Cloud walked through the streets of Oregano, looking for anything resembling a hotel or inn. Maybe I can trade favours to stay a night or two, I’m sure there’s plenty a Unicorn could help with around here. In any case, I need to find some way to make some money if I’m going to stay here a while. As it stands, I can’t even afford food or drink. My top priority is definitely somewhere to sleep.

The buildings around him as he wandered were far more varied than any he had seen in Shirith or Ponyville. While some, as Maud had described, were clay and foliage, many were far stranger. Some seemed to be made of enormous fall logs, hollowed out and renovated into buildings. The log buildings, Cloud noted, were easy to distinguish from each other. There were very few shared traits between them, aside from being old logs.

Are they treated with something? Cloud wondered as he wandered. Surely they’d have rotted away over time…

Other houses looked more like the shanties built for the Ponyville evacuees, though a tad more professional. Rather than old pieces of trees like other building Cloud had seen, these were crafted from clear wooden planks and held together by shimmering nails. The inconsistencies didn’t stop there, as Cloud also saw cone-shaped huts very much like where he had awoken. He found it difficult to judge the age of those kinds of buildings.

Those plank buildings look cheap. But why would some architecture here be so crude while some so not? That town hall, clock tower, or whatever it was seemed so much more expensive, not to mention tacky and out of place. Cloud stopped walking, deep in thought. If there are such bad monsters in the Everfree Forest back in Equestria, what kinds of things could be here? If they had to build cheaply because of monster attacks, that wouldn’t explain why these all seem so randomly placed-

Cloud was snapped out of his thoughts as a large, male Zebra barged past him.

“{Watch it, magic freak...}” The Zebra growled.

“Eat shit and die,” Cloud casually replied, the hostility obvious to him regardless of the language gap. He tried to refocus, but simply couldn’t get his thoughts back on track. Dammit, some about the-

The Zebra shoved him, again breaking his concentration. For a moment, Cloud felt a spark of anger, but he quickly calmed himself by taking a deep breath. Can’t lose control again, can’t lose control again…

“{Freaks like you should stay away from here!}” The Zebra had walked in front of him, and was now shouting directly into his face.

“This day has been pretty great considering the average,” Cloud thought aloud now, trying to keep his cool. He avoided eye contact, knowing it wouldn’t help him any. “He’s just some idiot, this isn’t worth getting upset over.”

“{Crying in your stupid pansy language you fucking fairy?}” The Zebra sneered. He leaned in, being sure to invade Cloud’s personal space.

“After everything I’ve been through, a little idiot like this shouldn’t-” Cloud was cut off as the Zebra tried to shove him again…

...Only for his leg to be pushed, grabbed, and yanked out of its socket.

The Zebra lay in the street, screaming and clutching at his shoulder. Cloud sighed, and rubbed his temple with a hoof.

“What do all you bullies and violent idiots, have against green?” Cloud asked. He ran his left hoof down his right foreleg. “My coat is a lovely colour.” His anger had burnt out with his attack, and all left on his face was a mixture of exasperation and boredom.

The Zebra grabbed a nearby sharp stick with his remaining foreleg and lunged for Cloud the best he could…

...Only for his mind to be slapped by a disorientation spell.

Cloud’s expression hadn’t changed the slightest bit.

“[Are you done yet?]” He asked. Switching to Saddline is becoming easier and easier, and I can tell that my words aren’t Equestrian. This is so strange… “[Do you even know Saddline?]”

The Zebra groaned intelligibly, impossible for even those fluent in Zebrican to understand.

“Whatever.” Cloud walked around him to continue his search, when he noticed his scuffle had attracted quite a few onlookers, each looking worried, scared or angry. Why are they so freaked out? Nobody seemed to care when I was in this situation with that Gryphon in Ponyville.

“{You!}” A deep voice barked. “{Stop right there!}” The speaker was a male Zebra wearing a solid black helmet. Around his body was a light vest, almost a waistcoat in simplicity, dyed a deep blue. This person was an Enforcer, a person with a role somewhere between police officer and royal guard.

“Why didn’t anyone seem to care in Ponyville?” Cloud thought aloud. “It’s not like there’s anyone in Ponyville who was a racist.”

Applejack sneezed.

“You alright, AJ?” Asked Rainbow Dash.

Applejack grunted in reply.

The two were in the market district of Canterlot, ordering food provisions for the survivors of Ponyville. Not much was needed, as half of the evacuees had moved onto new lives either in Canterlot or somewhere else altogether. One hundred and forty eight remained. While those who remained had far more comfortable living situations, at least relative to their situation, it did not give them hope in things ever returning to the way they once were.

A few guards rushed past the duo, heading towards the perimeter of the city. At the sight of this, Applejack couldn’t help but smile.

“C’mon, Rainbow,” she called over her shoulder, “let’s go take a look at them edge defenses!” Without waiting for a reply, Applejack took off running after the guards.

“Again?” Rainbow grumbled. “AJ, you do this every time we’re in town…” With a few effortless flaps of her wings, Rainbow soon caught up with her.

It took little more than ten minutes for the two to reach the city’s edge. What they found, as they did every time they came, were the city guards working with construction teams to build defenses around the perimeter of the city. Tall steel walls tipped with blades, foundations of mighty ballistas, and the occasional tower were repeating as far as the two could see.

“I still can’t believe the Dragons declared war on Equestria,” said Rainbow. “It’s, like, so… unreal, y’know?”

Applejack didn’t answer, too busy taking in the sight with grin of malice.

“Equestria’s not had any kind of war for a thousand years! That’s almost a century!”

Non-Pony people falling at the power the Equestrian military would bring, oh how Applejack would relish it.

“You hear stories of wars, like with Legate Magnus, and all exciting and stuff, but thinking about a war actually happening is way scary.”

The world would know the strength of Equestrians, and at the heart of it would stand the Apple family.

“Those stories kinda help though, y’know? Legate Magnus beating all those Dragons at their own game, soaring through the skies!” Rainbow smiled. “It makes me all hopeful and stuff.”

Those with magic and wings would be among the dead. Applejack was determined for this to be so. She would take the chance, make use of the opening the Dragons were presenting.

The Dragons will make her happy in her own little way, I don’t doubt. She’ll want to play with all those little toys she’s created over the centuries. She’ll leave herself wide open, blind to the threat within plain sight. You’ll use her own against her, let her be pained knowing I used her beloved for her death.

I… Applejack blinked, and took a deep breath, a small semblance of panic seeping through the last cracks of freedom in her mind. I’m not… You’re not me! I won’t do it!

The voice laughed. If not you, then who? You’re too honest, little Pony. You let your hatred - your mind - be out in the open, ripe for the taking…

“...AJ, you’re shit at talking,” Rainbow sighed. “What do you think of all this?”

Applejack laughed, her voice not her own.

Author's Notes:

“Cloud experiences male bonding and AJ thinks happy thoughts.”