Chapter 3.
Search For Apple Bloom.

Applejack trotted her way through the little town of Ponyville, a half-empty cart of apples in tow behind her. She didn't sell as many as she would have liked, which only worsened her already sour mood. Since Big Mac went to Appleloosa, her and her little sister had to do most of the work on the farm themselves. He had only left nearly a week ago, but the work had already taken a toll on her. Especially young Apple Bloom.

Her sister often helped around the farm. Carrying buckets of apples from the distant fields up towards the barn. Feeding the many animals they had. She even started taking up apple bucking lessons to take away from her siblings already heavy loads.

Applejack frowned at the thought of Apple Bloom. Sure, they were a hard-working family, but Apple Bloom was just a filly. She shouldn't have to do as much as she did. But then again, Applejack never heard her sister complain. Maybe she didn't because Apple Bloom didn't want to disappoint her. Apple Bloom was very mighty for her age. She knew this.

"Maybe ah should talk ta her. See if in she's ok with all the things she has ta do," Applejack said aloud as she rounded the fence leading up to the farm.

As she trotted up the path to the farm, she took a quick glance to the right. In the distance, she could see a set of trees that started the Everfree Forest. She hated that forest. All the stories about foals going missing, only to be found days later in the Ponyville river. It made her sick just thinking about it. She had even seen it a few times herself.

She often helped in dealing with things not many ponies could handle. She had often helped with getting a foal out of the river. The state they would appear in was something no pony should ever have to witness. She always came across as a tough mare, but after seeing the fillies and colts the way they were, her emotions got the better of her. The first time she pulled a pony out of the river, she didn't sleep that night. Her eyes were red for days with the tears she'd shed for them.

Applejack shook her head as she made an effort to block out the memory. She couldn't dwell on stuff like that. She had to distract herself somehow. With another quick glance towards the forest, she continued her way up the path to the farm.

It took her a little longer than expected because a wheel got stuck in the mud, but she finally made it up to the barn. With a rub on her aching joints, she made her way to the farmhouse to start supper. The farmhouse was quite large and stood out on the property. There were bedrooms for her siblings and herself, a bathroom, a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen, with other workrooms in the back.

Applejack frowned while looking at her surroundings. The house was much more alive when her parents were around. She looked over to the armchair her father would sit in. He would read stories to her every night after bucking in the fields.

She looked towards the kitchen with a half smile. In the kitchen, her mother ruled. She remembered all the meals her and her family had in the past. It was like eating food from Canterlot Castles royal chefs.

With a hefty sigh, she made her way to the kitchen to start making dinner.

Apple bloom bucked the tree behind her as hard as her little legs could. Her hind legs were getting stronger, but they were nothing like her brother or sisters yet. After she hit the tree, she looked up to see how many apples had fallen. She hasn't had much luck yet in getting all the apples to fall, but she tried. With a quick glance from one side to the other, she had noted just how many apples fell.

"ONE! REALLY!?" she asked the tree indignantly. After a moment, she finally gave in. "This is ridiculous! How many trees have I hit already?" she questioned as she looked back on her work. Five. "I've hit five trees, and ah GOT A GRAND TOTAL OF ONE APPLE!?"

She frowned in exasperation. She knew she could do better than that. She had to try. With the puff of her chest, she reared back to strike the tree again. Before she did, however, she heard something.

She lowered her hind hooves and listened for the sound again. It sounded like someone was talking? Or maybe it was more of a murmur.

She peered around at her surroundings. "Who's there?" she questioned as she looked in all directions. After a bit of searching, she saw what appeared to be a pony in the distance, walking towards the Everfree Forest. From the looks of it, the pony seemed to be around her age.

It was a pale earth pony filly with an orange mane and tale. She had seen this pony in her class before. What was that fillies name again? "Sweet Step?" The name rang through Apple Bloom's mind as she watched the filly with interest. She began feeling a bit uneasy though as the small pony continued walking. She wasn't planning on entering the dark and dismal forest, was she?

Sure enough, the filly walked right into the forest, disappearing into the trees. Apple Bloom, in a state of shock, sprang to her hooves in hopes of catching the young pony. She had hoped she would never have to witness a pony when they were in the river. But seeing this filly walk straight into the forest was enough to frighten her.

"Maybe ah should go an get Applejack instead." she thought as she ran across the fields. She shook her head a moment later as she picked up speed. "No. If in I try ta get Applejack, it might be too late ta save her."

She stopped as she came to the forest's edge. "Looks like I'm on my own." Even standing where she was, she could feel eyes on her. Every part of her being was screaming at her to turn and burn back towards the farmhouse. She knew she shouldn't go in there. She knew if she did, she'd be in trouble. She knew if she did, she might not come back at all.

With a quick step forward, she entered the forbidden forest.

Applejack was working on making the dinner she and her siblings were to eat the following evening. While she cooked, she thought about Apple Bloom some more. She thought about all the time she had come into her room because she was scared. All the fun they had when they were younger. All the little-mismatched adventures. She missed it.

Their parents passing hit them. It hit them hard. Big Mac started talking less. Apple Bloom reached out to her friends for comfort. But Applejack, she completely shut down. She wouldn't commune with anyone for weeks on end.

The townsfolk rarely saw her, and if they did, they saw a broken mare. She locked herself in her room and cried for days after the funeral. After about a month, though, she was back out in the fields. The farm had never seen production as good as it was then.

Applejack was known for her work endurance, but the way she threw herself at the farm, everyone knew it wasn't healthy. A few weeks later, a strange pink pony came into town. She was one of Applejack's first friends, not that she had a choice in the matter.

Applejack cracked a smile as she thought of Pinkie Pie. She came up to the farm early on a Monday morning, shook her hoof, and said they were friends till the end. Even if she didn't know it then, Applejack needed a friend.

She and Pinkie talked for hours that day. She learned that Pinkie also lived on a farm for a good portion of her life. A rock farm, but still a farm. They talked about the good times and the bad. Applejack even talked to Pinkie about her parents. She cried that day, and Pinkie Pie was there for her.

She finished making dinner as the time reached five o'clock. She trotted into the living room and called up the stairs. "Granny! Supper's ready!" she yelled up before making her way to the dining room. She paused when she noticed Apple Bloom wasn't in her usual seat.

Now that she was thinking about it, she never heard Apple Bloom come in while she was cooking. Curious, she made her way back to the stairs and called up, "Granny, do ya know if Apple Bloom's up there?"

Granny Smith called down from the top of the stairs, "I've been asleep this whole time. How would I know?"

Applejack groaned in an annoyed response. "Right, right," she muttered as she made her way up the stairs and down the hall to her sisters' bedroom, "She probably just slept through the first call." She thought as she entered the room.

The room had a bed with a canopy on the left wall, a chest in the back right corner, a desk with a mirror on the right wall, and a wardrobe closet to the right of the door. With a brisk trot, she made her way over to her sister's bed.

She budged the blankets a bit with her hoof, "Come on sugar cube. It's time for dinner." After no reply, she tried again, "Come on Apple Bloom. Ah know you're tired, but ya gotta come down for dinner."

With no response coming from the bed, she moved the blankets to find it vacant of Apple Bloom.

With a puzzled look, she walked back out into the hallway. She stole a quick glance towards the bathroom and saw the door wide open, "She ain't there either?" Applejack then walked back down the stairs to find Granny Smith in the dining room.

"Is she awake yet? I'm starving," she asked while waiting impatiently.

"She isn't even upstairs," Applejack then looked out the door to her right at the fields outside, her expression turning to one of uncertainty, "I'm gonna go check the orchard real quick. You can start supper without us," she said as she trotted out the door.

Granny Smith eyed the retreating mare in question but then proceeded to get the food from her plate into her waiting belly.

Apple Bloom had been walking for a while. She didn't know how hard it would be to find a filly in a forest.

"It's like tryin to find a needle in a haystack, or worse, a piece of hay in a needle stack," she proclaimed as she rounded a tree.

As she walked, she felt the forest caving in around her. Everywhere she turned, the branches grew nearer. She hated these woods. She hated them with a passion.

She promised Applejack she would never enter the forest. But this filly needed her. How could she turn away when someone was in danger. Her parents taught her better than that.

She walked all the way through the forest, trying to find this lost filly. She stopped moments later to evaluate her surroundings. The more she thought about it, she didn't recognize the trees behind her, "Oh, horse apples."

While she stood there, a panting sound caught her ear. She froze where she stood, unwilling to move a muscle. After a moment, however, she began to turn her head. What she saw sent shivers down her spine.

Standing behind her was a Timberwolf. The creature from her nightmares was now standing mere feet away from her. She was frightened, but she remembered her father had taught her. She turned on the bit and moved backward, trying to create some distance between her and the beast. The wolf wasn't having any of it though.

With a growl, the wolf took a step forward. Apple Bloom took another hesitant step back, fear evident on her face. The wolf then growled loudly and lunged forward, hoping to pin the surprised filly. With a quick motion, however, Apple Bloom side-jumped to the left out of the Timberwolf's path. At breakneck speeds, she ran through the forest as fast as her little hooves could carry her.

"Ahhhhh!" she cried as she ran, the Timberwolf in hot pursuit. While she ran, two more wolves joined in. She picked up the pace and the chase begun.
With three wolves on her tale, Apple Bloom raced paced trees upon trees. She wanted this nightmare to be over. She didn't even think she would find the poor filly, much less an exit to this forest.

Just then, something hit her from the side, and she tumbled into a bush. With a quite hush, a pale hoof pushed its way to her mouth. She looked to see who tackled her, but she couldn't see past the darkness.

After a moment, the Timberwolves were right outside the bush. Apple Bloom forced herself not to scream with the wolves so close. One sniffed the air for a brief moment before the pack lost interest and carried on.

The hoof moved away from the fillies mouth as the figure moved out from the bush. Apple Bloom also jumped out to see who it was that saved her life. When she saw who it was, she was stunned.

"Sweet Step?!" Apple Bloom exclaimed as she stared at the filly in front of her. So much for not finding her.

Sweet Step took a step back away from the other filly, "You know me?"

Apple Bloom took a joyful step forward, "Ya. I'm in your classes. The name's Apple Bloom," she said as she extended a hoof.

Sweet Step took the hoof in kind, "Did you follow me in here?"

"Ya. I saw you walk in this here forest and ah...ahh" Apple Bloom was then gripped in a tight hug from the other filly. From the force of the hug, she almost fell back into the ground.

Sweet Step started crying into her shoulder, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she backed up off of Apple Bloom, "I heard your cry, and it brought me back."

Apple Bloom, now knowing she helped, pulled the other filly back into the embrace, "Glad to know ah helped," she then broke the hug and looked at their surroundings, "but how are we gonna get out now? Nothing looks familiar."

Sweet Step looked around as well, only now realizing she had no idea where she was. With a quick glance from one side to the other, she pointed a hoof in a random direction, "why don't we start there."

Apple Bloom looked in the direction the hoof was pointing. It didn't lead anywhere Apple Bloom knew of, but, "well, it's better than nothin. Lead the way." The two fillies then started making their way through the forest together. Little did they know, that a pair of green eyes were watching them.

Applejack ran through the orchard looking for her little sister. She should have been back at the house by now, waiting at the table for supper. It wasn't like Apple Bloom to be late for anything.

She ran past tree after tree, seeing her sister nowhere. She was starting to get impatient. "Where has that dang filly gone ta now?" she questioned as she went further into the fields.

She thought about all the things she would say to that filly the moment she saw her, "Where were you? You're grounded! You're getting extra chores for the rest of the week!" Apple Bloom hated that last one.

Her mood then turned a bit more downcast the more she thought, "I missed you. I was so worried about you. Don't scare me like that again," she looked down, "I'm sorry."

She flung forwards through the air as she tripped on something. After she finished tumbling on the earth, she looked back to see what she hit. It was a bucket of apples.

She climbed to her hooves as she stared at the bucket now in front of her. If there's a bucket of apples here, then where's Apple Bloom?

She looked to the left of the bucket and saw hoof marks. She followed them until she saw where they led. The led to the Everfree Forest.

"No," she panicked, "no, no, no, NO, NOOO!" she cried out as she sprinted in the direction of the forest, "not Apple Bloom too! Please, not Apple Bloom too!"

After a few moments, she entered the forest. The sun was setting, and her line of sight was less than when she left. She looked back to the ground, trying to see if she could find her sister's hoof prints anywhere. Sadly, the forest got to them first. Her hoof prints were nowhere in sight. After a moment of thought, she picked a direction and ran.

"She's in here somewhere. I know she is," she looked up at the sky above the trees. It was twilight, "I'm coming Apple Bloom. Just hang in there."

"Apple Bloom!" no reply, " Apple Bloom! Where are you?" still no reply.

She continued running for about a half hour, calling for her sister's name. She never got any reply. Even the forest itself seemed quiet. Too quiet for her.

She screeched to a stop and looked at her surroundings. Something in her gut was screaming at her. Run away! Run away it said. It was her instincts telling her she wasn't alone.

She peered to her left and right, searching for something, anything that could get her out of her upcoming mess. An opening to her right, that was it.

Without another moment's pause, she bolted for the break in the trees.

In a moment, a full pack of Timberwolves jumped from the surrounding trees and bushes, their fangs and claws bared.

She ran through the woods, trying to shake them, but to no avail. She wasn't getting away from them. She knew she might be able to fight them off, but bringing her self to do so was going to be a challenge.

"Applejack?!"

Well, maybe not that much of a challenge.

Author's Note

Well, the chapters are starting to get bigger. That's good. I had a lot of fun with this chapter too. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading this far. Tally-ho.

Applejack's run-in with the Timberwolves.

https://www.derpibooru.org/876139?q=artist%3Ancmares%2C+applejack