//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: The Equestria Games Disaster // Story: The Royal Apple // by Mister E-Nonymous //------------------------------// Chapter 13: The Equestria Games Disaster The Crystal Empire Stadium... September 14th,10:00 AM... (Apple Shine's Point of View) We arrived at the Crystal Empire for the Equestria Games. This was the first major event I went to in my life. Well, lives. I didn't go to a major sporting event when I was back on my world. Anyway, Mom and I stayed together. Even when we were going to sit with the princesses. Before we entered the arena, we were stopped by somepony. "Hello, there, little princess," came a stallion's voice. We looked over and saw a tall, buff unicorn stallion. His mane was colored amber, his cutie mark was something like the what you see on a map to tell you north, south, east and west, and he was wearing a black collar of a suit, with what looks like a button up shirt, a blue bow tie, and a white flower on his right flap. "Allow me to make your acquaintance." "Who are you?" I asked. I was then pushed by Applejack. "Ya might not wanna be close ta this stallion, Apple Shine," Mom told me. "This is Prince Blueblood." "I can introduce myself to this filly, you filthy farmer," said the stallion. I didn't like how he treated Mom like that. "Anyway, I overheard that you were living on a farm. Wouldn't it be better for you if you came to live in Canterlot where you can have anything you want and be trained on being a proper princess?" Mom then stood between me and him with an angry look, saying, "Listen. Mah daughter ain't interested in livin' in Canterlot. She has been havin' a lot of fun in Ponyville." "Listen, peasant," said Blueblood. "You can't choose things for her." Then he got confused. "Wait. Your daughter? You honestly adopted this little princess? Do you know that an adoption like that would cost so much, your family would've lost the farm?" "Who says Ah adopted her?" Mom asked. "Let's just say Ah got hit by a spell that make me give birth to a soulless foal, and a young soul entered that foal, makin' it grow up to the age that the soul was when it was alive." "You honestly believe I would believe that?" asked Prince Blueblood. "Listen, a farm is no place for a princess to live in." "Ya ain't... takin'... mah... daughter!" Mom shouted. She then used her head and pushed me towards the stadium entrance and said, "C'mon, Apple Shine. Let's get to our assigned seats." We just entered the stadium, and Blueblood shouted, "That filly will not last long under your care!" I heard Mom sigh as we were walking towards our seats. I then looked up at Mom and asked, "Mom? What does he want with me?" "Apple Shine," Mom said to me, "that stallion thinks of nopony but himself. He just wants ya ta make his image more better. And accordin' ta Rarity, he was a pompous spoiled brat that thinks anypony below his level is worthless." "Sounds more trouble than Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," I said. "Don't Ah know it," said Mom. "C'mon. Oh, hang on." She then adjusted my hat/crown, and then Rarity and some other ponies came to me, and they put on some fancy horseshoes and a necklace, all with an apple engraved on them in the middle. "Uh, what's this all for?" I asked. Just then, I felt Rarity put some moisturizer on my face. "Gah! Cold!" "Oh, don't worry, darling," Rarity said. "It's only for when princesses are called for important meetings with dignitaries. You'll get used to it." "Alright," said Applejack. "C'mon. Let's get goin'." We then walked over to where the other Princesses where they were sitting in their respectful seats. Applejack and I sat in the seat next to Twilight. We were sharing the same seat. Applejack sat in the back while I sat on her lap. Or at least I would if we weren't sitting on our butts. Technically, my back was against her belly. "So, Apple Shine," Twilight said to me. "Are you excited for the Equestria Games?" "This is my first major even I've been to," I told her. "Ever." "Not even a major event in your old world?" asked Twilight. "Nope," I told her. "I just hope that this whole thing goes smoothly," said Mom. "This is one of the biggest events Equestria has." We looked to our right and saw Prince Blueblood, and he was glaring at us. Wait. No. He wasn't glaring at me. He was glaring at Mom. Mom glared back at him. It would seem that what Mom said to him kinda upset him. He then looked at me and smirked. I don't like how he's looking at me like that. Twilight saw what was up. She then asked, "Is something going on?" "Ain't nothin' we couldn't handle, Twi," Applejack said. "Blueblood was tryin' ta convince Apple Shine ta move outta Ponyville and inta Canterlot." "What?!" Twilight asked. "He can't do that. It's Apple Shine's choice whether she wants to live in Canterlot or at Sweet Apple Acres." Princess Celestia came in between our seats and said, "I warned Blueblood that Apple Shine should stay in Ponyville to be with her close family. I'll make sure that he gets it in his head that Apple Shine must not be taken nor persuaded to leaving." "I sure hope you do," I told her. "I like living like an Apple. Better than living across the state of Massachusetts." "What does that mean?" Twilight asked. "Apparently, a foster kid on Earth is a ward to the state of one of the fifty states of the country he lives in," said Princess Luna. "As a human, Dylan Rider has been placed in foster homes across the state." "Oh," said Twilight. "So, I guess it was hard to keep friendships, huh?" "Moving sucks," I told her. "Just when you get used to the place, you get relocated to another place. Surely, I'm not the only one who hates moving from place to place when you got used to the place already." "Yeah, it does sound difficult," Mom said. "Well, at least ya don't have ta now. Ah promise that we'll never move to another place if it means that much ta ya." "Thanks, Mom," I said, snuggling into her chest. I then heard trumpeting sounds. "Sounds like the Equestrian Games are about to start," Twilight said. "Keep an eye out for Ponyville." We then looked around to see when Ponyville came out of the tunnel. Just then, I felt a chill near me. I looked towards Blueblood. For a moment then, I thought that Blueblood was smirking towards me. I guess it was nothing. September 15th... 4:10 PM... The Equestria Games were going well. But Spike was messing up on his part. When he was about to light the torch yesterday, he was unable to blow a flame, so Twilight lit up her magic to light the torch for him. Then Spike asked to sing the victory song representing Cloudsdale. He messed that up big time. He tried to stay out of the rest of the Equestria Games, but Twilight pulled him out to watch the rest of the games. It was now during, what they called, Ice Archery. None of the ponies of Ponyville were in this event. It was getting interesting. But today, anypony with a horn had their magic deactivated so they wouldn't interfere with the games. Just then, one archer trip and sent an ice arrow straight above, and hitting a cloud. Everypony in the arena gasped when the cloud was coming down. Me, the other princesses, Mom and her friends went towards the athletic field, but with our unicorn magic disabled, we wouldn't be able to stop it. I wish I could do something to help. The Pegasi tried preventing the frozen cloud from crashing into the middle of the arena. Spike then ran up, jumped on Shining Armor's back, and then jumped up, and blew the biggest fire I've ever seen from him. "WHOA!!" I said. "Stay here, Apple Shine," Mom said. I nodded before she headed off with her friends. I hoped that everything would be fine. But then, I felt something pressed up against my muzzle, and my backside was pressed up against another body. I tried saying, "Hey! Let me go!" But with that stupid rag covering my muzzle, it all came out in muffles. Then for some reason I started getting really sleepy. "Shush, little princess," said a stallion's voice. It was faded, so I couldn't remember who that voice belonged to. "You will soon be saved from that podunk life." I then fell unconscious. Crystal Castle... 8:30 PM... (Third Person Point of View) Applejack was looking all over the castle for Apple Shine. She was frantic when searching. She then saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Apple Bloom looked up and said, "Hey, big sis. What's up?" "Apple Bloom, have ya seen Apple Shine?" asked Applejack. "Apple Shine's missin'?!" asked Apple Bloom. Then the sound of hoofsteps came from down the hall. The four ponies looked towards the sound and saw the rest of the Mane 6, the other three Princesses, and Shining Armor. "Did I hear that Princess Apple Shine is missing?" asked Princess Celestia. "Ah... Ah can't find her anywhere," said Applejack. "Ah looked all over the arena, then the entire Empire. Ah still can't find her." "Apple Shine must be so scared," said Twilight. "Wherever she is." "I looked at all of the nobles as they were leaving towards their homes," said Shining Armor. "But I didn't see any sign of Apple Shine with them." "Where could she be?" Applejack asked. "Ah need to know where she is. Ah'm gonna go look fer her again!" She then started running, but her tail was pulled by Twilight's magic. "Applejack," Twilight told her, "I know you're anxious to find Apple Shine, but we'll find her. I'm sure she'll be fine by tonight." "Your highnesses!" came the voice of a guard. That guard was Flash Sentry. "I was checking the locker rooms of the arena to see if there were anypony was still in there, and look what I found in the stallion's locker room." He then held up Apple Shine's Hat/Crown and her royal regalia. "That's... that's all the things that Apple Shine was wearing," said Rarity. Applejack ran up to Flash and grabbed the hat/crown. She then started tearing up, hugged the hat/crown tight, and started letting out a few sobs. "Who would do this?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I don't know, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said. "But whoever did this is in big trouble." "We better figure out who could have done this dastardly deed!" said Pinkie Pie. "Ooh! Ooh! Maybe it was King Sombra!" "Pinkie, King Sombra would've been stopped by the barrier emmitting from the love of the competitions by all of the ponies in the arena," said Rainbow Dash. "It would also keep out the Changelings," said Twilight. "Well, it couldn't have been Discord," said Fluttershy. "He told me that he was at Apple Shine's old world to see how everything there was going." "Well, it couldn't have been my darker counterpart," said Princess Luna. "Her spirit has been destroyed by sunlight as you girls told me." "Trixie hasn't been around all that much," Twilight said, "Flim and Flam have been last seen on a train going somewhere and never showed up for the Equestria Games, and I don't think that this would be something that those two bullies would do." Applejack started thinking for herself. She then remembered something that Blueblood said. "I overheard that you were living on a farm. Wouldn't it be better for you if you came to live in Canterlot where you can have anything you want and be trained on being a proper princess?" Then another saying from him. "That filly will not last long under your care!" "Blueblood," Applejack whispered. "What?" asked Twilight. "It had ta be Blueblood!" Applejack snapped. "He waned ta convince Apple Shine ta move from Sweet Apple Acres ta Canterlot! Blueblood must've taken her!" "But, how?!" asked Shining. "Apple Shine wasn't with him when he left the Crystal Empire." Meanwhile... On a Private Train Car... Blueblood had a private train car resided only for him when he was going back to Canterlot. He had shut the private room that nopony would go into without his permission. He levitated something off of his back that couldn't be seen. He put it down on the bed that was in there, smirked, and then used his magic to do something. The thing he lifted was covered by an invisibility spell. He removed that spell, and what was invisible was actually a what, but a who. Apple Shine. "Don't worry, little princess," said Prince Blueblood. "You shall be saved from that life that those podunk ponies wanted you to have, and you shall have the life you are meant to have. A life of a true princess."