//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Winona runs away // by Trigger_Finger //------------------------------// The entire Apple Family, minus AB, store at me with a semi fueled anger in their eyes. I coughed to try and break the silence. “So yeah… that’s it…” I had told them the entire story, minus the part about me getting angry at Applejack for going out with Soarin, I figured that wasn’t really important. “Did yah even think about what could happen?!” Applejack asked. I let my head drop as I sighed. “Listen, I’ll go find them. They can’t have gone far, I mean…” I trailed off my sentence as I realized they could be in Dodge for all I knew. Applejack set an irritated hoof on my shoulder. “When this is over… yah’ve got some real explaining tah do.” She told me with fury in her eyes. I nodded then gulped. “Let’s ask your friends and around town first, maybe somepony has seen them.” I offered. * * * Hours later… We continued trotting through the Everfree. It seemed that, just as we were beginning to lose hope, we had bumped into Fluttershy and she had told us that she spotted Applebloom and Winona heading into the Everfree early this morning but when she went to stop them, she couldn’t pick up their trail and had been looking for us all morning. We quickly rushed to where she had last seen them and I quickly picked up their trail. Guess I’m still good for something. Fluttershy however, needed to get back to her house to tend to the animals, leaving only AJ and myself. “Ah still can’t believe yah’d just say that…” Applejack muttered and I started to become agitated. Like she was one to talk. “Yeah… coming from you that’s hilarious…” I snapped. She gasped as she stopped and looked to me with a seriously angered face. I returned her glare with a blunt expression. “What?” I asked blankly. “Don’t use that tone with me!” Applejack hissed. I shrugged then continued following the trail. “What the hay was that supposed to mean anyway?” She asked as she began following me. “It meant exactly what it sounded like. You saying that… is hilarious.” I stated with a rudely sarcastic laugh. She grabbed me by the shoulder and spun me around. “Hey! Ah said, don’t take that tone with me. Yer already in enough trouble as it is. What the hay’s gotten into yah anyway. Yer not yourself… yer not being kind lately.” She asked. “Oh, so all of a sudden it’s all my fault.” I replied as I turned and pulled away from her. I heard her scowl as she tried to stop me but I was simply stronger and her pulling against me didn’t even deter my direction. She lept in front of my path and stood against me. “Now yah just stay right there and tell me what the hay’s the matter!” She ordered. I stopped as my barrier finally broke down in anger. “Fine! You wanna know what’s wrong? You really need to know so badly that we have to stop looking for your sister?” I snapped at her. “Well where to begin? Hmm, how about, for the last… oh I don’t know, almost two years I’ve had a crush on the most beautiful mare in all Equestria but every time I tried to express myself to her, she’d always say she didn’t want a relationship. Oh, then maybe she’ll just up and go out with some good for nothing just because she feels like it. Why? Who the hay knows, maybe because he’s better looking than me! Then, trying to cope with myself, I find that her dog has eaten my breakfast, again, and then tries to beg for food I don’t have. So I snap then all of a sudden I’m the bad guy but it’s okay because…” I trailed off my sentence as my lips curled in anger and I threw my hooves up into the air in frustration. “OH BUCK IT! I DON’T EVEN BUCKIN CARE ANYMORE!” I yelled at the top of my lung capacity then pushed past Applejack and continued on the trail, leaving her speechless. I stopped at a fork in the road and observed the tracks. It looked like they had gone in both directions. I looked closer. They had probably gone one way, then came back, trying to find the way out but had accidentally gone the wrong way. A hoof rested on my shoulder. “Ah…” She began but I cut her off. “Just don’t…” I snarled, too angry to think properly. Her hoof slowly retracted from my shoulder. I observed the right path to see paw and hoof prints go down the path then come back, but with larger paw prints following them. The tracks then went down the left path. I gulped as I picked up a twig and sniffed it. It still had the rancid after smell of Timber wolf. I groaned. “A Timber wolf is after them… actually… there’s a pack…” I muttered as I realized that there was more than one. I looked back to AJ to see that she had tears in her eyes from my outbreak, but now she was frightful of her sister and pet’s well-being. “Well… what the buck are we standing around for?” I asked then we both dashed off. * * * Minutes later… Applebloom staggered back but could go no further. The rocky cliff behind her dropped dangerously far below. “Ohh… why can’t ah have wings like Scootaloo… or maybe a horn tah cast a spell like Sweetiebell…” Applebloom whined to herself. Several Timberwolves quarrels around her as drool dripped from their lips. Green gases escaped from their mouths and filled the air with a horrid smell that could be smelt for over a mile. Suddenly Winona lept in between the group of feral wolves, and the young filly. The comparably smaller dog began growling and snarling angrily, trying to make the wolves back down. The wolves simply let out ghastly howls and moved in for the kill. Applebloom gulped in fear as the first wolf pounced through the air. Winona lept to intercept it but was simply brushed aside from the wolf’s massive frame. Just as the wolf was about to land it’s strike, a massive kinetic force collided with the side of its head, sending it shattering into debris. Applebloom gasped as a large brown earth stallion landed before her, a tuff a dust getting puffed up as he landed. The wind soon blew the dust away as he stood tall before the wolf pack. The wolves all snarled as he chuckled boldly. “Maybe you should pick on somepony your own size… like me…” He snarled coldly. A hoof reached out and snatched up Applebloom but before she could scream, a hoof went over her mouth. “Sssh, it’s me. Come on, let’s go.” Applejack whispered to her sister before looking to the brave stallion who separated them from the hungry wolves. “Hey… come on!” She called to her friend but he glanced back briefly then shook his head. “Get Winona and get as far away from here as you can… I’ll hold them off.” He told them. Applejack was about to interject but he looked back to her with a rather cold look. She nodded then scooped up Winona and began to leave. Suddenly a Timber wolf pounced out and blocked her path. “HEY!” The stallion roared as he flew through the air and delivered a powerful kick to the side of its head, sending it too into pieces. Applejack staggered back as more quarreled around them. “Oh… it is on.” The stallion chuckled. One wolf lept out and the brown earth stallion spun in a complete 360, delivering a powerful spin kick that sent pieces of wooden debris flying through the air. “Come on, it’s game time.” He taunted as two more charged at him. Just as the right wolf got into range, he lept to his right, grabbed the wolf by its head and spun their bodies around in a counter clockwise motion before releasing the wolf, sending it crashing into the other’s body and shattering them both apart. “Is that the best you got?” He taunted just as he spun and collided a punch with a wolf’s snout, sending it whimpering back. “Cat got you tongue? No, I got your tongue!” The stallion snarled as he lept up and delivered a flying roundhouse kick to the side of its head. The wolves all deterred back as the stallion broke them down into kindling. He chuckled as they stood at bay. “Orange… now would be the time to be getting outta here.” He told her. Suddenly all the wolves fell apart. “Guess that’s their way of saying that they surrender…” The stallion said with a hearty laugh. However, all the wooden debris collected together in an ominous green glow then pieced together in one massively large Timber wolf. “Oh… buck me…” The brown stallion muttered. “RUUUUUUN-GOOOOO-GET TO THE FARM!” The brown stallion roared, just before a massive paw swiped down and swatted him away. His body was sent careening through the air and he tumbled violently along the ground. Applejack gasped as she held her sister tight. The massive monster began lumbering towards them, with a hunger so great that even they might not suffice. AJ squeezed her sister tight as she whispered soothingly into her sister’s ear. “Hush now… everything’s going to be fine.” Applejack semi lied. She didn’t know how they’d get out of this, but she had a feeling that somehow they would. The Timber wolf let out a terrifying roar as it swung its paw back to strike the mares and the small dog. AJ gulped but just before it could swing, the brown stallion flew through the air with a mighty war cry. He connected a kick with its head that was so powerful, it sent the mighty creature staggering away. “RUN!” The brown stallion yelled. Applejack nodded and began to run away but stopped as she head rock and stone crumbling from around the edge of the cliff. She swiveled around to see the cliff edge crack and crumble underneath the weight of the nightmarish creature. The brown stallion lept off the head of the creature and landed just at the edge of the cliff. The cliff side continued to crumble away as he scampered to his hooves and lept for safety but landed just a few inches short. Holding only the edge of the rocky cliff, he scurried his hindlegs for something to grip, only to find an expanse of nothingness beneath him. “This is the time… that I wish I was a pegasus…” He muttered. Applejack lept to the ground and grabbed his forelegs just as the cliff began to crack again. “HOLD ON!” Applejack yelled. She tried with all her effort to lift him but couldn’t manage to lift his weight. “JEEZ, WHATTA YAH BEEN EATIN?! CEMENT?!” Applejack gasped as she pulled with all her might, but to no avail. The rocks began to turn to dust and fall to the deathly expanse below that was a deep dark crevice. “Kid… let go…” The brown stallion warned. Applejack gasped at his request. “No way! We can get yah up, I know it!” Applejack gasped. He shook his head. “Not with what time we have… kid, just let go… I won’t blame you.” He told her. She would never let go of a dear friend. “Hey… Orange… I love you… I’m sorry for snapping earlier, I didn’t mean it… just… know that I’ll always love you…” He said then released his hold with her and fell. “NO!” Applejack screamed as his body plummeted to the dark depths below. The rock continued to crumble out from underneath her and she scampered back just in time to avoid falling. She sat at the edge of the cliff, wide eyed as tears began flowing into her eyes. “No… he can’t be gone… he just can’t be gone…” She whimpered then broke down into a full out sob. Applebloom and Winona slowly walked up to the heart broken mare and the young filly rested her hoof on the shoulder of Applejack. “Ah’m sorry Applejack… it’s all my fault…” Applebloom whispered sadly. Applejack shook her head. “No it ain’t… it’s mine… I shoulda known but ah… ah always thought he was just messin around…” Applejack sobbed. There was a deep and low rumbling that began to shake the ground beneath them. Applejack gulped in fear of what it could be but suddenly, a huge water spout shot out, spraying hundreds of feet into the air, dozens of meters wide and misting the entire area with cool spring water. The eruption was followed by a loud scream as a brown figure was tossed into the air a feet dozen feet then came crashing down into a puddle. Applejack gasped as she rushed over to the body. Winona and Applebloom were close behind. “Are yah okay?!” AJ gasped and the brown stallion groaned. “I think…” He gasped painfully then twitched. “That got the knots outta my back.” He comically retorted, resulting in Applejack slamming a hoof into his chest. “GAH!” He gasped then Applejack grasped him into a tight hug. Through the hug he looked to the young filly known as Applebloom. “Hey squirt… yah feelin okay?” and Applebloom nodded. “That’s good…” He trailed off and looked to Winona. “Hey mutt… sorry about earlier… I uhm… didn’t mean what I said. I was just… being stupid, like always… whatta yah say Winona, let bygones be bygones?” He asked. Winona lept up to her hindlegs and placed her front paws on his side so that she could lick his face while he was still sitting. He chuckled and smiled. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He said before turning to the near heartbroken mare holding him. “So that’s it then.” He stated and she pulled back from the hug. “WHAT?!” She gasped. “Whatta yah mean that’s it?! Yah give them a speech but nothin fer me?!” She gasped. He shrugged. “Words can’t express how I feel…” He trailed off and leaned forwards, embracing in a rather romantic kiss with the mare of his dreams. Applebloom got a look of disgust that plastered across her face. “Eww… gross…” She gagged as she saw her sister kissing the stallion. Winona barked playfully as she pranced around in the misty rain created from the lifesaving water eruption. A rainbow was created from the sun rays that gleamed into the mist. The stallion pulled back from his kiss with Applejack then smirked. “Oh yeah… hey Winona… there’s still some doughnuts back at the barn…”