It had been two weeks since the Apples had taken in Big Red. It had been a period of adjustment getting the big guy settled in. Though Big Mac may have been initially apprehensive about letting an obvious predator stay with them, when the maned ape showed himself to do really well with Apple Bloom and showed that he had a respectable work ethic, the big lug warmed up to him. The eldest Apple sibling had always been protective of his sisters, especially the younger one.
Big Red was currently out in the south orchard helping Big Mac. Though the maned ape was still hobbling around on a broken leg, an injury that would have left a pony bedridden for at least three months, he was able to set up the empty baskets around the apple trees, and even able to lug a few full ones into the wagons. His paws were very dexterous and very good at pulling bits of gravel or small twigs that would occasionally get stuck in one of the most sensitive parts of a hoof, right between the capsule and the frog, something that when it happened, they'd usually have to limp back to the house and get the special picks to dig out.
Granny Smith was sitting on the rocking chair on the front porch taking a nap. Applejack was in the attic looking for the box that contained the spare blankets. Autumn was less than a month away, and though there would still be warm weather the first few weeks that the leaves first started to drop off the trees, it wouldn't be long before the cold weather and the frost arrived. Though the old barn that Big Red was staying in was warm, especially after the Apples patched up the walls and ceiling, and put insulation in, they even fixed up the old forge that was in it, turning it into a decent enough hearth, a few extra blankets for him wouldn't hurt.
Applejack shuffled around several boxes in search for the one that held the spare blankets. "Ah need ta get Twi up here an' let her go nuts with her insane organization, then maybe Ah'd be able ta find somethin'.", she muttered to herself. She lifted a box that had been up in the attic for a long time, it had been up there for so long that whatever had been written on the side had faded and its cardboard had become brittle. The seam on the old cardboard box gave way and the sides disintegrated, spilling its contents across the attic floor. Old correspondences, land deeds from the founding of Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville, photographs yellowed with age, faded and tarnished tin types all scattered across the floor. A strange wooden box with a lock built into the front on it fell to the floor with a rattling thunk among the photographs, tin types, land deeds and correspondences, something in the box clattered.
The curiosity getting the better of her, Applejack picked up the box in a hoof. It was heavy, heavier than she expected. She gave the box a shake, something clunked and clattered on the inside of the box, and several somethings rattled and clattered on the inside of the box. She looked at the keyhole on the front of the box. It was small, smaller than any she had seen before. She picked through the photos, tin types, correspondences and land deeds scattered on the attic floor. A small, silver-colored key slid out from between two yellowed pieces of paper and skittered across the floor with a metallic jingle.
Applejack picked up the key with a hoof. It was small, smaller than most pony-made keys she had seen before. She placed the box on a hoof and gripped the key between her teeth. It was difficult at first to line up the key with the hole properly, but after a couple of tries. She gently twisted her head, whoever made this key and box must not have had ponies in mind when designing it. With a few soft clicks, they lock disengaged.
Applejack lifted the lid. Inside was a strange object. The object had a strange handle that had a slight curve, on the back was a strangely shaped lever. In the center of the object was a cylinder with holes drilled through it, under the cylinder was a small curved lever surrounded by a half-loop of metal. At the front of the object was a hollow tube. On the top were three small prongs, one at the front, near the end of the tube and two at the back near the strangely shaped lever. In the bottom of the box were a dozen brass cylinders, many of which had developed a green patina with age, capped on one end by what looked like lead cones. "This here looks like a bang tube the EUP uses, only smaller.", she groused aloud to nopony in particular. Inside the lid was an old black and white photograph, yellowed with age. The photograph depicted a female maned ape, if the outline of teats under the shirt and jacket were to be trusted. Applejack had seen Big Red's chest before, and his teats honestly looked to her like a mare's teats when lactating, so she couldn't be one hundred percent sure. Also in the picture was a picture of a young, heavily pregnant Granny Smith, Pip-pop Apple Bucket when he was still young and handsome, a very young Bright Mac, a very young Apple Sprout(Braeburn's father), and a very young Apple Bud(before she met Orange Julius and changed her name to Orange Marmalade). The poses of all in the photo was in the usual stoic, closely bunched together in the manner common for photographs of the time. The female maned ape was knelt down between granny and pip-pop, with her forelimbs draped over both of them. Bright Mac. Apple Sprout and Apple Bud were all lined up side-by-side in front. On a small raised platform was a small contraption that looked similar to the gliders or the aerial screw-driven machines many ponies fly for recreation today.
Applejack gently pulled the yellowed photograph out and flipped it over. Written on the back in ink, now faded, the words read, 'Second moon of autumn, Sol seven-six-eight. Glider(center), Annette Smith(center-left), Apple Bucket(center-right). Bright Mac, Apple Sprout, Apple Bud(front). This photograph was taken to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of Annette Smith's and Glider's first ponied flight commissioned by Princess Celestia.'
Applejack flipped the photo back to the front again. "Ah thought Glider was an ol' pegasus friend o' Granny's."
Applejack gently placed the picture back in the lid of the box, closed the lid, locked it back and slid the key into the hatband of her stetson. She placed the box on her back and trotted downstairs to ask Granny Smith about it.
Applejack stepped out of the front door. Granny was sitting in her rocking chair, now awake. The old mare was trying to act like she hadn't been smoking a cigarette, though the cloud of smoke about her head that she was trying to wave away, the thin trail of smoke coming up from behind her back where she was clearly hiding a lit cigarette, and the burnt-out match laying on the sand at the edge of the porch were a dead give away.
"Give it up, Granny. We all know ya smoke. Tartarus, th' whole town knows ya smoke. Ya ain't foolin' nopony.", Applejack said nonplussed. "E'en though th' doc said ya need ta give up those stank sticks.", she grumbled softly.
Granny Smith pulled the still lit cigarette from behind her back, popped the butt in her mouth, took a drag and blew the smoke out of her nose with a huff. "Ah ain't gonna listen ta no fancy-schmancy saw bones! Ah been smokin' Lucky's Brand cigarettes damn near fitty years now, an' Ah ain't never developed no 'phazema or cancer or any o' them other newfangled diseases he likes jawin' on 'bout. Did Ah scold ya bout stealin' one o' my packs or swipin' two jars o' the triple-X reserve so ya could drank an' smoke wit' Big Red? Noooo! So shut yer apple chomper an' lemme puff in peace."
Applejack puffed out a sigh. Granny did have a point about her taking a couple of jars of booze and a pack of cigarettes, that and she was in no mood to argue with the old nag. She pulled the box off of her back and presented it her grandmother. "Granny, ya mind tellin' me what this here box?"
Granny's eyes locked on the box. The cigarette fell from her lips. "Where--where didja find Glider's ol'--Ow! Shit! Fuck! Piss-gutted-hoppin'-slut-fucker!" She danced and hopped in place, brushing a forehoof where the lit cigarette had come to rest on her thigh, then stamping on and grinding into tiny pieces said offending object with a hoof.
"Snrk!" Applejack pressed her lips together, curling them under and held her breath, in an attempt to keep from laughing at the silly spectacle that Annette "Granny" Smith had made of herself.
Granny plopped back into her rocking chair with a none-too-pleased look on her face. "Well, dun jus' stand there wit' yer face turnin' purpler'n Twilight's! Gimme Glider's bang tube!" She snatched the box from her granddaughter's hoof. "Where un'er Celestia's glorious golden sun didja find it?"
Applejack blew out the breath she had been holding in order to keep from laughing at her grandmother and sucked another one back in. "Ah found it while lookin' up in th' attic fer some blankets fer Big Red ta use when th' cold gets here. An old box I was movin' fell apart an' this here locked box fell out."
"Am Ah safe in assumin' ya already opened it or ya wouldn't be askin' me 'bout it?"
Applejack gave a quick nod.
"Gimme th' key an' Ah'll tell ya 'bout th' night Ah met Glider."
The Smith family had established their homestead nearly a decade ago in the year Sol seven-four-nine in the Everfree Valley between the Apple Brandy Crick and the Bobbing Apple Stream, both of which flowed into the Canter River. Further out in the valley away from the homestead was a smattering of smaller homesteads. Many had their own farms where they grew vegetables or other fruits. One homestead was built next to a general store that the Smith family had written up an exclusive contract with to sell half their zap apple jam at. Another homestead grew only oak trees to be sold for firewood, planks, boards, furniture and other oak-based materials. There were even two non-pony homesteads, one owned and run by a family of cattle who sold their milk, and one owned by a small flock of sheep who sold their wool.
Annette Smith, eight months pregnant with her first foal, was tending to the trees. In the fading light of the setting sun, she waddled awkwardly over to the normally barren-looking zap apple trees. The foal in her womb was a big one, it was the size of what a foal at ten months in the womb would normally be.
Annette paused to look up at the softening tips of the branches on the zap apple tree. She allowed her gaze to drift over to the dark and dangerous forest where she had first discovered the zap apples all those years ago. If she hadn't been heavy with foal, she'd have gone back into that forest to traipse around some more and see what she could find. Explorers that had traveled into the forest had told tales that there were bushes of berries that looked like they were made out of crystal, of a narrow staircase that led down a steep canyon wall and at the that canyon had been a cave filled with crystals and a tree made of crystal that shown with an odd shimmering light that held all of the colors of the rainbow, the ruins of an old pony city and a ruined castle. She felt a twinge of pain and the foal in her belly kicked and squirmed. "Now settle down, young'un! T'ain't time fer ya ta come out jus' yet.", she scolded the foal in her womb, as if it would do any good. "Ah know yer ready ta come out an' see th' world. Jus' not yet."
She turned back towards the farmhouse and began the walk back. She knew her husband would scold her for being out so late and being so far away from the house, especially with her pregnancy being so advanced and the foal in her belly being so big. Her retort would always be the same, 'Ah ain't gon' jus' lay 'round th' house like some o' invalid jus' 'cause this here foal's th' biggest one ta grow in a Smith's belly in five gen'rations. 'Sides, ya gotta put a good work ethic in'em 'fore they's born or they'll wind up like them there lazy, layabout, frou-frou ponies up on th' mountain. Ponysedao bless their hearts.'
As Annette was walking back to the farmhouse through the slowly fading light, a bright flash in the sky caught her attention. She looked up and saw what looked like a weird, silver dragon. Its wings didn't flap, its body was a weird cylindrical shape and it had two weird cylinders attached to the undersides of the wings with spinning blades at the front. Smoke poured from the two cylinders and the blades stopped spinning with a sputtering cough.
Annette watched in stunned silence as the weird silver dragon with fixed wings, smoke pouring from the two cylinders, sailed overhead in the direction of the Everfree Forest. She turned to watch the strange dragon, occasionally the blades at the front of the cylinder would turn, only to stop again with a sputtering cough. As the dragon sailed over the forest, two small...somethings fell away from the monster, a second later the two somethings each had a circle of fabric appear above them and they drifted slowly down towards the forest's canopy. The dragon tipped forward and plummeted into the forest's canopy. A few seconds later there was a terrible sound from the forest, it sounded like the shattering of trees and the shearing of metal. In the last few moments of light a big plume of smoke could be seen.
Annette turned to rush back to the house so she could alert her family could be alerted to what she had seen. "Hng!" A painful contraction hit her. "No no no! Not now! Please, baby! Jus' wait until--HNG! GAH!--until I get back to th' house!" She panted, taking desperate gasps of air. Each contraction knocked the wind out of her. Sweat soaked her fur, causing strands of platinum platinum blonde mane and tail to cling to her.
Annette took a few steps, another painful contraction hit her, causing her to stumble and nearly to fall. She took another few steps to a nearby apple tree and leaned against it. She tried to shout for help, another, more powerful contraction forced all the air out of her lungs.
*splash*
Annette felt hot amniotic fluid run down her legs. The foal was coming and she was out here in the fields in labor alone. She tried to take another step. Another powerful contraction struck her. The strength left her legs and she slumped to the ground onto her belly.
Annette was terrified. Who would've thought that Annette Smith, one of the strongest, stubbornest, bravest mares known would be terrified of anything? The same mare who braved the Everfree Forest to find food for her family so they wouldn't starve, the same mare who bested timberwolves, the same mare who had discovered the secret of the zap apples, was terrified? When a mare is in labor was when she was at her most vulnerable, if other ponies weren't around, there'd nothing to discourage a predator from showing up and ripping a mare's belly open to get at the defenseless infant inside. Yet here she was, all alone in the dark, unable to stand, her uterus contracting to force the foal within into her birth canal, and the farmhouse might as well be a million miles away.
In the dim starlight Annette saw a shadow over her. She turned an eye upwards. She saw what looked like a minotaur. It let out a series of chattering hoots and clicked its tongue at her. In the darkness it reached a paw down to her. As another contraction hit Annette, ancient equine instincts welled up from the most primitive parts of her brain and she lunged forward with her muzzle to bite the paw. It wasn't uncommon for mares in such a delicate condition to physically lash out at loved ones and bite them. The minotaur let out a series of soft chattering, almost apologetic and placating hoots as it recoiled its paw.
Annette cried out in pain as another contraction hit her. The minotaur stayed nearby, but kept enough distance between the two of them. The stranger was watching over her, protecting her, but giving enough space so as not to make her feel crowded or unsafe. If she was able to, Annette would have sang her praises to Ponysedao, the most-high god and creator of ponies, Lord Helios, giver of life and king of the harvest, and Lady Artemis, queen of the moon and patron goddess of the night.
Suddenly the minotaur turned to face something, there was a glint of starlight on metal in its paw. A terrifying roar came from behind Annette. A manticore! It had been attracted by the sound and smell of a lone mare in labor. Three peals of thunder filled the air accompanied by three bright flashes. Annette could see in the brief flashes what would be burned into her memory for the rest of her days. The stranger wasn't a minotaur, it was more apish in appearance, though lacking any of the thick, shaggy dark fur. Its pale, pinkish-tan skin and mane of dirty blonde hair were illuminated by the brief flashes.
Just as quickly as the thunder had rang out, it had ended. There was a heavy thump, followed by a series of pained grunts and whimpers. Whatever strange magic the stranger had used had left the manticore mortally wounded. The stranger walked out of Annette's view, there was another peal of thunder and flash of light. The manticore made no more sounds. The stranger quickly returned and knelt down. A hand gently came to rest on her neck. Fingers drug along her mane and fur as fingernails raked along her skin. As the stranger petted and patted and scratched up and down Annette's neck, even stopping to scratch behind an ear. It felt nice. In fact it felt better than nice, it felt goooooooood!
The stranger move in closer, constantly petting and patting and scratching, its hand moving further down her body. The most powerful contraction yet hit Annette and she screamed out in pain. The stranger gently pushed Annette onto her side, pushed her hind legs apart and began groping around her nethers.
There was the sound of galloping hooves. Annette's family came running up as fast as their legs could carry them, all carrying lanterns in their mouths, obviously alerted to something happening on the farm by the thunder and light.
"Get away from mah wife, ya monster!", Apple Bucket bellowed, charging the stranger.
"Apple Bucket!", Annette shouted. "Ya leave'em alone an' git yer plot o'er here an' get this foal that ta were all ta eager ta put in me outta me! Or I swear to Ponysedao Ah'll chew yer fuckin' nuts off!"
"Yes, sweet apple dumplin's." Apple Bucket trotted over to his wife, took one look at the new life that was now part way out of her. His eyes fluttered, his body wavered side-to-side. *thump*
"Did he faint? Oh by Lord Helios' swollen testicles and Celestia's fat plot, somepony please tell me my husband dinnit jus' faint!"
"Yes, he did faint. Went down like a load of bricks dropped from the top of Canterlot Castle.", a motherly voice spoke from the darkness. "And fat isn't how I would refer to my plot. Bountiful, plush, glorious, are the most common adjectives ponies would use on it. More than a few have also said it is 'nip-ably delicious', of course they only say that last one when they think I'm out of earshot and not listening." There was a flash of golden light, momentarily turning night into day. Princess Celestia strode forth, her white fur shimmering in the fading light of the corona of her magical display. She lit her horn, bathing the area in golden light.
The gathered ponies all dropped to a bow, except for Annette Smith, who was currently in the middle of giving birth, and Apple Bucket, who was currently in the middle of being passed out.
"None of that now.", Celestia scolded. "There's a new mother in the middle of giving birth. Now let's see what going on here." She pushed Annette's hind legs apart. "I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that your colt is about a quarter of the way out. The bad news is that he's breach."
The stranger pushed past Celestia and took a long look at what was going on.
Annette got a good look at her savior. Blood streaks stained the side of their head and soaked into their dirty blonde mane, staining the hair a dark, rusty reddish-brown. Its shirt was torn open on one side, revealing its teat contained in a cup-like cloth garment. Female. The apish stranger was female. Did it have a foal? The cloth it wore on its teat was similar to the girdles many nursing mares wore to support their milk-filled teats and protect their sensitive nipples.
The stranger fumbled with the buckle of the cloth belt at its waist. They undid the belt and pulled it off with a series of snaps. The stranger knelt down between Annette's hind legs and looped the belt around the breach colt's hooves.
"Alright, Annette. I'm going to need you to push.", Celestia said.
Annette squeezed her abdomen muscles as hard as she could. Pain like she had never felt before burned within her. She gasped, sucking in as much air as she could. "Ah can't! It's too much! Ah can't!"
"Take a couple of breaths."
Annette did as she was told.
"Now push!"
"Hnng!"
"PUSH!"
"HAAAAA--nngh!"
"PUSH PONYSEDAO-DAMMIT!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The colt came out and Annette greedily sucked down breath after breath. She quirked an ear listening. Her foal wasn't crying. Why weren't they crying?!
There was a wet slap.
"WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! A-WWWWAAAAAAAAAH!"
The sound of her newly born foal crying rang like the most beautiful music in her ears.
"So Glider, the maned ape, who isn't a pegasus, was there when pa was born?", Applejack asked. "An' she saved ya from a manticore?"
"Yup."
"An' how'd y'all wind up flyin' inna glider?"
"It all started when Thunder Paws. We 'riginally called her Thunder Paws 'cause of her bang tube, turns out it's not that diff'rent from from th' bang tubes th' Royal Guards, th' Border Guards an' the EUP uses, only smaller an' not as powerful. She used ta watch th' pegasi a-flyin' an' a-flittin' up in th' clouds with a-longin' look in her eyes. Almost like she was meant ta be up there with'em.", Granny said. "In her spare time she would sketch plans for a flier on pieces of parchment, along with some sort o' weird runes, almost like she was a-cypherin' sumptin. She would also carve these little flyin' toys outta veneers o' wood. Th' foals thought she was some sort o' wizard."
Applejack though back to the flying toy her father used to use to entertain her and Big Mac when they were foals. 'One day y'all foals're gonna do sumptin' so big an' magical that it'll make this look like nuthin'.' "So what happened to th' big silver dragon ya saw?"
"Turns out it wasn't a dragon, but some sorta big metal machine. Not too different from th' machine that Kitty and Hawke used ta make their first powered flight. Fer weeks th' princess had ponies haul th' pieces of it out o' th' forest by th' wagon load. Turns out Thunder Paws had another maned ape wit' her, a male. Prolly her mate. He died when th' roped on his slow-fall cloth had gotten tangled in a tree an' wrapped 'round his neck.", Granny replied. "It got took pieces an' all up ta Canterlot. Prolly sittin' in some back room o' a museum or in some fancy pony's vault. But back ta th' story. Thunder paws had lived wit' us fer a few years. Ah had a couple more foals. It b'came clear ta us all that she was becomin' more'n more depressed. She would spend ev'ry available minute watch th' weather teams a-sighin', somethimes a-cryin'. It was clear she belonged up in th' sky like the pegasi. But because fer some reason she could never speak Ponish, only do those hoots, we had managed to find way o' talkin' with her that dinnit involve words. We took her up in one o' those flyin' b'loons, th' ones with the gas flame that heats up th' air ta go up. She would stretch out her forelimb an' let th' wind push 'gainst her paw, tippin' it up or down. When Ah mimicked her, she turned my hoof so th' wind would catch it, makin' it go up an' down dependin' on how I twisted my foreleg. An' that's how Ah caught th' flyin' bug. Not long after I got my hooves on a couple o' fancy cypherin' books and an ol' pegasus flyin' manual. It weren't long 'til I figured out what those fancy cypherin' runes were all 'bout. They were all th' laws o' flight an' th' 'quations needed ta deal with th' four forces ta fly."
Applejack sat on her haunches and leaned forward. All ears were now paying attention to Granny.
"Ya see, there's four forces when ya wanna fly. Gravity, lift, thrust an' drag. Gravity is what pulls us all down, so it's a constant. Lift is what lets ya go up, like what those flyin' b'loons that use th' gas flame ta heat up th' air use. Thrust is yer forward movement. Drag is th' air a-pushin' on ya. Too much o' one force and ya come slammin' inta th' ground. Ya see, a pegasus uses their magic ta walk on clouds an' ta increase the surface area o' their wings, but they still hafta abide those four laws. We prolly crashed a hunert different times a hunert diff'rent ways in our first tests with glidin' machines 'fore we found one that worked right proper. It's a miracle we dinnit smash heads open on th' ground or break ev'ry bone in our body on any of th' crashes. Though Ah did twist my hip up right proper on one crash." Granny Smith gave a wistful chuckle and patted her bad hip. "Ol' gal still flares up when storms blow in from th' Everfree. But we had our workin' flyin' contraption. We presented it ta th' princess, along with all o' th' cypherin'. She approved th' first test fer all ta see."
"An' That's when Thunder Paws became Glider?", Applejack asked.
"Yup! Oh how Ah wished ya coulda experienced how flyin' fer th' first time felt, Applejack! Th' first non-winged ponies a-flyin'! Not some unicorn levitatin' themselves with their horn, but honest-to-goodness real flyin'! Inna a contraption designed fer it! Th' wind in my fur an' mane, th' bugs in my teeth! We caught th' hot air a-risin' 'round Mount Lot fer what felt like a thousand times an' it would lift us up a lil bit. Ah knew then why pegasi loved stayin' up in th' air like they did. When we landed, It weren't a purdy one, damn near snapped our contraption in two! But we weren't hurt none an' walked away. Then 'bout a dozen 'Bolts landed 'round us. Turns out th' princess had ordered'em to fly above us jus' in case sumptin' terrible went wrong. We was a-whoopin' an' a-hollerin an' a-cheerin' an' raisin' such a ruckus that we dinnit hear th' princess come up until she joined in. Ah became th' first non-winged pony ta be awarded a flyin' medal they usually give to them there 'Bolts." Granny's expression turned from elated to slightly morose. "But that's th' thing 'bout bein' th' first at sumptin'. Ya can never be th' first at it again. Ah well, that's enough a-jawin' from this ol' nag." She inserted the key into the lock on the box, lifted the lid and pulled the old photo out. "Ah can still remember that day like it jus' happened.", she whispered
"Why was glider written down in th' hist'ry books as a pegasus an' not a maned ape?"
"Our flight happened durin' the tail end o' th' second poacher war. 'Cause maned apes're considered a 'dangered sap--sapie--er, smart critter, th' princess sought to protect'em an' any pony families they was livin' with from th' poacher gangs."
Applejack was familiar with the poacher wars. They weren't normal wars like the first, second and third Griffonia-Equestria Border Wars, the Yak War or the Storm War, they were a tri-nation alliance between Equestria, Griffonia and Minos to capture or kill all the members of the poacher gangs and take down the international critter and sapient trafficking cartels. "Granny, what happened ta Glider?"
Granny's face turned sad. "Them maned apes age faster than we ponies do. They dun age as fast as dogs, they age more like two years fer ev'ry one year we do. By the time yer pa was ol' 'nuff ta start a-chasin' fillies an' e'en tryin' ta get un'er the tail o' a few, she had grown old. Th' ol gal had lost th' pepin her step, but she ne'er lost th' lightnin' in her eyes. We found her one mornin' a-lyin' on the floor o' th' lil house we built fer her. She had gotten up in th' night, fallen an' broke half th' bones in her body. She laid there all night, e'en messed on herself. Th' ol' gal was tougher'n ol' leather, lemme tell ya what. She lingered on fer damn near a month 'fore her body gave out. We buried her in th' family cemetery. Apple Bucket took her passin' real hard. Ah never knew that stallion ta ever take so much as a sip o' anythin' strong 'fore an' he ne'er did 'gain 'til he took ill with black hoof fever. But th' night we buried Glider, he guzzled down at least three full jars o' th' hard cider an' went out ta Glider's lil house. He musta accidentally kicked o'er th' lantern he had with him, cause Glider's home went up in flames an' he came back smellin' o' smoke an' a-cryin' his eyes out." Tears shimmered in her eyes. "But that's 'nuff o' this ol' nag a jawin' 'bout sad ol' times. It's round 'bout time fer Bloom ta be a makin' her way back home from school an' Mac ta start makin' his way back from th' fields, and supper won't start a-cookin' itself." She placed the unlocked box down on the porch, got up and went inside.
Applejack sat down on the porch steps. She plucked a strand of hay from one of the bails on the porch that served as combination seat and makeshift table. She stuck the piece of hay in the corner of her mouth and absentmindedly chewed on it as she thought on the stories Granny had told her. She lifted her head when she heard the sound of hooffalls.
Big Mac and Big Red were walking up side-by-side. The maned ape had bits of apple stuck in his head and facial mane, as well as an apple-shaped bruise on his left forelimb. Big Mac had bits of apple mush stuck in his mane and a shiner on his right eye.
"Y'all look like y'all lost a fight with an apple tree.", Applejack said.
"Hrm.", Big Mac grunted.
"Lemme guess, ya threw an apple at him?"
"Eeyup!"
"Then he threw an apple at you?"
"Eeyup!"
"Then y'all both got into a full-blown apple fight, a-throwin' apples at each other and a-mushin' 'em in each other's manes?"
Big Mac balked for a second. "Yup!"
Applejack looked at Big Red, raised an eyebrow and tipped her head slightly to the side, asking the question without words. The maned ape pointed at Big Mac, made a throwing gesture followed by a splat sound, then another throwing gesture followed by another splat sound.
Applejack let out a chuckle. "Guess it's true, colts dun grow up, they jus' get bigger. Y'all wash yerselves up with th' hose." She pointed to the garden hose coiled up around the spigot at the corner of the house. "An' dun track no mud in th' house or Granny'll flay yer hides."
As Big Mac and Big Red were washing the sweat, dirt and apple mush from themselves, Apple Bloom came trotting up, accompanied by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, with Fluttershy "escorting" them.
The yellow pegasus mare looked at the maned ape. She noticed the bruise on his forelimb and flew over with a few flaps of her wings. "Oh my! Look at that bruise!", she crooned over the purple and red apple-shaped mark on his forelimb. She wrapped her forelegs around his forelimb and drug him to the porch. Bumping her hips into his chest, pushing him down into the sitting position on the porch.
Fluttershy plopped into Big Red's lap, who in turn let out a pained groan. She nuzzled her snout under his paw. "Let's see if you've suffered any muscle injuries."
Big Red let out a sigh and a chuckle as he began scratching the yellow mare's mane.
Fluttershy let out soft coos and trills.
"Hey! No fair! How come Fluttershy gets to hog all the big monkey love?!", Sweetie Belle protested, her voice taking a jealous squeak at the end of each syllable. She marched over to Big Red's side and pushed his head under his paw. She cooed and trilled as he scratched behind her ears and stroked her mane.
"Hey! I want in on that monkey love too!", Socctaloo jealously protested.
Fluttershy cooed and trilled and arched into the pets and strokes as she perched atop Big Red's lap. Sweetie Belle and Scootalloo competed for his other paw. The unicorn filly would whine and huff when Scootaloo was getting the petting and scratching. The pegasus filly would groan and whine when Sweetie Belle was getting the petting and scratching.
While Big Red was giving pets and pats and scratches and scritches to Fluttershy, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom took notice of the small open wooden box sitting by Granny's rocking chair. She walked over to it and took notice of the metallic object inside. Scooping it out with a hoof, she began looking it over. She rolled it over in her hooves, looking at the strange mechanisms of the object. "Huh! It kinda looks like a smaller version of the bang tube picture that th' EUP uses in th' history book." She gripped the object between her hooves, closed one eye and stared down the tube.
---
Dave chuckled to himself. Butterfly butt had almost immediately taken a liking to him. She reminded him of his sister's cat, always jumping into his lap when he came over to visit, only heavier. The way Butterfly Butt would occasionally flutter her wings, she would lift some of her weight off of him as she nuzzled and cuddled in his lap as he petted her mane and scratched her neck and behind her ears. The way Candy Mane and Scooter were competing with each other for the petting and scratching from his right hand made him laugh.
Dave noticed that Little Yellow wasn't with the group. She normally was with the other two young dwarf horses competing for his petting and scratching. He panned his head searching for her. Sitting on a hay bale to his left was Cowgirl, gnawing on a piece of hay. The way she would let out soft chattering nickers and squint her eyes at nothing or stare blankly off into the distance indicated that she was in deep thought. Standing in front of the porch to his right was Diesel. The big red dwarf pony was a mountain of muscle and his head came up to Dave's collarbones. He had often mused that Cowgirl and Diesel must be married, what with the way they would often argue, though he could never understand what they were 'saying' as it was all just chattering nickers and loud whinnies. He had also mused that Little Yellow must be their daughter, because of the way Diesel would watch him like a hawk when he would sit with Little Yellow and pet her. Little Yellow had really amazed him, the filly dwarf horse was a wizard with wood, the way she would whittle bits of wood into neat looking things, they would sell for a good bit of money at the farmer's markets back home.
That's when Dave's eyes fell on Little yellow. She was holding a pistol between her hooves and holding the muzzle up to her eye. Fatherly instincts sprang up in him and his muscles started moving of their own accord. Ignoring the pain in his leg, he bolted towards Little Yellow, sending Butterfly Butt tumbling from his lap.
"No!", Dave sternly scolded as he snatched the pistol from the filly's hooves. "You treat every gun you come across like it's loaded! And you definitely don't hold the muzzle up to your eye!" He emphasized every syllable by wagging a finger at the filly and jabbing a finger at the pistol.
---
Fluttershy yelped in surprise as she tumbled from Big Red's lap as he sprang up into his hind limbs. The maned ape moved with a shocking speed as he rushed over to Apple Bloom and snatched the object from her hooves. He held the object in his right paw out to his side and let out a series of staccato chattering hoot as he waved an extended digit at Apple Bloom and sharply pointing at the object.
Apple Bloom's ears lay flat against her skull as she hunkered down. Though she couldn't understand the chattering hoots, she understood when she was being scolded.
Big Mac shoved himself between Apple Bloom and the maned ape.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stared blankly at what was going on.
Applejack sprang up from where she was sitting as Fluttershy shook off the cobwebs and rose to her hooves. The two mares interjected themselves between Big Mac and Big Red, concerned that a fight was about to break out.
"Ain't no need ta start a scrap, Macintosh!", Applejack scolded her big brother.
"It's okay,big guy.", Fluttershy calmly cooed. "I know you were just trying to protect Apple Bloom. Shh! Shh!"
"'Shy, ya dun hafta coddle him like he's a foal. 'Cordin'ta all th' axam'nations by th' docs, he's an adult, he jus' dun speak th' same way we do.", Applejack scolded her friend. She then turned to face her brother. "Ah saw what happened an' Ah shoulda syepped in sooner. Bloom was pointin' that there bang stick up to her face. Ah jus' hope it dun have any charge left in it."
Big Mac paused, looked at the weapon Big Red was holding in his paw, the back at his sister who gave a nervous smile and a sheepish wave. "Hrm." He then gestured towards the house with his head. "Room!"
Apple Bloom got up from where she was sitting and plodded to the front door, dragging her hooves.
Just then Granny walked out the front door with a wooden spoon held between her gums. She spat the wooden cooking implement into a hoof and said, "What in tarnation are ya foals a-doin'? There better not be no fightin' goin' on or Ah'll wear this here spoon out on all o' yer flanks. An' Ah got wooden spoons a-plenty if'n this here one breaks!"
"Ain't nopony fightin', Granny.", Applejack said to her grandmother. "Jus' Mac bein' a bit to o'er-protective. Bloom was holdin' that there up ta her eye and Red here took it from her."
Granny cast a scolding gaze at her youngest granddaughter, who in turn flattened her ears against her skull and dipped her head down. She pointed the wooden spoon inside the house.
As Apple Bloom walked inside, Granny swung the wooden spoon with the skill of a mother and grandmother who had done it many times before.
*smack*
Apple Bloom let out a surprised yelp and scrambled in the house, her hooves clomping on the stairs as she hurried up to her room.
Granny then turned her attention to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "You two young'uns git on home now."
Scootaloo scrambled over to her scooter and stepped on it. "Get on.", she said to Sweetie Belle."I'll take ya home."
---
Dave watched as Scooter sped off with Candy Mane holding onto her as they sped off on the scooter. "Silly horses!", he chuckled, marveling at the way the little winged one sounded like one of those minibikes with the two-stroke engines back home. He then pressed the release on the revolver with his thumb and swung the cylinder out. "Oh thank Christ!", he exclaimed, wiping his hand across his forehead, seeing the chambers were empty.
---
Applejack, Big Mac and Fluttershy stared in surprise as Big Red depressed a small switch on the side of the bang stick and swung the cylinder out. There were six round tubes drilled through the cylinder. The way the maned ape wiped his paw across his forehead and let out several relieved-sounding chattering hoots.
"Huh! That must be an older model which holds crystals that contains a single charge, unlike the newer models that have a slot that holds a crystal that contains twelve charges.", Fluttershy said. When Applejack and Big Mac gaped at her, she simply gave a shrug, and said, "What? I read about it in the latest issue of Bolt&Bow Magazine."
"Ya--ya like bang tubes?", Applejack asked.
"Mm-hmm!", Fluttershy said with a nod. "In fact I have three gold medals in the Cloudsdale Junior Clay Disc Competition. Of course that was before *mumble-mumble-mumble."
Applejack quirked an ear towards her friend."Beg pardon?"
"Had a panic attack that landed me in the hospital.", Fluttershy mumbled a little louder.
"Once more.", Applejack said.
Just then Rainbow Dash landed. "Hey guys! I just ran into Scoots. She said there some sorta dust-up here when Apple--Whoa cool! Is that a prototype Hail-splitter?!"
Luna and Celestia sat in Celestia's private study. The younger sister was preparing a spell so that the two of them could enter into a shared waking dream so that the elder sister could begin a new lesson on how to speak better with Dave, or as the ponies of Ponyville knew him as, 'Big Red'.
"Before beginning this eve's lesson, We have a question for thee, sister."
"Go ahead, Lulu."
"We have noticed the strange weapons the Royal Guard and the EUP uses. Art spear, swords and crossbows no longer sufficient to defend the borders of this fair nation?"
"Do you mean the bang tubes?", Celestia asked.
"Verily."
"Bang tubes have been the norm for about three hundred years.", Celestia replied. "It started about four hundred years ago when maned apes would periodically appear armed with bang tubes, some had detachable curved boxes that held hollow brass tubes that were filled with a strange flammable powder and capped with lead cones. There were some that had bang tubes that had a tube built into the bottom, that when a large lever was cranked back and forth, would load one of the lead-capped brass tubes into the discharging tube. There were some that were simply a discharging tube mounted onto a block of shaped wood that you would pour fireworks powder down the front of the tube, stuff in a piece of cloth, stick a lead ball atop that, ram it down with a rod, and then pull back a small lever on the side that held a piece of flint and pour a small amount into a pan to prime the weapon. Of course the fireworks powder would cause so much residue to build up in the weapon that it would have to be extensively cleaned, so the engineers abandoned any attempts at replicating them. The chemists and alchemists could never quite figure out the powder that only let out a few wisps of blue-grey smoke either, so they went with what they understood best, making bang tubes that use magically charged crystals. Depending on the crystal used, the bang tubes a variety of different spells, ranging from near-invisible bolts of telekinetic force, to a cone of stunning energy, to a bolt of lightning, to a bolt of flame. Of course the last two are never used in densely populated areas as the risk for harm or death to bystanders and starting fires is too great. That's how the great Chicacolt fire started." She said the last sentence with a bitter chuckle. She then took in a breath, then let out a sigh. "Then there was the time when two maned apes were found partially fused into a cliff face. They appeared to have died instantly, of course. What was weird was that both were armed with a box that emitted a beam of light that could make a boulder as big as your or I disappear. That was about fifteen years or so ago. The engineers and mages are still inspecting every tiny piece of them in the hopes of figuring out how they work. Is there any other questions before we start?"
"Just one, sister. Why didst thou not tell Us of thine own daughter and instead We had to hear it from niece-Cadenza?"
Celestia hung her head. "Because I am ashamed."
"Of thine own daughter?!"
"Neigh, Luna. Neigh. We--I am ashamed of how I treated her." Celestia looked her sister in the eyes. "I fucked her up, Luna. I fucked her up bad. And now she rightfully hates me."
"We donor understand. Isn't there laws against mating with one'sown foals?"
"That's not what I meant. I sometimes forget that you have been separated for centuries and have missed out on how much Ponish has evolved. I mean I messed her up, mentally. I neglected her when she was a filly, leaving her father and barely interacting with her. When Gumbo Etoufee died of lung rot, she began lashing out. Instead of recognizing that my daughter was dealing with the grief of her father in an unhealthy manner, I instead did the cruelest thing I've ever done. I turned her into a living weapon, she became my flame, my blade, and captain of the Shadow Guard."
Luna gasped. "Didst thou not swear to never create another flame after Tw--"
"Yes, Luna. After Twilight Nova lost control of her powers and exploded, wiping out several villages in the process. Big surprise, Celestia, mistress of the East and Lady of the Sun is a big fat hypocrite!" Celestia sniffled as a few tears leaked from her eyes. "If the Twilight family were to ever find out I was the one responsible for their founder's death, they'd withdraw their support for me in the Parliament of Minor Nobles."
Luna wrapped her sister in a hug. "Neigh, sister. They would also withdraw their support from Us. We assisted thou in making Twilight Nova a living weapon. She not only carried the flame of the sun within her, but the frost of the moon as well."
After the two sisters embraced one another in several minutes of silence, only broken by soft sniffles, the two parted.
"Alright Luna, I think I am ready for tonight's lesson. I hope to become fluent enough in his tongue so that when I summon him here to Canterlot in a few weeks, we can both communicate with him."
"Just one more question before we begin."
Celestia blew out a sigh. "Yes?"
"Canter is the old Unicornian word for keep and Lot is the old Unicornian word for lake. Why is the name of the city the old Unicornian words for lake and keep if there is no lake here?"
"The lake is still here. The plates that serve as the foundation for Canterlot sit about two dozen chains above the lake. The vaults deep beneath the castle are what's left of the old unicorn keep. When I moved from our old castle to here, the keep was called Canter-by-Lot-Platinum. Over time the name got shortened to Canterlot, which basically means Lake Keep. The Canter River that is formed by the overflow channel I had carved means Keep River. Are there any other questions?"
"Neigh. My thirst for knowledge has been slaked this eve."