//------------------------------// // Chapter Three // Story: Spoon // by Flame486 //------------------------------// Applejack awoke with a start. She was back in her own bed again. She sighed to herself. It was all just a dream. A really weird, confusing dream. Shaking her head, she chuckled. "Ah must've listened to Twi' an' Rainbow talk about them 'space aliens' too much," Applejack muttered to herself. While it seemed like such an impossibility, she could have sworn that there was a new book in the library about the whole thing.   Sighing, she got out of her bed, made the sheets and blankets, and slowly started to get ready for the day. Time passed. Within a few hours, she was back to her old schedule once again. Let's see. She bucked for more apples, fixed the water shoot to the barn, washed the pigs, and baked a few pies with Granny. Applejack thought, going through a quick mental checklist. All that was left was delivering some pies to her friends in town.   Hauling a cart back into town, she approached Rarity's home of Carousel Boutique and swiftly knocked on the door. The door opened revealing Rarity's face.   "Why hello darling! It's a pleasure to see you today."   "Hello, Rarity. How are Y'all doin' today?"   "Oh, I'm doing well thank you for asking. How are you doing?"   "Ah'm doing mighty fine, thanks for askin'. Say, I was on mah way over to Twilight's place tah ask her some complicated questions, but ah made some pies earlier. Would ya like one?" Applejack asked.   "Mmmm. Those pies do smell delicious, unfortunately, I just finished eating my red bean casserole for lunch. May I have one for later though? I have a place in the refrigerator that I could use for later. How much should I pay you for it?" Rarity asked levitating out her checkbook before Applejack chuckled.   "Why, Rarity. We've been friends for how many years? It's free of charge." Rarity's checkbook closed with a quick snap.   "Oh. Well, that's very generous of you Applejack. Thank you." She then levitated a pie off of Applejack's cart.   "No problem, Rarity. Ah'll see y'all later!" She said leaving Rarity's door.   She then visited most of her other friends without incident. All except for Fluttershy who didn't answer the door, and took quite a bit of prodding before being let inside. All that left was Twilight. Fortunately, her house was on the way from Fluttershy's cottage. She started knocking on the door until the door came loose. She looked slightly confused and also a bit alarmed.   "Twi'? Are ya home?" She pushed open the door a bit. The library looked as it usually did. After a bit of snooping, she found Twilight in a back room, reading a book. Applejack rolled her eyes, what a surprise. She went up to Twilight and tapped her on the shoulder. "Twi'?"   "Aaaugh!" Twilight said screaming. She seemed to literally jump up off of the floor when doing it. Applejack took a step back. "Where did you come from!?" Twilight asked.   "From the front door." Applejack responded, honestly. "The door was open and unlocked. Ah was concerned that somethin' happened to y'all, until Ah found y'all back here reading that book."   "Oh," Twilight said sheepishly. "Ever since Spike went on that retreat for dragons, I haven't known how to juggle the needs of the library with the needs of my own studying. And this book! Ooooh... The book is just fascinating!"   "Uh-huh. Are ya sure you're feeling alright sugarcube? Ah know Ah've felt under the weather before, but you look like you haven't done much else than reading. Say, that book looks kinda familiar..." Applejack wondered. It kind of looked similar to the one she thought she saw in that strange dream of hers.   "Oh yeah. Well, it should! Remember yesterday when you came to see me about that Spoon guy? This was the book that he was reading! Really fascinating book..." Twilight said as her voice trailed off.   "You mean that was real?" Applejack asked in a daze. "Ah thought Ah just dreamt through all that strange stuff with that strange Spoon feller."   "Nope. It was real." Twilight then closed the book and looked at Applejack. "Okay, now it's my turn to be concerned. Are you feeling alright Applejack?"   "Oh yeah, yeah. Ah'm feeling great, better than ever actually." She paused before remembering something. "By the way Twi', the other day Ah might've left before we finished that conversation with that Spoon feller. You seemed to be overly enthusiastic but ah felt ah should just leave until you calmed back down."   "Oh," Twilight said blushing, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry about that."   "It's fine. Ah just feel like this is more than a chance incident with a total stranger. Last night, ah dreamt of... somethin'. Ah, have no idea how to describe it.  I somehow entered some sorta world with all these colorful ponies. Ah ran into this captain guy who said he was master of some realm of electric ponies. Gosh, ah feel embarrassed just talkin' about the whole thing."   Twilight put a foreleg around Applejack. "It's okay Applejack. I've had strange dreams and hallucinations before. You have nothing to be ashamed of."   "That's just it, Twilight. It felt so real. Ah've never had felt anythin' like it before."   "Well, I don't know what to tell you AJ, other than that I wish you luck in finding out what it means to you."   "Thanks, Twi'. Anyways, Ah gotta get going." She glanced back at her apple cart and remembered something. "Oh by the way, would you like to buy an apple pie?" She asked.   "Sure!" Twilight said, levitating a hooful of bits from a nearby table and giving it to her.   "Nice doing business with y'all Twi. See y'all tomorrow. And please remember to keep your door shut."   "Don't worry, I will," Twilight said chuckling. "Bye!" She then closed the door.     Applejack returned back to her home and resumed working. Eventually, days passed followed by nights. Soon, she returned back to the marketplace and found the old Grandmaster Spoon waiting for her on a nearby bench. He approached her, no longer seemingly pestered by tiny objects.   "Sooo..." He said, drawing out his speech. "You seem different. Would I be correct in assuming that you've seen it then? You've seen beyond the realm of being and looked into the veil of nothingness, and a wanton being of destruction found you wanting?!"   "Ah have no idea what y'all are talking about, Spoon. All Ah had was a weird dream a few night ago and that's that!"   "Oh, a dream, you say! You had nothing more than an unpleasant dream? One to be looked over by the gracious Princess Luna? Nothing more than a wandering of your imagination? Unfortunately, that's not all it seems. You're under the possession of The Captain, aren't you? About yeigh big, black metal, and sailor clothes from his chest upwards?" He noticed Applejack's face change from confusion to familiarity. "Ah. I thought so. Unfortunately, I can't do anything to help. This is the whole reason why I sought you out to begin with. You have the power to change things. You possess the uncanny ability of honesty, to not only tell the truth but to also compel others to do the same. Only you can break free from his control." Spoon said, before gasping for breath. "Boy, that was a mouthful. I'm gonna go now. Have fun simulating!" With that, he left, becoming one with the faceless crowd of ponies in the marketplace.   All this left Applejack's head spinning. She had no idea what to think of all this. Either she was right that this was all just a huge coincidence or a misunderstanding, and that Spoon really was insane, and that her dream was nothing more than a dream, or else there was more to this than met the eye. Shaking her head, she resolved to herself that she just needed a good night's rest before continuing this strange business.   She headed home for the day, stopping to do the remaining chores for the day, eating dinner with her family, and finally going to bed. She climbed into the bed before she heard a knock on the door.   "Hey Sis." Apple Bloom stuck her head inside.   "Oh hey, Apple Bloom, how are y'all doing? It's kind of late, Ah'm surprised you're still awake."   Apple Bloom looked at the floor, swinging a hoof back and forth. "Oh, well I'm doing good. Ah've been doin' some late night readin' lately for our Book Club. Scootaloo claims we can get our Cutie Marks in giving submarine rides, but it sounds like a lot of work, an' we need to read these stupid submarine guides first."   Applejack chuckled, before rolling her eyes. "Oh submarine rides, huh? Yeah, that'll get your cutie marks for sure." She smiled.   "Anyway Applejack? Are you going to still be here tonight?" Apple Bloom asked.   "Uh, what do you mean, Bloom? Ah haven't been leaving if that's what you mean."   Apple Bloom shook her head. "No! A few nights ago, while ah was goin' to get a glass of water, I heard this strange explosion from yer room, and when I went to go check in on what happened, you were gone, and there was this weird energy all over the place. By the time I went to ask for help, the energy was gone. Then when we were gonna organize a search party, you just appeared back in your room. Where did ya go, AJ? Please don't go again without me!"   Applejack was dumbfounded. She could have sworn that the arcane explosion was nothing more than a dream, and yet here was living proof that it was not. And the magical energy disappeared, but she wasn't there? And then she came back later on? This was hurting her head.   "All right. Ah promise I won't go anywhere without talkin' to you 'bout it first," Applejack said.   "Hmmph," Apple Bloom said, before yawning. "Alright then. I guess Ah'll see you tomorrow then."   "Good night Apple Bloom!" Applejack exclaimed as she closed the door.   Applejack got back into the bed and under the covers. She turned off the lamp on her bedside and fell asleep.