//------------------------------// // See You Later // Story: Applejack Gets Lost // by MagicS //------------------------------// The timely return of Daylight Gleam, Star Blaze and Sugar Spirit saw Applejack rescued before she too ended up in the lava. After crying for a second over all that destroyed treasure Star Blaze remembered there was still a gigantic room full of it and promptly ditched the others to grab as much of it as he could, Sugar Spirit decided to join him and Applejack was too tired to put a stop to it. While waiting for them Applejack took a nice rest and finally caught her breath, resting with the similarly exhausted Daylight Gleam. “So, pretty crazy week huh?” Daylight said. “Yep, even by my standards this has been a weird one.” Applejack nodded her head, lying on the ground. “We gotta walk through a lot of tunnels to get out of here now, sorry.” “Meh, I’ll live. I already made the choice not to just run away so I think I’m fine with a little more walking. And unlike those two stooges-”. She said, glancing down the hall to the throne room. “I won’t be lugging around any heavy treasure.” Applejack chuckled before yawning and taking a big stretch, rolling over onto her back she looked up at the ceiling. “I hope all of the ponies outside are okay. I mean, it’s not like they were fighting King Avarice for that long but that king was nuts, I wanna get out here soon and make sure everything is alright.” Daylight Gleam actually started laughing a little bit as she listened to Applejack. Raising an eyebrow the farm pony looked at the white unicorn. “What’s so funny?” Daylight was still giggling as she answered Applejack. “It’s.. it’s you. Everything about you. You just almost died fighting some crazy undead monster! And you did it for like, no reason! You had no personal investment, you didn’t have to do it at all, you risked your life for all of this and the first thing you worry about after it’s all over is whether a bunch of ponies you don’t even know are okay! You’re too much, it’s like you’re from a fairy tale.” Daylight kept giggling at it all, it was just too funny to her to meet a pony like Applejack. Applejack for her part just shrugged. “That’s just how I am. My friends are the same way.” The two ponies rested for a while longer until they heard their two other companions coming back. With the clinking of coins, heavy hooves clacking on the ground, and labored breathing, both Star Blaze and Sugar Spirit pushed past the big spiked door and back into the red room. Daylight and Applejack both had to resist rolling their eyes when they saw them. Huge bags filled to bursting sat on their backs with others hanging off their sides, a trail of gold coins and small gems led from them back to the throne room, between the two of them an even larger bag full of treasure was levitated by their magic. With wobbly legs they walked towards Applejack and Daylight, dropping a few coins and other bits of treasure from the massive haul they took with each step. Star Blaze’s eyes were bugging out of his head at the exertion and Sugar Spirit had an insane smile plastered on her face, the heat and workout making almost rivers of sweat fall from them. Applejack walked towards them with a smirk and looked at the sacks of treasure the both of them were carrying. “Think ya got enough? I said no looting remember?” Sugar Spirit’s face fell while the air wheezed out of Star Blaze’s lungs like a deflating balloon. After a second, Applejack allowed herself a giggle. “Oh fine, I suppose you two can at least ask the other ponies if you can have a cut of the treasure.” A very long while later after traversing through the tunnels of Greed Volcano again, Applejack and her party came back outside to the city. The journey was sped up slightly thanks to Applejack offering to carry quite a bit of their treasure but at the same time it was still quite a bit slower than it could’ve been thanks to the narrow tunnels causing some problems along the way. But now Greed Volcano and King Avarice were truly behind them all. “I. Am. Beat!” Star Blaze said as he collapsed to the ground, taking a long breath of fresh open air. “I. Am. Ecstatic!” Sugar Spirit yelled as she jumped around all of them, wearing a set of necklaces, earrings, tiara’s, and any other kind of jewelry you could think. “This has been the most amazing treasure hunt ever! Parts of it were kind of scary but just look how it’s turned out! We’re never gonna have to steal or rob from other ponies again!” Applejack was somewhat dismayed to hear Sugar Spirit so freely admit to doing that in the past but she wasn’t going to press the issue at this point. It was time for her to get up and leave pretty soon, she heaved the large sack she was carrying off her back and let it sit on the ground. Seeming to sense how she was feeling Daylight came up to Applejack and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Look, we really won’t be doing anything bad anymore. This is it for the “criminal” part of our careers. Right?” She said as she looked at Star Blaze and Sugar Spirit. “Right!” They both replied in unison. Daylight smiled and turned back to Applejack. “We’ll stick to wholesome adventuring and treasure hunting just for fun now. We won’t be hurting for money anymore after all this.” “Well, that does make me pretty happy to hear.” Applejack smiled at the three of them. “Hey! There they are!” The four ponies looked to the sound of the voice, a blue-armored guard was standing at the end of the street, pointing at them. Instantly Applejack and the others heard a rush of running hooves and voices as a huge crowd of ponies came barreling over from the next street, practically plowing over the guard that had found them in the first place. Sunflower was out front and center but there were so many other random ponies she didn’t know, likely ones that just lived and worked somewhere in the city, as well. “How did it go? Are you alright? What happened to King Avarice?” Sunflower yelled while he ran towards them. Applejack held up her hooves to calm them down, signaling them to slow down a bit and not run the four ponies over. “Now we’re alright, y’all don’t need to go crazy or anything.” Applejack said to the crowd of ponies as they slowed down and stopped in front of them. “As for King Avarice you don’t have to worry about him anymore, and the spell keeping you trapped here is gone for good too.” The crowd started cheering and celebrating like crazy after hearing that. “I guess everything went well on this side.” Daylight Gleam said to Applejack, almost drowned out by the noise from the city ponies. Sunflower walked up to them while the other ponies continued their wild celebrations. “I really don’t know how to thank you, this is incredible, I never thought anything like this could happen.” He said, eyes almost vacant as if he was still processing the fact that they were finally free from King Avarice. “You really don’t need to thank me.” Applejack said, smiling as she shook her head. “And these other fellows already got plenty enough for themselves if you’re fine with that.” She pointed at Star Blaze and Sugar Spirit protectively watching over their hoard. “But what are you going to be doing now? What’s gonna happen to this city?” Sunflower shrugged. “Well most ponies were born here, I suppose the ones that were trapped and captured like you will go back home but the rest of us will probably just continue living on here. We won’t have to work the mines anymore or be forced to make endless treasures for King Avarice, we can find our own lives to lead. We’ll do something with this city, I just don’t know what yet.” This time even Daylight Gleam smiled at the yellow earth pony. “Best of luck to you. Me and my friends will be leaving soon, Applejack too I believe.” “Yep.” Applejack confirmed. “I’ll be heading out tonight.” “Oh, I was hoping you would at least stay another day.” Sunflower looked a little dismayed by their choices. Applejack put a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “I really would like to but I’ve already spent so much time away from home, I wanna get back on track as soon as possible, been sidetracked enough lately.” “I guess this is goodbye for us too.” Daylight said as she looked at Applejack. “I’ll go grab those two idiots so they can say a proper goodbye to you, hold on a second.” Applejack waited as she brought the two over. Sunflower was standing patiently as well, waiting for the real goodbye. The apple farmer was a little sad that she had to say goodbye to another group of ponies, as always, moving on was bittersweet. But she did all she could for them and now the ponies that lived here could start happy lives. She’d miss Daylight, Star Blaze and Sugar Spirit a bit too, even with their eccentricities and not entirely honest profession. “Well, guess this is goodbye Applejack, time to go on our separate ways now?” The apple loving pony was snapped out of her thoughts when Star Blaze came up to her. She quickly put on a smile for him. “Guess so. It was nice getting to know you three. For the most part.” She winked at him. “It was super great getting to know you!” Sugar Spirit said, boundless energy fully returned she ran up and tightly hugged Applejack. “You were awesome! I’m really going to miss you!” “Thanks...” Applejack wheezed through the tight hug. “Alright, alright, enough of all that.” Daylight said, using her magic to separate the two. “And besides, what’s all this nonsense about goodbye anyways?” “Huh?” Applejack said, looking at the white unicorn in confusion. “Who says this is goodbye? Maybe we’ll see each other again someday.” Daylight Gleam smiled at her. “I’ll be saying “See you later” if that’s alright with you?” Applejack’s face broke out into a wide smile, this time she stepped forward and gave Daylight a little hug too. “Yeah, that’s alright with me. See you later.” The celebrations and farewells to the other ponies went on for a little while longer but finally it was time for Applejack to head out. Late at night she left the city under Greed Volcano, her three unicorn friends heading the opposite direction and carrying enough treasure to buy a town. She stood on top of a hill waving to them almost until they were entirely out of sight and then she turned around and continued her long walk home. She didn’t know how much longer it would be till she found her way back to Ponyville but she felt happier and more fulfilled than she had in a long time. It was almost midnight when Applejack paused, a sudden thought striking her. “Did I even ask if they had apples back there?”