Appledashery

by Just Essay

Dig This Shindig

"Huh..." Applejack tapped her chin in thought.

Stu Leaves and Rainbow Dash exchanged glances while pulling the wagon up the road through Shindig's land. The petite pegasus glanced behind her. "'Huh' what?"

"Is that a good 'Huh' or a bad "Huh?'" Stu added.

Meanwhile, Applejack had been staring at the orange groves beyond the fences to the left and right of them. "Admittedly, I'm a mite rusty when it comes to proper orange-buckin', but dem trees dun look all too prim'n'proper."

"Applejack..." Stu Leaves chuckled. "They're orange groves, not ballroom dancers."

"For real, though." Applejack half-stood on her wagon seat, squinting beyond the brim of her hat as they passed row after row of trees. "The chutes are hangin' off the sides all gangly-like, and the grass around the trees are tall and unkempt."

"So?"

"So, it'd behoove a bunch of self-respectin' fruit pickers to keep this here plot of land lookin' a sight better than it does."

Rainbow Dash stared off into the fields on either side of them. To her, everything looked absolutely normal... or as "normal" as a field full of fruit trees could possibly look. She couldn't see the blemishes that her best marefriend could. However, she wasn't Applejack, and even the pegasus would admit to not having much of a green hoof.

"Say, come to think of it..." Stu Leaves blinked, glancing at the many orange grooves. "Aren't oranges supposed to be... y'know... orange?"

"That's what I'm sayin'!" Applejack grimaced slightly, pointing at a nearby throng of trees. "I swear, some of them oranges look like they've rotted up on the branches!"

Stu shrugged. "Maybe she's given up on that particular field? Don't you farmers do that from time to time? You let the trees go and just harvest their healthier parts to graft onto other trees in a different field?"

"Well, sure, but..."

"But what?"

Applejack sighed, leaning back in her seat. "I dunno. Reckon I expected better from the likes of Shindig."

Stu Leaves fidgeted, glancing aside at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow took a deep breath. "Let's..." She gulped. "Let's just get to the center of the farm and find somepony to talk to. No need to freak out."

"Right." Applejack nodded, tucking some of her blond bangs back underneath her hat. "Shindig's retirin', after all. Surely somepony somewhere has a proper explanation."

"Right." Nevertheless, Rainbow Dash kept her eyes peeled. For some reason, she felt a dull tremor rolling through her limbs, and she couldn't blame it on the atrophy. With firm, solid steps, she and Stu pulled the wagon into the heart of the farm.

---

When they reached the buildings in the center of Shindig Soils, the place was barren. There was nopony to be seen. An errant wind of humid air blew through the grounds, rustling at the trees and their leaves.

Stu and Rainbow Dash pulled the wagon to a stop. Gradually, they peeled out of their riggings, eyes glued to the buildings surrounding them. Applejack stood up tall in the back of the wagon, slowly turning around in a circle to gawk at the hollow farmscape.

It quite literally looked like the place had cleared out overnight. While devoid of any immediately noticeable ponies, the buildings looked in good condition. The windows bore crystal clean glass. The doors were shut and lacking in dust or grime. While some of the grass had grown tall and wild, the weeds hadn't spread too much, and there were even flower gardens bordering some of the shacks and utility sheds.

In the very center of the place stood an enormous four-story tall building. The walls were veritable slabs of gray concrete with little to no aesthetic quality. From the large maintenance doors on the side and the sloping asphalt ramps for freight wagons, it was clear that this was the central factory for producing and housing cider and orange juice. Through one of the high-placed window slits, Rainbow could spot pipework and iron tubing: the make-up of an interior cider mill.

Across a splotch of dirth, two large warehouses loomed, and beyond them rested a series of lengthy structures—more like bunkers—that must have been used for storing fresh harvests from the spacious fields of orange and apple trees. On the far end of these stood a two-story farm house that more closely resembled the kind of homely structures that Rainbow Dash was used to seeing in Ponyville. Next to it sat a simple one-story building with an elaborate bulletin board and collection of dangling signs on the lawn.

"That must be the home office," Applejack said.

"You mean where Shindig operates out of?"

"I reckon."

"Curious." Stu squinted, shaking his head. "Why does it all look so... barren?"

"Shindig must be more far gone than we all thought," Applejack said.

"Well, sure, she's hanging the yoke for good," Stu said. "But to dismiss all her workers like this? You'd think she'd want to salvage the crops more!"

"Now, we dun know for sure if she's laid off all her workers," Applejack said. "For all we know, we must have... uh... arrived on a day off."

"A day off..." Stu glanced fixedly at Applejack. "...you think Shindig could even afford that?"

"Maybe she's lost a bit upstairs," Rainbow Dash said.

The other two turned to stare at her.

Rainbow looked back. "It's possible."

Applejack took a deep breath. "Well, guess there's at least one way to find out." With a slight grunt, she hopped nimbly out of the wagon, cracked her joints, and trotted firmly towards the front door of the office. Suddenly, she paused.

"What's the matter?" Stu asked. "Don't tell me you've got cold hooves now!" He smirked. "Just knock on the door already!"

"It's not that..." Applejack backtrotted, approaching the bulletin board. "There's a note here."

"A note?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah, I think it's for us." Slowly, Applejack plucked the thing off and squinted at it. "'To Applejack, the Prospective Owner of Sweet Apple Acres...'"

"Heh..." Rainbow Dash flapped over, hovering by Applejack's side. "You weren't kidding."

"Ahem." Applejack resumed reading. "'I anticipate your arrival with great hope and respect. However, my staff has run thin as of late and I have been requested to make several important business arrangements with the local farms. I have left the gate open in the event that you should show up while I am gone. If you do not see myself or any of my servants upon your arrival, do not worry. Just make yourself at home and I will be back shortly to conduct business as scheduled. My apologies in advance, and I look forward to our meeting. Sincerely, Serenity Shindig.'"

"Well, at least she's polite!" Stu said.

"Speak for yourself." Rainbow frowned, glaring across the empty expanse of the otherwise immaculate farm. "If she truly respected this whole hoof-over thingy, she would have made a bigger effort to be here."

"Now now, Rainbow," Applejack chided with a smile. "Shindig has made quite the legacy for herself. I'd say an ounce of senility can be forgiven, considerin' how long and how hard she's worked."

"But—"

"She's makin' me one whizzbang of an offer, sugarcube," Applejack said, her eyes firm and emphatic. "It's a golden opportunity that I can't let down! I'm more than capable of puttin' up with a little bit of awkwardness if it means gettin' on her good side."

Rainbow groaned. "AJ, not every old mare is Granny Smith!" She gestured wildly with her hooves. "She should be here and she's not! I... I..." She folded her forelimbs with a huff. "I just get really ticked off when ponies fail at being loyal..."

Applejack was about to retort when Stu Leaves spoke up.

"Say..." He pointed at another leaflet dangling from the bulletin board. "Looks like there's another note here."

"Huh?" Applejack turned, blinking. "Hey. So there is."

Rainbow Dash squinted. "What does this one say?"

Applejack leaned in. "'By the way, Ms. Applejack, feel free to take a tour of the cider mill yourself. The facility is open for you to examine at your leisure. I've even left refreshments for you: some of Shindig Soil's finest squeeze...'"

"Well, at least she's neighborly!" Stu said with a smirk.

"I must say, I am mighty curious as to how the mill looks like on the inside." Applejack turned around to gaze at the tall concrete structure. "Whaddya say, Stu? Wanna take a gander?"

"Heh..." He wiped his brow. "Anything to get out of this infernal heat."

"Hate to break it to ya..." Applejack strolled over towards the factory building. "...but Fillydians likely ain't too keen on air conditioning a mill."

"Awwwww..."

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash stayed behind, hovering in front of the bulletin board. She leaned in to squint at the plush surface. Beneath the dangling notes to Applejack, she spotted several identical pins stuck in place with tiny shreds of matching colored paper. Her lips pursed in thought.

"...Rainbow? Ya comin', sugarcube?"

"Er... right!" Rainbow twirled about and flitted off to join her two friends. "Sure thing...!"

Comments

[RoboRed]

"Right." Nevertheless, Rainbow Dash kept her eyes peeled.

Something something something "peeled like an orange".

If you do not see myself or any of my servants upon your arrival, do not worry. Just make yourself at home and I will be back shortly to conduct business as scheduled. My apologies in advance, and I look forward to our meeting. Sincerely, Serenity Shindig.'"

...Trap...

"'By the way, Ms. Applejack, feel free to take a tour of the cider mill yourself. The facility is open for you to examine at your leisure. I've even left refreshments for you: some of Shindig Soil's finest squeeze...'"

Traaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap. Someone's trying to put the "squeeze" on you three!

[RainbowJack2000]

This has to be a trap. Shindig, even if she had important business, couldn't she have at least made an effort to have the meeting with Applejack? Plus, no one can leave their gates open, or not have their servants there at all. Something's fishy going on there...

[Lightning Bearer]

I'm with what the others said. Something about this seems really, really fishy.

[FloydienSlip]

2sketchy4me

[Shipmun]

obligatory

[Bulbajer]

Shindig better not pull a Bathilda Bagshot on us.

[MoonMirror]

Missing notes too, listen to Admiral Ackbar dangit!

[Fishberry]

Enjoy the refreshments! You like roofie cider, right?

[Fishberry]

5478058
Nope! I'm going in over in Yaerfaerda.

... Ba-dum, disshh.

[Sheendough]

5478336 I think everyone agrees with that. The question is: set by who?

[Aatxe360]

5477987
5478058
5478274

It's a fight to the death inside the extraordinary mill for the inheritance! The others are already waiting! Applejack and Rainbow can take them all on while Stu is the pony in distress. Applejack and Stu get to know each other even more!
cdn.broni.es/images/emotes/mlp-tsupersmile.png

[Leftover of Saikano]

To their surprise, it was no mill, but a giant.

[aleistergreynight]

Hmm... Looking solely at the info we have now. First, Shindig was recommended by Fancy Pants, the latter of whom we know has no ill intentions towards AJ or RD; we know this because we have seen his thoughts. Second, as far as we know, none of RD's various enemies know of this trip/destination. Third, (and I know I have beat this point to death already,) Lancie said back in the beginning that he can travel to places where he could sense something terrible about to happen, I'm still waiting for that. Fourth, I suppose it is the author's prerogative to ignore any of these points and write whatever comes next...

[Shipmun]

5478992
Stu Leaves, of course!
Just watch it actually Stu

[BabySkittleMonster]

Okay, I was terrified for them yesterday. Now? I'm damn petrified. As others have said before me, it. Is. A. Trap. No doubt about it.

Or... JE is pulling a fast one on us and this arc is simply the meeting of a senile old lady who makes Pinkie Pie look sane. Either way. I'm not entirely sure which option is worse.

Then again, it is JE. The bluff is probably actually a double bluff. He'll probably do something none of us expect. Only time will tell... I have always wanted to say that!

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

The cider is a lie.

[kihutaja]

Judging from Scoot's narration in this and the previous arc opening chapters, this is going to get intense in one way or the other:

Nothing she had gone through before—no matter how awkward or extreme—could possibly have prepared her for the madness to come.

... no amount of verbosity, no matter how eloquent, can appropriately prepare one for what comes next.

5479292

First, Shindig was recommended by Fancy Pants, the latter of whom we know has no ill intentions towards AJ or RD; we know this because we have seen his thoughts.

When did we see his thoughts? I'm curious since this story generally doesn't peek into characters' heads.

[redsopine]

its a trap ruuuuun dashie ruuuuun

[Tim the Planes-pony]

Someone ripped off further notes it would seem.

[LucyHorseThing]

vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/thefakegees/images/6/6d/Look_of_Disapproval.png/revision/latest?cb=20130120182037

[arancaytar]

Rainbow could spot pipework and iron tubing: the make-up of an interior cider mill.

I've been meaning to ask: Is orange juice really called cider?

I have left the gate open in the event that you should show up while I am gone. If you do not see myself or any of my servants upon your arrival, do not worry. Just make yourself at home

I say trap.

[arancaytar]

Beneath the dangling notes to Applejack, she spotted several identical pins stuck in place with tiny shreds of matching colored paper.

someone is being nefarious.

[Boop-Happy Lass]

Ah dear... this is a trap...

[SnowOriole]

I have a VERY bad feeling about that mill. I'm almost certain that nothing good can come out of visiting there.