Reception in Dodge

The three fillies continued to fly in a V formation with Fluttershy in the lead. They had no idea where they currently were, but that didn't stop them.

“How long do you think we've been flying for?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“No idea,” answered Scarlet. “Probably a few hours.”

“Do you actually have a place in mind for us to go?” Rainbow asked apprehensively.

Slightly embarrassed, Scarlet answered, “Not exactly. I was hoping Cloudsdale would be closer to civilization when we left, but it looks like we're in the middle of nowhere. In the dark, it's impossible for me to tell where we even are.”

Rainbow wore a confused look on her face. “What do you mean 'you were hoping it would be closer'? I thought you knew where it is on the map.”

“Cloudsdale is an exception. It constantly drifts all around Equestria throughout the year.” Scarlet explained.

“Clouds don't move on their own!” Rainbow protested.

“This one does. Shortly after the founding of Equestria, Commander Hurricane requested that the unicorns cast a spell on their beloved ancestral home. This spell did two things. First, it caused the city of Cloudsdale to drift around Equestria, like I said before. Second, it gave all pegasi the ability to locate it by instinct, in case they had to leave on important missions. Haven't you two noticed by now that you know exactly how to get back to Cloudsdale from here?”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked behind them. Even though it was pitch black out, they knew the exact direction to Cloudsdale, and exchanged looks of wonder.

“The pegasi did this as a strategic form of defense. They were known to be a great warrior race, after all. We learned about this in History last year, Rainbow. Weren't you paying attention at all?” Scarlet asked.

“What do you think?”

Scarlet chuckled, remembering all the times she heard Rainbow Dash snoring behind her during Social Studies lessons.

“Umm, Scarlet? I'm so sorry to be a bother, but we've been flying for such a long time. I'm very tired, is there any way we can rest for the night?” asked Fluttershy.

“I'd love to, but I don't really feel comfortable sleeping in the middle of this place. We have no idea what's on the ground. I might be more comfortable if I knew where we were on the map.” Scarlet said.

Then, seeing just how tired Fluttershy was, she relented slightly.

"How about I take the lead, Fluttershy? That way, you can rest a little in my wake."

Grateful, Fluttershy drifted to the back, while Scarlet made her way to the front.

Moments later, the three of them heard a strange noise in the distance. It sounded like a deep whistle of some sort. Scarlet looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a faint light, approaching them slowly. As it got closer, Scarlet began to realize what it was. Suddenly, an idea formed in her mind.

“What is that thing?” asked Rainbow Dash.

By now, the object was so close, that the three of them could make out the distinct shape of the locomotive.

“It's called a train,” answered Scarlet, “and it might be the solution to both of our problems. Follow me!”

The three of them dove down towards the train. As they got closer, the noise became louder, until the entire train was in plain sight.

Scarlet spotted an open window on the caboose of the train. “I think the three of us can fit in there,” Scarlet shouted over the sound of the train, gesturing towards the window she had in mind. “We just need to be quick.”

“Oh, I got this!” said Rainbow brashly, and she swooped down. With some smart maneuvering on her part, Rainbow landed safely in the opening with ease.

“Great,” stated Scarlet. “Alright, Fluttershy. Your turn!”

Fluttershy looked at the train as if it were some ferocious beast waiting to consume her. It was apparent that Fluttershy would not be convinced to fly towards it, and Scarlet quickly caught on to this. Aware of the fact that they were limited on time, she grabbed hold of Fluttershy's tail, and pulled her towards the window. She managed to get Fluttershy into the train unharmed, but due to the awkward positioning, Scarlet lost her balance and crash landed inside. Fortunately, she didn't injure herself in the landing, and all three of them were safely inside the train. Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, I'm so sorry!” uttered Fluttershy. “I didn't want you to hurt yourself, I was just so terrified.”

“It's fine,” Scarlet responded. She got up and brushed herself off. “At least I crashed in here, and not out there.”

The three of them looked around. The inside of the train was quite boring. There were stacks of hay all over the place, and nothing else.

“So what now?” asked Rainbow Dash impatiently.

“Now,” started Scarlet, “we should try to get some sleep. This train should bring us to some form of civilization, so we can just rest until then. Celestia knows we need it.”

“Will we get in trouble for staying here?” asked Fluttershy nervously.

“Probably not,” answered Scarlet as she put together a makeshift pillow with some nearby hay. “Just try not to make a lot of noise.”

With that, Scarlet laid her head down on the soft hay, and slowly drifted into a peaceful slumber. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy did likewise, allowing the train to carry them to their next destination... wherever that may be.

[][][][][][][][]

The three fillies were woken by a multitude of voices coming from the outside. The sunlight was shining into the window they had entered through the night before.

“I think we're here,” Scarlet said, yawning.

Rainbow sat up lazily. “Where?” she asked. Her eyes were still half shut.

“I have no idea. Lets go find out.” Scarlet said. With that, she stood on all four legs in preparation to fly out. Fluttershy slowly got to her feet, but Rainbow Dash just flopped back down on her back, desperate for more sleep.

“Come on, Rainbow,” said Scarlet. “We don't have all the time in the world. We need to get going.” Scarlet walked over to her, and shook her repeatedly. “Time to get up!”

“Ughh... fine.” Rainbow said begrudgingly. She started to sit up in slow motion. After a matter of seconds, Scarlet's impatience took over, and she pulled Rainbow to her feet by force.

“Lets check out this town. It sounds lively enough.” said Scarlet, referring to the voices they heard coming from outside the train. She dove up and out of the window, and the other two were right behind her.

The three of them found themselves in a humble little town. It wasn't as magnificent as Cloudsdale, but it was still decent. They were surrounded by wooden buildlings, sandy  roads, and many earth ponies. In fact, they were the only pegasi in sight.

“I've never seen so many earth ponies in one place,” exclaimed Fluttershy with growing wonder.

“What is this place, anyway?” Rainbow asked.

Scarlet looked around, taking in the new environment. After a bit of searching with her eyes, she stated, “We're in Dodge Junction.”

Rainbow snorted in annoyance. “How is it that she seems to knows everything? Seriously, she just answers every single question like it's nothing. This is starting to get on my nerves just a little bit! Fluttershy, why can't you answer any of my questions whenever-” she was interrupted by Fluttershy, which was unusual.

“I remember you saying once before that she's good at Geography. Maybe that's her talent! You shouldn't be mad at her for her special gift, because that's not very nice.” Fluttershy stated in a somewhat assertive tone.

“Actually, it's not my special talent, I consider it more of a hobby. As to how I know where we are, I just looked at the sign,” Scarlet said in a nonchalant way, pointing at a huge banner hanging from the ceiling that read, “Welcome to Dodge Junction!”.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked down in embarrassment, and Scarlet said in a sympathetic, yet thoroughly entertained voice, “It's okay, girls. Come on, lets have a look around town. Maybe we can find someplace to eat.”

They proceeded to look around for a place they could get a bite to eat. It didn't take long before they came across a small place called the “Cherry Bomb Diner”. The name wasn't exactly appetizing, but Scarlet would take anything at this point, considering she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. Right outside the entrance, they noticed a sign on the door that said “No Apples!”.

They entered the restaurant, and upon seeing the interior of the building, Scarlet retracted her earlier thoughts about the place. The upkeep was obviously good, with spotless tables and a clean floor. Also, the walls were professionally painted in red and yellow stripes, which added to the overall quality of the restaurant, in Scarlet's opinion.

“Y'all three can just have a seat at whichever table you like.” said a peppy pony from behind the counter. “Someone'll be right with ya,” she finished.

The three of them walked over to the closest table in sight. They carefully sat down at the wooden table, to avoid splinters. However, to their surprise, the table and seats were covered in a layer of smooth, glossy finish, designed to prevent just that. “What a nice place!” Fluttershy stated out of the blue.

They were approached by a waitress. “What can I get y'all to eat?”

“Do you have any apple pie?” Rainbow blurted out. Scarlet smacked her hoof against her face. “Its been a whole thirty seconds, and she already forgot about that sign?”

The weightress rolled her eyes. “Did ya look at the sign outside? We don't sell apples here. We got plenty of cherries, though.”

“We'll just have three slices of cherry pie, please.” Scarlet stepped in before Rainbow Dash inadvertently insulted the restaurant again.

“Sure thing.” said the waitress. She walked away, and the three of them were left to wait for their food.

Scarlet looked around the room in curiosity. She noticed an older stallion sitting at a table near them. He was enjoying a cup of cherry juice and some cherry pie. He also had a cutie mark of a cherry orchard.

“Talk about your cherry enthusiast.” Scarlet thought in amusement.

After a few minutes, the waitress came back out with the three slices of cherry pie. “Enjoy,” she said, as she placed them down on the table.

Rainbow Dash was the first to dig in. Scarlet was next. Fluttershy hesitated (as usual), but finally jumped on the bandwagon and started eating.

“Sweet Celestia!” said Rainbow Dash in delight. “This pie is awesome! I wasn't expecting much since it's not apples, but it's so good!”

“I agree!” said Scarlet. “I don't know if it's just because I'm starving, but who cares? This is delicious! Fluttershy, what do you think?”

Fluttershy sat there, eating her pie calmly. “It's... good.” she said without a hint of enthusiasm.

Scarlet was shocked, but Rainbow Dash seemed downright offended. “Good? How can you say that? You don't think it's delicious? Fantastic? Anything?”

“I never said I dislike it, it's just not my favorite thing ever. I still think it's good...” Fluttershy stated plainly. Rainbow Dash decided to leave her alone about it.

Despite the fact that it wasn't Fluttershy's favorite, she still finished her whole slice. All three of them had been hungry, especially after that long night of nonstop flying.

“So,” started Scarlet, “how much money did you two bring?

“I brought 10 bits,” said Fluttershy. “I would've brought more, but that's all I had saved up.”

Rainbow Dash looked up from her plate, her face covered in cherries. “We were supposed to bring money?” she asked cluelessly.

Scarlet once again had a legitimate reason to smack her face with her hoof. “Yes, Rainbow Dash. Did you think we'd be eating out of the trash or something?” Rainbow Dash looked down in embarrassment.

“Well, nevermind. Don't worry about it, Rainbow. Anyway, I got up last night and looked through my trunk. Fortunately, Mrs. Caring was honest enough to pack all the bits I had saved.”

“So how much do you have?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I counted twenty-five bits. With that, plus Fluttershy's savings, we have a total of thirty-five bits, which should last us a few days.”

“So what are we gonna do once we run out of money?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I think you know the answer to that.” answered Scarlet.

Rainbow thought for a moment, and after a sudden realization, she groaned. “Ughh, I hate working, but I guess it's the only way.”

Fluttershy gulped. “We... h-have to get... j-j-jobs?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Sorry, Fluttershy, but it's the only way we can feed ourselves. Remember when I said that we'll be completely on our own? Well, I meant 100 percent, absolutely, completely on our own, not counting each other, of course.”

Just then, the waitress came by with their bill. “Your total is forty-two bits, kids. Will you be splittin' that?”

Scarlet looked like she had just taken a whack to the head. She was completely speechless.

“You're joking, right?” shouted Rainbow Dash. “How can you charge..." she hesitated for a moment to think. The waitress stood there, waiting impatiently. Finally, Rainbow Dash spoke up again. "How can you charge fourteen bits for each slice of pie? In Cloudsdale, that would buy you an eight-course meal at a fancy restaurant!”

“Oh, you three are from Cloudsdale, huh?” asked the waitress. “Well, I've heard stuff there is way cheaper than it is here. Something about the economy and what-not. Anyway, I'm gonna need those forty-two bits.”

“Listen, lady. We don't have enough to pay for that.” retorted Rainbow Dash.

The peppy pony from before came over. “Is there a problem here?”

Scarlet said, “We don't have enough money to pay for the pie. We weren't aware that prices here are much higher than Cloudsdale.”

“Whether y'all knew about it or not makes no difference.” said the peppy pony, suddenly sounding less peppy and more aggressive. "Each pie slice costs fourteen bits, and its been that way for years. If y'all can't pay for what you ordered, I'm gonna have to call the authorities.”

“I don't think that'll be necessary, Ms. Cherry Bomb.” said the old stallion sitting at the nearby table. “I'll pitch in the last seven bits they owe.”

The three fillies looked over at the old stallion, who was reaching into his saddlebag. Once he pulled out seven bits, he walked over to them, and placed it on the table.

Scarlet felt humiliated. “We've been here for less than a day, and we're already accepting charity. This is definitely not what I had in mind.” Nevertheless, she dug through her trunk and pulled out a pouch containing twenty-five bits. Fluttershy did the same, and they both added to the pool.

Ms. Cherry Bomb took the money. “You fillies should consider yourselves lucky that a generous pony like Mr. Jubilee was around. Take care, now.” With that, she and the waitress left to tend to the other customers.

Mr. Jubilee stood there, studying the three fillies carefully. Finally, he broke the silence. “So, you three are from Cloudsdale, eh?”

“Yes,” answered Scarlet. There was more silence, so Scarlet spoke up. “We really appreciate what you did. Thank you.”

“Ahh, don't mention it.” he replied. When the awkward silence came back a third time, Scarlet decided it was time to go. She turned to leave. Rainbow and Fluttershy did the same.

“Now hang on a cherry-pickin' minute there.” the stallion said firmly. The three stopped in their tracks. “You three just got wiped clean of all your bits. What do ya reckon you'll do now?”

There was more silence. Scarlet grew tired of the silence. “I don't know.” she said. “We'll figure something out.”

“I couldn't help but overhear you three were considering finding jobs.” he said. “Pegasi don't come through here often, and it just so happens a few pegasi would be a great asset to my cherry orchard. If you three are willing, I'd love to have you come and work part-time down at my ranch. I could provide housing and meals, if that's an issue. What do ya say?” Mr. Jubilee was straight and to the point, without the slightest hint of a stutter.

The offer caught Scarlet completely off guard. As great as it sounded, she wondered what Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would think about it. Rainbow's face was beaming, so that was a good sign. However, when Scarlet turned to look at Fluttershy, her face seemed more sullen than anything.

“Umm, Mr. Jubilee, could you give us a moment to discuss this?” asked Scarlet politely.

“Of course, dear. Take all the time you need.”

Scarlet, Rainbow, and Fluttershy discussed the situation in hushed tones.

“I think we should take this offer,” said Scarlet. “I don't know about you two, but I'd call this a stroke of luck, and I can't imagine it happening twice. He's basically offering us a home on the condition that we work part time.”

“I agree,” said Rainbow Dash. “This was a pretty lucky break, if you ask me. What about you, Fluttershy?”

They looked at Fluttershy, who was looking at the floor. She looked up slightly, and said, “I don't know... the idea of staying in a stranger's house is quite... frightening.”

“Come on!” said Rainbow, irritated. “Isn't it better than sleeping in the streets? Would you rather sleep in a bed, or in the sand?”

Fluttershy made no response. Scarlet decided to use her trump card. “Come on, Fluttershy. This will be fun. I bet there will be a bunch of little animals on the ranch, too. Won't that be nice?” As it turned out, Scarlet had no idea if there were animals on the farm, so she could only hope.

The suggestion seemed to work, because Fluttershy's groundward face immediately shot up in excitement. “Really? You think there'll be animals there? Oh, that would be lovely!”

“So you'll come?” asked Rainbow.

“Of course I'll come!” said Fluttershy. “Ooh, I wonder what kind of animals I'll see? I hope there are bunnies, and little birdies. I'm so excited!”

Scarlet sighed in relief. She turned to Mr. Jubilee, who had given them privacy while they discussed. “We'll take your offer, Mr. Jubilee. Thank you for the help.”

Mr. Jubilee's face lit up. “No, thank YOU for accepting! I've needed some pegasus help for years now!”

“So, what kind of work will we be doing?” Scarlet asked.

“Oh, we'll discuss that soon, dear.” said Mr. Jubilee. “Lets head back to the ranch. I'll give you the grand tour.” He slung his saddlebag over his back, and made his way out of the diner. The three fillies followed him.

“The farm is about a 20 minute walk out of town, just to let you three know.” said Mr. Jubilee.

Scarlet wondered what it would be like there. As always, questions flooded her mind. She continued to speculate with herself as they walked towards their next home.