Chapter 8: Farmer Bonsai.

Chapter 8: Farmer Bonsai.

~A few more hours had passed by and everyone was resting for a while again. After that, they continued to walk ahead. Twilight confirmed this time that they were going in the right direction back to CHS, but they knew not to go back just yet. Karly still wasn't found. While walking, they stumble across a fork in the road. Three ways to go. One leading to the city and the other two, who knows where. But before they could choose a way to go, Spike noticed something glistening on the ground next to some footprints. It was Karly's geode! He picked it up with his jaw, barked at the girls and handed it over to Lightning, who took it and stared at it, rubbing the dirt off of it with her thumb too.~

"Oh my...god…" Lightning blinked.

"Karly's geode!" Rarity gasped.

"She must have dropped it here! Meaning she was here!" Rainbow determined.

"Y'all think these are Karly's footprints too?" Applejack asked, pointing at the footprints below her feet.

"Hm…" Lightning examines the footprints. "Size 4 and a half...yep, these are hers, it checks out."

"It looks as if she was going in the right direction all along…" Twilight said.

"You did say this is the way to CHS. Do you think Karly knew the way back home and went there?" Sunset asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"Steven would have called us if Karly made it to the school." Twilight answered firmly.

"Plus, how could she know that was the way back? She doesn't know this world and their places and which direction they are in. Cause I don't either!" Lightning chuckled.

"No, it looks like she tried to take a detour after arriving here."

~Twilight pointed to Karly's footprints and shows that Karly started to go walking down the pathway on the right of the fork.~

"You see, the city is to the left, and Karly went right." Twilight explained.

Pinkie shrugged. "Then let's go right to find her!"

~Without wasting time, Pinkie rushes down the right pathway of the fork and rolls down it. The right pathway was apparently laid on a hill, so Pinkie rolled down it like a panda until she arrived at the bottom of the hill, and until dust was completely covering her face and hair and clothes. The others raced down the hill sensibly and made sure Pinkie was alright after that tumble.~

"Whoa, Pinkie, were you meant to do that?" Lightning helped her up.

"Are you ok?" Fluttershy asked.

"Uh-huh! Just a little dizzy...Heh heh." Pinkie replied as her eyes span in a circle.

"That was unexpected." Stitch said.

"It's what Pinkie does." Spike smugged.

"Yes, and I was about to suggest we come here first to search for Karly. But, we have to remember this fork in the road. We can come back to it and it will lead us back home." Twilight resumed.

"Ok, I'll remember it. I have a very good memory, so memorising the way back here will be a snap!" Lightning smiled, clicking her fingers.

"Well, going to trust you." Twilight smiled.

"Then, Let's go!"

~Pinkie takes off again, and this time Lightning desperately tried to keep up with her. She didn't know how fast and crazy Pinkie could get. Suddenly Pinkie stops and so does Lightning before she crashes into her. Lightning was about to ask Pinkie why she stopped but then she turned and saw what Pinkie saw. A small cottage only a few miles away from where they were. The cottage looked old and grimy and the windows were crudely shattered. The roof was made of straw and wood but looked sturdy enough to hold on for a few more seasons. The cottage was also surrounded by lots of different crops and vegetables, but half of them were withering away and the other half looked like they were eaten to bits. Lightning and Pinkie looked in shock and the others had arrived to look too.~

"My goodness…" Fluttershy gasped.

"What happened here?" asked Rainbow.

Sunset's mouth squiggled. "Only one way to find out…"

~Sunset walks ahead to the cottage and stood at the broken door before lightly knocking on it. It creaked open and an old man stepped out. He looked to be in his mid-fifties and his skin was very pale and sickly, suggesting he was quite ill. He was wearing a charming farmer-like outfit, along with suspenders holding up his trousers. He straightens up his straw hat and the wheat held in his mouth. He spoke pleasantly and kindly.~

"Oh, hello. Can I help you? Don't normally get people 'round these parts…"

"Ex-Excuse me, sir...but we are looking for a friend…" Sunset started.

Lightning sighs and whispers to herself quickly. "Going to be the third time we go through this…" She begins to describe her friend once again. "She has blue eyes, one cyan, one sky-blue, she's wearing her favourite magenta shirt and has brown hair, her name is-"

"Karly Crystal?" The farmer interrupts while raising a brow.

Lightning suddenly gasps loudly. "YES!" She pushes Sunset back and away from the door to face the farmer. "Yes, that's her!"

"She came here a while ago. She said she needed to find a way home to Canterlot City, so, I showed her the way." He explained.

"So, she must be on her way back home now, right?" Twilight asked.

The farmer nodded. "Yes. Do you need me to show you the way back?"

"I think we know how already. We go back the way we came and take a left and then it's just straight on."

"Yes, that's it. Exactly what I told your friend."

"Ok, well, I guess we can-wait…" Lightning's face suddenly glared.

"What? What's up?" Stitch asked, sounding concerned.

"How can we be sure you are telling the truth?" Lightning pointed her finger at him.

"I knew your friend's name without you telling me, didn't I? You...can search my place if you want." The farmer said nervously.

"As a matter of fact, I think I will…!"

~Lightning rolls up her sleeves and goes to stomp in the cottage when Applejack and Sunset stop her.~

"Lightnin', stop for a minute…" Applejack placed her hand on Lightning's shoulder.

Sunset agreed. "Yes, there's a less drastic way of finding out if he's telling the truth…Sir, can I…?"

~Sunset activates her geode and holds out her hand. The farmer goes to shake it, thinking she wants to shake his hand, but then she flows into his memories. After a while, she comes back and turns to her friends with a nod.~

"He's telling the truth."

"Oh yeah! Forgot about the powers...Ha!" Lightning blushed.

"I'm sorry but…" The farmer looks at his hand then back to the girls. "What did you do?"

"Oh, it's okay. She simply just read your memory so see if you were telling the truth." Twilight explained.

"We've gone through a lot lately…" Rainbow then groaned.

"Wait a minute…" The old man examined the girls. "Colourful hair...Superpowers...Female...Are you the girls with the superpowers from CHS?" He then asked, also gasping.

Lightning pulled a shocked face. "Uhh…"

"Yes, we are!" Pinkie proudly answered.

"No wonder…!"

~The girls were shocked to find out that this farmer knows them. He smiles in surprise and Stitch and Spike greet him by purring on his legs.~

"Well, aren't you just the cutest?" He bent down and proceeded to scratch Spike's chin.

Spike sighs in relief. "Oh yeah…" His head slowly fell to the ground.

Fluttershy smiled. "...He likes you."

"And me...hmm…" Stitch hummed as his chin was scratched.

"So, how do ya know us?"Applejack asked, smiling at the farmer.

"Here. Come in my cottage."

~He turns and walks back in his cottage while the rest follow him. They duck down a bit to get through the door and see what's inside his cottage. A mangy dog was sleeping on a patched-up sofa, it was also wearing a silk red bandana over its neck. The old fashioned 1950s television was on. The table, sink and floor were covered with straw and the small rubbish bin was overflowing. Stitch and Spike didn't want to step paw in the house so, Stitch climbed on Lightning's shoulders and Spike plunged into Applejack's hands.~

"You see, the incidents that happened at your school and at that camp have been published in the newspaper." The farmer explained.

"Really?" Lightning pouted.

~The farmer tosses a few newspapers down to on his table and it spins until Lightning stops it so the girls take a look at it. The headlines read, 'Fall Formal Freakout!', 'Battle of the Bands Blast!', 'Attack of the 6 foot Plants!', 'Camp Everfree Storm!', All. Lightning was stunned from this.~

"Yeah, really!" Pinkie smiled.

"I don't believe this. Where did they even get these pictures from?!" Rainbow threw her hands forwards and exclaimed.

"From our classmates, I presume." Applejack said, still looking at the newspaper.

Rarity takes out her phone and scrolls through it a bit. "It's all online too…"

"Millions of people must know about this then…" Sunset said.

"We're famous!" Pinkie gasped.

"I'm sure loads of people will come to my boutique now!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Now, hold on...It's great that we saved our school and camp Everfree, but people knowing about us and our powers could be a little dangerous." Twilight feared.

"Yes, now criminals may know about it too. Making you targets and people to watch out for when they're committing a crime...this includes me too!" Lightning babbled.

"It's too late now...everyone knows about us…we could be in danger…" Fluttershy said in a small panic.

Lightning calmed herself and Fluttershy down. "We will just have to be careful…"

"Whoa. You girls are...superbeings!" Stitch exclaimed, keeping his mouth wide open. "This is great!"

"It is? I mean, to you, how?" Lightning asked.

"Me going to be living with you...right? You can protect me and I can be a sidekick to you!" Stitch stated, climbing onto Lightning's head.

"Right." Lightning slowly nodded.

"Oh. I apologise for showing you this. This just made you panic…" The farmer shamefully blushed.

"Oh, no, no! It's good that you showed us. Now we know that we have to be careful…" Sunset said, smiling at him.

"And make sure that we should emphasize ourselves." Twilight added.

"And make sure no one is filming us and or taking pictures." Lightning frowned.

"That too." Sunset chuckled.

"Well, glad you see yourselves that way. Look at me ranting on without introducing myself, I'm Farmer Bonsai, I look after this very farm." The farmer finally introduced himself.

"About that, the farm looks a little…" Sunset fiddles with her hands, trying to think of the words to say about the farm.

"Withered." Applejack said for her. "It's just not in good shape. Mind tellin' us what happened?"

He takes a deep breath and explains. "...It happens once a year...vermins come 'round and feed themselves on my crops. And I'm already having trouble keeping them alive."

~The old farmer stares out of his shattered window and looks at his shrivelled crops in despair. He turns back to the girls with a glum look.~

"Did you give them plenty of sun and water?" Lightning asked.

"Lots of sun. Just, less water."

"Well, there's problem one." Lightning shrugged.

"But, there's also a couple o' rustlers stealing my herd…! And they muck up my crops, birds swoop down and finish what's left of it." Bonsai slumps down on a broken chair.

"Mr. Bonsai, I live on a farm myself and I can say, I've never had any o' these problems." Applejack shook her head.

"Maybe it's because you live closer to the city, Applejack." Sunset stated.

"Have ya ever tried buildin' a fence or a scarecrow to keep them rustlers and birds out?" Applejack asked Bonsai.

"All my wood's gone." He responded sadly. "I have no axe to chop down trees and the only thing I have to protect the crops from birds is my dog, Dusty, but he is getting old and can't handle the rustlers."

~He gestures at his old, scruffy dog who was waking up from its nap. It heard what its owner said and it whimpers, feeling useless. Applejack and Fluttershy look at each other in sympathy until Applejack steps out boldly.~

"Hmm...What if we helped ya out!?"

"You will do that?" Bonsai asked in surprise.

"We will do that?" Lightning asked in shock.

"Of course. I know how to deal with rustlers and anythin' that might destroy farms, Granny Smith taught me how throughout the years." Applejack placed her hands on her hips and smiled.

"And Stitch and I could get a scent to where the rustlers and your herd might be." Spike wagged his tail.

"You girls would do that for me? I...thank you." Farmer Bonsai softly smiled.

"No problem. It's kinda what we do." Rainbow shrugged.

"Let's get started then." Sunset said proudly.

"Whatever happened to looking for Karly first?" Lightning asked, sounding absolutely dumbfounded.

"You're a superhero." Stitch stated. "Helping people is the main goal, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Then me make my point. Spike, let's get sniffing."

~Stitch jumps off Lightning's head and Spike drops to the floor. Both dogs begin to sniff the floor and the straw. While they were wandering, some strands of straw accidentally got stuck up their noses because it was so thin and small and it made them softly sneeze, but it didn't stop them. Suddenly, Spike glows.~

"I got a scent. Come on!"

~Spike scamps out of the cottage and the rest eagerly follow him, except Lightning, who had her arms out in confusion and a blank slate look on her face and an open mouth.~

"But-" Lightning suddenly groans and follows them.