//------------------------------// // Apple Pie // Story: MMC: Mare in the Moon // by SugarPie777 //------------------------------// "My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony's life than studying, so I'm sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year's location: Ponyville. And, I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends!" Spike read. Twilight Sparkle groans annoyed and buries her sorrow in her hooves. Spike said cheerfully "Look on the bright side, Twilight. The Princess arranged for you to stay in a library. Doesn't that make you happy?" Twilight Sparkle thought about it and said "Yes, yes it does. You know why? Because I'm right! I'll check on the preparations as fast as I can, then get to the library to find some proof of Nightmare Moon's return." "Then... when will you make friends, like the Princess said?" He reminds her. "She said to check on preparations. I am her student, and I'll do my royal duty, but the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends." Twilight clarified. The two land inside the small town of Ponyville, full of smaller house, windmills, and just more quiet than the busy streets of Canterlot. The royal guards whinnied. Twilight Sparkle thanked graciously "Thank you, sirs." The royal guards smiled with pride and flew back to Canterlot. Meanwhile, A bright yellow pegasus with a swirly soft pink mane and tail was taking a stroll through town. Spike gestured to her "Maybe the ponies in Ponyville have interesting things to talk about." The pegasus stopped at the two "Come on, Twilight, just try!" Twilight was hesitant but tried anyway "Um... hello?" The yellow pegasus squeaked "O-oh, hello, are you new here?' "Oh um..yes!" Twilight answered. "OH MY GOODNESS!" she shouted but quieted down "Oh, I'm sorry it's just that we don't really get new ponies around here. I'm sorry, I just remembered something." and flew away quickly. Twilight reached out a hoof "W-wait-" she sighed and put her hoof down in defeat before quipping "Well, that was interesting all right." and trotted away. Spike sighed but followed. "Summer Sun Celebration official overseer's checklist. Number one, banquet preparations: Sweet Apple Acres." Spike stated, pulling out a clipboard as they pulled up to a farm. "Yeehaw!" they turned around to see a pink earth pony with a poofy raspberry pink mane and tail with a light brown stetson hat perched on her head. The pink pony runs to an apple tree, bucking it, grabbing an apple and ate it in glee/satisfaction. Twilight sighed and hesitantly walked to the pink mare "Let's get this over with..." "Good afternoon. My name is Twilight Sparkle—" she's cut off by the pink mare taking her hoof and shaking it up and down "HELLO TWILIGHT SPARKLE, IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO MEET NEW FRIENDS. I'm Pinkie Apple Pie and THIS WONDROUS FAMILY O' MINE LOVES MEETIN' NEW PONIES." "Friends? Actually, I—" Twilight tried to correct her, but the hoofshake was so intense, it was affecting her speech. Pinkie finally stopped the hoofshake and asks "So what's the reason for your visit: food, critique-" she gasps "did y'all just want to talk to us?" she asks happily with tears in her eyes. Unfortunately, Twilight could not shaking her hoof up and down, not until Spike stopped her, he snickered while she glared at him. Twilight Sparkle clears throat and starts to explain "Well, I am in fact here to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. And you're in charge of the food?" "Oh We sure as sugar are! Miss, You have'ta sample some! Our food is the best in town." she replied with pride. "Well, I mean as long as it doesn't take too long..." she reluctantly answered. She rang a triangle and screamed "Soup's on, everypony!" Suddenly, a group of ponies (mares, stallions, fillies, etc.) galloped to the pair, somehow setting them up at a table. Pinkie Pie somehow springs up in the middle and looked at them both "Mare and dragon, I introduce to you: MY IN-LAWS!!!" she directs their attentions to the group of multi-colored ponies. "No thanks, we really need to-" before Pinkie shoved a small fritter in her mouth. "Yes? Okay then?" and started introducing ALL of her family. "This here's Apple Fritter. Apple Bumpkin. Red Gala. Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp..." Each pony put an apple treat on the table until they all piled up. Suddenly, the pink pony takes a deep breath, signaling she was not done. "Big McIntosh." she pecks his cheek, letting the two know who her husband was. "Apple Bloom and Scootaloo." Two fillies, one holding a chocolate and probably mint layered cakes on her back and the other held a plate of apple crisp, smiled up at her. Twilight inquired about the other filly's non-apple name and how she was pegasus and not earth pony like most of them. "Hm...adopted or maybe one of her parents is a pegasus and they're cousins." "and...Granny Smith." she finished, giving the spotlight to an elderly lime colored mare with a bunned-up white mane and tail. "Up'n'attem, Granny Smith, we got foreign newcomers." Pinkie says, making Twilight inquire that she had never been to Canterlot either. Granny Smith snorts awake "Wha..? Soup's on?" and started to stumble to the rest of the family "I'm up, here I come, ahm comin'..." "There's actually one more but sadly-" Pinkie's smile faltered "The Celebration is working her hard." She shook it off and pulled her foreleg over the unicorn "Anyway, I'd still like to say you're part of the family!" Twilight goes wide-eyed and starts to nervously laugh before trying to excuse herself "Okay, well, I can see the food situation is handled, so we'll be on our way." Suddenly, one of the fillies Apple Bloom meekly asked "Aren't you gonna stay for brunch?" with puppy eyes to match. The other, Scootaloo, guilt-tripped her with "Yeah, we worked really hard.." and gave her own puppy eyes. "Sorry, but we have an awful lot to do..." Twilight reluctantly excused, trying not to show her guilt But then the Apple family all gave disappointed sighs. Twilight finally gave in " ...fine." We finally pan put with the whole Apple family cheering.