STRANDED- Ch. 2- *FLASHBACK*
It was a normal sunny spring day in the small little town of Ponyville and Twilight had decided to pay her good friend Pinkie Pie a visit today since things have been somewhat slow around town the past few weeks. Twilight strolled around town speaking to everyone she met until she had finally reached her destination. Surgarcube Corner. She entered the front door and was warmly greeted by her friends employers and landlords, Mr. and Mrs. Cake.
"Hello Twilight. How can we help you today?" asked Mrs. Cake, who seemed to have a small hint of weariness in her voice.
"Hello Mrs. Cake, is Pinkie Pie around?" Twilight asked.
"She is in the basement taking inventory." said Mrs. Cake. "She has been very eager to see you but has been so caught up in her work that she usually just goes upstairs and plops onto her bed and sleeps the day away."
"Is she OK?" asked Twilight.
"Oh, she's fine, just keeping herself busy. Things have been kind of slow lately."
"Yea, I understand how that goes." Twilight stated.
Twilight opened the old basement door and swiftly traveled down the stairs. Pinkie seemed to be just finishing taking her inventory. "Sooo... lets see. That s twelve crates of sugar and nine crates of flour... or was it eight... oh well, guess I will have to count it again. One, two..."
"Hey there Pinkie. How's it going?"
"TWILIGHT!" screamed Pinkie pie, obviously happy to see her friend "I'm so glad you came by."
"Why? What s wrong?"
"Oh... nothing s wrong now that you're here! I was wondering if you would like to go on an adventure with me."
"An adventure?" Twilight was skeptical. "What kind of adventure?"
"Well see, Mr. and Mrs. Cake got this rather large order of super extravagant treats to be delivered across seas to one of our countries allies and they want ME to deliver it!"
"Why wouldn t they just hire someone else to do it?"
"Well, things have been a tiny bit boring lately and... I might of had a little something to do with it." Pinkie smiled. "Anyway, I was wondering if you would like to tag along?"
Twilight thought about it. "I don't know."
"OH, PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEEEEEEEEASE!"
"Oh all right, I guess I can have spike look after things while I'm gone."
"YAY! Oh and we can invite Fluttershy and Rarity and Apple Jack and... OOOOH this is going to be fun!" Pinkie was literally jumping of the walls with excitement. "And we can even invite Scootaloo and her friends!"
"Whoa there Pinkie Pie, I don't think that s a good idea."
"Maybe you're right... still it can't hurt to try! Besides, it is a way for them to see new places and learn a thing or two!
"Oh, Pinkie..."
"So it's settled. We will all deliver the treats next week. Oh I hope Dash and the rest of them can come too..."
The week seemed to blow right by. Everyone was waiting at the edge of the Everfree Forest for Twilight, who was last to arrive. Pinkie was the first to speak.
"So lets see, is everypony here? Dash, A.J., Fluttershy, Twilight, Rarity, Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell, Applebloom, and ME! Looks like everypony is here."
Dash spoke. "So what is it exactly that we are doing?"
"Delivering sweets, of course." Pinkie said.
"Where are the sweets then?"
"Waiting for us at the port sillyhead, though I dont think sweets can wait. Do sweets have feelings? I hope not. All those poor sweets getting eaten. It must hurt them alot."
Twilight sighed. "Oh Pinkie..."
The group of ponies set out through the Everfree forest with no problems at all, everypony finally doing something other than the same old boring routine. They arrived at the harbor in no time with Pinkie leading the way, being the only one with a map through the Everfree Forest. The air had a salty taste to it and the breeze was light.
"So why are we doing this again, big sis?" Asked Applebloom.
"It's somethin' better to do than ta jus' sit around and do nothin'."
"What about buckin' apples?"
"Let Macintosh handle that on his own for a bit. I needed a break from the same 'ol same old."
"I guess... but delivering treats don't sound to much fun either."
"C'mon sis, it won't be that bad. You will get to see what kinds of different places are out there and maybe learn ya a somethin'."
The boat was an old, rusted piece of junk, but the group boarded slowly without regard to its condition one by one, Pinkie being the first one on.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cake used to always sell their goods to other countries." said Pinkie Pie as she was helping the others on the boat. "They still get the occasional request to export their wonderful treats, but rarely take the offers."
"Wow.." said Sweetie Bell, "I've never been on a boat before."
"None of us have." said Twilight
"W-we aren't going to see any monsters, are we?" asked Fluttershy who seemed a bit scared.
"Don't be silly." said Twilight.
"Yes dear, don't worry. I'm sure that Pinkie wouldn't have invited us if there was going to be anything wrong." said Rarity confidently.
"Oh I would never have taken this job if I had known there would be anything like that." said Pinkie as she was helping the last pony on, who happened to be Scootaloo. "Now then," said Pinkie Pie now that everyone was on the boat. "Now that everypony is here, I would like to tell you something before we leave." Everypony was gathered around Pinkie Pie, listening intently.
"There is a place we will be passing through though called the Buckmuda Triangle." Pinkie was serious at this point, which only made everypony pay even more attention. "They say there is some kind of strange magic around this area that makes pegasi unable to fly, unicorns unable to use magic, and earth ponies weaker than normal..." Then, suddenly, Pinkie smiled and jumped, which kinda scared everypony. "But those are nothing but old ponytales the Cakes used to tell me."
And with that, they were off with Pinkie Pie at the wheel and everypony wondering if what she said was really just an old ponytale...
It was later that night and most everypony was asleep, except for Rainbow Dash who was looking up at the sparkling stars. She was just getting some fresh air on deck when she heard a familiar soft voice call from the shadows. She turned around.
"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb." It was Fluttershy.
"No. It's alright. Care to join me?" said Rainbow Dash, patting her hoof beside her to indicate Fluttershy to sit next to her.
Fluttershy sat beside her lifelong friend and together looked up at the stars that so brightly shined this night. Fluttershy had came out here for a reason. She had wanted to ask Rainbow what she thought of the Triangle and if she believed any of it. After a while, she finally got up and asked.
"What do you think about this whole Buckmuda thing?"
Rainbow seemed surprised at the question. "What do you mean? You don't actually believe any of that stuff, do you?"
"Well, um, no well I mean, kinda... I mean... yes."
Rainbow sighed "Well, whatever happens, I'm sure we will all come out of it just fine. Its getting kind of late. How about we get some shut eye."
Fluttershy nodded. "Agreed."
And so the two said their goodnights to each other and went to their beds, both wondering what exactly would happen once they reached the triangle...
The next day everypony seemed a bit on edge. After making sure everything was accounted for and that none of the treats were missing or tainted, Pinkie went and checked their current location using the some navigational tools.
"Ok gang, we are about to enter the triangle." said Pinkie to the group of ponies. Fluttershy was shaking and nervous.
"It's O.K. Fluttershy, I'm sure nothing will change." assured Scootaloo who had not the slightest bit of fear in her voice.
"Okie Dokie, we should be entering in about three... two... one..."
BAM!
Applebloom, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all slammed face first into the ground.
"What the hay just happened?" asked Applejack after she was able to roll over.
"I don't know." said Pinkie Pie rubbing her face with her shoulder. "But I can hardly move. Who turned up the gravity?"
All of a sudden a leak sprung from where Applejack's face bashed into the ground.
"Quickly, Dash go get the tools from my cabin at the top of the boat. We need to fix this leak and fast." yelled the immobile Pinkie.
"I'm on it!" Dash jumped and tried to spread her wings to fly, only to have them magically bound to her, and so tripped over herself as a result.
"Dash!" yelled Twilight. "Are you alright?"
"What... what happened? Why can't I use my wings?"
"Maybe it's some kind of binding spell, I've read books on spells like this. Just hold still while it try and fix it but in the meantime," she turned to Scootaloo. "I want you to go and get the tools Pinkie needs to fix this leak." The hole was gushing water now and the boat started to sink ever so slowly.
"Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh..." Fluttershy kept repeating to herself as Scootaloo ran right by her to go get the equipment.
"Fluttershy, my dear, calm down. We are going to fix this, don't... you worry one bit." said Rarity with uncertainty in her voice.
Along came Scootaloo with a bucket of various tools.
"Tell me what I need to do." said Scootaloo to Pinkie Pie who still couldn t get off the ground.
"I can't move so I'm going to walk you through it OK?"
Scootaloo nodded.
"Why can't I use my magic?" screamed Twilight as she tried her hardest to try and help her flightless friend. "Maybe what Pinkie said about the triangle was true... NO, that's just a ponytale. This whole area couldn t be cursed... could it." It was hard for her to focus with Scootaloo hitting the hammer on nails trying to repair the leak.
"I never said it was a curse." said Pinkie.
"UGH! It's no use." said Scootaloo. "Every time I hit the nail it bends. The last time I hit, the hammer broke in half."
"That s not good." said Applejack.
"ABANDON SHIP!" Yelled Rarity.
"NO! I won't leave the Cakes order of sweets to be lost at sea." said Pinkie still on the ground but in a sitting position.
"We don't have a choice." said Twilight.
"I agree, lets get off this boat before it completely goes under." stated Rarity.
"But..." said Pinkie who gave the saddest look she could to Twilight.
"I'm sorry pinkie. That's the way it has to be." Twilight boldly stated.
The group of nine all tried to fit themselves into a single inflatable lifeboat. As they were jumping on, Sweetie Bell tripped just before she jumped into the lifeboat, thus causing her horn to pierce the boat resulting in it deflating, making everypony on it lose balance and fall into the water. Applebloom was apparently hit her head so hard on the initial bash when they entered that she was unconscious the whole time.
"Applebloom, wake up!" yelled Dash. "Get up!"
The little pony winced. "Owwww... my head."
"Get ready to swim." said Dash.
"What?" Before she had time to think, she realized her chin was wet with sea water and immediately tried to move. "I- I can't move!" water almost in her mouth.
"Don't worry." said Rainbow Dash picking her up and setting Applebloom on her back to carry her. "I gotcha."
Apple Jack and Pinkie also needed assistance and was being carried by Fluttershy and Rarity.
Everypony was now swimming in the spot where there had at one time been a boat.
"What now everypony?" asked Twilight.
"Hey, what s that?" said Scootaloo looking to Twilight's right. There was a faint haze of green in the distance.
"An island?" said Rarity.
"I don't know, but I do know that whatever is over there has got to be better than sitting here and doing nothing. Fluttershy, take the young fillies and Dash, get Pinkie. Rarity I'm sure you can carry Apple Jack. Now everypony swim..."