//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Appleloosa // by Kraken Albatross //------------------------------// Appleloosa By Kraken Albatross Chapter 4 "What was that all about?! He was actually willing to sell the lot at a fair price, but because we know Twilight, he goes full psycho!  How does that make any sense?!" Rainbow Dash let out a frustrated roar before hanging her head dejectedly. "Now what do we do?" "I'm sure you'll figure out somethin', Rainbow. There's got to be other, more sane landowners in Appleloosa," Applejack reassured with a confident nod. “What I don’t get is why that jerk head was such a meanie!” Pinkie shouted off to the side at no one in particular.  “I mean, come on!  Why does he care that one of our bestest friends is a fancy pants in Canterlot?!” “I don’t know, but there is something really weird going on with that pony.  Why did he want to buy your orchard so bad?  Also, did you really just turn down one hundred and fifty thousand bits?!” Dash couldn’t help but stare at Applejack in befuddlement when she remembered that the earth pony had refused all that money.   "Like I said, there ain't no price that would make me sell one of my family's orchards... 'specially not to that foul mouthed saloonkeeper.” “I thought you made a wonderful decision, Applejack,” Fluttershy agreed as she nuzzled her wife’s neck. “Thanks sugarcube.  Besides, if he was willin’ to pay such a hefty sum for an orchard, Braeburn must’ve had himself one profitable operation.” “Whatever you say, AJ.” Rainbow Dash shrugged, hoping that her friend didn’t make a huge mistake.  “Can we go to the hotel now?  I’m exhausted,” she added wearily.   “We best be headin’ home too,” Applejack agreed.  After exchanging farewells, the group once again parted ways as the sun began to sink in the sky.   Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash made their trip in silence, both of them lost in thought as they trudged through the muddy streets.  Even the endlessly talkative party pony was in no mood for conversation.  After a short while, they arrived at the Pioneer Central Hotel, a modest building with a rustic charm to it.   "Not bad, for having such affordable rates, huh Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash flashed a smug grin, pleased with herself for having found a decent hotel within their budget.  However, the main goal of her comment was to simply break the awkward silence.  For wanting nothing but quiet earlier in the day, Dash became concerned and bothered when her wish was actually granted. "It's perfect.  You did a great job, Dashie." Pinkie Pie couldn't help but stay supportive, even though her forced smile let on that something was wrong.  It looked completely alien on a pony that was normally so genuinely pleased.  With a frown, the pegasus opened the door for her wife and the couple entered the establishment. In the lobby, a decrepit old unicorn stood at the front desk, staring off into space.  Rainbow Dash hesitantly approached him and coughed to make her presence known.  It seemed to have no effect, as the ancient beige stallion continued his vacant stare. "Hey, I booked a room here for a few weeks.  Are you-" "Name?" The unicorn snapped to attention, turning towards Dash, but never focusing his eyes. "Rainbow Dash." She tapped her hoof as she looked around the ground floor.  The lobby opened up into a quaint buffet style restaurant populated by what appeared to be grizzled gem miners.   "I'm Gumbo Gravy.  I make soup," he drawled with slow and heavy blink. "Umm...  That's nice.  Any chance we could get the key to our room?" She arched an eyebrow, wondering just how many Appleloosans were touched in the head.  Gumbo swiveled around with a hunched posture and snatched a key from a nearby hook, levitating it shakily over to the pegasus. "Room twelve.  Fill this out." He brought up some sort of document from underneath the counter.  Rainbow Dash tossed the key to the pink pony who had been silently waiting in the corner. "I'll take care of this, Pinkie. Go ahead.  I'm right behind you." She tried to give a warm smile, not exactly her most natural expression, as her wife nodded and made her way up the stairs without a word.  Dash's worried eyes followed her for a moment before turning back to the paperwork on the counter.  It had a plethora of vacant lines for personal information as well as an enormous wall of legal disclaimers in almost illegibly fine print. "Why do you need to know all this, anyways?" She eyed the form suspiciously.  "Occupation?  Former address?" "Protocol." Gumbo's blank eyes were probably as vacant as his mind, the pegasus figured.  There was no point pressing the issue, and besides, he probably didn't even know what protocol even meant.  She heaved an all too common sigh, snatched up a pen with her mouth, and began filling out the form.  As she wrote, she could feel the old pony's unfixed gaze on her. "I like you...  You're purdy..." His expression didn't change when she looked up at him with an expression of pure disgust, dropping the pencil onto the counter. "Excuse me?" Dash was getting down to her last nerve.  These Appleloosa creeps seemed to be endless and the pegasus wasn’t quite sure how much more she would be able to take. "Not much mare folk around-" "Shoo, louse!" An angry voice rang out from the rear of the lobby as a short sickly-yellow earth pony shuffled behind the counter and began to lightly smack the old unicorn. "I told you not to harass customers, you blithering simpleton!  Go!  Slither on back to the kitchen and don't come out, reptile!" He furiously chased the terrified Gumbo Gravy out of the room before quickly turning to Rainbow Dash with an apologetic frown.  "Pardon me, madam.  I'm afraid I am understaffed, and sometimes must enlist my cook to tend the front desk when I am preoccupied with more urgent matters.  A bit of a buffoon, but still dear to me. What you might see as a grotesque abomination, I see as a beloved family pet..." the earth pony apologized, wiping sweat from his brow during his rambling while nervously darting his eyes back towards the lobby's back entrance.  "Rattletrap at your service.  This is my hotel," he added as he slipped back to the front desk, still sweating. "Uhhh...  Hi.  And it's fine... I guess." Rainbow Dash suppressed a groan and picked up the pencil to continue her task, wanting only to go upstairs and lie down.  Apparently sensing the pegasus' frustration, the innkeeper pleasantly gestured to the restaurant. “Once you tackle that elaborate but necessary chore, feel free to help yourself to the buffet.  Delicious soups!  Warm biscuits, piping fresh!” “When both of us was young, maybe,” quipped a grimy prospector sitting at a table within earshot as he poked at his plate with a grimace. “Quiet, you!” Rattletrap snapped with an eye twitch before turning back to Rainbow Dash. “Some of my guests are fond of jesting.” Rattletrap forced a chuckle for the sake of the pegasus who wasn’t even paying attention.  Filling in the last blank space, she scribbled her signature and spit out the pencil.  As she was turning to leave, a loud groan echoed through the lobby.  Dash glanced to the rear exit where the noise had come from and saw a burly stallion pulling a sledge out the open door.  On the rickety wooden platform was a squirming bundle covered with a white sheet.   “What is that?” Rainbow Dash asked as the innkeeper’s face dropped into a look of absolute horror. As she narrowed her eyes to examine the rustling heap, it emitted another bellow and a hoof shot out from beneath the cover.  Rattletrap whipped back around the counter and stepped in between Dash and the door, blocking her view before she could get a good look.  The mare thought that she had seen splotches on the draped hoof, but couldn’t be sure. “That?  You mean that business by the back?  Oh... That’s just....  A salt fiend.  Yes.  Lapped up a heaping helping of the vile substance and raised a commotion.  Had to be escorted from the premises.  Yes.”  Rattletrap fidgeted nervously as the rear door closed with a thud.  Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow, but was not in the mood and certainly did not care enough to pry further. “Whatever.  I’m going to bed.”  She shrugged and started to make her way towards the stairs.  However, much to the mare’s dismay, the innkeeper fell into step behind her as if he intended to follow. “Of course!  Getting adequate rest is well advised!  So...  A Ponyville native, eh?” the short stallion blurted in some attempt to continue the conversation for reasons Rainbow Dash couldn’t even begin to fathom. "Coudsdale actually, but yeah, close enough.” She didn’t slow down as she trotted up the stairs, hoping in vain that she might be able to lose him. “And both so close to Canterlot!  It must be wonderful to have Equestria’s capital be only a short trip away!” “I guess...” “So you do often visit, I take it?” “Only when I get invited by the princess or one of my friends. Way too fancy a place for me to hang out at. Not really my scene.” “Ah!  So you’re a personal acquaintance of the Princess?  What an immense honor!” “I don’t really think about it like that... And why do you even care about all that?”  She stopped to face him with an appraising eye when they reached the hallway of the second floor.   “Just my natural curiosity, I suppose...  As I peered out the fourth story window at the thoroughfare, mid scrub in the wake of the salt fiend’s upchuck, I saw you come into my hotel with another mare.  I must warn you that room twelve only has one bed.” He immediately changed the subject with a grin that was far too wide to be natural. “That’s all right.” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but smirk. “I could always rent you an extra room at a discounted rate!” “That won’t be necessary.” “Very well.  Shall I wheel up a cot then?”  Rattletrap asked naively as she gave him a sideways glance, not sure if she should be amused by his seemingly naive ignorance or insulted by his attempt to squeeze more money out of her.   “No, thanks.”  By the time she made it to her room, the innkeeper was still right behind her.  Placing a hoof on the doorknob, she gave him a weary look.  The earth pony simply beamed at her for a moment before coughing awkwardly. “Well... Feel free to ring if you need any fresh linens... or toiletries... or-” “Good night, Mr. Rattletrap.” She didn’t let him finish his thought as she closed the door in the short stallion’s face.  Once inside the room, she quickly bolted the lock and heaved a relieved sigh.  Just as she slumped forward, completely drained by the weirdness of the day, she heard a loud sniff from behind her.  Rainbow Dash hesitantly turned around to see Pinkie crying on the bed, her hair straightened and her face buried in a tear stained pillow.   “Oh no...  Ummm...  Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash asked awkwardly, taking a careful step towards her.  Although they had been together for almost ten years, the pegasus was still tremendously uncomfortable on the rare occasions that her wife actually cried.   “I’m so sorry...”  The earth pony's voice was muffled by the pillow.  “I ruined everything.  I said I could handle him and I couldn’t.  Now we'll never open ‘Pinkie Pie’s Party Pastry Palace’...  I hate this place...  And it was my idea to come here and I dragged you along!  I’m so sorry...” she repeated with a sob as she curled up into a ball.   “Oh, come on Pinkie.  Don’t say that,” Dash replied with a twinge of pain in her voice as she approached the bed. “You did great back there.  That Black Hill guy is just psychotic or something.  If anyone messed up, it was me getting ticked off at his dumb, snarky comments.  I should have played it cool.  But you totally nailed it.  I’m really proud of you.”  The pegasus climbed onto the soft mattress and draped a foreleg over her wife.   “...For real and for true?” Pinkie Pie asked with a sniff, rolling over to face Dash.  Her red, puffy eyes searched for any form of solace.   “You bet, gorgeous.”  The pegasus shed a tear of her own. "Trust me.  We’ll figure it out.  We always do,” she added with a confident smile, closing her eyes and pulling her wife in tight. ---------------------------------------------         Applejack and Fluttershy were no more talkative than their friends during their long walk through the various alleyways and avenues of Appleloosa, stopping at several shops along the way. Braeburn’s old farmhouse was on the outskirts of town, so Applejack had ample time to plan the reopening of the orchard.  She considered Black Hill’s offer and came to the conclusion that Appleloosa Orchards must have been a lucrative business before her cousin's death, despite his personal habits.  Why else would the saloon keeper be so adamant about it?  The earth pony assumed that she wouldn’t have to work too hard to get the place up and running again and began to feel her spirits lighten.  Some of her anxiety was finally aleviating, regardless of how poorly their meeting with Black Hill had gone.   As the couple drew nearer, Applejack could barely contain her excitement over seeing her new home and the beautiful green sea of treetops peppered with gleaming ripened apples.  The mental image was enough to make her heart race as she quickened her pace to gallop down the street that led to the agricultural district.  Black Hill may have scoffed, and even her friends could never fully understand, but it simply was all about a couple of apple trees.  They were a part of her very being, and she would gladly accept her calling with all of the passion it deserved, no matter how ridiculous anypony thought she was.   Sensing that she was closing in on her new legacy, Applejack forced her legs to work triple time as she rocketed toward the next chapter in her life.  Once she made it out of the alley and onto the ridge that overlooked the orchard, Applejack immediately dug her hooves in and skidded to a dusty halt.  For the first time in ten years, she gazed out over Appleloosa Orchards and her face contorted into a mixture of disbelief and agony.  There was no vibrant green sea and no glinting ruby apples.  Instead, she stood above a cemetery.  Most of the orchard's trees appeared sickly and withered with many of them dead and completely barren.  Their gnarled and twisted branches rattled in the breeze like outstretched forelegs begging for mercy, casting enormous and terrifying shadows as the sun began to slip behind the distant hills. “No...  How could you, Braeburn?...” she breathed as Fluttershy finally caught up, completely out of breath.   "Oh my..."  The pegasus gasped and looked up at Applejack with a sympathetic frown.  She knew how her wife could get when it came to apples, so she understood that it was best to give the earth pony some space. "May I have the key?  I'll tidy up a bit and start dinner," Fluttershy said as gently as she could, knowing that her wife would need some time. "Thanks, sugarcube." Applejack sounded far away as she mechanically passed on the parcel that mayor Oolong had given her, her eyes still fixed on the ghastly orchard below.  Fluttershy silently nodded and turned toward the white farmhouse.  As soon as the pegasus  disappeared behind the musty door, Applejack bolted down the winding path into the orchard.  She galloped past the countless wilted trees, her terrible destination burning in her mind.  The earth pony clenched her eyes shut as she ran, attempting to dispel the whirlwind of thoughts that gnawed away at her.   Darkness had fallen over Equestria by the time Applejack reached the large hill that stood at the heart of the orchard.  The earth pony could hardly believe that her old memory of the place was reliable enough to guide her.  Yet, she had successfully arrived at her dreaded destination, almost to the mare's dismay.  A lone tree topped the crown of the hill, illuminated by bright moonlight.  When Applejack finally worked up the nerve to reluctantly examine it, her face dropped. The barren tree lay cleaved in two by an apparent lighting strike, leaving a putrid, rotting core exposed.  The earth pony wanted to run away, getting as far as she could from the sight before her.  However, just as the churning maelstrom of emotion threatened to engulf her, Applejack took a deep breath and was overcome by a sudden calm.  Rather than flee, the mare slowly ascended the hill. "Howdy Bloomberg..." Applejack's voice was free of any panic as she approached the sundered tree.  "I'm mighty sorry 'bout not comin' to visit.  I meant to.  It's just that with Sweet Apple Acres, and Applebloom growin' up, and Granny Smith gettin' sick, and then Fluttershy... and everythin' else... I've just been so busy."  She took a seat next to the splintered trunk and looked up at the stars as they emerged in the twilight sky.  "And Braeburn would always make certain to visit us and not the other way around.  I 'spose he didn't want me to see this, huh?  Time sure does have a way of gettin' away from ya." Applejack hung her head and placed a hoof on a gnarled root.  "Momma missed you, ya know.  I never did get another favorite tree or anythin' like that.  I 'spose back then I reckoned that I would've had foals by now...  Ain't it funny how life never turns out how you expect it to?" she asked with a forced chuckle as a single tear rolled down her face.  "...But Fluttershy's great though.  Best thing that ever happened to me.  Y'all should've spent more time together.  You would love her.  I know I do..."  The earth pony wiped her eyes and stood back up.  "Anyways... I should be gettin' back.  Don't want the misses to start frettin'.  Goodbye, Bloomberg.  Momma loves you...  I'm so sorry."  Without so much as a glance back, Applejack turned to leave as the full moon shined down indifferently.