Protection Artistry by Way of a Troubled Apple (Closed: Taco)

[SteelEagle]

Applejack nodded her agreement with Fire Walker and led the two mares slowly but surely out of the garden. On their way out the activity appeared lessened, the area a little less bathed in light. A light dusting of unusual spores on their snouts could now finally be noticed and swept aside and, with it, the luridness of the surroundings dimmed. By the time the two breached the outermost barrier of the area it would be difficult to imagine that it was one and the same with the garden they had entered with the exception of some strange flowers and plants and the light dusting of pollen that had coated them upon entry. It would be hard to explain what, if anything, had come out of that pollen. Twilight would likely have theories, probably test it and call it a hallucinogenic. Applejack wasn't focused on that at all.

 

In fact, she was very quiet as they made their way swiftly back towards the river. She had a small, half-hidden smile and shed some tears, but was otherwise quiet. They didn't run into animals before the river. The only new thing was the sight of a Roc some distance ahead slamming into a pack of timber-wolves. Too far off to be a threat but all the more interesting for the action and drama that it would have engendered if it had been closer. Applejack paid it some attention but was otherwise lost in a world of her own making. Or more accurately a world made by Ma Seed and the words she spoke, the farm mare considerably taken by them. As they approached the river Applejack was still silent, though the demands of the moment brought her out of it in due time.

 

"Seems as though nopony's touched our lil' ol' boat since we came in, heh," she spoke softly, looking out at the river. The trek backwards at this point was more treacherous in base terms. Going up the river was always more difficult than going down it. The current took few prisoners in it's relentless pursuit of momentum. She looked around. "Right...so, right. Yeah. How we go back up is with this little fella," she said, reaching into a small shack and pulling out an old-fashioned crank motor. She attached it to the boat and gave it a short push- it worked, the boat moving out a few inches before she caught it.

 

"We paddle and use this motor-thingy. Should give us enough power to break tha momentum and head back on up."

[tacobob]

 

 

As they walked on, Fire Walker could not shake the image of the ghostly figure from her head. Who was she really? And what did she say to the farmer that made her tear up so? This might have been an familiar place and face for the earth pony, but it was all new to her, so she naturally would have a zillion questions.  Oh, how she wanted to ask, but for the most part, this was really none of her business. If Applejack wanted her to know, she would have told her by now. All she knew that this spirit was 'Ma Seed' and she took care of an whole lotta plants. Guess her garden would be extremely useful if one species of flora were to be wiped out in its native region. She silently wondered if there was a crazy pumpkin with a face that could control vines like the one her sister Wind Walker had claimed to have encountered awhile back, lingering around in that garden of hers. Or had that been another prank by Discord? Oh, how that guy drove her crazy!

 

She caught sight of an impressive Roc as it did battle against a pack of timberwolves. Was the big bird looking to make a tooth-pick? Thankfully all of that mess was a good distance from where they cantered. The officer glanced over at the farmer who continued to be silent. That was no issue as she probably had a good deal on her mind. Was she still thinking about what the ghostly pony said to her? Along with the ability to maintain the perfect garden, what else could she do? Tell somepony their future? Maybe whisper a few words of encouragement about the upcoming foal?

 

"Well, we haven't been gone that long, and how many ponies do you think cross the same path?", The Pegasus pony snatched up a pair of new paddles as Applejack worked on the little crank motor. Once they were ready, she boarded the vessel. Once they were ready, it was paddles to the water once more. Hopefully the added speed would permit them to avoid the assorted Everfree weirdness along the way. She did not want to say or even think about this trip. She did not want to curse it. Just keep sailing....just keep sailing...

[SteelEagle]

Fire had a point. She wasn't sure how many ponies even went inside the Everfree anymore, let alone this deep. Enough to sustain a small little bit or survivalist do-gooding perhaps but not much more than that. And who could blame anypony? This forest didn't want them. It wanted to be left alone, to its own devices. It lived and died beneath the same sun but in a world entirely separate from the ones ponies called home. It took the brave and the foolish to make this land a place that ponies dared to tread. Applejack wasn't sure which category she fell into. But she was sure that whatever cause it was that drove her was worthwhile, and Ma Seed didn't make her regret coming here even one bit. Even if there was still gonna be a bit of trouble getting back if only because it was the Everfree and such beliefs were warranted regardless of the current circumstance.

 

Applejack laughed. "Well, Ah guess that's right. Ain't m-many ponies comin' on out here today. Most days, for that record," she said, sucking down a sniffle as she wiped her eyes once more. The water underneath was a shade of deep blue, light blue, it was simply blue- it changed and didn't change. She didn't much mind or care. She took care of the motor and took her rowing job alongside Fire, the two mares powering the vessel alongside the motor. They went along this way for a while, the leeches getting what they wanted from the pair. Applejack was as silent as she could be, but eventually the silence was too much for her. She wasn't a chatterbox but she knew Fire could hear and see her coming apart at the seams, ever so gently, and wanted to change the perception. The topic. The anything. "So...whatcha get out of this, Fire? Ah mean save for a job well done."

[tacobob]

 

 

“Maybe that’s for the best.”, the officer continued to keep her eyes on the water as they slowly motored along. “I keep picturing scenarios where more people come to visit your little secret garden and they all pay off rather poorly at the end.” The water was not changing colors. This was good. “With a guided tour, you would get litter and loss of life due to the unique creatures out here. And I was also picturing a group of trained botanists using the garden to replace certain plants that went extinct in their regions, but sometimes even flora goes away for natural reasons and bring back certain things can do more harm than good.”

 

Oh-Oh. Fire Walker could almost see a little shoulder devil version of herself sitting on the edge of their little boat. A little dragon-winged mini-Fire with fangs and pointy ears. Come on! Ask her! It beckoned. Ask her what the spirit told her! You wanna know! II will drive you CRAZY if you don't know! She had to have said something really interesting to make the hardy farmer tear up like that!

 

As much as she tried to lie to herself, the officer really was curious. But she had rules to follow and she had to allow her V.I.P as much privacy as she needed. So after waving off the little devil, who in turn gave her a dirty look before 'poofing away', Fire glanced over at the farmer. "Considering my life for the most part is rather average. I train young recruits. It's an fulfilling job, but sometimes it can be rather repetitive, so I'm always happy to toss my hat into the 'odd jobs' box over at the base. Sometimes I end up helping Prince Blueblood or Princess Twilight on an worthwhile mission, but then there's always the 'Little Lord Fauntleroy' type jobs where I'm asked to foal-sit an brat who keeps insisting that he refer to me as 'babe' and there's always the 'sting' missions where I get to sit around all day on a cloud or tree. Waiting. Just waiting." Oh how she hated those missions. Thankfully some clever pony invented her beloved super-caffeinated, coffee blend, the Dreaded Motaba!

 

"But you know the saying, you have to sometimes have to do the 'meh' just to get a little good. And I do feel a little sense of pride when I watch my former trainee as he or she finishes officer school and earns their silver bit.  And it's always interesting to see what sort of grab-bag of a mission I will end up with when I'm not in Canterlot training that is."

[SteelEagle]

Applejack felt like she and Fire Walker had miscommunicated but that was just as well. She was always happy to learn a little about a friend- and after all they'd been through, she felt just fine calling Fire Walker a friend. She would imagine that being such a fine mare, Fire would have to deal with a few of her charges taking it upon themselves to flirt. That must've been uncomfortable even before her relationship with Squall took off in the way it did. She didn't think she could deal with having to be polite in such a situation but that just spoke to Fire's professionalism, she supposed. If you had her on your flank for a day you could rest easy knowing that no matter what tomfoolery you had decided to take part in you would be secure and safe under her care.

 

She wondered if she had been a hassle. Maybe that was why Fire had decided to tell Applejack almost anything other than attempt to answer her question about what she got out of this mission other than a job well done. Maybe that was enough for her, but Applejack couldn't help but feel- and maybe this was just the emotion leeches playing tricks on her, had to be- that the truth was a bit grimmer. She didn't answer because the answer was poor. She didn't get anything out of this experience. It was a waste of time and effort. Protecting Applejack had been a job, almost like having to protect some 'Little Lord Fauntleroy'. She had done it because she was a weather-worn professional of the highest degree and out of her immense respect for 'Lady' Applejack and what she had done. Or maybe simply because she had been ordered to by a Princess.
 

She shook her head free of such thoughts as she looked up at the clear sky overhead. It was all the emotion leeches preying u[on a mare who was already in an inner tumult between joy and sorrow in an attempt to feed off of the more negative of the duo. She would have to allow the words and emotions of earlier to sustain her as she kept up a brave enough face for her friend. “Well, Ah suppose bein' out here is a bit more excitin' than bein' in Canterlot. When Ah was in Task Force Suntrot and Ah was stationed briefly in Canterlot Ah was plum bored. Ain't much ta do thar unless you like payin' way too much for way too little,” she chortled, getting back up and rowing heavily when she felt the craft slow against the current ever so slightly.

[tacobob]

 

“This mission on the other hoof.” the rather rambly mare finally managed to wobble over to possibly answering the farmer’s question. “Holy smokes.”, she felt like shouting, but that would be incredibly foolish and would summon a dozen or so hidden beasts that would probably eat their faces off. “As soon as I heard ‘Everfree’ I knew I had to go for it. Even if the very idea of pottering around in such a deadly place scared the fuzz off my back, I knew I needed to face my fears.” She had considered herself an adventurer. She had faced unique beasties in the Unyasi. The mare had tangled against an giant kraken. Got lost in an underground temple filled with horrors. But the Everfree was an whole new world of crazy. And being a silly pony, she assumed she knew -something- about these weird and wild woods, but boy, she did not know anything about this place, and considering how deep these woods were, she probably would never really ever get to scratch the surface of this place.

 

The Pegasus pony continued to work her side of the boat. Oars were obviously not meant for hooved creatures. She could see her friend Zelda doing a far better job with her claws. Perfect for grabbing and holding onto things.  "And while I'm grateful for the occasional mission or job that's sent my way, most have been rather...", she tried to think of the proper word, "Safe. What we've been through so far has been something. A gal needs to feel a little fear run through her bones every now and then. She needs to face something that can't easily be conquered with a few words. And I'm happy I got to do this with you." the officer gave Applejack a smile, "A gal who knows this place well. If I went with anypony else, things probably would not go as smoothly"

 

Fire Walker nodded as Applejack spoke of her own little missions. "I actually was given little missions where I needed to be incognito. Throw on a little costume and be some other pony for a few hours. Was interesting for the first hour and then became rather dull for the last few hours. Erm.", her ears flopped up. Was there something out there? Were they being spied on? Was she starting to get paranoid?

 

Maybe....

[SteelEagle]

 

 

“Ah'm happy Ah shared this with you too, sugarcube. Can't say Ah coulda trusted a lot of other ponies to stick through tha weird stuff. Even mah friends might've had doubts 'bout it,” she said, shaking her head. “Tha guard is lucky ta have you, Fire Walker. Can't say a lick bad 'bout ya.,” Applejack finished. Indeed, she had been a great companion on the trip and Applejack was happy to have her along. As it all neared the end of it she was just happy that Twi hadn't sent some over-protective and weird sort. No offense, but thank Celestia no stallions!
 

The boat eventually was forced back where the mares had started their journey on the river. In due time they tied it back up, left the necessary equipment for those who would come later, and went on their way. As they did so, Applejack gave some thought to what sorta outfits Fire musta tried on for a mission. She guffawed. “Now that's an idea. What was the craziest get-up you had ta put on for a mission?” She asked though she doubted that Fire could ever possibly match the outfit absurdity that her cousin Valen and Rarity went through. They were troublemakers.

Eyes were on them, though. She could feel it too. As they walked and talked her ears were perked. The talking eventually took on a more cautious tone, words bandied about for the sake of comfort more than anything. Finally, something came out of the trees-

- it was a bird, and it flew away. Huh. Well, that was a little boring. “Gotta say Ah thought it'd be bigger!” She laughed, trotting ahead more confidently. “C'mon, from this direction there's a fast route back home. We'll be there in just a few hours!” She said joyously. Much of the earlier emotions seem to have...faded. Perhaps forcefully. But whatever the case was and whatever the future held, their time together was drawing to a close- for now.

[tacobob]

 

 

 

Fire Walker let out a chuckle. “The weird stuff I can do. And I do thank you for your trust in me.”, her already crimson cheeks turned a darker shade of red. “Along with the unique experiences we faced, I learned a few things and even gained a new little friend.” Almost on cue, Dander sprung from his pocket and gave his new ‘boss’ a proper ‘ear hug’. “If my sister can have a puppy, I believe it’s perfectly fine for me to have an adorable little Squeak-Bat.”

 

After giving the mare an squeak of agreement, he quickly vanished into his temporary home. “Maybe I could see about having him checked out by Ponyville’s vet, or even Lady Fluttershy. Who knows what the little guy has gone through.”. In the stately grounds of her beloved’s manor laid a princely garden, which housed several bird-houses, along with one made just for bats. He could at least spend time there hanging with other bats. Maybe even get a few batty buddies of his own.

 

Once their boat was properly docked and the area was neat and tidy, the officer followed the farmer out of the small building and back into the forest. “Considering they usually wanted me to blend it, the costumes normally tended to stray away from ‘crazy’.”, she paused for a moment, “There was the bush costume...Had a pot where my legs could stick out of and go back in when I needed to sit...Covered in plastic branches. Had to stakeout an R.E.A. greenhouse after there were signs of breaking in....Took six hours to discover it was only two officers who would sneak in during their breaks for a little bit of smooching." It was the guard's worse kept secret that Midnight Blossom was spending quality time with Cloud Skipper, but they could have at least cleaned up after themselves!

 

"I once had to watch over an minor celebrity during an Daring Do' convention in  Manehattan, but they did not want me to be seen marching around in my uniform, so they had me go as the famous fictional adventurer, which wasn't that bad, but the light gold dye they used on me gave me such a rash." She also got to pick up a few rare Do' memorabilia while on the clock..And they did let her keep the costume. Which might be useful for the next Nightmare Night...

 

Before that thought could pass her by, something emerged from the trees. Was it a horrible beast? An creature from beyond the grave?

 

 

Apparently it was a bird, or at least a falcon who was rather proud of his late appearance. After breathing a sigh of relief, Fire Walker shrugged her shoulders and continued on with their rather pleasant return to Ponyville. The pair did get to speak a bit more. There was a sudden rainstorm that ended nearly as soon as it had started. The officer found a rock that resembled the moon on Luna's cutie mark and declared it to be her 'lucky' rock. The falcon popped up more than once during this trip. After the third 'surprise', Fire decided he was just being an arse. The officer came VERY close to tripping onto a small patch of 'Poison Joke', but was saved thanks to the farmer's quick warning.

 

It was not that long until the pair spotted lights....Not lights coming from an evil serpent, or magical being, but lights from CIVILIZATION. Bingo, bangle, bungle, they finally out of the jungle and to the place they wanted to be. The Pegasus mare was happy. Not only had she finished the mission, she was now going to spend a few hours in the new guest hot tub her folks installed. This featured ten body massage back jets, two neckjets and six Flexjet whirlpool jets to simulate a professional massage. Watch out Mr Tub. Momma is coming home! There was also small talk of something bigger Fire could do be part of...But now was not the time to speak of such things..