Separated

by ItalianMugshot

Chapter 8 - Not Just a Nightmare

I saw a bunch of changelings surrounding me and trying to murder me. I fought them off, but they followed me as I made my escape out of my house. When I opened the door, I saw more and more changelings as I looked around. "Sweetie Belle was right," I thought to myself. "I should've left a while ago." There was nothing that could be done about that, so all I could do was to do exactly what I did in Fillydelphia, find a way out of this outbreak. I decided to make my escape the same way I escaped before by flying out of the apocalypse. When I took flight, I saw just as much changelings in the sky as there were on the ground, but that didn't stop her from making her escape. But then I was stopped by a horde of changelings that got a tight grip on me.

"Err. Let me go!" I demanded in fear. "Get away!"

I tried fighting them off as best as I could, but the changelings got the best of me and started to attack me.

"Aah! Stop!" I screamed in pain. "Aaaaaaahhhhh!

That's when I woke up from my worst nightmare yet. I looked out my window and saw that the sun had risen meaning it was morning. Then my stomach was the loudest it's ever been, so I made myself some eggs and toast for breakfast because it's my favorite. After I had breakfast, I was about to head into town again, but before I did, I wondered, "All of these dreams, do they have a purpose? Are they trying to tell me something? What if Set's..." I cut myself off not wanting to think she was in any more trouble than I already put her in. I walked out of my house and headed for town. I tried to find a desolate, private area where I could mope in peace. It was obvious that I still missed Get Set. I found a pond where I could let it all out. I started to cry and tear up. The emotion of me missing Set and the nightmares I've been having lately made me feel bad for what I did to my sister back in Fillydelphia, if only I hadn't have panicked. When I was done crying I saw somepony else in the reflection of the pond.

"Howdy Steady," Applejack introduced. "Are ya gonna be okay?"

"I just wanna know where Set is," I said. "You know, make sure she's okay."

"Why don't we talk about this at the farm?" Applejack implied.

"Sure," I accepted. "Let's go."

We walked over to the orchard and talked on the way there. "Set would love it here," I said, starting the conversation.

"So what's been gettin' to ya this time?" Applejack asked. "I mean aside from missin' Set and all. She sure does sound like a great filly."

"I was talking to Rarity," I began to answer. "She wanted to know what happened to me specifically in Fillydelphia. She also asked about Set and her personality. There really wasn't much to talk about. She's excitable, friendly, fun, and a lot like me. I've been her role model for so long, and now look what I've done to her. She could be anywhere in Equestria, or even worse, have a close encounter with a changeling." Then I had remembered what she told me that day. "Steady, help me! I don't wanna become changeling food!" Then I responded again. "But I know she's a smart filly and will do anything to stay out of trouble."

"Then I guess she really is a great filly," Applejack noted. "Does she have a cutie mark?"

"It looks like a flaming lightning bolt," I answered. "It represents how fast she learned how to fly. I remember when I first taught her. We were in the clouds when she just got back from school. We always went up to the clouds whenever we wanted to hang out. Long story short, she'd jump from the clouds and see if she could fly without coming too close to the ground. I had to catch her a few times, but she finally got the hang of it. I was more than happy to see that she could fly. I just didn't want her going through what I did back when I was a filly."

"Why?" Applejack asked with curiosity. "What happened to ya?"

"I'll tell you all about it when we get to the orchard," I responded. "I just really miss Set." Then I took out the family photo from my satchel. "I really wish this whole outbreak never would've happened. But on the bright side, I got to meet many great ponies like you."

"Is that Set right there?" she asked as she pointed at the little, yellow filly.

"That's her," I confirmed. "And these are our parents, Athelia and Checkered Flag."

"It would've been a great family for me to meet," Applejack responded. "They all seem like really nice ponies."

"Too bad those...monsters got to my parents." I said. "I know that Set is still out there, and when I find her, we'll come back to Ponyville to live out the rest of our lives."

"It's great to know that you still have faith in Set, but..." Applejack started.

"But what?" I asked.

"But...Look! Here we are!" Applejack said, trying to change the subject. "Why don't we head on inside?"

Applejack waited inside while I waited out in the orchard for a bit. I also noticed that that sun was directly above my head, indicating that it was the middle of the afternoon. I then glanced at the treehouse, which seemed to be okay to approach. I went over to the treehouse and knocked on the door.

"Apple Bloom!" I called out. "Are you in there?"

There was no response from the treehouse. Then I heard a voice from behind me. "No, Ah'm right here," Apple Bloom said with a bit of wonder.

"Oh! Well, nice to see you again," I said with a little startle. "So what have the Cutie Mark Crusaders been up to lately?"

"Today we're gonna be the Cutie Mark Crusader Hair Stylists!" Apple Bloom stated."

"Which part?" I asked. "Mane, tail, or both?"

"Both," Apple Bloom responded. "So what're ya doin' at my treehouse?"

"Just wondering where you were," I replied. "I wasn't trespassing, I swear."

"Okay then," Apple Bloom said. "Next time, Ah suggest ya look in my room. This is CMC territory."

"Alright, I just thought we could talk," I said.

"Maybe later," Apple Bloom responded. "We're having a meetin' in a few minutes."

"Okay, I'll leave," I said. Then I went back over to the orchard and then inside the house to meet up with Applejack. She never told me where in the house she wanted me to talk to her, so I assumed she would be in the living room, and I was right. I sat down on the couch and waited for one of us to respond. It was obvious she wasn't talking, so I started the conversation.

"So..." I said. It was all I could manage to say before a rainstorm shortly occurred. Then I continued, "You wanted to know about my past. My past past not my recent past with the changeling incident."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Applejack insisted. "I'm a little curious."

"Well it's actually connected to how I got my cutie mark," I started. "You see, back in my elementary school, I was always teased for not knowing how to fly. Two colts, especially, wouldn't stop talking about it, so I challenged one of them in a race. I raced with my hooves, the colt raced with his wings. We raced from the flag pole to the big tree and back. If I could give you a visual as to what that'd look like, believe me I would. Anyways, we raced and he got a head start, but I found it pretty easy to catch up to him. In the end, I won and everypony watching was astounded, and shortly after, I got my cutie mark. So that's why I wanted to teach Set to fly earlier than I did, so that she didn't have to go through the trouble of being bullied. She's a great filly; she deserves better than that."

"Well that was a very interestin' story there Steady," replied Applejack. "It kinda reminds me of how Apple Bloom became a Cutie Mark Crusader. She was teased for being a 'blank flank' for a while. She didn't wanna tell me about it because she thought it'd be a little embarrasin'. But when she met Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, everything changed. She realized that bein' a 'blank flank' wasn't so bad after all. Pretty soon, the three of them became best friends and called themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"Great story," I complimented. "They sound pretty determined."

"Much like yerself Ah reckon," Applejack replied.

"Speaking of which," I said. "Sweetie Belle insisted I leave Ponyville to keep looking for my sister. I think I need to do just that."

"Ah don't know if that's a good idea," Applejack suggested. "Half of Ponyville is infested with all these changelings and Ah don't wanna see y'all gettin' hurt again. Ah'm surprised them critters haven't reached Ponyville yet.

Her response didn't really please me. "Applejack, I can't leave my little sister behind. And what you you mean 'getting hurt again'?"

"Have ya seen yer hind leg lately?" Applejack pointed out.

"Wha...How did that happen?" I said with shock, noticing the scrape that was visible on my left hind leg. "Look, that doesn't matter. What does matter is that my little sister is out there and she could die any moment. I need to do this."

"Look, Ah know ya miss yer lil' sis and all, but you need to face the music," Applejack stated. "This outbreak has lasted for a month and a half and y'all still think she's still out there."

"She's not stupid AJ," I objected. "Somepony's been taking care of her. I just need to find out..."

"What if this 'somepony' is in Baltimare, Manehattan, Las Pegasus, or even back in Fillydelphia?" Applejack protested, cutting me off.

"She's not, I promise," I said with annoyance. "Like Fluttershy told me, never believe in the worst case scenario."

"It's nice that ya still have faith in Set and all, but..." Applejack said, about to become interrupted.

"Is this what you were gonna tell me on the way to the orchard?" I asked as the thunder outside was striking. "I mean I get that you don't want me get hurt or anything, but your not my mother, I've taken on these creatures before and I'm perfectly capable of doing it again."

"Listen to me Steady," Applejack said, trying to talk some sense into me. "What do ya think the odds of a little filly survivin' in a world half-infested with changelings are?"

"What are you trying to tell me?" I asked with anger. "That's she's dead?"

"Steady, it's been a month and a half," Applejack pleaded. "Ya need to wake up from yer little nightmare."

I then had a moment of silence to take in what Applejack had told me. Then I responded, "I thought you were on my side, had faith me, had faith in Set. I thought you were my friend, but apparently everything you told me was a lie."

"Steady..." Applejack pleaded. I cut her off as I was about to leave.

"You know what, forget you," I said, storming out of the house. I ran back all the way over to my home, and I cried on my bed with my face buried in my pillow.

---

Later that night, I got a knock from my door. "Hello, are y'all okay Steady?"

In a last minute decision, I decided to let Applejack into my home.

"So tell me," I started with a bit of anger. "Why did you come here?"

"To apologize for what Ah said," Applejack admitted.

"You put a lot of doubt in my mind and you expect me to forgive you all of the sudden?" I pointed out. "You didn't even consider putting yourself in my position. How would you feel if Apple Bloom were in just as much danger as Set was?"

"Ah..." Applejack started. "...Ah never really thought of it that way. Ah'm really, really sorry. From the bottom of my heart, honest."

"You're gonna have to do better than an apology to make it up to me," I said.

"What if Ah promise to never say anything like that ever again? That Ah have all my faith in ya finding Set, because that's all Ah can do to make it up to ya at this point."

"You promise?" I asked with slight interest.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Applejack claimed.

"What was all that gibberish?" I asked.

"It's the Pinkie Promise," Applejack said. "Y'all never heard of it?"

"Being from Fillydelphia, I can't say that I have," I replied. "But if that's all you can do, then I can forgive you...for now."

"Thanks Steady," Applejack replied. "Well, Ah gotta go back and hit the hay. Good luck findin' Set!"

"Thanks AJ," I told Applejack. Then to myself, "I could sure use it." I then went to sleep until tomorrow morning had arrived.

When I woke up this morning I made myself eggs and toast for breakfast, again, and decided to take a breath of fresh air. When I opened the door, I saw a newspaper. It said that another outbreak has occurred, this time, it spread to Vanhoover. But what caught my eye the most was the 'missing' picture in the corner of the article. It showed a filly with a yellow coat and a dark green mane.

That filly was Get Set...

Author's Note:

If you don't like my OC, please bear with me. I'm trying my best to make a good story. Post in the comments to help me make my stories better because I could sure use the help. There's one more chapter after this in case anyone was wondering.