//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Always Together, Forever Apart // by bahatumay //------------------------------// “Come on!” Applejack urged, prancing nervously in place and casting urgent glances at the sky. “We gotta get the cherries inside before the rain comes!” Ledger Line nodded as he loaded another bucket onto the cart she was hitched to. As much as he hated it, he had noticed that the work had gotten easier as time had gone on. Now, most of the way through the cherry season, he found himself almost able to keep up with Applejack. Almost, anyway. And though a few other ponies had shown up to look around the farm, she had refrained from bucking any of them. The visits had stopped, though, when the first banker pony she'd caught actually on their property had been unceremoniously dragged into the middle of the orchard proper and given a shovel, as only somepony who wanted to work would come to an orchard on such a lovely day—and uninvited at that. After all, trespassing was a crime in Dodge Junction, and the banks didn’t own the orchard. Not yet, anyway. Much more pressing than bank ponies, though, were the ominous thunderclouds rumbling overhead, and the wind whipping through the tree branches. Cherries were notoriously fragile, and it went without saying that this would likely be the last batch of fully-useable cherries this season. Dodge Junction was a town of mostly earth ponies; if the desert wanted a storm, that storm was coming. And sure enough, come it did. “I felt a drop!” Ledger Line called. “I did too!” Applejack shouted back. Ardie screeched an agreement. Applejack shook her head. “I’m calling it! Let’s get back!” Ledger Line pulled the tarps over the wagon, and Applejack began hauling. As they did, the rain seemed to start falling harder. Applejack let out a nervous whinny. “We're not going to make it back,” Ledger Line warned. “There’s an old barn up ahead!” Applejack called, adjusting her path. “I think it’s our best bet!” “It’s our only bet!” Ledger Line said, looking up at the sky—and getting a drop of water in his eye for his trouble. The barn was old and somewhat dilapidated. From far back, Ledger Line pulled the doors open with his magic, and already he could smell the musty stench from inside. Applejack continued head on, and got inside. No sooner than she had than the sky seemed to explode; sheets of rain fell so fast and thick Ledger Line couldn’t see the orchard. He chuckled nervously. “Wow,” he said. “Guess that’s that, then.” “Yeah,” Applejack murmured, unhitching herself from the wagon and looking up at the sky. She muttered something under her breath, and Ledger Line thought he’d caught the word ‘pegasus’. She turned back around to look at their new shelter. Raindrops leaked in through the holes in the roof, and she nudged the cart over to where it was a bit dryer. She started walking around, picking up stray branches. She even found an old hoe and, after looking over the splintery wooden handle with a careful eye, snapped it off. “What are you doing?” Ledger Line asked. “We might be staying here a while, and it’s gonna get mighty cold soon,” Applejack answered, dragging the branches over. “Gonna build us a small fire.” She grinned. “At least we won’t want for water or food.” Ledger Line chuckled. “No pies, though,” Applejack said as she built the branches into a small pyramid. “Hope you like your cherries straight.” She held up a dry branch and gestured at Ledger Line’s horn. “Got a light?” Before long, Applejack’s little fire burned merrily. The rain kept falling, but it was pretty tolerable. At least, for a little while. As the sky grew darker, Applejack kept casting more and more nervous looks outside. Ledger Line thought she was concerned about getting home. Until… “Gonna have to run for it,” Applejack muttered, prancing in place at the doorway and looking nervously up at the sky. “Applejack?” She turned back to him. “Look, I gotta go.” “Out there?! Applejack, it’s still raining, and-” But Applejack wasn’t listening. She grabbed one of her saddlebags. “Just stay here, and don't come out!” And with that, she ran off into the rainy night. “Applejack!” But Applejack was not returning. Ledger Line dropped onto his haunches, folded his forelegs, and huffed. Crazy Applejack. That’s what he should start calling her. He heard a rustling behind him. He spun around, and watched as the saddlebag Applejack had left began to wriggle. His heart began to race. What could this-? And then Applejack's bird poked her head out. “Oh, don’t scare me like that,” he muttered, resting a hoof on his chest. Her bird looked around, and Ledger Line felt like he needed to talk to it for some reason. He scooted closer and awkwardly cleared his throat. “Hey. Uh. Ardie, is it? I don't really know how to take care of a bird, but, uh… I'm guessing you don't want a cherry?” The bird cocked her head. As if she could understand him, she opened her beak. Her sharp, hooked beak. Designed for tearing away- “Yeah,” Ledger Line said, looking away awkwardly. “Predator. Uh… I'm a vegetarian, so… I guess you're on your own?” The bird looked away, apparently unimpressed by his command of the equine language. “I don't even know why I'm talking to a bird,” he said. His eyes flicked down to the fire, which was quickly burning down. He grimaced, then glanced up at the sky and grimaced again. It looked like the rain was slowing down a bit. He glanced back at the fire, which seemed even smaller than the last time he looked. And, honestly, he had not been watching Applejack build it. So really, if it were to go out, he’d be left a sitting duck. A very cold sitting duck. He could get firewood, though. The heat from the fire would dry it out and it would burn just fine. Ledger Line took a hesitant step outside. The rain had slowed somewhat to a low drizzle, and he decided it would be worth the risk. He started walking. The earlier storm had blown down lots of branches. He began collecting some of the larger ones, thinking he could easily break them into smaller pieces later. A shrill scream split the night. He shuddered. No matter how many times, he would never get used to Applejack and her nightm- Wait. He slowed to a stop. Applejack wouldn’t be sleeping out here. Not in this weather. Why else would she be screaming? Was she hurt? He tried to focus on the source of the sound, but the rain certainly didn't help things. Still, he lit his horn brighter and started walking where he thought it had come from. “Applejack?” he called. “You ok?” There was no answer. Concerned, he trotted a little faster. “Applejack?” He suddenly saw a paired glint of green, and he sighed in relief. “Applejack, you scared me,” he said, drawing nearer. “I know you said don't leave, but we needed more firewood, and…” His voice trailed off. Now that he was closer, he could see that the eyes seemed to be glowing with more light than his horn was giving. And, now that he looked, they were far too small and too far apart to be Applejack's. His heart caught in his throat as a low growl filled the air, confirming what he'd already feared. Timberwolf! Ledger Line sprinted back to the barn, screaming like a filly half his age. As he ran, it occurred to him that this was probably not the smartest idea; dogs chased things that moved, so timberwolves might be similar. But apparently the tree aspect of the timberwolf won out; Ledger Line made it back to the barn unharmed and unchased. Carelessly dumping the wood on the ground, he slammed the door shut and barred it, then spun around, as if to try and hold it in place with his body. And inside the barn, a cyan pegasus pony with a rainbow-colored mane peered around. She seemed confused, as if unsure as to how she'd gotten there. Which, in all fairness, was the same thing he was wondering. It was just a little bit buried under a sizable fear for his life and a deep-seated desire to not be eaten by a timberwolf. She looked back and saw him staring and panting. Misinterpreting his stare, she grinned mischievously as she spread her wings wide. “What, you've never seen a pegasus pony before?” she asked. “No, I have, but… there’s a timberwolf out there!” Ledger Line panted. The mare grinned and folded her wings. “I know,” she said. “I heard her, too. I'm just wondering why I'm in here,” she nodded at the barn, “and she's out there.” She nodded towards the door. “Huh?” was all Ledger Line could manage. “Leave her to me.” And with that, she slid past him and opened the door. She looked up at the sky. “Ugh. Natural storms,” she muttered. “If there were pegasi here, they'd be fired so fast...” “You're going to be eaten alive!” Ledger hissed. The pegasus tossed her mane. “Not a chance.” She strode forward into the night, brought a wing up to her lips, and whistled sharply. “You're calling it?!” Ledger Line squeaked. And sure enough, the timberwolf soon lumbered into sight. It caught sight of the pegasus and approached, its tail raised. It whined. “Easy, girl,” the pegasus said gently. She grabbed the timberwolf's head with her hooves and simultaneously pulled down as she flew up, aligning themselves so she could press their foreheads together. “Easy,” she repeated as she gently scratched under her chin. And to his surprise, the timberwolf seemed to calm down a bit. In fact, he could swear that the branches around her mouth had curled up into something of a wolfy smile, and her tail seemed to wag. “Come on, girl,” the pegasus said, releasing her head. “Let’s go for a walk.” All Ledger Line could do was stare. He had seen many a strange thing here. But this one surely took the cake.