Chapter 1: Kind Words
The last thing I remember before the blackout was… the sun. Before Nightmare Moon returned with a vengeance, I used to love the night, but now I'm terrified of it. My name is Hector, and I used to work at Sweet Apple Acres with my sweetheart Applejack before the everlasting night arrived… but now we've been separated and the farm is in ruin.
If not for us Earth ponies, there would be no food or grass to go around. I can persuade the grass to grow with gentle words, and I can make little seedlings grow into tall fruit bearing trees that last millenniums... as Applejack could do. That was how we met, at a farming convention.
But… I don't know where she is. Once Celestia was overthrown, once the sun was put away, Earth ponies such as myself and my honorary older brother Big Macintosh have been put to extra work and I come back to my home exhausted and tired. Nightmare Moon is… benevolent most of the time, but she can be cruel and demanding.
Unicorns get off easy, as well as Pegasus ponies… but not us Earth ponies. I may rant about it a lot, but it's because it's unfair. We all miss Celestia, and if I could I'd bring her back in a heartbeat to feel the sun on my coat and… and to find Applejack.
It's not just because I miss my sweetheart, it's because little Applebloom and Mac miss her as well. In these dark times… you need friends and family. Without them, there is no true wealth.
XXX
"Hector, wake up. It's work time,"
The brown and white stallion opened his eyes, finding that of two green ones staring down at him. For a second, they seemed like the green eyes of his lost love Applejack, and he almost reached up and kissed lips… but alas, he thought, it was just the red stallion he called brother.
"Mac? I thought you were AJ," he said, sitting up off of his cot. His bed had broken in the fight before their ex-ruler Celestia had been banished to the moon by their new overlord Nightmare Moon, bringing everlasting night. Mac sighed with a wry smile "My voice isn't that feminine is it?"
Hector smiled and shook his head, standing and stretching as he put on the very same brown Stetson he had found after his love's disappearance. It had her smell; mud, apples and hard work… which translated to sweat.
It was dark out, as there was no morning and the smarter ponies were put in charge of determining times without the sun, informing the other ponies of the times and schedules for work and other events. Hector and Mac made their way out of the small house in the darkened and mostly empty Ponyville, the fields on the north side their destination.
As they walked, they passed the empty and desolate farm once known as Sweet Apple Acres. Then Hector stopped, staring the broken and faded sign: SW ET APP E AC ES.
Tears welled in his amber coloured eyes, as memories flooded his mind. Memories of the times he'd helped fill bushels with his love Applejack, the times he'd had to be test subject for her little sister's group's antics for their cutie marks, the times the two had fallen asleep together in the hay-bales under the light of the moon.
It was when he felt Mac's hoof on his shoulder that he blinked and faced his honorary brother with misty eyes. Mac had an understanding look on his weary face, and he knew exactly how Hector felt. He had lost everything in the span of a day, and it had happened so fast that he felt he couldn't do anything to prevent it.
"Do you think… we'll ever find her?" Hector asked, knowing the answer wouldn't be the one he wanted to hear so desperately. Mac looked to the ground, not speaking, but the emotion being conveyed subtly. He couldn't be sure.
As the brown and white stallion sighed, the thought of his work flooded his mind, and even though he could spend forever reminiscing about his apple-farming tree bucking love Applejack, he still had a job to do and would no doubt be reprimanded severely by Nightmare Moon if he shirked his work.
He nodded to Mac before beginning to walk with him to the fields, going to the equipment shed and taking out his halter and putting it on, walking to the barren field and kneeling down to the soil. With a deep breath, he began to utter words to the soil while his hoof tilled it gently, and he grabbed a seed packet that Mac had brought over, planting a small apple seed where he had tilled soil, covering it.
Mac hung by the sidelines, watching in a sort of silent awe as Hector's talent brought the small dried out seed into a small baby tree's beginning. "I always wondered how you could do that, make a little baby seed grow so fast" the red stallion said, eyes on the green seedling. Hector smiled weakly "I was just born with the gift is all."
It was true, Hector had discovered his talent for making desolate land become bountiful in seconds when he moved into his childhood home and found the ground too salty to grow anything. As several attempts had almost broken his heart, nothing growing, he planted a small daisy bush seed and started muttering broken sobs to it… and it grew fast.
He had been amazed at this, and began to grow more food for his family, and they saved enough up thanks to their son's talent that they bought a better house and entered the farming business to become very famous and powerful in the farming world.
"Applejack used to farm like that, but not as fast as you."
Mac's words, meaning to be a compliment instead made the shorter black maned stallion began to tear up. He remembered it all too well, AJ's abilities in farming were unparalleled by anybody Hector knew or would ever know, and the memory of the sweet farm-mare brought an ache to his heart that depressed him.
The red stallion apologised and began to walk with his halter attached to a tow, ploughing the field. Hector sighed, continuing to persuade the seeds to grow in the desolate field he would have to tend to every day or after a while they would wither and die without the presence of either his unconscious magic… or the sun.
Once the work was finished, he had several fully grown trees albeit ones that couldn't grow fruit just yet nor the flowers. The smell of the leaves of the apple trees however brought back memories. Memories of happy times with Applejack that both brought a smile and the sombre prickle of tears to his eyes.
The times they'd run in the Running of the Leaves together and tied together, but had both shared the prize money – which Hector had donated to the farm to pay for Granny Smith's new hip… which hadn't lasted long since she was one of the first lives to be lost in the overthrowing of Celestia. The battle was fierce and deadly.
"I guess it's time to go back home then, until tomorrow…" Mac hollered, putting the plough away and walking to Hector who had put his halter away and held AJ's hat to his chest as he gazed up at the trees that would bare flowers and fruit if he tended to them in the next few days. "I guess so, let's go then. I'll stop by the market for food."
Mac nodded and the brown and white stallion made his way down the winding dirt path to the market where ponies gathered, trying to make light of the everlasting night. Something had to be done about this, Hector thought as he purchased the essentials with the money he'd earnt farming.
He'd heard of the Elements Of Harmony, but knew not where they were. The six ponies who commanded them he knew lived in Ponyville at one point and had tried to stop Nightmare Moon using the necklaces of power… but had failed. Some say they went into hiding, fearful of their own lives while others say they… passed in the fight of good VS evil.
Being optimistic, Hector chose to believe that they were simply hiding out there somewhere and he had to just find them. Such treasonous thoughts would get him to have the first public hanging since a thousand years ago, so he'd have to keep them to himself until he could locate the six ponies of power.
Princess Twilight Sparkle had been one, until she had no doubt passed in the fight against Nightmare Moon, so she was out. She was the only pony of power he knew of, and would have to search the Canterlot library for books on the subject despite not being the sharpest tool in the shed.
Then something fell loose from his basket, and he noticed a small white rabbit holding a bundle of carrots he had bought. "Hey! Those are mine! I worked hard to buy those! Give them back you pest!" Hector demanded, the rabbit turning tail, giving the Earth stallion chase. He wouldn't let his hard earned food out of his hooves that easily.
He raced, using his skills from The Running of the Leaves, he followed close on the rodent's trail until they reached the edge of the Everfree, a neutralised threat area thanks to Nightmare Moon, with a small desolate cottage boarded up by a babbling stream that sounded too eerie for his liking.
The white rabbit looked back to see Hector close behind, diving into a small flap in the door. Losing his footing, Hector slipped and slammed his face directly into the door, falling on his rump with a groan, thudding his hoof on the door. "Give my carrots back you thieving rabbit!" he roared, nursing his bruised cheek.
There was silence before a timid voice called out "I-I'm so sorry, Angel steals for me and I don't want him to. I-I'll push them out the gap in the door. I'm so sorry for the muddle up!" and the bundle of carrots made its way out through the flap that 'Angel' had gone in through.
Hector was confused. Who was in this seemingly abandoned cottage, a pet rabbit maybe stealing for them? "Who are you? Who's in there?" he asked, knocking again and trying to peel the boards away with ease. It was done in no time at all, the door pushed open. A feminine squeak and a blur of movement alerted the Earth stallion to movement upstairs in the seemingly ornate house with many tiny staircases and bird houses a plenty.
He raced after the movement and noticed a pink tail peeking out from underneath a broken and dusty bed, the quilt faded. It most likely was once blue and pink. He pulled on the tail, apologising after, and yanking out something he'd never expected. A Pegasus pony wearing a black robe, starved and weak and frail, once long mane now cut short and jagged unlike the long unkempt tail with dirt and straw amongst the cotton candy coloured strands.
She looked up into Hector's eyes, her eyes bruised around the edges, bags heavy as if she hadn't slept easy in a long time. She squealed loudly and Hector stumbled back, covering his ears as the mare dove for cover into a nearby closet, shutting it behind her with a ca-chunk. "G-go away! P-p-please! I have no money! I have no food! I have nothing of value to loot! D-d-don't hurt me please!" she begged.
"What? I won't hurt you, I just wanted to know who you are. I'll share food if it loosens your tongue, ma'am" Hector said, taking a few carrots and placing them down for her by the closet door. It was a good minute before it peered open, and a turquoise eye peered out before the mare stepped onto the creaky floor boards.
She took a carrot and took a hungry bite, scarfing it down and quickly going for another one. She looked up, brushing dirt off of her wing which was bandaged and almost broken by the look of it. The bandages had been tied well, but the amount of dried blood on it worried the Earth stallion.
What had occurred such an injury?
"Now, if you wouldn't mind telling who you are and why your home is in such disarray…"
The Pegasus mare looked up and nodded, taking a deep breath. "My name… is Fluttershy, and I used to be the Element of Kindness, not that anypony still remembers the Elements… I remember them… I still have mine. It's hidden and it's priceless, oh pony feathers, I've divulged it! Y-you can't have it! I mean… if you wouldn't mind not taking it…"
Hector was joyous. He'd found the Element of Kindness, or some mare that claimed to be the Element. She could be some urchin for all he knew, but he'd heard Mac talking of a Fluttershy in the past. Some mare who was undoubtedly kind and loved animals, but he was optimistic; he looked at the cider mug as half full.
Looking to the mare, he looked around the broken home that this Fluttershy mare had made no attempt to fix, sighing. "Where is the Element?" he asked bluntly, standing and looking around from where he stood. The mare almost choked on the carrot she was eating, jumping up and standing at a particular part of the floor.
"I-it's not here, I p-promise… don't take it away! It's all I have to remember my friends by!" Fluttershy begged, opening her good wing which wasn't any better than the broken one. Her butter yellow feathers on that wing were ruffled and some were missing. She couldn't fly with wings in such horrible condition.
Hector went to argue, but noticed something shiny under the floorboards she stood over. He walked up to her, chest out, intimidating as he pushed her aside with no effort, lifting up the floorboards to reveal something wrapped up in a blanket with apple patterns. It was Applejack's blanket.
As he lifted the object up and out, he barely felt Fluttershy's attempt at beating his side with her weak hooves, opening the blanket to reveal a shiny gold necklace with a pink butterfly gem in the centre. He gasped. It was the Element of Kindness. This mare was telling the truth, she really was The Element of Kindness.
He looked to her in time to catch a weak punch to his jaw which felt more like a rough caress. "You weren't lying," he said, holding the necklace to admire "you are one of the ponies of power." Fluttershy nodded and sat back "I am, why did you think I was lying?" she asked, earning a half-hearted shrug from Hector.
"I guess in these times you can't trust anypony but family and friends, but if this does belong to you, then keep it, but please come with me. I want to rekindle the ponies of power and fight Nightmare Moon, I want to feel the sun… I want Applejack back…" he moaned, eyes tearing up, holding her hat over his face to smell the comforting smell.
The pink maned mare gasped softly, taking the Element from Hector and wrapping it up in the blanket. "You knew Applejack?" she asked quietly. He nodded "She was my special somepony, my love, my sweetheart. I-in the siege of Nightmare Moon we were separated and… I've been searching for her for years… you know her?"
Fluttershy nodded "She was my friend, and an Element as well. The Element of Honesty, um… why do you look so surprised?" she asked, noting the shocked look on the Earth stallion's white and brown face. "She… never told me that. Element of Honesty? And she lied to me? S-she never told me! How long has she had the Element?!" Hector asked in surprise, startling the mare.
She gathered her wits and spoke "Ever since we first met… I guess. But she probably forgot to mention it, she can be a little forgetful sometimes. Don't be mad, please." Hector couldn't be mad at Applejack no matter how hard he tried, he loved her too much, but it didn't stop him from feeling outraged that she had kept such an important fact secret.
He had never kept a secret from her, so why did she get to? "I'm not mad, I'm just… surprised. So will you come with me?" the jet haired stallion asked, amber eyes filled with emotion. Fluttershy nodded, scooping up the Element in the blanket and hiding it in amongst Hector's groceries as she packed what little belongings she had.
Then they were off, walking back to the house with one out of six Elements secured. One step out of six in the plan to take down Nightmare Moon.