//------------------------------// // 14 Vital Transformation // Story: Alternate Beginnings: Year Four // by Doug Graves //------------------------------// Doug stands at the edge of the field, looking around at the bare ground. He grunts, putting his shoulder into the harness as he starts plowing the field, Big Mac walking next to him. The wheat they grow doesn't need a lot of tilling, the ground being fairly fertile and free of rocks or roots. Earth pony magic helps out a lot in that regard too, but the magic can be a little finicky. Specifically, what a pony is doing or thinks they are doing makes a difference, oftentimes a substantial one, to the end result. So merely walking around a field is not enough to really get the magical juices flowing. If one is just doing that, they have to be consciously channeling the magic, which ends up being quite draining. The Apple family has found that plowing a field helps the crops grow abundantly with the main exercise being pulling the plow along, the corresponding mindset allowing the magic to flow freely and relatively effortlessly. And plowing a field is a good practice to have regardless, even if there isn't much to actually clear. Sometimes they reach these conclusions through trial and error. Sometimes through the result of theorizing, or talking with other ponies about what techniques they use. Other times it is a bit more of a scattershot approach, just doing everything exactly the same as they did last time and hoping the end result is the same. Doug laughs as he recalls some of Applejack's attempts to get him to 'assist' in their, how shall he call them, rituals. He helps with the redecorating, helping paint circles on the walls where they will store the jam. He hasn't made too much of a point that they could do the same with hanging different pictures or sheets that already have polka dots painted on them. Or just not repainting the room, and having a dedicated polka dot room to store the jam. Sometime he tells himself it's because their way might be the only effective one, and potentially ruining a years worth of Zap Apple Jam isn't worth the risk. Or he doesn't want to get on their bad side, if just for a day, that he somehow knows earth pony magic better than an earth pony. He doesn't quite have the heart to yell at the glass jars. Though it might be a good place to channel some of the frustrations he feels in regards to the work they do on the farm. He likes the more scientific approach, but with the farm occasionally balancing on a razor's edge, as far as finances go, they can't really afford a year or two of low production. Or, as Applejack warned, losing the effect entirely. It has happened in the past, but fortunately not to the Apple family here in Ponyville, at least not something significant on their farm. There are stories, though, of one of their ancestors. The 'Pink Lady', as she came to be known, had set up a farm in the back woods of what is now Appleloosa. She, like many of their kin, started growing apple trees, tilling the land and preparing for the coming harvest. The trees, however, took longer than normal to bear fruit. So, she had tended them carefully, deliberately, keeping away any traces of blight or pest. Finally, the first harvest had come, and the apples had a distinctly pink shine, matching her cutie mark, that earned her the nickname. She had wept tears of joy at the time, as she traveled up and down the rows of apple trees. The second harvest, however, came with a startling discovery. The trees still bore pink apples, but the flesh inside was pink as well. Some, the trees closest to her when she had started crying, even bore apples with red flesh, the same as her eyes, hidden under the pink skin. The taste was beyond description; Granny Smith, who claimed to have talked to ponies who had tasted it, said it was like comparing Zap Apple Jam to spreading dirt on your bread. The next year, and 'Pink Lady' went out to harvest her apples. However, she had not shed tears of joy, or tears of sorrow, or really shared any kind of emotion with her trees after the previous harvest. The apples, of course, looked the same. They were the same pink color, the same shape, even the same smell. But the flesh inside, and the taste, was the same as they had been the first year. That is, to say, normal. Common. Mundane. No matter what she tried: the tears she wept, the joys she shared, the foals she conceived, she was never able to reclaim the magic that had been lost. Rumor was that she even attempted spilling her own blood, but that sounded more like embellishing to mess with the less squeamish than something she actually tried; pony blood was no more special than any other byproduct. She had discovered, in the hardest possible way, that what matters is the emotions and the mindset of the pony involved. One might even say the loyalty or devotion is the most important aspect, and that the land deals with betrayal, even unintentional, most harshly. And so, the 'Pink Lady' name went down, maybe not in history, but in the back of many an Apple mind, of the danger of forsaking the land and the bounty that it gives. And so go many of Doug's aspirations to test, to predict, to exploit the magic. His mare Pinkie Pie certainly bucks any reasonable expectations or explanations, and he gave up trying to figure that out when she told him that she knew something was wrong with him last year when her 'Ear Flop, then Eye Flutter, then Knee Twitch' meant to look out for opening doors, and that his 'magical core' somehow acted as a 'door' that the essences from the crystal had gone through. He supposes it makes sense, from a certain point of view; but, when her tail starts twitching, he dives for cover like everypony else. "So, Big Mac," Doug asks as he drags the plow around, "This feel like it's working?" "Eeyup." "Going to plant today?" "Nnope." "Why not?" Big Mac glares to the side, Doug's habit of asking questions he can't answer with a simple 'yup' or 'nope' making him revert to his old ways. "Ah'm surprised you want to learn so much about pony magic, Doug, seeing as you can't exactly make use of it. As Ah always say, knowledge is all well and good, but not if you can't plow a field with it." Doug nods as he turns the plow, beginning another line in the dirt, "Well, sure, I won't directly make use of it. But I could help you all figure out better ways, even if I'm just acting as the wall to bounce ideas off of." Big Mac glances down, the slightly uneven line noticeable to his trained eye. Maybe he needs to let Doug take a turn more often, let the human get a little better grasp on things. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Um, think of it like this. Let's say you are trying to figure out how to do something better, like how to build a barn. Now, you know a lot about building a barn; you know where the joints are going to go, the frame, the walls. Maybe even what color you are going to paint it at the end." "Eeyup." "Now, think about what would happen if you try to explain to me how to build a barn." Doug pauses, turning the plow and starting another row. "You can't just say to me, 'lay the frame'. You need to explain, in detail, all the different aspects. And during that explaining process you might realize that there are other things that you could do that might work better, or some steps that you take that are unnecessary. It doesn't matter that I don't know, and probably can't help, you could be explaining to Winona for all that it matters. But you, the one with the knowledge, you are able to spot those areas that can improve." "Eeyup." Doug waits a few seconds before he sighs, "So, why do you wait to plant the grain? Or other crops for that matter?" Big Mac grunts, "Because the ground needs time." At Doug's silence he sighs, "You want the long version?" "Well, not doing much else out here." "You know Ah like using this time to think, right?" "Oh? About what unicorn you want to ask out?" Big Mac quickly looks left and right as they make another turn, "Well, you see, the ground needs a certain amount of time for the magic we're imbuing to really, um, acclimate. If we go too fast, it doesn't set right." "What happens if it doesn't set right?" "Well, hmm, set right maybe isn't the right way of describing it. You see, the earth pony magic is concentrated along where we walk, as we walk with the plow. You would think it would be best to plant right then, because that is where all the magic is, right?" "Right." "Well, what happens is the plants do grow well, real well. But only for a few days, and then the magic that we've put into the ground gets used up. And the plants have nothing else to draw from, just the nutrients in the soil. And there ain't much in this soil, not this close to the Everfree." "Not much at all." "But, what the Everfree does have is magic. Lots and lots of magic. But, nopony really can access that magic, not directly. It ain't natural, and it ain't tamed to do what ponies want it to do." "What do you mean it ain't natural?" "Um... that's a story for a different day, way too long a tangent. Now, as Ah was saying, while nopony can access the magic, we can get the ground to act as a wellspring of sorts. By properly setting up and channeling our magic, of course, and it takes a lot of time and effort. Normally, we only do that when we're making apple trees, and we put extra effort in when we're planting new zap apples." "The other types of crops don't last long enough?" "No, it's... Huh." The two walk along in silence for a while, Big Mac thinking to himself. He glances at the Everfree Forest, then at the ground they are walking along, then to the apple trees. He comes to a halt, Doug stopping a few steps later. The human turns, looking at the stallion as he continues staring at the ground. After a minute Big Mac looks up at Doug, "So, you like experimenting, huh?" "I guess I do, yes." "Well, you know my position on ideas." "Can't plow a field with 'em." "Eeyup. Well, here's your chance to prove me wrong, Doug. You just gave me an idea Ah can plow a field with. Now, lift that plow up, we're starting over and going slow." Doug lifts the plow, patting Big Mac on the back, "Mac, I didn't give you anything, you came up with it all on your own. I just helped you think about it a different way. So, what are we doing?" "Well, you know how Ah told you that the magic runs out when we plant the crops too soon after we plow?" Doug sets the plow, dragging it through one of the furrows, "Yup." "Too fast." Doug slows down as Big Mac continues, "So, Ah was doing a similar thing here, but on a slightly longer scale. You see, crops like wheat and corn and flowers, they only last the one harvest. So, the thought goes, you only need enough magic to last the one harvest." "You have multiple ways of making these nets?" "You ask too many questions, Doug. Might need to act more like a wall." "Yes, sir." "Don't call me sir. Now, yes, we can make multiple kinds of nets, or field weaves. The most basic, of course, is none. Planting right after plowing, just allowing the magic we placed to do its work and then run out. That's if we need immediate food, and works best with grass and hay where the taste ain't the object." "What about not using magic when plowing?" "Not using... you mean, like if a unicorn or pegasus did the plowing? Or you?" Doug coughs, "Or Apple Bloom, depending, but yes." Big Mac's expression drops, mouthing a silent, 'oh'. He stammers for a moment before looking at Doug, "Ah suppose we might need to do a bit more experimenting, huh?" "Sure thing, hoss. You were talking about the different weaves?" Big Mac rolls his eyes at the new nickname, "Eeyup, field weaves. So, Ah guess you have, um, Ah'll call it zero, what you were saying, since we don't have a name for it. Then what we call None, which is when an earth pony pulls and we plant immediately. Next up would be light, or less than one day. Since we're plowing in the afternoon, we would plant either late evening or early morning. That allows some time for the weave to integrate with the surrounding magic, but still keeps a lot of the magic that we put into the ground. Generally, we use that for one time harvests, like corn, flowers, hay." "So, short term crops." Big Mac nods, "But, that means that every time we replant, we need to plow. Ah think you know, Ah told you last time, that it's better to plow than to not plow if we're spreading magic. Same with bucking apples; hitting the trees with our hooves actually is good for the tree, as we spread our magic to them, helping revitalize them and get the next crop of apples out quicker. Ah've watched you kick the trees, and Ah'll be honest, Ah'm surprised it works, but it don't do much for the next crop. Me or Applejack have to go back afterwards, give 'em a little special attention, which is why we haven't had you do that in a while." "Yup. So, replanting?" "Oh yeah. Um, so, the last one would be heavy. Ah suppose there is another, extra, but we just use that for the zap apples. Nothing else benefits from us going over more than twice. Heavy would be going over the field a second time, which we use for the apple trees. It slows down the rate that the magic flows from the ground to the trees, or in this case the wheat. That means that it won't grow as fast, because the magic that we put in has dissipated, or really, because it has integrated with the magic in the ground. So, this wheat might take longer to grow, but the harvest should be larger." "So, the hope is that even though you are planting fewer fields the larger yields will compensate?" Big Mac considers a second before nodding, "Sort of, but Ah don't think it will be enough. Not by itself. The real savings, if we see it, will be with who can do the plowing. In other words, if you plow and plant this field by yourself, on the second harvest, and then we see how well the crops grow. In fact, we should do a second field, and have Apple Bloom plow it. That would be like one of your 'scientific experiments', right?" "That's right, but, we would need a third field, a control field if you will, that you plow and plant using the same techniques. Heavy weave with you plowing and planting the first and the second crops, that is. It wouldn't be right to compare the heavy fields that we plant to light fields that you plant. The fewer variables you change the better, as it helps isolate what the relevant variables are, or how important each variable is to the final result. Especially if the results you get from the tests are consistent." "Eeyup. Now, why didn't Ah ask you about this before?" "Because if you didn't buck me, Applejack would. She still might." "Ee...yup."