Wolfahya, White Wolf: Hybrids Awaken

"Vajura to HQ. Do you copy? Do you copy?"

"...Vajura... where are you...?"

"...this is Vajura, leaving a message, even though I'm unsure if this will even reach.
Report as of this day: the mission will drag on for approximately at least another week. Vajura out."

"I know you're alive, but please come back soon..."

[PoV ID: 4]
Wow, ah'm startin' to think that the slow-growing season came a wee bit too early! If this keeps on, eventually none of the apples will be ripe enough for eatin'...!

"Calm down y'all, we'll be stockin' more soon!"

This ain't good at all! We oughta find a new place for more trees, or else...!

"But for now y'all gotta wait for the next fresh bunch!"

Ah really don't know how this'll all end up...! There oughta be a reason why all this is happenin'!
There's one pony here that'll know what the hay is goin' on!

...well would you look at that! Just the pony I needed!

[PoV ID: 1]
The more I look at the place, even it is the second time, the more I'm envious of the environment of this town. I thought the inevitable time of war is coming yet again, but it seems that there is indeed a glimmer of hope. The amount of Harmony Essence in this place is astounding! The Chaos Essence also seems to be regulated as well.

"Mr. Wolfahya?"

I wish I could live in a place like this.

"Errr, Wolf...?"

It's like a dream that I've never sought.

"Wolfahya..."

If I go home, would I feel the same aura of peace...?

"Wolfahya!"

"...oh, sorry! I was just spacing out. So are we here?"

"Yes, this is the spot. But I really can't help but notice everyone looking at us as we were walking here."

"...I'm already used to it, don't worry. But, I'd like to say this now: thank you for trusting me this much."

"Well, I've dealt with a lot of ponies and even other creatures before, I actually know when somebody is lying or not."

"Really? You can read minds?"

"No, I've read this book about how lying works. It's about the natural mannerisms that someone does when they lie! I've actually gotten pretty good at it. My friend Applejack also exhibited these back in that time when Discord turn the entire world upside down..."

Discord...? The deity of chaos himself?

Twilight Sparkle, and the Discord Incident. Why does this all seem just too familiar? More importantly, why can't I remember why the hell I know what she's talking about?

"Ah, OK I don't think I need to inquire even further.
Speaking of which, that Applejack is the same Applejack that we are about to meet?
...is it that orange pony over there?"

An orange pony with freckles and a cowboy-styled hat approached us quickly.

"Twilight! Glad y'all can be here! Uh, who's tha-"

"Applejack, please don't be surprised when you see him."

I remove the head part of the cloak to reveal myself.

"Whoaaaaaaa! T-Twilight! Why'd you bring in a wolf in this here farm?!"

"Relax, relax! He's not here to eat us. I would know."

Sigh... I wonder if there's a day where I won't be thought of as eating them.

"Greetings. Call me Wolfahya, white wolf."

"Applejack, he's here to help out explaining what happened on your farm recently."

"To be specific, I would like to investigate on the farm, if you will allow me."

Hm? Why are all of the ponies leaving? Was it because I arrived? Yeah, everyone will naturally go away at the sight of me. Not surprising.

"Well, we've been runnin' out of apples lately due to only a few of the trees actually bringing us good apples to eat! Ah'm thinking that we might need to produce a new fresh bunch'a trees or else we'll eventually be runnin' out of business!"

"Ah... hopefully you don't need to do that. Personally, apples are my favorite fruits."

"Oh? Well that perks up mah hopes! Hopin' you could help out well, even if you do look like you're gonna eat us alive!"

Can they PLEASE stop mentioning that...?!

"...okay, I will.
First, you can help me by leading me to the location where you found this odd device."

I brought out the peculiar machine that Twilight Sparkle was keeping in her library.

"It's that thing again... Follow me."

We were then lead to a middle of a very organized field of apple trees.

"Well, this is the spot."

"If you don't mind me asking, can you describe anything you observed when you found this?"

"Well, ah was in the middle of doing the daily rounds of applebuckin' like usual, when suddenly ah heard a crashin' sound from this area! Next thing I knew, all the apple trees near here had all of its apples fall off, all rotten and unfit for eatin'!
Not only that, the other apple trees are gettin' sick one by one!"

This is bad, it's possible that the Overdrive Substance is spreading on the soil itself.

"That's it? Did you see anything suspicious?"

"Well, after that, some ponies came to the farm and tried force their way inside. Of course, me and Big Mac wouldn' just let anypony come in here when a disaster like this happens!"

Could those be the Hybrids, I wonder?

"We taught 'em good. But they said something like "We'll be back, we WILL get the device!" or somethin' like that. Ah think they'll be back sometime soon, and we're all ready to beat 'em up again when they do!"

Somehow, that isn't comforting at all. Who knows how powerful the Hybrids really are? Next thing we know, it might be an entire army of them coming in here.

"I'm kind of glad to hear that..."

"But that's not solvin' our problems at all! The trees are all producing bad apples!"

"Yes, let me get to that. Do you have a shovel by chance?"

"I have one, Mr. Wolf. But it's all the way back in the library."

"Please retrieve it. It would help if we can dig this spot faster."

"Now hold your hooves just a minute! You sayin' we DIG this spot right here? Now that's somethin' I won't let you do!"

"Applejack, let me have your reasoning here a bit. I understand that you want to keep this place as neat as possible, but please trust me here; I can potentially save your trees if you'll allow me to do this. I have a very, very good idea what is going on. I have no time to explain that right now, we have to act quickly. May I ask for your cooperation?"

"You can... save mah trees?"

"In theory, these trees are just uh, 'sick'. Yeah that's the best word I can describe what's going on. And they'll continue to be sick if we don't remove the thing that's making them sick. The soil itself seems to be infected, and any tree you plant in the vicinity won't even grow. If not tended to quickly, the infection will spread and eventually there would be no more soil to plant anything on! Please, Ms. Applejack."

"...
Well, alright... Ah guess ah can trust you, with a guarantee that our trees'll be back in tip-top shape."

"I can guarantee you that. Just please, trust me."

"It's our best shot, Applejack. Let's get to work!"

[PoV ID: 2]
I was able to land on their air vehicle. But I can't find a way in.

It's not helping that it's currently entering a really thick cloud... I might fall off of this if things go bad. I need to find an entrance soon.

...

I hear something.

"Sir, we have arrived at the target location. We'll drop off the retrieval team and leave the area."

Target location? They're dropping off a retrieval team?

"Hey, you!"

They seem to be above this peculiar farm of apple trees...

"Get off there!"

I have to stop the retrieval team before-

"Intruder! Seize her!"

...?!

I've been spotted. Guess I need to make an escape yet again.

"Vajura to HQ. A hybrid airship was spotted hidden in a cloud above a farm with apple trees.
Vajura out, making an escape."

[PoV ID: 1]
"This is it. This pinkish powdery substance."

"What the hay is this?"

"Exactly what's making all these trees sick. This powder is spreading all over the soil, and we need to get these out."

"Alright, I guess we just have to pick them up quickly and-"

"Wait! Be careful with tha-"

...what? She isn't affected at all? This Applejack is scooping up the Overdrive Powder like it was just nothing! Isn't she feeling anything weird?

"Are... are you sure you're fine?"

"Eh? I feel great! Nothin' like a day's work!"

There must be an explanation as to why she can just hold it like that.

"Mr. Wolfahya? How come Applejack can just hold that Overdrive Substance with her own hooves...?"

"I would also like to know the same thing!
But no time for now, let's gather all of these up and isolate them in this container."

Fortunately the powder doesn't replicate itself. I will seriously be mad if this thing had the ability to do that.

Eventually we scooped up almost everything. If there's anything left, it shouldn't be having too much effect, and that the soil will eventually decompose the powers of the powder for good.

"Alright. Now we gotta put all the soil back in its place.
Ms. Applejack, it will take a while for the trees to be back in their previous condition. In fact, they might be better than what they used to be."

"...for real?!"

"Yes, it's possible that in a few days time, your harvest will even be more than what you usually expect."

Such is the effect of the Overdrive Substance. Depending on its usage, it can be for better or for worse. Used right, it can enhance the lives of everyone. Used too much, and we have things like the hybrids appearing...

"Wow... a... ah don't know what to say. If what you say is true then...!"

"Wait. I hear something. A lot of footsteps, coming in this direction. Wolfahya, Applejack, I'm going to see who it is."

I have a bad feeling about this.