Author's note: Guess what's back-back.. back again-gain-gain... Yes we're back-back... tell a friend-friend-friend.
Chapter 7: Lost
"All I'm saying is, in a head to head contest, Applejack can out-Southern-mannerism Ironhide." Rainbow Dash said to Thundercracker one morning in the apartment, Matt and I both gone.
"No way, my guy acts like he just walked out of Texas." Thundercracker scoffed. "Especially when you take his whacked processor into account."
"Zing!" Rainbow Dash snorted a laugh. "However, it's not fair your guy has an advantage, thinking he really is his character."
"Wanna talk unfair? I've had to live with him for almost ten years!" Thundercracker replied.
"Sounds rough." Rainbow remarked. "I've only had to deal with my crew for a little less than half a year."
"You'll probably learn to hate them." Thundercracker replied grimly. "So you can actually fly huh? Lucky."
"Why can't you?" Rainbow asked. "You've got the wings."
"Yeah, but I turn into a jet, no fuel attached, all I can do is roll on the ground." He replied.
"That sounds pretty terrible." Rainbow Dash noted.
"It is. Along with a lot of my life." He replied.
"Aw quit yer whining." Applejack remarked from up above on the windowsill. "All yer friends are prob'ly bein' groped by some little jelly covered varmint. Consider yerself lucky." She concluded.
"Thank you for painting such a grim picture of my lifelong friends." Thundercracker remarked. "Also, we live in a city on a coastline and it's overcast. The winds are strong today, standing by an open window is a bad idea when you're less than a pound."
"Gee, thanks Mr. Roboto. Listen, I think I know when I'm in over my he-" Just then, a strong gust of wind blew and Applejack went right out the window.
"Applejack!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, flying up to the window while Pinkie quickly did the same, only exerting more effort due to having to climb. Lucky for Applejack, she did not fall onto the hard pavement, instead, her fall was broke by a garbage bag, and about six other garbage bags in an open dumpster under the window.
"Well ain't that just a pretty picture?" Applejack grumbled to herself, brushing garbage off of herself and climbing out of the dumpster. "Now, how in Sam Hell am I gonna get back inside?" She murmured, walking out of the alley and eyeing the steps to the apartment building. Suddenly, she noticed something. A human. Looking right at her.
"Perfect..." She muttered. "Another human, as if that roommate and his loud mouthed action figure weren't bad enough." She thought before freezing up as if never alive in the first place, remembering her instructions from Johnathan.
The human figure was silent for a moment, then she heard him laugh a bit. "Oh please," he said. "There's no need for that. I've already seen you moving about for one. Plus, I've known for quite some time that toys are alive."There was no response from her. "Suit yourself then," he remarked, gently lifting her off the ground. "Guess I'll bring you inside and see if I can find your room or owner, or whatever." He walked up the steps to the apartment building and knocked on the door.
But, no answer. Both Johnathan and Matt were out at the time. "Well, shoot," the youth sighed. "Uh... I'm not sure how to make this work. Do you know the code or how to pick the lock, AJ?"
Of course, she didn't answer and a passing pedestrian gave him a weirded-out look. "You're creepy," he said and continued on by.
"Oh, you're one to talk," the youth remarked back. "You have a shrine in your room to your teacher that you bow to every day before you leave the house."
"I do not!" the passerby shouted, before adding quietly as he walked away, "Note to self: close the blinds and put up a warning sign!" The youth chuckled as he watched him leave.
"That was honestly a random guess."
"Look's like your friend's been kidnapped." Ironhide remarked, peeking over the windowsill. "Must be a Decepticon, 'course Megatron never had a soldier who looked like that."
"It's a human, idiot." Rainbow Dash sneered at the Transformer with a clear case of Buzz Lightyear syndrome.
"Hey, I heard that," the youth suddenly stated, pointing at them without looking in their direction. "But, since no one's here that will willingly help me out, guess you're stuck with me for the day AJ. Or, whenever your owner returns. Either way, let's get going."
He stood up and walked back down the steps with Applejack in his hand, then looked down the left side of the street.
"Well, I was gonna visit an old friend, but I've got plenty of time for that," he commented, then continued down the street.
"That's just fantastic." Applejack thought to herself. Back at the apartment, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie watched in horror.
"He stole her!" Pinkie exclaimed, watching him leave. "This is just like that movie! He's gonna sell her to a toy museum in Japan or something!"
"Like anyone would go to a museum with you little freaks in it." Ironhide remarked as he leaned against the wall.
"Pinkie, relax," Rainbow Dash tried to calm her down. "We just need to wait until Johnathan gets home, we saw what way he went off in, we can work from there."
"Why do I keep forgetting how to open this thi- ah!" the youth finally managed to open his seven- yes, SEVEN different locks installed to the door of the small house he called his home. It probably had only five rooms, two of which were a bedroom and bathroom respectively, but it looked relatively homey. The youth set Applejack down on a table in the living room then sat on a couch facing her. "So, how long have you been in this area?" he asked her, as if speaking to a normal person.
Applejack said nothing, she stood still in the pose she had made upon initially freezing up.
The youth sighed.
"Look, I already know about your 'freeze up' thing. Have known since an accident regarding a friend of mine," he explained. "You don't have to do it around me. Besides, there's no one else around. I won't tell."
He sounded genuine, but Applejack wasn't taking any chances any time soon.
"Maybe she's just shy, like I was," a female's voice suddenly commented, a voice that was somehow familiar to Applejack... As she wondered where she had recognized that voice before, to her disbelief another pony toy figure flew up to the youth and landed on his shoulder. It was a Ditsy Doo figure, or more popularly known as Derpy. Since even the toy figure of her had walleyes like the character she portrayed, only one eye was looking at Applejack. The youth looked to Derpy and chuckled.
"I don't blame her," he said to her. "I'd be scared to reveal it too."
"Consarnit," Applejack thought. "Is this just a NORMAL thing now?" Deciding that ultimately it was a moot point to keep the act up, she broke the act. "There." She said aloud. "Happy?" She arched her brow impatiently.
"Not entirely, but it makes things easier between us," the youth replied. "By the way, do you prefer to be called AJ, Applejack, or do you go by a name other than the character from the show?"
"Whatever y'fancy between AJ and' Applejack I guess." She replied.
"Well, pleased to meet ya AJ. They call me T," the youth replied. Derpy floated down to her and extended her hoof.
"Hi! My name's Ditsy Doo, or Derpy; whichever you prefer. But of course, you probably already knew that," she said with slight embarrassment.
"I figured as much." She nodded at Depry before looking around. "Nice lock collection." She remarked, eyeing the door.
"Eh, it's not the best thing out there, but it makes most give up on robbing me," T stated. "I have some things hidden away they'd love to get their hands on. Assuming they know where to look."
"Normally two or three do the trick." Applejack remarked. "Might wanna board the windows though if you wanna stop robbers, it'd match the look of the seven locks pretty good too."
"Yeah, but if I did that I'd look more crazy than some people think I am," he admitted. "I mean, how often do you see a guy talking to toys? Unless your owner does that?"
"He does, my friend was a little too careless when she fell into his possession, so he knew. Luckily he didn't take it as bad as I've heard happen before." She explained. "My owner's little brother's Spider Man action figure told me about something that happened to a friend of his' owner once, shipped off to a mental home at eight years old after he saw his Captain America doll walking about one day."
"Because some people just can't handle the idea unless it's on a TV screen," T chuckled, then with sympathy, "The poor child though."
"That must be terrible for him!" Derpy exclaimed.
"I bet." Applejack nodded. "So... what's your story?" She asked the Derpy figure.
"Oh. T first found me at a yard sale, or what used to be a yard sale. I was the last toy and no one had bought me yet. They even tried giving me away, but nothing worked." Derpy giggled. "And then T came by and took me over to his place. At first, I tried to keep my secret from him, but even back then he seemed to know the secret. Eventually, one too many slip ups made me give up on the act." She shuddered. "I originally stayed frozen because I was afraid of what he'd do when he knew I was alive... or when I confirmed it for him. Turns out, I was worried about nothing."
"You were given away?" Applejack asked. "You poor thing... I'm sorry."
Well, at least I didn't have something worse happen to me," Derpy replied. "One of the older toys at my previous place was given to the dog as a chew toy. Thankfully, he was a squeaky toy so it wasn't too bad a fate for him."
"Unless he was that type that can't handle such rough playtime," T stated. "In which case, RIP."
"That reminds me of something that happened at our old home." Applejack chuckled. "Pinkie Pie accidentally let the family dog loose an' he nearly made short work of us."
"Yikes! Even my dog doesn't do that," T remarked. "Sounds like Scup, or whatever his name was." Eluding to assumabley Scud from the first Toy Story film.
"He was a piece of work, that's for certain." Applejack remarked.
"Well, I certainly hope you don't run into anymore dogs as crazy as that," T commented. He then gave her a curious look. "Do your friends even know your gone?"
"They're well aware." Applejack nodded. "My owner, Johnathan probably isn't, he's still got another couple hours before he gets home."
"In that case, I guess you really are stuck here for the day," T replied. "Unless you want me to leave you in a box at the front door-"
"I don't think that's a good idea," Derpy cut him off. "Remember what almost happened that one time?"
"Fair point, and well taken," T said to her.
"I s'pose I could stay here for a little while." Applejack shrugged. "It'd beat walking home only to wait in the alley for the rest of the afternoon." She admitted.
"Then make yourself comfortable," T said to her. "And feel free to explore if you're that curious. Just a fair warning though; maybe keep your distance from the dishwasher. It's been having issues."
"I once was unfortunate enough to have it explode in my face once," Derpy remarked. "Thankfully, it was just soap suds."
"I'll... keep that in mind." Applejack nodded, looking around.
"Other than that, you got it!" T exclaimed cheerfully. He then pulled out some paper. "I need to make a note for your owner. Derpy, where are the pens?"
"Oh, those weren't mini tent stakes?" she asked. T deadpanned.
"Do you do that on purpose?" he asked her as he left the room.
"Maybe..." she replied with a cheeky smile.
"You made a scaled down tent?" Applejack asked. "Clever." She remarked.
"Well, it wasn't easy. But it does give the illusion of camping out sometimes," Derpy commented. She then looked towards what Applejack could only assume was the kitchen.
"I wonder if he left a muffin out," she said to herself.
"Wait a sec, you can eat?" Applejack asked. "I know I sure as hay can't." She arched her brow ever so slightly.
"Well, not exactly. Or at least not in the sense you're probably thinking. But much like Derpy in the show, I just like to chew on one from time to time," Derpy answered.
"Okay, that should work," T was heard saying as he walked back into the room and towards the front door. In his hand was a piece of paper and some tape. Something was written on the paper.
"I'll be back in a few. You two have fun, but don't destroy the house in the process please," T told them. "I just had the plumber fix the pipes the other day, and I don't want to have to call him again. See ya soon!" He went out the door and it locked behind him... well, four of them did. The other three they could hear him locking from the outside.
"Likes to keep a relatively... quarantined state for the most part, doesn't he?" Applejack remarked.
"Well... he's not the most liked person on the block," Derpy explained. "He's made a few enemies. That, and he likes to be secluded for the most part. Something about the accident with his friend. I don't know much about it, but it seems to be a touchy subject for him."
"I see I see..." Applejack remarked, hopping down from where she stood. "So, what was life like pre-yardsale?" She asked.
"Well, my first owner used to dream of becoming a pop star..." Derpy began.
"Now which one was it again...? Ah, there it is!" T said to himself aloud as he returned to the apartment he had found Applejack outside.
"It's the Decepticon!" Ironhide called out to the others. "I'll go get my cannons."
"Shut up." Rainbow Dash scolded him. "Has he always been this way?" She asked the relatively normal personalized Decepticon toy, Thundercracker.
"Like I said, he was damaged in shipping." Thundercracker replied.
Outside, T walked over to the door, humming to himself as he taped the message to it. "This time I made sure to use the heavy duty stuff," they heard him say. "The last time I tried this without duct tape... well, I had chase it halfway across town. And with asthma, that's saying something."
"Looks like he's taping something to the door..." Thundercracker noticed.
"A ransom note!" Pinkie remarked. "Good thing I know where Johnny keeps his money." She zipped off.
"That's just what a Decepticon would do." Ironhide snarled.
"Of all the toys Matt held on to, why me?" Thundercracker sighed.
"Well, you know where to find me!" T called up to them. "Also, get out of the window. Anyone could see you moving around if they bothered to look."
He turned around and walked back down the street in the same direction they had seen him go with Applejack earlier.
"This seems big." Rainbow Dash remarked. "A kidnapping and ransom."
"That's big city life for you!" Pinkie remarked. "I've got four pieces of paper with the 5 on them, two with the 20, and three on the 10 ones, along with some coins, think that'll be enough?"
"Gosh darn it! Why is that one ALWAYS the funky one?!" T growled as he fiddled with the last lock and walked inside upon opening it. "Guys, I'm back! Are you still in one piece?"
"Present and accounted for." Applejack called.
"I'm here too!" Derpy added.
"Good; fixing toys isn't cheap, no matter how easy they are to break," T muttered as he walked into the living room.
"Y'want in? I've been teaching Derpy 5-card poker," Applejack offered. "She's... not the best bluffer."
"Well, then it's one-sided either way. I'm not good at bluffing either," T laughed as he noticed their card setup. "But screw it, deal me in."
"I may be smarter and less clumsy than Derpy in the show, but this one can read minds like no tomorrow," Derpy said to him.
"It's not that hard. For example, I bet a million bits you're thinking about muffins right now," T said with a giggle.
"No comment," Derpy replied, knowing she couldn't win that argument.
"Well that's so easy it may as well be cheating." Applejack arched her brow.
"Maybe, but if you want someone to blame for that, blame Hasbro for her personality in the first place. Which I won't," T remarked. They all dealt in their bets and then put their hands down...
"Dang it! I really was hoping you'd buy that!" T growled, showing a crappy hand.
"At least mine had some leverage to it," Derpy noted, showing a full house hand.
"Not bad. You win this round." Applejack remarked, dropping her lousy hand.
"Alright, one more round," T suggested, dealing out another hand to each of them. As soon as he finished, he looked to a watch on his arm, then to a clock hanging on the wall nearby.
"I hope your friends can read, because this is the longest I've had anyone wait to respond to a note I left on the door before," T remarked as he looked at his hand. Another bad one, but he didn't let them know it. Besides, he could still trade and hope for the best.
"Oh..." Derpy got a wide eyed expression as she looked her hand over, then a devious grin lit up her face.
"Johnathan is getting out of class about now, he'll probably see the note in fifteen minutes or so." Applejack said, nonchalantly.
"Fair enough," T nodded. He switched three cards in and Applejack just barely heard him mutter, "Rats!" under his breath. Derpy seemed confident with her hand, so she didn't exchange any cards.
"All right, set 'em down." Applejack said, revealing a pair of nines and a pair of sevens.
"I'm terrible at this game," T groaned as he laid down a dead hand. Derpy then suddenly and unexpectedly groaned as well, laying down one pair of queens.
"You just never give in to the bluffs, do you?" she asked Applejack.
"It's a talent." Applejack chuckled.
"More like a superpower," T chuckled.
"Maybe we should play UNO now," Derpy suggested.
"Sure, if I can find that deck again," T agreed. "One second..."
He stood up and walked over to the clock hanging on the wall, lifted it down and revealed a small shelf hidden behind it. One object on the shelf was an UNO card deck. He took this out, replaced the clock and then sat back down.
"So if'n I recall correctly, this is pretty well crazy eights with another name." Applejack noted.
"Sometimes," T agreed, shuffling the deck and then dealing the cards. "My favorite rule to play on this is the 'jump in' rule."
"Oh, I know that one!" Derpy piped up. "It's the one where if you have a card that matches the one played last, even if it's not your turn you can play that card!"
"Never heard tell of that one, alrighty then." Applejack nodded.
"Okay, let's do this," T said enthusiastically as the game began. "One two, here we go! Uno, don't ya know!"
"He likes to say that all the time," Derpy commented. "And, it looks like I have to draw already... at the start."
"I see..." Applejack nodded, looking to her cards.
"You may wish to be careful on this game. Bluffing can save your life in it just as much as poker can," T commented. As he set down a yellow 7, Derpy, whose turn was before his own, suddenly placed down another yellow 7, thus making it T's turn again.
"Well, that happened," he muttered. "And now, draw."
"Oh well." Appleback chuckled.
"That's two for me, five for AJ, and three for Derpy," T noted, as if keeping score. "All in all, well played."
"Mhm." Applejack nodded, about that time I knocked on the door, I looked down at the paper I found on my door, this was the address, of course looking at the door I felt as if the house had been abandoned for years.
"That's probably them," T said standing up. "Just in case though, stay frozen until I give the all clear or unless you know who it is."
He walked to the door and, after fiddling with the locks a bit, he opened the door. I was there, obviously. And after a quick conversation, Applejack returned home with me. "So, have a nice day?" I asked as I walked down the street with her in my pocket.
"Long, but nice." She noted. "One thing's for sure, never standing on the windowsill on a windy day ever again." She remarked.
