Twilight and Spike had started searching the castle hours ago, and still they couldn't seem to get their bearings. Twilight had briefly mentioned hoping the castle would have it's own library at the beginning of their search, and it just so happened that the first door they went through had taken them to it. Since then, they hadn't had nearly as much luck looking for sleeping quarters. Having passed out a while ago, Spike was being balanced carefully on Twilight's back, with her wings serving to reposition him periodically. She remembered thinking that it wasn't too long ago that he fit on her back like a curled up feline taking a nap. Now, however, he seemed to move around more in his sleep, apparently in constant search of a comfortable spot.
But that was then. This was now, and right then Princess Sparkle was beginning to feel extremely aggravated with her new "home". How could they be expected to live here if there were no bedroom?! For that matter, she couldn't recall having come across a bathroom, either. Most rooms appeared to be completely empty, yet felt somehow...charged, each more so than the last. She checked hallway after hallway, always returning to the staircase which seemed to be the central feature of the tree.
"UGH!" she screamed into the darkness, fed up with her current situation. "I just want to go to sleep!!" Her words were punctuated by her magic rather violently flinging open the next door she had come to, expecting more of the same. To her immense relief, and admittedly stronger confusion, she had FINALLY found a bedroom, and from the looks of it the master bedroom at that.
Too tired to appreciate just how convenient it was that there just so happened to be a second, smaller bed for Spike, Twilight half-consciously levitated him into it and made sure he was properly tucked in before permitting herself to collapse onto her own new bed. And almost as if the crystal frame were sucking the remaining energy right out of her, Twilight felt herself slip into oblivion much easier than was normal for her.
Suddenly, Twilight found herself in the throne room again, the rest of her friends all gathered around and seemingly engaging in a heated debate. The only inconsistency being that the young princess couldn't hear a word anypony was saying, despite clearly being able to see their mouths moving. Twilight made to move to the middle of the floor, so as to gain all of their attention at once, and realized that as she began moving there was no familiar feeling of hard surface beneath her hooves. This prompted her to look down and see that her field of vision appeared to be disemponied.
Startled, she whirled around towards her throne and could clearly see herself, sitting there with her eyes screwed shut and looking like she was about to have a conniption. It was at this point that Twilight deduced she must be dreaming, and that it would make sense for her to dream about the most recent development in her life. However, no sooner than this thought reached completion in her mind, her dream representation opened its eyes wide.
If Twilight had a corporeal body at that moment, she was sure she would have physically recoiled at the sight of her own eyes. They seemed to be full of a righteous anger, yet taken to an almost distorted degree. Her dream self began shouting at the dream versions of her friends, and by the looks on their faces her words weren't meant to placate. Dream Twilight just kept ranting on and on, and over time the glow of her eyes began to take on a sickly green, an almost obsidian tint to them, and before long there was a massive flash of light emanating from her horn.
From one blinding light source to another, Twilight found herself shutting her eyes once more despite not remembering ever closing them in the first place. By the time her sight had been restored to her, she had noticed the incessant beckoning that was apparently coming from everywhere outside, as the volume was constantly shifting.
From the snippets she was able to catch, it sounded like Rainbow Dash had made her way over first thing in the morning. Only, she couldn't seem to find an entrance, as she was flying around it frantically. Still grumpy from having her rest cut short, she called out when Rainbow sounded closest, "DID YOU TRY THE FRONT!?"
"Duh, of course I-," Rainbow Dash began to reply before reaching the crystal doorway which had apparently been there all along.
Knowing she couldn't lie there with her eyes screwed shut forever, Twilight slugged out of bed so as to freshen up before being seen by her friend.
Rainbow Dash laid there for a bit, just soaking in the feeling of accomplishment and letting her mind wonder aimlessly. It wasn't long enough before something lightly tugged at the back of her mind. She let her head lull off to one side, her eyes creaking open slowly. She took notice of the calender carved into the cloud wall, one of the days exaggeratedly labeled and seeming vaguely important.
That's when it hit Dashie like a ton of bricks; her Wonderbolt graduation ceremony was in the morning! She thrust herself up on her bed, and looked out a window to see that dusk hadn't quite fallen yet, then allowing herself to go to sleep confident her alarm would awaken her on time.
Strangely, the scene seemed to play out again and again, with the sun looking ready to set each time. Until one time, it was suddenly just around noon. This didn't quite register with Rainbow's mind at first, and she laid back down to sleep once more. A second later, she bolted out of bed and raced right through the wall.
"No, no, I can't be late!" Rainbow Dash cried desperately as she tried to get to the Academy. She landed in front of the entrance to the hall where the graduation ceremony was probably about to start, and pushed through the doors. On the other side was row after row of empty cloud seats, with a lone janitor pegasus sweeping up on the stage. Rainbow stood there, dumbfounded, wondering how she could've let herself miss such an important occasion.
"About time you showed up," Spitfire's voice came from behind Rainbow Dash, as she sidled up next to the stricken pony. "Never thought you'd be the type to just up and miss something like this, after all the work you put into it." Spitfire then turned to Rainbow and ripped off the lightning bolt medal she had given her at Rainbow Falls, which left Dash wondering how it got there in the first place. "I thought I saw potential in you." Finished with what she had to say, Spitfire turned back the way she came and flew off, leaving Rainbow Dash numbed and confused.
And then, her body jolted so hard that she rolled out of her cloud bed and fell right through the floor, catching herself before she fell too far. She shook her head hard and made for the ground, still processing what had happened. She glanced up and saw that, instead of setting, the sun appeared to be rising for the day. Instantly relieved, Rainbow silently cursed her subconscious for always playing with her conscious like that. Sure, it kept her on edge and at the top of her game, but sometimes it could be just plain cruel.
Knowing that she still had some time yet, she decided to go through her normal morning routine before heading over to Twilight's castle. If she knew Twilight Sparkle, then she knew she should give the alicorn some time to wake up, especially after an ordeal like that. Once she felt fully awake herself and ready to have a chat with her friend, she took off, settling for a leisurely pace so as to conserve energy.
As she flew, she noticed that she wasn't the only one of her friends who appeared to have had a rough night. She spied Rarity closing her shutters, rings under her eyes and a somewhat strange look on her face. She also saw Pinkie Pie dragging herself along to Sugarcube Corner, wondering whether she'd spent the night with her "secret" hidden stash of sweet, sweet cider. Just as Rainbow Dash was getting ready to salivate, a bright light flashed into one of her eyes, and she made for the ground when she realized the cause had been her destination.
Slightly annoyed by the purple tint dominating the right half of her vision, Rainbow went to make her way in like she owned the place. Which, in a way, she did have stock in it. Problem was, she ended up pushing against a solid crystal wall. Confused, she backtracked a little, and saw that there were in fact stairs leading to this portion of wall. And if Rainbow Dash remembered correctly, there had previously also been two windows flanking the heart-emblazoned entrance. But now, there was nothing.
Truly hoping she wasn't dreaming again, she started banging on the place where the door should have been. "What gives, Twilight?" She tired to keep her voice down, in case anypony in the nearby houses were still sleeping. She waited a few seconds and banged on the wall again, this time more out of annoyance. If this went on much longer, she'd really be late for her graduation.
Desperate, Rainbow Dash took the only course of action she predicted would produce timely results; fly around the perimeter trying to find the bedroom. Only now, there didn't seem to be any openings to the mysterious new structure whatsoever. The balconies were still there, and all the different towers, just no conceivable way inside. Now starting to worry for her friend's safety, Dash began calling out to her, hoping she'd still be able to hear her. She spent a considerable amount of time flying around that accursed tree, and eventually began considering making her own entrance.
"DID YOU TRY THE FRONT!?" came Twilight's clearly annoyed voice.
Rainbow Dash skidded to a mid-air halt just as she was arching downward having cleared the top of the structure. She whipped around and looked, seeing a window which she swore hadn't been there before! It didn't look big enough to fit through, but it showed what must have been Twilight's bedroom, since she could clearly see Spike sleeping soundly in a surprisingly comfy looking bed. Despite not seeing Twilight herself, called back, "Duh, of course I-," as she went to double check, and was rendered speechless by the fact that the entrance was now there, right where it should've been the whole time! Frustrated yet short on time, Rainbow Dash decided to just duck on in before the door disappeared again.
Having gotten her hoof in the door, Dash was confident she would be in and out in no time. Of course, at the end of the first hall, she was greeted with yet another door, though it was a straight shot to this one so at least she didn't have to search. She went through that one and found herself in a strikingly familiar situation, though couldn't quite appreciate how familiar. She went through door after door, never seeming to make any progress. Just as she was about to lose it and bust through the ceiling, the next door she had come to opened on its own and beyond was the room she had seen in the sky through the window. Dumbfounded once more, Rainbow walked slowly into the homey looking room, her jaw perfectly slack.
"I know, isn't it just perfect?" Twilight admitted, glad the attached bathroom was already fully equipped with everything she needed to get ready to face the day.
"Bu-wh-I didn't even go up any stairs!" Rainbow Dash protested, once more doubting the reality of the situation.
"Non-sense, Rainbow Dash," Twilight admonished as she glanced out the lone window, "we're on the top floor; you either walked up the central staircase or you flew in one of the windows."
"But there were no windows!" Rainbow persisted, wondering just what was going on. Then it hit her that she'd wasted enough time already, and couldn't afford to figure this enigma out right then. "Nevermind! I'm gonna be late for my Wonderbolt Academy graduation ceremony if I don't leave, like, right now, so I gotta know if you're gonna be staying here in case I get a chance to drop by?" she said all in one breath, now starting to dread the flight to the Academy given her current state.
"Uh, yeah, I guess so!" Twilight Sparkle stated, suddenly remembering that strange feeling the place had given her just the day before. Only now, she felt energized and it was like the castle was resonating with that, giving her good vibes.
"AlrightcoolI'lltalktoyoulater!" Rainbow spat out as she turned tail and made to soar out the window, when she was reminded it was too small. Panicked, she looked to Twilight. "Uh heh, hey Twi? Think you could give me a better exit?"
"Huh?" Twilight glanced at the admittedly diminutive opening and thought back to the labyrinth she had fought with herself the night before. "I can try." She focused her magic on the window, and with no effort whatsoever, it grew wide enough for even Big McIntosh to fit through. "Well that was easy."
"You should leave a button around that does that for us to come and go," Dash suggested before saluting the new Princess on her way out.
Twilight Sparkle took a moment to consider this notion, wondering why it would be necessary. Now that she's made the adjustment to her window, won't access remain easy? Just as her mind was starting to pick up on an inconsistency, she suddenly heard a sickening, yet by now familiar, sound nearby.
Spike was awoken from a particularly enjoyable dream of whites and violets when Celestia apparently decided to send them a message first thing in the morning. If it had been so important, couldn't she have told them yesterday?! Spike snatched the scroll out of the air as soon as the flame had died away, unfurling it roughly and reading quickly so as to read it effectively aloud, undoubtedly valuable information the princess Twilight would need.
"Wait, wha-," Spike muttered as he was about to dictate the contents indignantly. He began reading the letter in detail for himself, stunned at its contents.
Twilight, at this point thoroughly hooked, grabbed the parchment from her little dragon's unmoving claws and read it for herself.
Twilight,
I'm afraid there is a matter of grave importance that needs to be discussed at once. Bring Spike, and ask him to bring along anything he wouldn't want to be without for a while. I've arranged for the first train from Ponyville to Canterlot to await your arrival before departure. Make haste, Princess, this cannot wait.
Celestia
Somewhat shocked at the concise nature of the address, Princess Sparkle snapped into action when it sunk in just how urgent this situation must be. "No rest for the weary, I suppose," she uttered, turning to Spike.
"You said it, sister," Spike uttered back, taking his cue to start packing. Admittedly, he didn't really have much he would need that he wouldn't be able to get on the road, save for one thing. Certain that he had it on him, he turned to Twilight with a twinkle in his eye. "Think I could snap a piece of crystal off the tree on the way out?"
"A snack for the road, huh?" Twilight laughed, uncertain if that would be a good idea. However, the curious, scientific side of her decided to allow it for educational purposes. "Go ahead. But don't take too much! We don't know how it'll affect the tree."
"Understood," Spike saluted seriously, and considered his options on the way out. They made their way down the relatively short hallway compared to past experience, and entered the center staircase once more. They traveled down for a short time, and came to a landing with two doors opposite each other.
"Weird, it seemed longer last night," Twilight wondered out-loud.
"Must've been from how tired we were," Spike concluded, pushing through to the ground level hallway. Being the foundation, this hallway was the largest of them all, but since they were in the exact middle, the walk to the front doors didn't seem as long as it could've.
Rarity awoke the next morning, feeling refreshed and ready to face the day. She absentmindedly stroked the ruby resting against her chest as she went about her morning chores, before sitting down to start brain-storming ideas. Only, as soon as her body stopped moving, her mind immediately wandered to Twilight and Spike, and how they might be fairing with their new living quarters. Hard to imagine living in a castle would be much of a hassle, but looks are oft meant to be deceiving.
Knowing she would never be able to focus on her work without checking up on them, she prepared herself for her stroll and set out right around noon. When she got to the new home of her good friend Twilight Sparkle, she knocked on the door with two hearts and they instantly opened. On the other side was Twilight sitting at her seat in the throne room, seeming to be researching something rather important.
"Good morning, Twilight," Rarity tried, knowing how Twilight can be when she's absorbed in her work. "How are things?"
"Fine, for now," Twilight Sparkle replied shortly, immersed in her task.
"Oh, well that's good, I suppose...," Rarity glanced around, noticing the distinct lack of a certain presence. "And where has Spike gone off to? Gorging himself at Sugarcube Corner, no doubt."
"Celestia needed Spike in Canterlot, he left first thing this morning," again, Twilight's voice was sharp, almost annoyed.
"Oh...I see...," Rarity caught the vibe her friend was giving her but also found herself aching to know one last thing. "Any idea when he'll be back?"
"Ugh," Sparkle sighed, rubbing the space between her eyes briefly before making eye contact with Rarity. "The Princess said that there was a good chance he might not come back." Stone-faced, the Princess of Friendship went back to reading one, if not all, of the many books floating around her.
Stunned, Rarity couldn't bring words to her throat, let alone out her mouth. She numbly wobbled back to Carousel Boutique and before she knew it, she was huddled in a corner having some very dark thoughts. Just as her body began to rock back and forth on its own, she felt as if an invisible force had come out of the wall in front of her and her body jolted backwards.
This resulted in Rarity jumping a good three feet in the air when she woke up, her heart beating a mile a minute and a hoof to her chest. She noticed that something very important was missing, and looked around frantically to find it. Thankfully, it seemed it had merely fallen off in her sleep and was resting on the cold floor all alone. She scooped up her precious gem and secured it around herself once more.
"What happened? Are you okay, Rarity?" Sweetie Belle squeaked as she burst through her sister's door, the loud noise understandably worrying her.
Feeling touched by her sister's innate concern for her well-being, Rarity smiled gently and sighed lightly. She slowly stepped down from her bed and went to wash off her face briefly. Then, she marched right back into her room and planted a firm hug around Sweetie's neck.
"I'm fine, darling, I just had a bad dream is all," there was an obvious feeling of relief in her words, but also another, nigh identifiable sensation that went unexamined for the moment.
"Well, whenever I have a nightmare, I go for a gallop! After all, you never know who you might run into," Belle offered eagerly, honestly just feeling like going out herself and hoping Rarity would tag along.
Suddenly feeling urged to go for a stroll herself, Rarity glanced at the clock and noticed that it was a quarter to noon. She quickly readied herself and scooted Sweetie Belle out the door, a sinking feeling resting in her stomach. Whether by chance or choice, they saw the tree castle on the horizon in time to spy a rainbow on its way out of the top.
Pinkie Pie was having a blast! She had tracked down Cheese Sandwich, set up a huge party to celebrate, and was smack dab in the middle of her perfect day.
Then, she felt a tapping on one of her shoulders. "Hey Pinkie?" It was Rainbow Dash. "I'm gonna head on out, I got training in the morning."
"But don't you wanna hang out and party a little more?" Pinkie asked, begged even.
"Come on, Pinkie Pie. Grow up." With that, Rainbow dashed away, leaving the party through a window.
"Ah gotta get goin', too," AJ piped up from near the door, not waiting for Pinkie to even see her off. Pretty soon, everypony was leaving all at once.
"But where's everypony going?" Pinkie pleaded, practically crawling after the small horde of ponies going off to live their separate lives.
Pinkie ended up crawling right off her bed, the floor waking her shortly thereafter. She scrambled to her hooves and shook out the negative energy she'd somehow accumulated overnight. It took a moment for her mind to reboot fully, but once it did she distinctly remembered seeing a surprise guest last night and was fully intent on throwing that party! Deciding it best to wander and see whom she gallops into first, she got herself ready to go out.
She promised the Cakes she'd be right back, and they assured her that they had things under control. She hopped on out Sugarcube Corner's front door, only to see none other than Rarity and Sweetie Belle a ways down the road, looking like they were headed for Twi's awesome new hideout! Pinkie sped over to them and greeted the young ladies.
"HI, RARITY!" Pinkie more or less shouted in Rarity's ear, unintentionally making her flinch. And, in turn, "HI, SWEETIE!"
"PINKIE, PLEASE!" Rarity shouted back, rubbing her ear. "Not so loud. And, if possible, so suddenly either." Her tone had died down near the end, though she meant the words no less.
"Sorry, Rare," Pinkie pouted a little, before bouncing back. "So whatchyuz up to?"
"Just going to check in on Twilight and Spike." Rarity told her truthfully.
"Ooh, and what's the occasion?" Now Pinkie was interested.
"Yeah! I thought we were gonna hang out...," Sweetie pouted to the side, once again disappointed.
"I never said you couldn't come with me, dear," Rarity assured her little sister. Then, she turned back to Pinkie. "I'm sorry Pinkie Pie, what was it you were saying?"
"I was ASKING what the special occasion was," Pinkie corrected, still eager to know the answer.
"Oh...right." Rarity had initially been grateful for the deviation from that topic, but now found herself returning to her also partially confused state. "What makes you think there's some sort of celebration, Pinkie?"
"Eheh," Pinkie chuckled at the irony, deciding to spring the invite on her later. "It's just, you only wear that necklace for really fancy, special events." Pinkie prodded good-naturedly, wondering where this was going.
"Oh. Well, it's just, that I-," Rarity was stumbling over her words, seeming to be struggling to find her answer. "It seemed a waste to let it rot away in that chest...is all," is what she settled for, confused as to what came over her.
"Okie, dokie lokie then," Pinkie hesitated, in that moment actually worried for Rarity. "Well, mind if I tag along?"
"I don't see why not, the more the merrier." Rarity might have thought it better to be able to see Spike and Twilight alone, but figured having a larger crowd would help keep her from falling apart in the face of the worst.
Fluttershy awoke to find herself at the beginning of a familiar dream. She had just fallen from Cloudsdale, and after feeling the shock of the Sonic Rainboom, was able to discern her destiny. She began maundering around, forming a particularly strong bond with a certain bouncing baby bunny. But he wasn't the only angel she had met on that faithful day, that wonderful day when she discovered the ground for the first time. This dream in particular always began right as she was stumbling upon Ponyville.
"DAH!" A loud, obviously pained voice could be heard a good distance away, seeming both youthful and masculine.
"Oh no," Fluttershy whispered, rushing through the numerous trees over to the poor creature, ready to do whatever it took to nurse it back to happiness. "Are you alri-," she stopped short as she caught sight of the individual who happened to be in need of assistance, and was herself immediately glued to the ground. Their eyes met.
"Oh, uhm, Ah'm fine, Miss?" Electricity flowed through both of them as they stared at each other for moments on end, Big Mac having stressed the final word as a way of asking for her name.
"Oh, uh," Fluttershy's spine jittered once her paralysis wore off, and she mumbled the rest of her sentence.
"Ah'm sorry, it'd be mighty rude 'a me ta ask ya ta introduce yerself first," Big McIntosh suddenly felt like a fool, having failed to instinctually apply the values his father was able to instill in him during their short time together. "Mah name's Big McIntosh, but mah friends all call me Big Mac."
"Well, you certainly are, big," Fluttershy admitted hestitantly, unsure how to proceed. "Anyway, was it you who hurt yourself just now?"
"Oh, that!" Big Mac boomed, laughing heartily before shaking his head roughly. "'Tis nothin', Miss," Here he pause, realizing he still hadn't gotten her name.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm shy," Fluttershy explained when she realized she still hadn't told him HER name. A process she was always woefully inept at. "My name is...," she started out strong on that one, hoping the momentum would help her get through it, to no avail.
"Hey, it's alright," Big Mac said as he siddled up next to her and put his forearm around her, giving her a quick hug. "There's no need ta be nervous. Take yer time and tell me when yer ready." He then stepped away and positioned himself in front of her, an open expression on his face.
"Oh, my," Fluttershy suddenly found herself filled with a new kind of clarity, and took a deep breath slowly. She let it out slower and her body was immediately relaxed, her wings slowly spreading subconsciously. "My name is Fluttershy. It's so nice to meet you, Big McIntosh, despite the circumstances." Her words took on an embarrassed note as she remembered she still had to address his wound.
"Oh, this?" Big Mac gestured to his left hind hoof flippantly. "This ain't nothin'. Ah just gotta use mah other hoof to keep buckin'."
"'Bucking?'" Fluttershy inquired curiously.
"Yeah! Watch." Having noticed that Fluttershy was a pegasus, he figured she may never have seen an earth pony in the act of harvesting. He positioned himself in front of an apple tree he hadn't touched yet, and proceeded to buck its apples out.
"That looks...painful," Fluttershy squeaked. And then she added, "for both of you."
"Naw, ya just gotta hit the right pressure points with the right amount 'a force," Mac rattled off like math, proving this to be a subject he took very seriously.
"You should still let me treat that leg, I don't-" Fluttershy paused, catching her near faux-pas, "you don't want to aggravate the injury."
"Ah guess yer right," Big Mac submitted, taking a seat right where he was. "Ah could use a break anyway."
"You wouldn't mind having some, company, would you?" Fluttershy asked with monumental embarrassment, yet coupled with a strange burning desire to be as close to this stallion as physically possible.
"No, not at all," Big Mac answered back, feeling his heart beating faster in the presence of this mare than it ever had in his entire life, however short it may yet be.
Right as her dream was getting to her favorite part, the admission, the confession, the revelation of the truth, there was a sudden crash outside her cottage and she flew to consciousness, already burying that forbidden memory where it belonged. The scene she saw when she got outside was not one she had been expecting.
"I swear, he came out of nowhere!" Scootaloo shouted as she spied Fluttershy galloping over, the young and yet flightless pegasus crouched over an injured bunny and her beloved scooter skewed to the side by the accident.
"Calm down, Scootaloo." Of all the ponies to need her help first thing in the morning, it had to be Scootaloo. Fluttershy fought the churning feeling in her stomach as she examined the woodland creature with the one responsible looking on concerned. "This is a female, and you don't seem to have injured her significantly. I'll take care of her for the next few days and make sure she's as good as new in no time."
"Okay, just, make sure you take real good care of her," Scootaloo stressed, cantering over to her slightly bent scooter. "I've been modifying this baby and I was going pretty fast when I hit her. I applied the breaks as soon as I could, but just be careful with the poor girl." She then headed towards Ponyville at a sedated pace, still ashamed by her own reckless actions.
Touched by Scootaloo's humble approach to her situation and relieved that the orphan was turning out all right on her own, Fluttershy returned to the matter at hoof and gathered up the young girl rabbit, certain that Angel would be thrilled about having some company.
Applejack stood tall at the top of the Apple family's porch steps, overlooking all the hard work she had done. She focused all her time and energy on her work, and followed her gut toward business at every turn. The result; the Apple Farm had never been more profitable, nor as wide-reaching.
As she soaked in her life full of self-satisfaction, she noticed a slight rocking motion appeared to be affecting her vision, and she idly wondered about it without really giving it much thought. Soon, Applebloom came running in from her latest assignment, no doubt looking for more to do. Only she didn't look like the same little filly she had been just the other day. This alarmed Applejack, yet she found herself unresponsive.
"Hey, AJ," Applebloom greeted, slowing her pace down as she got closer to her elder sister. "Just dropping by to check up on ya, heh heh," there was a strange quality to her voice, as if she didn't expect Applejack to reply. "Well, Ah'll visit again soon."
Sure enough, when Applejack began to will herself into retorting, she found that no measure of effort seemed to do the trick. She started to feel like she was going to give herself an aneurism just trying to speak. Suddenly she was filled with thoughts which seemed to be her own, expressing regret at a life half lived.
And then, just in the nick of time, a rooster crowed on the farm and AJ was awakened naturally to yet another busy day. She wasted no time starting on her daily regime, freshening up, preparing breakfast, visually inspecting the family assets. In truth, Applejack took it upon herself to do most of the work around the farm, but it wasn't like she felt forced to.
As per usual, she finished her morning tasks just in time to greet the mailpony at the mailbox, the Apple Farm being last on the route. She admonished herself mentally for not remembering that there was a new pony filling this role, and found herself missing the smiling face of a certain wall-eyed grey pegasus. AJ exchanged brief pleasantries with the professional-looking stallion, and almost laughed out loud when he saluted her before leaving.
Before heading back to the house, Applejeck shuffled through the envelopes in her hooves, placing all the useless ads in her left saddlebag. As it was the middle of the current moon, there was very little in the way of true importance. The reports from their Apple branches typically come on the first day of each new moon, but that didn't mean that there wouldn't be the occasional emergency.
Applejack praised her gut for being right once again as she came across a piece of mail with the Manehattan Apple branch as the return address. Knowing that it must be something requiring immediate attention, she opened it quickly and read its contents. By the time she finished reading, she no longer liked what her gut was telling her. She put the rest of the mail in her right saddlebag and made for the barn at a quickened pace, sure as sugar that action needed to be taken sooner than later.
"Big Mac!" AJ called out as soon as she crossed the threshold to the rather large barn, certain he'd be fitting himself with his collar for a full day of work. "We got a situation on our hooves!"
"What kinda situation?" came Big Mac's measured reply, wondering when things would finally start to settle down again.
"Seems we're gettin' some pretty heavy competition up in Manehattan," her voice was calm, but there was still a note of uncertainty. "According ta tha report Ah just got, it's a startup with only tha one location, but they're taking a large chuck 'a our business."
"Hmm," Big Mac pondered silently, his mind turning this new information over in his head. "Welp, a little competition never hurt nopony."
"True, but if'n these up 'n comers can overtake us in Manehattan, we'll be in for an uphill battle." The concern on AJ's face was clear as day now, the magnitude of it all finally sinking in. "We can't lose tha Big Apple, that's too mucha our yearly profit."
"Ya got a point there, sis," admitted Big McIntosh, falling into business mode. "So what's tha plan?"
"Tha sooner we evaluate tha situation up North ourselves, tha better." AJ started to pace as she thought, her nerves on fire. "Ah'm gonna head up there mahself. Also, Ah want ya ta leave fer Las Pegasus early, an' keep an eye out fer trouble along tha way."
"Early? As in, today? But wha-," Big Mac began to protest, before catching himself about to reference something AJ would think he shouldn't know about. Never one to miss a beat, he continued with, "'bout tha farm?"
"Ah'll only be gone a few days, at most," Applejack dismissed her brother's objection. "Applebloom can hold tha fort until Ah git back. Ah'm gonna leave as soon as Ah can so as to be back just as soon, so ye'll hafta let Granny Smith know what's goin' on." With that, Applejack left Big McIntosh in the barn with his thoughts, intent on being at the station around noon.