The Mute Apple

Chapters

The Strange Smog
A Semi-Remedy.
An Almost Remedy.
A Small Problem

The Strange Smog

The day was bright and shimmering that day, as Celestia's great big sun shone over the land known as Equestria. More specifically, it seemed to contrast with the Sweet Apple Acres more than anything, whereas the orchard of hundreds of apple trees seemed to add just the right amount of scenery that dawn. All was going good,as snoring could be heard from inside of the red barn to anypony that would be listening. After all, it WAS still dawn, far to early to be working out in the fields.

Inside the barn slept an orange mare wearing a brown Stetson hat over her head, tilted a few degrees to block out any light on her eyes, as well as a lasso loosely constricted around her waist from working out in the fields, whether it be roping those few stragglers left on the apple tree, or pulling a heavy load across her haunches. The way she was curled up on the haystack, and the way her hind leg twitched with each moment of sleep, the way she gently, yet heavily snored in the dawn, is something anypony would find kind of cute...if one was into watching somepony sleep that is. After all, everypony has their own thing. Especially the way a bead of drool ran down the corner of her maw as her snoring became gratually louder every minute, only to quiet down every five minutes or so, which sounded comparable to the sound of actual logs being sawed.

After some time had passed, a strange mist passed over the farm, a heavy blue fog that heavily cascaded over the barn that morning, swirling and swishing it's way inside the open doors that were left slightly ajar, squeaked with the heavy breeze that blew the barn door open with a louder squeak, making a clunking noise as it made contact with the barn wall, though the sound of Applejack's snoring pretty much drowned out said noises, sleeping right through it. The blue mist had made it's way to Applejack, and begun to swirl itself around her form, whom had been alone inside the barn that night from a hard day's work the other day and needed the sleep. Even a workhorse needs their rest after a long day's work. The fog swished and swiveled around her, slowly, but surely, entering her mouth, causing her to essentially breathe in whatever it was. Applejack coughed briefly, then rolled over and begun snoring away once again, the mist dissipating as quickly as it entered.

The sound of humming could be heard from inside the home of the Apple Family, as the stove top burned, the sound of cooking could be heard, with some freshly cracked eggs frying on the pan, as well as some toast burning in the toaster. "Oh, applesauce! Ah'll get it!" Said a young voice, as a blur could be seen zipping across the room. The young, yellow pony with a red, messy mane held together with a big red bow firmly tied to the back of her head, could be seen in the kitchen preparing breakfast. "Oh, horseapples..." The young filly mumbled to herself, pressing a button on the toaster, which for some reason caused it to spark, then burst into flames for a split second.

"Oh no! Nononono!" Quickly thinking, Apple bloom grabbed the fire extinguisher conveniently under the sink, turned it on and the force from the blast was so much, that it sent her airborne a few meters, then for some reason the pressurized cylinder flew elsewhere, out of her hooves and on top of a nearby hutch where it was out of reach. The fire was indeed put out, but so were the eggs, the toast and just about everything else was covered with white powdery substance, and sighed with relief. "Whew...that there coulda' ended a whole lot worse..."

As soon as she said that, the sound of hoofsteps could be heard, as when the little filly turned to get something, she was greeted by a very stern-looking red bulky stallion of her brother. His searing glare was enough to make her look down in embarrassment. With an awkward smile, She kicked her hoof against the ground then simply said, "Er...Breakfast is...served?" The red stallion known as Big Macintosh simply face-hoofed himself and shook his head, "Nope." Is all he said, before finding a chair, dusting it off then sat down on it, the weight from himself caused said chair to creak.

Meanwhile, Apple bloom was busy dusting off the mess she had made, when Granny Smith had waddled into the area, the only other resident at the time. "Err what's with all the ruckus? It's to early to be all clitter-clatterin' around the place like a hungry swarm of fruitbats on an apple tree!" As soon as she walked into the room, she simply stared at the room's condition. White powder from the stove all the way up to the cabinets. Her jaw dropped so much, her false teeth had fallen out, and chattered elsewhere. "Wha' in the name of Sweet Apple Pie went on in here?" She said with more surprise than needed, but shook her head, reaching around and pulling a new pair of dentures out of her assumed pocket.

"First Applejack goes missin' an' now this-" She was cut short by the same little trouble maker that destroyed the kitchen, "Whadeya mean, Applejack's gone missin'?" She said in a concerned tone, with a bit of panic in her voice, raising a brow.

Some time had passed, and then while inside the barn, the sound of the barn door could be heard squeaking open, as well as the sound of hoof steps could be heard from a distance. "AJ?" A familiar voice called out to her, but to no avail. "Applejaaaack! Where are ya? We've been searchin' high an' low for ya! It's been almost two and a half hours straight!" Said the younger Apple Bloom, again no response. Apple Bloom thought for a moment, Then the two ponies, or rather young mare and older stallion, Big Mac and Bloom, both begun searching the barn. "Alright, Big Mac. I'll search the right, you search the left. Got it?" To which his only response was, "Eeyup.". With that, the two started frantically yet calmly to search said barn.

Apple Bloom was by a bunch of stacked barrels filled with some fermented apple cider, looking around that general area. "Did ya find any-Ow!" She looked down, and noticed she had stepped on a pin. Pulling it from her now red swollen hoof, it appeared to be some form of tack, and discarded it. Big Mac simply shook his head, looking around a bale of hay that was shaped like a bed. "Nnnnope." After a few seconds, the red stallion had changed his opinion, with a very verbal, "Eeeyup!" Bloom turned around in awe, with an ear to ear smile on her face, discovering her stetson between his maw. "Mh...why would she leave her hat just like that? Ah wonder...Was she Ponynapped?!" She said in a panic. Suddenly, a silhouette appeared from the corner of the older stallion's peripheral vision. Narrowing his eyes, the shadow seemed to vanish behind a barrel. "Nnnnnnnope." He said simply, advancing towards the figure, to which Apple Bloom followed suit.

A Semi-Remedy.

The smaller pony looked up from her bigger sister's hooves, making inaudible gestures and frantically seemed to be trying to say something, possibly of importance. Apple Bloom had a small grin on her face, setting her down next to a puddle. "What happened sis? Did ya sleep on a Poison Joke flower again?" Said the younger filly, waving her hoof in a "Tsk Tsk Tsk Tsk" manner. "Y'all really should be more careful." With that the younger sister earned a glare from the older red stallion, and looked down at the Tiny AppleJack with a frown, and set down his big hoof for her to climb on. The tiny AppleJack face-hoofed herself again, stomping her hooves frantically.

Now it was Apple Bloom who frowned a little bit, watching as her big, or should I say littler big sis move her mouth, but no words were coming out. "Big Mac? Y'all have any idea what could be wrong?" With that, he simpy shook his head, "Nnnnope." Then Apple Bloom rubbed her chin in thought. "Hm..." Then she clopped her hooves together, "Ah' got it! Since last time when she got Poison Joke'd she went to Zecora's for help, maybe she could help again!" With that, Big Mac scooped up his Appletini and responded with "Eeeyup." With that, they were off to the Forest of Everfree.

Once the three made their way to the hut, the sky had become brighter, the sun was shinier even through the thick trees. a knock on the door came, and the door slowly opened. They were greeted with a grey Zebra that occupied the hut. "Come inside, you three must. To lurk in doorways, is surely a bust." She said, shooing them in.

inside, there was her iconic bubbling cauldron filled with the same green goop that always bubbled in it, various other tribal sentimentals, vases, potions, and other spell craft things could be seen inside. Pouring some purple spices into the cauldron, she looked over to the older stallion, "What brings you here, on a bright and sunny day. Surely a workhorse would rather work in hay." he showed her the tiny pony in his hoof, slowly opening it up to reveal a tiny Applejack looking up at the larger Zebra with a somewhat tired face, making hissing noises instead of words, even though her lips were moving to form words. Zecora nodded, and furrowed her brow. "Aaah, the works of the Poison Joke, it seems. However, it is different, as she can't even emit screams...' Zecora scratched her chin a little, and turned the other way and begun to rustle through a few vases.

Apple Bloom perked up, being preoccupied by oogling a weird swirly-looking vase that was purple and appeared stretched like taffy, and twisted like a pretzel. Shaking her head, she looked at Zecora with a frown. "Can't ya' do anything for her? We're awfully worried..."With a small chortle, Zecora turned around With a small smile, the zebra patted the young filly on the head, then went to pour something into a cup, the liquid was clear in color,and was scentless."There is no need, for such a frantic fret. For if it's poison joke, drinking this, she'll reform, I bet." Said the rhyming equine, handing Apple Bloom the cup. She eyed it curiously, swishing the liquid in thought, slightly skeptical of this remedy she held in her hoof.

An Almost Remedy.

As the stripy mare handed the young yellow filly the cup with a smirk of reassurance, she turned her head over to the taller red apple stallion who rubbed the back of his head, unsure about the whole situation, though judging by his expression he was just simply going with the flow. Zecora gestured to Mac's hoof with her head to the cup, as if granting permission. Now Big Mac's expression seemed to lessen a bit, though he still seemed quite nervous about it. with a sigh, he turned over to Apple Bloom, who kicked her hoof on the floorboard, as if awaiting approval.

"Go ahead, please do not be shy. She mustn't stay like this, you have to try." Said Zecora, watching the two. Hesitantly, he awkwardly, yet gently scooped up the Tiny Applejack in his hoof, gently gripping her around the waist in the most tender way possible as to not possibly cause any pain. It was hard to make out what pain she was in at any rate, especially since she wasn't talking much. Setting her down on the wooden floorboard, he backed up a few feet, and watched as Apple Bloom knelt down, and looked upon her, the locks from her wavy red mane swept across Applejack's tiny form, nearly throwing her off balance.

Setting the small cup down, which was FAR BIGGER than Applejack, she gently tilted the cup so the liquid would shift to the other side, as Applejack then stood on her hind legs, gripping the edges of the cup for leverage, and took what seemed like a nice good sip from the elixir, taking audible gulps that could apparently be heard, despite her tiny size. Then, something begun to happen.Applejack drew back her tiny body, nearly toppling over while shaking her head rapidly from side to side.

Apple Bloom seemed a bit concerned now, then Zecora spoke up, looking down to the two. "Ah, a bitter taste, it seems to bare. Though as it seems, this little pony can certainly fare." Said Zecora, looking down in an intrigued manner. Applejack looked up for a moment, then back down on the ground, her hair a bit ruffled from the sudden movement. Observing closer, Apple Bloom tenderly nudged Applejack, causing her to finally loose her balance and topple over. "You alright little- I mean BIG sis'?" Applejack furrowed her brow, and stood up slowly, shaking her head.

Then her mane begun to slowly nap out, fuzzling and begun to stand on ends. A small grumbling noise could be heard, as the orange mite-pony let out a small sounding burp, a little blue cloud comcocting, and evaporating above her. Suddenly, her head begun to gradually get...larger in size, making her appear as some form of bobble head. Swaying from side to side, her now largened head begun to make her feel top heavy, and caused her to fall face first once again.

Then her the rest of her, her hooves, flank, waist, hair, begun to catch up with her head, everything increasingly got bigger, seeming to quickly become half her original size, stopping for a moment, then her cutie mark begun to glow. Applejack eyed her flank, being half her original size put her on the size of a filly. Apple Bloom and big Mac both stared at her, watching her get bigger. As if continuing where it left off, her body begun to grow once again, slowly, but surely, getting her back to her original size.

Applejack shook her head a little, then stood on her hind legs, and preformed a hoof-kick in joy. Instead of sound coming out in a cheer, a silent hiss could all be heard, as if an exhaling sound. Standing upright again, she attempted to talk again, her lips moving as if she was talking, but no words came out. Applejack exhaled once again, in a futile attempt to make any sound at all. Then she exhaled once more, seemingly straining to talk, but alas, no sound but the hissing of her exhaling came out. Panting in exhaustion, she sat down, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead.

Zecora begun to slowly make her way over to her, opening her mouth then inserted a wooden stick, as to see in the back of her throat, then frowned, removing said stick and tossing it to the side. "Hm...It would appear, that this is no normal poison joke. However, There is nothing more I can do, for you pony folk." She said with a frown, turning away, and poured something into a ceramic container.

The liquid was purple, idly bubbling in the transparent container, tightly corked off with a top, turning around and handing it to Applejack. "This will help soothe, your swollen throat. Indeed it tastes good, and gives it a nice coat." Apple Bloom nodded and raised her hoof, "Thanks for the help!" With that, they were off elsewhere once again.

A Small Problem

From the corner of the red stallion's eyes, he saw a silhouette of what he assumed was somepony in the barn,and hurriedly rushed to see what exactly had hid behind that big barrel of freshly squeezed Apple Juice that had been made that morning. The two Apple Siblings quickly peered behind the barrel to discover...nothing. Well, nothing aside from a black flashlight that was dimly lit. In shock, Applebloom's expression turned from enthusiastic to disappointed in a matter of seconds. "Wha...Where is..." Is all Applebloom could peep out. In frustration, she plopped her forehead onto the barrel, causing a thud as she thudded her forehead onto the stickiness of the applejuice barrel, hardly caring for the juice on top that was matting into her fur.

With a groan, she turned her head to look at Big Mac, who appeared to be just as confused as she was, busily scanning the floor or the barrel for that matter for any sign of anypony. "Ugh, Where in Equestria could she...ugh..." Applebloom's groaned out of frustration again. Then, the feeling of something tugging on her ear came. Twitching her ear a little bit, she ignored it for a moment, brushing it off as something she was imagining, perhaps a nervous twitch. Then another tug, and the same reaction happened, this time swiping her hoof against her ear. "Consard these twitchiness..." She complained, observing Big Mac, who has now moved onto another area.

Then, there came something that yanked upon the tip of her ear. She blinked a bit, then yelped as she picked her head up abruptly. "What the hay-" She looked down with an annoyed expression, and noticed a string-like material threading from her ear, all the way down to something else.

Upon further inspection, a very tiny orange...pony? With blonde hair and three very small apples on her flank hung from said string, seeming to silently panic. "...Big Sis?" She said, catching the now smaller pony in her hooves, and setting her down on the barrel. The small pony seemed to be making rapid gestures with her hooves, making shapes, and emulating the motion of making a square with her hooves, then emulated a "writing" motion with her hooves, as Bloom's expression was simply oblivious. She paused for a moment or two, then narrowed her eyes at her. "Well, well, well. Who's the big sister NOW?" She said with a smirk.

Big Mac brought his head up, after sticking it within a bale of hay in an effort to look for his Apple Sister, getting some stuck to his mane, hardly caring for that. Hearing the younger filly talking to, what appeared to be nothing at first glance, and slowly made his way over to her. Upon further inspection, the older stallion raised his eyebrow, and moved his head closer for a better inspection. "...AJ?"