March 21st, 994
Pinkie Pie happily pronks down the streets of Ponyville. She goes from one stall to another, shaking the hoof of any mare who crosses her path. She exclaims, "He said yes!" to one salespony before noticing a mare leading four foals down the road. She pronks up, shaking the hoof of the mare while yelling, "He said yes!" to her. Pinkie then goes down the line, holding her hoof up for each foal to give her a hoof bump while saying to each, "He said yes! He said yes! He said yes! He said yes!" She continues pronking down the road, aggressively greeting each pony in turn.
Applejack shakes her head at the mare's antics as she sets her cart up at her usual spot. She lays baskets full of their second harvest out as well a sign. It reads,
Special : Today Only
Apples
Five for the Price of Two
In Celebration of Pinkie Pie
joining Herd Apple
There is small text at the bottom, 'limit ten apples per customer'. She smiles as the first of many customers makes their way to her stand. The mare notices the sign, giving a warm smile to Applejack and says, "Oh, congratulations, Applejack! I'll take ten apples, please!"
Applejack pulls out one of the many ten apple bags she has stored in her cart, hoofing it over to the mare. "Thank you kindly, Carrot Top. Oh, Ah don't suppose you noticed what time your farm finished during Winter Wrap Up, did ya?" Applejack hangs her head a little, scratching the back of her mane with a hoof. "Mine wasn't finished until the second day, so whenever you feel like getting that barrel of apples Ah can drag it over."
Carrot Top shakes her head, "Oh, don't worry about it, Applejack, they might have finished plowing the snow off the carrot fields the first day, but it wasn't until the second day when they managed to get all the snow off the trees and house. Then we had to go and plow the snow around the house again because, wouldn't you know, they managed to dump the snow on the carrot fields!" She gives an exasperated laugh, almost a sigh, "Well, at least we hadn't started planting. As far as I'm concerned, we tied."
Applejack shrugs but continues, "Well, Ah think we both lost, then, if'n you want to trade a barrel of apples for a barrel of carrots. Doug really likes them, so they'll disappear right quick."
Carrot Top nods her head, a little surprised at Applejack's generosity, "Oh, well, sure! I can bring a barrel here next time I head back home, especially if you have a spare one."
Applejack looks over, watching her merchandise quickly disappearing from the shelves. "Well, Ah reckon Ah have an empty barrel round here somewhere. Lemme rustle that up." She disappears behind her cart as Carrot Top sits under the sun shade. Applejack returns, pushing a barrel full of apples in front of her. She brushes a hoof across her forehead, pushing her Stetson back up, "Alright, there ya go. Did ya want a cart or something?"
Carrot Top shakes her head, "Oh, I'll just pop back to the farm and grab one. I'll see you soon!"
Applejack waves as an extremely muscular white pegasus makes his way up to the cart. He squints at the sign before giving a dejected sigh. Applejack moves over, looking at her sign and then at him, "Hey Bulk, good to see ya. Can I help you?"
Bulk Biceps pouts, pointing a hoof at the sign, "Well, it's just, that's such a great deal, but only ten apples?"
Applejack laughs, "Oh, that's just to keep ponies from reselling them somewhere else. Tell ya what, if you eat the apples in front of me, you can have as many as you can eat at that price."
Bulk Biceps raises his forelegs in the air and gives out a loud, "YEAH!" as he begins scarfing down apples left and right. Applejack tries to keep count but quickly gives up. She sees Rainbow Dash flying by, the mare spotting Bulk at the stand and coming over.
Rainbow remarks, "Wow, he's really going to town on those apples," as Bulk finishes eating. He gives a large burp, pulling out a stack of bits.
Applejack whistles, "Woo wee, that was a lot of apples there, partner. How many was that?"
Rainbow casually says, "Forty eight while I was flying over here. I lost count once I landed."
Bulk Biceps flexes, "Yup, it was an even fifty apples. Bet ya can't beat that!" He raises a hoof, pointing towards Rainbow before he places his bits on the counter, giving her a smirk.
Rainbow hovers up, "Oh yeah?"
Bulk Biceps raises his forelegs in the air, "YEAH!"
Rainbow rubs the back of her mane with a foreleg, "Yeah, you're probably right, my max is about thirty. See ya on the afternoon patrol Bulk!" Bulk waves to Rainbow before slowly flying away, rubbing his slightly distended stomach. Applejack grins as Rainbow grabs two apples, chowing down on one and moving over to the stand. "So, the sale going well?"
Applejack nods, "Yup, we're going through this bumper crop mighty quick. Pinkie's been doing a good job drumming up business too, going and telling everypony about what happened."
Pinkie Pie pops up from behind the cart, "Ooh! Rainbow Dash! Did you hear? He said yes! Oh wait, you were there. Anyway, I'm so excited! Whoopiee!" The pink mare bounds off in search of more ponies to tell as a few others gather around the cart.
Rainbow says, "Well, that's our Pinkie Pie." She pauses, looking up at the sky. "Huh. Still feels weird saying that and actually meaning it in more than a, 'there goes the town goof but we love her anyway' sense. Anyway, I need to head back to work. Thanks for the snack!" She flies back up towards the Everfree as Applejack sets out a few more ten apple bags. These things are selling as fast as cider on fresh cider day! Well, almost as fast. Nothing sold as fast as fresh cider, once they started pulling the barrels out.
Pinkie Pie returns to the stall, giving an exhausted sigh as she lays down between Applejack's cart and the counter. Applejack looks down at the pink pony, "So, ya told everypony in town yet?" At Pinkie's nod Applejack purses her lips, nodding her head, "Wow, that's mighty impressive. Oh, Ah'm supposed to ask you, because Spoiled Rich is going to ask-" Applejack trails off, spotting the pink mare trotting up with a pink foal following close behind. "Well, speak of Luna," she says under her breath before forcing a smile on her face. "Howdy, Spoiled Rich! And that must be little Diamond Tiara, how are you two doing today?"
Pinkie Pie bolts upright, looking over at the two. She gives a cheerful wave as Spoiled Rich responds, "I'm doing well, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. I... heard the news." She gives a tired smile to Pinkie Pie, who merely cocks her head to the side. Spoiled Rich looks back to Applejack, "Two apples, please."
Applejack smiles, "Coming right up! But, we're having a sale right now, five apples for the price of two." Spoiled Rich shakes her head as Applejack continues undaunted, "If you didn't want them, Ah understand, but maybe Silver Set, Silver Spoon, and Filthy, uh, Ah mean, Mr. Rich would like one as well?" Spoiled Rich sighs and reluctantly nods. Applejack smiles, "Would you like the other three in a bag?"
Spoiled Rich nods, "And, if you could cut up Diamond Tiara's apple, thank you."
Applejack turns, smirking as she rummages through one of the boxes underneath the counter. Normally cutting an apple is an arduous task for an earth pony, trying to keep the knife and apple balanced without mushing everything. She pulls out a ring of metal that Doug had crafted for her when he saw how much difficulty she was having with one of the apples for the foals. He normally just used a knife, like she did, but this little contraption made the job much easier.
Applejack places two apples on the counter, a small paper cup and a bag with three apples. She pushes the metal ring on top of one of the apples, slicing it eight ways and removing the core. She pulls each of the slices off the ring and puts them into the cup. She picks the ring up, flicking the juicing off and placing it back in the box under the counter. She asks, "Did ya want the core?"
Spoiled Rich stops messing with Diamond Tiara's mane to look over. Confusion flashes across her face as she says, "You finished already?"
Applejack nods, "Yup, freshly cut apple slices. Did ya want the core?" She holds the core up in her hoof. When Spoiled Rich shakes her head Applejack shrugs, popping the core in her mouth and quickly swallowing.
Spoiled Rich takes the apples and feeds a slice to Diamond Tiara. The filly grins, looking for another as Spoiled Rich asks Pinkie Pie, "Well, I suppose congratulations are in order, Pinkie. Though I must ask. Did anything... happen during the last few weeks?" Pinkie Pie shakes her head, then nods several times before shaking her head back and forth again. Spoiled Rich sighs, "Do I have to be more specific?"
Pinkie Pie shakes her head again, "Well, after our first date, which went really Really well, we went out a couple more times, but those times just went really well, well, except for the third one which just went well around a well, where we were singing next to a well, and then we finally got around to playing hide and seek with the foals which went, well, well. Do I need to elaborate?"
Spoiled Rich smiles, "No, Pinkie, I think that is enough." She hoofs the last of the apple slices to Diamond Tiara, who babbles, "Well."
Pinkie Pie claps her hooves together excitedly, moving close to Diamond Tiara, "Well, well, well, I see we have an impersonator in our midst! Maybe you'll grow up just like me! Well, well, well!"
Spoiled Rich shakes her head as Diamond Tiara mimics, "Well, well, well!" Spoiled Rich looks over to Pinkie Pie, smiling, "Well, Pinkie, it has been nice meeting you, and I hope you have foals that are just as energetic as you are. Good day, Applejack!" She takes the remaining apples, returning to their house with Diamond Tiara following behind.
Pinkie Pie squeals, "Ooh, I hope I have foals that are as energetic as me!"
Applejack snarks, "Ah don't think she meant that as a compliment."
Pinkie Pie throws her hooves up in the air, "What? How is that not a compliment! I love being as energetic as I am!"