Zecora continued looking around, her eyes settling on different kinds of herbs on her way path. She was looking for Poison Bloat. I special kind of herb from the Poison Joke family that did simply what it's named for. Bloating.

Her eyes finally settled on the red plant she was looking for. She grabbed onto her potion from the insides of her saddle bag, a gift from Rarity herself, and delicately picked up the Poison Bloat, trying her best to not get the juice of her plant over her hooves. She placed the ingredient in a special secondary pouch before checking her hoof for any red stain the flower may have given her. She sighed, thankful that it had not gotten on her.

She began her way back, before hearing very loud rustling in a nearby bush. She froze, stock still, and listened. Maybe it was just another wild animal? Or maybe it could have been a thief? A fillynapper perhaps? She gulped as she looked over her shoulder, to see a very large mechanism of some sort pointed directly in her face. She began to laugh, before the mechanism aimed down and emanated a VERY loud sound, striking fear into her heart as she was silenced immediately.

She looked down at where the mechanism was pointed earlier. There were way too many holes in the ground for modern day prototypes of weaponry to catch up with. Zecora gulped again as she looked down the barrel of what she was assumed a 'Gun', newfound respect for the mechanism.

"If I may inquire..." She began slowly, making sure the stranger heard her as well. "What exactly is it that you desire?" She was met with cold, hard silence, before the possible assassin grunted in acknowledgement. "Where's th' closest town?" The mare asked Zecora. Zecora blinked, trying to make sure she was hearing that correctly. Why in all of Equestria would a mare be holding a weapon? It would have made sense if a stallion held me for information... She thought for a moment, before looking around. She could easily trick the threat into going a different direction from Ponyville.

"If it is directions you need for the journey, then you may need not to worry. To the west, from there you'll see, for the very best, a place to be!" Zecora said, an obvious lie. She just hopes the mare would fall for it. The mare was quiet, before the gun lowered from Zecora's face, to reveal a blue coated pony, a one sided, brown saddlebag of some sort wrapped around her body, a square cap covering her face. "Thank's 'Pally'" she said with sarcastically, as she turned and waved her rainbow hued tail goodbye. Zecora took a moment to let that sink into her brain.

There's no way that could be Rainbow Dash...None at all...

She was a lot friendlier then that, and Zecora had known her for a long time, before she disappeared she was never like that. Zecora sighed as she took out her map and compass from her saddlebag and looked at the directions. She then gasped as she realized her large mistake. The direction she had sent the strange pony was not deeper into the woods...

But towards Sweet Apple Acres...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack bucked another tree, continuing her work from where she left off. The apples fell accordingly into the baskets placed strategically around the tree. She stood herself straight and sighed as she wiped away whatever sweat had accumulated from her hard days of work. Another season done with until the next month. Applejack put as many of the baskets as possible over her back and she looked around. "Applebloom! Come out here! I've got a basket fer ya!" She yelled out for her little sister.

Applebloom popped her head through a nearby bush, before running up to her sister and placing a hoof over her mouth. "Be careful Applejack! The strangah' might come n' get ya next! I jus' saw 'em run up and beat up Big Macintosh!" She said, fear trembling every inch of her voice. Applejack moved her little sister's hoof away from her mouth before giving her an odd look. "Ya sure ya didn't imagine it?" She asked as she began walking in the general direction that Big Mac said he would be going himself, so that they could all get the trees in the shortest amount of time before meeting back in the middle.

"I'm serious, sis! Saw it with my own two eyes!" She said, pointing to her eyes with her hoof to make sure Applejack could grasp the intensity of the situation herself. "Bah, Jus' illusions sugarcube! Ain't no one single pony can tussle wit' Big Mac other than me, and win!" She said as she tried to calm down her little sister. Applebloom gulped as they ventured deeper into the orchards. "Are ya sure sis? I mean, what if he actually DID beat 'em out inta' next week?" Applebloom said, worry deep within her voice. Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the large sound of Metal hitting wood...

Hard...

Applejack and Applebloom quickly lowered their stance in pure instinct as they took cover behind a tree. No bird could make a sound that loud, and especially not with metal. They began moving from tree to tree before they saw the the two. Big mac was charging at the pony that was attacking him, only to miss completely.

"Come on! Are ya even tryin' tough guy?!" Said the mare as she swung her bat in her hooves tauntingly at Big Macintosh. She flicked her tail as the Big Mac himself ripped up a piece of the earth with his hoof as he dragged it towards him. "I thought Applejack n' her friends snuffed you Changlings outta Canterlot..." he said as he readied himself for another round. "I dunno what the hell that is, but it don't sound like somethin' I'd wanna run inta'!" The mare said as she swung her bat around one more time, before setting it down and leaning on it. Her hoof casually ran into her saddlebag, which was more than within hoof's reach. She pulled her arm halfway out, but stopped herself as she waited for the Big Mac to make the first move.

"Don't pretend like ya' don't know what I'm talkin' about! I know you're jus' another disguise!...A strange one at that but yer still tryin' to decieve us!" Big Mac said, determined to make the changling show its face like a real stallion would. The mare only laughed. "Do I look like I smoke cigars and wear paper masks? You're freakin' more idiotic then a box a' rocks!" She said tauntingly as she leaned off the metal bat and poked Big Mac's nose with it playfully, before jumping away from him. Big Mac charged forward again in a more unexpected manner. This was apparently thought ahead of by the blue mare as she took out a small can at just the right moment and she just plainly...Sipped it...

Everything seemed to slow down for the mare. The charging heavyweight, first at originally too fast to dodge speeds, seemed slower then a snail. The mare's eyes had gone small from the adrenaline rush the small orange can in her bag had produced, and she rolled out of the way in the nick of time in a rainbow-hued blur, like she was never there. "Missed me!~" She said playfully as she dodged a buck from her enemy. She dodged another charge like it was a paper airplane flying right at her. "You're like a car crash in slow motion!" She quickly popped up behind Big Mac, with a wooden bat in her hooves now, as she struck him right across the back of the head, nearly knocking him out. He stumbled around a bit as he tried to look at his attacker one last time.

She lined up her bat next to his head,

She twisted her body to the right as she lined up the shot, still making eye contact,

She swung, and it was good!

She sent Big Mac flying into a nearby tree, like he was just another baseball. She laughed, pointing at Big Macintosh's unconscious body. "Hahaha!~ You just got owned, you fat balled bastard!" She laughed some more, before feeling a very loud crack in her back.

Goodbye, muscle control...

She fell down as her body was sent into complete shock, just by the force of whatever wrench just hit her right in the center of her spine. Before she lost consciousness, she saw the four orange hooves of the attacker, and then she fell victim to the ever growing darkness that was unconsciousness...