“I'd never seen her like that, you guys!” Rainbow Dash finished explaining to Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Spike in the Golden Oaks library. “She was angrier than I'd ever seen her! I don't think I've even seen her angry! It was so weird!” She glanced at the floor before resuming, “I was just trying to help.”
“I know, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied, nodding, “but it was still pretty irresponsible of you to try and take Cal flying like that. As long as you know not to do that anymore, there shouldn't be a problem.”
“I'm afraid there is a problem, Twilight,” Rarity argued, worry lining her voice. “Now, Applejack is very unlikely to talk to us after this. I do hope she can forgive us, but with what's already happened, I'm just not sure . . . .”
“Don't worry, Rarity,” Spike chimed in, “this is Applejack we're talking about here. She would never break off a friendship over one little incident. You and Rainbow Dash could go back tomorrow and apologize.”
“You think she'd let us keep coming over to help out with Cal after this?” Dash asked. “I don't know about you guys, but if it were me, I'd need a few days alone, too.”
“Maybe,” Twilight said, shrugging, “but Applejack is our friend, and she needs our help. We need to stick by her, and Cal, too. We need to help him just as much.”
Rarity sighed before replying, “I suppose you're right, Twilight. It'll be my turn again tomorrow, so I suppose—”
“Me too!” Pinkie Pie chirped, interrupting Rarity. “I get to go, too! We're gonna have so much fun with Applejack's little brother!”
“Uhh, Pinkie Pie?” Twilight stopped her. “I know you've been looking forward to this. And it's not easy to say this, but I think it would be best if you didn't go tomorrow.”
Pinkie froze, looking at Twilight strangely, as if she'd just lapsed into another language she couldn't speak. “Why is that, Twilight?” she asked. “I wanna hang out with Cal as much as you all do!” Excitement started to make her shake all over as she continued, “I still haven't asked him what his favorite color is, or his favorite flavor of frosting, or what kind of games he likes, or how many ponies we should invite to our great big 'We Love Cal' Party—” Pinkie only stopped talking when Rainbow Dash jammed a hoof into her mouth.
“That's why,” Twilight answered. “We can't take any risks with Cal. He doesn't like that much attention and over-stimulation, remember?”
Dash pulled her hoof out of Pinkie's mouth and added, “And no offense, Pinkie, but if anypony here can 'over-stimulate', it's you.”
Pinkie looked shocked for a brief moment, then looked down at the floor, looking a bit disheartened. Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder to comfort her. “Sorry, Pinkie,” she said calmly, “but I think it's for the best. You understand, right?”
There was a short pause before Pinkie Pie's spirits perked back up instantly. “Okey-dokey, Lokey!” she squeaked. “I think I know just what to do! This will be the best 'We Love Cal' party ever!” She then rocketed out of the library door, leaving a Pinkie-shaped cloud of dust behind her.
“Pinkie, no parties!” Twilight called after her. “Pinkie!” But it was too late. She'd already gone.
“Oh, dear,” Rarity muttered. “This complicates matters, doesn't it?”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, Rarity,” Spike offered, “I could go with you tomorrow. You need the extra help, and . . . .” He trailed off when he glanced at Twilight's skeptical eye pointing at him. “W-well, that, and I haven't met Cal myself, yet. A-and I'm curious about him, a-and what he's like. Yeah, that's it . . .”
Rarity smiled at Spike's offer. “Oh, Spikey darling, that's so thoughtful of you!” She caressed his head with a hoof, and Spike sighed pleasurably.
“That is nice of you, Spike,” said Twilight, “but you have to remember, Cal is autistic. He's sensitive, he doesn't always hear you the first time you speak, and he takes things in differently than you.”
“I've heard you talk about that before, Twilight,” Spike assured. “Trust me. I can handle it.”
This prompted more head-stroking from Rarity. “Oh, you sweet little thing, you,” she continued to fawn over him, and Spike sat on the floor, sighing in comfort.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash merely rolled their eyes.
***
Applejack and Apple Bloom walked on either side of Calvados as they strolled through the marketplace. Ponies were still busy preparing the town with decorations for the impending Equestrian Eclipse Celebration, and Cal looked around in equal wonder and agitation at all of the ponies bustling around him. He walked between his sisters, a bit shrunken into himself as he went.
“Hey, Cal,” Apple Bloom said to him with a smile, “see all the ponies decoratin' for the Eclipse Celebration? It's gonna be fun, ain't it?”
“Be fun . . . ?” Cal muttered as he stared at the ground. “Be fun . . . ?”
“Sure!” Apple Bloom went on. “'Cause the Eclipse Celebration is when we watch the solar eclipse! That's s'posed to be a symbol of the two Princesses bein' together again! And there's this big banner that we shine a light through to make our own mini-eclipse, and that's when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna arrive, an'—”
“Apple Bloom, remember,” Applejack interrupted, “Cal ain't as fond o' these things as you are. ’Sides, I don't think he understands the point of the Eclipse Celebration. Best not to get him riled over nothin'.”
“It's big?” Cal asked, still staring at the floor, his ears flattened to the sides of his head. “It's big?”
“You mean the banner?” Apple Bloom asked. “Yep, it'll be big, all right!”
Applejack suddenly remembered something from three days ago. Cal had said those very words in Big Mac's room that day, as he was coloring. Was that what he had been talking about? Was he referring to the banner being set up over Ponyville for the Eclipse Celebration? She remembered walking underneath it as she took Cal home the day he'd arrived; he was more than capable of remembering it the next day, so it was possible. In fact, the drawing he'd been working on since then was colored quite similarly to that very banner.
“Hello, Applejack!”
Her thoughts were disrupted by a familiar voice. Ahead of them, Applejack saw who it was: Rarity, accompanied by Spike, approached them from down the road, looking glad to see their friends. Applejack held back a sigh—she knew why Rarity would be here, and was certain it would come up fairly quickly.
“Fancy seeing you here!” Rarity greeted happily. “It's a perfectly lovely day to spend at the shopping venue, don't you agree?”
Applejack nodded, suppressing her agitation. “Yeah, I s'pose . . . look, if y'all came here about yesterday, don't get worked up about it—”
“Oh, nonsense, darling!” Rarity interrupted. “No need to fret. What's past is past. Today is a fine day to put it all behind us.” She stepped closer and lowered her head to Cal's level. “And hello to you too, precious. How are you feeling today? Better, I hope?”
“I hope?” Cal repeated, glancing at the dirt beneath his hooves. “Ah Reh-tee?”
“Oh, I'm so glad,” Rarity replied with a smile and ran a hoof through his mane. Cal just kept switching his gaze from Rarity to the ground and back. Applejack watched him the entire time, hoping he wouldn't start to get upset again.
And feeling low when she realized why she watched.
“Hi, Cal,” Spike said as he too stepped forward. “I haven't gotten to meet you yet. The name's Spike. How you doing?” Cal saw Spike approach, and once again covered his eyes with his front hooves.
“It's okay, Cal,” Apple Bloom soothed as she put a gentle hoof on Cal's right foreleg. “Spike just wants to meet ya. Don't worry, he's nice.”
“Indeed,” Rarity agreed, “no nicer dragon could be found.” She put a hoof on his shoulder, prompting a goofy grin from the dragon.
Cal's hooves slowly lowered, and he saw Spike in full. His hooves moved slowly up and down as they hung there in front of his face, but he could still see his new acquaintance. “It's dragon?” he asked quietly.
“Yep,” Spike answered with a nod and a grin, “I'm a dragon, all right. The name's Spike.”
“Name Spike?” Cal replied, his voice still low. “It's dragon?”
“Yeah!” Spike then held out a claw. “Put 'er there, Cal!” He gently took Cal's hoof and shook.
Cal started whining immediately. “Enh! Enh! Owie! Owie!”
Applejack shooed Spike away and stooped down to inspect Cal's hoof. “What's wrong, Cal? What happened? Tell me where it hurts.” Cal would only shriek and hold up the hoof that Spike shook.
“Spike!” Rarity gasped. “How could you?”
“I didn't mean it! Really, I didn't! I remember how sensitive his hooves are! I didn't even hold him that hard! I-I'm sorry!”
Applejack finished looking over Cal's hoof, then kissed it as Cal's cries started to lessen. “There, there, sugarcube,” she consoled him, “it's not that bad. There ain't even any blood. You're gonna be just fine.” She turned to her friends and sighed, consciously willing herself to stay calmer than she had been yesterday. “I reckon it ain't your fault, Spike,” she assured him, “but ya gotta remember, Cal's sense o' touch is a lot more sensitive than ya might think. He gets antsy just gettin' a mane cut.”
Spike looked at the ground dejectedly. “Sorry, Applejack. That was really dumb.” He then turned to the panicked colt, “Sorry, Cal. I didn't mean to hurt you. We can still be friends, right?”
Cal's anxiety suddenly got worse, and he ran to hide behind Applejack. “Enh!” he squealed, squeezing his eyes shut and turning away, as if from a scary movie, “Enh! It's owie! It's owie!”
“Oh, no, Cal, don't be frightened,” Rarity coaxed him, “Spike is a good dragon. He wasn't trying to hurt you, dearest. He wants to be your friend. Please give him another chance? Do it for your auntie Rarity? Please?”
Cal sniffed and glanced between Rarity and Spike, periodically glancing back at the ground. “R- . . . Reh-tee?” he said when his glance fell on her again, his eyes desperate, as if asking if he really had to.
Looking even guiltier, Spike rubbed the back of his neck with one claw, a wrinkled brow and dejected stare clear on his face. His head then perked up as he snapped his claws, as if enlightened. “I got it!” He slowly approached Cal (the colt moaned fearfully as he did), stood on his tiptoes, and stuck his nose in Cal's ear, snorting in a goofy fashion.
Scared at first, Cal calmed down when he realized what the dragon was doing, and started giggling as though he'd never been afraid. “It's ear?” he asked between giggles. “It's ear?”
Rarity seemed giddy at the scene. “Oh, that is simply precious!” she squealed in delight. “Never have I seen a more adorable sight!!” Applejack couldn't agree more; it seemed as though Spike had been paying attention to what Twilight had been studying, and knew how much Cal enjoyed a playful nuzzling of the ear. She gave a relieved sigh; things finally seemed to be turning out for the better. There may have been a long way to go before Cal's visit ended, but the scene before her reassured Applejack that there was no danger of Cal's turbulent history repeating itself.
As Cal ran a hoof against Spike's purple scales, marveling at the smooth texture, both jumped when Apple Bloom started yelling, “Look! Up there!” Applejack, Rarity, and Spike looked up, and saw a most unusual sight—a slim, silvery contrail in the sky that had taken the shape of an apple, with another contrail extending from the bottom taking the shape of a lightning bolt.
“Cal, look up!” Apple Bloom called to him. “Look up at the sky! Look!”
Cal looked up immediately, and when he saw the large sky drawing, he jumped up onto his hind legs and reached up for it. “It's apple!” he yelled gleefully. “It's apple! It's bigger, bigger, bigger!!”
“Well, I'll be,” Applejack awed at the massive sky picture. Amazed though she was, she knew that only one pony could have done this.
“Hey, guys.”
Everypony turned to see Rainbow Dash hovering toward them, her smile half-friendly, half-smug. “I see you caught that awesome drawing I did,” she continued, nodding towards it. “Just a little something I whipped up out of boredom.”
Rarity's eyes misted over. “What . . . what a lovely gesture, Rainbow Dash. To have gone to all that trouble for little Cal . . . simply marvelous, darling . . . .”
Rainbow Dash landed and walked up to Applejack and Cal, and addressed the former with a tentative look, “So, AJ . . . are we good?”
Applejack could do nothing but smile as she struggled for a reply. Finally, she simply held up a hoof, and Dash glanced at it before putting up her own. The two mares exchanged a hoof bump, and the tension between them felt lighter already. Applejack even held back the impulse to give another deep sigh.
Dash then turned to Cal and smiled. “So, kiddo. You like the apple I made for you?”
“It's apple!” Cal yelled excitedly as he dropped back down on all fours. “It's bigger!”
“Yep, and it's all yours, pal!” Dash replied with a grin. “So, is everything cool with your buddy Rainbow Dash?”
“Raybodash? It's apple?”
Dash kept her grin and gently ruffled Cal's mane. The look on the Pegasus' face proved that she felt much better than she had yesterday. And Applejack shared the feeling wholeheartedly.
“Cal,” Applejack said to get his attention, “what do you say?”
“You say?” Cal repeated, then seemed to remember his manners. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome, kiddo,” Dash replied, giving him a gentle tap on the back.
***
A few minutes later, the group left the market together, and walked back to Sweet Apple Acres, approaching Sugarcube Corner on the way. Rainbow Dash and Rarity had hung back a few steps as they walked, to give the illusion of a more relaxed setting and less stimulation for Cal. Applejack walked with her family and friends with an easy, almost carefree spring in her step. Bad vibes had been dissolved, and she felt better about Cal's visit now than she ever had. She'd even forgotten about Cal's potential behavioral problems in public, and felt that she could rest easy, knowing that he'd be perfectly fine as long as he wasn't in a particularly large crowd.
And once again, she fought the notion that this would be just as much for her benefit as for his.
“Well, just one more stop to make, y'all,” Applejack announced as they stopped at Ponyville's sweets shop. “I made a special order of flour at Sugarcube Corner, and I need to pick it up.”
“I can wait outside with Cal if you want, big sis,” Apple Bloom offered, throwing a foreleg around Cal's shoulders as he stood staring at the ground.
“Nah, that's all right, Apple Bloom,” she replied. “In fact, I'll bring him inside with me.” She stepped up to Cal and brought a gentle hoof to his face. “You wanna come inside with me, Cal? I'll get ya a cookie if you want.”
“A cookie?” Cal repeated, looking up at his sister with a gleeful grin. “Appajak?”
“Sure, hon,” Applejack assured with a nod, “you've been really good today, so I think you got somethin' nice comin'.” When Cal started stomping in place and shaking his head excitedly, Applejack calmed him, “Now, now, Cal, keep your horseshoes on.” Applejack couldn't help but feel her heart swell at Cal's excitement; the way she felt right now, it seemed like for the first time since Cal had arrived—maybe even for the first time ever—she was truly happy at having Calvados as her brother.
As Applejack and Cal walked into Sugarcube Corner, she was surprised to see the whole shop bathed in darkness. “Hello?” she spoke up, straining to see any movement or hear any response. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake? Pinkie Pie? Anypony here?”
“Enh! Appajak!” Cal fussed, upset at the darkness of the shop. “Can't see!”
“Calm down, sugarcube,” she replied, holding him close to her. “Hmmm . . . that's just plum odd . . . if the shop was closed, there'd’ve been a sign or somethin' . . .” She turned to call out to Apple Bloom, Rainbow Dash and Rarity, when she and Cal jumped at the lights suddenly coming on overhead.
And a gathering of ponies inside the shop collectively whispering, “Surprise!”
Applejack was shocked at the sudden turnout inside Sugarcube Corner. Lyra and Bon-Bon waved from the counter. Mr. and Mrs. Cake grinned as they finished setting up a table loaded with refreshments. Berry Punch stood on the other side of the table, eying the punch bowl. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle waved streamers and kicked up balloons. Surprisingly enough, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were also present; they sat off to one side, pouting as if they had been made to come today.
Pinkie Pie pushed through the surprise crowd and grinned widely and proudly. “Hiya, Apples!” she greeted them with zeal. “Welcome to Ponyville's first-ever 'We Love Cal' Party!” She pointed to a large pink banner that stretched between walls above their heads that read “We <3 Cal”. The heart in the middle had what appeared to be Cal's face painted inside.
Applejack felt her earlier relaxation vanish instantly, along with her insides. She glanced at Cal, and saw him shrink into himself and cover his eyes with his hooves.