//------------------------------// // What A Good Pony Is // Story: Applejack Gets Lost // by MagicS //------------------------------// The morning after the party Applejack strolled through the ballroom, most ponies were still asleep. Or passed out in the case of Thistle. Wavy and Pepper lay with each other, the goofy grins on their faces were so sincere that they made Applejack smile too. She felt like she didn’t get to know these ponies as much as she got to know Sturdy Wheel and the others in Cross Way, it made her a little bit sad but she had already spent more time here than she wanted to. And getting home was still the most important part. Always would be. And that wine may have been good last night but it still can’t beat a nice mug of Apple family cider. The disciples had retired to the suite they stayed in previously at some point in the night, the party had simply gotten too loud. And Obsidian didn’t seem like she could hold her liquor. Applejack was going to go back to that room and join them until everypony was ready to go, even if it meant not saying a real goodbye to most of the Twin Towns ponies. Or at least that was the plan until Big Dad Redwood’s butler found her. “Ah, Miss Applejack. I’m glad to have found you. Lord Redwood requests your presence, I believe he wishes to thank you for everything.” Applejack didn’t intend to deal with anything like this, she hoped Redwood didn’t want to give her a reward or anything either, but it’s not like she was ready to go right this instant and it would probably be a little rude if she refused. “Alright, he in his same office as before?” “Yes. Do you know the way from here or would you like me to guide you?” “Thanks for the offer but I’m sure I can find it on my own. I figure you got enough to clean up and take care of with all the ponies in the ballroom.” She smiled and winked at him. “Yes indeed. Well, as you wish.” He stiffly bowed and allowed her to pass. The walk through the various hallways allowed Applejack to collect her thoughts. She still wondered about sheriff Good Harvest, if he’d been missing for weeks was he laying low somewhere else until he figured things blew over here? But that doesn’t really make any sense. And when did he hire Birdseed anyways? She should’ve asked him just when they got that letter. Everypony knew the sheriff didn’t like Mountain Town but he really didn’t do a good job of covering his tracks, he was too suspicious, ponies might think he had a hoof in things just because he ordered that fort to be built. Applejack sighed, there was nothing they could really do about this anymore. It was a dead end. At least the important stuff was taken care of. Wavy was already going to start setting up food deliveries to Mountain Town and the drawbridges would eventually be fully replaced with a large normal bridge. The walls would be torn down completely. Pepper had said a lot of trees needed to be reseeded on their side so that was another job for everypony to take care of. Applejack knew they could do it together. She wondered if any Valley Town ponies would travel to Mountain Town purely for a dip in the mud baths. Those were pretty darn relaxing. Applejack made it to Big Dad Redwood’s office in short time, actually pretty relieved that she didn’t get lost along the way, she chuckled at his handmade sign again and opened up the door. Office was just as posh as ever, this time also decorated with an empty wine bottle on Redwood’s desk. And of course Big Dad Redwood himself was just as dashing as she remembered him, pearly white teeth making a picture-perfect smile. “Hello Applejack, thanks for coming by this morning.” He said, motioning her to take a seat. “No problem at all, I’m not one for big goodbyes but I figured I should come since I owe ya for pointing me in the right direction to home.” She smiled at him and took her seat. “Yes, yes.” He said, grinning widely and smoothing back his hair. “Enjoy the party last night? I too had some drinks of my own.” “Heh, I can see that. And yeah, your son is a real nice fella. To be honest I thought he was a bit of a weird one at first but he’s got a good heart in him. Same with his new fiancee.” “Oh yes, Pepper’s a great catch. My soon to be daughter-in-law. And with that our towns will truly become one, just like they should have been from the beginning.” He winked at Applejack. “I’m real glad we could help you all out. Things were about to explode here, uh, literally.” Redwood chuckled a bit at that. “Yes, very much so. Speaking of such things did you ever find out about Good Harvest?” Applejack frowned. “Nope, all we know is he’s been missing for weeks, wherever he is he must’ve written a letter to those mercenaries. I think he also might’ve stolen some money considering how much Birdseed said they got.” “Mhm, indeed.” Redwood bit his lip like he was trying to hold back laughter, Applejack raised an eyebrow at him but thought nothing of it. “Anything else?” “Well I thought it was strange that Thistle would start something so crazy after just a letter from him but I guess she really respected and trusted him, she’s a good pony so it’s kind of weird to me honestly. You’d think she’d have a better eye for mentors.” Applejack scratched her head while Big Dad Redwood started to chuckle through clenched teeth. “Uh… is something wrong? You finding this funny?” “No, no, I’m sorry, please go on.” He shook his hoof to reassure her but held the other over his belly like he was about to double over from laughing. “Right… Well anyways, I was also thinking about how we just happened to run into those mercenaries at the perfect time. If we were just a day later the dam would’ve been blown up and-” “Hahahaha!” Big Dad Redwood started guffawing in the middle of her sentence. “I’m-I’m sorry, it’s just too much, it’s just too funny!” He started laughing harder, pounding his hoof on his desk as Applejack watched in bewilderment. “It was me, stupid! It was all me!” He looked up at her, crying from laughing so hard and big mocking smile on his face. “I did it all, not stupid sheriff Good Harvest! Hahahahaha!” A big belly laugh rose from withing him as he laid back on his chair, laughing at Applejack. “Wait, what? You hired the mercenaries? Is that what you’re saying?!” Applejack stared at him in confusion and anger. “Pffff!” He sputtered at her. “The mercenaries? They were only one part, like I said, it was all me! I was the one who sent that letter to Thistle. Moron didn’t care that it was just one letter, it had Good Harvest’s name on it and that was good enough for her. Just like I knew it would be. So she starts making that cute little fort like I wanted her to and training up all her new soldiers. Thinking Mountain Town might attack them one day and that her hero has her back. Hah! She was so devoted to making her fort work that she never even bothered going back into town to check up with Good Harvest!” He started laughing again and Applejack just sat back in shock. Leaning over his desk at her this time he continued on. “Soon enough I had everything ready, another letter with Good Harvest’s name on it along with some money was sent to that Birdseed fellow and they got started on their mission to blow up the dam!” “But, but… why did?” Applejack’s mind was spinning as she tried to get things straight. “Why’d I ask you for help? Cause it was just too perfect!” He grinned and pointed his hoof at her face. “Oh sure, the dam was gonna be gone and then I could’ve taken over Mountain Town by force, that was the original plan and I’m glad to know that without your intervention it would’ve gone off without a hitch. But that still would’ve been a fairly troublesome thing, so much fighting, likely a lot of property damage, rather annoying stuff you know? And then lo and behold, a group of self-proclaimed do-gooders wander into my office at just about the same time Birdseed and his group would’ve gotten to Mountain Town. I thought up a better idea right then and there. Get you to resolve things peacefully! No pony knew I was connected to anything so there was no danger! Even if you failed, or if the mercenaries blew up the dam before you accomplished anything, I would still win! But of course with my great luck the best possible outcome happened! The dam is gonna be gone, the towns will start trading again, and my son is giving me a direct link to being in charge of everything, all without any fighting or collateral damage!” With that he started laughing again, beating his hooves on the desk and making the wine bottle fall over onto the floor. Applejack slowly took this all in, eyes narrowing and body shaking in anger. “And what about Good Harvest? If he had no part in this at all...” “Hah, him? Oh he’s just on a rather long… vacation.” The sinister inflection was not lost on Applejack. “He was really the perfect tool. Everypony knew he hated Mountain Town, it’s not difficult to pin things on him.” “You… you darn...” Applejack was shaking in anger at him. “And you’re just telling me all this now?” “I was going crazy!” He gave a short laugh. “Everything went so perfectly, my plans better than expected, I just had to tell somepony or I’d go nuts! To think of nopony knowing how I manipulated all this and came out so far ahead? I had to brag! And you’re the perfect pony for it. An outsider, who would believe you over me? No one else knows anything, go on and try to tell them! My stupid son loves me!” He started grinning harder at her. “And even if they did, little miss do-gooder, what would that accomplish? They’d all fly into a rage now that Wavy is about to marry Pepper. Those Mountain Town ponies would think he was in on it. They hate me so much it’d blind em. Mountain Town would go to war with Valley Town and I win again anyways.” Applejack glared hard at him. Eyes of ice cold anger. “Well well, if looks could kill. Heh.” He poked her on the nose. “What are you gonna do about it? Nothing! Bet you wish you could kill me.” He said, sitting back smugly in his chair, pearly white teeth shining. Applejack just sighed, eyeing those perfect teeth of his. “Big Dad, you must really not know what a good pony is cause I don’t wish that at all. In fact, all I wish is that I had a big barrel of apples here right now that we could share. Maybe eating some of those would warm that heart of yours.” She suddenly frowned. “Of course you’d have to settle for applesauce though.” She reached her hoof forward and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. Big Dad Redwood raised an eyebrow at her. “What are you-” He stopped as he felt a tingling sensation going from his shoulder up his neck, to his head, and into his teeth. The tremor began increasing as Big Dad Redwood’s eyes went wide and his pupils shrank, and then all his teeth exploded. “AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” He fell over backwards out of his chair, writhing in agony. Applejack got up and began to walk out of his office. Stopping briefly, she looked back over her shoulder at him. “And oh yeah, couple things. First of all maybe if you had been down at the party yourself and mingling with everypony else instead of drinking alone up here you’d see how easy it was for them to become friends again. How close they are and how much they want to fix things. Secondly, I’m a rather honest gal. So even if it hurts I like to tell the truth.” She looked away from him as he groaned and rolled over in pain. Making it to the door she pushed it open. “And just one letter was it? I think I’ll leave just one letter with your son on my way out. Enjoy your towns.”