The Queen Crabapple (Patreon)

 Scootaloo stood in the doorway of the Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse in my Equestria dreamscape. Bathed in the light of a full moon the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres in Applebloom’s dream fabric had been transformed into a fantastical world. Girls let's all go ta sleep! 

   
  The usually charming apple trees were now gnarled and twisted. Their branches creaked and groaned as they swayed in the strong evening breeze. The great farmhouse and barn that usually greeted visitors and kin now loomed like a giant dark being perched on the hilltop. Strange tendrils of ground fog snaked and curled around the tree trunks. 

  
  “Still think yer awake Scoot?” Asked Applebloom. 

  
  “This is all a dream you’ve made for us tonight?” The orange pegasus turned and looked at Applebloom with eyes full of wonder. “This is awesome!”

   
  Sweetie Bell was less impressed and more confused and terrified by what she saw. “Ah! What happened to your farm Applebloom? Is your family all right? Is Winona okay?”

 
  Applebloom sighed. “Sweetie yer asleep and this is a dream remember. In fact both of ya need ta keep that in mind. This is all a dream and nothing can hurt ya so long as ya don’t git carried away.”

   
  “Can I fly here?” Asked Scoot.

   
  “Yes ya can.” Replied Applebloom with an ear-to-ear grin. “There’s no way I’d leave my best pegasus friend grounded fer such dream!”

 
  Scootaloo launched herself over the clubhouse railing and out into the evening sky. This was so cool; she could fly in her own dreams but tonight it was even more real and magical to her. She laughed and hollered in glee as she flew around the orchard.

   
  Applebloom looked over at her unicorn friend. “Sweetie Bell could ya do me a favor. I don’t feel like lugging the lantern around tonight. Could ya give us all some light from yer horn?”

   
  Rarity’s little sister fidgeted back and forth on her hoofs. “Now Applebloom you know I have had not any success with that spell yet in class. “

 
  But ya ain’t in school Sweetie. Yer in my dream, and if Scoot can fly I ain’t going ta leave my best unicorn friend out on the limb with a horn that doesn’t work.” 

  The unicorn filly fidgeted a bit.“ Well, um okay, here goes.”

   
  Sweetie Bell closed her eyes and scrunched up her face. After a few seconds a small yellowish glow began to form at the tip of her horn, it grew in intensity until it was a bright as the lantern. 

  “That’s the way Sweetie!” Exclaimed Applebloom. “Okay now we can all start adventuring!” Sweetie opened her eyes and stared at glowing orb. 

  “I did it! I did it!” Exclaimed the filly as she danced in place for several seconds 

  It took a couple minutes for Applebloom to get her friends organized but eventually they left the clubhouse and headed out into the orchards. As they walked amongst swirling fog and the swaying trees the littlest of the Apple family began the narrative part of this production. She was so busy spinning her tale that she did not notice the one dream dove lurking cautiously amongst the trees. Slowly the glowing white form changed into a black creeping shadow that followed the three fillies.

   
  “Now ya’ll might be wondering why I’ve brought ya ‘ll here ta a creepy-looking apple orchard. Well it’s ta tell ya’ll about mystery that has baffled apple farmers around Ponyville fer decades. The Crabapple.”

 
  Applebloom sauntered over to an apple tree and gave it a good sharp kick with her rear hoofs. The tree swayed and several small, roundish red-green objects fell to ground. At first the other fillies thought they were just fruit. Then one moved, then another; slowly legs and claws appeared and they began to scurry around on the ground.  Sweetie Bell shrieked in fear.  

 
  “Ah! Ah! What are they are? Ah are they zombie apples!”
 

        Applebloom rolled her eyes. “No silly they ain’t zombie apples they’re crabapples! And they’re the bane of apple bucking season.”       

        The butter cream filly walked over and picked up a stick off the ground with her mouth and slowly approached one of the crabapples. Slowly she leaned forward and lowered the tip of the stick toward it. At first the crabapple defensively raised its claws and snapped at the stick, then after a second or more it slowly climbed on to it. Applebloom gingerly carried the stick over to an old tree stump and set it down. She continued her narrative. Several trees away the creeping shadow hid behind a tree trunk and watched.

    
  “Now in some ways crabapples are helpful fer apple farmers like my family cuz they eat other insects that would damage our crops, yeah they pick at some of the young apple when they’re a growing but that’s more of nuisance than a problem.” 

   Scootaloo trotted over to the stump and was intently staring at the apple-looking crustacean, Sweetie Bell as stay back as far as she could without leaving the other two fillies standing in the dark. Applebloom continued speaking. 

  “The trouble starts when the buckers show up and start harvesting the apples. One apple tree can have several dozen crabapples in it and when they get knocked out of a tree they get might angry and will pinch the first thing they can get their claws on!” 

  Scootaloo let out a scream of pain interrupting Applebloom’s monologue, apparently the orange filly had accidentally come within range of the crabapple’s claws. Now the pegasus filly was frantically trying to detach the angry creature from one of her nostrils. 

  
  “Like that.” Noted Applebloom. “So at the start of each apple bucking season we all have ta go out into the orchards a day or so before and try and git as many crabapples out of the trees as we can! But that’s not the real mystery. The thing that nopony knows where exactly crabapples come from?” Oh sure we all know they come from the Everfree Forest but nopony has ever seen a baby crabapple.” 

  Applebloom casually strolled over to crabapple Scootaloo had finally detached from her face. She stared at for a second or two. “Now some think they grow on trees themselves somewhere in the Everfree Forest and when they’re all grown up they drop like fruit and then scurry away. Others think they’re born just like other insects.” Applebloom paused for dramatic effect.

 
  “But there’s another theory. Some say all crabapples come from one mother. The mother of all crabapples, the Queen Crabapple! Just like a beehive has its queen so do crabapples, except instead of being small like regular crabapples the queen is this monstrous creature that lurks in the Forest! Usually.”

   
  Applebloom turned and slowly walked toward her friends with a wicked grin on her face. In unbeknownst to her, the glow from Sweetie Bell’s horn made the earth pony look particularly villainous. Applebloom voice dropped to almost a whisper. 

  “But there is tales that say on certain nights when star are right in the sky, Queen Crabapple leaves her lair and the Everfree Forest and wanders amongst the fields and meadows of Ponyville. And if she sees ya and catches ya, yer never heard from again. She carries ya back ta her lair and feeds ya ta her young’uns.”

 
  Sweetie Bell was visibly shaking and Scootaloo was swallowed hard a couple times before speaking. 

  “When is the next time she’ll go a wandering?” Asked Scootaloo

.
  Applebloom leered at her friend. “Tonight.” She took several steps until her muzzle was almost touching Scootaloo’s.  In a low, whispering voice Applebloom kept spinning her tale. 

  
  “Up in the attic of Sweet Apple Acres, I found an old trunk that belonged ta my great granddad. Buried at the bottom of the trunk was an old book that belonged ta him. He got the book got from a crazy old earth pony lived in these parts before Ponyville even existed. The book has a calendar that if ya can decipher the code will tell ya the next time she’ll go a wandering. It also says how a pony can protect themselves from her.” 

  
  At this point Applebloom decided to advance her little dream play a bit more. Suddenly the wind picked up and trees began to twist and groan. Dark clouds suddenly began to roil and race across the nighttime sky. Then somewhere off in the distance a deep, ancient, and evil shriek came drifting in on the wind. Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell screamed in fright. Applebloom stared off into the distance.  

 
  “The queen is coming.” She said softly. “Let’s git to Sweet Apple Acres so I can show ya the book. There’s not much time!” 

  
  Quickly she galloped off with Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo in tow.  The black shadow lurking in the trees shot off in pursuit of the three fillies. As it raced across the ground it grew larger and larger.

   
 To be continued.