Cloudy over Ponyville

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There was a gray sky over the Stalliondoah Valley. Overcast days were nothing unique to the hardy but amiable little town of Ponyville which lay nestled in the valley below Canterlot. Despite being renowned for its generally perfect distribution of clouds, which would be scattered in just such a fashion as to provide an abundance of sun that was rarely overwhelming with complementary mild temperatures, it did occasionally experience days when the citizens awoke to find their village under the color quieting effect of a gray sky. Such a day, however, was more of a reflection on the whole of Equestria’s mood in recent years than that of most of the denizens of the little shire in the valley under the mountain borne capital of Canterlot.

Colts and fillies walked, ran, skipped, and flew their ways to school. Some were joined by parents enjoying a morning walk with their foals before heading off to work themselves. Some bore umbrellas in saddle bags in case the clouds made good on their inherent threat. Many saddlebags in Ponyville those days bore the same logo, owing to the influx of ponies that had come to live and work in the town which was rapidly becoming a city in its own right. It was certainly more diverse then it had been which was surprising in itself due to the established tolerance of the municipality. Its day to day mannerisms had indeed remained mostly unchanged. Those without foals in school commuted, browsed at shop windows, or caught up with friends. The Peddler Ponies scurried about the town’s main thoroughfare pushing and pulling carts that were generally two wheeled, single pony powered wooden boxes with legs that dropped from the two corners closest to the wagon yokes. While most looked no different than another aside from what they conveyed, some sported a strange apparatus in a metal box on the axles that could be activated by an actuator on the buckboard. This innovation was known as a Sparkle Start and Stopper. It bore a familiar emblem that was emphasized by the gentle magical aura that emanated from it. Peddlers with large loads almost always utilized this device nowadays. The dread associated with stalling for any reason when trailing a heavy cart was abated thanks to the inertia defeating action of the starter. The even greater danger of losing control was also largely abated by this device thanks to its additional function; that of being a magical breaking mechanism that could be utilized in a similar fashion. The merchants themselves were mostly independent in Ponyville but occasionally one would bear the seal of a guild on his or her stand or shop next to the brand name. Ponyville was, even more so as of late than before, replete with a healthy variety of goods as could be seen from the variety of wares among the peddlers and shops. One could find anything from a fresh apple from the town’s resident orchard to a posh, custom-made outfit which could be as practical as one liked while still retaining a rudimentary commitment to modern fashion. While the peddlers seemingly had no end of goods to attract the interest of everybody from tourists to old friends who bought from the sales ponies as much to support them as to enjoy their products, the most interesting ponies were a relatively new faction that was coming to Ponyville from the air.

They flew with a moderate speed and slow, sweeping swoops. What garnered one’s attention, considering that Ponyville had had Pegasus inhabitants for years, were the wings that they wielded. They flapped with a sound reminiscent of a tent being buffeted by a strong breeze when they were exerted and rippled like flags when they were gliding. The formerly earth-bound ponies who wore them were utilizing examples of the technology that had changed the whole of Equestrian society. The Lunar Moths’ bore a crest that had become increasingly familiar with the intensely exciting events of the Pegathlon of approximately 6 years prior to the day as well as the equally sobering events of the aptly named Flight War that had only ended 8 weeks ago. The symbol in question was the same that could be seen on the Sparkle Start and Stoppers of various wagons in and around town along with the saddlebags of many of the town’s commuters. It was the whimsical logo of the revolutionary Harmony Innovations Corporation.

The relatively modest hangar in which the company had established itself in the minds of Equestrians had since given way to a corporation that was now present in no less than 3 of the nation’s major cities. Although the majority of the corporation’s products were manufactured in the humble village that it had started in, which had since tripled in its population and expanded in metro area until it was nearly as large as its distant sister city of Cloudsdale during the 6 years following the company’s founding, the hangar that neighbored Sweet Apple Acres no longer housed the headquarters of Ponyville’s single greatest revenue source. Harmony Innovations had already become a familiar subject on the lips of the majority of Equestrians with the conclusion of the now simultaneously famous and infamous Pegathlon that had catapulted its flagship creation into the forefront of many Equestrian minds. When the legendary Canterlot mogul, Fancypants or the “Master of stocks” as some called him casually in The Daily Equestrian newspaper, was brought aboard 2 years after the Pegathlon as the company’s new R.B., the still relatively local organization virtually exploded until every welcoming corner of Equestria had either a manufacturing branch or a retail store associated with the famous flight frame fashioners. It had certainly become well known, but the reasons for its fame and whether the attention was favorable now depended largely on where one went.

As could be expected, despite the events of the last 6 years which had made the company a subject of serious controversy, Ponyvillians still viewed it as an facilitator for the betterment of all ponies as well as Equestrian society. The borough, which now not only housed the seat of Everfree County but also served as the capital of Stalliondoah Valley state, had already produced a veritable ensemble of nationally recognized faces. The current diva of the Canterlot Metropolitan Opera House, who was notable as much for her ringing voice as her impeccable sense of humor, was born and raised in the town. The dancing prodigy of Cloudsdale, who had literally redefined the art of Airborne Ballet as well as the Pegasus Tango while still retaining a sense of playful excitement on and off the dance floor, had grown up in and discovered her natural agility through the accomplishment of scooter borne stunts that mostly involved narrowly dodging the state capital’s usually patient citizens. The nation’s fashion sense was significantly influenced by the culture and lifestyles associated with Ponyville thanks to the inspiration it provided to the increasingly influential and in many ways ingenious designer who had masterminded the Carousel Boutique style of attire, which was indistinguishable thanks largely to its prolific use of gems. Thanks to these great ponies, among others, and their accomplishments Ponyville had come to be viewed as a producer of Equestrian progress in peaceful fields. Nonetheless, bringing up Harmony Innovations was still a gamble in many states and cities and many who would have once loved it now refused to visit Ponyville due to its association. Its place in the national spotlight as well as the consciousness of most Equestrians, whether it was positive or negative, was also shared by the most well known ponies that hailed from the eponymous town.

The 6 Elements of Harmony were household names. While they nonetheless received limited face time with many ponies, despite their deeds which had gained worthy recognition from both the Equestrian diarchs as well as their subjects, most of the nation was now aware of who they were. Thanks to their failure to expedite the end of what had started as an Equestrian civil conflict which subsequently spiraled into the Flight War when the griffins joined in, this recognition was now similar in manner to the attention that the company whose name they had inspired received. The failure had not been for any lack of trying, but that fact had not been able to vindicate the legendary artifacts and their bearers in the minds of many shattered Equestrian families, many of whose memories of the fighting years were still sickeningly fresh. Needless to say, the bearers had all dealt with what they viewed as their greatest defeat and the subsequent war that had ravaged their tranquil home with varying degrees of anger, despair, and in the case of she who had been the most torn by the Elements’ failure, deep confusion. The pony in question was the cyan coated and prismatic mane bearing Element of Loyalty whose demeanor as she stepped off the dated train from Canterlot to Ponyville’s refurbished glass station was an excellent example of what the current sky over her old hometown would look like if it was manifested in an equine form.

Rainbow Dash trudged down the platform, gingerly holding her deformed right wing which had taken to aching whenever it was bounced around in a manner similar to the train ride she had just taken, and upon reaching the end slowly raised her somewhat dulled magenta eyes to meet those of her closest friend and her spouse who was himself a brother to her nearly as much as the former was a sister.

She cracked a small smirk and said in her typical grainy voice with its strong Cloudsdaler accent, “hey Soarin you’re lookin’ high. AJ you look really good for somebody who’s pregnancy gut made me think she was literally gonna have a cow for a baby.”

The farmer Earth pony broke her stunned expression with a scowl for about a fraction of a second and then grinned as she retorted “well Soarin’ here did tell me that Peguhsi younguns do take up a fair amount of space ‘fore they pop out. A fact that you can’t deny seein’ as how I done seen them photos of your Ma when she was heavy laden with a certain somepony.”

Her former Wonderbolt squaddie gave her a gentle grin as he replied “whatup Dashster. You’re lookin’ pretty high too,” simultaneously returning his old comrade’s Pegasus slang and drawing a quick knowing glance from his wife due to his fairly obvious white lie. Sensing his spouse’s disapproval, Soarin’ jumped to neutral ground as far as verity was concerned by asking Rainbow how her wing felt now that it was as close to healed as it was ever likely to get. “It looks like you can use it at least.” He stated hopefully.

“Yeah,” she responded, suddenly looking uncharacteristically crestfallen. “I mean it got me as far as Canterlot before it started bleeding again,” the Pegasus started, seeming to perk up before being interrupted by her Earth Pony friend.

“You flew on it until it bled?!” she demanded of the equally stubborn soldier.

Before the war the question that Applejack had posed would have provoked an exchange that would have continued until the two mares stopped to eat and picked up fairly rapidly following. But now, rather, Rainbow held up her hooves in deference and smiled saying “hey it was either that or spend the night on Foal Mountain with its really comfortable ice patches to sleep on and rock slides to wake you up.”

Applejack was about to launch into a tirade about the how train system ran all the way from Manehattan when Soarin’ cut her off saying “you know how we prefer to glide even if we can only just.”

His wife glared at him but when she caught the pleading look in his eyes and saw how shaken he looked she gave in. Shifting her eyes back to Rainbow Dash who was wearing an appealing smirk and a quizzical eyebrow, she sighed and then grinned slightly as she hurried forward and pulled her friend into a hug, which was tentatively returned by the tired Pegasus. Soarin’ followed suit, whispering how glad they were that Dash had made it home. Applejack mumbled about how she struggled to sleep every night when the Aerial Defense Corps were repulsing the Griffins in Manehattan.

Rainbow surfaced from their impromptu group hug and put on her old smile saying “Just call ‘em the Wonderbolts. It’ll always sound cooler and c’mon you guys, I’m not goin’ down that easy.” Applejack sighed when Rainbow seemed to flinch at the last word and then entreated her to follow them back to Sweet Apple Acres. The Element of Loyalty trotted after her friends with a renewed spring in her step past the collection of directory signs, the newest of which indicated the direction of Harmony Innovations and stepped out onto Ponyville’s Market Street.

Glancing about at the majority of bustling ponies who seemed so vivacious whenever they saw a friend or even undertook a task that their cutie marks indicated as being inherent to their personality, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel relieved. “That’s refreshing,” she said to her friends as they strolled along.

“How so?” Soarin asked as he politely waved off some ponies that had recognized him from his election posters.

“It’s just…ponies here look like they still know how to smile.”

“How’s Canterlot?” Applejack inquired. “I ain’t been in those parts since the Malfunction.”

Rainbow Dash shook off the memory of the Elements’ most dire moment and replied that “it’s about the same as everywhere else.”

“That bad huh?” Soarin shook his head as they neared Sugar Cube Corner and slowed knowing that his wife and Dash would definitely want to invite Pinkie to dinner that night. The papers wrote plenty these days about the general melancholy in Equestria that sometimes spiked into outright anguish but he had always hoped that somehow the legendary capital would rise above it all. As Dash nodded in response he replied that it couldn’t be as bad as Cloudsdale though.

At that the cyan mare laughed saying “those hotheads? They’ll wrestle, race or chug viscous rainbow until they turn every color but the one they should be and then spend the next week sleeping it off and peeing it out. That’s why ponies say it’s quieter now, well, at least during the day.” She related irreverently as they entered the sweet shop.

“Remind you of anypony?” Soarin and Applejack asked together.

As Dash was protesting that that had been years ago when she graduated from the Flight Academy, her friends had already burst into laughter. “It’s not funny…”she growled, her voice breaking off as she started to giggle herself at the memory of just how ridiculous her black mane had looked. By the time they got to the front of the line, they were laughing so hard that Pinkie had heard it from the back of the store and roared out to join them adding her own raucous hysterics to the cacophony. As the friends hugged again, however, Rainbow found herself wondering just how long it had been since she had genuinely laughed. She glanced out the window between hooves and fetlocks at the gray sky and was bemused at how even on a day looking like that, Ponyville could still make her feel happy. It was good to be back, even if she wasn’t sure she was staying.

Bustling in Canterlot

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Canterlot was glistening. Gifted with sunshine that was typical of the months leading up to the beginning of winter in tandem with fiery trees that would soon require the athleticism of ponies in one of the two remaining “Running of the Leaves” in Equestria to free said receptacles of sunlight from the unflinching grasp of their branches, the city was as beautiful as ponies liked to remember it. It was certainly busy as well.

The damage from the events surrounding the early days of the war as well as the griffins’ strike and subsequent occupation of the outskirts, whose perpetrators had managed to cover the ground between the east coast and the capital before the Wonderbolts could intercept, was fully repaired at this point with the exception of the palace which was nearing completion. The defenses, however, were bulked up to a point at which they were even more constricting than the network that had been in place during the royal wedding of the still relatively new Crystal Empress and her dauntless but somewhat less jovial husband as of late. Today, as it had been for the first half of the week that had past, the city was in a state of unusually high alertness thanks to what The Daily Equestrian was referring to as possibly the greatest triumph of the last century and certainly the last decade. After all, it had been at nearly 100 years since a royal palace for the Equestrian diarchs had been completed; and the fact that it was even grander than the original iconic “residence on the cliff” had made it a rally point for the entire nation.

Throughout its pristinely handsome whitewashed streets with their indistinguishable layout inspired by the city’s sister metropolis of Percheronis, the capital of Prance, ponies were buzzing with chatter regarding the event scheduled to commence in two days. They were draping, rigging, and painting Equestrian flags all over the city’s elegant buildings with their noteworthy architectural mix of late Queen Victrottian era and Versaillerion. These had become an increasingly more common sight on virtually every structure in the country since the griffons had been repulsed from the capital. Following the destruction of the palace by a Pegasus squadron which had razed it with portable griffon bombs, ponies had become friendlier to one another in Canterlot albeit more paranoid. It was one of the more uplifting stories to come out of the war and certainly one of the most patriotic. Nowhere was this more apparent than Canterlot’s main street.

The royal boulevard was flanked with banners and murals painted on the walls of public and private structures alike by independent artists. These works had been embraced when the city was in desperate need of refurbishing and depicted everything from reverent tributes to the princesses in their blessed glory and the ponies of the new Equestrian Response Force who had not come back from their first assignments, to lighthearted stories in pictures of the heavenly regents when they were still fillies who argued with their surrogate parents about bedtimes and most notably that of the Pegathlon that had made the Lunar Moth a household name.

These paintings were designed as much to conceal damages as they were to help ponies forgive the contraption for its surmised role in causing the Flight War when they observed the brave face of the flight suit’s notoriously dashing test pilot Pip and the deadpan face of the hapless Sir Paladin as he pursued the Moth’s underhanded contenders only to have his coat dyed a ridiculous pink as a result of one of their traps. It gave them something to laugh at which in itself had become a rarity throughout the nation.

Canterlot’s impressive courthouse had witnessed a massive increase in hoof traffic with its partial conversion into a royal court. It now bore a painting in its rotunda depicting the endless cycle of the princesses heavenly duties atop a perfectly balanced crystal scale with a prismatic aura. It was the fourth major alteration to the décor since the court of law had been established. While the demi-goddess sisters had steered clear of any interference with the court’s traditional responsibility of deciding cases that had violated royal edicts from at least 10 years prior, the stern faced but respectful justices and their zealous but humorously naïve clerks were ready to get their building back. Across the street however, at what was arguably the most beautiful of the public complexes, a certain former student of the regent of the sun was still enjoying her new quarters to no end.

Twilight Sparkle understood and was highly supportive of the new palace’s construction but she was nonetheless perfectly at home in her room in the far corner of the library. Her apartment, which had been an office before the original convening site of the royal court’s destruction, was small but cozy. It had actually been an offer by the head librarian who had been a friend of Twilight’s since her elementary days and was happy to give the scholar a place to stay. He claimed that he had never needed an office anyway and preferred to do most of his work in the library’s grand rotunda of a reading room. The least utilized piece of furniture in the room itself was understandably the bed in the corner, given the co-inventor of the Lunar Moth’s nocturnal research habits. On the facing wall was a modest roll-top desk that bore the Canterlot public library’s seal, denoting its origin as a housewarming gift to the now famous academic. It was notable in that it was the only item in the room that was permitted to be disorganized. Documents that ranged from letters and papers sent by students at the Canterlot University where Twilight had taken to teaching a class based on her own famous findings on friendship, to outlines of new inventions that would contribute to the already significant array of creations from Harmony Innovations. Many of the latter were pushed to the bottom of the veritable mound of beckoning work; an indicator of the scholar’s belief that the revolutionary company would not exist if it weren’t for the principles that she and her friends extolled. This principle was further demonstrated by the bureau’s lone decoration which consisted of a picture of the lavender unicorn and her 5 closest friends in the midst of a heartfelt group hug. It kept itself free of dust thanks to the frequency with which Twilight would sit back for a study respite and pick it up with a warm smile or as of late a few tears.

The wall that the desk rested up against was the most prominent feature of the unicorn’s room in that it was completely lined with an impressive bookshelf. It was a collection that ranged from tomes which dated back to the days of Clover the Clever and her initiative into the intertribal healing power of friendship, to the latest newspapers with articles that dealt with Harmony Innovations and the great conflict that had been partially caused by radical Pegasi who refused to accept the existence of the company’s flagship product. The latter were what Twilight occasionally, and often not without a biting dose of sarcasm, referred to as her “light reading.” Nonetheless, these were the documents and resources that she preferred to have within reach of her magic rather than out in the surrounding library where she would most likely be required to conduct a search given the obscurity of many of the books she needed. With Spike living with the dragons of Quillina’s clan and serving as an envoy between his country of birth and his origins, Twilight had become better at this over the years but she still preferred to have her regular references in proximity. Currently, however, she was scurrying about her room rummaging through just about everything but her books.

A cloth bearing the Harmony Innovations insignia lay on the bed with toiletries to last for a weekend along with a few books that Twilight never had to look for on top of it already. The luggage in question were her diary, the most advanced book on magic to date in her readings which she had incidentally contributed to, and her daily agenda which she filled with events that she was likely to forget after reading her master schedule. The unicorn herself was searching through her one closet which was rapidly becoming less and less occupied as she tossed various articles of clothing and implements for daily life out behind her with focused pulses of magic after she enveloped them in an aura.

After clearing the floor of her closet to no avail in her search for a specific and special item the bearer of the Element of Magic let out an exasperated groan. “How could I have misplaced it?!” She practically hollered in a barely contained voice when one considered the location of her room. “Let me go through the process one more time. I came home with it, put it down on my desk, went out to grab some Saddle Arabian takeout from 1,001 Dishes, came back and cleaned off my desk so I could grade papers, and now I have no recollection of even touching it. This is ridiculous!” She finally blurted out, stomping her hoof which shook the bookcase against the wall just enough to knock over a book that had been standing on the very top above the shelves.
Hearing the thump Twilight peered up and urged the book down to her view with a string of magic. Instantly recognizing the title in her aura as the latest in the “Song of Eagles and Lions” series which fictionally retold the story of the Griffins’ early struggles for a single ruler, Twilight’s frustrated expression quickly became deadpan. She recalled that she had levitated the book to the area of her shelf reserved for the rare instances when she truly read for pleasure having completely forgotten that it was meant to be a gift.

“That’s the last time that I take the manager at Dishes up on his offer for a quick round of hookah.” Twilight muttered with a small smile returning as she placed the book on top of the small pile on her bed. “Let me see, my books, Rainbow’s gift, toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloth, towels, shampoo, curry comb, brush, and hoof pick. I think that about does…” She got out before being interrupted by a silvery squeal from her doorway.

She turned to see the element of Generosity peering about her room with a mixture of shock and dismay written on her alabaster face. Rarity hustled into the room as Twilight stepped forward to embrace her old friend. “Wonderful to see you darling, it always feels like too long. But please tell me, and forgive my effrontery, what happened to your boudoir?”

Twilight giggled gently at the frequency with which her encounters with Rarity began this way. “I misplaced the book that I got for Rainbow and I ended up looking everywhere but where I should have to begin with.” She said with a roll of her eyes.
“Does it not always happen that way for all of us,” replied the fashionista unicorn with a reminiscent shake of her head at the thought of the barely contained mess that was her inspiration room.

“I’m sorry about this Rarity, I know I said 1 PM but I’m going to have to reorganize quickly or I’m going to worry about it all weekend. It shouldn’t take me more than 10 minutes or take. You can wait in the reading room if you’d prefer.”

At this Rarity shook her head again before replying with a smile. “Let me give you a hoof darling. Just tell me where things go and I will find homes for them.”

Twilight turned back to look at the considerable mess before protesting. “I can handle this Rarity. It was my own fault for losing it in the first place.”

Her friend raised a hoof before saying “We might miss the train if you try that. I insist my dear.”

Twilight looked back one last time with a wan expression before acquiescing. “Alright then. Thank you Rarity you really don’t have to.”
“I want to darling.” The alabaster unicorn replied before stepping next to her scholar friend and beginning to maneuver the various components of the piles according to her friend’s indications of where each piece belonged. As they worked, progressing far more quickly than Twilight would have on her own, she reflected with a warm feeling that with the buffer that she had given them in their schedule, they still would have caught the train with time to spare even if she had cleaned up her apartment on her own. It really was nice to have friends like Rarity.

10 minutes later the two unicorns were briskly walking up to the Canterlot train station. It was going to be narrow but they knew they would make it. Along the way they chatted lightheartedly about the murals they passed, about Twilight’s newest studies which as of late were focused on a new magic driven power system for Harmony Innovations, and about Rarity’s latest addition to the Carousel Boutique line. As they reached the station they both paused for a moment as they usually did to admire the statue of Pressurized Piston, the Earth pony prodigy who had patented the engine system that was used in even the most modern steam engines. Following their reverie they crossed the threshold into the station and were greeted by the massive lobby. Despite the comparatively grim atmosphere that permeated the land of the celestial regents, the new concourse was as lively as ever. Ponies hustled to and from platforms, counters, and relatives whom they were either greeting or parting from. One such pony emitted a happy cry upon seeing the two friends approaching the central tower with its grand clock whose daily winding with its sizeable key was always a small event at the magnificent station.

Twilight could not help but smile as Rarity bounded forward to greet her younger sister. The designer had talked about Sweetie Bell incessantly during the walk. Twilight understood given her personal knowledge of how a packed schedule such as her own or that of the Canterlot Opera House diva could limit one’s contact with the most important ponies in life, who were often ironically the ones who could remind a pony of what was really important and force said pony to take a break from said seemingly indispensable schedule.

“It is so great to see you two! The dear Maestro,” she started with a genial roll of her eyes, “has determined that the only way for the choir to learn the latest arrangement is to practice each part at least 50 times. And that’s not an exaggeration.”

“Is he the same one who caught the male lead in the Rustic Cavalry when he tripped over the female’s costume and fell into the pit?” Twilight inquired with some incredulity.

Rarity nodded grimly, “Maestro Metronome certainly lives by the creed, the show must go on.”

“The reason they do go on is frequently thanks to his rehearsal techniques,” the diva conceded with a grudging smile. “But enough about me, how are you two? Have you heard from everypony else?”
Twilight giggled at the fact that she hadn’t even been chatting with Sweetie Bell for 2 minutes and she already wanted to laugh. Rarity had launched into a relation of her latest extravaganza. Twilight had heard this one before on a lunch outing and didn’t like to interrupt her friends apart from a brief interjection to remind the sisters that their train was leaving soon. She knew Rarity well enough to understand that she would get her chance to talk to Sweetie Bell in due time. As they briskly walked through the station, continuing to talk as they went, Twilight found her thoughts drifting to Ponyville.

She had been keeping in touch with Applejack and Pinkie Pie but Fluttershy had been difficult, even more so than Rainbow Dash. The latter of her Pegasi friends would at least write to her but the former had been unusually quiet, which was Twilight’s method for gently stating that she was depressed. A war invited anything but kindness and the last 4 years of constant fighting had certainly been stifling and sad for the gentle Pegasus in question. Twilight hoped that their first gathering as six blood sisters would provide some comfort for all of them. She put aside her musings as Sweetie Belle posed a question to the two older mares.
“So who exactly is there now? I know Scootaloo’s flying in tomorrow because she has to wrap up her prep for the Moon Lake tour and Applebloom told me that Pip’s riding in from Manehattan today but that’s about it.”
“We’ll probably see him on our train then.” Twilight replied. “I know Rainbow Dash got there yesterday and I think that’s everybody who’s traveling.”
“Everypony else should be there for dinner tonight and then the race itself tomorrow.” Rarity added.
“Great so we’ll have a big crowd tonight! And a Cutie Mark Crusaders reunion tomorrow!” Sweetie interjected happily.
Twilight and Rarity were now both laughing as the Manehattan Express steamed onto the West platform of the terminal. The cheerfully decorated locomotive raised a cacophony of rattles as its worn drive rods cycled through their housings. The festive heart engraved on the front of its sizeable boiler was warped as testament to the immense heat restrained within. Regardless of the ailments associated with steam propulsion the train, as per the norm, had been punctual. The clock tower within the terminal struck an echoing half hour in time with the pistons muffled bursts. Twilight, however, understood that from this point until its termination in Ponyville that the train would in all probability experience some manner of delay. Through the fault of nopony in particular, the run from Canterlot through the Stalliondoah Valley was significantly slower than the trip from Manehattan owing to kinked tracks and mechanical issues due to the locomotive draining its tanks to its last reserves of water. The scholarly mare had determined that if they were to arrive in Ponyville before six PM when dinner was scheduled at Sweet Apple Acres, they would have to set out early; even though the trip was only supposed to last three hours. As the doors opened and the three friends waited for the stream of arriving passengers to subside, Twilight glanced forward at the engine as it shrouded itself in released excess vapor.
“Just how long have we been using steam for power?” she thought as they clambered into a coach and began to search for Pip.
“Do you know where he might be darling? Rarity inquired of her sister.
“He told me once he likes to sit as far away from Manehattan on the train as you can. Something about how there are always more open seats.”
“He’s right.” Twilight replied. “That’s a commuter trick my mom would use when she worked in Manehattan. I guess it makes sense that somebody as well traveled as Pip would have figured it out too.”
Passing through the coaches as the typical influx of passengers that accompanied a stop in Canterlot sought out seats of their own, the mares had almost reached the locomotive before a friendly exclamation from nearby compartment drew their attention. With another squeal of her own, Sweetie Belle tore the door open and bounded over to Pip; wrapping him in an excited embrace. Rarity and Twilight followed her and were pleased to find that the young stallion had been the sole occupant of the compartment before their arrival.
“I honestly expected that we would have to separate right after we said hi.” Twilight commented as she pulled the Lunar Moth’s test pilot into a hug of her own.
“That’s right clever traveler’s trick at work for you.” Pip responded in a somewhat less pronounced Trottingham accent compared to when they had first been acquainted. “Simply pretend to snore like you’ve got a whoopee cushion jammed up the old nostrils and bob’s your uncle, sally’s your aunt you’ve got yourself a private compartment.”
Rarity and Sweetie Belle chuckled before proceeding to occupy the better part of three quarters of the overhead varnished wooden racks. Twilight took the seat next to Pip and placed her own light travel bag, which had been the cloth on her bed that was loaded with her supplies for two days, in a small corner above her that was empty. She and the sisters then settled in and began to ask Pip about the conclusion of his commitment to the Equestrian Scout and Runners Corps.
“Toward the end, we were mostly just lingering here and there waiting for the thanks and the all clear to pack up and head for the train station or apartment nearby if, like me, you were right lucky.”
As Pip tried to relate the process and some of the more interesting individual tales that went with it, the conductors shut their last doors and leaning out windows waved their green lanterns. The locomotive whistled a farewell to Canterlot before the coaches rocked together and apart as the rickety but nonetheless functional engine pulled forward. With the train bound for Ponyville, Twilight glanced out at the smoke and steam that rushed past their window and listened intently to the pistons as they continued their relentless pulsing; and mused. Rarity thought she caught a familiar gleam in her old friend’s eye before both turned their attention back to Pip.
“It’ll be smashing to be back in old Ponyville.” Pip stated with an excited smile that then melted to one laced with tenderness. “There’s a very special somepony that I haven’t seen in 4 years too long.”

A bite in the air

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While it was early enough in the morning to precede the sunrise, the breeze on Fluttershy’s face had a distinct autumn nip that exceeded the normal chill before Celestia took over from Luna for the day. It was nothing overwhelming and certainly not enough to dissuade the animal loving pegasus from making her as of late typical morning rounds of the apple premises. She encouraged herself to believe that the underlying purpose was to ensure that the heaviest sleepers who could manage to sleep through the rooster’s crow would not have an excuse to do so. As she strolled through the fields and around the barn, she did gently stir the animals that had indicated that they were tolerant of this method but in reality this exercise was as much for her benefit as it was for theirs. The leaves had completed their morphing of colors and the trees on and around the ranch now bore the familiar flaming appearance associated with Princess Celestia’s favorite season; and while this certainly helped her to get out of bed, in truth it gave Fluttershy something productive to do in the hours of sleep that she would too often lose to insomnia. The latter affliction had abated somewhat with the Flight War’s conclusion but seeing her childhood friend come home as a veteran had brought it back in force.

The butter-colored bearer of the element of Kindness had spent most of the last two days alternating between embracing Rainbow Dash without warning and telling her how glad they all were that she was home and away from the war which had brought both of them close to tears a number of times, although the former much more so than the latter, and asking her to sincerely tell her how she was doing along with everything that had happened. Each time Dash had answered that she was just happy to be home and then changed the subject. Fluttershy had never been one to pressure a pony who was clearly tentative to talk, as it would have made her quintessentially hypocritical, but as she walked along she nonetheless found her thoughts drifting back to her friend. Rainbow Dash was different and the changes seemed to percolate deeper than the weakened wing she now packed. The pink-maned pegasus had noticed over the last 2 days the difference between when she was with her friends and when she was alone. When Rainbow thought she was by herself she wore a vacant stare, as if utterly lost in thought. Simultaneously, she put on her traditional air of confidence whenever her friends were around. Fluttershy’s face brightened at the thought of the scene when Twilight and Rarity had walked across the braided rug into the warm wooded interior of the Apple estate. They were greeted with the first simultaneous hug the six friends had shared in at least four years. Her expression faded as she thought of how hard it was to remember exactly when they had last been together.

What Fluttershy did remember was that she wished they could stay in that blissful and soothing embrace for another four years to make up for lost time. She had told her husband about it that night after dinner had become the equivalent of a joyous romp for the reunited ponies. He had exercised his specialty, namely that of listening with his typical comforting steadfastness while managing to offer largely silent encouragement, and she had actually fallen asleep feeling happy. Now though as she walked along, thinking about her friend again, all she could do was slowly shake her head.

“Rainbow Dash…please be easy on yourself. You’ve been through enough turmoil.” The pegasus quietly lamented as she reached her favorite tree on the ranch and nestled in the embrace of its gnarled roots. “We all have…” she trailed off as a lump rose in her throat.

She had been holding the brunt of her emotions in check for the duration of the war, knowing that her friends and especially her family needed all the strength they could get. Her withers were shaking as 4 years of suppressed concerns that ranged from her friends who were fighting on both fronts, to those who had been left behind only to hear that their loved ones were never coming home, became impossible to ignore. She even tried briefly to convince herself that it was a shiver in response to the cold; but enough had transpired and the Element of Kindness finally let herself weep. She subconsciously attempted to maintain some composure and was succeeding for the moment. When a new presence in the form of her 9 year old daughter Windfall suddenly announced itself with a gentle nuzzle on her left cheek, however, she responded by quickly returning it in addition to wrapping a wing around the sweet filly before giving free reign to her grief.
Fluttershy had spent the next ten minutes after Windfall had joined her evacuating and intermittently explaining why she was upset. The filly did little more than nod as she snuggled next to her mother and let the latter work through her feelings. When she did shed a few of her own tears out of sheer sympathy, Fluttershy only started to cry even harder out of guilt. They held each other for a time before pulling back to look at each other. Windfall grinned as her mother wiped the tears from the former’s eyes. Bursting with pride and feeling considerably better, Fluttershy kissed the kind hearted filly on the forehead as they exchanged affections. As the sun rose Fluttershy finally asked her why she was outside in the first place.

“It’s awfully early Windy. Daddy wasn’t even awake yet.”

Windfall shrugged as she replied. “I like to watch the sun rise in the orchard sometimes. I’m usually awake for it anyway and I need a break from aunt Twilight’s books every now and then.”

The pair giggled at the thought of the various birthday presents from the scholarly unicorn. “I love her books but you’re right. My head always feels heavier after I finish one.”

“My eyes sometimes cross a little,” Windfall said with a shaky voice as she tried to hold back her guffaws.

At that Fluttershy’s chuckles subsided into hearty laughter with the filly contributing. They both seemed to realize that it was necessary comfort. Nonetheless, they were genuinely enjoying the mutual confusion at their respective friend and aunt’s preferred method of entertainment. They snuggled closer under the tree as they caught their breath.

“Anyway,” Windfall continued, “I just saw you sit under Old Gnarly and thought I’d ask if you wanted to watch it with me.”

“It is a nice tree isn’t it?” Fluttershy remarked about the ancient plant they were nestled into. “Well we probably still have some time until it rises so why don’t we go to my favorite spot? It’s been awhile since I’ve watched the sun rise and I’d love to be with you Windy.”

The younger pegasus threw her forelegs around her mother’s neck giving her another hug which was gladly returned. Rising to their hooves they began to stroll toward the ranch’s eponymous crop bearers. They walked in a comfortable silence as they came away from the edge of the forest. Fluttershy smiled and put her wing around Windfall again as she inquired as to which of Twilight’s tomes she had actually read.

The filly entwined her own wing’s feathers with her mother’s and, recalling the cloud bound Ancient Equestrian Pegasi History volume that sat her bedside in a crystal casing from the northern empire, began to happily relate the mythology surrounding the founding of Cloudsdale.

***
Mist rose slowly above the orchard as the sky began to burn. The earliest birds’ songs complemented the now ascending diurnal orb as it vaporized the cool dew. Muffled scratches in the hollows of the older apple trees announced the stirrings of the ranch’s resident chipmunks and squirrels that were about to search for the components to their winter stores. The first frost of the year was expected soon but for the time being the exoskeleton bearing inhabitants of Equestria were lingering. Prominent above all the various features of the early Equestrian fall was the permeating tint in the air of the apples as they neared readiness for the Apple family’s most practiced tradition. As Fluttershy and Windfall strolled between the rows, absorbing the simple beauty of the morning, the former was feeling even happier than she had the night before. “Admittedly, there was a legitimate possibility that Rainbow Dash would never heal completely and that was hard to forget.” She mused.

Then she looked at her little filly who was already proving to be as strong as her father and as sensitive as her mother and thought that maybe there was some hope yet. Windfall was arriving at the conclusion of what had been a highly expressive telling of one of the pegasus culture’s most beloved tales.

“So after Count/General Mars was kicked out from the Vapor Fortress and Commander Athena Hurricane had turned him over to the Settlement guys…”

“The Equestrian Dispute Settlement Council right? Sorry for interrupting.” Fluttershy quickly followed up.

“Right and don’t worry.” Windfall respectively answered. “The fortress was expanded into a small town and the pegasi finally had their own home.

“Isn’t that a great story? It’s still one of my favorites.” Fluttershy said as she indicated a turn that they should take to get to secret vantage point that she knew about.

“I remember that grandpa used to tell it to me whenever we’d go visit. That’s why I was so excited to read it when I saw that it was included in the history. I realized that Grandpa used to change the scary parts. Like when General Mars would publicly punish earth ponies and unicorns for trying to sneak into his fortress before he made the first cloud buildings with steam and cumulous.”

“He would always do that for me too. Well, I guess he would tell me that they were punished, but made it sound like they were just being spanked or something rather than being thrown from a mountain top. Did he do the voice whenever he spoke for General Mars?” Fluttershy asked, snorting as her efforts to stifle a chuckle barely succeeded.

Windfall covered her eyes with her hoof as she threatened to descend into hysterics again before thrusting her lower lip out and speaking in a voice and with an inflection that was closer in proximity to that of Don Vito Stalleone, the infamous Manehattan casino coordinator from Veneighce. “I will not have ground pounding filth in my fortress! Especially not on the afternoon of my daughter, Lady Helen’s, wedding! Were I not a more generous leader of the Winged Elites, you ponies would be suffering this day!”

Once again, mother and daughter were reduced to virtual suffocation as they fondly remembered the hilarious fashion in which their respective father and grandfather would reenact the pony who was rapidly becoming their favorite mythological villain. As they regained their composure Fluttershy remembered how the aspects of the story featuring the famed pegasus leader were always the most exciting.

“It was so nice how Commander Hurricane went from being so intolerant and eventually stood up to her own race to make sure everypony was treated equally. She stood up to arguably the most prejudice pegasus who ever lived even though she probably would have rewarded him at another point in her life. That’s the real reason I liked that story so much. Well…that and your grandpa’s rendition of her was so cool.” Fluttershy grinned as she glared and her voice took on an intense tone not unlike that of Gallopen Ripley from the “Changelings” movie. “Get away from them you wretch!”

“Nice one!” Windfall exclaimed as their chuckles finally wore down. “Yeah that is a great story. I even liked learning about how much of it was true and how much was dramatized.”

“I don’t know exactly how much of it was real one way or the other. Although I don’t think General Mars could shoot fire from his eyes.” Fluttershy was grinning again.

Windfall agreed with one last chuckle. “Anyway enough about my books and it’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it, but why were you so upset mom? I haven’t seen you cry like that since Angel died.”

Fluttershy flinched briefly at the memory of her favorite pet. Angel had lived to an advanced age and he was always to proud to show that it was catching up to him. Fluttershy managed to notice that he was more fatigued at the end of each day, even toward the end when all he could do was act out stories for his grand kids and much on lettuce while he watched them play. His caretaker had done her best to accept it. Still, on the morning that it happened she still found herself to be unprepared. For two years she had mourned and ruminated on the life of Angel almost as much as she worried about her friends. He had been her first acquaintance when she moved to Ponyville and had always been nearby. Cupid had been inconsolable for the first year and was unable to do much more than cry on Fluttershy’s shoulder; which ironically had served as a distraction for the pegasus. Nevertheless, the morning after he never woke up was the first that she went for a walk through the ranch.

Shrugging off that particular set of months with a shudder, the kindly mare adopted a comforting tone. “I’ve been thinking about your Auntie Dash a lot lately peach fuzz.” Fluttershy responded, using Windfall’s second oldest nickname. “I may just be imagining it but she has seemed sad sometimes these last couple of days.”

“Are you talking about when she would suddenly start staring off into space?” Windfall questioned.

“You’ve seen it too huh? Yes that’s when I first noticed it.” Fluttershy was now thoroughly impressed, and proud, at how cognizant her daughter had become.

“But maybe she was just daydreaming. I remember Aunt Dash always used to like watching the clouds.”

“Or sleeping on them,” Fluttershy commented, eliciting a snicker from Windfall. “But didn’t it look like she was thinking rather than just letting her mind wander? I’m worried that she’s struggling with something Windfall. I don’t really know what fighting in a war can do to a pony but it can’t be good.”

“Well even though she said her wing was getting better, she’s still retiring from the Wonderbolts. Maybe she’s just wondering what to do next?”

Fluttershy inwardly thanked her childhood friend for her careful explanation of the injury the latter now sported. “Maybe Windy, I know I’d like to think that. But there’s something you have to understand about your aunt.”

At this point in their chat they reached lichen coated boulder that was partially interred on the western edge of the east orchard. A small carving, clearly executed by Unicorn magic, on the side facing the farmhouse bore the words, To my favorite apple purveyors with love. I hope HE (this word was engraved in such a manner as to buttress the belief that the caster had inexplicably started to angrily twitch) serves as a purposeful addition to the ranch’s decor for years to come. Fluttershy gestured to the top and with a few light flaps the pair reached it and perched themselves on the pinnacle facing the trees.

As they snuggled together again and observed the dull pink brightening to a lively crimson, causing long shadows to begin to appear near the virtually glowing trees, Windfall excitedly praised the view. “I usually just watch from the roof. I never knew the rows could look like that. The light looks like rivers.”

“Despite what most of them say about it, there are advantages to being a pegasus that spends most of his or her life on the ground. This view is definitely less obvious from the air. Anyway, your aunt has always been one of the hardest ponies to read that I’ve ever known. She’s always been competitive but she only started to act as proud as she does when we were in advanced flight school. She’d always been a tomboy and ponies had given her a hard time for it. Because she was so talented though, she could always shrug it off. You remember the story about the first time she managed to make a sonic rainboom right?”

Windfall nodded.

“For a long time after that whenever somepony made fun of her she would laugh and bring it up. Then whoever had been bothering her would usually just go away. I remember that it was usually colts that she had beaten in races that would do it. In retrospect, I think it was because a lot of them had crushes on her.”

“Colts are weird.” Windfall commented, sticking out her tongue.

“You might not think so someday Windy…” her mother said cryptically.

“Oh I will. I promise I will.” The younger pegasus confirmed.

Fluttershy grinned inwardly “Like I was saying though, when we got to advanced flight school, the colts who had given her a hard time when she was younger instead started flirting with her instead; and she would always turn them down.”

“Good for her!” Windfall interjected.

Fluttershy guffawed before continuing. “Anyway even though she wasn’t interested in dating, or maybe because of it, some of the fillies in our class were very jealous. Eventually they got so frustrated that they started harassing her like the colts had when she was younger. Rainbow hadn’t had many female friends growing up so they didn’t feel bad about picking on her. Now despite what your aunt may say about how she doesn’t care what ponies think of her, she does. So when these fillies started making her feel bad about who she was, rather than change who she was she instead started to act really proud so they would think they hadn’t gotten to her. She did the same thing to the colts so that they would stop trying to ask her out. By the time we were two years into school, everypony thought she was just arrogant and lazy, neither of which were true. Whenever I came by to spend time with her I would always find her practicing. She had just gotten sick of flight school because of how she was being treated. And that whole arrogant face that she put on was just to hide how hurt her feelings were. Unfortunately it hurt how she performed in school too and eventually, when we graduated, her grades were so low that the Wonderbolts flat out rejected her when she first applied.”

“Didn’t she eventually get in because she won the best young flier’s competition and they gave her another chance to tryout?”

“Exactly but that was years later. And hey you understand that this conversation doesn’t leave Tom right?” Fluttershy queried, tapping the boulder they sat on with a hoof.

“Pinkie promise mom.” Windfall said, looking hesitant to start the associated chant.

“You don’t have to go through the motions pretty-filly.” Fluttershy said as she remembered the severity of the oath her daughter had just invoked. “Just remember how important it is to aunt Pinkie.”

The two pegasi’ ears perked up as they heard a harsh whisper of “foreverrr!!” coming from the direction of Ponyville; sounding as if it had been mumbled by somepony in their sleep. They looked at each other and then shrugged before Fluttershy resumed her gentle advice.

“What I’m trying to say with all of this is that your aunt, no matter what she says, is actually a very sensitive pony and if she doesn’t appear that way, that means she’s trying to protect her feelings. She hates being perceived as weak.” Fluttershy paused, clearly troubled by what she was about to say.

“Except around her friends. As she grew up she was able to open up to me and the rest of your aunts whenever she was hurt by something or somepony. She was comfortable with being honest around us. So the reason I’m worried is that I think aunt Dash has been holding back about how she’s feeling with her friends. That’s what I think she’s doing whenever she looks lost in thought; and the real reason I’m bothered by that is because it’s very unusual. I think the last 4 years have had a big effect on her. One that isn’t good either.” Fluttershy finished with a renewed frown. The two sat and watched the sky silently roar from a pure red glare to a conglomeration of reds, oranges, and even yellow as Celestia’s faithful orb began to peek over the horizon. Windfall was making a mighty effort to contemplate all that her mother had explained.

Finally she said, nuzzling her mother, “I’m really sorry mom.”

Fluttershy wrapped her wing around Windfall again. “It’s not your fault Windy.”

“I just don’t like it when something makes you sad.”

Pulling her daughter closer with her wing and then wrapping a foreleg around her, Fluttershy hugged Windfall tightly. “I love you so much Windfall. I don’t know what I did I to ever deserve such a perfect filly, but I’m sure happy that I got you.”

“I love you too mommy.” Windfall whispered, wrapping her little forelegs around Fluttershy’s neck. By now the sun had cleared the horizon and the sky was building to its brilliant blue. Fluttershy felt more hopeful and at ease than she had in four years and Windfall was feeling relieved to see her mother looking far happier than she had under Old Gnarly.

“C’mon.” Fluttershy said as they released their hugs with two gentle kisses on the respective cheeks. “Let’s go have some breakfast before the run.”

They slid off the boulder on their sides and landed facing the trees. As they trotted around the boulder and back toward the farmhouse, Windfall couldn’t help but smile at the thought of how ecstatic her aunt Rarity had been to see the boulder settled in at the farm. The family had indeed been using it as a surveillance point for the orchard but her biological aunt Applejack, in what Windfall had come to understand to be lighthearted teasing in addition to genuine gratitude, had not been above calling it the most thoughtful gift they had ever received and complimented Rarity on her trademark generosity. This certainly made sense when Windfall asked Rarity about it only to be quickly reassured that it was her aunt’s pleasure to see it go and that if she promised to pretend that she had no idea where it came from, if and when she was asked about it, Rarity would tell her the story someday when she was older.

Turning back to her mother as the mist over the orchard began to clear, Windfall asked her if there was anything they could do to help her troubled friend.

“I think it’s just something that she’s going to have to figure out for herself. All we can do is keep letting her know that we care about her.” Fluttershy replied with a sigh.

“Dad always says that’s what family does best even if somepony doesn’t think they need it.”

“Eeyup.” Fluttershy agreed with a hint of adopted Apple family accent. “He is one wise stallion. Red hot too.”

“MOM!!” Windfall exclaimed with a disgusted expression.

“What? I’ve always thought your father’s the most handsome pony Equestria has ever seen. I could look at him all day.” The soft spoken mare said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes and smile.

“Ewww!” Windfall interjected again. “I feel like I need to dunk my head in the rain barrel!”

“How about a race back to the house instead?” A familiar voice asked.

The pair turned and looked up in surprise to see an orange pegasus mare with a magenta mane that was cut short up to the base of her head. She bore a pannier with a smaller version of the Harmony Innovations logo, indicating its status as a Fly-in-the-trap bag or F.I.T.T. This simple, but once again, highly beneficial creation appeared to be a normal piece of cloth before the addition of magic which would course through channels in the material and morph it into a normal saddlebag. The company would proudly boast that “It’ll always fit in a F.I.T.T.” While this was not strictly true, in that the internal volume of the F.I.T.T. was the same as a pannier of a similar size, it was certainly easier to pack. Twilight Sparkle, it’s creator, utilized one herself. The larger decal, however, was a simple emblem of a pegasus in furious pirouette with her head craned forward. It was that of Cloudsdale Airborne Ballet.

“Aunt Scootaloo!” Windfall cried happily.

“Heya kiddo!” Scootaloo laughed as she tousled the filly’s hair before pulling both pegasi into a hug.

“It is so nice to see you again honey.” Fluttershy said in earnest. “We’re really glad you could make it.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Now in all honesty, who’s up for a race back to the house? I’m hankering for a warmup before the race!”

“I’m in!” Windfall exclaimed.

Fluttershy’s mischievous grin had returned. “That actually sounds like a lot of fun.” She said as she folded her wings tightly against her body.

“In that case…to the line!” Scootaloo declared as she drew a starting point in the dirt with a hoof. The three pegasi hunkered down. “Lil’ Breeze,” she said to Windfall, “you wanna do the honors?”

“Three…two…onego!!” Windfall shouted, blurring the last two segments and dashing off at the same time.

With mock vexation in their shouts, the two older pegasi were quickly in pursuit. Scootaloo’s bags flailed dangerously; an issue she quickly addressed by flaring her wings and folding them to her sides over her errant luggage. Fluttershy’s mane whipped about her face with a seemingly mischievous intent to trip her. Nonetheless, all three ponies wore huge smiles. The nip in the air that had accompanied the early morning was gone leaving a comfortably cool autumn day in its wake. As they bounded across the clearing that separated the orchard and the barn from the house, they could see its inhabitants who had arisen with the sun, standing on the porch having come out to investigate the commotion and now whooping and cheering on the impromptu race’s contenders. Applejack waved her hat and hollered while Big Macintosh let out a shrieking whistle with Bud and Blossom bouncing on his back. Soarin’ was pumping both hooves and yelling like he was at a show at the Cloudiseum. Applebloom and Pip, who had arrived the evening before, had wrapped their hooves together and were chanting encouragement. As the three approached within 25 feet of the porch, Scootaloo and Fluttershy had closed the gap and were alongside Windfall, Rainbow Dash stepped out onto the porch with the heavy steps that were typical of her curmudgeonly morning routine. Her face, however, lit up as she saw the joyful competition and she cheered just as loud as the other spectators when Scootaloo touched the steps before the others by a slight margin. Scootaloo received and returned two sporting hoof bumps to the place and show before bounding up the steps to hug her mentor. Windfall hugged her mother one last time before running over to greet her father and siblings. Fluttershy gazed at the scene as it played out and realized that the gloomy feelings she had started out with in the morning had faded to the point at which she could blissfully forget them.

Fun in the Fall:

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The interior of the Apple’s quaint but inarguably grand farmhouse was permeated with an enticing hint of Everfree Beech wood smoke, emanating from a comforting fire that flooded the sitting room with warmth and sporadic sharp snaps. A soft bubbling from the kitchen was promissory of a hearty breakfast made from scratch and appetizingly fresh oats and cream. The low groan of hefty semi-formal dining chairs being pushed into place exuded from the arched and open entrances at the two ends of the windowed eating area that faced the house’s interior. Throughout the place, occupants were participating in a variety of undertakings that were relaxing enough for their still sluggish morning metabolisms but engaging enough to gradually raise their energy levels to a functional intensity.

In the sunny dining room, Bud and Blossom were positioning extra chairs from the kitchen and the Apple family’s set of weathered lawn furniture. They were managing to keep abreast of their father as he supplied the seats from the storage shed for them to arrange. After trundling through the kitchen into the dining room with his latest load, bringing the total to ten, the sizeable earth stallion realized that the table would need to be lengthened in order to accommodate the company. Telling the foals that he had to get the inserts from the barn’s loft, he turned back toward the kitchen and missed the pair of sinister smiles on the siblings’ faces as they lifted off the ground and quietly flapped after their father.

Exiting onto the porch, Big Macintosh hopped down over the recently repainted red steps and began to cross the yard. Nearing the barn, he suddenly felt a light tap on both of his flanks; bringing him to a halt. He craned his neck to check each side but was met with nothing. Shrugging, he turned to the front only to fall flat on his haunches in surprise as his two youngest pounced on him with a pair of yelps. As he held each in a foreleg, Bud and Blossom savored the satisfaction affiliated with a successful prank by laughing merrily. Big Macintosh’s face slowly shifted from shock to a wicked grin of his own as he began to chuckle menacingly along with them while slowly wrapping his hooves around the foals. Their continued celebration made the siblings oblivious to the impending embarrassment until it was far too late. Suddenly their giggles turned to squealing guffaws as their father launched a merciless assault on their sides which years of horseplay had revealed to be their most ticklish regions. Their flailing hooves were useless as Big Macintosh continued the relentless revenge. An uninterrupted thirty seconds was sufficient to coax a begrudging series of “uncle!” from the young pegasi. Pleased, the powerful pony punctuated his retort with a trinity of kisses on each forehead and cheek respectively before he set them down and bolted for the barn, knowing that with the score momentarily in his favor that they would have to give chase. They wiped their faces with their hooves as they voiced their indignation at such humiliating treatment before proceeding to fulfill their father’s prediction as they raced after him through the crisp air and pristine sunshine; blending their ebullient giggles with his own.

Meanwhile in the darkened but cozy sitting room, Fluttershy was stoking the fire with a slightly charred brass poker attached and humming softly to anypony and nopony. Across the room, Twilight lounged on the aged albeit festive couch casually perusing through the magic compendium that she had toted in her F.I.T.T. Next to her was an utterly absorbed Rainbow Dash who, having already plowed through a noticeable portion of A Torrent of Talons, was continuing to turn subsequent pages in quick succession. A large braided rug bearing an image of a lush Macintosh apple, with Granny Smith’s signature in the corner to the right of the hearth denoting its status as hoof made, served as a convening spot for guests to socialize. Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell and Windfall lay on their hooves as the dancer related to her honorary niece and one of her two best friends some of the most memorable events involving the latest cast of Moon Lake during their rehearsals.
Pip and Applebloom sat together on a smaller couch with navy blue upholstery and a frame built from Dodge City cherry that was noticeably less worn than its senior companion seat. The latter of its occupants had crafted it herself in response to the newest additions to the Apple family who were growing larger at a staggering pace. At the moment, rather than procuring a place for happy foals to sit and participate in one of the family’s fireside games of charades or listen to a story from Granny Smith or an aunt or parent before everypony started to drift off to sleep after dinner, it was serving as a love seat for two ponies that were content to simply imbibe one another’s company after four years.

“Vanhoover was right lovely darling. Most of their buildings are wooden what with a forest that dense all around it.” Pip said from his stretched out position on the sofa. His head rested in Applebloom’s lap while she stroked the top of his mane with a hoof.

“That makes sense.” The engineer replied. “A good-sized part of the country uses their stuff. Ah read bits and pieces in the news about the fightin’ over there but it was always pretty vague. What exactly were you guys doin’?”

Pip paused. He sighed and furrowed his brow. When he began to speak, he was uncharacteristically tentative. “When Los Pegasus seceded and Vanhoover didn’t, a good number of the buggers made for the north…unfortunately they got to the old Wooden City before we did and they were right dug in. Our job was pretty much just prying them loose and for the scouts…” Pip’s eyes glazed over for an instant before he resumed in a more subdued tone. “We just looked for weak points in their roosts where we could get the drop on them.”

Pip’s sudden alteration in demeanor while he told his version of the siege of Vanhoover had not gone unnoticed by his long time marefriend. She recalled when they had first caught sight of one another on the preceding day as Pip approached the farmhouse with Twilight and the unicorn siblings in tow. They had sprinted straight into an embrace without even calling to one another. Applebloom had told herself that she would remain sturdy for her beleaguered soldier. She surmised that he had struggled enough. However, as they held each other at the foot of the porch, she had been surprised to feel wet warmth on the back of her neck. She had not been expecting Pip to cry; nonetheless as his shoulders began to shake with the realization that he was not dreaming again but genuinely holding his beloved, her own determination crumbled and her eyes began to burn as well. Their friends passed respectfully into the house with tender smiles and heartfelt sentiments for the pair.

The two stayed in their embrace and felt no imperative to end it. They seemed obligated to catch up on four years of delayed affections. As Pip ran his hoof through the scarlet mane of the young mare who was desperately nuzzling the side of his face, he managed to calm down enough to tell her how sorely he had missed her. She gladly reciprocated the sentiment and then pulled back to quiet his sobs with a gentle kiss. As they walked inside they wrapped their hooves together and, for the rest of the night, they did so whenever they were in proximity. Absence had indeed made their hearts grow fonder.

Six years together, despite four being spent waiting out and fighting a war, had brought the couple to the point in their relationship at which they were finely tuned in to what the other was feeling. This revelation, coupled with Pip’s additional displays of affection which were already fairly copious when they had been together before the Flight War, ensured that Pip’s hesitance to discuss his role had been noted by Applebloom.

She had heard enough Equestrian Air Defense Corps stories from her brother in law’s old comrades to understand that pursuing that line of inquiry was not going to help the frightened young veteran who currently seemed so comfortable on her lap. Instead, she drew attention to a term he had used. “Oh yeah Ah remember hearin’ that the rebels in the cities would hunker down on top o’ the sky scrapers. How’d you guys get em’ down, through the buildins’ themselves?”

“Right. Thankfully most pegasi don’t usually think about what’s under their hooves rather than above their wings…no hard feelings mares.” Pip addressed the three winged ponies in the room with a tinge of embarrassment.

Scootaloo and Fluttershy smiled and waved him off amiably.

“No problem Mr. Smith.” Windfall respectfully replied, given her limited understanding of the issue.

Rainbow Dash acknowledged the potential slight by tilting her head to her right and raising a hoof as if to concede that there indeed was some truth to the earth stallion’s statement before returning to her book.

“Once we had a rooftop,” Pip continued with a suddenly downcast expression, “We’d set up shop there and try to knock down any other roosts that we could reach. The scouts would usually try to find the quickest way up through the buildings.”

“Sounds kindof fun.” Applebloom said in an attempt to lighten to mood. “Like a big game of hide n’ seek.” She felt her throat tighten as she saw Pip’s eyes ease shut and a crushed frown emerge on his lips.

The toned Trottingham earth pony let out a long sigh before a smile slowly spread across his face. “That’s a right clever way to look at it. Though I doubt most of the blighters could count past five.”

“Try two.” Dash interjected briefly with ample mirth.

The earth pony pair laughed heartily as they pictured a group of confused pegasi rebels trying desperately to count to ten before they could search for the infiltrating scouts. As Pip caught his breath and basked in the joy that his friends could still give him, he looked up at Applebloom again. She was just calming down from her giggling. Even with her cheeks puffed out slightly and her mane in a disheveled state typical of Sweet Apple Acres’ mornings, he found her to be absolutely gorgeous.
Inspired, he then proceeded to tell her just that. “You really are the loveliest mare that I have ever seen.” Pip said with sincerity.

Applebloom beamed. She brought her lips down to his and they kissed sweetly. As she leaned back her smile grew impishly playful. “And we both know full well how many mares you get to look at ya rogue.”

“Oi you know I turn them all away…and there certainly are a fair few sometimes...” Pip replied, concluding with a deadpan tone and a smirk of his own.

“Don’t flatter yerself mister.” Applebloom giggled as they shared another warm kiss.

Surfacing, Pip got to his hooves and turned to Applebloom. “I’m off to find Soarin’. There was something I wanted to ask him about.”

“Ah think he’s in the kitchen.”

“I love you. Intensely so Applebloom Apple.”

“Ah love you too Squeak.”

With one last peck, Pip trotted off to the kitchen; smiling at the fact that she was the only pony outside of his family who still called him by his childhood nickname. Applebloom rose after a moment of relaxed contentment and joined her fellow crusaders on the rug.

From the kitchen, the indisputable scent of oatmeal laced with cinnamon and some shredded apples that had been picked in the same hour promised an excellent albeit light breakfast. The Apples called it dusty apple oatmeal, an acknowledgement of the sugar and spice coating that each fruit was treated with. It was a signature dish of the hardy farmers and a favorite among their friends and extended family alike. Rarity, who had been awake nearly as long as Fluttershy, stood case in point at the simmering cauldron stirring the oatmeal with a long wooden ladle that maintained a cool handle for the earth ponies that normally used it, despite the fact that she had it gripped in her magical aura. Applejack had enjoyed her breath of crisp morning air and the exciting preliminary race to the late morning’s imminent events but now stood next to her unicorn friend rubbing skinned apples on a tarnished grater. Subsequently she would toss the shreds with a dash of cinnamon and a dollop of sugar before sliding them over to Rarity on a dented tin plate. As they worked, they exchanged stories regarding their respective businesses and discussed the aspects of the now imminent autumn that they were each looking forward to. It helped that cooking was one of the rare undertakings that the two mares mutually enjoyed.

The bright cabinets and polished countertop stood in contrast to the worn table that was situated opposite to the two mares as they concocted their morning autumn feast. The oaken heirloom that had been built when the Apples first settled near the Everfree Forest certainly showed the years that it had weathered. Its faded blue coat of paint served as a distraction from various stains and nicks on its surface which gave testament to years of vivacious Apple family dinners. Despite its thoroughly utilized appearance, it was nonetheless a genuinely comfortable place to settle into; as Soarin’, who through a combination of his wife’s delicious but healthy cooking and his daily flights and jogs had regained a lean physique, was demonstrating while he skinned apples for his wife to shred. As he worked with a dated but still functional apple peeler that was attached to his hoof with a fetlock rigging, he watched with amusement and an abundance of affection as his four year old son attempted to imitate him with a peeler that was awkwardly oversized for his petite hoof.

Five minutes of consistent effort by young Gust had produced an apple that was peeled of approximately one quarter of its skin. His father, meanwhile, had sloughed the skin of three complete fruits in the same space of time. While watching Soarin’ had indeed provided Gust with a fundamental idea of how to skin an apple, strokes with the peeler were repeatedly sliding harmlessly across the stubborn waxy surface. Eventually, frustration took hold and the blond-maned colt simultaneously set the apple and his utensil embellished hoof down before turning to his father and proclaiming, “daddy, my peeler’s busted.”

Soarin’ cocked his head as the last shred of skin dropped from the apple he was preparing. He pulled another from an iron banded bucket near his hooves and leaned back in the varnished oak chair before asking “what makes you say that Gussy? Looks fine ta’ me.”

“But it’s not working…” The little pegasus growled as he fixed the offending device with a scathing glare from his freckled sky blue face with its warm hazel green eyes that were failing to emanate any of the sincere chills that the colt wished the wicked peeler would wither under.

His father was now shaking from trying not to laugh at his son’s harsh expression. With a shrieking scoot of his chair on the meticulously swept floor, he moved closer to Gust and took his hoof to examine the problematic peeler. “It looks just like mine best buddy. Are ya’ holding the apples steady with your other hoof while ya’ peel them?”

“I can’t cause they keep falling over.” Gust’s pout then softened as he became pensive. “The apple bottoms must be broken!” He triumphantly concluded as he lifted his current challenge up to his face to confirm his theory with one eye squeezed shut; much to the joy of his parents.

Applejack, who had been listening and then watching intently as her son and husband delved into their predicament, snorted loudly as she tried to stifle a laugh. “Ah doubt that’s the problem sugarcube.” She stated with gentle mirth as she trotted over to Gust who was now looking thoroughly puzzled. “Ya gotta really press down with your hoof ta’ make sure that it don’t fall.”

“But I was mommy!” Gust protested. “See watch…” Applejack and Soarin’ obliged as their colt pressed the apple down and worked his way around it. He managed to remove a few strips of skin before, much to his vexation, it slipped out from his hoof. “There see! It has to be broken.” He concluded with another pout, eliciting a series of muffled giggles from Soarin’ this time.

“What’s so funny?” Gust demanded.

“Nothing Gus. Ya’ just look very serious when you make that face.” Soarin’ said with a grin which made Gust wrinkle his
nose and jab his tongue in his father’s direction; which was quickly reciprocated by the supposedly more mature stallion.
Applejack rolled her eyes but grinned as her two colts dismounted from their chairs. Rarity emanated a silvery giggle as she watched the pals escalate their exchange to ruffling of the manes and eventually playful wrestling.

A new occupant of the kitchen, however, momentarily froze the romp and associated amused reverie as he announced himself.

“Oh my…I hope I’m not interrupting something important.” Pip said with his unfailing politeness and a barely disguised grin at the spectacle.

“Not at all Pip my dear.” Rarity happily said to her former test pilot.

“Your fine huhney.” Applejack reassured him.

“Nothin’ to see here brother.” Soarin’ said as he glanced up at his best male friend before giving his son a quick flick on the ear without looking at him.

Gust returned his father’s flagrant violation of their ceasefire with a jab from his little knee before excitedly greeting his aunt’s coltfriend. “Hiya Mr. Smith!”

Pip trotted over to the pair sitting on the floor with a huge grin as he held his hoof out for Gust to excitedly bump. As the young pegasus looked at Pip with an expression that conveyed a barely restrained coltish admiration for the earth pony soldier, Pip turned to Soarin’ and asked him if they could speak in private on the porch.

“I hate to interrupt what looks like a jolly good tussle, but it’s important mate.”

Soarin’ glanced from Gust to Applejack who nodded before assuring her husband “Ah’ll show him how to do it.”

“You’re better than me anyway Jackie. Gussy…Dad’s gotta go talk to Pip for a bit so truce until I get back?” Soarin’ entreated with an extended hoof.

Gust smile and bumped it with his own; receiving a kiss on the forehead which he proceeded wipe off with a pout, much to the mares’ amusement.

“Alright Pip. Time for a stallion to stallion. Lead the way.”

Pip took his friend out of the kitchen to the farmhouse’s sturdy but vocally creaky rear porch. As the screen door slammed
shut behind them Rarity returned to stirring the kettle and, with a kindly but dismissive wave to Applejack, began to shred the apples as well; allowing the rancher to aid her son in his monumental task.

“Alrighty Gus. Let a pro teach ya how ta do it.” Applejack said as she took her son’s seat and gestured for him to hop onto her lap.

Gust obliged as the chair groaned under the little pegasus’ added weight before he redirected his focus on the apple. His mother snapped the peeler on with the deftness of a practiced hoof. Reaching around Gust, she pinned the apple to the table with alternating amounts of pressure which allowed her to spin it as she swept the fruit’s surface with smooth downward strokes. Gust watched with relative neutrality which gave way to interest and eventually moderate shock as Applejack placed her hooves down after a blistering ten seconds to reveal a peeled apple.

“That’s how ya do it lil’ cowpony.”

“Wow…that was awesome mommy! How’d you do it?”

“Mare power lil’ stallion.” Applejack said with a wink and another chuckle as Gust responded with a pout.

“Naw sugarcube, it’s an earth pony method. We had ta figger out ways to do stuff like this without no fancy magic. No offense Rarity!” Applejack called over her shoulder.

“None taken darling.” Rarity replied without looking away from her work.

“Anyway we been doin’ things like this for awhile now. So like I was sayin’ we’ve had more time ta perfect it.”

“But daddy’s good at it and he’s a pegasus like me!” Gust protested.

“Who do ya think taught him honey?” Applejack replied with a smirk.

“Can you teach me mom?”

“It’d be mah pleasure.” Applejack pulled an apple within reach. Gust reattached his peeler which he had removed before the impromptu battle. As he leaned over the apple, his mother instructed him in the traditional earth pony technique.
“It’s all about balance honey. Pressin’ on the apple hard enough so it don’t roll away but not so hard that ya can’t spin it and pressin’ with the peeler hard enough so that the skin comes off but not so hard that it digs in underneath.”

Gust attempted to utilize the instructions and managed to remove another quarter of the skin before he started to slip. As frustration began to manifest on his face, Applejack leaned forward and gently placed her hoof on top of his; providing the extra pressure needed to hold the apple down.

“You’re gettin’ it sugarcube. Keep goin’ Ah’ll help ya.” The earth pony encouraged.

Gust resumed his work with his tongue leaping to the opposite sides of his mouth. As he and Applejack slowly spun the apple under their hooves, the colt turned to his mother and asked “Mom since you’re and earth pony and daddy’s a pegasus…does that mean I’m half and half?”

Applejack blinked before smiling at her son. “Naw Gust. You’re one hundred percent high flyin’ pegasus. When an earth pony and a pegasus have a foal, the little one ends up bein’ one way r’ the other.”

“But what about aunt Pinkie’s friend Pumpkin Cake? Her mom and dad are earth ponies but she's not.”

“Well sometimes if somepony has a grandparent or a great grandparent or even a great great grandparent who was a different kind of pony, then their younguns’ can be like their ancestors.”

“What’s an ancestor?” Gust asked with an arched eyebrow.

“That’s fancy talk for a grandparent or somepony who came before them.” Applejack explained.

“So Pumpkin Cake’s ancestors must have been unicorns?”

“Right Gus. Or at least one of em'.” Applejack was satisfied with her son’s quick comprehension. They had already finished peeling the current apple. As his mother patted his withers to demonstrate how impressed she was, Gust had already grabbed another apple and proceeded to peel it on his own. Reaching around him, Applejack did the same. They continued to work methodically as the oatmeal bubbled and their strokes on the apples’ surfaces matched Rarities rhythmic shredding which was only interrupted occasionally by the unicorn’s tossing of an apple with a previously overlooked blemish into a compost-bound basket of skins and nut husks. The sweet scent in the kitchen was spreading to the living room and drawing comments from therein that attested to its allure.

“Smells awesome in there!”

“That’s dusty apple oatmeal ain’t it?”

“Great idea, that’s perfect for fall!”

“…Rarity you know that oatmeal splatters leave permanent stains right? Like they set in so deep that you can’t get them out even if you used…I dunno, dragon f-fire?”

The last voice, which bore a melodic quality even when it was laced with goading sarcasm, had broken into giggles which were quickly accompanied by the remainder of the room’s occupants. Maintaining an unflappable composure and without even looking up, despite a game smile playing on her lips, Rarity responded “I’m not sure who that was but I just want to let Sweetie Belle know that shredded apples with cinnamon have been known to make even the most powerful singing voices reminiscent of a kazoo. So I’ll be sure to fix you some plain bread and warm water darling.”

As the laughter redoubled in the sitting room coupled with sarcastic chuckles from the young diva that had been addressed, Applejack shook her head slowly with a grin that she failed to suppress. Gust, meanwhile, was glancing thoughtfully toward the room and then became lost in thought. Applejack noticed her son’s uncharacteristic silence and broached “You ok Gussy? Ya look like yur meanderin’ through a durn deep daydream or somethin’…”

His peeler struggled through a final patch of skin before he paused and then looked back at his mother.

“Mom, why did earth ponies sometimes give away their foals if they were pegasuss’s…pegasusesss…if they had wings?” Gust finished.

Applejack’s eyes widened momentarily and Rarity subtly perked an ear in their direction. The farm pony recovered from the rattling inquiry before looking down at her son with an intent expression and responded. “Now what’s got ya’ll wonderin’ about somethin’ like that?”

“I heard daddy talking to Grandpa and Grandma Updraft about it one time.”

“What exactly did they say sugarcube?”

“They talked about how he flew up to Cloudsdale when he was a baby in a basket with a bunch of balloons. I was in his lap falling asleep and he must have thought I already was. I just don’t get it…wh…why would anypony do that to a baby mommy?”

Applejack had set both of her hooves down beside the nicked cutting board and was carefully searching for a suitable answer. The bearer of the Element of Honesty had always lived up to her title in that verity came naturally to her. Therefore, she frequently found herself driven to a fairly pitched frustration when her son posed questions such as the quandary she currently dealt with. When he did so, the frank farm pony was forced, to her husband’s amiable amusement, to deliberate to an excruciating degree on the queries and how to broach their solutions to little Gust without frightening or upsetting him. Regardless of the mental exertion they required to answer, however, Applejack was unfailingly impressed each time her colt asked them and was determined to satisfy his curiosity.

Sighing as she prepared to speak, Applejack replied “Here’s the thing Gussy, and ya really need to understand this cuz it’s important…grown-ups, even moms and dads make mistakes sometimes.”

Gust was now utterly focused on his mother’s exposition and even Rarity had dropped any pretense of stealth as she listened.

“We do.” Applejack continued with a shrug at her son’s disbelieving expression. “Maws and Paws sometimes end up bringin’ a foal into the world that they’re just not ready to take care of. And sometimes, and this Ah just can’t understand at all, they’re ready for a little colt or filly but then when the little one is born, just because the parents aren’t happy with the fact that the baby has wings or a horn…then they don’t want em’. That’s what happened to daddy.”

“It’s not just earth ponies either Gust. Unicorns have been known to give away pegasi and earth pony babies as well.” Rarity added, trying to soften the blow.

Nodding appreciatively, Applejack finished “and Ah know that some Pegasi have the same problem with babies that don’t have wings. It ain’t right huhn, it really ain’t…but it does happen like that sometimes. Ya at least sorta get it?”

“…I guess so.” Gust answered tentatively.

Applejack patted him on the back before returning to her peeling. Rarity looked back at the cauldron and stirred listlessly as she mulled over the melancholy subject. Gust picked out his last apple and worked methodically. He believed that he understood what had happened to his father and other babies in similar situations. As peeling steadily became more difficult due to his shaking hooves and eyes which were now blurred with welling tears, however, he found himself thinking about Soarin’ and how heart-broken he himself would have been if his parents had not wanted him. Seeing his withers heaving and hearing his choked sobs as this horrid thought took hold, Applejack immediately turned him to face her asking in alarm “Gussy whatsa matter?”

“D-daddy must have been so s-sad when he found out…I wish they could have l-loved him” Gust managed to blubber.

Rarity had a hoof over her muzzle and was failing in her effort not to start crying herself. Though Applejack was stunned, in quick succession she removed her bracelet rigging and gathered Gust in a hug.

“Oh…oh huhney. Shhh it’s ok, it’s ok shhhh.” She cooed, rubbing her hoof up and down through his little mane.

Gust bawled softly into his mother’s chest while she gradually calmed him. Rarity slowly approached the pair and placed a hoof on the young pegasus’ back. When his breathing had slowed and his sobs became sprinkled with hiccups, which Rarity could not help but find adorable, the unicorn assured her nephew that Soarin’ had not found out until he was older.

“For what it’s worth darling, that probably made it easier on him.”

“She’s right ya know sugarcube. Grandma and Grandpa Updraft may have only been his adoptive maw and paw but they loved him just like he was their own.”

Gust sniffled and wiped his snout before shakily smiling at his mother and favorite honorary aunt. “I guess you’re right…” As he trailed, however, off his face fell again.

Sensing his continued distress, Applejack then reassured her colt. “But Gust, there’s something else I want you to know. This is even more important than what I told ya before huhn. Though stuff like that does happen, even though it absolutely shouldn’t…you need to understand that it will never, ever happen to you.”

Gust stared at his mother with moist eyes. He had not realized how desperately he needed to hear that.

“We’re gonna disagree. We’re gonna fight. We’re gonna get mad at each other. But you bein’ born was one of the two happiest moments of my life, right along with marryin’ your daddy…and Ah’m tellin’ you right now, and Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever meant anythin’ so much in my life, your dad and I will always love you.”

“I speak for the rest of the extended family when I say that we do too Gusty.” Rarity added as she wiped her own eyes. Applejack nodded gratefully.

Gust was ecstatic. As Rarity and Applejack surrounded him in another warm embrace, he found that he felt genuinely safe. As they pulled back and rubbed his withers gently, any trace of tears happily vanished.

“Well look at you, feelin’ better n’ all,” Applejack noted as Gust affirmed her observation. “How bout’ we finish up these apples? You're gettin' good at it Gussy.”

Rarity kissed her nephew on the forehead before remarking “That's perfect. The oatmeal's almost finished and by the time we get your apples in it should be ready.” as she trotted over to peek in the cauldron.

A huge cheer suddenly erupted from the back porch, seemingly to complement this prediction. As Gust and Applejack laughed at Soarin’ and Pip’s timing before turning to finish their last fruits, Rarity muttered something about stallions thinking with their stomachs before turning back to the cauldron. As she added the final garnishes to the feast, she kept stealing glances at her old friend and her immensely happier son. Watching the beautiful colt as he and his mother laughed their way through a mundane autumn task, she had to make a conscious effort not to weep with joy.

Soarin’ and Pip gamboled into the kitchen. The pegasus stallion was ruffling the mane of the younger earth pony and praising him extensively. By now the dusty apple oatmeal was ready as Big Macintosh took the cauldron’s wooden handle in his teeth and turned to the dining room with Rarity close behind bearing a trivet. Pip offered to inform those in the sitting room that breakfast was ready. As he trotted off, Soarin’ strolled over to his wife. As Gust jumped onto his back and hugged his neck, which Soarin’ responded to with a nuzzle before turning to the orange mare, he whispered something to Applejack.

Following a gasp and a wide smile she excitedly asked “he told you?! When’s he gonna do it??”

“He said he’s gonna wait for an ideal moment this weekend when we’re all together. I think we’ll know when it’s happening.” Soarin’ replied as he kissed his beloved passionately before turning to Gust. “Hey bud, let’s go wake up Granny Smith!”

“OK! Giddyup!”

Applejack watched them charge off to awaken her aging grandmother who had taken to sleeping later in recent months. It was normal for the time of year when the temperature started to drop. Nonetheless, the farm pony could not deny that Granny Smith was getting older.

“Seein’ Gussy always does perk her up though.” She reflected with a tender smile. “And boy howdy…I can’t wait to see how Pip does it.” She then trotted off to the dining room which was rapidly filling with ravenous but cheerful ponies.

The Settlement of Loyalties

by LeeWhiteField

Cloudy over Ponyville

Bustling in Canterlot

A bite in the air

Fun in the Fall: