//------------------------------//
// Kindness: CH4 "Into the Sunset" 
// Story: What Remains of the Shattered World 
// by ImpossibleReflection 
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Applejack had managed to combine the three carts in the supplies tents to make a single usable cart. The wheels squeaked awfully because all the grease had long since dried away. Which also made it harder to pull than it should have. However, it was easier and faster than taking all the valuables and bits back in her saddlebags. 

The sun was on it's way toward the horizon by the time she made it back to the town with the valuables in tow. She unhitched herself from the wagon and let loose a whistle that most of the town would be sure to hear. Applejack saw several faces peek out windows or look from their porches and their faces light up. 

She walked up to the bar and poked her head past the swinging double doors, "Ah got everythin' they stole from y'all," the gunslinger spoke as soon as she laid eyes upon the bartender. 

Wet Whistle walked out of the bar and gazed upon  the cart loaded with all the valuables and her eyes widened. 

"How much fer a glass of whiskey?"  Applejack asked as Wet Whistle walked by her towards the cart.

Wet Whistle stopped and looked over her shoulder, "I think You've more than payed for it already, take as much as you like."

"Thank ya."  

Applejack nodded her head and walked into the bar. She grabbed a half empty bottle of whiskey and a glass. She sat down and poured herself a drink as the sounds of all the townsponies wafted in through the doorway. She took a swig from her glass and let out a relaxed sigh as the warmth went down her throat. 

It always feels good to help ponies. Is what she used to believe a long time ago. The feeling is muted when help involves bloodshed. She idly wondered if once she found Fluttershy, the yellow mare would manage to keep the gunslinger from causing more death. She looked to her whiskey glass, which offered no answers. It did however offer whiskey, which she took another drink of. 

Before she knew it the glass was empty and she had to pour herself a new glass. She let this one sit in the glass a little while before drinking it. She had been searching for four years now, it was only just now she had found so much as a lead to one of her old friends. 

She slid her glass and the bottle to the side of the table and laid down a worn map of Equestria. If it wasn't for Discord's curse finding any one of them would be relatively easy. Most of them would go to someplace that fits them personally. Rainbow Dash would of course been an exception, a free spirit such as her would be nearly impossible to find without a lead, and as fast as she is, impossible to track.  However, from what she heard Fluttershy and potentially the rest of her friends are still at least partially still afflicted. 

Rarity in her paranoid, greedy state, would likely avoid others at all costs. 

Rainbow Dash would be either on a cloud she is hallucinating to be Cloudsdale. However, that cloud could be anywhere. If she had broken free, and it's quite possible that she would be one of the first one to break free, Applejack figured, she could be flying around anywhere, and everywhere, the only way to meet her is by complete chance.

Twilight would no doubt be in a library. Reading, Applejack always made sure to stop anywhere along the way with a still standing libraries. 

If Pinkie Pie where to break herself from the curse she would be easy to find. Just follow the smiles, and Pinkie will be in the center. 

However, the first clue she found about Fluttershy made no sense to the gunslinger. Applejack could not figure out why she would be way out here. She could see Twilight going through here, there was supposedly a very large library to the west of this town, In a small city called Hoof Springs. The gunslinger had heard rumors of a large number of books being purchased for that library. A very likely place for Twilight.

Applejack sat there, taking a sip from her glass trying to think, but coming to no conclusions. It was when she was in this state that Wet Whistle walked up beside her. "Hey."

The gunslinger looked over to Wet Whistle. "Thank you, so much," Wet Whistle added.

"Ah believe we had a deal," Applejack stated. 

"Yes, the pegasus. She went West., almost due west, a hair north." Applejack looked at the map. 

"How long ago?"

"About a week before you showed up." 

"Anything ya could tell me would be extremely useful. Down to her coat or eye color. How she exactly acted." Applejack asked before looking back to the map, Hoof springs was the only thing in that direction before miles of empty nearly inhospitable desert. 

"Well like we said earlier, she was crying. she told me to go away, before she could hurt me more. She was clearly the only one being hurt though.  She came into the bar, bought some food, refilled her water and left, Her coat was a grayish yellow, I don't remember anything else."

Applejack could find no other place on the map for Fluttershy to have gone with the direction she left. The only place west of here was Hoof Springs. Beyond that is nothing but nigh uninhabitable desert. "Ah think Ah'll have to refill my canteens as well. Ah'd better get going right now."

"You're leaving already?" Wet Whistle asked.

"Have to, Ah need to catch up to Fluttershy. This is the first lead I've ever gotten on any of my friends and Ah intend not to loose this trail."   Applejack remembered her diminishing rations as well, and decided to catch the merchant before he left town. "Mind if Ah go to the kitchen to refill muh canteens?" 

"No, go ahead." 

Applejack got up from her seat and trotted over to the kitchen the existed behind the back wall of the bar. She set her canteen under the tap and turned the knob. Wet Whistle cam in after her. "Are you planning on leaving right this minute?" She asked as the water flowed into the water receptacle.

"That's the idea." Applejack affirmed. 

"But the day is almost over, wouldn't you rather stay the night and leave in the morning all rested?" Wet Whistle had come to appreciate the gunslinger, and it seemed strange for her to just leave out of the blue. The same way she came into her life, it would seem she was leaving. 

"Ah've spent most of my life since Discord out in the wilds, Ah'll rest up just fine knowing I'm that much closer to a long lost friend." 

As Wet Whistle was thinking of something to respond to that with Applejack finished filling up her last canteen, and thus had no reason to stay in this building any longer. 

"Goodbye, maybe after this is all over Ah'll come back to visit. Maybe you'll get to see Fluttershy when she's no longer under His curse."

Applejack moved out of the kitchen and toward the table where she was eating. Placed her musket over her back, and took a few ore bites of food before heading towards the door, "The food was good, Ah'm sorry I couldn't finish it all, but I'd like to get some supplies from the vendor before he leaves town. Goodbye."

At that applejack left out the front door. Wet whistle followed after her. She saw her go up to the vendor. After a few minutes of talking it appeared that he handed her some fruits, or vegetables and she tipped her hat and went on her way. She walked through town. And the looks on the ponies faces were the opposite of when she entered. The world seemed so much brighter, and not because the sun was being blotted out by a sandstorm. Everypony in this town looked at her with a smile on their muzzle and hope in their eyes. 

One could almost imagine that The mad King and following war for the remnants didn't happen. This lone mare appeared like magic out of a sandstorm into a dying town. And in a matter of days she leaves the town a happy place, and just like many a cheesy western, disappeared off into the sunset.