Apple Seed

by King Dash

Chapter 2

Apple Jack paces back and forth struggling to remember what her and Big Mac had found years ago when they were just filly and colt. She tinkers with what she had received from the last note. It was Big Macs single harness that had fallen off of his reign long ago. She reread the note once more. The paper was rough and the words were scribbled barley readable but she could manage.

“You stole from me the mellow rift, but left this as an unwanted gift.”

Hours had passed and her time was thinning out quickly when she realized what it was that the stallion wanted. She quickly trotted to Big Macs room and without a doubt it was surely to be under his bed. As Apple Jack poked her head under the bed then her hoof she slipped back out with an hour glass in hoof, with picking it up she has a flashback.

“Race you to the bridge!”

Apple Jack screamed running past Big Mac. Both had reached the bridge at the same time and argued about who got there first when Big Mac had pointed out something shiny underneath the bridge.

“What is it big brother?”

Apple Jack asked.

“I’m not too sure, it looks like some sort of clock but only tells by the hour”

As Big Mac picked it up an older stallion came from under the bridge yelling.

“Gimmie that you little foul or I will gouge your eyes out!”

As Big Mac and Apple Jack ran with the hour glass in mouth Big Mac tripped and snapped part of his reign off leaving it behind.
Apple Jack snapped back to reality still with hour glass in hoof. This was no ordinary hour glass. It was made out of platinum and when flipped to start the time played a mellowed tune that helped you sleep. She quickly ran it to the corner and waited an hour inside. Apple Jack quickly trotted back to find another note this time it had nothing inside and only had one word written on the back of the paper.

“Shift, what in the hay is this supposed to mean! This doesn’t help me whatsoever!”

A few more hours passed by and Apple Jack still didn’t know what to do. As she sat slumped on the couch thinking some pony knocks at the door. As Apple Jack gets up and slowly makes her way to the peep hole the pony keeps knocking. As she looks through the peep hole she sees that it’s Mr. Cake.

“Howdy Mr. Cake what can I do you for?”

“Well uhm it seems I had a visitor who wasn’t too happy about something that happened in the past. He told me to give this to you and to well uh… Solve the rest, and I have no idea what he meant by that”

Mr.Cake then proceeds to hand over what looked like a puzzle box and left. Apple Jack sat down and fiddled with the box for a minute when it hit her. It was a trick box that locked itself and could only be opened by moving the right pieces on it to coordinate the opening of the side. After playing with it for an hour she had finally got it open and pulled out a lever and knew right away what to do with it. She trotted out to the barn and started up the tractor putting the lever in a socket and shifting the gear the tractor engine blew a piston. She quickly repaired it and hooked up a huge plow on the front. Apple Jack then dug up a section behind the barn which uncovered Granny Smiths hidden wine cellar. Apple Jack pries open the hinge doors with the lever she had received.

“Come on you stupid door budge!”

With a final buck to the metal lever the door flew open and the hinges. Apple Jack slowly walks down the old wooden stairs watching her every step.

“Now to find that stupid bottle”

Apple Jack came across multiple bottles some open some closed. Some that was even shattered or was home to the multiple spiders that could be found in the cellar. As Apple Jack made her way to the back she saw a hidden trap door. It was locked with a combination which was unknown. Apple Jack glanced around and remembered what Granny Smith had told her long ago.

“If in any case of emergency you go in my wine cellar the combination to my lock is 777. But be careful with the contents inside. They mean a lot to some pony and they would be very disappointed if anything were to happen to it. You have been warned”

Apple Jack then opened the safe only to find an unopened letter on the inside and next to it a tag that read shift on it. Without hesitation she quickly grabbed both objects and quickly ran them up to the corner and when she got there she found another letter sitting there. As she went to pick it up Apple Jack saw a pony hidden in the bushes across the way. She acted as though she didn’t see the stallion staring at her and picked up the letter. Acting like she was reading it she walked up to the bush and set the letter down. Apple Jack then tackled the stallion inside the bush.

“Where’s my family! What have you done to them! I’m gonna kill you!”

“Get off please I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Apple Jack then tide the stallion to a tree with a rope. It was tight enough that it was cutting into the stallions brittle skin making him bleed under the rope.

“Where’s my family!”

“Look all I know is that you need to find some pieces and put them at the entrance. I take them back to the boss and he gives me letters to give to you! I have no idea what’s going on!”

Apple Jack then proceeds to buck the stallion in the gut twice.

“Where’s he hiding?”

The stallion struggles to catch his breath as with every deep inhale he takes the rope gets tighter and his ribs begin to crack under pressure.

“Look lady”

He gasps.

“I have just as much clue as you do to where he is! I just drop the pieces off in front of the school yard and there’s a note waiting there for me to give to you! I don’t know anything else please I don’t know what’s going on!”

“Pleading for mercy huh? Well if that’s all I can get from ya then there’s no point in keeping you here”

The young stallion sighs relief and starts to calm down.

“Maybe I’d have better luck if I castrated you?”

The stallion quickly perked his ears up in panic.

“No please that’s all I know!”

“Yea I think that’ll do it, oh look and I already have my tools”

Apple Jack picks up the rusty knife the stallion had with him and moves closer to him.

“Come on you can save your stallion hood if you just tell me his name”

“Please I don’t know anything else! Don’t do this please!”

Apple Jack puts the knife right up to the stallion’s family jewels and right before she makes her first incision the stallion yelps.

“Okay, okay. His name is Trot Sorbate! That’s all I know!”

“That’s better now I can’t let you leave here until this is all over so”

Apple Jack then turns around and bucks the Stallion in the back of the head knocking him out unconscious. Afterwards she then picks up the letter and reads its print. This time it’s clearer and professionally written.

“Past the hills and over the veins, what’s in the grave is surely mine”

Apple Jack had to think on this one. She then grabs her shovel and heads for the hills.