Chapters Applejack woke up to a weird surrounding that day, a blushing horizon through the wobbly trees as they swayed in the breeze. Her vision blurred, and it felt like there were four of the same tree in every direction, and her mouth hung open as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. Licking her dry lips, the area seemed long from her home, and these apple trees were no where near like the ones she usually bucked. "Where am I?" She spoke aloud, to no one in particular. It seemed to be awakening dawn by now, and last night seemed like a hazy memory from when she drank that apple cider she made for everypony. It all seemed to come back to her just then...
Applejack was doing her usual rounds, when her big brother, Big Macintosh came out to see her. "Hey sis, you've been bucking apples all day... you should really take a break." He said with a worried tone, noticing how tired she looked.
"Well I can't. I still need to do one more tree..." She replied back and gave a short pant, her hind legs feeling like they're on fire. She had been bucking apples all day now, trying her best to soothe the overbearing trees of their loads. It was the main exercise Applejack usually did, other than bringing the apples back to the barn. Settling down for a moment, she allowed those tired legs of her rest while she talked to her brother. "I'll go in after this tree, alright big brother?" She nodded her hat towards him.
He gave a throaty sigh, and shook his head with a smile. "That's my sister all right... not letting a single one of those apples get away from under her hooves." He padded back towards the house, then stopped for a moment in thought. "Granny Smith told me to take over while you sleep or something. I'll go get the other trees, alright?" He said afterwards.
Applejack nodded, picking herself up off the ground. She woozily made her way over to the last tree, and kicked it with as much strength left in her tired limbs. The tree quickly gave way, shuddering with the force, and all the bountiful, ripe apples fell into her baskets with a soft plop. She staggered all the way back, half dragging, half walking towards the barn. She set her apples down inside, and clopped over to the house. She gave herself a smile of gratitude, today broke her record, five more trees than last time. Heading in through the door, she shrugged off the comments or concerns about her welfare, and headed straight to bed. It had been a long day, and she didn't want to answer any questions.
Bring herself back to the present, she started to make her way through the everlasting grove of trees. She even tested one with the back of her hooves, and it felt like kicking a brick wall. She bit her lip, trying to hold in her yelp of pain as she set her ringing hooves back down onto the ground. Her nerves were on edge now, and she didn't feel safe at all in this place. What in tarnation would someone give apples a rock hard trunk, and have them stretch on endlessly? She thought to herself, muttering about rotten apples.
Soon she chanced upon a spring, and a small, trickling river running over a bed of smooth stones until it stretched out of sight, and seeing the stones, she guessed the river must have been here a while. Well then... she thought again to herself, this looks pleasant enough. Laying herself down again, she took a sip of the water. Her teeth instantly hurt as the ice cold water pierced her throat, and she shivered for a bit before daring another drink. Applejack never felt thirstier in her life, and soon after overcoming the cold liquids, began to drank eagerly of its contents.
The spring never wavered, and continued to flow, and she grinned for a moment. Taking off her hat, she sprang into the small pool with a loud whoop. The icy cold waves instantly made her regret her decision, but it felt nice to have a bath to wash off the dirt and grime from two days of straight apple bucking. She let the water seep through her hair, and dipped her head from time to time to wash every single strand in the clear water's brilliance. It just felt too good...
To be continued.
The quick wash helped Applejack recover her thoughts, and now, she laid in a patch of sunlight through the canopy of the massive forest to dry herself. It occurred to her only then that she might be so far into the woods, that she may never come out. This thought was quickly dismissed as she huffed at her own imagination, for no forest could ever contain the likes of her. She'd make it out of this forest if it took ever last year of her life. Tired from the walking she did early, she settled down for a quick nap to regain her strength. A dream hit her quicker than a bullet train as soon as she closed her eyes...
Applejack shook her head at Pinkie and sighed. Pinkie Pie always seemed to want a party, even after a party she'd ask everyone if they would attend the next one without an actual time specified. It could be days, weeks, or even mere minutes. "Look Sugarcube, I don't know if I can attend... I have so much work to d-" She began to say, before having a cupcake shoved into her mouth and recieving a full-hearted giggle.
"Look silly, I'm just asking if you're interested!" A bright face asked her, and a smile from eye to eye displayed ever so cheerfully. "You don't have to come if you can't, I know some ponies work so very hard these days."
Applejack eyed down the energetic pony with a quick thought, and shrugged her shoulders with a faked smile. "Yeah sure... I'll try to make it if y'all can have me whenever... have any idea when you'll be uh... breaking it down?" Reaching her hoof out slowly for the parchment that Pinkie usually gave.
Pinkie Pie gave an excited snort, and an invitation practically flew from the basket on her head into Applejack's out raised hoof. She squenched her nose, and looked at the sky. "Maybe like... a few days or so. It'll take a while to clean up the mess from this one! How do you even glue an entire sofa to the ceiling using only cupcakes, I'll never know..." She muttered to herself, and then bounced away as she usually did, defying all forms of the social etiquette.
Applejack gave a sigh as she moved away from the area, going back to her house with a note in her hat, and a sidelong glance to the next gathering that would occur, which would seem like mere minutes in time. Hopefully I can get all those apples down before sundown Applejack thought to herself, eyeing her home in sight. She longed for the nice, warm covers of a bed full of hay, but she had to do a little bit of work before having such comforts.
Applejack gave a small gulp as she approached the bustling Sugarcube corner. It always disturbed her how it seemed every pony always arrived at these parties with no indication that they had other plans, it seemed only the ponies she knew ever objected to Pinkie's enthusiastic greetings. Applejack didn't fear the crowd, but there were rumors that sparked a bit of fear in her heart that some ponies were being dragged away into the night, and never to be seen again. Shaking herself silly, the thought of that actually happening sounded absurd in itself. Who would want to take a pony? Every pony were friends here. Clopping over to the entrance, Applejack stuck her head through the door and announced her presence with a loud "Howdy, y'all!" and forgot all about the ponynappings. I really need to stop listening to Applebloom , she thought.
The party went fine up until the part where Applejack poured herself a cup of her own Apple cider from Sweet Apple Acres. She felt proud to drink the delicious nectar before her, bucked with her own hind hoofs. However, before she took a sip, a familiar pink hoof hooked itself around her neck and dragged her, with a startled protest, into the throng of ponies.
"Hey Applejack, lighten up! You've been as stiff as one of your cornstalks all this time, I've been watching you know!" Pinkie Pie yelled at her, and then Pinkie giggled as pony fell into her. "Oh Twilight! I notice you came in. Where you been, you crazy pony?"
"I've been... trying to find you." She panted softly, looking as if she ran the 5 mile marathon. "Those rumors every pony has been spreading... I think they're true. Some ponies have- aaahhh!" Twilight gave a startled yelp as another pony blundered into her, and she became lost in the crowd once more.
"Oh well, don't mind the party pooper. You came here to part-eh , right Applejack?" She beamed at her orange coated friend, and it almost made Applejack laugh at how serious she looked for once.
"I came here to... yeah I reckon I came to party... just give me a minute, my throat's been as dry as an Everfree forest pond." She almost cracked a smile at her own joke, since the desolate forest probably didn't even have a dry pond by how unruly and unnatural it ran.
Pinkie pie released her of course, but Applejack lost track of her since like Twilight, the crowd seemed to shift her somewhere else. Going back to her drink, she stopped to sniff it when a weird odor hit her. Well that's weird... it smells like rotten apples... how is that... She grumbled to herself, shaking her head. Just my imagination. No apple on my farm was sold rotten! Applejack hooked her lips on the side of the cup, and threw her head back, taking large gulps as the warm, cinnamon flavored liquid rolled down her tongue. It stung a little, and Applejack winced. What kinda things does that cart-wheeling pony put in these things... She mumbled drowsily, and from then on, Applejack knew no more.
Waking up with a start, she found herself oddly wet again. Taking a sniff at herself, she shivered as the cold sweat rolled over her hide. Must've been a really bad dream... jeez... Applejack thought to herself. Picking herself up, she gave a vigorous shake to be rid herself of the liquid on her flank. Taking in a big breath, she crossed the stream with a longing glance, and then checked to make sure her hat was securely set on her hair. It seemed funny to her, that she always checked even though the occasional itch came from her scalp because of sweat. Applejack's hat was a prized possession of hers of course, but she seemed to always make sure it was there before anything happened thereafter.
Trotting on, she noticed the apples started to shift colors. The usual red apples she was familiar with were turning to green, and all other colors of the rainbow like blue, purple, pink, and even her own flank color, orange. Raising an eyebrow, she didn't dare to question the integrity of the situation. It was already weird enough to her that she mysteriously popped up in a forest in the middle of no where, and had no way to go back home. However, it did make her judge her situation, and wonder if the apples were painted by some pony. "Hello?" She called out, coming to a complete stop. "Is any pony there? I need some help finding my way back to my Sweet Apple Acres..."
If the wind could talk, it probably would of said "No pony is here, just me." as it rolled past Applejack's cheek, making her frown a bit. It's summer... why is it suddenly getting colder? She thought to herself, bring her tail around to act like a blanket to her belly. She started up again, and then froze short as a distant, but a recognizable sound of a wolf howled over the breeze, chilling her to the bones. Hope there ain't no wolves in these parts... She comforted herself, trotting on and warily looked over her shoulder ever now and then. This forest felt like going into the Everfree forest all over again...
Applejack sighed a bit as she trekked through the forest muck, if it was even a forest at all anymore. Much to her concern, it did in fact start to look like the Everfree forest. No longer were there apples, but there were the strange fruits that looked like pears, but hissed at you with green venom dripping between their pores. She hadn't met the wolves yet, and didn't fancy looking forward to it. She sighed with discontent, the forest weighing down on her for the first time. She couldn't rest now, since even as she looked over her shoulder, nightfall seemed to have wedged itself into the sky. Applejack assumed this is why it started to become more cold, but then again, the sun shined brightly before. No wonder this is the Everfree forest... you can't tell from heads to tails what's going on half the time. She thought to herself, trying to free her hoof from a pothole filled with the sticky mud below. It took all of her strength, but she managed to ply it free, and continue her saddening journey. Things didn't look too bright on going out of this strange, desolate place.
Applejack didn't take too far before one of her friends stumbled into her, and she looked as bewildered as her. "Fluttershy?" Applejack asked in a strangled tone, unable to express how happy the pony is to finally find at least one of her friends.
Fluttershy didn't respond at first, and this wasn't surprise. She gave a startled, choked meep and scrambled away a few hoof steps before noticing the pony before her. "A-applejack!" She replied, as startled as the orange pony was. "I... noticed you left the party so... I tried to follow... it didn't work out well. I got lost... and now I don't know where I am..."
Applejack felt relieved about the caring pony going to come out to find her, giving out a delighted sigh. "Oh you silly pony, where ya been?" She clopped over to the pony, wrestling her into a hug. "Hey uh... do ya perhaps know what this forest is?"
After the hug subsided, the pony took in a breath and nodded at Applejack. "Well... we left the everfree forest a while ago... then went into this strange place... I don't think we're near ponyville anymore."
Applejack's grew as wide as apples at that statement, and she gave a small hmmph as she walked towards the forest. "Thought so... these strange fruits aren't exactly my type of Everfree forest that I like. Never heard no wolves either..." Rubbing a hoof on her head, she beckoned Fluttershy to come along.
Fluttershy clopped softly after her, making the occassional whimpering sound at every noise, and trying to stay as silent as possible. "I thought I was going the way out the way you came... I guess not..." She looked around once more, then almost facehooved at forgetting an important detail. "The others are looking for you too. We'll have to find them before uh... we get out of... this creepy place."
Applejack gave a brisk nod, narrowing her eyes at what was up ahead. "Well I reckon we better get to clopping, there might be more dangerous beasts in here, and as far as I'm concerned Fluttershy, you might not be able to tame them."
Fluttershy nodded back, since the Everfree forest and this forest were two different things entirely. She was afraid of the Everfree forest since like any other fear she head, she didn't like them beforehand. However, when she went inside, she felt almost at home. This forest gave her the creeps, and she didn't feel at home at all. The flora were even more confusing, since there were fruits that would change from one to the next, and others that just simply looked rotten, and still hung up as if that was normal. Looking around, she hoped they would find their friends soon.
Applejack continued to move on regardless of the whimpering, and the snickering trees that seemed to try and block their way each time they went on. Applejack shook her head a couple of times when it felt the situation became too unreal to continue, and occasionally looked over to see if her butterfly flanked friend was alright. Applejack became impressed after a while when the pony walked like she did, but the fear from this occasionally easily spooked Fluttershy seemed to have vanish entirely. There was no question to be asked, since Applejack felt this way when bucking apples most of the time. It was the knowledge of knowing you had to accept your fate, whether you liked it or not.
Fluttershy let out a small puff of air that she seemed to been holding in, and tried to breath regularly. Fluttershy learned long ago how to not be afraid, but it usually took so much effort, that she didn't bother cowering in fear or whatnot. When her instincts kicked in however, it was almost like second nature, but her caution still appeared. The meeting with Applejack surprised her, but she finally managed to regain her composure, moving on with a grim face. "I hope we can find the others... I don't want them to get hurt..." She muttered allowed, barely audible, but that was the original voice she had. Applejack gave a quick nod as she lead on, and Fluttershy hid a smile under one wing. It felt nice to go on an adventure for once.
Applejack tensed when the howling seemed to have ceased for too long, and a low, growl came from one of the bushes. She prepared her hind legs, giving them a quick stretch in turn, pacing with her forelegs with anticipation. The bushes rumbled, and out came the hideously, grotesque beasts. They seemed as rotten as the apples, flies, fleas, whatever was bouncing off their coat made Applejack frankly as disgusted Rarity would have been. The flesh seemed to hang from their limbs as well, but in most places, they could see the bone. They were mostly likely starving, but still, as the ponies stood their ground, the wolves seemed to circle them, whether it was curiosity, or they were going to attack, Applejack didn't know. One of them growled at her, and she frankly stuck out her chin, showing them no fear. She brushed her tail reassuringly over Fluttershy, but the pony was the same as her.
The wolves soon moved on, leaving them to their dues. Neither Applejack or Fluttershy knew why, only that they guessed they smelled too differently to be actual prey, or they wolves were on the hunt for another, and didn't bother to pick with them. Either way, they continued, the daunting forest seeming to loom over them at every step.
Applejack let out a breath of relief as the ponies strolled on, the twisted fruit rolling about at their feet. She accidentally smash one, hearing the wince behind her as she noticed there must have been spider eggs inside. She examined her hoof to confirm this, when a shaking leg poked the back of her knee, making her almost jump. Looking back at what must have scared her, became face to face with herself.
"Well shoot..." The mimic of her said, squinting at the real Applejack. "If I reckon I fine that impersonator wandering around here..."
Fluttershy squeaked, apparently finding that herself had one as well. Nudging her over, Applejack swore to take on both of them if she had to. However, instead of like with Discord where they were the exact opposite of their element, these clones seemed to take on the worst aspects of them in general. The other Fluttershy was perched in a nearby tree, and when noticed, flapped away in a hurry. Looking down, she could already assume the battle with herself would probably be more or less long, since determination was her biggest flaw. Keeping this from her mind, she casually replied with, "Well I guess you haven't looked in a mirror lately, you look mighty fine darker than me." She huffed, noticing the pelt difference easily. "More like an... overcooked orange..."
The fake Applejack spat at her feet, already digging her hoof into the ground with anticipation. "Well you best be on your rocker for this one, for I ain't holding back." Already charging at her, she ran full speed into the real one with as much force her hard head could accomplish.
She didn't even get to say "Well isn't that a corny way to talk..." before being pummeled by this new comer, who apparently didn't think twice about her apple bucking hardened hindlegs. Easily punting her off, she twirled a snake like vine around her tail, snapping it off as she prepared a hasty noose. Using the new tool, she waved it over her head, hooked down the duplicate, and promptly tied her up. "Well I guess I might be thinking a bit clearer than you." She said coldly, keeping a hoof over the pony's vicious struggles as she tightens the restraints.
Spitting fury, tail lashing, the duplicate fought with all her strength until she couldn't output anymore. "You just gonna leave me here to die now?" She raised an eyebrow, hoping the element of honesty wasn't just going to walk away just like that.
"No I ain't." Replied the original, already clopping away. "I'm leaving myself here to die." Without another word, she beckoned the other pony along in her group to come with her. She walked for a while, not bothering to see if she was actually over her shoulder. She noticed this because the trees were thinning, and she already knew this was bad since the forest was highly dense around Ponyville. Must be getting to the center, she thought biting her lip, at least I can have a sense of direction. This didn't fair well however, and but finding a new buddy probably cheered her up than her predicament.
"Applejack!" Rainbow Dash's voice cracked as she swooped over, oddly enough not flying in the open sky. "I can't believe I FOUND you! We've been looking everywhere, I mean..."
"Hold your horses there, lover girl." Applejack joked, since it was a common tease to call Rainbow a bit flirty. "Any news of where everypony else is?"
A solemn shake from Rainbow already answered her question, but then she asked "Do you know where we are? I mean, I can't fly higher than the tree tops. I think it's some kinda magical thingy that Twilight said when I wasn't listening." She gave a casual shrug, since not listening to anything was a pretty common thing for Rainbow.
"It's called a force field, ya know." Applejack replied with a sort of smirk, now deciding that heading to Ponyville wasn't a great idea. What Rainbow made her think of finally was her friends were probably stuck out here wandering about, not even comprehending where they were. For all she knew, one of them could fall a tragic end as they exchanged idly banter, and they haven't raised a single hoof in help. Waving her tail over to the grumbling Rainbow, she hurried on, eager to reach her friends.
Her luck did not fare well however, and they finally met another Manticore. It might have been the same one like earlier, but no amount of Fluttershy pleading could still the bloodlust in its eyes, or the odd, fire radiating from them. "Fluttershy uh... you ever seen this?" She called back over her shoulder, curiously looking at her.
"I-I never..." She began, meeping as it let out a roar and starting to stalk forward, not even bothering to give a leap. "It's not a normal o-one... it's... has rabies or something..." She concluded to herself, shriveling down into the mess that couldn't fake courage anymore.
Rainbow however, stood fast, and pushed onto a resisting Applejack. "Come on, I can take him!" She yelped, staking the ground to not be easily pushed back. "I can take all of you, anything else out there trying to scare us?"
"Quiet Rainbow! You're going to get us all eaten alive or something!" Applejack hushed her, already stepping forward with the wildly pony. They could take this, and she knew it. They had years of training with all sorts of weights and other types of physical exertion, and they simply outnumbered it. That would be the case if a sheet of ice didn't trip the clumsy thing, and wasn't pummeled by an avalanche of floating pebbles.
"Quickly, over here! There is not much time to waste, for time is gone and a pony should make haste!" A familiar rhyme rolled over, and they saw the certain Zebra they were looking for. Of course it was crude, for there wasn't much time to properly form it for the tongue.
"Zecora!" They all said, shocked not only by her appearance, but the new ligaments added as well. Whoever made this game or whatever this was, also gave Zecora the appearance of one of the Princesses. She had the horn and wings and everything except the flowing manes, and an actively glowing horn. Hurriedly, Applejack, Rainbow and Fluttershy made their way over to her, just as soon as the landscape changed.
"What in tarnation-" Said Applejack, and a sudden wing blocked their vision as a snow storm appeared, buffeting the area in ice, hail, and snow. "Did you do this Zecora?" She called over the howling winds, curling at the tips of her ears and freezing them fast.
"Nopony would ever do this, for I do not wish to hear flesh hiss!" She called back, and it occurred to Applejack to try and peak over the wing to notice the feathers were indeed hissing. Also, a snake breathing poison and the flurry above them was assaulting them, and Zecora was not harmed. Yet, anyhow.
Taking the next course of action, she beckoned rainbow to try and sneak around. The snake did not notice them, and she also saw a Tiara on its head that look strikingly like Twilight's when the Elements of Harmony were joined. Taking a gallop, there were no words needed to be spoken. They punched straight into the snake, taking it to the ground and delivering a kick to what she thought was it's stomach.
The snake hissed in rage, and Zecora coughed a bit. Some of her fur was gone, and raw, red hide shown under it. Her horn glowed against as the snake started to rise into the air by the glow, and flew off into the distance, to a mountain or somewhere perhaps, since they were still sticking to the no fatal wound rule it seemed.
"That was a close one..." Mouthed Fluttershy, nuzzling into the large pony's side.
Zecora nodded as she gathered them around in her wings again, looking up into the sky to see the moon. She reckoned that they should at least rest a while, since Applejack and Rainbow Dash were panting now, and all of them had a rough journey. "A camp should be laid so that we can sleep and not be depraved."
All ponies nodded to that, even though she probably meant deprived. Exhaustion hung over them as they soundly went to sleep, not even bothering to conceal themselves. The bush would have to do, for there was nothing else here for them to hide under.