Applejack craned her neck so she could see over Winona’s bobbing head - riding a chocobo was not an easy task for anypony. Even one as experienced as Applejack had to admit it was hard to see things at the large bird’s breakneck speed. All she was really aware of at the moment were the trees passing by - she had to trust Winona to know the direction to the crash.
Luckily, she trusted Winona fully. The chocobo and her had been through a lot - traveling the world tended to expose a pony and their chocobo to a lot of danger and adventures. She and Winona had led an interesting life, to say the least…
Applejack knew they were getting close when Winona began to slow down. Applejack leapt off her even while she was still moving, trotting alongside the bird as they came up to their destination. Before them stood a giant rock riddled with holes that had paved it’s way through the forest, leaving an impact trail behind it. Applejack did the math - it had crashed almost parallel with the ground, allowing it to make this extremely long mark. She couldn’t even see where the trail started. She raised an eyebrow. “This is mighty interestin’ Wonder if anything’s here. I betcha meteor chunks will sell well in the next town.”
Winona gave her a look.
“What? We’re short on cash, and it’s not like Ah’m swindlin’ them or anything. It really is a meteor chunk!”
Winona just rolled her eyes and walked on ahead. Applejack had to trot to keep up with the bird that was well over twice as tall as she was. As they approached the fallen boulder, they saw some commotion. A bunch of green bodies were shuffling around a rather large fire. Applejack grunted. “Goblin camp.” She was considering just leaving before things got hairy, but then she saw that they had somepony with them.
“I say! Unhand me you ruffians! This is the rudest awakening I could ever have imagined! And what have you done with my suitcase?”
Applejack watched as one of the goblins held up a fancy bag that had obviously been tossed in the fire recently to see if it would burn. The unicorn they had captive let out a gasp. “You. Didn’t. Tell me you didn’t.”
The goblin, lacking a language of his own, just shrugged. Then he looked at the unicorn and licked his lips. He pointed to a few other goblins, and they began to heft the unicorn towards the fire.
“Oh my heavens! You will not cook me! I am of royal descent and can’t have a single hair on this body get singe- OW!”
The goblin who poked her with the fire stick chucked.
“…You don’t care about any of this do you?”
The goblin shook his head.
The unicorn then did what any respectable pony of royalty would have done.
“HEEEEEEELP MEEEEEEE SOMEPONY PLEASEEEEE!”
“Good tarnation gravy!” Applejack muttered, holding her hooves over her ears. Winona rammed her head into the ground. “Okay, Winona? How'sabout we rescue her just to make her stop that racket?”
Winona nodded vigorously.
“PLEASEEEEE ANYONEEEEEE?” The goblins were finding that trying to stuff a rag into the unicorn’s mouth only got their fingers bit. They were going to have to cook her fast or they would all go mad. They began to scramble around in a mild panic. Because of this, they did not notice Applejack and Winona charging them.
Winona rammed into them, barreling two over with her beak as Applejack leapt into the air, drawing her sword with her mouth. She drove it right into the chest of a third goblin before anyone even knew what was happening. The other goblins reacted first - half ran off into the forest, while the other half decided to stay and fight.
Two rushed Winona only to get kicked several yards away by her impressive legs. Applejack took on the two others herself, bucking one in the face as it tried to claw her, but unable to block the attack of the second. It scraped across her leg, making her yell out in pain. However, it did not make her falter. She turned around and drove the sword right into the goblin’s knee. “Hwwyi lwwk mmm ppls?” She remarked, sword still in her mouth as the goblin fell.
The unicorn blinked. “Dear, care to repeat that?”
Applejack sheathed her sword. “Uh… something about him liking apples. Ah think. Ah’m not entirely sure what I said.”
Winona facewinged. The unicorn just blinked before sighing. “Kind mare, would you please untie me? It would be most appreciated.”
Applejack did so, noting how the unicorn was obviously not used to roughing it. “So, you some kind of noble? Have a fancy crown or anything?”
“As a matter of fact I do!” The unicorn said, rummaging through her burnt bag and taking out a silver crown. She placed it on her head, grinning. “I am P- Lady Rarity. Though I am trying to keep a low profile.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow incredulously. “Name’s Applejack, and this here is Winona. Er… you do realize that the meer fact you talk like a noblemare and have a crown prevents you from keeping a low profile?”
“Aw, pshaw. That’s why I don’t wear the crown all the time dear.” She smiled, putting the crown back in her belongings. “Now, I suppose I must be off. Got places to go, things to do.”
Applejack raised the other eyebrow this time. “Such as?”
Rarity was about to respond when she heard something. “Darling… do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Applejack said, perking her ears.
She heard it. A high-pitched groaning was coming from near the meteor. The two of them walked over to see a pink earth pony mare rubbing a rather large bump on her head. “Ow… Ow ow everything hurts…”
Rarity put a hoof to her mouth. “Darling! Were you hit by the meteor?”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “She’d be dead if that were the case - the thing was a giant fireball when it came in. Though she was obviously hit by somethin’. Maybe a chunk o’ the thing fell off?”
Rarity helped the pink mare stand up, which was somewhat difficult to accomplish given how wobbly her legs were. “Just take it easy dear…”
“Easy… easy? Easy!” Suddenly the pink mare was filled with energy and she leapt into the air, any evidence of being injured gone. She bounced up and down, obviously in a hyperactive state. “Oh my gosh you two are so helpful and nice and thank you for helping me up I don’t know anything but I bet this is important wheeeeeeeee!”
Applejack blinked. Here was a mare obviously older than either her or rarity - her body was more fleshed out and her face a little more angular - but she was acting like an excited child. This was confusing. “Uh… miss?”
“Yes orange one?”
“Who are you?”
The earth pony opened her mouth wide to respond, and then said nothing. Her eyes darted to the left, then the right, and a look of worry entered her eyes. “I don’t remember! I don’t remember anything!”
Rarity moved to comfort the pink mare, but before she could there was a grin upon the earth pony’s face. “I. Have. Amnesia! Do you have any idea how cool that is? I probably have some amazing backstory that will be very very important later on! I’m probably something really really weird…” She glanced at the meteor, her eyes lighting up. “I KNOW! I’m here right next to a meteor… Found under mysterious circumstances... I MUST BE AN ALIEN!”
Rarity facehooved and Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Uh sugarcube? Yer a pony. Not an… ‘alien’ whatever that is.”
“Ohmygosh you don’t know what aliens are? I feel sorry for you… uh… lemme see if I can guess your name… Applejohn?”
“Close. Applejack. And this here is miss fancy-pants Rarity.”
“Pleased to make your aquain- hey! I am not miss Fancy Pants! That's another pony entirely!”
“You are now.” The pink mare giggled. Then her eyes lit up. “Oh! I just remembered by name! I’m Pinkie! Pinkie Pie! Woohoo!” She bounced into a nearby tree and confetti flew everywhere.
Applejack blinked. “…where’d you get the confetti?”
“I have no idea but there it is! Isn’t that awesome! Maybe I have super freaky alien powers!”
Applejack grabbed Pinkie on the shoulders. “Get. Ahold. Of. Yourself. You are not some freaky ‘alien’ with freaky powers! You are just a pink earth pony who can’t remember anything.”
“Suuuuuuuuuure AJ.” Pinkie said, rolling her eyes. “And you aren’t destined to be a hero.”
“Pardon?”
“Neeeevermind!” She said, bouncing into the air. “Anyway, I have no idea what I’m doing so… what are you guys doing?”
Applejack looked at Winona. “Me and Winona here are traveling the world just for the heck of it.”
Rarity smiled. “And I am journeying to the Wind Shrine.”
Pinkie’s eyes got even wider. “OHMYGOSH! Now I’m like a-hundred-and-forty-two percent sure that was where I was headed! Take me with you!”
“Now I’m not sure that’ll be-“
“TAKE ME WITH YOU.” Pinkie said, ramming her nose into Rarity’s.
“Uh…. okay then dear.”
Pinkie turned to Applejack. “Hey, you want to come too?”
“Nah.” Applejack said, stretching her legs. “Ah’ve already been to the Wind Shrine - little too windy for my tastes. You two go on, protect each other from the goblins. ’Twas nice meeting you.”
Rarity nodded. “Well then, may we meet again. Until that day, good travels.”
“May the wind be in your step.” Applejack responded, climbing onto Winona and taking off.
Pinkie turned to Rarity. “Wanna play I-spy?”
“Good heavens…” Rarity muttered. “Sure…”
“I spy something pink!”
“It’s you isn’t it?”
“No, it’s my mane!”
Rarity’s eye twitched.
~~~
Minutes later, Winona went from running at full speed to a complete stop. Applejack was thrown head over hooves into a nearby rock wall. “Ow…” She muttered, now in an upside down position. “Winona, don’t stop that fast.”
Winona just looked at her.
“Now don’t you give me that look. Ya hear?”
Winona just looked at her some more.
“Look, they can take care of themselves.”
Winona just looked.
“They’re a perfectly capable group… a crazy mare and a fancy-pants noble…”
Winona looked.
“And… ah… there are lotsa goblins around…”
Winona. Looking.
“Ah cossarnit fine! We’ll go help ‘em! Yeesh, no need to get your feathers in a twist.”
Winona seemed satisfied with all this, and ran back the way she came as soon as Applejack crawled onto her back. Right towards the mountain pass that led to the Wind Shrine.
Obviously Rarity and Pinkie had already entered the pass, so Winona charged right in. This proved to be a mistake - the earth began to tremble violently.
“Darnit! Earthquake! Why an earthquake now of all times?” Rocks began to fall from above, and crevasses started to open beneath their feet. Winona expertly leapt over the gaps in the ground, but the rocks were coming dangerously close to hitting them.
“HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!!!!” There was no mistaking the scream of Rarity. Applejack groaned. There were probably some very hungry goblins in this earthquake. Things could never be easy could they?
“Ah’m comin’ to save y’all!” She yelled over the earthquake, ready to leap off Winona at a moments notice. A rock crashed down in front of them with a crescendo, Winona’s toes actually scraping it as they leapt over. They landed on the edge of a crevasse, almost falling in. To Applejack’s pleasure, she saw a goblin fall in and get hit by a rock. Stupid greenskins deserved that.
Winona began to slow down, and Applejack leapt off, sword in mouth. She landed, ready to defend Pinkie and Rarity.
To her surprise, she saw Rarity hiding behind Pinkie, who was wilding an extremely large hammer. She was hitting goblins around like they were ping-pong balls, the hammer making a “squeak!” noise every time she hit anything. “Take that you dumb meany greenies!” She roared, smashing more of them.
Applejack’s jaw dropped, the sword falling to the ground. “Where in tarnation did you get that hammer?”
“I have no idea! My mane I guess?!?” Pinkie shrugged, smashing the last goblin into the ground. “I dunno, I just though I needed to defend Rarity and it showed up. But thanks for coming to save us anyway!” Suddenly the giant hammer was just gone. Pinkie whistled. “I have a really nice inventory screen…”
“What?”
“Neeeeevermind!”
Rarity opened her eyes. “Is it… safe now? Can we move on without being assaulted by uncouth ruffians?”
“Yessuriedokie!” Pinkie said, grinning. “And now AJ’s coming with us!”
Rarity blinked. “Really?” Her face betrayed it all - she had mixed feelings about this. On one hand they were getting someone to help defend them from the brutish monsters. On the other hand, it was someone who had absolutely zero class or culture.
In the end, she sighed. “Yes, Applejack, it would be best if you came with us on our mission to the Wind Shrine.”
Applejack nodded. “Yep. C’mon, let’s keep going through this pass here. It shouldn’t take us too long to get through.”
“Oooooh I wouldn’t be so sure about that!” Pinkie said, pointing ahead of them. The entire passageway was blocked with boulders that had fallen during the earthquake.
Applejack twitched. “Well, we just have to find a way around. Check the walls, see anything?”
Rarity frowned. “I do see a side passage that is dreadfully narrow-“
“Great! We’re taking it. Come along.”
Winona let out a sad caw. Applejack cringed, turning to the bird. “You… aren’t going to fit Winona. Sorry girl.”
Winona nodded, nuzzling Applejack. Then she nodded. “You gonna to be okay here?” Winona bobbed her head once more. “Okay then.. be a good girl you hear? I’ll be back for you.” Winona squawked. Applejack chuckled, before tuning to the narrow passage.
“Allrightythen… Miss fancy pants and crazy mare? You ready for this?”
“As I’ll ever be.” Rarity muttered, taking offense at the return of the fancy pants remark.
“You got it miss leader person!” Pinkie said, saluting. The three mares trotted into the passage, wondering what they would come across…
~~~
As it turned out, the passage quickly became a cave. A cave that was dreadfully dark, and had it not been for Rarity’s horn lighting up the area, there would have been no way to know where they were going.
Rarity herself was trying really hard not to look at the disgusting nature of the cave - there was evidence of bats everywhere. She needed to distract herself before she flipped out about the uncleanliness of this place.
“So, Applejack, why did you come back for us?”
“Winona convinced me actually. We couldn’t in good conscience leave you to the goblins of the area - though apparently Pinkie actually can take care of herself. Somehow.”
“Super amazing alien powers!”
“Mhm right. Ahm pretty sure you’re just a wizard of somekind Pinkie.”
Rarity’s eyes sparkled. “Oh my! Earth pony mages are so rare! It’s amazing to finally meet one!”
Pinkie considered this. “Mmmm nah I like the alien idea better.”
Rarity and Applejack facehooved.
“Anyway…” Applejack continued. “I also remembered that my folks had told me to explore the world - but also to make some friends along the way. Winona’s a good girl, but I suppose she doesn’t really cut it does she?”
Pinkie grinned, pulling Applejack into a tight embrace. “Yay! We’re friends now!”
Applejack chuckled. “Of course, crazy old mare.”
“Hey! I’m not that old!” Pinkie said, incredulously.
“You are old enough to be my mother, so I have the right.”
Pinkie considered this. “Fair enough. What about you Rarity? Wanna be friends?”
“I… suppose.” She said, reluctantly.
“WOOHOO! This calls for a party!” Pinkie brought out a cannon and fired it. “WOOHOO!”
Applejack blinked. “Where did… What…”
“Party cannon! Alien powers!”
More facehooves were had. The three mares continued in small talk for a while, until Applejack heard something. “Kill the lights!” She said. Rarity hesitated for a moment, then obliged. Ahead, Applejack saw some faint light coming through a strangely door-shaped crack in the wall. There was a shadow of a pony walking around in front of it. She could barely see, but she noticed the pony walk to the right. She heard a strange clicking noise, and the hidden door slid open, letting light into the cavern. Beyond the door they could see a cove, and the sea. They could also see that the pony was a brown pegasus stallion with a purple bandanna and cutlass. He walked through the door, and it closed behind him.
Everypony was silent for a little while.
“Cool! Pirates!” Pinkie said, jumping up to the secret door. “Let’s see… how to open this…”
“Why on earth would we want to open it?” Applejack asked.
“Only way to go, duuuuh. Plus, adventure!” She grinned. Applejack rolled her eyes, feeling around the wall to the right of the door. She pressed down on a hidden button, making a clicking noise. She smiled as the door opened. “Everypony through!” She said.
The three mares stood on a very interesting cove - the sea seemed to flow into this large cavernous area directly. There was a large dock heading out into the water - though there was no boat there. Probably stuck at sea since there’s no wind… Applejack thought to herself. Inside the cavernous cove itself were several wooden houses and a lot of pirate flags.
Applejack could see several cavern tunnels on other areas of the cove - though it was going to be a little difficult to get to them without being seen, if not impossible…
Rarity tapped applejack on the shoulder and pointed out to sea. Applejack was annoyed that her attention was being drawn away at first, but then her jaw dropped.
There was a boat coming into the cove at a brisk pace. No, not a boat - a ship. A full fledged pirate ship, complete with flag and sails. But there was no wind - no way it could be moving, much less at that high of a speed.
It was an impossibility. A sailboat sailing without wind.
“Think they would give us a ride?” Rarity suggested. “It’d make it a lot easier to get to the Wind Shrine if we went by sea.”
Both Applejack and Pinkie fixed her with “are you crazy!?!” looks. Pinkie was the one to speak first. “Pirates are not known for being nice and friendly - they are known for plundering and being mean! They probably won’t just let us ride in their special fancy windless ship just because we asked.”
“Yeah… for once Pinkie is making sense.” Applejack frowned. “That won’t help…”
“That’s why we’re going to steal their ship!” Pinkie announced, grin threatening to split her face in half.
Rarity and Applejack fixed Pinkie with "are you crazy?!?” looks.
Pinkie grinned. “Come on! Let’s go steal a pirate ship!”