Applejack investagates
What must be done ch 3
By foxgear
Applejack looked impatiently at her watch reading twelve o’clock, her friends were running late. Well they weren’t, since they agreed to meet at twelve fifteen, she was just early. Yesterday she had made a call to her friends asking for their help, but unfortunately everyone, except Sunset Shimmer was tied up with other things that day. Rarity was swamped with dress orders and homework, Fluttershy had to work at the animal shelter, Pinkie had to work a shift at sugar cube corner, and Rainbow Dash had a soccer game in Appaloosa that night.
They all said they would come help her if it was a real emergency, but Applejack hadn’t wanted to disrupt their lives on just a foolish suspicion, so she postponed their gathering till today, which was Saturday. At the time she thought whatever mysteries surrounding her brother and sirens could wait another day and then the hospital where Mac was staying at caught fire.
Mac was still save and sound sleeping in his bed thankfully, but now more than ever Applejack knew something was going on. She didn’t know what, but whatever it was it probably involved the sirens and more than likely magic.
“Applejack, what are you doing here?” A voice asked bringing Aj out of her mussing. She leaned around the corner of the horse statue in front of the school meeting the curious eyes of vice principle Luna. “Are you feeling alright? I heard about the fire at the hospital. I know this a trying time for you and if you want to talk my office is open. I am the school’s registered therapist after all.”
Applejack shied away from the vice principle, using her hat to cover her expression. She would like to talk, to get these feelings welling up inside her off her chest. The confusion, the anger, but she didn’t have time for heart to heart right now. Maybe Monday after everything blows over.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m fine and so is Mac in case you didn’t know. I’m just… waiting on my friends.”
Luna awed with her mouth and gave dazzling smile that made Applejack feel bad for her attitude towards Luna’s offer. “A girl’s day out with your friends, sounds like a nice way to get your mind off the current events.” Luna chuckled, “Kind of reminds me of the times my sister and I would go and hang out with Applejane in our school days. Well you all have fun!”
As Applejack watched Luna walk away, something in Aj’s mind clicked and she called out to the vice principle. “Wait! You knew my mom?”
Luna stopped in her tracks and turned to face the spitting image of her friend. “Yes, Applejane was Celestia’s and I’s best friend in high school, we even went to the same college, though Applejane went for a different career field. Would you like to hear some stories?”
Aj almost said yes, but then another thought came to her mind. “You went to school with my mom, so does that mean you went to school with dad too?”
Luna blinked, “Nico Vega? Oh no, we wasn’t in our classes, or even our school now that I think about it. Actually it was at the end of senior year that he started working for Granny Smith out on the farm. He just kind of showed up one day. Well… Applejane pulled him from the river, but Nico basically just showed up out of the blue. He never talked about any family or where he came from, I don’t even know how old he was, but I think he had been in the military or something because he had this awesome looking jacket with this cool logo on the sleeves. Oh yeah and it also had the number 088 on it.”
“088…” She’s heard that number somewhere before, but where? And when?
“Is there anything else you wanted to know?” Luna asked, looking at Applejack with concern. The young girl was just kind of staring into space.
“I’m fine, really I am.” Applejack said waving her hand and smiling as wide as she could. “Thanks for talking; maybe we can do it again sometime.”
“Applejack,” Luna said walking up her and wrapping the cowgirl up in hug, “It’s ok to ask for help. Don’t try to shoulder everything yourself, it’s… it’s not healthy.”
Applejack nodded as Luna released her and patted her on the shoulder. She hid her blushing cheeks under her hat as Luna walked away, but more importantly she hid her tears, because for a brief moment it felt like she was in her mother’s arms again. When was the last time she got a warm hug? Or was told she didn’t have worry about the harshness that was life? She couldn’t remember. She really couldn’t.
A few minutes later, after erasing any trace of her tears, her friends showed up. First to arrive was Rainbow Dash, dragging Fluttershy in tow. Next was Rarity, hair a mess and glasses still on her nose with Pinkie coming in fourth, face covered in whip cream and finally the last to arrive was Sunset Shimmer. Who was always the last to arrive now that Applejack thought about it; where did that girl live anyways?
“Sorry I’m late! Traffic was terrible today.” Sunset panted running up to them.
Applejack waved her off, “It’s alright. You live a long ways out right? Like the other side of town?” Sunset looked nervous about the question. Why? Also why did she care? It wasn’t her business where Sunset lived; though it was strange that nobody seemed to know where the pony girl lived.
“Why do you smell like apples?” AJ asked suddenly after catching the familiar scent coming off Sunset.
Sunset smiled nervously while scratching the back of her head, a habit of hers that only came up when they asked about her place of residence. Every time Sunset would manage to mislead them away from the subject.
“So Applejack what did you need help with?”
Damn if the former she demon wasn’t grate a manipulating people still. However she did have a point. They weren’t here to solve the mystery of where Sunset sleeps after sunset. Packing that mystery away from another day AJ explained her concerns about the sirens and Mac. The responses were mixed at best.
“So you think Mac is involved with the Sirens somehow?” Rainbow Dash stated as Applejack nodded in confirmation. “And you think this because Adagio showed up and rode in the ambulance with you?”
“Well it does sound strange doesn’t?” Rarity chimed in, “Why would Adagio be at your farm? Better yet, why would she save Mac? I don’t recall them ever meeting when they were at school.”
Fluttershy mumbled something that no one heard and Pinkie… “Oh, oh maybe Mac and Adagio are...” The pink party girl made some hand gestures that made them all turn a little red.
“I highly doubt that’s the case.” Sunset coughed looking just a hair redder then Fluttershy, which earned her a suspicious look from Applejack. “Anyways even if you’re right Applejack, where do we start looking? Canterlot isn’t a huge town, it is plenty big, they could be anywhere by now.”
“You got a point,” Aj conceded, and then idea came to her. “Alright we’ll split up. Rarity and Fluttershy will go downtown. Pinkie and Rainbow will check out the residential streets and Sunset and I will check out the farm. They may have left some clues there or something.”
The girls nodded and went their separate ways, leaving Applejack and Sunset standing awkwardly next to each other as they looked at their means of transportation, since Rainbow and Pinkie were borrowing AJ’s truck, all that was available to them was Sunset’s bike.
“So… got a second helmet?”
Downtown Canterlot was in Rarity’s word, a quaint little place with many stores and business, but most importantly it was home to her very own store, the Canterlot Boutique! She put her entire college fund into the business, and whiles her parents had been less than happy when they found out she used the money to buy the vacant store, it turned out in her favor in the end! Well almost, she did still have a few more loan payments to make, but the business was doing well, even with her having to attend school.
However having her own clothing store didn’t mean she didn’t like going to other stores to shop and since the sirens didn’t get their clothes for the Battle of the Bands from her, it was safe to say they probably got them somewhere around here. She even brought a picture to show her fellow fashionistas to jog their memory.
“Um Rarity,” Fluttershy meekly mumbled as they came to a stop outside “Explicit’s clothing” “Are you sure this is… ah… the right place?”
“Why of course darling!” Rarity hung her arm around the shy girl's shoulders, “Explicit would be the best place to start our search. The sirens seemed to favor… a certain brand of clothes, so we need to look at the place where such clothing can be bought.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement, noticing outfits similar to what the sirens had worn, but there were also more risque clothes on display that had her cheeks burning from just looking at them.
“Come on let’s go in!” Rarity cheered dragging a nearly limp Fluttershy inside. “Hello, Explicit, how are you today?”
Behind the counter was a middle aged woman, dressed in rather provocative attire, yet still decent, she flashed Rarity a smile as she made her way around the corner to embrace her younger business rival/friend.
“Oh I’m wonderful darling! Come to try on some risky attire today?” She winked, earning a giggle from Rarity and a deeper blush from Fluttershy. “You brought a friend too! Even better! Come I have some new stock that I would just love to put you in!”
Rarity laughed politely, knowing it was probably fruitless to try and get out of being Explicit’s personal mannequin, but she could always try.
“Sorry dear, but I’m afraid I’m on other business today.” Rarity dug out the pictures of the sirens and showed it to Explicit. “Have you seen or sold any clothes to these three? It would have been about three months ago or so.”
Explicit took the picture, “Hmm they do seem familiar, but I just can’t place them, perhaps if you and your friend were to put on a little fashion show for me. I might just remember clearly.”
“Um Rarity,” Fluttershy mumbled clutching the back of Rarity’s shirt. Her heart went out for the poor girl, but she knew that look in Explicit’s eye.
“If you only use me as you guinea pig I’ll wear whatever you want, no matter how risqué it is.” Rarity said firmly, the bartering had begun.
“Temping, but your little friend is just so cute! I just have to have photo of her in something cute! She’s seems like a natural model you know?”
Rarity sighed; she had thrown out her best offer. She gave Fluttershy an apologetic look as she prepared to do her final bid. “Fine you can put her in a dress, something very non risqué and me and whatever you desire.”
“Deal!” Explicit ran to the door and flipped the sign to closed and shut the shades. “Come on! They’re in the back!”
“Um Rarity what’ going to happen to us?” Fluttershy asked meekly as they were dragged into the back room. Rarity did her best to calm her fears.
“Nothing bad, just a little dress up is all, you know like I have you do for me sometimes.” Rarity smiled, knowing it wasn’t quiet going to be the same, but it was better if Fluttershy didn’t know that.
“Umm Miss Explicit, isn’t this a little… short?” Just as Explicit promised Fluttershy was now adorned in a very cute looking white dress that really brought out her features. However the helm of the skirt barely went past her thighs. Fluttershy was frozen like a deer in head lights as Explicit snapped a picture of her.
Explicit waved the photo to help it develop, “Nonsense darling it’s looks wonderful on you! Pretty soon this will be the next big trend in town thanks to you. You’re just so beautiful!”
“Really?” Fluttershy wondering feeling empowered by the complement, and started looking at the bright side of this experience. It was really nice to be called pretty, but it was even better that she didn’t have to wear what Rarity was wearing, which was purple bunny suit complete with ears and a tail. This was the first time Fluttershy had seen Rarity looking unexcited to be wearing new clothes.
“There has to be some sort of law against this,” The fashionista mumbled as Explicit took pictures of her, a lot of pictures! “Are you done yet?”
Explicit laughed setting the camera down, “Alright, alright, I’ve had my fun. Come back up front when you finished changing.” She said over her shoulder leaving the two alone.
Fluttershy began to undress when Rarity stopped her. The shy girl gave her friend a confused look as Rarity walked over to the door with a clothes hanger and stuck the hook through a little hidden hole in the door. There was loud yelp from the other side.
“Alright I’m going for real this time!” Explicit said from the other side.
Fluttershy could only blink as Rarity began undressing, “Is there something wrong with her?”
“She’s….” Rarity fumbled with the words, going through a long list of how to describe Explicit, and decided she better keep it to a Fluttershy rating, “Very free spirited.”
“Kind of like Tree Hugger at the animal shelter. She’s always being so nice and taking pictures of me when I work with the animals.”
Rarity nervously laughed, “Yes let’s go with that! Now come on, let’s change before she comes back!”
When the girl emerged from the back room Explicit was opening the shop back up. The two stood by the register and waited for her to return, when she did she sat on her stool and lit a cigarette, a vent sucked the smoke outside, preventing the smell from lingering in the store.
“I remember those three,” Explicit began taking a long drag, “They nearly robed me blind. I nearly let them get away then the store alarm went off. Buying those security tags was a good investment. Anyways I made them do some photo opts for me to pay for the clothes, since what they wanted to steal wasn’t that valuable and they were all very pretty I figured I could make some quick cash off them. I did very well on their pictures; they were worth more than cost of giving the clothes away, so it was a good deal in the end. I didn’t see them again, but one day I was at the Plaza and I think I saw one running a food stand down there. I can’t say for sure since I was pretty far away and her hair style was different that day, but I’m certain it was this blue girl here.”
“Sonata Dusk?”
Explicit shrugged, “Never got their real names, I just took pictures and gave away some dresses. That’s all I know.”
“I see, thanks for the help, Explicit.” Rarity said as she led Fluttershy to the door.
“Rarity, wait a second,” Explicit yelled after them, making the two freeze in the door way. She shivered as hugged herself, “Rarity, those girls, I-I know this will sound strange, but I think their bad news. Whatever you want with them, I’d suggest you just drop it and move on.”
Rarity nodded, more for Explicit’s sake then her own, “Thanks, but we’ve dealt with them before. We’ll be alright.”
As the door closed Explicit sighed, she really hoped Rarity was right. She really did.
“So do we go to the plaza then?” Fluttershy asked as they walked down the street, passing several old dark alley’s along the way. Though a nervous girl, Fluttershy never felt threatened by the alley’s before, she’s even gone into them a few times to look for strays, but something felt ominous about them today, even in the daylight.
“It would be the best place to start… Fluttershy?” Rarity turned around, finding no trace of the shy girl. She walked to the last alley they passed and peered down. On the ground was a tuff of pink hair. “Fluttershy!
With no hesitation Rarity ran down the dirty alley, jumping over tipped over trash cans and piles of garbage bags. When she exited the alley she skidded to a stop as two women load an unconscious Fluttershy into the back of white van!
“Fluttershy! You let her go right now!” She demanded shifting into a fighting stance, those self-defense classes were about to pay off.
The two women disregarded her and continued to load Fluttershy into the van. With a growl Rarity charged at them, but didn’t get far as she felt a sharp pain in her leg and fell to the ground. She whimpered as a third attacker walked from behind her holding a steel bar in her hand. In the other hand she held a strange device.
“Hmm,” The woman with the bar hummed, bring the device closer to Rarity, “Only a two out of five on the meter, above average, but defiantly not enough to have defeated Kerosene. Still two above average subjects in one day, defiantly worth taking both of you. However I’m a fair a gal, I’ll make deal, if you can make it to your friend in thirty seconds on that leg, I’ll let you both go, if you don’t, well… you know.”
Rarity choked back a sob as she tried to get to her feet; pain assaulted her senses as she put the tiniest bit of pressure on her injured leg. She screamed and fell down again. Knowing it was impossible for her to walk she started to crawl along the dirt, but the woman the dug the steel bar roughly into the hand making her scream!
“No, no, you have to walk. That was the deal. Crawling is against the rules, oh and you only have fifteen seconds left.”
Rarity was crying hard now, her vision a blur as she got up again. She took one long deep breath and broke into a sprint, ignoring the pain as best she could. She was nearly to the van when the alarm on the mad woman’s watch went off. Still wanting to save her friend Rarity leap for Fluttershy, but another whack of the steel bar took her other leg out from under her.
“Now, now, we can’t have that. You lost the game and now I’m going to take you away.” The mad woman said cheerily as Rarity was lifted into the back of the van. “Don’t worry about you injuries, I take good care of my patents, I am a Doctor after all. Oh, you can call me Maddie by the way.”
Rarity tried to say something but it only came out as mumbles, Maddie laughed hysterically, as if she had just been told a funny joke.
“Wishing for you friends to save you dear?” Maddie noticed something sticking out of Rarity’s handbag and picked up to look at it. It was picture of Rarity and her friends at an amusement park. “Hmm, you know what; you may see your friends again after all. White Tail please find these girls for me and please get it done by the end of the day.”
White tail, the white skinned girl with tan hair took the picture and the device from Maddie and walked away. Maddie smiled cheerfully as she slammed the doors of the van closed. Things were getting very exciting!
In the back of the van, the bouncing of the road had awoken Fluttershy, who broke down and cried as she realized she had been kidnapped; she only cried harder when she found Rarity next to her and very badly hurt. She did her best to tend to the wounds, but she knew it wasn’t much help.
“Please,” She sobbed, “Please someone save us!”
Rainbow Dash puttered around the block of one of Canterlot’s many residential streets with a bored look on her face. She had thought going on the hunt for the sirens would have been more action filled, but it turned out to be a lot of driving and a lot looking at nothing really interesting. Most of what she saw where kids both her age and younger, enjoying the nice weather, playing games and running around, you know, having fun!
“Cheer up Dashie!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she looked through a magnifying glass, where she got it Rainbow didn’t know, but it was proving to be one of the more annoying props Pinkie had bugged her with so far. The pink party girl just kept looking her ear all the time; calming to be looking for rainbow ear wax, so she could make rainbow candles or something. “I know something exciting will happen soon!” She said looking in her ear again!
“Pinkie for the last time I don’t have rainbow colored ear wax!” Rainbow exclaimed shoving the party girl away. She took a turn onto the next street, passing a parked van on the corner as she entered the poorer part of town, known as little Hispania. She was pretty sure Derpy lived in this neighborhood.
Driving down the poorly maintained street Dash kept a close eye at anyone they passed. Canterlot didn’t have a lot of gang violence, but it did have gangs, most were harmless posers, but there were a few gangs of hoodlums that were serious to the bit. She may or may not have joined them for a short time after the first break up of their friendship group.
“Hey Dashie?” Pinkie said while poking the rainbow haired girl in the side. The party girl’s tone was lacking its usual dose of sugar and was instead a mix of worry and concern, not that Rainbow Dash was in the right frame of mind to notice.
“What?” She huffed, wondering what the party girl wanted. She followed the girls pointing finger to the rear view mirror, where a white van could be seen trailing behind them.
Rainbow took the next right and drove the end of the block and made a quick left stopping half way down the street. She waited a minute to see if the van would follow and sure enough she saw it poke around the corner. Slowly she drove ahead, careful to not make whoever was following aware that they knew they were being tailed. On the next right she turned slowly and once she was around the bend she floored it!
“Hang on Pinkie!” Rainbow yelled as she shifted gears heading for the more deserted streets. Behind them van come roaring around the corner, quickly eating up the distance between them. Taking the next left Rainbow dash smiled as she got on to an old dirt road and put the pedal to the floor knowing no one would be around here.
Dust flew up behind them hiding them from sight, but making them easily to track. The road twisted and turned sharply, Rainbow drifted professionally thru and straightened out. The black top came into view again and Rainbow hopped onto the road and gunned the truck for all it was worth! However that didn’t prove to be much as the engine died and the truck sputtered to a stop, the fuel gauge reading empty.
Rainbow punched the steering as the van pulled up behind them, “Crap!” She yelled as the driver of the van stepped out, it was woman, a very tall woman, wearing what looked like a coat made of deer hides. She walked towards them slowly, taking her time. Rainbow got out and moved into a fighting stance.
“What do you want with us?” She demanded as Pinkie Pie got out on the other side. The party girl took a very strange kind of fighting stance, but she looked comfortable in it, so maybe she could hold herself in a fight.
The woman held up a picture and looked between it and them several times before nodding and placing the picture back in her inner pocket.
“Da, I am here to capture you for my master, we have already capture to of your companions, the purple and the other pinked haired one. Please come with me peacefully or you will be forcibly detained as they were.”
“Who are you and what did you do to Fluttershy and Rarity?” Rainbow demanded angry.
The woman cracked her neck and shook off her coat, placing if safety on the hood of her van. “I am White Tail,” White Tail held up a strange device and pointed it at both of them. “Hmm three of five, and three and a half of five, much more impressive than your friends, but still not enough to have killed Kerosene. Regardless, I take you.”
“Whoa, whoa, what’s this about killing someone?”
Rainbow didn’t get an answer as White Tail began to glow, growing ears and deer antlers on top of her head!
“Whoa she can pony up?”
“I think you mean deer up Dashie, also does this mean she’s really a he, because female deer don’t have antlers, unless…”
“Pinkie not the time!” Rainbow yelled as the deer girl charge her, Dash jumped to the side, but outward spikes of White Tail’s antler caught her jacket taking her along for the ride as the deer girl swung her into the side of the truck with a sickening CRACK!
Rainbow slumped down the side of the truck, barely registering Pinkie Pie jumping over from the other side and tackling White Tail and punched with the furry a of angry ally cat!
“TASTE MAUD FU!” She screamed punching White Tail in the face! The deer girl’s antlers bounced against the pavement of the road with every hit, bouncing her head back into Pinkie’s line of fire. White Tail used to this her advantage however as she adjusted the angle of her head so one of the spikes would hit Pinkie in the arm, the ploy worked and Pinkie’s assault came to a abrupt end as she stumbled away clutching her bloody arm.
“That’s my cupcake throwing arm!” The party girl cried as she fell against the side of the truck, looking pale. “Oohoo… I don’t feel so good.” She mumbled before falling face first onto the tar.
“Pinkie!” Rainbow yelled crawling over to her friend, “What’d you do to her you bitch!”
White Tail smirked, pointing to her antler, “Neurotoxin, I paralyzed her and soon I’ll do the same to you.” She broke off one of the spikes and held in her hand like a knife, the broken spike growing back almost instantly.
Rainbow Dash rolled avoiding the first attack, which pierced through the side of the truck, Aj wasn’t going to be happy about that when she found out. Stumbling to her feet Rainbow made a break for it, White Tail chasing after her, she could hear the deer girl’s footsteps echoing right behind her. She could just barely feel her fingers brush the back of her shirt and it was at that instant Rainbow ducked and turned punched White Tail in the stomach, following up with an upper cut the jaw! The deer girl staggered and fell on her back. Rainbow spat on her as she walked past her.
“I never abandon my friends,” She declared rushing back to Pinkie. They could take the van to the hospital and call for help after that. “Pinkie, Pinkie!” Rainbow yelled shaking the girl, she got no response; quickly she checked for a pulse and sighed in relief when she found one. Gathering the party girl in her arms she carried her to the van and placed her back. Finding some blankets she tore some strips from it and wrapped Pinkie’s bleeding arm and walked for the driver’s seat. She was about to start it was she discovered the keys were missing!
“Looking for these?” White Tail said standing right beside the door, a spike ready and waiting in hand, Dash tried to fight her, to throw her off, but the deer girl was on her before she could do anything and she felt the sharp prick of the spike stab into her shoulder, she fell limp in White’s embrace.
“That’s a good girl,” White Tail chuckled placing Rainbow in the back with Pinkie. “Four down, two to do.”
Applejack and Sunset walked around the burnt remains of the barn, searching for anything that could help them understand what was going on. They weren’t entirely sure what they were actually looking for, but they figured this would be the place to start.
“Aj look at this!” Sunset said pointing to a foot print in the blackened floor. The tail lead from the back of the barn to where Mac had been hit with the beam. On the other of the beam the ash was in a strange almost ripple pattern like someone had thrown a pebble in the water. Aj wondered what it could mean.
“Any idea if this is something magical? You’re kind of the expert.” Aj said kneeing down for a closer look of the footprints, missing Sunset’s down trotted frown.
The pony girl took a deep breath and gave it her best shot, “It’s hard to say for sure, but it’s defiantly not natural, though I don’t know of anything in Equestria that leaves tracks like this; how about you, any ideas?”
Applejack resisted the urge to scoff and say of course not, but held herself back. With all the strange things going on lately she might start believing big foot is real. Still she’s never heard of anything about a walking fire person or something a keen to that.
She looked closer at the foot prints following them back to what used to be the back of the barn. There were a few footprints burned into the grass, but only four or five feet away from the barn. Whatever this thing was is wasn’t on fire all the time and then there were the footprints themselves.
“I don’t know what this thing is, but it is defiantly female, look at how slender the foot is and how far apart they are. Who or whatever did this was probably about five feet tall and weighed less than a hundred pounds.” She told Sunset, who was looking wide eyed over her shoulder.
Sunset blinked, clearly impressed with the deduction, “How’d do you get all that from just some footprints?”
“Pa taught me and Mac when were kids…” Applejack began to say when her head started to hurt. She swayed a bit as she stumbled to her feet causing Sunset to catch her and hold her steady. The pain in her head increasing as she heard a voice screaming in her head!
STAY AWAY FROM THERE!
“Aj, Aj are you all right?” Sunset asked concerned leading her friend to the house. “Maybe you should sit down; you’ve been through a lot the past few days; how about some water?”
Sweating profusely and breathing heavily, Applejack nodded to the offer and allowed Sunset to bring her to the front porch swing chair, where Sunset left her as she ran inside the house for some water.
While she waited Applejack suddenly remembered something from her childhood, something she had forgotten. She looked up staring at the path leading into the western orchard, she remembered now, her dad told her not to go in there, a long, long time ago.
“Here’s the water,” Sunset said placing the ice cold glass in front of her face. Applejack took it with a nod and took small sips, her eyes focused on the tree line in front of her. She tilted the glass higher; nearly draining it, when she set it back down on the arm rest Applejack saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye. “It can’t be…”
“Applejack?” Sunset asked not quiet hearing what the farm girl had said, before she knew what happened AJ was out of her seat and running towards the west orchard! “Aj wait! It’s dangerous in there!” She yelled chasing after her friend.
Applejack ran with all her might, breaking through low hanging branches that cut her arms, ignoring thorn bushes cutting her legs, and stumbling over rocks in a desperate need to chase the shadow in front her all the while a familiar voice screamed in her head.
GET BACK IT’S NOT SAFE!
Turn around AJ! Don’t look!
As Applejack stumbled into a familiar clearing she finally remembered. She remembered being attacked by a strange creature in the orchard and her father had saved her. She remembered the rain running down her face, mixing with her tears of panic and fear as she lay curled up in ball on the ground as her father stood over her, locked in conflict the creature. He had been bleeding; his hands gripped the upper and lower jaws of the creature, its teeth cutting into his hands.
“Look away Aj,” He had told her and she had, for only a brief second, before looking back again. In the flash of lightning she had seen something she had never seen before, the creature which she had thought was a hungry mountain lion, was something she had only seen in fairy tale books, a chimera, a monster with the head of body of lion, the head of a goat, and a snake for a tail, but that wasn’t the only strange creature she saw that night, she saw her father with ears on top his head, large leathery wings, and a tail. She had been in awe of the sight, but it had quickly turned to horror as her father ripped the monsters mouth open with his bare hands!
After that she had fainted and woke up back at the house, where her dad had told her it had been a stray mountain lion and that she had come close to being its supper. He had forbid her from entering the west orchard ever again.
“Aj’s what’s wrong?” Sunset panted finally catching up to her.
Applejack swallowed the lump in her throat, unsure how to answer. Maybe what she saw had just been her younger self’s memory of the event, maybe a mountain lion had attacked her. As she walked into the center of the clearing Applejack noticed a patch of glass was a different shade from the rest of it. The patch was quiet large, large enough to hide something.
“We need some shovels.” She said walking back towards the yard with Sunset following her.
Getting the shovels didn’t take long and they returned to the spot with in twenty minutes and started digging, Sunset on the west side of the patch and Applejack to the east. They didn’t have to dig long till they hit something.
“This is a…” Sunset gasp holding up a huge snake’s skull, while Applejack tapped the lion’s skull she uncovered, her eyes narrowing as she looked at it.
“A chimera,” Applejack finished for her. She dug the rest of the skull out just to be sure, and sure enough its lower jaw was separated from the upper, broken in way that could not be natural. This was indeed the creature that had attacked her. The thing her father lied to her about. The question now, what else was he hiding? “Come on, let’s go.”
Sunset dropped the snake skull and ran up to Applejack, “Go where?” She asked nervously, the west orchard had always been eerie, that’s why she never came here in all the years she’s been staying in the south orchard. She should probably tell the girls about that sometime, but not today.
“I don’t know,” Applejack answered honestly, “But I have this feeling that if we keep going deeper into the orchard, we’ll find what we’re looking for.”
Applejack pushed on, going deeper into the west orchard then she had ever gone before, Sunset bravely following her lead. She raised a curious eye brow to the well-worn path they stumbled upon, finding a few tracks in the dirt Applejack knelt down for a closer look.
One of the tracks was defiantly Mac’s; she’d know his boot print anywhere. The others were a bit tougher because they were her boot prints, her old boots! She found three different sets. Meaning there were either three people running around with her old boots or one person rotating between them. She was fairly hard on boots; whoever was wearing them wouldn’t get a lot of comfort out of them.
“Just a little further, we’re getting close,” She told Sunset as they pushed on, following the path, it didn’t take long for them to reach the shack at the edge of the orchard. From behind her, Applejack heard Sunset gasp, but chose to ignore her strange reaction for now and opened the door.
Inside were signs of people living inside, and female judging from the pair of panties on the floor. God, she hoped Mac didn’t make this to his love shack or something like that. That theory, well possible, though not in alignment of Mac’s character was quickly looking unlikely as she looked around. She very much doubted you had maps of the city, guns, and emergency first aids in a love shack. This place was looking more like something out of CSI; there were even bloodstains on the floor!
“What in the hell is going on?” Applejack muttered as she closed the gun cabinet. She looked to Sunset for an answer (Knowing she wouldn’t have one) as the bacon haired girl exited the newly made addition that housed two bunk beds.
Sunset shook her head, really having no idea what to say to her friend. She liked Mac; he protected her from vandals and gave her a home. She looked up to him, respected him, and just maybe had some feelings for him, but that aside maybe it was time to tell Applejack the truth about her father Nico Vega, she had a right to know and it would probably help clear somethings up, but she had promised Nico not to say anything either.
She groaned in frustration, not knowing what to do, which drew Applejack’s attention. From the look on the farm girl’s face it was obvious she knew something was up and Sunset was about to break down and tell her the truth, really she was, but then Sonata Dusk walked into the cabin wearing nothing but a bath robe and things got really awkward really fast.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Applejack yelled at the siren looking at the two of them like a deer in head lights before bolting out the door. “Come back here!”
Sunset uncertain what to do chased after them.
It didn’t take much for Applejack and Sunset Shimmer to capture Sonata, running bare foot in the woods was very impractical and painful and Applejack ended up giving the blue siren a piggy back ride back to the shack, where she thankfully put on some clothes.
Now dressed in sweats pants and a hoodie Sonata sat before her two captors, one a fellow magical being, the other Mac’s little sister, the person she was supposed be to be protecting while the others were gone. She probably should have skipped the dip in the river.
“So um… what do you want to know?” She asked nervously looking between the two girls. Applejack wasn’t looking too happy with her while Sunset was… she didn’t know looked sympathetic? That might be it, sympathetic, now if only she could remember what that meant.
Applejack snorted angry, “How about we start with why you’re staying in a shack on MY farm!”
Sonata recoiled as Sunset held Applejack back, she took a calming breath knowing what she was about to say next would only further enrage the girl, but it was the truth.
“First of all, this isn’t your farm, its Mac’s,” Sonata pointed out, getting a death glare from Applejack, “And second I’m here because Aria, Adagio and I live and work here. Mac (Shot us with bean bags) hired us because he believes in second chances.”
“As if,” Applejack said disbelievingly.
“It’s true!” Sonata shot back, standing up to poke the farm girl in the chest, she also just realized Applejack was a good few inches taller than her and clearly stronger, but she wouldn’t let that deter her. “All me and my sisters do is run the apple stand in town, collect apples and bake treats to sale, and gather information on possible monster sightings and then go monster hunting with Mac! We don’t even get paid for that second part that I really shouldn’t have told you about!” Sonata rambled as Applejack’s and Sunset’s eyes widened. “Oh… crap… there’s no chance you two will just pretend you didn’t hear that right?”
Applejack and Sunset shook their head slowly.
“Ah poop…” Sonata said falling back into her chair, “So I guess this is the part where I have to explain what has been going on behind you back right?” They nodded again. “Ok, but you might what to sit down.” She cautioned as she explained what has been going on since Mac recruited them after that battle of the bands.
Needless to say Applejack and Sunset were a little overwhelmed but what’s been going on behind their backs and by a little overwhelmed, well it may not accurately describe their feelings on the matter as Sonata found her herself lifted up by the collar and getting screamed at by an angry Applejack.
“You mean my brother has been going to school, running the farm, and fighting monsters with you three all night!” Which explained why Mac was so tired and irate all the time now, but still why would he do that? “Why didn’t he ask me for help?” Applejack screamed pushing Sonata away.
“Well we don’t fight monsters every night… right that’s not the point. We also don’t help him all the time, most of the time he likes to go alone… but we help like seventy-five percent of the time! Ok, I can see this isn’t making you any happier, so it’s the fact he lied to you and it seems like he doesn’t trust you, even though you fight magic and monsters too, is that what’s bothering you?” Applejack nodded slowly, gritting her teeth at the siren. “I see, well there’s an easy answer for that… Nico Vega told him not to tell you… and that probably isn’t going to help you calm down is it.”
Applejack stumbled away from the siren falling into one of the nearby chairs, “Dad… dad told him to lie to me… why?” She looked to Sunset and Sonata silent tears falling down her cheeks. “Whoa… I… don’t… I don’t know what to do.”
She was so angry. At Mac, at her dad, she was so angry her gums hurt! She wanted to scream out, but all that come out was sputter of croaks and suppressed sobs. Someone put their hand on her shoulder, it was Sunset’s, and she looked really uncomfortable. Applejack could understand that, it wasn’t easily dealing with people when they were emotional.
Across from her Sonata was looking pretty bad. The blue siren curled into a ball on her chair and as twisting her long her around her fingers, keeping her eyes averted from Applejack. She was mumbling something under breath. Applejack slowly walked over and knelt down in front of the girl.
“He just wanted to keep you safe. He just wanted you safe.” She repeated over and over. Applejack had a pretty good idea that she was referring to her father, Nico Vega.
“You knew my dad?” Applejack asked the siren. The blue girl nodded as she swiped her nose with her arm, getting snot all over it. It really sucked when you cried, because you always got a runny nose to go with it. “Here,” Aj offered Sonata her handkerchief, which she took with a weak smile. “Care to tell me what’s going on? Like how you know my dad and why your helping Mac? I… I really want to know.”
Sonata nodded as she blew her nose, “Sure, but can we get Aria first? I’d feel better if at least one of the others were with me. She should be in town at the stall right now. Mac and Adagio went to the city to investigate some leads and they won’t be back till later tonight.”
Applejack checked her watch, it was nearly five in the afternoon, and it was getting close to the time they agreed to regroup with the others.
“Sure, we need to go to town anyways, but we only got Sunset’s bike for transportation and Rainbow has my truck.”
“Aria has our truck and Mac and Adagio took Mac’s bike, but…” Sonata got up and led Sunset and Applejack outside to a lean to on the west side on that shack with an old black ford truck resting inside. “We can take this, it’s a little old, but it still runs.” Sonata got inside and turned the key over the engine coming to life after a few seconds. Applejack and Sunset piled inside barely squeezing into the cab because of the gear stick in the middle.
“Why is there bullet holes in the dash?” Sunset asked nervously as Sonata pulled out from under the lean to.
“Oh that’s from when Bonny and Clyde got shot by the police.” Sonata answered turning onto the secret road. Giggling at the slack jawed looks she was getting from her two passengers. “What? We got it on a salvage title! You couldn’t get a cheaper car in those times!”
“How old are you again?” Applejack stuttered as they got onto the main highway to town.
Sonata winked and said, “That’s a secret.”
Aria smiled and waved as her tenth customer for the day walked away with some of her homemade caramel apples. She deposited the money into the safe box as she tallied the number of items sold. Mac wanted to keep a record of what items sold better, so they could make better sells, but they took things a bit farther and had a list of goods sold and who made them. Sonata’s treats always seemed to sell the most.
As she plucked on of the chocolate dipped apples for a quick snack, Aria heard the familiar old sound of their old ford truck and sure enough Sonata pulled into the back lot, but with to passengers Applejack and Sunset Shimmer. Sonata waved nervously at her as the two girl climbed out of the truck.
“Great…” She sighed as the two approached her. Things were about to get complicated, a lot more complicated. Mac isn’t going to be happy when he gets back.
“We need to talk.” Applejack said bluntly.
Aria could do nothing but shrug at the farm girl, “Doesn’t seem like we have a choice. You’re the boss’s sister after all.” She joked turning the stalls sign to closed and she was so close to beating her record too.
“First off have you seen Rarity and Fluttershy?” Sunset asked, worry filling her voice. “They’re supposed to be searching for you in this area.”
“Can’t say that I have, I’ve been here all day and haven’t seen any sign of fancy skirt and squeaky.” The two gave her unconvinced looks, but Aria gave them no mind as she led them down to the side walk. “The plaza is at the end of downtown, so that means they would have to be up the street somewhere. We can take you to our usual sources to see if they have been in the area.”
The usual sources were in fact, the elderly, as Sunset and Applejack came to discover as the two sirens chatted it up with several old folks who for the most part sat on benches and spread the town gossip. It was amazing really watching the two gather information. The town’s folks met the two sirens with happy smiles and laughs, as they talked about their day, sharing whatever candy or treats they carried.
After the third or fourth person the sirens knew everything from where Fluttershy and Rarity were last seen to tales of their principles' youth. Whatever the case the fact they found themselves outside a clothing store was no surprise.
“Isn’t this the place we got caught robbing and had to take pictures in bikinis and lingerie as payment?” Sonata asked a loud, as Aria nodded along.
“Yep, this is the place, Adagio got really into that too. I doubt the owner will be happy to see us again, so do you two want to go in ask the owner about your friends?” Aria turned two Sunset and Applejack, who were looking back with some simmering glares. “What? I’m just saying it would be simpler, would hate for her to call the cops on us.”
Blushing red from the outfits in the display window, Applejack growled out a harsh, “Fine” And marched into the store with Sunset in tow.
“You know what’s going to happen to them right?” Sonata asked noticing the smirk on Aria’s face. “You totally sent them in there on purpose didn’t you?”
“It’s better this way, plus some pay back for the battle of the bands.” Aria said walking down a few alleyways, coming to a stop at one in particular. “You feel that?”
Sonata shivered, “Yeah, dark magic, it’s everywhere!”
“Sad to say but something probably got those girls. Look there.” Aria pointed to a pink hair on the ground. “Come on, let’s check it out.”
Sonata nodded and followed her to the alley behind the stores. There the scent of magic filled the air, the lingering taste of a spell still fresh.
“Do not see me; do not hear me, classic bad guy spell.” Aria knelt down inspecting some marks in the dirt. “Someone fell here and then crawled a little bit before running, ending at the tracks… here. Meaning they were taken by car. This is going to be tough case.”
From behind they heard two sets of footsteps, the sirens turned to face Applejack and Sunset with their arms crossed and looking very displeased, “What are you two up too?”
“Didn’t enjoy the fashion show?” Aria chuckled, earning a glare from Applejack, but as much as she wanted to tease the two and ask what they were forced to wear. There were more important matters at hand.
“Alright no more joking around, your friends are in danger, where did you send the other two?”
“Why? What happened to Rarity and Fluttershy?” Applejack demanded angrily grabbing Aria by the collar, if the purple siren was feeling threatened, she hid it well.
Aria forcibly removed Aj’s hand from her shirt, “Their gone, taken by someone, but more than likely alive. Now tell me before it’s too late, where are the other two?”
“They went to search the residential area.” Sunset answered with worry.
The two sirens ran off, Sunset and Applejack giving chase, following them back to the plaza. Where they all piled into the siren’s blue truck and headed for the residential part of town. There it was the same as before, asking elderly folks of what they seen through the day, and were hot on Rainbow’s and Pinkie’s trail as followed their path though the neighborhoods. Derpy giving them the final clue to where the two had gone and the four of them eventually pulled up to Aj’s abandoned truck.
“That’s not good. Sonata arm up!” Aria ordered pulling two sawed off from under the truck seat. “You two stay here; keep the engine running anything happens you book it. Understand?”
Maybe it was the authority she spoke with or the eerily presence of Aj’s deserted truck, but the two rainbooms nodded and followed the sirens orders.
Aria and Sonata approached the truck carefully, checking inside, underneath and in the box for anything. Their eyes glowed in the evening twilight as they sensed the presence of magic. All around the truck the presence the smoky green mist was made clear to them.
“What do you make of this?” Sonata asked holding up a broken piece of a horn. The thing was soaked in magic.
“I don’t know, but it isn’t good. Check the second tank on the truck for fuel, and see if we can’t drive it back to the farm.” Sonata fiddled with the truck, Aria knelt down for a closer look of the blood on the tar.
From the looks of things Rainbow and Pinkie, were attacked too, but they managed to put up a better fight then the other two did at least. It was amazing how easily their former enemies were being taken down and here they were protecting them. Nico was right, Aj and her friends, they weren’t ready for whatever was hunting them, and after the fire girl at the hospital Aria was beginning to doubt they were ready.
“I got it going!” Sonata yelled revving the engine.
Aria nodded and hopped back into the blue truck with the other two, “We’re going back to the farm. Whatever is after you its good at what it’s does, we need to wait for Mac and Adagio to get back before we can do anything.”
As they drove down the road Applejack leaned her head against the window of the truck, staring at the setting sun and feeling like her entire world was being flipped upside down. She sighed as her eyed fluttered closed, the exhaustion of the day catching up with her and she wondered if her life would ever be normal again.
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This was rely hype
6937702 hype?