Daughter of the Woods

by Robolestia

The Picnic

The sun blazed down on Ponyville, midsummer weather being exceptionally brutal today as the cloudless skies did nothing to defend the ponies below from Celestia’s unrelenting sun.

Mostly cloudless skies. There was one field on the outskirts of town, property of one of the oldest families in Ponyville, which had a single cloud parked over a small grove of apple trees and the picnic blanket therein, around which six friends shared a lunch they’d been looking forward to for quite a while.

"It is way too hot," protested Rainbow Dash, whose shade-casting cloud had done very little to alleviate the intense summer heat.

"Really?" Applejack smiled around the butter knife in her mouth that she was using to manipulate a slice of cheese onto a cracker. "Ah reckon the temperature’s just fine."

Rainbow Dash bristled a little at the dismissal of the record-setting heat, and coughed. "I meant way too hot for Twilight. Look at her."

The five friends looked at their sixth - Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Equestria and Element of Magic. As usual, she was reading, but thanks to the heat, she was lying spread-eagled on her back, a book hovering in the air above her face as she carefully sipped juice through a straw, the cup parked next to her head. She looked back at her friends briefly, and blushed a little.

"It’s hot out, okay?" she said defensively. "If I lie down normally, I sweat like a pig."

"Poor Twilight," Rarity murmured, lowering her Canterlot Weekly magazine briefly and adjusting her sunglasses and head scarf. "Dark coats are murder during the summer season, I hear."

"Tell me about it," Twilight muttered, turning a page.

"Oh, Twilight," Fluttershy began, making ready to put down her own magazine (Stitch This, the sewing enthusiast’s magazine), "I could always fly back home and grab a pack of icecubes, if that would help?"

"No, no," Twilight dismissed. "It’s fine, Fluttershy. I’ll just... be sure to have a cold bath when I get home." Twilight made to suck more juice, and got an empty gurgle. "Spike? Could you top me up?"

"On it," Spike said, from his own spread-eagled position on the grass; unlike Twilight, though, he was out in the sun proper, unbothered by the heat, wearing a set of sunglasses and a strange garment around his lower torso. He got up, and waddled under the cloud cover to the chilly bin, from which he produced a large container of juice; he decanted a glassful of the chilled beverage to Twilight, and after offering to top up the other ponies’ cups (Rainbow Dash took a refill and a half) tossed the juice back in the bin and pulled out a can of Dr. Gibb. He cracked it open, draining it as he walked back to his place, and stacking the already-empty can on top of a similar pile next to his resting place, reclined once more and went back to tanning.

In fact, about the only pony not really enjoying herself at all was Pinkie Pie, who was staring at a lumpy black mess on a plate, covered in plastic-wrap. Applejack tried to ignore it, but couldn’t, and eventually caved in, asking the question.

"Pinkie, what in the hay is the matter?" The apple farmer took a bite of the cheese-topped cracker, indicating the sky with a nod of her head and swallowing her mouthful. "Sun’s out, we all got th’ day off, and for once, nothin’ is going wrong."

"It’s my cake," Pinkie bemoaned, indicating the dark shape. "It’s too hot! It melted! I told you guys we should eat it quick, but no, you insisted on the sandwiches first! And now look!" Pinkie looked at her friends. "It didn’t have to be this way! If only you had all listened to me! Why didn’t you listen?!"

"Pinkie, dear," Rarity pointed out. "We told you a chocolate cake wouldn’t be a good idea. Several times. Just saying."

"But... chocolate," Pinkie argued. "Banana cake just doesn’t... you know? Fluttershy, back me up, here."

"I, um," Fluttershy coughed. "That’s, uh, chocolate cake is fine, but..."

"But...?" Rainbow Dash pressed.

"I, um, like carrot cake better," Fluttershy admitted. "It’s easier to share with Angel, he won’t touch anything banana, and I really don’t think it’s a good idea to give him chocolate."

"Darn right," Rainbow Dash muttered. "Angel on chocolate... the little snit’s already Tirek incarnate without anything hyping him up."

"Heat aside," Twilight said, closing her book and setting it down as she rolled onto her side, "I think this is probably the nicest day I’ve had in ponyville, period. Nothing can mess this up."

There were five simultaneous groans, and Twilight frowned. "What is it?"

"Twilight, darling," Rarity coughed. "That is just inviting disaster."

"Remember the last time you said nothing could go wrong?" Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"That was only a little explosion," Twilight defended. "Nopony got hurt."

"We were pickin’ bits ‘o’ that fancy machine o’ yours outta our manes for days," Applejack pointed out. "Just sayin’, is all."

"What about Applejack?" Twilight exclaimed, flustered. "She said," Twilight cleared her throat and put on her best Applejack impression. ""For once, nothin’ has gone wrong"!"

"Yes," Rarity admitted. "But she just commented on what’s happened so far! She didn’t make a prediction about how it’s going to stay that way, because everypony knows that the moment you do that, something’s going to happen and prove you wrong."

"Can I just point out," Pinkie Pie pointed at Twilight, "That I think Twilight’s now holding the "Best Applejack Imitation" trophy?"

"What?" Applejack blinked. "That’s a thing? Why is that a thing?"

"Well, yeah," Rainbow Dash admitted. "It’s a thing, we have contests to see which one of us can imitate somepony best. Specifically, you."

"Why me?" Applejack asked. "Doesn’t seem very sportin’ to do this behind m’ back."

"Well, it was originally just me and Pinkie," Rainbow explained. "We were practicing for a prank where we’d lead you and Big Mac all over the farm by copying your voices, but then Spike caught us mid-practice, and well, it... became a thing."

"Ah still don’t like it," Applejack shook her head. "Why don’t we all do RD imitations?"

"Ooh, yes," Pinkie agreed. "I wonder if anypony can really sound like Dashie."

"Don’t be ridiculous," Rainbow dismissed. "I’m too awesome to be imitated."

"I’m too awesome to be imitated," Rainbow’s voice echoed, quietly.

"What the hay was that?" Rainbow asked, alarmed.

"What the hay was that?" Rainbow’s voice echoed, again.

"I think we have our RD champion," Twilight said, smiling as she nodded towards a copy of Stitch This positioned in front of a yellow pegasus.

"What?" Rainbow Dash turned around, looking at Fluttershy, who was blushing furiously behind her magazine. "Fluttershy?"

"Oh, I’m sure Pinkie Pie could probably do better," Fluttershy quietly whispered, sounding almost exactly like Rainbow Dash if the blue pegasus was speaking at about a tenth of her normal volume.

"Oh, no way, sister," Pinkie waved a hoof. "Best I can do is this:" Pinkie twisted up her face, and in a hoarse voice, began her enactment. "I’m Rainbow Dash, ten seconds flat, twenty percent cooler, wonderbolts, awesome!"

Rainbow Dash just burst into laughter. "Celestia above, is that really how ponies think I sound?"

"Six hundred thousand fan-fictions can’t be wrong," Pinkie said, in a sing-song voice.

Rainbow just snorted. "Dragons can get tans. Twilight can do a damn-good imitation of Applejack. Fluttershy can do a perfect, if quiet, imitation of my voice, and Pinkie’s being Pinkie... can today get any weirder?"

Thunder rolled, and Rainbow Dash realized what she’d just said. "Aw, ponyfeathers."

Right on cue, there was a low, mournful howl that echoed through the still summer air; Spike sat up, and raised his sunglasses, looking alarmed. The six mares and one dragon shivered as one when the howl was answered by a chorus of much louder howls that sent chills through the gathered ponies. Those howls sounded awfully close.

"See?" Rarity pointed to Rainbow Dash, as she quickly folded up her things with telekinesis and threw them inside the picnic basket. "This is why we don’t say nothing more can go wrong, especially on days off."

"That sounded like a timberwolf!" Applejack exclaimed. "What’s one doing this close to town?"

"I have no idea!" Twilight said quickly, as the howls sounded again, this time much louder. "But they are definitely getting closer! Run!"

The six friends abandoned the picnic blanket, and at varying paces, fled the shade. And with moments to spare, as the sound of heavy running filled the air, and with a crashing of foliage and wood on wood, three menacing quadrupeds of wood burst out of the edge of the treeline, prowling around menacingly, as if hunting for something.

One spotted the ponies between trees further away, and unleashed a howl into the air, running forward and taking the lead. The other two didn’t hesitate to follow, as a distressing number of responding howls came from throughout the orchard.

The ponies kept running through the summer heat as they cast fearful glances behind them; where the heat slowed them, it did nothing to deter the wooden timberwolves that were rapidly gaining ground on their flagging pace.

Applejack looked around, and spotted a handy bunch of loose stones; she didn’t waste any time in skidding to a halt next to them, and tossing several into the air just as the timberwolves got within throwing range. She spun, and with artful grace, bucked the stones in rapid-fire succession. The lumps of rock spun through the air at terrifying speed and like magic, nailed the timberwolves in the snouts, causing them to yelp in alarm and halt their charge in panic.

"Good idea, Applejack!" Twilight shouted, as a violet beam of magic flew past Applejack and splashed into the face of a stunned timberwolf. "We should stand our ground, and save our energy! We can do this!"

"They already went and flanked us, didn’t they?" Applejack asked wryly, sending more stones at the timberwolves to keep them stunned.

"Yeah, kinda," Rainbow admitted, jumping back as a timberwolf tried to bite her, and spinning to kick it in the side of the snout.

The six friends began to back up, forming a tight circle as they continued to repel the timberwolves in the middle of the orchard. But for every timberwolf they managed to scare off, it was as if two more joined the party.

"I didn’t know there were this many timberwolves in the Everfree forest," Fluttershy said loudly, cowering at the middle of the defensive circle.

"Well, I hope they don’t have much more," Applejack remarked, patting the ground next to her and starting to panic. "I think I’m outta rocks!"

"I’m beat!" Twilight complained, weakly firing a laser that definitely didn’t have the vim or vigor of the ones she’d been throwing a few minutes prior. "It’s just too hot!"

Rarity slugged a timberwolf in the face with a ball of telekinesis, and looked around. "Um, I don’t wish to alarm anypony, but where is Pinkie Pie?"

Everyone spared a moment to do a quick headcount. There was six of them... if you counted Spike.

"I thought she was with us!" Rainbow exclaimed, grabbing a timberwolf by the jaws and, trying not to breathe or smell its' bad breath, shoved it backwards. "Would it kill her to include us on these disappearing acts?"

"But Dashie!" Pinkie’s voice rang out from behind the timberwolves. "If I told you guys everything, it would spoil the surprise!"

The timberwolves parted to turn and face the source of the sound behind them, and the ponies saw Pinkie Pie; unscathed, standing upright on her two hind legs, and wearing sunglasses to match the glowsticks that were dangling off her by the dozen. Between her forehooves was a large portable stereo, the casette deck of which snapped shut with a very menacing snick.

"Let’s amp it up!" Pinkie shouted, before pushing the play button on the boombox and holding it above her head.

Heavy, rumbling vibrations rippled out from the boombox, and several timberwolves took steps away in fear. An underwhelmingly ineffective precaution, because the song starting to rumble out of the box was a DJ Pon3 mix, and when the DJ dropped the bass, she dropped the bass.

Like an auditory avalanche, the sounds of Pon3’s latest composition ripped out of the box and reverberated violently through the air, discordant sounds causing the boombox itself to shake in Pinkie’s grasp. The ponies and dragon had already hunkered down and clamped hooves and claws over their ears when they recognized the first few notes of the song. The timberwolves had no such defense, and whatever thought processes they had were overridden by a visceral, senseless beat that now filled the air at what was officially "stupid" volume.

It was too much, and the already sound-sensitive predators turned wooden tail and ran for it, yelping and howling distress into the air. The ponies watched as the timberwolves ran through the trees and rapidly vanished, leaving them entirely alone.

"OH!" Pinkie shouted over the music. "I GUESS THEY COULDN’T STICK AROUND!"

"YOU CAN TURN OFF THE MUSIC NOW!" Rarity wailed.

"WHAT?" Pinkie shouted.

"SHE SAID, TURN OFF THE MUSIC!" Applejack shouted, trying to worm her way across the ground without taking her hooves out of her ears, wincing with every fresh beat that came out of the boombox.

"I CAN’T HEAR YOU!" Pinkie exclaimed louder, shaking her head.

Rainbow Dash let out an inaudible groan of frustration, and took wing, flapping into the air and falling towards Pinkie, wing outstretched. Like a vindictive angel, her outstretched wing easily knocked the boombox out of Pinkie’s hooves and onto the grass where it landed hard; with a click, the battery compartment popped open and the batteries within bounced out and onto the grass, leaving the boombox powerless and silent.

"Aw!" Pinkie exclaimed. "It was just getting to the good part!"

"Ugh," Applejack said, getting up and digging in her ear. "That was... how did you know loud noises scare off timberwolves?"

"Loud noises scare off timberwolves?" Pinkie asked.

"I fear we are not quite out of the woods yet," Rarity whispered fearfully. "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Twilight asked.

Thoom.

"That," Rainbow said, looking around, "That does not sound like a good time."

The thudding started to grow in intensity and volume, ponderous footsteps that were being punctuated with the loud rustling of leaves and pained creaks of wood. It wasn’t any surprise when the ponies looked above the treeline, and saw a moss-rimed, geometrically-carved stone-and-wood monster that was twice as tall as any tree Applejack had in the orchard. Lumbering and bipedal, with vines and creepers swaying from crenellated shoulders and protrusions, it’s upper limbs ended in slightly smaller manipulator digits. It seemed to be made of massive pieces of carved stone held together with wooden pegs and limbs like a giant, primitive doll.

"I don’t think he’s here to party," Applejack conceded.

"No, he’s here to par-tay!" Pinkie chimed in, brandishing the boombox once more, and starting it up again.

Nobody expected the music to be as dramatically effective as it had against the timberwolves; the music was starting post-bass-drop and therefore it was going to be less startling. What they did expect was some sort of effect, as they clamped their hooves over their ears or on the sides of the boombox.

What they got was a stone giant leaning over, and casually flicking the boombox out of Pinkie’s grip with a smash and pristine accuracy. It didn’t look overly upset, just annoyed.

"I know what it is now!" Twilight exclaimed, looking awestruck. "That’s a woldwarden!"

"Great!" Rarity said, afraid to move now that the creature was leaning over them, scrutinizing them carefully. "I don’t suppose it has a weak spot we can perhaps strike for massive damage?"

"Uh, nopony has seen one of these things for hundreds of years," Twilight admitted. "And they’re supposed to be immortal. So there’s that."

"Hey!" Applejack yelled, running away from her friends, waving her hat in her mouth to get the woldwarden’s attention. "Over here, y’ big galoot!"

The bid for attention worked, and the stone golem’s head turned with a grinding of stone to track the earth pony with interest. And after a moment, returned to the ponies, as the woldwarden raised a massive fist, and attempted to crush them flat.

"No!" Applejack cried out in alarm, heart pounding a mile a minute as the very ground shook beneath her.

Under the woldwarden’s fist, there was a crackle of energy, and a creak of stone as something pushed up. Applejack saw the bottom of a translucent dome, and Twilight’s shaking hooves as she pushed up with all her might, increasing the height of the spherical shield. A moment after, the shield’s growth increased expoentially and gained a blue tint as Rarity chipped in her power as well.

The woldwarden gave up, and stepping out of the trees properly, wound back to strike the shield with his other fist. Applejack ran towards it, unsure what she could do to help her friends. Why was this happening?

The earth shuddered and the bubble with her friends in it flashed violently as it was slammed a foot into the earth, everypony inside wailing in terror, save for Twilight, who finally couldn’t do any more and collapsed onto one knee, the shield flickering and dying outright.

Applejack looked up at the backside of the woldwarden, and saw it winding up for another strike. The one that would end the lives of her friends.

"Hold on, everypony!" Applejack shouted, pouring on the pace as she raced between the titanic legs of the woldwarden. "Ah gotcha!"

Applejack dived, and with a grunt, tackled the huddled group of friends with her shoulder. Everypony cried out in alarm as they were all thrown back a good two or three feet, landing on their backs and sides on the grass outside of the shallow crater that Applejack now stood in, alone, as the fist of the woldwarden flew in...

And missed entirely, the strike deviating at the last moment and smashing into the ground. Applejack jumped, and when she realized she wasn’t dead, turned around. The woldwarden’s face was immobile and unreadable, but as it straightened, she realized the woldwarden was staring at her again. Why wasn’t it trying to attack her like it did her friends?

And just like last time, it seemed to come to a conclusion and proceeded to ignore her; it took a stride forwards, stepping over her, and made to approach everypony else, who had made a small but relatively useless attempt to get away, not getting far with Twilight being too weak to walk and the others unwilling to leave her behind.

"Hey, now!" Applejack yelled at the woldwarden, turning around and running back in front of it, just as it stopped within hitting range of her now cowering friends. "Don’t y’all just ignore me like that! You got business with me, buster!"

The woldwarden stared at her again, this time seeming to pay attention.

"Y’all don’t get to pick on my friends," Applejack said loudly, placing herself in front of her friends. "If y’all wanna get to them, you go through me first."

"Applejack, no!" Twilight called out weakly. "It’ll pulverize you!"

"No he won’t," Applejack said confidently, looking around and flashing Twilight a cocky smile. "I got him all figured out, he don’t wanna hit me, seeeEEEEE?!"

Applejack began to kick and thrash in the woldwarden’s grip as it picked her up firmly but gently by the shoulders, pinched between two opposing stone digits, and held her in front of it’s face as if to look at her more closely. Applejack settled for trying to kick it in the nose, which she was well out of range for. The woldwarden gave up and put Applejack down again, this time off to the side so she couldn’t stand between it and the cluster of ponies.

The moment Applejack’s hooves touched down, she let out an indistinct battle-cry and charged towards the woldwarden’s leg, launching herself into the air at the last minute, and delivering a flying kick just as it wound back a fist to try smiting her friends for a third time.

The impact of hooves on stone was loud and echoed through the trees. There was no rumbling of stone or collapsing of wood as Applejack hit a convenient weak spot, and there were no explosions as hiterto undiscovered magic overloading powers were discovered in the nick of time. In fact, the kick did absolutely nothing except cause Applejack to land on her side, hooves ringing.

The woldwarden still didn’t attack, looking at Applejack again. Its face hadn’t changed, but now it looked... upset? Applejack got up, and pointed a hoof at the woldwarden.

"Weren’t you listening?! If it’s a fight you want," she said, jabbing the hoof for emphasis, "you deal with me first! Leave my friends alone! If y' can't handle that, go home."

The woldwarden seemed confused, and hesitantly raised the fist again, as if to continue trying to strike the ponies, but also seemingly looking to Applejack.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Do it, and I will hunt you down. I will find you, and I will take you to pieces."

The woldwarden lowered it’s fist, and took a step back. Applejack took a step forward, and to everyone’s surprise, the woldwarden fully turned, lumbering away back the way it came, checking over it’s shoulder just once before entering the trees and disappearing into the distance until it’s footfalls couldn’t be felt anymore.

"Applejack," Rarity said hesitantly. "That was..."

"How did you even do that?" Rainbow asked, flying over and standing next to a shell-shocked Applejack.

"I haven’t got the foggiest idea," Applejack said numbly.

Comments

[A Follower]

Interesting... I'm curious to see where this is going. Aside from a couple errors, your grammar was really good, so it was easy to read. Pacing was good too. Will definitely keep reading.

[SharpNote the FABULOUS]

Oh, gosh.

[wzium]

"Can I just point out," Pinkie Pie pointed at Twilight, "That I think Twilight’s now holding the "Best Applejack Imitation" trophy?"

"What?" Applejack blinked. "That’s a thing? Why is that a thing?"

"Well, yeah," Rainbow Dash admitted. "It’s a thing, we have contests to see which one of us can imitate somepony best. Specifically, you."

Poor AJ. Don't worry, sugarcube, it's just because you sound so cute

Anyway, it looks very promising. Have a fav from me!
Can't wait for the next chapter.

[Woolytop]

Oh lord, is this a hordes crossover? Is Applejack a warlock?

[Robolestia]

5127585
MAH HOMIE

No, not really. I like my Woldwardens. Not so keen on the rest of the Circle, but Woldwardens are cool and thematic for Equestria. Sorta.