STRANDED Ch.7-
It was a warm and sunny day on the Apple family's farm. The roosters were crowing and the pigs were squealing. Apple Jack jumped out of her bed and crashed on the floor, causing a stir in the Apple household. As she sat up, rubbing her head with her front right hoof, the door to her bedroom bust open. "Apple Jack, you O.K.?" asked Big Macintosh, standing in the doorway.
"Yea, ah'm fine. Just hit mah head when I fell-" she stopped herself in mid sentence. "Wait, what's going on? Why am I here? Where's the island?"
Apple Jack demanded as her eyes darted back and forth around the room.
"What are you talkin' about sis?" Big Mac had a puzzled look to his face. "How hard did you hit your head?"
"We were all stranded on an island in the Buckmuda Triangle. Me, Twilight, Rainbow Dash-" Big Mac cut her off.
"Wait, wait, wait... Rainbow Dash?" the mere statement struck Apple Jack dumb.
"Don't you stand there and tell me that you don't know my friend Rainbow Dash. She's the one with a rainbow mane? Cocky attitude? Blue skin?"
Macintosh just sat there and shook his head. "You mean... you really don't know?"
"Nope." Big Macintosh answered. Apple Jack knew that he wouldn't lie to her, but she couldn't understand why he was denying ever knowing her friend.
"Oh... alright. Anyway, how are my friends?" inquired Apple Jack.
"How the hay should I know Apple Jack?"
"Ahh, horse apples to ya then. Ah go and see 'em myself." She brushed past him. "Thanks for nothin'." she headed for the stairs and started going down when she heard a soft whimper in the distance. She turned to see the origin of the cries when she noticed that they were coming from Apple Bloom's room. "Wonder what's got her hair in a tussle." she whispered to herself as she started towards her sister's room. She treaded softly as to not disrupt her little sister's behavior. The closer she got to the room the louder the soft whimpers became until they were full out cries of sadness and sorrow.
Apple Jack peeked through the keyhole of the door and saw before her Apple Bloom with her face buried in her pillow, wallowing as the tears flowed from her eyes. Apple Jack slowly opened the and and called out calmly, "Apple Bloom, you O.K.?"
Apple Blooms face turned fire red as she turned her neck sharply at her older sibling. "GET OUT!" she screamed as to threaten pain upon Apple Jack if she dared come closer. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" lashed the young filly who was ready to draw blood if Apple Jack moved one step closer.
"Whoa there, little filly. What's wrong?" the puzzled orange work pony asked as she stood frozen in fear of what Apple Bloom might do.
"Why Apple Jack, WHY? Because of you and your selfish pride, we now have one less pony to love and it's all your fault!" roared the angry Apple Bloom as the sight of A.J. only fueled her anger.
"What in the hay are you talkin' 'bout, Apple Bloom?" asked Apple Jack as she slowly back away in fear of what was to come next. "What have ah done to upset ya so bad?"
Apple Bloom lost her cool and screamed at the terrified work pony. "IF YOU HAVE TO ASK SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU'RE MORE OF A SELF INTWINED SNOB THAN I THOUGHT!" her energy spent, her anger turned to tears. "Just... just leave me alone..." Apple Bloom said, head hung and tears falling from her cheeks. Apple Jack closed the door and started back down the stairs, wondering what Apple Bloom meant and why she felt so bad all of a sudden.
"What's with everypony today? First, Big Mac swears he don't know Rainbow Dash and now Apple Bloom's angry with me for something I didn't do? Ah don t' understand. Maybe mah friends will be able to help me figure this out..." and with that being said she opened her front door and started down the dirt path to Ponyville in hopes that her friends had the answers to her problems...
"No..." Twilight whispered. "No... no... no..." she kept repeating as she held the crimson-stained carcass of what was once a beautiful cyan pegasus, now was a lifeless lump that seemed to stare into her very soul as it laid there, motionless, with eyes wide open. "This can't be happening... I refuse to believe that it's happening..." Rarity came to Twilights side and placed her front hoof on her friends shoulder to try and soothe some of the pain they all felt in their hearts about their untimely cyan colored friend.
"It's O.K. Twilight. You... did the best you could." Rarity tried to convince Twilight into believing. Twilight jerked at the touch of Rarity's hoof and started to pace the ground, trying to process what had just happened in her mind to no avail. Her mind couldn't comprehend it, or it just didn't want to, but Rainbow's last words kept playing through her mind over and over and over.
Her mind was racing. Her train of thought derailing. Days of keeping composure, listening to people fight, figuring out how to get off the island, and now... losing one of her best friends...
She snapped.
She fell to her knees, hung her head low, and cried. Her eyes flowed like a river of tears. Her friends saw what was happening and decided to try and comfort their friend, who so desperately needed their help now more than ever. Just as they were around her, she jumped back.
Twilight's eyes flared, bloodshot with anger. She fixed herself into position, reared back, and charged the group of ponies...
As the orange work pony walked through the small town of Ponyville, she noticed that it was unusually empty for some reason. 'That's weird.' she thought to herself as she saw her destination. Sugarcube Corner. She was ready to meet her good friend Pinkie when she all of a sudden heard yelling from inside the store. "HERE!" Pinkie screamed as she threw down an apron. "I NEVER LIKED WORKING FOR YOU ANYWAY!"
"Pinkie Pie, what's going on?" she asked the flat maned party pony as she stormed out of the bakery. The sight of apple Jack didn't seem to raise her mood. "Where is everypony?"
Pinkie Pie turned her nose up, "Why would you care, huh?" The words struck A.J. harder than if you launched a brick at her from a catapult.
"Pinkie... why is everypony being so hateful to me..." Apple Jack looked at the ground.
"You know darn well why everypony is upset with you!" exclaimed the furious party pony. She slowly calmed herself and spoke a bit more clearly. "If you hurry you can still make the service..." Pinkie said in a lower, depressing tone.
"Service? What service?" the words about made Pinkie Pie cry, she winced her head at the end of that sentence. What was said next almost made Apple Jack want to just be struck down there and then.
Pinkie held up a hoof in some direction as she said those five horrible words.
"The one for Rainbow Dash..."