//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Burnt Oranges // by Scripture //------------------------------// _=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_ “…some ponies just want to watch the world burn…” – Butler Alfred from Batpony: The Dark Knight _=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_ The day began like many others. Simple and sweet, with a good wholesome breakfast. Pancakes, syrup, waffles, toast, English muffins… all that jazz! While the Apple family needed to go out and do their work each and every day, they still had to have some family time among themselves… Even if Applebloom was bouncing around the table on a pogo stick at that moment... “What the hay do you think you’re doing Applebloom?!” AJ called from the kitchen, too busy with cooking to actually go into the dining room to stop the small filly. An array of delicious aromas wafted out of the kitchen, luring a bleary eyed red stallion, Big Mac, down the stairs. He yawned, smacking his lips a bit as he reached the dining room area. The red stallion was about to grab a seat at the table when an overly active filly nearly sprung herself at Big Mac. “WHOA!” “Ugh…” With finely tuned movement, he caught the filly, pogo stick and all, in mid accident before she could do anything hazardous, again, in the household. The small filly smiled sheepishly as she got off the contraption, letting Big Mac put it away on a wall. “Uh… Thanks Big Mac! I was only tryin’ ta see if Pogo-stickin’ was my hidden talent! Guess not…” As Applebloom was pulling herself up a chair, AJ walked on in, carrying several plates with a practiced ease, tossing them on the table one by one. As she did, she named everything before them, making Big Mac’s and Applebloom’s mouths drool like miniature waterfalls. “So today we got toast with apple jam, buttery biscuits, a good helping of freshly cut apples, apple pie with whipped cream, apple juice, and a special treat today; zap apple jam infused bread! Tryin something new, but I think it came pretty goo-“ “OooOooooOoOooo hey? What’s with all the ruckus?” A light green pony with white hair made her way downstairs on slow, wobbling legs. AJ smiled sweetly and helped the elder mare down the rest of the stairs and to her seat. The other two ponies had already started their dive into the breakfast, guzzling down the juice and devouring portions of everything in front of them. Applejack, for good reason, always made more than what they could eat. “Mornin Granny!” Applebloom blurted through an array of breadcrumbs on her lips. AJ glared at her and wiped her own mouth, indicating Applebloom do the same. After a little bit, the filly understood the articulation and grabbed a napkin, wiping her face following a small smile. Granny however, didn’t seem in the mood for breakfast and slowly leapt from her chair. With blindingly low speed, she made her way towards the window, checking left and right over and over again. “Mornin’ to you too sweetheart, but ol’ Granny heard something this mornin’ and she ain’t gonna eat until she finds out what it was!” Applebloom’s face scrunched up a little in thought, but eventually she exclaimed, “Oh! I’m sorry! I was jus’ seeing if Pogo stickin could get me my Cutie Mark!” The elderly mare peered back over her shoulder and shook her head. “No no no! I knew about that silly filly! I heard somethin’… odd, out a little bit past the orchards! It almost sounded like them Flim Flam Brothers were tryin to come back for a rematch, with their chuggin machine and nonsense…” AJ cocked an eyebrow and finished her piece of toast with a quick gulp. She walked over to Granny and, never distrusting the elderly mare, questioned her politely. “Wait, what do ya mean by tha-“ Now, they could all hear it. A low, rhythmic bump that bopped to its own tune. Accompanying it came a rattle-rattle that would follow after the bump noise. It sounded horrible really, but it was hypnotic and catchy at the same time. Voices, although distant and hazy, could be heard coming from the direction of the weird music. And it kept on getting closer and closer to Sweet Apple Acres. “What in the hay…?” AJ murmured to herself, pushing open the door outside. Big Mac and Applebloom soon followed, also enticed by the noise coming from down the street. All three of them soon found themselves looking up the hill where the street crested over, watching as a large brown object kept getting bigger and bigger. “…And I still say that we shoulda won! But anywho, I still think that there is somethin’ out there! I keep on hearin’ this weird ollllll music, but I don’t know where it-“ “Granny?” “Hurr heh… uhmmmm… Huh? Ooo! Breakfast! Y’all better eat before it gets cold on ya!” AJ rolled her eyes as she watched Granny Smith shuffle on over to the table gathering her usual meal, and began to slowly eat. She loved her grandmother but sometimes she was a little much. Anywho, we don’t need Granny to handle whatever that thing is! … … What in tarnation? The lumbering giant of a wagon finally had crested the hill to the farm, shambling itself over towards the Sweet Apple Acres household, pulled by two ponies. AJ looked from the vehicle, to her brother and sister, who simply shrugged. The orange mare shrugged herself and started to walk towards the entrance of the orchard to meet them halfway. The wagon was tall and rickety, looking like a complete amateur. What it lacked in finesse and beauty though, it made up in sheer size and presence. A strange aspect of the carriage however was that there was a window on one side of it, opened slightly to show only a darkened interior. On a hook at one of the corners was a lamp, but it looked dusty and old as if it hadn’t been used in ages. The only other thing that was odd about the carriage was the fact that it had a singular large tree sprouting out of the roof of it, giving it a rather large overlay of green leaves. Even though Applejack knew a lot about her apple trees, this one was something she hadn’t ever crossed upon before. “Hey sis! Why are those ponies wearing clothes? It’s the middle of summer!” AJ cocked her eyebrow at her sister’s comment, now focusing her attention on the stallion and mare who were walking up to them. The mare, a dark green dainty unicorn, covered her head with a woolen blue cap with matching boots. The stallion next to her, a deep orange earth pony, wore a pair of small square glasses and a tan coat, leaving it open for the world to see his chest. “I don’t know Applebloom, but don’t be rude! We have company now…” As the mare approached the couple coming down towards them, she could now fully understand Granny’s reasoning for the music. How she had been able to hear such a thing, AJ would probably never know. But as the carriage swayed towards them, the combination of loose parts, the tree, the wheels and the lantern made a small chorus of sounds that played with each other as the wagon trudged on along the road. Hoping it wasn’t business, she made the first introductions she could make with a good solid breakfast and coffee. She really wanted some coffee right now… “Well howdy there strangers! Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! Sorry to say that ya caught us at breakfast time, so we ain’t exactly bright eyed at the moment! I’m Applejack and this is my brother, Big Macintosh, and sister, Applebloom! What can I do you for?” The orange stallion smiled oddly, as if he was too tired or stressed to really try and do any actions at the moment. Pulling out some paperwork from his saddles pouch, he let the unicorn float it to the mare with her magic. As AJ read the papers, her jaw started to drop more and more, the shock washing over her in giant waves. The stallion coughed once, eventually leading to a small coughing fit to which the green mare tried to console him with a pat on the back. He waved a hoof, indicating he was alright, and cleared his throat. Extending a hoof, he smiled once more, this one more sincere and warm compared to the other time. “I’m Burnt Oranges, new owner and operator of Citrus Fields, your neighbor and competition! Nice to meet you Applejack!” A/N: Hey there! Once again, i have pulled out another story from my head, wanting to get it down on this site for all to see! Hopefully, you will all enjoy this odd piece, and more than likely, i will be doing at least another chapter or two. In all honesty, not too sure about this piece, but hopefully you all will enjoy it as much as I did writing it! :) And sorry bout the quote... just thought it needed somethin like that in the story XD If you find any mistakes or weirdness in the story, please tell me! :)