Chapter 8
Distant splashing awakens me again. I was dreaming of flying. This is a common dream I have, especially when I sleep underwater. This is getting to be routine. I decide to change things up a bit. I enjoy fish, but today, I feel like having breakfast with apples, and Apples. I have little doubt they will have me. I poke my head up. The distant splashing I thought I heard was nothing more than nearby ripples hitting a log. Grabbing an item I wanted to give to the family, I take off and fly northwest to the farm.
The flight is short and easy, and due to it being over an unpopulated area, I forgo changing my appearance. I circle around the farm a couple of times in the early morning air. I see Apple Bloom with a bucket of scraps going over to the pigs, and Applejack is laying out baskets under her trees. I look back where she originates from, and see more baskets inside a cart nearby. I land nearby and make myself known.
“Good morning! I hope I’m not disturbing you. I was hoping you nice folks could put me to work today.”
“Dagnabit, Sparky,” she starts, “ya’ll just durn near… Nevermind. You can’t sneak up on a girl like that. And ya left without payment for helpin’ Mac with plowing that field under. Don’t you run off like that again, ya hear?”
“It really wasn’t necessary. I was just enjoying myself.”
“You durn near plowed under half that field. Ya’ll saved Big Mac enough time with his chores that he was able to see his lady friend. The big galoot bought her a gift and everything.”
I just laugh. “Tell you what. If you and your family haven’t started breakfast yet, I would love to join you. I imagine we would have to finish what you’re currently doing first. Is that a fair trade?”
“More’n fair, if ya ask me. Don’t you be sellin’ yourself short. I reckon we got some baskets to lay, and some breakfast to eat. Lets git to it.”
I pick up the cart full of baskets and walk among the trees, dropping a few under each one. Applejack chuckles and shakes her head. “Showoff,” she says under her breath. I just grin back at her. She places the baskets I drop in their correct positions, and before too long, the cart is empty. I carry it with me as we go back to the house and set it down where Applejack points. I morph to pony, and we walk inside. I lay the item I brought with me over the back of a chair.
“Sparky!” a little bundle of yellow and red energy rushes over to me. I wrap her up in a quick hug, then let her go so we can eat. As we move towards the dining area, she asks, “How’s Spike?”
I stop in place. Applejack heard the question and stops too. They are both looking at me. “Twilight and I had a good long talk with him yesterday. It’s going to be a rough time for him, but he’s already started to heal. Be there for him as a friend. I haven’t told him about your feelings, and I never will. That is your place. Try to give him at least a couple of weeks to recover. Also, before you tell him, make sure you go to Twilight. She has a lot more say in this than I do.”
She nods her head. We walk into the dining room, and I smile at the spread. Granny has pulled out all the stops here. Pancakes, fritters, eggs, toast, and some strange multicolored jam. It looks like a rainbow in a jar. I pick it up and examine it.
“Zap Apple Jam,” Applejack informs me. “Ya’ll are in for a real treat today. We’re the only farm that grows it. Given your ‘letric personality, Ah think you’re gonna like it. When they grow, Zap Apples are infused with Lightnin’. We still got plenty of jars out in our cellar, so help yourself.”
This sounds intriguing. But I cannot help but focus on another part of Applejack’s statement. “Is your house on top of your cellar? I don’t want to crash through another floor.”
Applejack just looks at me and chuckles. “Nah, our cellar is out back. An earth pony will always build her home on solid earth. No cellar or basement will ever be under an earth pony’s home if they can help it.”
We all take our places at the table. They again talk me into taking the head of the table, and no amount of protesting on my part makes any difference. Once that’s settled, we dig in. I go for a few slices of toast to try out the jam first. It sizzles and crackles down into my core, and I feel like I could take on the toughest of tasks. The family all start looking at me strangely. I look down at myself. I’m glowing, and electric sparks are shooting along the surface of my ‘fur’. It creates a slight tingling sensation that I find enjoyable.
“Ya’ll okay, Sparky?” asks Applejack. I nod my head and smile at her. After a moment, the glow fades and the sparking subsides, but I still feel energized. Everypony settles down and resumes eating. I stare in wonder at the jar of Zap Apple Jam. I have eaten only a few large spoonfuls of the stuff, and I feel like I just gorged myself on liquid lightning. I try to eat a few other items, but it’s really just nibbling.
“Ain’t ya’ll hungry, Sugercube?” asks Applejack. I just shake my head.
“The jam filled me up. It’s like I just tried to eat a thunderstorm. Would you mind if I kept this jar? I kinda want to see what Twilight thinks of it.”
“Ah ain’t gotta problem with it. Actually, if’n ya want, I can git ya a fresh jar from the cellar later. We’ll just call it a gift, kinda like your helpin’ Mac out the other day.”
I nod in agreement. Soon, breakfast is finished. Apple Bloom gathers her things and starts off for school. I may pop in later, but for now, I stay behind. We all head outside and get started with the day. I go ahead and drop my polymorph. Time for work.
“We’ll start with apple buckin’ first. Think ya could grab some more baskets, Sugercube?” asks Applejack. I nod and make my way over to the cart and grab it. The baskets themselves are kept inside a nearby shed. I load up the baskets and bring them out to the orchard where Big Mac and Applejack are waiting. We get into a configuration of me dragging the cart and throwing out baskets, Applejack getting them into place, and Big Mac bucking the trees. Every so often, we exchange places to keep everyone fresh. I find myself placing baskets with Big Mac pulling the cart, then I take over by shaking the trees while the siblings pull and place. The work goes quickly in this manner. After only a couple of hours, we take a break and look back over what we accomplished. This part of the orchard is about two thirds complete.
“Boy, howdy! Havin’ you around sure makes a difference!” states Applejack.
“Eeyup,” confirms her brother.
I take a seat and relax. Really, I am not doing anymore than they are. Even though I’m stronger than either of them, I cannot work any faster than they can. Actually, I believe the only reason we are going as quickly as we are is due to their experience. I’m just glad I’m not slowing them down. Even as strong as I am, it takes everything I can to keep up with them.
We get started again. I pull the cart and place all the baskets while Applejack and Big Mac both buck the trees. We keep up this frantic pace for an hour and complete the job. Applejack fetches a few apples out and tosses one to Big Mac. She offers me one, but I’m still going strong on jam.
“Good job, fellas. Ah can’t remember gettin’ through an orchard that quick. Ah’m almost tempted to keep goin’. Let’s get these here apples loaded and stored. Ah reckon we’re gonna have a good harvest this season,” says Applejack, a pleased look on her face.
We get the cart turned around (well, I pick it up and turn it around), and Applejack hitches herself to the front. Big Mac and I both load the baskets into the cart as she pulls it between the trees. At one point, Big Mac stops loading while I keep going. I can see why: My height lets me stack the baskets much higher than normal. I stop loading when I see the topmost baskets start to sway. Every bump almost topples the load, but I just put out an arm and steady it.
It takes a few trips, but we manage. By lunch, we’ve completed a task that usually takes the two siblings alone all day. I feel that good kind of tired after a hard day’s work. We walk back over to the farmhouse and inside, myself back in my pegasus form. Applejack goes upstairs for a moment and returns with a bag. She hands it to me and I gawk at the weight. I’m torn. I cannot possibly accept this much from them, but I know if I refuse it, they will be upset. Then I remember the item I brought with me earlier. I go to the chair and retrieve it. I give to Applejack what appears to be an ordinary bag.
After paying off the workers for completing Rarity’s floor, and entrusting the rest of the items I brought to Twilight, I was left with two bags of holding. I had no real use for two of them, so I decided to give one away. It was an easy decision who could get the most use out of it. Who else would need a near limitless storage space.
Applejack takes the bag with a questioning look. “I gave Twilight two bags just like it. By now, I’m sure she knows enough about them to make a few if she wanted. What you’re holding could hold all the apples in your orchard without getting any bigger. Of course, it would pretty much be impossible to move. However, if you were to use it for simple storage, or to help move baskets of apples around, well, I think you get the idea.”
She smiles, tears welling in her eyes. “Ah… Ah dunno what to say. Ah never even heard of such a thing. Where in tarnation did ya git it? Ah mean, thank you, Sugercube. This means a lot to me. We do sometimes hurt for storage space during applebuck season. We was gonna havta dig a new cellar ‘fore too much longer. I reckon with this here bag, why, Ah just… Thank you.” She walks over to me and gives me a hug. “The things ya’ll have done for me an’ my family, Ah’ll never forget. Thank you, Sparky.”
I smile and return the embrace. “You’re welcome. I’m glad to count you among my friends, Applejack.” We release each other, and go to the dining room. Applejack shows Granny Smith and Big Mac the bag and tells them of the possibilities it contains. As we eat lunch, I go over the same rules I gave Twilight about the bag.
“So, no livin’ thing can survive long in this here bag?” she asks.
I shake my head and respond, “Not if it needs to breath, and that’s only if the top is drawn closed. It creates an airtight seal that cannot be opened from the inside. The only way out would be to rip a hole in the side, which would ruin the bag.”
Applejack just shakes her head. “First thing Ah’m gonna do when Apple Bloom gits home from school is demand a pinkie promise to never hear the phrase: ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders Bag of Holdin’ Explorers YAY!’ from her or her friends. Ah reckon if’n Ah can git that promise from each of ‘em, Ah’ll be able to sleep tonight, and not a second before.”
Lunch ends and they inform me there’s nothing left for me to do today. If they get too far ahead with their apple bucking, the apples could spoil before they have a chance to be sold. Applejack presents me with two jars of Zap Apple Jam. Given that I’m still going strong on two spoonfuls of the stuff, This amount would last me a few months. First, I need to talk to Twilight about what this does to me. Just because I feel full and energized, doesn’t mean I should forgo eating everything but this delicious substance.
“Let me know when you want to buck another orchard, Applejack. I’ll look forward to it.”
“Go on and git, ya crazy dragon. Are ya’ll tryin’ to work us to death?” she asks, laughing. I grin back at her. “We usually apple buck every other day. Given the kinda speed you can keep up with, Ah’m gonna say every three to four days will suffice. Ah’ll be sellin’ these here apples at the market tomorrow if’n ya wanna come talk.”
“I might just do that. Take care, Applejack, Big Mac.”
“Eeyup!” they chorus together.
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It’s a nice day, so I walk from the orchard to the tree castle. I arrive after a little while and knock on the door. Twilight soon opens the door.
“Oh! I thought you might have been Spike. He went over to Rarity’s boutique this morning."
"Rarity's boutique?"
"Yeah, I think he’s looking for some closure. I really hope things go well for him. What can I do for you, Sparky?”
“Well, I came across an interesting phenomenon, and I was wondering if you would like to study it with me.”
“Research into an interesting phenomenon, you say? Color me intrigued! Tell me the basics,” she says, using her magic to summon a scroll and quill to her. We take up our spot on the nearby hill. It’s occupied by a few other ponies today, so I stay as I am. I lay down and bring out a jar of Jam.
She looks at the jar. “Zap Apple Jam? I know a good deal about it already. I actually have a few jars back at home.”
“So, you have already studied the effects it has on a lightning breathing dragon such as myself?” I ask her. Given how rare we who emit lightning are, I doubt this to be true. But this being Twilight, I just don’t know.
“Well, no. What effects have you noticed so far?”
“Well, I normally eat quite a bit. You have seen me eat. This morning, I ate two slices of toast with about a spoonful of this on each slice. That’s it. I nibbled on the rest of my breakfast, but I couldn’t really eat anymore. I have been hard at work at the farm since then, until about an hour before I knocked on your door. I still feel full. Not just full, energized. I feel fifty years younger. I kinda wanna eat a whole jar of it and see what happens. I’ve never heard of lightning infused apples before.”
“Alright, slow down a bit. We can’t rush into this. From what I know of the Zap Apple Harvest, the trees attract a storm from the Everfree Forest and are repeatedly struck by lightning. The trees themselves hold onto the charge until the fruit is ripe, at which time the charge is transferred to the apples. It would seem the lightning within these apples is absorbed into your being, causing you to feel sated as far as your food intake. You should watch your intake, though. I do not know if your body’s needs will be filled by such a meager amount of calories. I see no reason for you to not eat this on occasion, but I don’t think it’s healthy for you to replace your current diet with it outright.”
I sigh. She pretty much told me what I believed already. Still, it’s nice to know where the apples get their charge from. “Is there anything else?”
“Yes. I want you to be careful when you use this for another reason. It could be addictive for you. It may also be possible for you to overdo it and hurt yourself. I want you to watch yourself carefully when you eat any of this. If you notice something else happening, anything at all, I want you to find myself or Fluttershy immediately. Understood?”
I nod. This I hadn’t thought of. Well, I might as well do this safely. I bring out my other jar. “Take them. We might as well do this the correct way. So far, all I know is I can consume two spoonfuls with seemingly no ill effects. I am reluctant to try anymore without some kind of supervision. It might be better if we document the effects anyway.”
“I was hoping you would reach that decision yourself,” says Twilight. She takes both the jars and puts them away into her saddlebags. School should be letting out in about an hour, at which time Rainbow and Scootaloo will be stopping by.
“Care to go flying, Princess? Play hookey from the castle for a bit?”
She smiles and nods. We take off into the sky.
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Our flight takes us around the town and outlying countryside. Neither of us are particularly fond of stunts, so we just set an easy pace. By now, I can find my way around Ponyville by ground or air. An hour passes us by and we make our way over to the castle. Sure enough, there’s a rainbow streak heading that way as well. We angle our path to intercept.
“Whoa, Sparky! You actually managed to get Twilight out for a flight?! Awesome!” exclaims Rainbow Dash. She has Scoots on her back. The filly is having the time of her life. Twilight and I adjust our path and fly alongside Rainbow and Scootaloo. “We were just going to see you. You ready to do this, Squirt?”
Scootaloo loses her enthusiasm. A nervous look passes over her face. We settle in for a landing at the castle. Scootaloo remains on Rainbow’s back, refusing to get down. I make my way over to her.
“All we’re going to do is a few simple tests. Rainbow will be with you the whole time,” I say.
Rainbow nods in agreement. Scootaloo looks at me. “What about you? Can you be there, Sparky?”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry. The crystals inside the castle won’t support my weight. I have never been past the entryway. I really want to be there. I wish there was a way.”
Twilight reaches into her saddlebags. I see what she’s holding in her magic. The Jam. I consider it. I really consider it. If two spoonfuls have gotten me this far, what could ten do? Twelve? Fifteen? Scootaloo looks at me expectantly. I take the jar from Twilight. “I don’t know what will happen, but she’s worth the risk. Does somepony have a spoon?” I ask, chuckling. Twilight goes upstairs and retrieves a small spoon. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right. Twilight already has a quill and parchment. I start in on the jam.
After five spoonfuls, my mane is standing on end. two more and electric sparks are shooting off of me in all directions. Another three and I just can’t eat anymore. The energy inside of me makes it look like I’m on fire. I start directing the energy towards reducing my mass. As I do, the external 'fire' fades away. Here I go again, breaking my vows. I feel the same compression as before, but the fire is replaced with a steady warmth. Electric currents course their way through my veins, making me smile. Overall, aside from the squeezing from all sides part, it’s not bad. I nod to Twilight and we walk inside.
The room her equipment is kept in is rather large. I try to keep away from everything in it, as well as everypony. I am still emitting the occasional electrical discharge. Rainbow Dash hasn’t taken her eyes off me.
“So. Awesome!” she states, looking on in amazement. Scootaloo is likewise mesmerized. She barely notices Twilight placing wires along her wings, hooves, and a helmet on her head. I lie down to try to conserve energy. The room is large enough to take my normal shape, but doing so would put me in closer proximity to the equipment that is now reading Scootaloo’s magical flows. I see the door into this room has been left open. I silently thank Twilight for having the foresight to clear my way should I need to make a hasty exit. So far, I am holding.
A few minutes later, the machines being to produce parchment with various readouts. Twilight takes the paper and analyzes it. She makes a few adjustments, and goes back to reading the papers produced. A large discharge escapes my left hoof into the floor. The sound causes everypony to jump. Scootaloo keeps the connections on herself, in spite of her movement. Twilight takes a few more readings, then shuts down the machines. Scootaloo is disconnected, and we all go back downstairs.
In the entryway again, I bring my mass back up. The compression fades, but is replaced by increased discharges of electricity. I go outside to avoid zapping everypony. I make my way behind the castle and, seeing nopony around, I shoot off a good sized bolt into the sky. The sound is close to an explosion. I run back to the front of the castle and go back inside. Twilight glares at me, then continues what she is saying.
“Thank you for joining us, Sparky. I found the magical connections in her wing are all functional except the ones on the leading edge. The connection appears to be severed just after the first joint. I will need more tests to find if this is repairable. We still have a ways to go, but We should be able to get you in the air, Scootaloo.”
Scootaloo jumps in the air. Her wings flutter rapidly, causing her to slowly drift back down. Murmurs of excitement fill the entryway from all of us. I look at her and smile. Rainbow walks over to me.
“That was awesome what you did for her, Sparky. It really means a lot to me, too. I’m not so great with the whole saying sorry thing, but, you know. Sorry. I’m glad she has you for a friend.
“Don’t sell yourself short, ‘Dashie’,” I say. She frowns at me, then chuckles.
“Usually only Pinkie Pie calls me that. For some reason, Twi has too lately. Nopony, or dragon, has that privilege. Because of what you did today, I’ll allow it that once.”
I nod and smile. She grins back. My hoard grows larger. I would offer her a hug, but I doubt she does that very much, and I might electrocute her. The discharges have stopped, but I still feel the electric currents going through my body. No point in tempting fate anymore than I already have.
“Twilight, I was going to go check in with Fluttershy. Scootaloo, are you okay now?” I ask.
“I’m Awesome! I’m gonna learn to fly!” she exclaims. I nod to her, and wave. Rainbow picks the filly up and plants her on her back. Scoots wraps her hooves around Rainbow Dash’s neck. Twilight bids me farewell, and I leave the castle.
I take off into the air, and fly across town towards Fluttershy’s cottage. I am passing over city hall when I feel sick. My insides start spasming and I lose control over my polymorph, making me revert to my draconic state. I see her cottage, but start to feel my wings lock in place. I shift my weight and try to glide. This landing is going to hurt. Muscular spasms hit my limbs and neck, and I growl in pain. I squint my eyes, trying not to curl into a ball in mid flight. I have to land. I try to angle downwards, but my movements are sluggish at best. I pass over Fluttershy’s cottage, still growling. The ground finally decides to meet me. I manage to roll over onto my back and finally tuck my wings. The impact is loud and about as painful as you would expect. The local animals all look towards me, and immediately run towards the cottage. My forward momentum finally stops and I am now wracked with pain. My limbs refuse to move due to my spasming muscles. I cannot even lift my head to look around. I somehow managed to land in a clearing.
I keep my eyes open through pure will. Some animals have come to investigate what’s going on. Finally, Fluttershy arrives.
“Sparky! What happened!” she yells quietly. Only Fluttershy could yell quietly. I wonder how she does that. “Answer me, please.” Those eyes. I look into them. Blackness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I open my eyes. Blinding. Pain. Fluttershy. Eyes. Blackness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I keep my eyes closed. Voices. Soft, kind. Fluttershy. Another. Raspy. Arrogant. Rainbow Dash. A third. Calm. Questioning. In Charge. Twilight.
I growl. “Don’t move.” Twilight. I try to move. Can’t. Panic. I growl again. Louder. I open my eyes. Twilight. Horn glowing. I look away. I begin to take in my surroundings. I’m outside. I try to move. I still can’t. I start to crave something. I want jam. I think I need it. I close my eyes. No. Using it got me here. I try to speak. Growl. “You’re okay, Sparky.” Twilight again. No, I’m not. I hurt, and I cannot move. I focus on the pain.
Right forelimb. Pain at first joint. Probably dislocated.
Left forelimb. Minimal pain. Bruising. Probably some cuts.
Left rear leg. Extreme pain below second joint. Probably fractured.
Right rear leg. Muscle Spasms. Pain at second joint. Another dislocation.
I open my eyes again. Twilight is standing in front of me. I try to speak again. “Jam.” No. I close my eyes and try to shake my head. It barely moves. I reopen my eyes. “Twilight.” Better. I try something else. “Ouch.” Well, I can relay that I’m in pain. I need full sentences here. I stare at Twilight. She is using magic. I think I know why. “Magic?”
Twilight nods her head. I finish my question. “No moving?” I ask. She again nods her head. I am being magically restrained. I shift my focus around, and see Fluttershy. She is just barely in my vision. Rainbow Dash is standing behind Twilight. Darkness starts to fill my vision. Staying awake is overrated anyway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Sparky?” asks a voice.
“Yes?” I respond.
“Can you open your eyes, please?” asks Fluttershy. I comply. Light. Bouncing. I try to lift my head, and succeed. I am still in the clearing where I crashed. The light is coming from a nearby fire. I look up and take in the night sky.
“Ouch. Remind me not to crash again, please,” I request.
“How are you feeling?” asks Twilight as she walks over from the fire.
“Like I crashed. I think I have at least two dislocations, and one fracture of my left rear leg. The pain has started to go down,” I respond.
“There were no broken bones. I scanned you myself. You’re right about the dislocations, though. I don’t know how we can reduce them. I can try, but I don’t know enough about your anatomy to know if they would be in their proper place.”
“I know how. I just need a scroll. I guess my brother gets to pay me back for when I reduced his arm. I totally won that fight.”
Rainbow comes out of the darkness. “You fought your brother? Why?”
I smile, remembering. “Because we wanted to. We would challenge each other all the time. Usually it would be until first blood. Sometimes we would go until one yielded. I have broken their bones, and had my own broken in turn. We always repair the injuries we inflict on each other. Rarity actually saw me and another of my brothers wrestle in my hoard. Nothing serious on that occasion, though. We never wrestle for real in front of guests.”
Rainbow just looks at me. She shakes her head, then walks to the fire. Twilight finds some parchment. “Just write down my major injuries, and our location. A map would be helpful as well. He will be a while, but I doubt he will take longer than two days to get here. Rainbow?” I call out. She trots over. “When he gets close, it would be best if you could meet him and bring him here. Close in this case may mean anywhere within 100 miles. He can get a bit lost at times. He may or may not be polymorphed when her arrives. His pony form is a Unicorn. Just look for a pony who kinda looks like me, and is flying without wings.”
Rainbow Dash looks at me in shock. “Without wings?” she asks. I nod my head. “And he can still fly?” I nod again. “You’re kidding, right?” I shake my head.
“A dragon can fly while polymorphed. Whatever shape we happen to be in, we can fly. We usually don’t fly without being in a form that has wings because most dragons still need them for control. Just trust me on this.”
Twilight finishes writing on her paper. A few minutes later, Fluttershy returns with a map of equestria. Ponyville is circled, and an ‘x’ is placed on our exact location. Twilight also included instructions to send the message back to me when he got close. I take the items and place them in my mouth. I picture my older brother, and send it off. The bolt shoots out of my mouth, and into the night sky. Now we wait.