The next couple of days were quite normal for Magnus, and as a result, he fell into a comfortable routine. He woke up in the morning, had breakfast with Twilight and Spike (Twilight proved to be an early bird as most ponies were), read or studied, or Twilight taught him something new. His grasp of Equestrian math wasn’t quite there yet, but he was at least improving. After noon, he would head outside with Twilight and/or Spike and find something to do. He saw nearly all of Twilight’s friends again in social settings, one event being a visit to the spa once more alongside Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity. This time, however, he decided to simply sit it out in the comfort of one of the spa benches. That didn’t stop Rarity from trying to surprise him with a face mask consisting of mud and cucumber slices. Her trick fell short, however, as hooves were anything but silent.
There was one conspicuously absent pony from Twilight’s friends, though. Magnus often saw Rainbow Dash flying around Ponyville or resting on those weird low-hanging clouds that existed in this world. He ignored her, as he had nothing he wanted to say to her. Whenever the two met on the street, Magnus pretended he didn’t see her. More than once, he’d seen Rainbow hesitatingly approach him in an attempt to strike up a conversation, her mouth barely opening before he continued on his way. The more he ignored her, the more dispirited Rainbow appeared the next time he saw her. She truly seemed like she wanted to make amends. This fact Magnus also deliberately chose to ignore.
Twilight was determined to mend their broken friendship. She kept suggesting ways to start over, even going so far as to ask Magnus to meet her at the park under the guise of her needing to practice her flying. When Magnus showed up, Twilight was missing and Rainbow Dash was there.
The only thing Rainbow said was, “Where’s Twilight? She told me to come here so we could fly together.”
After a short explanation from each other—the first words they had exchanged in days—they understood what was going on, and Magnus quickly left. He couldn’t be mad at Twilight; she only did what she assumed to be best for the two of them. As the Princess of Friendship, it was kind of in her job description. Still, he wished Twilight would simply stay out of his business; he chose his own friends.
Other than those minor incidents, Magnus was quite content with the current situation. He learned, he read, and he tried to interact with ponies each day by browsing stores and going to the marketplace. So far, that had worked out pretty well. Ponies were a hospitable and welcoming bunch, and at times, very social. They loved chatting, especially this one mint-green unicorn Magnus met when he went for a walk. She had read his interview several times, and was prepared when she ran into him; she had questions about everything concerning humans. Curiously, her main interest was about his hands. According to her, they were interesting because he had five fingers, not four, as was common with the races possessing the appendages on this world. She told him that it must be so much easier to play the harp and guitar with two extra fingers. She even asked if she could touch his hands. She was a bit of a weirdo, Magnus decided, after the mare left with a huge grin on her face.
All in all, Magnus felt as if he was really starting to fit into pony society, weird as it was.
Increasingly, he found his thoughts drifting to Brilliant Star, his relative. What their relation was exactly, Magnus had no idea, and he doubted anyone else could say for certain. What he thought of was what to do about her. Say yes and visit her, or say no and just forget about her.
One part of him was curious about her, and Magnus admitted to himself that he wasn’t exactly opposed to the possibility of a meeting anymore. The other part, however, was strongly against the idea. To him, it didn’t matter how well Celestia knew her or how highly she spoke of her—Brilliant Star was a complete stranger, an unknown pony, an X in the equation that was his life, and Magnus was, as earlier mentioned, lousy at math. Whenever his mind stalled on this predicament, he stowed it away for another time, the feeling of confliction increasing each time.
Twilight was naturally interested in hearing what he planned to do about Brilliant Star, and each time she asked, Magnus replied, “I don’t know yet. I need time to decide.” That usually made her back off for a while.
Still, his predicament continued to be a thorn in his side as each day passed. Sometimes he asked himself what would be wrong in meeting the elderly unicorn. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, he had answers for that. Firstly, he would be out of his familiar surroundings, and had to go this new town, Hollow Shades, filled with new and unknown ponies. After asking Twilight what she knew of the town, she told him that it was mostly inhabited by bat ponies who remained awake at night and slept during the day, meaning that if he went there, he’d have to adjust his sleeping patterns. Additionally, he’d be without Spike in case he needed to get in touch with the alicorn sisters. The list went on.
Despite that, Magnus had known for some time now that those were just excuses he invented out of a fear of the unknown. The town, the bat ponies, they were not a problem. As for the sleeping during day and being awake at night thing? That was a normal weekend for him. Constantly having Princess Celestia and Princess Luna on speed dial? He wasn’t a kid anymore that needed to hold a grownup’s hand.
No, the only issue was Brilliant Star, and she was much more difficult to solve. Thus, Magnus carefully bided his time and tried to analyse his own feelings on the matter.
***
The day after tomorrow was when Magnus was scheduled to return to Canterlot. For now, he had a more pressing interest on his mind. All his concentration went into a new spell he had discovered in a book earlier that morning, one that was actually quite useful for all unicorns.
It was called Sparks, a pretty basic and, according to the book, easy spell useful for lighting a fire, such as a campfire or the hearth one early winter morning. It basically made his horn spout a shower of sparks in a slender coned shape in front of him. Of course, ponies had other ways to light a fire—long matches, and a form of lighters they could operate with their hooves or mouths. There were also better spells for creating a fire, such as a simple fire spell that produced a small flame, but Magnus simply didn’t have the magic necessary for maintaining that spell for even four seconds. Fire spells, Twilight explained, were known for being magic consuming, as magic had to be converted into heat. Thus, Sparks was simply the better option for Magnus.
“Easy now,” Twilight cautioned, watching with anticipation. Each spell Magnus had learned so far had been rather basic for unicorns, and apparently that was the same for Magnus. Twilight reasoned that a race that didn’t know magic shouldn’t be able to learn spells this quickly, but she also supposed that the pace Magnus learned was from his unicorn heritage. “Now, aim your horn down at the target.”
“A gem says he won’t make it this time either,” Spike wryly commented from the sidelines.
His horn glowing, Magnus maintained his focus and slightly lowered his head. His target was a wooden board with a bull’s-eye painted on it.
“Aiming is hard when I’m bipedal,” Magnus riposted through gritting teeth. “Unicorns have it easier since you’re quadrupeds.”
“That’s just something you have to get used to,” Twilight quipped.
His horn’s glow grew more intense, his magic building until he had gathered the required amount. Green and white swirled around his horn in a magical dance that still made Magnus smile with glee.
“There you go. Now, release the spell.”
Lowering his head a bit further until he saw the tip of his horn align with the target board, Magnus released the spell. Something else happened that no one would have expected, except perhaps Discord. Magnus’ cell phone was in his pocket, as he had used it earlier in the day to listen to some music. It wasn’t turned off since it had behaved itself and stayed silent for days, only occasionally playing a bit of sound or music by itself. But now the phone suddenly decided to announce its presence, and the sound it played was perfect for the situation.
From his horn, a shower of sparks erupted and was violently pushed forward, pelting the target board and leaving plenty of small burn marks. The sparks that fell to the crystal floor smouldered for just a second before vanishing without a trace.
Magnus promptly doubled over in a fit of laughter while poor Twilight and Spike stood there, not understanding what was so funny.
“Hahaha, that was perfect!” Magnus exclaimed while patting his pocket. “Who’s a good phone? Yes, you are!”
Twilight shook her head in exasperation. “I have no idea what your device just said, but you’re learning at least. I only had to explain how to do it twenty times, and it only took you ten attempts before you got it right.”
Magnus’ shoulders slumped. “Way to break down a man's confidence, Twilight. Plus, you have to take some blame yourself. Tell me to point my horn in the right direction first of all.”
“I feel as if that shouldn’t have to be explained.” Spike turned around, taking in the sight of charred books from an earlier mishap.
An errant strand of Twilight’s mane suddenly frazzled and struck out, joining its many brethren. “Accidents happen,” she stated with a slight tremor in her voice. Normally she would have reacted more… erratic after seeing her books being burned, the memory of Tirek blowing up her library tree still on her mind, but the minor burn marks only required an inanimate restoration spell to repair them. “Still, at least you’re improving. How does your magic feel? Do you have anything left?”
Magnus gently probed his reserves. It was a difficult sensation to describe, like being hungry without being actually hungry, or tired without being tired. Contradictory in itself, but it described the feeling well.
“Think I’ve got enough juice for another shot or two.”
“Then try it again; practise makes perfect,” Twilight said.
Magnus once more lit up his horn and aimed it at the board. Creating the spell, or ‘preparing it’ as Twilight called it, required effort and focus. One couldn’t simply utter a few words and shoot sparks—that was in the old days. No, Magnus had to learn how this kind of magic worked on the basic level, which meant that Twilight had to simplify it in a way Magnus could understand.
Basically, half the magic of the spell burst into tiny burning particles while the other half rapidly pushed it forward. It all happened simultaneously.
When his aim was dead center, Magnus let the spell fly. Sparks erupted out of thin air and flew towards the plywood board. Or, that was where they would have landed had it not been for a series of unfortunate events. Neither Magnus nor Twilight had thought much of the fact that the target board had been placed in front of the library doors, and neither of them could have known that someone would come to see them in a hurry. Applejack suddenly barged in, knocking aside the target board and stood in the way of a barrage of red hot sparks. They showered her entire body, her hat taking the brunt of it.
“OW! What the hay?” she shouted in surprise.
“OH SHIT!” Magnus cursed, wincing. They all rushed to Applejack’s aid, stomping out any remaining embers, while Applejack used her hat to brush off the remaining pieces. The smell of burnt hair quickly became prevalent, and it didn’t smell any better than burnt human hair.
“The hay are you doing?! This some kinda weird human welcome you two’re practising?” Applejack asked as she stood up, shooting Magnus a rather displeased glare.
“I’m so sorry, Applejack, I was just practising a new spell Twilight taught me. You knocked the target away when you barged in,” Magnus explained frantically while checking Applejack over. She appeared unharmed, although her hat had a few minor blackened spots, as well as her chest and forelegs.
“Are you okay? Anything still on fire? Should I get some ointment?” Twilight asked worryingly, just as Spike returned with a first aid kit in his claws.
“Ah’m fine. That was nothing; you just surprised me is all.” Applejack placed her hat back on her head. “Ah came here to ask if y’all would help us at Sweet Apple Acres. We’ve spotted a nasty outbreak of apple rot over at the east field where it borders the Everfree Forest, and we need to get as many apples harvested as possible before it spreads to the rest of the trees. Ah’ve already talked to the girls and they’ve agreed to help.”
“Of course we’ll help, right?” Twilight happily agreed as Spike gave her a nod.
“I’ll help too,” Magnus added. “I nearly set you on fire—helping is the least I can do.”
For the first time since she arrived, Applejack smiled. “Ah knew Ah could count on y’all. If we all work fast, we can get the entire east field harvested before sunset.”
***
Twenty minutes later, Twilight, Applejack, Spike, and Magnus arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. From a distance, Magnus could see that the farm was busier than usual. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were already working, both of them hauling wagons filled with empty basket into the orchard.
“Here we are, now we should find jobs that you two can do,” Applejack said as they walked through the archway that led into the farm. She led them over to the barn where Granny Smith sat on a low stool with baskets of apples in front of her. The elder inspected each apple thoroughly before sorting them into two different containers, one barrel filled with healthy and shiny apples, while the other was an old basket filled with apples with large brown spots that frankly seemed sickly. Granny Smith was so preoccupied with inspecting the apples that she barely noticed the newcomers.
“Granny here is checking the apples for apple rot. The good ones end up in the apple cellar while the bad ones we throw away.” Applejack then turned to Magnus and Spike. “Maybe you and Spike can help Granny sort ’em. Rarity and Fluttershy should arrive later to help you.”
“Sure. We should probably get some hints as to what apples are acceptable for eating though.”
The baby dragon and the human took a seat next to the elderly earth pony. Granny Smith gave them a sideways glance before holding in front of their noses an apple that looked sickly and unappetizing.
“Lookit this, look young’uns! This here’s the enemy!” Granny announced in a creaky voice, her equally ancient eyes narrowing dangerously while staring down the sickly apple. “Foul thing, apple rot. Taints the entire crop if’n given the chance!”
Seeing that Spike and Magnus were being given their marching orders, Applejack began walking with Twilight towards a pair of wagons standing by the barn. “Now that we have two more to sort the apples, we should make some headway. Grab a wagon, Twi, and let’s get to work.”
Applejack and Twilight wandered into the orchard while Magnus and Spike began sorting apples. Both carefully inspected each apple, checking for brown spots, and if it passed, they chucked it into a barrel already half filled with healthy apples. Granny Smith herself watched the two like a hawk. One thing Magnus was sure of, Granny didn’t need glasses; she checked her own apple as well as the ones her two co-workers held.
“Wrong!” Granny suddenly shrieked just as Magnus chucked an apple into the barrel, followed by a green hoof tapping his knee. “That one’s fouled!”
Granny got up and picked up the apple, holding it up for Magnus and Spike to see. “Right… here!” She pointed out a tiny brown spot, so minute that it was nearly invisible. “This here is apple rot. This is all it takes to foul up the entire harvest.” She threw the apple behind her and with an elegance that did not belong to such an old mare, kicked out with her hind leg, sending the apple flying directly into the basket of sick apples. Her display, however, was not without consequences as a loud click sound came from her thigh.
“Ow, consarnit!” she hissed while hobbling back to her stool.
“You okay, Granny Smith?” Magnus asked, shooting her a concerned look.
“Ah’m fine, just mah hip acting up. Now look over those apples you threw in and take a closer look!” she muttered angrily. “Ah ain’t gonna have a repeat of seventy years ago!”
Magnus’ impression of Granny Smith from the day he met her as a grandmotherly type that never got angry was quickly being dashed. Granny was quite upset, and judging by the speed Spike moved over to the apple barrel, he had never seen her like this before either. He wisely followed the baby dragon’s example, swiftly retrieving the apples.
Once more he inspected the apples, this time scrutinizing them even more carefully. Sure enough, a few apples had tiny brown spots, resulting in them being thrown into the reject basket.
They worked for a while in silence, all of Magnus’ and Spike’s focus being on the apples. The glances Spike and Magnus exchanged indicated that this kind of behaviour from Granny was bizarre.
“Granny Smith,” Spike suddenly asked, giving her an inquisitive glance and breaking the silence. “What happened seventy years ago?”
Spike’s question was one that Magnus also wondered about. Whatever happened back then was the source of Granny Smith’s recent outburst.
The elderly mare sighed, tossing an apple into the barrel with the good ones. “Worst case of apple rot we ever saw here in Ponyville,” Granny Smith began, her voice low and calm. “First time too. We all thought the harvest was safe in the barn, stored safely for winter. Jes’ a few weeks later, all the apples were rotten and smelled so bad that we had to bury ’em in the Everfree Forest. With the apples gone, we didn’t have much food that winter, and we couldn’t sell apples either to buy more. Wasn’t much food to go around, honestly. Crops went bad lotsa places in Equestria that year. We called it ‘the black year’ ‘cause of all the farms looking black and barren from a distance. We all pitched in wherever we could and began to harvest as much hay as we could. Wasn’t much to find either; fall had come and the grass was either withered or dying.”
Granny sighed deeply and paused, a faraway gleam in her eyes. “Princess Celestia sent food to Ponyville by the wagons, but there wasn’t a lot to go ‘round on account of so many places being affected. Rumour has it, the princess didn’t eat the entire winter while there was a food shortage. Mah pa lost a lot of weight those months. He ate little, but made sure us children, mah herdmothers, and mah ma had enough.” Granny wryly smiled and turned to the two youngsters. “That’s why we hafta be careful. That’s what those’re for.” She pointed an old and wrinkled hoof at the vegetable rows growing on the fields away from the barn. Rows upon rows of healthy cucumber vines, tomatoes, and lettuce basked in the sunlight. “Ah ain’t gonna see another skin and bone pony anymore. Ah saw my pa; Ah ain’t gonna see Applejack, Big Mac, or Apple Bloom lookin’ the same.”
Granny went silent again and returned to her work, inspecting each and every apple carefully. Spike and Magnus sat silently next to Granny, sombre comprehension written on their faces. When the two began working again, they both spent fifteen seconds extra on each apple.
***
Hours passed as Spike, Granny Smith, and Magnus worked. The two fresh members of the team quickly found a rhythm to the job. It wasn’t much later after they arrived that Rarity and Fluttershy showed up, and with them on the apple inspecting team, the work went a lot faster. Some light-hearted conversation was a welcome break to the monotony. Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack returned in steady intervals with apples to be sorted. With the work progressing quicker, Magnus had to carry barrels with apples down into the cellar for storage. Down in the cold cellar, space quickly filled up until barrels were stacked on top of each other. When mentioned to Granny Smith, she made an idle comment about Big Mac having digging work ahead of him next year.
There were also other surprises in store for the harvest, or rather, the helpers. Occasionally, Magnus spotted a purplish cloud of apples rise above the trees in the distance, the work of none other than Twilight Sparkle. Magnus had no idea how many apples she levitated at once, but there must easily have been a couple of hundred or more. The level of finesse and raw power to levitate so many objects at once was astonishing. It was simply another testament to Twilight’s supreme abilities and control over her magic.
The alicorn made good use of her magic, evident by the speed the apple deliveries were made. Rainbow and Pinkie came running back to the barn with the carts and then raced each other back. Rainbow was a quick runner, even though her forte was flight, but even she had her limits, as Magnus noticed when she began falling behind Pinkie after a few hours. Pinkie was her usual self; filled with seemingly endless amounts of energy. She even managed to make pronking with a wagon look easy. Although Rainbow was in great shape, Pinkie was still an earth pony, one that ran on nothing but pure sugar. Safe to say, Rainbow was outclassed.
There were also three other helpers at the farm now who had just finished school for the day. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were present, helping the adults gather the apples. The moment they arrived, the trio procured a smaller empty wagon and together they hauled it into the orchard, intent on getting their cutie marks in apple farming. According to Granny Smith, this wasn’t the first time, but the fillies were determined to try once more since cutie marks could sometimes appear on a second attempt. Apple farming, however, was probably not their talent as all three were required to pull the heavy wagon, but they worked well together, if a bit disorganized.
***
A good while later Granny Smith sent Magnus into the orchard to call the others in for a short refreshment break. Magnus gladly took the opportunity as it gave him a chance to stretch his limbs. Sitting still while staring at apples was actually more boring than it sounded, no matter how important the task was.
Wandering through the orchard, he only had to follow the sound of voices as well as the sound of hooves slamming into tree trunks. It didn’t take him long to find the ponies. Twilight levitated apples from the trees and deposited them into empty baskets. Applejack and Big Mac did it the old-fashioned way; bucking the trees. Rainbow and Pinkie patiently waited with their wagons while the three fillies eagerly ran around to fetch the now full apple baskets and haul them onto the carts. The baskets were heavy and the fillies weren’t as strong as they were willing, thus adult help was needed.
It was while observing them that Magnus decided to stop and watch them from afar for a moment. It was the Apple siblings that had caught his interest. They worked together, laughing, making a silly game out of harvesting the apples, all while the others looked on. Big Mac bucked the trees while Apple Bloom balanced a basket on her head and tried to catch the apples. Applejack participated as well, competing against her younger sister, and while Apple Bloom tried the best she could, fuelled by the youthful energy of childhood, Applejack still won the game. Even though she lost, Apple Bloom smiled from ear to ear, happy to play with her sister while working, all accompanied by the laughter of the others.
And of course, Apple Bloom wanted to try haul the wagon. Even from the distance, Magnus heard Apple Bloom proclaim, “Ah know Ah can haul the wagon on mah own. Ah’m a big pony!”
“‘Course you can, Ah don’t doubt you,” Applejack replied with a smile. “But you’re still a little pony. In a few years, you can haul wagons all day long and not get tired.”
“Eeyup!” Big Mac agreed jovially.
Still, Apple Bloom insisted, and finally had the straps fastened around her diminutive midsection and attempted pulling the wagon. Surprisingly, the filly succeeded, although she worked hard to do so. The heavy wagon moved a few feet before coming to a halt, to Apple Bloom’s surprise. She hollered and laughed because she hadn’t managed to move such a heavy wagon before. It was reason enough to celebrate, and proudly Big Mac paraded his younger sister around on his back to the cheering of the others.
The scene touched a nerve in Magnus, and he couldn’t help but smile from seeing the events unfold. It brought memories from his own youth to his mind, memories of his own achievements, major and minor, such as riding his bicycle without training wheels for the first time. Back then, his grandfather was the only one to cheer him on, but here, Apple Bloom had her siblings, her friends, and her grandmother—all good, kind ponies—to witness her accomplishments and all that would come in the years to follow.
Magnus, on the other hand, now had no one.
Or was that true? Unbidden, the name Brilliant Star popped up in his head. For once, Magnus let the name simmer in his mind. He didn’t chase the name and its meaning to him away, not even when he finally went up to the ponies and told them that Granny Smith had prepared food for them. Not on the way back, and not even when he sat beside Twilight and Pinkie to eat did he try to think of something else.
‘What if?’ he thought while stealing occasional glances at the Apple family eating and laughing together. ‘What if I decided to meet her?’
***
As the evening progressed, the workload began to slowly lessen until Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac walked out of the orchard, hauling three carts behind them. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had gone home as dinnertime had approached. Rainbow and the two elder Apple siblings all looked exhausted, sweat giving their coats a sheen in the setting sun. Pinkie pronked as usual, although she didn’t reach her maximum height, and Twilight looked just fine. Magic, Magnus knew, was more of a mental strain than a physical one.
“This here’s the last load of apples from the east field,” Applejack announced as she, Rainbow, and Pinkie unhitched themselves from the wagons, wiping the sweat off of her forehead with one hoof. “All we got left is the north field, and that one’s much smaller. Big Mac and Ah can handle that on our own.”
“Well ain’t that good news!” Granny stood up and smiled, her hips creaking from sitting still for so long. “Ah knew we could do it if we all chipped in! The harvest is saved!”
“Eeyup!” Big Mac agreed happily.
“It was a lot of work,” Twilight stated. “But it was a team effort, and now you have all the apples you need until next year.”
“Best workout I had in a long time,” Rainbow said. Even though she stood still, she slightly leaned forward as if the heavy cart was still hitched onto her.
Magnus breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally over. Just the last few baskets and it would be all over. Hours upon hours upon hours of staring at shiny red apples were a real strain on the eyes.
“Can you see anything but the colour red?” he asked Spike.
“Do apples come in other colours? I think I’d prefer reshelving day over this,” Spike muttered sarcastically.
Fluttershy and Rarity both giggled at the duo’s groans. The two mares hadn’t complained at all; instead, they kept a lively conversation going on almost the entire time. Even Granny Smith merrily joined in, her mouth and ears on the conversation, but her eyes firmly on the apples.
“Oh, it was not that bad. Why, this actually gave me a few ideas; ‘Harvest Apparel’. I’m sure I can come up with something fashionable and elegant for celebrating a good harvest,” Rarity chimed in.
“And it’s always nice to help other ponies,” Fluttershy added. She then addressed the matriarch of the Apples: “Maybe I could gather and spread some apple seeds from the bad apples over the Everfree Forest; that way my furry friends will be able to find more food in a few years.”
“Go ahead, Fluttershy, we ain’t gonna use those apples. The apple rot don’t affect the seeds none,” Granny Smith answered and began walking towards the house. “Now then, ya’ll help sort the last apples while Ah get dinner going. Ya’ll invited fer dinner! And Ah won’t take neigh for an answer!”
“Ah can help you!” Apple Bloom exclaimed and, although looking a bit tired, happily cantered after her grandmother.
“Well, Ah guess ya’ll invited fer dinner then.” Applejack began moving the baskets off the carts, setting them on the ground. “The sooner we’re done, the sooner we can have some grub. Let’s get to it then.”
With everyone sorting the remaining apples, the baskets were emptied in record time. Applejack and Big Mac proved to have the same sharp eyes as Granny Smith when it came to sorting apples. Even Spike showed his newfound powers as an apple expert, lecturing Twilight when it came to knowing what apples were good and which one were bad. This in turn was subject to much laughter, especially from Applejack.
“Lookit that! The teacher’s being taught.”
When the final barrel was carried into the cold cellar, Magnus breathed a sigh of relief. He was used to hard work from home, not from the bowling alley, but from his fall and winter job which involved sawing, carrying, and stacking firewood for sale. This, however, made him wish for machinery to do the job. No one ever said that running a farm was easy, especially when it was all manual labour.
After some time, Granny Smith came out onto the porch. “Soups on, everypony. Come and get it while it’s hot!” That was all it took to cause an orderly stampede since everybody had worked up a hunger from the day.
However, certain rules had to be obliged first. “Not so fast, young’uns. Go wash your hooves first.” Granny’s tone of voice brokered no objection, and in a single file, they all walked inside and headed to the washroom to clean the variety of appendages they all possessed; hands, hooves, and claws. Only when all were clean did Granny allow them a seat at the table.
Granny and Apple Bloom hadn’t been inside for much more than thirty to forty-five minutes, but in that time, grandmother and granddaughter had made more than enough for everybody. A large bar pan filled with steaming warm vegetables, stacked with sliced carrots, spinach, celery and onions, bathing in a mix of eggs and cream, and covered with cheese, and spices stood on the table alongside an apple-based salad, bread, and butter.
To say that it tasted delicious was an understatement, even when lacking in meat. Granny Smith had truly perfected the culinary arts.
Conversation and laughter flowed freely while they ate, the mood mellow due to the effort they’d all put in. Magnus also contributed to the conversation, a change from his usual mode of simply being a listener. His seasonal job as a farmhand had given him some experience as well as many funny stories to share, and humorous farm-related stories was something both the Apples and the others could appreciate, further raising the festive mood at the table.
Magnus was seated next to Rarity and Apple Bloom, and with good food and company, conversation came naturally. Rarity showed an unusual interest in how humans grew food, which was very much unlike her, but Magnus figured that the topic came up due to the work they had done during the day. Apple Bloom however, had a different topic on her mind. She had heard something from Applejack, a rumour that she wanted confirmed.
“So humans don’t get cutie marks at all, Mister Magnus?” the filly inquired. She was a bit obsessed with the magical butt marks. Magnus remembered the whacky stories from Applejack about the Crusader’s hare-brained schemes to gain them.
He finished chewing before answering, washing down his food with a glass of water. “No, but we can get a tattoo if we want to. It’s not a cutie mark, but we can get any symbol we want. Some humans get them because they want it to represent something, or they get one just because it looks cool. There might be some people who get one because it symbolises their work or something they’re good at.”
Apple Bloom gasped. “Anything?” she asked, her big eyes sparkling.
“Mhm, anything they want. Long ago, people got tattoos because it represented something about their religion, their tribe, or their achievements in life. I guess that someone also thought that tattoos were linked to magic, but that wasn’t true at all.”
Apple Bloom practically beamed with excitement as she turned to Granny Smith. “Granny, Ah want a tattoo!” she exclaimed.
While the Apple siblings nearly choked on their food, Granny Smith merely chuckled lightly while smiling fondly at the filly. “It ain’t gonna show on us ponies; our coats cover it all up. Unless you wanna shave off your coat every ten days or so.”
“S-Shave off mah coat?” Apple Bloom stuttered, her uncertainty shining through. “Ah don’t wanna be bald all over! I don’t want a tattoo anymore.”
“Well then, lil’ apple sprout, it’s a mighty fine decision you’ve made. You see, minotaurs can have them, but their coats are thinner in places and it shows through. Why, Ah remember my grand uncle Ambrosia Apple when he was young. He sailed to the minotaur lands a long time ago and came home with one of ‘em tattoos that looked like a starfish on his shoulder. He was so proud, he began shaving off the coat covering it to show it to ponies. ‘Course, when he got old and wrinkly, that starfish sagged so much it looked like an octopus.”
A round of laughter followed, with many clearly imagining what it would look like.
“Mister Magnus, do you have a tattoo?” Apple Bloom asked, to which Magnus shook his head.
“No, I’m not that big of a fan. Besides, tattoos are permanent; you can remove it, but it’s very painful.” He wasn’t about to explain to a kid how a laser burned away the skin to reach the ink below.
Eventually dinner came to an end. Everyone had their fill, their hunger satisfied. One would think that at the end of a banquet like this, no more food would be served. At least Magnus thought so. But a devious old mare had other plans.
“Ya’ll did such fine work today, Ah think we need a little extra something. How do apple crisps with whipped cream sound to ya’ll?”
No one said no.
***
Everyone was literally stuffed. As soon as dessert had been consumed, they all chipped in to help clean up. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom had prepared dinner, so they were asked to leave the kitchen and rest in the living room. As a team effort, doing the dishes went in a jiffy, and when they were done, they joined Granny and Apple Bloom in the living room.
Due to his size and the fact that he alone would take two limited spaces, Magnus opted to simply sit on the floor and lean against the couch, same as Big Mac, Applejack, and Rainbow.
The Apple’s hospitality shone through again as Granny Smith offered them all to stay for a while to allow their food to digest in peace and quiet instead of walking or flying home so soon. Conversation flowed once more as if it never ceased in the first place, with many different topics being spoken of amongst friends. Granny even regaled them with stories of her youth and times gone by, and even though the elderly mare got more than a bit sidetracked from time to time, she was a well of knowledge, particularly when it came to Ponyville itself. It made sense, seeing as she was one of the first ponies to settle there more than a hundred years ago.
But talking wasn’t the only activity being performed this evening. At least one pony had something else in mind.
Perhaps it was the sugar-rich dessert, or maybe it was all the talking that made her bored—the fact remained that Apple Bloom silently snuck behind the couch and stealthily made her way behind her brother before adopting a pouncing stance, all while everyone else looked on. The filly held a hoof in front of her mouth, silently shushing her audience. Everybody had an inkling of what she planned to do. With her tail and butt wiggling like a cat, Apple Bloom launched herself onto Big Mac’s back with a gleeful holler, surprising a few ponies that hadn’t noticed Apple Bloom sneaking around. Big Mac let out a surprised yelp and then began laughing, all while playfully trying to get his sister off his back. The little filly, however, wasn’t even slightly deterred. She scrambled her way to Big Mac’s neck, all while avoiding his searching hooves. She eventually succeeded in making her way to the top of Big Mac’s head and covered his eyes with her forehooves.
It was merely play fighting, an age old tradition between siblings. By the looks of it, Apple Bloom had done this before and knew Big Mac’s tricks. The stallion tried to get her off, but Magnus could see that Mac didn’t put as much effort into it. After all, where was the fun if he merely shook his sister off after a few seconds?
“Ah gotcha! Surrender!” Apple Bloom cried with a victorious grin.
Ponies laughed at their antics, and Rainbow even tried to give Apple Bloom a few pointers, such as trying to get Big Mac into a headlock while Fluttershy urged Mac to be careful with his sister. The stallion had everything under control, being careful at what he did.
Granny Smith sat in her rocking chair, watching her grandchildren at play with an serene smile on her wrinkled face that shone with love. Applejack had a similar, but more playful expression, as if she was likely to join in any moment now.
“Do you surrender, big brother?” Apple Bloom asked again, clinging to Big Mac like a flea.
The red earth pony just grinned, and with a forward flick of his head, Apple Bloom came tumbling forward, landing on her back and straight into Mac’s forehooves.
“Nope!” he stated and leaned his head towards her belly, letting his long locks of hair tickle Apple Bloom’s belly.
The filly screamed with laughter. “No! Stop! Hahaha, Ah won’t give up! That’s not fair!” she cried out while flailing her legs wildly.
“Eenope!”
Their roughhousing caused more than a bit of amusement and laughter. Big Mac’s deep, rumbling laughter and the ever increasing list of tricks he employed to make Apple Bloom howl with glee was impressive. No cuter, however, was Apple Bloom herself. She laughed and giggled up a storm with her high-pitched voice, flailing her hooves wildy in order to escape, but Big Mac held her firmly in place. It seemed as if Apple Bloom would never escape the tickling torture.
It was at that moment Applejack intervened. Tossing her hat aside, she jumped on Mac’s back, surprising the stallion which bought Apple Bloom time to escape. Like a cowboy wrangling cattle, the cowpony managed to get her forelegs around his barrel and then forcefully and swiftly rocked to the side, which resulted in Big Mac falling with her, ending up on his back underneath Applejack. Once on the floor, Applejack held him firmly in place.
“Now Apple Bloom! Go for it!” Applejack cried out.
A moment of shock passed over Big Mac’s face as Apple Bloom victoriously strode on top of his broad barrel. With his eyes wide open, Big Mac shook his head while the filly approached. “Eenope! Nope! Nope! Nope!”
Apple Bloom slowly shook her head, her tail swishing from side to side like a pendulum of impending doom. “Well, Ah say Eeyup, Big Mac.”
Apple Bloom’s revenge was merciless. The little filly knew exactly where Big Macintosh’s major weakness was; he was extremely ticklish. Just simply brushing her tail across Big Mac’s chest resulted in the stallion breaking out into a fit of laughter, squirming like a worm on a hook, unable to escape Applejack’s iron grip. He was pinned, and everyone knew it. Hearing Big Mac’s deep voice shift between hysterical giggling and full blown laughter only made everyone laugh harder.
While Magnus was also amused by the scene unfolding before him, his mind began to drift. Apple Bloom was so lucky to have it all: a loving brother and sister, a caring grandmother filled with love, and a whole bunch of friends that cared about her. The scene caused him to ask himself a single question.
‘Would it matter? Human or pony?’
***
It was late by the time Twilight, Spike, and Magnus headed back, close to ten in the evening when they entered the castle, the crystal structure almost glowing in the light of the moon. Twilight only looked slightly tired, but Magnus was near exhausted due to the work effort he’d put in during the day. Spike was in no better shape; he yawned, said goodnight, and went to get himself ready for bed, all in less than ten seconds.
“I think I’m going to do a little bit of light reading before I go to bed,” Twilight said as she wandered towards the library. “What about you, Magnus? Are you going to bed now?”
“Yeah. With these new heavy limbs, I get beat a lot sooner,” Magnus explained with a yawn. “Good night, Twilight.”
“Okay, good night,” Twilight called after him.
The walk to his room was slow, as Magnus took his time, his head filled with various thoughts. Upon entering his room, Magnus did not lie down to sleep. Instead, he simply sat down on the bed, elbows resting on his knees while considering the thought that had rested on his mind for the past few hours.
Seeing how close the Apples were made him remember when he was younger, and the frequent visits to his friends’ homes. They all had parents as well as siblings and came from large families, having numerous uncles, aunts, cousins, and lastly, grandparents, some of whom were no longer among the living. He had met many of them personally, and knew many quite well ever since childhood. Now, he missed them all terribly, but knowing that they weren’t dead brought him some comfort.
However, the visit at the Apple’s also made Magnus remember something else from his youth, a question as old as he was. There was a time when he had asked himself if he truly had no one but his grandfather. The answer to that question was always no, and his grandfather’s research into family members confirmed it. From time to time, Magnus would look through old photo albums belonging to his grandfather, seeing his parents when they were alive, as well as photos of his grandmother and grandfather when they were a young couple in love, and even his great-grandparents in an old-timey, grainy, black and white photo. It was at those times he wished he had a family, a real one. Blood relatives. Living parents to call mom and dad, someone to call uncle and aunt, and people his own age he could call cousins. Even when he was young and didn’t understand death, Magnus wished that his grandmother was still alive so that his grandfather wouldn’t be so lonely. That, and he knew from his friends that grandmothers always had candy or chocolate in their purses. But all he had was his grandfather, and friends he referred to as siblings, even though they really weren’t. That was what was missing from his life; a real family.
With a sigh of frustration, he rose from bed and walked over to the window, opened it, and looked outside. The town was silent, and other than the street lamps, only a few houses still had lights coming from them. Turning his gaze to the west, he saw Sweet Apple Acres in the distance, bathed in moonlight, home of the Apple family. A loving family, caring very much for each other, just as he himself cared for his adopted siblings. They reminded him of his friends’ families in a way.
But then he looked to the east, roughly the direction he knew Hollow Shades to be in. There was the home of Brilliant Star. A pony he knew only by name and a few other details: she was old, lived in a castle, was a minor noble, used to be a teacher, but that was it. He did not know her at all, just a complete stranger.
He admitted to himself that he was curious about her—who wouldn’t be? However, there were things that held him back. She was a pony, and he wasn’t. She was old, and he was young. As was normal with old people, they were set in their ways, and that probably went for old ponies as well. Being told she was related to a primate was most likely not something she would take kindly to either.
And still Magnus gazed to the east. It was as if something compelled him to behold that direction. He knew a bit about where his parents’ families came from, but this part of the family tree was unknown territory, just a single pony alone in a castle.
‘What if I went to Hollow Shades? Just think… what if?’ He once again weighed the pros and cons, yet his resolve remained indecisive. With a huff, Magnus stood up and began to pace and forth. ‘This is never going to work. Each time I try to decide, my mind always gets messed up with too many facts and too much thinking. It can’t go on like this; it’s either yes or no. No debate. Make it simple!’
He walked back to the window again and rested his elbows on the windowsill. He looked to the east. ‘I go to Hollow Shades and find an old, grumpy pony who doesn’t want anything to do with me. I go there, she tells me to hit the road, and she can go back to being grumpy and alone again, and I go back to Canterlot, find a job, and later, a place to live.’
Then he looked to the west and Sweet Apple Acres. ‘Or I could go to Hollow Shades and find… something else.’
Magnus stood for many long minutes at the window, his gaze transfixed to the east. He then sighed and closed the window. “If I never go, I’ll never find out what would happen in Hollow Shades. Sometimes, you just have to take a chance and hope for the best.”
He then left his bedroom. He had a letter to write, and hopefully, Spike hadn’t dozed off yet.
***
Steam wafted from Celestia’s private bathroom as she exited. The Sun Princess’ illustrious mane and tail were each wrapped in large towels made of premium Saddle Arabian cotton. After a long day of work, a soak in a warm bath worked wonders on her body. Her throne—even with a large soft cushion—was far from comfortable to sit on for hours on end, and in that, Luna agreed with her. Luckily, the redecorations of the throne room were scheduled for next year. Both princesses would be getting new thrones, and comfort was their main priority.
Releasing a relaxed sigh, Celestia carefully unrolled the towels, letting her damp sunbeam-collared mane and tail down before taking a seat at her vanity. Picking up her combs and brushes with her magic, she began gently brushing her mane and tail.
‘I wonder what my little ponies would say if I decided to cut my mane short one day. I believe Discord would certainly approve. After all, he once stole my tail.’
Just then, a puff of smoke flew into her chambers and materialized into a scroll before her eyes and fell onto the vanity.
‘A letter? At this hour? I hope nothing happened in Ponyville,’ Celestia thought as she picked up the scroll and unfurled it. She noted that it didn’t have a ribbon tied around it, as most of Twilight’s letters had.
She carefully read through the scroll once. Then, she reread it while a smile grew on her face. “I hoped you would say yes, dear Magnus.”