Five minutes. Five minutes was the only time of day that Apple Bloom had to call home. There were no telephone lines connecting Equus to Griffonia, meaning the Imperial Lunar Army had to devise this big complicated auxiliary long-range radio system so their soldiers could communicate with their family back home. There were millions of soldiers and only so many radio stations, so each soldier was only permitted a five minute conversation with their loved ones.

This should be the highlight of any deployed soldier's day. But for Apple Bloom?

"And the only thing they got on that dang TV all night long is them stupid Imperial anniversary shows! Like I’m supposed to clap my hooves and cheer when the roof’s still leakin’!"

Apple Bloom could smell the alcohol on her sister's words. She'd barely gotten a few words of her own in, little more than "How are you, Applejack? Over." only for the rest of the time to be filled with grievances from back home. Not that Apple Bloom didn't have grievances of her own, every conscript in the Imperial army did. She just hoped that a call to her sister would take her mind off of all that was rotten in the world, no matter how many times these calls turned out the same way.

"What about the rest of us, huh? What about the ones of us that lost everythin’ ‘cause of them damned Lunarists? Might as well drag me out back and rub my damn nose in it! And lemme tell ya, when they locked me up the first time, they did just that! Well and truly did!"

It was clear that Applejack didn't care that the line was neither secure or private. Given that this was far from the first time the two sisters had such a call, it was clear that the eavesdroppers didn't care what an angry old dispossessed drunk had to say either.

"And the papers, oh, the papers! Every last page is just more lies dressed up in fancy words. Call it ‘progress,’ they say. Progress my tail!"

Apple Bloom couldn't interrupt. She literally couldn't. Only one of them could talk at a time. Until Applejack said "over", the circuit wouldn't switch. Maybe this whole exercise would be worth it, to Applejack at least. Gives her someone that'll listen to her.

"And oh- oh, that dang Rainbow Dash! That cloud-humpin', carpet-baggin' backstabber, prancin’ all proud by her Empress's side on the TV earlier. Pathetic, that’s what it is! Parade ‘round like they didn’t strip every bit o’ good clean outta this country!"

If anything, it was a nice change of pace to hear a truly angry, bitter, honest rant instead of the usual propaganda lines that filled the airwaves. She just wish it wouldn't have to be in the short span of time that she could hear her sister's voice.

"Ain’t never, not once, in the whole sorry history o’ the world, seen a government hate its own folk-"

Abruptly, Applejack went silent. A robotic voice told Apple Bloom that her five minutes were up. Back to the tone of the usual 23 hours and 55 minutes of the "Great Anniversary Night".