Chapter 1: Good Morning
BANG BANG BANG “HEY SEYVAL! WAKE UP!” shouted Colton Vines as he banged on his younger brother’s door. It was mashing day and the sun was already rising. “Breakfast is on the table. You have five minutes and then I’m getting Aunt Berry.” That got him up. “I’M COMING!” his brother shouted back. His Aunt was still sleeping and if she had to wake up to get him out of bed, she would not be happy.
Colton walked into the dining room and took his place at the table. He began munching at the fruit salad he had prepared himself. Aunt Berry walked into the room. Her mane was rather disheveled, which told him that she had come home rather late from Pinkie’s party last night.
“Good morning, Aunt Berry.” He said cheerfully.
“Morning,” said Berry groggily. She was not a morning pony. “Is Seyval up yet?”
“Yes I am,” said his brother walking into the room, his cream coat neatly brushed and his light green mane looking a little tousled the way he liked it. “Good morning, Auntie. How was Pinkie’s party?”
“It was pretty good. Applejack brought some of her apple tarts and Rainbow Dash and I got into an eating contest.” Her eyes opened fully as she smiled with pride. “I won. I was up to twenty seven to Rainbow’s twenty eight when she gagged.”
Colton frowned at the thought of the rainbow-maned pegasus hurling and how it was not a very good subject for the breakfast table.
“So, how’s that marefriend of yours, Colton?” asked Berry.
Colton smiled at the thought of the green-maned earth pony he had been dating for the past two and a half years. “Daisy’s fine. I’m going to see her this afternoon when I’m done with mashing the grapes for today.”
“You’re going to see Daisy?! Can she come over to see me? Pleeeeeeeeeese,” Said a small, excited voice behind Colton. He turned to see his little cousin Ruby standing there, a gleeful, pleading smile on her face.
“I’ll be sure to ask her,” he said, “maybe she can stay for dinner.”
“YAAAAAY,” exclaimed the little filly. She then proceeded to hop in little circles around the room singing, “Daisy’s coming for dinner! Daisy’s coming for dinner!”
Colton chuckled. His little cousin loved Daisy and she hadn’t been by the house in a while.
“Sit down and eat your breakfast, Ruby,” said Berry, pouring her some cereal. “We have a lot to do for crushing day today and we need to get going.”
“Yes, momma,” said Ruby and began munching her cereal, still humming about Daisy coming to dinner.
“Actually I need to talk with you colts about today,” said Berry. “I need one of you two to stay home and watch Ruby tonight.”
“Where are you going momma?”
“I’m going over to Hoofington with Caramel to deliver some of the harvest to the winery like I do every year, sweetie,” Berry explained. “Since the land on our vineyard isn’t very big we can’t make our own wine, so Caramel and I take the grapes to my parents’ winery in Hoofington.”
“Ooooooh,” said Ruby. “Which Caramel?”
“Caramel Toffee, dear,” said Berry. There were two stallions named Caramel in Ponyville, Caramel Apple, and Caramel Toffee. Caramel Apple was a scrawny, rather clumsy pony who was always losing things and worked over at Sweet Apple Acres. Caramel Toffee was a large, buff pony who ran a small moving business in town. He was the one that helped Berry deliver the grapes every year. Now thinking about it, Colton wondered why. They had more than enough help at the vineyard and Caramel had to close his shop when he went with Berry because he ran it by himself. Berry could have somepony else take the grapes with her but every year Caramel insisted he help.
“Daisy and I can watch her, Aunt Berry,” Colton volunteered.
“Thank you, Colton. Alright, since it appears that we’re all done with breakfast, let’s head out there and finish up the last of the harvesting.”