~~~~~The Choice~~~~~
The train ride back to Ponyville seemed a lot longer to Applejack as she sat in her seat as she looked at her stetson with the orange feather, Ah should have been more careful, Lowell ah'm sorry. Applejack thought as she sighed before placing her stetson on, as the train went along its track while Applejack only looked out the window.
“What am ah gonna tell the fillies....that their father is just gone? Poor things...”Applejack muttered to her self as she closed her eyes to try and stop some tears.
The train made its stop at Ponyville as Applejack climbed off the train and was greeted by Ditzy with Applebloom, Golden Rays, and Paint Drops, Applejack took a step back as she gulped.
Applejack waved her hoof for Ditzy to come over, her face slowly turned to a frown as she slowly cantered over fearing of what she was going to be told. The fillies went into the train thinking Lowell was hiding as Applejack closed her eyes and whispered into Ditzy's ear.
“Lowell...he didn't make it.”Applejack whispered as Ditzy backed away some as she gasped while Applejack hung her head some.
“Oh, Applejack....I'm so sorry...” Ditzy said as she gently hugged the now crying mare.
“Wheres Daddy?” Paint Drops asked as she looked at the two mares as Applejack slowly took off her stetson and placed it on the ground.
“A-ah'm sorry, but......he didn't make it....ah so...so sorry.”Applejack said as the two fillies looked at her in shock.
“D-daddy isn't....c-coming back?” Paint Drops said as she started to tear up.
“Ah'm sorry... h-he isn't coming home....” Applejack said as she hugged the two fillies who were now crying as Applebloom and Ditzy joined in.
The Apple Farm was quiet that day Golden and Paint stayed in their room and cried most of the day while Applejack stood under an apple tree looking at the feather on her stetson. She looked up some at the tree before she turned and bucked the tree several times out of frustration, she collapsed under the tree infront of her hat breaking down in to sobbing with her hooves over her face.
“Why him.....Ah should have been in front...ah should have been more alert!..” Applejack berated herself.
“Its not your fault Applejack.” A voice said as Applejack looked just to see Lowell standing beside her.
As she stood he was gone before she hung her head letting the tears stream from her face.
“But it is..ah was more experienced.....ah should have noticed something was wrong.” Applejack said to herself as her voice broke some.
In the times over half a month Applejack still mourns over Lowell and she is training a new agent a dark brown earth mare named Brightie due to one of her eyes being a bright yellow while the other was blue. Applejack stood over the grave that is Lowell's as she sighed to herself, as part of her daily visits to the grave dropping his flower on the grave which was a Sunflower.
“Ah still miss ya.....my strange stallion.”Applejack said as she lowered her head some.
Ditzy landed beside Applejack who just looked at her.
“I-I have some news, Iron Hoof is planning on releasing a lookalike of Lowell in attempts to get into ESPS...orders are to kill the imposter on sight..”Ditzy softly said as Applejack's eyes widened.
“T-that........he would darn to tarnish my fallen stallion friends name by doing this!”Applejack growled as she stamped her hoof in the dirt.
Ah'll make sure that vermin feel mah wrath.” Applejack said as she glared towards the horizon as Ditzy flew off to spread the news.
Applejack went back home to prepare for the coming events with a determined will.
~~~~~~~~
About half a month ago
~~~~~~~~~
Lowell was sitting there with his eyes clenched but only heard a soft boom in the distance and the gentle tapping of hooves approaching him as he opened his eyes, the only thing he saw was a tall jet black unicorn with blood red eyes and one iron hoof.
“The Big Boss ..Iron Hoof I assume?” Lowell said as he quickly got into a ready pose but that was quickly batted away as he was wrapped in a dark blue aura and held in the air.
“I've got one of you at least.” Iron Hoof said before he slammed Lowell against the metal walls just hard enough for Lowell to cry out in pain at the feeling of his wings being broken.
“B-buck you hoofie, Applejack will come and find me!” Lowell said as he glared at the unicorn.
“She believes you to be dead thanks to a mere illusion.”Iron said with a dark chuckle as Lowell squirmed in the magic grasp only to be slammed again on the wall.
“W-when I'm.....though with ya.....you won't be so much Iron Hoof but...Tin Can Hoof!” Lowell said as he spat at the unicorn.
Iron Hoof only rolled his eyes before some guards came from the shadows and carried him off. Why do I keep tough talking in this kind of thing! Now my wings are broken again! Lowell thought to himself as the guards tossed him into a cell. Depend on how your passage of time goes, to Lowell time seemed to crawl for him feeling like its been months he was imprisoned but it was only half a month. There was a distant alarm one day which as pretty normal around that time of day for their experiments, today was however a bit different with his block being opened.
“I'm not questioning my luck....I'm taking it!”Lowell said to himself as he quickly made his way out and along the halls.
Lowell mixed in with the large group of ponies as they moved along the halls and rooms, Good thing I've played Assassins Creed like a ton. Lowell thought as he slipped out the exit to the snow covered land scape. The snow storm didn't make it easy for him as he pushed his way though it, he made his way to the train station and managed to get on the back cart as it was leaving.
“Thank....Celestia......I...got....on...the fricking......train!” Lowell said as he was trying to catch his breath.
About ten minutes of a free ride till some pony stepped out and looked at him.
“Now......don't panic....I've got a good reason why I'm hitching a free ride!”Lowell said as he had a grin on his face.
The mare wasn't buying right before she called for the guards Lowell hopped off and tried to spread his wings, forgetting they were still mending the landing wasn't fun at all. Rolling along in the rocks and snow, his tumbling was stopped by a boulder, slamming his back and broken wings again on a boulder he arched his back stunned by the pain.
“Buck buck buck buck fricking BUCK!!!!”Lowell yelled as he hiss in pain.
He slowly recovered as he started to limp along the tracks with his left eye closed, his trip would be a long one but he was determined to get back to his family. Iron Hoof on the other hoof was grinning as he chuckled to himself, he let Lowell thinking he escaped for he wanted Applejack to kill Lowell that his informant in the ESPS planted information of a lookalike.
With out a train it took a couple days on hoof plus the injuries didn't help to reach the borders of Ponyville, the tired and broken pegasus sat at the hill to catch his breath as he rubbed his wounded foreleg some.
“This sucks.... why do I feel like I'm being watched...” Lowell muttered to himself as he slowly pressed on into Ponyville.
He was limping though the edge of Ponyville till her got to the road that leads to Sweet Apple Acres, Lowell collapsed on the road heading to Sweet Apple Acres.
“C-can't go no....further.....too tired...”Lowell said as he laid on his side and winced.
“P-plus....hunger.......I can't wait to...eat some of Applejack's awesome cooking..” Lowell muttered tiredly to himeself.
Applejack cantered along the road having followed Lowell with a short sword in her mouth glaring to the worn out Lowell. Applejack had a deathly glare towards Lowell as he slowly looked to Applejack with a bit of a worried look
“J-Jackie.....whats up and whats with the blade?” Lowell asked as he slowly got up some.
Applejack stabbed the blade into the ground and quickly bucked Lowell as he fell back wards landing on his wings, Lowell cried out in pain as he rolled onto his side.
“Don't ya talk ya imposter! Stop usein his voice!” Applejack said as she stepped on Lowell's side.
“I can't stop being myself Jackie!!”Lowell said as he winced as Applejack put pressure down on her hoof.
“Ah said stop talkin! Ya got bad luck cause ah know Lowell has been dead and ya have the nerve to look just like him!” Applejack said as she then picked up the blade and held it at the ready.
“Jackie........trust me.....please........” Lowell said softly as he closed his eye.
Applejack gently pressed the blade against his throat with her glare fixed on him. There was nothing but silence as Lowell waited for Applejack's choice.