Zaps Apple
Chapter 35: Breakfast Surprise
Zaps Apple
“Hmmm!” I mumbled as I finished eating the third pancake. I really like the way the chief makes these! Still doesn't beat Applejack's applesauce pancakes.
“Slow down Zaps, yer always eatin' as if somepony will take it,” Applejack said, watching me bite into the pancake.
I swallowed. “I just feel so hungry for some reason!” I devoured my next pancake.
I wasn't the only one: Big Mac was also eating into his fifth. “Yer not the only one.” Applejack watched our big brother eat into his.
“Could it be something to do with them being fused as one pony?” Scootaloo pointed out something I didn't even think about. I recalled them talking about how my big brothers and I were fused from three ponies to one. But why couldn't we remember any of it?
Twilight responded to what Scootaloo just asked. “It is very possibly true Scootaloo. When Golden Apple unfused them with himself they must have only had one third of the energy too.”
Applejack looked toward Big Mac. “Golden Apple wanted to give somethin' to ya. The only thin' that remains of the brother you never would get to meet...” Applejack I noticed had some sort of box beside her chair. I wondered since we all sat down what she'd had in it.
Applejack kicked it over to Big Mac, he stopped it with his hoof and opened it. Pulling it out, he stared as I did at a sleeveless jacket with two metal balls sticking out of either side of the top of it. “Hmm...”
“It came from the fusion darling. It's made of the armour Armour McApple wore and your work collar. Somehow it turned into this. I couldn't even make it even if I tried with all the best materials in Equrestria. What you have there is one of an kind.” Rarity explained about the jacket he held up with his front hooves. He stared at it, still not looking at Rarity.
I thought about this fuse thing: if it made of two things turn into one, what if... “Twilight could you copy what caused us to fuse into one pony but as clothing?”
She instantly turned to me with surprise. “I... I never thought about that. Maybe if I understood what type of magic caused the fusion and how Golden Apple was able to reverse it when he was an Earth Po-” She stopped and looked to Applejack more than anypony else. “Sorry...”
“Don't be Twi, it confusin' as it is for me. Maybe if we knew more about this kind of magic before all this crazy know how happened we could have saved him too.”
“Yeah...”
Big Mac put the jacket back in the box. “What is done is done. We can not change what had happened. As yer told me sis, he said he had no regrets, he showed the best of all three of us. Me, Zaps and Armour McApple.”
“That he did, from what I heard from some of you too.” We all turn to see my brother Armour enter with Celestia into the room. “Well at least a 1000 year old armour went to use though.”
“Eeyup and it will be when Zaps is of age.” I hastily turn to Big Mac as he said it. Curiously I wondered what he meant by 'of age'. “In the years to come when he becomes an adult ah will hoof it to him, not before that.”
I was even more confused. “Years? Is that long?” I asked Scootaloo.
“Do you know what a date is?” Scootaloo asked me in turn.
I looking around for an answer but couldn't think of it. “I heard some talk about it but didn't really understand what it meant.”
Twilight's right eye was twitching. “Do you know what days are?”
“Day is when the sun is out and night is when the moon is out. Days go by every day like every night right?” I replied thinking what she meant by that.
“Ok... A day is also daylight hours but also it the passing of time. So yesterday was yesterday. And a week is seven of those days put together. You were fused with Big Mac and Armour McApple for that time, even though none of you remember.” Twilight explained to me.
“Oh! So seven days make one week? And after that is a year?”
“No... many weeks make months, and the number of days in that month depends on which month it is. Do you understand what I mean?” Twilight's voice sounded really irritated by this.
I blinked. “How many weeks in each of these months?”
“It depends on how many days in the month there is! It could be five weeks, four in some or even six!” Twilight was even more irritated and she sounded it too.
Luna put a hoof to Twilight. “Relax Twilight. None of us in the month that passed explained this to him, so he was just going by day by day without even realising it. He wasn't aware what a birthday was at first, right?”
“You're right Princess... Sorry.”
“Nay Twilight, it's Luna. We are princesses correct?” She nods. “Then you do not need to call me as such.”
Celestia warmly smiled as she sat at the table. “After we have breakfast, how about Big Mac and Amour McApple could teach him dates in the year?”
Armour glared at her. “Seriously Sunny? I know days, weeks, months and years! I had to put up with that-” He stops on realising what she meant, making him fluster. I wonder what he thought she meant.
“Gotcha.” She giggled as he sat down on his rump grumbling under his breath.
Pinkie Pie finished eating her second stack of pancakes. “Sunny?”
“Yeah why is he calling you that? Isn't it Celestia, Princess?” Rainbow Dash was also curious.
She drunk some tea that was poured out for her by one of the waiters at the table. “Sunny Day was the name I went by back in the Kingdom of Harmony. Armour will never call me Celestia, not out of insult but because of love.”
“I think it's nice,” Fluttershy spoke up. “Zaps calls Princess Luna Nighty sometimes even though he also calls her Luna.”
“Indeed to them it a brother sister thing. I do wish I knew his true name once more...” Celestia sighed.
I realised and turn to Armour. “You know my real name?”
He saw many of the other ponies looking back at him. “I do but I won't say.”
“How come? He got-”
Armour put an hoof up, cutting Rainbow Dash off, and spoke as well. “Because his name is the only thing that is keeping that pony of fear locked away. I wish I could do more for everypony in the kingdom and even free them. But I can't because she would destroy what Equestria is inside out!” Amour sighed heavily.
I got what he meant. Everypony in the kingdom is trapped and he can't free them because it would free her and it would be worse! “Big brother... You not happy are you?”
“No I am not... I can never be truly happy. I am out here enjoying breakfast and not a prisoner and yet at the same time I am still one because they suffer in endless nightmares...”
Rainbow Dash jumped into the air. “What are we waiting for!? Let go and free them!”
“Aren't you listening! I can't!” he snapped back. “Seventeen ponies for millions! That what I have to deal with! They mean the world to me! But I can't save them because doing so will put you all at risk! It's a double edge sword...” he spoke out the last words with a sad expression and a softer voice.
Celestia put her wing over him. “And with the nobles most likely to counter our marriage from over 1000 years ago as nothing but lies too.”
“Why would they think of such a thing?” Rarity was shocked to hear this, I think we all was.
Big Mac spoke in turn. “Because only a few know. Those few are the Princesses themselves and to the rest of the country it's divided mostly by nobles of Canterlot.”
“Seriously? Than how do we make them believe?” Rainbow Dash asked, still hovering above her seat.
“We don't,” Celestia responded calmly to Rainbow Dash. “They can continue to believe in what they wish, nothing will change the fact Armour McApple is my husband and my love. We both had shared a form of hardship while I thought he was long gone and he unable to tell me because of being a prisoner in our own home.” Celestia was speaking about the Kingdom of Harmony, my home before Ponyville.
Armour noticed something on the table. “Canterlot Comic Convention this weekend, come and enjoy the fun. Cosplay as your favourite characters from comics, movies, novels and more. Meet famous ponies from all over Equestria as well the one and only A.K. Yearling of the Daring Do series...” He put the paper that he picked up to read down.
“Whoa! No way!” Scootaloo fluttered her wings rapidly in a buzz. “Can we go! It starts tomorrow!”
“Oh my stars! I could make so much for it! I got ideas bursting already thinking about it!” Rarity also seemed to like this too.
I rubbed my head. “What is a Comic Convention?”
“I have no idea...” Armour looked for answers too.
Celestia giggled. “How about you go and see for yourself?”
“Count me in! Daring's going to be there!” Rainbow Dash punched the air with her right foreleg.
“Me too!” Pinkie giggled. “It's going to be so much fun!”
“Ah think ah'll go too.”
“Same here,” Applejack said. Big Mac agreed with a nod.
“I won't... Too many ponies will be there, it will be crowded.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I wouldn't mind going home tonight if that's okay.”
“Sure Flutters. I will make sure to get something awesome for ya!”
“Thank you Rainbow.”
Twilight shrugged. “It sounds like fun, I am interested. What about you Spike?”
“Of course I am going!”
Luna turned to Armour. “Are you going to stay here in Canterlot after this event?”
Armour shrugged. “For Sunny I will but time again I rather be working in the fields.”
“What about Zaps, he's yer-”
“Our,” he interruped Applejack. “Zaps goes back with you of course, you are his legal guardian and his brother. Your my sister too.” Armour put his hoof out and spit on it before moving it to Big Mac to show his serious. “I'll even come back for a time to get my hooves dirty, been too long since I've done any farm work. You have no idea how irritating it has been to wear that armour almost all the time...”
Big Mac spat on his hoof and placed it on Armour's hoof and they shook. “Eeyup, brothers and ah'll make sure yer do get yer hooves dirty with some good ol' farm work.”
“For now we will all enjoy our breakfast.” Celestia said warmly to each of us. “Twilight that includes you, put the scroll down.”
Twilight nervously laughed and put it down with her magic. “Right, sorry Princess.” Armour McApple and Big Mac sat back down at their own seats and we all went back to enjoying our breakfast.
The doors opened and Blueblood came in. “Sorry I am late Aunty...” He slowed his words, looking around. “Why are there so many commoners in here?”
“Commoners!? How dare-” Rarity, who recovered quickly, was in the middle of having a go at Blueblood when Celestia put her hoof up.
“Blueblood, would you say that to my love and husband? He is your uncle after all.”
Blueblood quickly looked at Armour McApple and back at Celestia. “Wh-what!? A-” he paused, looking directly at Armour McApple once again, his eyes not leaving the semi-dark red stallion.
Without words he took the helmet off one of the guards. “Prince Blueblood what are you doing?” The guard asked. No words were said, leaving the guard slightly confused.
Night Spark, who not said anything, now did. “Discord, with a grin like that you know something.”
Discord had appeared out of the blue again. I wonder why he doesn't go around by walking like most. He just teleports all over the place like Twilight does sometimes. Does his two weird horns make him more magical than Twilight?
“Oh I do! I even got some popcorn, like some?” he offered to Night Spark.
“Sure.” He took some with his hoof and ate the popcorn.
Discord suddenly was beside me as the helmet now was placed on Armour's head and slipped on. “Like some?”
“Ok...” I took some with my hooves and ate the popcorn. “Wow this is good!” I said with my mouth full, getting a glare from Applejack. I swallowed. “Sorry...”
“It's ok,” she replied.
Now the helmet was on. Blueblood suddenly stepped back with shaking legs, all of them. “N-no it can't be! No Earth Pony can live that long! It's impossible!”
“What's gotten into-” Celestia paused and remembered, she slap her hoof on her forehead. “Oh how can I be so dense! Prince Blueblood's family line!”
Discord laughing loudly. “Oh hahaha this is hahaha funny! Look at your faces! Hahaha it adds up don't it hohoho! Chaos doesn't always need magic,” he chuckled.
Blueblood gulped loudly. “You're him! Armour McApple!”
“Yes, but-” he realised something and I was confused. “You're related to my best friend and the guard I sent with Sunny when the Pony of Fear was attacking. Shield Blueblood.” Armour sounded weird. He wasn't surprised, it sounded like he was saying it in an teasing way, I wonder why?
“What goes around comes around don't you think?” Discord crossed his arms with a smirk still showing. “Oh and didn't you hurt Zaps that one time? And didn't it take Celestia to stop Big McIntosh from beating the living life out of you because she got you to say sorry to Zaps?”
“Discord...” Celestia sighed.
“What, it's true isn't it?” Discord replied, not looking concerned at what he did.
Armour frowned a little but pointed a hoof to an empty seat. “Prideful and stubborn. You even look like him Blueblood. Sit down here and we can have a chat about what happened with my little brother, and afterwards about my old friend Shield Blueblood.”
“Just like that!? Seriously? After what he did and how he treats everypony?” Rainbow Dash wasn't happy.
“Don't worry when I am done he will wish he didn't act like a snobby prince on his high horse.” Armour smirked. “Not everything needs to get physical. Sometimes the right word is all you need.”
Rainbow Dash saw Blueblood's expression. “If you think it would work, fine. After breakfast I'm going to get to work on my Daring Do cosplay!”
Blueblood gulped in defeat as he joined them at the table. “I'm going to have a lot to make up for this, aren't I?”
“Indeed. But for now I up for something to eat. Haven't had anything apart from Zap Apples for over 1000 years.” Armour rubbed his two front hooves together, licking his snout. “I am going to enjoy a good breakfast.” He placed both hooves on the table. “So hit me with a little of everything!”
Celestia giggled. “You might regret those words.”
“Oh I will, but it be worth it.”
I leaned over to Scootaloo. “Why would Armour regret eating breakfast?”
“I don't know, how much different type of breakfast food can there be?” Scootaloo wondered, also confused as I am.
Applebloom shrugged. “Ah don't know.”
“He will.” Sweetie Belle giggled. “I saw Rarity make different types of breakfast for us everyday in one week, weekday and weekend.”
“Weekday and weekend? Is that something to do with the seven days in a week thing?”
“Eeyup,” they said together and laughed.
“Don't worry Zaps, we'll help ya.” Scootaloo put her foreleg around the back of my neck down my side. “Friends help each other out no matter what! And we crusaders are always there to help each other out!”
This made me happy as we ate our remaining breakfast, but I still wondered why no pony taught me about this erm… a month ago I think I remember somepony saying. So my party with being my Birthday comes every year? I guess there's a very long time till my next.
“Armour.”
“Yes little brother?”
“Are you going to eat with that helmet still on?”
Armour looked up and back at me with a grin. “Yes, yes I am!”
Discord chuckled. “I like you, at least your-”
“Discord.”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Oh helping me find love and hearing from the fear of all things you're now reformed and have a friend like Fluttershy,” Armour smirked.
Discord rolled his eyes. “Oh that thing had to spy on little old me, didn't she? Well at least I got the drop on her!” He was in a different outfit, wearing some purple coat and hat, with a black stick he spun around.
Armour put his hoof out to Discord and he took it but then he was pinned against the table with an hoof against his neck startling everypony. “If you double cross us and put any of my family -- specially those in here -- in danger, I will make you sorry,” he said in a dark tone.
Discord tried to break free, but he couldn't from what we could see. “My magic it isn't working! What did you do!?” Discord stopped trying to break free.
Celestia didn't do anything and raised a hoof to Fluttershy. “Princess, he's hurting Discord!”
“No he's not. Look at Discord.”
Fluttershy saw him just snickering. “Discord!”
Discord chuckled. “Dear Fluttershy, it all in good sport,” Armour let go and Discord appeared by Fluttershy. “Don't worry dear Fluttershy, I kind of had that coming.”
“But-”
“Please, I knew he would do it and get angry with me. I did put his home at risk over 1000 years ago, if it wasn't for the magic in that kingdom I would have put my chaos in that land as well.” Discord just grinned as he talked to Fluttershy, finding what happened to him for what he did amusing for himself.
“Discord you're not making sense.” Twilight looked at him, dumbfounded by the way he was speaking.
Discord made a light bulb appear out of nowhere and it even lit up. “Well if it means anything I do the Pinkie Pie promise and that should solve this.”
“The what?” Armour turned to Pinkie Pie. “What is this promise to do with you?”
Pinkie Pie giggled. “Oh, it's a super serious promise that no pony can break!”
“Just like that?” Armour watched Discord do the Pinkie Pie promise. I remember it and saw him even put an cupcake in his eye.
Celestia nodded. “Just like that. Now,” she reset the table in front of her, Blueblood and him. “If the drama is over, how about breakfast?”
“Ah agree, also we might explain what happened to make the super size Zap Apple tree we have now.” Applejack's words made Armour instantly look at her as she spoke.
He quickly turned to the window looking out to Ponyville. “Me and Scootaloo did it! We worked together and put water on some of the trees! Isn't it cool!” I beamed with delight, and Scootaloo grinned with pride with her chest out a little.
“You ok?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Confused... First I dig Discord into a table and now I feel his good at his word but a huge Zap Apple tree!? Seriously, is 'weird and wonderful' a normal thing for all of you?” He looked around the room.
The only reply I heard was an massive...
“Yes!”
“Can we just have breakfast... Discord making sense, huge trees to weirdness being normal... I just want breakfast now...”
“Can do.” Celestia giggled. “Can do my love.”