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.

Like all sensible ponies, Applejack had a plan for when things went bad. Some would take a nap, some would take a walk. Some ponies would paint, or write. Applejack did none of those things. She drank. The sweet cider drove the recent memories from her mind, though she kept thinking about how she missed her favorite drinking partner. So she drank more.

“Had enough?” the barmare asked.

Applejack looked up. She could still make out the barmare’s face. “No. Could yah get be another?”

The baremare trotted off leaving Applejack alone with herself again, but it wasn’t long before somepony walked up to her.

“This ain’t a good picture. A pretty mare shouldn’t be drinking all by herself. How about I join you?” the deep voice said. Applejack glanced over briefly to see a bright blue stallion flanked by a diamond dog and a griffon.

Odd group, but seems rather normal fer Discord Land.. Applejack turned back to the fresh mug of cider the barmare had just placed next to her hat on the counter. “How about you go hit on somepony who ain’t gonna knock yer teeth out if yah don’t leave her alone,” she retorted.

“Oh?” he said smoothly.

“It ain’t hard tah find a willin’ partner fer someone like yerself. Yah got two choices, righty er lefty. They ain’t even gonna say no.”

“I don’t think so,” he said, dropping the thin charm. He pulled out a dagger and stabbed in right through her hat.

She responded by taking a sip of cider.

“You’re pretty ballsy for a mare with this kind of bounty on her head,” the diamond dog said, slamming a wanted poster down on the counter.

“But we’re nice. We won’t turn you over to Discord,” the griffon said.

“Call it a favor. And like all favors,” the stallion went on.

“It should always be repaid,” the diamond dog finished.

Applejack put on a fake smile and looked at them innocently. “If yah wanted a round ah cider yah could a just asked.”

“That’s not what I had in mind,” the stallion said, moving a hoof towards her rear half.

“If yah wanna go home with that leg, Ah suggest it don’t touch me.” Applejack turned back to her cider.

“I do like it rough,” the diamond dog sneered.

“And Ah’ve had enough,” Applejack said. She slammed down her mug. “Ah tried bein’ nice but apparently someponies just can’t take a hint.” She pulled the dagger out of her hat. “Get outta here now, or you’ll be leavin’ minus a few body parts Ah’m sure yer fond of.”

“Don’t say we didn’t offer to do this nicely,” the stallion snarled. He pulled out another, much larger dagger. The diamond dog removed a hammer from its belt, and the griffon slipped on a sort of glove that had serrated parts that went over the outside parts of his talons.

“Fine, let’s do this,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes.

She felt strange as the bar brawl began. She was well aware she was drunk, but that wasn’t inhibiting her abilities. In fact, she seemed to be better than she normally did when fighting other ponies.

Applejack watched in what felt like slow motion as the stallion stabbed towards her with the dagger. She easily brushed it aside with the dagger that had pierced her hat. She followed up with a left hook to his jaw, sending the offending stallion back a few feet.

Next came his companions. The diamond dog swung high with the hammer while the griffon went for a low strike. Applejack quickly rolled out of the way. They kept going and demolished the stool she had been sitting on. Without giving them a chance to realize she had moved, she turned her back to them.

“If this is what you want, boys, you can have it,” she said, flicking her tail at them, then she kicked out with both legs, propelling the two into the air and onto the stallion. The trio lay in a moaning heep. “Here, you dropped this,” she said, placing the dagger on the ground and kicking it to them. The resulting cry of pain made her smile a bit as she retrieved her hat. It was fully mended, so she put it on her head and went to leave.

Suddenly, a green fog appeared before her and coalesced into a scroll of paper. She picked it up and scanned through the message. It seemed hastily written and crumpled a bit. As soon as she read it, she left the tavern and headed for the nearest train station.

"Dear Applejack,

Thanks to you, I've got all the runes, and the right order. I can bring her back.

I'd like it if you were to be there. It would make it easier for her to accept the transition if she sees more than one familiar face, and admittedly I'm much older then she would remember. Please head to Ponyville as soon as you can. I'll start once you arrive.

-Spike"

"Spike?" Applejack called, knocking on the tree door several days later. There was a hurried stamping of feet, followed by a few thuds before the door opened.

"Applejack, you made it!" Spike cheered, rubbing his knee.

"Yeah ah'm here." Applejack said, following him inside and closing the door.

"I spent all night practicing the runes and getting everything ready," Spike said, heading to his room. Applejack followed. Inside, the room had been cleared up a bit. The pile of gems had been pushed to one side and in the middle was a table. On which was the toy Rarity, as well as a couple scrolls, the stone bird and some sewing supplies. Several needles lay ready, already threaded. The shades were once again closed and a lamp had been moved over the table to provide light. Spike walked over to the table and picked up a threaded needle and the stone bird. Applejack took a seat across the table from him.

"Spike, bahfore we start..."

"Yes?"

"Spike, if this don't work... Ah want yah tah promise yah'll accept it. If she's gone, yah gotta let her go."

Spike was quiet. He lowered the needle. "If it's just a mindless golem... I'll remove the soul seal rune. I’ll free whatever soul is in here."

"Go ahead, Spike."

Spike raised the needle again and held Rarity tightly. "First I'm going to add the consciousness rune that you got. We won't know if it works for a while. I also can't do them all at once; applying these eats up latent magic, and too much at once will overwhelm her."

"Okay."

Spike leaned over the toy, his hand shaking as he plunged the needle into the fabric. Diligently and carefully, he copied the bizarre shape on the bird beside him.

What was going on? Had she been foalnapped? Everything was dark and quiet! Desperately she tried to call out, but something was wrong. Her mouth wasn't working properly. She was truly frightened. Was she dead? Paralyzed?

"There," Spike announced, finishing. He tied off the end of the thread and snipped off the loose ends.

"Should somethin’ be happenin’?” Applejack asked.

“Not until I have more runes on,” Spike replied. “Speech is next.” He picked up another prepared needle and continued stitching.

All at once if felt like a gag had been removed from her mouth.

"He- Hello?"

Spike dropped the needle in shock. Applejack stared at the toy, eyes wide.

"What are yah waitin' fer? Hurry up!" Applejack urged.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Spike replied finishing off the rune.

"Hello? Can anypony hear me?" the toy said quietly. "Oh Celestia, I can't even hear myself...."

"Hearing rune coming up," Spike said as he picked up the final prepared needle. He had to stop for a minute, his hand was shaking far too much. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before stitching.

There was a dull ringing in her ears. Had it been there before and she hadn't noticed? Well it was very irritating and getting louder. And less like ringing. Words?

"Is anypony there?" the toy cried out, more loudly than ever.

"Hold on, Rarity, we're working as fast as we can," Applejack said, though it boggled her mind on how this toy could actually be her friend coming back to life.

"Applejack? Is that you, darling? What's going on?"

"Everything's going to be okay," Spike said, trying not to cry on the toy pony. He was almost finished with the rune now.

"Don't worry, Rarity, yer okay now. Discord can't get yah."

"Why are you talking about Discord? Is he free again?" the toy asked.

"What's goin' on? Whah don't she remember?" Applejack whispered to Spike.

"Well her soul might have degraded a bit. It took me awhile to get the soul seal rune on. It seems it only cost her, her short term memory so we're really lucky. I was expecting more memory loss," Spike replied, finishing. "Okay, that's all I feel safe doing for now."

"Is that you, Spikey? What's going on? Why is it so dark?"

"Don't worry, we'll fix it soon," Spike said. He was beside himself. "I can't believe I did it! They said I was crazy to try! Even you! But who's laughing now! Ha ha! I brought her back! Take that, Discord!"

"Hold on. We don't know fer sure that's Rarity in there. Sure it sound's like her, but Ah wanna make sure. Ah don’t just believe things like you do. Ah’ve seen the kinds ah tricks Discord can pull."

“What do you mean ‘not Rarity’? Who else could I be? Did something happen?" Rarity asked frantically.

"Calm down. Ah just wanna ask a couple things tah make sure," Applejack said. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Of course! You know that!"

"Name them," Applejack ordered.

"This is ridiculous," the toy Rarity protested.

"Name them," Applejack repeated.

"Sweetie Belle," toy Rarity grumbled.

"When's her birthday?"

"It was just two weeks ago."

"Okay, that settles that," Applejack whispered to Spike. "It was three weeks bahfore we fought Discord."

"So she lost a week. Big deal. Now do you believe it's her?" Spike hissed back.

"No. How did yah prove you were the Element of Generosity?"

"I solved a crime against fashion by giving my tail to a sea serpent to fix his mustache. Are you happy now?"

“One last question. Somethin’ not even Spike knows. At Sweetie Belle’s party, Spike asked yah tah dance.”

“And I said I was too tired from work to dance. I remember,” Rarity replied.

“After he left, yah told me the real reason. Repeat it.”

“Huh?” Spike stammered.

The toy made a sighing noise. “I said the real reason is I wanted him to stop swooning over me. I don’t mind the attention, it’s just that he’s far too young to be doing that.”

“I don’t think that’s an issue anymore,” Spike said.

"Ah ain’t got no doubts no more," Applejack said finally. "It's good tah hear yah again, Rarity."

"I missed you so much!" Spike said hugging the doll. Rarity couldn't tell.

"Now you have to tell me. What happened? Why can't I see or move? Did I get hurt?"

"Yah could say that..." Applejack said awkwardly.

"Don't worry, I'll have you seeing and walking very soon," Spike said reassuringly.

"You keep saying the strangest things. Can you please tell me why I'm here, blind and lame?"

"Yah lost yer memory of what happened, but a while ago we all fought Discord. He... let's say he won," Applejack said.

"I've been looking for a way to bring you back ever since," Spike added.

"I was killed?" Rarity exclaimed.

"No!" Spike cried. "But you've been kind of asleep since then."

"So are the others okay, or are they out too?" Rarity asked. The other two were silent. "I don't like the way that sounds."

"He got all of us, though in different ways," Applejack replied.

"Is Sweetie Belle alright?" Rarity asked, worried.

"He didn't get her," Spike said.

"Well that's a relief."

“It's good tah hear a familiar voice," Applejack said. "As much Ah pain in mah plot yah can be sometimes, Ah missed yah."

"So um, how long until I can see?" Rarity asked.

"Well its really up to you. I don't want to rush things and have you be overwhelmed," Spike replied.

"Please. I don't like this at all. I want to be able to see."

"Okay, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow before moving," Spike said, threading a needle. "Hold still," he instructed unnecessarily.

The world was a black void for the toy unicorn. A noisy void, but the darkness was imposing. Then, suddenly came light. A point at first that grew to fill her vision with white. A step up from black, but it wasn't sight. Then out of the white, dark shapes began forming. The light shrank to one side with the dark forms beginning to come into focus and gain color. She tried to blink to clear her vision, but she couldn’t blink at all.

She'd expected to see a hospital setting around her. Monitors nearby with maybe an IV. Instead, from where she lay, she could see she was in a familiar wooden room.

"Are we in Twilight's house?" Rarity asked.

"Yah can see already?" Applejack exclaimed.

"The rune's almost done," Spike replied. Applejack moved over. She could see a change occurring in the glass eyes. What were once dull, lifeless, and stationary, now seemed alive. The actually moved, and the irises had contracted in the light.

“Applejack? Is that you, darling?" Rarity asked, looking at the farm pony. "That's quite the unusual outfit."

"Ah kinda like it," Applejack admitted. "Plus Ah don't have tah worry about it tearin'."

"Oh, self repair. Who did that?"

"His name was Sparks," Spike replied from somewhere behind her. "I got him to do the enchantment a while ago. I had to wear that when Discord imposed the decency laws, but I outgrew it."

"Thank you for doing what ever you just did! Oh this is so much nicer!" Rarity said happily.

"I'm glad you like it," Spike said. He finished the stitching and set down the needle.

"Spike? Have you been hoarding again?" Rarity asked, looking at him.

"No."

"But you're really tall now! How long was I out?"

"According to Spike," Applejack began.

"Just over a thousand years," Spike finished.

"What? How is that even possible? You're still here!"

"Time travel," Applejack explained. "Discord's afraid ah this sword, it’s the only thing that can hurt him, so he sent me to the future, rather then fight me, the coward."

"So the others?"

"Discord got them," Spike said sadly. "We're the only ones who survived."

“Sweetie Belle?”

“I’m not sure exactly what happened to her,” Spike admitted. “After Discord beat you, I rescued Philomena from the ruins of Canterlot, left her here with Peewee, then went off to try to find a way to bring you back. I was gone a really long time, like a hundred and thirty years. I think she became a singer, but I’m not sure.”

"That's another thing. If it's really been a thousand years, how am I still alive? Surely I couldn't have just fallen asleep."

"Um... well..." Spike said awkwardly.

"Spike, she's gonna find out eventually. Might as well tell her while she can't freak out and hurt herself," Applejack said.

“Freak out about what? Did something happen?" Rarity asked.

"Fine. Rarity... Discord did something to you. Because of that you're still alive, and will probably live for a long, long time. Maybe longer then me," Spike said. "Right now, your soul is in an artificial body, and I've applied magic runes to it so you can use it like a real body. I don't know if anypony but Discord could undo what he did, but this is the next best thing."

"Artificial? What do you mean, artificial?" Rarity asked nervously. "Never mind, I'll just.... why isn’t it working?"

"You can't do magic, I know," Spike said. "I might, someday, work out a way for you to do magic again, but it wasn't on my list of priorities."

"Uh huh."

"Peewee, could you get a mirror?" Spike called. The phoenix took off at once, flew over to the bureau, picked up a hand mirror, and dropped it as he flew back. Spike easily caught it. "Look."

"What... am... I..." Rarity cried, looking at herself.

"If Ah remember right, Discord said, yah always acted like such a doll, yah oughta be one," Applejack recited.

“You’re what’s known now as a golem. It’s an ancient form of magic that involves using runes and a soul to power an inanimate body. In your case, Applejack here found a rune that makes your soul remember who it is so you are actually you, not a mindless slave like other golems,” Spike explained. “You’re completely free. Or you will be once I finish adding the runes.”

“Oh this is just awful! My mane! Don't look at me!"

"Rarity, it's okay. We can fix it," Spike said.

"Why would you even let me be like this?" Rarity whined. “I’m just a thing, not a pony.”

"Because I care about you," Spike said, crying. "I had to watch you all get killed one by one, even Celestia and Luna. Plushie or not, I wasn’t going to leave you. Ever.”

“Hold on, Rarity," Applejack said sternly. "Don't take it out oh him. He's spent a thousand years workin' tah get yah to the state yer in. Ah thought yah were dead the second Discord hit yah with that spell, but Spike never gave up. Now Ah can see this ain't exactly ideal, but there's a bright side tah everythin'."

"I fail to see how being turned into a toy could be an improvement," Rarity grumbled.

"Well fer starters, yah don't have tah worry bout wrinkles no more," Applejack said.

"And since your body is artificial, we can change it however you want," Spike added. "As long as the runes stay intact, that is."

"Runes?"

"These things," Spike said. He adjusted the mirror and pointed to one of the stitched symbols. "This one is what's letting you see."

"You can really do anything?"

"As long as these stay. You can even use different materials."

"Hmmm....”

“See, it ain’t so bad,” Applejack said.

“And I will be able to move? I could sew myself a new body?” Rarity asked.

“Tomorrow I’ll add the runes,” Spike said.

“And my magic?”

Spike looked down. “I’m not sure. Normally golems can’t use magic.”

“Ah don’t think Ah’ll be able to find another human golem. He said he was the last one, and Ah doubt he was wrong.”

“Runes can give a golem some control over magic, or so I’ve read, but it would be dependent on ambient magic. It would only be a fraction of what you used to use and behave very differently,” Spike added.

“Very well. Hoof stitching it will be. I’m guessing my boutique is no longer open. Once I can walk, I’ll head into town and pick up some fabric,” Rarity announced.

“We can go together,” Spike said. “Applejack, want to join us?”

“Ah’m not stickin’ around fer long. Gotta keep movin’.”

“You’re fighting Discord, I assume?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah. Say, Spike, can Ah crash here fer the night? It’s late and Ah don’t know if their runnin’ trains at this hour.”

“I’ll get the guest bed,” Spike said, walking off.

“Applejack, could you take me over to a window?” Rarity asked.

“Sure.” Applejack carefully picked up the toy and carried her to the window by Spike’s bed. She raised the shade a bit while placing Rarity down on the sill.

“My. Things have certainly changed,” Rarity observed.

“Yup. How do yah feel?”

“My head won’t stop spinning. I just can’t believe I’ve been dead for a thousand years.”

“Yah just been sleeping is all. In fact, Ah recently met a golem who’d been around fer thirty thousand years. He’s the one who gave me the rune Spike needed tah bring yah back.”

“It sounds like you’ve been here awhile,” Rarity said.

“Couple months.”

“How’s your farm?”

“Good. One ah Apple Bloom’s great, great, add a lot more greats, grandson’s runnin’ the place now.”

“I’m surprised they would keep track of something so specific,” Rarity commented.

“Well she managed tah make apple trees grow in Zebanna. That’s worth a whole family rememberin’ yah.”

“All the things we missed.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s funny. Magic might have been Twilight’s talent, but now that I can’t use it... imagine losing a leg.”

“Spike’ll come up with somethin’. Ah’m sure he will.”

“I can’t even list all the things I used to do with magic. I simply don’t know how I’m going to sew anything without it, and it doesn’t help I’m the size of a newborn.”

‘Ah’m sure Spike’ll help.”

“He seems to be doing well without us,” Rarity said. “To be all alone all this time...”

Applejack nodded. “We took the shortcut. Shame it was just us two.”

“Do you know where our friends are?”

“Right down there abouts,” Applejack said pointing out the window. “Discord won’t let Spike mark em, but they’re there. Even the Princesses are there. What he could find of them, anyway.”

“And I can’t even remember what happened,” Rarity said.

“Ah could tell yah. Ah don’t think Ah’ll ever be able tah ferget it.”

“We have all night. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep. I can’t shut my eyes, and I’m not sure I even need to.”

Applejack picked Rarity up. She moved to the side of the bed and placed her on the floor. Applejack then sat down and began. “It all started when Twahlight got a letter from the Princess. It said Discord had broken free again and she needed us tah turn him back tah stone. So she went and got us...”

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.