Part 1/2
Set sometime in Season 8 after Heartbreakers...
So, this story will go a bit like the last one. IE there will be two parts relivant to the main plot and an Epiloge at the end. I considered making this a single story but I just really wanted to get it out and I did encounter a bit of a block when it comes for the next chapter... It shouldn't take longer though than two weeks this time around...
Also thanks for the positve feedback! Considering I have seen some stories with thumb downs in their hundreds it is nice to see a mainly positive feedback 
“Applejack, why do you keep pigs?”
A question, innocent enough, passed through her ears as she turned around to see a rather curious cyan pegasus.
“Sorry Rainbow?” Asked Applejack as she moved her back legs off the tree and turned her full attention to her honest friend. “What did ya ask?”
“Well, I was chillaxing on a cloud you see after taking Tank to Fluttershy where she was talking about her other animals and stuff. So while I was thinking over the things she was dragging on about I wondered-why do you keep pigs? You are not an animal caretaker, so you are not getting paid for keeping them, nor you can milk them, can you?”
“Nah Raindbow.” Applejack giggled. “Yer can’t milk an oinker.”
“Then what the hay did I bought on that state fair three moons ago?”
“What?”
“Why do you keep them? You can’t be keeping them just for the sake of it!”
“Well of course not! A farm mare never wastes one bit unless it’s family.” She puffed her barrel proudly. “Anything for my folk, but nothing wasted!”
“That’s all well and good but why DO you keep them?” Rainbow creaked in slight frustration hiding under her raspy voice. “Not like you are related to pigs?”
“Gee, slow your wagon there partner!” Applejack was mildly annoyed “I was getting there. No, I don’t keep’em for nothin y’know. There is that that really kind fellar who pay me good money to keep’em on a promise that I return him the ones that are fully grown, heathy pigs."
“Great,” Rainbow was about to fly back but at the last moment she turned around and asked. “What for?”
“Pardon?”
“What does he needs them pigs for?” Rainbow Dash scratched her head. “If there is no reason to own pigs why would he want them?”
“Dunno, maybe he distributes them to the caretakers?”
“Doubt that! Fluttershy never bought a critter in her life. All she has are either wild critters, adopted pets or that gift from Discord…” Rainbow muttered something else under her breath-this time completely incomprehensible.
“Ehh…” Applejack pondered scratching the mane under her old Stenson. “Maybe people buy them as pets?”
“Do you know anyone with a pig for a pet?”
“Ah’ suppose it is kinda strange now that I think about it-but it earns me my keep so what do I…
“What if…” Rainbow sharply interrupted her; pressing her nose into her muzzle. Her eyes as big as dinner plates. “…they are exported to Griffinstone!?”
“Why would anypony need em’ there?”
“Dinner.” Rainbow Dash said confidently.
“Rainbow?!” Applejack immediately objected. “I know you can be a bit a bit screwed up sometimes but that is straight-up nasty. Where do get ideas like that from?”
“Gilda.”
“Well we both knew she is a bad influence for your character? Ah’ve seen more tasteful jokes commin' out from Discord’s toilet…”
“No, I mean you know that meat is very popular in that side of the world? We have been fishing once, trying to re-bond, and she told me more about the food there… Pigs are often raised for their flesh there and it fetches quite a good price too.”
The words sunk in for a few moments as the young farmer considered the possibilities which were becoming increasingly unpleasant inside her head…
“Rainbow Danger Dash… I need you to take a quick de-tour to Starlight’s old town, as quick as you can, and see whenever Sugarbelle can stay here for two days extra or so on her next visit to cover for me. I know she is a unicorn but there’s a lot of work to do and Granpa Pear is far too busy with his own work-if anything he needs some help to boot. If she can come then both of us will take a train to Sayer’s Hollow as soon as possible to MAKE SURE that the oinkies aren't being sent to the ovens.”
“Sure thing AJ! Rainbow was about to depart but then stopped again. But before I go…” she leaned down. “…did you REALLY see jokes in Discords… bowl?” She whispered in wonder.
"Nah, it’s the smell there that makes you hear and then see things-something about nopony expecting the inquisition and spam… Was the weirdest thing ‘ah ever saw.”
Later on in Sayer’s Hollow.
"No," The stallion at the desk waved off the notion pushed at him by the two cautious fillies. "I wouldn’t worry about that! We have a full voluntary embargo on any deals made with the establishments around or within Griffinstone. We here value our customers and we would never ship any animals that are traded through this door to be eaten. As a matter of fact I have all my transfer invoices right there…” He proceeded to bend down until he pulled out a thick file which he quickly browsed through. “Aha, there it is… Last time you have sent me a couple of pigs four months ago those were delivered to Trottingham, Saltlicker’s Street, building number 13.
While at first they have decided to head straight home they have decided that they might as well check on the two since Trottingham was only a short detour from their original pathway… So while they were at Baltimare they changed trains and arrived in Trottingham. Leaving the decorated cast iron and glass shelter of the station they were greeted with a sight of brown brick tenements hugging around limestone avenues. In the distance they could see tall cranes of the ports and narrow stacks from the looming mills. Briefly taking in the surroundings they have set off…
“You know what I was thinking AJ” Rainbow said as they were navigating through tight rows of brick terrace housing and businesses packed back to back against each other.
“Yes, Rainbow?” Applejack looked over from the cheap b/w tourist map they were given on the station.
“You could have just sent me there and I would’ve had the information you need in ten minutes flat instead of having to haul us both on a slow moving train up north.” She said while also eyeing up a fish and chip shop thinking about a snack…
“Ah well, I suppose it’s my animals-well not anymore, but it is more important for me to be sure myself. I know your no liar but I like to be, as you would say, 20% more confident."
“Heh, yea…” She said drifting in the general direction of the fish and chip shop.
“No we are not going there.” She said as they passed the takeaway. “I know some ponies, pegasi especially, engage in this sorta thing but I can’t imagine eating fish that been alive minutes away.”
“Ok,” Rainbow lamented. “And to be honest form the smell it is more like few days ago…" She cringed as the door opened.
“Bleh… Anyhoot where is that darn place?”
"Gee AJ, those maps aren’t THAT great you know!” she moaned “Well we are on Saltlick Street, but I am not seeing a pattern with those numbers yet… It’s too crowded to see mu… WHOA!” She barely dodged another pegasus flying past.
“SORRY LASS!” Echoed from the nearby alley”
“…much… WATCH WHERE YOU GOING PUNK!” Rainbow squawked angrily shaking her hoof in the general direction of the sound.
“Rainbow you are going to get us in trouble…” Applejack moaned “This here bakery is a 42…, what’s the number on the next house?”
“43”
“Cons darn it we are going backwards!”
“Next one is also 42, no wait it’s actually 42a… followed by a 41b and then 42b…”
" '-' "
A long trot and servile questions later
The have finally came to the house they were looking for. In its exterior the building itself was unremarkably simple even by Trottingham standards. A terrace row that had it’s second (or first as the locals called it) floor whitewashed while the first (or ground) was kept a bare brick. Crude door, two pairs of narrow windows and a blue tile roof hump was given to each unit. Their house at the end of the terrace however had three notable exceptions-it had a turret on the side of it as well making the building wider, instead of a normal chimney it had a factory level flue stack towering over the relatively small house and each widow had a particularly notable phrase written with gold paint:
The Slithering Scarlet Pie Mare’s of Saltlick Street
PIE & MASH SHOP
Traditional Cheese and Onion/Apple Savoury/Trottingham Pies and Mashed Potatoes
“So…,” Rainbow began with a blank expression “That son of a mule said that he makes sure no animal trade-ins are sent to the slaughter house-and he sent us to a restaurant?”
“Hold yer horses Rainbow-ah don’t see any…” gulp “cold cuts on sale there, plus ah see mainly ponies there on the inside… surely you would expect more griffons and maybe diamond dogs if that was the case?” She said peeking through the window in the turret.
The restaurant in fact was, besides one griffon, stuffed with ponies enjoying their lunch of various kind of pie along with a side of mash and either a cup or stein of drink behind heavy wooden tables. The dining hall itself was given a simple whitewash on the inside with some eye pleasing decorations added such as green and red tablecloths along with lace curtains, decorated gas lighting and few paintings of various warships under gale.
As they have entered they immediately noticed the lack of a host of the place, they decided not to be too intrusive on the owner or/and server but instead to side step on the issue they want to inquire about... They eventually approached the counter under which they could see a vast hot cabinet sticking out… Rainbow rung the bell conveniently placed next to the abandoned counter…
“…coming sveetees…”
A slithering, muffled voice slipped from the back…about solid five minutes later a red earth pony mare in socks, apron and bonnet showed up before them. She stood on her hind legs while her forehooves pressed into the counter, her muzzle grinning madly.
“Gheeetings, I am the slitherin scarhet mare of salthlik stheet! Welcome tho my shop!”
“Gee you really meant the slithering part on the window didn’t you…” Rainbow asked as she processed what the mare had said.
“Well, an ahthist, a shef can be an ahthist canth she, neeths a good stage name…, I haventh been bleshed with a singhing ghade voice and I do have my shcarlet coat-so I though it rhymesh." She raised her chin in pride while giving her maroon coat a brush.
“What is your real name by any chance?” Rainbow said trying to sound as chill as possible. “I am Rainbow Dash.”
“Applejack…” she added.
“E X T R A C R I S P Y” The mare winced and cringed as she tried to nail the pronunciation, which thankfully she did.
“Gosh you don’t need to say it like that…” Applejack cringed at the way in which the chef's face twisted and bent.
“What are the prices here? I am STARVING!” Rainbow Dash whined while Applejack gave her a bit of a glare.
“Here ish the menu” she pointed at the chalkboard hanging on the wall behind the counter which Rainbow studied
meticulously while Applejack face hooved on the inside.
“What the hay is a Trottingham pie?” Rainbow asked…
“House speshialy, I don’t want to be thading away my sheekrets” She said “Ith ish our hottesht item”
“Well I want that in my mouth then, what about you AJ? Apple savoury?”
“Sure…” Applejack gave in so that she doesn't appear like a sour apple.
The mare behind the counter has quickly pulled out two large dinner plates and fetched two pies out of the cabinet, one in puff pastry and the other in harder standing crust, which she placed onto the plates. She then opened a lid in the top of the cabinet revealing a mass of mashed potato which she spread onto the plate with a wooden spoon in her teeth. She put the spoon down to grab a ladle; opening another lid filled with thick brown liquid.
“Wvavee?” Extra Crispy asked presenting the steaming brown liquid.
“Sorry what was that?” Rainbow asked.
“Gravy?” She said again after putting down the ladle…
“Ya’ call that gravy?” Applejack asked with hint of repulsiveness in her voice.
“Yesh…” she said mildly surprised “What would you ekshpect gravy to bhe like?” She said as if she didn’t know of its continental namesake-for better or worse.
"Never mind AJ!" Rainbow said whilst laying down the bits on the counter and swiftly grabbing her plate…
As they took their seats they took in the sight of their plates. The first thing that Applejack did was to take her “pie”, which was only 4” across making it more of a pastry, and out of habit cut it into four slices. The smell emitted from the pie quickly revealed that it was less apple and more savoury. Taking a bite she quickly discerned that the apples were definitely not from any of her family farms and were probably the less common cooking apples; mixed in with a considerable amount of oats and onion. But despite the fact that the filling was an offence to apples as an entity the puff pastry crust and mashed potatoes were excellent while the gravy was not half bad either.
Seeing Applejacks face going from disgust to quiet enjoyment Rainbow has gingerly split her pie in two-revealing a greyish chunky paste on the inside spewing out a rich half savoury half spicy odour that has quickly assaulted her nostrils.
“The hay?” Rainbow inspected the filling with her feathers. “What in Equestria is that?” She said feeling the filling of her meal. “It’s chunky and sticky…” she said as she took some of it into her mouth. The taste of it was like nothing she ever tasted-it had a flavour that was both rich and plain at the same time-but it was really good. Upon further consumption she noted that both the filling and the crust were… She couldn't pick a good word to describe it. Oily? No there defiantly wasn’t oil in there it didn’t had the slightly bitter flavour that usually followed it. Buttery? Maybe but the unlike butter it did have a mellow savoury flavour to it. If it was fish she would call it fatty but… wait… FATTY?
Realisation struck her.
After she sat motionless for solid three minutes she pushed the plate to one side and wiped her muzzle clean with a napkin… This did not go unnoticed by Applejack but Rainbow thought that was for the better as she let her lean in while she whispered into her ear:
“AJ, I believe our early suspicions have come true. This Trotingham pie must be made with meat.”
AJ did not need any further notice to agree with Rainbow Dash as she also pushed aside her plate as they quietly began to discuss what plan of action should they have for the butcher behind the counter. AJ argued for an honest one to one discussion behind the house while Rainbow wanted to make a broad announcement in the dining hall. However, the mare of their chat came to them.
“Vas there a probhlem with the food?” Extra Crispy asked innocently. “I Canh make you a fresh batsh…” She said picking a piece of Rainbows pie as she munched audibly on it. “Bith cold buth nothing whrong…, maybe you hust dohnt like Thotingham pie?"
“No…” Rainbow Dash said. “Never in my entire life have been bamboozled THIS MUCH. And I live near Pinkie for Celestia’s sake”
“B A M B O O Z L E D?” The red mare struggled to pronounce the word…”Why?” It was at this moment that her face has changed instantly as her eyes turned as big as the dinner plates that she was recently handing out. Wasting no time she leaned it where conversation was once more drowned down to a mere whisper.
“Ye donth need to be rhude to me you know.”
“What do you mean rude?”
“Lookh around.” She waved her hoof around the busy establishment. “There are plenthy of ponies here enjhoing the food here. Wouldn’t you think revealinh this lithle oversight would spoil their appetiteas and foreveh ruin theirh favorite meals for them? I will say you ahe noth the firhsth to find outh, quithe a few did-mainly Hriffons but some ponies as well, nophony was this peefed before."
“I RAISED THOSE HOGS!”
Applejack exclaimed as she pressed her hoof into the table. However unbeknownst to her she pressed her hoof into Dash's meal. The lardy filling sent her hoof forward like a diving hawk across the table. Slipping she spread herself against the table cracking one of the legs sending it straight into Rainbow’s jaw which briefly stunned the pegasus as she fell over as well. Much to her ill luck her head landed on that of Applejack. Knocking out both of them in the process.
The commotion has quickly attracted the attention of the entire restaurant as ponies looked from their tables.
“Oh deah!” The scarlet mare exclaimed audibly. “What a pithy, I shoulth have chanshed those tables longh aho…”
“Are they alright?” Somepony sked approaching them.
“Oh yesh yesh!” Extra Crispy quickly reassured everyone. “Justh a concussion! Nothin more… She said putting the two mares on her back like two heavy sacks. “I’ll takhe them in to shee thath nothin happens to them-Ih’ll ghive them hood care”
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This might get a little sticky...
Maybe you meant "one griffon"?
9531629
Oh dear, one moment...
Don't ponies eat bacon for breakfast?
9531781
I am pretty sure it was hay "bacon"... Can I have a reference for that?
Huh?
9531965
Heh, I'll have to search a bit. I thought I saw some in "Bloom & Gloom", but I was wrong...
To sell to dog and cat food companies, and leather.