//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: First Friends // Story: Zaps Apple // by Electuroo //------------------------------// Zaps Apple Chapter 3: First Friends I ran from the Timberwolves fast as my legs could carry me, galloping hard through the woods dodging their bites and their swipes, I managed to pull a branch back and let go of it slapping two in the face, I grinned as I ran turning to see them slow then stop with fear. I slowed to a trot then to a stop wondering why they stopped. I knew I didn't do enough to stop them, I was only about one fourth their size... They started to howl as they backed away “The Timberwolves are a-howlin'! The Timberwolves are a-howlin'!” my ears perked back as I heard it behind me and slowly I gazed upon a huge green pony with massive pans slamming together the echoing and blast of them made me slide back as the wolves were blown away. Her voice rang again “The Timberwolves are a-howlin'! The Timberwolves are a-howlin'!” “AHHHH!!!” I covered my head all the sudden she disappeared into dust I looked at what happened and looking around I was back in the strange town again with the fountain, rainbow color apples hanging from the trees with a beautiful sunny day with a large castle sitting on top of a hill in the distance “Wh-what...” I glanced around trying to figure out what happened. “What a strange dream, you have quite the imagination” I turn to the source of the voice it came from a pony dark sapphire blue coat with two shades of blue mane and tail waving with sparking light as well wearing something on her chest and head. I tilted my head when heard her voice I knew that voice. “Thus not remember me?” I rubbed my head a little “I remember your voice, you held the darkness in the pitch black at bay so I could escape. Then I thought I saw you again in my last dream of this...” I paused “Am I dreaming?” “Yes, you are a young one. But do you not know me other than my voice?” I looked into her cyan eyes and shook my head “Sorry I don't, I have never seen you before only heard your voice about fighting of fends in the black.” I answered She looked at me with some wonder now walking around me as I sat there “What else do you remember young one?” “Nothing much.. I only know things I never seen before which is weird and then the only last few days in that forest till I escaped it and saw that odd pony scaring the wolves... I kind of got fearful that if she found me I would be thrown but into it...” I replied to the pony before me. “Mine, then you do not know my name?” I shook my head “My name is Luna and I am...” she seems to pause for a moment making me look at her oddly “I watch over the night and look into dreams, thus why I am here. Your fear is misplaced though, she isn't odd but old and loud banging of the pans scare the Timberwolves away. You do not need to worry about Granny Smith, she is the elder that lives on Sweet Apple Acres” “Sweet Apple Acres? That the name of the farm I ran on to?” she nods “Erm one more question, what's old?” Luna almost fell over when I said this and I reacted by getting up and stepping back a little with the reaction she gave. “You seriously do not know you're a child?” “Erm I think so but not sure, only had one dream of seeing me with some weird red stallion,” I thought about it then look to her “What exactly is this place? It feels real but I not quite sure why...” “It part of your mindscape young one, do you not know why?” I shook my head “You know my name but what is yours?” I shrugged silently “This is concerning you do not know your name? Why this is within your mind and dreams?” I shook my head again. She walked around me “The red stallion and the ponies must mean something to you if this is your safe haven within your dreams” She and I turn to the scene playing it self out again like last time. I walked up to her “So your name is Luna? That kind of a cool name but what exactly are you? I kind of know about Unicorns, Pegasus and earth ponies for some reason...” I was till trying to get my head around knowing things I didn't even see till suddenly I did... “I saw them in my last few dreams in this town in fact but I have no idea how I know this is a town or know why I know each type... it kind of confusing...” “Yes it would be, I am known as an Alicorn, a pony of all three traits” Luna explained to me. “So your a special type of pony?” she laughed softly at that reply “Did I say something funny?” Luna put one of her sliver hooves under my snout as she leans down to me “A little but yes there only a few of us, my sister, niece and respected pony who studies for many hours and lives in the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville” “Four?” I got a nod from her. “Ponyville? Is that another town like this one but real?” “Yes and that is where Sweet Apple Acres is and where you are currently, you're in a safe place but you have to let those around you know of your problem young one” I gulped at that feel rather fearful again. “I know you're afraid and I would be in your place. That is why I will do what I can to help you, my little friend” “Friend? I heard of that but not sure how... it something to do with a group of ponies that erm... talk together, do things together... and erm... like each other and do things for each other? And care for each other too? Is that a friend?” I asked trying to get my head around what came into mind. She smiled stepping back “Yes my young friend that is true. I believe you been discovered” “What do...” I heard something echoing in the distance “Hey wake up!” I just heard it looking around. “Come on wake up already!”I heard it clearer again “Well it sounds like Scootaloo has found you, tell her that I spoken to you in your dreams, till we meet again young one” She starts to fly away as everything starts to fade away. “Luna but I don't have a...” My eyes open as I shot up into a sitting position “name!” I blurted out and looking around then saw purple eyes from an orange pony about my size with purple mane stare at me. I just stared back “Erm... hi...” “Hi” she smirked at me “Your a hard one to wake, I tried shaking you, even rolling you off the hay bay but that still didn't work” I look up and notice I was off it and on the floor 'I didn't wake from that?' “And then I tried yelling at ya and it finally worked" I sat there just looking at her “Sorry if I worried you...” “Nah it ok” she waved her hoof at me. “So who the hay are ya?” My eyes turn away staring at the ground “I don't know...” “Come again?” she frowned at me. I sighed looking at her “I don't know my name... I can't remember it... I don't remember a thing till a few days ago... I think...” I paused I wasn't even sure how long had past “It could have been a few days... being lost in some spoken forest with Timberwolves trying to bite you kind of lose track of things...” She waved her hooves “Whoa whoa whoa... you seriously don't remember a thing? Like your name?” I shook my head and this made her give a more confused look “Your age?” I groaned even that was a mystery to me... “How about how you woke up in the Everfree Forest?” she pressed for answers those I wanted answers too... I felt lost but I did my best to answer her “I remember running from the darkness in pitch black... then a voice came and told me to run to the light... so I did and found my self lying on the ground looking up at grey colour apples changing into rainbow apples before I couldn't keep my eyes open...” I told her my first memories. She seem to be weary of what I said from the silence between us “So let me get this straight, you were running away from this black stuff whatever it is then found yourself under some zap apple trees in the forest?” I nod in reply. “And before that, you have no memories” “Then what do you know?” I thought about it “I know the differences between ponies... Unicorn, Pegasus, Earth Ponies like I am one” putting a hoof to myself “And the Alicorns that Luna told me in my dream. She said she some keeper of the night and dreams, guessing she could look into ponies dreams” I tried to answer the best I could This seem to bring a spark in the pegasus eyes as she smiled “You met Princess Luna! That is awesome! I met her in my dreams for the first time too!” “Princess? She didn't say her first name was Princess...” “No no you got it all wrong that a title like of example...” She seems to think about it and raised her hoof “Like Rainbow Dash, that the name of an awesome sister of mine, she also a captain of the weather team here in Ponyville, she would be called Captain Rainbow Dash if being formal about the weather team” “Oh, so Luna is the night watchers name?” I asked with wonder. “Yep sure is, so what did she tell you?” I thought about it and point a hoof to her “Your Scootaloo, she said you were trying to wake me up and that this farm called Sweet Apple Acres and part of a town called Ponyville!” I blurted out with a smile remembering what Luna told me. Scootaloo grinned “That right!” my stomach growled a little. “Sound like somepony's hungry.” I turn to the bag and found it beside the hay bayl, pulling out two zap apples guessing that what they called, I gave one to Scootaloo “Here you can have it, I got few more left, it not much but they really tasty” I started eating mine and got a strange look from Scootaloo. “What?” I said with a mouth full of apple and swallowed. “They really good” “You just ate a zap apple...” “Yes...” “But how!? I heard from Granny Smith that they only good for zap apple jam! I never seen anypony eat a zap apple like you did!” Scootaloo seem really surprised what I did, I wasn't sure why. It just a tasty meal for me. “Urg... never mind... do you mind if I keep it?” I shrugged a little “You can if you like...” “Thanks, Zaps” she put into a bag she seems to have with her. I blinked a few times “Zaps?” “Yeah since you have no idea what your name is and your friends with Luna, so I called you Zaps. Isn't it a sweet name?” Scootaloo grinned and seem to wait for me to answer. I rubbed my head a little “I think it ok, better then... ouch” I pulled out a trig from my mane “Your pretty dirty Zaps” she chuckled pulling off a leaf from the dried in the mud “You also kind of smell” I sighed “Running from Timberwolves was all that was on my mind... sorry” I lower my head a little and felt a hoof on my chin and raised my head a little and was eye level with Scootaloo. “Hey don't be sorry for something you couldn't control, heck I only found ya cause I was looking for my friend Applebloom, she seems really upset yesterday when she lost her bag” Scootaloo replied trying to make me feel a bit better and explained how she found me. “I heard some snoring and found you sleeping on the hay bay, that when I tried to wake you” she giggled a little. I pulled up the bag that was on the hay bayl “this?” “Whoa it is!” she took it from me and looked to see two more zap apples inside it “You found this?” “Yeah it was under another set of those zap apple trees, I kind of read the book though...” I said to her and got a shocked reaction “I was wondering what it was about and why I could read it... I wasn't even sure what it was about. I saw some lists, pictures of cutie marks and something Applebloom wrote about a school project for some pony called Cheerilee” I explained to her best I could. Scootaloo took the zap apples out and place them in front of me “Well you really helped us out of a jam so I can say this can be overlooked” she smirked “Wait here and I'll take this to Applebloom, she be over the moon to get this back” “Why do I have to wait here?” I tilted my head “Because if somepony find you they might think your some thief” she walked around the hay bay and I stood up looking at her “Please just stay here and don't go anywhere. I will be back I promise” I sat down “Ok... I'll wait...” with that she was gone with both bags. I sighed looking at my two remaining zap apples sitting back down against the hay bay and took a sniff of my foreleg “Wow I really do smell of swamp water...” I paused and blinked “Another word I know... but how...” I whispered rubbing my head with a groan. Time went by as I sat there waiting. I yawned a little thinking about everything that happened so far 'Darkness, Luna saving me from it then appearing to be again and seeing her for the first time even in my dreams... then I escape the forest and in some apple farm then met one of these Cutie Mark Crusaders called Scootaloo but she also gave me a name... a name... I have a name... Zaps... Zaps sound like a really cool name that I like too... better not having one at all even if my memories that wiped out... but what about that town and the one I call brother, was they really real? Urg my head hurts trying to think of why that place and those ponies are in my dreams! I want to know why but I can't figure out why it there!' My trail of thoughts wasn't helping me much... I felt better with a name but I stood up climbing up on the hay bay to take a look around where I was, it was a barn for sure, hay bays, barrels, ladder, tools and other things that a farm has. I watched as a red stallion walked into the barn pulling an empty wagon into it, he took off the harness from himself and place them down. I was curious getting up higher on the hay bay to get a better look at him. “Hey Big Mac, ah'm going into town to see mah, friends, with the baskets in place and four days before harvest ah got some free time” a voice came and saw an orange pony with a hat on entering the barn He turns to her “Eeyup” he replied and followed on by “Have fun Applejack” “Ah sure will” with that Applejack the blonde mare had left. I leaned over to see what he was doing then I felt the hay bay started to shift, I realized it was me who caused it and before I knew it, I was falling with the hay bay following me soon afterward, I screamed in fear and hit the ground with a thud. I groaned in pain and thought the hay bay was going to land on me but it didn't, I opened my eyes turning to the left to see some straw fall on the ground and saw a hoof there too, cream colored than red fur, I followed it up to come to a collar then a head looking directly down at me. I saw the ginger mane red stallion Big Macintosh looking at me with a gentle smile and soft look in his green eyes looking right at me seeing that he'd protected me from the hay bay, taking the hit and not flinched by it. “Yer ok?” he spoke and I slowly nod in reply not sure what to happen now... but for the better or for the worst I didn't need to hide anymore... “Come on girls I like you to meet somepon...” I turn my head and so did Big Macintosh to see Scootaloo with two other ponies all around the same age and my guess was one of them was Applebloom and the other was Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo only could finish with one word. “Ponyfeathers...”