Now, without further ado, I present,
“A Crafter’s Dream”
Abyss soared through the air, her large wings flapping furiously as she struggled to gain speed. She flew just above the treetops, her purple eyes searching the forest floor beneath her.
What she’d felt, back at her cave. It was something she’d only ever felt once before, back when she had first been transported to Equestria to find and help Steve. It was Notch’s magic signature, there was no doubt about that. But there was no way that Notch himself would come here. So if it wasn’t him, then who..?
Abyss shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She’d have to focus on looking since the source of the magic had disappeared shortly after it had appeared. Now, due to the residue magic, all she had was a general location of where the portal had formed. Hopefully whatever had come through hadn’t gone far.
Sighing, she clenched her claws and carried on.
It wasn’t very long after, perhaps only 15 minutes or so, to finally find the location where the portal had appeared, a small and secluded meadow. Gliding down, Abyss landed softly on the cool green grass, wings folding onto her back. Doing a quick search around the area, she found a spot where the grass had grown ten times taller than anywhere else in the meadow, where the magical signature was strongest.
“Yep.” Abyss spoke, nodding to herself. “Definitely Notch’s magic. Same as the portal he used to bring me here.” Reaching over to the magic-induced grass, she gently plucked one blade from the ground and rolled it around in her black claws. “But what in the world came through?”
* * * * *
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Leaves cracked and crinkled beneath her feet. She let out a tired sigh as she stared down at her brown leather boots. She had been walking for some time now, and her feet were beginning to get sore. She’d never been the biggest on extracurricular activities, and now she was starting to regret it, seeing as she’d walked from one forest to another, though the one she was in now seemed to be some sort of apple-growing forest.
Growl.
She held her stomach with one hand as it released an almost monster-like noise. She grimaced as the unfamiliar ache of hunger made itself known.
“Ugh. Wish I could get some food.” She muttered to herself. Looking up, she saw the delicious-looking apples that were growing on the branches above, just out of reach. Lifting up her arms, she jumped and jumped, but came no closer to actually getting the plump, red fruit. Sighing at her fruitless (heh) efforts, she was forced to carry on.
As she walked, she pondered about she had come to arrive in this strange, new land.
“I was walking through the forest, when I saw that glowing light in that cave.” She muttered to herself. “When I went to check it out, there was that swirling yellow portal, and that weird bald dude. He was standing in front of it, but eventually shook his head and walked away for a moment. I wanted to walk away. I should’ve walked away. But my stupid curiousity just wouldn’t let me. I just had to go look at it up close. Then the man shouted, which startled me, which made me trip, which then made me fall into the portal which brought me here.” She took a quick look around at the apple-growing forest that she found herself in. “Wherever here is, anyways. What is this place, anyways. It’s like a forest, but the trees are too symmetrical. Too orderly. So unless plants are really OCD in this place, I don’t think I’m in a forest. Not a normal one, anyway.” As she gazed up at the hundreds of scrumptious-looking apples, her stomach growled once more. Grimacing, her gaze landed on the firm trunk of a nearby tree. A plan began formulating in her head.
“Oh yeah.” She spoke, a big grin on her face. “It’s all coming together.”
* * * * *
Two minutes later, all she had managed to achieve was falling on her butt about a dozen times after trying and failing to climb the tree in front of her. Getting to her feet, she smoothed out her brown robe.
“I will not be deterred so easily, ye tree of apples!” She cried out, one finger pointing up at the sky. Rushing forward, she jumped onto the tree once more, wrapping her arms around it’s trunk. Boots scrambling for a foothold, she eventually managed to find one, using it to push herself up slightly. Moving her arms up a bit, she pushed up with her other foot, getting near a low-hanging branch. Once there, she’d be able to climb up the rest of the way and finally get the apples she so desired.
Climbing higher and higher, she eventually got to within range of the branch and, with one burst of energy, latched onto the branch with one hand, managing to secure her hold with her other hand a moment later.
Sighing in relief, she took a moment to catch her breath. However, before she could do so, a strange noise caught her attention.
Creeeeeeeeeak
“What the..?” She began, only to be interrupted as the branch she was hanging onto snapped with the strain of supporting her weight, sending her plummeting to the ground below.
Thud!
“Ow!” She cried out as she hit the ground. Groaning, she looked up at the tree, particularly where the branch had once been hanging, which was now a broken stump. Snarling, she shook a fist at the tree.
“Forget you, ya stupid tree! You can keep your stupid apples!!”
The tree didn’t respond. Because, well, it was a tree.
Sighing, she felt the anger in her chest quickly dissipate. Groaning, she got to her feet, mind already working to think of a way to get the apples she wanted.
“Hello!?” A voice called, stopping her brain in its tracks. She stood perfectly still, hoping that it wasn’t just her mind playing tricks on her.
“Anypony there!?” The voice shouted again, this time much clearer and seemingly male. Springing into action, she ran in the direction she’d heard the voice from.
“Yes, I’m here!” She called back, a big grin on her face. Rushing past tree after tree, she steadily drew closer to the source, until she was practically on top of it. “You have no idea how good it is to… hear…” Her voice gradually faded out as her eyes landed on the source of the voice.
It was a horse. Well, a small-ish horse, so more likely a pony. It had a strikingly yellow coat of fur and a brown mane, upon which sat a little brown hat. It’s green eyes were side as it stared at her. Her mouth dropped open in shock.
“Dear Notch.” She whispered. “You freaking adorable.”
Before the pony could move, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around it, squeezing it close. It’s fur was soft, which only encouraged her hugging.
“Aw! You’re so cute and soft and cuddly! I could hug you forever and ever!” She cried out gleefully, snuggling the pony closer.
“Uh...” The pony in her arms muttered, sounding very confused.
She gasped and held it out in front of her. “You can talk!?”
“Uh, yeah, we can.” It spoke in a masculine voice, suggesting that it was male.
She stared at him for a moment.
“That’s awesome!” She cried out before hugging him again, rubbing her cheek against his. “I’ve never met a talking animal before! That’s amazing! This land is freaking cool!”
“Well, Ah’m sure it is an’ all, but could ya put me down, please?”
“Oh. Uh, sure.” She responded, gently placing the stallion on the ground. “There you go.”
He responded with a small tip of his hat. “Thank ya kindly, miss…” He trailed off, prompting for her to give him her name.
“Oh. My name is Martha. What’s your name?”
“Braeburn. Braeburn Apple.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Apple.”
He grinned and shook his head. “Mr. Apple is ma Pops. Call me Braeburn.”
Martha nodded. “Okay.”
Braeburn took a deep breath and looked her up and down, from her long, brown robe, to her hazel eyes and long, black hair. He quirked an eyebrow.
“So, Ah suppose the first thing Ah should ask is what ya are, exactly.”
“Oh! I’m a Testificate.” She said with a grin. The stallion blinked in confusion.
“A what?”
“A Testificate. But we’re also called Villagers, for simplicity.”
“Villager’s huh? There’s more of ya?”
Martha nodded eagerly. “Yeah, there’s a whole bunch of us at my village.”
“Ya got a village?” Braeburn asked, sounding just the smallest bit shocked.
“Yeah, but I don’t know where it is. I fell through this portal, you see, and after I came here, the portal disappeared.” Martha’s gaze fell and her once jovial tone turned somber. “And, I don’t know how to get back.”
Braeburn felt a twinge of pain in his heart upon seeing the sad look on her face. Sure, he barely knew who or what she was, but his Apple ancestors would be rolling in their graves if they knew he didn’t even try to help a being who very clearly needed help.
Slowly trotting forward, he gently placed a hoof on her side, causing her gaze to meet his. “It’ll be okay, Ms. Martha. Ah promise.” Racking his brain, the yellow stallion tried to come up with someway to comfort her. His opportunity arrived when her stomach let out a loud groan and she grimaced.
“Ya hungry?” He asked, to which Martha nodded.
“Yeah. It’s been a while since I last ate.” She spoke, hand pressed against her stomach.
“Well that just won’t do.” He stated firmly as he turned back in the direction of his home. “Come on, Ms. Martha. It’s ain’t right that you’re going hungry when Ah have plenty of food to spare at home.”
She hurriedly shook her head. “No, no, it’s okay. It’s fine. I’ll be-” She was interrupted as her stomach growled again, sending a fresh wave of hunger pains through her body. Wincing, she looked up to Braeburn looking at her with a deadpan expression.
“Miss, forgive me if it sounds rude, but you’re the worst liar Ah’ve ever seen, and Ah have seen Applejack try to lie.”
Sighing, she shrugged. “It was worth a try, I guess.” Conceding defeat, the testificate followed after Braeburn, the ache in her gut causing to wince with almost every step.
* * * * *
Martha chowed down on apple pie that Braeburn put down in front of her, disregarding any warning about the temperature. It didn’t seem to matter much anyways, since despite the fact that the pie had just come out of the oven, she scarfed it down with wild abandon. The same goes for the apple fritter, two bowls of apple dumpling soup, the apple crisps, and the four helpings of apple cobbler that Braeburn had been saving.
After polishing off the last bit of food, Martha sighed and laid back in her chair, sighing contentedly while she rubbed her full belly.
“Man, that hit the spot. Thanks Braeburn.”
“...How in Equestria did ya eat all that?” The stallion murmured to himself in shock, staring at the various empty dishes where food had been only moments before. “Ah knew you were hungry, but damn, ya ate more than Big Mac.”
“Hm? What was that?” She asked sleepily, not entirely paying attention to what the stallion was saying.
“Uh, nothing. Jus’ thinking out loud, Ah suppose.” Braeburn responded as he swiftly piled up the dishes and put them in the sink. “Ya sure ate a lot, Ms. Martha.”
“Well, I was really hungry. The last time I ate was like, half a day ago.”
“Yeah, Ah get that, but that don’t explain where ya put it all.”
“Oh! That’s easy! I put it in my stomach!”
The stallion sighed. “That’s not, ya know what, never mind. You’re a strange creature, it makes sense that you'd do strange things.”
Before the villager could respond, someone knocked on the front door. Quirking an eyebrow, Braeburn trotted over and opened the door.
A tall, black dragoness with glowing purple eyes stood menacingly on his doorstep, her sharp clawed hands hanging by her side. She grinned, revealing dozens of sharp teeth.
“Hello. May I come in?” She inquired.
Braeburn stood stock still in front of the dragoness for a few moments before his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.
Abyss stared at the unconscious stallion for a few moments before sighing and face-palming.
“I suppose I should’ve seen that coming.”