Apple Jack crunches into an apple, the juices oozing out down her chin. She walks into the living area, where Big Mac is packing unmarked packages and apples into bags.
"Are we about set to head off, brother?" Apple Jack asks finishing off her apple.
"Yuuuup!" Big Mac replies adjusting the bags on his back.
Granny Smith comes from the kitchen, " Now don't yall get too excited, this ain't no vacation. Yall got yourselves a job to do!" Granny Smith pushes her grandchildren out the door. " Now gon on! Get!" She yells slamming the door.
"Well I spose we ought to get goin!" Apple Jack said with a chuckle. Big Mac nods and the two set off for the train station.
They step off the train into Dodge City, the sun just about set in the horizon. Big Mac gathers his things around him and the train leaves the station. Apple Jack fidgets anxiously not really knowing what to do, when her brother starts to walk toward the city.
" So.. uh, where are we goin' now, Big Mac? " Apple Jack followed Big Mac through the streets.
" We'll be walking through the city to the Badlands, where we'll then have to walk a ways to meet our clients." Big mac replied as he continued to walk. They walked until the reached then end of the city. They walked until the dirt turned to dust and sand, when it was clear they were in the badlands. The sun had long been set by now and everything was covered in darkness.
"Who exactly are we meetin'?" Apple jack spoke up, walking closely to her brother, kicking up dirt under her hooves.
"Dragons" Big Mac snorted. " You just watch and say nothin'." He turns towards a group of cliffs and small mountains. They walked into what was a wide crack, shielding the outsides view.
Big Mac let out a puff and two dragons stepped out from the shadows. There was a taller muted red dragon and then a shorter ashy gray dragon.
"You got the stuff?" The taller dragon grunts out in a gruff voice.
"Yuuup!" Big Mac stomps his front hoofs on the ground. " You got the bits?"
"Oh you know we have the bits." replied the short one, placing his claws on his stubby hips.
Big Mac lays down his bags, dust flying as it touched the ground. He opens it revealing neatly packaged blocks of meat. A gust of wind blows the smell into Apple Jacks face. She breathed it into her nose and her mouth started to water.
"And whos this here?" the taller dragon asked pointing to Apple Jack who was standing off to the side.
"Yeah! Who's this, you didn't tell us about bringing no pony along!" The short one barked, transferring meat from Big Mac's Bag into theirs.
"It's just my lil' sis'. Been teachin' er the ropes." Big Mac replied calmly as he gathered his bits from the dragons.
"Ohhh" Said the tall one in a sly voice. " Well good luck to you" He eyed Apple Jack as they disappeared back into the shadows that they had came from.
Big Mac saddled up once again and started walking back out into the Badlands toward the city. The moon was out and shining brightly now. The pair walked until they came back into the sleeping city.
"Now what Big Mac? Everypony is sleepin' here. " Apple Jack looked nervously from window to window. All of which had the curtains drawn shut.
"We need to bring home a treat for Granny Smith." Big Mac replied, turning down a street.
"So that means were gonna be kidnapping somepony?" Apple Jack asked.
"Shhh!! Not so loud around here!" Big Mac turned around to Apple Jack. "If we're lucky we'll end up with a treat. If we get desperate we might have to get one of the train. We can't go home with nothin'. Granny smith don't like it when I come back with nothin'..." Big Mac muttered.
Apple Jack followed her brother. " The train seems quite risky.."
"Not really, The night cars are usually barren and the conductor is usually too tired to keep track of how many ponies are on the train." Big Mac replied. The pair continued to walk down the street until lights had started to turn on and the area got much brighter and louder. They had stumbled into night market, with streamers and lights everywhere. Stalls were set up and ponies were about in the wee hours of the night. Big Mac grabbed a crate out of an alleyway and sat it right in front. The alley way providing a dark place to disappear to.
"Are we setting up shop here?" Apple jack asked puzzled.
"Well I didn't bring all these apples for nothin'" Big Mac replied as he set out red apples onto the crate. He then sat out one green apple and sign that said 3 bits each.
"Why'd you only bring one green apple? We had a whole barrel at home and we usually sell those for a bit more!" Apple Jack started to complain.
" Whoever buys the green one we have to follow." Big Mac said. " Hopefully they eat it tonight."
They had sold a few red apples before a green pony stopped at their makeshift stand. "wooooow! These all look great, and I sure am hungry!" The pony exclaimed. " I don't know if i should get the red or the green one, they both look so tasty! What do you recommend?" She asks Apple Jack.
"Well uh," Apple Jack started nervously. " They are both great, but the green apples are some of the ripest apples we have, its the only one left because of how fast we've been selling em their so ripe!" Apple Jack spit out.
"Well you don't say! I think I'll take that one before anypony else does!" The green pony exclaims. She hands Big Mac three bits and starts to trot off eating her apple immediately. Big Mac rushes to clean up the makeshift stall.
"Follow her and be careful no one sees her pass out on the street I'll find you shortly." Big Mac says as he pushes his sister to follow the green pony.
Apple Jack looks back at her brother who disappeared into the alleyway and then back at the pony who was starting to sway as if she's tipsy from cider. The pony walks on and on into a quieter part of the city where less and less ponies are around. When the pony starts to stumble over her own hooves Big Mac has caught up to Apple Jack who was following a ways behind the green pony.
The Green pony trips on her hooves and starts to fall, just then Big Mac runs and shoves the pony into a nearby alley. Apple jack ducks into the alley after them.
"What's happening" The green pony slurred out as her vision started to darken. Big Mac then shoves the pony into a large luggage.
"I spose its time for us to head back now?" Apple Jack asks.
"Yuuup!" Big Mac replies pulling the luggage as he started to walk to the station.
When they get off the train in ponyville Apple Jack looked up to the sky. The sun was starting to rise making the sky streaked with orange and yellow. They arrive at Sweet Apple Acres with Winona greeting them at the door. Apple Jack nuzzles her and they go inside.
Granny smith was waiting for them in the kitchen. "So how was your first trip, Apple Jack dear? "
Big Mac set down the luggage in front of Granny. Apple Jack followed Granny as she pushed the luggage into the side house. " Oh Granny! It was great I feel like I learned so much. We even brought back so many bits!" Apple Jack enthused.
"Well that's wonderful dear!" Granny said as she opened a vault in the floor. Apple Jack stared down into the hole in the ground, which was a pitch black drop. Granny Smith opened the luggage and there lay the green pony in a curled up positioned. "Throw her in her for me will you?" Granny Smith asked.
Apple Jack maneuvered the unconscious pony to the edge of the vault pushing her in, shortly hearing her fall to the ground with a thump and burst of dust out the hole. Granny Smith Shut the door and locked it.
"Bout time you had some rest now, dear." Granny Smith cooed at Apple Jack. " We have plenty more work to do on the farm, and you've been such help for me and your brother!"
"Of course, Granny! You know I love to help and this is just so excitin'." Apple Jack said to Granny as they headed to bed for some well needed rest.