• Published 28th Jul 2022
  • 1,349 Views, 93 Comments

Trudge Runners - ROBCakeran53



Applejack wakes up in the forest, finds another creature called a human, and learns that the only way to escape this prison is to collect lumber.

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2: Its a lot Bigger on the Inside

Author's Note:

Hello, so first thing's first, I'd just like to say that this story will be updating every Thursday, until I run out of buffer chapters, then updates will be as they go. Why Thursday? Because screw algorithms I do what I want.

Another fun bit, between last Thursday and today I managed to finally finish the Michigan section of Snow Runner, and let me tell ya, I think I had to have had at least 60 hours into just that part considering I'd started it back in January.

Chapters are also on the shorter side for this fic (so far), between 2k and 4k, but for these updates and writing times I think it will work out. We both will only worry when I put out a massive length chapter, cause that means the update after will probably take a while. Just how I am for some unexplainable reason.

It was quiet between the two, as Applejack’s breathing had calmed and she sat there, watching the bipedal figure continue to gawk.

He was very simply dressed, a loose fitting white T shirt, and a pair of jogging shorts, both covered in splatterings of mud.

“You alright there, partner?” Applejack asked, tilting her head.

He blinked, then slapped his face. Seeming to be still shocked the mare was still there, he looked around briefly, then back to her. “So… you can talk? This isn’t… a dream or anything?”

Applejack shook her head. “Eenope. Sorry. Already ruled that out on account of no intervention from Princess Luna.”

Silence, then he cleared his throat.

“Who’s-”

“One of four ruling princesses where I’m from. Watches over the night and pony’s dreams. I woulda heard something from her if this here were made up.”

“Oh. Sure, okay.”

“And you?”

He rubbed his forehead. “Well, uh, no cellphone to call anyone, so I smacked my head against a tree.”

Applejack raised a brow.

“I know, stupid, but it did the trick to let me know this wasn’t a dream. After seeing you though…”

She nodded. “I get it. Trust me, I’m used ta weird, it’s a common thing where I’m from. Ya did give me a rightful scare for a few moments.”

He laughed. “Well, I’m sure glad you’re taking this better than me.”

It was her turn to laugh. “Oh no, trust me, I’m just as freaked out as yerself. I just know how to hide it well.”

“Oh.”

Applejack’s smile grew slightly, her left cheek twitching.

“Okay,” he said, clearing his throat, “yeah, so, I think we need to just… move on before either of us lose our shit.”

“Agreed,” agreed Applejack.

Both stood there in an awkward silence.

Clearing her throat, the mare pointed a hoof at the building they stood before. “So, check this place out?”

He nodded. “Sure.”

Applejack turned around and slowly began walking forward, and she heard paw-like steps following.

Approaching the front of the building proper, there were a total of four doors. Three massive industrial sized doors made of paneled steel, with only small windows towards the top to let in light, but not look in or out.

The fourth door was much smaller, however still tall, and as they neared Applejack recognized that this person’s size was akin to it.

Speaking of him…

Applejack stopped, flicked her tail, then turned her head back. “I ain’t gonna bite, ya know.”

He had been staying back, keeping a comfortable distance between themselves.

“Yeah, I know.”

“So, ya can come closer.”

“I know!”

Applejack turned around, facing him, an expecting look on her face.

He looked down at his feet, then back up to her, and took one long step forward, then stopped.

“There, see? Closer.”

The mare reached up to grab her hat and toss it, but realizing it was still missing, she changed direction and slapped her hoof against her forehead.

“Of all the-” stopping her rant before it could start, Applejack began walking fast towards him.

He quickly started to step backwards, but tripped and fell onto his butt with a yelp of pain. Distracted, he didn’t realize the mare was upon him until she was standing at his feet, looking him in the face.

She reached a hoof out towards him, to which he instinctively reflexed by covering his face. She placed her hoof onto his knee, ignoring the scattering of thin hair covering his legs, and shook it a couple times, then left it there.

“See? You can feel me, I can feel you. We’re both real. I ain’t gonna hurt ya, and I expect ya ain’t gonna hurt me.”

Yeesh, this guy’s as fidgety as Fluttershy.

Removing his hand from his face, he stared at her hoof, then followed it up along her leg, to her neck, then her face. He took a deep breath in, released it, then slowly, cautiously, reached his hand out. One finger pointed toward her hoof, and only hesitated for half a second before making contact.

“Woah.”

“Yeah, woah. I got fur, you ain’t. Feels weird.”

“I mean, I’ve touched horses before, and that felt no different, but I still didn’t expect it.”

Applejack removed her hoof from his knee, sitting down in front of him on her haunches. “I ain’t a horse, I’m a pony.”

“Is there a difference?”

“Depends on yer definition. My friend Twilight, real egg head of a mare that one, explained once that a horse was what our ancestors were, before we got all smart like, shrank some b’cause we weren’t no longer a prey species, and over the course of a bajillion years became the ponies we are today.”

He blinked, captivated by the information. Applejack continued.

“Then you got the sexist slur whorse, which is used for a pony who’s a street walker, or yer mom, depending on the pony you’re about to kick fer callin’ you that.”

He blinked harder, eyes wide and mouth open.

She smiled. “See? That there was a joke, a thing ponies, and I’d imagine you, whatever ya are, can do.”

Shaking his head, his eyes went back to normal and he smiled. “Human. I’m a human, and yeah, I just honestly didn’t expect such a sick joke from a small, bright orange… pony.”

“I learned early in life, ya gotta loosen up the tension before it snaps, and the same goes fer meetin’ new folk.”

“That’s good advice.” Then, he snapped his fingers. “Oh, crud, so you have a name I take it?”

“Of course. I’m Applejack.”

“Well, okay, I’m Bill.”

For the first time, the human showed the initiative and stretched his arm out towards the mare, hand open. Applejack reached her hoof out, and he grasped her hoof firmly, and they shook.

“Nice ta meet ya, Bill.”

“Same here, Applejack. Now that I’m not so freaked out, why don’t we go check out this place? Maybe find a phone or something.” Then, he picked up one of his feet and rubbed a foot. “Or at least some carpet to stand on.”

“Grand idea.”

Both returned to their feet and hooves respectively, and this time, side by side, they marched to the smaller door.

“Huh, lookit that,” Applejack pointed ahead.

The door was nothing special. Solid steel, speckled with rust spots and rust stains, however there was a simple long handle running along the one edge, and a rope tied with a large knot at one end dangled from it.

“Rope on a door, just sitting there?” Bill asked.

The answer was obvious to Applejack, but she figured not so for the human.

“Sometimes, places in Equestria make larger doors for other creatures that may visit, so they’ll put rope on the door to make it easier for ponies to pull the door open, or closed.”

“Oh, that… makes sense. So wait, if that’s what that is for, then… am I in Equestria?”

Pausing, the mare looked over to the large machine parked in front of one of the tall doors. “Got any clue what that there is?”

He looked over. “Yeah, it’s some sort of smaller SUV, I don’t recognize the make though. Why?”

Smaller!? “See, I ain’t got no clue what it is. So I’d say no.”

“Well, this does resemble someplace on Earth, I guess. Just, I don’t understand most of the written language I’ve seen,” he also pointed at a metal sign just above the small entry door.

Applejack tilted her head, looking at it from another angle.

“Eenope. Don’t get it either.”

Bill sighed. “Figures. Okay, so, let's go inside?”

“Agreed.”

A few more steps, and they were at the door. Bill gave the door a couple of knocks and waited.

Applejack shrugged, grabbed the rope, and swung the door open, nearly smacking it into her companion.

“Whoops, my bad. Didn’t realize there weren’t no resistance on it.”

Bill gave the door a couple of taps with his hand, looking up at the top and saw the door ram was disconnected. Nodding, he followed behind the mare and inside.

The room they entered was a massive garage, the three large doors to their right, and natural sunlight poured in to lighten up the area. There were 4 parking bays outlined by scuffed white paint, one of which sporting some sort of lift, however Applejack didn’t have any clue how it functioned without a pulley system above.

“Woah, this place is huge,” Bill took a couple more steps in, then seeing a light switch on the wall, he had to study it a moment before turning the knob with a click.

Overhead lights began to hum to life, a mixture of large dome mercury bulbs, and long fluorescent fixtures. All of which over the bays.

“Huh, this second switch is labeled. Inventory?”

Applejack turned to the human, brow raised.

“I dunno, try it I guess,” he said more to himself, then clicked it.

From behind the bays, more lights, just as previously described, came on, row after row, bank after bank, for seemingly a football field’s length.

“Hold up, how in the fuck?”

“What is it?” Applejack asked.

“There’s no way…” Bill immediately rushed outside, Applejack trailing behind him.

“What? What is it?”

The whole time, Bill power walked along the building, past the SUV, around the corner, and walked another fifty feet. He stepped on something cause he cursed and started limping, favoring one foot over the other, but wasn’t deterred, then stopped, looking around another corner.

Applejack caught up, looking around confused. “What is it?”

“You saw that, right? How deep in that place went?”

“Yeah? Oh. OH, wait one pony pickin’ minute!”

Bill waved his hands excitedly at the back of the building. “See it now!?”

It was the farm mare’s turn to rush away, back to the doorway and look inside the building.

It went on seemingly forever.

“That makes no sense.”

Bill peeked his head around the doorframe, above Applejack. “Right? This is some Doctor Who bullshit.”

Sounds like Derpy’s beau, Time Turner or Doctor Whooves, whatever he’s calling himself anymore.

The expansive area, as they now began to look closer, was lined with rows and rows of tall industrial steel shelves, loaded with pallets of boxes, crates, and several stacks of large rubber wheels.

They both stepped inside, and walked up to one set of shelves. A box on top was already partly open, and Bill opened it further, and pulled out something Applejack didn’t recognize.

“Huh, it’s a carb.”

“A what?”

“Carburetor, something used on older vehicles, like that SUV out there, to deliver the air-fuel mixture to the engine so it can run.”

Applejack blinked.

Bill rolled his eyes. “It’s a key part of how that thing out there works.”

“Alright, got it.”

“Yeah, but look. This box has room for four of them, and one is already missing. And that box, can’t read the words, but it shows a picture of I’d guess to be a head gasket, and I'd wager it’s full of them. So that means…”

Bill placed the carburetor back into the box, then started looking around, up and down, at all the shelves. “Jesus, these are all just… vehicle parts. This is like… a warehouse or something. There’s gotta be enough stuff here for a whole military branch!”

“And it’s inna building which defies natural law, in the middle of the woods?” Applejack asked.

“Hmm…” Bill looked around again, then down to Applejack.

With amusement, she realized her face only reached above his waist.

“So what is all of this for? Why here? And… why us?”

“Whatcha mean?”

“Well, you wake up in the middle of the woods, I wake up in a mud puddle along a dirt road. We both stumble upon this place? I’ve seen enough movies to know something brought us here.”

“Maybe. Or maybe it’s just a big coincidence.”

Bill crossed his arms over his chest. “I doubt that. This place is literally impossible, yet here we are. Back home, you are impossible.”

“Back in Equestria, the impossible is always changing. Very few things are never able to happen. I’ve heard tales of stuff like this, in Canterlot Castle, where Princess Celestia keeps things out of ponies' sight.”

The human shook his head. “Listen to us, back home, like we’ve already given up we aren’t still home.”

She shrugged. “Crazier has happened.”

“For right now, this is enough crazy in one day. Let's see if there’s anything to eat around here. I’m starved.”

“Good idea. Nibbling on grass keeps ya from starving, but it’s just that.”

Bill stuck out his tongue in disgust. “Yeah, no thanks.”

Returning to the light switches, Bill clicked off the one labeled Inventory, and all the lights in the back of the bay shut down, hiding everything in complete darkness.

“Like it doesn’t exist,” mumbled Applejack.

“Yeah. Well, here’s a hallway. Let's check this out.”

Following along, Applejack noticed something above the hall entrance.

“Hey, lookie there.”

Bill looked up. “Oh yeah, huh.”

Above the entryway were two signs. One was much like all the other metal signs outside, unreadable, however above that, was a crude made wooden sign saying Home Sweet Home.

“I wonder if someone added that?” Applejack asked.

Bill looked down, brow quirked. “Wait, can you read that?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s written in English.”

“Huh, to me it’s written in Ponish.”

Tapping his chin, Bill continued down the hall, muttering “the mystery deepens.”

Rolling her eyes, Applejack followed after him.

From entering the hallway, they could see an open room at the end, and on either side were two doors each, with small metal boxes sticking out near the door handles.

Coincidently, one of these doors also had a rope hanging from it.

They approached the closest room, and Bill examined the door.

“Huh, this looks like one of those futuristic hand scanner things.”

“Huh?”

“More movie and science fiction stuff.”

“Oh, okay. I don’t read much of that genre, that’s more of my brother’s thing.”

Scratching his head, Bill started to reach his hand out toward it.

“Wait!” Applejack hastily shouted.

He stopped.

“What if somethin’ bad happens if it don’t open fer ya?”

Slowly drawing his hand back, Bill nodded. “Good call. We can investigate that later.”

Just then, Applejack heard an intense growling sound. She looked around, then saw Bill looking at her bashfully.

After food, anyway. Sorry, like I said, haven’t eaten in hours.”

“Right, let’s go then,” Applejack said as she took the lead.

Just before he stepped away he went for the door handle, tried to turn it, and found it locked.

“Nope. Probably has to be unlocked with that thing.”

“Probably,” Applejack agreed.

Walking toward the end of the hall, they found it opened up into a massive room with all manner of fixtures.

To the left was a sitting area, windows going from one wall, wrapping around to another wall, then stopping, all currently having closed blinds, however they still let in enough light to illuminate inside. The main area sported a couple couches, couple cushioned chairs, coffee table, and end tables supporting table lamps with laughably large shades. All of which circled around both a cold fireplace and a metal wheeled cart with a small wooden paneled box, glass face, and two antennas poking up from the top.

Following to her right, where the line of curtained windows ended was a desk against the wall which had multiple electronics stacked high on one end, the other end saving space to write notes and do whatever was needed from a flat surface. Just ahead that, in the center of the room was a billiards table, a ping pong table, and then a dining table with four chairs.

Lastly, farthest to the right, was a modest kitchen which was sectioned off from the rest of the room by a U shaped counter and cabinets, going from wall to wall. A couple bar stools stood against the counter on the seating aread side. Along the farthest wall was a tall fridge, a smaller chest freezer beside it, a gas stove and oven, and beside that was even a wood burning stove. On the counter tops sported all manner of electrical and manual machines one would expect in a kitchen, including a sink with, hopefully, clean running water.

“Woah, this place is… set up,” Bill said, stepping around Applejack and heading straight for the kitchen.

“Yeah, but does anything work?”

“Let us find out then!” Bill said cheerily, grasping the metal fridge handle, and with a click pulled it open.

“Holy fuckballs, that’s a lot of vodka.”

Brow raised and her mind intrigued, Applejack joined Bill in the kitchen, stepped beside him, and looked into the appliance, and did a double take.

It was positively stuffed with glass bottles, large ones, small ones, and a few inbetween, all filled with clear liquid, and while the labels were unreadable, it was unmistakable by how generic the tags were. It was alcohol.

“Well, it’s cold, so it’s running. No food though. Hm.” Bill closed the fridge door, then stepping to the side he opened the freezer top, looked in, and whistled. “Well, someone got lucky.”

Applejack had to stand on the tips of her hooves, and rest her chin on the edge of the freezer to look inside, and she wished she hadn’t. Backing away and forcing herself not to gag, the cut up deer parts had been frozen for preservation and future use.

The mare gave a dry heave, forcing down what little she had which so desperately wanted back up.

“Oh, shit, you’re a herbivore aren’t you? I’m sorry, I didn't even think to warn you.”

“And… I take it yer a…” Applejack struggled to talk between catching her breath.

“Omnivore, so most plants, and meat.”

“Right.”

“Is that going to be an issue?”

Applejack shook her head. “No, once… urg, once you cook it to eat, the smell isn’t so strong or bad. It’s when its raw, uncooked, that gets most of us set off.”

“So you guys are used to it?”

“Yeah, we have gryphons and dragons back home, so it pops up.”

“Wow, that's cool.” Bill closed the freezer.

“Yeah, except most of ‘em are jerks.”

“Hah!” He laughed briefly, then started going through the cupboards. “Oh, wow, lots of stuff here. Not sure what half of it is because, you know, weird language…” he pulled out a box, which had already been opened once in the past, and pulled out a sleeve of crackers. “Oh hey, this will do for now.”

Opening the plastic wrap, he gave a sniff, then frowned. “Well, they’re probably stale, but edible. Want any?”

“Sure.”

Bill walked over to the table, pulling out two of the chairs, and sitting in one of them while Applejack took the other. He divided the sleeve in two, sliding Applejack’s half towards her.

“Much obliged,” she nodded, then picked one up with her hoof and ate it.

“How did you do that?”

She blinked. “Do what?”

“Just pick that cracker up with…” he paused, looked at the crackers, his hands, her hoof, then back to his hand. “Never mind. Enough crazy for one day.”

Chuckling, Applejack continued to nibble on the stale crackers, while absentmindedly looking around the room they were in. Should’a seen if there were plates.

Between mouthfuls, Applejack voiced up, “no other doors, ‘cept those four in the hall.”

“Yeah, I noticed that. I was thinking we should give one a try anyway."

“Agreed. My guess is they’re bedrooms, but with those weird box thingies on the walls, who knows?”

Bill nodded, wiping off his side of the table, sending the crumbs to the floor.

Applejack watched with an unamused expression. He looked at her curiously.

“What?”

“Ya know, if we’re stayin’ here any length of time, that will not fly.”

Now he raised a brow. “Come again?”

Applejack got off her seat, walked over to a wall where a couple brooms and dustpans were placed (funny enough, one broom had a short handle, and one dustpan had an upright base), grabbed the tall broom and regular dustpan in her teeth, and walked back over, giving them to Bill, who took them absentmindedly.

Then, it clicked in his head. “Oh, come on, you can’t be serious.”

“In my house, ya don’t go makin’ messes like that.” Applejack trotted away, going into the kitchen.

“In your- now hold on lady, this isn’t either of our’s house, or building, or… anything! You can’t expect me to just kneel to your every whim already, Christ we just met, haven’t even fucked around a bit.”

Applejack was now standing on her rear legs, front hooves supporting her against the counter that helped section off the kitchen from the table area. She gave him a quirked brow.

“You damn well know what I mean, you did a yo mama joke earlier, so you can’t pull the wool over my eyes with naivety.”

She laughed at that. “Fair. But still, we’re in the woods. Rodents will start gettin’ drawn if stuff like that is just left on the floor to attract ‘em.”

“Oh sure, and not like this stuff being in here at all would have? I’ve seen mice chew holes in steel trash cans.”

The mare was quiet for a moment, finally finding a dish towel, wetting it briefly, then walking back to the little dining area. “Good point, but my point stands. No makin’ a mess while we’re here.”

Sighing, Bill kept quiet, brooming up his crumbs, and then noticing the mare brushing the towel towards the edge of the table. Without being asked, he placed the dustpan against it, and she so graciously dusted her own crumbs to join his.

“Thank ya kindly.”

“Sure, sure. Christ this is going to feel like I’m married, isn’t it?”

“Depends,” Applejack slapped the dish towel over her back. “Have ya ever been married b’fore?” she asked, then took the dustpan from his hand in her teeth, walking back into the kitchen

“Nope, thank God. You?”

“Ee’ope,” she said through her occupied mouth.

She dumped the contents into a small trash can in the corner. There were already a few things in the can, mostly just empty wrappers and an empty box. She tossed the towel in the sink and replaced the dustpan, all the while Bill sat in his chair, holding onto the broom like a tall cane.

“So, what, we make up some rules? Boundaries?” he asked.

“Sure. Provided we’re gonna stay here together?” she asked back.

“Two is always better than one, and maybe if someone is looking for either of us, then that person’s party can also help the other home.”

“Good call. Let’s finish lookin’ around, then have our lil’ pow wow. So, mystery rooms?”

Reluctantly, Bill stood, using the broom as assistance, and walking toward the hall he replaced the broom.

Applejack joined him, and a short walk later, they stood before one of the doors, the room next to this one having the rope around the handle.

Bill tried the handle of this one, and had the same result.

“Okay, here goes nothing.”

Cautiously, Bill placed his hand on the cold screen, and suddenly it lit up in an amber color. Messages flashed across faster than Applejack could try to read it, when suddenly it all turned green, dinged, and an audible clunk of the door lock made her ears twitch.

“Well, that was easy.”

Bill gripped the handle, turned it, and pushed the door open.