The Legend Of The Lonely Ladybug

The Farmer's Children

An empty plate landed to the middle of the dinner table. More became piled on the first one, a yellow hoof scooping them to skillfully balance all of the plates on another. A female earth pony brought the cutlery to the sink at the back of the kitchen, a mother sporting a dark mane and a blueberry cutie mark. A dinner had just been finished. At the table two young fillies and a colt sat at their seats, slurping after a satisfying meal. One of them burped which caught the mother mare's attention.

“Mind your manners, Ginger,” she lectured.

“Sorry, mom. Couldn’t hold it,” the pink filly expressed and rubbed her belly in satisfaction, having enjoyed her meal.

“That’s alright," the mother chuckled, "Go play outside kids. Just remember to stay within the yard, the uptight neighbors prefer that you don’t goof around their property and you all remember what I have told you about Everfree forest being a no-go zone.” There was a visible frustration in all three children upon hearing the instructions. The look in the mare's eyes was all too familiar to them because they had seen it many times before, a notion of a loving mother expecting communication from her off-spring.

“Yes, mom,” all three uttered in surrender before they started to leave the kitchen. “You forgot something,” the mother called after them. Again the calves glanced back in boredom, impatient to leave the house. “Thank you, mom,” a reply came from three tiny voices.

The mare was pouring water into the sink that started bubbling from the dish washing soap, thinking by herself for ideas that she could utilize to uplift their spirit. “That’s more like it. Say, how’d you say if I’ll join you after I’m done cleaning and we can go do something more fun at the town together?” she asked them. Almost as if she had anticipated it, the two fillies and colt almost hit the ceiling after hearing the proposal and raced up to hug her. “You’re the best, mom!!”

After embracing her the little ponies galloped out of the door while the smiling mare remained at the sink. Her plan had been successful.

Outside the pink fillie named Ginger, a red colt named Rubber and green coated Vanilla exited through the porch, the children of Blueberry Janice and Mint Marley, the owners of the farm. As they reached the middle of the yard the calves began to ponder what they could do on their own while waiting for Janice to finish her dishes. “Wanna go play catch in the field?”, Rubber asked to which his siblings replied with a subjective cheer. The children then moved on to the corn fields not too far from the house, quickly joined by the family’s pet cat.

The game started. After seeking cover Ginger hid between the tall corn, trying to spot her friends in the belief that her location was a perfect hiding spot. Too late the filly heard rustling behind her which made her realize that her sister had already found her, having set up an ambush. The hunter was now the hunted. "Clever girl," she muttered before Vanilla leapt and tackled her sibling, bringing both fillies through the tall corn and to their sides in a turmoil of laughter. From behind them Rubber came to view, having stayed aside to watch his sisters goofing around.

“At this rate we’ll level the entire field,” he exclaimed with a chuckle. Rubber remembered the last time when they had messed with the cabbage plantation which Marley had not been pleased about. The children had offered to make salad from the uprooted vegetables to make up for it out of newly gained respect for their father's plantations. At the moment their father was away working with his true expertise in the mint fields that sustained the family's livelihood.

“I think that was more like hide and seek than true catch. Maybe we should invent a combination,” Vanilla giggled. “You mean something like homing?” her sister's suggestion produced more loud giggling from all three. Their pet cat meowed as it ran past them playfully, amusing Rubber with it's playful antics. “She certainly likes to home in. Heeeere kitty, kitty, kitty.” The colt approached the cat that retreated through the field as he got near, showing unwillingness at being stroked. A shy feline wants to draw the line.

“Come on Lenny! Don’t be such a bad sport,” Rubber called after it while trying to keep up, his siblings following behind. Lenny had taken a long lead to them, running away in blind retreat. It's chosen direction took the cat towards the far edge where a row of trees could be seen, trees of ancient nature from a time before a single pony existed; Everfree Forest. The ominous trees grew larger as they got nearer, a close presence that made Vanilla visibly nervous.

“She’s heading to Everfree Forest!” the filly gasped. “Lenny, come back!” Rubber called out to the cat, “Lenny!”

The cat finally ceased it's run next to the rugged tree line at the very end of the corn field, licking herself and coughing up a fur ball. Ginger reached over to stroke it which the cat tolerated better because her stroke felt softer than Rubber's. “Bad kitten! You won’t last in Everfree," she taunted it. “At least we caught her,” Rubber sighed in relief and observed the trees rising above their heads. Around them everything was silent.

Something came flying from the trees with a screeching that sounded like a predatory bird. A greyish green leathery creature with bat-like wings and a thin neck ending to a long beaked skull with conical teeth flapped through the air with glowing red eyes, a swishing tail ending to a bony club. The creature passed above the heads of the calves which cast a lingering shadow on them. They had disturbed it's dark slumber. As expected, Lenny freaked out and freed itself from Ginger’s hooves, making a mad scramble to the forest.

“Lenny! No!” Vanilla shouted.

The cat's meows were still heard, growing distant. The calves looked concerned and unsure about what their next move should be, thinking about what would happen to Lenny might they hesitate too long. “What do we do now?!” Ginger cried to her siblings, becoming panicky. ”She won’t survive in there,” Rubber exclaimed in a mutually depressed mood.

“We have to go after her,” Vanilla spoke out, being the bravest one from the trio. “What about mom’s warnings?” Rubber brought up a valid argument. “We must find Lenny,” Vanilla replied and had already began to run to the shroud of the trees, waving for her siblings to follow, “Come on, we can’t lose her!”

“Oh bucket! If mom and dad learn about this we are in so much trouble,” Rubber uttered nervously with loud exhales in remembrance to what they had been told and what it would mean to their own safety. Way more reluctant than his sister, the colt's face began formed droplets of sweat from taking in the sight of the creepy trees.

“Maybe we’ll catch Lenny before she gets too deep,” Ginger coached him with her optimism. Eventually both of the calves followed Vanilla into the forest that quickly wrapped them behind the shroud of it's mist. Little did they know about the sheerness and danger of the environment that they had stepped into.

A longer distance away the mother of the calves emerged to the porch, having finished her task and now looking around the empty yard for her two daughters and son, having already expected them to be in sight. It didn't worry the mare, she had experience with how her children behaved.“Kids! I’m done now! Kids," she called out, expecting to hear the voices of her three calves. No such answer. Patient, the mare progressed to the middle of the yard. “Kids! We can go to Ponyville now,” she repeated.

“I heard there’s one really good ice cream stand……....,” she spoke with a look of increasing concern, almost desperate to catch their attention in remembrance of how much they loved ice cream. It isn't a lie that in Ponyville ice cream is a well-made if not rare delicacy. Yet the yard around her remained silent.

Where were the children? The worried mare began to wander. “Vanilla! Ginger! Rubber! Come out right now wherever you are. This isn’t funny,” she called louder. It wasn't just a game anymore. Janice sought through the yard, finally coming upon the cropping at the field the kids had been at and observed their hoof prints through the field to the edge of Everfree Forest where a visible mist had formed between the trees.

“Ginger! Rubber! Vanilla!” Janice shouted at full lungs, beginning to shake from the creeping thought, "Not in Everfree!” Now deeming the circumstance more serious, she felt the punch of reality in her gut. The worst possible thing had come to be.

During that moment a grayish stallion with a red mane arrived to the yard. Marley was coming back from work to have dinner with his mare and children, having been late again because of over-devotion to his work getting the best of his focus. Priding what he grew as the best mint in Equestria, such devotion earned him his mint leaf cutie mark.

Such thoughts disappeared from Marley's mind as he rushed up to see what was going on. "Janice darling, what’s wrong?” the stallion asked in concern and gently lifted her up from the spot where she had half-collapsed, seeing her shocked state. “The……the……..the……..," Janice attempted to speak without success. “Speak to me darling,” Marley exclaimed to his mare.

“The children! They’ve gone to Everfree Forest,” Janice finally uttered with a jittery lip, weeping with only superficial respiration all of which made Marley’s eyes widen.

***

The day went by slowly. Too slowly for Janice and Marley.

Inside the house the mare leaned on the dinner table, staring at the floor in silence with a crushingly strong worry for the fate of her children that was pounding her senseless. Behind her Marley trotted in circles, impatiently expecting someone who Janice had messaged earlier during the day, agitated by lots of ways and deciding to channel what he was nurturing to his mare.

"How could you just let them wonder out like that?!"

Janice lifted her head, taking it all in. It had been her responsibility but she also knew her children. "Mint, I was only inside for a few minutes and told them to stay at the yard. We both know that they wouldn't do something reckless if we tell them not to." Marley halted momentarily, knowing that she was right as both of the adults trusted the kids, working vigorously to come up with other reasons for why they'd have done something so stupid until a literal light bulb went off above his head. "Lenny must be the cause. They love that buckering cat a plenty."

Marley too liked Lenny. When he was lying low from work exhaustion she'd come over and rub her soft fur against his flank before laying down next to him to purr kindly. Marley didn't consider himself too capable with animals but Lenny had been a unique exception. He knew it's bad sides too. The pet cat loved to scratch furniture when no one would be watching. It also tended to go wherever it would want to go, a stubborn cat among stubborn cats no matter how adorable.

Janice turned around to look at Marley from her seat, establishing eye contact in tears. "Mint darling! I'm so afraid," she uttered shakily which instantly motivated Marley to pull her away from the table and to an embrace which successfully reduced her trembling. "Janice dear, if this cousin of yours that you called is anywhere near as experienced as you say she will find them in time," he soothed her with a soft voice, having met many ponies from her family tree, all farmers from the very agricultural foundation of Ponyville.

"Darling, it still does not reduce my worry for the children," Janice immediately replied, sounding desperate. "Have faith, darling, have faith," Marley kept soothing his mare in a continuing embrace.

"Ya got yourself a fine colt there, Janice," a new female voice with a country accent spoke. At the doorway stood a tan female pony with a blonde mane who wore a hat, a cutie mark of three red apples easily noticed at her yellow flank.

"Oh Applejack! Thank you so much for coming. We have a big problem. I didn't know who else to turn to," Janice quickly exclaimed as she and Marley rushed up to meet her. While accompanying Marley to Ponyville's yearly country fair Janice frequently met with up the mare and loved chatting about timely subjects when the work horse was selling her own apple products at her stand. Both enjoyed each other's company and Janice strongly trusted her exceptionally honest relative who had assisted her many times before. In their current situation such assistance was more than welcome.

Applejack immediately noticed her state. "It's alright, Janice. The messenger sure said that it sounded serious so Ah came here as soon as Ah could. Ya can count on mah aid even if it means cutting short the apple tree seeding," she assured with a flip of her hat. "Among the most sincere and helpful in the family," Janice spoke back, impressed by the displayed confidence, "Listen up, cousin."

***

Outside it had started to rain. A distant lightning storm illuminated the countryside in a series of flashes, an experiment by the pegasus weather factory gone haywire and yet to be contained. The storm frontier was passing right beside the farm of Marley and Janice which only added to the looming threat of Everfree. One could only imagine how it might be affecting the minds of two young earth fillies and a colt whp were lost in the forest.

At the porch Janice and Applejack emerged, still in conversation. Her cousin had by now told the work horse everything regarding the disappearance of Ginger, Rubber and Vanilla. Applejack listened, not too happy about the fate of her relative's children. "This ain’t good. Everfree Forest is full of dangers, some magical while others are plain killers," she said, "Those kids ain't experienced enough to go in," the mare finished, resting her elbow against the porch railing while her green eyes scanned the edge of the forest with keen focus.

"Can you please do something," Janice asked nervously. "If Ginger, Vanilla and Rubber remain cool they might still be found in one piece," Applejack returned a concerned answer, already looking away from the forest to face her friend, "Ah'll go find them. Personally. They are mah family too and family sticks together."

"All by yourself??"

"No, this does take a larger search group," Applejack said to bury any doubts and gave the other mare a comforting smile, "Don't be afraid mah dear cousin. When Ah go in Ah will have perfect assistants by mah side. With their help we will bring the kids back."

"Please hurry," Janice wept against the work horse who had already closed her to an embrace. "If ya excuse me, got an urgent message to send," she told Janice in deep thought.

She already knew who she was going to send a message to.

***

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