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Post by Sagebrush on Oct 1, 2011 17:12:24 GMT -5
Sage silently followed the entourage through the carefully organized rows of apple trees dotting the rolling hills. But it didn't take long to spot the patch of sickly plants, long before they'd actually reached them. His ears plastered themselves to the side of his head in confusion, shock, and distaste as he took in the scene.
He'd seen plenty of ailing plants before, but nothing quite like this. Apparently neither had Cloudy. Twilight was right in finding the source was the best place to start, and obviously didn't think magic could help in any way or she'd have suggested it already. Newcomer Applejack, obviously a fellow farm pony, didn't have any clues either. Sage made his way to the nearest trunk and put his muzzle right up close to take a sniff and a good look at the filmy residue. It didn't even resemble other plantlife that could possibly infect and destroy a tree....nor any type of insect that could possibly kill it off.
He changed his focus to one of the fallen apples and noticed the worms and grubs were taken advantage of it. Well, at least the fruit was something they were able to eat and not die from. This meant that whatever the rot was at least it wasn't sickening or infecting the animals. Plants only...hmm. He raised his head and glanced at the farming ponies and the little congregation about them. "I think Twilight's suggestion is the best one, we find the source. Do you remember which trees were infected first?" he asked, always succint and to the point.
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Post by The Storyteller on Oct 3, 2011 15:33:01 GMT -5
" Some of the hired help were sayin' the rot's gotten worse along th'southern rows of trees on that hill over yonder, " Big Mac loosely jousted a hoof towards that implied direction, where the trees in that area certainly did some to be drooping a bit more, lathered in a grisly varnish of rot. " An' then some others said it was just as bad down near the northern orchards." He shifted his head up in indication towards the upper crest of those neatly spaced rows of apple trees. " S'about as far as we've come to a 'source', but we haven't had enough help to really investigate, as it were. Well, " The red stallion permitted himself a docile grin. " , 'til now, Ah reckon."
When his sibling made her enthusiastic appearance, the draft pony sauntered on over towards her side, offering a friendly nudge of his rightmost flank. " AJ, nice 'o ya ta' join us. What say we split these folks up, maybe scope out them 'sources' from two fronts? "
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Post by Cloud Dreamer on Oct 4, 2011 20:37:33 GMT -5
Cloudy listened carefully as the other ponies suggested their ideas. They knew more than her after all, maybe she could learn something. At least they could make decent helper for the detective part, she was just sort of there. But any help was good help, right?
Applejack appeared and Cloudy smiled. "Hey Applejack. Awfully sorry about your crop. But don't worry! I'm sure we'll find the direct source off all of this and stop it." She gave a confedent smile and turned back to Big Mac. "I personally volunteer to head over to the northern parts." Maybe they weren't as bad as the sourthern trees, which grossed her out even from a distance.
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Post by Twilight Sparkle on Oct 5, 2011 10:47:08 GMT -5
Twilight was shaking violently from Applejack's hoofsshake before recovering. "Hello Applejack," Twilight said with a smile. She was wondering where her friend was, yet she knew the earth pony was probably busy especially with whatever was happening to the trees. "Glad to see you here. Big Mac asked all of us if we would split into two teams to try to find the root of this problem with the trees. Do you want me to be on your team?"
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AppleJack
New Pony
Soup's on everyponeh!
Posts: 12
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Post by AppleJack on Oct 5, 2011 19:48:00 GMT -5
The vermilion filly nodded in agreement to her brother's words, looking in the two paths that the groups would be heading. Both groups would need to avoid some of the fallen branches, so that would take them quite a way away from each other. Dear Nelly this was getting out of control!
With a nod of her head she answered Twilight's question, her hat violently bobbing. "Well o'course Ah' want ye' ta' come along with me Twi'! You too Cloudy." she grinned, nudging the blue unicorn slightly in a playful jest. "Unless ya'll wanna go with Big Mac that is." she chuckled, the same worried feeling playing over her mind. What if they couldn't find a cure for this?
The female flicked her head in both directions before nodding once more. " I'll take th'southern side, That okay with ya?" However she did not wait for an answer as she already began the route towards the southern side of the orchard, wanting to get all of this business sorted out soon. Before it was too late.
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Lilypad
New Pony
What is love~~Baby don't hurt meee
Posts: 21
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Post by Lilypad on Oct 6, 2011 13:45:47 GMT -5
A scowl of concern moved across her face as Lilypad read the flyer from the largest farm in town. Anypony growing up in Ponyville would know the Apple family and an illness of such nature easily could spread and cause devastation for all. And while the striped mare never had really visited the farm beyond occasional town celebrations, she knew she had to help somehow. Quickly, she returned to her house, and picked up a few supplies before she turned her muzzle towards the Farm and started to trot over.
That be said, Lilypad did have her usual argument with herself the entire way to the Sweet Apple Acres, surely there would be enough ponies on the case, or somepony had already found the cause of the black rot. Trotting with an hasty pace, she considered the potential causes of it; then again it hadn’t exactly been any overly humid year. Well, not at least compared with previous years, and nothing she could think of, could strike so fast. Ears swayed back and forth as she looked at the apple trees she passed by, looking for the first signs of the mysterious illness that had caused bewilderness from the farm working ponies.
The creamy mare came to a hesitant halt as the group seemed to be splitting up, ears flicking backwards as she placed her front hoof slowly to the ground. “Am… Am I too late?” The florist asked, looking from Bic Mac to Applejack and then the rest slowly without meeting anyone's face. Tripping nervously in place, the striped mare looked almost uncomfortable while trying to get a grip fully over what was going on.
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Post by Sagebrush on Oct 6, 2011 16:33:00 GMT -5
As Applejack had decided to take the south with two other mares, he looked to Big Mac with a decisive nod and remarked, "Looks like the north patch is all ours." he grinned, having warmed up a bit already to the little group. He walked over to join the crimson pony as they formed their little ranks, and noticed a newcomer walking up the path.
As she asked her question a bit tremulously, he raised an eyebrow. This one seemed awfully shy, not even meeting the eyes of the small gathering and looking so thoroughly uncomfortable that he felt a little bad for the poor mare. "One is never too late when help is needed." he said softly to reassure her.
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Post by Summer Wind on Oct 7, 2011 5:59:54 GMT -5
Summer Wind was couldn't claim to be an expert at gardening, but it certainly didn't take an expert to see that something was wrong with the trees. It also didn't look like something that could be fixed with rain, which crossed out his only idea.
With the group splitting up, and Applejack apparently taking the two unicorns with her, he trotted up to the other two stallions. "I guess that means I'm with you," He commented as he drew up next to Big Mac and Sagebrush.
((OOC: Bleh. It took way longer to spit out such a small simple post than it should have. Me no can brain good this week. 9_6))
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Post by The Storyteller on Oct 9, 2011 14:20:10 GMT -5
(( No worries. We all get writers' block and other impediments, here and there. ^^ ))
One of Big Mac's tapered ears flicked attentively towards the new, somewhat demure voice, his broad head soon turning en suite. He managed another polite smile towards the mare, following a polite inclination of his snout in the newcomer's general direction. " Eeeyup, what Mister Sagebrush said. All help is welcome; no time limit, far as Ah know. "
As Applejack started assembling her ragtag team, the immense stallion glanced at his fiery sibling, casually rolling the worn yoke on his shoulders in an idle stretch. " Sounds good t'me, AJ." He then looked pointedly at Summer Wind in particular. " Why don't you 'n Sage take this lovely filly with ya' towards the southern end of the orchard, get her caught up on what's going on. I'd better head back to th'farm 'n see if anypony else is comin'."
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Post by Cloud Dreamer on Oct 10, 2011 21:19:49 GMT -5
Cloudy smiled. She liked the team Applejack had put her on. She knew both the ponies enough to know they were nice, and most likely made up for the knowledge about the crops that she largely lacked. "Sounds great Applejack!" Cloudy responded with a big smile. "Let's go." She hoped this was a good idea, and she hadn't just offered to go to a place with more rot than the rest. She tried to hide her worry and trotted alongside Applejack, motioning to Twilight to follow.
As Cloudy trotted she tried to observe the trees, looking at the differences. Hopefully she was better in one skill than the others, observation. The unicorn was a very fine observer, which allowed her to add the tiniest of details to her illusions and make them as life-like as possible. She still thought the moss was the source, and tried to find the difference in moss on trees depending on how rotten they were. They all seemed at least a little different, there probably was some sort of a ratio. "I still think the problem may very well be the fungus moss, whatever that weird alien thing that is growing on the tree is. If I am correct, it may be a parasite that is rotting the tree to use as it's house. I think I heard some plants doing that in a book I read years ago." Cloudy commented.
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Post by Twilight Sparkle on Oct 11, 2011 13:27:13 GMT -5
Twilight followed Applejack and Cloudy to the southern side of the field, looking at the condition of the trees as she went. She poked at the side of a tree with her hoof and it crumbled slightly as if it was made of sawdust rather than actual wood.
"I think you're right Cloudy about the moss. I'm thinking it's more of a disease as I've never heard of a creature that could multiply and spread so quickly and cause so much destruction except of course the paraspite."
She shivered a bit when she mentioned the parasprite, remembering what happened in Ponyville. She wished that Pinkie was here with her one pony band just in case.
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Post by Summer Wind on Oct 12, 2011 15:37:20 GMT -5
Having not been paying attention to the path they had come from, Summer Wind hadn't noticed the new arrival until she spoke up. He turned around to address her as Big Mac started to leave.
"Well then, it looks like you're with us. I'm Summer Wind, by the way," he then gestured to the stallion next to him with a wing as he continued, "and this is Sagebrush. It's nice to meet you Miss...?"
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AppleJack
New Pony
Soup's on everyponeh!
Posts: 12
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Post by AppleJack on Oct 12, 2011 17:12:23 GMT -5
The vermilion pony was already half way down the nearest trail before her brother's words hit her ears, causing her to temporarily stop in her tracks, flicking an ear flicked back towards the rouge colt.
" Whad'a yall' think Ah'm doin'? " She frowned, waving a hoof in an attempt to both acknowledge her brother and beckon the other two fillies to follow her.
As the designated group made their own way to the southern parts of the acres, AJ could hear the pair behind her coming up with their own theories towards what was ruining her farm. To be honest, most of what they where saying was going way over her head but there was no way she was letting them know that--if she could help it at least.
As the group grew closer however, the pair's discussion started to turn far too complex for the earth pony and she had to stop the two behind her, finding herself halting in her tracks and turning to face them with a confused look on her face.
" Can one ah' y'all explain what yer' Sayin' Please? Cause it 'aint makin' no sense to me"
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Lilypad
New Pony
What is love~~Baby don't hurt meee
Posts: 21
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Post by Lilypad on Oct 13, 2011 8:41:24 GMT -5
The Earth pony shifted her weight around and tipped her hooves along to the sides as she watched the small group of AJ and the two unicorns set off, and looked at the three stallions left in her company. Well, two, Big Mac soon trotted off and she looked to Sagebrush and Summer Wind giving them a careful nod and took a half a step towards the north. Careful smile was given from the cream mare as she swayed her ears forward looking towards the other Earth pony and Pegasus.
Bobbing her head lightly, she pawed the ground with her hoof as she responded “I’m Lilypad. It’s nice to meet you two.” She said, giving a light smile and looked along the path. “We should perhaps just get along?” It was possible the most she had ever spoken to someone she didn’t know, and it surprised even herself, causing her to blush and drop her ears again. The cream hued mare then nudged towards the north, looking at the two of them, expecting one of them to lead the way.
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Post by The Storyteller on Oct 17, 2011 17:22:02 GMT -5
( Applejack; Cloud Dreamer; Twilight Sparkle )
As the three fillies ventured in their chosen direction, the first thing they would notice ( provided they weren't all arguing too much ) would be that the root systems of the grove were becoming almost...alien. The further they went, the more corpulent and snake-like the trees' roots became, their size and contorted shapes resembling that of tentacles ravenously hooked into the soil.
This sight became all the more disturbing when they came upon one tree in particular : it's roots were literally undulating, it's bark palpating like the chest of a living thing taking in and releasing shallow breaths. Around this tree in particular there appeared to be some abandoned gardening tools, strewn about the path, ranging from sickles to shears, most likely forgotten in a fit of panic by whatever work ponies were here last.
It would appear further investigation of these 'living' roots was required.
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( Sagebrush, Summer Wind, Lilypad )
As the other three ambled in the opposite direction, they too would discover unnatural things happening to beloved trees of the Apple Family. They were significantly taller than the others in the grove, and the decaying fruit upon their gnarled limbs...was gigantic! Like rotting pustules the apples hung blearily, trickling a viscous fluid that resembled the natural juices they once held, but more...sickly, and thick. They were at least the size of a standard pony's head at this point, and if they weren't infected with this contagion they'd be prize fruits to be sure.
Near these strange rows of trees sat a few standard apple carts, albeit lacking hitches to be hauled around by ponies. They were most likely placed here by the farmhands for the eventual harvest, a ritual currently abandoned for obvious reasons.
More investigation would be required it seemed. The growth on the bark seemed more prominent here and...were the apples twitching?
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