Zappin' Apples! (ENDED)

[Hippo]

 

A bubble bath was always a much better version of a regular bath. It was a very exciting upgrade. Zap wouldn't even consider how this was even possible, considering last bubble bath he had the bright idea of seeing what would happen should he submerge the entire opened bottle of bubble solution into the tub without Mother noticing. Well, noticing at first anyway. And the locomotive implication aroused his imagination, reminding Zap of a small but growing interest in the large engines that ran on tracks. Ever since he was taken to the train depot to see his mother return from a royal meeting in Canterlot, he has been fascinated with the over-sized pony mover. Maybe one day he would get to ride it.

 

Mother's recognition of Apple Bloom's poisonous venture was all too filled with lessons of what not to do. But Zap saw it many other ways. Like for instance, finding ways to get mommy to pay more attention to you, and why there is food that is dangerous to eat in the first place, and of course the classic mystery of the existence of the thought process where one desires to do things they are told not to do. Zap would have to investigate more research into these subjects for several years to come.

 

To start off, Zap had been reminded of the stick he had spotted in the woods by his mother's warning of not eating certain things you find. He bent to the saddle bag next to him and pulled out the enigmatic piece of branch. It softly glowed that green color it did before. So obscure, but normal possibly. What does Zap know? So he did what any self-respecting pony toddler his age would do in this moment of perplexing questioning. He put the radiating stick in his mouth. Not biting too hard, he tried to see if there was any tangible way of consuming such a rigid yet somehow organic cane. But it didn't taste good, and Zap pulled it out of his mouth the moment his taste buds overwhelmed his lack of comfort. And as he pulled it out, saliva dripping from one end of the stick, it started to pulse green more rapidly, as if it was trying to defend itself. Mother was right about most things, and Zap realized that the strange glowing green stick thing was not to be eaten, and so he put it back into the saddlebag. Maybe he would use it as a toy later.

 

Applejack was so proud of her son, vocalizing it to esteem him. Words of affirmation always made the little pegasus happy. But as she talked about not being scared, the foalish honesty he could not avoid kicked him to respond. "I was a little scared," He said confessingly. "Those growls were very loud." As they approached the center of the orchard, Zap could smell the food coming from the ovens. It smelled like sweet potatoes and cabbage. He wonder if there was any room for carrots. He liked carrots. And apples. He loved apples.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                             


"Their howls are pretty scary, yeah. Ah reckon Ah was no older than you when Ah first heard one and it kept me up that night, it sure did!" She admitted, shivering only half-jokingly as to illustrate the point. "It's all right ta be afraid. Even momma gets scared," she added with a nuzzle as they breached the barrier home. The warmth hit her immediately, as did the many smells. She steered them into the kitchen- dinner was still a mite away. Enough time for a bath, at least. She searched around quickly and found one of their little mini apples. She quickly grabbed it and gave it to him. "Y'all eat that and hang out in tha livin' room while momma sets up tha bath, okay? Then we take a bath and have some tasty dinner," she said with a kiss on his forehead. "We both stink," she giggled, allowing him some freedom as she moved away just as Big Mac entered the room. Yep, that would be fine. She trotted her way to a door and opened it, the dark basement beckoning her in.

 

She trotted down into the dark, tapping a dull red sign. As she did so, a series of small light, barely brighter than a collection of fireflies. She frowned. Was she going to have to replace the line? That was a piece of work as well. Oh well. She trotted into the dull light and placed what she had collected into a small container, then shut it. She'd have to take care of it later. She went deeper into the dim lighting until she got to a crank in the wall next to a hole in the wall, covered by resistant wood and stones. She opened the hole- the water was running just above some black stones. She turned the crank and after a series of crunching and cracking sounds as the rocks were struck with enchanted flint. Soon the fire started and spread until the area underneath the water grew warm, even from her position. It would take a few minutes but she was now sure that the hot water would continue for the rest of the night. Smiling, she shut the hole and trotted back up out of the basement.
 

The Apple family bathroom was large, and for good cause. Applejack opened up an internal door where a larger bathtub laying unused. She pulled it out of the bathroom closet and across the floor, making a creaking and cracking sound as it always did. She then unhitched the bathrub from the water spout in the floor and pushed it into the closet. Grunting one last time she went back to the large tub and put it into the same position she had just moved the large tub from, attaching it to the water spout. "Woo-eee," she said with a sigh, wiping her brow. Talk about a good sweat! She turned the water on and tested it. After a few seconds it was warm enough to her satisfaction. She then opened up a new bottle of the bubble mixture and squirted it in, then some more, and then a little more because it is a big tub. As she allowed the water to run she poked her head out of the bathroom and yelled. "Zap Apple, tha bath's ready for ya!"

 

-----
Somewhere, a series of howls as eyes all locked in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Stolen property would be returned tonight, one way or another- even if it would take some time to get there.

[Hippo]

 

He was set down in the living room and was given a small apple to tie his appetite down for the next while before supper was ready. After she went to prepare a bath, Uncle Big Mac walked into the room. He never talked much, but he was always a good listener. "Uncle Big, me and mommy went to the forest and we smelled, we smell like, tibber wolves." A slight confusion entered his mind before returning to his expressive storytelling. "We got mushrooms, and there was water, and we saw trees and plants, and we swam in the water. Oh!" Zap jumped up from his sitting position, getting excited about an important detail. "Mommy swam in the water, I held my breath under water for like, nine minutes. Ten minutes." Big Mac was giving him all the attention he typically would, and along with it, a typical reply with a nod and an occasional yes or no answer to any questions he would have. "And I got a new toy. It's a green stick." Zap's smile fell down into a partial frown as he could not see where the saddlebag was placed. "Where is it? It was so awesome and cool." Zap started walking around a little looking for the bag while using adjectives his rainbow mother had taught him to describe is new favorite thing. "It is a rad stick. You gotta see it. It's about this long and it gl-."

 

Before Zap could go on explaining his fascination with something he found in the forest, he heard his mother calling to him to come to the bathroom for a bath. It was at this moment that Zap realized something about his current interest. He wanted to find his stick, and he wanted to eat supper, but he did not necessarily want a bath. Knowing he would get some resistance, he scurried behind a couch and said, "No, I don't wanna."

[SteelEagle]

                                                                      


Applejack heard his voice carry lightly up the stairs and into the bathroom. She had expected him to struggle a bit anyway- he always struggled until he was in the tub, then he loved it. She had to keep a lasso handy just in case he tried to fly away though because Dash wasn't around to help solve that particular riddle. She trotted out of the bathroom and down the stairs, keeping the mental clock of the tub's running water in mind as she made her way down. “Come on Zap Apple, its yer bath time. Then you can eat an' play, but right now you an' Ah are pretty stinky. Pee-yew!” She said in an exaggerated fashion, wiping her brow as she searched around for clues as to her stallion's location.

It wasn't very hard. The pair of them had made sure to wipe their hooves but you couldn't help but leave some hoofprints of mud and guk on the floor. They led to behind the couch, which was a pretty telltale sign that something was going on down there. It was not the only clue she had available to her however. Big Mac nodded his head in the direction of the coach, and she could swear she heard the tapping of small hooves against the floor at some point. Was he trying to get under the couch itself? That was NO GOOD! She wanted to run over there but- no, she was trying hard to not be that type of mom.

“Where oh where could mah Zap Apple be?” She said with faux concern as she walked closer to the couch, looking all around. “Why, if he continues smellin' like a timberwolf...” She trailed off...AND THEN LEAPED BEHIND THE COUCH.

“THEN THEY MIGHT GETCHA!” She said as she grabbed her son and gave him tons of belly kisses.
And some growls. “Gimme yer best timberwolf growl,” she said, adding a growl of her own as she held him firmly but gently in her right forearm, curled up on him as she trotted her way back.

[Hippo]

 

Zap thought he was invisible. He knew his mother could find him easily enough, but the thrill of hiding from Mom was one of the four most euphoric experiences he had so far experienced in his young colthood. As soon as he heard the signature hoofsteps of her presence, he tried to remain perfectly still and held his breath.

 

She jumped on him, and it scared him playfully. He squealed. His mother's lips smooching his belly gave him the irresistible sensation of joy and laughter. But after a few giggles, he would remember his motive and try to maintain his stubbornness. "Hehe Hahe, hu, no! I don't wanna!" He screamed as his mother picked him up and tucked him onto her chest firmly. "I don't wanna growl! I don't want a tibberwolf bath!" He continued to scream and as they trotted up the steps, he began to grow very impatient with being restricted of his freedom and started to change a darker orange. Tears of emotional resistence streaked his cheeks. "Nooooo!" He shrieked.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                 
 

 

Applejack was a mother. That meant three things. She knew the pain and suffering that came with the fullest expression of a pair's love. She knew the quickest route between her and any foal-dangerous item within fifty hooves of her at any given time. Most importantly, she knew when to give credence to her foal's cries, and when to not give in. This was a case where his cries, which normally rang her own bells of emotional distress, fell on deaf ears. Hard to do with how hard he wailed though. Maybe he could be an opera singer! Had there ever been an opera singer-slash-train conductor-slash-farmer-slash-pro athlete before? If not, only more proof that her little fella was gonna be special.

Not that it wasn't grating to hear him get louder and louder, but grating came with motherhood. It was a package deal. How else would a mother know her baby was fine if he wasn't crying, making a fuss, or otherwise being a foal? She endured his cries as they got closer, she opened the door, closed it, closed the windows, and then made her way to the tub. It was about half full. Not wanting to toss him in and risk his wings spreading out and taking flight, she stepped in first. “Tha water's real good an' warm so you best stop yer cryin' and enjoy tha bubbles, sugarcube,” she replied warmly as she lowered herself in, keeping Zap Apple's head above the top. She gently poured some water over his head and reached for a nice scrubber. When she was confident that his cries were dying down and he was gonna be able to enjoy the water she let him go.

“Now this here is a nice bath,” she said, taking off her hat and laying it to the side.

[Hippo]

 

Knowing his awareness of potential fun would put an end to his resistance, he held his eyes closed tight from the moment the bathroom door was opened. Convinced he had more important things to do like finding the stick, finding out what other vegetables are being cooked for supper, and that other thing he hadn't thought of yet but would be inevitably distracted with a few minutes into investigating the smells in the kitchen, he was determined to fight as long as he possibly could so that he would not be lured into taking a frustrating wet bath with or without the bubbles. No, he had to struggle. He continued to try to wiggle his way out of the clutches of his strong mother. He almost considered biting her, but he wasn't sure how far to take it, yet. It was pretty serious, though. If there was any way he was going into the tub its because it was his idea.

 

When the warm friendly water was poured over his head, he decided it was his idea. Zap quit crying, and like one of Twilight Sparkle's advanced magic-powered laboratory computers, his mind hit a reset button and it slowly but surely was reprogrammed for a different execution in a young colt's mind. His heavy breathing and elevated pulse had not even subsided yet by the time his first giggle was let out. What was before a struggle to escape was now a struggle to explore the bathtub and climb the many uncharted mountains of bubbles that peaked over his head around him. His mother let him go though, and he quickly dove into a large pile of bubbles, making a violent splash in the process. Seconds later, when he reappeared out from underneath the bubbly abyss, he held in his hooves bubbles in a long unrecognizable shape. "Look what I made!"

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                     


As expected, once Zap Apple was submerged in the water he underwent a dramatic personality shift. Foals turned on the slimmest part of a bit- any mother had to get used to it or get used to an unending headache. She took the few seconds she had as he dove under the water to get the scrubber and work some soap into a lather, and then got the smaller, second scrubber. When he got up and decided to show her his arts and bubbles project, she didn't have to feign joy. She was just happy he wasn't crying! “Well lookie there at what you made! Don't it look pretty?  Sure looks like you had fun makin' it too, didn't ya?” She said while she worked the smaller scrubber into a lather. She then hoofed it over to Zappy. Sometimes he could clean himself real nice, other times not. But a song always helped!

“Can you wash your hooves?
Ah can wash mah hooves,” she said in a sing-songy fashion, raising her back left leg hoof and scrubbing the hoof. 

“Can you wash your legs?
Ah can wash mah legs,” she said, keeping the leg up and scrubbing it real good.

“Can you wash your knees?
Ah can wash ah knees,” she continued, trailing the scrubber up and getting both sides of her knees.

“Can you wash your shoulders?
I can wash my shoulders,” she finished where her haunch met her back, giving it a good scrub scrub scrub!

“Ah can wash mah hooves.
Ah can wash mah legs.
Ah can wash mah knees.
Ah can wash mah shoulders.
This is the way we take a bath!
Now give me a yee-haw!” she ended, smiling and saying. “Yee-haw!” as she waited for him to finish with his leg. 
And so this continued, singing and playing until all four legs were done. When that was finished and she saw her opportunity, she started up again!

“Ready for the home stretch, sugarcube?
Can you wash your back?
Ah can wash mah back,” she said reaching the scrubber to start at her lower back and working it back up. Zap would need help, but that was fine- momma was here!

“Can you wash your mane?
Ah can wash mah mane,” she said as she worked the mane product into her long locks and then bent down towards the faucet and turned it on again, allowing the water to wash over. She'd help Zap if he needed it to do the same, then would turn the faucet off again.

“Can you wash your face?
Ah can wash mah face,” she said as she turned the scrubber around to its softer side, working it gently against her face

“Can you wash your nose?
Ah can wash mah nose,” she said with a giggle, getting bubbles on it and giving her son some eskimo kisses before clearing it off.

“Ah can wash mah back.
Ah can wash mah mane.
Ah can wash mah face.
Ah can wash mah nose.
This is the way we take a bath.
Now gimme yer biggest yee-haw!” She said with a big “Yeeee-HAW!” of her own. This was how you got yourself all clean!

[Hippo]

 

Zap Apple was slightly dejected that his item was only so important. He knew bath time had at least five percent responsibility, so he went along with his cleaning duties in hopes that he might get to the ninety-five percent that sold the deal in the first place. His mother started singing, and with every verse, Zappy would follow the hypnotizing instructions after a few seconds of delay. They washed together all four limbs, and then everything involving the face. "Yeehaw!" Zap responded when his mother asked him. However, despite being a rowdy colt who not to long ago was willing to run around the farmhouse to escape a bath, he was starting to feel a little tired, with all the singing about cleaning and yeehawing. When they finished, Zap looked around and realized he had misplaced his valuable bubble sculpture he fell in love with. "Where is it? Where is the stick I made?"

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                     


Applejack had to think a moment. So that little thing he made at the start was a stick? Huh. Well, he was a creative sort. She didn't think it looked much like a stick but she reckoned that was nothing compared to the real thing. “Well, Ah think yer bubble stick got tired and had ta go ta bed with tha rest of tha bubbles, sweetie. Maybe we can find it...” she said, looking around at the fading bubbles. The water by this point had stopped being cleansing so she didn't want to spend too much longer, but that didn't mean he had to stop having fun. “How 'bout you see if you can rouse that lil' stick from this here,” she said as she pushed the biggest mass of bubbles back to him, “while momma gets some towels. Then you can show me again!” She said excitedly as she pulled herself out of the tub.

She hummed to herself as she trotted over to a closet, keeping an ear to her son as she awaited confirmation. She got a towel, dried herself off, and then got another towel. When Zap said he had it, she trotted over to give it a look. “Well, Ah'll be. That there looks just like tha glowin' stick you picked up earlier! May Ah hold it?” She said as she tried to pick it up. Really gently she held it up. “It's real pretty. You did a great job!” She replied, not at all fibbing. Why, he could be a sculptor someday!

“Dinner's ready!” Apple Bloom said as he head poked in, her stuffy and achy head clear for all to see before it poked away. Applejack nodded, then back to Zap Apple as she put the stick back in the tub.
“Alright, lets get you dry and then have some dinner. Maybe then we can show your stick to tha rest of tha family?” She asked hopefully. She didn't know why he liked that stick so much but if he loved it, so did she.

[Hippo]

 

His mother got out of the tub to fetch a towel and left him to find his stick that he lost in the process of cleaning himself. The trance of the song she sung caused him to lose all focus of his twenty-second sculpture. He was dejected, not necessarily because he was so attached to the bubble stick, but because by looking at the dying bubble hills in the tub, it was obvious to even him that any resurrection of a weightless formation of bubbles was about as futile as trying to turn a snowpony made outside in the winter into a new roommate. The Apple family bought four new mops from the mop store that snowy day.

 

Zap threw his hooves into the water as a gesture of forfeit and began being reminded of the inspiration of the whole bubble-shaping session he had. That's right there was a real stick downstairs somewhere. And all Zap had to do was find it. He looked across the washroom where his mother was still patting herself dry with a towel. He had to act fast. She wasn't looking directly at him, but there would be only a small sliver of time where she would eventually turn back to him. Quickly, Zap started climbing out of the tub. It was a bit of an obstacle, but after a few short seconds he squeakily slid down the outside of the tub and set hoof on the bathroom floor. Once down, he made a run for it. Knowing full well she would attempt to grab him to stop him, he scurried past her towards the door as fast as his wet hooves could clop. And maybe the bathwater suds still lubricating his pelt would make him extra slippery to grab if anyone could get a hoof on him. Just then, Auntie called for supper and mother suggested sharing the stick with the family. But he just tried to make as many hoofsteps as possible before she knew where he was.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                


Applejack was pretty confident in a few things. She was certain that the Apple family were the best farmers in Equestria. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was a bonafide rodeo star if she ever cared to try again. She was more than a little confident in her ability to outrun a flock of cockatrice and stop a timberwolf attack, and she tried to ensure that she was the most reliable and dependable pony a friend could have. She was confident she succeeded. Also, barnstorming baseball. She was confident that was gonna start up again someday, dangit! Beyond all that though, she was confident in her skills as a mother in wrangling a little wet colt who liked to dart and fly and generally cause a little ruckus.

Which she would need because that was exactly what happened as she turned her back on him. A fatal parenting error, that, one she knew to avoid but couldn't help but repeat. Zap Apple took advantage of it and she could hear his little hooves clipping and clopping past her and into the hallway, right on past both her and Apple Bloom. The smaller apple mare (a fact that Apple Bloom was plum tickled to be called) shot a look at her older sister. Applejack's face was even, her eyes half-lidded as she sighed. Well, at least the little fella was clean. That was a victory nopony could take away from her.

“That one's on me,” she muttered to nopony in particular. Unluckily for her, there was a pony there.
“Who else would it be on?” Apple Bloom replied, a little impish smirk emphasizing her playful snark.
“That's enough backtalk outta you, Apple Bloom,” Applejack replied sternly, though not too aggressively. She had to admit it was kind of funny. “You get back to yer room. Granny'll be in with yer supper and medicine,” she added as she trotted towards the bathroom window, which had been opened to provide an escape for the steam. She grabbed a towel and then jumped out of the window and out of sight of Apple Bloom, who trundled off to her room.

Applejack hooked her arm around a gutter to right herself and landed on the front doorstep of their home, quickly opening it and hopefully catching Zap Apple by surprise in the main room. She was just gonna dry him off, the slick little rascal. Then she could see what all the fuss was about! Probably that stick. He really was attached to it...almost too much, though with a foal such a concept was foreign. She didn't chase him down the stairs primarily because he was still wet and she didn't want him to hurry, trip, and hurt his cute little head. Especially over a stick.

“Zap Apple, ye get yer little flank over here so Ah can dry you off,” she said as she entered, trying to locate the little stallion. Big Mac was setting up the table and high-stepping to avoid what was inevitably going to become a chase. When she did see him she would chase after him, giving chase...mostly so she could dry him off but also, well, it was fun!

[Hippo]

 

He slipped his hooves down the stairs carefully.  Not being chased down the stairs allowed him to traverse the descent one step at a time. Once he was officially on the ground floor, he took off running again, at first in no particular direction but then he started looking for the saddlebag. He slid into the living room where he'd thought might have seen it, but it wasn't there. Then he went to the broom closet to see if it was placed where he could reach it. But nothing of value was there. Finally he went to the kitchen. This was enemy territory, and he would have to be careful not to be grabbed by Big Uncle or Gran-Gran. He wasn't sure where Mom went. He darted underneath the table that was being set. Looking around the floor of the kitchen he could not see a bag until he looked by the door to outside. And there it was, the saddlebag just as he had remembered it with the prized stick inside. He started running towards it and as soon as he was out from under the table, he could see his mother flanking him on the right.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                   


He was wanting the saddlebag? Celestia above this *was* about the stick! She should have paid more attention to it earlier. She kicked herself for allowing him to get away from it, but oh well. She was just happy that it was inside the house. She had considered dropping it off outside so she didn't bring the timberwolf stink inside but now regretted not doing so. She briefly fought over whether or not to stop him from getting the stick. On one hoof, she didn't want to reward the disobedience. On the other, she really wanted to just dry him off and eat dinner. The battle was brief and quite lopsided.

He was gonna get the stick.
She slowed down as she entered the kitchen, hoping to Big Mac's left as he set the table, heedless of the scurrying forms around him. Trotting behind Zap Apple who, adorable and sudsy in equal amounts, ran across the kitchen floor to find the saddlebag near the door outside. She prepared her towel as she approached. “Getting your stick Ah see. It couldn't wait until after dinner?” She said sternly, though it was a little hard being too stern. He was still too slippery and could get away, after all. 

[Hippo]

 

Zap Apple reached the saddlebag. His slippery pelt dampened the bag as he slightly struggled to open the buckle. Once the bag was opened, he reached in with his whole face for a second and then pulled out the stick with his mouth. His baby teeth grinned as he held the stick, it filled him with a mysterious amount of joy.

 

The kitchen floor, which was made out of wooden panels, started shifting and creaking at the pace of the apple mother's canter. Zap looked up to see a large towel, darkened by its own shadow, with his mother bordering on top of it with a grin on her face. She was moving in close and slow, and even though Zap could escape and run around for another fifteen minutes, he was satisfied now that he had his stick. He was prepared to embrace whatever his mother must do to him, for he had already won. He giggled before his mother grabbed him and stood still. He spat out the stick and held it in his hoof and held it up in triumph. "Stick!"

[SteelEagle]

                                                                        


Applejack allowed Zap Apple his moment of victory, seeing as it was secretly her victory as well. Or not so secretly. A wet foal running around the house was nopony's victory and the absence of that was certainly a sign that things were going much better. Not that she could say for certain how it would go. Big Mac was just about finishing up setting up the plates and Applejack's well-tuned hearing could almost pick up the sound of crackling bones, so Granny Smith wasn't too far away. There would be no winning from this point on, only the crashing of plates, some tears, angry glares, and an emergency run for hayburgers. Not that she was opposed to hayburgers, but...well, Big Mac and Granny Smith were pretty dang good cooks and she wasn't about to ruin it on account of pride. 
 

So yes, she definitely totally won.
She picked up Zap Apple as he proudly displayed his stick. It was a bit on the green side but there were a lot of green things in the Everfree. She was just happy that he spat it out of his mouth, the little stinker. “Why, that's a fine stick. Tha stick you picked up from tha big scary woods, right? Have you told yer Uncle all about it?” She offered, mostly to distract him while set about drying him up. She was quick and rough at times, but also as gentle and kind as she could be. Especially the wings. Sweet Celestia she still had nightmares about the very worst experience she ever had as a mother. Playing with Zap one day she may have gotten a little too rough, forgetting that Pegasi bones are hollower than Earth pony bones. His tears and cries had dried up and the wing healed up quickly, but she would always remember it. Rainbow had helped her learn how to dry and wash wings gently. 
 

The upside was that the oftentimes stinky athletic mare couldn't avoid having the underside of her wings washed.

After she was done she let Zap go. “Take yer seat, Zappy,” she ordered as she folded the towel and laid it on the head of her chair. She'd take care of that letter. Now was eating time! Zappy's chair had little steps that folded out for him so he could climb up and down his high chair, just like a big stallion. The dinner was worth getting up there quickly, too! "Y'all really outdid yerselves tonight. Lookin' mighty good!" She said as she gathered her food around her. The main course was Maple-Roasted Cardamom Spiced Carrots and Apples, but it wasn't alone. Butternut Squash and Apple Soup and Kale-Romaine and Apple Salad with Sesame Avocado Dressing flanked it, and for a desert, Harvest Apple Salad with Pomegranate, Avocado and Blue Cheese. Everypony had a glass of milk- and apple juice nearby. They weren't savages.
Zap Apple's plates were smaller and rimmed with far less in each one, and no Kale-Romaine Salad to boot. Still, it was a good ol' fashioned Apple feast any way you sliced it!  
 

[Hippo]

 

Zap giggled as the towel rub tickled his pelt all over as he was being rolled into dry by his mother. He felt like an apple being polished. Once the towel was done wicking his pelt dry, Zap was free to trot around the kitchen with his frizzy mane and tail. "Yeah I told Big Uncle about the stick. It's a cool stick, ain't it Uncle?" As Big Macintosh responded in his typical fashion, Zap was noticing the commotion around the dinner table. Mother asked him to take his seat, so he would try. A high-chair was his spot at the table ever since he could remember sitting in it the first time. He was able to climb into it after a few tries. Of course, he was far better at escaping the chair and using the steps to get down; The climbing up part was learned later. Carrying the stick in his mouth again, he pulled his little body up the chair from behind it, and jumped over the back of the chair to plop his rump into the seat so that he could face the table. Once up on the table, he spit out the stick and placed it next to his place mat.

 

Zap was starting to grow attached to the branch despite it not coming from the family tree. It could be a phase, it wasn't the first time Zap had drawn this much attention to something so odd. To Zap, the stick represented his discovery of things outside the home. Never before had he ever brought something from another place to call his own. It was a lesson of possession and a stimulant of exploration. In the near future, he would undoubtedly search for other inanimate objects to bring into the home, with or without the older ponies' knowing. "You sit here, stick." He suggested to himself.

 

He then relaxed and sighed, and on a second inhale, took in all the sweet and savory aromas that filled the room. "Mmmmm. Food smells good! I want carrots!" A plate was placed in front of him that featured all of the dishes in smaller portions. With little hesitation, he reach over with his head and nabbed a couple carrots off his plates and began chewing them fast. They were soft and delicious, having been simmered for at least ten minutes. Using his hooves, he grabbed his sippy cup and drank a few swigs of apple juice from it. When his mouth released he exhaled refreshment, and then moments later, burped.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                     

"Got enough for a lot more of that repellent, Granny. If ya make it 'fore Ah do mah work in tha morning Ah can go right on ahead and apply it ta tha orchard," Applejack said in between stuffing her face. She wasn't an impolite mare by any stretch but the entire Apple family downed food viciously. It didn't create much of a mess if only because food and drink not in the mouth wasn't doing much to satisfy them and the Apples were plenty good to satisfy themselves. Big Mac's day had been relatively uneventful- well, after he had returned home from a date with Sugar Belle. "When do you plan on making her an honest Apple there, Big Mac? Zap Apple could use some more family," She said with earnestness devoid of sincerity, mostly doing it to cause her brother to blush. Which he did, meaning she won. Her victories were always so sweet. Granny Smith had a nice enough day, though Applejack could see the matron of the family starting to slow down finally. No great sin there. She was in her golden years. Time to relax!
 

She couldn't relax though. She wanted to make sure her Zappy was clean and as he was active and terrifying an eater as the rest of them, Applejack would find herself making small trips over there to help clean his face up, and then the area around him. When she was a new mother this felt like a chore but now it happened so seamlessly that she sometimes imagined that it had always been this way. While she did so, she spoke about the day. "Had a bit of an adventure, didn't we? Managed to get everything just fine but some timberwolves started ta track us. We kept our cool an' such, lost 'em in a cave. Even went into an underwater stream for a  swim. Never caught a glimpse of one, but Ah imagine they got awfully frustrated. Ah wonder why they were tracking us so well, though. Can't say Ah've know them ta have good noses," she said as she sat back down and continued eating. Time would pass...
 

Near the edge of the Orchard, a series of low howls and grows permeated the barrier between civilized society and wildness. One pair of yellow eyes, then another, then two more- each one smaller than the last- pierced the dying and dead light of the land. With paws less sure than they would be normally, the smells and character of the orchard anathema to the animals, a pack of timberwolves breached Sweet Apple Acres and slowly made their way to the barn where the Apples lived...
 

"Zappy, are ya full?" Applejack asked rhetorically. Everypony had evaporated their food like a beam had struck their plates, and the sound of burping and laughter reigned supreme. They were a simple family. Applejack helped collect the plates. "Play for a bit an' then we'll do some numbers an' countin an' such. Did you put yer toys away well last time?"

[Hippo]

 

A tummy-ache was inevitable should his rate of consuming the tasty victuals on his plate that Gran-Gran stewed to Apple family perfection. Fortunately, his mouth was a mess and his mother interrupted his needless race to finish the food by cleaning his face off when the sauces drifted too far east or west from his lips. He would occasionally grunt to act out his displeasure of what he deemed was a waste of time. Typically, a foal like Zap would be slow to eat because the urgency to finish eating was not there or because the activities following a meal might include cleaning or foal-appropriate farm work, things he rarely looked forward to. But when he knew that the nightly playtime was to follow the meal, he would compete with the clock in order to maximize his time to play before bed. And luckily for him, he was kin to one of the few families in Equestria that didn't mind their matters at the dinner table as much as they probably should.

 

Zap nodded in agreement when his mother shared the short story of their adventure in the forest. "Hmm hmm." He yupped, before taking another sloppy bite of kale. Next to Zap Apple's plate sat the stick he brought to the table. It shook for a split second, creating a jostle as if somepony had shaken the table from underneath. Zap closed his mouth from taking another bite and looked at the stick with a perplexed look on his face. Did the stick move? Zap wasn't sure about the nature about cool sticks that glow green from the forest, so he just assumed that this was a normal jumping green-glowing stick. The thought of another discovery made him smile again. "Heh, funny stick." He then returned to eating and finished the last bit of salad. He planned on skipping the dessert since he knew it was optional, but he knew he would never get to leave the table if he still had something on his plate. "Yesh, I'm full!" He said enthusiastically with his mouth packed with his last bite.

 

With permission from his mother, Zap Apple grabbed the stick in his mouth, and climbed down the high chair to start running for the play room. When his mother asked him if he had put his toys away last time he played with them. He stopped and put the stick down temporarily to respond before picking it back up and scurrying to have fun. "Um, yes." He hadn't.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                    


Applejack took everypony's plates and went to work cleaning up after dinner. Normally she took care of the kitchen with just the occasional aid, so she was still full of that home-bred energy. It was also a relaxing activity and as much as she tried to allow the play off the events of the day she knew it had been more dangerous than she'd like to admit. Her mind still ran over the same question until the paths in her mind were worn down and her thoughts dragged endlessly: How did the Timberwolves track Applejack and Zap Apple so well? She'd have to ask Fluttershy about it. Applejack was close as one could come to an expert on the critters but that didn't mean that Fluttershy couldn't provide insight. And if anypony could, it would be the shy pegasus who probably dreamed about being one of her little woodland animal friends.  When would she even have time for that trip?

Four quads of wooden legs beat the ground, two smaller than the rest and one limping, occasionally stopping to sniff the august winds as they made their way to the house.
 

Applejack didn't bother correcting anything Zap Apple said. he was happy and playing and whether or not the toys had been put away or not (they hadn't) didn't matter. He had been a very good colt today and deserved some colthood playtime for his troubles. Besides, it wasn't as if there would ever be a full accounting of all his toys. Not only did both of his mommas buy him toys but so did a Princess on a regular basis, Pinkie Pie, and even a small trinket from Celestia. This didn't even account for the ones that Granny Smith had dusted off from the attic, scratched away Big Mac's name, and given to the youngest Apple. She was pretty sure you could make a whole house out of the toys he had, and she was equally sure it wouldn't survive a single playtime with him. Not that there was anything wrong with that. If there was anypony who could be allowed to do that, it'd be her Zappy.

Winona, perched on the porch as she was, darted her head up. Her eyes looked off in the distance and then she stood up, alert.
 

Applejack finished and started putting the dishes away, only lazily paying attention to Zap Apple as she did so. The rest of the family had moved on upstairs which suited her just fine. She was tired! Zap Apple better be tuckering himself out. He had a big day tomorrow and needed his stallion sleep. She was in the middle of drying the dishes when she decided to saunter on into the living room's edge to take a peak. All she could see amongst his general adorable nature was a stick- fully glowing green, and seemingly shaking in place. "What the-" She began, but was caught off by a sound.

Bark! Bark! Bark!

Winona backed up against the door, her bump making a thump. Applejack quickly opened the door as Winona's half-standing her ground and half-backing up continued as he back-walked into his owner, who looked puzzled out the door...for a few moments. In the gloom of the orchard came four sets of green eyes, two larger than the rest, and then a howl. A timberwolf howl. Awwooooooooooooo!
"Sweet Celestia, get inside Winona!" Applejack said as she violently pulled the dog in, who went spinning in her confusion. Winona found Zap Apple and then stood nearby, half standing on and around the foal, ready to protect.
"Why the hay are they here!?"

[Hippo]

 

Zap was enjoying his stick. The bliss of experiencing such a strange object tickled his curiosity. He wondered why it was magical, and what else it could do besides glow. He already knew it could dance. And he now knows that it's not to be eaten. What other properties could he discover with such a wooden item.

 

Winona was barking obsessively. Zap loved Winona, but he was never sure what she was barking about. He had yet to learn dog language like his mother seemed to. But then a large howl bellowed from just outside. It was loud, louder than anything Zap had ever heard. Dishes in the kitchen and candle holders on the fireplace mantle clattered to the vibrations of the howl. It was terrifying. Zap sank into his corner of the living room, clutching his stick which was glowing a strong green color. It was brighter now than he had ever seen it before. When Winona was let in, she circled around him and gave him guard. He only felt mildly safe, he wasn't exactly sure what kind of danger they might be in, and the lack of knowing was petrifying.

However, Zap still found solace in his possession. A mother who loved him, and dog who stood guard for him, and a stick that amused him. It truly was the worst time of a best of times. But the timberwolves were here, and Zap's pony instincts started to tremor. His wings started to flap in place, as if to warm up for an emergency take-off. His hooves tapping to the nerves while he shivered, only his tail covering his shakes. And his ears were pinned back, his psyche yielding to the chaos.

 

Another howl came and went. It was so loud he lost understanding of his elder ponies at what their response was and what their plan might be. It was so loud, he had to close his eyes from the radiating sound of the timberwolves' growling chorus. And in his hesitation to brace himself of noise, the green stick he was holding so tightly found a way to jiggle out of his grasp and started bouncing away from him. It bounced towards the kitchen, away from the living room and away from the front door where the timberwolves seemed to be approaching. With all the ponies and the dog in front of him, he flanked to his left to run after the stick, which was now jaunting in the kitchen. He did not want to lose his stick. He had already lost it once and he didn't want to lose it again. All he needed to do was pounce on it at the right time and hold on to it tighter. He could not let his daily prized possession get away from him, even if it seemed to have a mind of its own.

 

The stick vibrated across the kitchen floor under the dinner table and towards the door to outside. Before it got to the closed door Zap made a pounce for it, but barely missed grabbing the tip of the stick. With all the chaos of the timberwolves, he became more mentally distracted by the allure of his stick that he started too forget his surroundings and was beginning to become desperate for capturing his magical toy. Although he thought he had it cornered, the stick slipped through Winona's doggie door. "No!" He shouted. Zap was full of foalish emotion, and especially now, his adolescent anger started to fill his mind. He was not about to give up. He had to make a dash for this stick. It couldn't have gotten far. Just grab the stick and come back inside. So he ran through the doggie door to outside.

 

Zap did not consider why Winona in all her fear of what was outside with her didn't use the doggie door to get inside. All Zap was considering as he ducked his whole body through the pet exit is how quickly he could manage to chase this stick. As soon as he stood up from his falling out of the door, he saw the stick on the ground and used as much strength and force as he could to pounce on it. And he hit it. He could feel the stick squirm underneath his hooves. He tried to put as much weight on it as possible to keep it from wiggling its way out from under him.

 

And just as he felt the stick stop squirming, he inhaled to smell the most foul timberwolf smell he had ever smelt, ten times worse than what he smelled in the forest cave. Zap heard a deep growl above him, and as he slowly looked up, he saw a giant timberwolf standing in front of him. Behind it, stood two more timberwolves, howling their support for the one who towered over him. The timberwolves were beastly and intimidating on all angles. The wooden claws dug into the soil, tree sap saliva dripped from their sharp teeth. The front one appeared to only have one stick for an ear, and it was the same shape and size as the stick Zap was holding.

 

Zap froze. He had nothing to say, nothing to scream. No motions were thought of, his wings were trapped to his sides. He just stared back at the timberwolf, his face full of terror and regret. He held his breath and exhaled inconsistently. He wasn't sure what was next. And he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                         


Applejack observed the growling and howling timberwolves from behind the safety of her house. They were mighty brave, venturing this far in. That would be as close as they'd get though. They weren't foalish enough to try and get inside. Too much light, too much to hit them with. The days of timberwolves and the assorted critters of the Everfree making off with little foals were far in the past. The Everfree had never been truly tamed but the beasts that dwelled there knew better than to make too many inroads into Pony civilization. It was rare, truly and exceptionally so, to see one come this close, let alone a pack. What was on their mind? Why the hay would they come so close? They didn't do this unless they were angry or hungry. And was it the same pack that had tracked them earlier? Why so far, over what? Her mind wrestled with the possibilities.
 

A howl shook the house, sending her teeth chattering in her skull- for only a moment, then she bit down and set her face sternly. They weren't going to intimidate her. She'd seen fiercer things than something made up of teeth and wood. She puffed out her chest and stared straight through the window at the largest one, eye to eye. She wasn't afraid of him. But what was he howling about? Timberwolves howled for communication. They howled in celebration. This was a howl directed right inside, but there was nothing to communicate with. A dead-end of sound and fury signifying nought but whatever imperious desire drove him. Another howl, even louder. The force of it, seemingly directed right at her, almost forced her back but she stood firm. If this was an intimidation display and he was hoping to drive her to cowardice, he'd find nothing but failure.
 

What were the others doing? They all joined in on the howls, though you could tell he was the most impassioned of the bunch. The slightly smaller one- from the features along the cheek area, a female- seemed to wait on his cues. The two smaller ones did so out of rhythm, clearly their young. So they were a family unit, trying to tango with Applejack's family. She didn't know why. She just knew it was a fight that the wolves were doomed to lose. Her mind unable to bridge the gap any further as the pack continued their wailing, Applejack decided that enough was enough. She didn't need to see Zap Apple to know the little guy had to be feeling nervous, and he didn't need that. He needed to feel tired, because it was bedtime soon.
 

"Big Mac, get the rope!" Applejack hollered on up the stairs, throwing her head back. During the commotion, she could hear the other's reaction. From Granny's room one could see the front so both the elder Apple and Apple Bloom had been staring outside, yelling at the pack to get going- until the second howl, then they had ducked down. Big Mac had been lumbering about in his room, likely getting the torch and pitch ready. Just because this was outrageously rare didn't mean they had forgotten how the olden ponies had handled this problem. If too big a fire started, that's what the weather pegasi were for. She turned back to look outside, only for all of her little plans to come apart at the seams thanks to the most precious possessor of her soul.
 

Zap Apple charged through the doggie door. Through the window, Applejack could see the item that compelled him to do so- his stick, fully flowing and looking all the part of a Timberwolf. Such a thought did not really register however, as Applejack was panicked. "Zap Apple! Don't you-" she started before his little tail had fully gone through the door, avoiding her outstretched hoof. Her foal briefly out of her sight, Applejack did the only thing she felt she could do. She barreled over the door in a titanic explosion of wood splinters and a mare's grunt, the hinges flying off and the window breaking as it slammed into the porch. She hoped against hope that he hadn't gotten far, but his foalish excitement bled dry such notions and left her with an image of unparalleled terror.

 

The largest timberwolf, standing over her foal.

There was no real thought as to why that was.

 

Applejack immediately broke into a furious gallop, her eyes blazing fire and brimstone as she barked furiously. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" She screamed in absolute rage, her blood seemingly boiling to the point of searing her skin in an internal inferno of unregistered intensity. The smallest of the pack tried to leap at her, but she backhooved it with such power that it spun horizontally and away, crashing against a fence in a mess of sound and branches. The mother stepped in, even tried to leap on Applejack. She never landed, as Applejack took this opportunity to power up a flying buck. The timberwolf's eyes grew wide the moment before it landed, a thundering crash shattering the sound barrier. The impact sent a visible shockwave tearing across the landscape, sending a nearby wagon end over end and finally broken. 

 

The timberwolf flew at mach speed into the largest of the pack, the one standing over Zap Apple, crashing into him and sending the pair flying even further back until they ricocheted off a tree with such force as to cut the tree in half, a trail of glowing branches bouncing deeper into the orchard. The final timberwolf was galloping towards the pair, clearly terrified of the Apple farmer who landed from her flying buck right next to Zap Apple. It was a good thing, too. The tree made several cracking sounds and then started to fall, directly where Zap Apple was. Applejack galloped towards him and picked him up with her teeth, tossing him onto her back just as the tree landed behind them.

 

"GET AWAY! GET GOIN', OR ELSE AH'LL SNAP EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE HERE BRANCHES YOU NASTY, NO GOOD VARMINTS, THINK YER GONNA BE THREATENING MAH LITTLE FOAL AH'LL-" She began before she caught a glance of herself in a nearby pool of standing water. Her coat had nearly changed color to red, such was her anger, and her eyes had almost entirely glazed over with incandescent fury. With a powerfully angry snort, she started to back up. The branches started their slow, but eventual roll back to the timberwolves, who would reconstitute soon. She allowed herself a moment to think. "Zap Apple, sugarcube, light of mah life, you let go of that stick. It's part of a timberwolf, and they ain't gonna stop 'till they get it back."

[Hippo]

 

It all happened so fast. Zap had covered his eyes at the sound of howling and barking and smashing. The snaps and brushes of tree trimmings echoed against the barn and the orchard trees, creating a symphony of splintering music. We wasn't immediately aware, but his mother had broke down the door to get outside and took it to the timberwolves that surrounded them one by one, some in the form of advanced aerial combat techniques. If only Zap had his eyes open, he could see the kind of power that she was capable of when a dire situation called upon her to become the hero of Equestria everypony knew her as.

 

Eventually, Zap was pulled by the neck with his mother's teeth, and propped onto her back. Shocked at his rescue, he opened his eyes and held tightly in a fierce gallop to a safer part of the farm, next to a puddle of rainwater. Applejack saw herself in it, and Zap saw himself too. He was a timid pegasus pony colt who was visibly shaking and paler than his typical burnt orange complexion. He started to breathe heavier, his body trying to operate in reaction mode. His mother paused her gallop as she witnessed with Zap the collection of loose branches magnetized to each other to form the timberwolves remade. She lovingly scolded him about the stick.

 

The stick! He had totally forgotten. Having been picked up from a frozen scared state, he had never actually let go of the stick. It was still glowing green in his hoof. This was the cause of the invasion? Zap's regret maximized as the little foal started on the path of what might be his biggest feeling of remorse yet in his life. It was hard. Hard to know that the thing that brought him so much joy was also endangering him and his family. Hard to admit that if he had just left the stick in the forest, none of this would have happened. Hard to change his mind on a dime about whether or not he really wanted to keep this stick for himself. But the more he thought about it, all he really wanted was the amenities of home and family, able to sleep in a comfortable bed while be read a bedtime story and waking up the next day to see breakfast on the table prepared by the ponies who loved him more than anything else in this world. After a few seconds, Zap threw the stick down in front of them.

 

He didn't want the stick anymore.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                          


Applejack watched her son let go of his stick fitfully but, once committed, forcefully. The stick clacked to the ground and stood still for a moment before it started to roll into the darkness alongside its scattered brethren. At least that answered the important question. They had come for part of their body, lost in the Everfree, and carried all the way back to civilization. A part of her could almost commend the audacity they had to come this far, but she couldn't really get past the mental image of that timberwolf standing astride her little stallion like a wolf to a sheep. Any semblance of understanding that could exist, an accord or respect afforded from one family to the other, was shattered upon the altar of her maternal rage. As far as she was concerned they could get their little branches and tear flank out of her Orchard.

Slowly but surely Applejack backed up. She knew better than to present her rear to them, lest they grow bold and decide she was weak enough to attack. Not that they'd be in a position to do so based on what she did to them for a while, but it paid to be careful. Eventually, her hind legs hit the porch and she slowly made her way up them backwards. As she did so she saw the branches finally vanish entirely into the gloom. She knew her Timberwolf behaviors to know well enough that they would retreat back out of the orchard once they were constituted again. They didn't understand her words but they sure did understand her violence, and there was nothing to be gained now from further action. They weren't dumb. They were just ornery and mean, but not base enough to throw themselves fruitlessly, breaking themselves upon the rocks of this particularly sturdy shore.

Applejack felt the warmth of her home and nipping of her heels by Winona and breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, nelly..." she whispered to nopony in particular, her adrenaline starting to slow down. Her muscles grew weary and she could feel the weight of her little stallion on her back now, where before he was a weightless feather. "You did real good, Zappy. We'll get you somethin' ta replace that stick," she said as she turned her head to yell for her brother. "BIG MAC, GE-" she bellowed- directly into his face. The much-plussed brother frowned, revealing he already had the door repair supplies. "Oops, sorry. Hehehee," she chuckled sheepishly as he made his way to the door. She took a seat on the couch and placed Zap Apple next to her. "How are you feelin', sugarcube? Are you okay? Are you scared? Momma's here for you," she asked and said quickly, finishing with a warm embrace.

[Hippo]

 

After Applejack placed her son on the couch, all he could do was sit there and look downwards, not able to crack the smallest of smiles. His mother asked him if he was alright. He wasn't, although he could account for his physical health and even his emotional damage minus a possible nightmare in the future, he could not in any sense have confidence that he was not feeling at all guilty over the night's dramatic events. The pause that she made after her question caused a silence that elevated the focus on Zap's inability to cope with his own feelings, and he started to cry. Only a few tears in, he began sniffling and he very quickly began hyperventilating. The randomness of Zap's breathing made it hard for him to say what was on his mind, even though he would rather not say anything at all. But as Mom has always taught him, being honest and telling others how you feel is very important. So in between his random inhales, he uttered his grievance. "It was, it was...   all m-,   my...  fault..."