"Now, I thought Winona's behavior was strange. But she's a dog, so I figured she was just barking at small critters. Lots a dogs do that, mine ain't no different. I caught her chasing Angel or some of Fluttershy's ferrets once.
Still, I ain't never seen her so intent like that. Like she was thinkin' she was the only thing guardin' the farm.
But I didn't 'ave time ta think on it too much. At the time, I was still worried 'bout our apples; especially after the traps didn't work.
I got ta work immediately, figuring the best thing be ta get the apples bucked and into storage as quickly as possible. Once they were in their barrels and crates, they be safe from any rodents...."
-Applejack
Applejack worked double time, bucking trees like no other. She couldn't remember a time she had worked this hard then when she tried to do the whole orchard by herself.
She often had to stop to catch her breath, and wipe her brow of sweat, but this had to get done. She couldn't understand how the traps didn't work, but right now she had to strive to save her farms apples and their profits. Market day would be around the corner and if they couldn't reach their quota of shipment of apples, it would hurt the farm.
As she finished up another group of barrels, she loaded them onto the cart and gave the oxen a pat on the rump to get them moving back to the barn for storage. As she guided the cart, passing Big Mac who was working on his own section of the orchard, she then spotted Winona, who was once again tugging at the leash, which was tied securely to a tree, and barking towards the woods.
There was another problem. When AJ had let Winona out the morning first thing, the dog made a b line for the Everfree and the woods, forcing Applejack to chase her down; forcing her to tie Winona up to a harness and tree; partly so she could still run around outside, and finally to keep her from running off into the woods.
She didn't know what was wrong with Winona, but Applejack couldn't deal with her and the apple harvest at the same time. Maybe Winona was in heat again, Celestia knew that the poor dog could get rather crazy when it was that time of year and with not a lot of male dogs in town, there was little AJ could do but give Winona longer walks and games of tug a war to help.
Maybe she was smelling some wild dogs or wolves or something?
But it was a problem for another time, as she worked to get the cart clear of the barrels and the barrels of apples into storage. Then it was back out to the orchard for another load. The work was hard, long into the day, and she had to skip more then one break, but eventually all the apples were bucked and stored.
"There, that ought ta keep any varmint out." AJ said proudly, patting her hooves clean with a smile before closing and locking the barn storage door and setting the heavy wooden beam to lock it.
AJ wiped the sweat from her forehead, her muscles sore from the work and decided that with the work done for the day, she could have a nice relaxing bath now. Somehow a bath always felt better after a good day of hard work.
After her bath, Applejack was glad to climb into bed for a good nights sleep. It would be another hard day of work tomorrow, getting the barrels shipped out. They might even have some left over even after transport and market day.
The pigpen fences would need fixing. The wire fence around the chicken coop needed some holes patched. Some repairs to the barn and farm house. Wood to chop for the winter. Then there was all the paper work, financial records and accounts to look over; Big Mac did that usually though. He was more...math savvy.
Applejack called for Winona once more, but again the dog just stared out the window. She gave little growls every so often.
Applejack finally huffed, "Winona now, come here girl."
Winona turned, ears down and she gave a slight whimper, as Applejack called her again. Slowly the dog walked over and jumped into bed, giving sad little doggy eyes.
"Oh don't be sad girl. I ain't mad, but whatever it is yer smellin' out there ain't worth the trouble. Now stop this and go ta bed." AJ said to the dog, before patting her head gently, earning a tail wag from Winona.
Winona for her party gave another whimper, looked to the window then slowly curled on the bed and settled next to Applejack.
AJ nodded, confident that her dog would go back to normal now. She wrapped a hoof around Winona and closed her eyes as she laid her head on her pillow.
When Applejack had finally fallen asleep, she was sure that when she woke up it would be at the sound of her alarm waking her to begin her work on the farm.
But that shouldn't have been for several hours, especially not disturbing her from a rather pleasant dream.
But just as she was about to win first prize for the worlds largest apple, the size of a mountain, her dream came crashing down as she felt dog paws climbing onto and kicking her as something ran and leaped off of her; barking loudly as it did so.
"What in Tarnation? Winona!" Applejack shouted, holding her stomach where Winona had jumped off of.
She glared at the dog, who was now barking like mad and staring out the window. Applejack groaned and tore herself from her rather comfy and warm covers and threw on her night robe as she stomped over to Winona; who ignored her and kept barking.
"Winona, what are ya-"
Smash
Applejack nearly jumped out of her robe and nightwear as she heard the distinct sound of wood being smashed. The sound was close by, near the farm house. Winona barked louder, and Applejack ran and snatched the leash, attaching it to Winona and rushing out the door with the dog pulling her along.
As she ran down, AJ grabbed a bat and flashlight in the front door closet, and threw open the door and rushed outside.
Winona barked and yanked on the leash, pulling in the direction of the barn storage area, where the apple harvest was.
"Pony Feathers!" Applejack swore and she ran toward the storage with Winona barking loudly.
As she turned around the corner of the barn, she saw something dark and black, rushing away from the farm. They were already a good distance away, and the darkness of the cloudy night made it hard to see details. But Applejack was sure it was running on two legs. Winona barked, growling at the figure as it ran off and lost as it went over and under the ridge of a hill.
Applejack watched the fleeing culprit and then turned her attention to the storage. The lock bar had been removed and tossed aside, and the door hug open. Inside, one of the barrels had been smashed open, and apples littered the ground. Some had been eaten, but she also found some leaving a line toward the door and open near the fence; indicating that whoever had fled had also stolen some of the apples.
A commotion back at the farm house, with lights turning on, made Applejack look from the scene of the crime, to the house and then back toward the direction of the intruder, then back to the farm house as she saw her family come bursting out.
Granny Smith had her cane, held like a club and an army hat on. Big Mac wielded a large hammer, and Applebloom had nothing but came running up to her.
"What in heavens sakes?" Granny called as they all got to Applejack and saw the storage and the smashed barrel.
"What happened Applejack?" Big Mac asked, as he examined the crime scene.
"I don't know. I saw something running from the farm over that ridge. Whoever it was must 'ave broken inta the apple storage." Applejack answered, still trying to piece the events together.
"Why some no good, snake in the grass thief stealing our apples is what that is!" Granny said with a hiss, spitting in the direction that Applejack had pointed to where the culprit had fled.
"Did ya get a good look?" Big Mac asked.
AJ shook her head, "I saw them running, but it was too dark ta get a good look and they were already half way gone by the time I got here. But they was running on two legs. It weren't no bear."
"It was the monster. I told ya it was real." Applebloom pointed out, earning groans from everyone.
"Oh Applebloom, not this again." AJ groaned, rubbing her head.
"But, ya saw it!" Applebloom said again, almost pleadingly.
"What I saw was someone running from the farm. They was on two legs, but that's all. But they didn't look as tall as a tree. No doubt it was a thief, maybe a Diamond Dog or even a pony. That makes more sense then some nonsense story about monsters." Applejack stated firmly.
"But-" Applebloom started, put AJ put her hoof over her mouth.
"No butts. Now march yer flank back ta bed missy. Ya got school tomorrow, ya just leave this mess ta the big ponies ta solve." AJ pointed to the farmhouse as she finished.
Applebloom frowned, her ears flattening as she turned and walked back to the farm house, muttering that she was a big pony.
AJ sighed, rubbed her head again as she kneeled down to hug Winona.
"I'm sorry girl. I should have listened ta ya better." She said.
Winona whimpered and licked AJ's face.
"So, what do we do?" Granny Smith asked.
AJ sighed, "Lets all go back ta bed. We'll deal with it tomorrow. I doubt whoever did this won't be coming back tonight. First, Big Mac help me clean this mess."
"Eeeyup." Big Mac said with a nod as he bent to clean up the mess of the smashed barrel.
Applejack handed Winona over to Granny, to bring back inside and she got to work to help clean the mess. This whole event had her head pounding now. She hoped this raid wouldn't mess up their shipments, the farm needed the profits to survive and having someone or somepony stealing from them...
Appejack clenched her hooves. She wouldn't let it happen again.
Next time that thief showed up, she'd be there ta give them the bucking of their life.