Author's Note

Okay, before you all get started on reading. I'd just like to say I was laughing the whole time during this chase scene at the beginning because the music I picked went so well with it. And I was laughing like a damn idiot the whole time I was typing it out. Anyways, enjoy.

May the darkness grant you peace.

Act 1: A Fated Encounter

‘Any minute now….”

Said the excited farm pony, her emerald green eyes looking over the orchard of apples as the sun started to rise. Once it did, she jumped up in delight.

“YEEEEEHAAAAAW, It’s officially apple buckin’ day!”

She said as she ran through the orchard, looking at all the apples that had grown nicely before the harvest time. The fresh, ripe juicy fruits shining in the morning light as she makes her way over to the first tree and kicks it hard. The apples falling in the baskets as they should. A noise catches her ears though. The farm filly stopping to listen for it again. It sounded like...something was being struck repeatedly and in quick strikes.

“What the hay is goin’ on here…?”

She asked herself as she went to go and investigate the sound. Applejack was a fit and spry filly. Her time on the farm had made her stronger and more sturdy than most fillies her age. But she still had her southern drawl and beautiful eyes. That would get a colt’s attention. Eventually, she came upon the source of the sound. There was a figure standing in front of one of the trees. Punching it over and over. Applejack noticed the stone structure not far from him. And a basket of apples sitting close to it as well.

Have they been living out here long…? Ah haven’t seen them before. And they have been livin’ off mah apples! That thievin’ no good…

Applejack quickly approaches the figure with a glare in her eyes, ready to beat down the figure.

“Hey, you! Stop beatin’ on my trees and give me back my apples!”

She shouted in anger. The figure quickly turned to see her approaching and quickly leaps away from his current position. Taking a stance and eyeing who it was after sliding on his hood and face mask. He was expecting a human girl to come running at the sound of her voice, but what he saw definitely wasn’t human.He stomps on the ground and forces a rock to pulls his weapons to him that laid nearby. He catches them, going into a defensive stance.

“W-what are you?! Stay back!”

Applejack stopped when she saw what he had just done. He had made land just...shift and move by a single movement of his foot! And now he held these odd but dangerous looking weapons.

“Ah should be askin’ YOU that question. You are on private property!”

Zhou looked the new being over thoroughly. He could definitely tell she was female. And he she had some human-like features, more equine in appearance overall though. And she looked like she was about his age as far as he could tell. He thinks it over for a moment and then sheaths his blades on his back.

“Look...I am just a drifter. I saw your apples and I took a few. Can’t a guy get something to eat? You have a whole orchard full of them after all.”

He said with a light smile, shrugging his shoulder. His voice was in a more carefree and playful tone than it was earlier, trying to see if he could just slide by. But it seems the filly wasn’t going to buy any of it.

“C’mere you! Let me see your face!”

She said as she leaped at him, her strong legs carrying her directly to him. Though he simply laughs and literally side-slides without moving an inch physically, the ground having shifted and carried him. Applejack lands straight on her face, looking back at him in shock.

“What the?! Hold still darn it!”

She said as she tried to leap for him again. He again slides to the side without really moving.

“Alright, Ah have had about enough of this! I don’t know what fancy magic yer usin’ But you better give me back my apples!”

He runs at her full force. Thinking he was going to attack her, she puts up her guard. But little does she know that wasn’t his intention. Instead he waits till he gets close enough and kicks off his feet, sliding right under her between her legs. He chuckles lightly and quickly pours all the apples his can into his bag before she can get to him.

"You are going to have to catch me first, farm girl!"

He said as he took off into the orchard. Oh, Applejack was furious. Not only had she been tricked by him, but he had made off with some of the hard work her and her family had done.

“Get back here, you!!!”

She said as she began the chase. Zhou wanted to use earthbending to make his escape easier but, he also didn’t want to wreck the orchard that they had worked so hard to build. He had his hook swords and agility. He would be just fine. Though he could hear the sound of hoofsteps gaining behind him. He looked back to see her close on his heels. The chase itself was comedic in its own little way. Each time Zhou hides behind a tree and peeked out, Applejack would look around another tree trying to find him. This would go on until they finally saw one another and the chase resumed.

“You are fast, I’ll give you that! But I ain’t stoppin’ till you hand over my apples!”

“Come on blondie, give me a break! I just wanted a snack was all!”

They bantered during the chase. Zhou eventually came to a white fence, leaping over it in mid-run and lands on his feet, but trips and tumbles a bit, leaving Applejack plenty of time to close the distance. Zhou jumped up quickly and took off again. They were in the open farm yard now. Just then, Zhou spotted two more ponies who looked like the one that was chasing him. An elder green furred female and a big burly male with red fur. Zhou didn’t slow down, though he heard Applejack shout out.

“Big Mac, Stop him! He has some of our apples and he isn’t gonna pay for’em!”

The young stallion ran towards Zhou and stood in his path directly. He was a big one, but Zhou knew how to handle these without causing serious harm. As he ran forth and Big Mac attempted to grab him, he drew one of his hook swords and slid past Big Mac, hooking the stallion’s left leg and using the strength and the force of the slide to flip the stallion off his hooves.

“Sorry big guy! Nothing personal!”

He shouted as he continued to run

“Big Mac! You were supposed to catch him!”

Applejack shouted as she ran past her brother, who let out a groan and a simple.

“Eeyup.”

However, the elder pony just smiled and laughed.

“Well looky there. Applejack’s got herself a new friend. Quick and spry youngin’ to!”

Big mac just grunts again, he sits up and watches them both run off further into the yard, eventually getting to the barn itself. Soon enough Applejack had Zhou in a corner outside of the barn.

“Alright, you got nowhere to run now. Hand’em over or I will hog tie you quicker than you and say ‘apple pie’!”

He had already thought ahead and moved to the side a bit. Applejack moved to block him off his escape, but that wasn’t his plan. He draws his hook swords once more.

“Apple Pie.”

He said with a smug smile under his mask. Applejack watched his eyes and then his movements, her eyes widen as she sees him run towards the wall. She knew exactly what he was doing now.

“Oh no you don’t!”

He made it to the wall before she could, however.His runs up it halfway and latches his hook swords into the wooden walls. He starts pulling himself up the wall by reaching up and jabbing the metal hooks into the structure, eventually making his way to the rooftop and claiming victory of the chase.

“Can’t get me now can you?!”

Zhou said as he holds his arms out in a ‘come get me’ gesture. He reaches into his bag and pulls out a green apple. Taking a victorious bite out of it after pulling down his face mask. His hood still concealing most of it in its shadow. Applejack growled with a death glare.

“Didn’t your parents teach ya’ll not to steal from others?!”

Zhou scoffs at Applejack.

“Pfft, the jokes on you! I don’t have parents!”

“Well your family should have taught you better than that!”

Zhou throws the apple core at Applejack, missing her by mere inches.

“I have no family for your information! But that is none of your business!”

It suddenly hit Applejack, her eyes widening as she realized she may have just stepped on a rather sore subject for the boy. She looks down and takes off that signature brown leather stetson hat of hers and rubs the side of it.

“Look..ah am mighty sorry for bringin’ somethin’ like that up. Can we just talk about this? Had ah known earlier ah wouldn’t have made such a big fuss about it. Could you at least come down? Ah promise I won’t try anythin’.”

Zhou looked down at the filly. He search her eyes for any deception.her words sounded genuine enough, though. He nods and brings his hand toward him while forming it into a fist, A large rock pillar jutting out of the ground and toward the roof. Applejack watches in shock, nearly falling back on her rear. Zhou leaps onto the rock and slides down to the ground. Stomping his foot and the rock sinks back into the earth like it was never there. Applejack hops up to her hooves. Staring at Zhou like he was a demigod or something.

“How in tarnation do you do that?! With the ground and the rock?! Out of nowhere!”

“It’s called earthbending. An ancient art passed down by my people for generations. We can control and manipulate the earth around us. We can even pull massive rocks straight from the ground.”

“So the way you were movin’ earlier..without actually movin’...”

“Yes, that was also earthbending.”

She shakes her head in amazement but gets serious.

“Look, Ah really am sorry for bringin’ that up earlier. Ah guess not havin’ any family means you have to provide for yourself somehow.”

He sighs and shakes his head.

“Look, I steal because I have to. It was the only way i could survive back where I am from. I am not greedy or anything, I just stole what I needed to survive. I honestly thought the apple trees here were wild ones. I had no idea this was private property when i was thrown into this world.”

Applejack arched a brow in confusion, placing her hat back on her head.

“What do you mean ‘your world’? And what in the hay are you exactly? You aren’t a pony that’s for sure. And the way you move is quite impressive.”

Zhou slowly removes his hood and reveals that he is nothing like a pony at all. He had semi-long white hair that was parted down the middle. But what caught Applejack’s attention the most was his bright purple eyes. They looked like they could pierce the soul if one stared into them.

“Huh...definitely not what I was expectin’ to see. Those eyes are a little unstelin’ though. Anyways, might I invite you inside? We can talk in the kitchen then.”

Applejack asked as she started walking towards the house.Zhou hesitated for a moment, then followed. Once they were in the house along with Big Mac and Granny Smith. They all looked at him with curiosity. Though Big Mac was slightly irritated.

“Hey big guy..sorry again”

Big Mac sighed, but nodded, accepting his apology.

“Now,how about you start up by tellin us your name, sonny?”

Asked the elder mare. Sitting down in one of the chairs of the table to rest her old bones.

“I am Zhou Lin. just a parentless kid who has been living on his own for the past three years. And clearly, I am not in my own world anymore. Especially see what you all are now.”

“Do you remember how you got here?”

Asked Applejack.

“Well, I remember this strange glowing blue stone falling towards him. I grabbed it in mid flight and suddenly, I am brought here. And assuming the apples here were free game, I made myself a little home which was the little structure you saw near by when I was training.”

“Is that what you were doin’? When you were hittin’ the tree?”

“It was. See as an earthbending I have to make sure both my body and mind are in top shape, that way I could make my way to being an earthbending master just like my father was.

This was the beginning of the young earthbender’s new life. And fate had many things planned for him to becoming a master earthbender. And it all started here with this fated encounter.