Applejack woke up to the sound of doors being bucked somewhere beneath her. Her stomach rumbled as she remembered how she overate at Pinkie’s party last night. Her immediate reaction to where she was, was the same as the others. Where the hay am I? Her head was hurting as if she were getting bucked by a hundred other little Applejacks. Applejack’s vision was a tad blurred. Partly because of the lantern suspended from the ceiling swaying left and right like a pendulum. Mostly because the sedatives were wearing off. Not that Applejack knew anyway.
Applejack shook her head before coming to a realization that she was strapped into a chair. Applejack wouldn’t be surprised if this was another one of Big Mac’s so-called interrogations into finding out where his Smarty Pants doll went. Ah' don’t even know what he finds so darn amazing ‘bout that little thing. As far as Applejack was concerned, Big Mac could go missing from the family just to search under every rock in town for Smarty Pants.
Applejack’s vision recovered and Applejack could see straight. The lantern swinging around had begun to slow down as Applejack tried to analyze the straps keeping her in place. She tried to slip her forehooves out of the straps bounding her forehooves but to no success. She did the same with her rearhooves, only to achieve the same results. She could move her hooves around, yes, but she just couldn’t seem to be able to move her neck. It was as if her neck had been strapped as well to the chair. That is partially true, but instead of her neck being strapped, the chair was modified to have a headboard as well. The headboard had a metal ring protruding out of it. Applejack’s neck was within the ring. She could move her neck around the ring though.
Applejack remembered Granny Smith telling Applejack when she was a filly about the bad folks back then being attached to the same kind of chair. Only the chairs back then were wooden, and the one Applejack was attached to was made of steel. Applejack had listened attentively to every single word that Granny Smith said through out her story of the bad ponies of the wild west. Bad ponies that had killed, blackmailed, robbed and a whole lot of other bad things would be attached to a chair with a metal ring sticking out of it’s headboard, just like Applejack’s chair, right in the middle of town on a stage. In front of the stage, the townsfolk would watch one of the most famous punishments of the olden days.
As the perpetrators would glance around the crowd, looking for at least a single soul to make eye contact with, the executioner would come by the chair and whisper in the ear of the bad pony.
Focus ye sights on one person. They will remember ye fe s’her.
That being said, the bad pony would then continue to try and set his or her sights on a pony in the crowd. However, most of the ponies dare not meet his/her gaze as they are ashamed to have been in the same town or area as the bad pony.
And while the bad pony would still be looking for one pony to lock eyes with, the metal ring would then be pulled back with such a force that it would force the bad pony’s windpipe to be crushed under the force of the executioner’s tug on the ring. The bad pony would choke on his own windpipe and start coughing and gasping for air. But most of the bad ponies never make it far. Normally they last around ten seconds at the rate that they were breathing. They are lucky to have a swift death.
The unlucky ones would continue choking on their windpipes for more than half a minute. The longest recorded was up until two minutes before the pony died of asphyxiation.
Their bodies, however, would still be buried along in the local cemetery, much to the dislike of the townsfolk. Usage of such devices had halted three decades ago according to Granny Smith, though she had told Applejack that the little city of Appleloosa still used this method of execution of criminals. Applejack could still remember that story even though Granny Smith had forgot it after telling young Applejack about it.
Applejack had wanted to ask the sheriff of Appleloosa during their trip to send Bloomberg, but seeing how things had turned out between the Appleloosan folks and the native buffalo tribe during their trip, she had completely forgotten about asking.
Until now....
Granny Smith had told young Applejack the name of such a device. Though she could have been wrong, Granny Smith told Applejack one simple word. It was simple enough for Applejack to pronounce on her first try. It was a garotte.
Thinking that what she was stapped to might be what Granny Smith had told her about when she was a filly, Applejack started panicking and violently tried to escape her bonds. She couldn’t get her hooves free. That was when she noticed that her hat was slightly heavier than usual. Reluctantly, she slowly force her pupils to go upward to look. Her eyes came to rest at what seemed like a small stork standing on her hat. She shook her head trying to shake it off, only succeeding in making it move back down her hat an inch.
In front of Applejack, a small metal tray, similar to those used in hospitals, had be laid on a little wooden table right in front of her. If ah’ coud’ only move mah’ right hoof. Sure enough, her right forehoof had slightly more movement space than the other hooves. She kicked out at the table, hoping to make the tray fall. She failed but tried one more time. The metal tray struck the floor, making a crashing sound that reverberated around the room.
Several other lanterns, which weren’t lit before this, flickered on. Applejack shut her eyes as the light had stung them so painfully that she felt she needed shades to see through the brightness. However, after opening her eyes, her pupils adjusted to the brightness, and all was good. Well, not quite. Applejack looked down at the tray she had knocked over. Apparently there were 2 strings being held down by the tray, and when Applejack knocked it over, the strings were let go of. One string had set off a mechanism which turned the other lanterns on, while the other one was still creeping off slowly behind Applejack.
The room Applejack was in looked like a big store room, though it was bare of anything save for her and a cabinet by the door. And the wooden table on the floor. But she was in the middle of the room, so she couldn’t see anything behind her.
As the lanterns finally finished being lit, Applejack saw a note on the little table the tray had been on. It had been stapled onto the table by the looks of it. Now that the lighting was clear, Applejack could see the contents of the note clearly.
Hello Applejack, I want to play a game. Recently, the apples in Sweet Apple Acres haven’t been faring well due to the sudden draught. You’ve been looking and experimenting ways on how to keep apples looking young and freshly bucked as if they were. However, your greed has led to food poisoning in many of your regular customers. Since they have visited your stall regularly without a problem, they wouldn’t have suspected a thing about your apples. Your sales had even expanded during the draught. While other businesses close down, your business grows on the money of the ponies slowly dying of your apples. Though no one has died yet, several ponies have been admitted into the Intensive Care Unit of Ponyville’s General Hospital due to shock. You know very well what caused them.
If you had found another way to benefit you and the community, then you wouldn’t be here. However, greed had led to you being where you are now. The stork on your hat carries a poison that will cause paralysis within half an hour, and death within the hour. I suggest that you watch your step as the stork can be a bit like a bobble head. Swing your head back and forth, and it will inject you. The poison being so close to the brain, can shorten the time needed to induce paralysis and you will enjoy an even quicker death.
However, that is your second concern should you survive your first trap. Once the tray on the table has been removed, two strings will be let go of. One for the lighting in the room, and the other for the mechanism operating the chair you are strapped to. You may or may not have known about it, but I shall introduce it to you. It is a garotte. That is all you need to know and the only way out of this trap lies in your willingness to live. The table in front of your right hoof is bolted into place specifically for this part of your game. Once the string disappears from your view, you have 45 seconds to do what is needed for you to escape before the metal ring is pulled completely, either suffocating or decapitating you. Your friends are here with you as well.
Let the game begin.
Applejack gulped and looked to the floor on her right. The string was still creeping slowly, which meant she had time. Mah’ Friends ah’ here too? Against her will, she started banging her rearhoof on the wooden table, believing that she got the hint in the note.
She had to break her right rearhoof to escape her trap.
Twilight stared at the ceiling above her in confusion. She kept her disheveled hair back and asked the two ponies in front of her.
“I guess that’s our cue. I’ll explain about everything while we try to get to the other pony!” Twilight had her leader instincts with her, even though she was in such a mess.
Berry offered to bandage Twilight’s injured hoof, to which she agreed to. As Berry wrapped a bandage around Twilight’s hoof, she had noticed several holes in her hoof. Knowing that time was short, she decided to save the question for later.
Rainbow Dash led the way, following the directories posted in the hallway. Right next to the office they were in, was a stairwell that led upwards. The three raced to the upper floor as they heard repeated bangings from within the room above the office.
Berry, being the first one to arrive at the door, however stopped. The other two ponies were held aback by the sudden stopping of their plum-coloured friend. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to demand Berry’s reason for stopping, but before a single word got out, she noticed Berry was reading a note posted on the door. This infuriated Dash as they both knew that time was of the essence.
“WHY DID YOU STOP? WE GOTTA SAVE APPLEJACK!” Dash had apparently learned the Royal Canterlot Voice at that moment. Though earlier incidences could prove that she had learned it earlier.
Without looking away from the note, Berry extended a hoof and slapped Rainbow Dash. “The note says not to interfere with Applejack’s test. And you know very well that interfering could have dire consequences.” Berry’s face was grim. Dash took a step back while Twilight said nothing.
“Twilight, may I have a look at your note?” Twilight handed Berry her bloodstained note from her saddlebag. “Now explain what you’re wearing before we can continue any further. Applejack’s test has already started and we cannot interfe-”
“For Celestia’s Sake!” Rainbow Dash started bucking at the door. She only succeeded at denting the steel door before Berry pulled her back by the mane. Shoving her against a wall, Berry made her point.
“If you ever do that again, without any idea of what the hay is even going on, I will cut your pretty, little face.” Berry took the blade out of her saddlebag, and poked the edge of the blade at Rainbow Dash’s face. “There are rules to these tests, and if you don’t comply, we could all die.” Twilight was surprised that Berry’s voice can go that low. Normally low tones like that were given to stallions much older. “Your dear friend Applejack is going to die if you try to play hero again. If I never followed the rules, I would have been shot with an arrow already and you wouldn’t be here to try and save your friend.”
Berry let go of Dash, where she slumped on the floor, trembling with fear. Now Dash knew how dead serious Berry was when she was sober. Berry turned her attention to Twilight, who was just watching, though trembling as well. Berry had scared the crap out of both of the ponies. Berry kept the knife in her saddlebag, and sighed. It was rare that these emotions would take over her. But when they do, everypony knew that Berry was dead serious. Even if Berry were drunk, any pony who stumbled upon her with her serious face would know that she isn’t fooling around.
“Now, Twilight, explain what you’re wearing while we wait for Applejack.” Twilight cringed as the continuous banging sound in the room could be heard. Twilight tried her best to tell Berry and Dash about her trap while trying to establish a relaxed composure. She didn’t seem to be successful.
Applejack banged away on the wooden table. The string was still creeping away on her right, albeit much quickly now. She could feel her right rearhoof bones breaking as she continued to hammer on the wooden table. She tried to yell in pain, but the repeated bangings had forced her to do so. There were ponies outside her door, that, Applejack was sure of. She even heard one familiar voice shout before the door was bucked. Well well, Dash is here as well. Even through her pain, Applejack couldn’t help but smile, knowing that her hot tempered friend had actually tried to save her. By bucking the door. Applejack was about to laugh, when finally her right rearhoof broke free of the strap holding it down.
Freeing her rearhoof, she proceeded to use it to loosen the straps on her other hooves. After her two rearhooves were free, she brought her left rearhoof up to undo the straps on her right forehoof. One thing that not many ponies knew about Applejack was that years of applebucking had made her very, very flexible, enabling her to stretch her hoof with ease. She, however, had a little trouble undoing the straps on her right hoof.
The string disappeared from Applejack’s sight, and the metal ring started moving back, bit by bit. Did en’t ah’ have 45 seconds before this Celestia-darned thing start moving? Her right forehoof now free, she started the undo her left forehoof strap. Applejack had heard a thud outside, and a very low voice speaking right outside her room. She felt her hat move down a little and remembered what the note had written about that little bird on her hat. She reached both forehooves up and grabbed her hat, and threw it on the ground in front of her.
The metal ring started inching closer and closer to her neck as she desperately tried to stop the device. Feeling around the metal ring, she could feel a rope, no bigger than the rope she uses to lasso in cattle, pulling the metal ring. She tried to undo the knot on the rope, but without much success. The ring was now five centimetres from meeting Applejack’s neck, now moving at a one centimetre per two second pace. She desperately tried looking for anything she could use to cut the rope. Noting her hat, with the now broken stork, on the floor, she took a shard of the stork that had been broken off upon impact. The shard was definitely sharp enough but it was really, really short, roughly an inch long.
Applejack didn’t care. She took the shard, and cursed when she accidentally cut between her eyes. And with another 3 centimetres left, Applejack started sawing back and forth on the rope. The rope was rough, making it hard to cut. The rope was about to be cut through just as the metal ring started touching her throat. The ring started pushing on her throat as Applejack tried her best to cut the rope. As the ring progressed, the part of the ring behind her that had the rope got further away from Applejack’s hooves. Applejack had to try and lean back to cut the rope. The ring pushed on her windpipe, causing her to cough violently. The cough had made her shake so hard that the shard in her hoof fall.
Her eyes wide with terror, Applejack tugged back at the rope, her immense strength causing it to snap and the metal ring to stop. Nevertheless, the ring was still pushing at her windpipe. She tried pushing the ring forward. It slid in front a few centimetres, but it was enough to help her stabilize her breathing again.
Pushing again at the metal ring with her remaining strength she felt a sudden numbness in her broken rearhoof. Her face was starting to feel numb as well as Applejack came to the realisation that when she took the shard, it must have still held a bit of the poison.
Applejack had passed her first test, but she was sure she had failed her second one.
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Author’s note : So yeah, story updates are gonna be a bit slow for the next few days. Will write whenever I have a chance. I bring a notepad at work to jot down the ideas that randomly pop up while I’m serving people. I’m gonna try making a 2-day 1-chapter schedule.