Friends and Fairy Tales

by CrackedInkWell

Chapter 2: From Lands Far, Far Away…

“There you guys are!” Rainbow Dash said as Twilight and Spike made their way towards the café.

“Sorry, I’m really sorry for being late,” the princess said as she unstrapped the saddlebags from her.

“On the contrary,” Rarity waved, “We’ve just barely arrived ourselves. None of us had gotten the chance to order anything yet.”

“Oh good, I was doing some tests and I almost forgot what time it was.”

“Let’s worry about that none sugar cube,” Applejack told her. “Y’all are on time as always.”

The babe dragon was the first to take his seat, “How have you guys been doing?”

“Super!” Pinkie grinned, “I helped out Mr. and Mrs. Cake with the twenty-six cupcake order where we had to bake a different flavor each for Button Mash’s birthday. Although, I don’t see why he couldn’t have ordered more, I mean, there are flavors out there that cupcakes can be made from like passion fruit, ginger-root, root beer, avocado with grass clippings, ghost chili flavored with cream cheese frosting, cheery orange, orange watermelon, huckleberry-”

The rainbow maned Pegasus put a hoof in her mouth, “Pinks, I think we’ve get the picture.”

By now, Twilight got the chance to sit down beside her friends, “So Fluttershy, anything new with you?”

“Not very much,” the yellow mare said humbly, “I’ve just sorted a dispute with Mr. Beaver this afternoon with Ms. Groundhog, and I’ve given the Robins their vaccines as well. Outside of that, I haven’t seen Angle since he finished lunch.”

“Did he go somewhere?”

“I’m not sure. He’s been disappearing more often around the afternoons, but always come back home by dinner. I’ve already prepared a salad for him in case he does come back to the cottage.”

“Pardon ladies and gentledrake,” a new voice was heard that six mares and a dragon looked over to see the waiter there. As he passed out the tray of ice water, he asked, “Are we ready to order or do you need a moment?”

“Can we have a menu?” Twilight inquired, “We’ve just got here not too long ago.”

“Certainly,” a moment later he returned with extra menus. And several minutes later, all seven decided on what to eat. When the waiter was gone, the Princess of Friendship turned to the apple farmer.

“How are things on the farm?”

“Ta be honest, it’s been real slow season,” Applejack admitted. “We’ve already planted the new saplin’s, as well as the garden. As of now, we’re lookin’ forward ta is wait fer the apples ta grow in the commin’ months.”

“In the meantime,” Rainbow leaned forward, “you and I need to do another Iron Pony competition to see if you’re still fit enough after staying inside for the winter.”

“Don’t you fret Rainbow, Ah haven’t forgotten all about it, and Ah’m still gonna whop yer flank inta the next week.”

“Hey, easy you two,” Twilight interjected. “We don’t want ourselves to go overboard again.”

The Pegasus snorted, “C’mon Twi, it’s just friendly competition, we’ve already learned our lesson the last time.”

“And Ah don’t mind,” Applejack added, “‘sides, at least it’ll give me somethin’ ta do.”

“Which reminds me,” Pinkie turned to the little drake, “Hey Spiky; wanna be co-host tomorrow when AJ and Dashie go at it like last time?”

Spike shrugged, “Why not, if I get my chores done on time then I’d be happy to do so.”

Twilight turned her attention to Rarity, “What about you?”

“I’ve been keeping myself busy, thank you for asking darling. I have a client that’s coming tomorrow morning, and all I need to do is to take a look from those books I need to borrow to put some of the final touches.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got all of your books right here,” she patted her saddlebags. “Before everypony leaves, I’ll make sure that you’ll get your books you need.”

“Speaking of books,” Rainbow interjected, “did you guys happen to find ‘Daring Do and the Sands of Katfar’?”

“And ‘The History of the Wonderbolts for Dummies,’” Spike said with a nod. “Yes, I know this because I was the one that picked the books off the shelves. Along with everypony else, we did have those books you guys asked for.”

“Excellent,” Rarity commented, “I simply can’t wait to read more about Shadow Spades. It’s been almost a year since one of her books has been published.”

“And I can’t wait to go home and read that comedy that I’ve keep promising that I would read but never gotten around to it,” Pinkie said. “I think it was the one about a talking toad.”

Fluttershy tilted her head, “That wouldn’t happen to be ‘The Misadventures of Mr. Leg Springs’ wouldn’t it?”

“That’s the one,” the baker smiled. “How’d you know?”

“Pinkie, I haven’t read that story since I was a filly.”

“So?”

“Forgive me Pinkie,” Fluttershy said, twirling her mane with her hooves, “but uh… y-you do know that story is a children’s book, right?”

“Well duh, of course I know. I just want to have it so I can read it to the twins. Well that, and I heard it’s a pretty good story too.”

“Makes sense,” Spike agreed, “I remember Twilight reading that to me as a bedtime story a couple years ago.” Here, the baby dragon snickered, “There were some really funny lines that came out of it. I remembered it being really witty.”

“I think you liked it for the pictures,” Twilight pointed out. There was a round of laughs by the time their food had come.

After a meal and a long talk later, the lilac Alicorn distributed the books out to her friends from her saddlebag. One by one, each mare excused herself, all longing to return to their homes with their borrowed books. Even when they took a glance inside their bags, they didn’t noticed right away, that alongside of the books about stories, recipes, animal heath, history of fashion and Wonderbolts, that each mare had carried an extra book.

_*_

“Ah’m home,” Applejack cried out as she entered the front door.

It didn’t take too long for her to be greeted by one of her siblings, “Hey sis,” little Applebloom came up to her. “Did ya get the book?”

“Jus’ give me a sec, Ah’ve got everypony’s right here.” She lowered the bag she was carrying off of her back, letting it hit the floor with a thud. “Now let me see…” after opening the bag she stuck her hoof in, moving some of the books until she pulled out the one she was looking for. “Is this it?”

“Yep, thanks sis,” she said as she took her reading material with her mouth. As she trotted upstairs, Applejack’s older brother emerged from the kitchen.

“Hey Mac, how was dinner?”

“Pretty good,” the red stallion shrugged. “Did ya get the recipe book that Granny wanted?”

“Yeah, jus’ let me get it,” Applejack reached into the bag once more; however, she paused when she spotted something out of place. “Huh? What’s this?” She pulled out a small book with an emerald cover. On it, there was a picture of a white lion with a faded red mane in the same green outline. Above it was what drew the farmer's attention to. “The Wonderful Wizard of… Ooz? Oz? Ahuz?” she turned the book over in her hooves, by now her brother approached her. “Never heard of it. You?”

Mac shook his head, “Looks old.”

Looking at the cover again, her brother was quite right. The very binder was barely holding together to the spike. And even the pages looked a bit yellowed as well.

“Maybe it’s one of those rare books,” Applejack thought aloud as she opened it. “Twi tends to collect anything with a cover or what-have-you.”

As her sister flipped open the pages, he saw some of the drawings that flashed before them, “Maybe it’s a foal’s book?”

“Ah guess, though Ah might say that these pictures do mighty look- OW!” She immediately dropped the book, clenching one of her hooves with the other.

“You alright?” Mac asked.

Applejack unfolded her hoof, “Yeah, jus’ a paper cut. But boy did that hurt. Oh shoot, Ah think Ah’m bleedin’! Hey Mac, can y’all go fetch a band-aid real quick?”

He nodded and returned to the kitchen. While opened drawers to open for a first-aid kit, he heard his little sister coming down the stairs.

“You alright?” Applebloom asked.

“Yeah, Ah’m fine, why’d you ask?”

“‘Cause Ah heard you yell like somethin’ fell on ya.”

The elder sister laughed, “Nah, its jus’ a paper cut AB. Although, it almost was like the book jus’ up and bit me.”

“The book bit you?”

“No, it just what it… felt…”

There was a pause as Mac moved on to the next drawer.

“Sis, you okay?” the younger Apple asked.

“Why’s the room spinnin’?” There was a stumbling of hoofsteps, “Ah think Ah need ta lie…” as far as she got before Mac heard a thud.

“Sis!” Applebloom cried in alarm. “Applejack, you okay! Sis! MAC!”

With brotherly instincts possessing him, Macintosh hurried out of the room to hind his sister on the floor with Applebloom trying to shake her awake. “What happened?”

“Ah don’t know,” she admitted, “We were jus’ talkin’ then she passed out.”

Moving his little sister out of the way, Mac checked for vital signs, and was relieved that she was still breathing. He checked her forehead, but couldn’t find any fever.

“Now what’s all this here commotion?” an elderly voice asked. Both siblings turned to see Granny Smith making her way down the stairs, “And why’s AJ on the floor?”

“Somethin’ wrong granny,” Bloom told her, “she jus’ fainted and none of us know why.”

“That’s weird,” the green mare said as she reached the bottom of the stares. “Ah never seen AJ do this befor’. Did she get ill all of a sudden?”

“Ah don’t think so,” Mac shook his head, “What do we do?”

“Let me see,” Granny sat down in front of Applejack, and examined her head to hoof. “Fer one thing, give this girl a Band-Aid. Her hoof’s bleedin’ a little. Second, Ah think she’ll be fine, so there’s no need in callin’ a doctor. Fer now, let’s get the dearie to her room and put her inta bed. But if she doesn’t wake up by mornin’, then we’ll get someone to look at her.”

Following the older mare’s instructions, Applebloom covered the paper cut while Big Mac carried his sister on his back. But before he did, he sorted out the books from the bag and carried in his mouth Applejack’s books, including the emerald one up the stairs and into her room.

Once upstairs, Mac unrolled the covers and put his unconscious sister in her bed. Then he placed the books on her nightstand and turn off the lights, “Ah really do hope y’all wake up,” he said gently before he left, closing the door behind him.

As for Applejack, she wasn’t sick at all of course, but dreaming. In that dream, she was a little filly again, only she was in a place that she was unfamiliar with. Instead of being on the farm, or Ponyville, or even Manehattan, she dreamed that she was in a place where there was a lack of trees. All around her as far as she could see, she was in a land of gray. The wooden shack of a house was gray, the roads were gray, the grass and sod was gray, even the very clouds that rolled overhead in the wind was gray.

Then she heard barking. Looking down, she found a little black, silky dog with long hairs and shiny, yet, happy eyes that was glad to see her. “Hello there,” Applejack leaned down to pet the dog. “Ah don’t suppose you know where Ah am, don’t ya?”

The little dog panted, letting his tongue hang out as she stroked its fur. As she did this, a name came to her. Although she had never heard of this name nor knows what it meant, it was as if she somehow knew this name all her life. “Is your name, Toto?”

“Bark!” the dog replied.

While they start to play, another name came to Applejack. “Kansas,” she muttered. “Toto, what sort of name is Kansas anyway?”

“Dorothy!” she turned to the shrilling voice that was coming from the tiny farmhouse. In the doorway stood a woman who was just as gray as the landscape screamed at her. “Quick, Dorothy! Run for the Cellar!”