//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Apples to Apples 
// Story: Slendershy 
// by the ghost 
//------------------------------//

Applejack and the stallions dressed in black sat down at a coffee table inside of the barn. there was tension between them.  Applejack knew that she couldn't trust them.

“Applejack do you know who we are?”  Said the taller one of the stallions.  His black suit’s label read G.U.L.L.  

“You’re members of G.U.L.L.”  said Applejack.  “I can read you know.”  

“Of course.  As you know we are an organization that is dedicated to tracking down serial killers.  It doesn’t happen much in Equestria, but when it does, we exist to track the killers down.”

“Yep.   Told me that story before.”  As the element of honesty Applejack usually had a good sense about who was fibbing and who was being honest.  

She could tell that these ponies were fibbing.  

“Recently, we had a break in you’re parents case.”  said the smaller one.  

This got Applejacks attention.

“What!”  Yelled Applejack.  “What did you find out?  Did you find Mr. Tall?”  

“That’s classified.  But if must know, we believe that we can stop other murders from happening, but only if you corporate with us.”  

“What do you need to know?”  Asked Applejack suspiciously.  

“We have a few questions actually.  Have you had any severe headaches recently?”

“No, not since last harvest season.”

“Any coughing or sneezing?”  

“No.”    

“Any trouble sleeping?”

“Nothing out of the usual.”

“Seen anypony in masks?”  

“No”

“This one is important, do you know if it was anyponies nineteenth birthday recently?”

Applejack felt her stomach twist up.

“Why do you want to know?”  She asked. 

“We have reason to be believe that the killer is targeting people of her age.”  Said the taller one.   

This had to be a lie.   But what if it was true?  Fluttershy could be in danger.  But she wasn’t the only one.  

“There were two ponies in Ponyville who had birthdays yesterday.  One of them name was Oatmeal.  She had her birthday last week.”  

“And the other one?”  Asked the shorter pony.

“The other one’s name is Fluttershy, I was at her party yesterday.”

The G.U.L.L.s raised an eyebrow at this.

“Did anything…unusual happen to her at her party?  

“She fainted.  At around 4:44.”

The G.U.L.L. agents gave each other a look.

“But please don’t go scaring her; she’s a real sweet heart y’hear?  If you hurt one little hair on her head I swear I will hunt ya down”

“We assure you, you don’t have anything to worry about.  We just have a couple of questions for her is all.  Thank you for your time Applejack we’ll be leaving now.”

The two Stallions stood up and began to walk out the door.  

“Wait!  Do you Pinkie promise not so hurt Fluttershy?”  asked Applejack.  

The two stallions looked at her awkwardly.  

“Errrr…cross my heart and hope to fly, errr stick a cupcake in my eye."  They said awkwardly doing the motions. 

“Aright then.   See ya round then.”  Said Applejack relieved.  

The stallions walked out the door.  Leaving Fluttershy alone with her thoughts.  



It had been awhile since Applejack thought about the events leading up to her parent’s death.  

To be honest she didn’t like to, but today she couldn’t help it.

***
The Apple Harvest:  a time of year where everypony in the Apple family was out working the fields.  Even Applejacks older brother, Big Macintosh, and her four months pregnant mother, Pear Butter, was out to working the fields.  

But not Applejack.  Her parents said she was too young to help, so they sent her off to play.   

So little filly Applejack went out to play in the west fields all by herself.  She kicked a ball back and forth between the trees imaging playing for one of the big league teams like the Manehattan Dragons.  She shoots…

Applejack kicked the ball too high into one of the trees.  Where she couldn’t reach it. She tried jumping for it, she tried bucking it down, but matter what she tried she couldn’t reach the high branch.  She could ask her parents, but they were busy with the apple harvest.  Sighing, she sulked off towards home.  

And that’s when she saw him.  

A pony that she had never seen before, sulking in between the trees.  He looked out of place in the sunlight of the day.  He wore a black suit and a black tie and was very, very tall.  Surely he could reach the ball.  

So Applejack, the little filly she was, walked right up to the massive stallion and tugged on his sleeve.  The sleeve was hot to the touch like stove. “Excuse me sir, but do you think you could help me reach my ball?”  

The faceless stallion looked down at Applejack, as if confused by the question.  The towering figure tilted his faceless head to the right.  

“You know ball, ball!”  Said Applejack, pointing to the sphere in the tree.  

Curious, the figure walked over the tree.  When he reached the tree in question he pointed to the ball.  

“That’s it!”  Said filly Applejack.

The tall pony stood on his hind legs and seemed to stretch as he reached a hoof (or was it a claw?) to pick up the ball.  Once he had it in his claw/hoof he looked at Applejack as if wondering what to do next with it.  

“Throw it here!”  Said Applejack.  

The tall pony looked at the ball and then looked at the filly.  It threw the ball with a gentle toss.  

Applejack caught the ball.  “Thank you Mr. Tall.”   She went off to play with the ball.  The tall pony watched her for a few seconds and then began to stalk away.  

Applejack saw him leaving.   Something about the way he was walking told her that he was sad.  He seemed so lonely.  

Just like she was.  

She didn’t want anyone to be alone like that. 

“Hey Mr. Tall!”  Applejack yelled.   “Catch.”  

Applejack threw the ball at the tall stallion.  The ball stopped inches from the back of his head, as if by magic, and then it repelled back towards Applejack who caught it.  The stallion turned to face Applejack. 

“See this here is how you play a game called catch.  Wanna play?”  

The tall stallion made no attempt to walk away again.  So she assumed that he did.  

“Alright here comes another one.”  

The two of them played together all afternoon, until the sun started to set.  They had such a great time that it seemed as though no time at all had passed.  That’s when Applejack heard the dinner bell.

“Oh, that’s my Momma calling me to eat.  I better get going.  Will you be here again tomorrow Mr. Tall?”  

The tall stallion studied Applejack for a second before nodding his head yes.

“Great!  See ya then!”  She took off towards the barn.

At dinner Applejack was having Apples (of course what else would they have?).    At some point in the conversation Applejack brought up her new friend, Mr. Tall.  Applejack’s parents looked at each other nervously.   

“Where did you say you saw this stallion?”  Asked Applejack's mother sounding worried.   Applejack didn’t notice.

“In the west field.  He said he was going to be there tomorrow.”  Said Applejack happily.  

“Well I for one would love to meet this…Mr. Tall.”  said Applejack’s father.   

The next day Applejack took her father to meet Mr. Tall.  At first she couldn’t find the meeting spot, but when she did he found him waiting underneath the same tree, as if He hadn’t moved from that spot.  

“There he is papa!”  said Applejack pointing to him.  

Applejack’s father looked where Applejack pointed, at first he looked confused by what he saw, but then he smiled.  

“Oh I see now.  Go play with Mr. Tall kiddo.  Papa’s gotta get back to apple bucking see ya latter kid.”    

He began to walk away.  “Crazy kids and their wild imagination.”  He whispered under his breath.  


Today Applejack tried to teach Mr. Tall how to play a few new games.  

“This one is called hide and seek.  You hide and I try to find you.”   She said.  The tall stallion tilted her head in confusion.

“I cover my eyes count to ten.  And you go hide.  I try to find you.  Ready?  1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…….10!  Ready or not here I come!”  Applejack opened her eyes to see Mr. Tall standing there looking very confused.  

“No no no Mr. Tall, you’re not doing it right!  You’re supposed to hide!”  

Head tilt.

“How bout you try seeking?  Close your eyes and…no that won’t work.  Uh, look the other way.”  

Mr. Tall refuses to corporate with Applejacks attempts to make him face the other direction no matter how much she pleaded with him.  

Finally she gives up  “Ok just…stand their I will hid ok?”  

Applejack went to find a hiding spot.  She hid behind one of the apple trees.   It was a pretty bad hiding spot, but hey she wanted to go easy on him.  

She wondered how long she would be hiding.  As it turned out it wasn’t long.  Within fourteen seconds Mr. Tall found her.  

“Wow your really good at this.  Lets try a harder hiding spot.”  

The two of them continued to play hid and seek.  However no matter how well Applejack hid herself within no time Mr. Tall always found her.  

After a while Applejack decided it was Mr. Tall’s turn to hide again.  After all he should understand how the game works by now.  

Applejack counted to ten.  
“1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…….10!  Ready or not here I come!”  This time Mr. Tall was gone from sight.  Applejack smiled happily knowing that he finally understood the game.  

Unfortunately he was a little too good at the game.  Applejack searched for the rest of the day for Mr. Tall.  But he was nowhere to be found.  

As the sun was setting Applejack thought he had lost her friend for good…

Which is why she was so exited when she found him in the spot she saw him in the day before.  


Every day for three weeks during apple harvest season Applejack went to visit Mr. Tall.  Sometimes they would play games, sometimes they would just talk.  Of course Mr. Tall never talked so it was mostly Applejack talking, and pretending that he talked back.  

She told him all about her brother and parents and how her parents never had time for her.   

“I hate them so much.  They never have time to hang out and play games.”  She said to the silent stallion one day.  “They're too busy working with their apples to play with me.  And worse my mom says I have a sister on the way.   Can you believe that?”  

Mr. Tall had no comment.

One day she decided to teach him how to play tag.  As it turned out he was really good at that game too.  He never ran the whole time, yet he seemed to sneak up on her when she least expected it.  

When he caught her, he would pick her up with one of his tentacles by her back leg.  He would lift her in the air as she laughed and screamed.  

Then he would release her and she would run again.  It was so much fun!  Applejack was having so much fun that she didn’t hear her mother calling her to dinner.  She didn’t even notice the sun go down.  The two continued to play tag in the dark.  It was about midnight before Applejack remembered that she had to go to dinner.  

“Oops stayed to long got to go!  See you tomorrow.”  She waved goodbye to Mr. tall and ran back to her barn where her mother was waiting for her.    Her belly was swollen from being four months pregnant.  

“Where have you been young lady!  We’ve been worried sick!”  

“I was out playing with Mr. Tall.”  Said Applejack.  

“You were out with your imaginary friend for forty hours?” yelled her mom hysterically.

Had it really been forty hours it felt like it had only been a day, not two days.  

“He’s not imaginary he’s real.”  She said.  

“You didn’t even come when we called you!”

“But I wasn’t even gone a day…”

“Liar!”

“But mom!”

But Applejack’s arguments fell on deaf ears.  And as a result she was grounded.  

“But he was real I’m not lying.”  

You are going to stay in your room young lady.  Said her father.  “Until you learn to tell the truth.”  

“But I can’t be grounded he’s expecting me to come see him today you can’t just…”

Her parents shut the door to her room.

“…Do this.”

“Applejack was brooding mad at her parents.  Stuck up in her room for two days.  Her mother would slip her food underneath the door, but Applejack refused to eat it  (Most of it)  She was so angry.  

It rained the next day.  She wondered whether or not Mr. Tall was waiting for her in the rain.  He was going to be sad when she didn’t show up.  She hated her parents so much right now.  How dare they keep her locked up in here?  

She felt her anger growing inside of her.  

She wished they would just die!  
Mr. Tall felt this and too and did what he felt necessary.  


There was a crash downstairs as the window broke.  

“WHAT THE…HELP! HELP! ITS GOT ME, ITS GOT ME!”  screamed her mother from down stairs. 

“Honey, what's wrong!”  yelled her father running down the stairs with the shotgun.

“Mom!” yelled Applejack following her dad down the stairs...  

In the kitchen stood Mr. Tall, by a broken window just standing there like nothing was happening.  

“WHAT IN CELESTIA’S NAME IS THAT THING!” said her dad pointing the gun at Mr. Tall.  

Mr. Tall took a step forward and Papa fired his gun.  

The rest was a blur after that.  She didn’t remember much.  

Just the blood.  
And screaming.  
And the ripping noise.  
And the sound of a baby crying.


When the G.U.L.L.s arrived Applejack was being embraced by her dead parents.  Their bloody corpses were wrapped tight around her.  She was crying.  Her mother’s stomach had been ripped open.  Her father was impaled with apple tree branches.  

But in Applejack’s blood caked arms was a baby.   She was yellow with red hair.  G.U.L.L.s geneticist confirmed that it was the child of the late Honeycrisp, Applejack’s Mother.  Applejack named her Applebloom.  

Honeycrisp had only been four months pregnant with Applebloom, she should have been just a fetus, unable to survive outside the womb.  

Instead she was about a year old.  Alive, but in serous condition.  Luckily G.U.L.L. had a team of medics on the scene to take care of them.  Both Applebloom and Applejack were rushed to the hospital.  

The doctor found that they had been infected with Stigma Radiation, which according to the doctor was common with encounters with “The Creature”.  



The doctors were able to remove the radiation from Applejack easily; she hadn’t been infected as badly.   Applebloom’s case was severe, however.  For a while it looked like she wasn’t going to make it.  

She remembered talking to one of the G.U.L.L. members.  

“Please identify the creature that attacked you.”  Said the lady agent showing her the pictures again.  She identified the tall pony out of the array of different monsters. 

“So it’s “Slender Mane” huh?  I’m not surprised.  This organization was created to deal with creatures like him you know. We can’t do much more then track him right now, but soon we will have our chance.”

Applejack shrugged.

“It’s quite a common your case.  The creature is very good at making the victim feel confortable around it.  It’s like a form Stockholm Syndrome.  Then when it feels like they are defenseless it will attack.  You’re lucky you’re alive.”

“My parents weren’t so lucky.  Mumbled Applejack.”  The mare frowned.

“Lets change the subject.”  She said.  “How are you feeling?”  

“Better, what about my sister?  How’s she doing?”

“She will live...” Applejack’s ears poked up at the good news.  “…However she had a nasty case of stigma radiation.  We don’t know much about it I’m afraid.  All we know is that “the creature” gives it off.  Whether it does this on purpose or not is unknown, but it can cause coughing, confusion, memory loss, and other symptoms.  

“Your completely clean now, but your sister.  Well she has some permanent damage.”  

“Damage like what?”

“Her cutie mark cells were damaged beyond repair.  I’m sorry your sister will never be able to get a Cutie Mark.”

“Nothing you can do?”  

“Nothing, I’m sorry.  You will be dropped off into the care of your Grandmother and older brother in the morning.  Applebloom will stay a little while longer till she recovers, then she will be returned to your care.”

The next day she was returned to her home and Applebloom soon after.  Applejack like her parents before her became a hard worker.  Running the farm like her parents used too.

***

“Hey sis!  I’m going to hang out with the crusaders.” Said Applebloom waking Applejack out of her daydream.  “I’ll be back by dinner time.”

“Ok, don’t talk to any strangers.”  Said Applejack.  

“I know, I know.  See ya latter” and she was out the door.  

Applejack stood there fore a second before tears began to come down her face.  She had never told Applebloom that she wouldn’t get her cutie mark.  She didn’t have the heart too.  

Mr. tall put a hand on her shoulder in symphony 


***

Oatmeal was running limping towards the Everfree Forest with her dying breaths.  She was a brown mare with cinnamon colored mane.  But right now it was soaked black with black blood.  Her blood.

She was riddled with bullets from an automatic weapon.  Any normal pony would be dead, but she wasn’t.  Instead black blood leaked from her broken body.  She felt that if she could only reach the Everfree forest she would be safe.  

One of the G.U.L.L. Jeeps rolled by, this one with a mounted turret.  Oatmeal tried to get out of the way, but she was too late.  The turret riddled her with bullets, this time reaching the center of her body.  White tree sap sprayed everywhere and Oatmeal could no longer bear the pain.  She dropped to the floor were she twitched in pain.  The chase was over.

However although her eyes where gone, her new senses allowed her to know what was going on.  The jeep came to a stop right behind her.  Two G.U.L.L. stallions exited the vehicle.  One of them carrying a gasoline tank, the other a machine gun and a lighter.  

“Almost feel bad for it.”  Said the one holding the gas tank.  He started to pour gasoline onto oatmeal’s broken body.  It stung, a lot.   

“Don’t, we’re making Equestria a safer place.”  

“Where’s the next one?” 

Oatmeal tried to crawl away but she didn’t get very far.

“The farm pony said that there was a pegasus pony named Fluttershy on the edge of town that had just celebrated her nineteenth birthday.”

“Could be a coincidence.”

“She also fainted at 4:44 on the dot.”  

“Looks like we got another on huh?”

“Well at least she didn’t have time to develop.”

“Yeah. Finish this job and we can head out.”  

The pony dropped the match onto oatmeal casing her whole world to go up in flames.

“So lets go meet this “Fluttershy” shall we?”  Said the one with the machine gun.  They hopped back into the Jeep and starting towards Fluttershy’s house where Fluttershy was sewing herself a new outfit oblivious to the danger that was heading her way…