Friendship is Deception

by Your Antagonist

3: Not Far Enough from the Tree

Friendship is Deception

By: Your Antagonist (VegaKS03)

Edited by: TheWattsMan

Act I: Re-Introductions

Chapter 3: Not Far Enough from the Tree

If it runs in the family was there ever a chance to escape their fate? Are genetics the only things children inherit from their parents?

---

Applejack arrived at Sweet Apple Acres expecting the sound of family dysfunction that morning entailed, but as she made her way up the steps to the Apple family estate, the sounds of Big Macintosh and Applebloom bickering over some trivial matter or the other were as of yet to be heard. Any other day the silence might have surprised her, but it was to be expected seeing as how important today was.

As she trotted into the foyer of her homestead she noted that there was nopony around. Ah guess Big Mac got Applebloom out of the house nice an’ early. It’s fer the best Ah suppose. Applejack didn’t want expose her little sister to this aspect of the family business just yet; she hadn’t even learned the basics of apple bucking yet, much less basic salesponyship.

She proceeded to make her way to the kitchen, but something didn’t feel right. She felt shivers pulsate through her body that left an ominous feeling in her gut, but continued to proceed with caution.

It can be said that Earth Ponies have no direct means to actively manifest magic like unicorns, or in a passive fashion akin to how pegasi walk on cloud; but there is evidence to suggest that earth ponies possess some latent potential in regards to involuntary premonition, though very few studies exist to document such occurrences. There are rare cases such as Pinkamena Diane Pie, in which the subjects in question exhibit unnatural sensitivity to this occurrence.

Needless to say Applejack's overly cautious behavior in response to that random shiver attack was not without merit; she heard a tile creak from behind and whipped around with enough speed and force to rival even Rainbow Dash, and knocked something over in the process. With adrenaline flowing in her veins, the earth pony’s instincts took over and she rear up on her hind legs to show dominance to whatever she had just knocked to the floor.

Expecting somewhat of a challenge, she was taken aback when she heard a whimpering squeak and recognized her ‘opponent’ as being a yellow and pink cowering lump with wings that kept yammering rapid fire apologies while covering her head with her hooves.

Applejack settled back to all fours and breathed out a sigh of relief before continuing “Land’s sake sugarcube, why’re y’all sneaking around in here?”

The yellow Pegasus nervously rose to her hooves and turned nervously averted her gaze her eyes darting to some random corner of the room to avoid making eye contact. “Umm… your Grand-Dam wanted some assistance bak---“

“Beg yer pardon Shy?” Applejack leaned in closer

“your Grand-Dam wanted some assitanc---“

Applejack groaned a bit, successfully cutting off the yellow mare as she moved closer. “Now look here, yer goin’ to have to speak a bit louder, otherwise Ah can’t hear a lick o’ what yer sayin’“

Fluttershy looked absolutely flustered as she squinted her eyes and squeaked out in her loudest possible voice: “Your Grand-Dam* asked me to help out with your guests today!”

“Granny Smith requested you? Well come on then, we got preparations to make,” and she nudged Fluttershy towards the kitchen.

---

A historical interjection (This is skippable)-- When Fluttershy first arrived in Ponyville, it was right after she had dropped (quite literally) out of flight school. She wasn’t a strong enough flier to make the trip back to Cloudsdale, and she had no known relatives on the ground. So the lost Pegasus filly wandered around Ponyville until she wound up in the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, where she managed to live off of the vast amounts of apples for a while, until she was caught and Big Macintosh and Applejack brought her to Granny Smith. Granny took the nervous young filly into her home for a time, and allowed her to stay as though she was family. After seeing she had a way with the farm animals, Granny Smith decided to teach Fluttershy about the family business, even though she was hopeless at applebucking. When Fluttershy decided she wanted to leave to study natural medicine near the Everfree Forest, it was Granny Smith who had purchased her the Cottage that to this day has been the yellow pegasus’ home. Since then Fluttershy has always thought of Granny Smith, Applejack, Big Mac, and Applebloom as somewhat of a surrogate family. --End History interjection

---

As the two entered, they noticed Granny Smith was alone baking a plethora of her famous apple based pastries.

“Granny, where’s Big Mac; shouldn’t he be helpin’ you? If that lazy stallion is out in the fields nappin’ while yer in here bustin’ yer rump…“

Before Applejack could finish, Granny Smith had turned to face her grandfilly and nuzzled her neck which the orange mare was quick to return in full

“Yer brother’s in the field preparing to welcome our guests, so I need you two to help me in here.”

“Alright Granny, c’mon ‘Shy.” Applejack gestured for the yellow pegasus to join her on the other side of the kitchen.

“Okay, coming,” she announced as she hovered the short distance, and proceeded to assist Applejack with the servings of Apple Brown Betties and Apple Tarts.

All three mares worked diligently, and over the course of two hours; taking the time to share stories and gossip; had nearly finished baking a feast of pastries and other primarily apple inspired dishes, when Big Macintosh trotted into the kitchen.

He nodded to Fluttershy who shied away quickly, hiding behind her mane somewhat and blushing a bit, avoiding eye contact at all costs. This caused him to grin a bit; as most Ponies were intimidated by him because of his size, but that belied his true more gentle nature; in the case of Fluttershy it was always an overreaction, but he knew she meant well.

Big Mac turned his attention towards Applejack and Granny Smith, who proceeded with the question “Are our guests here hon?”

A simple “Eeyup” was all the confirmation Big Mac felt was needed.

Granny Smith turned towards Applejack, “Go greet them deary, we can manage from here.”

“Alright Granny, c’mon Big Mac.” As AJ and Mac exited through the back door of the kitchen into the orchard, Granny Smith had waved Fluttershy into the dining room to set the table.

Applejack and Big Mac wandered deeper in the orchard until they finally intercepted their guests: A group of 8 Stallions; the majority of whom were wearing black sunglasses, fedoras and matching ties; trotting in a circular formation around a portly older looking stallion who wore a similar ensemble, but with a white scarf draped over his neck that set him apart from the rest.

It was silent for a moment, as AJ and Big Mac stared expectantly at the other faction waiting for some form of greeting or salutation, but the black clad ponies stood adamant and unmoving.

‘It’s kinda like one of them Mexicoltian standoffs from one of them western shows’ Applejack remarked.

Finally, somepony with a Fillydelphia accent broke the silence “We ‘ave come here today to discuss a …uh… business arrangement between the Apple Family and the Crossheart family. Why don’t youse two escort us there so we can get started?”

“Well, we can discuss it over dinner if y’all like, but fer the time bein’, why don’t we give y’all a guided tour of the orchard?” Applejack offered in an attempt to be neighborly.

This time a blue Unicorn in the front spoke up “Look you little Hayseed, we don’t have all day to buck around with you, so why don’t you quit stallin’ and start walkin’, you backwards hillfilly.”

Applejack would’ve beaten the manners into that colt if it weren’t for Big Mac’s quick response in biting his sister’s tail as she lunged.

“Lemme go Mac!”

“Nope,” Big Mac began to drag his sister back towards the manor, with the clients following suit, “Can’t do that sis, Granny wouldn’t like it none if you got into a fight with the clients.”

Applejack grit her teeth, but Big Mac had a point. So when he released her tail she made no attempt to get revenge, she just kept trotting along even as they tossed more insults at the siblings. Throughout the whole trek Big Mac just kept the same dazed, uncaring look on his face; it was his belief that there was no point in getting mad, because everypony gets their just desserts at some point.

They made their way to the manor and into the dining room, where the guests were asked politely to wait. They obliged after tossing out some more insults. Applejack walked into the kitchen to find Fluttershy finishing the preparations herself.

“Where’s Granny at, ‘Shy?”

“Oh, ummm... she went to take a nap.., I think…, So I’ve been finishing up in here, but I haven’t finished setting the table…,

I’m sorry..”

“It’s fine sugarcube; Big Mac, help us finish settin’ up,” she gestured to the undelivered pans of food that littered the counter. ‘The sooner we finish this, the sooner they’ll be out of our manes’ she thought before setting foot into the den of prejudice that was now her dining room.

Much to her surprise the colts were as silent as a boneyard, sitting around the long table that was frequently used for Apple family reunions. While AJ, Fluttershy and Mac set the table, Fluttershy noticed that one of the colts was staring at her; she could feel those eyes even through the shades he wore. The shy Pegasus tried to hide behind her mane to the best of her ability while she hovered over the table and set down plates, but she could still feel that lewd gaze.

She quickly finished and hurriedly flew over to a seat behind Applejack and sat quietly, still trying to evade that gaze.

Deciding that this crowd wasn’t worth the traditional ‘SOUPS ON EVERYPONY!’ that she often belted out before a meal, Applejack instead settled on a more formal “Let’s eat.”

As the covers from the pans were removed a heavenly aroma of apples swept the room. Applejack glanced at the city ponies expecting a response much akin to the one her cart received at the Grand Galloping gala, seeing as how uptight and snobbish Ponies from the North were. (Living in Manehattan for a while had given her a first-hand look at Northern Pony demeanor.) She almost received it from the blue unicorn from earlier, until the Earth Pony with the white scarf sitting at the opposite head of the table shook his head in a disapproving fashion, and proceeded to indulge himself slowly, which resulted in the rest following suit.

Applejack took this time to enjoy her Grand-Dam’s cooking to her heart’s content, until the white scarf clad stallion stood up to speak. She noted his scarf had the symbols of a Heart with thorns branching out in an “X” formation and his cutie mark had been branded over with the same symbol; whatever it was originally it was indiscernible now.

“Allow me to introduce myself, I am the 2nd Sotto Capo* of the Crossheart Syndicate:

Giovanni Brassclove, and my family would like to propose a (The portly stallion stopped to take a deep breath), merger, if you will.”

“Come again? What d’you mean merger?” Applejack looked uncertainly at Big Mac who simply shrugged and continued eating.

“The Crosshearts want to arrange a business partnership with the Apple Family (he stopped to take another deep breath), if you catch my drift.”

“Well, if y’all’re lookin’ fer an apple supplier, then ya found the right folks, all we hav---“

“It seems you don’t get it, or you think I’m very stupid Ms. Apple. (Yet another deep breath), we know that the Apple Family is one of the oldest and most successful produce monopolies in Equestria, and we also know how far out your transport routes go. The Crossheart Syndicate would like to… (Deep breath) take the reins of this establishment, and utilize these assets to further our goal. Your family of course may keep a small portion of the profits for your cooperation.”

This however only warranted a glare from Applejack, and Big Macintosh gave as close to a disapproving look as he could manage with his apathetic features.

“You either get down or you lay down in this business kids.” He trotted over to Applejack and extended his hoof triumphantly in ‘partnership’. Needless to say it was promptly slapped away, and Giovanni was not pleased. He raised his hand to return this gesture a little in the snout area of the cowpony when he noticed somepony was counting.

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5---“

He turned his attention towards the Pink maned Pegasus who had been silent this whole time. She was fiddling with something, a couple of somethings. They were clear tubes filled with liquid.

“2,1; Alright, it's time: Applejack, here’s your shot; you take one too Big Macintosh.” She took both tubes and inserted them into the forelegs of Big Macintosh and Applejack and pushed down, and proceeded to turn towards Giovanni and his Stallions, who looked confused and nervous at this point. She floated up and nodded towards the group, “I’m sorry, umm… I ran out of… anti-venom…”

“What did you say?” Giovanni looked even more confused than he did a moment ago, and it wasn’t helping that this filly wasn’t even speaking audibly.

“I ran out of anti-venom….” She squeaked in repetition.

Giovanni was ready to hit somepony and it didn’t help that he was too frustrated trying to make sense of a mumbling Pegasus.

A voice from behind cleared the confusion “ I think you said it best, you either get down or you lay down, but in this case I guess you get to lay down forever.” Granny Smith had trotted in the room, her kindly face betrayed the cruelty in that last line.

“What did you say to me?! Do you know who I am!?” Giovanni was whinnying in fury at this point, but Granny Smith casually ignored him and turned to her grand-colt. “Mac, would you be a dear and dig out some holes near the Red Delicious trees? Their soil is about to get a little more 'fertile'.”

Big Mac replied with a simple “Eeyup,” as he left the table to do what his Grand-Dam had asked him.

Granny now turned to Fluttershy “How much longer deary?”

“Oh umm…” she thought for a second “Any minute now, is that too late? I’m sorry…”

Granny Smith nuzzled Fluttershy’s neck “Oh don’t worry, that’s good enough deary.”

Giovanni was ready to raise his voice once more, but was interrupted by a loud thud from behind, followed by the sound of a plate breaking on the floor. When he whipped around, one of his colts had muzzle planted into what was formerly his supper, and another grasped at his chest and slumped uneasily to the floor.

The rest followed suit, one vomiting on his way to the afterlife, with the exclusion of the blue unicorn who was attempting to use magic to sustain his life force. Applejack noticed this, cantered over to his place at the table, and bucked him in the leg; causing the colt to double over in pain. She was going to enjoy making his last moments as miserable as possible for insulting her and Big Macintosh.

Giovanni finally felt it in his chest; a searing pain that was beyond anything he could ever have imagined. He hit the floor and glared at Granny Smith “You… realize this means…. (deep breath), when this news (cough) reaches the G-God Sire*… (deep breath), it’ll be war…” as darkness began to cloud his sight he only heard Granny Smith say “Counting on it.”

Granny Smith gestured for Applejack and Fluttershy to come closer, and she embraced them both with her forehooves. “I’m so proud of both of you,” and she had every right to be. Between Applejack’s acting and dedication even after being poisoned, and Fluttershy’s knowledge of and access to various animal venoms they were able to spike the dinner and save Applejack and Big Mac from the same fate as Giovanni.

However, the act of killing a Mafia underboss is usually an outright declaration of war, (and sometimes frowned upon in society) which is exactly what Granny Smith planned on.

As she turned to Applejack her sweet demeanor had returned: “I’ve already contacted the family in Appleoosa, and the Oranges in Manehattan, they should be arriving in three days time. You’ll need to find Applebloom somewhere safe to stay for a while. She won’t be able to come with us; she’s too young and inexperienced.”

Applejack nodded in confirmation.

The elder mare now turned to Fluttershy “Please watch my grand-filly and keep her safe. If anything should happen can we count on you to take care of little Applebloom?”

“Yes granny”

Granny Smith smiled and made her way upstairs, this business had caused her to do some horrible things in her life, and the worst yet was advocating this horrible lifestyle that was passed down to her from her sire and dam, from theirs and so on, from when the Apple name was founded. It all started with a seed, a seed that requires blood and sacrifice to grow. A seed that took her little colt and his mare, her Grandchildren’s sire and dam, away from them all, and planted itself into the lives of those children. Regardless of how far they’d want to go in life, they were Apples that simply didn’t far fall enough from the tree of fate.

End Chapter 3

---

Meanwhile in the Orchards of Sweet Apple Acres…

Big Mac was steadily burying the bodies in a secluded part of the orchard. He was pushing the last one into a hole when he heard it cough, and saw it twitch. The face of the blue unicorn looked up at the giant red work-horse, and managed to spit out the words: “buck..you… you…damned…hill..filly…bumpkin…” He stared with a cold and exhausted hatred at Big Mac, who only stared straight back apathetically and said simply: “Eeyup,” as he bucked the blue unicorn down the hole, and began to fill it with dirt. Like Big Mac always said, there’s no need to get mad; they’ll always get their just desserts in the end.

Footnotes:

* A dam is a mother horse for those of you who didn’t know; I didn’t.

** Sotto Capo is the under-boss or second in command of a Mafia

***A sire is a father horse

Comments

[Silvertie]

Hmm, with the author's interjections and such, you might want to take a footnote approach, rather than, well, interject the notes into the story itself. That said, it's fairly hard to do without superscript, so you might just want to include a "glossary" at the bottom of the page for the new phrases and such.

The story is good, I didn't quite see the whole Apple-family angle coming until it was too late, and I especially loved fluttershy's reaction to the whole food situation. I'm keen to see what dirty secrets Dash and Pinkie Pie are hiding.

Keep it up, it's very good.

Apple family mobsters?

Hmm.

I really like this story, but now I have to guess about RD and Pinkie on the off chance that I'm psychic.

RD will have something to do with drugs and Pinkie will be a former Royal Agent that was in deep cover but turning into the monster she was pretending to be.

Anyway, hope the next chapter comes soon.