2.
By the time the sun was creeping up over the horizon and the rooster was calling out his morning song, Sweet Apple Acres was already stirring. Applejack was the first of her family up and about, starting early with her morning chores. She cleared out the store-rooms, fed the chickens and then helped her older brother, Big Macintosh, stack up the sacs of fertiliser they were planning to use on the new apple trees Granny wanted planting in the east Orchard. Then it was time for breakfast. Applejack sat at the breakfast table happily munching away on hay-bacon strips, eggs and sugar apples, listening to her little sister talk excitedly about her latest project with her friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell. Otherwise known as the “Cutie-mark Crusaders” Even though her and her friends had gotten their cutie-marks two years ago, they still referred to each other in the latter. Applejack found it endearing but Twilight constantly remarked on its inaccuracy. Applejack swallowed her food and glanced up at the clock, “Tarnation!” She declared, “If you don’t get goin’ Applebloom yer gonna be late fer school. Get Goin’!” Applebloom squeaked a hurried “oops!” and sped out of the house waving goodbye and throwing kisses over her shoulder as she galloped away. Applejack could still remember how small her sister had been just a short while ago, but as Phillies tend to do, she was growing up. Not too fast at least. Applebloom had only gotten a little bigger and she still wore the same pink bow in her hair, but the biggest difference was in her personality. She’d only grown to be more confident and more independent and Applejack couldn’t be prouder, as she often told her five friends. Applejack finished off her breakfast, helped Granny Smith clean-up and went out to join Big Macintosh in the Apple orchards. Applejack spent the morning working with her brother on the farm, sowing the seeds for the apple trees, mucking out the stables for the farm animals and herding the cows to the south field to graze. By the time she was done it was well past mid-day and she realised that she had missed her appointment with Fluttershy, for Winona’s check up. She wondered why it had taken her so long and then finally realised that Spike had been supposed to come up and lend a hand. He’d arranged to help out on the farm while she and Macintosh were sowing the apple tree seeds, over a week ago, before his birthday, but he’d never shown up. Applejack was ready to shrug it off until she realised how un-characteristic it was for Spike to not show up to help someone. She decided to investigate and find out the reason behind this unusual occurrence and so, headed into town.
She found the library empty, except for Owloysius who was snoozing quietly on his perch in the corner. Before she left Applejack noted that the library looked more than a little dishevelled. Which wasn’t uncommon, but Spike usually took it upon himself to clean up after Twilight had been up all night pulling books down off the shelves on some research high. She set off into town asking after both Twilight and Spike. Both Pony and Dragon had a talent for attracting attention of one sort or the other wherever they went so it normally wasn’t hard to find one or both of them. Mrs Cake, who was out walking with her twin Phillies Pound and Pumpkin Cake, said,
“Well, Twilight was out looking for Spike a couple of hours ago. Seems she doesn’t know where he is either. I’m afraid I don’t know where she went after visiting Sugarcube corner.” Now Applejack was starting to feel a little uneasy. For Twilight not to know where Spike was either was pretty troubling. She decided to look elsewhere and happened upon a bit of luck when she spotted Twilight headed into Carousel Boutique. Applejack quickly followed her in,
“Hey Twilight!” She called as she slipped in through the door. Twilight spun around,
“Oh, Applejack! Have you seen Spike today? Was he helping you out up at the farm?” She asled before Applejack could say a word. Rarity was standing just behind Twilight looking both perplexed and concerned.
“No,” Applejack said shaking her head, “That’s what Ah was comin’ to ask you about. He never showed up at the farm this mornin’ and Spike never fails to show up to lend a helpin’ hand. Not when he makes a promise.” This was clearly not the answer Twilight was hoping to hear. Applejack thought it was odd enough that Spike hadn’t shown up at the farm, but to see Twilight so disheartened by her answer made Applejack really worried.
“What’s going on?” Rarity asked looking between her two friends. Twilight turned to her and answered,“I haven’t seen Spike all day. He wasn’t there when I got up and he only came back last night just before I went to sleep.” This was new information to Applejack and it didn’t help at all.
“Has he been helping you out at all today Rarity? I thought if he’d be anywhere he’d be here.” Rarity shook her head, her long, glossy purple hair, swung along her neck,
“He hasn’t been here since last week, since before his birthday. I just assumed he’d been busy helping you.”“What’s goin’ on Twilight?” Applejack asked closing the door to the Boutique behind her and trotting into the room. “Is somethin’ wrong with Spike?” Twilight sighed and trotted into the room and sat down on a plush cushion next to one of Rarity’s Design manequins, her head hung low.
“He’s been acting strange all week. At first he just didn’t leave the library. All he wanted to do was stare at that sapphire…”
“My Sapphire?” Rarity interrupted,
“Yes, the one you gave him for his birthday. Then a couple of days ago he started disappearing before I even woke up and not coming back until late at night. I don’t even know where he goes or what he’s doing.” Twilight was clearly upset. Applejack felt she had to say something to comfort her.
“Maybe he’s just bein’ more independent. Why Applebloom’s been up to all sorts’a antics instead’a doin’ her chores since she got older.” Twilight looked up at her,
“But you still know where she is and what she’s doing.” She got up and started pacing, “I’m not even sure if he’s eating anything, I mean I haven’t seen him eat anything and I’m starting to think he getting thinner…!”
“Ohkay, ohkay,” Applejack trotted over quickly and placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder, “Just calm down a minute here Twilight. You’re startin’ to sound like a paranoid, overprotective mother hen.”
“I can’t help it Applejack, I’ve never not known what Spike was doing, at least in some small way, and he’s my responsibility! I hatched him, I’ve been looking after him since he was just a baby, I’m worried!” Rarity joined Applejack by Twilight’s side and tried to help by saying,
“Well why don’t we all wait up for Spike tonight and ask him what’s going on? I’m sure he’ll explain and it’ll turn out to be some sill misunderstanding.” She smiled reassuringly at Twilight and the purple coloured Unicorn nodded and finally said,
“Alright, yes, that sounds like a good idea.”
“Good. I’ll finish up here and then we’ll head back to the library and wait.”
“Me too, Ah’ll wait with you.” Applejack wanted to help. She couldn’t stand to see her friend so broken up like this. For as long as she’d known him, Spike had almost never committed an inconsiderate act, ever. What she was hearing just didn’t sound like the Dragon they all knew and loved and she could only hope that he would be willing to explain his behaviour when they confronted him. For some reason at that moment Applejack had a thought of what it could actually entail to ‘confront’ a Dragon.