An Apple Against Apples

by Prince Luna

Chapter 2

Grace is being quiet. She hasn't said anything since we started walking. Maybe it's because I shouted at her? I can hear sounds in the distance. Maybe I should bring it up?
"Them sounds must be comin' from Appleloon." I noted.
"Indeed they are!" she said joyously, "We are very near!"
Okay maybe she just didn't have anything to talk about. I suppose we were closer than she thought, we passed a sign for Appleloon and just reached the town.
The ground was brown and there were...buildings...inside this building?
"Hey, Grace, why're there buildings inside this here factory?" I asked.
"This is no dirty factory! Oh, factory pony, I forgot you are of there. No, we are outside of your terrible prison! This is the ever so great outdoors! Miles and miles upon more miles of this greenery et cetera is everywhere outside!" she said triumphantly.
Greenery? That must be...obviously....the green stuff.
So the buildings out here seemed to be not very well built at all but were very loud with chatter. Grace led me into one. There are some ponies sat at chairs drinking, another behind some contraption giving them the drinks and a few sat on the floor rolling strange cubes and trading around round pieces. Grace walked to the pony behind the contraption.
"Grace? Ye've been gone all night! Where were ya all night?" He asked, slightly enraged.
"My sincerest apologies, Flom. Last night I saw something curious. A small white fluffy creature. I had to follow it! But then I got lost in the forest and heard shouting in the distance. I went to hide in a nearby shrubbery bush and later I found the kind and fabulous Eden Apple here who led me safely back here. How about a FlimFlam Cider for the both us?" She said, all in one breath.
"Y'all had us worried." Flom said, preparing drinks, he suddenly dropped a glass, "Eden Apple?!"
He quickly shooed everypony out of the building and shut the doors. The ponies mumbled and walked off except one.
He was very large and a light brown colour. He had a white beard and wore sunglasses and a black vest with the letters "M.M" stitched on.
"YE GOT ME KICKED OUT, YA LITTLE SHIT!" He shouted very quickly.
"Ahm...Ahm sorry. I had no clue what that was all 'bout." I said with a small bit of fear in my voice.
"I WAS ENJOYIN' MY DRINK 'TILL YOU AND THE TOWN BITCH GOT US FUCKED OUT." He shouted again.
"Excuse me?!" Grace shouted, trying to stand up to him, but his stare made her begin to cry.
"NOW IM GONNA SMACK YOU ONE GOOD, APPLETRASH!" He raised a hoof.
Then I heard a sound as I closed my eyes. It sounded like the whips used in the factory. I opened my eyes to see a pony holding a whip tied around a raised hoof. He was turquoise with a long but thin brown mane.
"Off'a him, Motor Mouth!" the pony said.
A silver coloured pony with a horn stood next to him. She had a long white mane.
"Screw you, Whiplash!" he said with a slight whimper in his voice.
He ran to a strange contraption in wheels, wheels like the one where his logo should be, he sat on it and it growled, then took off in a cloud of smoke.
"If he started yapping on even more at an innocent little pony like you...I would've shoved lead right where the sun don't shine." The other pony said rather cheekily.
"What indeed does that terrible colt have against me?" Grace whimpered.
"Nothing much, Grace. I'm sure he's just jealous because you're - what - the richest pony in town?" Whiplash sniggered.
I stood there watching cluelessly and confused. What in the hay was going on here?
"Oh, Eden Apple! You have not met my friends!" Grace began, "The stallion here is Whiplash and the beautiful mare is Silver Bullet."
"Oh, I do love the compliment!" Silver Bullet whinnied.
"Eden Apple..." Whiplash mumbled, "You better come with me son. We gotta show you something."
***
Whiplash led us a little out of the town and we entered a strange hole in a very large clump of rock. Grace mumbled something about a 'dirty cave' but I dunno what that means.
"Silver, mind shedding some light on the prophecy?" Whiplash chuckled, then became serious.
Silver Bullet's horn began to glow and before me I saw a large slate with pictures on. It depicted a pony much like Grace with both wings and a horn and many other ponies...dying in streams of energy from the horn. It was a gruesome picture. But the shocking part was underneath. I'm no good at reading, but this very clearly said something sinister, something that made my heart skip a few beats. Something that scared me majorly.
'The golden one known as Eden Apple shall unleash his true power in the darkest time. Fused with rage and magic, he will bring the end.
-Philosopher Sparkle'
The end? The end of what?! I've barely been out here for a while and already I'm one to destroy us all?!
"What in the fuck is this?!" I shouted, only half minding my language.
"You mean you did not know?" Silver Bullet asked.
"Hell no." I replied "So why ain't y'all backing away from me or somethin'? This here says I could kill y'all any moment!"
" He does sound rather...fused with rage..." Grace commented.
"This is not the time the prophecy foretells." Whiplash said calmly.
He patted my head gently and led us out of the cave.
"Silver and I have had our fair share of adventuring. There's another part to this prophecy out there and now that you're here we're gonna set out to find it. Grace, return home. This is not a road somepony like you should follow." Whiplash explained.
" There is no way that I shall return to my palace!" Grace said, her voice slightly raised.
What was wrong with this mare? I'd rather stay safe in some palace than on some apparently perilous journey.
"My life is a bore up until now. I saw the strange creature and now I found Eden Apple, bringer of doom!" she continued, laughing a little under her breath.
"That ain't funny." I muttered.
"Quite, quite." she giggled, "I refuse to stay in Appleloon, Whiplash. I am accompanying you on your travels."
"You gotta check with your mum first." He sniggered.
"She does not need to know!" Grace laughed, feeling rebellious.
"Well you're a good nurse. Smuggle us some medical supplies and meet us at Whiplash's place, 'kay?" Silver Bullet asked.
"'Kay!" Grace giggled, galloping off to her palace.
"Cmon mister catalyst!" Whiplash said joking, "We gotta get you ready for the road ahead!"
I'm still damn confused.

Comments

[Silver Sea]

Damn straight you're damn confused.