Chapter 3: The Journey

Chapter 3: The Journey

“But why can’t you tell me where you’re going?”

Applejack sighed as Apple Bloom went on another rant about the trip she was about to undertake. The constant questioning had started the moment she’d gotten back from her meeting with Hooves. Everyone wanted to know what was discussed and what exactly had they come to an agreement on.

Remembering that she’d agreed not to reveal anything until allowed to, Applejack simply stated that they’d come to an agreement that would not only get them more money, but also a possible deal to supply apples to a big attraction. Granny and Big Mac seemed pleased by the information, but Apple Bloom had insisted on learning more.

While she managed to ignore the question for half an hour, Applejack was eventually won over by the constant asking. Still remembering the agreement, she told the family that she’d be taking a weekend trip to take care of their part of the agreement. “I’ll be taking a tour of one of GenMag’s facilities. They got some things there that eat apples, so I’ll just be deciding from there how much we need to provide.”

But of course, this still wasn’t enough for Apple Bloom. She continued to ask questions about the facility, and of course if there was anything that she could do to help. Applejack was almost to her breaking point when the doorbell rang. Taking the opportunity to get away, Applejack rushed to the front door. When she pulled it open, she saw a small pegasus filly standing patiently on the doorstep. She had a purple mane and two saddlebags over her flanks.

“Hey Applejack,” said the filly, “is Apple Bloom home?”

Smiling, Applejack replied “of course she is Scootaloo. I’ll call her down.” She turned to call out for the filly, but Scootaloo put a hoof on her.

“You don’t need to do that. I just wanted to know since she said we’d be making Cider the whole weekend, and I didn’t want her to be joking,” said the filly as she moved past Applejack and into the kitchen.

The mare looked down at the filly with a look of confusion. “Wait a minute, are you spending the weekend?”

“Yeah, Apple Bloom and I arranged it last week. Since Sweetie Belle's busy and my parents are one a trip, we thought it’d be a good idea to spend some time together; just the two of us.”

Applejack smiled. She thought it was nice that her sister and her friend were going to be spending time together. She’d lost touch with RaRa during their childhood, and things hadn’t turned out well. But thankfully, this also meant that Apple Bloom would stop harassing her about the trip she was taking.

And not a moment later, Apple Bloom walked into the kitchen. Her face lit up with joy at the sight of the small pegasus. “Scoots, glad to see you could make it,” she said as she ran over and embraced the filly, who gladly returned the hug.

“Hay Yeah! Why would I miss the chance to make cider and spend time with my friend?”

The two smiled and filed into a fit of laughter. Applejack smiled at the sight, but that soon faded when the grandstallion clock rang 4 PM. “Esh, it’s getting late.” She turned to the two mares. “I have some packing to do, so try not to bother me or burn down the house while I’m upstairs.” She turned away from the two and headed towards the stairs.

Scootaloo turned to her friend. “What’s Applejack packing for?”

“A company called GenMag wants us to be a part of some business proposal that’ll hopefully get us out of this Apple-Funk we’ve found ourselves in,” replied Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo looked puzzled at the response. “GenMag? What would a company like that want to do with an apple farm? They’ve got nothing to do with food distribution or growth.”

“How in the hay do you know that?” asked Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo shrugged. “Sometimes I look up companies when I’m bored. I’ve got to have backup plans if the Wonderbolts don’t work out.”

Apple Bloom was a little surprised about this, but she didn’t linger too long on it. “You still didn’t tell me why Applejack is packing,” said Scootaloo.

“The CEO of the company wants her to check out one of their “facilities” before the deal is put through. Thing is she doesn’t want to tell me what kind of facility it is.”

“WOW, that’s cool,” said Scootaloo. “She’ll probably see a lot of cool stuff while she’s there.”

Apple Bloom raised a questionable eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Scootaloo smiled. “GenMag specializes in genetic modification and spell fusion. They probably have some hybrid animals or ones that have new features like wings or two tails.”

“Gee,” said Apple Bloom, “that would be something. Sis is lucky she gets to go there; I’d give my favorite bow to go and see something like that.”

Scootaloo nodded in agreement...but then stopped and widened her eyes. Her blank face soon turned into one of snickering glee. “Who's to say that we can’t?”

Apple Bloom looked at her friend questionably. “What do you mean?”

Scootaloo smiled even bigger. “Who says that we can’t go with Applejack to see all the cool creatures they probably have there?”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure she’ll give as a million reasons on why we can’t go with her. The ‘who’ you are referring to happens to be my sister.”

Scootaloo laughed slightly as she put a leg around Apple Bloom. “My dear sweet Apple Bloom; you don’t know how wrong you are.” She turned her head to look directly into the Apple’s eyes. “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. All we have to do is find a way to go with her without knowing we’re there.”

Apple Bloom stared at Scoot for a moment before slowly shaking her head. “And just how do we do a thing like that?”

“Oh, you leave that to me,” said Scootaloo.

***

After spending the rest of the day packing and thinking, Applejack felt that she was ready for the trip ahead of her. All the supplies she would need for a weekend trip had been packed into her suitcase, and she’d made sure to pack a few meals in the fridge for the rest of the family.

When the next day finally arrived, Applejack brought her suitcase downstairs. The rest of the family was up to, wanting to wish her a good trip. However, she saw that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were nowhere to be seen.

“Where is Apple Bloom? Can’t she at least wake up so that I can say goodbye to her?”

Granny Smith shook her head. “Filly said her and Scoots had a full day planned, and didn’t want to waste a moment of it. Though she did wish you to be safe on your trip.”

Applejack sighed; she’d hoped to say goodbye to her sister in person. She’d been so insistent on learning about the trip earlier, but now she wasn’t even here for when it started. A sliver to suspicion crept into Applejack’s skull, but it soon disappeared when the front doorbell rang.

Applejack ran over to answer it, and found a smartly dressed earth pony standing on the doormat. His smile brightened the room thanks to his pure white teeth, and his eyes were solely focused on the mare in front of him.

“Good day Miss Applejack. My name is Lead Foot, and I shall be your chauffeur today. Do you have everything packed and ready for your weekend excursion?”

The rest of the Apples were a little taken back by the stallion’s helpfulness. However, Applejack was much more used to it. She’d had to deal with Hooves after all, and if you could get through him there wasn’t a pony you couldn’t.

“I’ll bring everything out, just let me say goodbye to my family,” replied Applejack.

“Say no more, I’ll be getting the carriage ready for you,” and with that, he strode away towards the farm gates. Applejack looked out after him, and almost dropped her jaw at the sight he was heading to. Parked next to the gates was the most fancy carriage she had ever seen.

Four golden wheels were attached to a golden frame, which held a glossy black carriage with golden furnishings and lamps. In the center of the door sat the insignia for GenMag, which helped it to stand out as a company vehicle. The chauffeur walked inside the carriage, and the distinct sound of a vacuum could be heard from the inside.

Applejack turned back to her two family members, who seemed just as mesmerized by the carriage. “Well, I guess this is goodbye. I packed a few meals in the fridge, so you should be good for the weekend. Oh, and make sure Apple Bloom gets home at a decent time; I don’t want her out late.”

Big Mac rolled his eyes, and Granny sniffed indignantly. “I’ll have you know that we Apples can take care of ourselves. I was your age once, and I remember how to cook my own meals.” But then she hung her head down slightly. “But really, thanks dear for this. I hope you and that CEO come to an agreement that will help our farm.”

“EEYUP,” said Big Mac with a smile.

Applejack walked up to the two and embraced them in a big hug. The two gladly returned it, both with smiles plastered onto their faces. When they separated, Applejack turned and grabbed the handle of her suitcase between her teeth.

“Well, I’m heading out,” she said, and walked outside towards the carriage. She placed her suitcase down near the rear and walked towards the open door. Lead Foot walked out and gracefully bowed to her.

“Welcome aboard Miss Applejack. Everything inside is for your enjoyment, and I do hope the cushion arrangements are comfortable.”

Applejack smiled. “Thank you very much Lead Foot. By the way, where do I put my luggage?”

Lead Foot waved his hoof. “Oh don’t you worry Miss Applejack, I’ll take care of it. You go on inside and make yourself comfortable.”

Not seeing anything wrong with a stallion wanting to do his job, Applejack walked into the carriage. Lead Foot walked towards the rear of the carriage. Applejack’s suitcase was still there...but there was also a large brown trunk. It didn’t have any locks on it, but the lid looked securely tight around it. “Mare do usually carry a lot of clothes,” thought Lead Foot. He lifted the suitcase into the holding rack, then worked on the trunk.

Once everything was loaded, Lead Foot walked to the front of the coach and strapped himself into the harness. “Were off Miss Applejack,” he called before pulling the carriage out of the farm and onto the dirt track towards Ponyville.

But while they were heading towards town, things were happening in the carriage luggage rack. The top of the trunk opened slightly, and the faces of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked out at the shrinking Apple Farm.

“See, I told you this would work,” said Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom looked nervously over at her. “I just have a really bad feeling about this. I mean, what if my sister finds out?”

Scootaloo waved her hoof at the filly. “Don’t worry about it; if she does, then I’ll take full blame for it. Besides, she won’t find out if we stick to sneaking around.” She looked at the small book she had brought with her. “And remember, it’s just two days. We can stay in the room she gets when it’s too dangerous to move around.”

Apple Bloom rubbed her leg nervously, thinking about the amount of trouble she would be in if Applejack did find out. The last time she’d done something dangerous, she’d been forced to repaint the entire barn; both inside and outside. But this...this was a thousand times worse. And if she thought that painting was bad, she could only think about what her sister would do if she found out about this.

But the thoughts left her head as she felt the carriage slow down. Peeking out the small space between the trunk and the lid, she saw that they had stopped in front of a small house. It almost looked like a large tree, but it had windows and doors cut into it. A small creek ran across the front lawn, which was spanned by a small wooden bridge.

Lead Foot unhooked himself from the carriage and walked towards the small house. He gently tapped on the door and waited. A moment passed by before the door opened. Fluttershy stood in the doorway with a small suitcase next to her. But what drew Lead Foot’s attention was the small rabbit on top of the mare’s head. He had his arms crossed, and was giving the stallion a vicious glare.

“Oh, hello. Are you the one who will be taking us to the island?” asked Fluttershy.

Lead Foot gave his head a quick shake before giving the mare a big smile. “Yes Miss Fluttershy, but to be more precise I will only be taking you to meet Mr. Hooves. From there, the three of you will travel to the island.”

“Oh, alright then.” The mare reached to pick up her suitcase, but Lead Foot waved a hoof in defence.

“Please, allow me to carry your luggage mam,” he said. The rabbit glared down at him even harder, now putting his arms on his hips.

Thankfully, Fluttershy smiled and stepped back. “Oh, that’s very kind of you. It’ll give me time to say goodbye.” She picked the rabbit off her head and held him in front of her. “Now be a good boy angel. Make sure the others don’t fight and that everyone gets to bed on time. Tree Hugger will be here tomorrow to help watch you all.”

The rabbit nodded his head, and the mare gave him a little nuzzle with her nose. “That’s my good Angel.” She placed him down on the ground, and he promptly sped back into the house.

Fluttershy and Lead Foot walked back to the carriage. The stallion moved towards the back and tossed the suitcase onto the luggage rack. It hit the top of the chest, sending it straight into the two fillies’ heads.

Apple Bloom opened her mouth to yell, but it was quickly plugged up by Scootaloo’s hoof. “Quiet,” she whispered. Even though she had tears forming in her eyes, she nodded her head in understanding.

Lead Foot walked to the front of the carriage and strapped himself into the harness. Fluttershy walked into the carriage and found Applejack sitting comfortably on one of the cushions. “Good to see you again Fluttershy,” she said as the mare took a seat across from her.

“It’s good to see you to Applejack.” The mare looked around the carriage, taking in the whole scene of luxury and style. “I still can’t believe that ponies like us are being treated with such high regard.”

Applejack smiled as she took a sip of Hard Apple Cider. “Yeah, makes you wonder why Hooves wants this park to work so badly, and just how much our opinion matters.”

The two soon began talks about Hooves, the luxury, and even some personal matters. Lead Foot took the group out of ponyville and was soon charging across the landscape towards Manehattan.

***

Arriving a few hours later, Lead Foot was soon amongst the hustle and bustle of the Manehattan roadways. Applejack and Fluttershy looked out at the large buildings that dwarfed the small ponies around them.

“Geez, they sure do make these buildings reach up to the sky,” said Applejack. It had been years since she had last gone to Manehattan. She’d only stayed there for one week before the call to home was strong enough to bring her back. Ever since, her view on the city was somewhat mixed.

Lead Foot made a right turn onto a long road. No carriages or ponies ran along it, and there were only blank building entrances along the sides. When they reached the end of the street, they found themselves at the entrance to a very large runway. It sat beside the sea, and was surrounded by a large iron gate.

A small security box stood on the other side, from which a white unicorn walked out. Lead Foot flashed him a security badge, to which the pony nodded. He used his magic to open the gates and let the carriage pass through. Lead Foot pulled the carriage around a corner and towards the end of the runway.

When they reached the end, Lead Foot unhooked himself and ran to open the carriage door. He gave a small bow as Applejack and Fluttershy stepped down from the carriage. “It has been a pleasure being your chauffeur mams,” he said politely.

Applejack waved a hoof at him. “Oh shucks, you’re being too polite. But in all honestly, you were a fantastic chauffeur Lead Foot. I do hope I see you again,” she said.

Fluttershy agreed, but decided to take more time in thanking the stallion for his service. He blushed as he told her his thanks, then proceeded to unload the two mare’s baggage. It was at this time that both mares caught sight of the large trunk sitting in between their suitcases.

“Is Fluttershy bringing a high tech animal observing kit?” thought Applejack.

“Does Applejack really have that many hats?” thought Fluttershy.

The two decided to forget about their thoughts and instead turned to walk towards the runway. Sitting at the end of it was another carriage. It was similar to the one they’d just used, but this one was longer and painted blue. Not only that, but instead of two earth ponies at the front, there were two pegasus’ in light grey uniforms. Each wore a pair of goggles and a slick aviator cap.

The two turned their attention towards the carriage stairs, where they a familiar sight met their eyes. Hooves stood at the bottom of the stairs; his eyes fixated on the mares approaching him. The mare that he’d been with yesterday was standing behind him. But unlike last time when she’d looked emotionless; this time she looked almost joyful. Her mouth was formed into a very wide closed smile.

“Welcome ladies, to the beginning of a brighter future for all of us,” he said as the two stopped before him. “Now that you two are here, we can finally get this show on the road.”

The two nodded, but still had their eyes shifting from Hooves to the mare behind him. But it looked like the stallion saw this, as he motioned for the mare to come forward. “I don’t believe you three met properly yesterday. Applejack, Fluttershy, this is my dear assistant Miss Roseluck.”

The mare bowed slightly. “A pleasure to properly meet you two. I’m sorry if my cold attitude put you off yesterday. I always want to remain calm and collected when Mr. Hooves is having business meetings.”

Hooves laughed and put a leg around the mare. He was laughing so hard he didn’t notice the mare’s cheeks starting to turn red. “Oh, that’s Roseluck for you; calm and uncaring when she should be happy and go-lucky. But I will say, she is one taturus of an assistant.” He let go of the mare, and her face started to turn back to normal.

“Well then, since we’re all here, let’s get boarded so we can head to the island,” said Hooves. He walked up the stairs with Roseluck following close behind him. Lead Foot had just finished loading the two mares luggage. He gave them a bow before heading back to the black carriage.

Applejack and Fluttershy followed Hooves up the stairs and into the carriage. The upholstery was gleaming white, and the floor was covered in a succulent white rug. A small island sat in the middle, which contained a small cooler and rack for glasses. Windows sat along the walls, offering a majestic view of the outside.

But the appearance wasn’t the only thing that caught the mare’s eyes. At the end of the carriage sat two ponies; a mare and a stallion. The stallion was light brown with a dark black mane and a mallet cutie mark. He wore a dark blue suit and tie, and was currently looking through some papers. When the two mares walked in, he gave them a quick glance before returning to his papers.

The other pony was a Brilliant azure unicorn mare with a pale cornflower mane with a very pale cerulean strip running through it. Her cutie mark consisted of a wand over the image or a moon. She was leaning back in her seat; watching the two mares with interest.

“Well, it seems we’re all here. I’ll inform our pilots that we can take off. Better find your seats,” said Hooves to the others. Roseluck took a seat on the right side, while Hooves leaned his head out the open door. “We’re all set,” he called.

Putting his head back in, he hit a button on the wall. The door to the carriage raised off the ground and slid into place. Hooves walked over and took a seat next to Roseluck, who gave her boss a warm smile.

Applejack and Fluttershy took their seats across from Hooves. Not a moment after they sat down, they felt the carriage lurch forward. Looking out the window, Applejack saw that the scenery outside was speeding by. And a few seconds later, the carriage tilted up and pulled away from the ground. The city of Manehattan soon grew smaller and smaller against the clear blue ocean.

“It should take us half an hour to reach the island, so sit back and relax until we land,” said Hooves. He grabbed a book from the seat next to him and began to read. Roseluck reached towards the island and pulled a gardening magazine out of it. She soon had her nose buried in an article about soil.

Applejack didn’t know what she could do at this point. Her only options were take a nap or try and start a conversation. Talking with Fluttershy wouldn’t be a problem, but it would be a little weird for only the two of them to be talking. She wondered it maybe the other two ponies would want to talk….and that’s when she realized the blue unicorn was still looking at them.

Her eyes had the look of seeing right through them. Her curious looking face didn’t make things any better. But this wasn’t going to deter Applejack, so she decided to face her.

“Is there something wrong sugar cube?” she asked.

The mare blinked and turned her head fully towards them. Her eyes squinted as her mouth turned into a frown. “...You're an apple farmer aren’t you?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What gave it away; the accent or the three apples on my flank?”

“Both,” replied the mare. “I’ve worked with farmers before, and you all have the same feel to you. Hard work, sweat, and a feeling of “out of placeness” when in the presence of luxury.”

Applejack glared at the mare; she definitely had a higher feeling about herself. She’d seen it on a lot of big city ponies, but this mare didn’t seem to be from the city. She had a more “countryside” feel to her, which made her attitude all the more confusing.

Hooves must have felt the tension between them, because he cleared his throat to get their attention. “Well it would seem that we haven’t introduced ourselves. Why don’t we go around and tell everypony who we are?”

The mare huffed, but then gave a smirk. “I am THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE! Master of spells and doer of the impossible.” She waited a moment; likely hoping to see them “ooh” and “ahh”. But when they remained silent, she growled and took to staring out the window.

Hooves let out a small chuckle. “Nice to see that you found a real expert Barrister. Now I know my choices won’t match up to yours.”

The stallion in the blue suit rolled his eyes; clearly he was not amused by Hooves’ jokes. “You say that now Hooves, but you just wait until this little trip is over. Trixie will be the one who will either make or break this park of yours. Her opinion will influence mine; the final nail in the coffin.”

Hooves grinned and looked back at Applejack and Fluttershy. “Mr. Barrister is the lawyer that represents my investors. He’ll be accompanying us on our tour; but he’ll still be restricted to the same rules as the rest of you.”

Barrister rolled his again before going back to his sheets of paper. The tension in the carriage seemed to escalate because of the talks, with everyone having a more dreary look on their faces.

Applejack was beginning to feel uncomfortable; she didn’t like it when things went tense. Wanting to get out of it, she decided now was as good a time as any to take a nap. “I’m gonna sleep until we get to the island. Wake me up before we land,” she said to Fluttershy. She laid down, laid her hat over her eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

I was going to make this chapter longer, but I thought there was already a lot in it. The next chapter is when the real fun begins.