STRANDED Ch. 10-

Apple Jack opened her eyes, seeing nothing but the star-lit sky. "Was... it all a dream?" she asked herself. "Heh, of course it was Apple Jack." she reassured herself. "Still though, ah can't help but feel like that dream meant something. Something important." She picked herself up and sat on the beach, thinking about the dream she had just dreamed, when she suddenly heard her name being called in the distance.

"Apple Jack! Apple Jack!" the voice repeated as it came closer.

"Is that... Apple Bloom?" Just before she could call back, the two young fillies came crashing out of the jungles edge in front of the still somewhat groggy work pony. "Hey there guys." she said with a yawn. "What y'all up to?"

"Apple Jack... come quick... It's Scootaloo... She's been in a... terrible accident." the frantic little Apple Bloom told as she was catching her breath.

"What? An accident? What kind of accident?" Apple Jack inquired, going from groggy to as alert as a hawk watching her baby hatchlings.

"No time!" Sweetie Bell stated. "You have to go save her before it's too late!"

"Where are they?"

"Just go straight forward and you will find them." Apple Bloom said, now somewhat recovered from the run.

As soon as Apple Bloom got the words out, Apple Jack was running full speed towards where they stated the poor Scootaloo was and didn't stop for anything, not even to think that she had just left the two exhausted fillies by themselves on the dark, creepy beach with no way to defend themselves if anything were to attack them...

"NO!" screamed the sad, pink party pony. "Don't you die on me!" She was holding Scootaloo, who was now only taking in one second breaths. "Rarity, what do we do?" Pinkie asked, turning to her friend who was still holding Twilight down by the neck.

"I don't know!" Rarity retorted. "Just don't let her stop breathing until Apple Jack gets here!"

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh..." Fluttershy was telling herself as she rocked back and forth in fetal position, holding her legs with her hooves and crying her eyes out.

"Fluttershy! You're good with caring for animals! Get over here and help me!" Pinkie was the angriest she had ever been in her life. "NOW!" she screamed.

"O...O.K." Fluttershy whimpered as she ever so slowly went to Pinkie Pie who was still holding poor Scootaloo. She approached the side of Pinkie Pie and saw the little filly's condition, the sight of which made her want to puke. "Ummm... O.K. Just, ummm... set her down and ummm... ummm..."

"SPIT IT OUT!" Pinkie roared at the scared Fluttershy, causing her to faint. "Oh great, just great!" Pinkie said, obviously agitated. In that instant, Scootaloo stopped breathing, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her heart pumped its last pump.

Pinkie watched as life slowly left the young filly. Pinkie's eyes teared up. All the anger went straight to sadness. Pinkie sat there, holding the small lifeless body of a filly, just in her prime, and cried as she heard a rustle in the bushes...

"Don't worry little Scootaloo, ah'm on my way!" Apple Jack told herself as she ran as hard as she could.

While she was running, she could hear Pinkie yelling at Fluttershy. "It's not far now Apple Jack, it's not far now..."

"Apple Bloom, can't we stop and take a break?" Sweetie Bell asked.

"No, Sweetie bell. We have to go see if Scootaloo comes out of this O.K." Apple Bloom responded.

"Oh, alright." Sweetie bell grunted as they ran.

"Don't be like that Sweetie Bell. You know she would do the same for you." Apple Bloom retorted.

"I know that, but I'm just so tired." Sweetie Bell whined. Apple Bloom turned around and faced Sweetie Bell with tears in her eyes.

"Our friend could be dead and you wanna stop and rest because you're just a little bit tired? I thought you were better than that, but I must have been wrong." The words may just as well have been a sword that cut straight through her heart.

"I'm... sorry Apple Bloom. I wasn't thinking." Sweetie Bell said with her head down, fighting her emotions so she wouldn't cry in front of her friend. Apple Bloom's anger turned to sympathy.

"It's O.K. Sweetie Bell. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I'm just a bit stressed out."

"Me too, Apple Bloom. You're not the onlypony possibly losing a friend here..."

"Ah'm here!" Apple Jack yelled as she breached the bushes. "Where's Scootaloo?" she asked. As her eyes looked at the scene, they started to cloud up. To the right she could see the motionless body of a cyan, rainbow maned pony and to her left, a flat maned pink pony holding the lifeless body of a young, orange filly. Off distantly in the middle was Rarity holding down and what looked like suffocating, a purple unicorn. "No... Pinkie, is she..." Pinkie turned, a stream of tears down her face, and simply closed her eyes and nodded.

"Ah... was too late..." Apple Jack hung her head down and let the drops fall. "Ah could of saved her... ah could have prevented all of this..." Just then she heard a rustle in the bushes just behind her. "It must be the two young'uns." Apple Jack said with a heavy heart. "This won't end well..." she said to herself...

"C'mon, Sweetie Bell. I bet Scootaloo's just fine now that Apple Jack's there." Apple Bloom reassured her friend.

"I really hope so Apple Bloom, I really hope so..."