“Hoowee, y’all sure weren’t kiddin’ ‘bout this place bein’ downright deadly!” Sol Do exclaimed, eyeing the surrounding swampland, wide-eyed with shock.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac replied, shifting the straw in his mouth. He glanced over at Sol Do with a raised brow. “Y’all got yer boots strapped on nice an’ tight?”
Sol Do lifted her legs up one by one for him to see, each one covered by a black, flame-retardant boot. “Y’all wanna check an’ see fer yourself?” she asked, her eyes going half-lidded.
“Nah, Ah trust ya,” Big Mac replied with a smile. “Now let’s get goin’.”
The two set off into the swamp, Big Macintosh pulling the delivery cart while Sol Do kept to his side, twirling her pogo-axe in her magic and keeping her eyes peeled for danger.
To Sol Do, the swamp looked like something from an end-of-world scenario. Every tree in sight was either dead or twisted and dead, with branches that looked ready to reach out and grab her. The whole environment was tinted a burnt orange, a direct result of all the fire geysers strewn throughout the swamp. The scent of burning peat kept invading Sol Do’s nostrils as she walked, eventually forcing her to limp along at a three-legged gait while she held a fore leg over her muzzle in disgust, bringing her to the same speed as Big Mac, who kept his gaze straight ahead while only occasionally sparing Sol Do an aside glance to make sure she was alright. He smiled cheekily upon noticing her discomfort.
“This place…” Sol Do trailed off. She turned to Big Mac, who quickly cast his eyes upward to look innocent. “How many times did you have to go through here to get used to the smell?”
“Never bothered ta count,” Big Mac replied with a shrug. “But yeah, it was a lot.”
“If only I was as used to it as you…” Sol Do briefly trailed off before lifting her hoof away from her muzzle. The swamp’s awful smell immediately assaulted her nostrils, but she resisted the temptation to cover her muzzle again. She took a deep breath, the horrid swamp air making her gag slightly, and held her mouth closed. You can get through this, Sol Do, just be diligent and it’ll all come to pass before you know it.
The two followed the designated path for about an hour. Every now and then a fire geyser spewed up nearby their position, including one instance where it came right underneath Sol Do’s hind legs, startling her and making her drop her pogo-axe.
“Are y’all okay!?” Big Mac said with worry.
“Y-Yeah, I-I-I’m fine,” Sol Do stuttered. Her entire body trembled while the sudden burst of adrenaline subsided, and she let out a long-winded sigh before picking her pogo-axe back up. “Just a little spooked is all.”
Big Mac took a moment to inspect Sol Do’s person for burns. Finding none, he gave her an appreciative smile. “Good thing y’all were wearin’ them boots, otherwise you’d have been burned to a crisp,” he said.
“Yeah, thanks fer givin’ them ta me,” Sol Do said with a blush before they resumed their journey.
The farther they traveled into the swamp, the more Sol Do became increasingly curious and concerned about one particular detail about their surroundings. Namely, how they hadn’t seen a single form of fauna all throughout their journey. Granted, she couldn’t think of anything that would want to live in such a foul swamp, but she still found it strange that they hadn’t seen a single animal, even dangerous ones like a timberwolf or a manticore, creatures she would’ve expected to see in such a foreboding place.
“Big Mac?” she said suddenly.
He turned to her. “Yes?”
“In all the times you’ve come through here, did y’all ever see any wildlife?” Sol Do looked all around them. “Cause Ah haven’t seen a single critter since we entered, and, quite frankly, it’s a little… no, it’s very unsettling.”
Big Mac looked up in thought. “...Ya know, come ta think of it, Ah don’t recall ever seein’ any critters here,” he said, then looked on either side of them, as well as behind, before giving Sol Do a curious stare. “Y’all think that means somethin’?”
“I’ve heard that smaller animals will vacate an area in which bigger predators are known to hunt.” Sol Do looked worriedly around them while subconsciously holding her pogo-axe up a bit higher. “I don’t know what kind of animal might live in such a wretched place, but it’s still unnerving that we haven’t seen even a small trace of other wildlife...” Her eyes roamed their surroundings, attempting to pick out any oddities amongst the nightmarish landscape that could indicate a predator’s presence. “...You don’t think we’re being stalked, do you Big Mac?”
Big Mac opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted when a sudden, faint noise reached their ears, which perked up in response.
“What was that?” Big Mac asked, suddenly alarmed.
“I don’t know,” Sol Do replied with a shake of her head, eyes wide with fear. “And, maybe it’s just my paranoia speaking, but did it sound like someone... whispering?”
“They’re on to us!”
Both ponies jumped at the sudden exclamation from behind them. They whirled around in a flash, and what they saw made their eyes shrink to pinpricks. Emerging from a brush they’d passed only a few seconds ago, was a creature that both ponies could only describe as being unnatural. It was made up of three distinctly different animal bodies: a tiger, a goat, and a snake, all mish-mashed together in a textbook display of asymmetry. The former two made up the main body, while the snake was a very literal tail that curled around to join the other two in staring at the two ponies with hungry, predatory eyes as the tri-beast ripped through the brush with its front tiger claws.
“What the hay is that thing?” Sol Do whispered to Big Mac through her mouth’s corner once she snapped back to her senses.
“Don’t know,” he whispered back, then gulped. “But whatever it is, it don’t look like it’s hungry fer apple pie.”
The hybrid creature stopped within a few yards’ length of them, switching their three separate gazes between the two ponies, sizing them up. They paid particular attention to Sol Do’s pogo-axe, but they seemed more curious about it than actually concerned. Sol Do and Big Mac could only tense under their collective gaze, the hairs on their necks standing up with fright.
“I’d stay where you are,” the tiger head finally said. “This is the only safe spot around here.”
Sol Do and Big Mac gave each other an aside glance before briefly looking around at the nightmarish swampland surrounding them. A slight tinge of confusion mixed with their fright at the monster’s words.
“How is this spot safe?” Sol Do managed to croak out.
“Oh, we just mean from the flames,” the tiger head clarified, giving her a smug, toothy grin.
“Yeah, not from us,” the goat head added with its own grin.
“Better ussss than the flamessss,” the snake tail put in, narrowing its eyes at the two ponies.
“Well, we’re good against the flames,” Sol Do said with an uneasy smile as she wiggled one of her boot-clad hooves for emphasis. “A-And we’re just passin’ through ta make a delivery, so we’ll be gone ‘fore ya know it.” She took a few hesitant steps backward, to which Big Mac followed, an uneasy smile creasing his own muzzle. The cart dragged along with him, becoming an obstacle between them and the monster. “Really, there’s no need fer trouble. Right?”
Her words proved fruitless as the monster began following them, heads low and teeth bared as low growls emanated from the tiger and goat heads and a soft hiss from the snake tail.
“We haven’t eaten in days,” the tiger head growled.
“We’ll eat anything,” the goat head added. “That much we agree on.”
“We’ve never tassssted pony hide before,” the snake tail finished. “But it ssssoundssss delicioussss.”
Sol Do and Big Mac gulped in unison as they increased their backward pace. The monster just picked up its own pace in response, the look of hunger in each pair of its eyes growing more pronounced and terrifying to the ponies.
“Y’all think ya can take it on?” Big Mac whispered to Sol Do.
“No, quite frankly, I do not think that I can take it on,” she replied with frightened conviction. “Taking on a diamond dog is one thing, but taking on a hybrid freak of nature as big as that thing is above my limits.” Sol Do briefed a glance behind her to make sure they weren’t backing into an obstacle. Seeing none, she turned to Big Mac. “Here’s an idea; give them the pies.”
Big Mac turned to her with a befuddled expression. “Pardon?”
“You heard me, give them the pies.” Sol Do glanced at the cart separating them from the hybrid creature. “They said they’re hungry enough that they’ll eat anything; better the pies than us.”
Big Mac briefly stared at her before looking at the cart with a forlorn gaze. Sol Do noticed his eyes slightly water up before he scrunched them closed, a look of distress coming over his face. Knowing how much the Apple family prided itself in being dependable providers, Sol Do stopped and laid a comforting hoof on his withers. Big Mac stopped as well and turned to regard her with a look akin to that of somepony attending a loved one’s funeral. Sol Do gave him a sympathetic smile before turning to the monster with a resolute gaze.
“If y’all are so hungry,” she said, trying her best to sound confident despite the fear coursing through her veins, “why don’t ya help yourself to the delicious apple pies in there.” She gestured with her head to the cart.
The monster’s three parts stopped and stared blankly for a moment before turning to give the cart a scrutinizing gaze.
“Apple… pies?” the tiger half intoned.
“We’ve never heard of those,” the goat half followed up.
“Are they delicioussss?” the snake tail finished.
“Oh, are they ever!” Sol Do exclaimed, proceeding toward the cart. “The Apple family, of which that dashing stallion belongs to—” she gestured with her head to Big Mac while giving him a wink which the stallion could only smile nervously at, “—makes the best Apple foods in all of Equestria. If’n ya love apples, then you’ll definitely love anythin’ and everythin’ that comes outta their kitchen.” She clutched the cloth wrapped over the cart with her teeth and pulled it off with a few good tugs, revealing the white boxes carrying Apple family apple pies stacked underneath. She then set down her pogo-axe, freeing her magic to levitate one of the boxes over to the monster, and opened it.
All three of the monster’s heads crowded around to look at the warm pastry placed inside. The pie’s scent was quick to invade their nostrils, and their eyes widened in response to its savory aroma. Their tongues fell out almost comically, little bits of saliva running out and dropping to the ground.
“That smell...” the tiger head drawled.
“So good…” the goat head followed.
“Musssst have…” the snake tail hissed.
“Help yourselves,” Big Mac said with a sigh as he unhitched the cart from himself.
What followed was a cacophony of shredded cardboard, vicious chomps, and arguing as the three parts tore the box apart and fought to claim the apple pie within for themselves. Cardboard scraps, crust pieces, and apple bits flew everywhere as their ravenous assault saw to the pie’s demise in less than five seconds.
“Mmm-mmm! That was delicious!” the tiger head said, licking its lips clean.
“I concur,” the goat head followed with a brilliant gleam in its eyes.
“Quit talking!” the snake tail shouted. “There’ssss more piessss to devour!”
Sol Do and Big Mac leapt aside as the monster jumped atop the cart and resumed its assault on the remaining pies it contained. With the monster’s attention fully on the pies, the ponies took off running back the way they’d come, sparing a few glances back in case the monster began chasing them.
They continued running all the way out of the swamp, coming out onto a beautiful green pasture overlooking the east side of Ponyville. Sweet Apple Acres could be seen in the distance, just over a few hills at the end of a dirt path leading to Ponyville. The distant figures of Apple Bloom and Granny Smith with a thin wisp of smoke rising from a pot in between them could be seen next to the barn. Both ponies briefly paused to catch their breath upon crossing the border, after which Sol Do glanced back into the swamp, feeling relieved upon seeing nothing was following them.
“I think we’re safe now,” she said, only to get no reply. Turning to him, Sol Do frowned at the despair in Big Mac’s features as he looked sullenly at the ground. She placed a comforting hoof on his withers and gave him a sympathetic gaze. “I’m sorry about the pies, Big Mac.”
Big Mac said nothing as he looked up at the distant form of his family’s property with a sad gleam in his eyes. Sol Do noticed this, and upon realizing what he was thinking, stepped in front of him so he could see the sympathy in her own eyes. She lifted a hoof to caress his cheek, giving it a light stroke as she continued speaking.
“I’m terribly sorry I couldn’t get us safely through. When I agreed to be your bodyguard, I hadn’t thought I’d actually need to fight something, but I was prepared to nonetheless should the need arise.” Letting out a heavy sigh, she cast her gaze downward. “That is, assuming whatever we encountered wasn’t the size of a wagon, or had three heads. I wish I could say taking on creatures that big are within my capability to fight, but I know my limits, and such creatures aren’t included in them.”
Big Mac looked down at her just as Sol Do finished. “I really am sorry Big Mac, and I hope you’ll believe me when I say I want to make it up to you.”
A few moments of silence passed between them, during which time Sol Do couldn’t bring herself to look up out of uncertainty as to Big Mac’s reaction. Only when she felt a hoof on her withers did she look up to see him giving her a soft smile, making Sol Do blush slightly and look aside in response.
“Let’s just get back and break the news to my family,” he said plainly. “If’n y’all wanna make it up ta me, you can start by helpin’ me with that at least.”
A quick nod of affirmation from Sol Do and the two set off toward Sweet Apple Acres.
“So, Granny Smith, are we almost done?” Apple Bloom said, looking into the boiling cauldron with a curious, yet excited gaze.
“Cool yer caboose, whipper-snapper!” Granny Smith said, nudging her granddaughter away from the cauldron. “We’ve still gotta stir the darned thing ‘fore servin’ it!”
“Oh yeah, can I do that part?”
“Course ya can!” Granny Smith said gleefully. “Long as ya don’t mind usin’ a timberwolf’s femur ta do it!”
Apple Bloom bounced. “You betcha Ah ca—wait, what’s a ‘fee-mur’?”
Granny Smith chuckled and gave her the branch she was holding. “Never you mind that, young’un. Jus’ stir the pot in spirals while singin’ “The Apple Tree’s Shadow” to it.”
Apple Bloom stared blankly for a moment before shrugging and taking the branch in her mouth. She walked up to the pot and dipped the branch inside, then began stirring exactly as Granny Smith had instructed. She quickly noticed that everywhere the branch went, the cider surrounding it would turn a sparkling shade of dark green.
Zap apples are weird, she mused internally.
“Hey y’all!”
Granny Smith and Apple Bloom turned to see Applejack heading their way from the front gate, pulling an empty cart behind her.
“Hey'a shere zis!” Apple Bloom called around the branch. Setting it aside the pot for a second, she followed up with, “Back from the market already!?”
“Uh-huh!” Applejack called back. “An’ boy howdy, the townsfolk sure were eager ta buy our apples today!”
“Land’s sakes Applejack!” Granny Smith called. “Didja sell off every single apple in stock!?”
“Ah sure did, Granny,” Applejack replied. She walked over to the barn’s side and unhitched the cart before heading over to her family while carrying a small, bulging manilla sack in her mouth, soft jingling sounds emanating from it all the while. She dropped the sack at Granny’s hooves, freeing her mouth for a smug grin. “Easy as apple pie, it was.”
“You young’uns and yer egos,” Granny Smith said, giving Applejack a playful nudge with her hoof. “Well, all’s good s’long as ya made the bits fair and square.”
“Don’t worry, I did,” Applejack replied, then glanced around the farm a few times. “So, Big Mac an’ Sol Do back yet?”
“Nope, they ain’t back yet,” Granny Smith said as she reached down to grab the bit sack with her teeth, “but my gut says they’ll be back soon.” She was about to clutch the sack when a slight movement in the distance caught her attention. Squinting to see it better, she smiled. “Good ta know my gut ain’t failin’ me yet.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow as she turned around, only for her face to light upon seeing the distant forms of her older brother and Rarity’s cousin following the dirt path toward the farm. Their cart was empty, as expected, but as they grew closer Applejack noticed saddened expressions on their faces, and their descent seemed to grow increasingly sluggish, almost even hesitant, to Applejack’s eyes.
Granny Smith noticed this too. “Wonder what’s eatin’ them?” she whispered to Applejack.
“Ah don’t know, Granny,” Applejack replied, shaking her head. “But we’ll know in a minute, I guess.”
They watched as Sol Do and Big Mac finished descending the hill and approached the gate, Sol Do opening it with her magic to let Big Mac through. He appeared to say ‘thanks’, but continued to hold his gloomy expression, as did she. They appeared to share another moment of discussion before trodding toward the barn, with Big Mac making a brief detour to drop off his cart alongside Applejack’s before re-joining Sol Do. Neither of them once met either Granny or Applejack’s gaze as they slowly, sullenly, approached them.
“Uh… are you two, like… okay?” Applejack asked, her rising sense of awkwardness mixed with concern for them making itself obvious in her tone.
They remained silent for a moment before Sol Do turned to Big Mac and asked him, “Y’all wanna let me spill it ta them?”, to which he simply nodded in response.
“Spill what to us?” Granny Smith asked, suspicion evident in her tone.
Sol Do gave Apple Bloom, who was still stirring the cauldron while singing the instructed song, a brief glance before beckoning Applejack and Granny Smith a bit farther away from the little filly. Once she was sure they were outside of Apple Bloom’s hearing range, Sol Do continued.
“I’m terribly sorry, both of you,” she said, looking between Granny and AJ, “but the truth is… we didn’t deliver the apple pies. Or, I should say, couldn’t deliver them.”
“‘Couldn’t’?” Applejack parroted, raising a curious brow. “Why not? An’ iff’n y’all didn’t deliver ‘em, where’d they go?”
“We ran into a monster in the swamp just before the village,” Sol Do explained. “Freakish thing, too. Part tiger, part goat and part snake, and each one could talk all on its own. They admitted to stalking us with the intent of making us their next meal. We only escaped by letting them have the pies instead.”
“Wait, seriously!?” Applejack said, eyes wide with shock as she turned to Big Macintosh. “Is that true, Big Mac?”
“Eeyup,” he replied with a sigh.
“Good gravy, ain’t never there been monsters in that swamp in all my years livin’ ‘round here,” Granny Smith said with as much amazement as could be conveyed in her brittle old voice, “much less freaky hybrid ones. Back in my day, monsters, no matter how weird they were, had the decency ta stick to one identity. What kind’a creature has three separate heads like that anyway!?”
Applejack tilted her head in thought. “... Ah think Twilight might’a said somethin’ about creatures made up of different animals bein’ called—what was it… chimeras?”
“Whatever they’re called, we had to feed it the pies to keep from being eaten ourselves.” Sol Do looked down with her eyes closed in a show of admittance as she continued. “Well, actually, it was my idea to give’em the pies. If either of you’s mad, don’t blame Big Mac for this. It was all my fault, honestly.”
All was silent for a few moments, broken only by Apple Bloom’s singing a few yards away. Sol Do could feel everyone else’s collective gaze on her, but didn’t know whether they were filled with anger or sympathy. She felt too ashamed to even look up and check. She’d been tasked with protecting not just Big Mac, but the pies as well along the journey, and failed out of cowardice. She knew that monster, or ’chimera’ if Applejack was correct, was beyond her capacity to fight, but the sting of failure hurt in spite of that truth.
Finally, Applejack broke the silence. “Sol Do, look at me, please.”
Hesitantly, she complied, and was relieved to see that Applejack looked none too pissed off at her. In fact, Sol Do thought she could see the beginning of a tear in Applejack’s eyes as she continued.
“Don’t you dare blame yourself fer losin’ the pies. Iff’n what y’all say is true, an’ Ah can tell that it is, I know I would’ve done the same thin’. Am I upset? Heck yeah, but not one bit at you. No siree, the only thing I’m mad at is that now Ah’ve gotta find a way to get across that swamp with both myself and them Cajun ponies’ order intact. But at least Ah made ‘nough bits today ta make up fer that loss.”
Applejack paused for a moment as she laid a hoof over Sol Do’s withers. “Ah don’t know if I can ever give ya enough thanks fer savin’ my brother, so I’ll just say it to ya straight.” A warm, genuine smile crossed her muzzle, and the tear in her eyes dropped to the ground. “Thank you for saving my brother, Sol Do.”
“Same here,” Granny Smith added as she joined in on the hug, followed by Big Mac.
Sol Do felt some mixed emotions swell up inside her in response. She felt excited that Big Mac was making physical contact with her, but also surprised and a little relieved that the Apple family held no ill will towards her for what happened. Another part of her still felt concerned for Applejack in response to her statement about making the trip through the swamp herself and facing down the chimera. In the end, she decided to return the hug with a smile, intentionally snuggling closer into Big Mac’s grip.
The hug lasted for a few moments before Apple Bloom’s voice called out to them.
“Hey'a, Granny Smith! What’s it mean when the cider’s givin’ off bolts like this!?”
Granny Smith pulled out of the hug and made way towards her granddaughter. “Sounds like it’s ready fer servin’, then!” she answered.
“What’s happenin’ now?” Sol Do asked.
“Y’all wanted a taste of Zap Apple Cider, remember, Miss Sol Do?” Apple Bloom asked, running up to her while Granny Smith inspected the pot. “Granny Smith an’ I’ve been makin’ some since the day before yesterday!”
“Oh yeah, I remember.” Sol Do gave the pot a cursory glance before turning to Big Macintosh. “How’s about another picnic, jus’ the two of us?” she asked, then gave him a challenging stare. “Think y’all can drink me under a table, big guy?”
Big Mac’s eyes widened with surprise for a moment at Sol Do’s sudden challenge before settling into a determined grin as he locked gazes with her, the air between them ripe with intensity.
“Eeyup,” he finally replied.
“Now hold on there you two,” Applejack said, stepping between them and giving Big Mac a furrowed gaze. “Y’all know our rule ‘bout drinkin’ Zap Apple Cider; sips only.”
“And why might that be?” Sol Do asked, puzzled.
“‘Cause this stuff’s stronger ‘n a pack of oxen buffed up on protein shakes!” Granny Smith said, looking up from the pot. She gestured for them to come over, which they did, Sol Do looking at the pot with a skeptical eye all the while. “How tolerant would ya say you are, Miss Do?”
Sol Do gave a dismissive wave. “Ah’ve drank more‘n I can remember without losin’ my head.” She peered into the pot, scrutinizing the boiling cider within, unmindful of the electric zaps arcing across the bubbly surface. “Ah’m pretty sure I can take this ‘ere cider like the tolerant mare that Ah am.”
“Suit yourself, young’un,” Granny Smith said with a shrug. “Don’t say Ah didn’t warn ya, though.”
Sol Do rolled her eyes. “Sure.” She turned to Big Mac. “So, ya down fer tonight? Maybe around seven o’clockish?”
Big Mac lowered himself so he was eye to eye with Sol Do, his challenging gaze never wavering. “Bring. It. On.”
Apple Bloom blinked, then whispered to Applejack. “Is this a normal thing fer grown-ups?”
Applejack sighed, letting a wistful smile, directed to no one in particular, stretch across her muzzle before replying, “Only among our friends ‘n family.”