All Aboard

by Squeak-anon

Fire and Earth

Sty was a lot faster than any pig who is less than a foot tall had any right to be. He his walking pace almost required Applebloom to trot in order to keep up. They passed trees that were far taller than than any Applebloom had ever seen, and flowers more strange and intricate than she could have ever imagined. Still they did not stop. She attempted ask Sly where they were going, but he did not answer. He just kept going at the same pace, ignoring her as though she’d said nothing.

Applebloom looked at the sky. The sun was more than halfway across the sky, heading towards the treeline. She inwardly wondered what might happen to her if she were here at night.

Suddenly Sty came to a stop. He suddenly looked very afraid.

“What is it?” asked Applebloom.

“It’s not good, that’s what it is.” He pushed his snout against her leg. “Quick! Quick! Under that bush.”

Applebloom allowed him to push her under a small cluster of bushes, she crouched down next to him and waited.

“What’s going on?” she whispered.

“My nose tells me somethin’s goin’ down. Don’t move, AB.”

“Alright,” Applebloom said.

So they waited.

The Everfree Forrest is a place of many oddities unknown to modern magic, science or any mixture therein. Everything imaginable, and perhaps a bit more may or may not exist there. And while something may or may not exist, it certainly may be able to harm a small pig and a not quite mare. The main reason that a small pig had been able to survive in this place for long enough to develop a surly disposition was that he was very skilled at hiding. Applebloom did not know much about Sty beyond what she’d encountered in the total of thirty some odd minutes she had known him. So, now that there was a moment of rest, she decided to ask him.

“Sty?” she whispered.

“What is it?”

“Well....I wanted to ask, what’s a pig doing in the Everfree forest?”

Sty snorted. “Is now really the time to ask this, AB?”

“Well, we’ve been sitting here for a few minutes now and nothing’s happened, I might as well learn a bit about my tour guide.”

Sty sighed. “Fine, but whisper softer.”

“Okay,” Applebloom whispered at a slightly lower volume.

“Well, it’s like this. The world isn’t a very fair place sweetheart.”

Applebloom decided to let this one slide.

“I started out as a piglet, same as anyone, small pink, rolling in the mud. You know? Anyhow, I was the runt of the litter. Too small to be of much use to anyone. Pigs are supposed to find truffles for ponies, that’s the deal. But, if I was too small and weak to keep up with the other pigs, what good was I? Well apparently the farmer had the same idea.”

Applebloom opened her mouth, but Sty held up a hoof for silence.

“Save it, I was useless and I know that. Still am useless, and don’t try to tell me no different.” He snorted. “Anywho, one day the farmer comes in with his daily slop, and what’s he do? Does he put it in the trough? Nope, he waves a bit in front of me. Leads me away from my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and into the forest.”

Applebloom put a hoof to her mouth. “That’s awful!”

“Shhhh!” Sty stared at her. “I know it, but that’s life. He tossed the slop into he trees and no more Sty. Or at least that’s what he thought. I lived you see? I didn’t just get eaten or zapped, or changed into some monster. I’m here, and I looked out for myself. I may be useless to everyone else, but at least I can manage that. You asked me how I could talk? Well I was all alone in the forest, so, why stay quiet? I ain’t doin’ nothin’ no one tells me to do. I do what I want when I want. I look out for me.”

Applebloom was silent for a moment.

“Then...why did you tell me about the train tracks?” she asked finally.

Sty looked at her, his small piggy eyes examining her face.

“You’re just a filly. I ain’t heartless alright?”

Applebloom smilled a bit, tossing a hoof around his side. “And you’re not useless either.”

The small pig struggled. “Let go’a me!”

Then from both Applebloom and Sty’s perspective the world exploded.

Fire was everywhere, the heat hit the pair of them fiercely, singeing the tip of Applebloom’s mane and tail, and causing Sty to squeal out in pain.

“Elemental!” he yelled.

Applebloom grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. The bush Sty had chosen offered no protection as what seemed to be a pony made of fire came kicking and bucking wildly out of the brush. It let out a horrible sound, like a neigh and scream mixed into one. Everything within five feet of it burst into flames.

Applebloom jumped clear as the bush and all surrounding greenery went up in flames.

“Run!” yelled Sty “Just run!”

The filly and mare sides of Applebloom’s brain agreed with this advice.

Applebloom galloped hard, the heat at her back getting more intense as the elemental grew closer. It let out another hideous scream, which drowned out Applebloom’s own.

She dashed through the forrest, over branches and crackling leaves trying desperately to outrun the creature.

Alas, not quite fillies, who aren’t quite mares are prone to trip.

A branch caught her hoof, and sent her sprawling onto the ground. Her rear hoof twisted oddly as she fell. Pain shot up her leg, causing her to cry out. Sty went flying into the air landing several feet away.

He yelled something but Applebloom couldn’t hear it as the thing screamed again. It was approaching her fast, the forest ablaze around it. She tired to get up, but her rear leg buckled under her weight. She fell to the ground, looking back as the creature closed the gap. She closed her eyes.

“Applebloom!” yelled Sty, but he was too far away to be of any help.

She waited several minutes for the end to come, the sound of the blaze crackling and roaring in her ears, the screams of the thing ringing through the trees. But the end didn’t come.

She found this odd.

Applebloom opened her eyes to find the creature had stopped. It thrashed and beat its hooves against the ground, but it didn’t advance. It screamed again, falling to the ground, its limbs flailing about.

Sty was suddenly at her side. “Come on! We gotta get out of here. Its hurt. This is our chance!” The small pig positioned itself under her hurt leg. She was still just small enough for him to offer some support. But she stopped.

“Are you crazy!? Come on!”

Applebloom looked at the creature. Its head turned towards her, flames licking over its surface. It screamed again.

A scream of pain.

“No...” she said finally.

“What!?” Sty tried to move her forwards on his own, but got nowhere. “We can’t stay here. It’ll kill you! That’s what fire does, that’s what fire elemental’s do. They burn, they destroy, and they do not care about fillies or talking pigs. Now get a move on!!”

“No...” said Applebloom.

She shook the pig away, and limped towards the thing. Its thrashing seemed to ebb as she got closer.

“AB! AB come back!”

Applebloom ignored him. The walking was hard, painful work, as she got closer the heat got more and more intense, her mane may or may not have been on fire, but she didn’t care.

The mare side of her brain screamed at her to take Sty’s advice. The filly side pushed her to keep going.

She was a few feet away from it when her back leg buckled again. She fell forwards, exhausted. The ground was so hot....and she was so tired. But she needed to keep going.

Suddenly she found something supporting her. She looked down to see Sty at her side, pushing against her flank, trying to get her up. Despite the heat she smiled.

“You really aren’t heartless...” she said breathlessly.

Sty didn’t bother with a reply. He pushed her to her hooves. And with a new surge of energy, she made it the rest of the way.

She almost couldn’t keep her eyes open, the air burned on her skin and in her throat, but she had to do something.

The thing screamed again.

The filly side of her brain hadn’t bothered to think this far, but the mare side figured if it’d gotten to this point, it might as well help.

Applebloom reached into her saddlebag, and grabbed the bottle of water sitting near the top. Not bothering with the cap, she threw it at the creature.

The plastic melted instantly as the thing screamed a final time.

There was a whooshing sound a gust of cold air, then Applebloom collapsed unconscious.

There was something poking the side of Applebloom’s head. The filly side of her brain begged for five more minutes. The mare side told her to wake up.

She listened to the filly side up until around the fiftieth poke.

Her eyes opened. They were fuzzy, and incredibly dry. The inside of her mouth felt like a desert, and there was a fierce pain coming from one of her legs. She was laying in a wide circle of ash.

Something brown was laying beside her.

When her eyes focused, she scooted back in shock, gasping.

The thing was terribly burned. It looked as though it were made of wood. Interwoven branches made up its body and face, while thick trunks made up the legs. It reminded her of the timberwolves from her grandmother’s stories, only in more of a pony shape.

It struggled weakly on the ground. Its eyes two dark gaps in the wood. It scooted a bit closer to her. She pulled back farther, until she hit a tree.

The thing cocked its head to the side.

Applebloom just stared back in horror.

It nodded, seeming to understand her fear. There was a great rattling sound from inside of it. The creature’s branches seemed to tighten as it drew what little strength it had. Its wooden mouth opened, and a single drop of water dripped slowly out, and into the ash.

The thing slumped, apparently spent.

A small green sprout burst from the soil beneath its head.

The thing didn’t move.

Applebloom stood very still for a moment. Then dragged herself forwards a little to look at the thing, or what was left of it. The small sprout grew steadily, by the time she got close enough for a good look it was a good hoof high.

Suddenly, she had an idea.

She reached into her saddlebag, quite surprised it still held anything at all after the fire, and pulled out the package of apples seeds her family always carried for luck.

She layed it flat on the ground, held it down with a hoof, and ripped it open with her teeth. Straining immensely, she poured its contents over the creature.

And nothing happened.

She waited for several minutes, but the thing was silent.

Suddenly she remembered Sty. She looked around the remains of the forest, trying to find the small pig, looking over the charred branches and still smoldering leaves.

Her eyes finally landed on him.

He was more red than pink. The burns on his body had already begun to peel, and he wasn’t moving.

She tried to call out to him, but her voice was gone, taken by the heat of the fire. Still she rasped, hoping he would hear.

If he did, he still didn’t move.

She slumped to the ground, defeated.

She’d just closed her eyes when the ground began to rumble.

Applebloom’s head shot up just in time to see the wisps of vines sprouting from the creatures eyes. All at once green surrounded it. Vines tightened around its legs, making them strong and healthy, thick, strong wood replaced the burned husk that had been left by the fire. The thing grew, and grew until it was well over Applebloom’s head, towering to the top of the trees. Its back was full of apple trees.

It looked won at Applebloom, cocking its head to the side. It seemed to be frowning.

It nudged her with its giant head with surprisingly gentleness.

Applebloom looked up in shock.

The thing assessed her when she didn’t get up. Its vines tensing for a moment.

A single apple fell from the ground right in front of her.

The thing sat on its haunches expectantly.

Applebloom looked from it to the apple.

It nodded.

The mare side of her brain was at a complete loss, but her filly side decided to take a bite.

Juice filled her mouth, sweet and pure, quenching her thirst. Her burns stopped hurting, the skin and fur returning, fresh and silky. Her body filled with energy as she chewed, growing stronger. After a while she was able to get to her hooves. She shook her back leg experimentally.

The thing nodded a few times in quick succession. Applebloom took this as a smile.

“Um...thank you...” she said.

It bowed deeply.

Applebloom looked around until she saw Sty again. The creature looked in the same direction, and pointed to the rest of the apple.

Applebloom nodded. “I understand. I’m glad I could help.”

The thing nodded a final time, then bounded off into the forest, its wooden hooves shaking the earth in its wake.

Applebloom walked gingerly over to Sty, and placed an ear on his chest. He was still breathing, but it was shallow. She crushed some of the apple under hoof, and gently scooped it into his mouth.

The forest was silent for several minutes, mostly because not even woodland creatures like to talk during the suspenseful bits.

Slowly Sty’s hide turned from red to a healthy shade of pink. When Applebloom looked at his face she noticed he suddenly had two ears.

He coughed a few times.

“Yep,” Applebloom said with a grin. “Definitely not heartless.”

Sty coughed a few more times. “Says you.”

Comments

[Baree]

Never declare a fic dead until the author says so. Great to see an update

[SlyWit]

That was a fairly exciting bit. Much more scary than I imagined this story would go, which was a nice surprise in the "ohmigosh" sort of way. I enjoyed reading through it, even though it had less of the goofy, semi-sensical humor

(might want to check a few errors in this latest chapter though. A couple of words look accidently repeated)

[InarJollyhound]

Wow Applebloom seems to make everything better! I wonder how much of a difference she will make in the forest. Awaiting update!

[CommanderCupcake]

I understand! Eureka! AB took a train somewhere to defeat her unsureness about her abilities and talents. Only when she defeats Unsure, will she be able to leave the forest!

[Mimicry]

This is real good. Thanks be to Slywit for revealing it to me.

[Akantia]

This is really well written. I've enjoyed what I have read so far and look forward to more

[Axel Nyan]

Hey! Yea, it's me. Just here to say that I sent you the first chapter, with all the corrections. Quite a few I must say

Anyway, I'll get to the rest of the chapters later, like I said. Kinda sleepy right now

[Feurisson]

Will you continue this at some point of time, or is this this story cancelled?

[Squeak-anon]

1259256

Far from Cancled my friend, just busy at the moment.

[Themaskedferret]

Beautiful.

[Nettles]

This story is nothing short of delightful. I can't wait until you find the time to continue!

[mahic-hay]

Beautiful story! I hope you'll finish it someday.