//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: The Cutie Mark Crusaders Get Lost in North Carolina 
// by totallynotabrony 
//------------------------------//

	“What do you reckon we should be lookin’ for?” asked Apple Bloom.
“I don’t know,” mused Sweetie Belle.  “What does Applejack like to eat?”
“I meant the Wal-Mart.  What does it look like?”  The three fillies made their way down the sidewalk, their heads swiveling to take in everything the city had to offer.  The weather was warm and sunny, and it was a good day to be walking.
“It probably has a sign or something,” said Scootaloo.
The Crusaders stuck to the edge of the sidewalk away from the road.  While none of them had received formal traffic safety instruction, they all stayed away from the rapidly moving vehicles.
“Why do those things move so fast?” asked Scootaloo, indicating the cars and trucks that passed them by.
Apple Bloom shrugged.  “They’re in a hurry, I guess.”
“I don’t know why they don’t put up a fence or something,” grumbled Sweetie Belle.  “Somepony could get hurt.”
“Well, just don’t go out in the road,” said Scootaloo.  “It’s just common sense.”
“Common sense ain’t so common,” replied Apple Bloom.  “Speakin’ of sense, what in the world do they mean by ‘Subway Sandwiches’?”  She indicated a nearby restaurant.
“A subway is like an underground train,” explained Sweetie Belle.  “I heard about them when I visited New York with my sister.”
“Why would a train be underground?” wondered Scootaloo.  “And anyway, what’s that got to do with sandwiches?”
“Can we agree that it’s just Earth bein’ weird?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Sure.”
“Totally.”
They walked on.  

The Wal-Mart was eventually located and the Crusaders went inside.  Sweetie Belle mentioned how automatic doors could sometimes be a problem for ponies, but the weather was warm and these were held open.
“I’ve never seen so much…stuff before,” said Scootaloo, gazing on the contents of the store.
“Isn’t some of it supposed to be food?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“That sign says grocery.”  Apple Bloom pointed.  The three fillies walked in that direction.
While the food section of the store was larger than any that the three of them had ever seen before, it looked remarkably incomplete.
“Isn’t there supposed to be more stuff here?” asked Apple Bloom.
“There aren’t any flowers, or raw wheat, or hay,” said Scootaloo.
“Maybe they keep it somewhere else,” suggested Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom shrugged.  “We can ask.”  The three of them looked around, but no store employees were in the produce section.  A woman in a Marine camouflage uniform stood nearby, examining the frozen food inside the glass-fronted cooler.
“Pardon us,” said Sweetie Belle.  “Do you know if they stock pony-specific foods here?”
The woman turned, looking surprised to find three young ponies staring at her..  Her uniform displayed a single rank chevron and a nametag that read "Pickens."
“I don’t think there’s anything like that in Wal-Mart,” she answered.
“What about the Food Lion?” asked Scootaloo.
“They have a better selection, but probably not what you’re looking for.”  The woman shrugged.  
“You said ‘they’,” Apple Bloom commented.  “Are there a lot of Food Lions?”
“There’s one in pretty much every big city in the south.  If it’s not that, it’s Winn-Dixie.”
Apple Bloom had no idea what the Marine woman was talking about, and let the subject drop.
“So where can we get pony food?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“I don’t know,” answered the woman.  “Maybe the health food store has something similar.”
“Well, healthy food is good food, right?” said Apple Bloom.  “Where’s the store?”
The woman glanced at the frozen dinners again.  “Why don’t I go with you?  It’s probably better than eating this crap.”  She put the box in her hand back in the cooler.
The four of them walked towards the exit.  “Pardon me for asking,” said the human, “but aren’t all of you a little young to be out on your own?”
“My sister trusts us,” said Apple Bloom.
“She does security work,” offered Scootaloo.
“There aren’t very many ponies on base.  Maybe I know her.”
“Her name is Applejack.”
The Marine looked surprised.
“Is somethin’ wrong, ma’am?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Uh, no, nothing.  And you can call me Beth.”
The fillies introduced themselves.  Apple Bloom was still somewhat suspicious of the woman’s reaction to Applejack’s name, but kept it to herself.
The health food store was in the same shopping complex as the Wal-Mart.  The clunking of the Marine’s boots was a stark contrast to the lighter sound of the fillies’ small hooves.
Scootaloo pointed that out.  “Beth, aren’t soldiers supposed to be quiet and stealthy?”
The woman laughed.  “Well, most wars aren’t fought on pavement.”  She took a few steps through the grass next to sidewalk, considerably diminishing the sound of her passage.
“And anyway,” she continued, “I’m not a soldier.  I’m a Marine.”
“What’s the difference?” asked Sweetie Belle innocently.
Apple Bloom shushed her.  “My sister once asked that question and all she got was a half-hour lecture.”
“Sounds about right,” said Beth, laughing.
They reached the health food store.  The sign out front touted herbs, naturals, and organics. The woman pushed the door open and held it for the ponies.
The shop had an earthy, fragrant odor.  Many of the products weren’t wrapped in plastic like in a traditional grocery store.
“It smells like the hay loft at the place where I grew up,” commented Beth.  “Or maybe that one restaurant in Ponyville.”
“You’ve been to Ponyville?” asked Apple Bloom.
“It was, uh, a night out.”  She seemed to be uncomfortable with talking about it, so Apple Bloom didn’t press.
There wasn’t hay for sale, but there were enough whole grains and other foods to please the fillies.  Beth looked a little surprised when Sweetie Belle pulled out the one hundred dollar bill to pay, but didn’t comment.  
The Crusaders waited while the woman paid for her own groceries and they exited the store together.  Outside, a large trailer truck was backing up to the business next door.
“Dunkin’ Donuts,” said Scootaloo, reading the lettering on the side of the trailer.  “What are you supposed to dunk them in?”
Beth laughed.  “Coffee, I think.”
“I’ve got a lot of money left over,” said Sweetie Belle.  “A donut sounds good right now.”  The other fillies agreed, and they convinced the Marine to come with them.
"What the heck," she said.  "I worked out earlier today."
The selection of flavors was larger than any of the ponies had ever seen before.  Some of the pastries were so stuffed with filling and piled with frosting that they had ceased to resemble donuts.
"I don't claim to know how pony metabolism works," said Beth, "but I think I should warn you that these things are literally full of sugar."
"She's right," said Sweetie Belle.  "We probably should limit ourselves.  Maybe one donut each."
"But there's so many to choose from!" protested Scootaloo.
"Well, it looks like they have a good business here," noted Apple Bloom.  "Ah'm sure the store will still be open the next time we visit Earth."
Beth nodded.  "You're probably right.  Dunkin' doesn't have any competition here.  Despite the fact that Krispy Kreme is headquartered nearby in Winston-Salem, they don't have any stores in Jacksonville.  It's a shame."
"We can talk about this later," said Scootaloo.  "I'd like a donut now!"