//------------------------------// // 3. Road to Applejack // Story: Revenge of a Fallen Student. // by Sir Derpington Hooves //------------------------------// "Two tickets to Appleloosa please" Sunset, after she locked the two ponies in the mining cave transformed into Fluttershy once again. Her plan was simple. Go Appleloosa, pretend that their was something wrong with one of Applejack's relatives and kidnap her from there. She was currently at the train station buying tickets to the next train to Appleloosa. She knew she could just fly there, but she noticed that Fluttershy did not fly that much, and she didn't want to raise suspicion. "Where are you going miss?" asked the ticket pony. He was a grey stallion with black hair, and of course a ticket stub for his cutie mark. "Just visiting family. Have a nice day." She boarded the nearly empty train and she was off. The only ponies beside her on the train was a mother and her foal, and the very bored looking train conductor. Two hours in, the conductor said "Now approaching Appleloosa. Please have a safe trip and a great day." "Fluttershy" stepped off the train into Appleloosa. But right when she stepped off she was swarmed by what she thought was a very handsome looking stallion. "Fluttershy! Long time no see. What are you here for?" asked the stallion. The stallion wore a dusty brown cowboy hat, his skin was a light shade of yellow, had a blonde mane, and had electric green eyes. By the looks of his cutie mark, a red apple, she was related to Applejack, and he had a small golden name tag that read Braeburn. "I'm...here to see Applejack of course." "What are you talking about? Applejack lives in Ponyville with you girls. You sure your ok Fluttershy?" "Oh of course! I must've gotten on the wrong train. I was in Phillydelpia for a meeting and must've taken the train to here instead of Ponyville. Silly me!" 'How dare that little yellow pipsqueak lie to me! thought Sunset She'll pay when I get back! "Why, no worries. But it looks like you have to stay here the night, since that was the last train to run through these parts. Why, come on over to my house. I'll take care of you and you can stay the night. Any friend of Applejack's is a friend of mine" replied Braeburn "No...I should really go. I could fly you know." "Don't be silly. It's almost dark, and the wings will be strong tonight. Come on, follow me." replied Braeburn. And as Sunset followed Braeburn, she kept thinking about how nice it was to be welcomed. "Twilight! Twilight, open the door." Spike was pounding on Twilight's door that had been shut for two days straight. Since the news she received from Celestia saying she was not her only student Twilight had fallen into a depression of sorts. She didn't know why. She had never taken bad news this hard in her life. After Celestia left the library those two days ago, Twilight just went up to her room and read and read. She hasn't eaten since, and has not talked to Spike or her friends. "What's wrong Twilight? Why don't you come out and talk to me?" asked a very concerned Spike. Twilight's door slowly creaked open and out stepped a former shell of Twilight. Her mane was tangled, her feathers on her wings wet popping out in odd places. And you could tell she was hungry by the amount of color she lost on her face. "I would like that very much Spike. Can you please put on some tea?" "Yes, but when I do that can you please promise me one thing?" "Yea, what is is?" "Take a shower!" And with that one comment they both laughed. As Twilight was sipped her tea, and explaining to Spike of what Celestia, Spike was surprised also. "So," he asked "You were not her first student? Man, that's weird. I always though..." "Well, same with me. I though I was her one and only student, but apparently I'm a backup. And you want to know the worst part? She too was an Alicorn! So, to make things worst she had another Alicorn student." "But where is she now Twilight? And why isn't she still a princess?" "Celestia told me something about her escaping. Apparently she's really dangerous, and according to her she's a shapeshifter. Heck, I can't even shape shift! Celestia had a more powerful student, and that's what got me down." "Wait...she's escaped. How...how have ponies not heard about this? How is this not in the newspapers?" asked Spike. "Celestia didn't want this news getting out. I wasn't even suppose to tell you, so please keep this to yourself. I for one believe Celestia can handle this on her own. She doesn't care about me." said Twilight with spite in her voice. "Now Twilight stop this!" said Spike, very unlike his character "How could you even say this? Who did she come for when she needed help? You Twilight! She came to you. So stop this depressed act, and go help!" "Your right Spike. Even though I'm still mad at Celestia for leaving me in the dark about this subject for so long, I guess I should go and help." Just as Twilight was about to walk out the door and fly to Canterlot to confront the Princess Rarity ran in. And by the look of her, she was distressed. "Pinkie's gone! Nopony has seen her in days, and the same with Fluttershy. There was word that ponies saw Fluttershy carry Pinkie to the woods, but that's preposterous." "What?" was all Twilight could say "I would have come sooner, but the police wanted to keep it under cover for as long as they could. The only reason I found out in the first place, was because I was one of the last ponies to see Fluttershy." "Get Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. We're gonna find them one way or another. Meet me in the Ever Free forest at midnight. We'll start there." replied Twilight with her old glow back in her eyes. " Gotcha." said Rarity and she ran off to gather her two friends. "What are you gonna do Twilight? There's no way you girls can find her if the police can't." asked Spike. "Don't you think I know that Spike! But we gotta try! They would do it for us, so we should do the same for them." "Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Look what I've found!" Pinkie and Fluttershy had been stuck in the cave for two straight days without food and water, and if they did not recieve any soon they would surly die. Pinkie had been searching for anything edible. Acorns, grass, heck even lizards they were that desperate. And Fluttershy had had gotten really sick from lack of nutrition, getting weaker and weaker every second. As Pinkie was scouting the north wall, she came across something other than the regular dirt and rocks. A tuft of small grass. Somehow grass had grown in here, and it was a miracle. She carefully picked up the grass in her mouth and walked over to her ill friend. She chewed the grass into a fine paste and fed it to Fluttershy. "Thank you Pinkie." whispered Fluttershy "Arn't you gonna eat something?" "I'm fine. Before I was brought here, I was full from all the sweet I had eaten so I'm ok. But you are not. I'll try to find some more grass for you ok?" asked Pinkie. She was scared. She didn't know where she was, who had taken her, and now she had to look after her ill friend. "No, I need water. Please." croaked Fluttershy. "I'll...I'll try to find some. But you need your rest, go back to sleep." said Pinkie. "Ok. Thank you." And just like that Fluttershy was agin unconscious to the world. 'Where can I find water? Oh, where can I? though Pinkie frantically. But then it hit her. No literally water hit her. She felt a drip on her head and looked up. On the cave wall was stalagmites, and on the end of one was water, simply dripping onto the floor. But the problem is, where was she going to find something to capture the water in? And then she saw it. A forgotten metal bin used to capture gems under a pile of dirt. It was probably left her by the minors who inhabited this cave so long ago. She dug it up, and placed it under the water that was coming from the gems, and waited. 3 hours later Pinkie must have dozed off, because when she woke up the pan was filled half way with water. As she walked over to her ill friend and woke her up. "Fluttershy, I've got some water for you." said Pinkie "Oh, thank you. Where did you fid it?" croaked Flutteshy. The grass helped her, and the cold water she's drinking will help her so much more. "It fell of the stalagmites." Answered Pinkie. Her usually happy nature had been replaced by a solum one. Flutteshy drank half of the cold water, and looked up at Pinkie Pie "Here, have the rest. You've taken such good care of me, so here." she handed Pinkie the water, and Pinkie happily drank it. "Thank you Fluttershy. That was very kind." "Well, that's my element you know." "Ha, I guess it is." said Pinkie. "Pinkie, are we ever getting out?" said Flutteshy. A tang of fear in her voice "I don't know Fluttershy, I don't know." replied Pinkie with a sadden look upon her face.