//------------------------------// // No One's Ever Truly Gone // Story: The After Years // by FoxMcCloud7921 //------------------------------// Starlight, Dash, and Applejack all met up in Canterlot before taking the train out to Hollow Shades. “Okay, I can understand you and Starlight, but why am I here?” Dash asked. “I’m sure its in case a brawl breaks out or something,” Applejack assured her. “Not that I can’t handle a fight mind you…” Dash waved it off with a hoof. “Eh, it’s fine. It’s kinda nice to do things like this again, just like the old days. Wonderbolt training is nice and all but it’s also nice to shake things up a bit.” “Just remember we’re here cause of a potential problem,” Starlight reminded her. “Don’t worry, we got this,” Dash replied. “Besides, it’s probably just your run-of-the-mill friendship problem.” Upon reaching their destination and getting off the train, the first things that the trio was introduced to were the trees and the sounds of absolute silence. “Is it just me or is it, like, unnaturally quiet?” Dash asked. “Well, this is a forest,” Starlight said. “But you’re right, I don’t even hear any birds…” “Let’s just get there before I start worrying again,” Applejack said as she started walking. “Listen AJ, I don’t wanna make it sound like it’s nothing but…are you sure maybe your folks are making something out of nothing?” Dash asked. “Apples don’t exaggerate nothing,” Applejack replied as she continued on. “Sheesh, I just wanted to calm her nerves,” Dash grumbled. “You could be right, but let’s just wait until we get there,” Starlight consoled her. “Besides, can you really blame her when family is involved?” “Fair point…” It took about twenty minutes but they finally reached the clearing that contained the town and upon looking upon it, they realized something was definitely off. “Where is everyone?” Dash asked. No one appeared to be outside, almost as if the entire place had been abandoned. “Okay, I’m not liking this one bit,” Applejack said. She called out as they entered into town. “Hello!? Everypony here? It’s Applejack, from the Apple family!” Suddenly, on one of the farthest houses to their left, a door suddenly opened and a head peered out. “Applejack?” From the mane and sound of voice it was a stallion. “Over here!” Applejack quickly rushed over, Starlight and Dash following behind as they went to the house. “Apple Strudel, what in tarnation-?” “Not outside.” Apple Strudel had a different accent compared to Applejack’s. “We’ll talk inside.” He motioned for them to come in before closing the door and giving his cousin a hug. The house was small but it was comfortable enough, though from what Applejack had told about the Apple family, it was surprising they could all fit here. “I had no idea you’d actually come visit.” “I think it’s a good thing I did,” Applejack replied happily before breaking off. “What’s going on around here? Where is everypony?” “I’m…not exactly sure how to explain it,” Strudel said. “Everypony is here but…they won’t come out of their homes.” “Did something terrorize them?” Starlight asked. “Nein, nothing like that,” Strudel said. “It was the weirdest thing… one day everyone is going about their business, the next day everypony’s trying to throttle one another, it was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.” “So what, they just had a big argument?” Dash asked. “It was just…random. Completely out of nowhere,” Strudel said as he took a seat on a chair. “It took me, Tart, and Turnover to get all of them to finally calm down. After that, they all went back to their homes and that was the last we heard from everypony.” “So no one in your family was affected by this?” Starlight asked. “Nein…wait you think this is like a disease or something?” “That’s what we’re here to find out,” Applejack said. “If anyone can figure it out, it’s Starlight.” “Er, yeah count on me…” Starlight added. Twilight would know this better than I… “Uncle Strudel, is someone at the door?” a voice then called out. Strudel smiled. “Come say hi to your cousin, Tart!” In the next few seconds, Applejack was suddenly again being hugged, this time by a mare almost half her age. “Ah, sorry, I almost forgot. Starlight, Dash, these are my cousins Apple Strudel and Apple Tart.” “Rainbow Dash?” Tart asked. “Wow, the Rainbow Dash!?” Dash chuckled. “Yep that’s me…guess I still have fans, even in the middle of nowhere.” “I do hope you plan on staying for supper,” Strudel said. “Please, just sit back and relax.” “I’d love to do that but we need to get to the bottom of this, Princess Twilight’s orders and all,” Applejack said with a slight grin. “Ja, ja, typical Applejack,” Strudel said with a dismissive wave. “Is there anything else you can tell us that happened that day?” Starlight asked. “Hmm…now that I think about it, we did feel a slight tremor in the middle of the night,” Strudel said. “It was brief but enough to wake some of us up.” “That’s odd, as far as I know, Hollow Shades isn’t on a fault line,” Applejack said. “Unless…say Strudel, has anyone checked out the well recently?” “The Well of Shade? That thing hasn’t been used in decades,” Strudel said. “We get our water from the river that flows down the mountain now. Why do you ask?” Applejack looked at Starlight and Dash. “If you two don’t mind, I think we should take a look down there, make sure nothing’s going on.” “Well, if you want to, but I’d be careful, who knows what lurks down there nowadays,” Tart said. “Don’t worry, the three of us can handle anything,” Dash said confidently. “Uh, right?” After borrowing some rope, Applejack made a line down into the well, long enough to reach the bottom. Meanwhile, Starlight had been looking at the well with concern. “I don’t know if it’s just me, or cause I’m a unicorn but this well is definitely giving off bad vibes.” “Now that I think about it…” Dash’s eyes suddenly widened, “Wait a minute, isn’t this where we took on the Pony of Shadows?” “Hehe, I was wondering when you’d remember,” Applejack said. “But he should’ve been sealed all them years ago, right?” “Right, unless something was lingering and we just didn’t notice,” Starlight said. “I’ll go down first.” Starlight used her horn to shine a light as she slowly made her way down. There didn’t appear to be anything down here, though the air appeared to feel stale along with the smell of mildew. She looked around one more time before calling up, “It’s clear!” The two mares followed and Dash couldn’t help but gag. “Sheesh, it’s almost hard to breathe down here!” “This well hasn’t been used in who knows how long,” Applejack said. “But even so, even I’m struggling to breathe…” “Let’s make this quick then,” Starlight said as the three of ventured down the old waterway. Starlight wasn’t sure if it was her imagination but it seemed like her light magic was slowly dimming out, or perhaps the darkness was getting darker. Now she was starting to feel the effects. “Something’s wrong…the last time we were here the well had been in the same condition and we were able to breathe easily but now…” She wasn’t going to stop here, she had to find out. “Starlight, I hate to say it but…this is getting too much, even for me,” Dash panted. “Yeah, this isn’t normal…can you figure out what it is?” Applejack said. “There’s no doubt about it,” Starlight said with a grim face. “This is dark magic…its…trying to overwhelm me…” “Alright, I’m tapping out and you should do the same!” Dash said quickly, fear creeping into her voice. “If this is a threat, we’re going to need Twilight and everypony else!” Starlight and Applejack nodded and the three of them retreated, heading back to where the well was. The darkness seemed to be closing in on them, as if reacting to their presence. “Everypony hold still!” Starlight said as she used her magic, teleporting them back to the surface. Upon reaching fresh air, the three of them could feel the vice they had been feeling around their chests starting to fade. “What in Tartarus was that!?” Dash yelled. “I don’t know…but I’m starting to wonder if maybe the Pony of Shadows is indeed involved in this…” Starlight said quietly. “Like a remnant?” Applejack asked. “Maybe…leaving it alone for so long would give it time to grow…but even then it felt more than that. And with that being right under the town, no wonder the townsfolk-” Suddenly, there was the sound of smashing glass and a scream. “What the-!?” Applejack looked behind and saw a group of ponies were gathering around Strudel’s house; one of the windows had just been smashed in. “What are they doing?” Dash asked. “Wait, that’s-!” Applejack was already running towards the house. “Just what in tarnation do you ponies think you’re doing!?” she yelled. The ponies, a small mixture of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, turned to her and the looks on their faces almost stopped Applejack cold. There was nothing there, no emotion at all. She would have hesitated right there if not for Starlight. A sudden wave of magic, knocked all of them backwards, not enough to hurt them though. “Ya saw that right?” Applejack asked as Dash and Starlight flanked her left and right side. “Yeah,” Starlight asked. “I think now I know what’s causing this…” Suddenly, more doors could be heard opening as other ponies came out and judging by their expressions, they weren’t here to help the newcomers. “Alright,” Dash said, cracking her hooves. “If we gotta knock some sense into it, bring it on!” “No Rainbow,” Applejack said firmly. “You need to head back to Canterlot and tell Twilight what’s happening here.” “What!? I’m not leaving you two behind!” Dash argued. Suddenly, two earth ponies attacked but Starlight managed to repel them with another spell. “This ain’t negotiable!” Applejack snapped as she bucked an incoming pegasus. “You know we can’t do this by ourselves! We need Twilight and the others!” “Ugh…” Dash could only grit her teeth. Of course she was right. “Fine…but you two better hold out til we get back or else I’m never gonna forgive ya for it!” She then sped off towards Canterlot. “So…I got the unicorns,” Starlight said. “Need help with those pegasi?” “Nah, I’ll be fine I think, but feel free to take some off my hooves if you wanna,” Applejack said. “Just gotta keep Strudel and the others safe…but remember these are good folk acting against their will.” “I know,” Starlight said as the crowd of ponies surrounded them. “I just hope we can hold out in time…”