"Emerald! Wake up!"
He wasn't happy.
"C'mon! It's almost time for everypony to wake up!"
Not at all.
"Wakey wakey, Mr. Sleepy Head!"
Pinkie had ended up dragging him all the way to the apple orchard, having, somehow, already packed a camping bag. She had then proceeded to set up the overly pink tent and practically throw him inside. He barely had any time to think before Pinkie burst in with him, zipping up the tent flap and talking his ear off about how excited she was to share his first ever Cider Season with her.
The only reprieve he'd had all night were the moments when he'd stuff a balloon into her mouth. It was only when the balloon had been completely inflated that Pinkie would stop talking to tie up the open end and, occasionally, make some balloon animal out of it.
And that wasn't even taking into account the fact he couldn't do his fucking job last night!
...
He supposed it was for the best anyways.
Sometime last night, he'd run out of balloons to stuff in Pinkie's face, and, thankfully, managed to push her into getting more. On her way back, however, he spotted about a hundred other ponies running behind her, each with their own camping gear.
"Wa-!"
"I'm up!" he snapped, his eyelids flinging open, allowing him to see the bright and cheerful pink mare hovering above him.
"That's awesome!" Pinkie gushed, throwing her hooves wide, knocking around a few of the balloons huddled on the tent's roof. "C'mon! It's almost time for Cider Season to start!" she squealed, before opening the tent flap and stepping out, not bothering to fix her mess of a mane.
"Gosh Pinkie, I love your new style!" came a quiet voice, startling Emerald out of his thoughts. It was said with enthusiasm, but the almost non-existent voice it was said with completely contradicted that. Curious as to who, or what, was able to cause such a contradiction, Emerald poked his head out of the tent.
There were two mares in front of him and Pinkie, both pegasi.
One of them was a thin mare, almost unnaturally so. She had a long mane and tail of bubblegum pink that actually dragged onto the ground. It couldn't have been easy to take care of her mane and tail, given that. She didn't have much fat, but also not a lot of muscle, as her butter yellow coat made her look much softer than she actually was. Likely she ate rather healthy and kept up a fair amount of activity, but not enough to really mean much. She looked familiar, however, as if he had seen her somewhere before, or someone who looked similar at least. She was pretty, with an air of natural grace. Her legs were longer than most pegasi he'd met, but just as thin. Despite the fact her body was fit for flying, he couldn't see too much muscle around her chest and wings, meaning she didn't fly much, or at all.
From the way this mare seemed to hold herself, keeping her head lowered to the ground and her legs slightly bent, it was clear that she was a shy and easily startled mare. Her mane framed her face in a rather cute little heart, but it accentuated a few features that caught his eye.
Her teal eyes were slightly angled, and her ears, which poked out from under her mane, had small tufts of fur on the tips. Despite her soft looks and obviously timid personality, he could just see a set of almost imperceptible fangs in her maw as she spoke. There was no doubt about it.
This mare was half thestral.
But what Clan was she a part of? She was about his age, maybe a little younger, so she would've already outgrown most, if not all, of the defining characteristics that most thestral foals had. His eyes scanned over her, hoping to find something.
Her wings were a little bit above average, so he couldn't tell if she had Skies blood like him.
Her ears were of natural size, so the Tides Clan were out as well.
Her fangs were small, likely due to her half-blood status, so he had no clue on that.
He couldn't spot a single, defining characteristic. Sure, he was all but certain that Scootaloo was a member of his Clan, given her smaller than normal wings, but what were the chances of three members of the Skies Clan ending up in the same town?
...
Well, now that he thought about it, they were fairly likely, actually.
Eh, he'd have to pry her for information later.
He looked to the mare beside the possible-family-member. She was... noticeable.
Not in the sense that she was large, not at all. As a matter of fact, this mare was rather short for her age, most certainly a little shorter than Twilight had been. No, it was her muscle that stood out to him, and made her seem bigger than she was. While not as focused and used as often as Applejack's were, this mare had muscle all around her body. Most prominently were her chest and wings. She had a vibrant rainbow mane and tail, cut short and obviously not very well cared for if their messy appearance meant anything. Her mane, coupled with her sky blue coat certainly helped give the impression that she lived in the sky. Her small, sleek frame showed how fit she was for speed, and he was hard pressed to imagine her anywhere else but the sky.
Despite all that, this mare was obviously a sprinter, not an endurance flyer like he was. Given the spread of her muscle, she was used to simple, straight-line races meant for simple, but moderate bursts of speed. She might be able to handle a bunch of twists and turns, but it was likely she wasn't used to that sort of thing. She'd probably drop out of the sky from exhaustion after only a few dozen minutes of constant high-speed flight.
Compiling that information he'd gained from his observations, as well as cross-referencing it with the records he'd read, he knew these mares.
While Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, was extremely obvious, he probably wouldn't have needed to read those files to figure out who she was, the mare beside her was a little more obscure.
Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness.
He wouldn't have known her if he hadn't read those files. The mare was so shy, and kept to herself so often, that even Twilight, the mare who'd sent in those friendship letters that Celestia used to file away that information, barely knew anything about her.
His paranoia kicked in slightly.
Did this mare have something to hide? Was this shy front merely an act to keep others from disturbing her at her cottage while she did who knows what? Did sh-
No. He had to stop. He knew that wasn't right. The way she held herself was only proof to that end. If it was an act, there'd be something off about it, and he'd pick up on it quickly.
So, he threw those thoughts away.
"Who are all these ponies?!" came the raspy, tom-coltish voice that apparently belonged to Rainbow Dash. It served to remind him about where he was at the moment.
"Isn't this great?!" Pinkie piped up as Emerald finally took the time to exit the tent properly, "I was thinking yesterday that since Emerald here was gonna start working at Sugarcube Corner that he deserved the bestest of the best parties! But then I realized that I couldn't do that 'cause it would mean ponies wouldn't be able to wait in line for Cider Season to start, so I thought 'Hey Pinkie? Why not just take Emerald here, to Sweet Apple Acres so he could get the very first mug of cider as a 'Welcome to Ponyville, I'm so Happy You Got a Job Working with Me!' gift!" she squealed, wrapping her hooves around Emerald, who went rigid at the contact.
"So where'd all those ponies come from?!" Rainbow Dash asked again, sounding almost panicked,
"Oh!" Pinkie let go of Emerald, "Well Emerald and I were blowing up a bunch of balloons last night-"
"That's not-"
"-but then we ran out in the middle of the night and he had the super idea that I could go out and get some more! And I met a bunch'a ponies who asked me what the balloons were for so I told them Emerald and I were having a little slumber party while we camped out in line for Cider Season! And then they all came with me with their own stuff and now it's like a huge slumber party for everypony in Ponyville!" she shouted, jumping into the air, only to fall back down face first, causing Emerald to snicker. He threw his gaze out, scanning the long line. It certainly looked like the whole of Ponyville had come out for this.
It actually might've, now that he was taking a better look.
"Wow, that's a lot of ponies. I doubt the Apples have enough for everyone," he noted, only to turn back as he heard Rainbow Dash growl at something.
Pinkie had apparently woken him up twenty minutes before the official start of Cider Season, and it was within this time that most of the ponies in line also began waking up and packing their things.
Applejack, along with Macintosh and Applebloom were busy setting up the barrels and the stall that they'd be conducting their little business behind, with Granny Smith checking their progress every now and again.
Eventually, everything seemed to be in their proper place, and, as Pinkie said, Emerald was the first in line.
"Attention everypony!" came the amplified voice of Applejack as she spoke into a megaphone, "Cider Season is now officially open!" she happily cried. The declaration caused the ponies in line to start murmuring excitedly.
"Can you believe it Emerald?!" Pinkie whisper-shouted in his ear, "Your first ever Cider Season!" she gushed as he began to move forward,
"I suppose it's... memorable," Emerald said through the two bits Pinkie had given him earlier. Apparently she wanted him to just enjoy the experience without worrying about money.
He found that funny, considering he had a veritable fortune in his bag.
Not that anyone needed to know that.
He stepped forward, giving a polite nod to Granny Smith when she greeted him.
"Howdy Mr. Emerald!" Applebloom said, "I guess ya really wanted some cider after all, huh?" Emerald shrugged,
"Pinkie's not really giving me a choice in the matter," he said, placing the two bits on the counter. Applebloom smiled as she grabbed a mug and filled it from the tap,
"Well, I hope ya like it anyways!" He nodded, taking the wooden and walking off. Rather than drink it right away, he turned to check on Pinkie.
Now, during the moment when she headed back to the bakery to grab more balloons, it seemed that she remembered to grab her bits, as seen by the two saddlebags stuffed to the brim with gold.
It was rather amusing to watch as Pinkie literally dumped the contents of her bag in front of little Applebloom. The small filly quickly got to work filling a mug, which was easily snatched away by Pinkie once it was full and greedily downed.
It was about five minutes later that he was able to watch as Pinkie hobbled away from the stand, walking on her hind legs as she was laden down with twenty or so mugs. Emerald sighed.
He was pretty sure that wasn't healthy for a pony to do.
Oh and the quantity of the cider she was about to ingest couldn't be good either.
Sighing, he walked after the mare, only to nearly trip over her a minute later when he found her. She was laying on her back, a content smile on her face with twenty empty mugs around her. The slight distention of her stomach making it rather obvious what happened, as seemingly impossible as it was.
"Really?" he couldn't help but ask, earning a rapid nod from the almost-drunk mare. He chuckled a little, he couldn't help it. Glancing at the amber liquid in the mug he carried, his curiosity rose a bit.
What this cider really THAT good?
Raising the mug to his maw, he downed the fruity liquid.
...
...
Well... it WAS good. It wasn't what he'd been expecting though.
From the way the ponies of this town acted, he'd expected the drink to be nearly addictive in taste for it to warrant such a widespread reaction. Shrugging slightly, he sat down by his excitable co-worker.
"So, what'd ya think?!" Pinkie asked, sitting up and staring at him with an excited gleam in her eye. Once again, he shrugged,
"It was good. But I still don't see the fuss," he remarked.
"Really?!" she asked, stunned, "Huh, and here I thought everypony loved the Apple Family's cider..." she muttered.
"If it makes you feel better, I've only ever had a few cups of cider before this, so I don't have much to compare it too,"
Still, maybe he'd send a bottle to Luna and Wisp?
A sudden honking interrupted his thoughts, at which point he noticed that he'd just spaced out, if the obvious change in time meant anything, and chose to turn to face the oncoming...
... Was that music?
There was... something coming towards the crowd. It was obviously a machine of some sort, he'd seen plenty back in the Facility, although those weren't for... conventional uses.
It was big and red. Noisy as well. It was similar in appearance to a train, though that similarity ended when he noticed a giant yellow funnel, several barrels, and a pair of velvet chairs on the front.
Sitting on those chairs, was a pair of unicorn stallions. The two stallions were obviously twins, given their near identical appearances. With cherry red manes and tails, each with several white streaks through them, the only thing really telling them apart was that one of them had a mustache. A pinstripe suit adorned their torsos, covering their whitish yellow coats only slightly. If their appearances hadn't been enough to tell they were related, their cutie marks certainly did. One of them had an apple with a slice taken out of it, while the other had a single slice of apple, seemingly fitting into the space his brother's lacked.
If there was one thing that stood out to him about these two, however, was that they held a glaring similarity to the Apples.
It took him a moment, but something clicked in his head, and he recognized the two before the town.
Flim and Flam Apple. Two members of a branch in the Apple Family who happened to marry a few unicorns. Driven out of the family by some of the more old fashioned members, they swore revenge upon the family that wronged them. Since then they sought out members of the Apple Family and conned them out of their farms.
The two unicorns had broken in some over-the-top song that Emerald had the fortune to tune out while he was thinking.
However, tuning them out he may have, he wasn't dumb enough to not pay attention to their little machine. From what he could gather, while trying his best to ignore the song, the machine was designed to make cider by crushing the apples it sucked up. How it didn't get sticky or gum up was beyond him, though.
It also didn't stop him from internally dubbing them Skim and Scam, respectively.
Emerald had a bit of a naming quirk. Despite not seeming the type, he often gave nicknames to certain ponies based upon his relationship with them. Though there was always an exception...
He tuned back in just in time to hear Granny Smith shout,
"Not so fast!" she said, before beckoning the family around her, forming a huddle. He felt tempted to eavesdrop in on their conversation, as this was most definitely a problem they might not be able to handle, but by the time he could, Skim and Scam had already joined in, and he had a feeling he knew what was happening.
"Who gets the seventy-five?" Applejack asked, leaning back out of their little huddle, before the non mustached stallion, Scam he believed, stepped up,
"Why us, naturally," he said, before his brother piped in as well,
"And we'll throw in the magic to power the machine, for free!" he said, his horn glowing a semi-bright shade of green. Applejack walked over to her family, shaking her head,
"Cider Season keeps our business afloat through winter. If we take this deal, we'll lose the farm!" she said. The two unicorns spoke up,
"So, do we have a deal?" they asked in unison. The Apples looked at them for a moment, before Big Mac spoke up,
"No deal," he said. The non-mustached stallion gave a 'Hmph',
"Very well, if you're going to refuse our offer to be partners... Then we'll just have to be competitors," he said with a smug smile, Applejack sneered,
"You wouldn't dare!" she said angrily,
"Oh no?" the stallion said, before looking to his brother. Skim stood up at the podium on their cider machine,
"Don't you worry everypony! There'll be plenty of apple cider for all of you!" he yelled. As the crowd murmured, Scam leaned into Applejack's ear, muttering something Emerald didn't need to eavesdrop on to figure out.
"What?!" Applebloom shouted from behind her sister, apparently able to hear what was said. Scam gave the Apples a sly grin, before sauntering over to his brother, who started up the machine, which then began backing away from town. Emerald frowned, glancing at the frozen forms of the Apples. Sighing, he walked over to them,
"What's the problem?" he asked, having a good enough guess already. Applejack's jaw started to move, but Applebloom beat her to it,
"Flim an' Flam just threatened ta run us outta business..." she said sadly. Emerald's lip twitched downward slightly, before leaning on his left side, taking a rather casual tone of voice, as if the matter didn't bother him.
"Well, I suppose it's to be expected. They are con-ponies after all," he said. Four pairs of eyes snapped over to him immediately,
"What?" Granny Smith asked, her voice flat and cold,
"Skim and Scam Apple," he ignored the widening of their eyes, "A pair of unicorns whom were cast out of the Apple Family due to tension caused by some anti-unification Apples. Swore revenge on the entire family. I just so happen to have run into them before when they were messing around with some stallion named Green Apple,"
"Cousin Green?" Applebloom asked, her eyes shining which barely shed tears. Emerald let his frown show,
"It just so happens they're wanted for some..." he glanced at Applebloom, "... wrongdoings they've committed. So... food for thought, I suppose," he said.
Deciding to venture off from the still shocked family, he made his way back into town.
He thought about heading over to the bakery to see if the Cakes had opened up, as apparently Cider Season was on hold for right now. It was a little after twelve, and a Saturday. As he was pondering just what he could do, a slight surge of pain from his abdomen stopped him. While it was far from anything major, the familiar pang of hunger caused him to pause.
Hmm... it wasn't that bad yet, he could hold off on eating for a few more days.
He needed to focus on his job, so food could wait.
As he was walking through the market, idly wondering if there was something he could do, someone called out his name.
"Emerald!" his ears swiveled towards the sound, recognizing the voice as Twilight's, "Could you come over here?" He glanced over to her, finding that she was sitting at an outdoor cafe named 'Horte's Cafe'.
Seeing as he was bored, and didn't have a reason not to, he strode over to the bookish mare, who seemed to be ignoring her half eaten daisy sandwich in favour of him.
"What?" he asked, getting right to the point. Twilight blinked, apparently not expecting such a quick reply, but she shook it off,
"Well, I was just wondering how you're liking Ponyville so far!" she said, smiling at him, while also darting her eyes to the open seat in front of her, obviously trying to indicate for him to take it.
He didn't.
"Well... it's fine,"
"Oh... well that's... nice?" she said, her eyes darting around, "So, um... Cider Season's nice, right?" she asked, before suddenly gaining more confidence, "I mean, you and I got to experience our very first one together! Well, not together together, but..." she trailed off, awkwardly.
Emerald couldn't help but smirk at her demeanor.
"It was nice," he chose to admit, "Though I wasn't expecting that mess with Skim and Scam and their Super Speedy Slimer Cheesy 6000," he said. Twilight blinked,
"Um... you mean Flim and Flam and their Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, right?"
"Ever heard of a little something called belittlement?" Her face scrunched up slightly,
"Well, I guess they are a little... eccentric," she said, picking up her sandwich again, apparently remembering it existed, "But I think it could really help Applejack and her family if they made that deal," she said, taking a bite. Emerald frowned,
"Their profits from this sale helps them through the Fall and Winter. If even a small amount of it was divided up for those two cons, it could have some heavy consequences," he reasoned, attempting to coerce her into action.
If even one of Applejack's friends wasn't there to help, it would mean he'd have to step in more than he already was, and that could spell disaster if he ended up getting too close to one of the Elements.
...
Or could it?
Getting close to the Elements would provide him with the perfect excuse to be near them fairly often. Though, he'd have to find a way to get close to Fluttershy.
That reminded him. He needed to check and see what Clan she was a part of.
Twilight bit her lip, before swallowing,
"I guess that's true," she said, looking contemplative, "Do you think we could help?" she asked.
Shit.
She said 'we'. That could be bad for him.
.. Or not.
"... I suppose it's not out of the question. If she accepts," he said, choosing his words as carefully as he could. That caused the bookworm to laugh a little, confusing him. She shook her head as if brushing away a thought,
"I'm sorry," she said, smiling, still giggling a little, "It's just the thought of Applejack actually asking for help reminds me of my first few weeks in Ponyville. It was Applebuck Season -That's when they harvest their apples-" she said upon seeing his curious look, "And Big Macintosh had injured himself. She was so dead-set on harvesting every, single, tree all by herself. She was getting so exhausted from all the work that she ended up causing a lot of problems in town. Eventually she collapsed when she realized that she'd only done half of what she thought she'd done. Thankfully me and our friends convinced her to let us help, and we managed to finish in time for the off season,"
She had a wistful look on her face, as if her eyes were looking through her plate. She blinked, coming to her senses,
"Oh I'm so sorry!" she winced, "I didn't mean to get so caught up in my thoughts... hehe...?"
Emerald smirked slightly at her reactions, finding them mildly amusing. Oddly enough, she seemed to relax when he smirked, but that was likely a coincidence.
"You thinking of heading back tomorrow?" Emerald asked, figuring he might as well try to make conversation.
"Definitely," she said firmly, "Not only is the cider good, but now I want to make sure Flim and Flam don't do anything," she added, eyes burning with determination. She blinked, "How about you?" he shrugged,
"Yeah. I was thinking of getting them to give me two bottles so I could send them to some family and... a friend,"
"Really?" the lavender unicorn asked, interested, "Who are they?" Emerald bit the inside of his cheek,
"Well... my little sister, first of all," he said, "And as for my friend... Lulu's her name," Emerald said, grinning.
"Lulu?" Twilight asked, "I feel like I've heard that name before..." she muttered.
Emerald's grin turned wicked.
As it turned out, Sugarcube Corner was indeed still open.
Thankfully, business was rather heavy, which gave him a particularly good distraction for the rest of the day. Once the bakery closed several hours later, Emerald did a quick scan of the town, and ended up finding that ponies were, once more, camping out to wait in line for some cider.
That meant he couldn't patrol town tonight.
He supposed that should be a good thing. The sheer amount of ponies waiting, which likely included everyone in town save for him, would almost certainly drive away any would-be attackers. So, with that in mind, it really shouldn't bother him.
But it kept him from doing his job. And that annoyed him. Greatly.
He sighed, still hovering above town, suspended in the night sky like the stars above him. There was nothing he could do to get these ponies to head home so he could patrol.
...
Well, he COULD get one of the princesses down here to order it, but that would be stupid and less than pointless.
Still, it was a possibility, and one must be prepared for every eventuality.
Regardless he now had nothing to do. His body was still full of energy, perfectly prepared to go all night, and ready to battle at any moment.
It also meant that he'd have a hard time sleeping.
Unlike yesterday where Pinkie's chatter wore him down and sleep was his only salvation, he had nothing. Glancing back down at the line, which was rather short as of now, he figured he might as well.
After all, how else would he get that cider to Wisp and Luna?
It was clear to him that something must be against Rainbow Dash.
Some higher being? A deity? Fate itself twisting the world in a way that was specifically designed to target her?
Or was it just Applejack?
Either way, she didn't get her cider today.
Emerald was lucky enough that he'd chosen to get in line when he had, as ponies began showing up in earnest afterwards.
As it was, he'd been prepared with his saddlebag, two large, empty wine bottles, and several bits adorning his person.
Now, Emerald abhorred alcohol. Would never touch a single drop even if his life depended on it.
As it was, the two wine bottles he had were stolen from a friend of his who was trying to work on their alcohol addiction, and Emerald had been more than happy to relieve her of them.
Back on topic.
Emerald had managed to get his two bottles filled, when he spotted Applejack worriedly staring off to where Skim and Scam had appeared yesterday. Frowning slightly, he walked over to her.
"Worried?" he asked, Applejack turned to him, biting her lip, then nodded,
"Yeah. I know I shouldn't be," she said, looking back over, "I mean, my family's been makin' cider fer generations. Our quality is the best this side of Equestria," she grimaced, "I guess I'm jus' afraid 'bout what you said the other day. Runnin' family outta business?!" she huffed, angry, "What kinda pony does that?! 'Specially ta family?!" she snarled. Emerald tilted his head,
"Not everyone is as lucky to have family as close-knit as yours, Applejack," Emerald said, feeling a slight uncomfortableness in the back of his throat as he spoke, "The fact that Skim and Scam are doing what they're doing is proof enough,"
Applejack sighed at that, looking guilty. Twilight walked up to them,
"Still feeling upset about Flim and Flam?" she asked.
"Don't worry Applejack, Granny Smith said they were just blowing hot air," came a voice from beside the purple mare.
Emerald was slightly surprised at the sight of the young drake before him. The drake, no... the hatchling in front of him was around school age. Coming up to just below Twilight's chin, he was arguably one of the shorter species of dragon. His small, chubby body was an obvious sign that he didn't act like most dragons his age, as most dragons his age tended to wrestle quite often. His purples scales, shining brighter than most, was another indicator that he didn't get into the same trouble as others of his species. A series of green spines jutted from his head and down his back, like some demented mohawk, ending at the spade tip of his tail.
He was, all in all, a child.
"I dunno," Applejack answered, "They were mighty serious when they talked 'bout runnin' us out of business," she said.
"That's it! Last cup!" Applebloom shouted, causing Applejack's eyes to widen.
"OH FOR PETE'S SAKE!" came another, distant shout, obviously Rainbow Dash.
Emerald snickered at her reaction, before his amusement vanished as his ears picked up a familiar, and unwelcome, sound.
Turning away from the crowd, he focused his gaze down the trail opposite town, spotting the form of the brother's cider machine making it's way towards them.
His intense focus caught Applejack's attention, and she followed his gaze.
Her heart lurched at the sight, a sickly feeling spreading throughout her body as the sight of the machine got clearer. Finally, it stopped, though, not without knocking over the picket fence by Granny Smith, again.
"What seems to be the problem here?" Scam asked, jumping down from the machine, looking smug as he watched the Apples.
"Well, well, well! Out of cider again?" Skim asked, feigning a swoon as he looked around. Flam smirked, before smacking the side of their machine,
"Well, what do we have here?" he asked as one of the many barrels lined in the back was knocked over, and rolled down a metal ramp, landing by his side, "Who'd like a cup?"
Emerald ignored the crowd of ponies rushing past him, most screeching their desire at the brothers. The two of them gave the town an arrogant smirk, as Scam's horn lit up, causing a mug to float over the crowd, before it was snatched up by Rainbow Dash,
"Don't worry everypony!" Skim shouted, waving a hoof around, "We've got the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 to make more in an instant!"
However, upon seeing the barrel, Applejack had grabbed her lasso, and roped the barrel in question before pulling it over to her, unintentionally knocking the mug out of Rainbow's hoofs before she got a drink.
Emerald smirked as he watched Rainbow Dash try to eat the ground where the cider had soaked in, feeling amused at her reactions. His attention returned to his surroundings just in time to hear the Skim and Scam brothers announce their intentions of finding more apples to make more cider than Ponyville could drink.
Emerald rolled his eyes at that. How exactly did the town think a plan like that could work? Most apple trees in Equestria were owned by the Apple Family, and if they did find enough to make a barrel outside of Ponyville, the trip would surely be far too much for-
"We'll make more cider than you could ever imagine!" came Applebloom's foolhardy claim. Emerald grimaced and laid his face in his hooves, an action that was not lost on Macintosh, as he grabbed Applebloom by the tail, marching her over to Granny Smith,
"Now, it ain't about the speed, youngin'," she said, "It's about quality," Emerald nodded along with her, as most things he'd experienced could follow the same principle.
"Who cares about how good the cider is, if I never get to drink any?!"
...
Rainbow Dash was famous for her skill and speed in flight, though host if it had to do with her Element> However, once upon a time she was known for the inability to fly straight, a trait that she still has a few minor issues with today.
Thus, he'd be calling her Crash for now.
...
Ungrateful little...
Scam grabbed Crash's face, squeezing it slightly as he spoke,
"Oh, look at these poor unsatisfied ponies!" he said in a false saddened tone. Applebloom crossed her forelegs from where she was currently suspended,
"Ponyville is Sweet Apple Cider country!" she shouted angrily, only to be punished as her brother dropped her,
"Our cider speak fer itself!" Applejack spoke up,
"Let's put it to the test then!"
"Anywhere, anytime!" Applebloom challenged. Granny, thankfully, thought ill of that idea when she walked in front of Apple Bloom,
"Oh, that's enough now!" she said, only for Skim to start shouting,
"With our machine, we can make enough cider in one hour to satisfy this entire town!" he claimed. Once again, Apple Bloom opened her mouth,
"We'll do it in 45 minutes!" Granny spoke up once more,
"Easy, Apple Bloom, easy!" she said. Scam spoke in a challenging voice as well,
"What's the matter, Granny Smith? Chicken?" he said. Granny's eyes widened for a moment, before lowering in an angry expression,
"What did you call me, sonny?" she asked, her tone low. Emerald groaned internally, already anticipating her reaction.
"If you're so confident in your cider, then what's the problem?" he asked. Flam was, quite understandably, stunned as Granny Smith got into his face, shouting,
"Tomorra mornin', right here!" she yelled. Skim decided to place his input, speaking up from beside the Apple's counter,
"But, I'm afraid we haven't any... apples," he said, spitting on an apple he was holding, and then wiping it off on his shirt,
"You can use our south field! It'll be worth it ta teach ya'll 'bout cider makin'!" Granny shouted angrily.
Emerald idly wondered if she had any heart problems to worry about.
"Excellent!" Scam shouted, jumping up from the seat he'd been in, before leaning over Granny, wrapping a hoof around her neck, "We have a bet then! Whoever produces the most cider in one hour, wins the exclusive right to sell cider in Ponyville!"
Emerald sighed again.
And here he thought his time in Ponyville would be a little more relaxing...
Oh well. He was a fighter, a weapon, at his core anyways.
And weapons were made to be used.
How did he get roped into this again?
...
Right, Pinkie.
Sometime during their work day, which was marginally slower than yesterday, Pinkie had started talking to him about the contest tomorrow.
While that alone was not what got him to attend the contest, the fact that Applejack had walked in, overheard their conversation, and asked if she could be there for support had been enough to spur Pinkie into forcing him there.
He supposed he didn't really mind.
Although he was curious if Granny Smith was alright. She'd been smelling that same apple for a few minutes now.
Were the Apples sure she wasn't completely senile?
Eh.
Regardless, Pinkie had dragged him to the orchard, where the entire town had gathered waiting, with him being stuck in with Pinkie and her friends.
Twilight had just returned to her little group after her attempt at cheering the Apples up.
"I really hope Applejack knows what she's getting into," he heard her mutter.
"Don't worry, darling," the mare next to her said, "I'm sure Applejack knows what she's doing,"
Emerald focused on the mare.
She was beautiful. That was a fact, rather than an opinion. With a mane and tail of royal purple, a coat of pristine white, and eyes of deep sapphire, the mare certainly couldn't be called anything but. She was obviously a mare who took great pride in her appearance, as he could see the years of effort she put into it. Thin layers of fat over specific areas, a small spread of muscle to others, coupled with the sophisticated air she had about herself only served to give her a more alluring figure and charm. Her eyes were slightly angled, which was a rather uncommon trait among ponies, giving her a slightly exotic look. Coupled with her soft cheeks and the simple curve of her muzzle, she was most certainly a mare that had been in the fantasies of many stallions and probably a few mares as well.
That was Rarity, the Element of Generosity. Having met her once before, he supposed he really shouldn't be surprised at the thought.
Rarity's attempt at cheering up Twilight seemed to fail, as she kept staring at the family in worry. Emerald hummed lightly, eyes roaming the crowd around him.
Seeing as how he couldn't hear the brothers coming just yet, he figured he might as well try something.
Once the two of them arrived, Emerald wouldn't be able to help the Apples anymore unless they specifically asked for him to do so. So, he might as well give them an option while he still could.
Moving past Pinkie and her friends, who paid him just as much attention as he did them, he turned past the fence and walked over to Applejack, who had returned to bucking a punching bag with Applebloom running around with a bucket on her head nearby.
"... So you're really going through with this?" he asked her. His sudden appearance caused her to stop hitting the bag and turn to him. She bit her lip, before nodding.
"Eeyup. What else can we do?" she asked, frowning.
"Not this," he said, causing her to looked at him, confused, "Like I said earlier. They're wanted ponies. For illegal dealings and assault against the Apple Family. All it would take is one word, and you or I could have the Royal Guard down here in minutes if we stressed it enough, and they'll be gone. Unable to bother another Apple. So, again: Are you really going through with this?" he asked.
This was it. His ultimatum. Accepting was a guarantee that her business didn't plummet. Denial, and she would almost certainly fail.
"... Yes,"
Well. That was it, then.
"You will fail,"
"You don't know that,"
She wasn't angry? He'd expected anger, given her pride and love for the family she's apart of.
Was he wrong?
...
No. He was right. He knew how this would end. The question was, what would happen in-between?
"I do know. With total certainty. I've seen machinery like that at work. A single pony can't hope to match that cold efficiency,"
"Well, I suppose it's a good thing that there's more of us, huh?"
He didn't get it. He might've been able to understand her family pride, but how could she hope to match a machine whose entire purpose was to crush apples?
He sighed as he walked back to his previous spot. His head hurt slightly as he tried to understand the mare's confidence. He grit his teeth as the distant sound of the cider machine filling his ears.
It was time.
"Attention everypony!" Mayor Mare shouted once the brothers had finally arrived and taken their place, "The two teams have a single hour to produce cider! The team with the most cider and the end of the hour will be named the sole cider provider for all of Ponyville!" she turned to the field, where the Apples stood, "Are both teams ready?" Applejack looked over her family for a moment, before nodding,
"Ready," she said,
"Ready," came the lazy reply from the brothers, causing Applejack to glare in their direction.
"Very well then," Mayor Mare aid, turning to a brown stallion, who stood beside a large hourglass, "On your marks. Get set. Go!"
Upon her signal, the Apples each ran forward to their predetermined stations. Applejack and Applebloom seemed to have teamed up to collect apples, with the elder bucking the trees and the younger catching them from a barrel atop her head. Once a barrel was full, it was tossed over to Granny Smith who, apparently, determined which apples were good through smell. The bad apples were tossed away, while the good ones were thrown onto a ramp, leading to a large wheel being spun by Macintosh, through use of a pulley connected to a treadmill, which crushed and juiced the apples. Said juice was spilled into a barrel, which Mac managed to clap a lid on and replace while still running.
Emerald had to give him some credit, that was some impressive multitasking.
And yet, despite their commendable hard work, it was painfully obvious to see that the Skim and Scam brothers would win.
In the same amount of time it took for the Apples to get one barrel filled, the brothers had six.
Emerald bit his lip, feeling anxious. While having nothing personally invested in this farce of a competition, the fact was he'd fail his job when the Apples lost.
When they lose their rights to sell cider in Ponyville, the same cider that supported their farm, their home, their family, they'd be unable to afford staying in Ponyville.
And who knows what kind of dangers Equestria would be susceptible to, if the Element Bearers were separated by miles?
Emerald was snapped out of his frantic musings by the voice of one Twilight Sparkle,
"Ms. Mayor? Are honorary family members allowed to help in the competition?"
Yes!
That was it!
The sheer amount of ponies assisting each other, assuming they properly positioned themselves to do their work at optimum efficiency would, no doubt, be able to outpace the Skim Scam brothers, if only by a small margin!
This was perfect!
He'd be wrong after all!
"I don't know... Flim, Flam, do you object to this?" Mayor Mare asked the two,
"Who cares? Go ahead!"
"We don't care if the whole Kingdom of Canterlot helps! It won't make a difference,"
Idiots.
"Well, I guess it's okay. Applejack?" she asked, turning to the nervous farmer, who smiled,
"I'd love ta have the rest of my family helpin' out," she said.
Emerald couldn't help but grin. This was perfect! The whole issue would be perfectly resolved without him needing to step in! The Apples would keep their business, the Skim Scammers would be humiliated once more and their business discovered.
Absolutely perfect.
Emerald watched on, as Fluttershy and Pinkie worked with the Apples sisters at the trees, as Rarity helped Granny Smith sort the apples, as Crash pressed with Mac, and as Twilight kept the barrels organized and constantly filling.
The sheer level of teamwork he was baring witness to, reminded hi-
No.
NononononoNONONONO!
Damn it all! Those bastard brothers turned off their fucking quality control!
A string of thestrali curses flew out of his mouth, unbidden, earning him a few concerned looks from amongst the crowd.
The Apples lost. They just didn't know it yet.
The twins were now sucking up entire trees into their machine! The quality of their cider had visibly dropped to zero, but who cares?
This was a competition of quantity, not quality.
There was no winning this for the Apple Family.
He knew, he knew, heknewheknew!! But as if to spite him, a small glimmer of hope had sprouted in his chest, only to be viciously burned by reality.
He had to step in. And he knew how he'd do it.
Glancing around at the surrounding ponies, he slunk backwards through the crowd, twisting through the thriving mass of bodies, where he soon emerged at the very back of the crowd. Walking forward a few yards, he grabbed his saddlebag, and dug through it, taking out some parchment, a pencil, and the lighter. He quickly wrote a short message,
The wanted con-ponies, Flim and Flam Apple are here in Ponyville as I write this. They are currently engaged in a competition with the Element of Honesty's family that they are certain to win. This cannot happen. We only have around forty minutes before they leave. Hurry. Do not send a return letter.
Picking up the lighter, he went to send the message, before stopping. Setting it down, he quickly dug through his bag again, and took out the two bottles of cider he hadn't yet sent.
P.S The bottles are filled with Sweet Apple Cider. One is for you, and the other is for Wisp.
Finally feeling satisfied with his messages, he wrapped the paper over the necks of the bottles, and lit it alight. The blue flame ate up the paper, before traveling over the glass as if it, too, was flammable, before disappearing into ash, which then flew off towards the castle.
He glanced around, making sure no one saw that.
Nodding to himself, he snuck back through the crowd, arriving in the spot he once occupied.
-----
Despite knowing the outcome of the match, Emerald still couldn't help but hope.
Perhaps it was the knowledge of the odds against them that had him internally cheering for the Apples. Maybe it was the knowledge that he'd likely do the same in her place if it meant helping his family.
Or maybe he was just getting soft.
Regardless, he watched on, hoping for a small miracle.
Of course, he didn't get one.
And of course, it didn't stop him from wincing at the sight of a teary eyed Applebloom, looking up at her sister and asking,
"W-we lost?"
Yeah, that cut deep.
"Gaww, too bad Apples," Scam said, smiling condescendingly as he and his brother approached,
"Guess you'll have to find a line of work that doesn't fit your names quite so... perfectly," his brother added,
"Now, should we tear down these tacky old buildings and put up new ones, brother of mine?" Scam asked, looking out over Sweet Apple Acres.
"I don't see why not, brother dear! After all, this isn't Sweet Apple Acres anymore! It's-" Skim's cocky attitude and monologue was cut off by a sudden bright light.
"It's what exactly, Mr. Flim and Flam Apple?"
Emerald sighed, idly wondering 'why, just why, did Celestia think to handle this in person?'.
The crowd gasped, practically scrambling to their stomachs in bows, leaving Emerald as the only one still standing.
Celestia stood, directly in-between the Apples and the brothers, staring down at the two of them with a cool gaze, completely devoid of whatever motherly persona she tended to wear.
"Y-your Highness!" Scam stuttered, his eyes darting around, "Wh-what brings you to this quaint little town?!" he asked, far too loudly to even been considered casual. Celestia glanced at him and his brother for a moment, before letting her gaze drift around, pausing on the sight of the barrels, and the still saddened Apples.
"I heard about the Apples and their Cider Season, and that it had started recently. While normally Luna and I would be much too busy to purchase any. A friend of hers, however, recently sent some to her, along with a message,"
Applejack looked over at Emerald, her eyes open wide at that declaration. While that would normally be fine, it seemed that Twilight had noticed, and was staring at him curiously as well.
It certainly didn't help that he still wasn't bowing.
Damn.
"A m-m-m-message?" Skim asked, his voice matching his shaking body. Rather than say anything, Celestia's horn lit up, before a bright flash revealed that Skim and Scam had just been bound in chains,
"For crimes against the Apple Family, Flim and Flam Apple, you two are hearby under arrest,"
"But you can't-!"
Celestia didn't even bother listening to him, as, with yet another flash, the two con-ponies, as well as their cider machine, vanished, likely to the dungeons.
"Princess?" Twilight asked, walking up to the solar co-ruler, "Why did you...?"
"They were con-ponies Twilight," she answered softly, looking over to the Apples, "I'm sure you've heard a great deal of some trouble your family's been getting into. Well, those two were the cause of it all," she looked away, "I'm... I'm very sorry I wasn't able to have them apprehended before. They proved to be rather slippery," she said, placing a hoof against her chest.
"I-its no trouble at all Princess," Applejack said, albeit a little shakily. Whether that was from nearly losing her farm, or just being in front of the princess was unknown to Emerald. Celestia smiled tenderly at the group, before her eyes raised, landing upon the large mountain of barrels filled with Sweet Apple Cider.
"Well," Celestia cleared her throat, "As it stands, I must return to Canterlot to deal with our new prisoners," she said, before a small, almost mischievous grin flickered on her muzzle, before disappearing, "Although, Luna is being a little selfish with the cider she was sent, so..." a small 'pop' echoed through the still quiet area, revealing a small bag of bits hovering gently in Celestia's magical grasp, "Perhaps I could purchase the first barrel of cider?"
"You sent the princess a letter,"
It was a statement. There was no question, no curiosity. It was just a piece of the cold, hard, truth.
"Yeah, so?"
"Why?" the apple mare asked, Emerald rolled his eyes,
"Are you really that stupid?" he asked, before gesturing over to the still towering stack of tainted cider barrels, "You would've lost. You did lose. Even if their cider was shit, the fact was they had every right to take the rights and the farm after your fool of a grandmother bet it all away," he said. Applejack grit her teeth at the insult, but he spoke before she could, "Don't deny it. You were terrified back then. I could see the fear in your eyes and the sweat on your brow," Applejack glared at him for a moment longer, before letting out a heavy sigh.
"Yer right," she said, her voice hollow, heavy with defeat, "We woulda lost our farm if it wasn't fer you an' the princess," she muttered. Emerald shrugged,
"Well, you didn't, so forget it,"
"Ferget it?!" Applejack asked incredulously, "You saved mah home! The Apple Family owes ya a debt, big time sugarcube," she said, giving him a firm grin. He stared at her, not amused, before sighing,
"Whatever. Any 'debts' you think you owe me, keep them to yourself," he snapped, before turning and walking off. He growled slightly as he heard Applejack chuckle behind him, but let it go immediately.
He had to head to work anyways.