Chapter 9: A Rodeo of a Day
"[url=hpps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lBPvfUuL54]So how was your day Natsu?" Asked Twilight as she walked Natsu off the train station's platform, Rainbow and Pinkie in tow.
"Tiring." He mumbled, the bags under his eyes evident of that.
He had just came back from Canterlot again. Ever since he and Luna had come back from Venice a month ago, Natsu been going to and fro between Canterlot and Ponyville. Why, none of the mares had any idea. But, they decided not to ask given his tendency to be quickly agitated when he did not want to about things he didn't like to be asked about.
It wasn't until after a few minutes of silent walking that he noticed that somepony was missing. He was told about how Fluttershy and Rarity were caught up with each of their own work, but AJ always had time to visit, even when she was one of the two ponies who managed the family farm.
"Hey, where's AJ?" He asked his three nakama.
"Oh she's gone to a rodeo event in Appleloosa, she left two days ago. That reminds me, Pinkie Pie's planning a party for her winning the first place prize money when she comes back home today." Explained Twilight as they continued walking through Ponyville's streets, occasionally being greeted by the civilians.
"Isn't it a bit too early for celebration?" Asked Natsu with concern.
"I don't see what your problem is Natsu. Applejack has won every single rodeo competition she's ever been in, since she was nine! Why would this one be any different?" Retorted Rainbow Dash, flying into the human's face.
"Because you can't win every fight." He stated without even a moment’s hesitation.
"Are you saying that AJ is going to lose?" Asked a curious Twilight, confused why he would have so little faith in their friend.
"No, I'm saying that it's possible for her to lose, that's all. I still believe that she has the abilities to win, but I'm just not underestimating competitions like that." He remarked. The others had to admit, he had a point in his words, even though it made it sound like he had such little faith in their friend. "I'm gonna go take a nap by the lake, I'll see you guys later." Said Natsu as he released a yawn into the open air.
"What makes you think that way Natsu?" Twilight asked him before he got too far from them. Natsu ceased his tread and looked into the vast, clear sky.
"Even in my thousand years of living, there's still one man I have never beaten. Hell, I haven't even managed to hurt him. It's pretty pathetic of me to be honest." He said, chuckling at his own weakness.
Twilight, Rainbow and Rarity were shocked to say the least. They knew the Salamander as somepony that not even the Princesses could defeat at full strength. To hear that he had not ever managed to injure an opponent from his world was both amazing and scary. It just proved to them not even the most experienced fighter has never lost before, even the strongest can be brought to their knees.
"Actually..." Said Natsu in a quiet tone as he thought out loud. He scratched his chin. "Now that I'm much stronger than before, maybe I can finally beat Gildarts. Haha! When I see you again, I'll kick your ass old man! I'll become the strongest person in Fairy Tail ever!!" Yelled the man with glee, sounding like a crazy person to the townsfolk around him.
~~~~~~At the lakeside, 2 hours later~~~~~~
It was a very nice day for a nap by the edge of the lake in Ponyville. The sun shone down with moderate heat, providing brilliant shade, and the breeze was just cool enough to balance out the heat of the sun. All in all, a beautiful summer's day. Underneath the lone tree by the lakeside, laid the millennium aged wizard himself, resting peacefully underneath the shade of the piece of nature.
"Natsu!" Yelled Twilight as she vigorously shook the sleeping human. "Natsu, wake up!" She yelled once more.
"What? What? I'm up already." He said groggily as he woke back up.
"Applejack isn't coming back to Ponyville." Stated the protégé of Celestia, her voice in fear and worry for her close friend. Like a switch being flipped, Natsu’s sleepy demeanour vanished in a second and turned into one of seriousness.
"What?! Did she say why?" Natsu asked immediately, his voice bordering on yelling.
"No, she just said she was never coming home again." Twilight said as she grew ever more worried for Applejack and what had caused her to make such a decision. When Natsu had stood up and began to walk away from her, she asked, "Where are you going?"
"After Applejack. You're coming with me right?" He asked Twilight as he kept walking back to the library.
"You think I wouldn't after this happens?" She asked back as she followed the human, both of them knowing the question was rhetorical.
"So where the hell has she holed herself in?" He asked the lavender unicorn.
"A remote place outside of Appleoosa called Dodge Junction. Apparently that’s where all the contestants of the rodeo go to for resting." She said to the man.
"Well, to Jodge Dunction the-Jodge Dunction?" Natsu asked himself as he noticed the flub in his words. "How do words good? Hahaha. Goddamn I'm an idiot." He said laughing at his own screw up as the two walked back into Ponyville's borders where their friends were waiting.
Luckily for them, the journey wasn't an extremely long one. Dodge Junction was a small, remote town that was only a few minutes before Appleoosa. All in all, the journey there was around three hours long. But for those three hours, barely anything was said on the train. Everyone couldn't help but think of what could've happened to their friend. What could've been so bad that caused Applejack to say that she's never coming home again?
“How are we going to break it to the Apple family if we can’t bring her back?” Fluttershy questioned quietly to her friends as got closer to their destination.
“How’re we gonna break it to all of Ponyville?!” Twilight shouted, smacking her hooves on her cheeks in panic.
“How’re we gonna make it to the next stop?!” Exclaimed Pinkie Pie from out of nowhere, her randomness both expected and not wanted in this situation by her friends.
“We won’t have to. Applejack is coming home with us, even if I have to beat her to a pulp to do it. She has a lot of explaining to do when we get home.” Natsu said as he tried to calm the nerves of his nakama, however, now they were afraid of Natsu beating up their friend.
The screeching of the train’s brakes broke everyone’s attention as they had come to the realisation they’ve arrived at Dodge Junction. The train slowed down to a complete halt as the station came closer and closer.
"All aboard!" Yelled the conductor as the final whistle of the train blew through the small town.
One by one, each of the six stepped off of the train and walked onto the deck of Dodge Junction's station. The citizens waiting to board stared at Natsu, never seeing a person before in their lives. It was something he'd gotten used to over his many years of living though, evident as he walked past them all without paying any heed to their stares.
As they walked through the station, Natsu and Twilight conversed about a plan on how to get the answers from AJ when they had found her. Unfortunately for Natsu, his plans of beating the information out of her was shot down faster than he could finish his suggestion. Pinkie Pie though, had other plans, as she really needed to go to the toilet. Like, desperately.
Ignoring her and sticking to the situation at hand, Natsu had followed Twilight's decision and ask ponies to see if anypony had seen Applejack around town. Finding a stallion who had finished saying goodbye to who he could assume to be a family member of some kind, Natsu walked over to him.
"Excuse me, me and my friends are looking for a mare named Applejack. She has an orange coat, freckles, blond mane and tail, wears a Stetson, and says sugarcube in almost every sentence she makes. Have you seen her?" He asked the citizen who seemed confused at first by his sudden appearance and question, but his eyes quickly travelled behind the man and saw something of interest. Or rather, Natsu's interest.
"Ya mean her?" He said pointing a hoof at the very same mare they were looking for a few hundred metres away. Uttering a quick thanks, Natsu ran towards his missing friend.
"Applejack!" He yelled, and like a signal, all his other friends came running towards the mare.
"Applejack, why aren't you coming home?" Twilight asked the farm mare as they all clambered around her.
"Yeah! What was the deal with that shoddy letter you sent us?" Rainbow barked to her long-time rival.
One by one without mercy, each of the mares questioned Applejack about the reason fro her not coming back home to Ponyville. So many questions that Applejack seemed ready to bolt out of there, her heavily sweating brow accentuating that theory.
"Applejack, are these some of your Ponyville friends?" Asked an older, female voice from behind the group of seven.
Turning to see who it belonged to, everyone saw a cream coated mare with a two-toned crimson mane and tail and a beauty mark underneath her let eye. She wore a pink ascot around her neck and a headband lined cherries on it, and on her flanks were two cherries connected by a stalk. By Rarity's definition, she was the countryside's lady.
"Who're you?" Natsu asked with almost an angry tone, but was quickly reminded of it when Twilight kicked him in the shins. He kneeled to the ground, gripping his injured leg and groaning in pain.
"Yes, we are. Who might you be?" Twilight asked the mare with a much nicer tone of voice.
"Why, I'm Cherry Jubilee, owner of Cherry Hill ranch. Hasn't Applejack told ya? I watched her compete during the Equestria Rodeo. I've never seen somepony win so many medals." Said the mare Jubilee as she continued to praise the Ponyvillian.
"Aw shucks Miss Jubilee, ain't no need to get into that stuff." Said an embarrassed Applejack as she began to blush from the praise.
"Oh, she's so modest. Anyway, I can always use a pony with quick hooves and a strong back. So, when I heard Applejack was looking for a change of scenery, I snapped her up as quick as I could and brought her to Dodge Junction." Explained the country mare as she explained how AJ came to stay in Dodge Junction. "Um, if'n ya don't mind me asking, who are you exactly?" She asked Natsu as she came closer to him, curious about him, just as anypony would be from meeting their first human.
"Natsu Dragneel; human being, Fairy Tail wizard, dragon slayer and Applejack's abusive friend whenever he gets angry." He said without a single moment of hesitation in his voice. The last point made by Natsu made Jubilee flinch a little bit, but then again, it would to almost everyone who had heard it.
"Well, I'll let you catch up with your friends. See you back at the ranch." Jubilee said as she left with a bit more speed than she had intended. When she had left, Natsu looked at Applejack with a less than impressed face.
"So, 'change of scenery' huh?" He said with an equally less than impressed tone. She knew that Cherry's explanation wasn't a good enough one to make him happy.
"S'no big deal guys. Ah just thought cherries would be nice change from apples, so I took the job here. That’s it, end of story." Applejack said as she kept on walking to the cherry ranch.
"That’s it? That’s the worst story ever!" Chimed Pinkie Pie, to which everybody ignored.
"Sorry, but that’s all there is to it. Thanks fer checkin' up on me, but y'all can go home now. Tell mah family Ah said hi and that Ah'm just fine." Said Applejack as she began to leave to her new workplace. But when she couldn't feel her hooves on the ground and a vice around her neck, she could tell who was causing it and how angry he was.
"Oh no you don't bitch. We came all the way here to find you and bring you home. We're not leaving without you or a real explanation either!" Natsu barked as he brought the mare face to face. Applejack squirmed under his grip, trying desperately to escape it.
"Excuse me, Ah didn’t ask you t' come look fer me! There is nothin' t' tell and Ah'm not goin' back t' Ponyville!" She retorted, barking just as much back at the human. After he released his grip, Applejack fell onto the ground and stormed away from her friends in anger.
"I don’t care what she says, Applejack's not telling us something." Twilight said the group when Applejack had gotten out of earshot.
"Twi's right, we gotta get her to spill the beans somehow." Said Rainbow Dash as she flew overhead of the others. But Natsu had something different in mind.
"You girls go try and get the answer out of her, I'm gonna go to Appleoosa."
"Why there?" Rarity asked him.
"I have a feeling the answer will be there too…" Said Natsu with a hint of what seemed to be regret and sadness.
And so, Natsu broke off from the other five and walked back to the station platform. As if the gods were smiling on him, another train had begun to pull into Dodge Junction and Natsu boarded it as soon as the doors had opened. Next stop, Appleoosa.
When Natsu arrived half an hour later, he quickly began his search for answers. After a few questions on where to find the place where the rodeo was held, Natsu found an already half-taken down arena with plenty of different little areas that held purposes for different activities.
He found a stallion with a large moustache and Stetson hat standing off to the side, instructing others on what part went where. Walking up to him, Natsu asked the stallion about the outcome of the rodeo earlier that day. After the initial shock of seeing the man passed, the stallion, who was the sheriff of Appleoosa, led Natsu to a pin-up board. On it was a dozen event sheets that held all the names of the participants, where they were from and what place they all came for each event.
After finding Applejack's name on each of the event sheets, Natsu found the exact answer he wanted. Not only that, it was the only answer he expected to see.
Nothing else would've made Applejack act the way she is. What a stupid fool. He thought as began to head back towards the town. The next train won't be until morning. Let's hope AJ doesn’t decide to make a runner until then.
Morning has come, and with that, the answers that were promised to the five mares from Applejack are coming. It didn't take much, well… it took a bit of coercing. All that was needed was Pinkie Pie and her insatiable amount of energy and ability to make anypony lose their minds after being alone with her.
The apple had promised to tell Twilight and the others the truth at breakfast after what had seemed like hours of torture from the hell that was Pinkie Pie's rambling. Now, it was time to hold up her end of the bargain and keep her pinkie promise. But little did they know, real hell would soon descend upon them all…
"Good morning Applejack! Are you ready for-" Said Pinkie happily as she looked in the room, the empty room. The room with nopony in it. The room where somepony had gone back on a promise. This angered Pinkamena Diane Pie greatly, great enough to the point her face flushed red and steam shot out her ears like the most powerful train whistle.
"Nopony breaks a pinkie promise!" She yelled, her voice slowly warping into demon territory. Speeding out of the house Jubilee had given them to stay in for the night, Twilight and everypony else followed suit, just barely keeping up with Pinkie Pie.
As they ran, they all found Applejack standing on the station platform eager for the train to hurry up and let her board.
"Applejaaaaaaaack!" The mare's ears shot up with extreme speed and she turned to see all of her friends run towards her. And one of them was less than happy, she was absolutely livid. "YOU PINKIE PROMISED!!" She bellowed, eyes full of flaming rage. Literally, her eyes were on fire.
Applejack gasped in horror of the demon she had awoken and tried to run away into the train that had just arrived, but she quickly bumped into something on her way out. Something that stood six feet tall.
"Ahh, Natsu, y'all gotta help me partner. Pinkie Pie's afta me!" She begged to the human, thankful for his appearance and knowing that he could protect anybody. He held out his hand to help her and she gladly took it, but when she was slowly being lifted from the ground, Applejack grew confused and wary. "Natsu?" She asked her human companion, but she only became more scared when he suddenly threw her high into the air.
Applejack screamed her lungs out as she flew higher and higher into the air. If Natsu was anything, he was strong, very strong. But what goes up must come down, and Applejack was coming down fast. However, she was not just going to smash into the ground, oh no, she was going to crash into something that was going to hurt much harder as she saw it being prepared. [url=hpps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkwUkPUt5SU]A heavy punch ready to crush her into oblivion.]
Closer and closer she came to the ground, and at just the right moment, she saw the fist fly from Natsu's side and impact into her own. There was nothing but silence as time slowed down immensely and the punch connected, but Applejack and Natsu could both clearly hear a crack in her ribs. When time finally returned to normal, their other friends screamed in shock at the display and Applejack flew off of Natsu's and past the station, past the walls of the next building and bounce on the ground for metres.
Applejack could barely breathe, she knew that the punch had broken at least her bottom two ribs. She struggled to even bring herself to her hooves, the aftershock of Natsu's sudden attack still ringing in her mind and scaring her to bits.
"Quit being pathetic Applejack!" Natsu yelled through the hole in the wall. Just as AJ had managed to stand back up, she could see every fear inducing step Natsu made as he came closer towards her. He was fully intending to beat her into the ground. "Just because you lose one competition, it doesn't give you the right to banish yourself from your friends and family out of self loathing!" He spat to the mare when he was just inches away from her.
"An' how would y'all know what it's like?" Applejack muttered as she continued to take deep and painful breaths. "How would ya know what it's like t' have somepony's hopes an' faith restin' on yer shoulders, an' then lose when y'all couldn't live up to the promise ya made them?!" She yelled harshly, throwing one of her hooves at her own friend in hopes of returning the rib-breaking punch she received. However, it was completely and shockingly seen through as Natsu caught the flying hoof was the upmost ease. He didn't even feel a thing when the hoof collided with his open palm.
"You have no right to complain to me about that kind of thing." Natsu growled venomously as he pulled the mare up once more, and locked eyes with her. Flinging Applejack backwards, she skipped and skidded across the desert plains. This time around, Natsu moved faster towards the mare, intent on not letting her escape his sights. "Iron, Swift, Havoc, Hawkeye, Mustang, Hoofstrong, Hughes, Silver! They put all their hopes and dreams, all their faith in me, knowing that I would be the greatest guardian of all for the Princesses. But look what happened!" Screamed Natsu as he listed off the names of his fallen family before he picked Applejack once again.
But this time, she had accidentally grabbed Natsu's shirt and it ripped apart as she was flung again. She didn’t go as far as the first two times, but flung nonetheless. Now running on nothing but adrenaline, Applejack picked herself up much faster than before and looked at the painful sight that was Natsu's back. Natsu knew she was looking at it and that was why he hadn't moved, he wanted her to see his scars.
"These scars on my back are from all the whippings I received from Nightmare Moon every time I did not follow her orders. If I so much as hesitated, I would be whipped again and again. The Luna I had known for six years turned into a monster and there was nothing I could do about it, and I spent a thousand years on my own, all because I failed. I failed the world, I failed my duty, I failed my family. I failed her..." Said Natsu sadly as he lightly gripped a scar that reached across his shoulder. Facing her again, Applejack could now see that his old wrathful expression had been replaced with one of pain and sadness. "I banished myself because I had nobody there to help me, nobody to stop me, because everybody I loved died that night. I told you this just a few weeks ago AJ. Did you really forget who I am and the hell I've seen in such a short time?" He asked the apple farmer, genuinely shocked that she might've forgotten who's presence she was in.
Slowly, Applejack's own serious face because saddened and she collapsed onto her haunches. "But Ah'm a failure, Ah can't go home." She said sadly, and she brought her saddlebags forward and let it fall onto the ground. Thus letting its contents spill onto the floor as well, inside the bags were an assortment of ribbons in a variety of colours. "Ah've got ribbons fer second, third, even fourth and fifth. But no first place. Ah couldn't get the prize money t' fix th' barn an' town hall. Ah let everypony down..." She said as tears began to well up in her eyes.
Natsu laid a gentle hand on Applejack's shoulder, showing that he meant no more harm. "You can't win every time Applejack, there is no success without struggle. Failing is part of life, I know that more than anypony in this world. I may be powerful, but I'm still human, even I've lost my fair share of fights. You just have to accept this as your loss AJ, otherwise you can never get better, and you'll never win another rodeo." Said Natsu with the most relaxed and calm tone Applejack had ever heard. It was as soothing and as loving as an older brother embracing their sibling.
"Thanks for smacking me out of it Natsu." Applejack said looking up at her friend, still slightly battered and bruised from the beating she received from him.
"I did a bit more than smack you out of it, but, I guess that's why they call it 'tough love'." Natsu said as he chuckled while Applejack rolled her eyes at the terrible joke. When he finished his laughter, Natsu looked at Applejack with a determined expression. "Don't worry about the money, I'll work something out." He said.
-----The Next Day-----
"Yo, Big Mac, toss me up fifteen more boards and a bucket of nails!" Yelled Natsu from nearly two hundred metres above the large farm pony. Around his head was his signature scarf, used as a bandana of sorts to soak up all the sweat his was producing on this hot day.
"Eeyup!" Shouted back the red stallion on the ground.
The materials that were requested were all next to each other, the problem was to get them up to where Natsu was without a pulley system. Well, it'd be a problem if it were any other pony. However, since it is Big Mac, the strongest stallion in Ponyville, all he needed was a makeshift seesaw. Carefully loading the boards on one by one with the nails on top of the final board, the red stallion moved to the other end of the seesaw, raised his hind legs to their highest, and stomped down with all his might. The materials soared into the sky, and with extreme agility, Natsu caught each panel one by one and put them under his arm. When only the nail bucket remained, Natsu simply used the end of the last board he caught and slipped it under the bucket's handle.
Thirty minutes passed as he hammered down board after board upon the town hall's roof. Finally, he had finished the last one. Natsu wiped his forehead with his wrist as he looked in pride of his improved carpentry skills. Jumping off of the building, Natsu landed on his feet, only sending a shiver through the earth from the impact.
"And that's the town hall done. Next up, the barn." He said happily before turning around and into the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.
The walk was mostly in silence, not a single word was exchanged between the large farm pony and the dragon slayer. The only noise was Natsu humming a little tune to himself, until the unlikely one to talk broke the silence between them.
"Natsu." Said the red stallion, gathering the attention of his human counterpart. Macintosh looked up at Natsu with a pleased and relaxed expression on his muzzle. "We're really grateful that y'all are doin' this fer us, even though we don't got no money." He said, truly thankful for the kindness the human was giving out.
"Maccy, I've said this before, you don't have to worry about anything. You ponies of Ponyville have given me a place to call home again, a place where I can be me without any worries, and you didn't judge me at all because of who I am. I owe you guys so much, this is the least I could do." Said Natsu, more grateful to the pony than the reverse. Certainly, it helped to have friends in very high places, but even without them, he would’ve found a way to help the ponies of Ponyville.
"Still, thank you."
"It's really no problem man. Hey, how about you and I go to a bar for a few pints when we're done?"
"Ah don't see why not." Big Mac said after thinking for a few moments. He had nothing else to do on the farm, so why not? It was about time he got some time to himself. "Say, how'd y'all get the bits to pay fer all o' this?" He asked Natsu, now curious about where the supplies were coming from.
"My sister, but I owe her now."
"Ya owe 'er?" Mac asked in curiosity. "What exactly is she making y'all do? Ya look like Apple Bloom when she came home at midnight tha' one time."
"Ihavetobeherbutlerfortwomonths." Natsu mumbled, his voice sounding reminiscent to Fluttershy's in terms of quietness.
"Wha' was that?" Mac asked, wanting to actually hear the answer.
"I have to be her butler for two months..." He grumbled, fully audible to the naked ear.
Big Mac could hardly believe what his own ears had heard. The immortal Salamander, the strongest fighter in Equestria, was reduced to the princess' personal servant. Image after image popped into the stallion's mind and none of them weren’t funny. They were all so funny that he had broken out into hearty and loud laughter. Everypony around them could only look in wonder of what could’ve been said to make the most silent stallion in Ponyville burst out into laughter.
"After what ya did wit' princess Luna, Ah think it's a fair trade." Said the red stallion as he finally stopped his laughing, only to leave Natsu shocked that knew what he did. "Yeah, we were told what ya did." He said, smirking at the man's shock.
"You fucking traitor. I should be getting your sympathies, not that shit. That bitch called my sister is the fucking devil."
"Fine, Ah'm sorry that y'all are so stupid." Said Big Mac in the most blatant sarcastic voice in the world.
"Fuck you too." Said Natsu, pushing the stallion's head and making his body veer off their path a slight bit. "C'mon, we still have a barn to fix up."
"Lead the way mah friend." Said the large Apple family member.