Chapter 4: The Giant

"A giant?!" Applebloom asked in alarm.

"A giant." Rainbow said as he nodded his head.

"Bigger than forty mares." Applejack said.

"Wow." Applebloom said.

"A giant that had the power t'turn himself into anything, mare or beast." Applejack said.

"Ooh." Pinkie said.

"It was the giant that kidnapped the princesses and brought ruin t'Happy Valley." Applejack explained.

"But why did the giant want to kidnap the princesses?" Applebloom asked.

"Because he was cruel and selfish." Applejack explained. "He didn't care what happened to the valley. He just wanted someone to sing him to sleep and keep house for him."

"Couldn't he have just done it himself?" Pinkie asked.

"He was lazy." Rainbow explained.

"Oh yeah." Pinkie said.

"Well anyway, back t'the story." Applejack said.

()()()()()

Just after learning about the giant, they heard a loud booming voice say...

"Fee! Fi! Fo! Fum! Fee fi fo fum!"

The giant, a red Minotaur with the lower half of a centaur with a white beard arrived bouncing a large ball.

Fee fi fo fum!

Hee hi ho hum!

I'm a most amazing guy!

A most amazing guy am I!

Fee fi fo fum!

Hee hi ho hum!

I'm stuff I'm telling you,

For here's what I can do!

I can change myself into an elf.

Fly up high like a birdie.

I can disappear into atmosphere.

'Cause I know the magic wordies.

Fi fo fee foy!

Fee fee-fee fee.

"Fi-Fi?" The giant asked after a minute. "I don't know a Fi-Fi."

He thought for a moment.

"Fee fi fo fum." The giant said. "I smell..."

The three girls hid as Luna got close to the chest, and the giant grabbed a large pot and smiled.

"Pot roast!" The giant called out happily. "Chocolate pot roast. With pestachimo, with pestachi- with pista- With green gravy."

The giant then made himself a sandwich with some cheese Pinkie was hiding behind, some lettuce Rainbow was hiding in, and a large chicken leg, which Applejack ended up being put into. He then poured some pepper on the sandwich which caused Applejack to sneeze and cause her head to poke out.

"Um... Howdy." Applejack said nervously before he rushed off.

"Oh no you don't!" The giant called out. "You can't get away from Tirek!"

Tirek then grabbed Applejack.

"I've got you!" Tirek said as he didn't hear anything. "I think I've got you."

Tirek then looked inside his fist.

"Yeah, I got you." Tirek said.

"Tirek..." Applejack said with a smile as he gestured Tirek to look.

"What is it?" Tirek asked. "What is it?"

Tirek opened his hand as Applejack walked on his life line.

"Ten, twenty, thirty, forty." Applejack counted. "Boy what a lifeline."

"Well what's this here?" Tirek asked as he pointed at a spot on his lower palm.

"Oh, I can't believe it!" Applejack said in mocked surprise.

"Is it bad?" Tirek asked.

"Well it says here that you can change yourself inta anything." Applejack said.

"Sure!" Tirek said with a wide smile. "You wanna see me? I can change myself into the darndest things!"

"But how?" Applejack asked.

"Some Changelings arrived a long time ago, I absorbed their magic and gained their ability to change shape." Tirek explained calmly. "Now go on, give me something to change into. Anything."

"Anything?" Applejack asked.

Anything." Tirek answered. Applejack then looked around and saw a flyswatter. This gave her an idea.

"Can ya change into a fly?" Applejack asked.

"A cute teeny-weeny, itsy-bitsy house fly?" Tirek asked.

"That's it." Applejack said. "A house fly."

"Ah, you don't want a fly." Tirek said. "How about a bunny with long pink ears?"

"Well of course if you can't do a fly then-" Applejack said before Tirek conceded.

"Alright, a fly." Tirek said. "Why?"

"Well uh... Because." Applejack said.

"Alright." Tirek said. "A teeny-weeny fly. With pink wings. Now for the magic wordies! Fee fi fo fum! Hee hi ho hum!"

While Tirek was doing this, Applejack called Pinkie and Rainbow out of hiding and prepared to use the flyswatter on the giant when he instead turned into a huge pink rabbit.

"You sure you don't want a pink bunny?" Tirek asked before he noticed what they were holding. "I thought so! You think you'd fool Tirek?!"

Tirek then grabbed the three, opened the chest, pulled out Celestia, and dropped the girls in, but Applejack managed to get out of the giants grasp unnoticed and hold onto the chest as it was put on a high up shelf.

Things looked pretty dark for the prisoners as Tirek locked the chest as Applejack climbed up and prepared to try and get the key as Tirek dropped it in his pocket. Celestia then smiled and began singing a soft soothing song to get Tirek to sleep.

In my favorite dreams,

Everyone is so delightful.

No one's mean or spiteful.

In my favorite dreams.

Celestia then waved for Applejack to move forward as Tirek got drowsy.

Yes, and in my favorite dreams,

There my heart can go romancing.

Dancing to a heavenly theme.

But there's something else I look forward to.

It's a secret, but here's a clue.

He's my favorite you-know-who.

He's the hero of my most favorite dreams.

Applejack then took a threading needle and stuck it on the floor of the self. She then used a twine she'd brought with her to go slowly down to the giant to get the key to free her friends and escape with Celestia and Luna.

As Tirek began to fall asleep, Applejack landed on his shoulder and began to walk down.

"In his right breast pocket, you'll find the key." Celestia sang, helping Applejack out, and Applejack nodded and began making his way to Tirek's right breast pocket. "The right breast pocket. Go carefully."

Celestia then gasped when Applejack fell in, but Applejack was alright and was about to pull the key out when it got caught on a snuff box, so Applejack had to give an almighty tug to free it, and that caused the whole thing of snuff to be released, and Applejack let out a huge sneeze.

This woke Tirek up, and he yelled, "I'll smash- AHCHOO!"

Tirek then slammed his pocket and looked inside but no one was there.

"Huh." Tirek said. "Nightmare."

He then went back to sleep as Applejack climbed back up the thread and made it to the shelf with the key, barely.

()()()()()

"She made it!" Rainbow called out from the chest as she watched the whole thing from the key hole.

"She did?" Pinkie asked. "Great. Here she comes with the key."

"Let me have it, Applejack!" Rainbow called out and accidentally got knocked in the mouth by the key.

Applejack then freed the two.

()()()()()

Things looked bright for the five mares as they left with Celestia and Luna, but Applejack wasn't really to take chances. He tied Tirek's shoes together in case he woke up, which he did. Applejack then finished tying the shoes and rushed off with her friends. While her friends rushed off to the beanstalk, Applejack used a wine bottle cork to toss him to the beanstalk as her friends already managed to get there, and they were closely followed by Tirek. The five then hurried down the beanstalk as Pinkie and Applejack grabbed a saw and began cutting the beanstalk down as Rainbow moved the princesses as far away as possible. As Tirek was halfway down, the beanstalk was finally cut in two, and Tirek fell, screaming his head off. He smashed into the ground leaving a large indent on the ground, killing himself in the process.

"Thank you." Celestia said to the girls.

"You were all very brave." Luna added.

So with the princesses' return, happiness returned to Happy Valley, and the spot where Tirek fell became a grassy hill that remained a preservation in honor of the three young heroes, and they all lived happily ever after.

()()()()()

Applebloom cheered as she clapped her hooves.

"Tell another one Sis." Applebloom said eagerly.

"Sorry Sugar Cube, but I promised to put you to sleep." Applebloom said. "Alright hon?"

"Okay." Applebloom said as she went to sleep.

Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack left and talked about their adventure together.

Tirek: Hey, has anyone seen an earth pony in a hat?

Me: No, I uh... (I pass out.)

Jenny: Doug! Doug speak to me!

Tirek: What's the matter with him? Something he ate?

Robert: No, he'll be okay. Good night Tirek.