//------------------------------// // 4. "Speedy parcels with Apple style" // Story: Lights of the Darkside // by RaynerPhoenix //------------------------------// Before the end of the previous day, small noises of galloping hooves could be heard in a semi-dark green meadow. There was a small shadow carrying some heavy objects on its back and a... homemade machine on its head that attached a lantern to light its way as it ran towards its final destination. Crickets began to chirp in the meadow, indicating how late she was getting there. However, that didn't stop her as (in her mind) she really needed to achieve her goal regardless of her current physical state or the consequences you would face for her delay. That shadow's family was waiting for her in a barn located on a hill in the center of the green meadow, the home and final destination of said shadow's journey. Each member was already ready to rest a few hours ago but... they were determined and nostalgic to ignore it. while they were not completely united. While they were waiting, everyone was dealing with time in different ways on that farm: a certain farm pony was pacing desperately around the living room, a big red steed trying to comfort her in vain and... an old green pony was finishing her foot feeding as supper in her wooden saddle. "I think it's too late now, I wonder where that filly is coming from??" the old pony commented in a curious and disgusted way. "It looks like it... I knew I had better accompany her. I hope she didn't get lost all of a sudden." the farm pony claimed nerviously. "Yep..." the red stallion said in a firm tone until he was interrupted by a door opening abruptly in front of her. "I'm home! I'm... sorry for the del..." the mysterious filly said in a hurried tone as she kicked the door with her 2 hooves but stopped as she lost her balance after entering. Just as she opened the door, the little foal of the family appeared with a bunch of objects on her body, which ended up falling to the ground after the little one fell to the ground after losing her balance.... The farm pony noticed some of the objects the filly carried were unfortunately destroyed and approached her as she saw the accident in front of the door of the house. "Wow, sugarcube, are you okay??" Ahh, for Celestia's sake, I knew that all these orders were a lot of burden for you..." the farm pony commented in a disgusted manner while hugging his little sister. "At least, it's good to know that you didn't hurt your hoof." "Sorry sis, I just..." The mysterious filly tried to excuse herself but was stopped by a hoof on her muzzle from the old pony. "Calm down, young one. There are still a few days left before the event and... some extra money to replace the destroyed things." she said firmly. "I understand, Grandma Smith, but I'm not really sure about it." the farm pony expressed the real situation in a decayed way as she began to walk to the window to look out at the dark, almost clear field. " We have not yet begun to prepare the decorations for this year's event or to harvest the necessary apples from our orchard... and even the money necessary to be able to obtain it normally." The others were a little dismayed by the truth of his description... the visits they would have for that celebration would be higher that it could generate notable problems at some point... with the slightest error... at least, that was what that farm pony thought. "Besides, I doubt my little sister will be able to take care of herself again.. for her little back.." she further stated. "Hey, I told you I'm already a big pony!!!" the filly exclaimed a little offended by his sister's comment it. "Don't worry, I have a better idea. I have a trustworthy pony in mind pony in mind that I met this afternoon in the town park. I'm sure it will be useful for this job." Granny Smith suggested positively. "Are you sure about that, granny?? I know my other friends are busy at the moment." the farm pony asked curiously. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Now, let's all go to rest and tomorrow I will explain to you what we will do about it to solve this whole mess." Granny Smith claimed as she calmly headed to her bedroom. "Yep." the red horse exclaimed firmly as he was in charge of cleaning up the mess that his filly left when she arrived. "What do you think Grandma Smith means by 'pony in mind'?" the filly asked the farm pony doubtfully. "I'm not sure, sugar cube. " the orange farm pony sighed while accompanying the filly to rest in their respective rooms. "But, seeing how things are now, I can only hope that her plan... will be of great help." The next day began with clear and sunny skies in Ponyville, so there was no need to clarify many details about the atmosphere on this occasion. But there was more mobility in the streets whose inhabitants were talking to each other about a possible promising event that would happen in a few days... while others were worried as they noticed that a certain special pony had not shown up since yesterday... the one who was supposed to be in charge of such events. Arriving at the centre again, Duskent found himself with his usual briefcase. He was a bit exhausted from the amount of books he read yesterday until midnight, and a bit thoughtful about the lilac unicorn he met yesterday... still, he just continued walking to the square. "Okay, a new day has come... I hope this time there's a pony who can give me a job or a job, help with a reward or... something like that..." he said in an almost confident tone until he was pushed to the ground from behind him. "Is it me or are all the ponies always in a hurry around here or... they just like to pass over me like their sandbag??" he thought embarrassedly. As he got up from that crash, he saw in front of him a yellow coloured filly with a strawberry red mane. She had pretty red eyes and a big bow on top of her head. Apparently, at the moment of the collision, she fell backwards to the ground so he saw she had a Cutie Mark in the shape of a purple shield with an apple in the middle... something that made Duskent suspicious for some reason. "Ouch, be more careful, young one. .... Wait... aren't you... one of the three rascals who almost drove over me a few days ago... twice with your vehicle??" He asked with an uncomfortable tone. "Oww.. hello, sir." the filly said in a nervous tone as she saw him approaching her in a serious way. "I'm sorry I ran into you again .... Still, I remember ...telling you that .... we could make it up to you...somehow." The filly backed up until she collided with the wheelbarrow she had brought... she knew what a notable mistake she had made without having done anything about it. Meanwhile, Duskent noticed her expressions very carefully... he noticed she was really being honest with her apology and... how he accidentally tormented her with every step forward. Although she hardly cared about the reactions of the other ponies around her, he sighed and looked for a quick solution to avoid further problems in this situation. "Don't worry, little one. I just wanted to ask you for some explanations based on that, but seeing how you feel, I don't see bad intentions behind it after all." Duskent said in a calm tone as she gave him a hoof to help her pick it up. After calming down, the filly accepted Duskent's help and the nearby ponies continued with their daily activities (some more calmly than others, including a sweet pegasus who was in the public for some reason). "Well, I admit this solution is very repetitive and a bit idealistic but... who knows, it can be effective sometimes." he thought as he reflected on his situation. "Thank you, I promise this will not happen again."the filly commented firmly expressed herself obediently about it. "You're... welcome. Still, could you explain to me about... making peace??" Duskent asked doubtfully. "Oh, let me explain everything. My name is Apple Bloom, and it's nice to meet you, partner." she presented herelf in a calmer tone and with a special voice accent unlike the other inhabitants of Ponyville... something that surprised the red unicorn. "Hehe, same. My name is Duskent. " he said in a nervous but slightly dismayed tone. "By chance, I also wanted to ask you... why were you in such a hurry this time??" "I was coming to look for you rather to look for you for important help.. if possible." Apple Bloom claimed in a positive tone as she again noticed the unplanned welcome at the beginning and saw Duskent hesitating in front of it. "Granny Smith recommended me to look for a red unicorn with a blue mane as a pack-assistant. "Granny... Smith has sent you??" Duskent asked a little doubtful. "Hmm... she must be that green pony I met in the park a few days ago... she even seems to have a certain more energetic attitude than the filly, despite her age." he also thought in a surprising way. "That's right, I need you to help me find and make some preparations to decorate for an important event my family is having in a few days near from Ponyville, which my family depends a lot on and promises to be a complete success in the end..." Apple Bloom explained optimistically to convince Dukent to better consider her proposal. "That sounds really interesting." he said in a firm tone. "Well, including how you can interact with and advise the other ponies here... it's a really big special gift you have." he also thought in a surprising way. "It will be, and I'm so excited!!!!" Apple Bloom said in a cheerful tone while giving a big jump, into the air. "For this, I tried to do my things by myself yesterday but... I destroyed some of these items now need to be replaced, and I get blamed for still being a little pony." "Well, to me you're still too young to go out on your own in the 1st place..." he thought ironically. "So... can I get a hoof with these orders, pleasee pleasee pleasee pleasee pleaseeeeeeeeee!!!!" she begged sweetly very close to the red unicorn while looking at him with kitten eyes. "Ok, count me in.... Apple Bloom. Let's do it." Duskent responded without hesitation to keep the yellow filly happy and calm. "Yay! Cutie Mark Crusader Parcel Deliver..!!!!! Oops, sorry, I forgot I don't need to say that anymore... I used to do a lot of things back in the day for a long time with my other friends." Apple Bloom stated happily as she jumped to realize that minor mistake. "Ok... it's alright." Duskent said half dizzy. "Wow, she really has a lot of sound power despite of being so small. Furthermore, it seems to me that this group also sounds important and well-known in this town... I will have to write down these details later in my Personal Notes." he thought while reflecting at the same time. "Thank you very much... Dusk...ent. Sorry, you look like you're just new around here, just like my family, I'm glad to make new friends in this town." she claimed confidently. "That sounds really nice, I'm sure your members are a bit more respectful than those villagers here." Duskent thought ironically. "Besides, here's a list of things I need for this event." Apple Bloom said in a firm tone as she pulls a long list out of the wheelbarrow, which stretches across a whole street, surprising Duskent. "I need to finish it this day, yes or yes? Well, if it doesn't inconvenience him at all." "I don't really like forced assignments, but this job might be interesting for a good start... besides the reward." he thought carefully. "Don't worry, so we'd better get... going... now... partner. " he claimed while he was trying to imitate Applebloom's country accent. "Hehe, you don't need to try to speak my accent... it sounds kind of embarrassing." the filly commented, laughing a little at Duskent's poor performance. "Sorry, it just sounded interesting. Anyway, let's go." Duskent stated confidently as he began to pull Apple Bloom's wheelbarrow (with her inside the vehicle) and began to travel around the town to complete his first particular mission in his new home. During the journey, Applebloom guided Duskent to many shops all over Ponyville as the unicorn still didn't know his way around, though he tried to hide his embarrassment at this as he continued to ponder on his own future plans for what he could do with the bits he would earn. These included a paint shop, the "sofa and feather" shop (to buy certain "special" furniture according to Applebloom), a large multi-coloured cake shop (to buy various decorations and extra nibbles, though it felt a little different without a certain hyperactive pony at the counter) and a very fancy white botique (to buy certain extra cardboard and rugs, though for some reason Applebloom decided to place the order herself for some reason).... including Bulk's sweet snack stand from their previous adventure, so they decided to rest there for 10 minutes for a small snack. "Wait, how did you know where it was or how popular this walking stand in Ponyville was???" Apple Bloom asked curiously for that unexpected surprise at a certain point in time. "Let's say what... an eccentric unicorn introduced it to me indirectly a few days ago." Duskent answered in a friendly way... and a little embarrassed when remembering that previous incident. "I'm glad it was that way... but... by any chance, you still can pay for those snacks, right??" The strong pegasus answered firmly and gratefully, although he ended up surprising his 2 clients present because of that... detail that they were forgetting. "Don't worry... I'll take care of that." Duskent answered awkwardly because of what just happened. "Well, there go my last coins that I have for now... but it was really worth it". he thought, trying to stay positive about it, while Apple Bloom smiled near him. After the break, they both continued their tours of various stores to try to find the most efficient products available, much to Twilight's dismay, both for her own physical condition and for that of the little girl. So, in the late afternoon, they both decided again to stop for a moment to rest with the colt in the town park. When she got there, she asked him in a sincere tone about her situation: "Apple Bloom, excuse me. Would you really still like to continue with these assignments for now... after all, it had been almost 9 hours since we started??" Duskent asked a little worried for the situation of the little filly. "Ohh, don't worry. My grandmother gave me permission to go through with this job until the end... at least, as long as I'm around for you to keep an eye on me." she responded in a cheerful tone. "Ok, now I've been assigned as a temporary foalsitter too. That's still a promotion, right??" Duskent thought ironically. "Besides, my family doesn't give up on the hard work of our camp and other activities, so I shouldn't either. Plus, I want to make sure I have everything ready to make our family event better than last year." Apple Bloom claimed loudly and cheerfully, surprising certain ponies around her. "Wow, you really have a lot of hope that everything will work out in the end. That sounds gratifying, at least." Duskent said in a friendly tone, it just made him remember something of how he felt when he was younger but focused on his lifelong desires. "I see... well let's continue continuing for now... I will go where you guide me." The yellow filly nodded her head and they both calmly continued their journey. Although, for a moment, Duskent felt some sympathy with her... she treated him well as if she were a little sister to him... or so he thought and wished at the same time. Although the list was almost complete before nightfall, Apple Bloom wasn't entirely sure, she had some suspicions about certain actions of Duskent but preferred to keep them to herself after finishing her main objective. Meanwhile, he was already tired at such moments, he felt as if he was pulling the pink fountain in the centre of the square behind him, with the tyres of the... yet he preferred, even to ignore the subject for a while. "All right, so..let's do a quick checklist... of everything." Duskent suggested clearly and a little exhaustedly. "Let me see... Paint, wooden cups, bee honey, yes ..... and yes. I think it's almost ready. Hehe, I'm already sounding like Twilight with these giant boring lists." Apple Bloom declared in a cheerful tone as he carefully analysed the wheelbarrow, and wobbled it around, much to Duskent's discomfort. "Hehe.. if you say so." Duskent said hesitantly, pretending to have understood the little joke, despite not knowing who he was really referring to. "Twilight? That name... sounds familiar to me... like it's a brilliant name for a pony... just brilliant and mysterious in my opinion." Duskent thought carefully. "Wait a minute... do you know how late they are...??" he also said in a confused tone as he was interrupted by 6 chimes from a school tower in town. "Right, the last craft store we should go to must be closing by now. For hoofness sakes!!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Not if I can help it" Duskent claimed in a firm tone and immediately galloped very fast towards the shop he could see in front of him. During that moment,, a tall adult pony, the owner of the poster shop, had just closed his shop. He was obviously in a hurry to leave but, just starting to jog, he stopped right in front of his shop when the wagon Duskent was driving stopped in front of him, lucky for everyone that none of the items and Apple Bloom fell off. is towards the shop's owner. "Good afternoon... we need to buy... two wooden banners urgently!!" Duskent tried to explain clearly despite his considerable fatigue. "I'm sorry, young man, but my shop is closed. You should have read the sign some time before." the store owner explained as he showed him the "Opening Hours" sign of the place... a bit dusty but at least you can see it up close. "Oh come on, that sign looks so worn and dirty that you can't even see it in the morning..." He thought annoyed, as he heard some pieces of said object slowly fall. "Please, I just need to quickly buy those items at once." Duskent tried to explained in a desperate and somewhat grumpy tone to try to convince him .... was unsuccessful and the owner just continued on his way with a deaf ear. "Dang it, just the last one we needed. I hate time is always against me in my activities... especially, AT THE LAST MINUTE!!!" He thought uncomfortably. After that, Duskent and Applebloom (a bit worried) ran and stood in front of him to stop him. They succeeded, so Duskent hurried to continue his dialogue. "Sir, I understand that you are in a hurry to leave, but..." Dusked said trying to find an excuse, while Applebloom was encouraged to help him with this last request... by way of thanks for his hard work on the rest. "My friend is right... I need them to bring them to my family for one of the most important events of their lives as well as for their closest friends..." *she said as she slowly approached the owner with a somewhat downcast look on her face. "... we depend on it for a living this year, and without good publicity like some flashy posters we wouldn't be able to generate enough money. Can you help us, please??" Although the last message was effective in making the owner doubt who stopped after that message, Duskent came up with this idea to take better advantage of that moment and convince him immediately... "You see?? This young girl is in trouble so I assure you that if you deny this request right now, you will not only break her heart but you also disappoint the other ponies of this town, even your customers... that could affect both your morale and your business to the point of being totally ruined, or not??" Duskent claimed in a firm and threatening tone while looking at him face to face to pressure him to change his decision... even Applebloom looked surprised at that fact. "Alright, alright, you can pass quickly. I have other business to do... and please don't tell anyone else about this. " the owner finally resented it in a puzzled and nervous tone so as not to disappoint the little girl or make a bad impact in front of the other ponies. "Thank you very much, sir, and don't worry, we both promise." she said suddenly changing to a cheerful tone, while Duskent agreed with his head. "Wow, very clever Apple Bloom, but well played. I'm sure you're more special after all." he thought being calmer at the end. After a few minutes, they all returned to the said shop and the owner quickly opened the doors. Duskent and Applebloom placed the order normally (just using all their remaining bits the filly had) and said goodbye to the gentleman in a friendly manner, who upon finishing the order (as well as saying goodbye) hurried out of the place and went about his business at high speed. While they were packing and getting the last things ready, there was pure silence... something that disturbed Duskent because of his unexpected and dark behaviour (especially in front of an underage girl herself), so before leaving he decided to check if everything is alright between the two of them. Although he noticed Apple Bloom is apparently calm and satisfied with her work accomplished, Duskent did not feel completely comfortable, so he decided to start a last conversation directly, taking into account that no other pony was near them at that time. "Before we go, I want to say that I'm sorry for the last... thing I said if it sounded a bit... threatening... I was just thinking of getting said object anyway". Duskent spoke in a embarrassed way while waiting for any response from her, which did not take more than 5 seconds to arrive. "You know... I'm not mad at you... I admit I also started this whole mess with that pony for inconveniencing him by arriving late." the yellow filly explained in a calm tone about it, though that left Duskent surprised besides. "My sister often points out to me how hard but important it is.... sincere or honest answers, like this... she's the 'Element of Honesty' to her friends for a reason. That really helped me a lot both with mine and in my own life so far, so... I rather thank you for being honest with me, you are a good friend." She stated pleasantly. "Thank you for understanding... Apple Bloom." Duskent thanked with relief. "You're welcome." the filly answered in a cheerful tone to try to cheer him up. "Though I don't know what she owes to with this 'element' but at least it's nice to have a trustworthy mature pony like her." Duskent thought doubtfully. "Alright, let's go. Heading to... Sweet Apple Acres, right??" "That's right, to my native home... at full speed, woo hoo." Apple Bloom stated energetically. As Duskent got ready to pull the cart, Apple Bloom jumped into the cart... and checked that every item she had acquired didn't fall out of the cart after landing. With everything ready, Duskent trotted as far as he could towards the farm while the foal gave him directions ... Well, although Duskent had some trouble balancing his weight, so he had some small accidents along the way (and generated some complaints from certain inhabitants, especially... to a unicorn that glowed exaggeratedly, an act that almost hurt Duskent's eyes). "Watch out!!" Duskent said as he dodged a passing unicorn with certain purchases made in front of it, though he managed to narrowly dodge it on the way as Applebloom successfully held on to the cart. Fortunately, Apple Bloom did not see this near miss as, due to the sudden movement, she sank a little between the things and prevented some of them from falling off the wooden wheelbarrow. "Sorry about that, lady!!!! Special delivery Apple style going on!!! Woo hoo!!!" she said in a cheerful tone before walking off. "Some ponies just don't have good morals when running. Hmph!!!" the mysterious pony commented while ignoring what happened and continuing on her way. Meanwhile at Sweet Apple Acres farm, Grandma Smith was still watching her nephews who were still working on their apple harvest just as the moon began to rise. Concerned, she would start yelling worriedly at them about the situation. "Youngsters, you're going to finish your work for now... it's getting too late to see the apples on the trees." Granny Smith shouted to her grandchildren, somewhat worried about their efforts during the night. "Don't worry, Grandma. We'll just finish up this hill and be right back. Sure, brother??" the farm pony answered confidently. "Yep." the red stalllion affirmed firmly. "Well, looks like the little one got lost again like yesterday??" Granny Smith expressed herself in a worried and uncomfortable way because of how late the day was. "Mrs. Smith, your order is ready!!!" Duskent suddenly shouted as the wooden trolley shattered towards the barn but, at least, no items during the race ended up with the same fate. Mrs Smith went to the entrance and greeted in a somewhat serious way while she was checking all the contents Duskent had brought with him carefully, with a very serious look on her face. Both he and Applebloom were sweating nervously over the final result, fearing a possible scolding from her. "It seems that everything is.... IN ORDER!!! Not bad for my darling niece next to a newly arrived gifted unicorn to this humble town... albeit without much muscle in his body." she stated in a relieved way. "I'll take it as a compliment this time.." Duskent thought ironically. "It was an honour to have helped you, Mrs. Smith" He said in a cheerful tone instead as he watched the sun almost completely set from the sky." while Apple Bloom got out of the vehicle and thanked Duskent with a quick hug. "So, before it gets dark one more time, I wanted to know about my reward for that job." "Well... about that, I miscalculated a bit my expenses for all those items and we only have.... 2 bits." she said in an uncomfortable tone while handing 2 single coins to a surprised Duskent who looked at her regretfully. "Although, if you wish, for the rest of the reward I can treat you to a feast of various favorite apple products we make here on this farm... after all, you look thinner than a young worm." "I can't really get mad at her about it this time, but I still don't know whether to take and force her to give herself more work on the side. Doesn't she live with someone else who helps her besides Apple Bloom??" Duskent asked himself, reflecting a little. "Ehh... thank you very much for your request but I think I wouldn't want to.." he said trying to be clear in her opinion until she was stopped by Apple Bloom's tugging on a front hoof. "Come on, at least this once." she said in a sweet tone while giving him... a tender, teary-eyed look in front of Duskent, who was still hesitating at the end. "Young lady, it's rude to put pressure like that on the..." Granny Smith tried to calm her down seriously. "You know, I think after all... I really need something to eat to get my energy back. I cordially accept your offer." Duskent finally affrmed as he nodded her head in approval. "YAYY!!!" she said while jumping up and down with joy again. "Even I am amazed at how much control foals like her can have in this town..." he thought. "Okay... so, what are you waiting for?? I assure you, this feast of desserts will please you like a worm in front of a big juicy apple. Go ahead, young one" Granny Smith claimed in a cheerful tone. After that, the 3 ponies entered the home to have their dinner feast in a quiet manner and end the day well... only with somepony watching from afar near some trees as she finished harvesting apples from her garden. That pony had a strange feeling to see how a stranger was invited to such a home... although she knows it's not bad to meet new friends, she doesn't have enough time for that kind of affairs in her point of view. Still, she decided to quietly put that idea aside and quickly finish his work with his brother to go to dinner. When that day was finally over, Duskent said goodbye to Grandma Smith and Applebloom and returned to his home camp outside Ponyville intact. Before going to bed, he decided to relax by a campfire again and reflect on his eventful day. "Wow, what a day's work I had this time... even if it wasn't on the basis of a history book test... ouch!!!" he said in a firm tone until he saw his front hooves twist a bit from his exertion. "Still, it would be best not to overexert myself for now." "Despite escaping from town to town in Equestria and protecting my life was enough exercise for me." he thought calmly. "Mental Note: Next time I go for food go straight to Sweet Apple Acres... with certain bits of course." He stated in a confident tone as he wrote in his blue notebook and enjoyed a muffin he had stashed in his briefcase as a snack to go. "I already wonder what more little adventures I can have tomorrow in the said town... and other passing plans with its nice inhabitants that...." he said in a nervous tone as he felt like something was bothering him in his mind. "Well, I'd better go to sleep for now, maybe I'll have another interesting talk with that.... Starlight for sure and her future plans she has in mind." After writing everything down in his blue notebook, Duskent put out the campfire and headed back to his tent to rest and finish his normal day... while he still could. "Hmm... I find it strange that said store is still there even though it is close to my home... I don't even see almost anyone around there." A mysterious voice could be heard again in the bushes of an adjacent hill in that place, but due to the night, the mysterious figure behind it all could not be seen. "Maybe he needs some help but... it'll be better to do it during the day I think... I just hope everything stays normal in the meantime." Taking advantage of the fact she had not yet been discovered by anypony around her, she quietly returned to her home to rest and continue her... research more effectively later.