Raisin Quest 4
Day 3

Last Time on My Little Dried Grape Pone:

>--Helped Zecora bring the Mangy Griffin into her Hut--
>--You choose to bring Wake Me Up Dust with you on your quest--
>**Ask Zecora about the Love Letter, recognizes the initials**
>Zecora explains the nature of a strange Crystalline Powder refining order she received
>**Compare signature on Love Letter to Zecora’s Thank You Letter to confirm it’s the same 'LS'**
>--Zecora tells you that the Mangy Griffin will be in better shape around tomorrow afternoon--
>Go to the Library; meet with Twilight and Spike
>**Research the Snake Statue in town; discover that it’s called a Boulder Snake, an extremely rare creature that has never been seen near any pony villages or towns before**
>--Do some research on Crystalline Powder; nothing solid turns up. Twilight find information about a slightly magical blue stone called Malecite--
>--Tell Twilight that you’re on another quest, ask for her assistance—
>Twilight is willing to help because you’ve been right several times before; researches the initials LS to see if the Love Letter was written by a pony in Ponyville
>You and Scootaloo convince Sweetie Belle to offer up her Baby Blue Sapphires for a light potion not created; she’s willing to part with them now
>xXx Tell the CMC that you feel something is watching you; they look around fast, the feeling dissipates xXx
>Decide to look for Derpy to discover the mysterious sender of the Love Letter and the Thank You Letter
>**Stay outside of Post Office**
>Got the Address to Derpy’s House
>**Make sure team is fed; head to Sugarcube Corner for snacks**
>While going to Derpy’s, ran into Sandy Shores
>xXx Approach her and offer help xXx
>Sandy Shores steals a Baby Blue Sapphire before Raisin scares her off
>Get to Derpy’s House, greet the mare

After a long winded conversation with a ditzy mail pony, Raisin exhausts her supply of clever questioning before agreeing to be the mail pony’s friend and leaving the small abode. From her investigation so far, Raisin has discovered that the mysterious ‘LS’ is apparently not a pony, probably lives in the mountains, and likes magic Crystalline Powder. She also learns that he lives alone and apparently doesn’t like guests.

As the late afternoon sun hangs in the sky, Raisin and the CMC prepare to leave Derpy’s Abode and continue their complicated questing. With an abundance of new information in hoof, the stony warrior must plan her next moves carefully. Who knows what dangers lie in store for the brave team of fillies…

>6:00pm



You listen as Derpy seems to trip over something else inside her house. There's a loud crash followed by a calm silence. Scootaloo fidgets with her tail that was previously slammed under the door as Sweetie Belle stretches. As surprising as it may seem, your conversation with Derpy seems to have left the CMC quite tired.

"Alright, we've got a ton of new information. Let's head back into town. I want to check something quick..."

"Ya'll think we should check on that Snake Staute? See if it's changed at all, right?" Applebloom yawns, then cracks her shoulders. You simply nod in affirmation.

"Ugh, finally." Scootaloo chips in. "Let's get out of here."

The crisp early spring air blows through the manes of your comrades. The same breeze washes over you, but you're unable to feel it's cool caress. You quicken your pace just a little bit to get ahead of your friends, hoping to reach town before it gets too late. You hear the distinct tap of a set of hooves from behind; Scootaloo is perched up on your back again.

You pass a long trail of silverware leading all the way back and through Town Square. As you pass the houses in town, you see a bunch of families in the windows all sitting down and eating dinner. The town is peaceful at this time in the evening.

The Boulder Snake Statue comes into view.

Applebloom looks about for the guard ponies that were keeping the statue under watch. They seem to have left for dinner. "Perfect! Everyone's gone!"

"Let's get a closer look..."

You and the gang get closer to the massive snake. It seems to be coiled up as if it were struggling to cover it's own skin. The mouth is wide open as if it were screaming... the whole thing is actually rather unnerving. It's rocky coat is completely different from your own; it looks like an extremely burnt, cracked type of gray rock.

"...it... it hasn't moved at all since we were last here, has it?" Sweetie Belle asks with an air of caution.

You're unable to confirm this as you didn't get a good look at the statue. It doesn't appear to have shifted...

"Well, it's not knocking down any more buildings. What now?" Scootaloo rests her chin on top of your stony mane. She's taken to sitting on your back ever since she found out that you can't readily feel her weight.

Staring at the melted looking Boulder Snake Statue, you find yourself getting an instinctive urge to check on Hayseed and see how she's doing.

Withdrawing the little doll from you saddlebag, you can hear Scootaloo giggling a little bit to herself. You don't mind, however; gently holding Hayseed in one hoof, you see that the little Earth pony is doing just fine. She feels like she's got the heart for adventure everytime you stare into her black button eyes...

Gently, you give her a little squeeze against your chest. Closing your stony eyelids, you concentrate. You can feel the soft sand of the beach beneath your hooves as you imagine the lake waves washing up your legs. You recall your dad flying a kite that day... it feels like it was a very long time ago.

You smile.

GAME SAVED

Carefully putting Hayseed back into your saddlebags, Sweetie Belle stands at your side, ready to depart back to the Carousel Boutique. "Should we all get dinner and meet here?" She suggests.

"Hold on, we should follow up on Twilight's research really quick before we split up."

Applebloom nods. "Yeah, we all just ate bout an hour or two ago. I feel pretty go-"

"Applebloom! There ya'll are!" An angry mare shouts from down the road. "Ya'll were supposed to be home an hour ago!"

Applebloom bows her head down sheepishly. "Um... Ah'll be back... in a little bit. Don't do too much without me..." She turns around, running towards Applejack.

"I'll fetch her if we need to do anything big." Scootaloo says as she reclines on your back. "We probably shouldn't stay out too much longer, though..."

You walk around the statue quick, leading Sweetie Belle around the side. You get a very sharp look at everything, memorizing as much detail of the Boulder Snake Staute as possible.

"Alright, let's get going."

You, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all head out towards the Library. Just inside the downstairs window, you see Spike lighting up a few candles. He seems to be talking with Twilight.

The scaffolding doesn't seem to continue on back this way. From this spot, you can see that it leads down the road by Sugarcube Corner.

You give the Library door a soft knock... or what you thought was a soft knock. You put a hole into the front door on accident.

"Oh... uh... sorry Twilight..." you apologize through the hole your hoof left as she opens up the door, examining the damage.

"It's alright, Raisin... we've fixed it before, we can fix it again!" She seems a bit chipper. "It's getting pretty late... I didn't know if you girls were going to be coming back today."

"Did you find any new information?" Sweetie Belle inquires.

"I've got some leads, ladies..." She ushers you, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle into the Library. You can see that she was getting settled in, partway finished with writing a letter.

"There were three ponies in Ponyville with the initials 'LS'... well, three that were colts, at least. There's Lucky Stars, Loose Straws, and Lamp Starter. I know none of them are scientists like myself, but you never know. I've assembled a list of their addresses in case you wanted to try and see which one of them are sending the Love Letters to Applejack..." She continues chattering as you simply stare at the excited purple unicorn.

"Uh... Twilight... funny thing... uh... we found out that LS isn't a pony..."

Twilight stops. "...wait, what?"

"We talked to the mail pony... Derpy... and she said that LS wasn't a pony. We think he's a dragon that lives in a secret lab in the mountains."

Twilight looks baffled. "...that's some pretty solid information you girls found... huh..." She looks down at the address sheet she assembled along with the partial history of the three colts. With a half-smile and an insincere laugh, she tosses the papers over her head and onto the table, letting them scatter. "Well, that takes care of those leads, right?" The unicorn walks over to a large floor pillow and collapses. "So... LS is a mysterious dragon living in the mountains operating some secret lab and he has a secret crush on my close friend Applejack. Is that all correct?"

You nod.

"Are you sure you've got the right LS?" She asks.

You tell her that you confirmed the handwriting on the Love Letter and the Thank You Letter. They were both delivered by Derpy and you're rather positive that she's telling the truth.

Twilight simply warns you not to investigate such a dangerous lead on your own. If it happens to be true, which she has her doubts, then you'll be face to face with a potentially dangerous dragon.

"Alright, Twilight. We won't investigate."

Sweetie Belle looks at you. You simply give her a wink. She rolls her eyes and smiles.

"Hey, just curious... but did you find out any more information about the Boulder Snake in the Town Square?"

Twilight puts down her quill for a second and thinks. "Hmm... well, I've been talking to Princess Celestia almost all day, but she doesn't know much about them." Twilight looks baffled. "...and if Princess Celestia doesn't know much about them..."

"What about the trail it left behind? We've been seeing scaffolding all over town... has anyone traced it back to the source?"

Twilight nods her head. "Well, yes and no. The trail, for some reason, abruptly ends down the road from the school." She tilts her eyebrows. "It looks like it came from up the river... there's no solid trails around it. The first thing it smashed was a stone bridge leading toward Whitetail Woods, but there's nothing beyond the river."

"Huh... very interesting. Thanks, Twilight."

"If you girls need any help, you let me know. Stay away from that mountain lead... that sounds like trouble." She gives you a stern look.

You look at the CMC. "Do you think you guys could go home quick and sneak out a little later? We need to let our families know that we're okay."

Scootaloo shrugs. "Mine family is cool. I can chill with you, Raisin."

Sweetie Belle nods. "Alright... I'll go check in with my sister. Where should we meet?"

"Right; Sweetie Belle, go check in with Rarity. We'll meet at the clubhouse in about an hour... around 8 or so."

Sweetie Belle gives you a firm salute. "Roger, Raisin!" She spins around in place, heading for the door.

On your way out, you tell Twilight that you'll pay for the door out of your allowance. She shakes her head and tells you not to worry about it; Spike likes to play handyman anyways. The little dragon doesn't seem too enthusiastic about having to fix the door, but Twilight's word is good enough for you.

As you leave the Library, you see your dad coming your way. A look of worry washes off of his face as he approaches. "There you are, grapefruit! Like I told your ma; you were checkin' out books at the Library." He's got a cool air to him as he gives you a hug. Scootaloo pounces out of the way, looking off to the side.

"Come on, we've got the table set and dinner waiting." Your gives your side a tap. His hoof taps the Twisted Iron Rod on your back. "...adventuring again?"

You stop for a moment. "...y-you guys waited for me? But.. I don't even eat anymore..."

"You're family. Dinner time is family time. We couldn't start dinner without the family being together, could we?"

You simply smile and follow his lead. Scootaloo lags a little behind, but you can hear her hooves patter on the road. The countryside always looks so beautiful in the evening... before long, you're at your house again.

"I'll wait here... " Scoots sits down.

"You can come in, Scoots. There's like, tons of food."

The little orange pegasus seems uncharacteristically unsure of herself. "...really?"

Your dad pipes up as he opens the front door. "Of course you can come in, Scootaloo! There's plenty of food."

She gets a soft grin. "Uh... okay, sure. Thanks."

The three of you walk into the luxurious foyer of your magnificent house. As always, you make sure to stay on the rugs to keep scuff marks off the polished floors. Scootaloo looks around as always, taking in the sights as if they're always new. You direct her over to the dining room.

As you enter, you see your mother wipe a bead of sweat off her brow. "Oh, thank Celestia! We were soo worried about you, Raisin!" She runs up to you, giving you a once over. She pulls out a silky polishing rag and rubs your cheek.

"Awww, come on... I was only gone for like... a few hours..."

"But you never miss dinner! We thought something might have happened to you!" Your mom sounds like she's still trying to calm down. Scootaloo rubs her hooves together, looking down at the floor.

"The table's all set. Come on, let's eat!" Your dad lightens up the mood a bit.

Scootaloo picks a chair close to yours. There's tons of chairs all along the dining room table; the entire staff can come in and eat together during each rotation.

You scoot your reinforced chair up closer to the table. In a lot of ways, the massive slab of cut rock reminds you of a throne... but you prefer not to think of it that way. Your dad sculpted it for you after you broke a couple of the regular dining room chairs.

Before you is a nice placemat. On everyone else's is a plate of greens, some carrots, a very tasty looking cupcake for dessert, and some grape juice. Quickly, a spread is brought out for Scootaloo. She drools as she looks over her options.

"Wow! You guys really know how to eat!" She starts munching through some of the portion before your parents get a chance to start on theirs.

As per usual, you watch everyone eat as you discuss some of the things you saw today. Your dad seems concerned about the Boulder Snake Statue; he says he was wondering what that thing was. As the meal concludes, you carefully scoot your chair back without bumping the table.

"That was awesome! Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Raisin's parents!" Scootaloo looks stuffed.

"Glad you could join us tonight, Scootaloo." Your dad says as he finishes off his glass of grape juice.

"You're welcome here any time!" Your mom smiles.

You tell your parents that you're going to set up camp with the CMC; you're celebrating the day off from school. As you're excused from the table, you notice that Scoots' eyes are a little bleary.

"Uh... everything okay?"

She shakes her head for a second. "Pfff, of course. I'm cool. To the clubhouse, right?"

You know she seems really tough on the outside, but Scootaloo is just like any other pony your age. Much to her objection, you move your forelegs around her in a sincere embrace.

"R---Pfghaach!" Scootaloo squeaks. You realize that you were squeezing her just a tad too hard. It's hard to tell with your golem strength.

"Oh.. uh... sorry..."

She coughs as she slumps to the carpet. "Nah, nah... it's cool, don't worry about it... it's cool..." She catches her breath quick before standing back up.

You head on down the hallway and back into your room. On your way in, you see Mary lightly dusting over a few of your bookshelves, being very careful not to knock anything out of place. She looks over her shoulder as you and Scoots enter the room.

"Oh! Hello, Master Raisin! Did you enjoy di-" She nearly slips. "We're so glad that you vere safe!" She finishes up her dusting before leaving the room quickly.

You sit down and talk with Scoots for a second.

"You know, I was thinking... what if I write a letter and leave it on my doorstep? Do you think the map maker pony will come out and grab it?"

Scootaloo scratches her chin. "It's worth a shot. We have no idea where to even start looking for clues on their identity..."

Quickly, you open up a piece of paper and start scrawling out a letter.

"Dear Mr Colt/Ms Mare/Dragon,

I'm sorry for losing your letter earlier. I'm not sure if you're bad or good, but I have a feeling deep in my gut (well, where my gut WOULD be) that I can trust you. I want to meet you, tonight or tomorrow. Please.

XOXOXOXOXOXO,

Raisin"

Scootaloo scrunches up her nose. "That's a lot of 'hugs' and 'kisses', don't you think?"

You shrug. "It felt appropriate. Gotta be friendly with them, right? I mean, they did want to help me." You wrap a delicate piece of ribbon around the scroll. Seeing as your bags cannot handle any additional items, you set the scroll on the floor.

"...so... we leave this outside and head to the clubhouse, right?" Scootaloo looks outside, noticing that the sun is just hanging over the horizon. "Sweetie Belle's probably already there! We should hurry up!"

After little self-debate, you decide that your Bits have probably served their purpose today. You withdraw the small Bit emblazoned Satchel and dump the Bits back into your treasure chest. You throw the Pack of Bubblegum into the Satchel, then put the Satchel back into your Saddlebags.

You look back at the scroll on the floor, realizing that you have no room to store it inside of any saddlebags at the moment.

"...how am I going to carry this safely..."

Scootaloo simply shrugs. "I dunno."

You look over at Scootaloo for a moment. Without a second thought, you grab the scroll and pop it into her mouth. With a little protest, she glowers at you before letting you lead her out of the room.

As you enter the hallway, you see Mary Annette taking off her Maid hat. She looks like she's whipped and ready to relax. As per normal, she heads off towards the living room on her way to the sauna. She leaves her hat on her cleaning cart, looking ready to throw her uniform through the wash before bed. You stealthily keep to the carpet, Scootaloo close behind.

As you leave the front door, you hear your dad speak up. "Questing again? This late at night?"

You turn around. "Well, actually... uh... well, we're going to just go over to the clubhouse to chill for a bit. We're celebrating the day off from school together."

Your dad holds his expression. You're pretty sure he knows what's up. "Don't get yourselves bruised up over nothing now, ya hear?" He heads upstairs.

Scootaloo sounds like she was about to mumble something, but you can't hear her around the scroll in her mouth. She stops, then just opens up the front door. As you both exit, she slips the scroll under the doormat.

"Alright. It's probably going to get dark soon." Scootaloo looks up to the sun hanging over the mountain tops.

Paranoid as ever, you make sure to check the scroll before leaving. You look it over, noticing that it has a light bite mark indented into the paper. It's very slightly moist... you think... but it looks fine. The ink isn't bleeding through and the paper looks like it's still in good condition.

You slide it under the doormat, leaving a little corner hanging out.

Scootaloo stares at you impatiently.

"Right. Let's get going."

You and Scootaloo head out of the front door and take a left, heading towards Sweet Apple Acres. As you head down the road, you suddenly remember that Applebloom has no idea what you three have planned.

"Hey, we need to get Applebloom."

Scootaloo nods. "Right. Let's go around back and fetch her."

As you approach the farmhouse, you and Scootaloo start going around the side toward the back. Your hooves land heavy on the soil, making a crunching, clacking sound as little rocks and sand push away under your hooves.

>7:45pm

You decide to go for the front door. Knowing that the porch was never designed to hold a pony of your weight, you decide not to test it.

"Hey Scoots, go knock on the door. Let's see if Applebloom can come out."

Scootaloo shrugs. "Oh.. I thought we were going to sneak her out..." She laughs to herself. "Knocking would be a lot easier, wouldn't it?"

The small orange pegasus jumps up the steps and taps on the door. In a matter of moments, a relatively angry looking Applejack comes to answer. "Ya'll here for my letter snoopin' thief of a lil' sis?"

Scootaloo looks around. "...yes..?"

Applejack shakes her head. "Well, too bad. She's grounded."

"What for?" You ask.

"One of my Letters in fell out of Saddlebags when she was takin' em off to eat dinner, that's why." Applejack doesn't seem too thrilled about the letter getting out. "Come back tomorrow if ya'll want to see her."

Scootaloo looks back to you, unsure of what to do.

"Ah... shoot. Okay, Applejack... tell her we'll see her tomorrow, alright?"

Applejack tilts her hat towards you. "Will do. Ya'll should get on home anyhow; it's gettin' late."

Scootaloo hops off the porch, hanging her head down low. As soon as the door shuts, she picks herself back up. "Late? 8 o'clock? Pffff..." She stretches her wings out a bit as the two of you start rounding the house. "So, we're busting her out, right?"

"Right. We'll need her and a lantern if we hope to do any questing tonight."

You and Scootaloo tiptoe around the house. You can hear your hooves digging into the soil firmly, making a crunchy noise as you disperse sand and rocks away from your hooves.

"Alright... so, how do we do this? Is the ladder still back here?" Scootaloo wonders. She trots a little further ahead, looking around the back of the house. Up above, you see a warm candlelight in Applebloom's Room.

Your hooves continue to crack and crunch the soil under you, leaving an unmistakable trail of hoofprints. You know how soft the soil is here, but trodding it down is never a problem. Applejack doesn't seem to mind much, especially since you always walk on trails that are already run in pretty well.

As the two of you round the corner of the house and make it to the back, you look up to see that Applebloom's already got it open.

Scootaloo waves up to her, but the little red bow in her mane flutters up and down in panic. She's waving her hooves around as if telling you to go. Scoots looks about.

"I think she's trying to tell us where the ladder is..." Scootaloo looks off in the direction she's waving. There doesn't seem to be any ladders off that way. There is a shed, however, not far from where she's motioning.

"It's probably in there." Scootaloo whispers.



Quickly, you realize that Applebloom is probably trying to warn you of her incoming sister. You whisper shout to Scootaloo to follow you as you make your way towards the shed. You pick up your pace a little, but you can't help but make a crunching trail of noise as you scuttle across the backyard.

Suddenly, you see Winona run up to you. She's got a silly looking dog grin on her face as she stares at you. You stop when she looks like she wants to play.

"Shhhhh...! Not now Winona!" You whisper shout to the little collie. She pants, looking like she's gonna pounce on you.

Scootaloo silently creeps away, hiding by the side of the barn. She makes sure to get out of sight, but you see her motioning you over with her hoof.

Carefully, you think things through before you panic. Applebloom whines like you're finished, but you don't give up. Quickly and silently, you withdraw your trusty pair of Reinforced Boots from your inventory and equip them. The Boots fit snug and tight to your hooves and help disperse your weight. Perfect.

You untie the Twisted Metal Rod from your back. It's already curved pretty well like a stick. Winona follows it back and forth as you grab it in your hoof. "Fetch!" You whisper. Giving the rod a light toss, you let it land quietly by a nearby fencepost. Winona takes off after it.

While she's distracted, you rush over to Scootaloo. As you dive behind the shed, she lets out a small series of quiet but excited giggles.

You can peer through a crack in the shed. Right now, it doesn't look like anyone is coming. Your hoofprints stop right below Applebloom's window. After equipping your trusty boots, there doesn't seem to be a single hoofprint more.

You have the oddest sensation that someone is watching you.

As you crane your head around, you watch for any sign of the slightest movement. Far off in the distance behind the big barn, you see a small silver glint disappear around the side of the building.

"...what the...?"

Scootaloo puts a hoof over your mouth. She looks a little panicked. You can hear Winona whining a little bit. Looking through the shed, you see that she's stubbornly attempting to pick up the Twisted Iron Rod you threw. The weight seems too overwhelming for her, but she refuses to give up.

"Oh man... she's gonna give us away..." She swallows hard.

Nothing besides Winona's occasional whines fills the air. Applebloom is craning her head out of her window. She looks like she's a bit more calm now.

You check to make sure the coast is clear before peeking out from around the side of the shed. Applebloom does a simple 'whew' gesture as you go around to check the shed door.

To your misfortune and frustration, there seems to be a Padlock on the door.

"Curses..." You mumble to yourself.

Scootaloo whispers through the shed. "Raisin, isn't the ladder usually by the tree? That's where Applejack always sets the ladder..."

You nod, but upon analysis, there doesn't appear to be any ladders around the tree. you look up at Applebloom, then make a stair climbing motion with your forehooves. She looks confused at first, then realizes what you're asking about.

She points at the tree.

Winona is digging around your Twisted Iron Rod, trying her best to retrieve it. The little pup simply cannot lift it.

You think you must have missed something. Surely, the ladder must be on the other side of the tree. Carefully, you walk around the entire trunk, looking up and down for any hint of the portable stairs. After your third trip around the tree, you're certain that, unless something is moving the ladder around the tree as your walking around it, there is no ladder to be found.

You look up at Applebloom and shrug. She looks surprised, but scratches her chin. She takes a few moments to think of an alternative solution...

Winona lets out a soft bark as her frustration builds. She's dug up the area around the Twisted Iron Rod pretty well.

"Oh man... shhhh!! Quiet Winona!" Scootaloo whispers from behind the barn. Suddenly, she bolts to the other side of the barn. "Big Mac at 6'o clock!"

You hear his hooves trotting around from behind the shed. He sounds like he's hanging out around the big barn in the distance.

Worried that Winona's gonna give you away, you trot over and grab the Twisted Iron Rod and bolt around the tree. While running, you hear your shoes stress and pop. They're still together, but it doesn't sound like your sprinting was healthy for the shoes.

As you sit behind the tree with the Twisted Iron Rod in hoof, you notice that Winona is hanging off the end of it. She's gnawing away on the end happily. You roll your eyes as you try to figure out what to do.

"Can we lean something against the window or something? Make a ramp?" Scootaloo brainstorms with you. You can see her from behind the tree.

Big Mac is tinkering with something by the big barn. You can hear the relatively loud churning of wagon wheels as he moves a cart around to the front door of the big barn.

You peek around the tree. Applebloom looks kind of excited. You see her make a grappling hook gun kind of gesture, firing it at the tree and pretending to zipline out of her window.

Suddenly, a thought comes to mind. You could make a Grappling Hook out of the Twisted Iron Rod and the Spool of Rope...

...if Winona wasn't hanging off the end of it.

You explain your plan to Scootaloo, then inform her about Winona. "Just shake her off! We gotta get this show on the road!" Scoots whispers.

Big Mac is still pulling the cart out front. It seems like he's moving it into the big barn.

"Heel!"

Winona gives you this excited look, wiggling her body as she tries to free the rod from your grasp.

"Stay! Let go! Get off!"

She tries to get a better grip on the rod as you shake it gently.

"Uh.. go get Big Mac! Go get 'im!"

Suddenly, her eyes light up. She lets go of the rod and promptly sprints off around the house. You breathe a sigh of relief out of habit. You take the Twisted Iron Rod up into your hooves, twisting it without effort into a two pronged hook. The rod glows orange at the joints.

"That's soo cool..." Scootaloo whispers. You swear that you hear Applebloom saying the same thing.

You tie one end of the rope around the base of the hook. Carefully, you toss it over the branch. You tug on it gently, watching the branch creak with your strength. The hot part of the hook smokes against the wood.

Now, you have the other end of the rope in your hand... you're not sure how to get it up to Applebloom short of trying to throw the light end at her until she catches it.

Thinking a bit clearer, you give the hook a little slack and let the hook set down on the ground. You make sure to stand on the end of the rope coming off the spool, weighing it down. Picking the hook up in your hoof, you nimbly take aim at Applebloom's window.

"No! Wait!" Scootaloo warns.

Applebloom waves her hooves back and forth. You're confident that this plan is going to work, however, so their warnings are unnecessary. You give the hook a light toss as she dives inside.

Against all odds, the hook lands and hooks onto the windowsill. It hits with a rather loud clunk and sizzles the paint, but it's up there. You motion for Applebloom to climb on down as fast as she can. Slightly panicked, she secures her saddlebags to her back and drapes a pillowcase over the rope. Taking care to avoid the hot hook, she shimmeys out of the window and slides down the rope.

As she speeds towards the tree, she ends up slamming into the side. She lands on the ground, her head spinning slightly. "Gooooood work, Raisin..." She shakes her head.

"Awesome! Let's get out of here before Applejack finds us!" Scootaloo whispers as she looks for an escape route.

You let your rear leg off of the rope in hopes that the hook will fall off the windowsill and back to the ground. For some reason, it seems stuck. You think the paint might be holding it in place.

"Nothing is easy..." You mutter to yourself.

Giving the rope a light tug, you hear the windowsill creak and give way as the hook comes tumbling down. The windowsill is still fused to the hook.

"Raisin!" Applebloom squeaks. Scootaloo panics, taking off around the house. "Run! This way!"

You can hear the front door open. "What the hay was that!? Raisin! Scootaloo!" Winona is barking like nuts, quickly coming back to your position. The sun is just beginning to set as you feel terror overwhelm you.

"Oh man oh man oh man ohmanohmanohman"

Panicking, you reach down and grab the Grappling Hook + Windowsill and start to book it around the house. You chase after the crimson and purple tails of your two friends, hoping to outrun Applejack and Winona. As your hooves pound into the ground, your shoes sound like they're ready to give.

Scootaloo leads the way behind the barn, running towards the apple orchard. Applebloom is close behind. She sounds like she's whining about how much trouble she's going to be in when Applejack catches her.

As you run, a sound akin to an explosion reverberates from around your hooves. Your shoes annihilate themselves from the shock of your body impacting the ground. Your light steps have turned into a thunderous, imposing charge. Looking over your shoulder, you see a veritable dust storm pounding up from the worn path behind the barn.

Winona seems to have stopped; the dust is agitating her eyes and nose. She gets a sneezing fit. As you think you're in the clear, a brown rope passes through your field of vision.

"Gotcha!" You hear Applejack shout from behind. You're not sure if she actually roped you, however, as you haven't slowed in the slightest.

You thunder along behind the barn and towards the field, Applejack shouting 'Whoa!' and 'Stop!!' from behind you.

You realize that you're indeed roped. You look back into the storm of dust behind you and see the blonde maned mare desperately trying to dig her hooves into the ground. She stumbles as you travel over bumps, but she's determined to stop you. She doesn't look nor sound happy in the slightest.

Fearing the repercussions and chastisement of stopping, you continue to sprint, taking a detour down one of the farm paths. Your hooves quake the ground under your feet.

As you run one of the farm trails through the orchard, you occasionally turn around to see if Applejack is still there. She's climbing the rope up your way, dragging her rear hooves against the ground. She looks pretty irate. "Stop right now! Ah'm not lettin' go! Your mother will be hearin' bout this!"

She's getting nearer to you as you take this detour path. You're not sure what she has in mind, but watching her climb closer has got you feeling desperate. There has to be a way to get her off your tail... which she's nearly able to touch.

Applejack is finally up to you now. She grabs on around your neck. "Ya'll stop right now young lady before Ah make ya'll stop!"

You think of something really quick. "APPLEBLOOM MIGHT BE POISONED AND WE NEED TO GET HER TO ZECORA'S! WE DIDN'T WANT TO TELL YOU BECAUSE WE THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE MAD!"

Suddenly, you hear a "Pardon?!" She can barely hear you over your thunderous charge, but you're sure that she heard all of the keywords.

"WE NEED TO HELP APPLEBLOOM! SHE MIGHT BE POISONED!"

Applejack sounds extremely mad now. "What the HAY are you talkin' bout? Why didn't ya'll mention this when you knocked on the front door?!"

You reiterate that you thought she would've been mad. You watch one of her hooves peel back. You're not sure what she's doing, but you just keep running. Suddenly, you see the notable black color of your Twisted Iron Rod spinning around above your head with a white windowsill trapped in it's grasp.

You watch it go flying off into the orchard. It wraps around a tree. In a matter of moments, you see Applejack let go and you take off into a wide, airborne arc. With a loud crack, you hear the tree snap in half and crash into the ground. You get buried in a small mound of soil, headfirst.

Quickly, you try to right yourself. As soon as you do, Applejack is hovering over you. She's holding a rope in her hoof. She's very mad. "We can do this the easy way... or the hard way."

You lie on your back, hooves curled up to your chest. Your Royal Medallion lays on your chest, reflecting the last rays of sunlight as the sun dips behind the distant mountains. You wish the piercing green eyes of Applejack would follow suit, but it doesn't seem you'll get such luck.

"Applejack, I'm not lying! This isn't a joke! Applebloom could be in serious trouble!"

"From who?" The mare doesn't seem to open to talking.

"She handled a type of flower called 'Midnight Widow'. I think it's deadly poisonous!"

Applejack stares at you coldly, not saying a word.

"Please, we just wanted to help! I got panicked after you and Winona started chasing us! We didn't mean any harm! We didn't want you to know that we were exploring the Everfree by ourselves!"

You muster all the sincerity you can possibly place in your stone cold eyes. Applejack rolls her head. "Oh for pete's sake... ah know you girls go to Zecora's all the time. Why'd ya'll think Ah'd get mad over that?" The farmer sets the rope down. "Get up. Your mother is gonna hear bout all this sneakin' round and trouble makin' you've gotten yerself into."

You sit on the ground, not sure what to do. "B-but... what about the poi-"

Applejack stamps her hoof. "Now, lil' miss! We'll discuss that later!"