//------------------------------//
// Awkward Encounter 
// Story: To Grant A Wish 
// by Eathlome 
//------------------------------//


To Grant a Wish:


Awkward Encounter







A/N

Readers rejoice, for I have returned!  But I'll be leaving in a week to go to the Bahamas, so have this chapter, to tide you over until I make the next one.





Apex looked down at Wish.
"So now what?"
Wish opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by her stomach growling.
"Well, I guess that answers my question.," Apex said with a laugh, "C'mon lets get you some more apples."
"OK."
Apex reached down and scooped Wish up.  Wish settled comfortably into the crook of Apex's elbow, and soon they were speeding toward the edge of the forest.





Applejack woke up early, you had to as a farmer, and headed down to check on how the trees were doing.  She had felt something strange last night, but hadn't been sure about it, and had decided to check in the morning.
"Well Green Leaves, you are looking fine, and so are you Buder."  As she passed another tree AJ glanced up into the branches.
"Bloomberg Sr!  What happened to yah?"  Many of the tree's branched were broken, and several apples were missing.
'Looks like we've got ourselves a thievin' varmint on our hooves.''  Applejack looked sadly up at the tree.
"Don'tchu worry.  Ah'll be sure to avenge ya.  Nopony messes with the Apples."
Applejack began patrolling the orchard, searching for any clues as to where the critter had gone.
""Well if you're looking for clues, why don't you ask me for help, you silly filly.  Didn't I prove how good of a detective I was during the MMMystery on the Friendship Express?" Pinkie had jumped out from behind a tree, startling Applejack.
"Well shoot, don startly me like that Pinkie, Ah almost bucked ya."
"Soooooo, what're you looking for?  Huh?  Huh?"
"Well, some critter came to the farm last night and made off with a bunch o' apples."
"How come you aren't following the footprints?"
"What footprints?"
"These ones, silly."  Pinkie gestured to a set of tracks which had only now became visible.
"How?  But - wha?"
"Oh, come on AJ, let's gooooo!"  With that Pinkie grabbed Applejack and started to run, following the tracks.  Pinkie slowed down as the tracks approached the Everfree Forest.  Applejack found her legs again and slowly started to walk towards the forest.  She and Pinkie were very close to the boundary now, and both were fairly nervous.
Applejack quickly whipped her head towards a sharp snap, followed by a rustle.  She quickly pulled out her lasso, and began to spin it.  Pinkie sat by silent for once, not wanting to interrupt Applejack as she worked.  If Pinkie knew two things they were: Don't ever break a Pinkie Promise, and Never, ever, get between an Apple and their apples.
Applejack let her lasso fly, and quickly jerked it back pulling out a small figure.  Applejack's anger quickly faded when she saw what she had caught.  It was a small filly, even tinier than Applebloom.  She could even count its ribs.
'It must've been starving.' she thought.
The filly looked up to her, and Applejack started.
"Are you blind?"
The filly let out an ear piercing shriek and started to flail her free hooves.
"Calm down, we ain't gonna hurt ya."
"Yeah, even though you're a meanie for stealing those apples, I guess that it's sort of alright, I mean you are starving, and there wasn't a sign or anything so I suppose that there was no reason that you thought that you couldn't take them."
The filly shrieked again, and Applejack wondered if they were really that terrifying.  Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a very deep, loud roar from right behind her.  She quickly looked around to see a huge monster.
'That must be what's frightening this filly.  Well not on my watch.'
Applejack turned around and bucked the monster with all her strength.  There was a dull thud but little else.  Applejack looked back to see her hind hooves rested on the monster's midsection.
"What the-"
The monster let out a low growl and grabbed both of Applejack's legs in one paw, and then proceeded to throw her.  Applejack landed hard, and didn't get back up.  Pinkie who had been watching, mouth open, until this point rushed towards the monster.
"Hey you big meanie, you can't just go aroun-"
Pinkie was cut off when the monster leaned down, so that it's face was right up to hers, and let out a ferocious roar.  Pinkie's hair deflated, and she was paralyzed with fear, she couldn't even laugh.  Applejack had recovered enough at this point to look up and see what was going on.  With as shout she started to gallop at the monster.  It glanced at her and growled, before lunging forward with surprising speed and grabbing the filly.
"NO!"
The monster leaped into the Everfree, taking the filly with it.  Applejack stared at the forest, as if deciding whether or not to charge after it.  Eventually she walked over to Pinkie.
"Pinkie...we've gotta get Twi.  There's a foalnappin' monster in the Everfree, and we gotta stop it.  We'll get the elements together .. and ... and ..."
Pinkie nodded wordlessly, and picked herself up, and started walking back towards Ponyville, with Applejack supporting her.





"Would you care to tell me what that was all about?"  Apex asked Wish as he ran through the forest.  He had been gone for only a few moments, and had been about to start collecting some apples when he had heard her shout.
"It was them."  Wish said, the venom in her voice almost palatable.
"Who?"
"Them, the ones who did this to me."
"Did what?"
"This!" Wish shouted gesturing at her body with her hoof, "This body, this amount of power, it's all their fault!  There the ones who took my form, and forced me into this pitiful body, their the ones who made me suffer, and their the ones who stole away the only companion I had for over one thousand years!"
Apex listened, curious, but not wanting to inturrupt.
"And now they know where I am.  What if tey come after me?  They tried to kill me once, what if they want to finish the job?"
Wish started crying at this point, and Apex sighed.
'She's really unstable.'
"Look, if they come to hunt you down, I'll stop them, all right?"
Wish sniffled a few more times, before throwing her hooves around Apex.
"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou."
'Despite her insistence on being as old as time, she rally acts just like a little kid.'  Apex thought as Wish continued to thank him.
"Ok, you're welcome...and that's enough hugging... I'm serious."
Wish giggled a little and released the death grip she had on Apex.  Then her stomach growled.
"Right, what else can you eat other than apples?"





Rainbow Dash was lazily doing loop-the-loops when she spotted AJ and Pinkie walking into town.  She flew down to them and noticed that something was off.  Pinkie's normally curly, bouncy mane was hanging straight down, and she looked as if she was about to cry.  Applejack had a large bruise on the left side of her body, and was limping slightly.
"Woah, what happened?  Did somepony attack you?  Where are they?  Let me at em."
"Dash," AJ gasped, "Ah need you to fly as quick as you can and get the others.  There's a monster in the Everfree."
"Pshh, of course there is.  It's the Everfree, just leave it in the damn forest."
"NO!  We gotta help.  It stole..."
"Stole what?  Some apples?"
"NO!  IT STOLE A FILLY, YA RAINBOW MANED DITZ!"
Rainbow's eyes widened, and not at the insult.
"Who was it?  Applebloom?"
"No, no.  Ah don't know who it was, but we need ta help!  We can't just leave the poor thing."
"Of course not!"  Rainbow said appalled, "Is that what you think of me?"
"No, of course not.  But could you hurry up and get the rest of us together?"
"Who?"
Applejack sighed, "The Elements."
"Oh, right.  I'll tell them in ten seconds flat."
Rainbow Dash bolted off, and Applejack had one thought in her mind.
'That monster's gonna have anoter thing coming if that filly has so much as a scratch on her!'
Applejack stretched her legs, and wore a grim face.  Soon they would be monster hunting, something that the Apple's hadn't had to do since they settle here.  Applejack smiled grimly, they certainly were good at it.





How's everyone enjoying the story?  Finally some plot progression.

So how was it?  I want your honest opinions.  Do you think that this chapter was a bit rushed?  Were there any parts that didn't make sense?  How about grammar or spelling mistakes?

Also did I do alright for the characters.  One of my greatest worries is making them act ooc, so if you see anything that just strikes you as wrong please let me know.

I hope you all enjoyed this, and continue to read.


φEathlome φ