Applejack pushed open the gates of the farm’s barn, watching as one was flung aside by the wind and smashed into the side of the red building. She grabbed a hold of her hat as it almost flew away, then rushed over to one of her trees. She stood there for a second, watching as a group of humans worked on building makeshift shelter for some of the trees. She stared at her orchard, looking far into it, watching as apple trees were pulled out of the ground by the sheer force of the wind.

“Help me with this one!” she called out, running over to a woman who was trying to set a tent over a tree. She grabbed the tent with her teeth and pulled down, until the force of the wind overcame the tent. As she still clung to it, Applejack was flung aside along with the entire tree, causing her to fly a few meters before slamming back down onto the ground.

The woman rushed over to her, kneeling down. Applejack weakly picked herself back up, gritting her teeth tightly, her eyes locked on the unearthed tree beside her. A bright flash made everyone in the vicinity look over their shoulder. Applejack watched over the horizon as Apex was engulfed in a bright, blue shield. The woman grabbed the mare, shaking her. “Miss Applejack, we have to go! We have to go now!”

“I’m not leavin’ my farm!” Applejack retorted, dusting herself off.

“There’s no farm left, grab your family and head to Apex!”

Applejack looked up. She stared at the devastation of her farm, and her life. Her eyes widened as they witnessed the sight of uncountable trees devoid of leaves and fruit, lying flat on the ground as they were ripped from the root. She looked down at the ground, closing her eyes, letting a single tear be carried away by the wind.

The mare shot a piercing look at the woman kneeling beside her. “Help me, then!” she yelled, motioning for the human to follow her. Together, they made their way over to the house, the wind picking up Applejack’s hat and taking it away, yet she didn’t care. She bucked the door of the house and rushed in. Breathing heavily, she found herself staring at Granny Smith, Big Mac and Apple Bloom, who were huddled together in the center, using a blanket to fight away the cold.

“Grab everything we can’t go without! We’re leaving!”

“Look at that…” Becker muttered as he folded his arms, looking up at the main screen of the Vector’s command center. “How come the ice reached us so quickly?” he asked. Technicians all around the chamber stood up, leaving their terminals to look at the screen. Everyone stared at the orbital image of a massive storm as it loomed over Apex. Some covered their mouths, observing the image.

“It’s massive…” someone uttered.

“Are the shields up on Apex?” Becker asked, looking to the side over to a technician, who nodded at him. “Good… Issue a recall… Send dropships to the native cities, get them to Apex. They won’t survive this cold by themselves.”

“But… Sir…” a woman stuttered. “Is there enough space for them?”

“You’d rather have them die in the cold?” Becker scoffed. “Get them aboard if you have to—their lives are at stake here.” He turned around to see the people in the room still staring at the screen. “We have work to do! Get to it!” he yelled, then turned back to the screen, folding his arms behind his back. His gaze never left, still thinking about what Celestia had told him earlier. He looked down, frowning, wondering, then looked back up with a scowl.

He growled, “Bring it.”

Applejack stood behind the line of ponies, Apex just a few hundred meters ahead. Humans sided with them, keeping them in order as they entered the massive metal city. She rubbed her ears, trying to prevent frostbite due to the insanely cold wind. She looked up as a snowflake landed on the tip of her nose. More began to fall, soon covering everything in a thin blanket of white. She shuddered, continuing to walk. She looked over her shoulder, watching as Big Mac carried Apple Bloom, with Granny Smith following suit. A gust of wind almost toppled her over, before regaining her stance.

“Keep moving in an orderly fashion!” a human exclaimed. “You’ll be safe soon, with us!”

“W-Why is it so cold, sis?” Apple Bloom stuttered out. “Has this happened before?”

“Not that I know of, s-sugarcube…”

“Ah, quit yer’ whining!” Granny exclaimed. “I’ve been through ten storms worse than this’un, and I ain’t never left the farm during none of ‘em!”

“I find that hard to believe…” Big Mac muttered.

“Don’t worry about it anymore,” Applejack said, frowning. “We’ll be fine soon, as the humans said. After this is over, we’ll get back to the farm, and we’ll pick the pieces back up.”

“Doesn’t sound like much fun…” Apple Bloom muttered, covering herself with a blanket as she rode on her brother’s back.

The wind picked up, almost blowing all the ponies in the line off of their hooves. A bolt of lightning struck down nearby, booming across all the fields, flashing light. Applejack snorted, brushing snow off of her nose. Then, a loud bang sounded off, causing all the ponies to freeze in place. “Contacts!” someone yelled, following by more explosions. She watched as the ponies in front of her bolted off forwards, then she followed, picking up and running after them. A human ran past her, she watched as he fired his rifle, then disappeared in the mist behind.

“Come on!” a human yelled. “Don’t look back, just keep going to Apex!”

She couldn’t think clearly at this point. All Applejack could do was run, trying to follow the trail that led to Apex. She closed her eyes, then tripped, falling hard onto the snow. She immediately tried to pick herself back up, stopping to stare at the body of a stallion in front of her, recognizing it as Carrot Cake, the baker. Her eyes widened, staring at an icicle that had pierced his chest all the way through, then glanced back and forth at the body and her own bloody hooves.

Applejack barely had time to react; an unarmored human picked her up and set her on all four hooves, looking straight into her eyes. “Look at me!” he yelled, tapping her on the shoulder. “Keep going, alright!?” Applejack flinched as something flew by, then her face was splattered with blood. She opened her eyes once more, staring as the human grabbed his exposed neck and fell to the ground, blood gushing out of an open wound below his chin. Regardless of this, he gazed back up at her. “Run!”

The mare turned back, breathing rapidly and heavily, then continued running, hooves digging into the snow. She closed her eyes and ran, just as fast as she could. She felt herself grow warmer, then bumped into something, forcing her to fall on her haunches. Applejack opened her eyes, seeing that the mist and the cold had gone away. She found herself surrounded by ponies, inside Apex. She turned back, looking through the shield that had engulfed the city, looking into the mist outside. She could still hear gunshots coming from the other side, along with screaming.

She looked around. “Apple Bloom!? Big Mac!? Granny!?” she yelled. “Where are you!?” She dashed between the ponies, hastily trying to find her family. She made her way through the ponies, some wounded, some still panicking.

“Applejack!?” she heard, coming from the side. She immediately pushed between two ponies and fell onto the ground, staring at her brother and sister. She stood up and rushed over to them, hugging them both as hard as she could.

“Wait!” Apple Bloom yelled, pushing her sister off. “Where’s Granny!?”

“Oh my…” Applejack muttered, turning back to the shield. “Granny!” She rushed over to it, then skidded to a halt before the shield. She watched as Granny Smith emerged from the mist, led by a single man, who fired his rifle towards the mist. As the old mare entered the city, the human stayed behind, running back into the storm.

Big Mac and Apple Bloom rushed over to the two, hugging each other tightly. Applejack was breathing heavily trying to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and let a single tear run down her cheek.

“By the universe…” Becker muttered, his arms falling limp, watching at the screen, staring at the image of a creature made solely of ice striking down a pony with an icy blade. “Celestia…” he muttered under his breath.

“Sir…?” one of the technicians staring at the screen stood up and walked over to him. “Orders?”

Becker looked down, eyes wide. One of his hands started shaking, before curling up into a fist. He gazed back up at the screen, scowling. “Ready the troops. All of them.” He turned to face all of the people in the command center. “We’re being attacked.”