//------------------------------//
// Search and Destroy 
// Story: Extremely Loud, Intensely Bright, Drastically Tense, Exceedingly Tight 
// by h4ns 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 8: Search and Destroy

"Are yuh done yet sis?"

"Applebloom, how many times do Ah need ta tell yuh? Ah'll be done when Ah'm done."

Applebloom let out a loud, disappointing groan and headed back towards the wagon. 

As soon as Applejack had pulled the wagon up the hill from yesterday the little filly instantly knew it was going to be a long, boring, unexciting day. This was later affirmed when Applebloom was told to stay near the wagon due to her still sore leg. Within an hour of their arrival she was close to leaving and heading back towards the house, but there were two things stopping her. The first was that Applejack would be both worried and furious, surely more of the later, and second she doubted she would even be able to find her way back, if somepony or something didn't find her first. 

With nothing to do, and with nopony to talk to, Applebloom decided to just lay up under the wagon and stare up at the planks, the whole time thinking what she had said wrong to Bryce. Pondering the morning's events her eyes began to droop from lack of sleep the past two nights. After a few minutes, just as she was beginning to doze off, she felt something damp press against the side of her sore leg. This made Applebloom yell out in fright and push herself back. 

Backing herself into one of the wheels her fears were laid to rest when it turned out to have only been Winona. With her heart racing in her small chest, Applebloom shouted, "Dang it girl, don't go scaring ponies like that!"

Winona let out a whine and tucked her tail.

After catching her breath, Applebloom said, "Ah'm sorry girl. Ah'm just upset from havin ta..."

"Applebloom, what's the matter, what happened?!"

The arrival of this unseen pony made the filly jump again, causing her to bang her head on the bottom of the wagon.

"Applebloom...where are yuh?!"

Applebloom's fears were again laid to rest when she realized it was only Applejack, "Ah...Ah'm under her sis."

Applejack stuck her head under the wagon, "There yuh are. What happened, Ah heard yuh scream?"

Applebloom sighed, "It...it was nothing."

"Look, we can talk about that later, now come on out from under there so Ah can check yuh over."

"O...OK sis." As soon as she tried to get on her hooves she felt something tug at her mane. Applebloom pulled with all her might but the tugging only became that much more forceful. "Ugh...Applejack Ah can't get out, something's pullin my mane."

Applejack walked over to the other side of the wagon, "Just calm down now sugarcube, it's probably nothing." Sticking here head down next to Applebloom she found what was causing the snag, "Everything's OK sugarcube, yuh just got your bow caught on uh nail."

Hearing this made the filly blush from embarrassment, "O...oh."

"Just sit tight, Ah'll have yuh out of this in a second." 

Applebloom could only sit and endure the mane pulling as her sister made an attempt to free her.

After almost a minute of this Applejack finally succeeded, "There now, that wasn't so bad now was it?"

Finally able to get up on her hooves the hurt filly said, "Yeah, easy for you to say."

"Ah horseapples, it couldn't uh been that bad. Now come on out from under there."

Applebloom complied.

"Now then is everything alright, why were yuh yelling?"

"It...it was just Winona. Ah was trying ta take a nap under the wagon and she cam and touched my bad leg with her nose and it scared me. And then you showed up without warning and Ah mustuh got my bow caught on that nail...again." She looked down at the ground.

That last part concerned Applejack, "Wa...wait, what do yuh mean 'again'?"

Still looking down at the ground Applebloom responded, "Ye...yesterday when Bryce found me..."

"Who's Bryce?"

"He...He's the human."

"What, uh, what's a hugh man?"

"He...he's that creature from yesterday."

Now Applejack was even more concerned, "Applebloom how do you know all that?"

Applebloom rubbed her hoof in the dirt, "Uh...well..."

Applejack noticed her delay and grabbed the filly's head, pulling it up to meet the apple mare's gaze, "Applebloom. Ah want yuh ta tell me how you know all that...And Ah want yuh ta tell me the truth."

Not able to look away, Applebloom decided it best to be honest, "Ah...Ah went and...and Ah talked with him la...last night and..."

"You what?!"

"Ah talked to him last night and he told me that."

Applejack was mad, "Applebloom what, what did Ah tell yuh?"

"But Ah..."

"Ah don't wanna hear it, now what did Ah tell yuh?!?!?!"

"Yuh...yuh told me not ta...not ta go in there with him."

"That's right Ah did, and you disobeyed me. Now what was goin through your head that would make yuh go against me?"

"It...it...Ah just wanted ta check and make sure he was...he was..."

"Ta make sure he was what?"

"Ah..Ah wanted ta make sure he was OK, Ah was worried about him."

Applejack was confused, "Now why would yuh be worried about him?"

Applebloom pushed her older sister's hoof away, "Because he acted so differently from when he first found me."

The apple mare hesitated.

"Don...don't yuh believe me?"

"Applebloom, ta tell yuh the truth, Ah don't."

"But...but Ah am tellin the truth, when he found me he..."

"Applebloom that's enough." The filly cowered at the mare's outburst. "Now Ah've had enough of this. Since that, whatever you called it, arrived Ah've almost ran myself inta the Everfree, nearly broke my back getting the varmint inside, and got smacked when Ah tried ta help him. As far as Ah'm concerned he's dangerous and we shouldn't trust him. Now Ah gotta get this done, you stay here." Applejack began to walk away.

"He...he said you wouldn't trust him."

Applejack stopped, "He said what?"

"He said that you wouldn't trust him because of what he did yesterday.	"

"Yeah well, he's right about that."

"He...he also said it...it didn't matter that Ah trusted him."

Applejack looked back at her sister, "Did...did he say why?"

Applebloom looked down at the ground again, "Because Ah...because Ah'm just a filly."

This made Applebloom even more confused, "Wa...wait you...you you actually trust him?"

Applebloom continued to stare downwards as she nodded.

"Why?"

Applebloom breathed in through her nose, which was beginning to run, "Because he was nice to me."

Applejack made her way over to the quiet filly, "Applebloom, speak up. I want to know. Why do you trust him so much?"

Swallowing before she could reply, Applebloom said, "Because he was nice to me."

Applejack opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted.

"When Ah first saw him Ah was scared, most especially when he was yelling at me. But when he found me he...Ah can't explain it. He just didn't look angry. He looked...surprised." Applebloom paused before continuing, "When he talked ta me he didn't sound angry, almost like he was scared himself."

"He...sounded scared?"

"Well Ah think he was, he just...Ah'm not sure. He just sounds so emo...emotinle...emotionlease."

"Emotionless?"

"Ye...yeah that. But then he tried to reach for me. At the time Ah thought he was tryin ta get me. He...he kept tryin and finally Ah just threw a hooffull of mud at him and got myself loose. Ah tried ta run but then his dog tried ta get me and Ah got under one of the apple baskets."

Applejack just sat on her hunches and listened, all the while thinking, That varmint, the second Ah get back to the house Ah'm gonna buck him till he's black and blue. Nothing misses with my family, not again.

Applebloom continued on, "When Ah...when Ah was under that basket Ah thought...Ah thought that was it. When he pulled the basket off Ah thought Ah was gonna die. Ah was just so scared." She began to cry.

"He...hey sugarcube, come over here." Applejack wrapped her sister in a large hug. That varmint, when Ah'm done with him he's not even gonna be able to recognize himself in the mirror.

They both stayed like this for a few minutes before Applebloom continued, "But...but he didn't kill me. He just started ta rub my back, and he looked like he was crying. Ah didn't trust him at first but then he gave me an apple. He said it would make me feel better, and it kinda did."

Did she say he actually tried to calm her down. That can't be true. He had to be trying ta pull something. "Well what happened after that. Why was he carrying yuh over to the wagon? And why weren't yuh moving?"

"Ah don't know, Ah was asleep."

"Y...you were?"

"Ye...yeah. After he put my bow back in my mane Corn started bothering me. Bryce threw a ball to make Corn go away. Ah felt safe around him and went ta sleep."

"Well why did you trust him?"

"Ah...Ah don't know Ah just did."

He...he had to have been tryin something, ri...right?

"When Ah woke up Ah saw you yelling at him and then you both ran off and, well ,you know the rest."

"Ah suppose Ah do...but what about last night, what did he do to you?"

"Nothin, all he did was talk ta me."

"Then...what'd y'all talk about?"

"We just talked about what happened yesterday. He...he told me why he acted the way he did." Applebloom went silent.

"Well what'd he say?"

"Ah...Ah don't know if he would like me tellin."

Applejack let out a sigh, "Look, Applebloom, Ah'm not gonna force yuh to tell me. But if he's gonna be stayin with us Ah need ta know what went wrong."

"He...how about yuh ask what he did?"

"OK, uh...For starters why did he run?"

"Bryce said it was because ponies can't talk where he's from."

"Well Ah guess that explains why he was so surprised, but why did he run?"

"He said he ran because...us talking scared him."

"Uh...beg pardon?"

"Ah...Ah don't really understand it, but he said he likes animals because they can't talk. Because they aren't jug...jug..."

"judgmental?"

"Yeah judmental, that's what he said."

Applejack rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, "Yeah well...why wouldn't he talk to me?"

"He doesn't talk well with new ponies, or anypony his age."

"Uh...OK then why did he smack me when Ah tried ta help him when he fell off the bed?"

"What'd yuh do after he fell off?"

Applejack tried to remember, "Ah...he fell off the bed, Ah ran over ta check on him, and when he wouldn't say anthing Ah touched him on the shoulder ta calm him down."

"That's it!"

"What is?"

"Bryce told me he doesn't like to be touched"

This was confusing to Applejack, "Is...is that really what he said?"

Applebloom nodded.

Well that doesn't make a lick of sense. What kinda pony doesn't like it when other ponies touch him. Although he technically isn't a pony now is he. She brought a hoof to her forehead. And Ah guess Ah was being a tad judgmental. "Ugh...Applebloom while Ah don't like it that yuh went against me..."

Applebloom looked away.

"...Ah'm just glad that h...Bryce didn't hurt yuh none."

The filly perked up at that.

Sighing, Applejack said, "Look, Ah still need ta get all of these trees bucked, but when we get back to the house Ah'm gonna talk ta him."

"But he probably won't..."

"Applebloom, hush. If everything turns out OK then maybe, just maybe, Ah'll let yuh stay at the house tomorrow."

Applebloom curiosity peaked making her smile.

"Now Ah still have about two hours left to buck the rest of these here trees and pack'em all in the wagon. After that we'll head home."

This brought the energetic filly down a little, "O...OK sis."

"Good, now just stay around here."

"OK."

"And Applebloom?"

"Yea...yeah sis?"

"Ah...Ah'm sorry about how Ah've been acting the past couple of days...but after what happened with mama and daddy Ah'm just...You're just too young to remember them, but Ah just don't wanna lose another family member. Not after what happened to them." Applejack hugged her sister again tightly, "Ah guess what Ah'm saying is, Ah'm sorry."

Applebloom hugged her sister just as tightly, "Ah...Ah'm sorry for disobeying yuh sis."

"It...it's OK sugarcube. After all that's happened Ah can't fully blame yuh." Applejack loosened her grip, "But don't think just because of what happened Ah'll be so forgiving every time. When Ah tell yuh ta do something you better listen."

"O...OK sis."

They both hugged again.

"Like Ah said, Ah still have about two hours out here. Just stay near the wagon and only come get me if yuh really need me. Ah'll be back in an hour and we can have our lunch, sound good?"

"Uh huh."

"Good." Applejack gave Applebloom a noogie. After they both had a laugh, Applejack left to finish as quick as she could. She had alot to think about after listening to what her sister had to say.

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Bryce had to admit, that bath really did help ease his mind, even though he had to stand the entire time in the horse thing sized bath tub. After drying himself off Bryce quickly dressed himself in the few clothes he had, this being his underwear and cargo shots. Then he exited the bathroom and made his way back downstairs to find the aged apple mare where he had left her in the rocking chair.

"Well I did that, so what is it you want me to do?"

"Well first let me check ta make sure your burn's OK for you to work."

"OK, sure." He reluctantly extended his left arm to allow her to get a better look at the limb.

After a few minutes Granny Smith said, "OK dear, somehow your well enough ta do some work."

"Well I guess young people just heal faster," he answered with a laugh.

"That's good, now Ah have a few things you can do. First off a few of the shingles need ta be replaced on the roof."

"Well I have to say no to that one. I really don't like being high up and I doubt that roof is designed to take someone of my weight class. It's not that I'm afraid of heights, it's just the idea of falling off that scares me."

"OK then how about you go inta town and pick up a few things for me?"

"Uh...no to that too. I don't like being in crowds, mostly if it's filled with people I don't know. Plus I still haven't gotten past the whole your kind talking yet."

"Well then Ah have one thing left. Do you think you can handle a little wood chopping?"

Bryce simply answered, "Yes."

"Good, now just follow me out back and..."

"Well can I get my stuff first, I don't really like to be without it?"

"Sure, just follow me." Granny Smith walked back into the kitchen and opened one of a cabinet. She pulled out a bag and placed it on the table, "Here you go dear, this was everything you had in your saddle bags."

Saddle bags? "Thanks, I guess." Opening the bag Bryce found everything that had been on his person: his smartphone, still dead, a pair of earbuds, his key chain, wristwatch, and wallet, a deck of playing cards, a Zippo lighter, a pair of fingerless leather gloves, a black bandana, and an assortment of ink pens and mechanical pencils, with extra lead for the later. Well except for Corn's tennis ball, which is probably with him, my shirt, socks, and shoes everything's accounted for. "Well this is everything, thank you."

"You're welcome dear, now follow me out back and Ah'll show yuh where you'll be working."

Putting what he wanted into his pockets, and donning his bandana and gloves, Bryce followed out the front door, being sure to duck his head, and followed her behind the house to a large pile of logs stacked into multiple rows and an axe laying against a flat stump. Ho-yeah!

"Now Ah assume yuh know how ta chop wood?"

"Well assumptions are a bad thing, you should never do them. But yes, yes I do."

"Ah'll let yuh get to it then. If yuh get tired there's food and drinks in the fridge. Have fun." Granny Smith left Bryce to do his job. Now it's time for this old, Ah mean well aged mare, ta get some shut eye.

"Well see yuh whenever." Bryce grabbed hold of the axe. It wasn't as large as an axe from his world, but much larger than a hatchet. He took a few practice swings to orientate himself with the diminished weight of the tool. When Bryce was ready he pick up one of the logs and set about doing what was charged to him.

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Granny Smith awoke to the sound of knocking at the front door, "Eh what, is that you Bryce?" There was a second knock at the door making the aged mare get up from her rocking chair. Eh dag nabbit, that boy should know he doesn't have ta knock, he can come on in if he wants. Upon opening the door Granny Smith was surprised to find, instead of the six foot human, were a pair of two male earth ponies dressed in business attire. One of them had tan fur with a greasy black mane and a fish hook cutie mark. The other was much older with grey fur and a salt and pepper mane done up in a more dignified manner. He had a segmented pyramid for a cutie mark. "Oh hello there. How can Ah help you two fine gentlecolts?"

The grey stallion spoke first, "Um yes, good afternoon ma'am, we're from Saltlick & Associates and we are here to tell you that has recently passed away."

"Oh my that's awful. When did this happen?"

The tan stallion cut in, "Ma'am the details aren't important. We're here to inform you that a large sum of bits was willed to your family upon their death."

"Really, how much did they leave us?"

The grey one stated, "We aren't allowed to release that information until our fee is paid ma'am."

"Well how much is the fee."

The same stallion firmly stated, "500 bits ma'am."

"Oh my that's quite a lot of bits, is there any way Ah can pay some other way."

The grey one continued speaking, "No ma'am, our fee must be paid within a few minutes or the entire fortune will be allocated to our firm."

"But Ah don't have that much...Wait Ah do have some bits in the house, could yuh wait here while Ah get it?"

"Of course ma'am take all the time you need."

"OK you just wait here and Ah'll..."

"Ok hold the phone, just hold the damn phone." All three ponies jumped at the sound of a bass voice, "That's quiet enough of that." It was Bryce. He came strolling up with the axe.

The tan stallion cried out, "Wha...what the buck are you?!"

'What the buck', really? "I'm Bryce Smales, who the Hell are you?"

The more dignified of the pair was able to hold himself together enough to say, "We...we're from Saltlick & Associates and we're here to..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah now how's about you tell us the real reason you 'fine gentlecolts' are here."

"We're here to let it be known that the Apple family has been willed..."

"A large sum of what the H ever, sure you are." Bryce shouldered the axe, "Let me just take a guess at your names..." Pointing to the grey stallion, then the tan one, he said, "Your name is...Ponzi, and your...Bait-and-Switch, correct?"

The tan one stuttered, "How...how did you...?"

Bryce stood in front of the open door over the two stallions, "Oh did Prince Alyusi Islassis send you to collect her bank account information?"

They were both speechless, mostly out of fear of the axe he carried.

"We'll how's about you both get on and we forget this whole thing happened."

The grey one shot back, "How's about you get on and let us get what we came for. If not things could get...messy."

Bryce snickered, "Based on your relative size compared to me...I'd say I outnumber you."

Granny Smith just stood there and watched as three more earth ponies came into view, "Um Bryce..."

"Oh and what about my...associates behind you?"

Bryce turned around to see Ponzi's 'associates' walking up, "Let me guess, Pyramid, Bunko, and Napster?"

"I think now you'll find yourself outnumbered."

Bryce just smirked, "No...now we're even." He then held the axe at the bottom and threw it with all his might behind him. It was easily dodged by the encircling henchmen. "Combattiamo...stronzi!" 

Granny Smith quickly slammed the door and made sure to lock it tight. Running over to a window she watched as Bryce stepped back from the front door and started...dancing?