//------------------------------// // Picnic Planner and Dragon // Story: Applejack Through the Ages // by Paradise Oasis //------------------------------// Picnic Planner and Dragon "Okay, so you'll be staying here." Apple Spice told the red mare, a wide smile on her face. "You can make up picnic baskets for the ponies in town, and I'm sure they'll all love em'!" Applejack was standing outside a giant, apple-shaped house in the middle of Ponyville park. Although some ponies back in her day would have thought this structure was gaudy and tacky, AJ would have had to remind them how cheesy and tasteless some of the buildings in old Ponyville had appeared. "Wow, this place is sooo cool!" The old red mare exclaimed, looking around at the furnishings inside her little red abode. "I'm really gonna love living here, and making friends with all the different ponies here in Ponyville!" "We ponies aren't the only creatures that live in this town, AJ!" Apple Spice replied with a giggle, looking down the path towards the entrance. "And here come one of those non-ponies right now!" Applejack looked towards the direction her cousin was pointing a hoof, and saw a most odd little creature strolling towards them. It was a small purple reptile with a belly of yellow scales- a pygmy dragon, unless AJ was mistaken. He had a small tuft of pink scale-hair on top of his head, and was carrying a small pocket watch he was carrying on a chain, which he seemed to be twirling around as he hummed to himself. Although she was sure she had never met this newcomer before, Applejack could have sworn there was something oddly familiar about him.... "Ahhh, Apple Spice! So good to see you out and about on this fine day!" The dragon greeted the younger mare, bowing politely to her. "And who is this newcomer pony I see here before me? Is she a friend of yours?" "Oh, hello Spike!" Apple Spice giggled, waving at the dragon as he approached. "No Spike, this is my cousin, Applejack! AJ, this is our dear friend, Master Kengrowth Gilspothum Heathspike, the dragon who lives in the town's castle, and knows everything about everything!" Spike?! Applejack asked in shock, looking the newcomer over with some surprise. That was a name the mare knew from the dim past, but this funny little dragon didn't look anything like him. Sure, he was almost twice the size of Twilight's little assistant when she saw him last, but how in the world could little Spike have grown into this? "Ahhh, so you're Applejack, our new picnic planner!" The dragon said with a smile, shaking the elder mare's hoof. "Rainbow Dash has told me all about you! You popped up out of nowhere, and you turn into a swan whenever you're away from the lake- no, wait, that's that other lady..." "And it's so nice to meet you, Master Heathspike!" AJ replied, trying not to laugh at Spike's mixing her up for a fairy tale character. "I never knew Ponyville had it's own honest-to-goodness dragon!" "Oh, I've been asleep for the past thousand years ago, so it's no wonder you haven't heard of me." Spike replied with a chuckle, putting his pocket watch away somewhere on his scales. "But I just woke up recently, to help guide and protect the ponies of Ponyville whenever and however they need me!" Well then, Applejack decided, that ruled out Heathspike being the dragon she had known... Spike wasn't even a few hundred years old yet, let alone being over a thousand! Still, she couldn't shake the feeling she knew this dragon somehow... perhaps she had met him somewhere, and forgotten? "Well, I hope you will be able to guide me with your wonderful advice too, Master Kengrowth." She replied politely, bowing again. "I'm sure your ancient wisdom could only benefit a poor little pony like me." "Indeed! Now, I hope you are ready to do some basket a arranging, because we're having a tropical picnic on butterfly island next week!" The purple dragon smiled. " Knowing those Pegasus, I sure hope you pack a lot of ice cream!" As the little Dragon left, Applejack shot her cousin a quizzical look. "Butterfly Island? What's that?" "Oh, that's the tropical island you get to, through the passage under the waterfall." Apple Spice replied, trotting back inside the small house. "All the Pegasus live out there." "The Pegasus all live separate?" AJ asked quizzically, remembering how she hadn't seen any winged ponies or unicorns since she had arrived in town. "That go for the unicorns, too?" Yep, they all live in Unicornia!" Apple Spice giggled, helping her cousin move some boxes around. "We may live in different places, but we're all one big happy family!" The two were working in AJ's small kitchen, setting things up and moving her in, when they both heard a loud vroom sound coming from outside. "Wait, what's that noise?" Applejack asked, her ears perking up. "I dunno." Apple Spice replied."But it sounds like it's coming this way..." Suddenly, a large motorized scooter with two mares on it, came zipping up behind the house, and suddenly smashed through the window behind the house, and came smashing through the window. "Look out!" Applejack screamed, as she and her cousin jumped away from the shattering window. "Aieeeeeeee!" The scooter mashed down on the kitchen table, making a mess of everything around them. The two mares riding the thing groggily got off the bike, taking their helmets off. "Minty, I swear I'm NEVER letting you drive again!" The orange earth mare grumbled, looking at the damage to her bike. "Sparkleworks is gonna be furious about repairing this thing again!" "Awww, I'm so sorry, Scootaloo! I didn't mean to mess things up again." The blue mare looked around, her eyes going wide at the sight of the other two mares. "Ohmygosh, Apple Spice! We didn't know anyone was in here! Are you two okay!?" "Yeah yeah, we're fine!" Apple Spice grumbled, helping her cousin up. "If you're gonna be driving that thing, you really should be more careful!" "Sorry, I'll really try to be more careful next time." The ditzy mare then spotted AJ. "Oh, Apple! Is this a new friend of yours?" "Huh. I've never seen you around before." Scootaloo noted, trotting around the other mare, looking her up and down. "My name's Scootaloo, you new to this crazy town?" Seeing two ponies crash though her window out of the blue, along with how the other mares acted like smashing though a pony's window was an everyday occurrence, AJ responded the only way she knew how... THUD! "Ohmygosh! Is she okay?" "Yeah, Minty... I think she just fainted!" "Quick, Scootaloo! Go over to Rainbow Dash's and ask to borrow her fainting couch for my cousin!"