Finders Keepers

Exhausted from galloping, he slows down to catch his breath. Glancing back, he sees he’s gained a fair amount of distance between him and the spot he met Spike. While taking a moment to rest, he wonders if he made the right choice by leaving so suddenly. “I appreciate you trying to help, little dragon,” he mutters to himself. “But I need to keep moving. . . Although, I wish I had a map to help me avoid any more towns like this.” Knick Knack looks to the backpack he found on the ground, and reaches his hoof into it. “Maybe there’s something useful in this thing.” He is surprised to feel something inside, and pulls out his hoof to find just what he needed: a map of the surrounding area. “Huh. . . Well, that’s lucky. I wonder if there’s anything else in there.” He takes the rucksack off his back and sets it on the grass, lifting up the flap to peer inside. Disappointingly, he finds nothing else. He sighs as he raises his hoof to block to harsh sunlight. “If only I had a pair of—” His eyes are then drawn to the rucksack as a vibrant, blue-greenish light emanates from it. It twinkles as the hue becomes brighter for only a few moments before completely subsiding. Curiously, he reaches back inside, and is stunned to feel something has somehow appeared inside the bag. He pulls out his hoof, and gasps as he gapes at a new pair of sunglasses. “There’s no way. How—?” He sets down the sunglasses, and examines the bag in confusion. “Okay . . . how about a hat?” Anxiously, he reaches inside and pulls out the exact hat he had in mind. One after another, he pulls out object after object as his face lights up with pure joy. “This is incredible!” He frantically gets to his hooves. “It gives me anything I want! This . . . this could be my chance!” He grabs the rucksack and puts it back on him. “This could change everything for me! I can’t even begin to imagine the possibilities! But . . . where to begin?” He scans the area for a place to start, and his attention is caught by a bright, red barn sitting on a hilltop surrounded by fields of orchards. Knick Knack smiles as he dashes headfirst towards the barn.

Going through her daily routine of collecting apples from the trees, Applejack uses her hind legs to buck the trunks as apples come raining down into a large basket. She tips her hat and wipes the sweat from her forehead as she glances back at all the baskets she’s managed to fill so far. She turns back to pick up the basket she just filled, and is met by Knick Knack staring directly into her eyes. Applejack yelps and jolts from fear as she takes a few steps back while Knick Knack simply looks on with a gleeful expression. “Woo! Gave me a fright there, stranger!” Applejack greets with a laugh. “You sure snuck up on me real quiet-like. What brings ya here?”

“Oh! Forgive me, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Nah, it’s alright.”

“Well, I just . . . saw your barn and decided to stop by! I’m new around here, you see.”

“In that case, welcome to Ponyville! This here’s Sweet Apple Acres.”

“It’s a beautiful place.”

“Thanks! My name’s Applejack by the way.”

“It’s a pleasure! I’m Knick Knack!”

“Well, Knick Knack, welcome.” Applejack grabs the brim of the basket with her teeth, and hurls it into the air before landing right on her back. “So, is there somethin’ I can help you with?”

“Me? No. How about you? Did you need help with anything?”

“Uh . . . nothin’ I can think of right now; but boy, am I parched.”

“Oh! I have just the thing!” Knick Knack reaches into his backpack, and pulls out a glass of water as he holds it out to her.

“Well, I’ll be! You just happened to have a cup of water in there?”

“Gotta be prepared, right?”

“But wouldn’t it just . . . spill?”

“Oh, no. This bag’s got . . . special pockets inside for this type of thing.”

“Well, I ain’t complainin’.” Applejack accepts the glass of water from him, and drinks it down. “Ah, much better. I outta get me one ‘a those fancy bags.” She then pulls down the brim of her hat to help hide her face from the sunlight. “It’s a hot one out today, huh? I’d give anything for a dip in some ice cold water right now.”

“Hey! I can help with that too!”

“Whaddya mean?” Knick Knack reaches into his backpack, and pulls out a long, green water hose. “What the. . ? How did you—?” Before she can finish her question, icy cold water shoots out from the nozzle of the hose sending Applejack flying backwards.

“Is that better?!” Knick Knack asks as Applejack yells whilst flying through the air. She slams against the wall of the barn, and falls down into a puddle of water. “Too much, you think?!” Knick Knack rushes over to her giddy with excitement. She lifts her head up out of the water as her soaked mane droops down over her face.

“Look out everypony!” Applejack’s eyes swirl around from dizziness as she slurs her words. “The tide’s comin’ in!” Her head plops back down into the puddle, and Knick Knack puts his hoof under his chin from bewilderment.

“What in the. . ? Applejack!” Knick Knack turns to see a stallion rushing over to the now unconscious Applejack. “Just what have you done?! Who are you?” he asks vehemently.

“Well, which question would like answered first?” Knick Knack asks.

“Just tell me who you are!”

“O-Okay,” Knick Knack trembles. “I’m Knick Knack, and I was just trying to help.”

“What did you do? Hose her down?!”

“Pretty much. Hey, I guess it was a real ‘hose-down’. . . Get it? It’s kinda like hoedown, but I said hose-down instead.”

As Knick Knack nervously chuckles at his own joke, the stallion doesn’t appear to be amused. The stallion’s shadow looms over Knick Knack as his eyes widen and his body freezes in fear.

“Please! Don’t hurt me!” Knick Knack drops to the ground with his hooves covering his head. “I-It was only a joke!”

“Really now? I must’a missed the punchline!”

“Punchline?” Suddenly, a red, boxing glove launches out of his backpack by a metal spring, punching the stallion straight into his chest and sending him falling flat on his back with a grunt. Knick Knack sighs with relief, and Applejack is now lifting herself up and out of the puddle of water.

“Ugh, what . . . what happened?” Applejack mumbles. “Oh, no! Big Mac!” She scrambles to her hooves and rushes to the stallion’s aid. “What’s happened?!” Big Mac rubs his head with his hoof as he groans from the pain.

“That kid over there up an’ knocked the daylights outta me!” Big Mac claims.

“Really?” Applejack sneers and looks to Knick Knack with a glare.

“Uh-oh,” says Knick Knack, realizing the danger he is now in. Frantically, he gets up and gallops around the barn.

“Hey! Get back here!” Applejack and Big Mac chase after Knick Knack, and with one quick glance backward, he sees that they are closing the distance very quickly.

“Oh, come on! I’m gonna need a rocket to outrun these two!” Suddenly, the flap of the rucksack flies open, and a pair of thrusters deploys as they shake and rattle while smoke starts pouring out from the exhaust ports. “Uh . . . this might not have been a good idea!” Knick Knack shouts, immediately regretting his choice of words. The thrusters shoot out flames from the exhaust ports, and Knick Knack screams as he rises up off the ground and soars through the air. Applejack and Big Mac slow to a stop with their eyes glued to Knick Knack as he shoots across the sky.

“Applejack?” Big Mac asks.

“Yeah?” says Applejack

“How . . . how did he do that?”

“I don’t know, but I think there’s a certain somepony who might know a thing or two about that boy and that bag.”