//------------------------------// // Part of the Apple Family // Story: MLPU: Captain Equestria: The First Harmony // by TheInvincibleIronBrony //------------------------------// "Applejack! Breakfast time!" A yellow earth pony mare shouted as she burst into her older sister's room startling the orange pony into waking up. "A'right, 'm up, 'm up," Applejack said, yawning and stretching her bony arms as she sat up in bed. She looked over to the door where her eighteen year old sister Applebloom stood, leaning against the door. The younger mare was wearing her usual red plaid shirt and her brown work pants. "Come on lazy bones, we got work to do," Applebloom told her sister as Applejack got out of bed and started getting dressed. "Ya mind shuttin the door?" Applejack told her sister. Applebloom rolled her eyes as she left the room and closed the door behind her. Applejack quickly changed out of her night clothes and into a white button up shirt and pants that seemed a size too big for her small frame. Her thin frame was due to several ailments she'd had from birth preventing her from being as active as a healthy pony, such as Asthma, high blood pressure and a palpitation in her heart. She'd had to take several kinds of medicine since she was little and she still couldn't exert herself without causing problems. Applejack sighed as she observed herself in the mirror, unimpressed as she always was with her physique. Applejack grabbed her stetson off of her bedside table and strode to the door. She jumped when she opened it and found her sister waiting right outside. "Dammit, Bloom, you tryin ta gimme a heart attack," Applejack said angrily as she tried to calm herself. Applebloom gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Ah wasn't tryin ta scare ya or nothin. Ah was just waitin fer ya ta come out fer breakfast," Applebloom stated, looking sheepish, despite standing a head taller than her sister. Applejack hated having to look up at her younger sister despite being six years older. "It's fine, jus' be more mindful of yerself," she sighed unable to stay mad at her sister. The pair quickly made their way downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. The smell of fresh baked apples greeted Apple Jack's nose and she smiled at the thought of whatever their mother, Ginger Smith Apple, had made for breakfast. "Mornin momma!" Applebloom cheered as she entered the kitchen behind her sister. The green mare at the stove turned as she caught a pancake in her frying pan. "Mornin girls," Ginger greeted as her daughters sat down at the circular table where a large stack of cinnamon apple pancakes on a plate and a jug of cider sat. There, baby brother Macintosh Junior was already sitting in his high chair with a plate of syrupy mush that Applejack assumed had been a pancake. "Mornin," Applejack greeted as she slid two pancakes onto a plate and poured a glass of cider, while her sister played peek-a-boo with the two year old. "What's on the agenda today?" she asked, as she tucked in. "Same as always fer you two. Take the cart intah town and sell some apples. Oh and while yer there, you girls mind hangin this up at town hall?" Ginger asked, as she finished the last pancake and set it on the stack. She set a piece of paper on the table between the sister's. Applejack and Applebloom leaned over in their seats to read it. "Help wanted at Sweet Apple Acres?" Applebloom questioned, looking at her mother quizzically. "Did we lose more farm hands?" she asked. Ginger sighed as she answered. "Yeah. More of our help got drafted last week," she said in a heavy tone. Applejack stopped eating as she was reminded of the war, that had cost her father's life. Macintosh Apple Senior had signed up for the army three years ago, near the beginning if the war and while Ginger was pregnant with Macintosh Junior. Six months later a military officer arrived at their home with a condolence letter and a medal of honor. The memory of the stallion that raised her always brought a tear to Applejack's eye. Not only because she missed him, but also because he had taught his children to always stand up for those weaker than themselves. The problem was that Applejack had never met anyone weaker than her. She was always the one that needed to be protected. The rest of the meal passed in silence. Applejack and Applebloom excused themselves from the table, intent on getting started as early as possible. /////////////////////////////// "Apples here! Git em while they're fresh!" Applejack called out into the crowded farmer's market in Ponyville. Ponies everywhere were weighing and buying fruits and vegetables at stands from all the local farms. The Sweet Apple Acres' stand had only been set up an hour ago and Applejack had already made several sales. Applejack heard her sister chuckling from her seat next to the stand and shot the teenager an annoyed glare. Applebloom was reading a comic book entitled Super Stallion and Bat Mane, leaving the work of selling apples to her older sister. "Aren't you a little old for comics?" Applejack asked. "And maybe a little busy," she pointed out, giving her sister a disapproving look. Applebloom looked up from the comic book and gave her sister a sheepish look. "Sorry sis. Not like I'm much help selling apples anyway," she said, lifting up her sleeve and showing off the crossed hammer and wrench on her shoulder, the cutie mark she'd gotten nearly ten years ago after fixing the very cart they were selling apples from. "Pretty sure momma only sends me with ya tah make sure no one tries tah rob ya," she continued as she reclined in her seat and returned her comic. Applejack glared at her sister. "Ah don't need yer help with that. Ah'm perfectly capable of watchin out fer mahself," she huffed. Despite her denial, Applejack knew her sister was right. Their mother had fretted over Applejack since she had been diagnosed with all her ailments as an infant. Applebloom, rolled her eyes at her sister's affirmation. "Well, if that's the case, how about Ah go pin up momma's flier up by town hall?" she suggested. Applejack, not being one to turn down what she saw as a challenge, shrugged her shoulders and pulled the flier out of her back pocket. "Sounds like a good idea. Ah'll be here when ya git back," she replied, as Applebloom stood up and took the flier. "See ya in a bit then," Applebloom said as she started walking down the dirt road that led to the center of town. /////////////////////////// Applebloom walked through the mostly barren streets of Ponyville on her way to town square. Most ponies were either at the farmers market or still in bed this early in the morning. The perfect excuse for Applebloom to walk through the streets with her nose buried in her comic book. It didn't take her long to reach Town Hall. It was easily the tallest building in town, with five stories and several offices of local politicians. Near the front door stood a large corkboard where important announcements would be placed. It was usually used to announce celebrations like the Summer Sun Festival, but job listings could also be seen in the mass of papers pinned to the wall. Applebloom pulled out a thumb tack that wasn't being used at that moment and pinned her mother's flier over an outdated poster for the annual Sister Hooves Social. "That oughta do it," she muttered to herself as she turned to leave. Before the young mare had the chance to start reading her comic again she noticed a massive dull green tent had been set up around the side of Town Hall. Having never seen this tent before, Applebloom approached to investigate. The first thing Applebloom noticed once she had moved around to the side of the tent was the long line of mares and stallions sitting outside filling out paperwork on clipboards. Applebloom scanned the crowd and noticed a familiar stallion sitting on the ground with his back to the tent. Corn Husker, a burly yellow stallion with a dark green mane, tail and eyes, was sitting outside the tent, looking over his paperwork intently. Applebloom had gone to highschool with the former hoof ball prodigy. The two had never been the closest of friends, but they always shared a friendly conversation when they saw each other. "Hey, Corn," Applebloom called out as she walked up to the stallion, hands in her pockets. The stallion looked up from his paperwork at the made as she stopped in front of him. "Well how ya doin Bloom?" he greeted with a smile on his face. "Ain't seen ya much since graduation." "Been helpin out a lot around the farm lately," Applebloom told him. "So what's goin on here?" she asked, more than a little curious about the tent. Corn held up his clipboard for Applebloom. "Army recruitment. They set up just yesterday and started askin fer anypony who might be interested," Corn informed the mare. Applebloom looked at Corn like he'd grown a second head. "Yer signin up for that? Ain'tcha scared a gittin shot at by them minotaurs?" she asked, a note if concern in her voice. Corn shrugged. "Not much choice. Things ain't been easy at home and meh family could use the extra money," he countered. "What extra money?" Applebloom asked, very interested in helping out in a bigger way at home. "They're offerin a mighty big salary for soldiers. One thousand bits a month. Plus they feed ya, shelter ya and train ya and ya git paid fer that too," Corn explained, noting the conflicted expression on Applebloom's face. "Thinkin a signin up?" he asked. Applebloom thought for a moment. It would mean more money comin in and I'm sure there wouldn be a problem sendin mosta it home, but Momma and Applejack won't be happy when they find out.. Applebloom thought about the flier she'd just hung up before answering Corn's question. "Ah reckon it's worth a look," she reasoned as she started walking to the entrance of the tent.