Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot

by Equimorto

Cold

The breeze blew through the apple orchard, leaves swaying on the branches as it did. It was that period near the end of summer, when the Sun shines just a bit less hot and the wind becomes too cold to simply be refreshing. Not the best weather to work up a sweat in, but work needed to be done.

Applejack hauled her tools atop her cart. After spending the first half of the morning working on the fields, it was time for her to go lend a hoof in the city. Buildings needed to be repaired or entirely reconstructed, and some needed to be torn down. It was the safer alternative after all the damage they'd taken.

"Hey!"

Applejack looked up, tilting her hat forward to shield her eyes from the Sun. She recognised the voice, of course.

"Are you coming to help?" Rainbow Dash landed in front of her.

Applejack just looked at the cart full of tools she was about to start pulling, her expression making words superfluous.

"Want me to help you pull that thing?"

"Sure." Applejack scooted a little to her right, allowing space for the pegasus beside her. She thought about asking Rainbow why she wasn't helping around in Ponyville herself instead, but then decided against it. Beginning to pull the cart, she asked, "Know what we're working on today?"

"Sugarcube Corner, from what I heard," Rainbow said. "The whole place needs to be taken down before it does that on its own."

Applejack chewed on the inside of her cheek for a bit. It wasn't nice to know the building had to go, but it was the safer thing to do. "Is Starlight coming to help?"

"She had to leave this morning. There's a dam about to burst somewhere up north, Twilight called for her to help dealing with it. Or that's what Trixie told me, at least."

"And what did Sunburst have to say?"

"He's not here. Left for Canterlot yesterday evening, he's doing some research there." Rainbow kicked a pebble out of the way. "I wonder what Trixie will get up to while they're both gone."

Applejack shivered. It might have been a particularly strong gust of wind while they walked in the shadows, but she decided it was the thought of an unsupervised Trixie. Then something caught her eye, and she slowed down her pace. "You see that?" she asked, pointing a hoof at a spot between the trees.

Rainbow slowed down as well, and turned her head to follow Applejack's gesture. "The grass?" she asked.

"No. That thing! There between the two trees."

Rainbow leaned a little further to get a better look. "I don't see anything there. Are you sure it's not just a shadow?"

Applejack kept her eyes on the spot. She wasn't exactly sure what it was. It looked a bit like smoke, or like the air over a campfire, flickering and quivering. Almost like something was hiding there. But then she blinked, and when she opened her eyes again it had all disappeared. "Probably was," she said, shaking her head as she kept on pulling the cart.

Author's Note:

Proofreading by IncongruousAndHarmonious

Comments

[Speckle]

Oh dear...