//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7-B - The Apple Sisters 
// Story: 10 Days, 3 Adventures - Part 1 - "In Dreams They Came" 
// by TP Night 
//------------------------------//

Please note -  Chapter 7 is divided into three sub-chapters, 7-A, 7-B and 7-C,
each following one of the three groups of ponies as they search for the orbs.
ALL THREE have the same opening scene, but each sub-chapter follows a different group of poneis after they split up.

“Okay.” Twilight started as they all walked out from the library.
“Me and Luna will go deep within the forest to find the stone
furthest away from here, since Luna knows the Everfree forest better
than anypony else here. Applejack and Applebloom, you two
head for the stone in or near the river west of here.
Spike, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, you three go east and try to find
the stone at the everfree outskirts near Fluttershys cottage.”

After she had given everypony directions, they all split up into their
respective groups and went away towards the direction they
had been assigned.


* * *


Applejack and Applebloom ran off at top speed.
Applejack was the fastest pony (on the ground) in Ponyville,
and during a P.E. class recently, it had been proven that Applebloom
shared the same speed, being the fastest filly in the whole school
during the hundred-meter-sprint.

“Every mare in the Apple family has been fast runners.” Granny Smith
had told them. “Even I used to be a good sprinter in my youth.” 
she chuckled. “Strong and fast. That’s how the Apples have always been.”

Now, they made it to their designated location in just five minutes,
even though most ponies would have needed at least twice that.

“So... how do we find the stone? We forgot to ask that...” Applejack started.

“I think we should look for those small black flowers again. Both us
Crusaders and Spike found the stones under flowers.” Applebloom said.

“Yeah, sounds like a plan. Just tell me how they look so I know.”

“They look like ‘Forget-me-not’s, but with black petals instead of blue.”

“Okay, got it. black Forget-me-nots.”

They both started searching the ground near the small river.
Applebloom took a leap across to search on the other side.
They searched for a while, but came up empty-hoofed.

“We’ve been at it for ten minutes, and nothin’ yet.” Applejack sighed.
“Any luck on your side?” She asked in a raised voice to make sure 
Applebloom could hear her.

“Nothing on this side.” She responded, also in a slightly raised voice.
She leaped back to Applejacks side and walked up to her.

“I wonder... We are at the edge of the Everfree, and this river continues
into the forest. Maybe we’re to far out? Maybe it’s closer to the forest,
or even on the inside of the forest edge?”

“Good thinking. We should move closer to the treeline and search there.”

Applebloom leaped back across the river yet again.

“I’ll take this side again, and you stay on that side.” She said to Applejack
when she landed. Applejack nodded. “Sure thing! Now let’s find that stone
so we can get done with this.”

They kept searching, carefully eyeing the ground as the slowly moved closer
to the forest meter by meter. When they were just a meter from the edge,
they heard bird sounds from the forest. It sounded like ravens.
Applejack looked up toward the treetops just in time to see one come flying
from within the forest, make a loop, and a dive straight toward her.
She dodged, but the raven managed to grab her hat by the brim and carry
it away several meters before loosing the grip and dropping it.
Inside the forest. In a tree.

“Dang it, that Celestia-damned bird stole my hat!” Applejack yelled.

“Look, he dropped it! Must’ve been too heavy for him.” Applebloom said as
they both watched the bird drop the hat.

“I’m getting it back. I’m NOT leaving that hat!” Applejack said in a serious
tone. “It’s the first thing I ever won in a contest! It’s my lucky hat!”

So she quickly ran in to the forest and started bucking the tree in which 
the hat was now hanging on a branch in the crown. The tree was very old
and withered, even by Everfree standards. It had no leaves left, and it was all
dried up. When Applejack bucked it, it fell down. She went to pick her hat
up from underneath the fallen log, when Applebloom suddenly made a run
toward another tree nearby

“Look!” She said. “The flowers! They’re growing all around this tree!”
She pointed on the ground as she spoke.

Applejack grabbed her hat before she walked over to Applebloom.

“Hey, you’re right. Now.. Does that mean the stone is beneath the
tree?” She looked at the base of the tree as she spoke.

Applebloom jumped up on a nearby stone and looked toward the top
of the tree. “I see something shining in the branches up there.
I think the tree grew under the stone and lifted it up!”

“Hmm...” Applejack said and examined the tree a bit closer.
“Sturdy. Thick trunk, and thick branches too.. but not very tight-growing..
Almost no leaves.. Looks to be thorn-free as well... just a regular tree,
with somewhat darker bark.. This one’s not very ‘Everfree’-ish.”

She turned around toward her sister with a smirk.

“Hey, Applebloom...”

“....yes?” Applebloom asked with a mixture of curiosity and worry.
She recognized her sisters look. The look she had when she had an
idea. Her ideas were usually not the safest.

“How would you like to try to earn a cutiemark in aerial acrobatics?”

“...What do you mean?”


* * *


A little while later they arrived back at the library with the stone.
When they walked in, they saw Luna and Twilight sitting in a sofa 
sipping tea and discussing old books.

“We’re back. We got the stone.” Applejack said as they walked in.

Twilight looked up. “Why is Appleblooms hair so messy and filled
with twigs?”

Applebloom said with a grin, “Applejack threw me like a hoofball
into a treetop. It was fun! I got the stone, it was in the treetop!”

Twilight offered them both some tea, and while they sat down
Applejack and Applebloom told Twilight and Luna about the
stone in the treetop.

Luna smiled. “Interesting indeed. Although I think you may have
found a safer way to get it down than to throw Applebloom...”

“Oh, no worries princess, She’s an Apple. We’re tougher than most!”
Applejack said with a grin. Applebloom grinned too. “Yeah!”

Twilight used her magic to take the stone from Applejack and
put it with the others. “Well, that makes four. Only the fifth left.
Spike and the others should be back with it any minute now.

And like she said, a few minutes later the door opened and Spike
walked in with the stone in his arms. After him followed Sweetie Belle
and Scootaloo. For some reason, Scootaloos mane and fur was soaking wet.