The change was gradual. First people would frown upon the remarks made about earth ponies being lesser than pegasi and unicorns, but eventually the remarks grew into jokes that put a smirk on anyponies face. Anypony except the targets, of course.
After the crops failed last harvest and no improvement was being made on the current one, lots of ponies were displeased with how the earth ponies kept the land. Attempts to defend themselves were made by putting some blame on the pegasi for giving them too little rain when they asked for it, but nopony would listen. Everyponys minds were set: The earth ponies were to blame.
In the homes of the pegasi and the unicorns, kids were told that the scarce amount of food they got every night was noponys fault but the earth ponies. In the schools earth fillies were bullied more than ever for "lacking special abilities" and "causing the famine" which resulted in several ponies staying home from school - which several teachers even endorsed for the sake of the earth fillies safety.
It wasn't long until a political party formed. They spread flyers in the streets of every town with their propaganda, urging to take the responsibilities from the earth ponies and give them to more qualified ponies.
Princess Celestia wouldn't hear off the accusations being made against the earth ponies. She decreed that they had made every effort they could have made to secure the harvest but because of a heavily increased demand for food due to a nearly explosive population growth the lands had been drained of minerals. The opposition chose to interpret this undeniably true statement as saying that Equestria needed to decrease the population - and how better to do so than ridding themselves of the most detestable ponies still walking the lands?
Applejack entered the kitchen with a lit candle held in one of her hooves. She sat down by the kitchen table and put her candle next to another one, the two candles being the only sources of illumination in all of the house.
Granny Smith sat in a rocking chair at the far end of the table with a knitted blanket over her lap, facing out the kitchen window, viewing the orchard with its many fruitless trees with a tired and hollow look on her old and weary face. Further beyond the trees was the beginning of the path leading from the road and up to their home. Old Granny held watch.
With her head barely reaching up to rest on the table, Applebloom sat struggling against her heavy eyelids.
Applejack ruffled Appleblooms mane like the loving sister she was and said with a warm smile:
"You can go hit the sack. We'll be talkin' grown up stuff now."
"I don't wanna" the little filly rebutted. "I want Big Mac to come home first".
Applejack let her hoof slide down to her sisters shoulders and softly started rocking her where she sat. She sang, harmonically:
"Sweet little sister, don't say a word
You've been up all day and you've played with the heard
Tomorrow's a new day with laughter and song
Close your eyes now and it will not be long
'till yer up running, playin' push-n-shove
Close yer eyes now and sleep my love..."
Appleblooms head laid fully resting on the table, eyes closed and her tiny body heaving slowly up and down in the poorly lit room. She slept.
Applejack breathed the silence for a moment. She could hear a clock upstairs ticking solemnly in the darkness.
Granny spoke, barely breaking the silence.
"We must start thinkin' about Big Mac not commin' home no more."
"Yeah" Applejack sighed and peered the same direction as her granny, through the window and down to the empty dark path by the road.
"You can't be stayin' here much longer, child. I heard that they made it into Canterlot last evenin' and I'm not so sure they'll be stoppin' to spend the night. They could be here with the rising sun for all we know."
"Yeah" Applejack repeated joylessly.
Big Macintosh had been missing since morning. He had gone into Ponyville to buy fertilizers for the farm and was expected back well before lunchtime. The sun had now set and they all feared the worse. Although the Equetists (as the party members called themselves) hadn't arrived in Ponyville yet, there had been groups of supporters in Ponyville for several days now that didn't hesitate to display their opinions on earth ponies openly.
"I'll have the cart packed and ready by mornin'. We can make our way down to cousin Braeburn in Appleloosa. We'll be safe there for sure" Applejack declared after a minute of thought.
"The famine's far worse down there, sweetie. Uncle Strudel sent a letter saying so just last week."
"But it sure is easier fighting a rumblin' tummy than a bunch of no-good, pitchfork yielding lunatics!"
"Now, now. Appleloosa has got their share of pitchforkers too. Not as many, I reckon, but they're everywhere these days. Movin' into a cave with a cart full of canned foods would be the safest bet, though there are no caves to go to that I know of and no food to boot."
"What are you sayin' grandma?"
"I'm sayin'" the elderly pony started, still gazing at the path outside, "that yur're in for some rough time ahead, is what I'm sayin'. You better toughen up, sweetie. You might be strong and know who yur friends are, but in these here times it's just as important to know who yur enemies are, too."
Applejack closed her eyes and tried to wrap her mind around what her grandma was getting at. She never though she would have actual enemies, ponies that wanted her ill, but it would be foolish to trust just about anypony anymore like she could have done before all of this started. She knew that she needed to be on her guard.
Suddenly a knock came from the front door. The sound echoed in the house and Applebloom awoke.
"Is that big brother?" the little filly yawned and got out of her seat. Applejack hushed her sister to be quiet as she snuck into the hallway and peaked through a window towards the porch. She didn't bring a candle.
It wasn't Big Macintosh - she couldn't see much in the dark, but she could see a white flank.
"Applejack? Please, do tell me you are home - it is a grossly pressing matter!" a female voice cried.
Applejack recognized the voice of her friend Rarity. She rushed to the door, cracked it open just enough to let her friend in but she remained on the porch.
Rarity looked grave and serious. Her mane wasn't as perfectly in order as it usually was.
"Applejack, I bring news. Please don't be distraught by it, I beg of you!"
The shadows next to Rarity shifted and Applejack could see someone slowly emerging from the deepest darkness, covered in a dark and ill-fitting piece of fabric. The figure raised his head and Applejack was met with the saddest eyes she had ever seen on her brother. She was confused and turned to Rarity for an explanation.
"What is it? Where have you been?"
Rarity took a deep breath and carefully chose her words.
"I was in my workshop when I heard a calamity outside. I went to look and saw a group of ponies harassing some young earthfilly right in the middle of the street! I can't tell what they wanted with her but thankfully your brother courageously made an entrance to the scene. The aggressors backed off when he stood up against them. He told the brutes the simple truth about how you earthponies wanted nothing but the very best for everypony and that you couldn't help how the harvest had gone. The earthfilly escaped unharmed, all thanks to your brothers grand succor. However, the scoundrels soon realized that your brother was standing on his own - nopony dared to back him up at that point. A fight broke out. Macintosh fought gallantly but in the end he was pinned down on his back."
"Oh, gosh! Big brother, are you alright?" Applejack gasped.
Macintosh opened his mouth to speak but seemed to suddenly have remembered something and instead lowered his head, not saying a word.
"That's the thing" Rarity continued. "The gang said that they wouldn't hurt him since he had a debt to pay off, but they would stop him from spewing his lies about the earth ponies. They... They... Oh, I can't bring myself to say it. It was heartbreaking to see! Such cruelty and viciousness!"
Macintosh stepped closer to his sister and revealed his throat. Even in just the moonlight, it was plain to see that his throat was red, redder than the rest of him, and a hoof-print was embedded in his skin. He lowered his head again without looking Applejack in the eye.
"Shortly after the... the deed, the filly he had defended came back with a throng of other ponies. They threw things, yelled and bellowed at the monsters. They fled like the cowards they were and left Macintosh laying in the dirt. Somepony helped me carry him to a doctor, the poor fellow could barely breathe, and I stayed with him until the doctor said the swelling had gone down enough to call his condition stable. However, his throat was in an awful condition and the doctor said it was improbably that he would ever speak again. I'm sorry Applejack. I truly am sorry about all this."
"Don't be sorry Rarity. You did everythin' you could've done" Applejack said consolingly as she went to hug her brother and lead the party indoors.
Applebloom came bouncing into the hallway and clinged to her brothers leg with a big smile.
"Big Mac! Where've you been? I've been staying up way past bedtime for you!"
Applebloom looking up into her brothers face but the look she got in return from him made her smile vanish and filled her with uncertainty.
"Wha-... What's wrong brother?"
"Big Mac's home now. Off to bed" Applejack ordered more sternly than she would have liked to.
Applebloom lingered for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on, but the looks on everyponies faces made her understand that things were bound to get more grown up and serious than she wanted to be a part of.
They gathered in the kitchen. Granny Smith had extinguished the candles right after Applejack left the room and now lit a match to bring back the lights.
"So we're all gathered now" granny said. "Let's start making some plans."