//------------------------------// // XX // Story: Twilights Journey: Escape Equestria // by Merotik //------------------------------// Fluttershy knocked on Applejacks door three times and waited patiently. A few moments later, the door opened, revealing Applejack. "Hey there Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie. Boy am I SO happy to see you two!" Applejack said in a sarcastic tone. "Applejack, do you know where Applebloom is?" asked Fluttershy. "A course I know where she is! Why wouldn't I?" said Applejack. "Really? Then where is she?" asked Fluttershy. Applejack, trying not to make eye contact said, "well, I, uh, well why should I tell you! What business do you have askin where Applebloom is?" "Because Pinkie Pie and I saw her on our way over here. She and the other two crusaders were trying to find Spike inside my shed. Luckily for them they didn't know the combination to my lock so they couldn't get inside. If she had, well, lets just say you'd have one less apple to your tree". " . . . And your telling me this why?" "Because she's your sister". ". . ." " . . . And I'm going to kill her if she goes in my shed". ". . ." " . . . You don't care, do you?" "What! Of course I care! She is ma sister after all!" said Applejack, trying to avoid eye contact. " . . . Uh huh, sure. I gave her and the other crusaders a warning for now but only because Pinkie and I are on a schedule". "So why exactly are you two here?" asked Applejack. "Sparkles left Pony Ville and is heading south. From our classified resources we have discovered that she is trying to escape Equestria and travel to Zebrica". "Wait, classified? I thought Discord told us where Twilight was going!" said Pinkie Pie. Sighing, Fluttershy leaned close to Pinkie and whispered into her ear, "we don't want Applejack knowing that!" "Why?" "Because the more we know, and the less that she doesn't know, the easier it'll be to use her to our advantage! We're gonna give Jack just enough so that she'll help us capture Sparkle. But we'll keep the more important details to ourselves, kapeesh?" "Oh! I get it!" "Are you two discussin somthin that I should know about?" asked Applejack. Leaning away from Pinkie, Fluttershy said, "yes! We were just talking about how much of a valued team member you'd be if you joined our group and helped us capture Sparkle!" "Well a course I'm a valued team member! Heck, I don't even need a team! I'm good enough to count as five ponies!" Applejack bragged. "Good! Then you wouldn't mind helping us capture Sparkle!" said Fluttershy. "Now hold up, I never agreed to nothing! Now why are you two goin after Twilight for? She left! Good riddance! Why would you want her back? And more importantly, why are you working for Discord?" "We're not working for anypony! Discord simply gave us a little guidance, that's all. And as for why we want Sparkle back in Pony Ville is because, well, I'm not sure if I should tell you. Its just too awful for me to even say out loud" said Fluttershy, turning away from Applejack to hide her smirk. "What's so awful? Did Twilight do somthin?" asked Applejack. "Oh you wouldn't want to know, believe me, you wouldn't". "What did she do!?" shouted Applejack. "Oh why did I even bother coming here? Guess I wasn't thinking straight, come on Pinkie, we'll go get Sparkle ourselves". Fluttershy only took one step before Applejack jumped in front of her. "Now wait just a darn minute! Ya'll better start explainin yerselves right now before I come over there an buck yer hind quarters!" "Wait, really? Wow that escalated! Could you at least take me to dinner first?" asked Pinkie. "I, wait, what!?!" shouted Applejack. "I mean, I'm more into Fluttershy but I wouldn't mind doing a cowpony. Unless Fluttershy wants to join in then-" "I DIDN'T MEAN THAT KIND A BUCK!!!" shouted Applejack. "And gross, keep me out of your fantasies. Or I'll shank you". said Fluttershy. "Ugh! Fine!" said Pinkie, crossing her forelegs. "Now would you two just start explainin yerselves!" said Applejack. Fluttershy sighed, "alright, I tried to warn you. You see, before Sparkle left I went to her house and tried to help keep her books dry because it was raining. And instead of saying thank you, she shouts at me! Saying how I'm a terrible friend! I tried to calm her down, but then she started bad mouthing our other friends! She called Rarity greedy, Rainbow dash selfish, and you a liar!" "What about me?" asked Pinkie. "You? Oh, uh, she said that uh . . . you smell". Pinkie gasped, "that monster!" "And that's not even the worst part! She then started complaining about your apples!" said Fluttershy. "She wouldn't!" said Applejack. "She did". "What did she say?" said Applejack, angrily. It took Fluttershy a lot of restraint to not smile, she had to focus and keep a straight face. "She said that your apples were by far the worst apples she had ever tasted! She's hated your apples ever since the very first day that she met you! She gags just from the very thought of your apples! And if she had to choose between apples and starving, she would have died a long time ago!" Grinding her teeth, Applejack said, "where did that no good varmint head off to!" No longer able to restrain her smile, Fluttershy said, "right now she's resting in Appleloosa. If we leave now, we might be able to catch her before she leaves". "Give me five minutes" said Applejack, walking into her house. As soon as she was in the house, Fluttershy laughed and said, "well THAT went well!" "Ya! Applejacks must really be mad about Twilight saying all that! I had no idea she hated her apples so much!" said Pinkie, laughing. "Ha! Ha! . . . um, Pinkie, you do realized everything I said was a lie, right?" "It was?" asked Pinkie, cocking her head to the side. " . . . Your an idiot". At that moment, Applejack walked out with a saddlebag full of supplies. Locking her door, she said, "Now don't think this makes us friends! I'm just comin along so I can teach that no good varmint what happens when you bad mouth ma apples!" "Whatever, let's just get this over with" said Fluttershy. "So, next stop: Rarity's?" asked Pinkie. "Ugh! Guess so, dang this is going to suck" said Fluttershy. "Why's that?" asked Applejack. "Have you tried talking to Rarity ever since that stupid rock came into her life?" asked Fluttershy. "Actually, I haven't seen her in awhile" said Applejack. "Me neither" said Pinkie. "Well I have, and every single sentence its "Tom this" and "Tom that!" She never stops talking about that bucking rock! I swear, I can feel my brain cells committing suicide one by one every time I talk to that mare!"