//------------------------------// // Chapter 64 // Story: Princess Twilight Sparkle's School for Fantastic Foals // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// Suffering from sweaty frogs, Sumac sat there, waiting, aware that almost every pony present was staring at him, with the exception of Pinkie Pie, who had pulled the cinnamon buns from the oven and was now fanning them with a newspaper to get them to cool off a bit. Vinyl was just staring at him. He didn’t know her very well and he trusted Pebble that this was a good idea. “I don’t know if this is a good idea,” Octavia said in a low voice filled with concern. “Vinyl, this is a lot of responsibility… this isn’t something you can just play around at and then give up on when you get bored.” Looking angry and annoyed, Vinyl lifted up her chalk and began writing on the floor, it seemed that her slate wasn’t going to be large enough. Her nostrils flared as she wrote and both of her front legs made feeble twitches. Sumac was forced to get out of the way to give her enough room to write. You owe me an apology! You seem to think that I am responsible enough to become a parent, because it is something that YOU wanted, I was hesitant to agree to it, but I allowed you to talk me into it, because it made you happy. But being a mentor? Being a teacher? Being a master? A proud unicorn tradition? I’m not responsible enough for that? You can just bite me! The room filled with an uncomfortable tension and Sumac felt bad for bringing this about. He looked over at Octavia, who was slumped over and looked very ashamed. Pinny Lane had her lips pursed together into a tight pucker of anger or annoyance. Tarnish was holding Pebble, and he looked just a little stunned. Maud had no readable expression. Pinkie was still fanning her buns to cool them off. Sumac, whose emotions were running a little off kilter as of late, felt tears stinging his eyes. At this moment, right now, he didn’t want to be here anymore. Ignoring the dull ache in his shoulders, he got up and headed for the door as Pebble said something that he could not hear to her father. The little colt never made it to the doorway of the kitchen, something grabbed him by the tail and dragged him back, causing his hooves to scrape over the crude stone floor. Much to his surprise, he found himself on Vinyl’s cushion and she was trying to hug him. Her movements were slow, jerky, and pained. She was still staring at Octavia with a heated glare and Sumac allowed himself to be held, fearing that trying to resist Vinyl might hurt her somehow. She seemed fragile and it scared him. “I messed up,” Octavia admitted, bowing her head. “You sure did,” Maud agreed. “I didn’t think my words through and now I find myself in a very bad situation.” Octavia’s voice was hitching and she couldn’t meet the gaze of anypony around her. “I find myself wanting to make excuses for what I’ve done, but as I think about them, I realise how insulting they might sound. So I am left with nothing to do but apologise.” As Sumac sat there with Vinyl, the words on the floor vanished into a cloud of chalk dust. “I offer my most humble apology.” Octavia lifted her head and looked over at Vinyl. “I messed up. You have every right to be upset with me right now. Even worse, I spoiled this moment for Sumac as well, and I was wrong for doing so. I don’t know what came over me.” Vinyl’s chalk began scratching out words on the floor once more. In the past, I have been irresponsible. I have started things and got bored with them. I’ll admit to that. Like my hobby of model trains. Or building ships in bottles. Or wanting to become a steam engine mechanic when I got burned out on music. But I never got bored of you. Blinking away tears, Octavia nodded and then wiped her eyes with her foreleg. I accept your apology, but you owe me. We’ll discuss my terms later, when we are by ourselves. Vinyl Scratch struggled to sit up a bit more on her cushion and she winced with pain. She wrote down even more words on the floor, not caring about graffiti. As for you, Sumac, I look forward to making your life miserable. “Really?” Sumac wasn’t sure what to feel, but feeling alarmed was a good start. Vinyl nodded and offered a pained smile. Sumac was about to say more when knocking was heard. He lapsed into silence and sat there with Vinyl as Maud got up to answer the door. Vinyl was doing something with his mane, but he didn’t mind. She seemed to be shaping it into a mohawk, something that was certain to get Trixie’s dander up. There were faint voices in the other room, but Sumac couldn’t make them out. The sound of clopping hooves filled the air as Octavia tried to compose herself. A second later, an orange blur moved through the kitchen and a somewhat battered Stetson fell down to the stone floor, causing a cloud of chalk dust to rise. Sumac hardly had time to even react as Applejack grabbed him and pulled him out of Vinyl’’s embrace. For a moment, Sumac was certain that he was about to be crushed by the over-emotional earth pony, but was then surprised by her gentleness. “I was so scared!” Applejack closed her eyes and began crying on the inside, but a few tears somehow escaped to the outside. “Rainbow just keeps bragging about how awesome she is and how she saved you. For once, I just don’t have the heart to tell her to shut up and stop bragging.” “I was almost applesauce,” Sumac whispered as Applejack squeezed him. “Don’t say that!” Applejack sounded angry and scared all at once. “Is Big Mac okay? What about Hidden Rose and Ambrosia? How is Granny Smith?” “We’re all fine.” Applejack sniffled a bit and rubbed one foreleg up and down Sumac’s spine. “Granny Smith is looking after my girls and Big Mac is helping to clean up. I was too, but then I found out that you were here and I had to see that you were okay with my own eyes.” “Hiya Applejack, wanna stay for breakfast? Apple cinnamon oatmeal and cinnamon buns!” Pinkie Pie, still fanning her hot, steaming buns, turned her head to look at Applejack. With a mock-whisper and an eyebrow waggle, Pinkie Pie said to Applejack, “Somepony has a special somepony!” “Say what?” Applejack’s sniffles ceased and her brilliant green eyes went wide. With a slow movement, her head angled downward and she looked right into Sumac’s eyes. She blinked a few times, then asked, “And what do you have to say about this, Cousin?” “As Pebble and I were falling to our deaths, I asked her if she wanted to be my special somepony.” Sumac’s voice was a hushed, hard to hear whisper. When Applejack’s snoot pressed into his, he added, “I found myself a sensible earth pony.” “Well, I don’t know about sensible.” A relieved grin spread over Applejack’s features, making her cheeks bulge into the bottoms of her eyes. Turning her head, Applejack looked over at Pebble, who was hiding her face against her father’s neck. After a moment, she returned her attention to Sumac, and their snoots bumped again. Applejack began giggling and she gave Sumac a happy squeeze. “I can’t stay long. Too much work to do. Ponyville needs me. I’ll let Mac and the others know that you are okay and that you have a special somepony.” Sumac let out a groan as Applejack released him. “Pinkie, I’d love to stay for breakfast, but there is just too much work to be done. It’s fall, it gets cold at night, and cider season is upon us. There just ain’t enough hours in my day.” Applejack collected her hat, dusted it off, and set it back upon her head. “Y’all keep him safe, ya hear?” “We’ll do our best,” Maud replied, “but who keeps him safe from Pebble? She’s a menace.” “I gots to go.” Applejack, laughing, snorting, and tossing her head around, strolled out of the kitchen, off to return to work. “Goodbye, y’all, and welcome back to Ponyville. Mind the mess!” And with that, Applejack was gone. There was a visible, rotund bulge in Sumac’s stomach and he knew that he had eaten too much. His muzzle was sticky and he was too full to care. It was a struggle to even breathe. As much as he had eaten, Pebble had eaten even more, but her mother, Maud, destroyed her breakfast in a ravenous frenzy and was now looking around for more food. “The grocery bill is going to be astronomical with two hungry and pregnant earth ponies,” Pinny Lane muttered as she wiped her own muzzle. “I’m in the mood for pumpkin,” Maud deadpanned. “Like pie?” Tarnish asked. “No, just a pumpkin.” Maud blinked a few times and then eyed her husband’s still unfinished meal. She licked her lips and then just sat there, looking hungry. It was a good thing that Pinkie Pie had more buns cooking in the oven, or so Sumac thought. Far too full and overwhelmed, he had trouble dealing with social moments centered around mealtime. He and Trixie made for a very small family and he felt out of place during times like these, or mealtimes with the Apples. Feeling troubled, Sumac thought about all of the food purchased at the Ponyville Pickle Palace. It was gone now. The wagon, his books, what few possessions he had were now gone. This was supposed to be a happy time and he felt guilty for feeling both sad and put out. He did his best to hide it and just stared down at the floor as he tried to hold it all in. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Pebble asked as she sat down beside Sumac. “Nothing.” Sumac didn’t raise his head or look at Pebble. “Don’t be like that.” Pebble’s voice was soft and held just a hint of emotion. Aware that he was once more the center of attention, Sumac squirmed where he sat and then blinked a few times. His glasses were dirty and needed cleaning. It felt as though the floodgates were going to open at any time and Sumac wasn’t sure if he was going to start crying or have a tantrum. For now, the beast, its nature unknown, was lurking. “Everything is gone,” Sumac said in a low voice. “It’s all burnt up. I didn’t have much to start with, but it is all gone. The wagon, our house, my books, my collection of tombstone rubbings, it all went up in smoke. Big Mac and I built that wagon.” “No… no… no… I don’t wanna cry anymore!” Without warning, Pinkie Pie shot off in a pink blur, leaving behind a faint pink outline that lasted for a fraction of a second, and then dissipated. She was gone, out of earshot, off to sort herself out in private. “I think somepony needs his mother.” Maud, her muzzle still sticky from the remains of Tarnish’s cinnamon bun, looked over at Sumac and Pebble. “I’ll take him home,” Octavia offered. Vinyl tapped on her barrel with her hoof to indicate that she was coming too. “I’ll get the little two wheeled cart set up to carry Vinyl.” Pinny looked around the kitchen and with a sad sounding sigh, she added, “As much as I want to spend time with you all, my community needs me. My magic might be useful.” “Ponyville keeps getting wrecked.” Tarnish looked down at Maud, who had her face in his bowl of oatmeal. With a soft, loving touch, he stroked her neck. “I say this knowing that I have been responsible for wrecking it.” “A few times,” Octavia said in a somewhat sarcastic voice. “Accidental.” Tarnish held up his hoof and made a dismissive gesture in Octavia’s direction. “And one of those times, it was Pinkie’s fault, she dropped the punchbowl. I hope she’s okay. One of us should check on her.” “In time,” Maud replied with her mouth full. “If we did it now, she’d scream at us to get out. She’s a little moody.” Raising her eyebrows, Octavia nodded. “We’re all a little moody.” “Yes, but we are moody together.” Pinny let heave a sigh, then got up to get the cart ready. She ambled her way out of the kitchen, her long skinny legs moving in short steps. “I’m coming with you.” Pebble did not even bother to ask for permission, but just made her desires known. “I’m worried about you, Sumac. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you seem even moodier than normal, and that’s understandable. I don’t know how to help you, but I can be with you.” “Thanks, Pebble.” “Thanks for calling me a sensible earth pony, Sumac.” “Don’t mention it.” Sumac punctuated his words with an exhausted yawn as he fought to keep his head from drooping. Sleeping, even napping, was a terrible idea. He had no idea what he might dream of next and he didn’t wish to find out, either. “I’ll be going too. I need to speak with Princess Celestia and I think she needs to speak to me.” Tarnish patted Maud on the neck again as she licked his oatmeal bowl clean. “Plus, I need to say thank you to Gorgonzola. I wonder if Grey Owl is around?”