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Too Damn Sweaty1,857 words
The Ponyville Perimeter4,277 words
Sea and Sand3,030 words
Fishing Chickens2,921 words
Pens and Friends3,733 words
The Apple Field4,610 words
No Cave Like Home1,566 words
Post Contest Chapter - Webbed Up3,784 words
Post Contest Chapter - Story Tidbits -526 words

The Apple Field

"I wish you'd save this jaunt for later, honestly." Faust comments idly, flapping in the air a foot from his face. Not much humor here on her end, and she's even been swearing at him less lately.
"I'm still working on something to help you, but..."

"It's gonna take a while, and we don't have many other options right now. Gotta give the ratpack time to calm down, anyway."
Anon stands at the edge of their little camp clearing, geared up as well as he can be. He's fashioned another spear from a good-sized stick and a sharp rock, bound with twine. Limbs wrapped tightly in several layers of folded ferns for some added protection from trudging through the elements, and wearing every bit of clothing he's got, Anon is about as protected as he can get. Except his jacket. That thing smells funky at this point, and has been relented to holding fish.

Early morning light is fighting the leafy canopy for it's chance to break through. With no clue about what's waiting for him, his best bet was to get out there and use as much of a day as he could. He was still a little deflated from his plan falling through back in Ponyville, but any failed plan he survived was a step forward in some regard. That was a little tidbit Twilight bestowed on him, and something he tried to keep in mind. Though it was more about her biffing experiments, it still worked.

It'll be his first excursion without her hanging over his head.

"Is it odd, in this magic-messed place, that there's a location actively rebuffing the remaining magic?" Anon muses, checking his spear thrice-over.

"It is. I'd love to figure out why, but I can't even scry it. I'm going to entirely rely on you telling me what you've found, so try to come back alive. And in as close to one piece as you can." Faust warns, foreboding and definitely not chipping at Anon's already weakly founded confidence.

Scootaloo watches from her spot in the pen a short distance away, while Sweetie stares up at him just a few feet away, wordlessly watching him and Faust speak.

"The farm isn't far from here, so I shouldn't be gone for very long. There's leftover fish, and you remember the berries I've been picking. Those, and the eggs, should keep you guys going." Anon explains -- though it's more to Sweetie, since Faust doesn't really eat.

"Just play it safe, alright? Leave quickly if you need to." Faust warns, crossing her hooves.
"Whatever is stopping me from getting a better look at the area seems deliberate... so just be smart."

Anon makes a mock-salute, leaning down to tussle Sweetie's mane -- she shakes her head, face scrunching.
"Keep the place safe while I'm gone, yeah? I'll be back soon."

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous -- there was a weird air about this entire Apple thing, but they wouldn't solve this whole thing if he just kept sitting at home.

It takes a moment, before Sweetie gives a little wave. Anon is pretty sure she understands, and she seems capable.

"Alright. Hurry back. Before I get bored of foalsitting." Faust huffs, crossing her hooves.

With a final wave, Anon turns and starts trudging deeper into the jungle. The general layout of most things was the same, just... a lot more humid. He should be able to find the Apple farm without too much difficulty, since he had Ponyville's general location to work off, and his little cave camp was roughly at an in-between point of the two.

With his spear as leverage to lean on, pushing oversized ferns and fronds aside as he navigates around sizable tree-trunks, the camp doesn't stay visible behind himself for much longer.

And in a few short moments, stepping over massive roots that dig into the ground below, Anon is by his lonesome, left to naut but his thoughts.

He used to be pretty big on his alone time, left to daydream. Feels a bit odd, now. No Faust to bug him. As weird as their situation was, she had her uses.

Anon slowly skirts around a thick set of hanging vines, looking for an easier path as his thoughts return. And it stays that way, Anon immersed in questions and answers tasked only to himself, for most of the journey through the jungle.

Until the treeline starts to break, and an unfamiliar sight lays before him, catching him off guard.

...Since when did the Apples grow wheat? Really tall stuff at that. It was as big as a corn stalk, if not bigger. Anon leans against one of the nearby tropical trees, humming in confusion.

Was wheat even capable of growing somewhere tropical? He guesses so, if it's related to one of the Remnants.

Swathes of the golden grain gently rustle in a breeze that sweeps down from the adjacent canopy, completely blocking his view of anything within it's depths.

He could kind of see the barn. Again, bad angle, and some good distance away. Didn't look overgrown like ponyville... but it was smack in the middle of this almost golden, flowing swathe of grain, the roof barely peeking overtop.

The treeline thins, and just... crop. As far as the eye can see. Like it was dropped directly into a part of the jungle.

...Anon glances around, squinting. No activity. Just gently rolling waves of gold-ish 'ocean'. It was about as intimidating was just walking entirely into the ocean back on the Ponyville beach. He had no idea what was in there, and with the twisted changes, he wasn't quite sure he wanted to run into any of the Apples.

But his options were go in, stand here, or head back. Couldn't just keep sitting around, and going home didn't solve anything.

Through the field of wheat it was. Eugh. His fingers tap against the shaft of his makeshift weapon, stuck fighting the simple desire of 'fuck this'.

"Don't think this line of work is quite right fer' ya, 'Non." Applejack teases through gritted treth as she trots up to the tree he's slumped up against, body slick with sweat, panting heavily.

She places a bucket of water beside him, stepping back to remove herself from the splash zone as he reaches for it. AJ learned after the first time.

Anon doesn't so much drink it, as he does try to drown himself by pouring it's contents on his face, mouth open, to Applejack's amused laughter.

When he's finally done sputtering, Anon nods, wiping his face dry.
"...Yeah, you're probably right. Damn. Was hoping this one would work out."

"Build wise, you seem alright, but you ain't got any of our earth-pony magic. Bit hard t' keep up with us without it." Applejack explains, taking a seat beside him.

"Still, 'ppreciate you givin' it your all." Applejack continues, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah... back to stacking books for me." Anon snorts, flopping back on the grass. From here, the barn was partially hidden behind several fields of trees, hinting at distant civilization.

"Well, y' seem good at that, if Twi keeps takin' ya back."

"She does it because she's trying to help me. She doesn't need another assistant, but... I just can't seem to keep any jobs around here. Man, this sucks." Anon blows a raspberry, staring up at the clear blue sky.

Slowly, Applejack leans into view, over him.

"You... know why she keeps takin' ya in, right?"

"...Because she's being nice?"

"Pfft. And I thought Colts were dense. She's sweet on ya', 'Non." Applejack snort-laughs, starting to trot away.

Anon sits up suddenly, blinking. Huh?

"She's what?" Anon calls, but Applejack is already heading back for the barn. Anon scrambles to his feet, trying to run after her.

Visibly grimacing as he tightens his grip on his spear, Anon shuffles to the edge of the awaiting task, fingers brushing at the closest wheat stalks.

God, or Celestia, or whatever the Ponies swore at, Anon grumbled. He didn't really wanna do this.

But the thought of the ones who stuck it out to help him when he first arrived... he owed them this at least. To try.

Steeling whatever nerves he has left, Anon submerged into the rolling, sweeping depths of the awaiting wheat, unaware of the eyes that quietly watch him from deep within it's stalks.

"Aw, shucks. Y' ain't stayin', Mister Anon?" The youngest of the Apples whines, trailing his heels as he packs his things. Room and board only counted as long as one worked there, and Anon was no longer an Apple picker, continually outdone by the Apple kickers.

"Sorry Applebloom, but it just isn't in the cards for me." Anon shrugs.

"Can... y' still come an' help us fix our tree house later?" The filly squeaks, throwing him those big, sad eyes to try and get her way.

Anon laughs softly, ruffling her mane.
"Sure, Applebloom. I'll swing by again sometime once I'm settled."

"Okay! But... why do y' have to go, 'gain?" She asks, head tilted to the side.

"I'm not very good at this kind of thing, kiddo." Anon says simply, packing the last of his things.

"But all you have t' do is buck th' trees!" Applebloom retorts, confused. She even kicks the air to prove just how simple it is.

"Not an earth pony, I'd just hurt myself. And how I go about it is too slow. Don't worry, I've got things figured." Anon assures, tying his bag up nice and tight.

"Aw..." Applebloom huffs.

Anon blinks. Wait. He's already out? That's it?

He looks behind himself, but any wheat he's trampled seems to have righted itself, to the point there's no trace of where he came from. The seemingly endless field served more as a veil, evidently, for the moment that Anon had entered, he wound up on the other side. And it looked the same backwards, too -- nothing but a massive field of wheat, with the jungle in the far distance, like he just crossed a huge distance in seconds.

As his hand brushes aside the last few stems, the blockade parts to grant him the view of a wide, open field.

It's a harsh contrast to that of his new tropical home. The wheat gives way to an entire clearing of dead grass and dilapidated farm infrastructure. The odd dead tree is sprinkled around, with not a single leaf, alive or dead, to decorate it's branches. Dead, yellowish grass lays limply underfoot, and the sky above is nearly grey. A collapsed silo, and broken fencing that wouldn't stand a strong breeze are nearby.

Even overgrown as it was, Ponyville at least still looked like Ponyville. The farm is just eerie and quiet as he looks around, taking tentative steps forward. Across the field, in the distance, the barn sits. It looks pale, the red paint worn down, muted and chip, with the Apple family home is a short distance away not in any better condition.

No bountiful fields of apple trees. All that's left these scattered, dead ones, hardly more than a dozen in sight.

As off-putting as this, maybe he'll get lucky, and Applejack will be as amicable as Twilight or Sweetie have been.

Or she could be like Scootaloo, and try to tear him to shreds. He's working off of a few unknowns here.

And they won't become knowns if he doesn't bust a move.

Sighing, Anon forces himself forward and out of the wheat field, exposing himself to wide open, empty fields. He can't help but look to the sky. Scootaloo is the only one that should be able to fly... that they know of. Well, before he clipped her wings, but being cautious might save him from getting snatched again.

Straight for the... in the tossup between house and barn, Anon settles on the barn, maybe. See if anything is weird about it before going to the house to check. If the barn is dicey, he'll at least know what to expect for the rest of the place.

The grass is weirdly crunchy underfoot, dehydrated. It's like the entire area has been suffering a permanent drought. Quickly, he jogs through the field, trying to cover some ground.

It's not long before he nears one of the dead trees, between himself and the barn, pausing to get a closer look at it. The bark is dry and worn, peeling off the trunk. The branches warped and gnarled, completely empty. There's not even any leaves around the base of the tree.

Right as he's about to reach out and press a hand against it, it... opens. The trunk slowly splits apart vertically, widening and splitting unnaturally, creaking and splintering as something massive emerges from inside it.

Anon stumbles back, falling on his rear as he watches a creature emerge. It's like nothing he's seen before.

It almost looks like a horse, but it's nearly twice as tall as he is. Wiry flesh and taut skin expose a torso of little more than bare flesh and bone, with it's entire skull visible instead of a face, still marred with flesh that stretches with it's jaw as it breathes heavily. It sounds more like a death rattle than an actual attempt at taking in any air.

Giant antlers that look like the branches of said tree erupt from it's head, the base surrounded by an unkempt, dirty blonde mane that hangs from it's neck.

Anon is frozen still, the creature finally stepping free of the tree, which crumbles to splinters and branches behind it. It's gaze, that of a cold indifference, eye-holes completely black, slowly overlook the field.

Including Anon. He swallows hard.

But it simply ignores him, slowly scanning the horizon.

And it starts to walk. It's bones creak and groan with every hobbled step, but it begins to cross the grassy clearing, towards the distance.

Anon forces down a big gasp of air, letting his legs recover. They weren't quite willing to help him stand up just yet, eyes glued to the oddity now wandering away from him.

...

Clinging to his makeshift spear, Anon continues to the barn unmarred. No other creatures emerge from any of the trees, but he avoids them like the plague nonetheless.

He's still trying to figure why it just... ignored him. Like he wasn't even there. Maybe to it he wasn't? Faust mentioned something funky with the area affecting anything magical... maybe because he wasn't a pony?

No time for that now, even as he continuously glances after the departing creature, making sure it hasn't changed it's mind and decided he was snack-sized after all.

The barn is close. His pace quickens, rushing to the closest wall. There was a smaller side-door, instead of the big barn doors. Better to use that.

His ears are listening for anything odd, as he circles the side of the dilapidated structure. The hay stacked against it is wiry and dry, unkempt. The paint is chipped, like the barn has been ignored for... decades, even.

Anon pauses, right as he reaches the side door, nestled between some broken barrels and a crate.

Voices. Multiple. It sounds like they're arguing.

He presses his ear to the door, listening.

They're... normal voices. Like him, or Faust. Were there others?

It's hard to make out their conversation.

One of them definitely has a squeakier pitch. The other --

He shifts his footing, accidentally bumping the door.

Shit.

The voices stop.

Shit shit.

There's the sound of footsteps, or hoofsteps, or something steps approaching the door. There's nowhere nearby to hide, unless he wants to sprint around the side of the barn.

Shi --

The door opens inward, revealing a familiar face.

"Mister 'Non? What're you doin' here? I thought Applejack let ya go?" Applebloom questions, tilting her head.

It's AppleBloom. Just... AppleBloom.

No tribal markings, no skull face, not a different species, not an insect... it's just regular, normal AppleBloom.

Anon kneels down, grabbing the fillies confused face, turning her this way and that, squishing her cheeks and checking her over for any sign of alteration. She makes protesting noises at first, but starts to giggle as he checks her ears and mane, saying something about tickling.

She's... entirely normal. Like she was plucked from the world he knew, right into this one.

"How?" Anon questions aloud, pulling at her bow.

Applebloom finally pulls away, chuffing loudly at him and waving him off with a hoof.
"What're you doin'? Yer' actin' mighty strange, Mister 'Non. What're you up to?"

"...Oh. Uh... Sorry, just... surprised to see you're normal. How are you... you?" Anon asks, pushing off his knees to stand.

"Normal? Whadya mean?" Applebloom questions, tilting her head.
"Did ya' hit your head or somethin'? Oh, y'should come inside quick. Applejack wouldn't be happy if she saw ya'. She's been in a bit of a mood lately, ever since y' took her hat. C'mon in!" Applebloom steps back, making room for Anon.

He glances out in the field, towards the distant creature. It's pawing at the ground with a hoof, digging up the grass.

... Applejack?

Anon shudders, quickly stepping after the filly and into the barn. Applebloom shuts the door behind him with her back hooves, rattling shut.

The inside of the barn is... also normal. Completely. The color is back, compared to the outside. The hay is bushy and fresh, nothing looks worn or unkempt. There's no strange tingle in the air inside here, either. It just smells like a barn.

Anon blinks, confused. Was this place a little pocket of pre-fuckup safety or something?

Several creates and barrels line the wall, as do tools, hay stacks, and...

"Miss Chrysalis! We've a visitor! Where'd you sneak off 'ta?" Applebloom calls out, trotting around the barn.

... Miss Chrysalis?

"What are you barking about now, you impudent filly?" Anon hears beside him, a chittery voice dispensing it's apparent displeasure.
"I was merely avoiding that disgusting thing you call your sister."

Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, crawls out from behind a stack of haybales, having hid the moment the door opened.

She's half her usual size. Chrysalis is forced to stare up at Anon, even with her haybale adding to her height. She's about the size of... the standard pony is probably the closest comparison.

Honestly, his first time actually seeing her. He'd heard she was taller, but...

She kind of looked harmless, if even a little thin. Her tongue flickers as she hisses softly.

"... Oh, great. Another one of the Elements little troupe." Chrysalis glares at him, brow furrowed.

Applebloom hops over, waving a hoof at Chrysalis, who hisses at it and backs against the wall.

"Be nice, Miss Chrysalis! Mister 'Non is a friend!" Applebloom decries, defending him.

Anon is so confused right now.

"Can... someone explain to me whats going on?" Anon asks aloud, both the filly and the bug pausing to look at him.

Applebloom nods, smiling.
"Sure! Y' want some apple slices, first?"

Applebloom, Anon, and Chrysalis sit in a circle in the middle of the barn. Well, more like a triangle, but with a plate of sliced Apples sitting between them, done up by Applebloom herself.

Chrysalis doesn't take any, simply glaring at Anon from underneath her mane.
"I can't understand how you can subsist on only these... disgusting red fruits. It's all you've eaten for the three days I've been here." Chrysalis grumbles, shying away from the plate. She have something against apples?

"Well, cuz they're tasty! Ain't you only eat love or somethin'? Sounds like that'd be borin'. How do ya' find all that love anyway?" Applebloom pokes back, crunching down on another slice.

"I've explained it three times already. I can't." She grumbles.

Anon cuts in, holding his hands up.
"-- I've got lots questions about what's going on."

"As do I. It's the end-times, and you waltz in here without that creature outside even so much as bothering you." Chrysalis mumbles grimly, sinking to the floor, putting her head on her hooves.

"Whad'ya wanna know?" Applebloom asks, looking to Anon, loudly crunching another apple slice.

"Uh... what's going on with the Apples? Is everyone alright?" Anon starts picking up one of the slices for himself.

It's weirdly squishy. Like it's just past it's prime ripeage, Anon can squeeze it between his fingers with some surprising give. It doesn't dent like a normal apple, either, springing back to it's usual shape.

And Applebloom is chewing on hers for quite a while, before she swallows.

Anon sets the slice down. He's alright.

"Well -- a week 'r two ago, Applejack told me, 'n Miss Sugar Belle, to stay with Granny at th' house, cuz' somethin' was goin' on. She don't come inside th' house no more, n' Miss Sugar Belle says she's protectin' us." AppleBloom starts, sitting back and waving her hooves around as she speaks. Her little southern drawl peaks heavily through her words, even as Chrysalis sits around, looking bored.

"Right. So... AppleJack is patrolling the farm outside, while the rest of you are all inside?"

Chrysalis scoffs when he mentions 'patrolling'. He's pretty sure he heard her mutter 'more like hunting' under her breath.

"Yup! Though, Miss Sugar Belle told me t' start stayin' at th' barn. Said there was somethin' in the cellar that Big Mac needed t' clear out. That was... 'bout a week ago?" Applebloom hums, nodding to herself in confirmation.
"She keeps bringin' me Apples though, so 's alright. Ah'm just bored."

"So you've just been staying here, with... " Anon trails off, looking at the resident bug. Chrysalis meets his stare, squinting back at him with those predatory, slitted eyes.

"Miss Chrysalis! Tell Mister 'Non 'bout how ya' got here!" AppleBloom pipes up, scooting closer.

Chrysalis groans, rolling her eyes.
"Must I? I've no reason to share, and your mouth is in working order, to my displeasure."

AppleBloom frowns, crossing her hooves and tsking.
"Ah've been lettin' ya stay here without tellin' nopony! 'S th' least you could do!"

"Oh, is it? Silence, foal. I will not beguile my secrets to anyling." Chrysalis huffs, holding her head high.

AppleBloom pouts, turning to Anon, speaking up instead for the disinterested party.

"She came runnin' in here with AppleJack on her heels. AppleJack won't come inside, an' Miss Chrysalis won't leave. Mostly cuz each time she's tried, mah' Sis just chases her right back in. She don't do much, on account of th' outside makin' her feel all weak n' sick." AppleBloom explains, as Chrysalis grumbles loudly.

"Oh, you don't have your magic, do you?" Anon asks, turning to the bug queen.

"It burns to be outside, around the wheat. And ever since this whole debacle, with the entire continent changing... I've had to force my hive to hibernate." She admits, glancing away.

"Wait -- are they like you, too? Unchanged? Well, mostly." Anon adds at the end, envisioning munchkin-sized drones.

"...Not quite." Chrysalis grumbles, taking in a heavy breath.
"We... I can't believe I'm going to easily admit this, but my circumstances could hardly be more dire, trapped away from my brood, contained in a barn with an incessant yellow annoyance and the hairless ape."

"Hey!" AppleBloom squeaks through a mouthful of apple slice.

"We... cannot feed. Our capacity as Emotivores was enabled through our innate magic. While the natural magical defenses granted by my throne from outer magic preserved us from deeper change, our home was still destroyed. We cannot use our disguises. We cannot eat. So, I search for answers alone, while they slumber. I would not ask my hive to starve pointlessly." Chrysalis explains through the dour expression settled firmly on her face.
"Must be a wonderful thing to hear, I'm sure."

"I... I'm sorry you and your hive are going through that." Anon says quietly. This catches Chrysalis by surprise, face scrunching in suspicion as Anon continues.

"Every one of my friends that I've met has been... twisted by this, whatever this is. It's terrible, but... I may know a way to help. Or, someone who can help." Anon explains, shifting his seating to look at her.

Her buglike brow furrows, a low chattering emanating from her throat.
"Oh, you just happen to have the solution? And why would you help us?"

AppleBloom glances between the pair with wide eyes, chewing excitedly.

"Look, I know you and the Elements don't get along... but I think we can both agree we'd prefer things the way they were, right? And not..." Anon trails off, looking towards one of the barn windows, held shut only by wooden shutters.

Chrysalis follows his gaze, lips curling.
"And why should I trust you?"

"Never said to trust me, just said I might know someone who can fix it. Trying to help them do that now. Speaking of..." Anon looks to Applebloom, whose worked her way through the plate of weirdly squishy apple slices.

"AppleBloom."

"Yup?"

"You remember your friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, right?"

Anon barely gets the words out before AppleBlooms eyes threaten to bulge out of her head, leaping to her hooves she nearly knocks the plate over, Chrysalis flinching at the sudden movement.

"You know where they are?!" She exclaims, smiling widely.

"They're back at my camp, between here and Ponyville. They're... a little different than you might remember them, but I think they remember you. Did you want to see them?"

"Absolutely!" She squeaks, prancing around.
"Ah'm tired of sittin' around here, waitin'. Let's go!"

"Go? With that thing still out there?" Chrysalis scoffs.
"Why do you assume I'll accept your help, anyway? For all I know, you --" Chrysalis starts to ramble, but Anon is zoning out as he tries to mentally plan things out from this surprising turn of events.

Anon had no intention to try and wrest anything else from this place, until Faust figured out how to handle this magic field thing that was going on.

But he could bring AppleBloom to her friends. Maybe. If AppleJack didn't gore him with her antlers for yoinking her sister.

And the matter of Chrysalis, who continues to watch him wearily, still rambling about her proud stance as Queen. Villain or not, the circumstances were their real enemy, especially if what she said was true -- that she can't feed.

For now, at least. The topic of feeding was something they'd have to handle. He wasn't just going to leave her here, but if she couldn't eat, then she'd starve, and they can't have that. Faust could help with that, but then... whose going to be her food source?

Himself?

They'd figure that out later. AppleBloom was content and fed, at least, and wanted to see her friends.

Anon purses his lips, humming to himself as he leans by one of the windows, staring out towards the distant fields.

No magic... a filly, and a weak, half-sized Changling Queen. He doubts they'd be leaving without causing a ruckus.

He can't see AppleJack for now...

"What about Big Mac and Sugar Belle?" Anon asks, turning to the excited filly.

"Oh! I mean... if you wanna ask 'em, but they'd probably say no to me leaving. Miss Belle was real strict about me staying and all, but... I wanna see mah friends!" She refutes, hopping in place.

"Alright. I'm just gonna check on them, say hello, and... we'll go, yeah? Just wait here." Anon offers. If there were others unchanged, he should at least check on them.

AppleBloom sits back down, looking to Chrysalis as she starts to ramble about how excited she is. Chrysalis flops over, sighing dramatically as she's subjected to yet more torture.

Author's Note: