Who are ya?
The sound of the school bell rang across the warm summer evening signalling another end of class for the fillies and colts of Ponyville. The majority flooded out almost immediately in a tiny stampede of hoofs and wings, as they rushed to play in what was left of the summer day. Three such fillies were at the forefront of this group running up through the town trotting in tandem and consisting of an orange Pegasus, a white unicorn and a creamy yellow earth pony.
“Oh man that was a long day.” Scootaloo groaned, flexing her tiny wings for effect.
“Ya’ll said it, I thought we’d be there forever.” moaned a slightly drained Applebloom.
“You think Miss Cheerilee would have at least let us go when we she started yappin’ about magic and stuff.” Scootaloo pointed a hoof motioning towards herself and Applebloom.
“We’ll I thought it was interesting, we almost never get taught magic together.” Argued Sweetie belle.
“Easy for you to say Sweetie, you can actually do magic, it’s not exactly fun when you don’t have a horn coming out of your head.” Stated Scootaloo as the group made their way towards the corner of the town square.
Sweetie Belle stopped trotting and rolled her eyes for dramatic effect. “Yeah, well if you were paying attention you would know she was talking about all the types of magic, not just unicorn, you do know that Pegasus and earth pony’s have magic too right?"
Scootaloo and Applebloom stopped and turned around. “Course I do, but as far as I’m concerned all I need to know is how flying works and I’m set! I bet Rainbow doesn’t have to worry about all that magic when she does those awesome tricks right?”
Sweetie bell sighed and shock her head “Never mind, at least we can get back to crusading now.”
“Yeah, ah recon we should try that forest survival cutie mark idea ya’ll came up with last week.” Applebloom chimed in.
“Hey yeah! Do you think your family will let us camp over at the farm?!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both looked stared intently at their farm friend with eager grins.
“I don’t see why not, I did all my chores this mournin’ before school.” Applebloom stated with a smile.”
“Well what are we waiting for lets get us some cutie marks!” Scootaloo happily yelled as all three filly’s ran happily towards the Apple Farm.
As the three filly’s walked towards the farm laughing and joking the sight of a strange figure off in the distance in the farm caught the attention of the orange Pegasus.
“Hey Applebloom whose that?”
Applebloom stopped and turned towards the direction the young filly was pointing too. Just barely visible off in the fields was a brownish figure it was walking like a pony and to an unfamiliar eye it would have just looked like one of the Apples family. But Applebloom had years of experience spotting her sister and brother, even from such a long distance, and the figure in the background was not one of them.
Applebloom’s mind went through many different explanations as to why the mysterious pony figure was so far into the farm some logical, so not so logical. However the way in which the figure skulked along the treeline, just barely visible from the road, only led to one explanation in the young filly’s mind.
“Trespasser!”
The other filly’s gasped in shock as they turned to look at the figure off in the distance. Applebloom motioned for the three to come into a group huddle as she devised a plan for dealing with the criminal.
“What do we do?” Sweetie somewhat needlessly whispered.
“You go find my sister, I’m gonna keep an eye on that no good crook, make sure he don’t get away.”
“What about me.” Scootaloo quickly whispered pointed to herself with a hoof.
“You go with Sweetie Belle and get my brother ta help.
The orange Pegasus sat on her flank and waved her hoof whilst shaking her head violently. “uh uh, no way I’m lettin’ you go off on your own, not without back up!”
There’s no time Scoots, I know ma farm better than anypony round here I know all the hidin places and nocks n cranny’s, plus if there’s only one of us it’ll harder to spot right.”
“I guess that makes sense but I don’t like it.”
“You don’t have ta like it ya’ll just gotta do it, now let’s get goin’.” Applebloom lifted her hoof into the middle of the group, which was almost immediately surrounded by the other two hoofs of her friends.
“1,2,3 CUTIE MARK CRUSADES CRIME STOPPER GO!” They all shouted in perfect unison, before dashing off to complete their tasks.
It had been nearly ten minutes now since Applebloom had left her friends and caught up with the Mysterious figure. She kept her distance, and dashing from tree to tree, stopping only to take a quick glance at the thing in question. She stopped dead behind a tree breathing heavily when she thought that the figure had spotted her, and after a few moments to let her little heart stop pounding out of her body she continued the chase.
The figure looked mean and dirty, he had a Stetson on same as her sisters, however this one looked like it had been through hell and back. It was missing a sizable chunk on one of its brims and was faded a sickly brown.
It didn’t help that the hat was also tipped all the way cross the pony’s head making him seem even shadier to the filly, as she considered that anypony who tried to mask their own identity was up to no good. It was also aggravating to Applebloom, as it made it increasingly harder to see the figures face, meaning that to sate her curiosity she would have to push on, getting closer than she would have liked.
The rest of his body was covered in a pony equivalent of a trench coat, which also looked like it had seen better days. Tales of boozing, fighting and general wear and tear where road marked all across the grey outfit.
It was by this point that Applebloom had come to the conclusion that the figure was an old Stallion as she managed to get close enough to make out more of the Shadowy pony features. He didn’t look nearly as old as Granny smith, but based on what she could see the pony had lived through quite allot more years that her brother or sister had.
She also noticed that the stallion was limping, badly, as Applebloom examined the hind leg the pony was limping with she noticed that it was coved in streaks of crimson, even behind the trench coat it was obvious that he was bleeding rather heavily.
Applebloom was almost tempted to confront the pony in question then and there, and offer assistance until she noticed the large knife handle protruding out of the Stallions coat. This made her reconsider her plans at least until the girls brought help.
The filly continued her stalking at a safer distance now from the stallion who thankfully looked too busy trying to ignore the pain in his damaged leg to notice anything else. Applebloom’s mind stated to wander a bit, who was this strange stallion, why was he walking around the farm he was obviously hurt, did he not know where the hospital was, and why was he wearing such a strange get up?
All of these question spun around in her head for a while, until her small hoof landed on a tiny twig, which despite its size made an exaggerated and almost comedically loud snap.
Applebloom winced, and looked down at the twig for just a moment, and then up as she noticed the sunlight vanish from her face replaced by the shadow of a very large and intimidating figure.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo raced towards the farm as fast as their little legs would let them. Scootaloo silently cursing herself for leaving her scooter back at Rarity’s house during last night’s sleepovers.
As the ponys crossed the threshold of the farm entrance, they immediately raced towards the first obvious land mark which was the farm house, hopping that at this time they would be able to catch the farm pony’s setting up for dinner.
Both Filly’s raced up to the door and began immediately pounding on it standing on both hind legs yelling Applejacks name.
The sound of the hooves walking towards the door could be barely head from the inside of house “Im commin, Im commin Hold your horse shoes.”
The doors opened quicker than the two fillys had planned leaving them to their own back legs which in hind sight was a mistake as both filly plummeted muzzle first on to the floor with a loud ‘Thud’.
The Orange farm pony that opened the door starred in confusion as the two filly’s landed side by side beneath her.
“Sweetie, Scootaloo? Just what they hay you doin’ bangin’ on ma door like that ain’t no pony tell ya patience is a virtue I heard ya the first couple of knocks.” Applejack said with a scolding tone.
Sweetie belle was the first to recover her breath to speak “sorry Applejack but it’s an Emerg—
“There’s some shady pony trespassing around your farm!” Scootaloo interrupted attempting to cut to the chase so she could catch her breath quicker.
“What? Shady pony, trespassing, girls what you goin’ on about and were Applebloom?!”
Both filly’s went red in the face at the mention of their friend, now that they thought about it Applejack might not understand the brilliance of Applebloom’s. A plan that was now slowly looked like it was full of holes.
Sweetie Belle gulped and looked up at Applejack with a nervous smile. “Well you see…
A few moments of explaining later.
“So you just let er go!?” Applejack yelled with a disbelieving tone.
“She said she knew the farm inside out! And, and we ran as quickly as we could to find you, it seemed like a good idea at the time.” Scootaloo said dejectedly as she looked down at her hooves once more along with Sweetie belle.
Applejack face was a mixture of worry and anger; she didn’t mean to be so harsh on the two girls but the thought of her sister in danger had a way of making her think somewhat irrationally. “You two wait her and make sure to stay out of sight with Granny Smith, I’m going to go get Big Mac, and when I get back all three of you are in for a big talk ya hear me.”
“Yes Applejack” they both said in saddened unison eyes still glued to the floor.
Applejack nodded and rushed out the door towards the barn where she knew her brother was currently occupying, only one thing was running though her mind as she galloped.
OH HAY, I JUST HOPE I'M NOT TOO LATE!
Applebloom slowly stared up in horror at the figure who just moments ago a few was a few hooves away from her, but was now towering over the small earth pony. The stallion slowly lowered its head down until it was almost eye level with the shaking filly.
From this angle Applebloom could clearly make one piercing green eye, the other covered up with some sort of dirtied bandage, small scars littered his face some even going under the bandage. All coupled with the size of the stallion compared to the filly seemed to add to the terror Applebloom was feeling right now. That was until the stallion smiled.
By all rights the stallion in front of her should not have had a smile that natural, it contrasted with every other thing about him. That smile seemed to scream a certain level of Trust and calm that Appleboom couldn’t help remember from a similar pony so long ago. She tried to shake the thoughts from her head, why was she getting all nostalgic now?
All these thoughts stopped as the figure looked her over with its emerald eye. After what seemed like hours the silence was broken.
“Howdy, little one.” The Stallion spoke in a very similar southern style to Applebloom, even if the voice sounded like it came from somepony who swallowed rusty glass for a living.
Applebloom stepped back almost immediately eyeing for any sort of exit she could possibly use as an escape. A notion that the stallion seemed to notice.
“You know-“ The stallion said with a cough getting the young filly’s undivided attention once more “- I always found the best way to stop some pony whose right on top of ya’ was to use your Surroundin’s, Everypony always thinks bout runnin’ or fightin’, but they never use what’s around em, for instance right here kick a little dirt up into somepony eye and you can make sure that, that pony’s not gonna follow you for a little while. Also flinging a branch backs, yep that’s always a good one as well too.” The stallion stated, reaching up with a hoof to stroke the underside of his chin, smiling with an almost nostalgic look on his face
Applebloom looked at the pony with confusion wondering why he wasn’t just jumping up and trying to grab her already.
“W-who are ya a-and what are you doin on ma farm!” Applebloom stiffened up and yelled sticking a accusing hoof out at the unknown stallion, who despite Appleblooms best efforts to sound intimidating chuckled softly.
“Mah, mah, mah, you are a feisty one ain’t ya just like your mom was back in the old days.”
Applebloom eyes shot up in surprise, not many people know about apple family’s parents, even fewer knew them on a personal level.
“A-Ah don’t know watch ya'll are talkin' about, you're lyin' ma mom would never hang out with a smelly creepy pony like yourself!”
Again the stallion chuckled and relaxed his posture a bit "You’re a terrible liar little Applebloom, you got no poker face.”
Again the filly's eyes shot up in a disbelieving stare “H-how did you know my name.”
The stallion shrugged “Well it’s easy, you told me.”
“I never met you before in my life, how the buck did I tell you?” Now she was pushing forward towards the stallion who stood sat their looking down at the little filly with an oddly prideful smile.
“Language little one, now didn’t you just call this your farm?”
The filly looked confused not sure where he was going with this “I-I did.”
“The famous Apple family farm of Ponyville.”
Despite herself Applebloom lifted a hoof to her puffed out chest in pride, at the notion of her farm being famous enough for even pony’s like this outsider to know about.
“The very same.” She announced loudly.
The stallion chuckled again before continuing “And being that there’s only four pony's everypony knows that runs the family business it’s easy to deduce ain't it? It’s obvious you ain't no stallion and im pretty sure Applejack would be around her twenty’s by now. Which means that by all logic you are either Applebloom or” he lifted a hoof to stifle a chuckle “Granny smith but you got a few less grey hairs on you aintch.”
The stallion finished by ruffling up the young filly’s hair which despite herself Applebloom laughed at. The actions of the station there again just screamed something so familiar same with that smile and now that she thought about it that eye as well she just couldn’t understand why this pony seemed so familiar to her.
However for now she need to keep her distance, there was still a chance this could be a ruse, and this pony despite all his friendly talk was still carrying a rather large knife. Applebloom pushed away from the Stallion, and went back into her defensive stance.
“So I still gotta ask just what the heck are ya doin' on the farm anyway you don’t seem to be startin a ruckus like I thought you would, even with that scary get up you got goin on, so why are you trespassin’?.”
The stallion lifted an eyebrow to the filly “Very observant little one, No I ain't here to stat nothin’ I’m just trying to deliver a package to your family then I’ll be on my way.”
Applebloom lifted her eyebrow in an inquisitive manor “A package, what for?”
“Don’t worry yourself none, ya’ll find out soon enough” he stated with warm smile.
Applebloom sighed every question she asked just led to more mystery's but she wasn't a pony know for giving up. “Look mister cant ya tell me who ya are?”
The Stallion looked down at the filly and shock his head. “That’s a long story their little one to long ,for now, let’s, Let’s just say I’m an old friend of the family an’ leave it at that, mean time just call me Grape” He said sticking out a hoof for the young filly.
Applebloom stepped back for a moment hesitating, but once again something about the stallions presence seemed to ease away her prejudices, she couldn't explain it but she knew he wasn't lying.
Ever so slowly she lifted her hoof up to meet his before.
“APPLEBLOOM, APPLEBLOOM WHERE ARE YA!”
Applebloom hoof left the air as she pivoted around to see the bush next to the two ponys rustle with movement.
The stallion began to turn, but landed on his damaged leg, the stallion lost his footing causing him to flinch just long enough for Applejack to make her entrance known, along with the enormous red stallion known as Big Mac.
Applejack scanned the scene quickly before spotting her little sister.
“Applebloom are ya ok? What—“
She filched as she very quickly noticed the figure hunched over to the side right next to her sister. The stallion looked up from his hind leg and gazed with his one working eye at the group as the gazed back.
For a moment the silence of the scene was deafening, as neither party moved, Applejack and Bic Mac both looked like they had seen a ghost as all colour left them. The shocked expressions quickly turned to recognition, then anger.
“Applebloom get away from him now!”
“But-“
“NOW!”
The anger in her sister’s voice silenced any argument Applebloom may have had, she looked quickly up at the old stallion who was stiff as a plank of wood, before running towards her family, once there Big mac lifted the filly up onto his back not breaking eye contact with the stallion once.
“What‘re you doin here.” Applejack very slowly growled at the stallion.
“Mah, mah little seed I always knew you’d grow up ta be a fine n’ pretty Mare just like ya mama.” He spoke softly despite his naturally harsh sounding voice.
Applejack stamped her hoof down angrily at the floor “Don’t you mention her, ya got no right!”
The stallion sighed, slowly gazing at the massive, and no less angry looking Big mac. “And you little Mac haha or should I say not so little Mac anymore am I right, still as quite as ever ay?”
“Eeyep” was the stoic stallions only rely.
“What do you want Grapevine? I have half a mind to call the royal guards right now, all the mess you put this Family through.” Applejack sternly stated snapping the stallion’s attention back to her.
The stallion brought a hoof to his chest in disbelief “All my mess! I’m the one, gave you papa half this farm as a weddin gift, I’d say I set you up an’ helped more than anythin’.”
Applejacks eyes narrowed with suspicion “So is that it, you come to take back the farm while the getting’s good?”
That took the stallion back as he took a moment to reply to the mare’s accusations. “How can you say such a thing little seed! I only came down to visit ya’ll, is that so hard to believe.”
“After everything you put ma and papa though, yeah id say it does, in fact, I ain’t letting you leave my sight, not till I figure out what to do with ya.”
She turned to her side and produced her signature lasso, just as the stallion in question reached under his trench coat and pulled the large knife up by his hoof. Big Mac immediately stepped in front of Applejack to shield her sisters, whist Applebloom could simply gasp in shock.
However much to the surprise of all three of the Apples, Grapevine threw the knife lazily towards them, stopping with a soft pat on the grass a few feet away from the family.
“Aint much good that lasso would do if I had one of these on me hey Little Seed” He said with a smile, as the mare stepped forward and flung the stallion into a hogtie position upside down with her rope.
Grapevine grimaced from the pain on his hind leg, which now that it was turned over and unprotected from the trench coat looked allot worse than Applebloom originally thought. A Large and aggressive gash was cut deep across from the flank of the pony down to the middle of his leg, it was at least bandaged if poorly but was now bleeding slowly and steadily.
Applebloom turned towards her sister who for that moment looked worried and saddened by the sight, before she quickly replaced it with a mask of determination.
“Big Mac, take that no good low life down to the barn an’ keep em there for now, clean him up but don’t let him out of your sights, you hear.”
“Eeyep” the big red stallion uttered carefully lifting the stallion onto his back and walking slowly down to the barn.
Applebloom turned to look at the stallion who looked utterly defeated not as he stared down at the ground on Big Mac’s back. The sight was almost heart-breaking to the little filly, he didn’t look like he was hurting anypony she thought and he had for the most part actually come across as quite a nice pony despite his appearances what was Applejacks problem?
Applebloom’s attention was snapped back to her sister as the older mare lifted her hoof onto the filly shoulder, pulling her into her sister’s gaze.
“Mind explainin’ ta me why you went gallivantin’ around all alone young lady”
Applebloom pawed the ground with her hoof. “I’m sorry Applejack I just wanted to be the hero for once, you and your friends are always out savin’ the day, and well I just thought I could do it all by myself especially since it’s on the farm an everything.”
Applejack looked down her sister’s increasingly saddened face, she knew she should scold the filly for doing something so dangerous and reckless. But she would be lying to herself if she said she never did anthing like that herself when she was young.
Applejack sighed “Listen sugarcube, I know you were only tryin’ to help, but you’re still a little filly, there’s all sorts a dangerous things out their especially for somepony your age, I mean just think what could have happened if me and Mac didn’t get here in time?”
“But Applejack, I don’t think he was gonna hurt me none, he just seemed lost and hurt ain’t it always you sayin not to judge a book by its covers?”
Applejack sighed and bent down towards Appleblooms Eye level. “Applebloom if it were any other pony I would agree with ya, but this one’s a special case he’s exactly as bad as he looks.”
“B-but who is he anyway, he knew everythin’ about us, and now that I think about it, you knew his name before anypony else even told you, Applejack who was that?”
This time it was Applejacks turn to look down defeated. She lifted her faithful Stetson a few inches up and took a heavy sigh. “I hoped I would never have ta talk about him, but I suppose I can’t hide it no more… Applebloom you remember me tellin you about why Ma and Pa where up near the Bad Lands north of Appaloosa when they… well you know.”
Applebloom scratched her chin, and took on a thoughtful expression for a moment. “Yeah you said ma and pa where off visiting Pa's no good brot…”
Applebloom eyes shot up as the realisation hit her.
“But, but that means!“
Applejack nodded her head slowly “That’s right that no good snake is you’re Uncle Grapevine, Grapevine Apple.”