While Apple Bloom desires a tasty golden apple from the orphan tree, her search lead to discoveries that would discourage others from continuing. But the apples are just too darn good. She learns in time just how dangerous these apples are.
Apple Bloom's taste for a magical apple had reached great heights, and had gained a huge interest in finding more of them. As she searched for the apples, she learned a tragic, discouraging history of her family, but continues her search nonetheless. For the longest time, only Granny Smith knew about the golden apple's dark secret.
Will Apple Bloom find more of these apples, or will history repeat itself and bring danger to her friends and family?
Hello everypony, or rather anypony who's reading this. The name is Granny Smith, owner of Sweet Apple Acres, Equestria's largest apple farm. I may not be a princess or anything, although I certainly have met one - oh jeeze Louise, I'm barely starting this thing and I'm already blabbing on... I'll cut straight to the point; I have a tale that I'd like to share to any pony who's reading this.
Now this story here is a true story, one about my granddaughter, Apple Bloom, and how her curiosity got the best of her. All that she had wanted was a little treat, yet she ended up putting the Apple Family at risk, although I personally took full responsibility of it, since I was the one who got her curious in the first place, as well as withholding information she probably should've known in the first place. It was something I had kept secret for a very long time, but since I'm not keeping it secret anymore, I'm not afraid of writing it down.
Now I must warn you all. Everything you read here must be kept to yourself, for if you attempt to repeat the events that went on with Apple Bloom, together with every pony who all did the same, you will certainly die. I know that sounded grim, but I’m not going to sugar coat it. Ponies have fallen because they did what Apple Bloom had done. She simply handled it perfectly.
It all started on a surprisingly busy day at Sweet Apple Acres, with all three of my grandchildren hard at work. Applejack and Big McIntosh were bucking away at trees to bring down the apples, and Apple Bloom had to catch each one of them with a basket on her head. They were harvesting apples all day, leaving them very little time to socialize with their friends. I myself would've helped them out, but with my old age, I'd probably break my only good hip, and I'd like to have at least one hip that's still real. Since I couldn't help with the harvest, I decided to prepare a little treat for the hard workers.
By the end of the day, the three kiddies were done and exhausted, and I was certain that they would be hungry.
"Whoo hee! Biggest apple harvest of the year." Applejack said as she and the others walked inside the farmhouse.
"Ugh... aren’t there child labor laws for making me work so hard here?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Nope," Big Mac answered.
Although Apple Bloom expressed it the most, all three of them went into the living room, sat down, and practically stayed down there. The poor dears all worked hard that day, but the smell of the apple pie that I had baked boosted their spirit right up, especially because of the special type of apple I used that day.
"Ooh. I think Granny Smith made a pie today... wait a second." Applejack said. "I know that smell."
"Oh my gosh! Could it be?" Apple Bloom asked in excitement.
"Eeyup!"
Hoping it would be what they were all thinking of, they ran into the kitchen and saw me as I took out a great big apple pie from the oven. That wasn't the only thing they noticed, for they also saw a giant apple core on the countertop. While the apple was derived from the fruit it had once coated, the kiddies could tell still see the golden colored skin that remained at the top, as well as recognize the size of the apple itself, for the pie I made was made solely from this apple.
"Who here would like a golden apple pie?" I asked them all.
After cutting up the pies into even slices, we each helped ourselves. The golden apples were, by far, the tastiest apples in all of Equestria, but only I knew how to acquire them. Due to the rarity of them, it was simply impossible to mass produce them on farm, but I'll be getting more into that later. At any rate, because of how few of them I was able to get, I use these special apples only to feed my family and I, normally for a special occasion. While they’re even good to eat on their own, I knew how to bake them into one mean apple pie.
"Amazing as always, Granny Smith!" Applejack said. "It's the only thing I'll eat slowly and not just pig out on em! I swear, these things make me feel like I'm Rarity."
I chuckled. “Yep, the golden apples of the Orphan Trees will certainly do that." I said.
"Hey Granny, I've been wanting to ask you." Apple bloom said. "Why are the trees called Orphans? Shouldn't they be called Golden Apple trees or something?"
"Well, that's a very interesting question," I answered. "You see Apple Bloom, the Orphan Trees are a special, magical tree, sort of like the zap apple trees. The trees themselves have magic in them throughout their entire lives, until an apple starts to bloom in them. Each tree will only bear the fruit of one, and only one, of these apples. The apples are giant like a watermelon, and gold...well, gold. These apples, when fully ripe, will have all of the magic of the tree stored in them. Finally, and tragically, once these apples are picked, or have fallen off, their tree will quickly wither up and die."
"Gosh. That sounds awful sad."
"I'd imagine they'd be hard to farm if a tree only drops one apple," Applejack added.
"They sure would be, but while the tree will only grow one apple, as you can tell, they are one heck of a fruit."
"Well if they are so hard to farm, why don't we start doing that now?" Apple bloom asked. "Where do you get them from, anyway?"
"That, my little Apple Bloom, is not for little fillies to know," I answered. "Not for fully grown stallions either!"
"Aww..." Bic McIntosh said.
Now maybe I should've went ahead and told them all the truth as to where I actually get the giant golden apples, but I had always feared that it would tempt them to get more of their own, which was something I didn't want them to do. The only way I could've discourage them is if I told another, darker secret regarding the apples, but I had always hoped to take that secret with me to my grave, although with the strength I've been having lately, I still doubt that it will be anytime soon.
Apple Bloom had always loved these golden apples and was naturally interested in finding more of them than anypony else ever had. She grew ever curious as to how I got my golden apples and had decided to find a way to get more.
Now, I wouldn't say that little Apple Bloom was a greedy filly, but I definitely did a poor job keeping her from being curious. She even had plans on having her friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, coming along to help her so they could enjoy the delicious golden apple together. Little did she know that all that it would do was put everypony in danger.
It's a shame that nopony else was as excited about apples as Apple Bloom. Mind you, the only one she really cared for were the golden apples, but still, it's nice to see youngins interested in fruit. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The very next day, still having the taste of golden apple pie in her mouth, as well as having free time, Apple Bloom went to her tree house where her two little friends, who they call themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders, were waiting, to try and describe how yummy them apples are, but of course, just like all of the greatest tastes in the world, this is simply not something one can merely describe. It demands experience.
"So... It tastes like gold?" Sweetie Belle the unicorn asked.
"No, no, no! The APPLE is gold." Apple Bloom answered.
"Wait, now the apple is made of gold?" Scootaloo the pegasus asked.
"NO, NO... AAAAGHHH!" Apple Bloom screamed. The poor girl can definitely scratch getting a teaching cutie mark off her list.
"Okay, let me start again. These are magic apples, that have a gold colored skin. They're big too. Bigger than any apple you will ever see. And the taste! Dear Princess Celestia, the taste! Imagine the bliss of a freshly made batch of zap apple jam going straight down your throat! Golden apples make them taste like spinach."
The two fillies were very impressed by Apple Bloom's description, as they too became curious over the taste of them golden apples. Although as fans of zap apple jam, they had a hard time believing her.
"So, where do we find these apples?" Scootaloo asked.
"If I only knew," Apple Bloom said as she let out a sigh. "The only pony who knows is Granny Smith, and she’ll never tell anypony. I heard she would rather sell the farm then reveal the location."
"WHOA!" Scootaloo and Sweetie said together.
"But here's how I see it - if Granny Smith can figure out how to where to get them, I bet we can too!"
"Hmm... Cutie Mark Crusaders... apple pickers?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Oh, forget the cutie marks! I'd rather spend a day harvesting looking for these apples then earning my cutie mark any day! Trust me, they're THAT good!"
Now, these three fillies had been spending much of their time together trying to figure out their special talents and earn their cutie marks, and it means a lot to them too. The idea of Apple Bloom preferring to locate the apples impressed her friends, and they got more interested in seeing what the fuss was about. Now before you roll your eyes at this, I want to say that Apple Bloom was NOT over exaggerating. Every good thing she said was fairly accurate.
"Alright. We're in," Scootaloo said, to which Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. "So where do we start?"
That was the million bit question. They had no clue as to where the golden apples are hidden, had no clues, and no idea where to start. Fortunately for them, Ponyville had a good place to get such information.
"I'm always glad to see little fillies coming in to find something to read."
Ponyville's best library, also home of Twilight Sparkle, a close friend of Applejack, was probably the best place to find out whatever you needed to know, even if you weren’t sure of what to look for. If there was a book on it, Twilight was certain that she could find it for you. How unfortunate.
"Golden apples? Can't say I've ever heard of them," Twilight said.
"Well, surely you have a book on something that can help us." Apple Bloom said.
"Well... I think I have some books on the Apple Family history. Maybe you can find something in there."
After a quick search through her shelves, Twilight located the book. It was a large green book with a red apple on the cover. The book itself was much bigger than Twilight expected it to be, so she figured the girls would be able to find something, or at the very least, learn a little more about the Apple Family.
"Alright. Where she we start?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Maybe the table of contents?" Sweetie Belle suggested.
While not overly pleased by the sarcastic answer, there was no denying that it was a pretty good place to start. Much to their surprise, they found a chapter that talked about the different kinds of apples grown by the Apples. The girls quickly flipped through the pages to find the chapter. Unfortunately, all it did was talk about how certain apples we grew were grown, and how each one was different. They didn't find so much as a picture of the golden apple.
"Well, this won't be... Oh wow! There's an apple called a blenheim orange. I better not tell Applejack that."
"Apple Bloom, focus!" Scootaloo said.
"Alright, alright."
As they couldn't find the page with the apple itself, they eventually went through the pages that talked about different apple trees instead. When they did, they got much luckier. They searched the word 'orphan' for orphan tree. The only problem was that there was nothing on it.
"A mysterious, possibly mythical tree." Apple Bloom read. "They are said to grow giant apples, but as these apples have never been seen publicly, no real proof of their existence is verified."
"OH, COME ON!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "Now we're looking for a tree that doesn't exist?"
"That's like trying to find Rainbow Dash losing a race." Scootaloo said.
"Well at least we know Granny Smith didn't... Hey, wait." Apple Bloom said, as she took a closer look at the page. "Page 247 for references."
Turning to the suggested page, little Apple Bloom found a chapter that surprised her, not expecting to be pushed towards the direction. It was something she found completely off-topic, and something she wasn't sure she was suppose to read.
"What does it say?" Scootaloo asked.
"The...Apple Family Slaughter," Apple Bloom replied.
Hearing that last word, Twilight Sparkle used her unicorn magic to quickly take the book away from the little girls. A very smart call.
"You girls may be a little young to read something like that," Twilight said.
"Hey, that book has everything on my family, as well as the information I need. I think I have every right to know what's in it!"
A good argument, although not entirely convinced that the book was safe for little fillies, Twilight hesitantly returned the book to Apple Bloom and her friends. A very bad call.
The Apple Family Slaughter is the most tragic event in the history of the Apple Family. The Apples are known for having a very huge family, but this slaughter could've very wiped us all out. It's really something that only us older Apples remember, as we are the only ones who remember it. Most of us don't teach it to our grandchildren because it's not something we'd ever want to touch upon, even with a twenty-foot pole. I, on the other hoof, didn't share it because it had a connection to the golden apples and the orphan trees. I wouldn't normally share it, but since these events have happened already, not to mention it's mention in another book, I may as well share.
Many years ago, back when I was still a young mare, my older brothers were exploring the land with the hopes of expanding our farm, since our apple business had been doing so well. They had an interest in making the mysterious Everfree Forest be not-so mysterious, as they were trying to make a map of the place to know which parts were safe and which parts were filled with the dreaded timberwolves, wooden dog-like creatures that guarded their home well.
One day, my brothers brought a special souvenir from the forest. You guessed it. It was the first known golden apple. The apple was put to good use and each of us had a share of the behemoth of an apple. More were later found in the forest, and more were eaten. The word of the golden apple quickly spread to the entire Apple family, which was scattered across Equestria. To celebrate the discovery, it was decided that the family would have a good old family reunion so that every pony could have a taste. We found more of the orphan trees, got as many of the giant apples as we could, and we prepared the fruits the best we could.
Now, a few days before we made the reunion plans, a tragedy occurred. My two older brothers went missing. We searched the best we could from the outskirts of town, to as far into the Everfree Forest as we could without endangering ourselves. They were never found.
Then came the reunion itself - there must've been one hundred Apples there! Not apples as in the fruit, but one hundred members of the Apple family, of course. Anyway, timberwolves are known for staying in the Everfree Forest, only leaving if somepony is stupid enough to bother them. The day the reunion occurred, a huge pack of them left their home and attacked the Apple Family. There must've been one wolf for each Apple that showed up. It was horrible. At least sixty members of the family, whether they were fully grown stallions, or newborn foals, them wolves did not discriminate. As quickly as they entered though, they left just as fast, and the golden apples were taken away by those same timberwolves.
For decades now, the golden apples were considered cursed, as that was the only known instance that the timberwolves left their home without being disturbed.
"Whoa..." Apple Bloom said after reading about what happened all those years ago.
"Suddenly, spinach sounds a little more appealing," Scootaloo said.
"Does it say anything else?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Not really. It seems that the timberwolves really like the golden apples too. The book doesn't say anything else about the apples," Apple Bloom said. Then, she turned to Twilight Sparkle. "Twilight, do you have any books on timberwolves?"
"I do, but I've read it before. I'm pretty sure you won't find what you're looking for.”
Once again, the girls had hit a wall. All that they accomplished had them getting even more curious about the golden apples, because they caused such a conundrum, and their friend Twilight didn't have what they needed, which made things even more interesting for them since she normally has all the answers they need.
Fortunately for them, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the book did reveal a clue, which was that the orphan trees were located somewhere in the Everfree Forest, and as luck would have it, Apple Bloom had a good friend living right there in the forest.
I'm actually impressed by Apple Bloom's courage. Even after knowing about danger, she moved on with her goal.
Although that's also known as stupidity. Hate to call the latter to my own grandchild. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not too deeply in the Everfree Forest is where Zecora lived, a zebra who had long since became a good friend to all of Ponyville. She had great knowledge on the plants of the Everfree forest, as she made full use of them in her many potions and tonics. Apple Bloom was one of Zecora's first friends since moving to Ponyville, and as such, very close. Again, as wise as Zecora was, as well as living in the Everfree Forest, Apple Bloom felt that if she couldn't get what she wanted to hear from Zecora, then she knew she'd might as well end her little journey.
The girls entered Zecora's hut, where they found her mixing up some potions in vials until they had gotten her attention.
"Why, if it isn't Apple Bloom!" She said as she saw the girls walk into her home. "Hmm... I sense from you a small touch a gloom."
"Hey, Zecora," Apple Bloom greeted. "Me and the crusaders need help finding something, and we think you may be able to help us."
"I'll definitely try my best, unless you need me to cheat a test. Now, how may I help you all? I'm sure I can handle it, big or small!"
"Awesome!" Scootaloo said happily. "We need help finding Orphan trees, and we think you-"
CRACK!
Zecora had dropped the vials she was using, not because they slipped out of her hooves, but because she was surprised. She was surprised that little Apple Bloom knew about the Orphan trees. She certainly took it better than I would have, as I probably would've had a heart attack if Apple Bloom ever asked me.
"Uhh... Zecora?" Apple Bloom asked.
"A very strange tree that you wish to see. Try finding another, or perhaps some sort of flower?"
"Maybe another day, but right now, me and the girls are trying to find the golden apples of the Orphan trees. Any idea where they are? We heard they can be found here in the Everfree Forest."
While Zecora may not have fully understood the history the golden apples have had on my family, she certainly did know of the potential dangers they could cause. Praise Celestia that she knew the subject well.
"I'm afraid I am not the one to see. For the golden apples, belong to Pando Everfree!"
"So... The apples belong to a panda?" Scootaloo asked. "Wait, what's a panda?"
"No, not a bear of black and white, but something else of tremendous might!" Zecora corrected.
"He named this forest and is the timberwolves's master, and enraging him would cause great disaster."
The girls knew very well how dangerous the timberwolves were, especially after reading how they had killed so many of the Apples so many years ago. The idea that the wolves actually had a master opened up a lot of questions to the girls; was Pando Everfree a timberwolf himself? Was he just a pony? Was he dangerous? The name alone made each of the three nervous. I've always believed that the unknown is the scariest thing of all, and the girls were agreeing with that.
"Could we maybe ask him politely for an apple?" Apple Bloom asked.
"You are still very young, and your journey in life has just begun. Obtaining a golden apple will bring you a curse, which will likely injure you, or worse. Take my word fillies, for I will not lie, for should you try and find Pando Everfree, you will likely..."
At that point, Zecora realized that she was scaring the girls to death, especially since she was about to talk about... well, death. Feeling that she made her point, she ended her rhyme early and gave the girls one last word of advice.
"Go home and forget about the golden apples." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, at this point, some children would've been spooked enough to end their pursuits and go on with their lives, but since she learned something new relating to the golden apples, Apple Bloom simply got more curious and wanted to continue. Not just because of how good the apples were, but also because she wanted to find these mysterious fruits.
Once again hitting a dead end, she decided to ask her sister Applejack after returning home. She hoped that her older sister would also be interested in finding out where the golden apples came from. And guess what. She was!
"Ahh... those golden apples..." Applejack said with bliss. "Sorry, ‘Bloom. I'd love to help, but I wouldn't know any more about them than you would."
"Well, I did learn that they are in the Everfree Forest, and that-"
"WHAT!? The Everfree Forest? Granny Smith has been going in the Everfree Forest all alone to get these apples, all these years? She knows better than any pony that timberwolves are in there."
That was when Apple Bloom remembered something she learned earlier.
"Hey, Applejack? Can I ask you a seemingly random question?"
"Sure thing, sugar cube."
"Have you heard of anything called the Apple Family Slaughter?"
"WHOA! Apple Bloom, where in Tartarus did you hear such a thing?"
Applejack should've been grateful that Apple Bloom didn't ask where babies came from. Being known for her honesty, she would've had to tell her little sister the truth on it. At least the story of the Slaughter would've resulted in less nightmares. I’d think so, anyway.
"I don't know where you've been hearing about this stuff, but I need to have a word with Granny Smith."
Apple Bloom couldn't have brought the Everfree Forest up at a worse time. As Applejack turned her head towards the window, she saw me walking home, as I actually was coming from the Everfree Forest at the time. Why I was there, I'll explain in good time. Before I could walk inside, Applejack slammed open the door and caught me by surprise.
"Granny Smith, Apple Bloom was telling me that you've been getting those golden apples from the Everfree Forest!" Applejack said angrily, cutting straight to the chase. "Why would you do something so dangerous without me or Big McIntosh?"
"What? How do you know they're from the Everfree Forest?" I asked.
"Don't change the subject. Those timberwolves are nasty, and you're not exactly the kind of pony that can protect herself from them."
"Oh, contraire, Applejack. Them timberwolves never bother me. They know I'd taste as good as a rotten apple."
"Granny, you need bring us along the next time you get them apples. We'd hate to know you're doing something so dangerous just to treat us."
"In that case, I'll have to remember not to get them anymore."
After teasing Applejack and Apple Bloom with the idea of not getting them anymore golden apples, I walked inside and went upstairs to take a little afternoon nap, not giving the two sisters so much as a clue as to where I went.
"Well, darn. I actually thought she would tell us where she hides them," Applejack said, showing a surprisingly deceitful side. "Anyway, where did you hear about the Apple Family Slaughter Apple... Bloom?"
Before realizing it, Apple Bloom had already left her. Applejack and even Big McIntosh both knew a little bit of the Apple Family Slaughter, minus the parts relating to the golden apples. So, when she had to go back to work, she couldn't help but feel distracted that a little filly like Apple Bloom knew about it.
Speaking of Apple Bloom, she left Applejack because she noticed what she was pretty sure was a strong lead. She figured that if she were to follow my hoofprints, it would lead her to where I had been. After a bit of a walk, she soon saw the very edge of the Everfree forest. My hoofprints led her there as they brought her to some massive bushes. After getting close to examine them, she saw that there was a big gap between two large bushes that lead right into the Everfree forest. It was a fair distance from the apple trees, as well as near the forest, so it would make sense if nopony were to look for it.
She then took a peek past the gap, where she not only found more of my hoofprints, but that they were imprinted on what she recognized to be a path. Her curiosity had finally started to pay up, as she had literally found the path to her goal.
Now that I think about it, I think I should be blaming her schooling for making her so smart.
It's funny. Even after hearing about timberwolves, death, and Pando Everfree, Apple Bloom still wanted to know about the golden apples. I gotta applaud her for her persistence. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Even after a long day of being told to not search for the golden apples, up until she had to go to bed, Apple Bloom had thought of them. Other nights, she would've dreamed about the amazing taste of the magical apples, but that night, she didn't get much sleep, as the mystery of the golden fruits and the Orphan trees simply made her go nuts to the point of not being able to fall asleep.
Now that's not all that important. What's important was when her sister, Applejack, tucked her into bed that night, something she always did for her little sister.
"Applejack, how would you feel if I were to bring home a big golden apple for us all?" Apple Bloom asked.
"After hearing that they are found in the Everfree Forest? I'd be mad at you!" Applejack answered. Then, with a smile: "Although... I'd be the first one to take a bite out of it."
"You know, you're not exactly discouraging me from finding them."
"I'm not sure if I want to."
Although they probably should've been talking about it a bit more seriously, Applejack and Apple Bloom had a good laugh. While Applejack didn't like the idea of her sister doing anything dangerous, even she couldn't resist the call of the golden apples. Of course, she still took being a responsible big sister as a top priority.
"But in all due seriousness, I think you should stay away from the Everfree Forest for a’while. If those apples are in there like you said, I'm sure the timberwolves or other nasty creatures will get to you first. I don't care how tasty they are, no apples are worth your life."
"But Applejack, it's not just about tasty food anymore," Apple Bloom said. "It's now about solving a mystery of our family!"
"A mystery about our family? What do you mean?"
"Well, I read a book that said the Apple Family Slaughter was caused by the golden apples being taken by us, and that the timberwolves didn't like it. If that's the case, then how does Granny Smith get them without any trouble?"
Applejack didn't know much about the Apple Family Slaughter, and she had always been afraid to know more about it. She never considered the possibility of Apple Bloom learning about it, as she was now left with nothing else to say to her.
However, it did remind her of something that she thought would relate to the laughter. Applejack wanted to wait until her sister was older, but since the golden apples was already part of the topic, she figured she'd may as well.
"I think I have a story for you, sugarcube. Be right back."
As quickly as she had left, Applejack returned to Apple Bloom's room with a photo album. She then jumped onto Apple Bloom's bed, sat down next to her, and opened the album, quickly finding the photos that she wanted to share.
"Hey, that's us!" Apple Bloom said excitedly.
"Yup. There's Big Macintosh when he was closer to my age, me when I was how old you are now, and you when ...well ... back when you were cute."
"Wow, I can't believe how much we- HEY! What's that suppose mean?"
Another little joke Applejack had wanted to make to tease her sister. It's good for sisters to talk like that once in a while.
"Hey, wait. Who're those two other ponies in the picture with us?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I guess you were too young to remember. Those two with you, me and Big Mac are our parents," Applejack answered.
"Ma and Pa? I always thought I was adopted or something... What happened?"
That was when Applejack had to get to the hard part.
"Well Apple Bloom, Ma and Pa died years ago. They never even got to see me get my cutie mark before they went."
"Oh, wow. How did they die?"
"That's the million bit question, sugarcube. We have no idea. Granny Smith was the one who told me and Big Mac that they died. If not for her, we would still have no idea where they were. But I have a theory now."
"And what's that?"
"Apple Bloom, let me tell you of the first time we ate a golden apple."
This is a story that I'm familiar with, too. The first golden apple I ever had was when I was around Applejack's age, but that's a completely different story that you know already.
Alright, back to the point. Like Applejack said, it all happened when Apple Bloom was still a foal, back when the farm was taken cared by Baldwin Apple and Ginger Gold, my son and daughter-in-law respectively. I still miss those two and I know Applejack did too. Apple Bloom was so young that she didn't even remembered what they looked like, but then again, I myself can barely remember the mailmare's face nowadays.
It happened when they were younger, like I said. Applejack was playing with a ball, until she lost it. The little bugger had bounced all the way into the Everfree Forest. She wanted to go get it, but knew that she couldn't go into the dark forest by herself. So, she got Big Macintosh to go in with her. Since he was suppose to watch over little Apple Bloom at the time, he decided to bring her along as well. I could talk about how much trouble he got in for that, but I won't waste your time. Applejack wasn't too sure where exactly her ball had went, and before they knew it, the three were lost in the forest.
After a while, and they had no idea as to where they had gone. Morale started to shrink and as they walked, so did their stomachs. Big Mac and Applejack decides to take a rest and see if there was anything in the forest to eat. That's when they looked up to the sky and saw something beautiful. Up in very high trees, they saw the most interesting apple they had ever seen. The golden apple.
Big Macintosh intended on giving the apple to her sisters, but after it dropped onto the ground, he and Applejack realized just how huge the apple truly was. There was enough for all three to eat, and then some. I didn't get to see the look on their faces when they first took their first bite, but I certainly had seen many filly and colts taking their own first bite. The only words I can think of to compare to the first experience are words I highly doubt little foals should know about, and since I have no idea who's reading this, I'm not taking that chance.
Between the three of them, especially Apple Bloom the foal, they ate that apple down to the very core. During the time they ate the apple, they forgot that they were even lost!
Fortunately, they found their way back home, but not before bringing back a few more apples for the family. Big Mac and Applejack still got into a load of trouble, but for bringing back the apple, their parents went easy on them.
"That was an interesting story Applejack, but what does it have to do with our parents?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I was getting to that, sugarcube. The very next day after we brought home the golden apples, them timberwolves came and attacked the farm. Ma and Pa fought them off day after day, but they were ultimately taken away from us while me and Big Mac were at school. I've always wondered if..." At that point, Applejack started to tear up as she remembered her last few days with her parents. "I've always wondered if things could've changed if we were all there. We were never there when they were taken from us."
Applejack had unintentionally brought back some bad memories, which made her realize it probably wasn't such a good idea to have shared them with Apple Bloom. Lucky for her, though, her little sister was right there to cheer her up with a hug, giving her a remind that she still had the rest of her loving family.
"Since we lost them so shortly after finding the golden apples, not to mention what you told me earlier, there may very well be some curse to them or something."
"But then how does Granny Smith get them without getting attacked?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Well... Ah, I've got it! In every case where the timberwolves attacked, a bunch of the apples were taken, right? Granny Smith only seems to bring one to us at a time!"
"So as long as we only bring home one golden apple at a time, we-"
"Oh, no no no, Apple Bloom! I don't care how many apples Granny Smith brings home, I am not letting you go in the Everfree Forest to find those things. In fact, I don't want you going in there for any reason at all. Even if it's to visit Zecora."
"Oh, come on!"
"I said no! Boy, you sounded a little like Sweetie Belle just now." Applejack said. "Alright, sleep tight, sis."
After giving Apple Bloom one last hug and making sure she was all wrapped up in her bed, Applejack turned off the lights and left to let her little sister to fall asleep, but since Apple Bloom had the new story imprinted in her brain, not to mention everything else she had been learning, she didn't feel like sleeping. She quickly noticed that Applejack left the photo album in her room, so she decided to take another look through to see the pictures of her and her family, back when her parents were still alive.
She had a much closer look at what her mother and father had looked like. After thinking back to the story she had heard, she realized that what she had been looking for all day was likely the very thing that cost her parents. While even her older sister discouraged her from trying to find the Orphan trees and their golden apples, she felt that she had to learn more. "There's a mystery here, and I've got to solve it," Apple Bloom said to herself. "Who knows, maybe I'll even get a cutie mark for it!"
It would've been nice if Applejack had successfully kept Apple Bloom from continuing her search. It all turned out fine and dandy in the long run, but still. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day, after a poor night of sleep, after thinking over everything she had learned last night, Apple Bloom met up with her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders to discuss the golden apples again. Now the night before, Applejack had forbid her from going into the Everfree Forest to search for the rare apples, but since Apple Bloom was a little foal, it was pretty obvious what she planned to do.
"We're going into the Everfree Forest today!" She said to her friends.
"Are you really sure?" Sweetie Belle asked. "The things Zecora told us sounded pretty scary."
"I hate to admit it, but I think Sweetie Belle is right. That Panda guy Zecora told us about doesn't sound like he wants to share," Scootaloo said. "In fact, I'm starting to think these apples aren't even worth it."
Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. "If you're hungry Apple Bloom, Rarity brought me to this great restaurant we can probably try and get into not so long ago."
"Girls, girls, this is no longer about eating anymore," Apple Bloom said. "Last night, not only did I find out that these apples cursed my family, but they also caused me to lose..." Apple Bloom had to pause for a moment before continuing, due to the subject matter. "They... cost me my parents, apparently."
While the girls agreed that the original motivation for them to find the golden apples was greed, they had then realized that Apple Bloom had a brand new reason to find the golden apples, but at the same time, they questioned her motives.
"If these apples are as dangerous as we heard, then why do you want them?" Scootaloo asked.
"Because I want to know why it works that way. Everypony that tried to take them have died shortly afterwards, and after so many cases of it, Granny Smith seems to be immune to it, since she's brought home lots of golden apples. Since she won't tell me her secret, I hope to find it out myself, and I think the only way I can figure it out is by finding a golden apple of my own."
As much as I had wished that Apple Bloom would've gave up on the whole golden apple thing, I suppose she did bring up a good point. If I had found out my parents had passed away and not really be told why exactly they did, I suppose I'd want to know too. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo felt the same way. After nodding to each other, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo came to a conclusion.
"Alright. We're in," Scootaloo said.
"Where do we start?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Aww, you girls are the best," Apple Bloom said as she gave a quick group hug to her friends, something Sweetie Belle took well, although Scootaloo seem to overly care for things like this.
Once again having her friends by her side for their little quest, the girls went straight to Sweet Apple Acres where their adventure would begin. ‘Bloom brought them to an edge of the Everfree Forest with nothing but their red wagon with them, feeling that it would be all that they would need.
"I tracked Granny Smith's hoof prints yesterday and they led past these bushes. I'm willing to wager that the path behind them will lead us to the orphan trees, which will hopefully have golden apples on them!"
"So, why do we need my wagon again?" Scootaloo asked.
"It'll be a real pain in the plot for us to carry one home," Apple Bloom answered. "Now are you girls ready? We've got apples to pick!"
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS GOLDEN APPLE PICKERS!" The group shouted together, all hoping to get a cutie mark out of their quest as a bonus.
Having nothing else stop them, the girls took their first steps onto the secret road, which in hindsight, I wished I had done a better job hiding, not just because the Cutie Mark Crusaders found their way into the forest, but because somepony else had as well, who was keeping their eye on the girls from a distance.
The girls followed the hidden path, and moved deeper and deeper into the forest. They had been in the Everfree Forest a number of times before, but they had never been in the part that they were in at the time. If it wasn't for the path they were following, they would've been lost instantly.
They were also staying close to each other, which I admit, was smart of them. There's safety in groups laterally, although when it comes to the Everfree Forest... Nothing is safe.
After going deeper and deeper into the forest, the girls started to remember how dangerous the forest was. At least they didn't go in when it was dark, because that's when the REALLY nasty creatures roam.
Even though it was fairly early in the day, the thick trees created darkness, and no matter how brave these fillies were, everypony is afraid of the dark. While they tried not to allow it, fear was getting to them.
"How long until we find the apples?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Rarity doesn't even know I'm in here."
"I guess until we find an Orphan tree," Apple Bloom answered.
"Well, what does Orphan tree look like then?" Scootaloo asked.
That was when Apple Bloom realized something. Something she should've thought of before entering the forest. She had absolutely no idea what an Orphan tree even looked like. She was thinking about what the golden apples looked like so much that she didn't even consider what its tree looked like.
"Well... it's a very big apple, so it would make sense if they grew on a very big tree," Apple Bloom answered.
"You mean like that one?" Scootaloo asked as she pointed in a direction.
The girls were surprised that they didn't see it before. In the near distance, up in a clearing in the forest was a tree of size that's difficult to describe. A tree can be very tall or very wide, but the one the girls saw was unnaturally huge. While there was no trees right by it, the leaves from this tree's large branches still kept the sun from shining through. For one tree alone to do such a thing was amazing. To go with the how much light it blocked off, the tree was about one hundred feet tall and wide enough to make one grow tired if they were to run around it, just once. I'm more than certain that this tree was, is, and always will be the largest tree in Equestria.
"Wow," Apple Bloom said. "Imagine how many apples that thing can grow."
"Could that be an Orphan tree?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"No, I was joking about the apple thing. A tree like that seems too big to grow anything! Besides, if that's an Orphan tree, we would've seen others."
"FOUND IT!" Scootaloo shouted.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turned to see where their pegasus friend had suddenly ran off too. Scootaloo found the closest trees to the giant tree, which were also very tall, but not to the same degree as the previous one. The width of the tree was comparable to a normal tree, with the only differences being the height of the tree itself and the unique grey color of the leaves. But the most important feature of the tall tree was that on one of the high up branches was what they were looking for. A giant apple, looking almost as if it were made of gold, was hanging down.
"THERE IT IS!" Apple Bloom shouted in excitement. "I can't believe it! I didn't think we'd find one so easily! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!"
"That apple really does look good," Sweetie Belle said as she licked her lips.
"Well we can't eat it if we can't get it," Scootaloo said, noting the fact that the apple was out of their reach.
"Not a problem," Apple Bloom said. She then walked to the tree, spun around, and with all the strength her little body could muster up, she gave the tree one hard kick. Sadly, the apple was just too high up. "Okay, it's a problem."
"Maybe if we worked together?" Sweetie Belle suggested.
A smart idea. Although they weren't strong enough alone, they were sure that the three of them together would be enough to get the apple down. Once again, Apple Bloom got a kick ready, but this time with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo doing the same, and after timing themselves, they each gave the tree a strong kick, causing the tree to vibrate. The little fillies must be stronger than I figured, because after the second kick, the sole apple on the tree dropped down from its tree. As the apple dropped from its branch, the girls quickly got together to catch the fruit, and as it came down.
BAM!
The apple landed right on the poor fillies’ heads. Fortunately, they didn't get hurt, and much to their joy, the apple was still in one piece. Getting what they wanted, they placed the giant apple into Scootaloo's wagon, rubbed the lumps on their heads, and made their way for the way they came.
"So, does gold really taste that good?" Scootaloo asked Apple Bloom.
"What? No I told you, the apple doesn't actually taste like-"
"Who goes there?" [<----- you’ll have to italic Pando’s parts again also, when you copy/paste]
The girls froze in fear when they heard an unexpected voice. A very loud, very deep male voice that they had never heard before.
"You ponies don't belong here."
"Who was that?" Scootaloo asked.
"A monster?" Sweetie Belle said.
"This forest is my home, and you dare steal from me? I never tolerate anything like that. You fillies must pay."
Apple Bloom took note of what the voice said. He mentioned how there were all trespassing and stealing from him, but the only thing they were taking was the golden apple. She then remembered the name Zecora told her the other day, who supposedly owned the golden apple and named the forest.
"Excuse me, mister!" Apple Bloom spoke out. "Are you Pando Everfree? We don't mean any harm. We would just like to have one of your apples. My granny sometimes come here to-"
"The orphan trees and their fruit do not belong to your kind. Your fates were sealed the moment you bucked off that apple you have in your possession. Any risk that come to my children must be dealt with immediately."
"What? We're not here to hurt anypony. If you really don't want us to take the apple, we can-"
"Silence. I shall never show mercy for such impudence. Not again. Minions, servants, soldiers of the dark forest, Pando Everfree calls for you! Dispose of these foolish children and retiree the apple together with their bodies."
From out in the darkness of the forest surrounding them, one by one, timberwolves emerged. Before the girls could beg for mercy or return the apple, the nasty timberwolves surrounded Apple Bloom and her friends. They knew there was danger in the forest, but they didn't think it would turn out as bad as it had.
"And we didn't even get our cutie marks from this." Scootaloo said, earning herself a death stare from Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.
Should I even write anything here? I'm sure if you have grandchildren of your own, or any children at all for that matter, you would know how I felt when I learned that Apple Bloom got in the danger she got in. If you were one of her parents, you'd probably be debating over whether to hug her tight or to spank her flank off.
After knocking the golden apple down from the Orphan tree, the timberwolves quickly swarmed around the Cutie Mark Crusaders and were closing in on the three. As much as they feared Pando Everfree, despite having only heard his voice, they knew that the real threat was about to eat them.
"Umm... Girls? Any ideas?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I think I have one," Scootaloo answered. She then whispered her idea to the others, to which they nodded. "What do you think?"
"Better than my idea," Sweetie Belle said.
With everypony in agreement, Scootaloo reached into her wagon, putting her hoof underneath the golden apple, and pulled out her little blue scooter. The girls had a plan to handle the timberwolves, and they were ready to go through with it.
"You children have dug your graves. What do you have to say for yourselves?" Pando's voice asked.
"I've got something to say..." Apple Bloom said. "Later!"
As soon as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle jumped onto the wagon next to the golden apple and Scootaloo connected the wagon to her scooter, she flapped her wings like a little hummingbird, propelling her and the wagon forward and zooming past the timberwolves. While the filly wasn’t able to fly with the her tiny wings, Scootaloo had caused her and the wagon to move so fast past the timberwolves that they weren't even sure as to what happened. They were left in a daze.
"Mindless wolves. After them! And don't forget to take back the apple!"
Upon being given their newest command, the timberwolves got their minds back on the fillies and gave chase. The girls stayed on the path they originally followed and moved straight forward, and with Scootaloo's speed, them and their wagon were outrunning the timberwolves. At first, it seemed like the girls were going to get away, but a group of the timberwolves jumped onto the path in front of them, blocking their way out.
Scootaloo, being afraid to run into the predators, made a sharp left turn and drove off the path. The path was the only way they were able to get in and out of the forest in the first place, the danger was doubled the moment Scootaloo made that turn. While the young pegasus was doing her best to ride and propel her scooter with her little wings, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had to hang on for dear life, as all that the wolves needed was for them to fall off the wagon for a mere second.
"They're ganging up on us!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "Let's just give them back their apple."
"I got a better idea," Apple Bloom said. "Let's give them the apple."
Catching on to Apple Bloom's idea, the two girls smiled and started to lift the golden apple up. Their plan was to hurl it at the timberwolves, hit them, and hopefully slow the wooden monsters down, allowing the three to escape.
While the two girls were lifting up the apple, Scootaloo had to keep her eyes in front of her, which was when she saw something she couldn't even react to. Out of nowhere, a giant tree root grew out of the ground, which was perfectly straight and had a sharp point at the end, being capable of skewering anything if the right amount of force. Scootaloo had to make a very hard turn on her scooter to keep her and the others from running into it. Unfortunately, she ended up falling off her scooter, and sent Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and the apple flying off the wagon. None of them were hurt from this, but it did give the timberwolves the chance to finally reach their prey.
"Look guys, we don't even need the apple," Apple Bloom said. "Just take it and let us go. Please?"
The timberwolves were always too stupid to listen to mercy, or even reason for that matter. All they cared about was to rip Pando's enemies to shreds, and they were ready to do the same thing to the girls. As the timberwolves moved closer and closer to them, the girls huddled up and hugged each other harder and harder. As the first timberwolf got ready to take a bite out of Apple Bloom...
SMASH!
From up above, a full grown pony came down and smashed the timberwolves' head to twigs. She brought her legs into the air and kicked back another wolf. After taking down a third timberwolf, the girls were able to take in what was happening and realize who had just saved their blank flanks.
"A-Applejack!" Apple Bloom said in shock.
"You girls alright?" She asked.
"SIS, BEHIND YOU!"
Noticing another timberwolf charging at her, Applejack once again gave it a hard kick into the head, sending it flying - not the timberwolf itself, but the head of the timberwolf. The poor mutt was decapitated.
"Come on. We need to get out of here before more of them come," Applejack said.
As Applejack was ordering the girls to escape, the smashed timberwolves began to glow green, as well as the unsmashed ones. This was when the wolves would deconstruct and reconstruct themselves into a giant timberwolf. It was the best time for them all to escape, so Apple Bloom and the girls grabbed their wagon, as well as the golden apple, and followed Applejack out of the Everfree Forest before the giant timberwolf was completely formed, and when the transformation was completed, it was too late for it.
"Well I'm glad you girls are safe. That means I can be angry at you all," Applejack said. "WHAT IN TARNATION WERE YOU THREE THINKING!?"
After getting out of the forest, Applejack and the girls found themselves at the Cutie Mark Crusader's treehouse, or as the girls like to call it, their headquarters. There, Applejack gave the girls the scolding of their lives. Since the girls were no longer in danger, she was able to go on and on about how worried she had been.
"Had I not caught you girls going into the forest, you three may very well of gotten yourselves killed! Apple Bloom, didn't I tell you not to go in there after I told you not to go in there? What were you thinking?"
"Would it make you feel better if I said we brought back a golden apple?" Apple Bloom asked.
"NO!" Applejack shouted, but then looked at the apple on the wagon. "Okay, maybe a little, but you're still grounded until you're as old as Princess Celestia!"
While the girls were all upset about getting in trouble, they quickly noticed that Applejack was distracted by something. They looked to where she was facing and realized that Applejack was keeping an eye on the golden apple they had retrieved. As angry as she was, she too had a taste for the magical fruit, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders knew it.
"Don't tell anypony what we did, and you can have a piece of the apple," Apple Bloom said.
"... Deal."
Using the best possible thing to bribe Applejack, the girls got off the hook by sharing some of their treasure with Applejack. After dividing the apple evenly, each of the girls got a piece of the golden apple, as well as Applejack, who had accepted the bribe.
Over time, the four of them had completely devoured the golden apple, reducing it to nothing but the core. As Apple Bloom had promised, it was the best thing Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had tasted, although they weren't sure if it was worth almost getting killed over, but they did know that if they were to see one again, they would take it. While Applejack was still angry at what her little sister did, the apple at least made made Apple Bloom's actions more forgivable.
"Wow, we really did a number on that thing," Apple Bloom said.
"That's all we ever do to them apples," Applejack answered. "So, where did you find it anyway?"
"Well, after we followed a road into the Everfree Forest, there was this giant tree, bigger than life itself! The Orphan trees were nearby, and they were very tall with grey leaves. It took me and the girls together to get one down."
"In that case, how does Granny Smith get them down?"
All Apple Bloom could do was shrug, as she only assumed that I got the apples the same way she did. Sadly, they had no idea how I actually did get the golden apples, for if they had, this story would've been over already.
With their adventure over, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle decided to head home, feeling that they had enough excitement for one day, as well as still being afraid of Applejack after getting yelled by her. This left my two granddaughters alone by the tree house, with the giant apple core left over. Had they not of been full from the snack, they'd probably try and eat the core too.
"I still don't think getting that apple was worth getting chased by timberwolves. Why did you do it?" Applejack asked.
"I've been wanting to learn more about them and our family," Apple Bloom answered. "Granny Smith is the only one who knows everything, but now that we know where the Orphan trees are, she'll have no choice but to tell us now."
"You know what? You're right. I think it’s time to have a little talk with Granny Smith."
Suddenly, the two of them heard barking. It got louder and louder really fast. It was the family dog, Winona. She found Applejack at the treehouse and was barking up a storm, not a happy 'I-want-to-play' bark, but a panicked bark. Something had startled the poor dear and she needed her master.
"What is it, girl?" Applejack said.
After a few barks, Winona ran back the way she came, turning around once to make sure that Applejack and Apple Bloom was close behind her. They knew that Winona never left the farm unless she was already with Applejack, or if me or Big Macintosh needed her for something important. That said, Applejack was afraid that something bad was going on at the farm.
As soon as the two sisters left the treehouse, two more little fillies had emerged from behind some nearby tree, who had been waiting for the two to leave. They weren't Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle. They were pink and and grey fillies, around Apple Bloom's age, who were waiting for the golden apple to be left unguarded.
This is the part where I actually started to get myself involved in everything. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While Applejack, Apple Bloom and her little friends were enjoying their golden apple, me and Big Macintosh were having a little party of our own, and the timberwolves were invited, apparently. We were defending the farm from the pack the best we could, but there was twelve of them and two of us. Since I was probably even weaker than Apple Bloom, we were in some big trouble. Basically, it was twelve against one.
"Well, this is certainly no good. Big Mac, get back into the barn!" I ordered.
As we were being overpowered, we had to run into the barn to stay safe, and as a result, we trapped ourselves inside. But it’s much better to be stuck inside than to be outside with a pack of timberwolves. Big Mac was really strong, so he was able to keep the door closed for a while to keep the wolves from getting in, although even Big Mac had his limits, and with time, the timberwolves would've broken through. Hopefully, you've never had to defend yourselves against a timberwolf attack, but if you have, then you'll know how quickly they can wreck things, and a wooden gate isn't too hard for them to damage.
"YEE-HAW! Come and get me, you wooden mutts!"
We suddenly heard Applejack shouting outside the barn. I had sent Winona off to try and find her to help protect the farm, and I knew right away that she came through for us. I had Big Mac open up the barn door so we could see what she was doing. Applejack had managed to get the timberwolves to chase after her, getting them away from the barn, allowing Apple Bloom to get to me.
"Big Macintosh! Applejack needs you now!" Apple Bloom said.
"Eeyup."
With Applejack now distracting the timberwolves, the tides quickly turned. To help his sister, Big Mac grabbed a rope and ran back outside, chasing the timberwolves. The twelve timberwolves were all grouped up together as they chased after Applejack, all of which was part of Applejack's plan. She turned her head and saw Big Mac catching up. As both were raised on the farm, herding animals is a skill they've mastered.
Using his rope, Big Mac spun it around in the air, and as soon as he had a clear shot, he tossed the spinning end of the rope towards the pack, pulled the rope back hard, and trapped the timberwolves within, keeping Applejack safe. I heard that Big Mac once moved a whole house without effort, so naturally, it was easy for him spin the timberwolves around and around before letting go, sending the wolves back into the Everfree Forest.
"YEEHAW! We got ‘em good!" Applejack said as she gave a hoof bump to her brother.
Feeling proud of themselves for protecting the farm, they went back inside where Apple Bloom and I waited for them to return safely, but based on the things they had learned, Apple Bloom and Applejack both knew that the timberwolves would come back. As the timberwolves didn't make an immediate counter-attack, they decided that it was the best time to talk to me.
"You know, Granny, Apple Bloom told me the darndest thing today," Applejack said.
"Maybe later, dear. We've got to prepare in case them timberwolves come back," I responded.
"Are you sure?" Apple Bloom asked. "Because this morning, me and the girls had happened to’ve been walking around in the Everfree Forest and we happened to find a rather interesting tree. One that was really tall and had grey leaves."
Hearing that she found a tall, grey tree certainly grabbed my attention. Only one type of tree like that existed, and those were the Orphan trees.
"Do you mean...?
"That's right, Granny. I found where the golden apples are," Apple Bloom answered.
"Did you take one?" I asked in horror. "Please tell me you didn't, Apple Bloom!"
"I sure did, and since I know where they are, maybe you'd be a bit more willing to let us in on why it's suppose to be such a secret."
That last bit I didn't even hear. To me, my worst nightmare was anypony else but me discovering the location of the Orphan trees. I was supposed to be the only pony in Equestria to know where they were hidden, and yet Apple Bloom had ruined it all. It also made me realize why the timberwolves had attacked in the first place. I hadn't been as stressed as I was in that moment in a long time, for a billion possibilities were entering my head. I knew that I should've told them the truth, but I still had something more important to do first.
"Alright everypony, I need you all to stay here and hold the fort," I said to my grandchildren. "I think I know why the timberwolves are attacking us and I think I may be able to stop them."
"Oh, no you don't!" Applejack said to me. "I already had to pull Apple Bloom out of a jam today, so there's no way I'm going to let you get into one yourself."
"Applejack, you stay here and keep your brother and sister safe, or I'll make you massage my hooves for a week!"
Nopony likes rubbing old pony hooves and I knew that, especially after seeing Applejack's reaction when I threatened her. They knew that I was angry at them, so they couldn't think of an argument to keep me from going back outside, without me forcing them to do something like giving me a sponge bath. I know how to be cruel if I need to be.
As soon as I left the barn, as well as making sure nopony was following me, I went straight to the Everfree Forest. I knew the extra chores I mentioned would keep the kids from following me, and I trusted that the responsible ponies, who were Applejack and Big Macintosh, would keep themselves, and Apple Bloom, from following me into the forest like I asked them to.
Completely ignoring my orders, the youngins went after me. As they all figured that I was going to where the golden apples were, Apple Bloom showed Applejack and Big Mac the secret path that she had found which took her and her friends to the apples in the first place.
Much like Apple Bloom did with her friends, the three of them made sure that they were close together due to the danger that the Everfree Forest had to offer. Ignoring the creepy bug sounds, the crows cawing, and the fact that there were timberwolves hiding in the distance, with deathly glares pointed at them all, I think they enjoyed the walk.
"Seems odd that the timberwolves aren't chasing us," Applejack said. "In fact, it seems weird that they're hiding so poorly."
"Maybe they're not trying to hide at all," Apple Bloom said. "I don't know why, but I have the feeling that they aren't the dangerous ones in here. Don't suppose there's a manticore or something around here, do you?"
"No, I think this area is mainly inhabited by the wolves, but they’re normally so... territorial. Something is definitely not right."
After a very disturbing walk through the forest, they reached their goal. Ahead of them was the giant tree that Apple Bloom had seen earlier, meaning the Orphan trees and the golden apples were just ahead, which therefore meant that I was ahead.
"This is where the Orphan trees are," Apple Bloom said.
"But where's Granny Smith?"
The three of them moved towards the giant tree, trying to spot me, but at the same time, they lost sightings of the timberwolves, which made them a bit nervous as they could no longer see the danger itself. Despite the fact that fear had built up, they heard something that made them forget it.
"Pando, I swear that this was an accident."
They heard me talking. They knew I was steps away from them. After walking around the giant tree a little, they saw me. They didn't see who I was actually talking too, but all that they cared about was that I was safe.
"Granny Smith!" Apple Bloom shouted as she ran towards me.
"Apple Bloom? Wait, what are you-"
"YOU AGAIN!"
A loud familiar voice came out of nowhere, which froze Apple Bloom in fear. She then recognized the voice belonging to Pando Everfree, and remembered what happened the last time she heard him.
"I-is that...Pando?"
In a matter of seconds, a giant tree root bore its way out of the ground in an upward spiral, encasing Apple Bloom inside and elevating her twenty hooves up into the air. It started to crush her tiny little body, making her unable to move it, and to keep her from wanting to move her head, the very end of the root was wrapped tightly around her neck with the tip of it being pointed towards her throat.
"APPLE BLOOM!" Applejack screamed in horror.
Being horrified by the sight of his little sister in danger, Big Macintosh was rendered completely speechless, and for somepony who never talks anyway, that's really saying something.
"Let her down, Pando! She means no harm," I said to him.
"This is the child who entered my sanctuary and stole one of my golden apples," Pando's voice answered.
"Granny Smith, who in tarnation are you talking to?" Applejack asked.
It took Applejack and Big Mac a moment to figure out, but from Apple Bloom's point of view, she already figured it out. The worst she expected Pando to be some big buff stallion with an apple cutie mark or something like that, but after being held up in the air by the root, she found a part of the giant tree she had never noticed before, since she only saw it from the one side. Forced to look in one direction, Apple Bloom saw the the pitch-black holes on the tree's surface, two of which were in the shape of angry eyes. That's right. The giant tree in the Evergreen Forest, that was surrounded by the Orphan trees, was Pando Everfree himself.
The mere idea that the owner of the Orphan trees, and the master of the timberwolves was a giant tree sounded like a joke, but the fact that the very same tree had Apple Bloom being constricted by a giant tree root made it no laughing matter.
"You let my sister down, bark face!" Applejack shouted.
"This does not concern you," Pando answered. "Beside, at least I have bark."
"Should I take that as an insult?"
"If I wanted to insult you, I would've pointed out your horse face."
That time, Applejack did get mad at Pando's words and started to give him a death stare, but Pando thought very little of it. This was because Pando didn't think very highly of anypony, except for me. If you remembered from before, he tried to kill Apple Bloom and her friends earlier just because they trespassed.
"Pando, let my granddaughter down," I said. "She won't hurt you and I'm pretty sure she's not going to get far if she runs. Even you can be that reasonable."
As angry as Pando was at Apple Bloom and despite having her with her reach, he knew that I was right. He quickly released his hold on Apple Bloom and brought his root back underground, but he did it so fast that he didn't care if Apple Bloom would get hurt from the fall. Fortunately, Big Mac was able to run and catch her before she touched the ground.
"There. Now, let us continue. You have to explain to me about what happened to Limp Root's seed."
"Limp Root?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Look to your right," Pando ordered, turning us all to where we saw a dying, rotting tree. "That dead tree was Limp Root's tree before her apple was plucked off her, and if you know anything about my Orphan trees, they die as soon as they lose their apples."
"Wait a moment. You name your trees? Why do you do that?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I don't know. Why did your parents name you and your family?" He asked, which made Apple Bloom silent. Just as your parents named and cared for you, Pando felt the exact same thing about his Orphan trees. "Look around. I have named every single Orphan tree that has ever been grown. There's Dark Leaf, Strong Bark, and the twins, Alder and Ash. All nineteen Orphan trees are named, as well as the other eighty-one that have been destroyed because of your kind."
"Ponies destroyed the Orphan trees?" Applejack asked.
"No, dear," I answered. "The Apple Family alone did it."
I shocked my grandchildren when I told them about what happened to all those trees. There had been one hundred Orphan trees at one point, but because of the Apple family, they had been nearly wiped out. That was when an epiphany had hit Apple Bloom.
"Granny Smith, is this connected to the Apple Family Slaughter?"
"I'm afraid so," I answered, finally being left with no other choice than to start telling my family the truth. "Years ago, we found the Orphan trees throughout the Everfree Forest, and Pando here didn't like it very much."
"That is correct. I still remember that dreaded day when you first entered my forest," Pando answered. "Your clan found each and everyone of my Orphan trees, the direct descendants of myself. All trees in Equestria are connected to me in one way or another, but none need more protection than the Orphan trees, especially after your ruthless family first came to this land."
"You wiped out a lot of our family for picking apples and you call US ruthless?" Applejack asked.
At that time, a large pointed root emerged from the ground and appeared in front of Applejack like a spike track, causing her to jump back in fear.
"Next time, I will aim for your heart, pony."
"Don't you threaten my granddaughter like that, Pando!" I ordered. "She has no idea about what's going on."
"How can that be? She would've went through a very similar experience you went through, considering all three of them are the next ones to have found these trees," Pando said, being confused about what I said. Then, after thinking about it, he realized something. "You never told them, did you?"
"Told them what?" I asked.
"Surely, they've been curious about their mother and father."
"Well... I told them that the timberwolves got them, but that's because it's true."
"Then they should've pieced it together by now."
Apple Bloom, Applejack and Big Mac were all confused about what Pando and I were talking about, not realizing that we were talking about their parent's death. After thinking about it carefully, Apple Bloom thought of something.
"Wait a second..." Apple Bloom said. "Aren't you the master of the timberwolves, Mr. Everfree?"
"That's right. I am also their creator. Their sole purpose is to keep everypony away from my territory."
"If the timberwolves belong to you, and they..." Applejack said, as she too came to the realization. Then she looked up to Pando in horror as she finally pieced it together. "You're the real one responsible for... Did you kill our parents?"
"Ah, yes. Now I remember you," Pando said. "You, the big one, and the little one, came here before and found my Orphan trees. You foolishly stole the golden apples of Lone Pine, Thick Sap, and Pando Jr. I originally had twenty-two survivors from my attack on your family, but lost three more because each of you took more of my children away."
Several years ago, you three entered my forest as foals. As I normally have trust in my timberwolves and am rendered motionless, I normally slumber until I am needed. The three of you found my domain and found the Orphan trees, taking home three of their fruit. My life's duty is to keep the trees living, and keep their population from going down any more. They are my children, my family, and as you know, they die as soon as their fruit is picked...
I will show no mercy to anyone who tries to take my children away from me. I didn't when the Apples first did so many years ago and I chose not to the second time either.
I sent wave after wave of timberwolves to your farm in an attempt to avenge my children by taking away the ones who had took them away. After a few days, your parents and Smith found out about me, and offered me a deal. In an attempt to protect their own children, they offered me their own lives. They were the first of your kind to show the empathy I desired, so while I only received justice for only two of my three lost children, I accepted it, for they were only the second and third ponies I had any respect for.
"I accepted their sacrifice to me and spared the three of you, not that selfish ponies like you deserve it."
The kiddies stood in shock when they learned from Pando about the heroic sacrifice their parents made. Apple Bloom felt great sadness about why she never grew up with her parents, while Big McIntosh tried to keep strong. Applejack, however, felt nothing but anger.
"YOU KILLED MY MA AND PA?" Applejack shouted in rage. "I'LL BUCK YOU UP GOOD FOR THAT!"
"Applejack, STOP!" I shouted.
In her blind rage, Applejack charged toward Pando Everfree without using her brain. Before she ran past me, I jumped into her and knocked her down to the ground. As soon as I did, another spike-shaped root appeared a mere hoof away, which would've been the exact spot Applejack would've been at, had I not stopped her.
"It's a shame, Smith," Pando said. "If I had struck her heart as I promised, this whole issue would've been resolved, for it would've been an eye for an eye."
"Mr. Everfree, can I ask you something?" Apple Bloom asked. "If you don't want us to take your apples, then why do you let her take them as much as she likes to?"
Pando grew silent, as he didn't quite knew how to answer, since he had a very good reason as to why him and I got along as well as we did, despite his feelings toward ponykind. I made it easier on all of us by answering her myself.
"It's not the apples he actually cares about, Apple Bloom. It's the seeds he wants." I explained.
"The seeds?"
"As I told you, each Orphan tree bears only one golden apple. What I didn't bring up is that each apple has one, and only has one seed inside to grow a new tree. This means that there will always be a fixed number of Orphan trees, and as long as I return the seeds back here, he lets me bring home golden apples whenever they're ready."
"But why does he let you do that, and not anypony else?"
"Because she's the only one I trust," Pando answered, interrupting me. "When the Apple Family found all of the Orphan trees in this forest, she was the only one responsible enough to keep any seeds, while the others had been thrown away or eaten. In exchange for her kindness, I had the timberwolves take the seeds back, spared her and the rest of her family, and returned them to the forest. When we finally met face to face, shortly after your parents died, we made a deal to prove my trust in her. In exchange for keeping this whole thing a secret, I would trust her with the seeds of my children to do whatever she pleased with their fruit, and until recently, she did a fine job."
And that was it. That was everything I had kept my grandchildren from knowing for all these years. I did it because I was afraid of how they would feel if they knew. At that time, I had something completely new to fear.
"Our original deal still stands, Smith. Your are to return the seed of Limp Root to me or I will have to take the child's life."
"Oh, come on. She's a little filly!" Applejack said. "You can't honestly-"
"YES I CAN!" Pando shouted in anger, followed by eight wooden spikes appearing from underground, surrounding Applejack. "One more word from you and I'll feed you to the Timberwolves!"
"Applejack, stay as silent as Big Mac. I highly doubt he likes you," I told her. "I will always honor our deal, Pando. Rest assure that I will return your seed."
"Very well then, but remember. I want either Limp Root returned here and buried back into the ground, or I will come get the child make her pay."
Apple Bloom was really scared by what me and Pando agreed to, but I had no intention of letting his roots so much as touch little Apple Bloom. I didn't entirely knew how to protect her as I wasn't sure where Apple Bloom left the golden apple she had brought back, therefore I didn't know where its seed was. All I knew was that I needed to bring everypony back home, for they had a hard enough time just being with Pando Everfree.
I was also pretty sure that I still had a little more to explain to my Apple Bloom and the others, since they had to take in so much all at once, but at the same time, they had a few things to explain to me as well.
After our meeting with Pando Everfree, we went to retrieve the seed from the golden apple. Instead of going straight, ‘Bloom and Applejack remembered bringing the apple itself to the Cutie Mark Crusaders treehouse, where it was eaten. It was actually just the sisters and I, as Big McIntosh went straight back to the farm, to make sure it was still safe. While Pando didn’t care about what happened to the apple itself, the seed's safety would determine the Apple Family's future, as it would decide whether or not he would seek revenge.
"So we just give him the apple seed and we're good as gold?" Applejack asked.
"It may take me a while before I can have his trust again, but we'll be safe alright," I answered.
As we all walked to the the treehouse, I noticed that Apple Bloom was walking slower than the rest of us, having her head lowered in shame. I've never liked seeing the youngins look so gloom and I failed to see any reason she should've been at all., so I turned around to and started to walker slower to match her pace.
"Go on. Smile!" I told her.
"I can't," she answered. "I'm the reason this whole thing happened. I took the golden apple in the first place, and because of that, Pando has been attacking our family. I should never have taken it."
"Apple Bloom, you shouldn't worry about that," I said, as I lowered my head down to her level. "You aren't the first Apple to steal from Pando. Everypony else who took one took it solely out of greed, as they stole multiple golden apples. If anything, you are the first one who had a legit reason for finding them, and that was because I refused to tell you the truth. So if anything, I should be the one to blame."
"It doesn't matter, anyhow," Applejack said. "As soon as we return what the overgrown weed wants, he'll be off our hides for good."
As Apple Bloom felt slightly better about what she had done, she started to speed up and was able to catch up to Applejack, but Applejack quickly stayed back to come by my side. It was her turn to talk to me.
"Granny Smith, I've been meaning to ask. Why in the hay would you work with this guy?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Barkface back there caused the Apple Family Slaughter and took away our parents, and Pa was your son. How can you not be so mad about this? If I were you, I'd take a chainsaw and cut him down for firewood!"
Any parent would feel horrible about losing their children. In fact, our worst nightmare is to outlive our kids, so I felt miserable just by talking about it, but Applejack deserved to know the truth about anything, so without any further hesitation, I told her exactly why I held no harsh feelings towards Pando Everfree.
"I lost my son, and I always had liked your mother, so that was unfortunate too. The day when we lost them both was a real tragedy. It's a pain I will always feel, but you, Applejack, have no possible idea about what it’s like to lose your children. Pando didn't just lose one today, he's lost dozens of his own. I don't think I can ever understand the anger he's been holding in."
"But Granny, they're just trees. I love them too, but-"
"And WE'RE just ponies! It doesn't even matter whether or not we're ponies or trees, the point is that Pando and I both understand what it feels like to lose a child they love. Someday, you will be a mother yourself, and when you are, I pray to Celestia that you will never have to go through what me and Pando both went through. Take my word, Pando isn't doing anything I wouldn't do myself if I were in his roots, for if some monster came and took you, Apple Bloom, or Big Mac away from me, even if it meant committing the most horrendous crime like murdering the one who took you away, I would NOT hesitate to go through with it, for I would demand justice!"
I shocked Applejack, and even Apple Bloom overheard what I said too. They never knew how much I empathized with Pando and I was glad that they finally knew. As I said, Applejack had no idea what I had went through, and to an extent, what Pando went through. She may know how it feels to lose your parents, but she has yet to know the pain Pando and I went through.
"I'm real sorry to hear that," Applejack said with a sad face. "It's true. I have no idea what it's like to lose your kids, and I hope I never do. I guess I just shouldn't say anything."
"That's not completely true," I said. "You do at least know what it's like to lose an important family member, so there's no need for me to be angry at you."
I was happy that I had Applejack understand things from my point of view, although it did cause Apple Bloom to feel bad, since she didn't quite understood how we felt and she knew it. She was a foal when she lost her parents, so she didn't know how to feel, but she wanted to feel something, and that was all I could ever ask from her. Heck, it was probably more than I wanted. She's a good girl, so I don't think she deserved anything like that.
We eventually stopped talking, and got to the treehouse, where what was left of the golden apple was left at.
"Is is this where you brought it?" I asked Apple Bloom.
"Yeah. Me and Applejack ran straight to the farm when Winona came, so it should still be here," she answered.
"Well, I don't see anything."
"WHAT?"
Apple Bloom and Applejack charged to the spot where they left the apple, but much to their surprise, the apple itself, and therefore the seed of the golden apple, was gone. Now, I was certain that the golden apples wouldn't grow legs and walk away, even if they were magic. It didn't make sense to any of us.
"Where in Tartarus did the apple go?" Applejack asked.
We didn't know it at the time, but some time after this whole series of events went by, I found out exactly what happened to the golden apple.
When the dog went and found the sisters, they left the apple to be all by itself. Do you remember a while ago when I brought up the pink and grey fillies? Those two are schoolmates of Apple Bloom, named Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, a pair of girls who are lucky that they don't live in an age where spanking is common for parenting. They were walking by at the time and saw Apple Bloom and her friends eating the giant apple. They stayed, as they noticed the girls were really enjoying the fruit, and were tempted to get a piece of it themselves. I don't see why they were so envious though, considering they come from wealthy families. Diamond Tiara is actually the daughter of an old friend of mine, but I digress.
As Applejack and the Cutie Mark Crusaders completely devoured the apple, all that was left was the core. As they couldn't enjoy the apple like the others did, they thought of another idea.
"All we need to do is plant the seeds in this thing and we can have all of the giant apples we can eat!" Diamond Tiara said.
"Sounds great. Let's get those seeds out then," Silver Spoon answered.
"Eww. I'm not sticking my hoof in that. It looks rotten now."
"Why not, you already took a bite out of it."
"Oh, forget it. Let's just bring it back at my house. I'll have the maid take them out."
After Diamond Tiara gave the apple core a hard back kick, the apple flew up into the air and landed on her friend's back, forcing Silver Spoon to balance it. After getting herself to stand up straight, Silver Spoon marched forward as Diamond Tiara followed, making sure her precious stolen good was safe. The spoiled brats could eat fancy stuff, yet they don't mind stealing from farm folks. Their parents aren't hard enough on them.
Since we had no idea that Diamond Tiara and her friend took the apple and the seed, we had to give up finding it and return to the farm. In an instant, everything had went wrong. The deal was that if we returned the seed of the orphan tree to Pando Everfree, he would forgive my family for what Apple Bloom did, but since we couldn't find it, he would an expect an eye for an eye.
"You don't suppose he would forgive me for my mistake, would he?" Apple Bloom asked.
I really didn't want to answer that question.
"I'm afraid not, dear. In every scenario, Pando lost more then he took from us. This time he would demand a fair vengeance."
"And we're really going to let him have Apple Bloom?" Applejack asked.
"Nope!" Big Mac answered.
I let out a miserable sigh before continuing. "I would be more than happy to take her place, but I know Pando, and he would never accept me as a sacrifice. I could probably insist on it, but he'll probably just get angrier," I put my hooves in my face, being so angry and sad by what was happening. "But I can't just let this happen to my grandchild."
"Then what will we do?"
There was a long silence in our home. I couldn't think of anyway to make everypony happy. No matter what, Pando would send his timberwolves back to take apart of my family away, and like I said, Pando would never let me take Apple Bloom's place due to our little friendship and the fact that I'm as old as I am. Without that one little seed, I could do nothing to protect my family. This was a worse feeling I had then when my own son died, because I was about to lose his own child. It's not right for the old to outlive the young.
"Apple Bloom, you have school in the morning," Applejack said. "You'd best get to bed."
"But Applejack, I still want to-" Apple Bloom tried to say.
"Don't even think about it anymore. I've already got it all figured out."
"You do?"
"You do?" I asked.
"Take my word for it. By tomorrow, Mr. Firewood will stop bothering us and the farm will be saved. Big Macintosh, can you go put her into bed?"
"Eeyup."
"Good. I'll see you in the morning, sis. Just rest easy and think happy thoughts."
"Well... okay then. Goodnight, Applejack."
As she had ordered, Apple Bloom was sent off to bed with Big Mac going up to tuck her in, leaving the living room to just me and Applejack. I didn't know what Applejack was thinking, and I certainly wished she hadn't thought of it.
"So what's your plan, Applejack?"
"Granny, do you remember when you said that I don't know what it's like to outlive your children?" She asked me. "Well, I don't plan on ever knowing what it's like, and like I promise, he's not going to lay a root on my little sis."
"Applejack Ashleigh Apple!" I shouted. "I know what you're planning, and I'm not going to let you do it!"
She looked at me with a sincerely miserable look on her face, but after thinking for a moment, another entered her mind that made her look even worse, but then a final thought made her smile weakly. "I can't let Apple Bloom suffer for this, especially since I did what she did at her age and got off scott free. Besides, I love her, and I value her life much more than I my own," she said with a smile. "I've made up my mind Granny Smith, and there's nothing you can do to talk me out of it. Tomorrow, I'm giving Pando my life to spare Apple Bloom."
The next morning was a grim one to me. I couldn't get a wink of sleep, knowing that one of my grandchildren was going to end let her life end that day. If only I was a bit younger, Pando probably would've taken my life in Applejack's place. But he's by no means stupid, as I probably don't have too many years left in me anyway. While I was horrified by the idea that I would lose Applejack, I was certainly proud of her for doing it to protect Apple Bloom.
Surprisingly, Applejack looked very happy that morning and was making flapjacks with enthusiasm. She wasn't normally that happy unless it was cider season, and considering what had happened the other night, I wondered if it was all a dream or something.
"Food’s on the table, everypony! Who's hungry?"
Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh both sat down with weird expressions on their faces, since they also thought that Applejack was acting strange, especially after last night. They both felt she was confident about the idea that hit her the other night, so they just decided to trust that their sister had everything under control and started eating. My own flapjacks were even cut up in advance, to make it easier for me to eat. That was certainly a nice touch.
Most of us were rather silent, with Apple Bloom and Big Mac wondering about what would happen, while I was worrying about what was about to happen to Applejack, but Applejack herself was rather lively that morning, looking like she didn't have a care in the world.
"So, is Pando not going to bother us anymore, sis? I've been worrying about it all night. I couldn't even sleep good," Apple Bloom asked, who had the same thoughts as I did.
"Never again, Apple Bloom. Never again. But whether you got sleep or not, you're going to have to go to school today. In fact, as soon as you’re done your breakfast, you need to get ready. You don't want to be late."
"Um... Okay," Apple Bloom said, who was still worried, and for the right reason too.
Big Mac went straight to work after he ate, as he had a busy day of farming and repairs to in front of him, so he didn't see Apple Bloom head off to school like me or Applejack. Applejack had everything taken care of for ‘Bloom’s departure. Having a lunch made, and whatever she normally needed packed into her saddlebag, she was ready to leave right away.
"Now, you be sure to have a great day, you hear?" Applejack said.
"I'll try," Apple Bloom answered, not feeling too confident about what her sister had promised earlier. "So you're sure that Pando won't be attacking us or anything anymore?"
"Of course I'm sure!. Now get moving."
"Are you sure? You seem to be acting a bit odd today."
"I'm fine, Apple Bloom. Now get going."
Apple Bloom wasn't buying what Applejack was selling off, knowing that something was wrong. She was sure that Applejack was lying about something, but couldn't put her hoof on it. Not being the untruthful type, Applejack had tried to satisfy Apple Bloom's curiosity the best she could.
"When you get home from school, you'll find our farm perfectly safe and sound, and you'll be able to sleep soundly tonight without fearing those timberwolves. Alright?"
"I... guess so," Apple Bloom answered.
"Alrighty. Now give your big sis a hug and get going. Be sure to say hi to Cheerilee for me."
Although she didn't completely trust her big sister, Apple Bloom accepted it and gave her sister a small hug before heading off. For the first time that morning, I saw what Applejack was really thinking. As Apple Bloom couldn't see her face, Applejack face suddenly turned grim as she knew that it would've been the last time Apple Bloom would ever see her. As a tear dropped down Applejack's face, I realized that all of the happiness she was showing before was an act, more than likely try and to keep Apple Bloom from knowing about her plan. I suppose that if Apple Bloom knew the truth, she would've objected to what was about to do.
After a quick hug, Apple Bloom left the farm to head to the school. Unknown to either of us at the time, she had also dropped a tear. My guess was that she had an idea on what Applejack was planning to do. She's by no means dumb, so it probably didn't take much for her to come to such a conclusion, seeing how the only way Pando would halt his attack on the farm and family was if Apple Bloom were to sacrifice herself. She felt worse then ever because of how her curiosity over the golden apple was how this whole thing started. I will never have hard feelings for her for this though, since the same thing happened not only to Applejack herself, but a lot of the Apple family.
After seeing her little sister heading off to school, Applejack decided it was time.
"Granny Smith, if any of my friends ask, tell them something like I protected the farm from timberwolves or something. We can't have them knowing about Barkface. And if you decide to tell Apple Bloom about what I'm about to do, be sure to go easy on her, will you?" she asked me.
"I'll tell her you only did what you wanted to do," I answered. "The problem will be telling Big Mac. He's too soft hearted to bear such news like this."
"Yeah, but he'll realize that I'm doing everything for the sake of the Apple Family. He'll be strong. It's Apple Bloom who I'm worried about."
"Applejack, it pains me to see you go like this, but what you're willing to protect your family is something I'm glad you got from your parents. I've been proud of them since then, and I'm sure they're proud of you right now. It'll be sad though when... well... when they see you."
"I'll be sure to say hi to them for you. I just hope they'll forgive me for leaving Apple Bloom like this."
For the final time, Applejack and I gave each other one final hug. After that, there were no further words that could be said. She knew I loved her, and knew that Apple Bloom would be safe, so without any further hesitation, she turned around and made her way to the Everfree Forest. From the moment she left, until the moment she met up with a pack of timberwolves, who were there waiting for her. I kept my old eyes on her, wanting to keep a mental memory of that moment embedded in my brain for the rest of my life. Applejack was literally walking to her death.
Applejack walked deep into the forest with the pack of timberwolves closely by her side, making sure she that she was escorted to their master. During this time, she thought about everything that had happened in her life. How she proudly got her cutie mark, how she made so many wonderful friends, all of the adventures she had with them, and even the memories of her parents that she kept. She cried about how she would never see any of them again, and how they would never see her again either, but she knew what she was giving up and didn't hesitate to give it up for the sake of her family, especially her little sister.
"You aren't the one I expected to come."
She eventually reached Pando Everfree, who was surprised to see Applejack, as he was expecting Apple Bloom. Applejack wasn't afraid of Pando from their first encounter, and the second was no different.
"Yeah, well we can't all have what we want," she answered. "You said you wanted one Apple pony for taking of your trees from you, right? Well here I am."
"Why do this though? It's like an insect flying into a spider's web. What do you have to gain from this?"
"The same reason my parents did for me, my brother, and my sister. To protect my loved ones, for I value them more than my own life!"
Pando had let out a light chuckle from Applejack's comment. "Yes, that was exactly why those two ponies took your place. They were loving parents who only wanted their children to be safe. They knew how I myself felt. You, my little pony, now understand how I feel. For that, I will gladly accept you as the child's substitute, and for your selfless act, I shall make this as quick and painless as possible."
From directly underneath Applejack, a giant root emerged and quickly wrapped itself around her. From out of Applejack's field of vision, another root, one with a very sharp tip, also began to emerge. Sadly, that was what Pando considered to be the quickest and most painless form of execution. As he was getting ready to kill Applejack, he decided to take a moment to talk to her.
"So tell me, do you blame ‘Smith for feeding you the Orphan tree's golden apples, despite the history behind them?"
"Have you ever tasted those apples? They could've been stolen by royalty and I would gladly eat them. And I certainly know Apple Bloom enjoyed them as well."
"It's a shame though. It was because she enjoyed my fruit so much that your life will now come to an end," Pando said, as he had the sharp root fly towards Applejack at a high speed.
"Yeah, well, she ate the apple to its core and savored every single bite, so at least there's a consolation to it."
At that moment, the sharp root was inches away from the back of Applejack's head, but as she finished her last sentence, the root came to a sudden stop. She turned her head to see the root was right behind her, then turned back to look on the face of the giant tree that was Pando Everfree. Something came to Pando's mind that he had never thought of before, and the pleasantness that Pando had been emitting to Applejack immediately turned back into anger.
As she was told to, Apple Bloom went straight to school, but didn't keep her promise to not worry about the family. As she walked from Sweet Apple Acres to her school, she looked down in gloom as she thought about everything that had been happening. She walked through the streets of Ponyville to get to her school, but she practically forgot where she was even going, as her brain seemed to push every other thought out of her mind. She didn't even notice when her friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, started to walk beside and talk with her.
She was told everything would be fine, but she wasn’t dumb. She pieced it all together and knew that Applejack took her place for Pando's revenge. She knew that when she would come home, Applejack wouldn't be there. She had nothing to say about it. She had no reaction to it. She did not know to to act with the idea of losing one's sister. Her mind was blanker than her flank.
"Apple Bloom? Are you alright?" Sweetie Belle asked.
That was when Apple Bloom finally felt something on her face. Dripping down from her eye came a single, well held tear as Apple Bloom accepted the idea that she had lost her older sister.
Apple Bloom wouldn't even say anything until their first recess, and even then, she didn't feel talkative. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle did manage to get Apple Bloom to talk eventually, but it was by no means easy. She told them everything, from who Pando Everfree was to her conclusion of Applejack's sacrifice. The girls were stunned by what they had learned. Even they had a hard time thinking of something to say.
"I'm... really sorry, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo said. "I'm not sure how much harder it can get than that."
"I wouldn't even want to think about what it would be like if I lost Rarity like that," Sweetie Belle said. "I don't know what to say.”
Apple Bloom became silent again, as talking to her friends didn't help her at all, but they didn't want to see her upset again. While they couldn't stop her from crying, they knew that the least they could do was to be by her side. They both sat down next to Apple Bloom, put one of their hooves around her so they could, if nothing else, try to ease her pain.
"Thanks, girls," Apple Bloom finally said sadly, but with a small smile. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
What she didn't realize that was that Applejack wasn't dead yet. Sometime before recess even started...
Back at the Everfree Forest, Pando Everfree nearly gave her the execution, until she said something that stopped him. While he could've impaled Applejack right there and then, he wanted her to explain herself regarding the last words she had said.
"I beg your pardon?" Applejack asked.
"You said you and the girl ate a lot of the golden apple, did you not?"
"Well actually, I ate the smallest piece. It was the girls who found the darn thing, so of course they deserved the larger piece."
"Girls? And in... Oh, that's right," Pando said as he realized something. "There were three of them that took Limproot, wasn’t there. But I digress. Since you had such a small piece, you don't suppose you could have somehow ate the seed, did you?"
"Pff. I've been eating apples all my life. If a seed got into my mouth, I would've spit it back out like it was an orange."
Pando closed his eyes and thought deeply. He believed Applejack when she said that she didn't eat the seed by accident, but since the apple was eaten down to its core, the idea that it was eaten was still a distinct possibility.
Actually, whenever I prepare a meal with a golden apple, the first thing I always do is to remove the seed for me to return to Pando, and every single time I've done so, it's always right there in the core. Even I would believe that it’s possible to eat the one and only seed by mistake.
"If that's the case, then do you know if the fillies that stole Limproot's seed ate it or not?" Pando asked.
"Well... I guess they could've, but if they ate it, then they ate it. What can you do?"
Having no further business with Applejack, he released the grip his root had on her and allowed her to drop back onto the ground, although it was a fairly painful landing due to the height. Naturally, she was confused by the sudden change of heart.
"Hold on there, cowboy! You're letting me go?"
"Yes. My revenge is meaningless now. Since there's now a chance for Limproot to return to me, I have no further reason to quarrel with your family today. Instead, I'll simply try take my child back myself."
At that moment, Pando began to shake his entire being, allowing thousands of seeds to fall from his branches. I have to note, even I didn't know Pando could move his body like that. In fact, seeing as he's a tree, I didn't know he could move at all.
"Rise, my worthless servants. Your master calls!"
The ground began to glow in an ominous green aura as the seeds quickly sprouted, and in a matter of moments, they grew into fully grown trees. As soon as the trees stopped growing, they were magically ripped out of the ground and torn apart, creating thousands of pedicels of wooden logs which were lifted up into the air. The branches and leaves began to re-shape and merge with one another. When the whole process was finished, Applejack realized what Pando done. He had created an army of timberwolves from scratch.
"Wow. So that's where they come from," Applejack said.
"Three young ponies came here and took Limproot away from me the other day," Pando said to the wolves. "You are all to track them down and bring each one back to me alive. Do not return until you have captured all three, but you must bring them all back to me alive!"
Given their orders, the timberwolves made a short dash to a nearby dead tree, which was the tree that Pando used to call Limproot, and gave the ground a sniff. After catching the scent, the pack growled and ran out of the forest to track down their prey, which happened to include my own granddaughter.
"Hey, can you explain to me what you want with the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Applejack asked, concerned.
"The who? I'm having them track down the girls who took Limproot. If I'm correct, one of them may still have the seed in one of their stomachs, but I'll never know unless I check..."
"Hey hey hey, the deal was that you kill me and not Apple Blo
om, the other girls aren't even involved with this!"
"They have no business with you or your family, so why do you care? As for your sister, if the seed really isn't in her or her friend's stomachs, then I'll have no reason to kill you after all."
"We had a deal, Barkface, and there's no way I'll let you hurt those kids!"
Pando grew bored of Applejack. Since he didn't want to kill her anymore, he did the next best thing. Giant wooden spikes began to emerge from the ground in a blink of an eye, one directly in front of Applejack, one from behind, two at the sides, and before she could react, she found herself to be trapped inside a circle of wooden spikes.
"I will free you, once I'm done ripping the children into bloody shreds. Limproot's seed will return to me, and I'll gladly take it over petty vendetta."
Applejack was horrified by the sudden betrayal. She came down to to Everfree Forest to spare her little sister a horrible fate, but ultimately caused Apple Bloom to potentially go through an even more torturous death, and to make matters worse, Applejack, knowing that she was trapped by Pando Everfree, would likely have to witness the suffering. She knew, right there and then, that everything was only going to get worse.
This was the start of absolute chaos. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After learning Pando's plan to capture Apple Bloom and the cutie mark crusaders, Applejack made a desperate attempt to escape from her trap, which was a series of wooden spikes surrounding her. She probably has the strongest legs in Ponyville, rivaling even Big Mac, but even she couldn't smash her way out.
"Stop wasting your time. That wood is stronger than iron. No axe can cut it." Pando said.
"Dang it." Applejack cursed to herself. ""Surely this isn't necessary. If the apple seed you want is still in the girl's stomach, maybe you can just...you know...wait for them to, shall we say...lose it?"
"Forget it. I'm not going to let my child lose any more of his dignity." Pando said. "I think it would just be more convenient to just rip out their stomachs and inspect them."
"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" Applejack screamed. "They're just little fillies!"
"Exactly. They are just little fillies. It'll be no more different than how you ponies occasionally step on a tiny ant. Your lives are meaningless to me."
"But all you are doing this for is for a few stupid trees!" Applejack answered.
"So are you saying that you care not for my children, just as I don't for your sister?"
"Exactly!"
At that moment, Applejack had to bite her lip, as she realized that she said something rather hypocritical. She was upset about how Pando had no regard for Apple Bloom's life and the drastic actions he was taking to getting Limproot's seed back. What Applejack realized was that she didn't have any regard for Pando's children either as she only cared for her little sister, just as how Pando felt nothing for her and Apple Bloom. In short, Applejack was a lot like Pando.
Truth be told, I myself am a lot like Pando. When it comes to the life of my family, I'd be willing to go through extreme measures too, although my temper is much more controllable than Pando's, but as a parent's point of view, I knew exactly how Pando was feeling. Every parent will do anything they feel they have to do to get their kids back. It's just that Pando is capable of doing more than somepony like me can do.
As Pando had ordered, the timberwolves followed the scent of the girls and quickly made their way to the Cutie Mark Crusader's treehouse, which was where the girls brought the golden apple they took in the first place. The wolves sniffed all around the area to catch the scent of the girls. Most of the timberwolves left to continue search as soon as they went near the treehouse, which was where the girl's scent was at its strongest, but a few of them didn't even go there.
Several of the timberwolves were more attracted to one particular spot, which was where the golden apple was last seen. It wasn't the scent of the apple the timberwolves smelled, but they did catch the scent of a few unfamiliar individuals. As they were ordered to seek out three fillies, they were initially confused because they though somepony else was with them. In the end, they decided to follow the new trail to see where it would lead them. It's a good thing for Apple Bloom that timberwolves aren't famous for their brains.
Before long, the wooden mutts had made their way into Ponyville, causing chaos with their presence alone. Typically, the most dangerous animals to come into town would be a herd of cows stampeding when they see a snake, or the much more frequent scenario, when they find out its happy hour, but even then, cows are not dangerous creatures and can even be talked to. Most folks in Ponyville would never of even seen a timberwolve up close as they normally stay right in the Everfree Forest, so our town is surprisingly defenseless against them.
The ponyfolk at the edge of the town screamed and ran away as they saw the timberwolves walking into the town.
"SWEET CELESTIA!" A pony screamed.
"TIMBERWOLVES!"
"THE HORROR! THE HORROR!" Actually, I think the mare who said that says it a lot.
While most were running away from the timberwolves, they quickly found that the wolves weren't after them. In fact, as aggressive as they were, they attacked no pony as they ran in town. Many just ran out of their way as they ran through the roads of Ponyville while many more stayed inside to stay safe as the pegasus stayed airborne. Sadly, no pony were able to figure out what the timberwolves were doing until it was too late.
At Apple Bloom's school, she and her friends were out at recess, where Apple Bloom was talking about everything that happened, but I've already covered that part. After being cheered up a little by her friends, Apple Bloom tried to play with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, but before they could think of something to do...well, I'm sure you've already guessed it.
"MONSTER!" A young colt screamed as he ran inside the school.
The other kiddies turned to the school fence and saw that on the other side, the timberwolves were standing and watching the children. Some of them even jumped over the fence to get into the schoolyard. As soon as one began chewing into the fence, the rest of the children began to panic and ran inside as well with screams. Miss. Cheerliee managed to get the children inside without everypony going into disarray.
"Quickly now, my little ponies!" Cheerilee said at the door. "Okay, we have Dinky, Snips, Snails...I don't see the cutie mark crusaders! Girls?"
The sight of the timberwolves left Apple Bloom frozen in shock, as there shoud've been no reason for them to be in town, since Applejack went in to meet Pando. She had no idea what had happened and the possibility of Applejack's sacrifice being for nothing over nothing overwhelmed her.
"Apple Bloom, hurry up!" Sweetie Belle said as she turned to see that her friend didn't move."
Recognizing Apple Bloom's scent, the wolves growled and ran towards her, knowing full well that she was one of the filly they were looking for. Apple Bloom quickly came to her senses though and ran back into the school with everypony else. As soon as the last child was inside, Cheerilee slammed the doors shut , but as stupid as the timberwolves were, they were smart enough to know that Apple Bloom was inside and quickly broke through the door, sending poor Miss Cheerilee flying. Whatever they're paying her, it's not enough for what she does for her students.
As soon as the timberwolves got inside, they began to catch more familiar smells, and all of them were coming from the same room, much to their convenience. They all prowled into the main classroom and found all of the kids to be huddled in the corner.
"As if we're going to let a bunch of twigs hurt our friends!" Scootaloo said as she walked towards the timberwolves.
"Yeah, not everypony here have their cutie marks yet, and we want to live long enough to see them all get them." Sweetie Belle said as she walked by her friend.
Inspired by their courage, Apple Bloom stopped feeling guilty about everything and stood up to stand by the ones who tried to help her.
"Come on, girls!" Apple Bloom said. "I have an idea on what our cutie marks are.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MONSTER FIGHTERS!" They all shouted together.
As foolish as they were, everything the cutie mark crusaders were doing was for the right thing. Random monsters came barging into their school and scared all of their friends, as well as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They defended everypony and were proud of their actions.
Sadly, each of them got pounced immediately afterwards, with one timberwolf jumping on each of the crusaders. That was when fear took over them once more. Apple Bloom was able to get out by giving a strong buck into the timberwolf's jaw, causing it to let go of her. Sadly, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle couldn't get out, and were picked up by the timberwolve's mouth before running off with them.
"RAINBOW DASH! HELP!" Scootaloo screamed.
"SAVE US!" Sweetie Belle screamed.
"GIRLS!" Apple Bloom shouted. "You all let go of my-"
"HEY! HEY! Don't touch me you stupid mutts!"
Much to Apple Bloom's surprised, the timberwolve's had gotten around the room and snagged somepony else. Diamond Tiara, who I'm sure I've talked about before, was attacked and snagged by another timberwolf. As soon as she was grabbed, the timberwolf ran out of the room, with the rest of the pack following it leaving as quickly and as mysteriously as they appeared.
"Is everyone okay?" Silver Spoon asked.
"What kind of question is that?" Apple Bloom asked. "They took Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle! Oh, and Diamond Tiara too."
Apple Bloom started to think about everything that had happened. She considered that she and her friends encountered the timberwolves the day before, so it would make sense why they would be after them, but it didn't explain to her as to why they kidnapped Diamond Tiara.
"Silver Spoon, did you do anything out of the ordinary yesterday?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Pfft. As if I'd tell how my day went to a blank flank." Silver Spoon answered.
"Look, I know things about the timberwolves that you don't, and you clearly know things that I need to know, so if you want to help Diamond Tiara out of this jam, you should probably tell me if you two did anything. Did you see any timberwolves yesterday or anything.
"Of course not. We went shopping, got these pretty outfits for a fancy party we're going to, then we planted a-" At that moment, She remember that she and Diamond Tiara did do something out of the ordinary. If you remembered, it was those spoiled kids who stole what was left of the golden apple. Since everything that happened was related to Apple Bloom, she decided to come clean. "Actually, we did do something different yesterday. We...were spying on you when you ate that giant apple."
Apple Bloom's mouth dropped at Silver Spoon's confession, which allowed Apple Bloom to quickly piece everything together.
The one problem with telling a story like this is that I'm never 100% certain on how other ponies are feeling. Frankly, I don't want to know just how angry Apple Bloom was at Silver Spoon when she learned about what she and Diamond Tiara did. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Miss. Cheerilee was still light-headed after everything that happened, as well as the confusion caused when every pony in town went to the school after the timberwolf attack, Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon managed to sneak out. Before leaving, Silver Spoon went on about how she and Diamond Tiara saw Apple Bloom and her friends with the giant golden apple, grew jealous, and stole whatever was left of it.
"Please tell me everything you just told me was a lie." Apple Bloom demanded.
"I could, but I would be lying" Silver Spoon answered. "Now you tell me what the apple has to do with that timberwolf attack!"
Apple Bloom didn't want to say too much, like Pando's existence, so she did her best to say only what Silver Spoon needed to know.
"I think those timberwolves want the golden apple, and if we want our friends back, we're going to have to give it back. Now where is it."
"I can't tell you. Diamond Tiara will kill me if I tell you."
"If you say nothing, those timberwolves will kill her."
Apple Bloom made a very persuasive argument. While Silver Spoon was still afraid of what would happen if Diamond Tiara found out about what she was about to do, she knew that something worse was ready to come to her friend's way.
"Alright, we brought it to her house. I'll take you there now."
Around that time, back in the Everfree Forest, the timberwolves returned to their master to show their progress. Sadly for them, Pando was not happy with what he was given. With the three fillies brought back to him, Pando held Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Diamond Tiara's front hooves with large roots and held the three in the air.
"Where is the Apple child? Apple Bloom I believe it was." Pando asked. "I never seen this pink one before."
"Well, you asked them to bring you three fillies, did you not?" Applejack asked, mocking Pando.
"Quiet!" Pando ordered to Applejack before turning his attention to Diamond Tiara. "Pink one, who are you and what do you have to do with Limproot?"
As much as I'd like to give a good spanking to that spoiled girl, even she didn't deserve what she got. At the time, she was still comprehending the fact that a pack of timberwolves had picked her up and brought her into the Everfree Forest. She didn't know what to think of about a giant talking tree.
"Child! Tell me now what you're doing here!"
"Hey, leave her alone!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "Wait, did I just stood up for who I think I stood up for?"
"Who are you?" Scootaloo asked. "Are you the panda I've heard about?"
"DO I LOOK LIKE A PANDA BEAR TO YOU?" Pando yelled with anger, frightening all three of the girls at once. "I am Pando Everfree, guardian of the Everfree Forest and lord of the trees. Now tell me who the pink one is! How come my timberwolves brought her here?"
Again, poor Diamond Tiara was too scared by Pando's presence to say anything. Staring at the giant tree's face caused the filly to breath heavily. Before she knew it, she was hyperventilating.
"SPEAK!" He shouted with a loud, booming voice.
And just like that, the shock and heavy breathing caused Diamond Tiara to lose consciousness. As much as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle despised her, they felt that she was suffering more then what she deserved.
"Now calm down, Barkfa- I mean, Pando." Applejack said. "She didn't take your seed or nothing, and I'm certain that the other didn't-"
"My patience grows thin!"
Tired of hearing Applejack talking, Pando used had the wooden spears surrounding her come down and force Applejack down to the ground, crushing her body. From the weight of the wood, she was unable to stand up, nor was she able to breath as well as she was before. Because of this, she barely had the strength to breath, let alone speak.
"Now then. Which of you have the seed of the golden apple you stole from me?"
Moments before, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were defending their schoolmate/mortal enemy, but after hearing Pando's voice rising more, they were both hoping they could somehow defend themselves.
Back at Ponyville, Silver Spoon brought Apple Bloom to Diamond Tiara's house as promised. Despite being a rather large house due to her father being Filthy Rich, and that actually is what her father's name is by the way, but Silver Spoon knew her way around like it was the back of her hoof. In the backyard, they found the discard golden apple, left completely destroyed.
"What the hay happened?" Apple Bloom asked.
"We decided to plant our own apple tree to try and get more of those apples." Silver Spoon answered. "We looked through the whole thing, but the stupid apple only had one apple seed in it. Anyway, the wolves want the apple? Well by all means take it, since we don't even need it-"
"WHERE'S THE SEED?" Apple Bloom screamed at the top of her lungs. "THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY AFTER!"
Silver Spoon got intimidated by Apple Bloom's voice and decided not to say anything. She knew that there was no stopping Apple Bloom, so she pointed to the stop where she and Diamond Tiara had planted the seed. After spending a few seconds digging, Apple Bloom had finally found what Pando was emending to be brought back to him. She knew that she could save her friends, and even considered the possibility of saving her sister, by bringing the seed back. That said, she tossed the apple seed into her saddlebag and began marching off Diamond Tiara's home.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Silver Spoon asked.
"I'm going into the Everfree Forest! Those Timberwolves want the apple seed back, so I'm going to bring it back." Apple Bloom answered, only telling half the truth.
"Are you insane? Those things will rip you to a bloody pulp!"
"If I do nothing, they will rip our friends to a bloody pulp. Which you rather have that happen?" Apple Bloom asked. "Oh, and don't tell anypony what I'm doing. "If the town hears of this, they will try to stop me."
"But they could help! I bet Rainbow Dash could-"
"No, Silver Spoon. As hard as this is to believe, this is a family matter. And if you do say anything, you're never going to taste zap apple jam again."
With her request/threat given to Silver Spoon, Apple Bloom ran off and headed to the EverFree Forest as fast as her little legs could move her.
Just as Apple Bloom said, the reason she wanted to return the seed to Pando alone was for family reasons. Ever since she realized what Applejack did that morning, she felt like she had been nothing but a burden on the family. First her parents gave their lives up to keep her safe, and then Applejack tried giving up her life as well. She felt it was entirely her fault in Applejack's case since she was the one who took the golden apple in the first place, and on top of that, her best friends got involved when they shouldn't of had to.
Apple Bloom was tired hurting anypony. She felt responsible for everything that had happened, so she wanted to take responsibility and sought to set everything right. Take my word, for as a mother, I know that an attitude like that shows how much she was growing up. Great pride can be taken with that kid, and she certainly brought pride to the Apple Family that day, for she was determined to end the dispute between the Apples and Pando Everfree once and for all.
The seed to an orphan tree. The tiny little thing that Pando Everfree demended to have returned to him. After so long, Apple Bloom was able to find it.
With the seed at last in her possession, Apple Bloom ran to the Everfree Forest with haste. As she ran through Ponyville, she saw the damage the timberwolves caused just by entering town, as they smashed through every food cart and small house that got in between them and the scent they were following. No pony in Ponyville had any idea as to why they came in the first place. To this day, they still don't.
This is because Apple Bloom didn't want any other pony to get involved with Pando and because everything that went on was started by the Apple Family, my family, but with the orphan tree seed in her saddlebag, she wouldn't need any help anyway. Or at least that's what she thought.
Back in the Everfree Forest...
"I've been giving you children your chances." Pando said to Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and the unconscious Diamond Tiara. "If none of you tell me where the seed is, I'll start ripping you apart one by one!"
"Let them...go..." Applejack said quietly, as she was still being crushed Pando's roots.
"I swear we don't know!" Sweetie Belle said. "We don't even know what you're talking about!"
"RAINBOW DASH! RAINBOW DASH, HEL-" Scootaloo screamed, but then another root grew from the roots used to hold her in the air, then wrapped itself around Scootaloo's neck, keeping her from screaming.
"Of course. Signal for help." Pando said sarcastically, yet with a more angry tone then before. "Let more of your kind barge into my forest and force me to stain the trees with their blood."
Poor Scootaloo would've just screamed louder, but having that root wrapped around her neck made it too hard for her to scream at all. Sweetie Belle started to scream too, only for Pando to grow another root around her neck as well. As Pando grew more and more impatient, the last thing he wanted was to hear the screams of children.
"I guess I'm left with no choice. I'll start with the pink one since she wouldn't tell me anything."
Through with giving the fillies a chance to speak up, he summoned up a bed of wooden spikes directly below Diamond Tiara. He planned to make a very thorough examination of each of the girl's bodies to see if any of them really did eat the seed to Limproot, and with no regard for their lives, it would've been an easy task.
"Hey, let my friends go!"
To the surprise of Pando, the voice of the filly he was looking for screamed out from the forest. Apple Bloom had managed to arrive to save her friends before they got executed. At that moment, Apple Bloom also saw her older sister being crushed by Pando's roots, but alive nonetheless. That gave her one less thing to worry about.
"APPLE BLOOM!" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said together.
"Yellow one! I've been looking for you!" Pando said.
"What are you doing with my friends? They've done nothing wrong!" Apple Bloom asked.
"I still have reason to believe that Limproot's seed is still around. I suspect that it was you or your friends who has eaten it, and I plan on getting back what is mine." Pando answered.
"Well, I'm afraid you've been looking in the wrong places, because I have your apple seed."
"WHAT!?"
"Yeah, I have it right-"
It was then that Apple Bloom felt the ground vibrating. A second later, she jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding a large wooden spike from impaling her. She realized that Pando was not in the mood for talking and wanted his apple seed back. Ironically, he could've gotten it back much faster if he was a bit more patient.
"So you admit that you have Limproot's seed?" Pando asked.
"Yes, and if you could let my friends and sister-"
Before she could get a word out edgewise, she felt more of Pando's spikes underground and started to run out of their way, but unlike the last time, Pando wasn't stopping after one pillar. He was going for the kill and continuously tried to strike down Apple Bloom. One spike even came and grazed her side, ripping her saddlebag off of her side. Pando didn't wait to let Apple Bloom finish, and because of that, he didn't really that she meant she had the seed in her bag and not in her stomach.
"Mr. Everfree! If you you will just give me a moment, I can..." That's when Apple Bloom realized her saddlebag was gone. When she reached for it to get the apple seed out for Pando, she felt nothing. She then saw that her bag was knocked near Pando himself, being directly below from where he stood. It was ironic how the one thing Pando wanted was directly below him at that moment.
"Apple Bloom...run!" Applejack said weakly as she struggled to breath.
She was told to run, but Apple Bloom knew that everything would've turned out alright if she got to her bag in time. It was by no means an easy task though, as Pando's anger made his actions reckless and dangerous. Simply telling him where the seed went was no longer an option.
Pando continued to summon more and more pillars of wood to skewer Apple Bloom, but she was able to outrun the assault. The attacks got more tactical after a short while as some were summoned far ahead of Apple Bloom, blocking off the exit to the rest of the forest. It didn't bother Apple Bloom much though since she didn't want to leave.
"Hold still, child!" Pando ordered. "You're making it very difficult for me!"
As Pando focused more and more on trying to strike Apple Bloom down, he began to lose his attention on the trapped Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. The vines holding the two fillies in the air lost much of their grip. The girls noticed the lighter grip and took the chance to pull themselves free. Using the vines, they safely slid down to the ground where they could assist Apple Bloom, and let me tell you, Apple Bloom needed the help.
"GIRLS!" Apple Bloom shouted. "GET MY BAG!"
Pando heard Apple Bloom and realized that the other two had freed themselves, raising his anger even further.
"ENOUGH!" Pando shouted. "I'M TIRED OF THIS NONSENSE! IT'S TIME I SEND YOU ALL TO TARTARUS"
Having reached his maximum anger, pillars of wooden spikes began to rise from everywhere without aim. Apple bloom couldn't even sense when they were coming anymore. Each pillar would rise up and barely gave the fillies a chance to avoid them. Pando was going all out and was ready to kill everypony at any moment.
"Pando! You want your seed back? You're gonna get it back!" Apple Bloom said, despite Pando not listening. "GIRLS! PASS ME MY BAG!"
Hearing their friend, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle ran toward the saddlebag lying by Pando. Scootaloo quickly got close to the bag, as well as being dangerously close to Pando himself, and snatched the bag. She then tossed the bag to Sweetie Belle, who then tossed it to Apple Bloom, reuniting its contents to her. She then reached into her bag and pulled out Limproot's seed.
"Pando! Pando Everfree!" Apple Bloom called out as held the seed into the air! "Here's your apple seed back!"
Although Pando looked as if he was ready to bring the entire forest down, that completely changed when he saw what Apple Bloom was holding. Suddenly, all of the pillars stopped rising, right when one was about to impale Apple Bloom from below her. Pando froze completely from what he saw in front of him. At long last, his fatherly search was over. His first act afterwards was to bring all of his pillars back underground. He also called back the trap holding Applejack in place back to the earth, freeing my granddaughter.
Lowering the still unconscious Diamond Tiara with the vines holding her up, he gently placed her back. Then, he used to vines to reach for the seed, which Apple Bloom allowed him to do. The giant tree could've believe that he was seeing his child back in his possession. All of the anger that had been tormenting him and my girls, all of that desire for justice and revenge, it was gone. He saw no reason to attack my little ponies anymore. The only desire he had left was to enjoy his reunion.
"Limproot..." He said with a calm voice. "I won't let you leave my side again."
Paying no attention to the fillies, forgetting that they even exist, Pando used the vines to dig a small hole nearby the other Orphan Trees, and planted the seed inside. Applejack felt offended that she was being ignored after all that had happened, but Apple Bloom knew very well that all was right.
"Hey! Are you forgetting somepony?" Applejack asked.
"Sis! Please! We should probably be heading home. I'm sure Granny Smith is worried about all of us." Apple Bloom said.
"What? But...I...he..." Then, after thinking what her sister said, she realized that Apple Bloom was right. "Come on girls. You've all been through a lot.
After tossing Diamond Tiara's still unconscious body over her back, Applejack led Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle out of the forest, knowing that they had no more reason of being in Pando Everfree's presence.
On their way home, Applejack realized just how much Apple Bloom had grown. She made a mistake and took responsibility for it, helped her friends and family out of a life threatening situation, and settled an issue that nopony in the Apple Family had ever done, which was preventing Pando from taking the lives of anypony. That's a lot to expect from a young filly. Apple Bloom may not of realized this, but she did her family proud that day. She did the entire Apple Family proud.
