Season of the Cider
Chapter 4: Season of the Cider
"So Dawn, what do you want to go as for Nightmare Night?" asked Scootaloo eagerly.
Dawn shrugged before taking a bite out of his apple. "I have no idea," he admitted, "I've never had to think about anything like this before."
The two of them were enjoying a lunch break at the teahouse. They'd gone out the back and leaned against the wall, munching their food as they watched the pegasi moving clouds into position. It was less than a week until Nightmare Night. Once the night ended, the first snow of winter would began to fall and it would fall from the clouds that the Weather Team were positioning at this moment. By placing them into position throughout the week, they slowly closed off the sunlight, lowering the ambient temperature and cooling the air to better facilitate snowfall and accumulation. After all, nopony wanted to spend the day after the first snowstorm of the season wading through a brown slurry of half-melted snow.
Thus, with the final night of autumn approaching, some ponies had already purchased costumes from the seasonal shops that opened up around this time of year, while others had gone to Rarity to order more elaborate ensembles. Most of Dawn and Scootaloo's friends had already made their choices of costumes. Sweetie Belle and Rumble were apparently going to be dressing as a princess and her knight, the revelation of which had made Scootaloo gag. Apple Bloom was apparently making her own Clockwork Pony costume from various gears and machinery she'd scrounged up, whilst Spike was going as the Mysterious Masked Phantom, apparently a character from one of his favorite comic books. Scootaloo, on the other hoof, was keeping her costume a secret for the time being, apparently wanting to surprise Dawn with whatever she ended up going as.
"You'd better hurry," said Scootaloo, "You don't have very long."
Dawn frowned. "I just have no idea of what kind of costume to wear. Perhaps you ought to pick something."
Scootaloo tapped her chin before turning to get a good look at Dawn's face. "You know, since your eyes already look like one, maybe you should go as a dragon."
"That might be fun," admitted Dawn, mulling the matter over. It would probably be a simple matter to clothe himself with some sort of fake dragonskin, maybe a few prop horns attached to the back of his head, and a cardboard row of spines over his mane. Still, completing the effect would require fashioning some sort of cover for his wings to given them a suitably leathery appearance, which Dawn didn't relish. Covering his wings like that made him uncomfortable, since it would also cut off his feathers from contact with the air.
Scootaloo was still looking at him, also thinking about how to pull off a good dragon costume when her eye widened. "I've got it!" she exclaimed, "How about we dress you up as one of Princess Luna's Night Guards."
"Night Guards?" asked Dawn.
Scootaloo nodded rapidly. "Yeah! When Princess Luna comes down for Nightmare Night, she always comes with her guards. Usually, they're just look like regular pegasi. But for Nightmare Night, they dress up with bat wings and have eyes like yours."
"Really?" asked Dawn.
Scootaloo grinned. "Yeah. Twilight says that it's an illusion Princess Luna does. Maybe Twilight can do the same thing for you. Then all we have to do is get one of those Royal Guard costumes from the costume shop and paint it up like a Night Guard's and we'll have a costume for you easy."
"That sounds doable," said Dawn, pausing to munch on the savory potato scone from a batch that Caramel had baked for the colt the previous day. The tan stallion had accrued a variety of recipes over the course of his life and was not adverse in using the more savory ones for Dawn's meals.
"Let's talk to Twilight after work then," said Scootaloo, "She'd probably love to help us."
"I'd absolutely love to help you," said Twilight Sparkle gleefully.
Scootaloo gave Dawn an "I told you so" look, even though Dawn had neither expressed nor felt any doubt. However, he decided it was best to simply concede and nodded in response.
"So you'll enchant Dawn so he looks like one of those bat-ponies that fly Princess Luna around?" asked the orange filly.
"Sure," said Twilight, "I could even give Dawn the same enchantment that they have. It's actually really fascinating..." She was clearly winding up to go into lecture mode, which took the wind out of Scootaloo's sails somewhat.
"The enchantment is actually laid into the armor itself," continued Twilight, oblivious to Scootaloo's growing reluctance to stay where she was, "It's a simple modification of the basic enchantment used to make all the members of the Royal Guard and the Night Guard look alike."
"So you can't use it on me?" asked Dawn, wondering what Twilight was getting at.
"Well, I could," said Twilight, "But an illusion spell like that won't have much staying power. When affected by the magic of someone else, a pony's natural magic will repel foreign magic that's laid over them over time. The more powerful a spell is, the longer it takes for it to be repelled. But spells have their own lifespans, which are further shortened by the repulsion effect. It's the same for charms and compulsions. It would have to be refreshed and reinforced frequently if we wanted to maintain it for any serious period of time. That's why the spell is laid on the armor instead. The armor possesses no native magic of its own, so there's nothing to repel the spell and shorten its lifespan. In fact, a spell's staying power can be enhanced that way."
"How so?" asked Dawn, getting a little interested in spite of himself.
Twilight grinned eagerly at him. "I thought you'd like this part. You see, it actually works using principles derived from earth pony magic."
"It does?" asked Dawn, thinking back to his conversation with Arkenstone the other day.
Twilight nodded. "While each of the three tribes has its own distinct form of magic, we can actually borrow and apply principles and concepts between the magics of different tribes.
"You see, earth pony magic relies on physical mediums. Magic is transmitted through actual substance. Earth ponies use the earth itself as the medium for their magic when they're cultivating the land and enhancing its potential for growth. When they draw magic into themselves to enhance their strength and stamina, they're actually using their own bodies as a medium. Technically, they can use any object or substance as a medium if they refine their skills enough. Arkenstone, for example, has refined his skills to the point that he can actually use individual particles as a medium for his magic."
"And how does this apply to the illusion spell for the Guards?" asked Dawn as Scootaloo looked on in horror at the sight of her coltfriend getting into an egghead discussion with Twilight Sparkle.
"Because unicorns found that they could improve a spell's staying power if it was embedded in a physical object," replied Twilight proudly, "In other words, the Guard's armor is used as a medium for the illusion spell. So, in a sense, you could say that the entire school of enchanting, the embedding of spells and magics in physical objects, is based on earth pony magic."
"That's interesting," said Dawn sincerely. Since his conversation with Arkenstone, he'd been thinking about the ways the ponies of different tribes modified their magic by applying principles from other tribes. He remembered Willow's fog, which had apparently applied the principles of unicorn magic to her own pegasus magic to produce something unique that couldn't arise from the magic of a single tribe on its own.
"So then, I would need to get the costume first and then have you enchant it with the illusion spell," Dawn continued.
Twilight nodded. "That's right. As far as I know, the costume shop only sells regular Royal Guard armor, so we'll have to paint it up."
Dawn and Scootaloo exchanged looks. "We'd figured that already."
"The tricky part is doing it right," said Twilight, searching out a book on one of her shelves before pulling it out. It was a text on the Guard. Opening the book, Twilight laid it out where the two foals could see, showing them an illustration of the Night Guard's armor, including a piece-by-piece breakdown. The armor design for the Night Guard was actually a fair-bit different from that of the regular Royal Guard. "If you want to be accurate, you'll have to do more than just repaint a Royal Guard costume."
"Uh...It's just a Nightmare Night costume," Scootaloo pointed out, "I don't think it needs to be completely accurate."
"What?" gasped Twilight, seemingly shocked that Scootaloo and Dawn wouldn't be interested in accuracy, "Of course it does. After all, Princess Luna is going to be visiting Ponyville again this year, so doing anything less would be disrespectful."
"I'm not so sure of that," said Dawn under his breath. While he'd never met the lunar princess, he somehow doubted that a foal would earn her wrath simply be wearing an imperfect rendition of her Guards' armor. However, he figured that it was better to simply mollify Twilight. "Does that mean you'd help us to change the costume so that it's more accurate?" he asked.
"Absolutely!" squealed Twilight, "Go ahead and get the costume from the shop and bring it back here and we'll get started right away."
The two foals quickly scampered out the door.
"Why the hay did you agree to that?" demanded Scootaloo as they headed down to the road to the seasonal costume shop that had opened earlier that month.
"Because if we didn't do it, she'd probably get irritated and then act sulky whenever she sees me in costume," replied Dawn, "And since she's the one who will be modifying the costume, it's not as though we'll be taking on all that much extra work."
"If you say so," said Scootaloo.
Fortunately, the costume shop was well-stocked with Royal Guard costumes. Plenty of young colts (and a few fillies) loved to dress up as Guards for Nightmare Night. Dawn and Scootaloo quickly returned to the library with their new acquisition so that Twilight could get started on modifying it.
There was even less for Dawn and Scootaloo to do than they thought, though that seemed to be because only Twilight seemed to be fully invested in the accuracy of the final product. By the time she'd pulled out the calipers and started filling her blackboard with notes on all the minute changes she'd have to make, the two foals had found themselves walled out of the process entirely. So, as Twilight worked, they picked out some books of their own and did some light reading to pass the time.
After about two hours of work, a loud, "It's done!" roused the foals from their reading so that they could see the fruit of Twilight's labors.
Dawn had to admit that he was impressed. Twilight had carefully painted the plastic armor a midnight-blue color with silver highlights. The blue plume from the helmet had been swapped out for a black, spiny sail, much like the kind found on the necks of some dragons. The blue star on the peytral had been swapped out for an image of a blueish-green eye with a vertical slit for a pupil.
"It's odd," Dawn noted, "that Princess Luna would have the image of her other self's eyes emblazoned on the armor of her Guard. I would think she'd want to put that part of her behind herself."
"Maybe," admitted Twilight, "But it certainly does give her Guards' armor an intimidating quality. The Night Guard is an active branch of Guard organization, and intimidation is an effective means of subduing criminals."
Dawn figured there was probably more to it than that. However, he got the impression that it would be best to simply ask Princess Luna herself if she was going to be attending Nightmare Night in Pony.
"Alright then," said Twilight, "Now for the enchantment."
Her horn began to glow, casting a violet shroud over the armor. After a few minutes, the light from her horn faded, leaving the armor looking no different than it had before.
"Okay, try it on," she said with a nod to Dawn.
Dawn began pulling the armor on, piece by piece. It wasn't all that difficult, though fitting the back parts around his wings got a little bit tricky. When he slipped the helm and the accompanying criniere on and buckled them into place, his ears caught a gasp from Scootaloo. At the same moment, Dawn felt a strange tingle as the foreign enchantment washed over his body, presumably changing his appearance.
He turned to look at Scootaloo, who was gaping at him. "How do I look."
"You. Look. AWESOME!" Scootaloo yelled, her wings buzzing with excitement, "That's got to be the coolest Nightmare Night costume I've ever seen. You really need to get a look at yourself."
Dawn turned to look for the bathroom, but instead found himself facing a mirror that Twilight had conjured. His eyes widened in surprise and he took a reflexive step back from the unfamiliar pony that stared back at him from the mirror. His normally ebony coat had been replaced by a lighter gray, closer to Rumble's in color. His mane was hidden beneath the plates of the criniere, but the silver of his tail had changed to stripes of midnight-blue and a lighter shade of blue. Finally, his ears looked a little bit longer, with furry tufts at the end. Only his eyes remained unaffected by the spell, looking back at him with the same shape and color.
"I figured I'd leave your eyes alone," commented Twilight, "That way Luna doesn't mistake you for one of her Guards."
"So this is what her Guards look like?" said Dawn, slowly reaching towards his own reflection in the mirror.
"On Nightmare Night, at least," said Twilight with an indulgent smile, "Luna told me once that she changed their glamour because she'd heard about the costume tradition before she'd heard more details about the holiday and wanted to participate in that, at least."
"Cool, so Dawn's costume is all settled," said Scootaloo, "I can't wait for everypony to see how cool you look."
Dawn chuckled. "Thank you," he said, pulling off the helmet and criniere. As he did, there was a snap, almost like a spark of static electricity. A second later, the slight sag in Scootaloo's posture and the disappointed "Aw," she let out told him that the glamour had been released.
"The enchantments on the armor for the Royal Guard and the Night Guard are a bit more advanced," said Twilight as she helped Dawn get his armor off, "They can actually remove pieces of their armor without the glamour failing. But this is just a costume, so I didn't think we needed to do anything that fancy."
"That's not the attitude you had when you were obsessing over accuracy," Dawn pointed out wryly, prompting an embarrassed blush from Twilight.
"Anyway!" said Twilight, desperately trying to steer the subject away from her more embarrassing quirks, "The two of you should be getting home. Your mothers are probably starting to get worried about you being out so late and you've got to get up for Cider Season tomorrow."
"Ack!" shouted Scootaloo, going rigid, "She's right!"
Sweet Apple Acres' Cider Season had been pushed back a few days this year, thanks in part to Granny Smith's decision to change things up a little. It would officially begin the next day and continue running up through Nightmare Night. Ponyville was practically buzzing in excitement.
"We should be going home," said Dawn, agreeing with Scootaloo and Twilight. He'd noted that the sunlight coming in through the windows had changed angle and color, indicating that it was setting.
Twilight helped Dawn pack up his costume and walked the two foals to the door of her library. She watched them head off down the street, smiling fondly.
"COME ON EVERYPONY! HURRY UP! TIME'S A WASTING!" bellowed Rainbow Dash as she stormed in through Caramel's front door. She froze when she came to the living room and saw both Dawn and Scootaloo staring up at her from the floor, where they'd been standing quietly.
The two of them had been engaging in a meditation session before breakfast, which was the primary form of their morning training as winter approached. Night was stretching longer with each passing day. They'd already passed the Autumnal Equinox, meaning that the nights were longer than the days. For Dawn and Scootaloo, that presented additional difficulties. The mornings were too cold now to allow for any lengthy amount of training outside. Also, the shortening amount of daylight also meant that they had less time to spend at the quarry.
Dawn had been curtailing their training slightly, stepping it down so that he and Scootaloo didn't have to spend as much time outside, as well as focusing more on forms of training that could be practiced indoors, meditation in particular. Scootaloo might have chafed at the idea of spending so much time standing still, but she had to admit she preferred it to trying to train outside in the bone-chilling morning air, cold enough that even pegasi like them didn't want to brave it without at least a scarf.
"Geez, good morning to you too, Rainbow," growled Caramel as he ambled out of the kitchen, mug of coffee in hoof. He gave Rainbow a surly glare.
"Come on!" protested Rainbow, "It's Cider Season and you haven't even finished getting up."
"Fluttershy isn't even awake yet," replied Caramel, "And I'd appreciate it if you let her sleep in. Though..." His eyes rolled upward towards the ceiling, where the faintest taps of Fluttershy's ever-so-light hoofsteps could be just barely heard from the room above them. "...I guess it's a little bit late for that." He gave Rainbow another glare before sighing and heading back into the kitchen. A moment later, the rattle of pans echoed from within.
Rainbow, for her part, simply stood there, shifting anxiously as she waited for Fluttershy to come down. Scootaloo and Dawn had gone back to practicing their meditation, facing each other with their wings half-spread and their eyes closed, their magic stirring a faint breeze through the house.
After a few minutes, Fluttershy slowly climbed down the stairs, blinking tiredness from her eyes. "Good morning everypony," she said in a sleepy voice. She trotted over and exchanged nuzzles with Dawn and Scootaloo. Lifting her head, she turned to smile at Rainbow. "Good morning..." Her greeting was broken by a wide yawn. "...Rainbow Dash. You must be here for Cider Season."
"Duh," scoffed Rainbow, her excitement and impatience making her short, even with her most sensitive friend, "Of course I am. We need to get going pronto. I'm gonna be darned if I let Pinkie Pie get ahead of me this time."
Fluttershy sighed, shaking her head slowly. "Rainbow," she admonished, "You know better. Applejack isn't opening until ten. We have plenty of time. I guess, since you're here already, you can join us for breakfast."
"But-" Before Rainbow could finish her protest, she flinched when she felt Fluttershy's hoof lightly poke her side, the slight agitation eliciting a loud grumble from the cerulean mare's empty stomach. Rainbow whirled to face her friend, only to see an uncharacteristically sly smile on Fluttershy's face.
"You came without having any didn't you," observed Fluttershy wryly.
"Uh..."
Fluttershy merely giggled and turned to trot into the kitchen. "Breakfast first," she said, flashing Rainbow a teasing look over her shoulder. With that, she went into the kitchen, leaving a stunned Rainbow Dash in her wake.
"What the...?" Rainbow didn't know what to make of what happened. She'd never seen Fluttershy's playful side emerge quite like that. What was more, she was actually teasing Rainbow; not a mean-spirited teasing, but a fun teasing between friends. But Fluttershy had almost never indulged even in the latter kind. Watching her go, Rainbow could almost scarcely believe that this was the same timid, polite, and ridiculously unassuming Fluttershy that she'd known for most of her life. The new Fluttershy was more confident, more playful, and more assertive, easily brushing off even Rainbow's most enthusiastic insistences. Who are you and what have you done with Fluttershy?
Deciding to follow the yellow mare into the kitchen, Rainbow saw Fluttershy and Caramel standing together at the stove, their heads turned and their lips pressed together. They held the kiss for a few seconds longer before Fluttershy finally pulled away.
"Best morning greeting ever," said Caramel before turning back to preparing breakfast.
"I agree," said Fluttershy with a giggle as she fluttered up to the cupboards and began to withdraw some plates and utensils so that she could set the breakfast table.
In the living room, Scootaloo and Dawn finished their meditation. However, Scootaloo had also been distracted by the change that Fluttershy had apparently gone through. "Wow, your mom's different from how she used to be."
"I suppose," admitted Dawn. Of course, he'd long known the core of strength that laid behind Fluttershy's soft and and timid exterior. He'd seen it emerge often enough whenever she got angry on his behalf...or upset with something that he had done. He knew that her friends were well aware of that strength as well. After all, Fluttershy had once scolded a dragon into submission for their sake. However, the process that had begun with her taking him in appeared to have progressed further after moving in with Caramel. That hidden core of strength was now lying closer to the surface, infusing her actions with more confidence and assuredness than she'd ever shown before.
It was also beginning to show in other ways. Fluttershy was more confident and composed when she was out in public now as well. Though she was still timid and retiring around unfamiliar ponies, that aspect of her personality had faded considerably, especially whenever she was in the company of her friends and loved ones. As such, when she went out, she walked with much greater confidence and poise, which had been earning her a number of stares of appreciation from various stallions, along with a few mares, as they were reminded exactly why Fluttershy had once been a model for Photo Finish. When she was willing to let it show, Fluttershy had a natural grace and beauty that could catch the eye of everypony in her vicinity in a way that made even Rarity more than a little envious.
"I think dad may be a good influence on her," Dawn added softly.
Scootaloo blinked and turned to look at Dawn again. "Since when have you been calling Caramel 'dad?'"
Dawn shrugged. "Since we're giving living together as a family a sort of trial run, I figured I'd go all the way."
"And you're okay with that?"
Dawn smiled, ducking his head slightly so that a small portion of his mane fell across his face. "Well...it doesn't feel...wrong..."
Scootaloo stared at him a little longer before she broke out into a mischievous grin. "Wow," she said, reaching out to lightly punch Dawn's shoulder, "You're turning into a total softy."
Dawn lifted his head to smirk back at her. Before Scootaloo could say anything else, he darted forward and planted a kiss on her lips. "Do you really mind?" he asked after pulling away.
"Uh..." Scootaloo had to take a second to shake her head to clear it. "No...not really...I guess..."
Dawn's smile widened. "I didn't think so."
"Geez, I thought you girls were gonna take forever," groaned Rainbow Dash as she and the others made their way up the path to Sweet Apple Acres. Though breakfast had been delicious (Rainbow was envious that Fluttershy had found a coltfriend who was such a good cook), she'd been agitated by how all the other participants had been taking their time. As it was, she was also chafing about having to walk with the group towards Sweet Apple Acres. She could have taken to the air and flown ahead at any second. But abandoning them so she could get there first felt wrong.
"And I remember telling you that there's no reason to hurry," said Fluttershy, "Granny Smith and Applejack have changed the rules this year. They aren't allowing ponies to camp out on the path and they're shooing away anypony who tries to line up at the gate until right before they open. She also told me that they're putting a limit on how much Pinkie can buy in one go so she doesn't take it all before you have any."
She leaned in and whispered lightly into Rainbow's ear. "And they're saving a few barrels of some very special cider just for you."
Rainbow's eyes widened and she gaped at her friend. "What? Really?"
Fluttershy nodded. "Really."
"Cool..."
"So, just as I said, there's no reason to rush. We can take our time." Fluttershy continued to walk ahead, leaving a surprised Rainbow behind. Rainbow had to break into a trot to catch up to the group.
By the time they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, it was nearly time for Applejack to open the cider stall. Big Macintosh was already turning the cider press, while Apple Bloom fed the carefully selected apples in. Red River was filling barrels and moving them to the large stack. Applejack had selected a few of the barrels and was emptying them into a large cauldron over a fire. To everypony's surprise, Spike was there as well, a piece of parchment in one hand and a quill in the other as the little dragon scribbled down notes and checked lists, having apparently helped with organizing the whole affair. Meanwhile, Granny Smith was carefully measuring out quantities of different spices before adding them to the bubbling cauldron. The scent wafting out of it made Rainbow drool.
"Ooh, they're doing mulled cider this year," said Caramel, looking very excited in spite of himself.
"It smells delicious," observed Fluttershy.
The procedure for Cider Season had changed in the years since Flim and Flam had tried to steal the Apple Family's business out from under them with their bizarre cider-making contraption. Instead of only starting to make cider just as they were beginning to sell it, Applejack and her family had instead started making it ahead of time. They also increased the portion of their crop that went to cider sales, both to provide more for the inhabitants of Ponyville and to market their cider to interested parties outside of town. More importantly, they'd also begun work on fermenting and distilling products for sale, making hard ciders and other apple-based liquors for marketing at bars both in Ponyville and abroad. While the Apples had always made liquor in small batches for their own consumption, they had only recently begun to start distilling commercially.
The little stand where cider was actually sold was backed by a shelf lined with bottles and small casks. Off in the open field to one side of the gate was a pavilion that had been set up the previous night. It was filled with tables and benches, as well as a few charcoal heaters to keep the place warm, where ponies could take their mugs of cider and enjoy them in comfort, away from the day's chill.
"Wow, this year's Cider Season is gonna be awesome," said Rainbow, smacking her lips in excitement.
Already, several ponies were in the area around the gate, milling about, though none of them had tried to form a line yet. Already, Rainbow could see Pinkie Pie and Mayweather, the stripe-maned mare carefully keeping Pinkie's enthusiasm in check as she babbled excitedly about how much cider she wanted to drink, only to be chided by Mayweather for wanting to hog so much for herself. To Rainbow's shock, Mayweather's admonishment actually seemed to work and Pinkie calmed down a little.
In the meantime, Applejack trotted up to the stand and rapped a hoof sharply against the counter, getting everypony's attention. "Alright y'all. We're gonna get started here real shortly. So Ah'm gonna need ya to start formin' that line...now!"
Before anypony could even so much as think about it, Rainbow vanished in a varicolored streak, zipping straight up to the counter and standing at attention, grinning like a foal who'd just been hoofed the entire cookie jar.
Her obvious excitement earned a chuckle from Applejack. "Ah kinda figured ya'd be first in line," she said, tilting her hat up and grinning at Rainbow.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," replied Rainbow, fighting tooth and hoof to keep her tongue from lolling out of her mouth.
Applejack chuckled again and reached under the counter to pull out a wooden tankard, which she slammed down on the unpolished wood surface. When she spoke next, she was shouting to make sure that everypony could hear her. "Rules are simple this year. Ya can only buy one mug at a time. When ya finish, if ya want more, ya have to get to the back 'o the line and wait fer another one. We're also sellin' by the barrel; again, only one at a time right now. Straight cider's three bits, mulled cider's five bits. Everypony got that?"
There was a chorus of shouts of agreement from the ponies lined up. Applejack nodded and quickly swiped up the five bits that Rainbow dropped on the counter. She hoofed the mug over to Granny Smith, who placed a strainer on top and ladled cider from the cauldron into it before depositing the spices that had been caught in the strainer back into the cauldron. Placing the mug back on the counter, she slid it back to Rainbow, who picked it up and stepped away.
Dawn, Scootaloo, Fluttershy, and Caramel all watched from their places in line as Rainbow began to down her cider. It was obvious that the cerulean mare wanted to chug it down as fast as she could in order to get back in line for more. However, the beverage was too hot to drink quickly, forcing Rainbow to slow down to keep from burning her tongue and throat. Each time she pulled the mug away, her face was decorated by a blissful grin.
"Looks like it's got the official Rainbow Dash stamp of approval," commented Caramel wryly, earning a giggle from Fluttershy before she gently smacked him in the back of the head with her wing.
After a few minutes, Dawn and the others had their own mugs and had made their way to the pavilion, where they relaxed at one of the tables, sampling the cider. Like Rainbow, they'd gone ahead and purchased mugs of the spiced cider. Rainbow had already finished her mug and had rushed to the back of the line to wait her turn for her next one. Not only was the mulled cider delicious, but its warmth was especially appreciated in the chilly weather.
"This is awesome," sighed Scootaloo happily as she paused from her drinking to swipe her foreleg across her muzzle. However, the movement was caught by Fluttershy, who produced a napkin from seemingly nowhere and gently dabbed the filly's muzzle to get the cider residue off.
"And it's gonna get better," said Caramel, "Watch..." He pointed back towards the gate, where they could see Granny Smith heating another cauldron.
"What's she doing?" asked Dawn curiously. As they were watching, Big Macintosh helped Granny by levering up the first cauldron so that the remaining cider within was poured through a strainer that Granny held over the second cauldron. Once the what was left of the first cauldron's worth of cider had been transferred, she took the used spices and threw them into a compost bin. They then added several barrels to of fresh cider to fill the cauldron to the top. It was then set onto the fire in place of the first cauldron and heated until the cider within was just below the boiling point. Granny then went and retrieved helpings of fresh spices and added them to the second cauldron while Big Macintosh moved the first out of the way.
"See," said Caramel, wrapping one foreleg around Dawn's shoulders as he directed the colt's attention with his free hoof, "When they're about to run out, they strain the cider and transfer it to another cauldron before filling it up with fresher cider and making a new batch. That means that each successive batch is going to have a stronger flavor than the last."
"Are they going to do that all day?" asked Dawn, fascinated by the process.
Caramel nodded. "That means that the last batches are probably going to have the most flavor," he said, "We'll want to stick around for that."
Fluttershy and Scootaloo stifled giggles as they watched Caramel explaining the cider cooking process to the fascinated colt, looking exactly like father and son. "I guess they really do get along well," Scootaloo whispered to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy smiled widely and nodded. "Uh huh," she whispered back, prompting another round of giggling.
They continued to nurse their mugs of cider. Much to their surprise, Dawn was the first to return to the line, waiting for his turn to purchase another mug. By then, the line had grown considerably from when the stand had first opened as more ponies arrived from town. However, thanks to the pavilion, where ponies could slowly savor their mugs and the relatively brisk pace with which the Apples conducted their business, the line moved quickly and remained a manageable size.
"How are you faring?" asked Rarity, giving Flaxseed a worried look.
The stallion had gone slightly pale at the sight of the line and the crowd of ponies milling about around the gate and sitting at the pavilion. "I-I'm not sure," said Flaxseed, his voice trembling from the idea of being in a crowd with so many ponies.
"If you want, you can join our friends at the pavilion and wait with them," suggested Rarity, gesturing to where she could see Fluttershy's group, along with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, seated at one of the tables, chatting happily as they paused to sip from large mugs of cider, "I'll go ahead and get some cider for the both of us."
"But didn't your friend specify one mug at a time per pony?" asked Flaxseed nervously.
"I'm sure that Applejack will be willing to accommodate me if I explain," said Rarity, "If not, then I'll go ahead and get a mug for you and get back in line for myself."
"You don't have to do that for me," protested Flaxseed, taking another look at the line, "I...I can handle it..." From the sound of his tone, it seemed more like he was trying to convince himself than he was trying to convince Rarity.
"Please don't push yourself into anything you're uncomfortable with," pleaded Rarity, giving Flaxseed a concerned look, "We're here so that you can enjoy Cider Season. There's no need to strain yourself."
"Yeah," agreed Sweetie Belle, sidling up to Flaxseed's other side, "We're here to have fun and drink lots of cider. Don't worry about doing anything too hard."
"Thanks," said Flaxseed, giving the white filly a relieved smile.
In compliance with Arkenstone's instructions and much to Rarity's relief, Sweetie Belle had been on her best behavior lately, especially whenever Flaxseed was around. Furthermore, his presence seemed to help the filly forget about the drama in her own life, as her personal angst over her lack of cutie mark seemed rather petty in comparison to the stallion who had been through so much.
"Hey!"
The trio of unicorns turned their heads up to see a gray pegasus colt swooping down towards them. Rumble landed a short distance away before trotting up to Sweetie Belle, who greeted the colt with a nuzzle.
Flaxseed blinked in confusion as he watched the exchange. "Who's this?"
"Oh! I forgot," gasped Rarity, "This dear colt is Rumble. He happens to be Sweetie Belle's special somepony."
"Oh," said Flaxseed, turning his attention back to Rumble, who, having finished greeting Sweetie Belle, was now looking at the gold-colored stallion and smiling politely.
"It's nice to meet you," said Rumble, "Sweetie, Dawn, and Arkenstone told me about you."
"Did they now?" mused Rarity, smiling at Rumble's polite and relaxed manner. Now that she thought about it, she realized that Rumble had deliberately landed at a distance so that Flaxseed could see him coming. It appeared that Arkenstone had warned the rest of Sweetie's friends about Flaxseed's rather precarious emotional state and that Rumble, at least, had taken that warning to heart.
Flaxseed, in the meantime, was feeling a sense of relief. All the ponies he'd met in this town so far were treating him so gently. Part of him might have chafed at the fact that they handled him as though he might break under the slightest strain. But he'd spent so long living in constant fear and suspicion around other ponies that it was simply a relief to have the ponies he was currently with go so far out of their way to see that he was comfortable. There had been times when members of that Cult Solar group (as Rarity and her friends called it) had tried to butter him up and lower his guard by treating him nicely. But none of them had been willing to inconvenience themselves to this extent to win him over. Everything Rarity and her friends were doing was born out of simple concern for his comfort and wellbeing.
"Hi there everypony."
The group turned their heads to behold Twilight Sparkle and Arkenstone making their way to join them.
"Ah Twilight, so good of you to join us," said Rarity, smiling as Twilight and her coltfriend moved to join the group.
"Oh, you're here too," said Twilight when her eyes found Flaxseed. She gave him a cheery smile. "Are you feeling more comfortable about Ponyville now?"
"I guess so..." admitted Flaxseed, looking around. The line of ponies certainly looked daunting. But, surrounded by this group of friends who seemed to have his best interests at heart, Flaxseed couldn't help but feel reassured. "I think I can take the line."
Rarity bit her lip lightly and gave the gold-colored stallion a worried look. "Alright," she said, conceding, "But if you feel that it's getting to you. Let me know and we'll step aside." Slowly lifting a hoof, she pressed it very lightly against Flaxseed's shoulder, not applying any pressure until she was sure that he was willing to accept the contact. "Please don't even think that you have to push yourself simply for our convenience."
Flaxseed raised his own hoof and rested it on hers. "Thank you," he said softly, almost feeling like breaking into tears. How long had it been since another pony had been willing to do so much for his sake?
"Well, we certainly don't have anything to fear from the group," observed Arkenstone, his ears and nose turning towards the line of ponies, "unless you happen to have apple juice for blood."
This earned a round of laughter from everyone as they joined the line. Sweetie Belle paused when she saw something. Her eyes widened when she saw a familiar ebony colt waiting a short distance ahead of them. "Oh look, it's Dawn. Hi Dawn!" She waved cheerily at Dawn, who turned to look at them. He smiled when he saw the group at the back of the line and willingly abandoned his own position to come back and join them.
Flaxseed was amazed to see that the young colt had felt perfectly safe and at ease waiting in line by himself. His mother and his fillyfriend were currently at the pavilion, still finishing their latest mugs of cider while Dawn had gone on ahead to purchase more, having taken a particularly strong liking to the mulled cider Granny Smith brewed, which, in line with Caramel's predictions, was only getting better with every batch.
"How are you doing?" asked Dawn as he settled in next to Flaxseed.
"Okay...I guess," said Flaxseed, before lifting his eyes to survey the line again, "How do you do it?"
Dawn smiled up at the stallion. "I was afraid of being around other ponies, especially crowds too. But, after mom took me in, she and her friends helped me get used to going around town and being around other ponies. I even got to go to school, which is something I'd never done before."
The ebony colt turned his attention and looked down the line, surveying all the ponies attending, easily remembering a time when he would have maintained his alertness to the extreme in the presence of so many other ponies. That was only a few months ago. But, strangely, his previous paranoia seemed like a distant memory.
"You make it sound so easy," muttered Flaxseed.
Dawn shrugged. "I suppose it was, in a sense, at least easier for me than most ponies who've been through what we have. I've been trained in the martial arts and I spent a year of my life in the Everfree Forest, honing my skills and senses against the monsters there. I've learned how to sense the intentions of other ponies. When I realized that nearly everypony around me held absolutely no hostility towards me, it became easier to relax my guard and be at ease. In fact, it served to make the few instances where somepony did regard me with hostility easier to deal with because their ill-intent stood out all the more."
That gave Flaxseed pause. He'd never considered that Dawn would have actually had it easier than him in some ways. Given that the colt's eyes were always on display, he'd obviously encountered no shortage of hostility and violence directed at him. It had clearly been enough that the colt had felt that the Everfree Forest was apparently preferable to living in civilized communities.
"In a sense, my situation has the advantage of simplicity," mused Dawn, apparently oblivious to Flaxseed's line of thought, but paralleling it anyway, "Unlike you, I've never really had to worry about hiding the truth about my eyes because I simply can't." He gestured to his own blue-green orbs. "As such, I've always been able to get an idea of how ponies felt about me and my eyes the moment they first saw me. It's hard to be caught off-guard when your enemies betray themselves in the first meeting, no matter how hard they try to fake it later on."
Flaxseed nodded, seeing the logic in Dawn's assessment. While the colt had been through his own trials, which were far worse than anything anypony his age should have had to endure, Dawn was clearly far better-equipped than Flaxseed had ever been.
As they spoke, the group slowly mad their way to the front of the line. Applejack smiled warmly as she took Rarity and Sweetie Belle's orders. After taking bits from Rarity, Applejack turned her attention to Flaxseed. Her smile faltered somewhat at the sight of the stallion, but she managed to keep it up.
"Well howdy there," she said, "Ah see ya came back."
Flaxseed nodded, Applejack's own unease rubbing off on him slightly. However, Dawn gently brushed a wing against the stallion's side and gave him an encouraging nod, bolstering Flaxseed's courage. "Well, Miss Rarity's been telling me how good your cider is and insisted I try some for myself."
Applejack's smile became more genuine. "Ah'm glad ya could make it." She turned and shouted for a mug of mulled cider, which Granny Smith slid down the counter to her. Applejack quickly moved the mug over into Flaxseed's reach, but held up a hoof when the stallion moved to deposit his bits on the counter. "Ah don't need nothin' from ya," she said, "The first one's on me. Welcome to Ponyville."
Surprised by the gesture, Flaxseed looked around to Rarity and the others for direction. They all nodded in encouragement at him. Finally, Flaxseed took the mug of cider in his magic and smiled gratefully at Applejack. "Thank you."
"Ah'll be more than happy to take yer bits the next time ya come around," said Applejack with a friendly wink as she turned to take Rumble and Dawn's orders next.
Rarity led Flaxseed to the pavilion, where they waited as the others came from the line and sat themselves down. Scootaloo had returned to the line herself, with Caramel and Fluttershy a few spaces behind her. But everypony else, including Pinkie and Rainbow, settled themselves at the table to enjoy some friendly conversation as the new arrivals savored their cider.
"Well dear," said Rarity, watching with a great deal of eagerness as Flaxseed examined the cloudy, amber beverage in the mug before him, "Go ahead and give it a try."
Flaxseed slowly lifted the mug to his lips and took a pull from it. The combination of sweet and spicy flavors exploded on the stallion's tongue. Flaxseed swallowed almost immediately, too excited by the new sensation to think about drawing it out. However, he quickly took another drink, this time swirling it about his mouth to allow the aroma to rise up to his nose and give him the full benefit of the cider's flavor.
"How is it?" asked Rarity.
Flaxseed lowered the mug, surprised to feel tears welling in his eyes. It wasn't just the cider itself, but also the warmth of companionship from being around so many ponies who clearly cared and worried about him that left the stallion feeling a sense of satisfaction unlike anything he'd felt for a long time. "It's the best thing I've ever tasted," he said softly.
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The last scene reminds me of One Piece; in a flashback with Chopper (Tony Tony Chopper, the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates) he is found and treated by a human (Hilukuk) after being chased and harassed by other humans... and when he tastes food again thanks to his saviour, he can't help but fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/250/3/6/chopper_by_fugitivebush-d6lg0ew.png
**By the way; Hiluluk gives one of the best speeches in anime.
I dunno, that not only looks like alcoholic cider, but also Scrumpy to me.
Yeah, education time! If cider apples are left long enough, they actually go through a fermentation process all on their own. It is actually possible to get drunk from eating them, but it takes quite a few before you feel the buzz...
...or the owner of the land chases you off before that.
In the last chapter I knew a shitstorm was coming not to test that
It seems my guess for Dawn's costume was a bit off the mark. Oh well, you win some and lose some I suppose. The Royal Guard costume works too. Now if only the rest of the guards were as competent as this one.
Fluttershy's shift in attitude is a good attention to detail, though your revelation of it could have been a bit more slow and gradual. After all, one's personality doesn't change overnight without some serious events happening the day before. Other than that, it makes sense that having Caramel on standby would bolster her confidence a bit.
The rules they added fit Cider Season well. The original episode felt unnecessarily cruel to Rainbow more often than not, one of the top reason I didn't like it. These rules (along with the exclusion of the Flim Flam Brothers) make this scene soar beyond the source material. It feels like everyone could momentarily stop worrying about all this Cult Solar and noble business and just enjoy themselves for once. Wait, things are going far too well again. Where's the next bombshell?
In short, this was yet another good chapter. I once again must voice my pleasure at the increased focus on character development in this story. Seeing as you said this was a twenty five chapter long story, I'd say we're in for quite the treat. I look forward to the next update.
I'm sorry if I repeat myself but: Awesome Chapter!
I especially loved two scenes:
1) Where Fluttershy is playfully teasing Rainbow Dash so openly.
2) The scene where Caramel explained to Dawn, how the Apple Family is going to strong the flavor. It really was like a normal Father and Son moment.
Keep up your good work.
Awesome chapter.
Yes because genocide is awesome!
5146923
Via Euthanasia
I knew you were referring to the American usage of the word, but it's just a much more enjoyable concept that the cider is actually alcoholic!
(plus it would explain Pinkie's tactlessness in front of Rainbow in SSCS6k...)
you need to re-write the underlined section.
Probably something along the lines of:
____________________________
made
_______________
I was wondering why people kept thinking they were trying to get Dawn drunk, when in the show they're just making unfiltered apple juice from choice apples, when hard cider is fermented cider [either through Apple Jacking, or normal distillation processes]. Well I learn something new almost everyday.
Anyway about the fic itself. The enchanted armor is almost better sounding than a group of bat-ponies that are evolutionary cousins to pegasi. But interesting nonetheless. All in all this was a rather nice chapter.
im also really glad bout the changelings being gone, this series is already refreshing with that revelation.
5146923 hey you can't spell slaughter without laughter!
another fun chapter and i'm loving the new fascination with cider i have a few questions though. what happened to stormfront? is rumble still training with him? what would happen if dawn found the mirror pool?
Sweet Apple Acres cider, it's filled with so much pride, you'll cry.
And while I like the changelings as potential fan-expansions to the MLP universe, I can't deny, they're absence DOES make the story work better.
Hate to beak it to you; but community behavior regarding changeling accusations shouldn't have changed. You made it quite clear in Shadow of the Sun that ONLY Arkenstone and Twilight know that changelings are extinct.
MOAR WARM FUZZIES! YAY!
No wait that's just the cider talkin'.
5148766 Only those two know the actual reason behind the extinction (love poisoning by Cadance/Shining). I'm pretty sure Arkenstone reported back to Celestia that the changelings are gone. Although she could still keep that info out of public.
corrections:
the first snow of winter would began
begin
when her eye widened
eyes
Usually, they're just look like regular pegasi.
looking
Once the what was left of the first cauldron's
Glad to see that Flim Flam's actions cause the Apples to actually do do something about it in your story. I felt that episode was poorly done.
BEAUTIFUL!
Applejack: "Sorry, Rainbow, but we're just plum out a' cider.
"
"
"
"
Rainbow Dash: "WWHHHAAAAAATTTT!!!???
Applejack: "Yep. It's the honest truth. We just ran out. Sorry 'bout that, Rainbow. Better luck next year.
Everypony in line: "Awww." *They begin to disperse.*
Rainbow Dash: *thud as she faints*
*Applejack's body goes up in green flame, and is replaced with a changeling as the real Applejack steps out of hiding.*
Applejack: "Way ta go, Xerox. Ah knew ya'd come in hoofy when tha time wuz right. An' thanks, everypony. We couldn't have done it without ya. Best prank we've evah pulled on Rainbow!
Actually, I'm not sure I've ever had mulled cider before. I honestly prefer the sweet kind; as far as I'm concerned, the only things that have any business being fermented are wheat, oats, barley, corn, and grapes.
One word:
cdn.meme.am/instances/61618989.jpg
7308733
Interestingly enough mulling spices generally just give most cider a stronger flavor. Almost all cider you get in stores already have some in them. The spices don't really change the sweetness much, the main difference is that the cider needs to be warmed.
7308733
Mulled cider isn't fermented. It's heated and filled with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and cloves. Sometimes lemon.
Now it can be fermented then mulled, but you get my point.
Personally, I like a decent lager, or a pint of Old Ale.
8824134
I love Yuengling. It's the best lager I've been able to find.
But personally I love my Spirits. Especially a Golden Amaretto Mash, or a Ft. Gordon Creme Soda.
Celestia
That could work
Honestly, this is the best place for Flaxseed to be right now, since they are so well intentioned that they simply can’t imagine not helping somepony. They all have their quirks but they can accommodate someone like Flaxseed who really just needs time and patience.
Good grief when did I get so philosophical
10752771
Except for the cherry guy. He's an asshole.