CRYPTID PARK

CHAPTER 2: Backstabs and Proposals

The next day couldn’t have come faster for the Apple family.

The morning was a particularly salient one; the thoughts of GenMag’s coming meeting with Applejack was still fresh on their minds. This meeting could be a make or break situation for their farm, and the tensions was beginning to affect all of them. Even the lively breakfast had become a silent congregation of chewing and drinking.

Applejack thought about the proposal more than anypony. After a lot of discussions (and a little screaming) the family decided that Applejack should be the one to handle the proposal. The thought weighed heavily on her mind: It was going to be her decision that decided what would happen later today. But after sleeping on it for a while, she was beginning to think this was a bad idea.

She didn’t know what this pony had at his disposal, or what he was even wanting to do with the Apples. It was already strange that a company that dealt with Genetics and Magic would be interested in working with farmers.

What were they expecting them to provide: Apples for their cafeteria?

But all the same, Applejack didn’t really have anything to lose by going to this meeting. It was her choice; so she could decide what happened. If the representative didn’t like it, then he could kiss her flank.

So half an hour before the scheduled meeting time, Applejack set off from the farm and into town.

Ponies of every race were out and about on the warm and crisp spring day. Foals chased each other with a ball in between them, while couples strode around town checking out the different vendors.

Applejack ignored these sights and instead kept her focus on the building that she was fast approaching. It looked like a giant gingerbread house; with frosted windows, graham cracker roofs, and even a giant cupcake on top of it. Ponies entered with bags of bits and left it with bags of treats instead.

Applejack made her way towards the building and through the front door, squeezing between two ponies coming out the other side. “Sorry, she mumbled as she worked her way in.

The inside was just as colorful as the outside, with displays of candies and tarts stationed all around the room. Tables were spread out in different places, while the counter sat in the top left corner.

“So, where exactly am I supposed to meet this pony?” She looked around the room; hoping to find somepony dressed in formal business attire. But just as she began looking, a mare walked up to her.

“Hello Applejack; I have your table all set up for you.”

The mare in question was a blue earth pony with a pink frosted mane and three cupcakes as her cutie mark. She smiled warmly; the same way a mother would smile at her foal.

Applejack raised an eyebrow questionably. “Oh, hello Mrs. Cake. What do you mean about my table?”

Mrs. Cake smiled and motioned for Applejack to follow her. The two set off through the sea of tables and pony chatter. Applejack, still confused as to what was going on, began to scan the room again. Ponies of all different size, age, color, and race were present; but none that looked like they worked for a major company.

The two mares finally arrived at a table tucked into a small corner of the shop. Three cups of steaming hot chocolate were placed on it, and a bowl of assorted sweets sat in the middle. But what caught Applejack’s eye was the pony that was sitting there.

It was a yellow pegasus mare with a pink mane and three butterflies are her cutie mark. Her mane hung down over her right eye, blocking it from view. She had been looking down at her coco, but had raised her head and looked at the two mares as they approached.

“One more to add to your table Fluttershy. If there’s anything else that you need, don’t hesitate to ask,” said Mrs. Cake. She did a very slight bow, then turned and trotted off towards the kitchens.

Applejack watched her disappear before turning to look over at the yellow pegasus. “So...mind telling me what you’re doing here Fluttershy,” she asked as she took a seat across from the mare.

Fluttershy brushed the hair away from her eye, but didn’t make eye contact. Applejack expected this kind of behavior; Fluttershy was known for being a very nervous and easily scared pony. This also made her a rather nervous pony around others, even those that she knew well.

Thankfully, Fluttershy wasn’t a wreck around the animals that she looked after. In fact, she was so good with animals that she even operated the biggest animal shelter in all of Equestria. Even though most animal shelters aren’t big anyway, it was still surprising how many she was able to fit into there.

“Well….somepony sent me a letter about a possible business proposal that they wanted to talk to me about. They said that I should meet them here at this time today to discuss the details,” the pegasus finally responded.

Applejack raised an eyebrow questionably. “Really? Cause somepony sent me a letter saying the exact same thing?” She was beginning to think that something was up; two ponies getting letters to meet them here to talk about business proposals. It all seemed like someone thought the two mares had something both of them had.

Fluttershy slightly glanced up at the earth mare. Her eyes shimmered with both confusion and interest. “But why would somepony want to talk to both of us about business? We have different businesses, so maybe he has another agenda he needs to complete.” For once, the shy pegasus was starting to look concerned about the whole situation.

Applejack was beginning to think the exact same thing. But before the thoughts could properly form, the two became aware of the sound of approaching hooves. However, they didn’t see anypony walking towards their table.

But soon, the sound stopped, and was replaced by the sound of a carriage door opening. Applejack looked at Fluttershy, “I have a feeling our host has arrived.”

And not a moment later, a pony happily walked through the front door. It was a light brown earth pony stallion with a chestnut brown mane. His cutie mark consisted of an hourglass, and he wore a nice blue tie around his throat. A big smile was plastered on his face, and he seemed to radiate “whimsical” from his very essence.

Before the two could even begin to think about this colt, another pony came in behind him. It was a female Earth pony with a pale yellow coat, raspberry mane with light raspberry streaks, chartreuse green eyes, and a cutie mark of a rose. She had a clipboard clutched in her hooves and a pen in between her teeth.

The stallion walked up to the counter; ringing the bell a few times to get Mrs. Cake’s attention. When the mare finally looked back at him, she smiled warmly at him; which he gladly returned. She walked around the counter, waved a hoof in their direction, and lead the two ponies over to the two mares.

As they approached, the stallion’s face lit up with even greater joy than before. The sides of his mouth went so far up they were only a fracture from the bottom of his eyes. His glowing teeth were so bright you could cook a pie with them.

“I can’t believe it, I really can’t believe it! For a while, I wasn’t sure you two would even show up. But seeing you two here, well, I’m just as happy as a foal on his birthday,” said the stallion as he reached the table. The mare behind him kept her eyes on the clipboard, occasionally scribbling something down.

“I do hope the table is to your liking sir,” said Mrs. Cake with a warm smile. “I’ll bring out your meal in a few minutes.” She looked over at the clipboard mare with an uneasy smile. “Will, uh, you be needing anything mam?”

The mare looked up, giving Mrs. Cake a dead glance. “Water’s fine,” she said before returning her attention to the flat piece of wood. Mrs. Cake nodded her head slowly before heading back towards the kitchen.

The stallion took his seat at the table, while the mare took to standing behind him. He smiled at the two mares, who were looking just as confused as a foal in an office building. “Sorry for keeping you two waiting. You would not believe the traffic we faced from here to Manehattan.”

The two mares continued to look confused, but that didn’t seem to bother the pony. He kept on smiling as he said, “but enough with that. We all know why we're here, so why not get the old meet and greet started so we can discuss the details?”

Somehow, even in their confused state, the two mares were able to give a slight nod. “Excellent,” said the stallion with a huge booming voice. A few ponies at other tables gave them strange looks before getting back to their sweets.

The mare continued staring at her clipboard, though she occasionally spared a glance at the other two before continuing to write things down. The stallion cleared his throat before addressing the mares.

“So before I say anything, I want to know if either of you two know who I am.”

Applejack scratched the back of her mane uncomfortably. So far, this wasn’t going out at all how she’d pictured it going. This pony didn’t seem like the kind that would work for a major company, let alone be a representative for it. But she didn’t want to sit there like an idiot, so she did her best to not sound too stupid.

“Uh, sorry, I don’t know who you are. But I’m willing to guess you work for GenMag, right?” she replied.

The stallion chuckled. “Well I suppose that’s one way to put it. I am associated with GenMag, but I’m not just some normal worker or representative.”

The two mare looked at each other, then back at the stallion. Surprisingly, Fluttershy was the one to speak up. “Uh, so, then what are you?” She lowered her head a little, keeping her right eye covered by her hair. “That is, if you don’t mind telling us.”

The stallion smiled again, but this time it was formed into one of a cunning smirk. “I don’t mind telling you at all.” He paused impressively. The two mares waited in anticipation, while the red maned mare just looked unimpressed.

“My name is Dr. John David Hooves; founder and CEO of GenMag industries.”

Bothy mare’s mouths dropped so much you could run a cart through them.

Applejack was utterly speechless; the head of a major corporation was sitting down with them like he was just a normal pony! But what was even stranger was that he didn’t look or act like the CEO of a company. He didn’t wear a suit; just a tie. His way to speaking wasn’t proper, and he was sipping hot chocolate instead of coffee or tea.

Both mares were eventually able to wind their mouths up, but Applejack still didn’t know what to say. He may act strange, but she now had a certain sense to act as nice as she could to this stallion.

Hooves looked at the two of them with a soft smile, though it looked like he was holding back a big laugh. “I’ll say, your reactions were very similar to most ponies who find out who I am.” He slowly shook his head, making his chestnut mane wave back and forth. “After that, it’s all the same procedure. Talking nicely, looking at me like I’m the new Celestia, even a little groveling once in awhile. But you two haven’t started acting like fools, so I’d say kudos to you.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow questionably, finally getting her brains back in order. “I don’t mean to sound rude or anything, but why in the hay would the CEO of a company come to talk to two normal ponies?”

Hooves smiled and gave the ponies a slight wiggle of his hoof. “Ah, now that’s just the thing. You two see yourselves as just ordinary.”

“Which we are,” thought Applejack.

“But what you don’t see, that I do, is that everypony is special in their own way. I’m not just talking about cutie marks, I’m talking about things that make them above the ones that are just like the ponies around you,” he said with a wave of his arm.

Fluttershy smiled, moving her mane out of her eye. Applejack had personally only seen Fluttershy smile once or twice; all the other times she was timidly frowning. Seeing a side of her that didn’t make you wonder about her fears was a real treat for her.

“So, um, what makes me and Applejack different from other ponies?” asked Fluttershy with a small smile.

The mare behind hooves whispered something in his ear. He shook his head slowly and waved her off. Turning back to them, he gave them a swave business smile. “Well that’s exactly why I called you both here today. You see, I own an island; off the coast of Manehattan. I bought it from the Equestrian Monarchy and have been spending the last eight years building a….how you say….biological preserve.”

At the mention of “biological preserve”, Fluttershy perked up and looked like she was ready to burst….well, for her standards anyway. “Oh, a preserve. A place where animals can live happily with protection from the modern world?”

Hooves tapped his chin, thinking his response over carefully. “You could say that. It’s a little different than the ones you're familiar with, but I assure you that it will be just as astounding as any preserve on this planet.”

“So what does this have to do with us?” asked Applejack. “I can understand wanting to talk to Fluttershy about this, but how does an island full of animals relate to an apple farmer?”

Hooves let out a slight chuckle. “Well Miss Applejack, the answer to that lies within your family history.” When he only got a confused look in response, Hooves went on explaining. “You see, the Apple family have lived near the Everfree Forest ever since you first settled here, am I correct?”

Applejack nodded in agreement, knowing that piece of history was known by pretty much anybody who knew the Apples.

“And as you know, the Everfree Forest has been the home to some very rare and dare I might add dangerous creatures in its long history. So much so that the Apples have dealt with a few of them in their time when they come to feast on your apples.”

“Well, yeah. We get the occasional wolf or bear come to eat our apples. But it’s nothing too serious; nothing we can’t handle.”

“And that’s my point,” said Hooves, baning his hoof down on the table so fast his cup of cocoa flew up into the air. “Your family has the experience of working with animals that want to eat something. There are animals like that on my island as well, and I need somepony who can think like them. That’s why I wanted to talk to you Miss Applejack.”

Hooves turned his attention to Fluttershy, who had been sitting by silently while the two had talked. “But then there’s you; Miss Fluttershy.” He said her name with such emotion that the mare was blushing like an embarrassed foal. “The mare that’s made it her life’s goal to help any animal that she can. No matter what the size, no matter what the challenge; you find a way to help them!”

Fluttershy looked away from Hooves, trying not to make her obvious blush even more noticeable. “Oh, well, I try to do my best. I don’t always get things done, but…”

“NONSENSE,” screamed Hooves. Ponies around the sweet shop all turned in their direction; even a few ponies were looking at them from the doorway. “You give animals the care and attention they need. Neh, the ones they deserve! That has given you a vast knowledge of them the likes of which you don’t even realize. That’s why I wanted to talk to YOU; because you are more animal sazy than anypony in Equestria!”

The two mares were once again at a loss for words. Not because of what Hooves had said, but because of how he said it. His voice just screamed with the passion and determination that rarely anypony sees in anypony else in today’s world. But then there was his eyes; dark blue eyes that had the greatest hint of a fire burning within them like a the raging flames of Tartarus.

Hooves’ expression slacked slightly, and his high demeanor began to sink down with it. “Oh, I’m sorry about that….outburst. It’s just that this park is really important to me, and I’m positive it’s going to astound ponies and foals alike across the world.”

Applejack frowned slightly. “I can understand caring about something you’ve worked hard to build up. I feel the same way about my farm.”

“I, uh, feel that way about my shelter too,” said Fluttershy, whose voice now seemed to have a new wave of confidence added to it.

“But that makes me wonder,” continued Applejack, “what’s an animal park got to do with us? Why is it important that you needed to talk with us personally?”

If Hooves had looked sad before, that was nothing to what he looked like now. His smile had done a complete 180, forming into a frown that sank down to his lower jaw. The fire that sparkled in his eyes now looked like a small withering coal in a cold fireplace. Even the pony behind him (who still hadn’t introduced herself) looked a little downcast.

“Ah, yes, the reason. Well you see a few days ago a family on a private boat was able to find their way onto the island. They unfortunately came in contact with the animals, and they barely escaped with minor injuries.”

“Oh my,” said Fluttershy, her mane once again coming down over her eye.

“You’d think that would be bad enough, but lady luck wasn’t done beating me up yet.” Hooves slowly shook his head, “The incident caused our backers to question the safety of the island, and insisted that I get outside opinion to confirm that everything is running smoothly. One of my lawyers has already secured a pony to join the trip, but I knew I needed ponies who had the experience needed to handle these animals.”

Applejack nodded her head, understanding what his point was. “That’s why you wanted to talk to us; you want us to inspect your island.”

Hooves nodded sadly, but his expression seemed to perk up slightly. “That’s correct. If I can get you two to sign off on the park, then I can get back on schedule.” Hooves gave his hoof a wave, which seemed to put a smile back on his face. “Of course, you two would be compensated for your work. It’d be enough to run both your operations for the next three years.”

At that knowledge, Applejack’s brain went into full overdrive. Three years might just be what they need to get out of the stupor they had found themselves in. If anything, the public might even get their taste for apples back again.

But then, her brain began to think of everything that wasn’t right about this situation. Hooves was asking them to go to an island full of animals that could hurt others, and possibly cause some real damage. Not to mention that fact that they still had no idea what kind of animals the stallion had filled the place with.

Applejack looked over at Fluttershy, who had the same look of deep thought. With a sigh, the mare turned back to Hooves. “Well Hooves, I really want to go through with this deal. But I’m still not sure this is all worth it; even for a three year payment.”

“Um, I agree,” said Fluttershy, who kept her head facing down.

The two expected Hooves to be mad; to think that they were too selfish and not caring about others. But instead, the stallion gave the two a very smug smile. “You do drive a hard bargain ladies.” He put his hooves together, giving them the same look but with a slight right eyebrow raise. “Say I sweeten the deal. I’m thinking a Fluttershy Animal Shelter built on the island, where guests can adopt abandoned animals that need a loving home.”

Fluttershy’s shyness bolted away in a frenzy, leaving the mare behind with the biggest grin she had ever worn. “Really, a shelter that’s in a good location. One where every animal is treated with care and comfort, and giving to ponies who will love them?”

“Of course, whatever you want it to be.” He turned his attention to the apple farmer. “As for you Miss Applejack, I’ve heard great tell about how delicious your Apple Cider and Desserts are. What if we made a deal that you could supplies apples, cider, and desserts for the dining halls? That would keep you in constant buisness for years to come.”

Now it was Applejack’s turn to fill with joy….but she kept it inside. The Apples had always sold their apples to the citizens of ponyville. But now, they had the opportunity to work with a company that would feed them to ponies all across Equestria. It would not only get them money, but also allow for free advertisement. More ponies would enjoy their apples, and maybe want to buy some of their own. That would lead to a big surge in their sales.

Applejack turned to Fluttershy, who looked back at her with a face still frozen with glee. Hooves smiled warmly, “So, do we have a deal?”

Applejack looked at Hooves with a warm smile. “Where do we sign?”

“EXCELLENT!” screamed Hooves, holding his hoof up just in time to catch his cup of Cocoa. The mares were to happy to even wonder where it had been this whole time.

“This is a big day ladies; the day that everything changes.”

The three raised their glasses in a toast, confident that what Hooves had said was nothing but accurate.

***

The hustle and bustle of Manehattan was a constant 24 hour cycle. There wasn’t a time in the city where the streets weren’t crowded or ponies lined the sidewalks. Shops sung with the fresh morning commuters and a distant wave of tourist passing through. [centerBut while others were enjoying the sights and sounds, one pony was keeping his eyes forward.

A dark red unicorn with a pocket watch cutie mark was casually walking down the sidewalk. He wore a black suit, sunglasses, and a large black fedora. A pair of saddle-bags were slung over his flanks, and a slight jingle could be heard emanating from one of them.

He turned a street corner and found himself near the harbor promenade. Shops lined the long pier that stretched out into the dark blue waters of Manehattan Harbor. The pony walked down the steps and headed towards the far end of the pier; ignoring the souvenir shops and ice cream stands. His focus was on a large restaurant situated at the end of the dock.

The building was shaped like a large lobster, who was holding two large Hay Burgers in his claws while wearing a very cheerful smile. Ponies sat out on tables and benches as they ate through their assortments of buns and fries. The pony rolled his eyes at the sight, though nobody would tell with the blackness of his sunglasses.

The stallion walked past the chattering families over to a small table at the edge of the dock. Sitting at the table, levitating a menu before her, was a white unicorn mare. Her red mane with purple highlights flowed down her neck, glimmering with the sunshine reflecting off her yellowish grey coat. A pair of glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, which she occasionally pushed up when they began to fall off. Her cutie mark was a crescent moon and three stars.

As the stallion approached, the mare looked over at him. Her uninterested facial expression changed into a knowing smirk. “Well, glad to see you actually showed up Pocket Watch. I was beginning to think you’d back out of our deal.”

The stallion pulled out a chair and took his seat. “You shouldn’t use my name when we’re meeting out in public Moon Dancer.” He sounded unenthusiastic, which fit with his black suit, glasses, and hat.

Moon Dancer smiled, turning her head towards the groups of ponies around them. “Pocket Watch, Pocket Watch. I got Pocket Watch here!” she shouted. But the ponies either didn’t hear her, or just kept eating their meals. “See, nopony cares,” she said as she looked back at him.

Pocket Watch huffed, clearly not happy with the mare’s playful attitude. But the anger quickly drained from his face, and was once again cool and uncaring. His horn glowed, and one of his two saddlebags floated up onto the table. “As we agreed; 750,000 bits as an advance. When the jobs done, 50,000 more for each viable embryo. That’s 1.5 million bits when this is all over.”

Moon Dancer pulled the bag towards her, opened it, and looked down at the many bits that filled the inside. Her smirk stretched all the way up to her eyes, with her focused solely on the bits. “Excellent, our deal can now begin,” she said, using her own magic to put the bag on the ground next to her.

“Remember, we need viable embryos. There no use to us if they don’t survive. And I won’t be hesitant to take back your payment if that’s the case.”

Moon Dancer rolled her eyes. “Yes, I heard you the first time Watch. But you still haven’t telled me how I’m supposed to get the embryos off the island. I think they’ll notice if I’m carrying around a giant cooling trunk.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve covered that,” said Pocket Watch. His horn glowed again, but this time he pulled up his other saddlebag. He placed it on the table and opened the first flap. Using his magic again, he pulled out a small mare’s makeup bag. “This is how.”

Moon Dancer looked at the makeup bag with a raised eyebrow. “Uh, I already have something like that. And I don’t think the embryos will survive in something so….uncool.”

Pocket Watch smiled. “Oh, this is just the cover. The real system is inside.” He opened the bag, with looked rather plain on the inside. However, he used his magic to literally pull the velvet lining out of it. What lay behind the velvet was rows of small slots lining the sides. The bottom was a small metal rectangle with a small vent at the end of it.

“You place the embryos in the slots, and the system at the bottom will keep them cold for up to 24 hours. Just keep that cover on until you grab them, and nobody will notice the difference between it and a regular bag.”

Moon Dancer took the bag in her hooves, giving it a good look over. “Wow….that's actually really impressive.” Her face became serious as looked back at Pocket Watch. “Just make sure my contact’s on the east dock by 7 o’clock two days from now.”

Pocket Watch nodded. “How are you planning to get them out of the labs?”

Moon Dancer smiled smugly as she put the bag next to her payment. “I’ve been working out a plan for the last few months. It’s foolproof, and should take no more than 20 minutes. After that, your company will catch up on 10 years of research.” She narrowed her eyes cautiously. “And I can assume that my new position at the company will be rewarded as well?”

“Oh, of course,” said Pocket Watch. “We’ll be honored to have somepony with your knowledge working for BioSpell Inc. As we’ve always said; we need ponies with brains, not brans.”

Moon Dancer looked down at the two bags sitting beside her. One job, and she would get more money than Hooves had ever promised her. One job, and he’d learn that you don’t mess with ponies like her. Ones that know ponies who would pay top dollar for what he was doing. Ones that had the technology to steal what was most valuable to him.

The thought made her even more happy than a foal on Hearth's Warming Eve.

“Then I’d say it’s time for some espionage.”