//------------------------------//
// Kumquat (Midnight herald) 
// Story: ApplePie Prompt Tag Group Collab! 
// by Starswirls Beard 
//------------------------------//


By Midnight herald



"One of my favorite words is kumquat. I didn't make that one up." Pinkie couldn't help herself. Her mouth opened and more pointless words spilled out. "I would work in a kumquat orchard just so I could say kumquat all day. Kumquat, kumquat, KUMQUAT!"

Applejack never looked so grim as she did now, turning and slamming her strong legs into a cherry tree, so hard she left splinters where the bark had been. Applejack was always careful with apple trees. Maybe 'cherries' wasn't fun to say. Or maybe, just maybe, Applejack missed her friends just as much as they missed her. Applejack had already beaten the next cherry tree out of all it's fruit by the time Pinkie realized her mouth was moving again.

"And pickle barrel! That's another fun one. Pickle barrel, pickle barrel, pickle barrel." Applejack grit her teeth on the handle of the basket she was carrying and Pinkie panicked. It wasn't supposed to go like this. Pinkie was silly, and then ponies laughed. Pinkie dumped flour on herself, and the twins stopped crying. Pinkie zapped herself, and Rainbow felt better about being pranked. It wasn't supposed to make Applejack angrier.

"C'mon, say it with me! Pickle barrel, kumquat, pickle barrel, kumquat, pickle barrel kumquat, chimmi-cherry-changa!"

"NOOO," Applejack moaned, sinking to her knees. "Make it stop!" Pinkie's mouth kept running on autopilot, even through Rainbow's dusty hoof. More and more words, more and more nonsense spilled out of her, even though all she really wanted was to give Applejack a hug. Even though the words she wanted were Are you okay?

And finally, Applejack's panicked eyes softened as her other friends talked things through. "I'll explain everything at breakfast," she said, her voice as steady and somber as it ever got. "Pinkie Promise."

Pinkie's heart unclenched and she smiled gratefully at Applejack. She'd know what was making Applejack so sad, and then she could fix it, right after breakfast. After all, Applejack had promised. And she never, ever, ever broke her word.