Over The Orchard Wall: an Over The Garden Wall au

by DisneymlpZeldalover

The Old Mill

Somewhere lost in the clouded annals of history, lies a place that few have seen. A mysterious place, called The Everfree Forest. Where long-forgotten stories are revealed to those who travel through the woods…

In this forest, a mare and a filly walked together.

“Swirly, Albert, Cuddle, Wilber, Frowny…” The little pale filly said, carrying a green alligator on her back. “But I think the worst name for this alligator is-” Her older sister stopped her suddenly.

“Sweetie Belle… dear, where are we?” Rarity whispered. The girls looked at the jarring woods around them and shook a little bit.

“T-The woods… but I don't know how we got here…” Her sister replied, going behind her sister.

“I thought we were walking home.” Rarity said. She grabbed her little sister’s hoof. She looked around. “Oh, we should’ve left a trail!”

“I can leave a trail!” Sweetie Belle cried, throwing out candy that she had stored in the little teapot that was on her head.

“That's charming, darling, but I don't think that will work.” Rarity sighed. “ I miss my fainting couch! My broken heart is all the way at home! Strewn about my graveyard of lost loves!”

There was a sudden thud that made both girls jump.

“Did you hear that?” Rarity asked. Sweetie Belle nodded, “I did…. What is it?”

The sisters walked up to the continuing thuds and Rarity stopped her sister from running to it. “Do you think it's a pony with firm legs that could kick really hard and that’s waiting for innocent victims?” She squeaked in fear. Sweetie Belle pushed past her and ran off. “Sweetie Belle!”

Rarity grabbed Sweetie Belle’s mane with her magic and ran to her. “Sweetie! You're going to get us in trouble, again!”

Sweetie Belle pointed to a stranger. It was a mare about Rarity’s age with orange fur and a blond mane wearing a brown hat. She using a pickaxe to get a dark coal mound that seemed to almost have the face of a child… She hummed softly as she worked.

“She looks nice.” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “We should ask her for help!”

“We are not asking her for help!” Rarity hissed.

“But-”

“Be quiet!” Rarity whispered.

“You be quiet!” Sweetie Belle cried.

“Oh hush, You be quiet!” Rarity snapped. She covered the girl’s mouth and Sweetie Belle gave a muted groan. The pony walked into a different part of the forest and Rarity released her sister. “Hm… maybe we should've asked her for help.” Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. They suddenly heard behind them, “I can help you.”

They turned to see a bluebird up in a tree. Rarity saw rainbow feathers on its head. “You two are totally lost.” It said.

The mare gasped.

Rarity grabbed her head and swayed. “What Equestria is going on?!”

“Well, you're about to faint…” Sweetie Belle whispered.

“Sweetie Belle, birds can't talk!”

“But cows and donkeys do!” Sweetie Belle insisted.

“But not birds!” Rarity cried.

“Ha, you're not from around here, are you.” The bird smirked.

As Rarity talked to her, Sweetie Belle saw a little black butterfly nearby. She smiled and put a little piece of candy on it. She grinned, thinking it looked like a bow, making the butterfly prettier. She turned to her sister and stuck one on Rarity’s cape. Rarity was about to take it off when a voice startled them all. “What are you two doin’ out here? Explain yourselves!”

The bird yelled to them, “Ok, see you two later.” She flew off.

“Calm down, darling.” Rarity said, instinctively stepping in front of her sister.

“These woods are no place, for a child like her!” The mare said, pointing to Sweetie Belle. “Don't you know that Sombra, the King of the Shadows is looking here?”

“Sombra? Who is that?” Rarity gasped. “I'm just trying to keep us safe and get home!”

“Well, welcome to the Everfree Forest, girls, my name is Applejack. You're more lost than you realize.” Applejack whispered.

---

“Ah’ found this homestead abandoned, and re-purposed its mill, for, my, needs.” Applejack said, lighting a fire in the fireplace. She turned to Rarity. “You and your sister should be safe here, while Ah’ work.”

“What… is your work?” Rarity asked tentatively.

“Let's see… how to explain this...Everypony has a torch to burn, and this here's mine.” Applejack said, patting the lantern. “I grind the pieces from the horrible Shadow Coal into oil, to keep this lantern lit. It's is my life, my burden.” She whispered.

Rarity walked over to Sweetie Belle and whispered, “Dear, I don't think this mare is… right in the mind, we should escape, if we can. But she knows the woods really well, so we should cast a sleep spell on her. But that might turn out bad, forget that plan!”

“Okay!” Sweetie Belle cried at full volume.

“What are you two whispering about?” Applejack growled.

“Er, definitely not about running away…” Sweetie Belle said.

“Leave, if you wish.” Applejack sighed. “But remember: Sombra haunts these woods, ever singing, his mournful melody…” She walked closer to them. “In search of lost children souls, such as yourself!” She pointed to Sweetie Belle.

“T-To… help me?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“No, not to help you…” She looked up at Rarity. “Sombra won't go after you, since you're technically a adult, like I am. You must protect her from him.”

Rarity gave a slow nod.

“I have work to do in the mill. When I'm finished, I will do what I can to guide you. If you are still here when I return….” The mare left.

Rarity took her sister’s hoof and said, “We… could leave. But I'm not sure, I don't want that monster coming to snatch you away!” She hugged her sister and the girl pushed her away. “I don't either.”

“Do you think there really is a being of shadows out there? Or is that mare lying?” Rarity asked.

“Probably not, she seems pretty honest to me.” Sweetie Belle said, trying to power up her horn.

“I mean, she could've done away with us by now, if that was her plan. And she lit that fire, that's...pretty nice.” Rarity smiled, sitting by it.

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle cried.

“I suppose there could be a shadow king, there was a talking bird.” Rarity sighed.

“Yeah!”

“Oh Sweetie Belle!” Rarity sighed, flinging herself on a couch. “Sometimes I feel like I'm just like… a boat, upon a winding river...twisting, towards an endless black sea… Further, and further, drifting away...from where I want to be… who, I want to be…”

“Hm… Did you know that if you sing really high, you can shatter glass?” Sweetie Belle asked. “It's a rock fact!” She showed a rock with a small face drawn on it.

“Sweetie Belle, I love you, but you are not helping… Why don't you just play with your alligator?”

“Oh dear! I wonder where that alligator went.” Sweetie Belle said.

Sweetie Belle skipped outside, looking for her new pet. “Kitty? Kitty, where are you? Do you just not like your name?” She slipped on the candy trail she had made. “Ouch! Hm, maybe it wasn't a great idea making this path.” She suddenly heard a growl and glanced up. She ran to the branches and peeked into the woods. She then heard the waddling of a baby alligator’s feet and turned, “Oh, there he is!” The girl squealed.

She got onto a barrel and saw through the window Applejack grinding pieces of Shadow Coal. She saw the bottles fill with oil. “Rarity would hate that icky-” She slipped into the barrel. She hugged her alligator when she felt it.

The filly then heard growling and glanced up. “Rarity? Kitty?"

A ginormous shadowy wolf with glowing red and green eyes growled at her as it put its head in and she gasped in fear. “I really like your mane.” She squealed, panicking and not noticing the creature didn't have a mane.

---

Rarity was sobbing on the couch when she heard the breaking of wood. She gave a sniff and wiped away her dripping mascara. “Sweetie Belle?”

Applejack then walked in from the next room over and gasped. “Where’s your sister?!” Rarity hesitated but Sweetie Belle ran in with the remains of the barrel on her. “Help!” She squeaked. The door slammed open and it flung Sweetie Belle to the stairs. The wolf growled and inched closer to the girls. “It's Sombra! Isn't it!” Rarity cried. Applejack shielded them and got herself ready. Sweetie Belle suddenly hit Applejack in the head with a board, she collapsed.

“SWEETIE BELLE! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!” Rarity screamed.

“Well, you said to forget the sleep spell plan… so I made my own plan?” Sweetie Belle laughed nervously.

“But what are we going to do about that?!” Rarity cried, pointing to the wolf.

“I’m still thinking.”

The being stalked closer to Rarity. The mare shook but Sweetie Belle poked it with the pickaxe. Rarity ran past the thing and grabbed Sweetie Belle’s hoof, pulling her away. They ran out the door together and into the mill part of the house.

The shadow chased Rarity but part of the mill fell on it. Sweetie Belle ran to her sister and saw Rarity throwing apples at it.

“Am I supposed to throw something?” Sweetie Belle gasped. She remembered the candy and threw it from her teapot. The beast devoured it.

“It's eating your candy?” Rarity whispered.

“I wonder if it followed that trail I made out of candy right to this mill…” Sweetie Belle whispered.

“Sweetie Belle” Rarity’s face turned red with anger. “You lead Sombra right to us!”

The brute was back and he pushed over the platform the girls were standing on, separating them from him.

“Run!” Rarity yelled as the thing scratched at the platform to get them.

Sweetie Belle pointed to stairs and they ran up them to the roof. The girls screamed in fear as the wolf ripped through the ceiling.

“Give him the rest of your candy!” Rarity cried.

Sweetie Belle felt in her hair then realized she had no candy left. She turned to see one was still on Rarity’s cape and threw it at the waterwheel.

The shadow leapt for it and got crushed in the water wheel, spitting out the black butterfly Sweetie Belle had seen earlier. The roof collapsed from impact, the sisters fell in the river.

Rarity coughed up water and gasped in horror. “MY MANE! It's all wet and it smells funny and… oh, this is thee worst possible thing!” She groaned. A playful giggle distracted her from her grief as she saw her little sister playing with a tortoise.

“Rarity! He spit out that butterfly, and now he's my friend!” Sweetie Belle cried, hugging it. The animal slowly walked away and Sweetie Belle gave a sigh, “Ain't that just the way…”

Applejack was nearly collapsed over the mill. “The mill is gone! The oil… gone!”

“But… we saved you from Sombra.” Rarity said, pointing at the turtle.

“That turtle?! That is NOT Sombra!” Applejack snapped, snatching her pickaxe away from Rarity. “The King of Shadows cannot be mollified like somepony’s pet!”

Rarity back away to her sister.

“He stalks, like the night,” Applejack growled. “He sings like the Windogos, he is the Death of Hope!! He steals their children, and, he'll...ruin…” The girls watched the mare mumble softly.

“Sweetie Belle, why can't you just do as you're told?” Rarity groaned.

“You've got it backwards, Rarity!” Applejack stood up to face her. “You are the elder sister! You must protect your little sister from harm, you hear me?!” She yelled. Rarity thought she saw tears in her eyes and saw the mare clutch the lantern hard.

“Of course… I'm sorry.” Rarity whispered.

“You must go…” Applejack sighed, feeling a presence. “Take your sister north, find the nearest town.”

“Yes, come on Sweetie Belle.” Rarity said. Sweetie Belle put the alligator on her back and reached her Rarity’s hoof. The mare took it. They leaped over rocks and Applejack watched them.

“Beware the Everfree Forest!” Applejack called. “Beware the King of Shadows!”

“Alrighty then.” Rarity sighed.

Applejack’s eyes and voice softened seeing Sweetie Belle with the alligator. “And you, young one, care for that alligator, give him a proper name.”

“Ok!” Sweetie Belle grinned.

---

Later that night, the sisters walked together to the north. “Rarity, I thought of the perfect name for our baby alligator. I'm going to call him Rarity.”

“That will get really confusing, dear.” Rarity smiled.

Sweetie Belle skipped alongside her. “No, it won't, I'll call you Kitty.”

“What?” Rarity laughed. “Well then, I'll have to call you ‘candy mane’.”

“Oh! Pretty please!” Sweetie Belle cried. The alligator on her back blinked and the girl giggled, “Good one, Rarity.”

“Why, thank you!” Rarity beamed.

“I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to Rarity!” Sweetie Belle laughed. The two smiling sisters didn't see a bluebird watching them from the darkness…

Author's Note:

I hope you guys like this! I LOVE Over the Garden wall, and combining it with Mlp? Even better.