February 30th, 994
The morning light streams through the window as Doug sits in his office chair, trying to focus on his weather scheduling. There had been no hiding the ending of his date with Pinkie Pie from the rest of the herd, though he is still surprised Pinkie hasn't asked to join the herd yet. Instead, Applejack cautioned him against fooling around with her for the next two weeks; Rainbow's heat has already started and the rest of the mares are due any day now. Fluttershy and Rarity are debating taking the medication, just in case, while Applejack and Rainbow have decided to tough it out. He has no idea what Pinkie Pie will do, how good her self control will be. For many of the mares in Ponyville the unicorn designed medication is seen as a bit of a cheat, an expensive subversion of the natural way of things. That didn't stop many mares from having a bottle on hoof, just in case, but the less that his herd can deviate from the norm the better.
Doug opens the next letter, another last minute request for extra rain. Rainbow Dash had cautioned him that these sort of requests are extremely frequent in the early spring as many farmers have finally decided what selection of plants they will grow and will need extra rain for their new sprouts. Also, it seems, they each think that they are the only ones that do this, and 'Oh please it's just a few extra inches over the next week, please oh please Missus Digger'. It gets tiring quick, and also messes with Doug's normal routine for how he likes to create his schedules. He is starting to see why so many pegasi despise this weather work and why so many areas were quick to dump the responsibility onto somepony else.
He opens another letter; fortunately, this one just seems to be a letter thanking the weather team for their hard work over the winter. He smiles before tossing that one onto a small pile next to his 'to do' bay, taking another letter from his 'In' bay. This one has a few compliments about the handling of the weather during the fall, how it helped the crops, yada yada yada, a snide remark about the early snows during the winter, and another request for extra rain on the marked section. Doug detaches the section, places it into the Ponyville section of his 'to do' bay before opening the next letter.
A soft landing of hooves on the porch outside signals Rainbow's return. Doug thought he was supposed to meet Rainbow in town, but maybe she wanted to walk with him. It is really early for that, though. She left at dawn to make sure everypony on the weather patrol has their assignments and knew what to do. There will be a few trainees that she or Open Skies will need to keep a close eye on, especially as the work around Ponyville is a bit different than what they teach up in Cloudsdale. Rainbow has taken the second half of the morning shift off to spend time with her parents Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof. They, along with Rarity and Fluttershy's parents, are due to arrive at some point today. Doug will meet with them in the morning, though Rainbow has to return to work after lunch. Doug will swap to meet with Fluttershy's parents, Mrs. and Mr. Shy, at lunch. At some point in the afternoon he might meet Cookie Crumbles and Hondo Flanks for dinner with Rarity, depending on their schedule.
Doug sighs; he does not want to get behind on this, and continues sorting through letters as the front door opens and the sound of hooves echo from the kitchen. Soon the only sounds are the letters he is ripping open and the soft rustle of papers. Doug tenses as a soft breeze disturbs a few of the papers before a set of hooves cover his eyes. He hears a soft voice saying, "Guess who?" from behind him.
"Hmmm," Doug says, stroking his chin. "Fluttershy?"
One of the hooves releases his face, clocking him lightly on the head while the other spins him around. "No, silly!" Pinkie Pie says; the mare is strapped to a few balloons, allowing her to barely levitate over the floorboards. She moves in, giving Doug a kiss before slowly drifting backwards. She giggles a bit at the contact before settling down to the floor. She looks over the papers Doug has on his table before looking back at him, "Applejack asked me to help with the foals, watching Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle while she takes Apple Bloom." Pinkie pie grins, "Your foals are so easy, they always want to play and scamper around! I'll be here until after lunch, then Fluttershy should be coming over. I'll be working late at Sugarcube Corner if you want to catch up." She winks at him, turning around and flicking her tail as she heads to the foals' room.
Fortunately for Pinkie each foal was already fed and changed, so she will be able to just play with them. Doug shakes his head; each of the mare's antics would only get more pronounced as the weeks go on, especially if they aren't getting the type of attention their body craves. None of the mares in his herd want to chance having another foal, not with the uncertainty with Spoiled Rich. They also want to wait to get a better idea of how the foals are developing. So far, though, the signs look good for next year, if things continue progressing as they are.
Doug opens the next letter, waiting for the right time to leave. This letter seems different from the others; inside, instead of the normal form to amend their weather request or to give feedback, it looks like a personal letter. Doug regards it with curiosity - not many ponies write to him.
The letter itself is quite short: "Dear Mr. Apple, I would like to meet up with you to help with a paper I am researching. Please let me know if you would be available around the month of May. Please send your reply to P. O. Box 526, Ponyville. Thank you for your time. -SG"
Doug shrugs, consulting his schedule. While it is mostly blank, as far as scheduled events, he knows he will have a lot of work in the spring. It'll probably die down a little right before summer, giving him a bit more free time as the spring harvests complete and ponies gear up for summer planting. After that it would be back to being busy, but he has a bit more experience during that time of year. He scribbles a quick reply, using the helpfully provided return envelope, and drops the letter into his out bay.
Doug opens several more letters, all routine weather amendment requests, before he grabs a thicker, full sized envelope. There is an insignia he hasn't seen before, but it reminds him of Celestia's cutie mark. On the front of the letter is written in bold, 'Priority Response Yellow Requested, Open Immediately'. Doug's face blanches as he opens the letter, wondering both what could have happened that necessitated this and if he should go get Applejack.
The outer envelope opens easily enough, revealing another package inside. The writing on the front reads, 'For Herd Apple Only', which he sets aside. The envelope also includes a small packet of green dust and a single match as well as a return envelope and paper. The return envelope is routed to the royal guard station in Canterlot. Neither envelope contains anything else, so Doug attempts to open the marked package.
At first, the package merely resists his efforts to open it; his fingers, which were sufficient to open every other letter so far, fail to penetrate the paper cover. He sighs, redoubling his efforts before he notices a slight pain in his head. He stops, rubbing his temples; the pain goes down quickly, but comes back when he looks again at the package. He sighs, looking away. He would need to get Applejack after all.
Doug leaves the package on the desk, heading outside to find Applejack. She is busy bucking trees, her cart already filled with baskets of their first apple harvest. He calls out, "Hey, Applejack?"
Applejack, surprised at the interruption, responds, "Hey, Doug? You need help with something?"
He nods, "Yeah; I got a package from Canterlot and I can't open it."
Applejack frowns, "Oh? Was it addressed to me or something?"
Doug shakes his head as the two walk back to the farmhouse, "No, it was addressed to Herd Apple. I tried to open it, but I couldn't. Then I got a headache and didn't want to mess with it any more."
Applejack hesitates as they get close to the office, "Are ya sure it was from Canterlot?"
Doug shrugs as he walks into the room, grabbing the outer envelope from the desk before stepping away, "Well, it looked pretty official. Here's the outer envelope it came in, I could open that just fine."
Applejack looks at the mark, nodding in recognition, "Eeyup, that's the official seal all right. Looks like they included some dragonfire dust as well. This must be something important, that's used to instantly send letters." At Doug's mere nod at this, Applejack asks, "Wow, you aren't surprised by that? Ah couldn't believe it when Ah first heard about it."
Doug says, "Well, I just assumed magic could send messages back and forth quickly. Plus, humans had phones and electronic messaging that could talk anywhere on the planet instantly."
Applejack nods, "Ah can see how that would be useful, Ah could keep in touch with all them Apple relatives we got scattered over Equestria. Hard enough getting together for the reunions, making sure everypony knows when and where we're meeting." She moves her hoof over to the package, the wrapping coming instantly undone as she touches it. "Well, that wasn't too hard."
Doug looks over at the opened package, the pain in his head returning. He quickly glances away; the pain subsides as he says, "Ow. Well, you might have to read it to me, it still hurts to look at it."
Applejack peers at papers, moving the package to view it from different angles, "Huh. Well, must be some sort of anti-tampering spell. Rarity might know more, but at least it's keyed to let me use it. Alright, let's see. 'Dear Herd Apple, on behalf of Princess Celestia, May Her Sun Shine As Long As She Deems Necessary, and Princess Cadance, yada yada yada.' Let's see, more introductions, a bit of knowledge about our herd and foals, very detailed, they must have Dr. Horse's notes or something. Huh, this part looks important. 'We have a team of magic specialists who are able to look into the problems that your foals are facing. They will be able to observe and inspect your foals, and potentially have a'."
Applejack stops talking, her voice caught in her throat. Doug looks back over at her but immediately turns, the pain in his head the worst it has been so far. The stars in his eyes clear a little as Applejack continues, her voice quiet, "It says here that they 'potentially have a course of treatments that may restore some or all of the foals' magic.' That's... that's..."
Applejack looks over, seeing Doug still in pain. She drops the letter on his desk, moving over to nuzzle him. "That would be incredible; Ah can't believe the Princess is looking into this for us!" She smiles, moving back to the letter. She continues, mumbling to herself as she reads "Let's see. It continues, a bit about how there are no guarantees, this would be experimental, other disclaimers. Oh, Doug, Ah bet the others can't wait to hear this!"
Doug nods, mostly recovered though he is rubbing his head, "Yeah, I bet they will. Was there anything else in there?"
Applejack pauses, looking back over the contents of the package. "Yeah, two other things. First, there is a letter. No salutations like the other one, just a quick note. Huh, starts off 'Dear Herd Apple, if members of your herd plan on conceiving this heat season, please reply as soon as possible using the enclosed dragonfire dust.'" Applejack looks over, locating the dust. "This stuff is really expensive, why would they want to know that so badly? Anyway, the letter continues, 'If you don't plan on conceiving, please keep the dust until the end of your heat. If you or any mares outside the herd...' well, I don't like those implications at all!"
Doug smirks, laying on the floor with his hand over his eyes, "It did happen last year, maybe they think I can't keep it in my pants."
Applejack looks over, unamused, "Well, first off, you don't wear any pants, and second, we didn't know that this would happen. Couldn't they at least not just assume you'll go off fooling around with any other mares?"
Doug sighs, "Mares like Pinkie?"
Applejack pauses, lifting a hoof to her face. "Huh. You think they know about Pinkie Pie?"
Doug shrugs, "They seem to know everything else. Freaking KGB ponies I guess?"
Applejack hesitates, "Uh, sure, Ah guess." She pauses again, sighing loudly. "Ah really don't have a hoof to stand on over here, huh? Well, make sure you let me know if you fool around with any other mares, then, apparently that's incredibly important information that the Princesses need a full report on." Applejack scowls, tossing the paper marked, 'instructions for dragonfire dust' on the desk. She picks up the other paper, reading the header. She says in a slightly confused voice, "Huh. Ah suppose Ah should have read this one first, it seems to be hoof written by Princess Celestia."
'Dear Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Doug, and, if she joins Herd Apple by the time we are able to meet, Pinkie Pie. It has come to my attention that Doug, a human with no magic, was able to conceive with three of the members of your herd. This came as a surprise to me, as a lack of magic would theoretically preclude such an act from occurring. Princess Cadance and I request a meeting with you to discuss the situation, especially that of your recently born foals. Please let us know when you are available; this is a sensitive matter, so please choose a time and day where your disappearance will not be noticed. Sincerely, Princess Celestia'
Applejack stares at the letter in her hoof for several long seconds before flipping it over. "Huh, there's an area to write what day and time we are available. It also says the meeting might take a while, and sooner rather than later, preferably within the week." She puts the letter down on the desk, moving next to her stallion, "Doug? Is it alright if Ah'm a little scared?"
Doug nods; his headache continues to subside as the letter moves away from him. He lifts an arm to embrace Applejack, saying, "I know, I'm a little frightened too, but I think it'll be okay. She probably won't banish me, right?"
Applejack glares at Doug before moving over to hug him, "Ah certainly hope not, but why would you go and put an idea like that in my head? It's bad enough with just what Ah can come up with."
Doug laughs as Applejack gets up, "Just trying to get a little humor in there, I guess. Oh, can you take the letter, actually, that whole package and whatnot with you? It's still doing a number on me, even over here."
Applejack nods, "Sure thing Sugarcube. Ah sure don't want to take a day off, not at this time, but who are we to refuse Princess Celestia's request? And she even will make the time for us. Hopefully she doesn't mind meeting us after dinner, and Ah hope it don't run too long. What could be so important?" She puts the package and the rest of the contents back in the envelope, and Doug relaxes, feeling like a weight has been lifted off him.
Doug shrugs as he notes the time, saying, "Well, it's about that time. I need to head out, meet with Rainbow and her parents. Thanks for helping me with this." He grabs his satchel and a few work papers before walking outside the room.
Applejack nods, nuzzling Doug as they leave the house, "Sure thing, Sugarcube. Oh, if you see Rarity and Fluttershy tell them we need to meet here at dinner. Oh, Ah think we might as well include Pinkie in this, she's just about a part of this herd now."
Doug says, "Sure, if we see any of them I'll pass it along. See you later!"