My little Pony:Spider And Magic

Chapter Thirty-Nine "Truth Behind Honesty

Chapter Thirty-Nine "Truth Behind Honesty"

Eighteen Days Remain

Peter scaled over the rooftops over the castle, his mind racing over what the others had told him. They practically saw his entire life. Shaking his head, the stallion cursed his luck. Whether it was by accident or a subconscious decision, he had to live with the outcome. Peter let out a sigh before stopping dead in his tracks, which happened to be on the side of a wall. While it was a difficult pill to swallow, he could rest easy knowing the ones he trusted the most were the ones to learn the truth instead of an enemy. If he didn't trust them, he wouldn't have shown them anything.

Peter's brow furrowed at a late realization. There would be time to worry about his own problems later. Right now, he had to find Applejack. From what Peter gathered, the blonde missed the entirety of the show, but he remembered Rarity stating Applejack left suddenly after seeing what happened to Uncle Ben. Flipping onto the highest vantage point of the castle, Peter folded his hooves over his chest as he stood on the top of a flagpole, displaying his excellent sense of balance. The wind brushed his unkempt mane and tail about, but the stallion remained undeterred, scanning the inside and outside of his surroundings.

Applejack was one not so easily shaken, but Peter had a sneaky suspicion as to what may have disturbed the mare so deeply. After all, his adoptive sister, Applebloom, left him a blatant clue. Scratching the underside of his chin, all the stallion had to do now was discover Applejack's whereabouts. Without magic, she couldn't teleport anywhere, and with her sense of courtesy, she would not have gone too far without telling somepony. Peter's eyes widened as an idea came to mind. Diving from his position and descending into a freefall, the stallion knew where to travel, a haven in which an earth pony could escape to.

Applejack sat with her head and hooves hanging over the fountain, the only company she had being her own reflection in the water. Quite some time had passed, but the mare's mood did not improve in the slightest, remaining as melancholic as the milky orb perched in the black sky. The ache in her chest refused to leave, and the image of Peter holding his dying uncle only added to the pain. Tears dripped from her face, landing into the fountain, but this had been going on for over an hour, leaving the farmpony to stop caring about hiding them.

Nopony was in the courtyard, as it was said to have been a hideaway spot for Princess Luna. The area wasn't restricted. The guards were just wary of the moon maiden. This gave Applejack the perfect reason to retreat to this location, giving her time to clear her head without making a scene in front of anypony. With many flowers and small trees planted throughout the vicinity, the courtyard could have been mistaken for a makeshift forest. Applejack shivered involuntarily as a small trail of wind brushed through her unshielded, golden mane.

She reached over the fountain for her hat, but after a few clumsy attempts, Applejack turned, finding her favorite headpiece was missing.

"I had a feeling I'd find you here, AJ," Peter called out from behind, sending a wave of shock through the mare's torso. She jumped, finding the stallion perched on the wall with her hat over his mane. He flipped from his position, landed a few hoof-lengths from the blonde, and took off the mare's hat before extending it over in an apologetic manner. "So how are you holding up?" His voice was soft, offering no humor.

Agitated, Applejack snatched her hat away from the stallion and threw it over her head. "Nopony asked you to follow me!" She turned back, taking a moment to wipe her face clean of her tears, but the task proved tedious.

"I know, but I was worried about you," he calmly retorted, paying the mare's deflective attitude no mind. Stepping forward, Peter placed his hoof over Applejack's shoulder, but she leaned away from his touch, responding with a bloodshot glare. The stallion's posture softened, but he kept his distance, respecting the blonde's need for personal space. "I was told you ran off after you saw what happened to my Uncle Ben. Did you want to talk about it?"