3 – Resourceful and Foolish
Chapter Three
Resourceful and Foolish
⠀
⠀
It was a huge relief when White Tail Woods came into view. Applejack had never felt so unnerved in her life, and she had questioned her ability to keep going several times. It just wasn’t natural. Any way she turned, she could see land stretching out to the horizon. She had thought it was bad enough at the edges of Everfree, where the trees grew sparse. She could never have imagined what it would feel like to see nothing but hill after hill of grassy plain.
The landscape made her feel unsafe, but that was almost preferable to the sky. When she had reached the end of the forest, there was still some fading daylight. Fearing that time was running too short, she decided to press on. The moon and the stars gave her enough light to see, after all. But along with underestimating how daunting the openness around her would be, Applejack also hadn’t considered what it would be like to sleep under the clear night sky with no overhanging tree branches to filter it out.
It was huge. Of course, she had seen the sky before, and she was aware of its vastness. But actually lying down, looking up, and seeing nothing but the dark sky dotted with thousands of distant stars made her feel smaller than she would have ever thought possible.
Somehow, she still managed to sleep through the night. And at least when the first rays of the sun woke her, everything felt a little bit better. The sky was still vast and there was still no cover to be found, but at least the illuminated world was easier to face.
At least until the sun continued to rise. That became miserable for entirely different reasons. Everything was so bright, and there was precious little shade to rest under. At least she had the river, which was cold and refreshing. Still, she longed to be surrounded by trees again, and the woods finally entering her sight was enough to lift her spirits back up.
Before she could make a beeline to the forest, she made one last stop by the river. So long as there was water in White Tail Woods, she knew she’d be able to find it. Even if it wasn’t Everfree, Applejack was a deer, and deer held an innate connection with nature. But she didn’t know if there was a convenient source of water in the woods, or how far away that might be. So she stopped to rest her legs for a few minutes and take one more long drink from the river. Once she was satisfied, she topped off her canteen and turned back to the woods.
Unfortunately, being able to see the woods and being nearby were two different things. But Applejack spent nearly every morning running through the forest, and she wasn’t going to let a little distance stop her. After double checking that the buckle holding her bag shut was secure, she broke into a run.
If there was one good thing to be said about the endless fields of grass, it was the feeling of running across them. There were no branches to dodge, no roots to jump over, nothing but the world racing past her and the wind in her face. Applejack was sure she had never run so fast in her life.
It was almost disappointing when she reached the woods in only a matter of minutes. She resolved to spend more time running on the return trip. Being able to go full speed ahead without concern was exhilarating. So much so that once she was in the shade, she took a moment to rear up on her hindlegs and let out a celebratory “Whoo!”
“I must say, I’m quite impressed,” a sly male voice said from nearby.
Applejack spun around to find a pony walking up to her. At the speed she had been running, his grey coat hadn’t shown up among the shadows in the woods. Applejack poised herself to run if needed, but waited to see what he would do before reacting.
“Now now, there’s no need for anything like that.” He stepped closer, allowing the sunlight to better reveal his features. Applejack had never seen a pony before, and was surprised to find that he was smaller than her. He had a horn on his head, which she was pretty sure meant he was a unicorn. Although most of his coat was fairly light, his legs and mane were much darker grey. He had thick eyebrows and a goatee, both of which were white with age, and a long tail, which had a single tuft of dark hair at the end. He wore what he probably thought to be a friendly expression, but looked almost predatory. “My name is Discord, and I’m a professor at Canterlot’s Academy of Magic.”
Applejack eyed him suspiciously. “I’m Applejack,” she said cautiously.
“Charmed.” He stepped forward again, so Applejack took a step back. “A whitetail deer in White Tail Woods. I honestly never thought I’d see the day. Do you actually live here?”
“No, I…” Applejack shook her head. She would be better off leaving ponies alone. “I think I should be going now.”
“Now hold on, I just want to…”
Applejack ignored him and walked into the forest. She wasn’t sure what he wanted, but she didn’t want to get involved with whatever it was.
Since she didn’t trust him, Applejack kept one ear pointed in his direction. It only took a moment for her to hear sounds of his approach, so she started running ahead.
“Wait!” he called, to no avail.
Applejack grinned as she put him behind her, confident that there was no way a pony was going to keep up with a deer in a forest. But he proved her wrong when he appeared before her in a flash of light. “Now, as I was say–”
Applejack reared back and attempted to bring her hooves down on him, but his horn glowed and a barrier appeared between them.
“Come on now! This is just unreasonable!”
“What do you want!?” Applejack demanded since it seemed she wasn’t getting rid of him easily.
Discord sighed and lowered the barrier. “Perhaps it would be best to begin with a real conversation?”
“I don’t have time for this!” Applejack shook her head. She wasn’t getting anywhere this way, so she took a deep breath and attempted to address him more calmly. “Look, I’m kind of in a hurry here. I need to get somewhere in these woods, and I’ve got less than a day to do it if I’m going to get back on time. So I’m sorry, but I really can’t help you with whatever it is you’re doing.”
Discord smiled. “See now, that wasn’t so hard, was it? And it just so happens that you can help me. See, I was sent here to study the woods, which is something I could do any old time. But learning about deer from a real live deer, now that’s something that’s actually worth my time.”
Applejack glanced away from him, wondering how much longer she had to waste her time with this. “Right. But like I said, I’m in a hurry.”
“Which is why I’ll just accompany you while you do whatever it is you’re doing. There’s a lot to be said for firsthoof experience, you know.”
“All the same, I’d really rather go alone.” Applejack decided to resume walking into the woods, even if it would have been better to run.
It came as no surprise that Discord followed. “For example, I’ve already learned that at least one particular deer seems too shortsighted to know what’s good for her.” He once again appeared in front of her.
Applejack clenched her teeth. “How are you doing that!?”
Discord just laughed. “Teleportation is one of the many things unicorns can do with magic, and is exactly what I’m talking about. In return for allowing me to accompany you and perhaps answering just a few questions, I’ll gladly lend you my assistance wherever possible. And I assure you, my assistance is no small thing.”
Applejack wasn’t sure how him teleporting around would help her any, but if he had other skills…
“And if that’s not enough, just think about all the time you’ll save by not sitting here and arguing with me.”
“Fine.” As much as she hated it, he had her with that one. “But don’t even think of slowing me down.”
Discord smiled that same wicked grin again. “I wouldn’t dream of it, my deer.”
Applejack scowled and started walking. It was going to be a long day.
“I take it you’re from Thicket?”
“Ponies know about Thicket?”
Discord chuckled. “Well, most don’t. Nopony besides Princess Celestia has ever seen Thicket, after all. But I know about a great many things, including your little village hidden away in the Everfree Forest.”
Applejack had to wonder how much he knew if he described Thicket as a ‘little village’, but she held her tongue since she didn’t know how big pony towns were. All the same, she didn’t appreciate his tone. “I live near the city.”
“Interesting. I had always assumed all the deer lived in Thicket. The Everfree Forest is such a dreadfully dangerous place, after all.”
“Dangerous?” Applejack turned to show Discord a puzzled look. “What’s so dangerous about Everfree?”
Judging from his reaction, Discord was just as puzzled as Applejack. “I presume you mean aside from the numerous monsters that inhabit it? There’s timberwolves, manticores, sea serpents, cockatrices, and likely a few things I don’t even know about living in there.”
Oh, right. Like all ponies, Discord just assumed anything he didn’t understand was dangerous. “Those aren’t monsters. The only thing you mentioned that are even a little bit dangerous are timberwolves, and they’re more a nuisance than anything. It’d take an idiot or a fawn to actually get caught by one of them. And one of my best friends happens to be a sea serpent.”
Discord stopped walking for a second. “Fascinating.” Since Applejack didn’t stop to wait for him, he had to run ahead to catch up with her again. “I’m beginning to wonder if I’m studying the wrong forest. Perhaps an expedition to the Everfree Forest is in order.”
Applejack’s ear twitched. “Just ‘cause it’s safe for a deer like me doesn’t mean it would be for a pony like you.” The last thing any of the forest dwellers needed was a bunch of ponies mucking about Everfree. She smirked as she added. “Like I said, even a timberwolf could catch an idiot.”
Although she didn’t bother to look at Discord’s expression, Applejack could hear the irritation in his voice. “I assure you, I am no idiot.”
“So says the pony who’s considering a trip into the deep dark forest just because one deer he barely knows said it was safe.”
For a few moments Discord didn’t say anything. When he did, he seemed even more aggravated than when Applejack had called him an idiot. “I suppose that a guide may be in order.”
Applejack had to laugh at that one. “Well, good luck finding someone willing to do that for you. I sure hope you didn’t have me in mind.”
“Oh, come now, Applesnap. We’re off to such a good start!”
“It’s Applejack.”
“Right, that’s what I said. You must not have been listening carefully, but don’t worry; I’m willing to forgive your rudeness.”
“You’re willing to…” Applejack stopped walking to facehoof. She turned to fix a glare on him. He only smiled at her. “Remember what I said about slowing me down? You’re doing it right now.”
“What? Nonsense.” As if to prove a point, Discord walked in front of her. “Honestly now, if you didn’t insist on stopping like this we’d make much better time getting to… where are we going, exactly?”
While she would never admit it, he did have a point; Applejack had no idea where she was going. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating on the woods all around her.
“And you say I’m the one slow –”
“Be quiet for a moment,” she snapped. Surprisingly, Discord obliged.
Regaining her focus, Applejack reached out to the woods. Although a deer may take a new home, that didn’t mean they lost their old one; Everfree had become the new home of the deer, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still connected with White Tail Woods.
It was slow. These woods didn’t know Applejack, as she had been born in Everfree. But her parents had been born here, as had their parents before them, and theirs before them. Without a word, Applejack told the woods their names, and the woods remembered. Without a word, it answered her back. Welcome back, child. Welcome home.
Applejack turned her head and opened her eyes. “We’re going this way.”
At first, Discord just watched her as she began walking again. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She ignored him as he caught up with her. “You have no idea where we’re going, do you?”
Applejack didn’t answer right away. Between the woods and Discord, the woods made for much better company. But he still seemed insistent on following her, and she suspected that his magic might actually be as useful as he claimed it would be.
After a few moments of silence, Applejack finally gave him his answer. “All deer know the way home.”
Discord smiled. Then his smile turned to a grin, and then a laugh.
Applejack huffed. “You don’t have to come.”
Discord’s head snapped towards her. “You’re going to Sungrove.”
Although she wasn’t sure she wanted someone like Discord following her all the way to her ancestral home, Applejack nodded. If she wasn’t going to commit to her travelling companion, she ought to have gotten rid of him already. “Yeah, that’s the plan.”
The answer left Discord positively giddy with excitement. “My word, today truly is my lucky day. Lead the way, my deer.”
Things didn’t improve as the day went on. If anything, Discord’s excitement for seeing Sungrove only caused Applejack to worry more. When she asked why he was so interested, he said that it was purely academic interest. And to be fair, that certainly seemed to be what he was after, given all the questions he insisted on asking.
But while Discord wouldn’t hesitate to answer any of her questions, Applejack got the impression that there was more to him than he ever let on. It left her feeling like he held a distinct advantage over her; she was like an open book, constantly providing him with an honest answer to anything he wanted to know.
“So how far is Sungrove, anyway?” Discord asked after they had spent most of the day walking. They were quickly losing daylight, and even the inquisitive unicorn was losing his interest in talking.
“I don’t know, but I’ll be sure to tell you when we get there.”
“You don’t know?” Discord sighed. “Can’t you ask a tree or something?”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t exactly work that way. But we’ll get there, make no mistake about that.”
“Maybe it slipped past you, but I haven’t exactly packed for more than a day trip.” It was true. Discord had nothing on him aside from a green amulet around his neck and a canteen strapped to his side.
“You know, you did invite yourself along,” Applejack pointed out.
“Be that as it may, we should stop for the night. Maybe we’ll have enough time to find a suitable meal before night falls.”
Discord stopped walking, but Applejack didn’t. “I told you, I’m in a hurry,” she reminded him.
“You’re joking.”
“Nope.”
“Then you’re a fool.”
Applejack snickered. “Well, I’d rather be a fool than follow one.”
“At least we agree on that one,” Discord grumbled.
Applejack stopped to look at him properly. “Look, it’s not my fault you came along, and you don’t have to follow me. If you want to rest here for the night, then that’s fine by me, but I’m gonna make it to Sungrove.”
“No, you’re going to walk straight into a pony-eating plant.”
“Ha! Then it’s a good thing I’m not a pony! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to ge–” Applejack was suddenly unable to move her body as a red aura surrounded her. “Hey! What the heck are you doing!?”
“Those,” Discord said, pointing at a mass of vines on the ground, “are tendrils from a carnivorous plant. And believe me, they won’t actually care whether you’re a pony or not.”
“Now you’re just making things up.” Once Discord let her go, Applejack examined the area around them. The only plants around were trees and bushes. “You just don’t want to lose your guide, but you’re too tired to keep walking.”
“Hmph, fine.” Discord turned away and began looking around. “As much as I’d like to see the ruins of Sungrove, I’m not going to die in the process. If you change your mind, I’ll be here looking for food.”
Applejack grinned. Getting rid of Discord was hardly a problem to her. “Good luck finding your way out of the forest on your own.”
“I won’t need luck. Unlike someone I know.”
Well, that was enough of that. Without another word, Applejack started walking again, all too happy to finally put some distance between herself and the unpleasant unicorn. It wasn’t even like it was all that dark yet. Even once it was, the trees weren’t so thick that they’d block out moonlight.
It was true that there was some reason to be wary. There were things that lived among the trees which ponies didn’t understand, and as Discord had pointed out, those could prove dangerous if handled incorrectly. But Applejack was a creature of the forest, and she did understand its ways. Sure, Everfree wasn’t White Tail Woods, but she had every confidence in herself.
And when it came down to it, White Tail Woods just didn’t seem to be nearly as bad as Granny Smith had always made it sound. Maybe it had been back when the deer lived in Sungrove, but the years seemed to have changed the place. There were no timberwolves howling in the distance, no cockatrices waiting to catch travellers unaware, no manticores, or chimeras, or even steep terrain to be wary of. During their entire trip, the most menacing thing she’d seen had been a squirrel who had watched the two intruders suspiciously as they walked past.
‘Maybe I could get the others to come back sometime. It’d be nice to show Apple Bloom such an important piece of her heritage.’ It’d be hard to convince everyone that it was safe, and she’d surely have to come clean about where she’d really gone. That was fine, though; Applejack hated lying to her family, and had planned on telling the truth when all was said and done. And once everyone heard her story, they might feel more confident in paying a visit themselves, especially if Fluttershy joined them next time.
Applejack stopped and sighed. Fluttershy. She was really what this was all about, but was this journey even good enough anymore? Applejack wanted to impress her with a tale of excitement, not one about an obnoxious old unicorn.
Lost in her thoughts, Applejack almost didn’t react in time. It was more of a general feeling than anything she noticed, but something made her stop and swivel her ears back. The gentle sound of rustling leaves in the otherwise still forest caused Applejack to spin around.
Four beady black eyes stared back at her. A long brown body reared back – four legs raised in the air, towering over Applejack, while four legs remained on the ground. Two long red fangs extended as the spider poised itself to strike.
Applejack jumped back, narrowly avoiding being bitten as it struck. She reared up and brought her hoof down in an attempt to crush its head, but instead landed on a leg as it moved back. She felt a crunch, and the spider pulled away.
Her options flashed through her head, and none of them were good. Its body was as big as hers, and its legs made it far larger. Its reactions were lightning quick. It probably had a better sense of where she was at any moment than she could hope to have of it. Her magic was never the best, and even if she were able to think of a plan to use it, she’d still need time to concentrate.
There was no fighting, and that left only one option.
It reared up onto its back legs again, and Applejack made use of the moment. Making sure to give it a wide berth, she ran. She didn’t know where she was going, or if the spider would pursue her, or how fast it was, or what else she might find. It didn’t matter. Applejack ran.
She barely felt her hooves connect to the ground as they pushed off it. She barely felt anything. She barely thought about anything. Just the woods in front of her, and certainly not anything behind her.
For a moment, she thought she was safe. She had been running for long enough that she had to have put some distance between them. The feeling was short-lived, however.
As Applejack jumped over a fallen log, she found something in her path. Eight long legs supporting a long, brown body. Unable to stop or change direction in time, Applejack threw all her weight into her front hooves as they connected with the spider.
“Aaah!” Applejack felt the same crunching sensation as she crushed its exoskeleton. She didn’t stop. Again, she brought her forelegs up, and again, she brought them back down. Long after there was nothing recognizable of the creature’s face, Applejack continued.
Only once she was sure it was completely dead, Applejack backed up panting.
“Are you quite finished, or would y– Oh, now that’s quite attractive.”
Applejack barely heard Discord over the sound of her own vomiting. She tried to avoid looking at her hooves, now covered in a clear liquid.
“Well, I suppose I can’t say I blame you,” Discord said once she finished. “You did quite a number on her.”
“It’s a her?” Applejack asked, her voice raspy from the running and vomiting.
“Hmm? Oh, yes. Even among the giant woodland spider, males are never this big.”
“Lucky me.” Applejack finally brought herself to look at the dead spider. Even with its legs splayed out at weird angles and the now-sunken-in face, Applejack couldn’t help but get the feeling like it might get back up at any moment. She had to focus on something else, so she turned to face Discord. “So what’re you doing here, anyway?”
Discord chuckled. “Well, I was just minding my own business when I heard you screaming. Being the considerate soul that I am, I came to see what was the matter. I certainly didn’t suspect to find you pummeling this poor creature into the ground.”
Applejack huffed. “Yeah, well this ‘poor creature’ almost made dinner out of me.”
“Oh, that’s just absurd. Despite their monstrous size, the giant woodland is a fairly docile breed. You may act like a foal, but you’re certainly larger than one, so I doubt you’d have anything to worry about.”
“That thing chased me across the forest!” Applejack scowled. The dead spider made for better company than Discord, and yet here she was dealing with both of them. “Even after I took out one of its legs.”
“Utter nonsense. I’ve seen you run, and there’s no way this spider outran you.” Discord lazily looked at the body again, seemingly unfazed by the gruesome sight. “Besides, she’s still got all her legs.”
“Well, I didn’t mean I tore the thing off compl–” Applejack stopped as she too took a closer look. All eight legs looked to be perfectly unharmed. “Discord. Do woodland spiders live in packs?”
“No, they’re completely solitary,” Discord said, much to Applejack’s relief. “But the giant woodland spider on the other hoof – completely unrelated, despite the name – well, they’re social spiders, but only when breeding. Then the females cluster together to better protect their young. It’s really remarkable, normally spiders aren’t –”
“Is, uh, there any chance you can make some light with that magic of yours?”
Discord looked taken aback by the interruption but just sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine, but you needn’t be so rude about it.”
A ball of light appeared on the tip of his horn, then lifted into the air. It grew in size, illuminating the trees around them.
For once, Discord was speechless.
They were everywhere. Some were on the ground already, hidden in shadows until Discord’s magic illuminated them. Some were clinging to trees, or else they were jumping off of them. Most were in the canopy, which seemed more spider web than treetop.
“Run!” Applejack shouted, before following her own command.
The trees around them were suddenly alive. Everywhere she looked, Applejack saw more vague shadows moving about. There were enough behind them that Applejack could hear them coming. Dozens, hundreds of legs following her. Applejack ran.
She only noticed Discord wasn’t beside her when a flash of light appeared ahead, bringing the unicorn with it. He immediately started running as well.
“Got any ideas!?” Applejack yelled.
“I can’t say… I prepared… for this!” Discord said through staggered breaths.
Maybe he had been right. Maybe the spiders really wouldn’t be able to catch her. But Discord was older than her, smaller than her, and not as used to forest terrain as she was. And, most importantly, he was slower than her.
He started lagging immediately. Chancing a look over her shoulder revealed two things: that the horde of spiders was closer than she wanted to believe, and that they were faster than Discord.
Just as one lunged to grab him, his horn alighted and he disappeared again. Applejack turned to face forward and saw him slightly ahead of her.
Although he had put some distance between himself and the majority of them, he hadn’t been able to pay attention to his destination. One of the creatures was already there waiting for him, giving him no time to regain his bearings to run some more.
“Look out!” Applejack shouted, but she knew it was too late. The spider reared onto its back legs, and Applejack shifted course. Without thinking it through, she lunged into the air, aiming herself directly at it.
They collided, and she knocked it onto the ground. But before she could so much as get off it, its legs were already wrapping around her. She struggled to get away, but it held her fast. She couldn’t even pull her legs back far enough to do any damage. Two red fangs uncurled from its face, and Applejack was powerless to do anything.
A bright light flared as a beam shot past, and all of the creature’s legs on one side flew into the air. With half its limbs severed, it began flailing around, and Applejack seized her chance. As soon as she was free, another light enveloped her, and the world around her disappeared.
A moment later, everything rematerialized. But it was different than before, and at first, Applejack just blinked in confusion.
Then Discord ran past her, and she realized what had happened. “Keep running!” he called.
It was an easy command to obey. Applejack didn’t dare look behind her. She didn’t want to know what was there. “Can you lead us back to where we separated!?”
“What!? Why!?”
“Trust me!”
Applejack doubted that the unicorn had much trust in her, but he changed direction all the same. There was no time to wonder if this was the best or worst idea she’d ever had. “When I give the word, I’m gonna need you to magic us away again!”
Discord was panting, and Applejack could tell he was too exhausted to argue. “Okay.”
It was hard to resist the urge to run ahead, but she remained at Discord’s side. They could get caught at any moment, and she would just have to trust Discord could save them if it came to that.
How long did they run? There was no telling. Perhaps it was less than a minute, perhaps they ran for an hour. Time wasn’t important, only distance. Just hooves on the ground, the plan endlessly repeated in Applejack’s mind, and a thousand legs that followed after.
Whether it was in a minute or an hour, they found their way back. Applejack was afraid she wouldn’t recognize it, and she barely did. But the ground beneath them eventually turned from packed dirt, fallen leaves, and tree roots to long tendrils of vines.
“Now!”
One more flash of light, and the world momentarily vanished. Once it reappeared, Applejack spun around until she saw the place they had just been.
“No time to rest!” Discord barked.
“Look.”
Were there fewer spiders than she had thought because they lost many of them, or just because the distance made her calmer? Either way, there were about half a dozen still pursuing them. Unable to teleport, they had to cross over the vines.
Once again, the woods came alive. This time, however, it was exactly what Applejack had hoped for. The vines tangled themselves around the spiders’ legs and pulled them towards the numerous bushes that dotted the area. As a spider reached a bush, the whole thing would unfurl in a mass of branches and vines. With hardly a sound, the vines would draw the spider in and the bush would enclose around it, leaving behind no trace of the horror that had just transpired.
“Did… did you know… that would work?” Discord asked as he tried to catch his breath. He practically fell into a sitting position.
Applejack bowed her head. “To be perfectly honest, I still wasn’t sure if you were even telling the truth about the whole ‘carnivorous plant’ thing.”
Discord turned to her slowly. She wasn’t sure what she expected from him, but it wasn’t what she got. He laughed. A single laugh at first, but more followed.
“You… you completely gambled with our lives!” Discord said through his laughter.
“Well, I didn’t hear you coming up with any ideas!” Applejack said defensively. “And besides, I –”
“Thank you.” Discord’s reply was short and sudden, and it brought about the end of his laughter. Applejack sat down as well, and the two of the were silent for a while.
Applejack scanned around them for any sign of a threat, but found nothing. Even the bushes returned to normal, leaving no sign that anything had happened at all. She turned to Discord. “So, uh… what do you say we stop for the night?”
Discord flashed the same grin he had been using all day, but Applejack couldn’t help thinking it looked much less sinister now. “My deer, I think that is a wonderful plan.”
Although all seemed calm enough where they were, they put some extra distance between themselves and the location, just to be safe. They travelled slowly and deliberately, however, and stopped before too long. Discord again illuminated the area, and they were both delighted to find it was only occupied by one owl, who quickly flew away at the light.
“I regret to inform you that I didn’t bring a tent,” Discord said.
“Aw, come on. Sleeping under the stars isn’t so bad. Are all ponies as soft as you?”
Discord was quiet for a few moments, and when he answered, it was barely a mutter. “Hinny.”
“Come again?”
“If you must know, I’m a hinny, not a pony.” Either because he could tell she was confused, or because he just expected her to be unknowledgeable, Discord elaborated further. “It means my mother was a donkey.”
“Huh.” Applejack didn’t really see what the big deal was. “Well then, are all hinnies as soft as you are?”
“I don’t have much experience with other hinnies, so I wouldn’t really know.” Discord lay on the ground, resting his head on his forelegs. “These days a pegasus and an earth pony can fall in love and most ponies don’t mind a bit. Of course, the idiots probably don’t realize exactly how similar they all are. Only a few alleles different, really. But even in this day and age, interspecies romance is largely frowned upon, even if it’s only in hushed tones and behind closed doors.”
Ah. So that was the big deal. “So, uh… I’m guessing all that means someone like you probably never had an easy time with others.”
“That’s enough about me.” Discord began smiling again. A wicked smile – something he could always hide behind. “You never did tell me why you’re trying to find Sungrove.”
Applejack smiled as well. She probably wouldn’t have answered him before, but it seemed like an innocent enough question after their ordeal. “It’s, well… Fluttershy, my girlfriend, she’s been getting… a little tired of forest life. She’s always loved Everfree, more than anything, but now she seems more interested in seeing what else is out there. She’s off visiting a pony city right now. I’m trying to get to Sungrove to retrieve a lost artifact, and then get back before she does. I want to show her that there’s plenty of adventure to be found without dealing with ponies.”
Discord arched an eyebrow. “That’s positively idiotic.”
“Excuse me?” Applejack frowned. Whatever his reasons for being the way he was, it didn’t change the fact that he was insufferable.
“Well, is Fluttershy here?”
“Of course not, I already said that she’s in some pony town.”
“Then what, exactly, are you proving to her? Do you expect her to live her life vicariously through your adventure? If you really wanted to impress her with a grand forest expedition, you would have needed to bring her along with you.”
Applejack wanted to explain exactly why he was wrong. She wanted to, but she couldn’t. “I just… I thought that if I…” What did she think? Was this all pointless?
“No, you didn’t. You got yourself a head full of ideas, panicked, and ran out without knowing what it is you’re really hoping to get out of this.”
Applejack hung her head. He was right. She could see that now. This was all pointless, and in the end, it wouldn’t make any difference to Fluttershy. Maybe the best thing to do would be to just go back home.
Discord sighed. “You should get to sleep. The ground isn’t getting any softer, you know.”
Well, at least that was one thing she could prove him wrong on. She opened the barrel around her neck and poured some elixir onto the ground. Closing her eyes in concentration, Applejack reached out to the woods.
Soft grass sprouted around her hooves. She focused on it as it spread around them, leaving lush patches big enough to lie in.
When she opened her eyes, Discord was staring in disbelief. After a moment, he stood up and walked over to one of the patches, no doubt finding it much more comfortable. “You continue to surprise me. You’re just as resourceful as you are foolish, aren’t you?”
Applejack chuckled as she found a spot for herself. “Yeah, I’d say that’s fair. And, well, maybe you aren’t so bad yourself.”
“Really? I’m flattered.” Although he said it sarcastically, Applejack distinctly got the impression that he was telling the truth, at least partially.
Lying on her side, Applejack looked up at the stars. She wondered what Fluttershy was doing now, and what she herself would do in the morning. With a sigh, she put those thoughts away for later. There would be time for that, but first, it was time to sleep. After one more glance at the figure of the mare in the moon, Applejack rested her head and allowed dreams to take her.
Stats
Page generated in 0.033 seconds
Total duration
1,048 users online
1,975,165 hits today, 2,167,270 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Welcome back!
What a fun read. This Discord is interesting. Obviously, he can't be trusted, but is definitely charming. And somepony had to point out AJ's silliness.
You update whenever you want to update. Don't worry none, mate.
OMG Yes!!!!! I didn't get the notification because I have been on a plane for the last 12 hours with no service! I can't read right now because my next flight is about to take off so I'll read it later tonight!
8071461
Hope you enjoy the chapter once you've finally landed for good 
Twelve hours and then another flight after that? That's a lot of flying
8071281
Who'd've thought that out of everyone, Discord is the one to notice AJ's being silly here 
Thank you
My my you rendered Discord's character perfectly
I wonder what he wants with the Sungrove and what that emerald pendant is for...
Nice idea having him an hinny as well
Great work as always my friend
It seems that Discord finds a way to be a little bit of an ass in every universe!
10501495
It's a universal consistent lmao
So Applejack is honest about facts, but not always honest about her feelings. Interesting.
11404124
Yeah, somedeer has a lesson to learn, I think
... I'm seeing a bit of contradiction here, because it seems like Applejack starts out thinking that Discord's assumption that the Everfree is dangerous is wrong, but then shortly afterwards confirms that, yes, actually, it is dangerous and his assumption that it is so is correct.