• Published 5th Apr 2019
  • 2,859 Views, 101 Comments

Spider Quest - Dilos1



A comment-driven tale detailing the various misadventures of a transformed woman lost in Equestria's wilds.

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Part Two

“Would you mind hurrying it up Pit? We are on a schedule here in case you didn’t know,” Peachy called up to her partner, tapping her hoof impatiently on the dusty soil for the past few minutes. The baskets of cherries slung over her back were not getting any lighter, and their shift was rapidly approaching its end.

“Just give me a moment, I’m almost done here,” the amber stallion called back, busily taking his sweet time filling his own baskets set beneath the boughs of a yet to be picked cherry tree. Only, despite his efforts to free the little fruits from their stems, his efforts had yet to yield any meaningful results, leaving him frustrated and Peachy impatient. She was not looking forward to getting chewed out by their boss again.

For as much effort as he was putting into his kicks, the tree stubbornly refused to deposit its treasures, yielding only a scant few with every hard buck Pit put into the trunk. Despite the impatience in her previous statement, Peachy still could not help but laugh quietly at the sight, hiding her mirth behind a hoof when he shot her a hard scowl.

“How about instead of sitting there like a loon, you come over and help me,” he suggested none too politely.
Peachy proceeded to oblige, though not without an appropriate of snickering as she assisted him in bucking the tree. Eventually with their combined efforts the cherries were finally freed from branches and plummeted into the waiting baskets, whereupon Pit slung them over his shoulder, following Peachy back to the sorting station. Along the way Pit asked, “Didn’t Jubilee manage to get a new hire a little while ago? Why isn’t she out here helping us?”

“She’s making sure that she meets all the qualifications. We don’t want just anypony off the streets out here bucking trees, so for now she’s on sorting duty. And she doesn’t start ‘til tomorrow anyway, so it’s just us ‘til then.”

Pit nodded in understanding, and their conversation faded into silence as they made their way over drop their load of cherries off, trotting along a path that cut straight through the orchard, connecting with the main road. Both ponies were eager to be done with their shift, and Pit was about to ask what she planned to do when she stopped him with an outstretched hoof.

“What?” he questioned, only to be silenced when Peachy shushed him. She looked around, leaving Pit unsure what the cause behind her sudden desire to check their surroundings. Just then, he heard it; a sound like the low growl of a train engine, if only drastically tempered. It started quiet at first, but steadily grew louder with every passing second, accompanied by the sound of wheels rolling over dusty soil.

“What is that?” Peachy muttered, to which Pit had no answer. The only thing that either pony could definitively tell for certain was the it seemed to be coming from somewhere behind them. Their heads turned in unison as they glanced down the dirt road, finding a plume of dust kicked up by. . . something heading straight towards them. Neither could readily tell what the object was supposed to be, or if they should be concerned as it drew closer, its metallic surface gleaming in the sinking sunlight.

They hurried to stand off to the side of the road, having no desire to be in the objects path. Just when it seemed that it was about to pass them, the object, which appeared to be some sort of carriage despite the lack of any ponies to pull it along, rolled to a stop before them. The tinted windows prevented them from seeing anything too clearly, though it was obvious there was at least one passenger within. One that was not equine in nature.

Pit and Peachy glanced at each other nervously, both of them unsure if they should stay or hide somewhere. Before the decision could be made, one of the glass panels slid downward. A head poked out of the opening, rendering both ponies stiff and their hearts racing within their chests.

Light lavender skin.

Needle sharp fangs poking out from the upper lip.

Five slanted eyes, each the color of glittering obsidian.

To say that the creatures’ appearance gave them pause was a horrendous understatement as a sense of fearful panic coiled within their stomachs. A scream started to well up within them, and their limbs quivered in preparation to bolt as fast as they could.

“Hey, sorry to bother you, but can you help me for a sec’?”

The scream died in their throats and their shivering ceased as nervous terror was replaced by startled confusion.

“. . . Huh?” Pit uttered, vocalizing the only thing that could come to his mind at the moment.

“I was told that a place called Junction Dodge Junction was somewhere around here. You see, I’m looking for someone named Cherry. . . Jubilee was it? Yeah, Cherry Jubilee. If you don’t mind could you point me to where she’s at?”

A moment of silence passed. The creature coughed into a three-fingered hand. Peachy and Pit looked at each other, their confusion reflecting in each others faces before they both slowly raised their left hooves, pointing farther down the road.

“Uh, yeah. She’s uh. . . she lives just down. . . over. . . there,” Peachy answered. “It’s a two-story house. Only one around here. You, um, you can’t miss it.”

Briefly glancing in the indicated direction, the creature them very politely said, “Alright. Thank you for the help.” And with that, the glass panel covered rose, obscuring the creature from sight as she began to roll away in her metal carriage, the sound of its engine gradually getting quieter in the distance.

For a long while both ponies stood in place, gazing with a cocked eyebrows and open mouths after her.

“What just happened?” Peachy muttered. Pit merely shook his head, unable to come up with a good answer.


“No wonder her name’s Cherry,” Cassy muttered through a mouthful of raisins, keeping all five eyes peeled for a building hidden among the veritable forest of cherry trees that sped by her windows in a blur of vibrant reds and yellows.

Eventually she ran out of raisins, and she tossed the empty box into the back seat. As she drove, her thoughts were a bit distracted as they were abound with the many potential possibilities that might be upon meeting this Cherry Jubilee. Although she was somewhat loath to admit it out loud, Cassy could not deny that she felt anxious at what kind of reaction she would get, as her interaction just minutes ago lingered on her mind.

The looks of fear and nervousness directed at her had not gone unnoticed, leaving Cassy to second guess herself on whether it was a good idea to even come here at all.

Before she could decide if she wanted to simply turn around and park her microbus in some distant corner of the orchard where she wouldn’t be bothered, she saw the top of a roof appearing over the grove, and upon rounding a corner she found Jubilee’s place of residence, assuming she hadn’t misunderstood its description.

A quaint looking house, with red siding and a shingled roof, it had obviously been around for a number of years but had been well taken care of. She rolled to a stop about dozen feet from the house, but did not shut off the engine as she sat in the drivers, busily contemplating if she should follow through. Eventually Cassy figured that she’d already come too far not to, and stepped out of the vehicle, cautiously making her approach.

Soon enough she was standing before the front door. She took a moment to steady her frayed nerves with a few deep breaths, brushed herself down to ensure that she was least presentable before gently rapping her knuckles on the aged wood in quick succession.

She waited, her six hands clasped behind her back as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

“Just. . . smile and be friendly Cassy. Smile and be friendly.”

Moments later she overheard the muffled din of hooves clicking on hardwood floor, and she tensed up in preparation to introduce herself. A lock unlatched, and the door swung open to reveal. . . empty space. Momentarily flummoxed, Cassy’s sight eventually found its way downward whereupon she found herself confronted by a small pink filly with a bright blue ribbon in her mahogany mane. She stared upward at Cassy wide emerald eyes.

Quickly getting over her surprise, Cassy began to say, “H-hello there. I was wondering if-“

That was as far as she was able to get before the filly suddenly ran away screaming into the house. “Aunt Cherry! Aunt Cherry there’s a monster at the door!” she yelled in a tinny voice, leaving Cassy standing at the doorway with a raised finger. She looked back to her microbus, pondering if would be wise to leave while she could.

“Now Bloom, I already to ya once,” an older voice said from somewhere inside, getting clearer as its owner approached. “Ya can’t be callin’ every stranger ya meet monster. We already went over this.” Soon enough a cream coated mare trotted into view, her ruby red mane bouncing with every step she took. “Now, come along and let’s properly greet our. . .” The mares voice faltered into a grim silence the moment her sight landed on Cassy, and the woman felt an involuntary crawl up her spine as she was looked over. “Uh. . . guest,” she finished uncertainly.

“See? I told you Aunt Cherry!” the filly stated from her hiding place behind the legs of the older pony, regarding Cassy with no small amount of suspicion.

Figuring that she should speak up before they brought out the torches and pitchforks, Cassy cleared her throat and said shakily, “Um, yes, hello there. I was just wondering if you were perhaps a miss Cherry Jubilee?” Cassy felt the question was unnecessary, as the cherry shaped mark on her flank was incriminating enough. She felt it was polite to ask though.

“. . . Yeah. Who wants to know?” Jubilee answered, cocking an eyebrow at Cassy and subtly putting herself in front of her niece.

Clearing her throat and trying to appear as friendly as possible, Cassy proceeded to explain. “You ma’am, I’m a little bit lost. Really lost actually. I happened to meet another pony, and she told me that I could come to you for help.”

Jubilee did not answer right away, instead taking the time to look Cassy up and down a few times, even glancing at the microbus. “Uh huh, right,” she replied skeptically. “And this other pony? What was their name?”

Scratching the back of her head, Cassy already could tell that her chances were not looking too great as she said sheepishly, “I don’t really know. She was a green unicorn manning some little shop in the middle of nowhere. She was nice enough to trade for some supplies, though she kept offering me tea for some reason?”

“You don’t mean Chamomile, do you?” Jubilee asked, her eyes widening slightly as she seemed to brighten up a bit.

“Yeah, that’s the kind. I don’t drink tea though, can’t stand it.”

“What? N-no, that’s her name. Chamomile. She’s a friend of mine.”

“Really? That was her name? You mean she wasn’t. . ?” Cassy uttered, then proceeded to place a palm to her face in embarrassment. “Oh God, I feel like an idiot.”

Jubilee seemed to not care about Cassy’s self-deprecation. “So what you’re tellin’ me right now is that Chamomile trusted ya enough to send ya over to me. Am I getting’ that right?”

Sighing, Cassy nodded solemnly. “Yes, that’s right. I’m. . . I just. . .” Cssy shook her head, struggling to find the words to explain her feelings. Ultimately she said, “I got nowhere to go ma’am. If you could help me out, it would mean the world to me.”

For a good long while, Jubilee simply looked at Cassy, seeming to judge the strange woman before her. Cassy could not help but feel self-conscious during the tense silence, considering what she looked like. Truthfully she could blame the mare for having trust issues, especially since her niece was right there. Finally let out a sympathetic sigh.

“Alright. Fine,” she said. “If what you’re sayin’ is true and Chamomile trusted ya enough to send ya here, then I might as well hear ya out.”

At that moment Cassy released a breath she did not know she had been holding, and the vice that gripped her midsection loosened a bit as she said sincerely, “Thank you thank you thank you! You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“I can imagine,” Jubilee responded. She took a moment to glance at their surroundings, presumably to determine if there were anyone watching their conversation, then added, “Why don’t ya come on inside. Ya can explain yourself in there.”

“But Aunt Cherry!” the filly whined from behind the mare, which was quickly silenced by a harsh look from Jubilee.

“Hush now, Bloom. I don’t want to hear any of your belyyachin, ya hear. Now go on upstairs, its almost your bedtime.”

Bloom dipped her head in admonishment, unable to fight her aunt on the matter. She did not part without stopping to stick her tongue out at Cassy however, to which the woman balked.

“Pardon her manners. She’s a bit jittery around strangers,” Jubilee apologized as she stepped to the side, allowing Cassy entry into her home.

“I don’t know if I can blame her honestly.”

Once Cassy was inside, Jubilee took one last look outside before shutting and locking the door.

Author's Note:

Hello everyone, and welcome back. I do hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Unfortunately I was only able to incorporate two comments into the chapter this time, as they made the most sense considering Cassy's current situation. Some more will be featured in the following chapter though.

Comment by: TemAtlas
Unfortunately i am not particularly clever in suggesting things to go in a story. I feel like something should happen before she reaches her destination, like encountering a hitchhiker going the same direction. But any details escape me :/
Comment by: N4rwh41
If she's gonna run into more ponies, she should probably practice not being intimidating.

But as I stated before I do save each and every comment for future consideration and interpretation. That means sometimes upwards of three comments may be featured, or just one. It all really depends on the context of the stories current events.
Until then I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to seeing you all in the future.
Dilos1