"Whew!" Doug exhales, dumping his last load of dirt next to the pile of rubble, his all-metal wheelbarrow left on its side. He stretches his back, his arms moving behind him, looking out over the muddy field south of Ponyville. The last of the holes is finally clear of any fragments of the corrupted missiles. It had been two long hours of digging out any visible chunks, sifting through the loosened dirt, the pulverizing force of the impact making it easier than when he digs through the ground with Rarity. However, it didn't make carting the remains in his wheelbarrow any lighter, as none of the ponies could get close to it without suffering aching limbs or a searing headache.
It does make it easy to verify that he got all of the remains, though, as Applejack does a quick double check of the last hole, smiling at the barest tingle of chaos magic that remains. The last remnants would have to be cleansed from the whole area, but not by fire, or metal, or unicorn magic, but by what ponies do best - friendship and harmony. And boy howdy did she have the best idea for that.
Doug ruffles Applejack's mane as he gets close, the air-dried ponytail full of knots and tangles. She squirms in his grasp, her lighthearted laugh as she rolls her body into his, the two of them stumbling to the side. The two begin walking again, a quick repeat as Doug tries to get a few of the tangles out. She bumps his flank again, a quick, "Come on, partner, leave 'er be. Ah got an announcement to make." She gives a playful flick with her tail, quickening her pace back to Ponyville, Doug smiling as he gives chase, a happy shriek as he gets close, the shadow of an alicorn passing to their side as they frolic back to town.
Princess Celestia's mane shimmers, the hue slowly changing from her four colored rainbow to a solid pink as she flies to the pile of rubble. She takes in a long breath before her horn blazes orange, her eyes sparkling white, leveling her horn at the pile. A wide beam engulfs the corrupted rocks and dirt, blasting the dark gray and black to a light gray. She slowly lets out her breath, a brief glance to the sun, basking in the invigorating rays as she flies to the other end of the transported pile. A second blast of brilliant flame cleanses the remainder of the rocks before she slowly glides closer to the smoldering rubble, a smile forming on her face as she returns to Ponyville.
Applejack hops up to the stage, many of the surrounding ponies looking up at her as she repeatedly stomps a hoof. She clears her throat, announcing, "Alright Everypony, Let's Give A Cheer For A Job Well Done!" She motions with her hoof, slowly panning from one end of the surrounding ponies to the other. The crowd stomps their hooves, a few scattered cheers coming from among the crowd. "And, To Commemorate Such A Massive, one might even say Monstrous Undertaking, Ah'm Announcing A Special Treat For The Cleansing Party."
The crowd watches, enraptured as Applejack paces back and forth a few times, the wide smile on her face growing as the crowd murmurs in anticipation, "The Apple Family Will Be Providing, Free Of Charge, One Mug Of Fresh Apple Cider For Every Pony!"
A massive cheer erupts from the crowd, pegasi leaping into the air as Applejack takes a quick bow. She walks off the stage, her voice nearly drowned out as she remarks to Doug, "Well, that'll get them in the right mood."
Mayor Mare steps up to the stage as another pony beats her to it, Ms. Swirl announcing, "And Sugar Cube Corner is happy to provide an assortment of cookies, muffins, and cupcakes!" More cheers come from the crowd, a yellow stallion moving forward especially enthusiastically as another pony takes the stage, Mayor Mare smiling at the continuing announcements.
Princess Celestia flies over, landing next to Applejack. "An excellent idea, dear Applejack. But, I wanted to ask." Her voice drops as the two walk away, many of the ponies giving them space. "If I could borrow Doug for a little bit."
Applejack gives a nervous smile, "Um, of course, Princess Celestia, just be sure to give him back in one piece." She glances back to Sweet Apple Acres, "Do you need him now? 'Cause I kinda need him now."
Princess Celestia smiles, "Oh, no rush." She glances to Doug, "Just give me a wave, and meet me in the Carousel Boutique." Princess Celestia winks as Doug nods, the alicorn turning and walking back to the stage area as a number of royal guards land in the town square. A number of ponies move over, thanking Applejack for her hard work and the promise of cider.
Big Mac gallops over to Applejack as she clears the ponies thanking her, "Um, sis, Ah don't know if we have that much cider ready to go. And you said fresh cider!" He glances back towards Sweet Apple Acres, "We'll have to get the rig set up, and you know Granny ain't gonna be happy about this!"
Rainbow Dash roughly pushes Big Mac to the side as she flies next to Applejack, "Really! Fresh cider!" A cyan hoof points Applejack's muzzle towards her own, "And I'm going to get a glass this time, right?"
Applejack rolls her eyes, "It ain't my fault you never wake up early enough during fresh cider season, Rainbow, even if you are part of the herd. Ah ain't playing favorites, not then, not now. Besides, we're going to need to get the whole herd working on making enough cider to meet the demand. And yes, Ah'll be sure to set aside a barrel for the workers."
Rainbow Dash slowly nods her head, "Yeah, you better." She smiles, a far off look in her eye, "Fresh cider is so much better than the bottled stuff you have around the house, too. Not that I don't like that stuff, but you know what I mean."
Applejack nods, "Eeyup, it's why Granny don't like selling it. And most ponies don't like it as much as fresh, so we don't market it, even though Filthy bugs me about it at least once a year." She gives a sheepish grin, "And they tend to drink up all the cider we do make when it is fresh cider season." She glances over to Big Mac, "And Ah hope Granny ain't too mad at me, that it ain't the perfect timing for fresh cider. But Ah think nopony's going to notice, or say anything."
Rarity and Pinkie Pie come over, a gigantic grin on Pinkie Pie's face, the earth pony saying, "So, Applejack, fresh cider? I love fresh cider! It makes me wonder why every day isn't fresh cider day!"
Fluttershy joins the group, the three fillies and mare cleared by the doctor to return home and following behind. The ponies smile to each other, each taking a turn nuzzling the fillies as they walk back to Sweet Apple Acres. Granny Smith is standing on the front porch, her keen eye drifting from one smiling pony to the next, finally resting on Applejack. Granny Smith's expression slowly hardens, her brow furrowing and glare increasing.
Granny Smith stops the herd, holding up a hoof as Applejack she walks up the porch. The elderly green mare says, "Everypony safe?"
Applejack takes a deep breath, "Eeyup. Fillies are a bit spooked, but doing well."
Granny Smith's eyes narrow, Applejack quailing under the pressure. Granny Smith says, "Everfree Forest?"
"Eeyup."
"Giant monster?"
"Eeyup."
"Town under attack?"
"Eeyup."
Granny Smith looks at the collection of ponies in front of her; Big Mac is shuffling his hooves and nervously glancing around, focusing on the orchards. Doug is standing, the three fillies still held in his arms. Pinkie Pie is bouncing up and down, happy as always. Fluttershy is behind Doug, carrying Scootaloo's scooter. Rainbow is excitedly hovering, trying to contain her enthusiasm and doing a poor job. Rarity looks relieved that everything is over, but seems to be worrying about something. Applejack is trying to meet Granny's eye, but her stance is wavering, unsure about something.
Granny starts again, "Hmm, everypony is safe, so that leaves only one thing. You agreed to have Filthy Rich sell our cider again!"
Applejack shakes her head, "No, Granny. But Ah-"
Granny Smith throws up her hooves, "Well, Ah can't see you mortgaging the farm, so what else can it be to make Big Mac so nervous and Rainbow so happy?"
"Ah told the town we'd provide fresh cider for the Cleansing Ceremony we're having." Applejack paws the dirt, a nervous look as she tries to maintain eye contact with Granny.
"Well, why didn't you say so?" Granny Smith says, a smile on her face. "We'll need to get the traveling wagon to haul all the equipment out there, unless you wanna haul barrels instead. Won't be as fresh then." She spits on her hoof, holding it out to the wind, "And the apples won't be quite right. Hmm."
"It might be easier to haul barrels. Ah don't think we have enough apples bucked to make enough, and we'll need to start production now or there'll be Tartarus to pay." Granny nods, leaving to gather the necessary items. Applejack looks over at each pony in turn, "Doug, help Big Mac drag the press out here." The two nod, walking towards one of the larger barns. "Pinkie, Ah left a wagon of apples out in the western field; go bring that back here."
Pinkie Pie says, "Okie Dokie! But, I think I should tell you that Ms. Swirl is going to need to helping baking all the goods she promised the town, and I should be heading back really soon to help with that."
Applejack sighs, "Alright, then, once you grab that wagon, you can be off." Pinkie Pie salutes, pronking away. Applejack says to the remaining ponies, "We'll fill the wagon with the first few barrels we make. Rarity, Ah'll need you to take the wagon; Fluttershy, Ah'll need you and the fillies to set up a stand once you get to Ponyville to start distributing it." Rarity sighs as Applejack glances at Apple Bloom, "How do you feel about tapping barrels?"
Apple Bloom nods, "Ah can do it!" She glances to her sisters, each filly beaming up at Applejack. Apple Bloom slowly drags a hoof along the ground, a small furrow in the dirt. "But, uh, Ah don't know how."
Applejack nods, a smile on her face, "That's okay, Bloom, Ah'll help teach ya." She looks to Rarity, "We'll need somepony to haul the wagon back and forth, Rarity, Ah know you don't really want to, but there ain't many options left."
Rarity sighs, "I'd rather be sorting apples." She glances to the fields, "But I will, if I must."
Applejack smiles, a hoof pulling Rarity in for a quick hug, "Thanks for that, Rares, Ah really appreciate it. Rainbow, we'll need somepony to bring apples to the press and then move the barrels as they fill up with cider and load them on the wagon. Think you can handle that?"
Rainbow shrugs, "Won't be the first time I lift a whole barrel of cider I don't get to drink, but I'm here to help!" Her hooves rub together, her mouth salivating at the thought of upcoming cider.
Applejack nods, "And Fluttershy, you'll be watching all six fillies. Get them doing what they can, but you seven will be in town. Make sure they don't run out of sight during the festivities."
Fluttershy gives a small nod, "Okay."
"Everypony know what they're doing?" Applejack asks as Doug and Big Mac wheel over a large press and tub. Everypony nods, holding a hoof in to the center, a pink hoof making its way into the middle from behind somepony, "Break!" Each pony walks off to their designated duty, Applejack pulling an empty barrel over. "Alright Apple Bloom, so here's how you hook up the barrel to the pump. Then just put your hooves here, and push down, and out comes the cider. Keep going until the barrel is empty. Fluttershy, Ah'm hoping you and Rarity can help the fillies move the full barrels over to the stand and then stack the empty barrels back on the wagon."
Rarity smiles, "Oh, darling, that won't be a problem at all." She grimaces a little to herself as she turns to the wagon Pinkie Pie is dragging along. "Oh, the things I put myself through," she mutters to herself, checking her mane and tail before looking over the straps on one of the larger wagons Big Mac is pulling out as Pinkie Pie quickly pronks towards town.
Doug starts running on the treadmill next to the press, the large wheel starting to turn. Granny sorts through the apples, Rainbow helping dump the good ones into the press. Doug strains as he turns the wheel, mashing the apples to pulp, the juice draining into the barrels. Rainbow quickly flies between the wagon and the press, exchanging empty barrels for full, then taking the full barrels to the wagon. After they load ten barrels the foals hop into the wagon, the fillies walking alongside as Fluttershy and Rarity take the wagon to Ponyville.
Applejack and Big Mac gather a small horde of apples near the press, Big Mac next moving to help Doug with the treadmill while Applejack alternates between helping Rainbow load the apples into the press and helping Granny Smith sort the apples. An hour later and Rarity is on the way back, the unicorn happy to get out of the harness and let Applejack take over hauling the soon to be full wagon. The apple supply is exhausted, the barrels loaded onto the two wagons, and the herd returns to Ponyville. Applejack holds a hoof to her face, a little scared as she counts the barrels; they might not have enough cider for everypony to get a topped off mug, so they might need cut back just a little on the distribution. Hopefully their supply holds out.
The fields south of Ponyville are filled with ponies flocking back and forth, many of them engaging in some massive song and dance routine, Pinkie Pie in the lead. The others are making their way back to town to refill on the refreshments, gathering more food and drink from the stalls ponies are setting up. Joyous laughter trades back and forth, the ponies freely giving away their wares to anypony who asks.
The magic in the air, the friendship, positively shimmers out over the field. Many oddly colored rainbows form around the gathered ponies, lines of color dancing around the houses as droplets of condensed magic coalesce, a spectrum of color around a black grain. The bubbles rise into the sunny sky, more and more forming around the boisterous ponies. The sight of ponies laughing together as they happily shovel dirt back into the craters. Grins traded back and forth as they hoist a new wall, partially made of scavenged components, the warehouse slowly being rebuilt. Even the librarian, bags of items donated by the various ponies, the old mare singing and dancing about finally getting the buck in the flank to follow her dream of working in Canterlot.
The gathered ponies greet the Apple herd with cheers, many an empty mug quickly stacking next to a slightly panicky Apple Bloom. The table is swarming with ponies, the last of the barrels having run dry some ten minutes ago. The crowd quickly clears a path, Big Mac tossing the first of the barrels to Doug, who grabs it and sets it up next to Apple Bloom. The filly grabs the tap and a mug, starting to pour glasses that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo pass out. Applejack takes over at the cider stand as Doug spots Princess Celestia; Applejack pulls Doug close, a whispered, "Ah trust you, but don't do anything you'll regret, okay?"
Doug nods to Applejack, a brief kiss as he walks away from the stand. He gives a quick wave to the alicorn, her brief nod in acknowledgement. He walks to the Carousel Boutique, going in through the side door, a heavy sigh as he looks over the ransacked dressers and closets. He starts gathering some of the smaller materials, those too small to use for the nets, making piles by size and color.
The side door opens slowly, Celestia walking through, the door closing behind her with a click. The alicorn takes one ponderous step after another towards one of Rarity's couches; her peytral levitates off, a heavy thunk as the gold settles upon the wood, followed by her horseshoes, casually kicked off, though they leave no divots in the wood as they fall. She gets to the couch, flopping down with a heavy sigh, her eyes closing as she breathes out. She settles down, resting her hooves underneath her, as if the weight of the world is finally off her shoulders.
Doug sets down the fabric in his hands as Celestia makes herself comfortable; he moves over, taking a seat next to her as she smiles. "So, Celestia," he cautiously starts, the mare looking at him, "How are you?"
"Such a simple question," she replies, staring into Doug's eyes, "And yet there are so many possible ways to take it. Much like life."
"Hmm," he says, his fingers idly drumming on the soft fabric of the couch, "Some ponies might get paralyzed at facing so many options, while others would pick one at random and hope for the best."
"But is it really at random when there are so many different ways of deciding? Or are they merely using a different heuristic for their decision making?"
"Well, you could flip a coin, or roll a die, or something."
Celestia nods, "Yes, but they are still making the choice to leave the decision to chance. And choosing what choices to populate their options."
Doug nods, a glum look on his face, "Yes. Yes, you're right." He sighs, "As always."
"And yet, some days I wish I could just leave things up in the air, let the pieces fall as they may." Celestia sighs, levitating over a few scraps of fabric, "And yet I cannot, as I can name every one of the pieces, and know exactly what it means should they fall." Two scraps slowly unravel, her magic aura barely visible as the threads separate themselves, then weaving themselves together into one larger piece. "To answer your question, Doug, I think I am in the mood for some ear scratches."
"Finally, something I can do right," Doug says, his smile hiding the grimace underneath. Celestia rolls over, her head looking up at him from his lap, her front hooves at her sides as she shifts to a comfortable position. One of Doug's hands goes to her ears, the other to her neck, trading his attention between the two as his nails dig into her soft hair. Her mane drapes over his legs, the soft caress as it waves back and forth, the colors mesmerizing as Doug pushes harder and harder. "What a terrible burden to bear, though."
"Mm," Celestia purrs, her head rubbing into Doug's belly, her two foot long horn sliding against his side. She giggles as it finds a few of his ribs, enjoying the pressure as she pushes into one groove, finding one spot to push against before the horn slips, bouncing along a few ribs in quick succession. Her wings splay out on the couch, no longer tightly held against her side, the muscles relaxing as Doug's hand gets closer and closer. "And yet I must, as we all must. How do you think your herd performed today?"
Doug flinches as if struck, a deep breath in and a long breath out before he says, "Well, I was inside for a lot of it, and it was hard to see with the rain going on." Doug's right hand resumes its scratching of her ears, his left making its way to her shoulder and upper foreleg, "The fillies did well. Until the end, that is, but that's mostly my fault." His voice catches towards the end, his hands pausing for a second before starting again.
"Making choices on limited knowledge is a necessity, not an option," Celestia says, looking up at him, "And I would hesitate before beating yourself up too badly about such a thing. Ask the relevant parties for forgiveness, if you believe your actions to be in the wrong and it to be necessary, but do not become cruel because something does not go your way."
"So you won't send me away just because I fail one opportunity?"
Celestia laughs, "Doug, if I had to do that!" She snorts, waving her hooves in the air, "To magic kindergarten with you! Bazap! Bazap! Bazap!" She giggles, "Soon there would be noponies left! Though things might run smoother if I took such an approach with the nobles."
"What a horrible way to live, that kind of threat hanging over your head." Doug sighs, his left hand making its way to Celestia's wing. The mare shudders, her hind legs pushing against the couch to maneuver herself closer to Doug, her head now resting on his thigh. He continues, "As far as how I think my herd did, as far as I know, they did their duties. Rainbow was the most visible; I think she did a fine job commanding, but would have preferred being a foot soldier, taking orders, able to utilize her speed of flight instead of ordering, though she combined the two well. Applejack and Rarity took charge in their fields, able to coordinate the ponies assigned to them and build the things they had to. Pinkie Pie was able to make her canisters, though I rarely saw her around, or anypony working with her. Fluttershy, well, she performed as well as I would have expected. But she rose to the occasion, they all did."
Celestia nods as Doug wipes a tear from his eye, the alicorn saying, "Indeed, they all admirably rose to the occasion. Do you think they would do so again in the future?"
"Without question."
"And, Doug, would you be okay with them doing it again?"
Doug takes a long breath in, slowly letting it out before shaking his head, saying, "I wouldn't stop them. Not that I think that I could, or should, or that I would be able to protect them or do any better if I took their place. Not only is it their choice whether or not to do so, but I don't think they would be any safer if they hung back, merely subject to a different set of consequences. Especially dealing with threats like this. And that set, if they hung back, is probably worse for everypony than if they fought. Though I certainly wish their efforts aren't needed." He stares out towards the Everfree, one of his arms wrapping around his chest and squeezing tight, "I know I don't want to have to face that again."
"A future none of us hope for, but we must plan for regardless." Celestia sighs, "Thank you for your candor, Doug. It is a trait I find disturbingly infrequent among those I meet." A few moments pass as Celestia returns to rubbing her head against Doug's chest, her horn tapping against his leg. A mischievous look comes over her face as her head darts forward, her lips finding his in a quick kiss.
Doug looks down, surprised, as Celestia settles back down in his lap, her eyes closing, a peaceful smile on her face as if nothing had happened. He sighs, staring off into the distance as his hands return, one resting along her side and the other gently rubbing her chin. His thoughts turn to his herd, his place in it, and his purpose in the greater scheme of things as the mare in his lap drifts off to sleep, the party outside getting louder and more rambunctious as the cider and other beverages are consumed.