Wherein The Mountains are Crossed... Again
The upper towers of Fillygaro were refreshingly cool, tall enough to catch the wind as it traveled through the barren desert. Most of the orchard staff used them as lookout, but given the amount of activity going on throughout the facility, oftentimes these areas were vacated in order to spend time fixing equipment or checking the stores. It was here that Sunset Shimmer sat, looking over the landscape and letting the breeze blow through her mane.
In the days following Fillygaro’s resurfacing, all time not spent sleeping or eating was dedicated to getting the orchard back to one-hundred percent. Sunset had to give it to these ponies: once they had a goal, they worked tirelessly to reach it. Sunset herself put in just as much effort, being one of the few unicorns staying here and utilizing her magic to manipulate machinery that an earth pony simply couldn’t. She had no idea what the machines did or even what it was she was fixing, but the ponies here sure did. As long as she followed their instructions to the letter, they seemed pleased. It brought a lightness to her heart that she was helping in her own way.
Even still, using her magic in a constant and precise manner in ways she had never experienced before left Sunset weary. Her horn ached something fierce, and there was only so much that Stardust could do to ease her pain. So Sunset had taken a break to let her magic return naturally and just have a moment to herself. Now, watching the ponies below her move from place to place like a large colony of ants, she could let her mind wander.
She scrunched up her face. Memories of the battle to take back the orchard began to return. Despite her best efforts to try to dash it away, the image of the Ultima Weapon plunged deep within another pony kept resurfacing. Sunset shook her head, but that didn’t make the memory go away and only aggravated her sore head. Sighing, she laid down, and contemplated if taking a nap would help.
“Ah, there ya are. Been lookin’ for ya.”
Sunset turned her head, lifting an eyebrow at seeing Applejack up and about despite being told to stay in bed. She hadn’t known the mare for long, but Sunset got the impression that Applejack wouldn’t lay around unless she absolutely had to. “Did Trixie send you?”
“Sorta.” Applejack closed the trapdoor leading to the top of the tower and gingerly stepped over to Sunset. She plopped herself down and lay next to her. “Overheard her wondering where you were but she got pulled into helping some folks downstairs. Reckon it’ll be a while before she gets a chance to look for ya again.”
“Great,” Sunset huffed. “Well, you can tell her that you overheard me saying that she can be shaved and thrown out in the desert to get a sunburn.”
Applejack let out a snort of amusement. “I’ll try to remember that.” She shifted where she lay, trying to find a spot where her limbs wouldn’t ache.
Sunset looked her over, frowning. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but shouldn’t you be in bed?”
“Should, but I ain’t gonna. Getting weaker by the minute laying in that thing. At least here I can harden up a bit. Besides,” Applejack said, turning to Sunset with a pointed look, “this gives me the chance to thank ya properly.”
Sitting up, Sunset looked away. “Please, you don’t have to.”
“But I want to. Plus, I can talk to you about shovin’ that sword through my chest.”
Sunset flinched. “I said I was sorry! It… it wasn’t like I had much of a choice—”
“Sunset. Look at me.”
Sunset shook her head and made her way to the trapdoor.
Somehow, Applejack crossed the distance faster than Sunset could blink and sat down on the only exit. The farmer crossed her forelegs, the very picture of stubbornness. If the sudden movement aggravated any of her injuries, Applejack didn’t show it. “I said look at me.”
Sunset looked away and shut her eyes tight. “I can’t. Please, just… just let me go.”
“I ain’t budgin’.”
Several seconds passed, neither mare moving from their spot. Sunset wondered how long Applejack could stay like that, but had the distinct impression it was longer than Sunset was willing to wait. Snapping up her head, Sunset glared at Applejack. The slight buildup of tears ruined an otherwise intimidating stare. “There! I’m looking! Now move!”
Applejack cocked her head as though inspecting a curious new apple species. “Something’s eatin’ away at ya, and I think I know what it is.”
“Oh yeah? How do you know anything about me? You have no idea who I am and where I come from!”
“From what I’ve heard, neither do you.”
Sunset snarled, her horn lighting up red. “Last chance to move before I make you.”
The earth pony remained where she was.
Sunset let out a cry and pushed off with her hind legs, her forelegs held out to shove Applejack away. Her hooves never made contact. One moment she was pitching forward, the next her world turned upside down. Once the scenery stopped spinning and her eyes rolled back into place, she stared up at the bright blue sky.
Applejack’s frowning face came into her view. “You just had to test me, didn’tcha?”
Frowning back, Sunset made to sit up, but found her legs and body completely pinned. Applejack sat on her stomach and Sunset felt the farmer’s tail wrapped around her hindlegs. Despite the softness of her tail, it may as well have been hair of steel cables for all that Sunset could move it. Her front hooves were similarly immobile due to Applejack’s own. “Let me up. You’ll regret it if you don’t!”
Applejack huffed, the only sign of exertion. “Only on one condition. Answer my next question, honestly, and I’ll let ya go.”
“What is it?”
Leaning down, eyes fierce and touching her nose to Sunset’s, Applejack said, “Was I your first pony kill?”
Sunset didn’t answer. She stared ahead into Applejack’s looming visage, a vision only she could see replaying in her mind.
A sharp slap from Applejack brought her back to reality. “Answer me!”
She tried to hold back the tears. She tried working her mouth to spit at the other mare. She tried gathering magic into her horn but no spell took form. All Sunset could do was look up at a pony that by all rights had died by her own hoof.
“Y-yes…” Sunset’s voice spilled out.
Grunting, Applejack sat up. “Thought so.” Her tail unwound from Sunset’s legs and she stepped away. Sunset flopped over to her stomach and rushed to the edge of the tower. She made it in time to vomit out her breakfast all over the desert sands.
It took some time for Sunset to finish her heaving. Once her system couldn’t bring up anymore, she collapsed to her side, panting. A small red rag landed next to her. Working on autopilot, Sunset levitated the rag to her mouth and wiped away the remnants of her sick. Feeling drained and cold, Sunset forced herself up and regard the other pony.
Applejack’s sat nearby. Her mane lay unbound around her head, her golden locks swaying gently in the wind. “I’m sorry for doing that to ya, but I’ve seen what happens to folk who let things like that fester in them. It ain’t a pretty sight. It’s best to get it out sooner than later.”
Sunset looked away from her and to the trapdoor. She could just walk over and leave, but the desire to flee was no longer as strong. Tearing her gaze away, she focused on Applejack again. She swallowed past a grimy mouth. “So what happens now?”
Shrugging, Applejack said, “Up to you, hon. Wanna talk about it? I promise ya, it helps.”
“I… I think I do.”
Giving a small smile, Applejack nodded and carefully laid down. She grimaced a few times, her body protesting her earlier actions. “I’m all ears.”
Sunset laid down as well. She spotted the rag she’d used and sheepishly held it up. “Uh, you want this back first?”
“Nah, I’ll get a new one.”
“Right.” Sunset tossed it aside and forgot about it. “I’m not sure where to start…”
“Take yer time. I ain’t going anywhere for a while.”
Sighing, Sunset flicked a nearby pebble with a hoof. “I guess it starts with Twilight.”
Applejack’s ears perked up. “Ah, right. My memories are all fogged up when I was Gilgamesh but I remember hearin’ you and Trixie talk about her. She okay?”
“I hope so. She’s at the zebra village right now. She wanted me to leave so I could help with… with…”
“Discord?”
Sunset flinched. “Yeah, him. We both took care of each other when she found me. She had a real strong sense of pacifism, even against monsters. I usually had to deal with them myself.”
Nodding, Applejack said, “Eeyup, sounds just like her. She refused to join the Returners but got caught up in that business with the Empire anyway. Real shame, that.”
“So, I guess she kinda rubbed off on me in that way. I mean, I have no problems killing monsters, but, well…”
“I hear ya. It’s different with ponies.” Applejack sighed, her gaze drifting to the sky. “Look, I ain’t no saint. I’ve got blood on my hooves, even before the war. Working on this orchard, accidents happen, even with all our safety precautions. Had to bury some good ponies just doing their job.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “But those aren’t your fault.”
“Isn’t it?” Applejack retorted. She looked back at Sunset, weariness in her expression. “I’m in charge here, yet I don’t know half of what those gizmos down below do. If I did, I may have saved a couple of those that died when they broke. Nope, all I learned was how to kick really hard. And in doing that, I killed a whole bunch of Imperials who were just following orders.” She stamped a hoof, rattling the tower a little. “Damn waste that all was.”
A silence fell over them, though Sunset didn’t find any discomfort in it. She let it stretch for a few seconds before saying, “Thanks. I think I feel a little better now.”
Applejack brightened. “Told ya.”
“I just hope I don’t have to kill anymore ponies on this quest. I’m not sure I could look Twilight in the face again.”
“Well, I can’t promise you anything. Guess you’ll have to make that choice if it comes up again.”
“I guess. Well, since we’re doing this whole talky thing, there’s one more thing.” Hearing no objections from Applejack, Sunset grabbed hold of one of two sword hilts strapped to her side with her magic and pulled out the broken stub of Flame Sabre. “Um, I don’t know if you know of anypony who could fix this, but it would really mean a lot to me if it can. Well, I mean it would mean a lot to Twilight.”
Applejack shook her head. “Sorry, don’t know nothin’ about swords, especially magic ones. Nopony here would know, either. I guess keep it with ya for now and maybe you’ll find somepony along the way who does.”
“I suppose.” Sighing, Sunset resheathed it. She turned to Applejack and gave what she hoped was a hopeful smile. “Thanks. For the talk, I mean.”
“And thank you for stopping me.” Chuckling, Applejack gingerly made it to her hooves. “Suppose we should get back. Granny’s gonna pitch a fit when she finds out I’m not in bed. I’m sure Trixie’s looking for ya now, too.”
“Great.”
Applejack gave a lopsided grin. “Don’t forget powerful.”
Despite herself, Sunset snorted out a laugh. “Don’t let her hear you say that. She’s insufferable enough as it is.”
“It’ll be our little secret, then.”
Sunset opened up the trapdoor and held it up for Applejack. “Definitely.”
.o.O.o.
Two days later, the moment of truth had arrived. After preliminary testing completed without any errors, it was time to sink the orchard and move it across the continent.
Only one problem remained. Stardust stood rooted in place, staring at the seat he was assigned to sit in during the journey. “All that time spent fixing this place up and none of you thought to build a chocobo sized seat?”
One of the engineers gave an awkward laugh. “Uh, sorry. A bit of an oversight there.”
Stardust shook his head. “Forget it, I’m not doing this again. I’d rather run the whole way than be strapped in that deathtrap again. Can’t we just go to Neighshe instead?”
Giving a long suffering sigh from her own seat, Trixie said, “We’ve been over this. The map shows that Neighshe can’t be reached from here. The whole landmass has been rearranged, just like with the Hydra’s Trench. And you can’t get to Coltingen by land, either. Not unless you’ve learned to run on water.”
“Hey, I’ve heard some chocobos could.”
Trixie raised an eyebrow, looking at Stardust expectantly.
Blushing, Stardust mumbled, “But I can’t.”
“Exactly. So find some straps and tie yourself down to a pillar or something.”
Stardust’s feathers ruffled, but before he could retort, the engineer tapped him on the side. “Bud, I may have something for you. Follow me.” The engineer led him away, Stardust giving Trixie one last glare before wandering out of sight.
Rolling her eyes, Trixie turned to Big Macintosh, who was strapped to his seat nearby. “How long till we get there?”
“Well, as long as nothing goes wrong, about the same time as the last time we did this. A few hours, maybe.”
Heaving a sigh, Trixie settled back into her seat. “Wonderful. Trixie hates just sitting around, and it’ll be too noisy to get some sleep.”
The others stayed silent, unwilling to get into a verbal spar with her. Minutes later, the orchard shook and the steady whir of machinery all around them intensified. A jerk of movement signified that the structure had started its descent. A few minutes after that, the orchard jerked again and the sensation of steady movement began.
An hour into the trip, the structure slowed and an alarm sounded, startling the ponies from their travel stupor. Big Macintosh quickly unhooked himself from his seat and trotted off, saying over his shoulder, “Stay here. I’ll figure out what’s goin’ on.”
The others watched him go. Sunset looked over to Applejack and asked, “Has this happened before?”
Applejack bit her lower lip, her hooves hovering over the release to her straps. “Not often, no. Usually it means that the track the orchard runs on has some damage to it and needs to be fixed. Let’s just sit tight and see what Big Mac finds out.”
Five minutes later, Big Macintosh rushed back into the room and towards Applejack. “We may have a problem. Seems there’s something bumping against us. The crew thinks we can slide past, though. May be a bit bumpy. They wanna know what to do.”
“They know what it is?” Applejack said. “Rocks or somethin’ else?”
Big Macintosh shrugged. “Dunno. We’d have to leave to see.”
“Leave?” Trixie echoed. “You mean, get out into the caves where who-knows-what is out there?”
“Eeyup.”
Rubbing her temples, Applejack said, “You said we could slip past. Will that cause any damage?”
“Won’t really know until we resurface.”
“Son-of-a-sow,” Applejack muttered. She unhooked herself and motioned for the others to follow. “Well, guess we better go and take a looksee.”
“Now hold on,” Trixie said, staying in her seat. “Before we go spelunking, let me check the map.” She levitated out the map and held it out in front of her. She tapped the area that labeled Fillygaro and it zoomed in, expanding the area around it. Trixie blinked as a new name appeared near their location. “It says Ancient Castle.”
Applejack cocked her head. “Come again?”
Trixie flipped the map around and pointed at the name. “That's what it says. Know anything about it?”
“Not a clue.”
Shaking her head, Trixie pulled the map back. “Great, we're stuck and clueless.”
“It's the Castle of the Two Sisters.”
All heads turned to the speaker. Sunset wilted under the combined looks.
Trixie crossed her forelegs. “And you know this how?”
Throwing up her hooves, Sunset said, “I don't know, alright?! I just do.”
Trixie made to speak but movement on the map made her pause. Before her eyes, the name Ancient Castle faded away and was immediately replaced with The Castle of the Two Sisters. “Huh, guess you're right. But does this change anything? Are we going to check it out?”
Applejack turned to Big Macintosh. “You're the expert. Whaddaya think?”
The stallion frowned, looking at the floor as he pondered. A moment later, he lifted his head to regard the others. “Safest way is to go back, get a team together, and look into what this all means. Get a bigger picture of what’s goin’ on.”
“Go back?” Trixie repeated. “But that could take weeks!”
“Eeyup. And if we press on and something goes wrong, we could be stuck down here, forever.”
“Horseapples,” Applejack sighed out. “Alright, no sense taking chances. Give the order to head ba—”
Big Macintosh and Applejack nearly lost their footing as the orchard suddenly lurched into motion.
“What in tarnation?! Mac!”
Big Macintosh was already heading for the door. Applejack raced after him, leaving a stunned Trixie and Sunset behind. The two earth ponies headed for the engine room, fighting against the constant rocking of the moving orchard. After a several minutes of stumbling they made it to the control room, only to find the engineers huddled in a corner, shaking in fear. The reason for this stood at the control panel, seemingly pressing buttons and pulling levers at random.
Discord swiveled his head to look at the newcomers. He stood up straight and waved. “Hello! Applejack, you're looking much better, I must say. Hey, since you're here, do you know how to work the espresso machine?”
It took a few seconds for Applejack to comprehend the scene she’d stumbled into. Once her brain restarted, her muzzle distorted into a snarl. “The hay are you doing?!”
Giving a wide grin, Discord spread his arms wide. “Why, helping you, of course! You ponies need a good kick in the rump from time to time to get you to do anything. I mean, turning back after coming so far? Where's the adventure in that?”
Applejack stomped up to him, pinning him with an ugly glare. “This isn't about adventure, this is about keeping my folks safe! Now get away from there!”
Discord heaved a sigh. “See, this is exactly why you ponies need someone like me around. You take no chances.” Reaching over to the panel, he pushed a lever as far as it would go. The orchard’s trembling grew worse. “There, you’ll thank me later.”
Roaring in rage, Applejack lunged for him, but Discord laughed and disappeared in a flash of light. Quickly shifting priorities, she grabbed hold of the lever and yanked it back down. The shaking lessened but the sensation of movement didn't cease. “Big Mac, do something!”
Big Macintosh didn't need to be told twice. In two strides he was next to the panel and inspecting the sensors. He adjusted a few settings then reached for a pedal built into the floor.
“Wait!”
Big Macintosh paused as one of the engineers rushed up to him and pointed at a display that showed the path the orchard was taking. “It's too late. We’ve already passed whatever it was that stopped us. Going back will only make it worse.”
The two siblings looked at each other, frowns of bewilderment all they could muster. Applejack recovered first and motioned for the other engineers to return to their stations. “Figure out if there are any problems. Report back to me if you find anything.” She left before they could respond, heading back to the safety room, Big Macintosh trailing behind.
Applejack found Trixie and Sunset where she had left them, still strapped to their chairs. “Looks like we won’t be turning back after all. Discord saw to that.” Sunset inhaled sharply, but otherwise didn’t respond. “He forced us past whatever it was that blocked us. We’re on our way to Coltingen now.”
“Is everything alright with this place?” Trixie asked. “We’re not going to break down, are we?”
“Nope,” Big Macintosh said, shaking his head. “Don’t believe so.”
Applejack stomped over to her seat, plopped down, and yanked the straps into place. Once she finished, she laid back, closed her eyes, and let out a long breath. Several minutes passed before she spoke again. “Whatever you have planned to kill Discord, I want in.”
Trixie quirked an eyebrow. “You weren’t before?”
“I had other things on my mind the past few days, okay? But after what he just pulled, he’s too dangerous to keep pulling this manure over and over again. He could have crashed this orchard and we’d have little chance to get out.
“And all he did was laugh.”
Trixie made a thoughtful sound. “Sounds about right. As for Trixie's plan, we got to find the rest of your friends first. Then we build our magic up until we can take him on.”
“Simple enough. Think I can manage that.”
Nodding, Trixie fell back into silence, along with the rest. Hours later, the orchard reached its destination with no further interruptions and broke the surface. A quick inspection found no major damage to the structure, but Applejack ordered a full inspection to be sure. She also advised the crew that, once the orchard was repaired, to go back and investigate The Castle of the Two Sisters. Applejack left strict instructions to observe from a distance and not to enter until she returned.
Once preparations were made, the group left and headed west, towards Coltingen.
.o.O.o.
“I’m almost afraid to see what this Coltingen place is going to be like,” Sunset said as she followed the others towards the town. All greenery and wildlife seemed to have disappeared from this part of the world, leaving only parched grey dirt and stray rocks. Her hooves ached from stepping for miles on the hard surface of the ground. “If it’s this bad now, I don’t want to imagine it being worse.”
Applejack nodded grimly. “I hear ya, hon.”
“If you don’t mind me saying, I’m surprised you’re wearing that.”
Shrugging, Applejack looked over her new attire. The genji armor adorned her frame like a second skin, making movement easy in the foreign garb. “What can I say? Waste not, want not. Discord messed with my mind, not the armor. Besides, I kinda like the look.”
“If you say so.” Falling silent, Sunset continued her trek across the bleak land. A little ways ahead of her, Stardust plodded along with the rest. While the chocobo’s beak couldn’t form a frown, Sunset had the distinct impression that it would if it could. Stardust had been delighted to get out of Fillygaro as fast as possible, but the moment he had seen the state of the land, he’d clamped up. Now he stared at the scenery, or lack thereof, with despondent eyes.
“We’re here,” Trixie called from the front of the group.
Sunset sighed and trotted forward to get a look. The town came into view and her worst fears were realized. The buildings of Coltingen had the same dreary appearance as the rest of the land. No gardens or rushing water could be seen. The very air tasted stale, as though a refreshing breeze hadn’t blown by in months.
The biggest concern, however, was the absence of citizens.
As the group entered the village proper, no ponies came out to greet them. The houses were all boarded up, and it appeared from the age of the wood that this happened some time ago. Any calls for somepony to come out were met with silence.
“It’s like the zebra village all over again,” Sunset said, her ears pinned against her head. “You don’t think there’s pony statues in the houses, do you?”
“We’d have to bust into one to find out,” Trixie replied. “But before we do that, let me check on something first.” She led them to the other end of town, to a rickety shack that looked as though it would topple over from a simple puff of air. “Don’t touch anything inside, okay? Rainbow Dash will lop off my horn if—”
“Stay back or we’ll buck ya to the sun!”
Trixie halted, as did the others. Narrowing her eyes, Trixie called out, “This shack belongs to Rainbow Dash! If you don’t want to incur her wrath, along with the Great and Powerful Trixie’s, leave immediately!”
Shuffling and quiet whispers were heard from within. After a few moments of waiting, three earth pony mares walked out of the run-down shack and into the light. Trixie squinted, unsure if she knew these ponies or not.
Applejack smiled and stepped forward. “Well, hello girls. Been awhile since I’ve seen y’all. Howya been Maud, Limestone, Marble?” She nodded to each in turn.
Limestone peered at the farmer. “Wait, aren’t you Applejack? The hay are you doing in that weird getup?”
“Hey, now, this thing here’s authentic Domarian armor! Well, if what Sunset here said about it is true anyway.”
“It is,” Sunset said a touch hotly. Huffing, she continued, “Even if I don’t know why.”
Coughing into her hoof loudly, Trixie regained everyone’s attention. “Okay, remind me again who they are?”
“We’re the Pie sisters, duh,” Limestone said. “Remember? We helped crew Pinkie’s airship.”
Trixie shrugged. “Trixie had a lot on her mind at the time. But to Trixie’s next question, what are you all doing here?”
“Helping me!”
Everyone turned to see Mr. Greenhooves exiting the shack. The world upending itself hadn’t changed him in the slightest, even still chewing on a long piece of grass stalk. Trixie wondered if it was the same one she’d seen last time she was here. “Boy howdy, this sure has turned into quite the herd! Haven’t seen this many ponies for months.”
“Yeah, about that,” Applejack said and swept her hoof back towards the town. “Where is everypony?”
“Up north,” Limestone answered, tilting her head behind her. “There’s a new settlement up there. We come down here every few weeks to give Mr. Greenhooves here the stuff he needs to keep growing his herbs.”
Trixie started, giving Greenhooves a wide eyed look. “You mean you’re still giving them to Rainbow’s friend?”
Giving a wide smile, Greenhooves nodded. “Yep! I made a promise to Dashie and I plan to stick to it. In fact, I just saw her not too long ago.”
Trixie was in his face in an instant. “She was here?! Where is she now?!”
Greenhooves fell back, nearly tripping over. “Whoa there, darlin’! Easy up, now. Yeah, she was here. Said she finally got a lead on somethin’ that could bring back Spitfire. She headed south last I heard.”
Staring ahead at something only she could see, Trixie let his words sink in. Clearing her throat, she stepped back and regained her composure. “Good! That’ll be our next destination.”
“Sorry, but you can’t,” Limestone said, shaking her head. “The continent split apart that day a year ago. Unless you can find a boat or want to swim the whole way, we’re cut off. And if you haven’t noticed—” Limestone swept her hoof around “—nothing’s growing around here. Hardly any plants, let alone trees to build with.”
“Blast it, Discord!” Trixie spat and stomped her hoof. “Just as I start gaining ground, too.”
“Any other way?” Applejack asked. “What about the airship? That still works, right?”
The three Pie sisters looked away, their expressions saying all that needed to be said.
Applejack’s breath caught. “Oh dear. I’m sorry, girls. Pinkie was a strange one, but she always meant well. I hope she didn’t suffer until the end.”
Limestone looked up sharply. “What are you talking about? Pinkie Pie’s still alive.”
Applejack let out a breath. “Oh, sorry. From the way y’all were acting, I thought the worst had happened.”
“It did.” Limestone turned and headed back to the shack. “We’re heading back up north if you want to see her. Not that it’ll do you any good.”
Blinking, Applejack cocked her head. “Uh, what’s that supposed to mean.”
This time, Maud spoke. “It means that even though she’s still alive, Pinkie Pie died on that day.” Elaborating no further, she followed Limestone, Marble not too far behind.
The group glanced at each other, puzzled looks on their muzzles. Sunset voiced what they all thought. “Well, that was cryptic.”
.o.O.o.
Hours later, the slowly reforming Returners and the three Pie sisters left the abandoned town and began their journey north. No amount of grilling would get them to open up about Pinkie Pie and Limestone loudly proclaimed that if they asked one more time, she’d yell for Discord. Conversation regarding Pinkie lapsed after that.
That didn’t stop all the questioning, though. “So do you guys know anything about what happened to the Chickadee Forest?” Stardust asked, nearly hopping from one leg to the other as he walked next to Maud. “Or about a chocobo named Moonlight?”
Maud calmly shook her head. “No. That forest is cut off from us as well. Haven’t seen any chocobos around here, either.”
“Which sucks, because we could really use one to make these deliveries,” Limestone added. She gave Stardust a shrewd look. “Whaddaya say, buddy? Want to make some gil?”
It was Stardust’s turn to shake his head. “Can’t. Not until I find my flock and Moonlight.”
“Jeeze, Stardust, I remember when you first came to the orchard and were looking for him then,” Applejack said. “Mighty noble of you to keep at it.”
Stardust kicked at a nearby rock and hung his head. “I’m beginning to wonder if he’s even alive.”
“Now don’t be thinking like that. We’re still here, even after everything we’ve all been through. I say keep lookin’ until you find the honest truth.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
Conversation fell short after that and hours passed, the group trekking across more barren landscape. Even monsters were scarce and scurried off at the sight of a large group of well-armed ponies. It was as dusk settled in and the group made camp that Trixie asked, “So where are we headed to, anyway? Seems like we’re going well off the beaten path.”
“Our rock farm,” Limestone said as she helped her sisters get a fire going and supper ready. At the blank looks of the Returners, she continued, “It’s where we all grew up and worked before Pinkie left. She came back after getting her airship and offered us to come with her as her crew. Ma and pa weren’t thrilled to see us all leave, but business kinda dried up after Fillygaro Orchard was finished.”
Applejack straightened up. “Oh yeah, I remember. Y’all supplied just about all the stone we needed to build it. Gosh, that was decades ago.”
“We were living off the gil we made since then, but no new projects came along. So when Pinkie offered us jobs, we took ‘em. Ma and pa stayed behind to keep the farm going but nothing ever came of it.”
“Until now,” Maud interjected as she stirred a pot of soup.
Limestone gave a humourless laugh. “Yeah.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sunset said. She took an offered bowl of soup, took a sip, then spit it out. “Gah! It tastes like dirt and… and… I don’t know what!”
“It’s granite,” Maud revealed and took a sip out of her own bowl. “You get used to it.”
Sunset stared at the earth pony. She set the bowl down, dug into her saddlebag, and pulled out a stalk of celery. “I’ll stick to my own rations, if you don’t mind.”
Maud didn’t respond and took another sip of her soup.
“Anway!” Trixie spoke up, discreetly dumping her soup in a bush behind her with her magic, “You were saying about the farm?”
Limestone smirked. “You’ll see. Don’t want to spoil the surprise—”
“Discord did it.”
The eldest Pie sister blinked. “How—?”
Trixie waved her off. “Please, Trixie’s been traveling from one end of this world to the other and everywhere she goes, Discord has his slimy paw all over it. So stop being coy and just tell us what he did and maybe we can help.”
The Pie sisters looked to each other. Marble shrugged and motioned for Limestone to talk. Sighing, Limestone said, “Well, it’s going to be hard to believe.”
“Try me.”
.o.O.o.
“Trixie doesn’t believe it.”
The land the Returners now stood in one day later was no different than what they had seen before. Grey stones littered the ground everywhere and bare dirt stretched from one end of the horizon to the other. A two story timber house and a silo made up what would have been a typical and boring homestead.
Typical and boring, if it weren’t for the amusement park that lay just beyond the house.
The ponies and chocobo stared at the garish colors and blinking lights that plastered every available surface and structure, ranging from a ferris wheel, roller coaster, miniature golf course, carnival stands, and more. Loud music and cheerful laughter filled the air, confirming the presence of the Coltingen citizens. Balloons were released from somewhere inside the park, creating a colorful and bright display against the overcast skies.
Unperturbed, the Pie sisters headed for the house. “C’mon, let's get you a couple of day passes,” Limestone called back.
Trixie tore her gaze off the park and back to the retreating ponies. “Wait, what?”
“We converted the house to a ticket booth. Getting way more business now than when we were selling rocks.” Limestone reached the house and opened the door to let the others in. She blinked as nopony went by as expected. She turned to see the Returners still stuck staring at the scene. “You guys coming or what?”
Trixie shook her head and jabbed a hoof at the spectacle. “Are you all fools?! Are you not seeing what I’m seeing?! What the flying feather is all this?!”
Rolling her eyes, Limestone said, “Would you just get over here? I’ll explain inside.” She tapped her hoof impatiently as the Returners looked to each other with blank expressions. Stardust broke away first, walking up to the house. He ducked to enter the door and gave a “Kweh!” upon seeing the inside. The home was just as bland and sparse as the outside, save for the shelves of pamphlets, posters, and merchandise all advertising the new park. A few moments later the rest shuffled in, more wary than himself. Once all were present, Limestone closed the door and rounded a counter with a cash register perched on top at the end of the room. “We normally charge five hundred gil per pony for the day, but since you’re all friends with Pinkie, I’m gonna knock it down to two hundred and fifty.”
Trixie’s eye twitched. “You’re seriously going to charge us to get in? We’re not here for this insanity, we’re here for Pinkie Pie!”
“Trixie, it’s alright,” Applejack said, laying a comforting hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. “I got this.” Giving Trixie a parting pat, Applejack trotted up to the counter and laid down a bag of gil. “Business is business, right?”
Limestone opened the bag and counted up the gil. “At least somepony gets it.” She rang up the tally on her register and hoofed over a paper ticket for each member of the party. “Follow the exit signs on your right and have a pleasant stay. You’ll find Pinkie working at the main tent.”
“Thank ya, kindly!” Applejack grabbed the tickets and passed them to each of the Returners. Trixie yanked hers and stomped towards the door with a bright red sign that read “Exit”. The others followed, leaving the house and emerging outside.
The force of the park hit them full on the moment they exited. Lights and sounds assailed the senses on all sides. Countless ponies laughed and ran from one entertainment area to the next while the park rides roared overhead. Vendors hawked their wares, ranging from cotton candy to stuffed toys, with wild abandon. It was all so much that no one noticed the figure descending towards them until it was too late.
“So glad you all could make it!”
The Returners snapped their heads up, spotting Discord hovering above them, one hand holding a bunch of balloons over his head while the other held a large ice cream cone. Discord took a single lick of the ice cream with his forked tongue and let go of the balloons, causing him to plop down in front of them. He tossed the unfinished cone over his shoulder where it landed in a waste bin. “I was beginning to wonder if you were going to skip over this optional content. Glad to see you aren’t afraid to trailblaze!”
Trixie’s glare went from Discord, to the park, then back to Discord. “Trixie knew this was your doing, but she’s still surprised. What are you up to?”
“You like it?” Discord faced away from her, looking over the park with a content smile. “I’m thinking of branching out. It’s been such a big hit that I’m giddy to see what the rest of the world thinks of it.” He turned back. “What do you think?”
“Trixie thinks this is just a scheme to get ponies to like you so that they don’t try to kill you.”
Discord touched his chin in mock thought. “You might be onto something there.” He hopped into the air and waved. “Well, I don’t want to hold you up. Enjoy the festivities!” With a flash of light, he disappeared.
With Discord gone, Trixie looked to the others. “We need to find Pinkie Pie and get out of here fast. Don’t touch anything, don’t look at anything for too long, and for goodness sake!” She rushed up to Stardust, who had wandered up to a nearby vendor and bought a fresh bag of gysahl greens, and ripped the bag from his wings with her magic. With a heave, she threw it as far as she could. “Don’t eat anything!”
“But I’m hungry…” Stardust whined, looking forlornly at where the bag had been thrown.
“Stick to your rations. There’s no telling what Discord enchanted here. And none of these ponies look to be acting normally.” Indeed, none of the park workers or attendees had so much as glanced their way when they arrived or had batted an eyelash when Discord appeared. They continued on with their gayful acts, lost in their own blissful worlds.
Sunset swallowed, putting as much distance between herself and anything else that wasn’t her companions. “This is seriously creeping me out. What do we do?”
Applejack pointed to a tent that stood taller than the rest. “My guess is we go there. Limestone said Pinkie would be in the main tent. Worth a look, at least.” With no better course to take, the group marched through the park, staying close together and watching for any suspicious moves towards them.
Despite appearing to be close by, the tent took over twenty minutes to reach. Ponies crowded every thoroughfare, many waiting in lines to buy concessions, play games, or wait their turn on the rides. A bit of pushing and shoving was required to break past the masses. Through it all, the seemingly robotic park guests didn’t voice a single protest other than to complain that the line waits were too high. At last, the Returners made it to the tent’s entrance, only to be confronted by a new obstacle.
“Tickets please,” a long, scaly sea serpent said in a bored tone. He reached out a thin hand as it bathed in a large water tank set close to the entrance. His other hand was being used to prop up his head against the tank, lounging and completely uninterested in the ponies passing by.
Applejack and Big Macintosh both started. “Wait a minute,” Applejack said and peered closer. “I know you.”
The voice caught the serpent’s attention. He swiveled his head around and his eyes locked with Applejack’s. A silent and tense moment passed as the two creatures regarded each other. Applejack spoke first. “Howdy.”
The serpent sneered and drew back, crossing his arms in front of him. “So, here we are again. Come to ruin things for me—what is it—the fourth time now?”
Shaking her head, Applejack said, “Nope. Just here to see a friend. I’m willing to let our past slide if you are. What are ya doin’ here anyways?”
The sneer morphed into a frown. “If you must know, I work here now. This little pool—” he flicked his tail, sending a small wave out of the tank “—may not be a sea but at least I don’t have to worry about ponies like you wrecking it. At least that better not be the reason why you’re here.”
“Like I said, just here for a friend.” She lifted up her ticket. “See? All nice and official like.”
The serpent eyed the ticket suspiciously. He slowly bent down and inspected it closer, finding that the print allowed her to pass. “Hmph. Still not sure if I should let you pass, but that would be against regulations.” He reached for a flap on the tent and pulled it aside. “In you go.”
Applejack smiled and tipped her genji helmet to him. “Thank ya kindly, Mr… uh…”
“It’s Steve. Steve Magnet.”
“Been a pleasure, Mr. Magnet.” Not wasting anymore time, she and the others trotted in. Steve closed the flap once they passed and went back to work. However, a hint of a smile could be seen if anypony looked closely.
.o.O.o.
The immediate takeaway upon entering the tent was that the inside looked much larger than it did on the outside.
The next noticeable thing were all the gambling stations set up throughout the tent. Countless slot machines lined the walls and were dotted across the center area. Dozens of roulette and blackjack tables filled the rest of the spaces. Every table was full of ponies tossing dice and placing bets. The cacophony of machines and conversation made the inside far louder than the outside.
Trixie raised her voice in order to be heard. “Spread out and find Pinkie!”
“What, no comment on all of this?” Sunset yelled back.
“Don’t care anymore! Go!”
“But I’ve never even met her before! What does she look like?”
“A giant piece of cotton candy,” Stardust drawled, then headed left.
The Returners separated, Trixie heading down the center aisle. She quickly lost track of them in the mass of ponies spending their gil on games of chance. In the back of her mind, Trixie noted that there were far too many ponies here than the total population of Coltingen, but let that fact slide in favor of finding Pinkie Pie. She made a complete circuit of the tent before she spotted a flash of pink across the room. She muscled her way through the gambling ponies and found Big Macintosh speaking to a pony that was pink, but many shades darker than Pinkie’s coloring. Her mane and tail also didn’t look right, falling straight down her head instead of the poofy cloud it normally was. The pony wore a black serving mare’s outfit, with a platter of drinks balanced on her back. Once Trixie got closer, she managed to pick up what was being said.
“—Drink or get out of my way.”
“Nope,” Big Macintosh said with a shake of his head.
“Security!” the pink mare exclaimed.
“What’s going on?” Trixie said as she trotted up.
The pink mare looked Trixie’s way then pointed to Big Macintosh. “He’s interfering with my job. Throw him out of here!”
Trixie sighed and nudged Big Macintosh with a hoof. “Stop flirting and find her.”
“I did.”
Stopping, Trixie eyed Big Macintosh then back at the mare. “What’s your name?”
“Pinkamena.”
Trixie nodded and prodded Big Macintosh again. “See? Wrong one.”
Not giving ground, Big Macintosh said, “Show me your flank.”
“Excuse me?!” Pinkamena roared, even drawing attention from the oblivious ponies around them.
Unperturbed, Big Macintosh continued, “I know you have a cutie mark that you got from bonding with an esper. If you are Pinkie Pie, it’ll be on your flank.”
Pinkamena was in Big Macintosh’s face in an instant, a curled up hoof under his chin. “If you say flank to me one more time—eek!” The back of her outfit lifted up, Trixie’s magic revealing her rump.
A trio of balloons in the shape of a frowning cat’s face lay underneath.
Pinkamena slapped Trixie in the face, releasing her hold on the outfit and hiding the cutie mark once again. “Back off! I’m warning you!”
Before Trixie could respond, a new pony, flanked by two large and burly earth ponies, came trotting up. The lead pony, a purple earth stallion with a white mane and a garish blue and green suit, cleared his throat. “I say now, what’s the trouble?”
“Gladmane, thank goodness you’re here!” Pinkamena zipped over to his side and pointed at Trixie and Big Macintosh. “Those ponies assaulted me!”
“Gracious, what terrible manners,” Gladmane said. He raised his hoof, motioning towards his bodyguards. “Boys, show these two what happens to guests who don’t show the proper respect to my employees.” The two large earth ponies nodded and walked forwards.
Trixie’s horn lit up and shot an ice spell at both, freezing the duo solid in their tracks. “Trixie’s not in the mood for this!” She glared at Gladmane. The earth pony quickly got the idea and backed away. Trixie then focused on Pinkamena, who looked to be ready to flee. “You! You are Pinkie Pie, the captain of the Party of One. You were crazy but nopony could pilot an airship like you. You helped the Returners fight the Empire a year ago before the statues were awoken and changed the world.” She marched up to Pinkamena, pinning the shaking pony with an intense stare. Once they were inches apart, Trixie said, “Does this ring any bells?”
Pinkamena swallowed as tears welled up. “P-please. Just leave me alone…”
Her glare hardening, Trixie’s horn ignited. “We had to kill the last pony that lost her mind. Don’t make me repeat it.”
“That’s enough.” Big Macintosh pushed Trixie away, coming between her and Pinkamena. “That’s not how we’re going to do this. If she doesn’t remember or doesn’t want to come, we’re not going to force her.”
“But Discord—”
“Nope. We would be no better than him.”
Trixie fumed, her teeth grinding together. “Then we came all the way up here for nothing.”
“So be it.”
Letting out an incoherent snarl, Trixie extinguished her horn. Once the light went out, Trixie took several breaths, each one shorter than the last. “I’m heading back south, then. I’ll make another raft if I have to.” Spinning on her hooves, she made to walk away.
“Wait.”
Pinkamena’s voice stopped Trixie mid motion. She turned, looking at the other mare who gingerly stepped out behind Big Macintosh. “You said… I piloted an airship?”
Trixie gave a curt nod.
The dark pink mare’s muzzle scrunched up as though she bit into something sour. “I… you said I was a captain?”
Trixie nodded again.
Laying down, Pinkamena took hold of her head in her hooves. “This… no, you’re wrong. I… I’m not the best pilot.”
Trixie and Big Macintosh exchanged looks, but didn’t interfere.
“There… there was another. A better pilot. Fastest in the world.” Pinkamena rose up and let out a piercing howl, startling the entire tent full of ponies. She collapsed once her lungs ran out of air, panting on the floor.
“There’s… another one,” Pinkie Pie said, her body heaving for breath. “Another airship.”
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And pony Yuffie runs past, singing the park's theme song horribly out of key, and then is never seen again.
Trixie is totally the six year old in all of us mashing A through all the cutscenes.
Great work. The Dragon's neck as it was in game wouldn't work for Equestria though turning it into a theme park/ casino does so wonderfully! I can't wait to see how this plays out. Wonder what form the Darl's tomb quest will take? Also love how the Pie family just rolled with the punches. Though I do wonder how their farm got by before Sweet Apple orchard was being built?
To pick the low-hanging fruit...
Well, Discord just loves to fudge thins up just about anywhere for our heroes, huh? So far it was just mischievous meddling, but when will he cross the line with the group? And how will it look like? That's what I'm curious to find out.
... Why? Sunset's the one who screwed up for most of the fight, right? Wouldn't that be like saying "Well, you can tell Gordon Ramsay he can kiss my flank," after screwing up a dish? It doesn't seem wise, especially since all she knows is that Trixie wants to know where she is.
Yeah, 'cause that's what you do when you're stewing over the guilt of killing somepony, especially when they turn out to be one of the good guys; you're poised to do further harm to them just because they're trying to help you. Makes sense (in all seriousness though, since she is kinda rattled, I can buy that she's just a bit on the "I'm gonna break a portal with a sledgehammer" side).
Sunset: I-I don't know! I never knew, I swear to Go-
Applejack: Swear to me!
Gilgamesh would've... Huh, come to think of it, it'd be kind of cool if AJ had Gilgamesh as a split personality. It's kinda cliche, but it'd be pretty hilarious.
Huh, making this slightly more plot-relevant than it was before. Neat. Not sure if Twilight'll get any character development from this like Terra did, though.
Oh, well that makes more sense. One, because we don't want them to be wrecked by Master Tonberry, and two, because we need some Twilight for that.
Well that's odd. Shouldn't there at least be some kids running around, wondering about if plants can grow?spoiler alert, they can grow once Kefka's dead. SYMBOLISM! Or at the very least, some crazy dude preserving a mare.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE- Sorry, sorry, I just like these characters is all.
Ah, there he is.
Oh no, you mean that she's become all straight-haired? I suppose it was only a matter of time, what with the stuff that happened with Gilda and all.
Speaking of which. I realized the perfect role Gabby could fill in this story... Gogo.
SACRILEGE... The utterance in question you're look for is "Kweh".
Um... no. Acquiring "Pinkie Pie" is far from optional. It's the only way to even reach the tower of terribadtastic-ness in the first place.
Not as gayful as Rainbow and Trixie I bet.
Wait... if "Steven Magnet" is here, does that mean that this is the Dragon's Neck Colliseum? Does this mean we need to give somepony a knife here so Rarity will show up? Is some high octane version of Daring Do going to show up and utterly destroy everyone who challenges her?... Can Derpy get Daring Do's Rage? THESE QUESTIONS MUST BE ANSWERED.
That's her all right... unless this is another Gilgamesh red herring.
This pretty pink party pony's just asking for a hug. It's written all over her tsun-dialogue.
So THAT'S what he meant by optional content! It makes so much sense, now!
Watch out for Deathgaze.
Just how much further through the main story and sidequests do they have to go now before they can go back to the Two Sisters Castle and take on the Nightmare Moon miniboss for her summons or whatever variation is used here?
I like the idea of the rock farm being where they farm rocks. As in in most places when people first get there, the ground is vegetated or bare, with rocks, stones, pebbles, etc down to dust size, and it turned to farm land for crops by harvesting the rocks. Clearing them, then pulling crops up brings rocks up from further down, repeat. building walls house, terraces etc out of the rocks removed. Ploughing brings up even deeper rocks. Then you can be growing magical and magically charged rocks, but these can end up really breaking an economy, or even setting the economy, such as everything being priced in wheat or cow etc.
Well, as for this being the equivalent to the Coluseum, it was called Circus Maximus.
8612782
Trixie is the six year old in all of us.
8613164
The Pie's are adaptable and I'm pretty sure they were on call for building Coltingen back in the day.
8613385
Plenty more chances for him to wreak havoc.
8613449
Nice observations. We're setting things up for further down the road, so be on the watch for more shenanigans!
8613554
Still working out the plan on how to tackle things once the world opens up. Lots more stuff to do!
Thanks for all the comments!
8613449
OMG that's perfect.
8613385
I uh...I think he already did. Sometime around planetary-scale murder and famine.
Like how you chose to put an amusement park in place of the Coliseum. Found myself whistling the Coliseum theme after noticing Steven Magnet. Then I whistled Setzer's theme at the end of the chapter.
8612782 Totally got that first reference
8614502 That is brilliant!
The whole discord ex machina thing is getting old.
8639449
Well, I can't help you there as Discord is now a significant force in the story. He's not going to show up all the time but I'm also not going to have him sit on top of a tower for the second half of the game, waiting for the heroes to come and beat him.
As for Sunset, give it time.
Thanks for reading!
8614502
Although it would have been another perfect for thorax to be gogo since his ability is copy I thought it would be a perfect candidate for thorax since he can transform and copy other ponies and creatures attack but with a little bit more personality then gogo
Lol just like the tardis
Oh no that Elvis Presley look-alike is here as well but then again it makes sense because you know los Pegasus
Ok another very interesting turn of events once again so we're on there way to the another town but Sunset has been thinking very badly after what happened downstairs she still can't get over to the fact that she killed somebody so Applejack talk with her even though she was stubborn Sunset admitted that she never killed anybody except one time poor sunset but it was okay to let it go when she talked about it even though it's not going to go away anyway they made it to the next town but it was empty until they meet up with the pie sisters including mr. Green said something about Rainbow dash being here which she was pretty excited to hear that she was alive out there and that's why she wants to go to that location but they said they've been cut off the only way they had to do is to fly over there or ship so they are going to Ask Pinkie Pie but unfortunately it's not going to be easy they went to this Carnival but it looks a little suspicious specially with Discord just appear to them again and of course he's just playing with them right now but then they finally made it to the tents and of course Applejack meet up with a sea serpent again but this time no fighting just talkin which it turned out pretty good but after searching around they finally found Pinkie Pie but she's not herself at right now her hair is straight again
I guess you was pretty depressed what happened to her airship and everybody else but she said something does another airship and another Captain I wonder what she's talking about