//------------------------------// // The Labyrinth III // Story: Applejack Gets Lost // by MagicS //------------------------------// Applejack looked around the clearing, pacing around the cafe for the umpteenth time while the others patiently watched her. She looked down the dark tunnel she came in through, then at the various other paths leading deeper into the hedge maze from where the clearing was. If there was a way in this maze then there had to be a way out even if it wasn’t always open. Maybe if she could just get to the edge of the maze an exit would open up? But then how would she know if she was by the edge in the first place? The hedges are too tall and she can’t see or hear anything through them. Her patience was really being tried now and no matter how hard she racked her brain she just couldn’t figure out this darn maze. Finally Applejack stopped walking and just groaned. “Thinking isn’t getting me anywhere. This whole place just makes no darn sense at all.” She looked over the five other ponies waiting for her. “Alright, I thought I’d be able to come up with something by now but I haven’t. So instead we’re just doing the simplest thing I can think of.” “Fine by me, I just want to be able to stretch my hooves after all this standing around.” Effervescence said. “Okay, so not counting that tunnel I came through there are four paths leading out of here. We’re all gonna go down them at the same time. Even if the maze changes shape, if all of us are running around it at once maybe we can outrun it? Maybe it won’t be able to keep up with six ponies going through it at the same time?” Thread Count thought about it for a second. “Maybe, usually we’re not in a hurry when we’re going through the maze. And it was only ever one of us who was new at a time. But what would all this accomplish anyways?” “I’m thinking that maybe it wouldn’t have enough time to shift the exit around if one of us actually got close to it.” Applejack answered. “I know we have no way to contact each other or anything once we’re in the maze but if I could just learn there is an exit it’d really help my mood.” “And if we don’t find an exit or anything we’ll naturally end up back here later today.” Flour Press said. “That’s just how the maze works, I see no harm with us wandering around for a while.” She happily trotted up to Applejack. “So we going now?” “Yeah, if you’re all fine with it?” “I don’t mind.” Shiny Porcelain said. “Me neither, sounds fun anyways.” Lozenge said. “Yes, a nice change of pace.” Thread Count finished up for them while Effervescence nodded. “Good, everypony choose a path. I guess some of us will go in pairs at the start since there are only four but then we can split up at the first intersection.” Applejack led them to the paths leading out of the clearing. She and Thread Count going down one, Lozenge and Effervescence on their own while Shiny Porcelain and Flour Press also paired up. “Ooh, ooh!” Flour Press suddenly started hooting excitedly. “If we can’t find the exit this is still a great opportunity to play tag! We haven’t played tag in the maze in ages!” “You’re right!” Effervescence responded to her, eyes lighting up. “It’s been so long, and a game of tag would be the perfect consolation prize if we can’t find a way out.” Applejack smacked her hoof to her face and shook her head. She would say something if she didn’t already know by now how pointless it was to task them to take things seriously. Instead she just walked with Thread Count down their path while the others went down theirs. If Applejack didn’t know any better she’d think this was all a big gag by Discord. “I hope we find a way out for your sake, even though it was nice to see a new face.” Thread Count said from beside her. “Yeah, you’re all real nice but I just can’t stay here.” Applejack walked around with him for a bit, there had been several twists and turns already but no actual branches in the path yet. Above them the slit of sky was clouded over, she couldn’t tell what time of day it was at all. “Sometimes I just go wandering through the hedges to clear my head. It’s quite relaxing.” Thread Count tried to make some light conversation. “Do you ever take long walks through nature? You’re a farmer correct? I bet you have a lovely farm that’s just great to stroll through.” He started humming cheerfully. “Ah, this lovely walk and the thought of a charming family farm is touching my heart. It’s making me get into a certain mood!” Applejack raised an eyebrow at him, concern written on her face. “A certain mood?” “Yes! And it’s the perfect mood to fix your mood! Because even before I came here to this hedge maze what always got me feeling better when I was blue was… singing!” He shouted and raised his hooves above his head, twirling around in front of Applejack. She just gawked at him with her jaw on the ground. “Now my singing didn’t exactly make me the most popular pony in my village but that didn’t bother me! So join me Applejack, let’s sing to our heart’s content and make all those negative feelings fly away!” Thread Count ran in front of her, beaming smile on his face, and took a deep breath. “Well-” Applejack quickly stepped forward and covered his mouth with her hoof. “No! Please, no! No singing, I just… just no.” She said with her still bloodshot eyes and exasperated face. “Can’t, just can’t deal with singing right now, okay?” Thread Count nodded and Applejack removed her hoof. “I think it would really be just what the doctor ordered though.” “Leave that decision to me.” Applejack walked with him for a short while longer until they hit a small round clearing with five branching pathways. Not exactly what Applejack wanted to see but nothing she could do about it, they each chose one path and went their separate ways. The peace and quiet was rather refreshing. The dirt on the ground and the green hedges looked the same as anywhere else, she had no idea if this was a path she had been on before or not. Still no sound reached her from anywhere else in the maze, she might as well have been completely alone. If there was something like an evil monster chasing us through here I might actually prefer that. No such luck though. It was just Applejack and her thoughts until she either found an exit or came across one of her new… “friends”. “Wouldn’t be half-surprised if they had already started playing tag or hide-and-seek or whatever.” She mumbled to herself. Applejack came into a small clearing with a pond and fancy white bench sitting beside it. Shrugging, she decided to rest her hooves for a second and sit down. No fish or anything in the pond, just a bunch of lily pads and mossy rocks. She could see her frazzled reflection and unkempt appearance on the waters surface. Rarity already had enough complaints about her lack of care towards her personal appearance but if she saw Applejack now she’d explode. In any other situation Applejack would be able to enjoy herself here. But more than Cross Way, the Twin Towns, or dealing with Night Storm, Applejack was just darn frustrated being stuck in this maze. I don’t feel I deserve to be put through these situations. This is a Rainbow Dash or Starlight kind of thing… Putting aside spiteful thoughts, Applejack got up and went down the only other pathway that led out of this clearing. It ended up leading to a dead end after turning into itself but as Applejack backtracked through it a new path in the hedge maze opened up to her. Strands of hair from her mane kept falling around in uncomfortable spots, she wished she could’ve found a replacement hairband. Thinking about it she realized that Thread Count could likely make her some new ones. She’d have to ask him the next time she saw him, if she saw him. Applejack sighed suddenly. “I miss Apple Bloom.” Dragging her hooves further she came out into a much larger open pathway with numerous other paths on all sides of her. There were also white wooden arches covered in vines and blooming flowers built down the main path. She heard some giggling and turned to see Flour Press chasing Shiny Porcelain from one hedge to another. “Come back here!” “Nah nah, nah nah, gotta catch me first!” Applejack rolled her eyes, she figured as much. She didn’t really feel angry at them though. How could she get mad at ponies that could turn any sort of situation into fun? Lozenge then came running out of a path in front of her, being chased by Effervescence. “Curse this game! A lady should not have to run like this!” Her words didn’t match the big smile on her face though. Thread Count also came down a path to Applejack’s left, spotting her he waved hello and started to walk over. Soon enough Flour Press and Shiny Porcelain also found their way back to the big area, this time they saw Applejack and stopped chasing each other, blushing in embarrassment they came over to sit down. Effervescence and Lozenge also came back from another hedge to join them. “Um… we really were looking for a way out for a while.” Flour Press said, pushing her hooves together nervously. “It’s just that when I met up with Shiny we got to talking and one thing just sort of led to another and well… you know.” “You don’t need to apologize none.” Applejack said, just giving the ponies a friendly smile. “I mean this is pretty much your home, I’m the one imposing on y’all.” “I still feel a bit bad. When we first got stuck in here we all wanted to find a way out but not so much as you do.” Shiny Porcelain said. “Gave up pretty quick too.” Lozenge threw his two bits in. Applejack looked around her, seeing that she was bringing down the mood of this group of abnormally happy and friendly ponies. “Aw shucks, you all really don’t need to worry none about me.” She got up and walked over to the nearest hedge, tapping on it a few times. “I don’t know how long I may be stuck in here but I couldn’t have asked for a better group of ponies to be stuck with.” There was a slight rumbling and the hedge behind her opened up… to the outside. Applejack looked at it, blinking at the outside world that she had seen for the first time in about two days. A perfectly normal road heading into the mountains was just a few dozen feet away. “Huh.” Thread Count said. “Well would you look at that.” Applejack stared at the walls of the hedge maze for a second before turning back to the other ponies. “You know, there’s a lot I’d like to say but I don’t feel like looking a gift horse in the mouth either. Y’all wanna leave with me?” The five maze ponies looked among themselves yet again. “Naw, we’re good.” Thread Count answered for them. “It was nice meeting you.” “Yep. Bye bye, Applejack.” Flour Press waved at her. “Hope things go well for you out there.” Lozenge said. “Be sure to tell everypony you meet about the wondrous Effervescence!” She asked, while posing like a model again. “Just be sure to keep positive.” Shiny Porcelain reassured her. Applejack walked through the hedge while waving goodbye to them, a weird group but honestly not much weirder than her own friends now that she thought about it. Shortly after she walked out the hedge maze rumbled again and closed up. She made a note to herself to not walk into any more suspicious hedge mazes. It was time to get back on the road that hopefully would take her closer to home. And of course it was only then that Applejack realized she had again forgotten to ask Thread Count to make her some new hairbands.