//------------------------------// // All Gone Wrong. // Story: Cutie Mark Bandits // by Twi-Fi //------------------------------// Ponies on the side of the street cast curious glances at a mysterious black stagecoach, the windows were covered and barred, but none approached it. It wasn't everyday a prisoner transport came though these parts, especially one bearing the Equestria coat of arms. Sure, there was the occasional outlaw that tried to escape into Caballo but into the little boarder town of El Potro? And to think those were Equestrian marshals... must have been serious to have them all the way out here. It was dark out and the sound of creaking and rumbling could be heard as the stagecoach rolled along through the small town. Two ponies in front were pulling the stagecoach and one on each side marched along silently. All were wearing the same uniform of long black dusters with a silver star pinned to their chests, ignoring the onlooking townsfolk they trudged through the town center. The stagecoach rocked as it moved along, a little yellow filly with a red mane sat against the wall watching the oil lamp swing slowly. She looked down at the shackles on her legs. They were uncomfortably tight on her fetlocks. She moved her legs trying to stretch. It has been a long ride so far, much longer than she had thought. Squirming around she rattled the chains, the sound of mettle clinking together and low thunks as it smacked against the wooden floor added to noise coming from the creaking of the suspension. "Stop moving around! You are in big trouble missy." A stern commanding voice said from the other side of the stagecoach. A unicorn stallion sat eyeing the squirming filly. "Sorry sir, can't ya losen them a little?" "Nope." "Ugh buck." The filly spat. "Such language! Didn't your parents raise you right? I suppose not, that's why you are in this mess." The filly flattened her ears and glared. "Whatever, have we crossed the border yet?" "Nope, we just cleared the town of El Potro. Got an other hour at least." The stallion said looking out the window. "Why do you want to know anyways? Nothing waiting for you except a cell in Canterlot." The stallion sneered. That's what you think. "We got a long ride ahead so lets take this from the top. Name?" "Go buck yourself." "Okay smart ass, no more games. Tell me why you did it and where I can find those other two brats. Your accomplices. My deputy tells me you gave them some cryptic instructions before they jumped. Tell me! Or you will be in even bigger trouble when we get back." "I ain't sayin' shit." The filly shot back, her eyes glaring daggers at the stallion. A look of exasperation in his face, he returned the glare. Suddenly there was a loud thud as the entire stagecoach shifted violently to one side. The filly and the stallion were both thrown different directions. With the stagecoach leaning to a sharp angle, the stallion struggled to his feet paying his prisoner no attention. "That's the last time I let them two idiots drive." The stallion groaned. "What the buck are you guys doing out there?" He shouted through the window. "Lieutenant, we hit a pot hole... broke an axle." "Of for the love – alright I'm coming to lend a hoof. We can't have too many delays." "Sir what about the prisoner?" "She's a little filly in shackles! Now open these damn doors so we can fix this thing. That's an order constable!" There was a click of the lock and the door opened revealing the desert night. In the distance the filly could make out the lights from the town in the background. The cool air rushed in delivering the sent of sagebrush as the stallion left the stagecoach. In the distance the filly could see shadows moving, creeping up silently, moving with haste. They darted off the road, not making a sound, as soon as the stallion turned his head to look around. "Don't you go no where." He jeered at the filly before slamming the door shut. The filly smiled. Right on time girls. One month ago... * * * "See ya tomorrow Sweetie! Later Scoots!" Apple Bloom called out. She had walked with her friends to the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. "See you Apple Bloom." Sweetie Belle called out over her shoulder as she trotted away. Apple Bloom sighed watching her trot down the road so care free with envy. "Still fighting?" Scootaloo asked. Apple Bloom jumped, startled to find Scootaloo still standing there. "Yeah. It's getting worse. Scoots, Ah don't know what's goin' to happen." "Don't worry, we'll be here for you." Scootaloo embraced Apple Bloom firmly. "I went through a rough time a few years ago and both of you were there for me." "Yeah Ah know... Ah just want things to go back to the way they was before... ya know?" Apple Bloom said taking solace in Scootaloo's warm embrace. She let out a sigh, "Thank you Scoots for trying to cheer me up. Ah'll see ya tomorrow and maybe some crusading can get my mind off things." Apple Bloom gave Scootaloo a quick nuzzle then they broke apart. ""Yeah, crusading will solve everything! I'll see you tomorrow." Scootaloo said as she donned her helmet, jumped on her scooter and rode away at top speed. That silly filly is gonna get a speed demon Cutie Mark! Hmmm now Ah guess it's back to my train wreck of a family... Apple Bloom turned around and slowly begin her walk to the house. She wasn't even inside before she could hear the shouting. She opened the door to a wall of sound then slammed it behind her. "A'm tellin ya Applejack we have no more options!" Big Mac's voice boomed through the house. "You ain't even trying no more! Ah made one hundred bits today!" "And how many did you make yesterday?" "Ten –" "And the day before that?" He cut across her with an angry tone. "N-nothing." Applejack said solemnly. "Exactly! Face it! We've lost everything, we have to sell the farm!" Apple Bloom's head shot up at those words. She was trying to sneak up to her room and drown out another nigtht of arguing. Her heart was pounding with dread. "Sell the farm? No we can't! We just can't!" She said aloud to herself. She knew if they sold they would probably have to move away from Ponyville. "We ain't selling Mac! You might have given up but this place still means something to me!" "Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare!" Big Mac bellowed at the top of his lungs. There was a loud bang and a crack, it sounded as though Mac put his hoof through another pantry. "Ah've been working my ass off and this place means the world to me. Ah've been working the orchard before you were even born! How dare you!" A loud crash and the sound of breaking glass. "Ah've worked – so, hard..." The rest of what he was saying was drowned out by his loud sobs. "A'm sorry brother. Ah know it means a lot to you, it's been in our family for generations. It's everything... it's all Ah know. Is there anything we can do? Anything?" Applejack pleaded. "At this rate... we have one month. Ah've tried to get in a partnership with some of the local growers in Canterlot but they all went under last week. They all sold their land, at less than it was actually worth. We can't sell any apples to the supermarkets until we've had the department of agriculture do an inspection, then we have to apply for a license. And they won't even give me a time when they can come out to do the inspection. Even if we did get the inspection and pass, we just can't beat Cortland's prices, no pony can." "Ah know there's something funny goin' on at that Cortland farm, their apples taste funny and their labels don't actually say where they grow them at. They are under cuttin' the market, farms go under, can't afford to lower prices, they lose customers then they are left with nothing... broke. Then Corland offers to buy the land for less than it's worth and ponies take it because they are desperate and starving. It ain't right, it just ain't honest." "Makes ya kinda miss the Flimflam brothers, doesn't it?" Mac said sarcastically. "Ah can handle those smooth talking scheming sales ponies any day! But this? Some pony has gone to a lot of trouble to stay hidden and put every apple orchard in Equestria out of business, and that scares me. It ain't right brother, is there anything... at all?" "Cortland will partner with us and sell our apples on consignment but it's not very many... not enough to make a living let alone support a family. And the worse part... they would take our family logo off and sell it as generic farm apples." "Ah know big brother... A'm still holdin' out. At the end of the next month if nothing's changed... Ah'll sell." Applejack sniffed. "We'll have no where to go. Ah know one of our cousins will take us in... but leaving Ponyville? This is my home. And Apple Bloom, what of her? She's doing so good and she has the best friends in the world. Oh Mac, what are we gonna do?" "Ah don't know sis but we will get through it together. Ah promise." Apple Bloom's eyes were full of tears. This was it. One more month in Ponyville, one more month on the orchard. Fear sank deep in her heart, the orchard was all she knew and loved. Images of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle flashed though her mind. Would they still be friends once they moved away? Would they come visit where ever they ended up? Even if it were under some bridge in Manehatten? Apple Bloom shuddered just thinking about it. Never before had she felt so alone, so scared and so powerless. She fell face first onto her bed and cried harder than she ever had in her life. * * * Apple Bloom stumbled down into the kitchen. Thoughts of last night still in her head; it had been a horrible night. She wan't sure when she stopped crying and when sleep took over, or if she even slept. Everything was a blur and nothing seemed to matter anymore. The kitchen was totally sparse save an old wooden table and a single chair, the kitchen was littered with broken glass and bits of wood from last night's argument. Apple Bloom didn't bother sitting in the chair. She mindlessly grabbed an apple from the table, it was the only food in the house. It was the one thing they had an abundance of. Tons and tons of unsold apples. Apple Bloom left the house, walking slowly. She wasn't in the mood to meet up with her friends. She just couldn't break it to them. She couldn't handle having to tell them she was going to be leaving them. But she had nothing else to do and she didn't want to hang around Applejack or Mac, the've been at each other's throats. Oh buck it! To Sugarcube Corner Ah go. "Hey Apple Bloom! Hey! Over here girlfriend!" A familiar voice called out. Apple Bloom turned her head to see Diamond Tiara coming out of one of the high class shops she used to go into. "Oh hey Di." She said unenthusiastically. "Hey, check these out, they are the latest." Diamond opened her bad and extracted a pair of sunglasses. "They were five-hundred bits but I talked him down to four fifty. Oh my gosh where are your lovely heart shaped ones? I haven't seen you wear those in ages." "Oh Ah – um don't have them anymore." "Oh right, they are like so last year." Diamond Tiara says waving her hoof through the air. "So my daddy is going to Manehatten again without me, ugh like seriously. So I'm having a huge party at my place. You all should come, it will be fun." "Um, when?" Apple Bloom asked pretending to be excited. "This weekend." "Ah wouldn't miss it." She replied putting on her best smile. "Great, well got to go. I got to spend this allowance so daddy will give me more money. Love ya, bye." Apple Bloom shook her head watching her snobby friend prance away. It pained her that she used to be somewhat like that. It's strange how money changes a pony. A part of her wanted to be back in that life but another part of her was a little disgusted. Ah miss the days Ah could've blown through five-hundred bits on sunglasses. Now we ain't got about one hundred bits and we don't know if we'll eat tomorrow. Slowly making her way down the avenue, Apple Bloom approached Sugarcube Corner. She couldn't help but groan, the place represented cheer and happier times; everything she wasn't feeling. As she walked through the doors she saw Pinkie Pie cheerfully bouncing from table to table taking orders. She spotted her friends sitting in the corner eating pie, there was an extra piece in the spot where she would sit. Apple Bloom approached the table and silently took a seat. "Hey Apple Bloom, how are you? You look terrible." Sweetie Belle said with concern. "Ah feel terrible." Apple Bloom said flatly. "I got you a piece of pie. That should cheer you up." Scootaloo said moving the pie closer to Apple Bloom. "Thanks but – Ah don't think that's gonna do it..." "Chocolate cake! What a super duper good choice!" Exclaimed an over excited pink mare as she bounced from a nearby table back behind the counter. "Can we get out of here? Ah don't think Ah can handle this place right now." "Um sure, come on Sweetie, let's go." Scootaloo said. The three fillies left sugar cube corner together not saying a word. They walked down the main road toward the train station with no particular destination. Sweetie Belle was the first to speak. "So, um Apple Bloom, what's wrong?" "Mac and Applejack had another argument last night." "Again? Is business really that bad?" Sweetie Belle asked with concern. "It's worse... we are totally broke. They are thinking about selling the farm." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stopped walking, they looked at Apple Bloom in shock and fear, knowing full well what it meant. "No, they can't sell the farm! It's part of Ponyville. Where would you all go?" "Ah don't know probably Appaloosa... where my cousin lives. We'd have nowhere else to go." "But what about all your sister's friends, couldn't they help out?" Scootaloo asked sounding almost desperate. "They could lend us money but my sister would never ask. Besides they wouldn't be able to keep the farm afloat." Sweetie Belle looked on the verge of tears, Scootaloo had a look of only half wanting to believe it. The three fillies stood to the side of the road weeping softly. Apple Bloom could look at them any longer. She turned her head looking ahead, she watched a bunch of workers unload crates of apples from the train, all stamped with the Cortland logo. Apple Bloom flared her nostrils and gritted her teeth. "It's just not fair! It's all gone wrong! How could they have taken everything from us? How?" Apple Bloom shouted, causing her friends to jump at her sudden outburst. "They ripped my family apart!" She stomped her hoof on the ground as hard as she could. "My family has no bucking money!" She stomped again. "And now we ain't gonna have a home!" Apple Bloom stomped her other hoof completely breaking down into tears. Scootaloo embraced Apple Bloom tightly. "Shhh, it's okay. We'll work this out. It's just like with me a couple years ago. I thought my life was over and I had lost everything. Remember? You two stuck by me. And when I thought I was moving to Fillydelphia you guys promised to take the train every weekend to see me. This is no different. I promise." Scootaloo nuzzled Apple Bloom's neck as Sweetie Belle patted her shoulder also with tears in her eyes. "Ah know! You two are the best. It's just so hard... everything is just falling apart. Ah guess everything was too good..." They broke apart. "Thanks guys, you two are the best. Ah don't know what Ah would have done without you two." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo smiled at her. Scootaloo turned her head back to the train station, watching the works unload crate after crate. "Ugh, I hate Cortland. I refuse to buy from them. I bet their apples taste like manure." Scootaloo said, making Apple Bloom smile weakly. "How do they sell so cheap?" "Ah don't know Sweetie. Ah don't know." Scootaloo giggled a little, "manure." Then she burst out in maniacal laughter falling to the ground. "Geez Scoots, it ain't that funny." Apple Bloom said a little confused. "Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked, taking a step back a look of uncertainty on her face. "No, it's not that." Scootaloo's eyes gleamed with mischief as an evil smirk formed across her mouth. "Girls... I have an idea..."