When Alex begins to have the same dream of people talking over and over again saying the same thing every night he wonders what it relates to. Trying to contact the voice brings the teenage spy into another adventure.
Alex Rider begins hearing voices in his sleep. He hears them right after he falls into unconsciousness. After Jack watches him vanish before her eyes Alex decides to try and contact the voices to find out what is wrong with him. He gets more than he ever wanted. It's a fate worse than anything MI6 could deal him.
I hear the voices everynight while I'm asleep. They cry for someone... They gave that person a nickname. They call the person "Applejack" and they say there is nothing they can do for him that he's gone. I never hear who they are crying over but, the voices are females so I'm guessing that they're crying over a male and the one named Applejack is a female. This has got me on edge, I've dreamt it for the passed month and everytime the on nicknamed "Twi" says she can help him I wake up... I wonder everyday what is happening. I'm missing school and I fear it has something to do with MI6. I'll stop thinking of it for the night and go to sleep.
[center]Chapter 1
Confronting the dreamers"Hey Alex... why do you look so distant?" Jack stared at Alex from across the table looking mainly at his hair, which was a mess, and his eyes. Normally Alex would've gotten up, gotten dressed, and looked presentable for breakfast. It was something his uncle, Ian Rider, had made him do for so long that when he died Alex didn't even noticed he was doing it.
"Alex... Hello... Earth to the teen spy." Jack was now waving her hand as she spoke.
Alex jumped at the sudden motion he saw in his eyes. "Huh? Oh yea, school has been going great." He tried to return to eating but couldn't get what happened the night before off his mind.
"You haved saved Canterlot and even all of Equestria. We are thankful to you for your service...."
"Now perish!"
The first word was garbled like a terrible radio transmission, but got better after it.
"Don't go sugarcube... You can't. I... I love you." There was a noise like a ray gun firing then you could hear crying and the dream went into it's normal sequence, but went passed it's regular stopping point.
"Listen Applejack if I do this he might not have his memory of you or any of us."
"I don't care. I can try and rebuild what we started."
As quick as the dream started it ended and Alex was sitting in front of a worried Jack Starbright, "Jack what's wrong?" Alex looked extremely puzzled.
"You.... you.... Alex, you disappeared. Right in front of my eyes."
Alex got up from the chair and put his napkin on his plate to signal he was done eating, "Jack I'm going to be in my room for a while if I'm not out in 2 hours come check on me." Alex headed up the stairs to his room and closed the door quietly. He sat on the bed for a little bit and thought of what Jack had said... You disappeared.... Is she just that stressed from everything MI6 has done or did I really disappear? Well, I'm about to find out. Alex gulped as he let this thought in his mind. He laid down and started to think about it.
"... Hello? Is anyone here?" Alex was in a void. Just floating around in pure darkness, then suddenly a small light appeared and kept getting larger and larger. Finally the light reached him and stopped. It began to dim down revealing to very large horse like figures... With horns and wings.
"Hello Alex, we've been waiting for you." One of the two had a pure white coat and multicolored mane. The other one was purple and looked like the night sky was on her coat and mane.
"Don't be freightened Alex. We have been the ones sending the dreams to you through The Doctor's T.A.R.D.I.S. Those are actually memories from your future self. It's a set point in time that cannot be changed or stopped."
"I am Princess Celestia and this is my sister Princess Luna." Luna walked around the boy examining his every feature as if she had never seen anything like it.
"Sister I didn't think that some humans were actually shorter than others. The doctor should be stretched to this boys height." Luna circled him one last time before returning to Celestia's side.
"Luna... We discussed this. Not all humans look alike. Remember when The Doctor brought us to the other dimension and I was tall and pale. You on the other hand were short and all dark looking." Celestia sounded a bit amused as she spoke.
"Yes and if I do recall more males approached me than you, so..." Luna stuck her tongue out at Celestia.
"And I do recall you were taken by a man The Doctor called a 'rapist' I believe it was."
Alex was sitting there thinking about everything and finally spoke up, "So if I have been recieving memories from my future self wouldn't that cause like a rip in time and space."
"Oh my apologies for getting into a squable with my younger sister. It would cause a rip if we had allowed you to see the memories, but all we did was allow you to hear them so that it would avoid you encountering your future self."
"So why were you doing it? Is it to tell me something?" Alex looked a bit more puzzled than usual.
"Yes, we need you. We sent The Doctor to find the best detective in the human world and he came to us with one name... Alex Rider."
"So you need my detective services?" Great first MI6 then some ponies from a different dimension want me to be a detective for them... Did Jack start working for Scorpia and drug my eggs?
"Yes. The Alicorn, which is a special form of pony in Equestria, can sense a pony's essence and how they feel. One of them, Princess Twilight Sparkle, brought to my attention that a stallion has no essence. The stallion is one she knew before she was an alicorn and he always seemed different. His name is Macintosh and his sister Applejack doubts to the highest exstent that he is a changling. We have all been around him and he had a simple essence, but since Twilight left his essence has left him and that doesn't happen to a pony without death or a changling took their form and hid the original. So we need you to stay with Applejack and observe his every move."
"Wait... So you want me to follow a horse around... Why don't I just wake up now...?" Alex shut his eyes and imagined him in his bed with Jack opening the door. After a second the door opened slowly.
Quickly Luna appeared in the doorway. "There is no escaping this destiny Alex."
Alex jerked his eyes open to see the two alicorns in front of him, "I don't have a choice in the matter do I?"
Luna shook her head slowly in response to his question.
"Won't they notice a human in the house." that's ass backwards.
"You won't be a human, you will be a stallion." Celestia looked down at Luna. Slowly Luna went behind Alex and did exactly as her sister did by closing her eyes. Slowly the horns of the two alicorns lit up and began to grow brighter and brighter.
"Wait.... What?" Two bright flashes hurdled at Alex and in a split second hit his chest and back. He rose gently as the two lights combined and swirled around his body. He closed his eyes for the rest of the process and then he heard a familiar voice.
"So this is him? This is the stallion that will be followin Big Mac around?"
"Yes it is, he is the best detective that The Doctor could find." Celestia spoke gently, "He may also wake up with a bit of shock to where he is right now so just try to be nice to him."
"Ah'll keep him calm. Y'all go on now, he'll be fine with me and Apple Bloom."
"Thank you and we hope that Macintosh is still himself."
"Goodbye your majesty." And I do too... Applejack looked over to Alex and took in what he looked like. He had a short, messy, blonde mane with a lightly tanned coat. His cutie mark was an eyeglass over a hoofprint.
"C'mon ya can't sleep all day. We have work to do cowboy." Applejack gave him a light kick on his hind legs as she spoke.
Alex opened his eyes to see four oranges hooves standing in front of him. Slowly he lifted his torso up with his front hooves examining the mare that was kicking him. Great more ponies and as if I thought this couldn't get any more.... HOLY! Alex flew to the floor on his back looking up at Applejack.
"Why did you push me?" Alex looked up at her with anger in his eyes.
"Ah didn't do it. You tried to stand up on your hind legs and fell backwards. Ya'd think ya'd realize ya have tah walk on four legs." After she finished her sentence Alex tried to push himself up just to fall back down. Why can't I stand... MY GOD! I'm a freaking pony... When the hell did this happen.
Alex immediately thought about what Celestia said, "You won't be a human, you will be a stallion." Slowly he lifted himself on all fours. This isn't as hard as you think it would be... Now let's just act normal.
Applejack got beside him and pushed him toward the door, "Let's go sugarcube. Ah'm Applejack, but you can call me AJ."
"Wait... that name it sounds familiar. Where have I heard that name before." Alex spoke lightly to himself as he walked with Applejack. He kept walking while trying to recall where he had heard her name before. He hit his head on a thin metal surface and threw his head upward to see what it was.
"If your anxious to get outside all ya have to do is open the door. No need to tear the screen down." Applejack chuckled a bit as she opened the door for the distraught stallion.
Alex stood for a second looking at the bright orange mare. Slowly he began to walk into the warm summer sun of Ponyville. Step by step Alex felt the warmth of the sun on his back and on something else... Alex turned to look at his back when he saw a light brown wing the same color as his coat. I can fly.... I have to try and do it. Alex was practically gleaming with excitement when he started to run and flap his wings. After about thirty yards Alex stopped running and started panting heavily. Why.... Can't.... I..... Fly. Alex hit the ground and caused a plumage of dust to fly around him.
"If ya want tah learn tah fly, your going to have tah have Rainbow Dash teach ya." Applejack trotted to the stallion's side to help him up. She helped the stallion back to his hooves.
"Who's Rainbow Dash?" Alex looked puzzled as he dusted off his sides.
"She's a friend and tha element of loyalty. There's also Twilight, she's tha element of magic, Pinkie pie, she's tha ement of laughter, Rarity, she's tha element of generousity, Fluttershy, she's tha element of kindness, and then there's me, the element of honesty." Applejack turned around to see a rainbow streak flying straight from the Sweet Apple Acres barn, "And speak of Celestia, here comes RD now."
Alex was silently mouthing the names he just learned when he looked up to see a rainbow appearing out of mid-air..... and heading straight for him and Applejack. Quickly Alex looked around for anything he could use for cover to hide from whatever was coming his way. He swung his head to his left and saw a small apple tree just large enough to conceal his body with him standing up and to his right was a small hill about five feet away he could try and go down before the object could make impact. I only have one shot. Alex shot to his right trying to give enough force to put him at the decline of the hill.
"Alex... What're ya doing sugarcube?" Applejack looked at the stallion while he laid on his side two feet from where he was standing. Alex looked to his side and saw the object was almost right above him. He threw himself to the ground and put his hooves over his head as he heard an explosion ring across the sky. Alex covered his ears when he heard the thunderous boom of the sound barrier being broken. Something had just went sonic and he knew it couldn't be good.
A minute passed and nothing had happened. Alex lifted his head to see Applejack still staring at him with a very puzzled look on her face, but behind her there was another pony this one was hovering in the air. It had a light cyan coat and a rainbow mane and tail. Slowly Alex stood up looking intently at the new pony.
"Ok..." Applejack turned to see Rainbow Dash hovering behind her looking at Alex as if he were a timberwolf, "RD! Great tah see ya." For a moment Applejack had completely forgotten about Alex.
"Yea.... Great to see you too. Who's your friend?" Rainbow hovered down to in front of Alex close enough he could feel the hot air coming from her nostrils.
"I'm Alex. I take it you're Rainbow Dash?" Alex and Rainbow Dash examined each other for another few seconds before she finally spoke.
"Yea... How do you know who I am buddy?"
"Applejack told me about you." I don't think it would be wise to start a fight especially since I can barely walk right as a pony. Alex stepped back a bit so he could get some fresh air.
"Did she tell you I'm the most awesomest flyer in all of Equestria."
"Oh no here we go. RD, ah hate to cut you short on boasting, but me and Alex here have alot of work tah do so could'ya boast later when you teach him how to fly."
"How does a grown stallion not know how to fly?" Rainbow Dash burst into a fit of laughter as she fell backwards. The cyan mare rolled around while pounding her hoof on the ground.
"I've only been a stallion for about 30 minutes." Alex yelled the sentence and Rainbow instantly stopped rolling. She started staring at Alex as if he were a math problem in front of her.
"What do you mean only been a stallion for 30 minutes?"
"RD. I know this may freak you out a bit, but do you remember when tha princess brought us to tha human diminsion?."
"Yes..." Rainbow Dash looked about as confused as ever.
"Well Alex is from that dimension and he's here tah try and prove that Big Mac isn't a changling."
"So wait... He's actually a human... From that wacked out world?" Rainbow had gotten real tensed up as she took the news in.
"Wait RD he's not going tah pin ya to a sidewalk. Ah promise." Alex gave a quick look at Applejack wondering what she was talking about.
Rainbow noticed the quick exchange and knew that Applejack was going to tell him what happened whether or not she liked, "A cop, or whatever they're called, pinned me to the ground because I had punched some girl who was being mean to Twi."
"I... see that as a perfectly understandable reason." Alex chose his words carefully as he spoke.
"You best buddy, and you best be at the field north of Sweet Apple Acres for flying lessons at four sharp." Rainbow began to ascend into the sky as if a wire were pulling her in a cheap broadway play. Finally she dashed off with a rainbow colored trail behind her.
"Nice choice of words there sugarcube. She tends to get a bit protective of her marefriend."
"Marefriend?" Alex was trying to plug in the pieces of what she meant by marefriend.
"They are an item sugarcube. And yes they are both mares."
"So they're lesbians?" Alex was starting to actually get the concept of what Applejack was saying.
"Yes, here it's called fillyfoolers though." The information sunk into Alex for a minute, Note to self: Don't offend Twilight Sparkle, "Well we may as well get tah work right now. We have plenty of trees to buck."
Applejack taught Alex how to successfully buck apples into the buckets lying on the ground around the trees. The first couple of attemps Alex completely missed and just fell to the ground with his body outstretched, but after a good thirty minutes or so he was kicking a few apples out of the tree at a time... Even if they hit the ground right next to the buckets, and some even hit the sides and split open, it was progress.
Four hours had passed and Alex was as tired as tired could get. His muscles strained as he walked back to the Apple house. He looked over at Applejack who had barely even broken a sweat the whole four hours they were out there. They finally arrived at the door to the house and entered, Alex immediately went to the chair in the kitchen and sat down for a bit.
"Do you know what time it is Applejack?" Alex looked up at the mare who had went to the fridge to get them both some applejuice.
"It's about three o'clock sugarcube, so ya have about twenty minutes of rest before ya have tah start walking to tha northern field. If ya want tah take a quick nap you can use tha bed in tha spare bedroom."
"Thank you and would you mind showing me where it's at." Applejack nodded and they got up from their seats. What felt like hours to Alex was just seconds as they walked down the hall and took a left into a small bedroom with a window to the right and a bed directly across from it. An oak dresser was also right next to the bed with a wilting dafidol in a glass pitcher.
Finally a bit of sleep. Alex let his mind wonder on for a few minutes then he drifted off to an uneasy sleep.
"Alex are you there?" Jack looked normal. She was in jeans that hugged her legs and a pink t-shirt that said 'Ringo' and had a platnium star up under the name. Jack had always loved The Beetles as a kid and adult. She was always humming one of their many hits when she prepared lunch for me and uncle Ian.
"Alex?" She begun looking around the room becoming more and more frantic as she searched for the fifteen year old kid, "Why did he come up here if he knew he was going to just disappear." She sat on the bed and started to sob gently as a mother who just watched her son leave for college. She got up from the bed with red stains and strands of hair running down her face.
"Alex... Alex... Alex!" Alex had shot up and could see the small puddle of sweat on the bed, "Ya were having a bad dream, ya ok there sugarcube." She actually looked concerned for him. Alex looked in her eyes for a second before answering her question.
"Yea I'm fine. I just had a dream about a very close person that I didn't get to say good-bye to." Alex looked down at the hard-wood floor. Images of Jack sitting on his bed crying flashed in his mind. Each and every one of them was more painful than the last, finally Alex himself begun to cry. A few small tears fell down his muzzle and hit the floor. Applejack wrapped her front hooves around Alex and tried to comfort him with a hug.
"It'll be ok sugarcube. Once ya prove to tha princesses that mah brother isn't a changling y'all will see each other again." Applejack didn't let him out of her grip for a minute, she wasn't just going to let him cry and not try to help.
"Thank you Applejack." Alex looked up to the clock above the doorway. The largest hand was in between the large three and four.
"Looks like I best get going, but truly thank you Applejack." Alex got up from the bed and walked out the doorway. It didn't take to long before the orange mare was right beside him.
"Ya might want me tah show ya how tah get to tha northern fields." Applejack laughed a bit as the reached the front door. Alex pushed the door open and stuck out a hoof signaling ladies first.
"If this were a work competition to decide who was a lady, Ah'd be holding tha door for you." Alex laughed a bit and moved out of the way of the door before Applejack was fully out. The door swung closed quickly and hit Applejack on her flank. She quickly jumped forward and quickly found herself stumbling down the two stairs of the porch.
"Hey sugarcube, I don't know what kind of move you think that was, but I don't act like that kind of mare. Don't touch my flank again." Applejack's face was almost as red as the apples she made fall from the trees.
"You do know that was the door, right?" Alex had begun to laugh as he walked down the porch when he noticed Applejack had begun to blush and kick her hoof in the ground. I still don't see what her big deal is. First she was pissed now she's blushing. Alex walked down the last step of the porch and stood to Applejack's side, "We going to the northern fields or are you going to fidget with the ground the whole time?"
Applejack firmly stamped her hoof on the ground in looking at Alex with a mix of attitude and joy in her eyes, "Just think sugarcube, once you learn to fly you can do the gutters to the house." Alex looked up to see just a small straight line gutter.
"No problem." Alex had a cocky tone in his voice.
"And the barns, also I promised Pinky, Fluttershy, and Rarity I would help with their's so you can now do those too. All by yourself."
.... Shit.
The expression on his face told Applejack all the cockiness had fled from his body like a fox that was just caught in the chicken coop.
"Ya can meet tha gals after you're done." Applejack began to walk toward the red barn sticking out of the ground, "Ya coming or just going to stand with a blank face the whole time?" She laughed as Alex snapped out of the trance he was in and begun to run at the orange mare.
They walked passed the large red barn and headed for the small thicket seperating them and the northern field. As they approached the small thicket birds flew from the trees above. The thicket was more like a canopy than an untamed thicket. The leaves above allowed just enough like to see three or four feet in front.
"Alex... Don't move." Applejack's eyes were focused just a bit to the right of Alex, "Whatever ya do sugarcube. Do. Not. Move." Alex looked at the same spot Applejack was staring to see a pair of green flaming eyes staring at him. A sharp howl cut through the silence as if it were a knife through butter. A foul odor made it's way to Applejack's and Alex's nostrils. Alex instantly fell to the ground trying to cover his nostrils and strip the smell out of them.
Alex whispered as softly as he could, "Applejack, what is that thing?" The concern in his voice was clear as crystal.
"It's a timberwolf. And I told you not to move." Quickly the Timberwolf shot forward with imense speed toward Alex.
Alex stared at the gruesome beast as it lingered over him examining its next meal. Alex wasn't sure which would kill him first the smell of the Timberwolf's breath or its bite. Out of the corner of his eye Alex saw Applejack spin around on her front hooves and tuck her legs in just like she did when she bucked trees. Applejack made contact with the log that made the torso of the Timberwolf making a hollow 'thwap' sound her hoof landed. The Timberwolf burst into multiple logs, sticks, and twigs as it fell to the ground a few feet from the pair.
"Whoo whee, Ah'm glad thats over with now let's get a move on and next time ah tell ya tah not move, try and follow instructions."
"I'm sorry, but that thing smelt like a Washington subway station." Alex picked himself up off the ground and began to sprint to get to the edge of the thicket, "C'mon slowpoke." Alex put his best southern drawl into the sentence.
"It's on now." Applejack started off as fast as she could leaving a cloud of dust where she started. She caught up with Alex in a matter of seconds and burst through the thicket five seconds before him. He exited the thicket panting heavily trying to gain his breath.
"Ya look a little winded there. Ya need a pony to lean on the rest of the way?" Applejack went to Alex's side and took his leg around her shoulder. Alex looked over to the mare he barely knew that was helping him walk when he couldn't.
"C'mon sugarcube." Applejack helped Alex walk up a small hill to where he could see Twi and Rainbow Dash laying down in the field in front of him.
"Well guess this is where we seperate for a bit." Alex looked over at Applejack to see her staring at the ground. She didn't look like she wanted to talk about whatever was bothering her.
"Ya best be going. Ya know tha way back right?"
"Not perfectly so if I go missing just look in this area please."
"Ah'm sure RD could help you out."
"I don't to much think she would help me out that much, but she seems like a nice enough person to give me a hint."
Alex took his leg from around Applejack neck and looked at her one last time to see a brighter look in her eyes. His ears perked up when he heard Rainbow scream 'We don't have all day for you to check out the mare you're living with.' Quickly he turned around and started running to Twi and Rainbow Dash. Guess I should learn just incase it comes in handy.
"Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle." Twi held out a lavender hoof as Alex approached, "You must be the one The Doctor found to keep an eye on Big Mac."
"I haven't done much 'spying' since I got here, but yea I'm Alex Rider." He took the lavender mares hoof and shook it.
"Hey buddy keep your hooves off my marefriend." Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest as she tried to threaten Alex for shaking Twi's hoof one second to long.
"Ok...." Alex looked as puzzled as Rainbow in an academic decathalon.
"Let's just get practice over with so we can go back to helping Fluttershy with her animals." Twi wrapped her hooves around Rainbow and gave her a peck on the cheek, "And maybe be animals ourselves afterword." Twi whispered this as quietly as she could in Rainbow's ear. Alex watched as Rainbow went from cyan to a deep crimson red in her face. After watching Rainbow try and catch her breath for ten minutes pratice finally began. A long, grueling three hours of nothing but wing stretches and take-off manuvers.
Alex made his way back to Applejack's house watching carefully as he crossed through the small patch of thicket. He came to the end of the short thicket remember what the events that happened just three hours before. Why didn't she just run from that thing. She could have easily just went to get the others, but instead she fought the damn thing. Maybe she knew that if she hit it there it would die... I guess I'll just have to find out a bit more about them. Before Alex could realize it he had already stumbled into the front door of the house.
"Eeyup that's a door there." A deep voice came from behind Alex momentairely startling him.
"Hi, I'm Alex."
"Names Macintosh, but everypony just calls me Big Mac."
Shit.... This is supposed to be the stallion I spy on. He's huge and could probably kill me in one hit, but atleast he doesn't have guns or henchman.
"Nice to meet you, Big Mac." Alex stuck out a hoof. Big Mac shook Alex's hoof and went inside with two large apple baskets attached to the sides of his saddle.
Again.... Shit.
Later that night after everyone had gone to bed Alex decided to try and do a few flying lessons of his own. Slowly he began to pick up speed with each hoofstep. At first he started to just gently flap his wings to get them used to the motion then he began to flap harder and harder. Inch by inch he lifted off the dusty ground gaining height with each down thrust and before he knew it he was high enough in the air to began a glide. He fully unfurled his wings allowing a straight line a light brown to carry his weight across the night sky. This is actually pretty peaceful. I could do this everynight and still enjoy it. He could feel the night air rushing across his coat and through his mane and tail. He stayed in the sky just circling for about an hour. Then he noticed something moving down below and he focused on the large object moving from the house to the forest. Game on. He stopped circling and just began to hover in mid-air. At first it was difficult for him to support his own body weight, but after a few minutes of struggling he had the technique down.
I might want to get lower and see who this is. He swooped down just a bit and caught perfect sight of the large object going into the forest. Now where are you going Big Mac? Alex thought of all the possibilties to follow him: I could land in trees and follow him from up there, but I would risk making to much noise taking off and landing. Or I could just stay high enough above the trees to follow him. Alex observed the thick trees towering where Big Mac was headed. Maybe I could just land and try to hover above the ground so I didn't make noise walking. That's what I'll try to do. Slowly Alex fell through the night sky stopping just inches above the ground. Each down thrust caused a few leaves to move and some dust fly up, but it wasn't that noticeable. Quietly and with pure precision Alex hovered about ten yards from his target. Musn't.... Fall... Down. Alex could feel his wings straining to keep him just inches above the ground. Alex looked up to see he had completely lost Big Mac. He shot forward to see if there was any sign of disturbed brush. He vanished... How? Maybe he has magic like those other two ponies. I'll have to ask Applejack about him. Alex took back to the sky so he could quickly get back to the house. He went down to his window, opened it, and stumbled as he landed on the hard floor. Maybe nobody noticed I left. His room somehow looked different but he didn't care. He was to tired to even care about a thing... Except if Jack was alright.
Alex was back in his house everything was turned off and had a layer of dust on it, "Where is Jack?" Alex made his way through his house looking in every room for the American housekeeper. He made a second sweep through the house and noticed a little slip of paper in his room that had a layer of dust on it as well. "Maybe Jack just hasn't had time to dust this week... or change anything in my room. How long have I been gone?" He went to open the note and on the inside was a letter from Jack. Neatly written in black ink was something out of a nightmare for Alex.
Dear Alex
I came to your room to check on you and discovered you weren't here. I guess MI6 got to you and you went back to work for them without telling me. I know I have no say in what you do with them it is all your desicion that you work with them, but I would like to atleast know when you leave for a mission. I stayed here at your Uncle Ian's house for a week trying not to go to your room, trying to avoid it at all cost. Finally I couldn't take it anymore I had lost given up hope on you coming back home so I went and packed my bags. I'm sorry Alex, but I left for Washington D.C. and I'm going back to pursue a carrer. If you want to contact me you have my parents number in your cell phone and you can always call them and find me if you want to come back.
