//------------------------------//
// The Stranger 
// Story: Everything Went Down Hill 
// by WannaFlugelHorn 
//------------------------------//

The town wasn't exactly large, but it wasn't small, either. A long, dusty path cut through the busiest part of the land, along side of which small wooden carts and shops stood. Through the fogged windows ponies were visible, examining what was for sale. Small bits of paper and cans were scattered around the place, but most of it was clear of the path. Towards the edge of town, little cottages faced towards smaller strands of walking area. Apple Jack was getting pretty good at navigating the place, but she wasn't a fan of what she had to do everyday.

It wasn't the fact that she was working with trash, well, sort of, but the main reason was that her work made her feel dishonest. She knew that the ponies here had willingly thrown away their trash, but it still felt like their property to her. Not that Apple Jack had much of a choice. She had no money, and around these parts no pony had heard of her, didn't know how trustworthy and strong she was, so she could never land herself a job. Not only that, but she knew that if anypony caught her, they wouldn't exactly be pleased. She couldn't even stay here until it got dark, making it harder for ponies to notice her, but she had to get back before that to take care of Apple Bloom.

It took anywhere from a couple minutes to an hour to find a good time to strike. There seemed to be a never ending flow of ponies. But, lucky for Apple Jack, the preferred moment struck rather early that day. Dashing towards a small dumpster behind one of the shops, she bucked it over. To her dismay, the trash bag had ripped, and junk was spilling out through the hole. Frantically, Apple Jack began picking through the smelly stuff, not looking for anything in particular. Her heart started to race as multiple groups of ponies began filing out of the stores. Beads of sweat began to form above her brow as she realized she had cornered herself in a small alley. Apple Jack began to pleading, praying under her breath.

"Please, please don't let them see me. Please let them go away. Please let me get out of this. Please-"

"Hey, what're you doing back there!" Apple Jack looked up to find a pair of eyes glued to her. More ponies looked her way at the sound of the young mares voice.

"I . . . I, I . . . um-"

"What are you doing?" The mare looked around. "What is she doing?" The ponies started to mutter things about the police, and Apple Jack's hindquarters nearly gave out.

Another pony began yelling. "Police? Police! There's sompony suspicious in the alley! Somepony get the police!" Doors started to open.

"Oh Celestia, what do I do?" Apple Jack began to back up only to bump into the wall behind her. She had to get out of there, but their was only one way. Through the crowd.

Apple Jack started to run as fast as she could. She shoved ponies aside, knocking them to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a stallion lying on the dirt. A pool of blood was forming around his head. Apple Jack choked back tears. She'd hurt somepony, probably more than one. Now she was a criminal. Now their was no hope.

"Quick, over here!" Apple Jack turned her head towards the sound to find a figure in the distance. The pony was wearing a long cloak, preventing Apple Jack from seeing the pony's face. She didn't really care who it was. She needed to get away from anypony who saw her just then.

"I mean it, come here! I'm trying to help you." Apple Jack glanced back at the crowd behind her. The distance between them was becoming smaller and smaller. Her legs started to burn from running after her travels to make it here in the first place. She couldn't go on much longer.

"Come on, you can trust me!" The group of angry ponies was gaining on her. She could see their faces clearly now. She didn't have much time to decide if she trusted the pony or not. She rushed over to the figure.

"Now, get under my cloak." Apple Jack did as she was told. "I'm gonna try to teleport us both back to my place." Apple Jack perked up at this.

"Try? Have you even tried to teleport two ponies before? How do you know it'll work!" Apple Jack could hear the thundering sound of hoofsteps growing closer and closer.

"I don't!" The crowd was inches away.

"What! Are you out of your m-"

And with a puff of smoke, they were gone.