ain't goin' nowhere. Yah wanna try and make me?" To emphasize her point, she drew her sword.

"Aw let her stay, Strider. She can't hurt us," said a stallion.

"Fine," Long Strider conceded.

As the caravan vanished on the horizon, Applejack looked around at who had stayed behind. Four stallions: Dust Devil; Iron Hammer, the town blacksmith; Shortwave, the pony who had been monitoring the towers; and Apple Seed, a local shop owner; three buffalo: Long Strider; Blind Charger; and Prairie Walker, and a dragon called Ocean. He looked oddly like Spike, but was blue and turquoise, instead of purple and green. These nine against ninety-nine killer golems.

"And now we wait to die," Prairie Walker said.

"Now don't be talkin' like that," Applejack chided. "We haven't lost yet,"

"And what are we supposed to do against the war golems?" Apple Seed asked.

"How did this happen anyway? Had a bad harvest?" Applejack asked.

"No, Lord Discord would accept a poor growing season. Our trees were diseased, but we didn't realize it until after the harvest. We had to throw out almost all the apples to be sure," Long Strider explained. "After that, we couldn't meet the quota and have enough to eat."

"So all the bad trees, what did yah do with them?"

"Chopped them down, We were going to use them for some new buildings but now..."

"Ah got an idea. It's crazy, but it might help even the odds," Applejack announced. "Mah cousin said all we gotta do is make them golems eat fire and that'll stop 'em. If we turn those trees intah torches, we can use them tah stop the golems."

"That's not a bad idea. Make it so. Ocean, Dust Devil, Blind Charger, get on tree duty. Chop them up. The rest of you, use what scraps you can find for barricades. Anything to slow them down. Iron Hammer, I want everypony wearing horseshoes. Move it!” Long Strider shouted. At once the croud dispersed.

“What do Ah do?” Applejack asked.

“I don’t like the thought of having a female here,” Long Strider said. “Do what you will, but don’t get in the way.”

“Ah’ll make yah eat yer words,” Applejack declared, storming off to make torches.

After chopping up more than a dozen trees, Applejack decided to take a little rest. Nearby, Ocean was doing so as well. She couldn't help but look at his arm. The right one, from just above the elbow down, was made of metal and covered in runes. Then she noticed he had seen her staring.

"Like it?" he asked. "It's a new model from Ferrum Valley. Lost the real one to a manticore. It's pretty sweet though. Golem magic is the only good thing to come out of Discord's reign."

"And it just works like a real arm?" Applejack asked. She's seen wooden limbs, but none of them moved.

"Of course. What did you think the runes were for? Decoration?"

"Huh. Maybe Ah should tell Spike tah talk to them. Maybe they can help," Applejack said.

"Spike? The Ponyville dragon?" Ocean asked.

"Yah know 'em?"

"Is he still trying to bring that doll of his to life?" Ocean said, smirking.

"So he is crazy?" Applejack asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say crazy," Ocean replied. "Sure it's never been done before, but that because nopony knows the right runes. And trust me, they've been looking. It's the Royal Tiara of runes,"

"Royal- never mind," Applejack said, not getting it.

"Well think about it, if you could transfer your mind and soul into a golem, you'd be practically immortal. All the time they're trying to work out the right runes for it. Unfortunately, runes are from an ancient, dead language. Those who spoke it died out tens of thousands of years ago, and most of their writings were destroyed. Modern golem making relies on the fragments that remained and what golems they had left behind," Ocean explained.

"Huh. So yah just lost yer arm and bought a new one?"

"Yeah. It's a self defense model too, so it wasn't cheap," Ocean said. "Check it," he continued.

He held the arm out and the wrist fell away like it was on a hinge. He reached his normal hand up and opened a small hatch on the side about mid way from the elbow to the wrist. Into it, he placed a small capsule then closed the hatch. Then he placed the normal hand against the arm, then closed one eye. He pointed it at a nearby rock and flexed a muscle in his arm. Applejack watched as smoke burst from the end and the capsule flew through the air, whistling as it went, glowing red and trailing more smoke. When it hit the rock, it burst into a shower of fire.

"Woah," was all she could said.

"Single load flare gun," Ocean explained, flipping the hand back into place. "Perfect for dealing with golems, and better for range then dragon fire.."

"Well all we need is a couple a those and they won't stand a chance!" Applejack said, feeling more confident now.

"Well I only have a few flares on me, and these golem limbs aren't exactly cheap. I'm only in this hick town to pay off this thing."

"If this is just some job, whah are yah fightin' tah save it?" Applejack asked.

"If I'm dead, I don't owe them money, now do I? Plus, no town means no job. Most towns have a dragon, so I can't just go to another one."

"Yah really make that much here? What is it exactly yah do around here?"

"Same as Spike. I run the express mail service. The dragon net is a hay of a lot faster then by train, so most will pay the extra money to send things across the continent in a second."

“Hey, stranger?" called Iron Hammer.

"Ah told yah, names Applejack," Applejack shouted back.

"Long Strider wants yah fitted with horseshoes like the rest," Iron Hammer yelled. "Come along and Ah'll fit yah with ah set."

"Whah do Ah need shoes?" Applejack wondered as she got up to follow the town blacksmith. "Well, can't hurt tah see what he means."

"Okay, Ah guess it can hurt," Applejack thought. She was laying on her back, quite uncomfortably, with one leg in a vice so she couldn't move it. Iron Hammer had just finished sizing her hooves, and was now coming over with four metal horseshoes and some nails. She looked at them fearfully.

"Yer tellin' me yah never wore horseshoes bahfore?" Iron Hammer asked, noticing her expression.

"Ah've thrown them."

"Well don't worry, it won't hurt a bit," Iron Hammer said, holding the shoe and a nail in place with one hoof and wielding the hammer with another.

Applejack winced as he drove the nail home, her hooves giving off some gut wrenching cracking noises. "Ah'll never make fun ah Rarity fer her manicures again," Applejack groaned as another nail was driven in. At least Iron Hammer had been truthful, and it wasn't hurting, it just sounded bad.

Applejack winced as she left the forge. Her hooves felt awkward, now being a half inch off the ground, and while the nails didn't hurt, they were causing a dull ache. And they were noisy when she walked across anything solid.

It just felt so strange to be wearing something on her hooves. She'd worn boots before, but those hadn't felt like this. Then again, she was wearing a robe and that wasn't bothering her. In fact, it felt almost natural to be wearing it.

"FINAL TOWER!" Shortwave shouted as he galloped past.

At once Applejack leaped into action, following the stallion to Long Strider.

"The golems have reached the final tower, sir," Shortwave said.

"What does that mean?" Applejack asked.

"It means we have about an hour before the golems arrive," Shortwave explained.

"And we need tah buy our families at least an extra hour," Apple Seed added.

"Look alive ponies! I want those bonfires burning now, Prairie Walker! Iron Hammer, who's left?"

"Just you sir," Iron Hammer replied.

"Good. I'll go with you now. Blind Charger, try and reinforce the southern barricade. Dust Devil, Applejack, you two get Ocean and bring some of the bigger logs into the second floors of the buildings. We can drop them on the golems from up there. This is it, ponies. We need to hold them off for an hour. Do anything you can to delay them. Run only if they chase you, fight only if they won't. Keep them busy at all costs. If we don't, our sacrifice will be in vain."

"So, any of yah fought war golems before?" Dust Devil, a sandy yellow pony asked.

They'd just dragged several dozen logs into the small bedroom they were now in, and had run out of logs to bring up, so they decided to rest before the fight.

"Nnnope," Applejack replied.

"I ran into a stray one once. Nearly killed me; good thing I had this thing," Ocean said, brandishing his golem arm.

"Ah saw the Hoofington farm after they visited it," Dust Devil said. "Ah don't know if we can even last ten minutes."

"Ah've never seen them," Applejack said.

"They should be visible," Ocean said getting over to a window. Just on the horizon, a dust cloud was forming.

"Ah can't see that far," Applejack said.

"Here," Ocean said. He burped, and a pair of binoculars popped out of his mouth. He handed them to Applejack, who just kind of let what had just happened go. She put them to her face and looked out at the dust cloud. Then she saw the war golems.

Each looked virtually identical. They resembled griffons to a point. Instead of wings, they had a pair of scythes on their back, that were fitted into joints so they could be moved. Their metal eyes glowed red, and their beaks hung open.

"They look mighty tough," Applejack said, passing the binoculars back, "but Ah've faced worse. Maybe not that many, but Ah've faced worse."

"He sent in the griffon golems? He must really want to make a statement," Ocean said, looking out the window. “Or really want us dead.”

"They're worse?" Applejack asked.

"They're some of the deadliest golems out there."

"What are we waitin' fer? Let's get ready tah welcome them," Applejack declared.

"Brace yourselves. The golems are coming," Long Strider said. Beside him stood the other eight who had stayed behind. "Look alive, males, this is it. They will not show mercy, they will not retreat, they will not stop. It's up to us to hold them here. Torches at the ready."

At once eight of the nine pulled forth long spears, but instead of a metal point, they had a burning rag on the end. Applejack drew forth her sword. Nearby, she noticed Ocean loading a flare into his arm for later.

The golems were very close now. So close, the ground shook from their numbers and sheer weight. Applejack could see their scythe wings twitching with anticipation. They really are monsters. Then they were upon them.

"For Appleloosa!" Long Strider roared, brandishing two torch spears. He thrust them both into the mouths of two of the lead golems. They twitched for a moment before stopping altogether. Applejack charged into the mass, swinging the sword in her mouth. It easily sliced through the metal griffons with little resistance. Magic sparks flew out as they were sliced in half.

It was almost like bull fighting for the farm filly. She moved quickly, dodging the deadly blades, all the while slashing at every golem she could. For once in her life, she was grateful for all the training Granny Smith had made Big Macintosh and her do. All the sparring practice she had once thought pointless, now worked in her favor. It wasn’t great, she’d only ever fought with Big Mac, and he only had the one sword, while each golem had two, and there were dozens of them, but she did what she could.

Through the frey, Applejack caught glimpses of the other Appleloosians fighting it out, torching the golems or fleeing when their weapon got destroyed by a scythe. Prairie Walker was the first she found dead, numerous gouges marring his massive body. She choked back the bile, and kept fighting.

It was getting harder now. She was tiring, and the metal monsters seemed endless. For every one she sliced in half, it seemed another three took it’s place. More and more, she was forced to go on the defense, just barely blocking their attacks with the sword, or her shoes.

At one point, she blocked a double swipe from one with the sword, when another loomed over and attacked as well, forcing her to rear up on her hind legs and use her metal horseshoes to keep the deadly blades at bay, but it left her helpless as a third stormed over, wing-scythes poised to end her right there.

They came down. She flinched, pulling herself out of the way as much as she could. Her back burned as the blades traced lines into her flesh. The griffon golem stepped closer. This is it. Time tah go join the others.

The third golem’s head erupted in flame. At once, it staggered back and stopped moving. A second later, the first golem’s head suffered a similar fate, freeing Applejack up to dispatch the last.

“Thanks!” she called to Ocean, who simply loaded another flare.

The fight continued. It felt like it would never be over. Applejack just kept on slashing the Sword of Harmony about, sending magic sparks out every time she ended another golem’s existence. Sometimes they got her back, her robe was in tatters and soaked red. Her legs were covered in scratches. Nothing serious, but they stung all the same.

The day became a blur of metal bodies and magic sparks. The sword felt heavy in her mouth. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead pudding. But still, Applejack fought on. When the hollow shells blocked her way, she simply climbed on top of them. As the waves came, she climbed higher and higher. The seemed endless. Then, all at once, they stopped coming.

Applejack looked around, searching for the next golem to slay, but didn’t see one. Confused, she climbed down from her perch to find the others. Away from the metal carnage, she found a few beings nursing their wounds. Of the original nine, only four were left. Long Strider, Shortwave, Ocean, and her.

“I- I cannot believe we did it,” Long Strider said when he saw her approach. There was a deep gash along his side, but he was up walking about.

“We... We’ve got to tell the others...” Shortwave said, trying to catch his breath. The way he was acting, something heavy had hit him in the chest. He probably had some broken ribs to go along with the deep slashes in his forelegs..

“I’m really glad I paid extra for the stronger alloy,” Ocean said, testing his arm. “Not a scratch on it. Discord must use really cheap metal to make those things.” The rest of his body was barely marked at all, but dragonhide was famously tough.

“That’s it? Yer safe?” Applejack asked, sheathing the sword.

“Yes. Thanks to you, Appleloosa has been spared Discord’s wrath,” Long Strider said.

“Don’t thank me,” Applejack said. “If Ah had been better, we wouldn’t ah lost a single pony.”

“Are you kidding? Four of us survived! That’s four more than I thought possible!” Shortwave wheezed.

“They went right after you. We barely got any action, unless we jumped in after them,” Ocean added. “They must have really wanted to kill you.”

“I wish to apologize for my words before,” Long Strider said. “You were willing to give your life for our town, and I was going to turn you away based on sex. There is no way we would have survived it it hadn’t been for you.”

“Ferget it,” Applejack said. “Just work on fixin’ the orchard so this don’t happen again.”

“I’ll send them the word,” Ocean said. He burped up a scroll and pen, and wrote a quick message. He send it away with a quick burst of blue flame.

“If there is anything we can do to thank you for your help, let me know,” Long Strider said.

“Yah got any water?”

“The well,” Long Strider said, pointing.

Applejack walked over and pulled up the bucket. Greedily she tipped it towards herself, gulping down some, but mostly splashing it over her robes. It felt good, soothing her wounds. Already, her robe was stitching itself back together, her blood washing right out, leaving behind the plain white. Even the nicks her hat had received were vanishing.

“Yah got any good rope?” Applejack asked, dropping the bucket back into the well. Her lassos were all a thousand years in the past, and slightly out of reach.

“I think Apple Seed had some in his shop,” Ocean said.

“Is it too much tah ask yah tah burp it out?” Applejack asked, not wanting to search through a dead pony’s belongings.

“Sorry, I can only do that with my own stuff,” Ocean replied. “It’s right over there, if you want to just grab some.”

“And could yah send Kendall a letter fer me?” Applejack asked.

“Not directly, but I could send it to Spike,” Ocean replied, burping up a fresh scroll and passing over the pen. Applejack took it, and wrote out a quick message.

“Dear Kendall,

Appleloosa is safe. I thought you said them golems were tough. How about you send them some trees so they can get their harvest going again? I’m sure my bits will more then cover a couple. Don’t bother coming to see me here, I’m leaving right after I send this.

-Auntie Applejack”

“Here,” Applejack said.

She rolled up the letter, and hoofed it back. Ocean sent it away with another burst of fire. Reluctantly, she walked across the street and went into what had been Apple Seed’s shop. Right away, she found rope to her liking, which she stored away in her robe. Then she walked back out to find the remaining defenders waiting for her.

“So, what are you going to do now?” Ocean asked.

“We could always use another hoof around the orchard,” Long Strider said.

“Ah’m sorry, but Ah got somethin’ Ah just gotta do,” Applejack replied.

She took out the chaos clock and looked at it. It had a regular clock face that told her it was late afternoon. It had three hands, two told the time, while the other wavered around aimlessly. “Where’s the nearest town?” she asked it, not sure if it would work. The needle spun around once before stopping, pointing towards the west. She nodded, and put it away.

“So... after all that, you’re just going to leave?” Shortwave asked, still rubbing his chest.

“Eeyup.”

The orange earth pony in the white robe walked off towards the setting sun, hat tilted to shield her eyes.

“Blast!” Discord shouted, smashing the screen with his eagle fist. It didn’t do much, the feed had already blinked out with the last of his golems. “You’re stronger than I thought, Applejack. Rest assured, I will not underestimate you again. Enjoy your victory while you can. You never defeat me, Samurai 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.