„Cock-a-doodle-do!“ The cock's cry rang in Applejack's ears. It welcomed the first orange shimmer of Celestia's sun. The orange mare yawned and sat up in her bed. The blanket went down her back, crumpling. Her green eyes looked at the thine slit of the carpet. The sun painted a small, white line in the room.
It was a small bedroom and hardly had any furinture. Apart from Applejack's bed and the nightstand, there was only a large box with the farmer's private things. „Alright, I feel ready for that day!“ The mare climbed out of the bed and stretched herself. She picked up her hat and placed it on her mane. The farmers were all that enthusiastic, because each one shared a simple golden rule: Live this day as if it was your last. This made them value all the short joys in life.
Applejack tried to get this good feeling again, but an event casted over her mood like a dark shadow. Twilight Sparkle's behaviour. Something is wrong! She was sure about it. The purple alicorn had paranoia, that was normal, but she would never ever dare to act like this. And the pain in her head. Applejack had seen the tiredness in her friend's eyes. She had hardly been able to stand on her feet. And even when the alicorn tried to act happy, there was a absent-mindedness in all her actions. It seemed as if she forced herself to act as if everything was right.
That is foul. It clearly is. Applejack walked down the stairs to the kitchen. The scent of freshly backed pies and other foods nearly choked her breath. Granny Smith seemed to be up already. The green, old, gypsy-looking like mare was walking through the kitchen, pealing apples, hacking them, mixing salads and putting tarts in the oven.
The whole table seemed to groan under its burden. Granny had made pies, cakes, busciuts, salad, tarts, pancakes, applejuice, apple spritzer, applesauce, apple yoghurt. Applejack whistled. „Isn't that already enough, Granny?“, she asked.
„Good morning, Applejack“, said the old mare and walked to the table. She was balancing a tablet on her back with even more food. „Oh, that hardly is enough, my dear. Ah need more apples, AJ. After all thousands of ponies will come to the Summer Sun Celebration, so we have to make sure that the mouths are fed.“
„Sure.“ Applejack walked around the table and picked through all those plates. „Can I have one?“, the mare asked as she reached forwards to grab a pancake.
„No, sugarcube!“, replied Granny. She throw an apple to the mare, who caught it in her snout. „Have this for breakfast. Ya've got work to do.“
„Sure.“ Applejack took a bite of the apple. It was sweet and aromatic. „Granny, ya should ask Mr and Mrs Cake, if they can help ya. We cannot have our whole house full of apple food.“
The green mare replied: „Oh, we still have space. Now ran along. Ah need more apples.“
„I'm on mah way.“
***
The sun painted the trees of the orchard cinnamon and the leaves golden. Applejack was trotting towards the trees. She knew, Granny would need almost as much apples as they had got yesterday. Well, let's get this done. The orange farmer stopped in front of a tree. She whirled around and kicked viciously against the truck. The apples rained down – and splashed in front of Applejack's hooves.
„No way!“ The orange mare eyed the leftovers of the fruit. The meat was dry and sludgy. Worms crawled inside of it. But they could not have done this. Panic and anger filled the farmer. Please, please let this be an isolated case. Applejack's head jerked upwards and she sprinted through the orchard, kicking against the apples.
Her fear increased as more and more dry and muddy apples rained down. These were useless. Applejack greeted her theet. Her eyes were wide in terror. How could this possibly happen? She had a suspicion, who was behind this. And she prayed that she was worng. But the evidence clearly spoke against her wishes.
Applejack finally stopped in front of the very first tree, which had given her such bad fruits. Her fur fumed from her sweat. She looked up at the branches. The leaves were rustling in a weird way. As if they were made out of leather and red dots stared back at her.
Steps approached behind her. The orange mare turned around. Big Macintosh was trotting to her. He stopped next to her and looked at her inquiring. „We have got a problem, Big Mac“, said Applejack gloomy and her face eclipsed. They looked back at the trees. With a high-pitched cry a cloud of winged, dark bodies swarmed out of the trees and passed them, their fangs glittering from salvia.
„Eyyup“, replied the dark red stallion simply.
***
Applejack was pulling on a rope, which was connected with a bell. That one swung forwards and backwards, the clapper hit the walls and loud tones could be heard. The ponies rang this bell only, if there was an emergency. And for Applejack an invasion of Vampire Fruit Bats certainly was. Those beasts would ruin her orchard.
Big Macintosh was still standing next to him. „Yah can stop, younger sister“, he called. Applejack jumped down from a hay bale – making another gong with the bell – and landed next to him. Four ponies were sprinting towards the farm, their manes flow from the wind. Finally they stopped. It were Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity.
„We came here as fast as we could, darling“, said the white unicorn, „What had happen?“
Applejack trotted towards them. „Where is Twilight?“, was her first question. She looked around as if the purple alicorn would come around the next trees, explaining with a low breath, that she had collected a few books, before she could made her way.
The others looked at each other. They seemed rather surprised. „Well, I do not know“, said Rainbow Dash. She was flying a few feet over the ground, her wings made the grass tremble. „I have not seen her.“
„Me neither“, whispered Fluttershy, „But she seemed really tired.“
Pinkie Pie added: „Oh, oh, and I remember she really exploded. I mean, she became this flaming beast again. All with fire and red eyes and screams, you should have seen her.“
Applejack touched her chin with her hoof thoughtfully. „I don't like that“, she said slowly, „Seems really bad to mah.“
Rarity replied, while placing a hoof on the farmer's shoulder: „We all have realized, that Twilight is not feeling so well at the curtain moment. I assume, she just took our advices to go and sleep a bit.“ Applejack chewed her lips. I am not sure. Twilight told mah, that she has got nightmares. So how should sleep help her?
„Alright“, Rainbow Dash interrupted the silence impatiently, „You called us here, because there is an emergancy. What is it?“
Applejack's face eclipsed. With a low voice she said: „A pack of Vampire Fruit Bats is rampaging my orchard.“ Everypony gasped in surprise. „If they continue to work with that speed, my apples will be gone in no time.“
Rainbow Dash shouted shocked: „Wait! No apples means no cyder, am I right?“ She flew to Applejack and grabbed her shoulders.
Applejack sighted. „Right.“
The pegasus howled like a wounded animal. „This a desaster!“, she yelled and flew upwards, „We've got to save the cyder!“
Fluttershy interrupted her lament softly: „But the bats do have a reservation. And there they have more then enough apples. Why would they take the apples of your orchard then?“
Applejack scratched her neck. „Ah know, Fluttershy“, she replied, „But Ah am not sure, if that is the old colonie or a new one. Besides, how many babies can a Vampire Fruit Bat have? I mean, can their colony grow that fast?“
Fluttershy explained: „I read much about Vampire Fruit Bats. Therefor I know, that the females can give birth to only one cub, for which they care deeply.“
„And how many females do live in a colony?“
Her answer was simple and she smiled: „Oh, the colonies often comprise 1500 animals or more and nearly three-quarters of them are female.“
Applejack stood there, her maw opened. 1500 animals and almost all of them are females. And all of them give birth to cups. She pictured a huge swarm of those beasts, rampaging in an orchard, their sharp fangs went deep into the flesh of her precious apples, the juice dropped down as the colonie hold its feast. And when they were gone, the whole orchard was a desert. No, no, no! Applejack shook her head in terror. This could not happen to her.
Rarity demanded sniffing: „Well, speculations won't help us. We will have to check the Vampire Fruit Bat's reservation. Then we know, why this colonie is here.“
„Eyyupp“, replied Big Mac. The red stallion trotted to his younger sister. He softly pushed her forwards.
„Yeah, you are right“, the farmer said weakly, „Now let's get this problem solved.“
***
The reservation was a quarter of the orchard and laid far away from the Apple family's house. As soon as they entered the place, Applejack swallowed. The last time she had seen this place the trees were strong and green, the grass grew wildly and free and the whole air breathed with live. Now it was as if they had just stepped on the surface of the moon.
The reservation was a desert. The ground was dry and cracky. Every step conveyed clouds of dust in the air, so the ponies could hardly walk. There was not even a leaf or a strand of grass. The trees looked hollow and fragile. As if they were dead. The whole area breathed death and Applejack felt as if she was getting sick.
Fluttershy whimpered and covered her face with her hooves. Rarity was walking so slowly as if she had never seen anything more disgusting. She said: „This air is not healthy for my lounges. The dust does not agree with my fur and my hooves are getting split. Eeehww.“ She lifted one of her hooves and eyed it.
„What the hey has happened here?“ Rainbow Dash was flying through the reservation, the flap of her wings made the branches tremble. Some broke with a low crack and shattered on the ground. „The rest of your orchard looks alright, AJ.“
Applejack rose to her hindlegs. „Oh, curse it!“, she cried, „I cannot explain this. It is as if a fire had went through this place. Or a drought.“ She landed on her front legs again and kicked furiously against a nearby tree. Branches rained down and cracked, the bark entangled itself in her mane.
Applejack shouted in frustration: „It is as if the place was cursed!“ Why does this happen to mah? That is so unfair. She would have loved to cry, but crying was for babies. She would not cry. She would hide her feelings, trapped them inside as if her hearth was made out of stone. She was a tough mare, she won't become weak.
Big Macintosh trotted to her. He softly removed the pieces of bark. „Easy, sister.“ Her older brother gently placed his long head on her neck. He knew, how sad and desperate she was and that she refused herself from crying. Applejack looked at her friends and her glance was met by four eye pairs, full of pity.
Fluttershy whispered: „Now we understand, why the Vampire Fruit Bats are in the orchard. Here they do not find any food.“ She pointed at the dead trees.
Applejack stepped away from Big Mac. „But why are they so furiously, trying to get every dammit apple? Ah know, they are fast, when it comes to eating apples, but even Vampire Fruit Bats have their limits.“
Rarity ran over a tree truck with her hoof. „A very foul game is played here, darling“, she said, „My friend, I assume, that this is a curse. And that had influenced the bats behaviour.“
Rainbow Dash answered angrily: „Alright, fine! We know what the problem is, we know why the bats are behaving the way they do. But what are we gonna do about it, eh?!?“ She was flapping her wings and clouded them in dust.
Applejack said: „We cannot try this Avoid-The-Apples-Spell. First, because Twilight is not here. Second“ – a quick glance to Fluttershy – „remembered what happened the last time?“ Everyone nodded in agreement and the yellow pegasus dropped her head nervously. When Applejack's orchard had been plagued by the Vampire Fruit Bats, Twilight had casted a spell on the animals so they won't go on the apples anymore. The problem: To make it work, they had to focus on the alicorn. Therefore Fluttershy had used her Stare on them – and in return had transformed herself into a Vampire-Fruit-Bat-Pony hybrid.
Rarity explained: „Probably the best solution is to lock the whole colonie up, until we have found out, who cursed the reservation.“
She could have also said to kill them, the result for Fluttershy would have been the same. The pegasus mare squeezed in shock and pressed her hooves on her ears as she ducked down. „Ca-Ca-Cages?“, she stammered.
Applejack walked towards her, until her own shadow painted Fluttershy's fur dark. Then she pulled her on her feeth. „Rarity is probably right“, she tried to examine softly, „We cannot let them be free. Unless we want my orchard to be ruined. Therefor we've got to lock them up. Ah know, ya do not like the idea, but it is our only way.“
Fluttershy looked down. She sighted. Her ears twitched. „I know, that you are right”, she mumbled and looked into her green eyes, “I just feel so sorry for the bats. I hate the idea of putting them into a cage.”
Applejack replied: “It won't be forever, sugarcube. And if ya want, we can make their cages large enough for them to fly around a bit. Does that make ya feel better?”
She nodded. Rainbow Dash landed on the ground. “So what are we waiting for? Let's build the cages and lock the bats up, so we can save the cyder!”
Everyone else shook their heads.
Rarity answered: “But how are we suppose to get them into there?”
Pinkie Pie seemed to have thought as well, because she brusted out: “Oh, I know! We just take long nets to catch them. Like the nets for sardines!”
Fluttershy gulped in terror.
Applejack said: “Probably the best solution.” Big Mac snorted and shook his head.
“You disagree?”, asked her younger sister.
“Eyyup”, replied the stallion, “Those nets are too expensive and we won't use them anymore after that.”
Pinkie hopped around the yellow pegasus and asked: “And what about Fluttershy, using her Stare? Then these bats would be in one place and we could throw the cages on them!”
Fluttershy whimpered and opened her wings nervously. “I really do not like this idea, Pinkie Pie”, she whispered, “After all, my own Stare has infected me with Twilight's spell and I became a Vampire Pony.”
Rainbow Dash said: “Well, but Twilight is not here!”
All eyes rested on the yellow mare, who seemed to shrunk.
Applejack made a clicking sound with her tongue and signaled Fluttershy to follow her. They both trotted away from the group. Pinkie was about to follow, but Rarity shot her a warning glance and the Earth Pony staid where it was. The farmer stopped and turned around. “Listen, Fluttershy”, she said slowly, “I know, how much you hate it to be forced in an action you do not want. Especially if it has got to do with animals and probably harm. Therefore it is your own decision. You can help us with your Stare. But I won't be angry if you don't.” She lifted the yellow mare's chin. “You are hearing me, I won't be angry, if you don't.”
Fluttershy eyed her hooves. She opened and closed her wings. Then she lifted her head very slowly. Her glance was firm. “I'll do it, Applejack”, she declared, “But you've got to promise me, that you won't cause harm to the Vampire Fruit Bats. The cages must have a good size and when you capture the bats, you have to be careful.”
Applejack touched her own chest with her hoof. “By Celestia's everything-seeing eyes, I swear.”
They walked back to the group. “Big Mac, can you help us with the cages?”, Applejack called.
“Eyyupp!”, was the simple answer.
They formed a circle around the farmer. “Okay, this is the plan”, explained the orange mare, “Big Macintosh and Fluttershy are preparing the cages. Pinkie, Rarity and I are searching for other fruits those bats might like. Rainbow Dash, you are flying over the orchard and tell us, where the bats are. Everyone got that? Good, let's go!”