//------------------------------// // The Present // Story: Apple Brandy // by Alaborn //------------------------------// Apple Brandy By Alaborn Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein. The Present “I do believe I hear your train arriving, darling,” Crystal Song said to Diamond Tiara. Diamond Tiara nodded and looked down the tracks, even though the train wasn’t close enough to see. She didn’t tell her unicorn friend that she first sensed the train arriving five minutes earlier, feeling the vibrations of the rumbling train through her hooves. Canterlot Station was crowded, as Hearth’s Warming was only three days away. Guardsponies on leave to visit their home towns and families traveling to the homes of distant relatives combined with the everyday traffic that brought ponies to and from Equestria’s capital. For Diamond Tiara, she was ready to return home from her boarding school. A mere two weeks separated the fall semester’s final exams and the start of the spring term. The hiss of steam and squealing of brakes announced the arrival of the train bound for Ponyville. Around the station, many ponies got to their hooves, ready to move. “Don’t be a stranger, Diamond,” Crystal Song said. The mare said her goodbyes with a kiss on each cheek, in the style of the unicorn nobility. Diamond Tiara returned the gesture. “Before we know it, we’ll be back in school,” she said. “Oh, please, darling, don’t remind me,” Crystal Song said. “Ta ta!” Diamond Tiara waved goodbye, and then joined the crowd surging onto the train. The attendant punched her ticket, and showed her to her private cabin. The door to her cabin closed behind her. Diamond Tiara sat on the narrow bed and sighed. She looked up, catching her reflection in the mirror hanging on the door. There she was, a mare wearing a dress in the latest Canterlot style. The tailors at Rarity’s boutique do an excellent job, but they couldn’t conceal that popular fashion was designed with a unicorn’s body in mind. The latest styles never made her happy, not like wearing a sharp business collar, or even nothing at all. Her dress came off, and she safely stored it in the trunk. Diamond Tiara noticed an old scarf tucked into one corner of the trunk, magenta and violet, the perfect complements for her coat and mane. It was a gift from Sweetie Belle, if she remembered correctly, from some time after she and her friends had helped her see how her mother’s lessons had poisoned her. Those were a good few years. Then came the boarding school. Ponyville may have had its own palace, but what it didn’t have was a secondary school, not one appropriate for a filly ultimately preparing for a university education at Royal Canterlot University. Thus came the move to Canterlot and the prestigious Starshine School. And all of a sudden, her mother’s lessons came back to her. Everything was about relationships, but not the honest relationships her father cultivated with his business partners. Rather, everypony looked at everypony else as somepony who could help their own status. Crystal Song was about as nice as the students came; they bonded over their shared passion for business, albeit in Crystal Song’s case, the music business. Their friendship was as genuine as possible, but ultimately shallow; it would never be as strong as her friendships from Ponyville. Plus, she knew Crystal Song didn’t swing that way. Which was the shame, as the mare was quite a looker, for a unicorn. Diamond Tiara wrapped the old scarf around her neck and watched out the window. As the train started moving, the oppressive weight of Canterlot society lifted from her withers. She was looking forward to decompressing. Compared to school, being at home would be utterly relaxing, even with the strained relationship with her mother. Diamond Tiara must have dozed off, as the next thing she remembered was stirring as the train slowed to a stop. She gave her mane a quick brush and opened the door to her cabin once the train stopped. The porter was quick to collect her trunk. Stepping out of the train, Diamond Tiara felt the snow crunch under her hooves. She tugged her scarf tighter against the cold. Out on the platform, Diamond Tiara spotted her father and their butler waiting for her. She ran forward and embraced her father. “My precious Diamond,” Filthy Rich said. “You’re looking more mature every time I see you.” “I swear I’m already getting age lines. I blame Canterlot society,” Diamond Tiara replied. “We’ll have time to commiserate later, Diamond. Let Randolph take your trunk.” The porter passed off the trunk, and Randolph started to leave. “We’re not going home?” “We’ve been invited over by the Apples,” Filthy Rich said. “Mother’s not coming.” It was a statement, not a question. “She’s too busy assisting with the celebrations at Princess Twilight’s castle. She doesn’t see the importance in maintaining this relationship,” Filthy Rich stated flatly. So the relationship between her father and mother remained as strained as ever. “Let Mother do her thing, Daddy. After four months in Canterlot, I’m looking for a simple and honest gathering.” “It has been a while,” Filthy Rich said. “You barely spent any time home last summer before going off to that internship in Manehattan.” “But the good thing about Ponyville is it doesn’t change.” They passed Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle. “Much, at least.” The Apples’ farm was one part of Ponyville that certainly didn’t change. The white painted fence and gate, the groves of apple trees stretching as far as the eye could see, the old barn and farmhouse—they all looked the same to Diamond Tiara. There were probably repairs made, and maybe the barn itself was replaced during some past Apple family gathering, but its form was unchanged. They were greeted at the door of the farmhouse by Granny Smith. The matriarch of the Apple family showed the passage of time, but remained as feisty as ever. “Filthy! Get over here!” “Actually, Granny Smith, I prefer—” “You think I don’t remember? My mind’s not gone yet!” Granny Smith turned to Diamond Tiara. “Lovely to see you too, dear.” “Thank you for the invitation,” Diamond Tiara responded. “Our home is always open to good friends like you.” Another thing that didn’t change in Ponyville was the inviting warmth of the Apple home, and the tantalizing smells coming from the kitchen. They headed straight there, where Applejack and Big McIntosh were filling the table and counters with enough food to feed dozens of ponies, or maybe six Apples. Diamond Tiara knew from the grapevine that the two elder Apple siblings were still single; they were both stubborn and would always be tied to the farm. The only one who might end up elsewhere was the one who wasn’t present. “Where is Apple Bloom?” Diamond Tiara asked. “Cutie mark emergency,” McIntosh said. “Some filly having a crisis about the meaning of her snow cutie mark or some such,” Applejack added. “Oh,” she said. “Don’t just stand there, get something to eat!” Granny Smith said. Soon, Diamond Tiara had a plate filled with hearty stew and warm bread. It was nice to have real food again, not like the portions served at her school. She didn’t even mind the way the Apples put apples in foods that didn’t need them, like the stew. They talked only a little as they ate; she knew the Apples took their meals seriously. But once the apple pie was put away, their words would flow as freely as the cider. Big McIntosh excepted, of course. And so it happened this evening. Applejack and Granny Smith retired to the living room with Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara, where a roaring fire waited, while Big McIntosh headed into the cellar. When he returned, it wasn’t with mugs of cider. Instead, he brought a tray of snifter glasses and two bottles of amber liquid. Big McIntosh presented one of the bottles to Filthy Rich. “Mr. Rich, the Apples would like you to have this, as a token of our long relationship.” Diamond Tiara looked at the bottle. The glass was uneven, and the bottle stoppered with a simple cork. It was unlabeled, the bottle decorated only by a pink ribbon. It reminded her of the ribbons that Apple Bloom always wore. “I can think of no finer gift than a bottle of Apple family brandy,” Filthy Rich said. “How old is it again?” “Been aging eight years,” McIntosh said. “In that old cask you gave us,” Granny Smith added. “Ah, I remember that evening. Diamond, you were there too. Do you remember it?” Diamond Tiara nodded. She recalled the feeling of the heavy cask on her withers, but also her father’s lesson, that the one in charge will do anything for the business. And then she remembered fighting with Apple Bloom. She remembered the anger and the unkind words, how she was almost ready to fight. What made her act that way back then? It wasn’t just that day. There was the school paper, that first time her father tried to make her help with the zap apple jam, even her cuteceañera. Her mother’s influence was a major reason she acted like a spoiled princess, but why was she at her worst around Apple Bloom? Diamond Tiara’s thoughts were interrupted by the popping of a cork. Big McIntosh had opened the second bottle of brandy, and started pouring glasses. She was surprised to see a glass pressed into her hooves by Applejack. “For me?” she said. “Of course, sugarcube. You did help make it,” Applejack replied. “Just go easy on it. It’s got a kick.” Filthy Rich raised his glass. “To another profitable year in business together and many more to come!” “Hear, hear!” the Apples responded. Everypony raised their glasses and sipped the apple brandy. Diamond Tiara nearly choked on her first sip; the brandy was far more potent than the ciders her fellow students shared. But once she got used to it, she savored the pure essence of apple, along with the notes of vanilla and cinnamon. “So, Daddy, how successful was the zap apple business this year?” Diamond Tiara asked. While a broad education was important, she relished getting to talk business again. “It was a bumper crop this year. Right, Granny Smith?” “You betcha!” the elderly mare said. “Zap apples were a mite cantankerous this year, but we got ‘em all harvested.” “And Barnyard Bargains introduced zap apple jam to the ponies of Seaddle and Vanhoover for the first time, thanks to our newest stores,” Filthy Rich added. “Rest of the orchard did great, too,” Applejack noted. “Enough that you could start making that apple juice we’ve always talked about?” Filthy Rich asked. “With the trees we planted over the last two years, we sure will.” “I look forward to tasting a sample in the spring,” Filthy Rich said. They continued to talk business, Diamond Tiara mostly listening and asking questions. When she was younger, she didn’t think much of those apple farmers, but as time passed, she came to see just how complex their business really was, and admired their success. Their business didn’t rival Barnyard Bargains in complexity—nothing could, really—but they ran one of the most successful farms in Equestria, and without a staff of hundreds of ponies working for them. The door to the farmhouse opened, admitting a frigid breeze, before quickly slamming shut. “Welcome home, Bloom,” Applejack said. “Did you help that filly?” “Sure did!” she replied cheerily. “After getting her cutie mark playing in the snow last year, her parents pushed her to make snowflakes, but she was really bad at it. I said that maybe she couldn’t make snowflakes, but she could make snowponies, and snow forts, and snowballs!” “Looks like she was really good at making snowballs,” McIntosh said with a chuckle. “Tell me about it.” Apple Bloom removed her scarf, which had caught the brunt of several snowballs, but there was still plenty of snow clinging to her mane. She shook her head to free it from the snow. Diamond Tiara could only stare as Apple Bloom’s mane moved, seemingly in slow motion. She no longer wore a bow, letting her mane, now wither length, flow free. She suddenly felt very warm. It had to be the apple brandy. “There’s stew simmering on the stove,” Granny Smith said. “Great! I’m famished!” Apple Bloom replied. Diamond Tiara rose. “I’ll go sit with her. You know, to keep her company.” In the few moments since Apple Bloom went into the kitchen, she had somehow filled two plates with food, and was halfway through one of them. “Good to see you, Diamond,” she muttered around mouthfuls of food, in a display of manners that certainly wouldn’t be seen at the Starshine School. Diamond Tiara took a deep breath. “I just wanted to say sorry,” she said. Apple Bloom looked at her curiously. “You don’t need to apologize again. You’ve been a good pony for years, and that’s all anypony could ask.” “No, it’s more than that. Seeing you just now, I think I realize why I treated you like I did. You’re everything I wasn’t, that I couldn’t be.” “Huh?” “You’re strong. You’re graceful. You’re good at both earth magic and potions. And you use your special talent to help other ponies. Look at me. I’m nothing compared to you!” “Now wait just one minute,” Apple Bloom interjected. “Just because you ain’t strong doesn’t mean you ain’t worthwhile! You’re going to do good things, even if you can’t buck a tree.” “I know! It’s just that, still, I mean... ugh!” The two ponies were quiet for a moment, before Apple Bloom spoke again. “So what brought this on?” she asked. “This,” Diamond Tiara said, motioning to her snifter of brandy. “It was made with a cask that Daddy gave your grandmother. But I almost ruined it by fighting with you. Apple Bloom thought back to that day. Then she gasped. “I’m so sorry!” “Why?” “I called you weak, didn’t I? I never should have said something like that! I should have realized... I’m sorry!” “You don’t need to apologize, not after all I did,” Diamond Tiara said. “No, what I said wasn’t just trying to match insult for insult. I had other reasons for hating you.” “Really?” “Yeah, really. I never saw you work with your legs, so I thought you didn’t do anything,” Apple Bloom said. “Two years ago, Applejack asked me to help your father with distributing the zap apple jam. I never knew what went into that. It was really hard, much harder than jumping around in a bunny suit!” “It’s not that hard,” Diamond Tiara said. “Yes it is! You have to be good with words, and figures, and that isn’t me. Never will be.” “You mean we both wanted what we didn’t have?” “Well, Granny always said the apple is plumper on the other side of the fence,” Apple Bloom said. “Good thing our neighbors grow carrots!” Diamond Tiara laughed. “You know, there’s something we businessponies call ‘competitive advantage’. If I’m good at running Barnyard Bargains, and you’re good at making zap apple jam, we work together, and we both sell more than if we worked alone.” “But you have Applejack and Big Mac for that. I might not even stay in Ponyville,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s not just business. I’m a better pony for knowing you, and I don’t ever want to forget that. What my school in Canterlot has taught me most is I need somepony to ground me. Somepony honest, and strong, and beautiful.” Diamond Tiara gasped, and covered her mouth with her hooves. That was definitely the apple brandy talking. She dared a glance at Apple Bloom. To her surprise, she was staring at her hooves. “I’m not beautiful,” she muttered. This would not do. She slammed her hooves on the table. “Apple Bloom. Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror?” “I just see some pony with thick legs and big hooves.” “Up in Canterlot, I’m surrounded by ponies that look like they’d blow away in a stiff breeze. The fashion magazines say that’s beauty. And maybe that is, to a Canterlot unicorn. But I’m a Ponyville native, through and through,” Diamond Tiara said. “Or course, I still have high standards, and look for the finest things in life. But you know that, right?” “Yeah?” “So keep that in mind when I do this.” Diamond Tiara reached across the table and pulled Apple Bloom to her. She looked her in the eye, and then kissed her. Apple Bloom, caught by surprise, took a moment to return the kiss. They both knew that each of them liked mares, but she thought Diamond Tiara to be way out of her league. She took the time to enjoy this first kiss, savoring the faint taste of apple brandy on Diamond Tiara’s lips. After some time, they broke the kiss. Diamond Tiara noticed she had knocked over her brandy snifter, spilling the remaining liquor on the table, but she didn’t care. “Apple Bloom, you are a finer jewel than any in my tiara. All I want is to hear that I am the apple of your eye.” “Well, you ain’t an Apple, not yet. But maybe one day. How long are you here for?” “Only two weeks.” “Then for two weeks, let’s have business together,” Apple Bloom said. From the living room, four ponies watched the two younger mares in the kitchen admit their feelings for each other. “Took ‘em long enough,” Applejack said. “You seem rather confident,” Filthy Rich said. “I’m the element of honesty. I could see the fundamental dishonesty underlying their fighting,” she replied. “Course, I couldn’t tell back then if they’d end up as friends, or something more.” Granny Smith sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye. “It’s beautiful.” “I think you said it best eight years ago, Granny Smith,” Filthy Rich said. “Like a good apple brandy, they just needed time to mature.”