Ready Steady is on a quest to reunite with her sister, Get Set, from a swarm of changelings that attacked their hometown, Fillydelphia. Will these two survivors reunite, or will the changelings get in between their search for one another?
Equestria is under attack by the changelings in many places, one of which being Fillydelphia. Many have died, few have survived. Two of which are a pair of sisters: Ready Steady, a track and field athlete that's known to have good records on ground AND in the skies, and Get Set, a little filly who wishes to follow in her older sister's hoofsteps. Their escape by train led them to safety, but in different locations. How will these two sisters reunite with one another? Are they're capable of protecting themselves from any more changelings?
My name is Ready Steady, I am a track and field athlete for the Fillydelphia academy. I grew up with my mother, Athelia who was a cheerleader for her high school and university back in her days, my father, Checkered Flag who was a 5-time champion chariot racer, and my little sister, Get Set who's a student at Fillydelphia Elementary who wishes to become a successful track and field athlete like me. I was happy to have a family as great as my own. But then, it happened.
There was an outbreak in Fillydelphia that couldn't be stopped. Changelings had come to destroy the village and claim it as their own. All of town was under panic and ran for their lives, every direction you'd turn; everywhere within a blink of an eye, there they were, ready to attack their prey like carnivorous savages. There was not much anypony could've done to save themselves, more and more and more of them came after us, as if they were multiplying, wanting to eat our flesh, drink our blood, and leave our corpses to rot and decompose. For the first time in my life, I've seen these creatures bloody-thirsty and hungry for murder.
The first thing my family did was drop what we were doing and fleeing the household that would soon be destroyed. Many changelings came for us, one after one waiting to take a bite out of us. We had done our best to fight them off, but overall, they outnumbered us. It was almost like a zombie apocalypse, only much worse. As I was fighting them off, I heard a scream of terror.
"Steady, help me! I don't wanna be changeling food!" It was the plead of my little sister, Get Set. I didn't have a choice, I had to help fight off that beast who was trying to maim my sister.
Once we had found a clear pathway where there were no changelings, me, my parents, and Set had all made a sprint towards the location the empty pathway had led us to, the train station. I had Set run pass me so I could get a better eye on her in case she was in any trouble. We both made it towards the train station, but my mom and dad were both being attacked by changelings.
"Set, get on the train, you'll be protected from any changelings that try to attack you. No matter where that train takes you, it'll be for the better. I need to help mommy and daddy," I told my concerned sister.
"What about you?" she responded. "I don't want anything happening to you."
As I took a moment to take that all in, and glance over at my parents who were barely surviving, I told her with a sad look, "I don't know. But what I do know is that mommy and daddy are going to be hurt if I don't do something now. Please, promise me you will stay in this train."
She nodded, keeping the promise and giving me permission to help mom and dad. I ran as fast as my hooves could take me to save my parents. In the way were a horde of murder-hungry changelings that envisioned me as a full course meal. I tried to reach my remaining family members, but there were too many changelings in my way.
"Steady!" called out my father's voice, "You need to board the train; leave us behind!"
"You know I can't just leave you out there," I told him as I was fighting off more changelings. "I need you come back for you guys!"
"There's nothing you can do," responded the voice of my mother. "Board that train and make sure that Set is safe!"
"You can still make it," I explained to her, not admitting defeat. "As long as I can hear your voices, you're still alive!"
And ironically enough, there was no response for the next couple of minutes. I felt scared, I didn't want to think they were dead, yet at the same time, I knew they were.
"Mom, Dad, please answer me!" I yelled as I was about to break into tears.
Then I heard the sound of a train engine starting followed by a train whistle. I made my way back to the scaffold of the train station and the doors of the train were shut tight. I look through the windows of the train, thank Celestia Set was still on, but I could not get in, and Set could not get out.
"Steady, I'm scared," said my apprehensive sister. "Where's mommy and daddy?"
I didn't know how to tell her without hurting her feelings, but I managed to find a way. "All I can tell you is that I tried my best to save them, but they insisted we save ourselves rather than risk losing the whole family." I said, conversing with her through the train window.
"Okay, I understand," Set had realized. "But I'm still scared, I want to stay with you; be by your side."
"Don't worry, I'll find a way to find you again. You'll be okay, you're on a train with some nice ponies who're going through the same situation we are. See if you can make some friends so you won't be so lonely." I confronted to her.
"Okay, I'll try." Set said as the train separated me from my sister.
Moments later, I stayed inside the train station while trying to keep the changelings out. As I thought about that, it was a stupid plan, but I panicked and didn't think of anything else at the time. I was holding the station doors against the changelings who were trying to break their way in. Luckily, I found a broom and stuck it between the two handles of the doors. The stick of the broom was made out of wood, so I knew it wouldn't last long. For a brief moment, I took a huge sigh of relief, then went up to the ticket window.
"Excuse me," I said, trying to get the ticket pony's attention. "When's the next train? I need to find my little sister."
He didn't respond. He was sitting in a swivel chair and the back of the chair was faced towards me.
"Sir? Hello? When's the next train?" I said still trying to get a response from him.
Moments after, a gust of wind had came in through the ticket window, and turned the chair around, revealing a faceless, blood-covered, pony. As soon as I witness the abomination, I started to gag, but didn't lose it.
"Oh my Celestia!" I had said to myself. "I don't think there's another train coming here as far as I know."
With that in mind, I knew I had to escape, and I knew I couldn't stay in this crummy train station forever. The changelings finally broke the broom that was keeping them from getting inside the station. Remembering that I was a pegasus, I went through the station doors, I flew up to the clouds where I thought it was safe, but then another swarm of changelings, consisting of 8 or 9 of them, chased me through the skies. Luckily, I was fast enough as to where they couldn't catch me. Then, there was a big cloud coming up. I thought that if I went through the cloud, that I could lose them for good, but then again, I might end up running into one of them if I do. I made up my mind, I flew straight through the cloud. I couldn't see anything, but I had to keep straight, that's the only way I was gonna get these pests off my tail. When I got out of the cloud, nopony was tailgating me any longer. I knew I was safe but for how much longer? I decided to keep flying even though I was starting to feel fatigue. About 20 minutes later, I finally reached to a town with nice ponies and no changelings. I gently lowered myself to the ground and took a breathtaking view. To my right, there was a sign which read, "Welcome to Ponyville".
I had just arrived to a place called Ponyville. From what I could see, it seemed like a town filled with everyday, ordinary ponies, peaceful grounds, and more importantly, no changelings. After I got a chance to relax my wings from my escape in the clouds, I finally walked into the village. I looked around to see if I could find something to eat, after all, I had been starving ever since that outbreak. I checked to see my bit amount in my satchel, but I forgot, I had left all my bits back in Fillydelphia. It was then I heard my stomach begging for food, it sounded like one of those creatures you'd hear in the Everfree Forest. At this point, I was desperate, I wasn't going to let myself die of starvation. When nopony was watching me, I grabbed some blades of grass and I ate it. What else was I supposed to do? Starve? Beg for food? I'm not like that, I have much more pride than that. The taste wasn't exactly what I'd call appetizing. And just when I thought I had my brief moment of privacy, I heard a voice.
"How's that grass tastin' for ya?" said the voice. It had somewhat of a southern accent to it.
"Hey, a mare's gotta eat. Don't judge." I responded back to the southern pony.
"Ah'll admit, ya got a lot a guts eatin' like this in public," said the blonde-haired, orange-coated mare. "Are ya new around here?"
"Was it that obvious?" I said with an embarrassed tone. "I would've bought some food, if I had the bits for it."
"Well lucky for ya, Ah happen to live on an Apple farm; Sweet Apple Acres," said the southern pony. "Yer more than welcome to visit the orchard."
"Wow, I don't know what to say," I said thankfully. "Thank you so much!"
"My pleasure," the southern pony replied. "Ah'm always there to help out others in need. Ah'm Applejack by the way, but y'all can call me AJ."
"I'm Ready Steady." I told her.
"Ah bet you are." replied Applejack. "Ah can still hear yer stomach growling from here. Sounds like one of them Timberwolves, ready to pounce."
"No AJ, that's my name," I corrected her. "Ready Steady, most ponies call me Steady. Not to sound impatient, but how much longer will it be until we reach the orchard."
"Relax Steady, were almost there," she replied.
About 5 minutes later, we had reach the apple orchard, and I could not have been anymore excited than I already was. As I was just about to dart right into one of the apple trees to retrieve one apple, Applejack stopped me from doing so.
"Now now, Ah know yer hungry and all, but the food's inside, these apples are waiting to be bucked."
She was right. It would've been rude of me to take at least one of their apples right from the orchard, even though I was starving to death. Once we got inside, there were some apples in the kitchen that looks fresher than the ones on the trees, and many more types of food and drinks like apple cider, apple pie, apple fritter, caramel apples, if there was one thing you knew about this family, it's that they have a lot of apples. When Applejack finally gave me permission to eat the food, the whole buffet of food on the kitchen counter was almost completely gone. It felt so good to get some food in my stomach.
"Ya sure must have been starved now, huh?" Applejack said in a joking matter.
"Thanks again for the food AJ," I replied. "You really do know how to make a pony feel welcome."
"Well ya did look like ya coulda used it," said Applejack.
"I guess I did," I admitted. "Well I appreciate what you've done for me. I'll see you around, hopefully." As I was getting ready to leave, Applejack stopped me again.
"Wait, where are y'all goin'?" she asked.
"I mean, I got what I needed, not to sound selfish and all," I started to tell her, "but I need to keep going; find a place to live while I'm here."
"Well, if ya need someplace to stay, why not here?" Applejack insisted. "We don't have an empty room for ya, but you can stay in the barn for as long as ya need. Not that comfortable, but better than sleepin' on the dirt floor."
"Well you don't have to do this," I said thinking about her offer some more. "I mean, the buffet is nice and all, but it all sounds too good to be true."
"Why don't ya stay here for a while? Stay for dinner, meet my family, stay the night. What do ya say?" offered Applejack again.
I was still a little bit hungry, and I do need a place to sleep. Like AJ said, I could sleep in her barn, better than sleeping on dirt. And, I do need to converse with other ponies. Ever since the outbreak, I've lost all of them. All I have left is my sister, and she's Celestia knows where she could be. The decision was obvious.
"Alright, I'll accept the offer." I answered.
"Yeehaw!" exclaimed Applejack. "Ah'll get dinner ready, y'all wanna help?"
"Sure," I said as I helped AJ set the dinner table.
Later that night, I got to know the rest of her family. That includes herself, Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith. The dinner table was filled with, you guessed it, apples. My plate consisted of a couple of apples and some apple pie, followed by some warm apple cider to go along with an Apple family dinner.
"So deary," said Granny Smith. "What did you do before you came to Ponyville?"
"Not much really, just playing track and field events. My favorite is the relay race." I responded.
"Hehe, oh you remind of dear old, Applejack here and the times she won all of them rodeo competitions." said the elderly pony.
"Well Ah don't mean to brag, but Ah do have more blue ribbons than anypony in Ponyville," said Applejack. "Though Ah wish to win all of 'em..."
"You're just one pony," I said, cutting her off. "Plus, if what you say is true, then I don't even think I'm even close to AJ's athletic abilities."
"Yeah, it's hard to have fun when yer losin'," Applejack claimed. "Then again, nopony's perfect."
"Ah've been meanin' to ask, but where are y'all from?" asked the young filly, Apple Bloom.
"If I tell you, you probably wouldn't believe me," I told her. "But if you're anxious to know, I'm from..." I paused. For some reason I couldn't say it. Rather it was because they'd think I'm crazy, or it would bring back those awful memories.
"Sorry, Ah didn't quite catch that?" Apple Bloom said.
I had to get it out, one way or another. "I'm...from Fillydelphia." I admitted as the everypony dropped their jaws.
"Fillydelphia?" Applejack asked. "Ain't that where them changelings attacked?"
"Yeah," I said with disappointment. "There weren't many survivors. A few of us, including myself, got lucky."
"Tell us what happened." Applejack said anxiously.
"Everything was going really swell," I started off. "It was just an ordinary day for all the ponies of Fillydelphia. I was gonna play my sister in a hoof race, when all of the sudden, many changelings can to our village and tried to invade our homes."
"Wait, why would the changelings be invadin' Fillydelphia?" asked Applejack. "It's just a small town, not much they can do with that."
"I was wondering the same thing myself," I said, continuing with the story. "Anyways, they did more than just invade our homes, but making sure there was nopony left in town, whether that meant getting killed by those beasts or chased out of town, but they would have much rather kill us if anything. When we found a nearby train station..." I stopped and started to tear up.
"It's okay sugarcube, just let it all out," Applejack said, trying to calm me down.
"I had to put my little sister on the train," I continued. "I told her to stay on that train no matter what, while at the same time I was trying to save my parents. I went back for them, but a group of changelings kept me from doing so. And they..." I stopped again only to sob and cry in front of the Apple family.
Applejack put her hoof on my shoulder while the others watched and she said, "It's okay, Ah think we've heard enough."
"Wait," Apple Bloom interrupted. "What about yer sister?"
"Apple Bloom," said Applejack trying to get Apple Bloom to be quiet. "We've heard enough."
"It's fine," I said, wanting to continue the story. "She was still on the train, but I wasn't able to go with her." I started to tear up again but continued. "At least I know Set will be alright, as long as she stays away from home."
"Who's Set?" wondered Apple Bloom.
"Get Set's my little sister," I explained. "I just hope she's alright."
"Ah think we should all hit the hay, what do ya think Big Mac?" Applejack ordered.
Big Mac just said a simple, "Eeyup," and everypony went straight to bed.
I made my way to the barn where I was free to sleep anywhere I wanted. I saw a couple of blankets, AJ must've place them in there for me. It was hard for me to sleep with all the hay poking me while I'm trying to find a comfortable position, but I managed to fall asleep somehow.
I was sleeping in the Apple's barn, trying to get along with everypony, when a huge swarm of changelings comes attacking Ponyville. I thought to myself "Oh no, not again." Some of the changelings broke into Sweet Apple Acres and destroyed the farm, and soon, the family. Many of the changelings went for the barn since it was bigger than the house. I tried to fly out of there like I did in Fillydelphia, but my wings were still sore. So once again, I had to fight them of. Once I fought off enough changelings as to where I could escape, I tried to do so, but Applejack might need my help. As I raced back over to the house, I heard a familiar scream,
"Steady, help me! I don't wanna become changeling food."
The voice of my little sister made me want to protect her, but I had a difficult choice to make, my little sister or my new friends. In the end, I made up my mind, but before I did anything...
I woke up, hyperventilating for a few seconds, realizing I had awakened from a nightmare. At first, I was happy to know I wasn't being attacked, but then I got a little sad knowing that Set could possibly be in danger.
"What in the hay is goin' on in here?" Applejack asked making her way into the barn.
"Nothing AJ," I tried to explain. "It was just a nightmare I had, that's all."
"Ah assume it's about the changeling incident." she said with a confident smile.
"It was awful," I said, giving her details of the nightmare. "The changelings came to attack Ponyville, some came for Sweet Apple Acresand destroyed the farm. I managed to plan my escape, but then I thought about you guys, and then I heard Set's voice from a distance, and..."
"Ah think Ah get the point," said Applejack. "Ya just had a hard choice to make."
"Honestly," I said, telling her my decision. "I probably would've saved Set over you guys, she's just one filly, you've got a whole family."
"Ah appreciate yer honesty," Applejack said with an understanding tone. "And yer choice made much more sense, savin' a helpless filly over a family that's capable of defendin' themselves."
"Sounds like I made the right call," I said.
"Ah know y'all did," Applejack said. "Well, Ah guess Ah'll see ya in the morinin'. Good night."
"Good night," I said back to her. Then I told myself, "Don't worry Steady, Set is gonna be alright."
Chapter 2 - Ain't No Party Like a Pinkie Pie Party
I was awakened by the sound of the chicken's cooing. I woke up feeling really sore and uncomfortable, being in that barn isn't exactly paradise, but better than sleeping on the dirt floor I guess. I brushed off the hay that was on my mane and coat when I woke up. After that nightmare I had last night, I became more weary about my sister, Get Set. I know that I had to stop thinking anything bad was gonna happen to her and that she was perfectly fine, like that outbreak never happened, when really it's just hard to ignore. I opened the barn doors only to be introduced to a bright, blinding light that was the rising sun. When I walked outside, I saw Big Macintosh pulling a huge cart that was loaded with, big surprise, apples. With nothing else better to do, I decided to go talk to him.
"Hey Big Mac," I started. "Nice day today, huh?"
"Eeyup," he responded, continuing to pull the cart.
"I'm just really glad you agreed to have me stay the night," I said thankfully. "Ever since the outbreak, I've had nopony to talk to lately. Could you imagine having all your friends just taken from you?"
"Nope," Big Mac answered.
"I just can't wait to find Set, I miss her dearly," I told him starting to feel concerned for myself. "Do you ever think I'll ever find her again?"
"Eeyup," Big Mac said.
"You don't talk much, do you," I said.
"Nope," he said, confirming my accusation.
"So tell me," I began to ask. "What exactly are all these apples for?"
"Those apples are all for Appleloosa," Applejack yelled through her bedroom window as she quickly came down from her room out onto the fields where me and Big Mac had been chatting.
"Appleloosa?" I wondered.
"Yeah," she explained. "My cousin, Braeburn, likes to throw a good hoedown every once in a while for them ponies in Appleloosa."
"Maybe I'll visit there sometime," I responded. I then started to frown. "Me and my sister, if I can even find her."
Applejack, like at the dinner table last night, put her hoof on my shoulder and tried to cheer me up. "Ah know it's tough know that yer sister is out there somewhere y'all don't know, but at least we know she ain't where them changelings are; that's she's still alive," she said. "Why don't y'all come on inside for some breakfast, that oughta keep yer mind out of the gutter."
"Okay," I said. "But is it apple related?" I was obviously getting annoyed by eating the same thing over and over again, but if it was all they had, I had no choice.
"Oh Ah see," Applejack said with a little anger. "Y'all are gettin' sick and tired of them apples."
"No, it's not like that," I said trying to calm down Applejack, but it didn't seem to work. "It's just that..."
"What's wrong with apples?" Applejack said, looking steamed. "Our entire family lived off of apples, and y'all are just here to make fun of that!"
"Applejack," I said, still trying to get her to settle down. "It's not that I don't like apples, I just thought that I could..." I got cut off by the "angered" pony.
"Relax sugarcube, I'm just messin' with ya," she said, joking around with me. "Of course y'all can have something different. Ya like eggs and toast?"
"Do I," I said with enthusiasm. "Eggs and toast are my favorite!"
"Yeehaw," shouted the wound up pony. "That's the spirit, now let's eat!"
A few moments later, we walk into the house and made our way into the kitchen. Right away, Applejack got working on the breakfast. My tummy wasn't just growling, it was roaring. It made me think if I was the I had the loudest stomach in all of Equestria. "Don't you worry Steady," said Applejack in response to my tummy. "Breakfast will be ready in no time."
Then I heard a thumping noise, like somepony was walking across the upper floor. Then noise continued down to the kitchen only to notice the young filly, Apple Bloom, was down here for the same reason I was. She was dressed up in a red cape with a blue and yellow symbol in the center of the cape. The symbol looked to be in the shape of a filly.
"Hi there Steady," said Apple Bloom. "How'd ya sleep last night?"
"Hi Apple Bloom, I've been better." I responded to Apple Bloom's question. "Have you ever tried to sleep in a pile of hay?"
"As a matter of fact, Ah have," Apple Bloom said. "It felt a little uncomfortable at first, but Ah managed to get cozy."
"I bet you would, you're a farm pony after all," I said with a dumbfounded look. "By the way, what's with the cape?"
"She and her friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, have this little club called the Cutie Mark Crusaders," Applejack answered for Apple Bloom while still cooking. "They're trying to find their cutie marks. So what're ya this time, mail deliverin', clothes makin', fence paintin'?"
"That's for us to think about at the meetin'," said Apple Bloom.
"Is that what that treehouse is for?" I asked.
"That would be right," said Applejack, answering for Apple Bloom again as she passed me my breakfast.
"You know something Apple Bloom," I started. "You remind me a lot like Set. She's so determined, confident, and an attitude that never gives up. It's a shame there's no cutie mark in confidence, 'cause kid, you've got a lot of it. But then again, what would a confidence cutie mark even look like?"
After I was done eating my breakfast, I left the kitchen. But before I did, I said to Apple Bloom, "By the way, good luck on getting that cutie mark. You'll get it when you least expect it. That's how I got mine." I then exited the house still looking a little depressed.
When I came outside about to visit the town, Applejack was walking right beside me. "You know you don't have to keep following me around everywhere I go," I told her. "I'm capable on walking on my own four hooves."
"Ah know," Applejack replied. "But Ah couldn't help but notice that ya still seem pretty torn up about this whole Set situation."
"I can't help it," I said, defending myself. "She's the old piece of family I have left. I have to worry about her!"
"Ah think Ah know somepony that can help you turn that frown upside down," Applejack suggested. "Follow me."
We walked through town together, we saw many ponies talking about their everyday lives, something I wish I was doing back in Fillydelphia. When me and Applejack finally approached to our destination, we walked into what appeared to be a cupcake store called, "Sugarcube Corner". Once inside, I saw many ponies sitting down at tables, eating cupcakes, and talking about some sort of party happening in Ponyville.
"Hey Applejack," I started to ask. "What's this party that everypony is talking about?"
"Must be somethin' Pinkie Pie's plannin'," she answered. "That's actually why I brought ya here, so y'all could meet her."
"You girls talking about me again?" a pink mare had asked, sneaking up from behind us.
"Woah!" I said with surprise. "Celestia, you startled the heck out of me."
"Omigosh, Omigosh, Omigosh," the pink pony said hyperactively. "Are you new here? You must be new here. I know everypony in Ponyville, so you must be new here. I love meeting new ponies. Maybe you could come to my party so we could get to know each other more. I love to throw parties, too. Maybe we could..." the pink mare was cut off when Applejack laid her hoof on the mare's muzzle.
"Okay Pinkie Pie, we get it," said Applejack. "And yes, she is new around here."
"I'm Ready Steady, but everypony calls me Steady."
"So Steady," Pinkie Pie started. "You wanna come to my party?"
Then I responded, "I've got nothing else better to do, I might as well."
"Terrific!" Pinkie said with achievement. "The party will start at sundown, don't miss it!" Then she was about to leave.
"Pinkie..." was all I could manage to get out before it was too late.
"Don't worry," said Applejack. "You'll get to know her more at the party."
"I hope so," I said with a little sadness, but not enough to be noticeable. "I could sure use some new friends."
Later at sundown, I headed to Sugarcube Corner for the party Pinkie had planned. Inside the store were a bunch of streamers, balloons, decorations, games, party hats, music, food, punch, it kind of reminded me of a combination of somepony's birthday party and a homecoming party back when I was in high school. I was still upset about Set, but I have to focus on why I came here in the first place; to keep my mind off of what happened and to have fun.
I started by grabbing some punch and grabbing a cupcake and sitting back down over to the table where Applejack and Pinkie Pie have been sitting.
"So," I started to say to Pinkie Pie. "I couldn't help but notice you like to throw parties and meet new ponies."
"Absolutely," Pinkie responded. "I love meeting new ponies, I like to know everypony in town. Actually I was wondering, where were you originally from before you came to Ponyville?"
I tried to respond as casual as I could without remembering what happened. "I'm from Fillydelphia."
"Well that's nice," Pinkie Pie said. "I hear that town is a small town so I never meet that many ponies from..." Then she got distracted. "...Ooh, this is my jam!" she said, talking about the music, as she quickly made her way to the dance floor. I was still a little surprised that she didn't bring up the changeling infestation.
"Did she not hear about what happened?" I asked Applejack.
"Ah guess not," she said with a little concern.
I then played this game called Twister with a couple of ponies. One was green earth pony with a dark blue mane, and the other was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane. I played a few rounds, and a few more ponies joined in as we kept playing, even Pinkie Pie joined us for some rounds. In the end, the cyan pony won the most games. She started to brag a little bit, but I ended up congratulating her anyway.
"Great game, Rainbow!" Pinkie Pie said. "Wanna go again?"
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass," said the rainbow-maned pony. "The party was great and all, but I'm getting a bit tired. Thanks for inviting me!"
"Yeah Pinkie," I said. "It's getting late, but the party couldn't have been any better."
"Ah gotta get along as well," Applejack added on. "Nevertheless, one of the best parties y'all have thrown by far."
"Thanks guys," Pinkie said happily. "The next one's gonna be even better."
"I bet it will," I said, walking out.
Me and Applejack walked out of Sugarcube Corner and were on our way back over to Sweet Apple Acres again. It's been my new home for a few days until I can earn enough bits to get my own place. When we were on our way to the farm, I realized that Applejack came to a halt, and I was still walking. Until I found that out, I stopped and asked, "Applejack, aren't we going back to the farm?"
"Steady," she said, showing some concern. "Come take a look at this." She stepped on a newspaper in the middle of the pathway.
"What is it?" I asked her. When I got a glance at the newspaper, I was shocked to see what had been printed.
"Ah thought that them changelings were only after Fillydelphia," she said looking a bit apprehensive.
I recently found out that the changelings were attacking not just Fillydelphia, but in another location as well. The evidence was being held in Applejack's hooves: A newspaper called, "Equestria Daily" with one of the headlines that read, "The Changelings Strike Again". The story didn't seem to say anything about my little sister, Set, but then again, why would the newspaper say anything about one pony in particular, unless you were a celebrity, that was in danger? "Maybe this was published a while ago," I thought to myself, but then when I saw the date, I realized it was just published today. I didn't know what to do but to just hope and pray that Set was safe.
"Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!" I said worryingly. "Where are the changelings attacking?"
"It says they're attackin' Baltimare," said Applejack. "Where was that train headed when ya sent yer sis away?"
"I don't know!" I yelled with anxiety. "I panicked!"
"Calm down Steady," Applejack said as she tried to calm me down. "Yer sister is gonna be just fine."
"How can I?" I exclaimed, as AJ's method of calming me down clearly did not work. "I sent my sister away on a train that leads to Celestia knows where it could be and that she could be...I don't even wanna think about it!"
There was a moment of silence where Applejack let me have my freak-out. All she could do was nothing but let me blow my top. Moments later, I broke the silence with an apology.
"I'm sorry," I started. "It's just...my sister means much to me. We had this special bond that let us knew we were more than sisters, we were best friends. And now, look at me. I've lost everything because I put her on that stupid train that may or may not have led her to where those...monsters are currently invading. If I hadn't had put her on that train to begin with, I wouldn't be in this situation I'm stuck in."
"Ah feel ya," Applejack said, trying to calm me down again. "My sis means a lot to me too. There've been many times Ah've worried about her. Sure, Ah've babied her one too many times, but she's my little sis, Ah wanna protect her."
"This is different, with everypony that is," I objected. "Yes I do wanna protect her, but it's hard for me to do that when I have no idea where she could be. At least you still have your sister, I don't even know if I'll even find her before the changelings do. I shouldn't have put her on that train; put her in harm's way. It's all my fault."
"Don't say that," Applejack said.
"But it is," I objected once again. "She should've been with me this whole time." I then started to cry.
"Ya can't blame yerself," Applejack stated. "Y'all were just thinkin' a little too fast. It happens to everypony."
After constantly fighting back and forth about the situation, I realized she wasn't going to stop at anything to make me feel better, and I finally decided to give up. But the one thing that will always be running through my head, until I find Set, was that this whole thing was my fault.
"I guess you're right Applejack," I said. "There was just nothing else I could do."
"Y'all did yer best," said Applejack. "Wanna head back to the barn?"
"Do I have to sleep on the hay again?" I complained as we walked back to the farm.
"Trust me," stated Applejack. "If Ah had an extra bed, Ah would've let y'all have it. Ah probably would've let y'all sleep in the house, but it think it might've been a little too cold for ya."
"Sleeping in the living room by the furnace would've been a little more preferable," I negotiated.
"Probably wouldn't do y'all any good," Applejack told me. "Granny Smith's rule, lights out at midnight. It's been that was since Ah was a filly."
"Even the furnace?" I complained.
"Even the furnace," said Applejack as we arrived to the orchard. "Good night."
"Good night, Applejack," I said to her. "Good night, Set. I hope you're okay," I said to myself as I walked inside the barn.
I woke up a little earlier than usual because I wanted to go through town without having anypony be my tour guide; to prove I could fit in with the rest of this town, I even left a note for Applejack telling her why I was missing if she was ever wondering, but I found it a little too hard to blend in only being here for a week. I was still a little tired and cranky when I woke up, but I tried to hide that when I promenaded through town. Not many ponies were up by then, but that didn't stop my walk. Once again, I started to feel hungry, and my stomach was as loud as my alarm clock back in Fillydelphia. With the sleepiness and the addition of hunger setting into me, I felt a little light-headed. Then, I had come across this colorful building that had a sign that read, "Carousel Boutique". It was at that moment that I realized, I was about to pass out.
Hours later, I had felt rejuvenated. I was inside this place that looked to be a tailoring room, but I was still curious as to what happened.
"Oh, you're awake," said a little unicorn filly with a white coat and a lavender and pink mane. "I thought you were dead or something like that."
"What?" I said, wondering where I was and what was going on. "Where am I? And who are you?"
"You're in my sister's shop, and I'm Sweetie Belle," she responded. "You're not from here are you."
"No I'm not," I replied. "I'm Ready Steady, but you can just call me Steady."
"Okay Steady," said Sweetie Belle. "So, if you're not from here, then where did you come from?"
I did not want to remind myself of what happened, especially since me and AJ were arguing about it just last night. "You're Sweetie Belle, right? Are you by any chance a Cutie Mark Crusader?"
"So you've heard of us," said the enthusiastic filly. "We're on a quest to find our cutie marks. We've tried so hard to find our cutie marks but..."
I cut her off. "No cigar," I finished her sentence. "Don't give up hope, were there's a will, there's a way." Then I thought to myself, "What I'm telling her is what I should be telling myself."
"You still didn't answer my question," Sweetie Belle said.
I was afraid she'd remember sooner or later. I had no choice; I had to tell her the truth. "I'm from..."
"I'm back Sweetie Belle," said a noise from downstairs, cutting me off from responding. The pony came upstairs to check on me to see if I was awake. "Nice to see you're awake. I see you've already met Sweetie Belle."
"I'm actually glad you came, now somepony can tell me what happened to me," I said with relief. "The name's Ready Steady by the way, Steady for short."
"I'm Rarity," said the white-coated unicorn with her curly, purple mane. "So you see, when I was coming home to get the finishing pieces for my ensemble, I saw a passed out pony by the side of my boutique. I couldn't just simply leave you there, so I let you rest in my tailoring room. I even left you a glass of water and a couple of cookies on the table next to you since your stomach was making so much noise."
"Yeah," I said embarrassingly. "My um..." I cleared my throat, "...parents told me that I have a very uh...unique...digestive system."
"She's not from Ponyville," said Sweetie Belle. "She told me she was from...where again?"
"I recently left from Sweet Apple Acres," I said with truth, but not the whole truth. "Does that answer your question?"
Sweetie Belle glared at me, knowing I was hiding something.
"Okay, okay, I'm really from Fillydelphia." I said as I saw the shocked looks on both the pony's faces. "I'm not surprised by your reactions. But, I really don't wanna talk about it right now."
"Aw," complained Sweetie Belle. "I wanna know what happened."
"Sweetie Belle," said Rarity. "She just said she's just not comfortable talking about it."
"I'll tell you what," I negotiated with Sweetie Belle. "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, can we agree on that?"
"I guess," said Sweetie Belle.
"Steady," said Rarity. "Would you mind come talk with me in private?"
"Okay, sure," I said as I quickly took a sip of water and a bite of my cookie.
When we were in Rarity's bedroom, to chat alone, she asked, "What do you mean you just left from Sweet Apple Acres?"
I responded, "I mean, I've been staying there since the outbreak occurred. I've only been here a week and my 'mattress' was compiled of nothing but a bunch of hay, uncomfortable but better than flat ground."
"What?" Rarity exclaimed with surprise. "You should've come to me for a place to stay, I had an extra bed I could've let you borrowed."
"Well that's very generous of you Rarity," I started. "But I probably couldn't afford it for rent, I don't even have any money."
Rarity went over to one of her drawers to hand me something. "Here, take this," she said handing me a bag that contained about 500 bits. "It's all the money I've made within my last ensemble."
"Rarity," I said with surprise. "I appreciate for all that you're doing, but you don't have to do this."
"Don't worry, I insist," she said. "And as far as the bed goes, it's all yours."
"Thanks Rarity," I said as I was about to leave. "I'm gonna head into town and see what I can do. First thing on my list, find a job."
"Wait," Rarity said, causing me to stop where I was. "Is the outbreak as bad as the papers said it was?"
"Take this from one of the survivors," I responded. "It's much worse than they say."
While I was out, I headed back to Applejack's farm. I decided to see what the family was up to. I glanced over at the treehouse, the door said, "Do Not Enter" which probably meant the Cutie Mark Crusaders were having a meeting. Then I approached the house and knocked on the door to see if anypony was home. Applejack answered the door.
"Howdy Steady," said Applejack. "Ah got yer note, it's all good, but next time just come over and tell me, please."
"I'll remember that for next time," I noted.
"How was yer mornin'?" asked Applejack.
"It was a little crazy," I responded. "I ended up passing out by Carousel Boutique. There I met Rarity and Sweetie Belle where I was being taken care of. Rarity even got me a place to sleep and some bits to help me settle down while I'm here."
"Well, that's Rarity," said Applejack. "One of the most generous ponies Ah know. Well, Ah'm gonna get dinner ready, wanna join us?"
"You know it," I said with enthusiasm.
When I stayed for dinner, I saw some different foods for a change like chicken and pork, but the table still had a nice fruit bowl filled with, take a wild guess, apples. It was nice to see something else on the table for a change, but nothing to sneeze at. After dinner, I went over to the Carousel Boutique to spend the night. When I knocked the door, I was introduced to Rarity who was wearing a sleeping mask, a sleeping gown, and slippers.
"I'm sorry," I apologized. "Did I wake you up?"
"No, but I was getting ready for bed," Rarity said. "I take it you're spending the night."
"Well you offered me a bed for a reason," I said stating the facts.
"Alright then, come on in," said Rarity with a little grogginess. "Have a good night, Steady."
"Good night, Rarity," I said, making my way to my new room.
As I was asleep, I heard a voice in my head. It called out my name that sounded oddly familiar. Then the voice had come to me. "Steady, Steady," it kept calling. It then said, "It's me, Set!"
"It's me, Set," said the young filly. I couldn't see her physically, but I knew it was her by the sound of her voice. "I'm so glad I found you! I know you told me to make friends in this new town and all, but I just can't seem to fit in."
"It's okay," I told her. "I'm just glad to know you're safe."
"Steady," she started. "The ponies have been talking about those monster spreading throughout a city named..." she paused trying to think of the name.
"Was is Baltimare?" I asked.
"Yeah, that's it," she confirmed. "Is that true Steady?"
"I think so," I said with discomfort. "And with that in mind, I don't know where they'll head next." Then, I got really worried. "Set, where are you at? Where did that train take you?"
"I'm in..." Set said, then she got interrupted. "Hey, what are you doing? Steady!"
"What's going on?" I asked with a fright. "Set, speak to me!"
"Steady, they're back again!" she cried. I know what was happening to her. "HELP ME!"
I tried to help her, but something kept me from doing so. "I can't move," I cried, scared out of my mind. "Why can't I move? Set, say something if you can hear me? SET!"
And just like my parents back in Fillydelphia, complete silence.
"Set! SET! SET, SAY SOMETHING!" I screamed to the top of my lungs. "No, no, no, no, NOOOOOO!"
I woke up, hyperventilating as fast as the speed of sound. It was one of the worst nightmare's I've had in my life. This apocalypse situation had been getting into my head longer than I thought. I know I've been missing Set for a while, but I didn't know it would be THIS long a while. With the nightmare out of the way, I looked out the window. The moon seemed close to setting as the sun was just about to rise. I decided to go to the bathroom and splash my face with warm water. After that I looked in the bathroom mirror and told myself, "Don't give up hope, otherwise she will be dead, and so will I." Then I spent then next hour or two, trying to sleep in my new bed.
Once morning had arrived, I got up and got out of bed. I looked around the room and noticed a vanity. I went over to the vanity and looked in the mirror, realizing the warm water didn't do me much. I still looked like crap, but I can't blame myself, I've got a sister in potential danger. I also realized my mane was a mess. I saw a hairbrush on the vanity and I brushed my mane with it. "Hope Rarity doesn't mind," I thought to myself. I then walked out of the room to be surprised by Sweetie Belle who had been waiting patiently. "Aaah!" I cried. "Sweeie Belle! You startled the crap outta me!"
"Sorry about that," apologized Sweetie Belle. "But now that you're awake, you can tell me that story now, right? Right?"
"Well actually," I started. "I was hoping I would tell you both at the same time."
"Come on, please," pleaded Sweetie Belle. "I'm dying to know what happened."
"Well we're just gonna have to wait until Rarity wakes up," I told Sweetie Belle.
"What's with all the commotion?" Rarity said, coming out of her bedroom.
"Now that you're here we get to here Steady's story!" Sweetie Belle said with enthusiasm.
"Well I can't really stay much longer," said Rarity. "I have another order to fulfill. Steady can tell all about it later." Then she exited the boutique.
Sweetie Belle really wanted to know about what happened, so I gave up trying to make up excuses. "It's okay Sweetie Belle," I said to the eager filly. "I'll tell you the story."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sweetie said in worship. "I've been dying to know!"
"Okay well, here it goes," I started. "It was just another ordinary day in Fillydelphia. I was going to challenge my little sister, Get Set, in a hoof race. Then, the outbreak with the changelings had occurred. Our whole family was panicking, and we didn't know what to do. Then we tried to make our way to the train station where I put my sister to safety. My parents..." I started to cry. "...they didn't make it. It was just me and Set. I didn't make it in time to board the train Set was on, so we got separated. I don't know where she is, but I hope it's away from all those changelings. But now that I know that the changelings are branched out, I'm even more petrified." Then, I broke out into tears. "I just don't want anything happening to her."
Sweetie Belle came up to me, saw that I had my hooves covering my face, and gave me a hug. "I'm so sorry, Steady," she apologized. "I was just anxious."
"You weren't gonna leave me alone anyway," I said. "I just feels like torture, just thinking about it."
Then, there was a knock on the door.
"Go away!" Sweetie Belle yelled, "We're closed!"
"It's me, Spike." said the outside voice.
Once my tears dried up a little, I asked, "Who's Spike?"
"Spike just like's to help out Rarity whenever he can," responded Sweetie Belle. As she opened to door for Spike.
"Who's she?" asked the purple and green dragon.
"That's Steady," replied Sweetie Belle. "She's from Fillydelphia."
At this point, I thought, "Why did I ever tell her that?" It just felt like torture, telling everypony my story and where I'm from.
"Fillydelphia?" said Spike. "Isn't that where the changelings attacked all those ponies?"
"Well, not all," I said. "So you're Spike. I wasn't expecting to see a dragon roaming through these parts."
"Yeah well, being the only dragon around here, I kinda get that a lot from new ponies," said Spike.
"So what're you doing here anyway?" I asked Spike.
"Just to help out Rarity with whatever," Spike responded with a nervous smile. He made his way inside the boutique.
Then Sweetie Belle whispered in my ear, "He's just here because he has a 'not so secret' crush on Rarity."
"Well I'll leave you to it," I told Spike. "Until then, I'm gonna get some fresh air." Then I exited the boutique.
I just needed to find a way to keep my mind off of the past and see what I could do for fun. When I was brainstorming, I came across the idea of just playing in the clouds back when I was a filly. So I flew up into the clouds, and my wings weren't that sore as they were before. I was playing in the clouds for a while, then I was playfully flying again. I was minding my own business when all of the sudden, I crashed into one of the other pegasi.
"I'm sorry," I apologized to the victim. "I didn't to..." I paused to find out I ran into a familiar face. The pegasus I ran into had a rainbow-colored mane and tail with a cyan coat, and a cutie mark with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt. I couldn't quite figure out where I knew her from but I know I've seen her before. "Hang on a minute," I started. "You look familiar. What's your name?"
"Rainbow Dash," she replied with slight hesitation. "Should I know you?"
"Weren't you at the party Pinkie Pie threw at Sugarcube Corner?" I asked.
"Yeah," she replied.
"You were that pony that beat me in Twister so many times." I said, finally put the pieces together.
"That was you?" Rainbow said. "Yeah, I am pretty good at that game."
"I'm Ready Steady," I let Rainbow know. "Steady, for short."
"I don't exactly know a pegasus named 'Ready Steady'," said claimed. "Are you new here?"
"Yeah," I admitted. "I was kinda getting away from somewhere."
"Where, Fillydelphia?" she asked.
"Yeah," I said, looking a little flustered. "How'd you know?"
"Everypony's been talking about it," said Rainbow Dash. "The weather ponies have also talked about the outbreak in Baltimare and Manehatten too."
"Manehatten?" I asked with a little concerned.
"Yeah," responded Rainbow. "Equestria Daily just published another article this morning letting us know."
Then I started to feel light-headed.
"Steady," Rainbow started to ask. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I'll be fine," I said, trying to snap back into reality. "I just needed to get some fresh air, which is kind of why I came up here in the first place."
Then my stomach, once again, started to growl.
"That's odd," said Rainbow Dash. "We weren't supposed to schedule for a thunderstorm."
"Actually," I started to admit. "That's my stomach, I need to find something to eat. You seem like a cool pony Rainbow, maybe later on we could do something fun."
"Well, I've got a shift to get done," Rainbow Dash said. "But I'd love to hang out once it's over, just meet me by Sugarcube Corner in a half an hour. Deal?"
"Deal," I said shaking her hoof.
"Awesome," said Rainbow Dash as she flew back to her job.
Then I was in town where I thought I could use a place to live. Don't get me wrong, staying at Carousel Boutique and Sweet Apple Acres do have their perks, but I can't stay there forever. I only had enough bits to get me a small house with a kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom. It was kind of like a hotel room, but a little more different. In the end, I found a house like that and bought it for a little less than 500 bits with the money Rarity had given me. When I heard my stomach growl again, I sorta forgot I was hungry. Rainbow Dash told me to meet her at Sugarcube Corner anyway, so I decided to grab a bite at the cupcake shop. I bought myself a couple of cupcakes and then I saw Rainbow Dash come on in.
"Hey Steady," said Rainbow.
"Hew Rainbow," I replied. "So, what're we gonna do?"
"I thought we could go prank some ponies," said Rainbow Dash. "You in, or what?"
"I haven't really pranked anypony before," I said. "But sure, why not."
After we pranked some ponies, it was getting a little late but we still had some free time left. That's when Rainbow Dash asked, "So, what do you wanna do?"
"You know," I started. "Before the whole outbreak, me and my sister would always face off against one another in a hoof race."
"Are you saying you wanna challenge me in a race?" Rainbow Dash said. "Because everypony happens to know that I'm the fastest flyer in Equestria."
"Yeah, but since when hoof races involve flying?" I told her.
"Alright fine," said Rainbow Dash. "You want a hoof race, then get ready...to eat my dust."
"You're on," I said. "First one to Carousel Boutique and back wins. 3, 2, 1, GO!"
The race had started and I had a bit of a lead on Rainbow Dash. When we had made our way to Carousel Boutique, I touched the side of the building first, but Rainbow was not too far behind. When we made our way back to Sugarcube Corner, I still had the lead, but Rainbow Dash made it back first because she flew there when she knew she couldn't win.
"No fair," I complained. "No flying, remember?"
"You asked when hoof races involve flying," she responded. "I answered your question a few seconds ago, remember?"
"Okay, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on that one." I said. "It's getting late, so I guess I'll see you around."
"Alright," said Rainbow Dash. "Later!" Then she zoomed off into the sky, creating a sonic rainboom.
"Wow, they don't call her Rainbow Dash for nothing." I thought to myself. I decided to sleep in the clouds like I've always wanted to back when I was a filly. The cloud felt nice and cozy which made it easier to sleep better.
In the middle of the night, I was awoken with the breeze of cold air against my coat. I then saw something that triggered my past. A changeling flew towards me trying to attack. I was obviously going to fight it back, but then a question came to mind. Was this going to be the next outbreak location?
I tried to sleep, but the thought of a changeling attacking me was hard to avoid. Was it just another dream, that the outbreak would spread all the way over to Ponyville? Because it felt so real, the fact that a changeling could come from behind you, taking it's chance the first moment it gets. I thought I would have everything under control, but it turns out that I had more to chew than I could swallow. It was a never-ending nightmare.
When I woke up the next morning, I thought I should warn Rainbow Dash of what happened to me last night. I wanted to make sure it was all a dream, but something's telling me that it's more than that. "Rainbow!" I called out. "If you can hear me, say something!"
She came up from behind me and tapped my shoulder. "You called?"
I jumped a little at first by the way she startled me. "I hate it when ponies do that to me," I said. "Anyways, I was wondering something. Have you seen any changelings nearby? Because I could swear I got attacked by one last night."
"You're going crazy," Rainbow said. "Me and the rest of the weather ponies haven't seen them in a while. I can understand your superstitions, but you just need to forget about it."
"I can't," I argued. "Those changelings could be out hunting down Set without having me know it." I started to tear up again. "If I find out that she was..." then I started to sob.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Rainbow apologized. "I just meant to forget about having the changelings coming to Ponyville. I wish the best of luck for your little sister too, I can sorta relate, but you need to stop thinking that anything bad is gonna happen to her."
She was right, I had to keep my head held high and hope that Set was in a safe environment. "Thanks for the talk Rainbow," I said with apology. "I guess I just need to get my head out of the clouds, literally."
In the early afternoon, I decided to go over to Sweet Apple Acres to see Applejack about this changeling incident. I couldn't stop thinking about it, it felt so lifelike. On my way to the farm, I crashed into another pony. This pony was a young pegasus with an orange coat with a purple mane who was riding on a scooter.
"Sorry about that," apologized the filly. "But I'm in a hurry."
"Wait," I said trying to get the filly's attention. "I need to..." It was too late. She was also headed to the orchard, but I didn't question that coincidental detail. I entered the orchard and made my way to the house. I knocked on the door and Big Mac answered it.
"Hey Big Mac," I started. "Is Applejack here by any chance?"
"Eeyup," replied the silent pony.
"Any idea where I could find her?" I asked.
He jerked his head to the direction Applejack was located. He seemed to point his head to her room.
"Oh, is she asleep?" I asked.
"Eeyup," Big Mac responded.
I also happened to notice all the apple trees were bucked, which answered my follow-up question as to why she was asleep.
"Do you know she'll be awake?" I asked Big Mac. "I kinda need to talk to her."
"Right about now," responded the tired pony as she gave a deep yawn. "Ah can make y'all some lunch, if ya'd like."
"AJ, you just woke up," I stated. "Plus, I'm not all that hungry...for now. I just needed to talk."
Applejack and I took a seat in the living room, and we made ourselves comfortable. "So tell me," started Applejack, "What's been on yer mind lately."
"Well," I started. "I don't know it was a dream or a reality, but in the middle of the night, I was attacked by a changeling. I was able to fight it back, but now I'm starting to worry again. Rainbow thinks I'm crazy, but dream or not, I know what I saw."
"Well, Ah don't see why she didn't believe ya," she told me.
"I know," I replied. "This outbreak has spread in Fillydelphia, Baltimare, even Manehattan, and now possibly Ponyville. I don't exactly know why she'd be denying it."
"No, what Ah meant was, was that Ah'm looking at the evidence with my own eyes," stated Applejack.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Ya'll got a scratch the size of Big Mac on yer right foreleg," Applejack pointed out.
"What the..." I said with surprise. "How'd that get there? How did Rainbow Dash not notice?"
"Relax," Applejack told me. "Whatever it was, it didn't getcha that good."
"I guess you're right," I confirmed. "But if a changeling did this to me, what's the next one gonna do to my sister?"
"She's in a safe place," Applejack said. "Ya'll will find her eventually, it's just a matter of time."
"I wish that time was now," I said with a little depression. "I miss Set so much."
When I was done chatting with Applejack, I thought I could go sightseeing. So I thought to go through a stroll in the forest. "The Everfree Forest" I said to myself. "Let's just see what makes this forest as scary as ponies say it is." Before I could enter the forest, I was stopped by a yellow pegasus with a light pink mane.
"Don't go in there," the mare said quietly.
I turned around and made contact with the mare. "Why? What's the worst that could happen?" I asked.
"Well, I...um," said the shy pony. "There's many terrifying creatures in there like manticores, cockatrices, timberwolves..."
"Okay, I think I get it," I cut her off. "I didn't quite get your name."
"F......tt...r......y," she mumbled.
"What was that?" I asked.
"F...utt...rs...y," she mumbled again.
"I didn't quite catch that," I said again.
"Fluttershy," she said loud enough.
"Nice to meet you Fluttershy," I said. "I'm Ready Steady, but you can just call me Steady..." I was interrupted by the sound of my stomach.
"Aah!" Fluttershy squealed quietly. "I don't recognize the sound of that creature!"
"You mean my tummy?" I confirmed. "Yeah, it's gets mistaken for a lot of things."
"Oh," she said. "Sorry."
"It's okay, I'm used to it," I told her.
"Would you...um...like to come into my cottage?" Fluttershy offered.
"Sure," I accepted. "Thanks Fluttershy."
At this time it was getting pretty late. We went into her cottage which had many animals. They included some squirrels, birds, raccoons, and even a bear. One animal she seemed the most attached with was this little white bunny who had a bit of an edge.
"So," I started. "I see you're an animal lover."
"Oh definitely," she responded. "That's what my cutie mark means after all. But there's still one thing I want to know."
"What's that?" I wondered.
"Why would you want to go into the Everfree Forest? Everypony knows that place is dangerous." asked Fluttershy.
"Because I'm new around these parts," I responded. "I came here from Fillydelphia. I'm sure you've heard the stories."
"I have," Fluttershy responded with sympathy. "It must've been awful. I couldn't imagine seeing anypony going through anything like that."
"It was pretty brutal," I continued. "My family was making our escape, but the amount of changelings there were was almost infinite. I eventually found a train, but me and my sister got separated from our parents. I put her on the train to make sure she was safe, then I went to back to find my parents, but there were too many changelings that got in our way and I lost them." I started to tear up.
"Oh my," Fluttershy commented. "You poor thing."
"It gets worse," I continued. "When I went back for the train, it was already preparing to take off separating me from Get Set. Now I'm just miserable and alone."
"So," Fluttershy said, "Is...is she..."
"SHE'S. NOT. DEAD." I yelled at her, but I also made her sob a little bit. "I'm sorry Fluttershy, it's just that me and Set have been together for so long, and knowing that she could be attacked by those changelings without me being there to protect her..."
"I...I understand." she said wiping the tears off her face. "I remember times when Angel, the most precious bunny ever, would be mad at me and just run away. Sometimes he'd come back, other times I'd have to go off looking for him, even if it meant searching the Everfree Forest."
"This is different," I told Fluttershy. "We weren't mad at each other, and when you were looking for Angel, did you have to search all over Equestria?" I waited a few seconds for a response. "Case closed." And then, I thought came to mind. "Wait," I said. "If you had to search for Angel, why check the Everfree Forest? I thought nopony ever visited those parts of Ponyville."
"That's because they're not brave enough to enter the forest alone," she defended.
"This coming from the pony who got scared of my tummy growling," I thought to myself, which my tummy growled once again causing Fluttershy to jump a little.
"Oh yeah," I remembered. "I forgot I was hungry."
"Well," Fluttershy started to offer. "I could make us some salads."
"Thanks Fluttershy," I said thankfully.
While she prepared the salads, I started to talk to her pet bunny, Angel. "Hey buddy, how you doing?"
He didn't say anything, but he did give me a little glare.
"Somebody's a little grumpy today," I replied to his glare.
He then drew his attention to the scratch I had on my right foreleg.
"Oh," I responded both to Angel and myself. "I forgot I had that."
"Um...Steady," she said trying to get my attention. "The salads are done."
"Thanks Fluttershy," I said thankfully again.
"It's always a pleasure to..." Fluttershy said as her sentence was cut off by the attention she drew to my scratch. "...Oh my goodness, you look hurt."
"Oh, you mean my scratch?" I indicated. "Yeah I forgot to mention, I think I may have been attacked by a changeling last night."
"It's starting to bleed," Fluttershy noticed. "I'll go get the bandages."
"Fluttershy, you don't..." I said trying to stop her, but she was already on her way. I ate a bit of my salad as I waited for Fluttershy to come down with the bandages. When she arrived, she took my hoof, bandaged the scratch, and even gave it a tiny kiss. I personally thought it was kinda cute.
"There you go. All better," she said.
"Thanks, but I could've been fine without the bandage," I said.
"Better safe than sorry," Fluttershy objected.
"Well, I appreciate all that you've done for me, so I think I'll head on home," I said. But the mare stopped me from doing so.
"Wait," she started. "Why don't you sleep here tonight? To help make up for what I said earlier."
Then I said, "A, I've already accepted your apology for what you said, and B, I'm capable of taking care of myself thank you very much."
"But I feel that I hurt you," continued Fluttershy. "There has to be someway I can repay you."
"I'd like to think that feeding and bandaging me is enough restitution," I pointed out. "But if you really think me staying here will call it even, then I guess I will stay."
"Thanks Steady. I'll let you sleep on my bed, and I could sleep on the couch." she said gratefully.
"You know you don't have to," I stated. "But if it'll make you feel better about yourself."
"It's not just that," she said. "It's also my way of showing that I put other ponies first."
"Thank you Fluttershy," I said. "That very kind of you."
"You're welcome," she responded. "Well, good night Steady."
"Good night Fluttershy," I said back as I headed upstairs to Fluttershy's room. I took a picture of me and my family from my satchel. "Oh Set. One day we'll be back together again."
I was early in the morning when I woke up, and I nearly forgot I was sleeping in Fluttershy's bed. Her bed felt really comfortable. It reminded me of my home back in Fillydelphia. I would always get up, eat my breakfast, and explore the world. I've had this adventurous side of me ever since I was a little filly. Usually, Set would do all this stuff with me, but this time, it's an adventure taking a turn for the worst. The more I thought about what happened beak in Fillydelphia, the more determined I became to find Set. It also made me more concerned for her safety; she could be anywhere. If anything happened to her, I don't think I could ever keep going.
I got out of bed, and I noticed the bandage Fluttershy applied on my scratch. I took it off to see how bad it was, and it looked like it was healing up faster than I anticipated. I started walking on it and I felt the same as before, not that it felt painful before. I made my way downstairs and I saw Fluttershy fast asleep on the couch. It kind of surprised me to see she was sleeping considering there was a thunder storm outside. I looked outside the window wondering where Set could be. Then I saw a flash of lightning, and the first thing I saw was the head of a changeling. I started to jump in fear, but as the flash subsided, I got a closer look and noticed that it was just a bush. I went back upstairs to wash my face with warm water to wake myself up a little more. I then again headed downstairs to see that Fluttershy was still sleeping. I made myself a bowl of cereal, but in the middle of making the cereal, I heard a quiet, "Good Morning."
"Aah," I said with a scare. "Why does everypony startle me like that?"
"Sorry," Fluttershy apologized. "But the thunder woke me up a little. Hey, where's your bandage?"
"Oh yeah," I started to respond. "I didn't need it. My leg is fine."
"Okay," she said back. "I hope you don't."
"Well right now, I'm just making myself some breakfast," I said.
"Alright," responded Fluttershy. "Well, the cereal's in the far right cabinet next to the fridge."
I opened the door to find an assortment of cereal brands. "Thank you," I replied.
I then got to making breakfast. And Fluttershy joined me since she was awake.
"So, um..." Fluttershy started. "Did...did you make any friends while you were here?"
"I made some friends," I started as I sat down to eat breakfast. "Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, they're all great ponies. But my bestest friend is would have to be Applejack. I feel like I can talk to her about anything."
"Well that's great," Fluttershy replied. "I'm actually best friends with all those ponies. The only other best friend I have that you haven't met is Twilight."
"Can't wait to meet her," I said. "That is, if I get the chance."
"I'm sure the two of you'll get along pretty well," Fluttershy said.
"I still can't stop thinking about poor Set," I replied. "This whole outbreak has been spreading quicker than I thought. I really hope she's okay."
"Um...Steady," Fluttershy started. "Now may be a bad time to tell you this, but...um..."
"Go ahead Fluttershy," I said with annoyance. "Just spit it out."
"The changeling outbreak is now attacking Las Pegasus," she informed.
"Of course," I said with anger. "Why am I not surprised to hear that?"
"Sorry," Fluttershy apologized. "I just thought you should know."
"Well thanks," I said with sarcasm. "Thanks for lowering my hopes of ever seeing my sister again!"
"There's no need to get upset," Fluttershy said quietly.
"No need to get upset?" I yelled. "My sister is out there in danger, and you're telling me not to get upset?"
"Listen!" Fluttershy said a little louder. "You were right before, she isn't dead. If she's anything like you, she would've found somepony to help her. You're just focusing on the worst case scenario, and that's not going to get you anywhere." Then her voice was back to her normal pitch. "You're a brave mare, and I know you can find Set; we all do."
Then I started to settle down. "Thanks Fluttershy," I said. "I needed to hear the kind words. I know you weren't trying to hurt me, just inform me. I really gotta lighten up, don't I?"
"Maybe a little," responded Fluttershy.
A few hours later when the storm settled down, I exited Fluttershy's cottage, not without saying goodbye of course, and headed to town again. I went over to Sugarcube Corner to see if I could get a snack. That's when I saw Pinkie Pie and a lavender alicorn that seemed somewhat familiar.
"Hi Steady," said Pinkie Pie. "I haven't seen you since the party a couple of weeks ago. By the way, have you met Twilight? She's the pony that was crowned the Princess of Friendship after she took down that one creature...what was his name again?"
"Tirec," responded the lavender alicorn. "But that's all in the past."
"Which part? The princess part or Tirec?" I joked around. "Yeah, I've heard of you before, you took down Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, you're more than a princess, you're a hero."
"Thanks," Twilight said. "But I couldn't have done it without..."
"Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack and..." I cut her off, then pointed my head to Pinkie Pie finishing my sentence. "I've met them all ever since I came here to Ponyville. They're really great ponies."
"I know they are," Twilight said. "You know, you've been the talk of the town as well."
"I have?" I wondered.
"You're Ready Steady," Twilight started. "A pony from Fillydelphia who escaped from the changeling outbreak. You tried to save your family, but you put your sister Get Set on the train, and your parents didn't make it. The train took off separating you from your sister. You came here to escape the outbreak."
"I guess you know more than I thought," I said. "How did you know all that?"
"From Spike," she answered. "My Number One Assistant."
"Funny," I said. "I thought he was Rarity's Number One Assistant."
"If you've seen the way he acts around Rarity, I can see why you'd say that." Twilight said, then chuckled as I joined in.
"Wait," Pinkie Pie interrupted. "You were attacked by changelings?"
"I told you I was from Fillydelphia," I said to Pinkie. "I thought you knew."
"And now they've been attacking Baltimare, Manehattan..." Twilight said.
"...And Las Pegasus as well." I said cutting her off.
"I've been trying to find a way to take care of this situation ever since it started," Twilight started. "But I've had very little time figuring out what to do. And now that time is getting smaller and smaller, dad by day. I need to know where they're coming from so I can put a stop to it."
"You and me both," I added.
"I wanna get to know you more," said Twilight. "Why don't you come with me to my castle?"
"Okay then," I said, accepting her offer. "But I doubt there'll be much to talk about."
"I wouldn't worry about that," Twilight said. "Thanks for the fun, Pinkie."
We arrived at Twilight's castle, it was pretty big and seemed much more comforting than it looked from the outside. When we went to the throne room, it felt like I was in a childhood dream.
"Have a seat," Twilight insisted.
I sat on the throne decorated with three apples because it reminded me most of Applejack, my best friend.
"I don't know why you brought me here," I said. "You already know about what happened."
"I only knew what happened from 'Equestria Daily' and what Spike had told me," stated the princess. "I never heard your side of the story."
Then I confessed. "When this outbreak occurred, my whole family dropped what we were doing and made a run for safety. It clearly wasn't safe to be in town. It was me, my parents, and my little sister Get Set, but you probably already knew that. We found a train station, but only me and Set got to it. The changelings separated us from our parents, so I placed Set on the train so she wouldn't get hurt. I thought I could get my whole family on that train, but the changelings had other ideas. I tried to rescue them, but it was too late. After attempting to rescue them, the train was leaving the station. I couldn't get on because the train doors were shut tight and that's when me and my sister got separated from one another. Then I had to fly for a while to get here to Ponyville and avoid the changelings the best way possible." I started to tear up again, thinking about my little sister, Set.
"Don't cry," Twilight said. "I'm sure your little sister is fine."
"Yeah, if she isn't in Fillydelphia, Baltimare, Manehattan, or Las Pegasus right now," I said worryingly. Then I remember what Fluttershy told me this morning, stay positive and avoid the worst case scenario. "But if she was smart, and I'm sure she is, she would avoid those areas as much as possible."
"I'm pretty sure she'll be okay," Twilight said. "I have faith in both of you."
"Thanks for the encouragement." I said. "Anything else you wanna know?"
"Actually, I'm a little interested in the relationship you have with Get Set," Twilight suggested.
I told her as much as I could. "Ever since she was born, I was so happy to have somepony to play with. She can be a little brat sometimes, but she wouldn't be my little sister if she push my buttons every once in a while. Before the outbreak, we would always race each other by hoof or in the skies. I always played with her, talked with her, even shared a few secrets with her. She was the best thing that ever happened to me. But now that the outbreak has occurred, and she's somewhere far away..." I started to tear up again.
"I've heard enough, you don't have to say anything more," said Twilight.
Then I wiped my tears. "What else do you need to know?" I asked, then my loud tummy was growling.
"I want to know where that noise came from," Twilight insisted.
"Yeah, about that..." I said with embarrassment. "...I really wish my tummy would learn how to be quiet." I then grabbed an apple from my satchel to satisfy my stomach.
"So, you visited Sweet Apple Acres I assume," Twilight said.
"Yeah, that's where I met Applejack," I replied. "She's been my best friend ever since I escaped the outbreak."
"She's a really tough pony," Twilight stated. "She also looks out for others and has a lot of pride. I'm sure you two have a lot in common."
"Let's talk about you now," I insisted. "What did you do before you became Princess of Friendship?"
Twilight began to speak. "Well, I was one of Celestia's students and I still am today. I also used to work at the Ponyville Library, until it got destroyed. Plus, I'm also from Canterlot."
"One of Celestia's students." I noted. "That's a great goal to accomplish. Are you studying anything specific?"
"Freindship," she responded.
"Well, I guess that makes sense considering you are the Princess of Friendship," I pointed out. "Well, it was an honor meeting you Twilight Sparkle, but I'm gonna go see what I can do about my sister."
"Okay then," said Twilight as I exited the castle. "Good luck."
I made my way out of Twilight's castle and into town again. Once exited, I decided to go free-flying again. It helped get rid of any doubt of possibilities of never seeing Set again. The flight reminded me of a few good memories I made back in Fillydelphia. It felt really great to be able to fly without a single care in the world, for the time being that is. When I was done free-flying, I decided to go back to my new home in Ponyville. I made my way to the ground and landed at my doorstep. When I got inside, I had forgotten how small it was. The house just had a kitchen, living room/bedroom, and a bathroom. I was just about to get settled in when, all of the sudden, I saw a note on the kitchen counter. It said, "Meet me at Carousel Boutique. I want to have a chance to talk. Signed, Rarity." I had no idea what she wanted to talk to me about, but I felt that I'd find out shortly. But before I could go anywhere, my stomach was, once again, pleading for attention. I looked what I had in the fridge, but I remembered that the only type of food I had were apples.
"Sometimes eating the same thing isn't always a good thing," I thought to myself as I ate one of the apples I had in my satchel. Before I headed to Carousel Boutique, I did a little grocery shopping. On my way to the grocery store, I bumped into Spike.
"I'm so sorry ma'am," Spike apologized. "I just di...Oh! It's you. Steady, right?"
"Yeah," I responded. "I was just on my way over to the grocery store."
"Oh, okay," Spike replied. "If you need me, I'll be over at Rarity's."
"Actually," I began to ask. "I'm headed over to Carousel Boutique as soon as I'm done shopping. Would you tell Rarity I'll be over shortly?"
"Sure thing," Spike accepted as he hurried off.
When I got out of the grocery store, I made my way back home. I flew over to my home and put away the groceries. I bought some carrots, water, bread, peanut butter (my favorite), cookies, potatoes, and some eggs. Before I left, I made myself a carrot and peanut butter snack. "I almost forgot how much I loved peanut butter," I thought to myself as I left for the Boutique.
I entered the Boutique to be introduced to the same purple and green baby dragon I ran into earlier today. For some reason, he had his claws behind his back.
"Hi Spike," I started. "Rarity wanted to see me."
"She'll be down in a minute," Spike informed. "But can I get a chance to talk to her first? It's kind of important."
That's when I saw a red petal sticking out from behind his back. It didn't take any genius to know that he was hiding a rose behind his back and that he was planning on asking Rarity out on a date. I couldn't help but feel bad that I was interrupting, what I thought was, Spike's big moment.
"By all means. Go on ahead," I responded. He then went upstairs to talk to Rarity as I made my way inside and made myself comfortable by sitting down in the lounge chair by the corner. Sweetie Belle then came downstairs from her room and saw that I was here.
"Hi Steady," Sweetie Belle began. "Great to see you again."
"Nice to see you too, Sweetie Belle," I responded.
"Are you still looking for your sister?" asked the anxious filly.
I didn't know how to respond, so I told her what I had in mind. "I don't know where she is, and I don't want to risk getting slaughtered by those changelings. I know she's smart, and I know she'll find a safe place to stay until the outbreak is over."
"But what if she's waiting for you?" she asked. "What if she's in an infested city and just barely getting by? Or even worse..."
"Don't say it, please," I insisted. "But you do have a point I suppose. If I were her real sister, I would search high and low. Starting tomorrow morning, I'll look for her. If only I had an idea of where she could be."
I was waiting for Rarity to come down and talk to me, but she seemed to be taking longer than I thought. I was going to go up to see what was keeping her so occupied, but then Sweetie Belle notice my cutie mark and asked, "By the way, how did you get your cutie mark?"
It brought back a time when I used to bullied. But I told her anyway, "Okay, it goes like this,"
It all started back when I was in my elementary school. Most of the fillies and colts had already earned their cutie marks. It was during recess when I found out my hidden talent. During recess, I was sitting against the wall of the schoolyard, watching the pegasi flying through the sky.
"Someday, that'll be me," the filly version of myself thought aloud.
Then a colt comes up to me and asks me a rhetorical question. "Hey Steady, could you go move that cloud for me?"
Before I got a chance to respond, the colt answered for me. "Oh right, I forgot. You don't know how to fly!" Then he and everypony on the schoolyard laughed at me.
"I know how to fly," I said, making an excuse. "I just only do it at home."
"Then prove it," the colt demanded. "If you can fly, then do it right now."
Then I leapt from the ground and flapped my wings, but it was no use. I fell flat on my face. Then everypony started laughing at me again, even harder this time.
"I knew it!" another colt teased. "No cutie mark, and you can't fly! What a loser!"
I started to cry, but not enough insults made me want to tear up.
"My newborn brother can fly better than you!" the other colt insulted.
Then I made a stand for myself. "Who needs wings, when you've got hooves!"
"Are you blind?" the colt asked rhetorically as the two colts who insulted me taunted me by flying high above me. "Look at us, it's so simple! And you can't even fly an inch!"
"That's because you rely on your wings rather than your hooves," I said back. "You're too lazy to walk around on your own four hooves because you're always flying everywhere you go. I bet you I'm better off with my hooves than with my wings."
"Is that a challenge?" the colt asked with arrogance.
"I'll tell you what," I started. "I'll race you to the big tree and back. The starting line will be at the flag pole. Whoever wins will prove which is better, wings or hooves."
"You're on," the colt accepted. "I know I can beat anypony with my wings any day."
We then got the race under preparation. I was using my hooves to race and the colt was using his wings.
"On your mark," a filly counted down. "Get set, GO!"
And we had taken off. The colt got a bit of a head start, but I caught up pretty easily by the time he got to the tree. From the tree back to the flag pole, I had taken the lead by then. In the end, I had won the race, proving having hooves beats flying everywhere you go. And that's when I got my cutie mark. It looked like a horseshoe representing my athletic ability on ground. Then, the whole school had chanted my name in amazement.
"And that's how I got my cutie mark," I finished.
"That's great and all," Sweetie Belle started. "But were you really bullied as a filly?"
"I was," I replied. "But it didn't stop me from reaching my goals."
"Kind of like the Cutie Mark Crusaders," Sweetie commented. "Speaking of which, I've gotta go."
"Okay, later Sweetie," I said.
Then Spike came down from upstairs and just when he was about to exit, I stopped him for a second.
"How'd it go with Rarity?" I asked.
"It went fine," Spike said as he exited the boutique. I then heard him shout with joy and excitement.
"Steady, are you down there?" Rarity asked coming downstairs.
"Yeah, it's me." I said. Then I waited for Rarity to come downstairs. "So, what's going on between you and Spike?"
"Oh, it's nothing really," Rarity replied. "He just came up to me and asked me out to go on a date. He also gave me a rose. Such a gentledragon. I also knew about his feelings for me from the beginning so I thought I had nothing to lose."
"Good luck to the both of you," I congratulated. "So, why did you ask me to come down here in the first place?"
"Well, if I'm being completely honest," Rarity started. "I never did get to know what happened in Fillydelphia. You might have told Sweetie Belle, but she never told me anything."
"Okay, here we go again," I said with annoyance. "It was me, my sister Get Set, and my two parents. We left our house to get away from the outbreak. I found a train station that only me and Set were able to get to. My parents didn't make it, and I put my sister on the train to keep her safe. I tried to save my parents, but there were too many changelings for me to handle. Then the train started and I was separated from my sister. I escaped to Ponyville where I thought it was safe. And so far, it seems like a safe place to stay. I've had one changeling attack me in the middle of the night, or at least I thought it was a changeling."
"That sounds pretty terrible," Rarity responded. "I hope you'll find your sister."
"Sweetie Belle said I should look for her somewhere else," I brought up. "I think I might end up doing that."
"Whatever you feel is best for both of you," Rarity added. "Tell me more about Get Set, please."
Then I told her what she wanted. "She's a very energetic, adventurous filly. We used to race one another all the time. Her appearance: she's a young, yellow filly. She has a dark green mane and a cutie mark in the shaped of a cloud. She discovered her cutie mark when she was playing in the clouds, but that's all I know. I remember teaching her how to fly. She was difficult to train but wasn't one to give up so easily. That's another thing about her: she's determined. She's also friendly, brave, and really, really nice. Basically, she's a younger version of myself."
"Well, I wish the best of luck to you finding her," Rarity said.
"And I wish the best of luck to you and Spike," I said with a little chuckle.
I headed back home and made myself something to eat and then went to bed. Later on, throughout the night, something didn't feel right. When I gained a full vision of my surroundings, I was surrounded by a bunch of changelings in my own home. What was going on?
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.
A new issue of Equestria Daily had been off the press this morning. As I read the paper, the picture with Get Set's face caught my attention. At first I cheered with joy, then I panicked a bit knowing that she was in a city filled with changelings all by herself. I made my way over to the train station to find Set and take her back home with me, but when I hurried my way over there, I bumped into somepony. When I got up to continue to the train station, I realized the pony I ran into had an orange coat and a blonde mane. I didn't take me long to realize who I ran into.
"Applejack," I said. "I know where Set is. I knew she was still alive."
"Ah know," Applejack realizes. "Ah just saw the paper this mornin'. Ah shouldn't have doubted ya before."
"It's fine," I had forgiven her. "As long as she's still alive, that's all I need to know. I was gonna head over to the train station to go to Vanhoover to find Set."
"Do ya really think the train will depart to Vanhoover after what just happened?" Applejack asked.
"I have no choice," I answered. "It's either leave her to die or come to her rescue, and I'm not letting anypony else die because these changelings find this satisfying."
"In that case, Ah wanna come with ya," Applejack demanded.
"I appreciate your help, but this is my mess. I'm should be the only one to go," I said.
"This is my way of makin' it up to ya," Applejack said. "Ah'm helpin' ya find Set and Ah ain't takin' 'no' for an answer."
"Alright, you can come," I said, giving in.
"Thanks Steady," Applejack said.
We went to the train station to see if there were any tickets to go to Vanhoover, and thankfully the departure was available, but nopony boarded the trip. So we went up to the ticket window.
"Two tickets to Vanhoover, please," I asked the stallion behind the window.
"Vanhoover?" the stallion asked with concern. "Are you sure?"
"Her little sis is in Vanhoover," Applejack argued. "Please just do us a favor."
"Okay then," the stallion said, still with concern. "That'll be 10 bits per ticket."
"Here you are," I said, handing over the bits required for me and Applejack to ride the train. We then waited outside for the train to arrive. Once the train had arrived we boarded it, knowing what we were up against. The train took off, and I could just feel Set in my arms again.
"Once ya find Set, what're ya gonna do next?" Applejack asked.
"Don't worry, we're staying in Ponyville," I responded. "I just want to know where she's gonna be when we get there."
"If she's smart, probably somewhere safe," answered Applejack. Then there had been a long moment of silence that lasted for only a couple of minutes until I finally broke that silence.
"Applejack..." I started. "Let's say something doesn't go right with my search. If anything happens to me, while I'm looking for Get Set, I want you to take care of her. Promise?"
"Ah promise," Applejack confirmed.
"Pinkie Promise?" I asked again.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Applejack promised.
"Thanks AJ," I responded. "I'm glad I to meet somepony like you."
"Ya got a little filly to take care of," Applejack stated. "How could I say 'no'?" Then, I gave her a friendly hug as the train kept moving.
When we arrived in Vanhoover, the place looked completely demolished, as if it were struck by a bomb. I couldn't believe that the changelings had done all of this, and this is coming from one of the victims of the apocalypse. There were very few ponies left in the city as far as I could tell.
"Celestia," Applejack exclaimed. "This is...Ah-Ah don't even..." It was obvious she was speechless.
"Being one of the victims of this monstrosity, you think you'd be used to this kind of destruction," I said.
"Let's not focus on their work," Applejack insisted. "We need to find Set."
"Right," I agreed. "Let's go talk to the survivors, see what they know." And that's exactly what we set out to do. It didn't take a genius to know that there weren't that many ponies left in the city. But that didn't stop my search, and who knows, maybe there might be ponies that do know about my little sister. We started by visiting a few households to see if anypony was home, but nopony was home. As we continued, we did see some ponies and asked them if they knew anything about Set.
"Excuse me, sir," I said, trying to get the citizen's attention. "Have you seen a filly with a yellow coat and a dark green mane?"
"Sorry," the stallion responded. "I can't say that I have."
"Oh, well thanks anyway," I replied.
We continued to walk along the streets of Vanhoover as me and Applejack conversed with one another.
"I know we will," I responded. "It's only a matter of time when we do."
We came across several ponies, asking them where my sister could be, but none of them seemed to scan across a single pony that matched my description of Get Set. At this point I wanted to give up, but I knew what was at stake if I did, which motivated me to keep looking for her. We then came across another mare who I was hoping could help us.
"Excuse me, miss," I said to the mare. "You wouldn't happen to see a filly happen to walk across these parts now, would you?"
"Is she a pegasus that has a yellow coat, a dark green mane, and a lightning bolt for a cutie mark?" the mare asked, fitting Get Set's description perfectly.
"Yeah, do you know where she is?" I asked with hope.
"Last I saw her, she ran off in that direction," the mare said, pointing in the direction Set had ran off to.
"Thank you, so much," I said with happiness.
We then ran to the eastern side of town, where Set had ran off to. It looked pretty empty with absolutely no ponies around. I don't know why Set would run off here, it just didn't seem that safe for her to be hiding from the changelings. Then, a thought came to mind, "Why are there no changelings in Vanhoover if the town looked so destroyed." My only guess was that the changelings attacked just last night, but I had to focus on why I'm here, to find Set.
"This doesn't seem like the type of place Set should be wandering in," I mentioned.
"So why would that mare say she ran off somewhere in this area?" Applejack asked.
"I don't know, AJ" I responded. "But at least bits and pieces of information are better than no information at all."
"Yer right about that," AJ admitted. "Well, we might as well keep lookin'."
In that area, we searched high and low on the streets and no sign of the filly anywhere. Then I saw another stallion and thought that he would know something about my little sister. So we went up and asked the stallion.
"Excuse us, sir," I said to the stallion. "Can you help us?"
"What can I do for you?" the stallion asked.
"We're lookin' for a filly yea high with a yellow coat, a dark green mane, and a lightning bolt cutie mark. Does any of that look familiar to ya?"
"Now that I think about it, I think I might have seen a filly like that run into that convenience store just across from here," the stallion said, pointing his hoof at the convenience store Set was hiding in. We also noticed that the entrance had been sealed off by some debris from the incident. "Good luck getting in there," the stallion said again.
"Thank you," I said with graciousness. We then headed on over to the convenience store the stallion was describing. As soon as we got there, we tried to figure out a way to get in there.
"Well, it's obvious that debris isn't going anywhere," I stated. "Maybe the back door?"
"Worth a shot," Applejack agreed.
When we walked around the building to get to the back door, we saw another changeling, and this one was vicious as it attacked my right hip with its fangs.
"Aaaahhh!!!" I screamed in pain. "Applejack! A little help here!"
"Get away from her ya monster!" Applejack cried at the monster as she bucked it in the face. The changeling then retreated from causing any further pain.
"Thanks AJ," I said. "It looks like that thing got its fangs into me pretty deep."
"Are ya gonna be okay?" Applejack asked.
"Don't worry about it," I told her. "I've been through worse. C'mon, let's just see if we can get in." We then tried to open the back door, and sure enough, it's locked.
"Well, what now?" I asked.
"Let's try the windows," Applejack suggested.
"Yeah, good idea," I commented. We then tried opening the windows, but they wouldn't budge. Just when we were about to give up, one more idea came to mind.
"What if I flew up to the roof of the building and see if there's a way in?" I suggested.
"It's our only option left," Applejack noted. "Do what ya gotta do, Ah guess."
I flew my way up to the top of the building and tried to find my way inside the convenience store. While looking, I saw another changeling that attacked me just as good, if not more than the last one. This time, it attacked my wing with its fangs.
"Aaaaaahhhhh!!!" I screamed again. "GET. OFF. OF. ME!!!" I then got the changeling off my wings and attacked it until it's had enough.
"Steady, are ya okay?" Applejack cried out.
"I'm fine." I yelled back, then talked to myself. "If only I could say the same for my wing." I tried flapping it, and it hurt every time I did. I didn't even know if I would be able to fly my way back out of the convenience store once I found way in, at least. I did see a hole on the top of the building, so I made my way inside. I jumped in and I landed perfectly on all four of my hooves. The impact hurt a little, but it was all worth it to reunite myself with Set. I then called out, "Set! Set, are you in here?"
"Steady, is that you?" a voice came out from behind the counter.
"Yeah, it's me," I confirmed. "You can come out."
Without hesitation, she came out from under the counter and gave me the biggest hug in the whole wide world.
"Oh Steady, I'm so glad to see you again!" Set said happily, then she noticed my blood marks. "Steady, you're bleeding!"
"I'll be okay Set," I insisted. "Right now, we gotta find a way out of here. How did you get in here in the first place?"
"I got in through the entrance," Set explained. "But now all that stuff is blocking the way."
"I got in through that hole up there," I said. "Can you fly up that high?"
"I'll try," she said. She tried multiple times to fly up to where the hole was and only reached half that height every single time. "It's no use, I can't do it."
"Alright, well I guess I'll..." I started, then I felt a little light-headed.
"You'll what?" Set asked.
"...I'll help you up that hole," I finished.
"Okay then," Set said. "I know that your wing is bleeding and all, but do you think you can carry me up by flying me there?"
"I'm willing to do anything," I said, letting her know I'd protect her with my life. As I got a hold of Set, I tried flying to the hole, but my right wing was doing all the work. My left wing wouldn't do anything, "Well, we know we're not gonna get up there like that," I stated. "How about that crate, we can use it to hoist you up a little better."
"It's worth a shot," Set agreed. We then push the crate from the wall that was covering the back door to the revealing spot that was shown by the ceiling. It took a while, given my physical condition, but we finally got it in place. "I still don't think I can reach it Steady," Set mentioned. That's when we found more boxes from behind the counter Set was hiding behind. We grabbed them and used them as stairs to get up to the crate and make the escape. "I hope this works," Set said. She then made her way up the boxes and onto the crate. Once on the crate, she flew up and out of the convenience store. "I did it!" Set cheered.
"That's...that's great." I said, still feeling light-headed from the blood loss.
"Are you okay?" Set wondered.
"I-I'll be okay," I replied, trying not to worry her.
"Alright, your turn," Set responded.
I slowly got up the boxes no problem, but when I was climbing up to get on the crate, I fell off and passed out.
Moments later, I regained consciousness and saw Set trying to wake me up and the amount of blood I lost while I was out.
"Steady, wake up!" Set said with hope. "Please don't be dead!"
"Set..." I started. "Wha...What happened?"
"I think you passed out," Set explained.
"I...uh...I don't know if...if I'll make it," I said directly to Set.
"Don't say that!" Set cried out with concern. "You need to get up, please get up!"
I tried to get up but it was no use; I ended up falling flat on my flank. "I can't Set," I said.
"No, no, no, no, no! Please get up, I know you can!" Set said, cheering me on.
I tried one last time to get on my hooves and make my escape with Get Set, but I was too weak to continue onward. "I'm sorry Set," I apologized. "I really wish it didn't have to end this way."
"It can't end like this, not like this!" Set said, not wanting to believe I was going to die. Then she started to cry.
"Come here Set," I said as she followed my command, giving me a hug in addition. "We...both know that...I'm not...gonna make it. I...I hate to even say it...but you need to...leave me behind."
"I can't, I...I won't," Set argued.
"You don't have a choice," I fought back. "You know...what you have to do."
"It's not fair," Set pouted. "First, my mommy and daddy, and now my big sister. What's gonna happen to our family?"
"The only way...to keep our family whole...is to never forget about them," I told her. "Can you do that?"
"Don't worry, I will," Set promised.
"Here, take this," I said, handing Set over my satchel. "It's got apples, bits, and the family photo. All the stuff you'll need."
"Thanks Steady," Set replied as she was about to make her way out, but before she did, I stopped to let her know something.
"One more thing," I told her. "There's a mare out there with a...blonde mane and...an orange coat. Her name's...Applejack and she's gonna...take care of you from now on. You're gonna love her."
"Alright then," Set said.
"Before I go...there's one other thing...I have to tell you," I said, trying to get her attention before I passed away.
"What's that?" Set asked.
"I...love you..." Those were my final words before I died.
Set sniffled, cried, and said, "I love you too, Steady." She then made her way out of the convenience store. Once on the roof, she jumped from there and gently flew her way down to the ground where she met Applejack for the first time.
"Howdy, y'all must be Get Set," Applejack assumed. "Ready Steady's been talkin' an awful lot about ya. Speakin' of which, where is she?"
Set started to cry again when she heard her sister's name and given what happened to her. Applejack took the hint.
"She didn't make it, did she?" Applejack asked in confirmation.
Set shook her head in agreement while still sobbing.
"There, there," Applejack said calmingly. "Everythin's gonna be alright. Steady said that if anything went wrong in findin' ya, that Ah should be the one to take care of ya. Ya do trust me, right?"
Set, once again, shook her head to let Applejack know what Set thought of her.
"Don't ya worry," Applejack assured. "Ya're in good hooves now."
They then made their way over to the train station where Get Set would go home with Applejack and see the city of Ponyville for her very first time. But one thing will never, ever, leave her mind: that I, Ready Steady, will always still be in her heart.