The Tale of Lord Barleycorn
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Chapter 33: When pigs fly... Part 2.
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"Well, after the doctor and the Mayor had left, I decided to just keep working with the foals." Twilight levitated the sugar over to her, maybe it would help her tea. "I sort of forgot that I was dealing with a dozen farm-foals who hadn’t heard about me becoming a princess..."
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The polite smile Twilight had worn for the sake of keeping her chat with Dr. Nova and Silver Lining a cordial one dropped the moment they turned to leave. She could see the two of them whispering harshly to each other as they headed up the boardwalk. The doctor’s hooves betrayed his growing agitation as they occasionally came down hard on the wooden planks in an exceptionally loud ‘clomp.’
The exact topic of their conversation was unclear, but Twilight surmised it was likely rooted in Dr. Nova’s taciturn, borderline rude attitude while in the presence of a princess. Whatever the case, Twilight was simply glad that she wasn’t part of this bickering between the two stallions.
A quick useage of Celestia’s breathing exercise calmed Twilight’s nerves. She had told the foals to rest while she spoke to the mayor and the doctor, and she had expected them to play a game or read their lines until she could devote her full attention to their supervision.
She had not anticipated a fight to break out.
The foals were tightly gathered around two earth pony colts. The pair were up on their hind legs, with their front hooves pressed together as they violently shoved and heaved against each other with all their might.
Twilight rushed forward to intercede, but stopped when she noticed how the other foals were actually cheering the colts on.
A memory rose to the forefront of Twilight’s mind as she watched the two colts shove each other. Although she herself had never participated in any schoolyard fights, Twilight had witnessed a few before her private tutelage under Celestia began. Those fights had been chaotic, with each foal bucking, kicking, and biting; using language that would get her mouth washed out with soap.
What these colts were doing, on the other hoof, looked positively restrained when compared to those foalhood scuffles. Rather than actually trying to harm each other, the colts were trying to overpower one another just by the use of the muscles in their forelegs. And all of this while balancing on two legs!
Twilight could easily imagine Applejack and Rainbow Dash doing this.
A well timed shove by one of the colts sent the other reeling back on his hind hooves, he frantically waved his forelegs in a desperate act to rebalance himself but ended up flopping on his side in the soft grass. His opponent laughed and dropped to all fours, his peers congratulating him with some light cheering.
"Ha ha River Stone, I told you I could topple you!" The victor laughed, though he did offer a hoof to help the fallen colt up.
River Stone snorted, his young pride clearly wounded as he stood up on his own. "I was distracted by the Princess, Silver Saw, I want a rematch."
"No, you’re just mad because this is the first time you’ve lost a game of Topple the King." Silver Saw then bent an ear towards River Stone, "Now what’re you forgetting?"
River Stone curled his lips and growled in frustration, but reluctantly muttered, "Your majesty..."
This pleased the other colt who grinned smugly, "That’s better."
"What’s this about him calling you ‘your majesty?’" Twilight dumbly asked.
Silver Saw turned to Twilight, "Oh you know, when you beat somepony at Topple The King he has to call you your majesty for the rest of the day, or ‘les he topples you back. ‘Course I’ve never beaten River Stone at it before..."
River Stone showed how humble we was in defeat by glaring daggers at the back of Silver Saw’s head.
Twilight was relieved to learn that what she had indeed just witnessed what Applejack would refer to as ‘colts being colts.’ Still, she had never heard of this game before. She wasn’t exactly extroverted as a foal, but she thought she had known all the schoolyard games foals liked to play.
Of course, she had seen the state of the local schoolhouse the day before. The playground equipment they had been due for replacement many years ago, and that’s not even taking the outdated teaching material into account. If all the foals had to play with were a stream, a single jump rope, and a small grove of trees, she supposed they may have had to make up new games from what they had available.
Twilight showed the foals a patient smile, "I, um, yes I’ve heard of that. Congratulations on winning, ‘your majesty.’"
River Stone broke eye contact with Twilight to scuff the ground with his hoof. He kept his smile, though Twilight was able to make out the barest hint of a blush in his cheeks.
"Cute. I guess he’s probably not used to getting a compliment from a princess." Twilight suppressed a giggle, "Makes me wonder what Princess Celestia thought of me when I was a little filly."
Pushing her idle thoughts aside, Twilight addressed the entirety of the foals, "I’m glad to see you all enjoyed your break while I talked to the mayor. But we should get back to rehearsing for tomorrow."
"Shouldn’t we wait for Lord Barleycorn?" A small pegasus filly, asked.
Again, Twilight put on a patient smile she practiced when dealing with the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"I don’t really know how long he’ll be gone, but I think it would be best if we stayed on task." Twilight explained, "Besides, wouldn’t he be impressed to see how far you’ve come without him?"
The foals chatted to each other, seeming to agree with her suggestion. Many of them had already began to move back to the stage when she noticed one earth pony filly with a mane of short, bright pink hair had stayed behind.
"Can I ask you a question, Princess Twilight?" Thistle Bloom asked.
Twilight didn’t see what was wrong with a simple question, "Sure you can."
Thistle Bloom gestured towards Twilight’s side, "I heard from one of your friends that you used to be a unicorn. Did it hurt when you got those wings?"
The majority of the foals that hadn’t ventured back to the stage drew closer to Twilight, half-surrounding her with poorly hidden curiosity in their eyes. Those that hadn’t been privy to Thistle Bloom’s knowledge about Twilight’s origins whispered about how a unicorn could have become an Alicorn like Celestia.
"No, it didn’t hurt when I got them," Twilight said as she extended her wings for the foals to get a better look, "They just sort of… appeared when it was all over. I probably wouldn’t have noticed having them at all if my friends hadn’t pointed them out."
A hopeful smile grew on Thistle Bloom’s muzzle, "Oh, so anypony could get wings, and a maybe a horn too?"
The more Twilight thought about it, the more possible it seemed, though not without a great amount of dedication and even more magical study. To her it always seemed like somepony else should have achieved this ‘ascension’ within the last thousand years, regardless of what kind of pony they were. However, whenever she tried to question Princess Celestia on the topic, the elder princess would artfully steer the conversation onto some other topic. Even Cadence had never spoken of how she came to be an alicorn.
Still, Twilight didn’t want to flat-out tell this filly ‘I don’t know.’
"I suppose, although a new princess doesn’t happen very often. I didn’t set out to become one, it just sorta happened while I was trying to help my friends." Twilight smiled, pleased with her own answer as she drew her wings back in.
The purple-maned filly scratched the back of her head, "So if I keep doing what I’m doing now, which I’d be doing anyway… I could be a princess?"
Twilight’s smile faltered, "Erm, maybe?"
Rather than be excited like Twilight hoped, the foal just looked confused.
Thankfully, this line of questioning was ended when an excited colt shot his hoof up, "So, if you were Princess Celestia’s student, then you should know almost everything!"
Normally Twilight didn’t like interruptions, but this was the perfect escape from this awkward question.
"I know a lot of things, but there’s always more to learn." Twilight humbly stated.
The colt’s grin widened to almost Pinkie Pie levels of glee, "Then you must know all kinds of stories about Forest Spirits!"
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"And from that point on it was a nightmare until Lord Barleycorn came back. All they wanted to talk about were ghost stories." Twilight muttered as she sipped her tea, thankfully three spoonfuls of sugar had been enough to improve its taste.
Twilight’s ears bent back in embarrassment as she continued, "All I could think of off the top of my head was to tell them the story of the Headless Horse. Then they just started talking about some spirit called the ‘Dullahan’ that-"
"That pulls the Death Carriage and swings a pony’s spine as a whip, that all locks and doors open at their approach and it carries you off to the land of the dead." Applejack gave a bored sigh, "Basic ol’ Bogeymare stuff, Twi."
"A pony’s spine?" Rainbow blinked, "I think I’ve heard this one. Is this the same spook that if it hits you with the whip you’re supposed to drop dead?"
Applejack gave a casual shake of her head, "Nah, it just whips your eyes out with it, an’ that’s only if ya look at it when it passes ya. Now if’n it calls out yer name, that’s when ya drop dead."
Across the table Rarity looked absolutely rankled by this turn in the conversation. She was never a fan of the rustic folk tales of Earth Ponies, and even less for ghost stories, but whomever had come up with such ghastly stories had to be a truly unbalanced pony.
"And the ponies of Hollow Shades tell their foals these stories?" Rarity said with disgust.
"Eh, Ah was brought up on these stories and Ah turned out okay." Applejack shrugged, "Big Mac used to scare me with ‘em when Ah was young, an’ Granny told me her Pah used to spook her with ‘em when she was young. It’s almost traditional at this point."
Rarity’s brow furrowed as she reached for her drink, "Well I hope that spirit is only a story. I would very much prefer not to see a headless carriage driver."
Applejack glanced over to Rainbow, and the two shared a devious smirk.
"An’ here Ah didn’t even get to the part about it carries its rottin’ head in its saddlebag." Applejack said with mock-disappointment.
Rarity rightly closed her eyes as she tried to focus on her drink and not Applejack.
"Or how it’s supposed to have the odor and consistency of mouldy cheese." Rainbow added, speaking loudly so Rarity wouldn’t be able to ignore her.
For a moment Rarity’s fresh, sweet-tasting water had an unpleasant, sour tang that made her throat close and nearly gag. Regardless of this taste being fact or a product of her sensitivity towards certain smells, Rarity spat her mouthful of water back into her glass. She then leveled a heated glare at her two friends as best she could between bouts of clearing her throat.
Rarity only wished she had the forethought of ‘innocently’ lowering her glass before spitting, then Applejack and Rainbow would have gotten the reaction they wanted, and she would have spat on them. It would have been a perfect example of the zebra concept of ‘karma.’
It might have also kept the pair from laughing at her.
"That’s quite enough you two." Twilight said firmly, "I thought that was a bit much when the foals talked about it."
"Eh, lighten up Twilight." Rainbow laughed as she leaned back into her chair, "So you had a bad time with the foals. What about when he showed back up?"
Twilight sighed in annoyance, it was probably best to just continue with her conversation than to dwell on their tasteless teasing.
"What happened? Nothing really." Twilight’s wandered down to her reflection in her tea, "He showed up, and the foals got right back to the play. They pestered him a little for a song and a new ghost story but he insisted they get to work. After that it was all business. I tried asking him questions, like how he knew the princesses, but everything he told me was… pretty vague."
"Vague how?" Fluttershy inquired.
Twilight’s horn glowed, and a few scraps of paper lifted themselves from the bag that rested near her chair. After a quick glance at them, Twilight selected the one she wanted and returned the others to her bag.
"Let’s see... He told me that he met Princess Celestia many Autumns ago when-" Twilight cleared her throat, "-And I quote; ‘The wind was sweet and the leaves were the color of warm honey. When magic and wonder were one and the dawn had put my labors to shame. I do so miss our conversations, but she has her stewardship and me my eternal rigadoon. Perhaps next year our paths will cross, or the next, who is to say?’"
A smile returned to Rarity's face, "My, how poetic. He does seem to hold the Princess in high regard."
Twilight looked further down the paper at the other answers Lord Barleycorn had given her, or at least the ones she was able to to write down. They ranged from colorful works of diction to foalish jokes, but they all explained very little.
"I have no doubt that he does," Twilight said, her eyes finally drifting away from the parchment, "He seems like a very erudite, intelligent being, but the more I talked to him the more questions seemed to pop up."
Twilight gave a dissatisfied shrug, "The foals did a great job, by the way. They already knew most of their lines and it was just a matter of teaching them the behind the scenes work. But when he left me alone with them things became a mess. At least it sounds like everypony at this table was productive."
"And I think we can put that whole ‘scarecrow eating rabbits’ business behind us." Rarity said, "I am completely convinced that Lord Barleycorn could never do such a savage act."
Twilight timidly nodded her head, "I’m willing to grant my trust after spending the day with him. He’s confusing, sure, but he’s hardly menacing. I’d be more worried about the doctor’s attitude during this festival than him."
Rainbow snorted, "Speaking of the doc, there’s been something bugging me about him..."
"You mean his attitude or the smell of liquor?" Twilight asked flatly.
Rainbow thought for a second, "Not that... well, yeah those are both bad too, but I’m talking about his name. It’s a flashy, aerial formation that stunt fliers used to use all the time."
"So it’s a Wonderbolt thing?" Pinkie asked, not really sure if she was connecting the dots.
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Pfft, no. The Wonderbolts would never used that old maneuver. From what I’ve heard through the grapevine, even their insurance wouldn’t cover everything if something went wrong."
Rainbow looked around the table, and sighed when she saw each of her friends were giving her a silent, clueless look.
"Alright, I guess you’ve never heard of a ‘Cherry Nova.’" Rainbow rubbed her forehooves together as she went over the maneuver in her head, "It’s only done in underground, independent circuits these days since it involves a ton of flash powder. The Wonderbolts haven’t used that stuff in their routines in like, twenty years."
"Flash powder?" The term didn’t mean anything to Applejack, so she turned to Twilight.
"It’s a mild explosive, and I say ‘mild’ very tentatively, because it can be used to make anything from tiny firecrackers to the biggest legal fireworks." Twilight looked to Rainbow with a concerned look, "You don’t mean they used an actual, literal ton of the stuff right? That would probably level a building."
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Pfft, no. I’m just sayin’ this uses a lot of it. I dunno what they mix it with to keep it from dispersing, but for this trick they do use huge amounts of it. I don’t know the specifics."
Rainbow gave a shrug before continuing, "Anyway, a ‘Cherry Nova’ is usually reserved for when a team of fliers are wrapping up a show. They fly in tight circles wearing opened saddlebags filled with colored flash powder that leaves trails of red dust behind them. They do this, eventually turning the circles into all sorts of loops and spirals until they have a big cloud of the stuff hanging at a... reasonably safe distance from the crowd."
An excited smile slowly formed on Rainbow’s face as she continued, "Once the cloud’s big enough, they meet at the bottom and spiral up through it, dumping the rest of their powder before they ignite it. If they time it right, they all fly straight up and out of danger while the crowd gets to see a huge red star in the sky for a whole ten seconds."
Twilight’s mouth fell open, "You mean they actually ignite huge amounts of flash powder, while they’re flying around in it? That’s insane!"
Rainbow only chuckled, "Yeah, these are stunt ponies, after all. The kind of pegasi that fly through hailstorms, and spit out broken glass when they crash. My dad used to take me to see them perform all the time when I was really little."
"Well that explains a lot about you..." Rarity whispered under her breath.
Rainbow cocked an eyebrow at the white unicorn, "Huh?"
"Sorry, Darling," Rarity said delicately, "I said that’s all fascinating, but I don’t see how it matters if the doctor shares a name with this death-defying maneuver. His behavior has no bearing on that little fact."
"Maybe, but I think a little positive reinforcement couldn’t hurt." Fluttershy offered, "It can’t be good for him to live like this."
At this, Twilight nodded.
Rarity let out a sigh and took her glass in her magic. She needed a sip to wet her throat for what she had to say. Thankfully, it tasted sweet and refreshing without any hint of imagined foulness.
"While I would normally agree and say we should aid somepony, I believe we have too much on our plate as it is." Rarity began, "Despite our efforts, we have merely given this town a good push when what it needs a full running start. We’ve built a stage, ensured the young actors can perform at their best, and advertised food and fun in a, shall we say, unique environment. Do you think there is really time to help a grump like that better himself when we have a whole town’s future to consider?"
"Maybe not now, no, but maybe after." Twilight answered, "It’s worth a try."
"And again, I would agree with you Twilight." Rarity leaned against the table, "Normally I would be all for helping some poor soul, and I know this is not a very nice thing to say… but we cannot be responsible for everypony’s happiness. Some ponies… simply don’t want to be helped."
Applejack opened her mouth to respond, but slowly settled back into her chair as she retreated into her own thoughts.
This didn’t go unnoticed by Fluttershy, who became concerned by the way Applejack was sullenly staring down at the table. There was no doubt in Fluttershy’s mind that Applejack was thinking of the harsh words she had received from her relatives. But, whether Applejack was thinking of Summer or Carrot Top was anypony’s guess.
While she had worked with the spiders, Fluttershy had toyed with the idea of going back to the Harvest farm to speak with Roseluck or Carrot Top in hopes that attitudes had cooled. However, the little spiders needed her gentle suggestions on weaving their delicate webs. Leaving her new eight-legged friends simply hadn’t been an option, especially since the crows would likely eat them while they worked.
She was surprised that Roseluck, Lily Valley, and Daisy had not ventured into town to see Lord Barleycorn. Maybe they were too scared of him? Knowing their proclivity toward panick, maybe it was a good thing that they had stayed on the farm. But, maybe they had been in town and Fluttershy simply hadn’t seen them. Maybe her friends did?
Sadly, Fluttershy didn’t get a chance to ask her question. The conversation about the doctor was brought to an abrupt halt when Pinkie slammed her hoof on the table and stole the attention of everypony seated.
"Nuh-uh! I thought the same thing about Cranky Doodle." Pinkie stated proudly, "I thought I’d never get him to say he was my friend, but then I found that one little thing that he really, really wanted and helped him get it. After I realized he was looking for Matilda, it was easy-peasy."
Twilight rolled her eyes, "If I remember correctly you were ready to quit if that hadn’t worked."
Pinkie innocently tapped her front hooves together, "Nah, well, okay… maybe that’s what happened. But you can’t just give up on making new friends!"
"Alright," Rarity turned her frown on Pinkie, "And how would you suggest becoming friends with Dr. Nova?"
Pinkie stood on her hind legs, took a deep breath, then quietly declared: "I got nothin’."
Despite the childish delivery, Pinkie had at least succeeded in bringing a smile back to Rarity’s lips.
"Putting the doc aside fer a moment," Applejack spoke with a hint of timidity in her voice, "Was a lil’ filly named Corn Crib gonna be in the play?"
Twilight thought for a moment, she had met over a dozen of those foals and had a hard time keeping their names straight. But Corn Crib? There was a reason why she could easily remember that name.
"Yes," Twilight answered, "She only spoke to me once, and when she did was about you. I thought it was strange that she’d know you by name, but I guess I forgot that little tidbit as the day went on."
Applejack blinked and leaned forward, her voice growing hushed, "What’d she ask about?"
Twilight was a little confused, Applejack was hardly the kind of pony to act so timidly. From what Twilight had seen of her that day, Applejack had repeatedly been looking at the foals while she worked with Lord Barleycorn, and while dealing with him she had been almost overly formal. Well, formal for Applejack anyway. If the story about her conversation with the lumberjacks were to be believed, Applejack was clearly not as skeptical as she claimed about these old traditions Hollow Shades followed.
That aside, why ask about Corn Crib now and not when she was just a stone’s throw away?
Brushing her confusion aside, Twilight addressed Applejack’s question first, "She wanted to know what kind of pony you were. I told her you were a hard-working pony who was as honest as you were devoted to your family. Why did you ask?"
Applejack slumped back in her chair, seemingly relieved, "Did she say anthin’ else?"
Twilight shook her head, "Not really, she thanked me then we got back to preparing for tomorrow with the rest of the foals. Did something happen between the two of you?"
Applejack looked to Fluttershy, then the rest of her friends, then down at the table.
"Not her, specifically." Applejack said, "Yesterday Ah told ya Ah had a lil’ ‘fallin’ out’ with mah cousins? Well, Corn Crib’s one of ‘em."
Rarity was the first to respond, concern plainly written on her face, "Darling, if something happened at that farm house then we will support you, you know that."
Applejack let out a tired sighed, "Ah know you will, but Ah’m not really sure if there’s sides to really take in this. Ah don’t know the full story, an’ despite Summer Harvest bein’ the most ornery, stubborn, grudge-filled pony Ah ever met, the rest of their family clued me into what’s botherin’ him."
"What’d make him act like such a big meanie?" Pinkie asked.
"Remember when Ah was bein’ a bit too hard-headed fer mah own good an’ tried ta pick all the apples in Sweet Apple Acres by mahself, an’ Ah didn’t want no help cause Ah was..." Applejack grimaced for a second, "a mite too prideful?"
The girls all nodded.
"Now imagine on top of bein’ the only Apple to work the orchard, let’s say the farm was failin’ and it was all on mah head… knock on wood." Applejack rapped her hoof on the table twice, "I’d be workin’ mahself to death, and Ah wouldn’t be the friendliest pony around, that’s fer sure."
"That makes sense, but we got you to admit you needed help and things turned out for the best." Twilight offered, hoping to at least make Applejack feel a little better.
"Right, but suppose Ah didn’t have any of ya to pound that lesson into mah thick head. Ah was the only one who could’ve worked the orchard. Granny’s getin’ a little too old fer it, Big Mac was hurt at the time, and Applebloom had school. Summer’s got his foals an’ his wife, plus… some help an’ it’s still ain’t lookin’ good." Applejack glanced to Fluttershy, silently letting her know what shouldn’t be said, "One of mah cousins had to really fight to get Summer to accept help from his side of the family, an’ Ah don’t think he’s even happy with that. Summer’s a proud stallion, and don’t want to call in help from nopony, especially from the Apple side of the family."
This news brought a wave of confusion among the four ponies at the table that had not yet traveled to the Harvest farm. Fluttershy of course knew and showed her sympathetic side, but the others ranged from concern to astonishment, all of which Applejack fully understood. She herself was still wrestling with the idea of a member of the family disliking the entire Apple family.
Pinkie Pie however managed to cut to the quick in her own unique way; "Is this one of those family feud things?"
"Nah, ain’t no violence happened, or will happen. Summer wants to stand on all four hooves… though he really don’t like me or any of the rest of the family." Applejack rubbed her chin as she thought back to Summer’s words at the farm house, "Seemed ta think we didn’t like him none either."
"And do you?" Twilight asked.
"Apples always stick together, but…" Applejack grumbled, "Ah do remember Granny sayin’ Summer would act like he did. Ah don’t have no memory of ‘em ‘cept fer cousin Leadfoot from jus’ one family reunion some ten years ago. Apparently that was when they severed ties to the Apple family."
"So this ‘Summer’ guy is an old grump who wants to prove he can take care of his family, you feel bad about his farm goin’ in a tailspin, and he’s got a head as thick as yours." Rainbow surmised, "Yeesh, that’s a tough nut to crack, AJ. Are ya gonna try talkin’ to him again?"
Applejack thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Ah dunno. Maybe if this here festival turns things around it’ll improve his attitude. But, I ain’t that hopeful."
"Still, is that everything to the story?" Rarity asked, a sympathetic hoof reaching across the table. "I know a thing or two about family dramas, and I know from first hoof experience that ponies try to keep such things… internal."
Applejack smiled, if only for an instant. Drama was certainly something Rarity would know a lot about.
"Well, I kinda upset one of my cousins that came ta lend Summer a helpin’ hoof." Applejack still had a hard time believing Carrot Top was a member of the family, "Ah ain’t exactly sure what got her so riled up, but now I reckon she doesn’t wanna ever talk to me again. Summer’s an ol’ cuss, all set in his ways and I ain’t expecting much change from him. But I wanna do right by mah cousin before she gets all thick-headed on me."
Applejack snorted, why did stubbornness run so thick in her family?
"But, Ah am real glad ya’ll are here. If Ah had come alone Ah probably would’ve stomped back ta’ Ponyville or… prolly somehow made the whole thing worse." Applejack said.
"Can’t rightly figure why Carrot Top got so heated ‘bout me knowin’ we’re kin, but Ah ain’t gonna let it fester like Summer Harvest." Applejack nodded to herself, "Ah just need to get her side of things."
"Then maybe we should focus on the positives. Lord Barleycorn’s got the whole town throwing all its weight behind this festival, and with us helping they only have a few little details to make this whole place a real Nightmare Night attraction. That can be handled in the morning." Twilight said, finding herself looking for their waitress, "I’m pretty sure if worse comes to worse I can inform Princess Celestia about the situation when she returns from her diplomatic mission to..."
Twilight levitated the princess’s letter from her bag and took another glance at it. Funny, it actually didn’t say where the princess’s envoy was going. Twilight shrugged, Celestia was a busy mare, she might have just made a mistake. It happens.
"Well, it doesn’t matter where it is. When she comes back I think she’d be more than eager to assign some aid Hollow Shades." Twilight said assuredly, "I don’t think she’ll just throw money at the town, but she does know a lot of influential ponies that could easily make a few equinitarian contributions."
"And hopefully one of them knows where that plothead, Pencil Pusher is hiding." Rarity muttered under her breath.
That one Twilight did hear, but she decided to let it slide.
Pinkie leaned against the table, "Well I hope she gets back so that Maud can send me another letter. She promised to tell me all about that super important project Princess Celestia has her working on when they were done."
The party pony’s eyes then brightened up, "Oh, Rainbow Dash, you sure nothing came for me in the mail when you zoomed by Sugar Cube Corner?"
Rainbow gave an annoyed huff, "I didn’t have time to check your mail, Pinkie. I was a little busy throwing those fliers up all over Ponyville."
"Poo." Pinkie frowned, only to brighten back up seconds later, "Eh, it’ll just be a happy surprise for later."
"Wait, Pinkie, Princess Celestia has Maud working for her?" Twilight interjected, this was certainly news to her.
Pinkie nodded, obviously proud of her older sister, "Oh yeah, something about some new rock she found in some beach town."
The idea of a discovery that warranted the Princess’s personal attention was something that most certainly piqued Twilight’s interest. Or, it did until Pinkie mentioned the discovery was a new kind of rock. It was utterly conceivable that this could indeed be a great discovery, but Twilight had experienced a few hours with Maud. While the now-former rock farmer was a perfectly nice and studious geology student, her lack of… ‘social grace’ was enough of a reason to wait for a copy of her thorough and inevitably very dry report on her findings.
If she had known Maud was meeting with the princesses, she might have given Celestia some warning to not bring up the topic of poetry.
"If you do get a letter from her, I wouldn’t mind a chance to see what she’s found." Twilight said, "If she’s allowed to talk about it."
Rainbow yawned, her eyes drifting over to watch the kitchen door, "A rock’s a rock, I don’t think Princess Celestia would mark that as ‘classified information.’"
"Maybe, but-"
Twilight would have continued, but an excited squee from Rainbow preceded the arrival of their waitress and their orders.
Plates heavy with rustic food were swiftly placed in front of Twilight’s friends, with Rainbow and Pinkie being overly eager to dive into their stacks of hotcakes. Twilight had previously settled on the ‘forest salad’ which looked bright and leafy, but upon closer examination it contained nothing recognizable. Applejack was already busy pouring syrup onto her grits, and Fluttershy was calmly breaking the crust on a steaming pot pie.
Rarity, however, sat gawking at the massive amount of food that had been set in front of her. Some of the nearby patrons restrained a few chuckles as the dainty unicorn had before her a stack of pancakes, two over-easy eggs, baked beans, toast with a small jar of homemade jam, hashbrowns, gravy, and a large, golden-brown crusted food item that the fashionista could not identify. All of this was spread out over two massive plates, with the pancakes kept separate from everything else.
"Again with the strange food…" Rarity thought as she nudged the unknown entree with her fork, finding it moist and flaky beneath its crispy crust.
Normally Rarity kept to a rather conservative diet. She had to maintain a figure that was appropriate for a lady, and a consistent waistline ment she always knew her own dress size. This mountain of food was something that Applejack or her brawny brother would eat before a hard day of field work. She, on the otherhoof, would never be able to eat all of this.
Rarity looked across the table, "Would any of you like to help me with this?"
"Yeah sure, I ain’t had country-cooked hash n’ gravy fer a long time." Applejack said as she slid her plate over.
Rarity eagerly levitated the requested food to her friend’s plate, but there was one question that had to be answered before she submitted to her hunger.
"Um, pray tell, what is this?" Rarity pointed to the golden-brown thing on her plate.
The waitress, who had been busy refilling everypony’s water, gave Rarity a confused look.
"That’s the lumberjack special, did you mean to order something else?" The waitress asked.
"Er, no I’m sure I’ll survive this much… everything. I’m just unfamiliar with this one." Rarity again poked at the thing on her plate with her fork.
The waitress smiled, "Oh, that’s the cook’s specialty, all the lumberjacks love his potato-crusted catfish."
Rarity’s eyes shrunk down to pinpricks. "Wha-what?"
"I know right? He hasn’t cooked that in almost two months, but with the harvest comin’ we’re finally got some real food in the kitchen." The waitress beamed, blissfully unaware of Rarity’s discomfort. "Well, enjoy. If ya need anything else, just holler."
Rarity raised a hoof to try and grab the mare’s attention, but their waitress had already turned and was heading back toward the kitchen with the serving platters expertly balanced on her back.
Realizing that her mouth was hanging open, Rarity snapped it shut and tried to compose herself, but she couldn’t help but cringe when she looked back down at her plate. Was this town so poor that it had to resort to battering and frying a living creature?
Looking about the restaurant, Rarity could see that several of the burly lumberjacks had selected the same mountainous plates that she had. She could only wince in disgust as she watched a stallion casually take a bite, and then smile contentedly as if he hadn’t just bitten into the flesh of what had once been a wriggling, slimy fish.
Rarity’s attention was jerked back to her table by the blatant snickering of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. How in Equestria could they think it this was funny?
"Ya gonna eat that or are ya gonna spend all day lookin’ like it’s gonna flop off the plate?" Applejack said, trying to restrain her own amusement.
"I don’t see how you can joke about… this!" Rarity sputtered, gesturing to her meal with her fork.
"Eh, dunno what you’re so worried ‘bout. It’s not like it could bite ‘ya back." Applejack pressed her hoof to her face to try and keep herself from outright bursting out into laughter, Rarity made the funniest faces when she got like this. "If ya don’t want it Ah’ll take it too."
Rarity quickly pushed her plate across the table, anything to get that fish away from her!
"Really Applejack, you seem too calm about this." Rarity shot, her temper beginning to rise.
"What? Eatin’ fish? Ah’m sure you’ve seen a few ponies goin’ fishin. Big Mac’s got a few fish stories he cin bore ya with. ‘Course, Ah like ‘em when he actually brings ‘em home. Catfish ‘specially." Applejack licked her lips as she placed the breaded fillet on her plate, "Granny’s got a lip-smackin’ tartar sauce recipe that she only makes when we get lots of big fish."
Pinkie grinned, "It’s true. It really is that good."
Rarity stared at her friends, "Is the madness of this town catching? I could have sworn I just heard you say you both have eaten… fish..."
Twilight chuckled, "Actually Rarity, it’s common among Earth ponies to eat fish. Pegasi eat it too, although they tend to eat it… erm..."
"Raw." Fluttershy stated bluntly, "Cloudsdale has a few sushi yas since the griffins introduced the idea to us a long time ago. It's a good source of protein for young pegasi to build up their wing muscles. And… it's really tasty."
Rarity was beginning to turn a shade of green as she covered her mouth. Her queasy stomach offering up an acidic belch before planting her face on the table.
"I’m not hungry anymore." Rarity whimpered.
----
Carrot Top threw herself against the harness of her cart. The sideboards creaked as it was shaken by the harsh pull, but the cart refused to move. She had overloaded it, but if Carrot Top lightened the cart she would have to come back for one more circuit back to the barn. She was determined to make this the final time she ever visited the carrot patch.
After catching her breath, Carrot Top strained the harness straps with another powerful pull, and this time she felt the cartwheels lurch forward. Pushing back, then forward, she rocked the cart just enough to build up some momentum before she could get it moving up the dirt path.
Keeping her pace quick and steady, Carrot Top kept the overburdened cart from slowing down as she left the now-depopulated field behind her. All around her, Carrot Top could see bare earth from days upon days of harvesting, but despite all of the weeds she and her friends and family had pulled she could see a new crop of dandelions and thistles sprouting from the strange soil.
The carrots still looked stunted and sickly compared to the ripe specimens she had growing back in Ponyville, but there was a marginal improvement from what she had seen when she had arrived. There had been no further damage from the rabbits, and the crows had been mysteriously absent from the entirety of the farm.
The corn was looking very healthy in stark contrast to its neighbors, but there was nothing she or her friends could do for the pumpkins with their vicious hail-scars. Not that it mattered, Jack claimed the pumpkins made for perfect Jack o’Lanterns and if they served a purpose then maybe ponies would buy them just to carve their own.
Her friends had selflessly offered a helping hoof with the Carrots, but Carrot Top had insisted on being alone for now. She had wanted to get lost in her work, and not focus on the events in the farm house. Normally Roseluck wasn’t a mare who gave up and let her friends wallow in unpleasantness, but Carrot Top had remained steadfast in her decision. But, as firm as she was, she did feel genuinely touched by her friend’s concern.
The only way Roseluck had relented and left was a promise to let her plan something to lift their spirits when they all returned to Ponyville. This would likely involve a trip to Berry Punch’s store for several rounds of whatever she had on tap.
Roseluck was no Pinkie Pie, but she did have a way of getting Carrot Top to smile.
Her friends were easy to spot among the barley, still cutting the now small blanket of grain with the use of the Harvest Family’s harvester. It was just a rickety, old one-pony push-plow with a scythe attachment that cut and set the grain in a neat line to be raked and bundled. The trio had plenty more to cut, but with all four of them working together they would have it done in half an hour.
The pumpkin patch in the distance was now just bare vines, and the field where the beans had grown was now clear and barren of anything but sprouting weeds. Helping her friends finish bringing in the barley would be a good way to end the day after she got the carrots put away. She felt she was owed some good conversation after snubbing their offer, and for what had transpired in the kitchen.
Carrot Top grimaced at the memory, but swiftly brushed it aside. For now she wanted to feel something other than anxiety and familial disgust. It was, after all, the reason she had wanted the carrot patch all to herself.
Upon reaching the final twenty yards leading to the barn, Carrot Top grit her teeth as she fought to slow her overburdened cart. Now it pushed her, but with every turn of the wheels this onward charge lost its strength, and would have ground to a halt before reaching the door if Carrot Top had not resumed her strenuous march for the final leg of the journey.
After catching her breath, Carrot Top pulled back the simple rock that held the barn’s large rolling, double-doors from rattling in the wind and pushed the doors open. Inside she could see a high stack of the scarred pumpkins resting on wooden slats meant to keep them off the ground. A mix-match collection of aging barrels and crates that the family had used for many, many years sat along the wall, full of the crops that had been recently harvested. Still more of these containers sat aside, empty and waiting to be filled.
Another session of rocking the cart back and forth was needed to get it moving again, but it was a short journey to the containers. Here, Carrot Top unhitched herself and took a moment to stretch her back. Her mouth was dry, and she was feeling a little hungry but dinner was going to be late with Harvest Moon working in the cornfield with Summer.
Maybe if Roseluck and the girls were up to it, they could slip into town and get something at that restaurant to celebrate the harvest’s end? Almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, Carrot Top dismissed it with a groan. Applejack was in town and she'd want to assault her with questions, or more likely, ‘welcome’ her to the Apple family. She was probably at Tablecloth's right now, eating some biscuits and hay bacon, grits drowned in maple syrup and... Carrot Top had to stop before she made herself even hungrier.
Carrot Top frowned--Applejack was just a pony, not a dragon sitting atop a golden hoard of breakfast delights. If Roseluck and the others were with her, it might provide some sense of security when it came time to talk to her again.
Returning to the task at hoof, Carrot Top pulled back the lid on one of the crates. It was already half full from her last load, and she was certain she'd have another crate open before she was ready to head back to the field and her friends.
The cart creaked as it was slowly relieved of its burden, and Carrot Top had half emptied it when the sound of somepony approaching the barn made her jump. Curses for Leadfoot and Summer Harvest were muttered under her breath, but the shadow that appeared in the doorway was thankfully unequine.
What lumbered into view was Jack; his shoulders were low and his gait was sluggish, hinting that he had suffered an exhausting day tending to his in-town machinations. He seemed just as surprised to see her as she was, but he quickly relaxed and slumped against the support beam that doubled as the doorframe.
And yet, even from across the barn, Carrot Top could see that he was grinning through the mouth-rip of his mask. It was strange, but somehow she felt her own anxiety melt away as the tall fool waved hello to her.
This wave was answered by Carrot Top hastily throwing her latest hoofful of carrots at the crate (most of which landed on the floor) and hurriedly motioned for her friend to come closer.
An excited grin quickly spread across her face, "Hey, welcome back!"
"Nice to see you too." Jack chuckled as he tried to correct his posture while still leaning against the doorframe "Are we alone?"
Carrot Top nodded, "Yeah, don’t worry. Everypony’s out in the fields, you can relax for a while."
"Good, cause I want to collapse into a pile of hay and sleep ‘till tomorrow." Jack groaned as he slid the barn door shut behind him. "After getting something to eat, of course."
"I wouldn’t leave you to starve, and I’ll make sure you get something decent to eat even if I have to cook it myself." Carrot Top smirked, "If it comes to that you better appreciate it."
"I might be safer with Harvest Moon’s bland cooking." Jack teased, "But safer isn’t always better."
Now that they were cut off from the rest of the farm, Jack removed his hat and then his mask with one quick pull. He yawned, then rubbed his face as he felt fresh air hitting his skin for the first time that day. The burlap had been great for trapping heat when he picked crops at night but working to get the stage finished and running around town all day had made it a stuffy prison.
His eyes were downcast, and he was breathing through his mouth as he walked toward Carrot Top with some difficulty. Her eyes quickly went to his ankle, but thankfully he didn’t seem to be favoring either leg.
With that worry set to rest, Carrot Top let her eyes wander up to his face again. That’s when she saw he was smiling at her, and the sight of it made her want to smile back.
"If you’re smiling, I guess it turned out alright?" Carrot Top asked.
"It was touch n’ go here and there, but it looks like we might just pull this off." Jack groaned as he slumped down beside the cart, resting his head against the sideboards, "Jeeze… you weren’t kidding about Pinkie Pie."
Carrot Top laughed, "Yeah, nothing can really prepare you for Pinkie. The best I could do is soften the blow."
Jack shook his head as he stared up into the rafters, "She just kept talking and talking, and showing up in weird places with weirder questions... if you hadn’t warned me I probably would have broken character."
"Oh yeah? And what about with our resident princess?" Carrot Top asked, almost wishing she had put on her rag pony disguise just to see Twilight’s reactions toward Jack. "Did any of my advice help with her?"
"Are you kidding? If you hadn’t told me about Twilight’s insecurities and her love of books I wouldn’t have been able to play the part of the ‘all-knowing spirit king.’" Jack leaned back against the cart, "I think I got on her good side."
"Eh, you’re just lucky that Roseluck happens to be a gossiper, and Twilight and her friends tend to have their little talks where everypony can hear them." Carrot Top smirked as she scooped up some of the carrots off the floor and dumped them in a waiting crate, "But it really worked?"
Jack nodded, "I had to lay it on pretty thick to get Twilight to believe I’m the Autumn King, and I’m not sure if I pulled it off but it doesn’t matter. All I really had to do was point out how bad off the town was and explain my plan and she got behind it. I had all six of them helping to get the festivities in order for tomorrow." He then smirked, "Even better, some of the locals finally got off their butts and started helping when they saw their princess assisting me."
Carrot Top gave a contemptuous snort, "Tch, ‘bout time if you ask me, but that’s the power of the princesses. When Twilight first got her crown, if the ponies of Ponyville saw her eat somewhere or buy something, and the next day that that business would be swamped with customers."
"It’s nice to know baseless celebrity worship isn’t limited to humanity. But if what those mares are as good as they boasted, we’ll have costumes, food, and all the decorations we need by tomorrow morning." Jack set the back of his head back against the cart, "By some miracle, things are working out perfectly."
Carrot Top flinched and whipped her head around to shoot Jack a frightened look, "Don’t jinx it!"
"Oh trust me, I know there’s plenty that could go wrong, but I don’t think any of those six are going to turn a one-eighty on us." Jack scratched at his growing beard, "I made sure to spell it out to Twilight just how important this festival is to the town, and to the resident spooks. I doubt she’ll jeopardize that on the grounds of simple suspicion."
Carrot Top thought for a moment, then nodded, "That does make sense. Just… keep an eye on those six. They have a notorious habit of complicating things."
"As much as I can, considering how much I already got on my plate." Said Jack, "How are things here, though?"
Carrot Top gave a bored shrug, "Going as expected. We nearly got everything picked, so I don’t think you’ll have to spend the night out in the cold pulling carrots."
"Now there’s some news I like to hear." Jack then looked over his shoulder, his eyes locking on Carrot Top, "But are you doing alright?"
While the question was undoubtedly one of concern for a friend, it was enough to make Carrot Top stop in her tracks. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Jack waiting a response, but she kept her focus on the mound of carrots that remained in her cart.
"Did Applejack cause you any problems?" She quietly asked.
Jack shook his head, "She was a little weird around me, but she was polite. I wanted to get her alone to talk to about what happened between you two, but the opportunity just didn’t come up. Sorry."
Carrot Top sat and rubbed her forehead with her hoof, "Don’t be sorry. I don’t blame you for getting distracted. Really… she’s my problem, not yours. You don’t have to try and fix everything. I’m flattered you tried but… I just really want this all to be over."
"If it helps, let’s... just try to focus on the good we’ve done so far." Jack slumped back against the cart, "It’s only a few more days. If we start this off on the right foot then the money should start pouring in and you won’t have to stay under his roof any longer."
"And when that happens I’ll buy you lunch in Canterlot." Carrot Top smiled, already looking forward to being away from this troubled farm and her relatives, "They have some of the best food in Equestria, and none of it was found out in the woods."
Jack laughed despite how tired he felt, "Now there’s something I’ll probably dream about tonight. Chai tea and a good sandwich… turkey, red onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo, swiss, rye bread… maybe a nice carrot cake for dessert..."
Carrot Top blinked, "You like carrot cake?"
"Yeah, my favorite way to eat them." Jack said, "’Course, I nearly broke my disguise over and over when Pinkie kept rolling out those pies."
Jack then adopted a pleading tone, "Tomorrow, please try to distract her for a few minutes while I make off with a whole pie. I want to gorge myself."
Carrot Top paused to look at the carrots she had in her hoof, an idea coming to mind. "I can do you one better. If Pinkie’s up for it, I can maybe talk her into letting me into the restaurant's kitchen. I make a great carrot cake."
"Careful, you begin to spoil me." Jack chuckled, "But… yes I’d like that very much."
"The road to a stallion’s heart..." Carrot Top thought with a lighthearted snort, "Tell me more about how your time with Twilight and her friends."
While Carrot Top continued to unload her cart, she listened to her friend as he began to recount his encounters with her acquaintances from Ponyville. She was surprised to hear that Applejack had treated him with such timidity, but Carrot Top found it amusing to hear hear that the Apple farmer was perhaps more like her superstitious Granny then she would ever admit.
His encounter with Twilight was similarly entertaining to Carrot Top. She could almost imagine the newly-crowned princess completely out of her element with a walking mystery like ‘Lord Barleycorn.’ She didn’t have her library, or a mountain of books to give her the answer. Given Twilight’s proclivity toward manic behavior, Carrot Top had half-expected Jack to tell her about how the librarian had assaulted him with questions. Thankfully Twilight had exercised some restraint, which told Carrot Top that perhaps she didn’t know her as well as she thought.
The story of Fluttershy and Pinkie’s knighting had made Carrot Top laugh outright--something that she had secretly craved for the sake of calming her nerves. The very idea of Pinkie taking anything seriously, or Fluttershy being brave was difficult for her to visualize much less believe. Jack repeatedly swore that their reaction was just as he had told; that both of Applejack’s friends were determined to aid the ponies Hollow Shades in earnest.
Carrot Top wasn't surprised at all. Twilight and the rest of her friends were irrepressible altruists, and Carrot Top knew Jack could be very, very persuasive.
Rarity’s behavior was predictable, and the only point in Jack’s tale that Carrot Top found boring. She still listened intently as Jack vented a little of his annoyance at Rarity’s… ‘peculiarities.’ How anypony could go on for so long about curtains was almost laughable, but Carrot Top did not laugh because she had experienced that same behavior. She made it a point to share a few short tales of her own such encounters with the overdramatic fashionista.
It was when Jack came to Rainbow Dash that Carrot Top became worried.
"I tried several times to talk to her," Jack said, "But she just acted like she hadn’t heard me and flew off to hide behind a low-hanging cloud. Over the course of the day I saw her here or there, always watching me like I was about ready to eat one of the kids or something..."
Carrot Top had at last emptied her cart, and stepped around to speak more quietly with him, "Was she following you when you left?"
Jack shrugged his shoulders, clearly not sharing the mare’s concerns.
"I doubt it." He raised his arms to stretch and yawn before he continued, "Since all the fields are being cleared I couldn’t just sneak through the fields back here, so I did my best fare-thee-well vanishing skit into the corn, kept low as I crept through the stalks to the treeline, and then snuck into the forest. From there it was a simple hike to the old sugaring camp just ten minutes into the woods. I hung out there for a while to rest, and if she had managed to follow me, she would have just seen me lying on busted old stone."
"I hope so," Carrot Top frowned, "But I don’t know what else you could have done. You should thank your lucky stars that Rainbow is not very thorough, and very impatient."
"More things in our favor then." Jack grinned, "And even if she saw me come here, what would she tell her friends? That she saw Lord Barleycorn in the barn on the Harvest Farm. Why, I’m merely here to check on the pleased spirits of field and barn. I’ll play up to Summer’s ego, tell him his fields are destined for greater crops next year, and he will be able to distract the girls until I can slip away. Even if I get stuck in the barn, the girls won’t be allowed to camp outside all night, watching for me to leave."
Carrot Top grimaced, "Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that."
Jack‘s smile dimmed, knowing what she really meant.
"You won’t have to deal with Applejack, if you don’t want to." Jack said plainly and softly, "If she thinks I’m a spirit, then maybe I can talk to her about leaving you alone."
If Applejack was indeed superstitious as Jack had implied, such an act could easily spell the end of her troubles. All he would have to do is speak a few words and the Apple family to leave her alone, maybe even get Applejack to swear to secrecy about their relation!
But Carrot Top’s excitement quickly wilted as she continued to ponder such action. She knew this would not fix the underlying problem. Even if she was sworn to silence, Applejack would always behave strangely around her, and ponies would talk. There was also the problem of Applejack being one of the worst liars Equestria’s ever known. The truth would be found out eventually, and Applejack would panic for breaking a supposedly ghostly oath.
Carrot Top hung her head and sighed, if she took this easy path she would certainly pay for it in the long run.
"No, I can’t ask you to do that." She showed him an appreciative smile, "I know you want to help, but please, not like that."
Jack’s small blue eyes met hers, and he said nothing for a while. But, he eventually nodded his head and accepted her decision.
It was about that time that Carrot Top became aware of a faint odor. At first she had thought it was some rotten piece of produce that had been left out, but she couldn’t place any sort of vegetable rot that could have smelled as acrid, and faintly skunky, as what she smelled at that moment.
And then that she leaned closer to Jack, sniffed, and then clamped a hoof over her nose.
"Celestia’s horn, you stink!" Carrot Top wretched, retreating several steps from the odorous human, "Can’t you smell that!?"
Jack shot her an annoyed look, "Well let’s see you go a week of farm work without a bath, then do a bunch of carpentry while wearing a heavy burlap sack on your head and not get a teesny bit sweaty."
"A bit!? Rainbow could probably track you by smell alone!" Carrot Top cried out, "It’s amazing Rarity didn’t give you fits!"
Finding his companion’s remarks to be completely over-exaggerated, Jack gave himself a idle sniff, if only to placate her. He admitted quietly to himself that his body odor was indeed rather strong, but it didn’t seem as bad as she was making it out to be. It had been a warm day, for autumn, anyway.
"Carrot Top, do ponies sweat?" Jack asked, innocently.
Carrot Top blinked at the question, "Um, yeah. Why?"
Jack suddenly moved forward, bringing his nose closer to Carrot Top.
"You don’t exactly smell like a bed of roses either." He retorted smugly.
Carrot Top blinked, suddenly very self conscious about herself. She backed up a little further, if only to get away from Jack’s own odor.
"Well, I’m not the one who’s going to be stewing in those clothes all night." Carrot Top then stated, "You need a bath."
Jack grumbled, "A midnight dunk in the creek. Wonderful."
Carrot Top sputtered, "W-what?"
"Well it’s not like there’s a shower in here." Jack gestured around the barn with his hand, "Unless you want to bring a few big pots of hot water out here it's either a wash tub or the stream outside. Either way, I’ll need some soap."
The shudder that ran through Carrot Top almost made her fall over. The very thought of somepony being stupid or desperate enough to try bathing in the freezing stream even in the moderately warm daylight was completely stupid. If Jack had gotten a cough from being out in the rain, there was simply no way that she would allow him to risk hypothermia so close to the festival.
Carrot Top did her best to ignore the acrid scent that clung to Jack's costume as she walked up to him. Upon gripping his shirt with her teeth, she was thankful there wasn't a taste to go along with it. She gave one firm tug backward, and made it clear she wasn't going to let go unless he moved.
"Get up." She said sternly.
Knowing better to argue with a woman when she took that tone, Jack pulled himself to his feet. Once he was up, Carrot Top then moved around to push him forward with her head, and did not let up until he began to walk towards the door.
Jack begrudgingly pulled his mask back on as he walked, not wanting for anypony to see him so late into the game.
"What’re you plotting?" Jack half-demanded of his associate.
Carrot Top opened the door, then took the lead towards the house.
"You’ll see. Come on." She said firmly, leaving Jack with little alternative but to do as she said.
With the cart and barn now far behind them, Carrot Top led the human up the steps of the Harvest homestead. Like at the barn, she opened the door, and coaxed him inside. The house was as unoccupied as the barn, and not a sound could be heard from the kitchen or from the adjacent living room. Just to be doubly sure, Carrot Top stood silent and listened, and when she heard nothing, she trotted up the stairs with Jack following close behind.
When they arrived at the upstairs bathroom, Carrot Top gestured for Jack to go inside.
"Here you are, I assume you know how a bathtub works." Carrot Top said casually, "Soap and towels are by the sink, and while you’re getting washed I’ll root around in that old trunk so you have something clean to wear tomorrow."
Jack felt like he should protest, but he didn’t quite knew why. If somepony came in and saw him, or rather the Autumn King was using their tub, would they really argue? The sight of that cast iron tub, and the promise of a hot soak quickly swept his worries under the rug.
"From the bottom of my heart… thank you." He said as he shuffled into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him.
Carrot Top took a breath and headed back to the barn where Slim Harvest’s trunk was stored. When he was done she’d sneak his mask out of the house and wash it the best she could.
One more night.
One more night and she would get to see the noblest liar she’d ever met either succeed, or fall flat on his face.
Jack meanwhile, simply reclined in the tub, thanked every god and saint he knew that this alien farm house had hot water.
---
To be continued...
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