Applejack winced as her hooves cracked into the worn trunk of an apple tree. The satisfying sound of apples falling into well-placed baskets soothed the momentary sting. Overcoming the discomfort, she moved on to the next tree. Those baskets ain’t gonna fill themselves. Gritting her teeth, she slammed her hooves back into the trunk of another tree. The uncomfortable prick trickled up from her hooves along her legs before dulling at her hips.
She backed up slowly and dropped to a sitting position on the ground with her back against the trunk of the tree. Surveying the immense orchard spread out before her, she wondered how she managed in the recent years. The only memories she possessed were memories of work. Crawling out of bed before the sunrise, throwing her strength into the trees until the moon was high in the sky. She allowed herself a smug smile of satisfaction. Applejack: the most dependable of ponies.
The smile didn’t last. An aftershock of pain coursed through her tired tendons resulting in an involuntary shudder and curling of her legs. She reached down with her hooves and massaged her sore muscles. But this provided only a temporary reprieve after several straight hours of applebucking.
Maybe Braeburn’s right. I can’t keep going like this.
She shook her head fiercely. In her heart, she desperately wanted Braeburn to be wrong. She wanted to prove she was more capable than any pony out there when it came to apples. This was her life, her family’s life, and there’s no way she would even consider the prospect of “taking it easy.”
If I stop, it’ll happen again. Sweet Apple Acres.
She pulled her ever-present hat down over her eyes as she felt the tears welling up. Her hooves pressed down on her legs and she squeezed as hard as she could. The physical pain was nothing. She would overcome it. But the memory of Sweet Apple Acres was too much for her to bear.
Her thoughts drifted to the memory of her friends, the friends she longed to see again. Together, they had overcome every single challenge. The memory was comforting but bitter. It served as a reminder of what she had gained and lost.
A sudden gust of wind ruffled her mane and carried her hat aloft into the air. That’s odd. It’s hardly ever windy in the orchard. Forgetting the pain and springing to her hooves, she looked up frantically for a glimpse of her hat. Luckily, it hadn’t gone far. It floated lazily above her in the hooves of a rainbow-maned pony.
Rainbow grinned down at Applejack, twirling the hat playfully within her hooves. “Hey, AJ. Nice hat. Mind if I borrow it for a bit?”
Applejack didn’t respond. She remained rooted on the spot with her eyes turned upward. She opened her mouth, but no words came. Seeing the pegasus’s brilliant mane contrasted against the clear sky triggered a rush of blood to her head.
“AJ?” Rainbow’s voice shifted from mischievous to slightly guilty. Something’s not right. The barrage of insults and threats she expected never manifested themselves. Slowing the flapping of her wings, she slowly dropped in altitude until she was on the ground in front of Applejack. From her lower vantage point, she noticed the glimmer of liquid coating the emerald eyes she had faced off against many times in the past.
“Don’t tell me you’re crying because I stole your hat? This is practically how we say hello to one another!” She cracked a grin, but it wasn’t confident. It ended up looking more nervous than anything. “Come on, AJ, speak to me. Look, I’m sorry I took your hat, don’t go all quiet on me.” She took a step closer and gently prodded Applejack on the withers with the hat. “AJ? You all right?”
The gears in Applejack’s head churned as she tried to make sense of it all. One moment she was thinking about her friends, the next moment Rainbow Dash appeared out of nowhere and stole her hat. She bit down on her tongue and winced slightly at the pain. Least I’m not dreaming, or at least I don’t think I am. The prodding from her hat jarred her back to her senses. Suddenly, she became very aware of her current situation and the state she was in.
“Oh, hey there, RD.” Wait, that ain’t right at all. You haven’t seen her in years, and you start with a “hey there”? She chuckled nervously while trying to casually shift onto three hooves so she could wipe her eyes with her forehoof. “I’m jus’ dandy. Nothing to worry about. What are you doing here? Mighty fine weather we’re having today, eh?” She shifted her eyes to the side nervously
Rainbow arched her eyebrow at Applejack and tilted her head. “Uh...yeah. Lovely day. I was just looking for you. Applebloom wanted to show you something.” She tossed the hat at Applejack with a casual flick of her hoof.
Applejack sighed in relief and nabbed her hat from the air with a quick nip. Once she had it safely placed on her head, she smiled at Rainbow. “Well, what are we waitin’ for? Let’s see what my little sis wants.”
“Sure.” Rainbow smiled and took a step forward.
Applejack blinked and took a step backward, bumping into an inconveniently located appletree she just finished bucking.
Rainbow’s smile shifted to something slightly more devious as she quickly closed the gap and pressed her head right up against Applejack, staring her in the eyes. “Right after you tell me what’s going on. Why aren’t you even surprised to see me?”
Busted.
Applejack swallowed as beads of sweat started to form on her head. Suddenly, she felt very hot. “What’re ya talkin’ bout, RD? There’s nothing going on. Just a lot of applebuckin’, ‘nd I was mighty shocked when I first saw ya, but it feels right natural to have you back here in my orchard.” She pushed back against Rainbow in an attempt to get a little personal space.
“Oh, really? What about your eyes? They looked awfully teary when I got a good look at you.” Rainbow pushed back in return. Something was wrong and she could feel it. Not to mention Applejack was giving off more tells than Fluttershy in a game of cards.
Horseapples. Applejack thought. If I screw up, I’m gonna spill the beans to RD and burden her with all my troubles. I need a distraction.
“It sure is dusty out here. After all that applebucking, I’m parched. How about we get back and get some cider?” Applejack smiled harder. It was getting really difficult to keep up the act with Rainbow staring daggers into her soul.
“Cider? Where?” Rainbow backed up excitedly, her eyes darting from side to side as if she was looking for a cool mug of cider out in the middle of the orchard.
Phew. Applejack relaxed as Rainbow moved out of her personal bubble to a more respectable distance away. She winced again. She was unconsciously tensing all her muscles in her verbal fencing match with Rainbow. The reprieve was short lived.
“Nice try, AJ.” Rainbow smirked and stepped forward again. Her forehooves slammed into the apple tree and trapped Applejack in between them, leaving Applejack wedged uncomfortably between Rainbow and the tree. “In case you forgot, I was a Wonderbolt for years. I’m not that obsessed with cider anymore after years of open bars.” Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Applejack. “Now tell me what’s going on here. Why is Braeburn in such a hurry to get to town? Why is Applebloom making strange devices? And why were you rubbing your legs when I spotted you from the air?”
Applejack gritted her teeth and leveled her gaze at Rainbow Dash. She wasn’t going to back down, not now. She shoved her head forward butting it against Rainbow’s. “What’s with all the questions, RD? I haven’t seen you in years, and the first thing you do is steal my hat and question me like I’m some kind of criminal?”
Feeling Rainbow back down slightly, she pressed her advantage and shoved her head forward more. “And so what if my eyes are a little misty? Maybe yer crazy flying kicked up too much darn dust.”
Whatever advantage Rainbow thought she had, it seemed to have disintegrated in a moment. She fell back onto all four hooves and backed away slowly from Applejack. Oh, buck me...I think I took it too far. She glanced away. She couldn’t meet Applejack’s intense stare.
Applejack didn’t relent. Years apart didn’t diminish her ability to read Rainbow when things got heated. If this was a competition, she was going to win it. She stepped forward once more and pressed a forehoof to Rainbow’s chest. “Now, you listen here, Rainbow. Whatever you may think you know about me, my family, and my business, it ain’t the half of it. And I’d be more than happy to share it with a friend.”
Rainbow looked down at the firm orange forehoof pressed against her chest and back up at Applejack. “AJ...I--”
“Save it, Rainbow,” Applejack interrupted. “I only wanna hear one thing from yer gob: Are you still my friend? Or am I gonna have to buck you over an apple tree for stealing my hat and assaultin’ me?”
“What?” Rainbow exclaimed, her wings flaring out in aggravation. “What kinda question is that? Of course I’m your friend!”
“Really now?” Applejack dropped her hoof from Rainbow’s chest and kicked at the ground. “I reckoned you forgot all about yer friends once you got into yer fancy Wonderbolts team.”
“I never forgot about you guys! I thought about you all every night. I just couldn’t find the time...” Rainbow trailed off as her initial indignation cooled. In its place a tense discomfort filled the void which forced her to look away from Applejack. “I really wanted to see everyone. I just couldn’t.”
“Rainbow, yer the fastest flier I know. Not to mention you’re jus’ about as stubborn as I am. What could possibly stop you from seeing yer friends?”
Rainbow bit her lip and dropped to the ground. “I...I can’t tell you. Just believe me. Please.”
Applejack sighed long and slowly before placing her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Awright sugarcube, I won’t press the issue. But I want you to tell me the whole truth sometime.”
“So...we’re still friends?”
“Sure as sugar. You’re a good pony, Rainbow. I’d be a fool to not want you as a friend.”
Rainbow lifted her head slowly and smiled up at Applejack. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her forehoof with a sigh of relief. “Thanks, AJ. You scared me for a moment there.”
Applejack shook her head and smiled back at Rainbow. “You too? When ya stole my hat, I thought you had some kind of grudge, ‘specially since I haven’t seen you in years.” She settled into a comfortable laugh. “But I suppose that’s a little far fetched.”
The laughter was addictive. Rainbow soon found herself chuckling along with Applejack. The more she laughed, the closer she got to Applejack. Soon, she was leaning back-to-back with Applejack while recounting the previous events in a more humorous light.
“So, RD.” Applejack began once their mirth had finally settled. “You said Applebloom wanted to see me?”
Rainbow got to her hooves and nodded. “Yep, though I wouldn’t mind a slight detour.”
Applejack tilted her hat upward and eyed Rainbow suspiciously. “And why’s that?”
The pegasus shuffled a little on her hooves, glancing down on the ground. “I think you mentioned something about cider a little while back?”
A smirk slowly grew on Applejack’s face. “What about it? I thought you were over cider.”
Rainbow did her best impression of a innocent smile. “Well, that may have been a tiny exaggeration. I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving Apple family cider.”
Applejack threw a forehoof over Rainbow’s shoulder and pulled her in for a sideways hug. “Shucks, RD, on account of you finally showing your face around here, I suppose we could pop one of the aged cider barrels open.”
Rainbow grinned widely and did a little bounce on her hooves. “This is gonna be so awesome.”
Applejack grinned back. “You betcha.”
* * *
Twilight peered warily into the marginally lit shed which served as Applebloom’s workshop. Regardless of the previous explosive scene it experienced, the workshop seemed rather tidy. One wall was covered entirely with varying types of tools hanging on pegs. Before she got a chance to compliment Applebloom’s organizational skills, she noticed the pegs lacked labels and the tools seemed to be placed haphazardly with no order or reason.
Well, mostly organized, but at least they’re all in the same place.
She smiled and trotted into the workshop a little more. Perhaps working with Applebloom wouldn’t be so bad. Sure, the young filly didn’t seem to have the same structured work style which matched her own, but the similarities were there.The workbench was littered with papers, quills, miscellaneous scraps of metal, gears, and other mechanical doodads. The scene before her felt nostalgic, and it tugged at the faint memories of her laboratory tucked beneath her beloved library tree in years past.
“So, what do ya think, Twilight?” Applebloom practically skipped into the workshop. “Impressive, ain’t it? I didn’t think I could get this many tools and materials this far out, but I’ve been mighty fortunate. The train brings in a lot of useful items on a weekly basis for our automatons.”
Twilight nodded. The sheer amount of stuff Applebloom managed to acquire was impressive. “It’s very well stocked. How did you get all of this?”
Applebloom grinned mischievously. “Well, some of my materials are leftovers from fixin’ up the town’s automatons. The railroad pays me a fair number of bits too for my repair and maintenance work. I give some of it to sis, but I keep some for myself to mail order the harder-to-get stuff.” She leaned in close to Twilight and winked, “The rest...is from my secret source.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Secret source?”
Applebloom wrapped a forehoof around Twilight’s head and pulled her in. Her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. “Scootaloo slips me parts from her job at the Las Pegasus Aerodrome. I think she’s supposed to throw them away, but they jus’ go into a crate for me.”
“Scootaloo, huh?” The unicorn giggled and pulled away, “I’m pretty sure she’s not going to get in trouble for sending you airship scraps.”
“You can never be too careful.” Applebloom turned her head back and grasped at the straps which held the metal braces to her legs. Squeaking with exertion, she tugged firmly in a vain attempt to loosen them.
After a minute of struggling, she gagged on the foul-tasting material in frustration and kicked at the floor.
A resounding boom filled the workshop followed by the crackling sound of wood. Twilight hopped backwards and slammed into the wall in surprise causing a fair number of tools to clatter to the dusty floor. The shed subsequently descended into chaos.
When the dust finally cleared, Twilight found herself on her rump sitting rather uncomfortably upon a pile of tools and a screwdriver in her mouth. She spit it out distastefully. Her head lolled from side to side as her pupils spiraled in circles. Faintly, she could see several ghostly visages of Applebloom floating in front of her. “Nng...my head...” She grasped her head with her forehooves and breathed deeply until her vision cleared.
“A little help, please?” Applebloom pleaded. The yellow filly grasped at the floor with her forehooves, her left rear hoof buried into the ground which left her right rear hoof jutting out in an odd position.
Finally coming to her senses, Twilight gently gripped Applebloom with her magic and lifted her bodily out of the hole and deposited her back onto solid ground. Not wanting to take any more chances, she directed her attention to the straps holding the metallic legs in place and eased them loose.
Applebloom stepped out of them gratefully and dropped to her haunches. “Phew. I knew I shouldn’t have put them on so early. I was just so excited to try them out.”
“It certainly wouldn’t hurt to slow down a little and test them a bit before strapping them on.” Twilight pulled the right legging off Applebloom and hovered it in front of her. “So...how long did it take for you to make these?”
“Oh, jus’ about a day. I was toyin’ with the idea of finding someway to combine magical, mechanical, and physical strength together for the farm.”
Twilight’s mouth dropped open. “A day? Really?”
Applebloom picked up the other legging and moved it from the ground to the worktable. She turned around and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof while looking downward. “A-heh...fine. Maybe more around 20 hours? I tend not to sleep when I get inspired. You would stay up studying all night. It’s sorta like that.”
Twilight gathered up her hanging jaw and shifted her attention back to the magical gem tucked behind the mess of gears and coils. “I can understand. You’d be surprised how often I still do that. Though...I think I may need to drink less coffee.”
She gently fed a touch of magical energy into the gem and watched the sensors click in response. “So, if I understand your design correctly, you store the mechanical energy in these coils which fire off when you detect a motion?”
Applebloom nodded. “Yup, that’s right. I use the energy initially applied by the wearer...” She trailed off seeing the knowing look which dawned on Twilight’s face. “You think you know what’s wrong?”
Twilight grinned and nodded. “It’s tuned to detect too many directions. I’m guessing if you want them for applebucking, you want it to only trigger when it detects a substantial horizontal force.” She flicked the leggings downward and was rewarded with a substantial snap from the actuators responding. “Unfortunately, whoever tuned your magical amplifier set it to fire off in any direction. So the slightest bit of force is initiating the entire process.”
“So you can fix it?” Appleblooms’s eyes expanded hopefully.
“Of course. Just give me a bit, and you’ll be the greatest apple harvesting pony that ever existed.”
Applebloom leapt into the air and did a twirl. “Yee-ha!”
* * *
A half-empty mug landed on the table with a resounding thump. “Ya know, RD, granny always warned it was bad drinkin’ aged cider before dark. But heck, sometimes you jus’ have to let loose.”
Rainbow simply nodded, her hoof loosely slipped between the handle of her own mug. Her head rested on the table as she panted slowly. Urg...I may have overdone it on the cider. Her thoughts came woozily through the sweet veil of apples. Pushing herself upright she lifted the mug to her lips and took another deep draught of the delightfully sticky-sweet substance. Never. I can never have too much Apple family cider.
Applejack grinned at the sight and toyed with the rim of her mug with her free hoof. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to sit down and jus’ stop worrying. Somehow, seeing you puts my heart at ease.”
Rainbow set her mug down and smirked. “What do you mean, AJ? You sound kinda... frou-frou when you say stuff like that.”
Applejack straightened up in her seat as if a bee stung her. She pushed her hat back and narrowed her eyes at Rainbow. “What? No! That’s not what I mean at all! It’s jus’...I’ve been working so hard trying to keep this farm together. Sure, I’ve had Braeburn, Big Mac, and a lot of my family. But it’s always been so hard.”
Rainbow smiled and leaned in conspiratorially with her head resting upon her crossed forehooves. “So...you aren’t trying to say...” She paused and presented Applejack with the best half-lidded bedroom eyes she could manage. “You know...”
Applejack stuttered and shifted backwards in her seat, nearly tipping it over. “Oh, hay no!” She looked away as the warmth of the cider reddened her cheeks. “Look, Rainbow, you’ve always been my very best friend. We drive each other forward. I jus’ feel like you showing up right as the Ministry is threatening to turn my farm into some oil plant is the push I need to fight this, to stop this and save my farm for good.”
Rainbow blinked. Wait. What? The Ministry of Development is getting involved in Appleloosa? Oh, this is going to be trouble. She grabbed her cider mug and downed the remainder of it’s contents in one fell swoop before slamming the empty mug upside-down on the table. “You got it, AJ. We’re gonna save this farm, or my name isn’t Rainbow Dash!”
“Applejack! There you are! We’ve been lookin’ all over for you!” Applebloom burst into the room, eyes aglitter, completely overjoyed. “Look! Twilight and I got ‘em working!” Applebloom turned around and presented her rear hooves to Applejack.
Twilight walked into the room behind Applebloom, bearing the slightest smug smile. I’m making a difference. I’m not cooped up in that library anymore trying to share knowledge with ponies who don’t care. She spied the two empty mugs on the table and directed a knowing glance at Rainbow.
Rainbow winked in return and licked her lips while patting her stomach. Twilight snickered and nodded.
Applejack stared at the pair of metallic braces on Applebloom’s rear hooves. “What in tarnation are those?” Her voice was passive, tinged with the slightest bit of surprise.
“They’re Applebuckers! The best thing for the hard-working pony. I’m as strong as Big Mac with these!” She trotted over to Applejack and tugged her off her seat. “Come on, let me show you! You’ll be mighty impressed when you see how many apple trees I can buck in a day.”
Applejack looked to Rainbow Dash for support, but the pegasus merely winked in return.
“I’m sure you’ll have a blast, AJ,” Rainbow quipped.
Twilight immediately face-hoofed. “Dashie...wordplay.”
Applejack did her best to resist the consistent tug by Applebloom, “Well...excuse me, girls. It seems Applebloom has something she really wants to show me. And Twilight, it’s good to see you too.” She craned her neck and did her best to tip her hat apologetically. “Sorry to make introductions so short. I’ll make it up to you.” Without another word, Applejack disappeared around the doorway. Moments later, the front door slammed and Rainbow and Twilight were left alone.
Rainbow trotted quickly to the doorway and peered down the hall. Nodding in satisfaction, she turned around.
Twilight blinked. She hadn’t seen Rainbow this serious since Ponyville and her declaration to find all their friends again. Tentatively, she took a step forward.
“Twilight...” Rainbow paused and took a deep breath. “The Ministry of Development is trying to take Applejack’s farm. I wasn’t able to gather much from Applejack, but it seems there’s a sizable oil deposit under the orchard.”
Twilight gasped and looked around frantically. “W-what? But if Applejack loses her farm, she’ll be crushed. She was devastated when the apple trees stopped bearing fruit at Sweet Apple Acres.”
Rainbow nodded. “That’s why we can’t let this happen. We have to convince them to leave the orchard alone.”
“How are we going to do that?” Twilight trotted to the window and looked outside. She could just barely make out the greenish gleam of leaves in the distance. “The Ministry has authority from the Princess herself to direct the advancement of Equestria and the procurement of resources. They’re not going to just take ‘no’ for an answer.”
“What about the Princess? I’m sure she would understand how important this orchard is. How it’s part of Appleloosa.”
Twilight closed her eyes. That makes sense...a part of Appleloosa...I wonder...
She whirled around and ran to Rainbow, pulling her into a tight hug. “Of course! It’s historical! This orchard is both historical and essential to the town. If we can get it designated by the Princess as such, we can protect it from further development!”
She extracted herself and made her way to the table. “Dashie, paper, ink, and quill please.”
“I’m on it!” A blur of colors filled the farmhouse before Rainbow returned with paper, ink, and quill, just as Twilight asked.
Twilight levitated them from Rainbow’s hooves and set them gently upon the table. She picked up the quill, gingerly dipped it into the ink, and began writing:
Dear Princess Celestia,
It has come to my attention the Ministry of Development intends to convert Appleloosa Orchards into an Oil Extraction and Refining Plant. I normally support the utilization of the resources of Equestria to its fullest extent, but there is more to be gained by preserving Appleloosa Orchards.
Historically, it’s the first settlement in the Appleloosan plains entirely self-sufficient due to the hard work of the settler ponies and their orchard. It serves as a guiding story to the lasting peace between the Buffalo Tribes and ponies. And it sustains the town to this very day. Additionally, Applejack and her family here provide Equestria’s renowned Apple Family Cider, which the Ministry would be hard pressed to provide without the existence of this orchard.
Would you please consider designating Appleloosa Orchards as a Historical and Protected site to preserve the heritage of Appleloosa and the livelihoods of the ponies who inhabit it?
Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle
Twilight finished the letter with a flourished E around her name before turning to Rainbow. “What do you think, Dashie?”
Rainbow nodded vigorously. “I think it’s great! Can you send it right now? Applejack seemed really upset. This would certainly put her at ease.”
Twilight glanced at the rapidly drying ink on the parchment and then back to Rainbow. “I don’t know. I usually send these by post since I don’t have Spike anymore. I could try magically sending it, but it would just end up in the Canterlot Office. She might not see it right away anyways.”
Rainbow wrapped her forehoof around Twilight’s shoulder and pulled her in. “It’s worth a shot. Do it for Applejack. You saw how she looked. We can’t let her down when she needs us.”
The parchment curled up on itself, hiding the words it contained from the pair of eyes staring at it. Twilight bit down on her lip and shook her head. “I haven’t sent a letter to Celestia in so long. And the Ministry, it’s huge, who are we to challenge what they feel is best for Equestria? I know it’s for Applejack, but I’m not sure about this.” She sighed as a pair of wings wrapped around her and Rainbow turned her head gently with her hooves.
“Listen, Twilight. You’re Celestia’s most awesome student, and your thoughts will always matter to her.” Rainbow traced her hooves from Twilight’s cheeks down to her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. “And I promise, if anything happens, I’ll be right there for you. I said I’d stick with you in Ponyville, and I meant it. I’d never leave you hanging.”
“Alright. Thanks, Dashie.” Twilight smiled. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to send one now. If you can go to the nature preserve south of here and get Spike, we can send another one later on. Just in case we don’t get a response to this one.” She lifted the letter up and touched her horn to the parchment. A brief flash of purple light filled the room, and the letter disappeared.
* * *
Thousands of miles away, the letter re-materialized in a massive in-pile of the Central Canterlot Office. Surrounded by piles of documents, a tired unicorn glanced up at the newly appeared letter and sighed. Grabbing it with his horn, he skimmed the first couple lines. “Another letter for the Princess about the Ministry. Don’t ponies know it should be directed to the Ministry itself?” He groaned in frustration and rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’ll just send it along like the hundreds of other letters I get every day.”
The letter disappeared once more in a brief flash of magic before reappearing across Canterlot at the Ministry of Development’s secretary desk. One more letter in already massive pile of documents. “Good morning, Minister,” the secretary intoned dully as a whistling pony trotted through the massive double doors.
The Minister smiled, his eyes alight with energy as he looked over the pile of documents on the desk. “My, my, we have quite a lot today, don’t we?” He trotted over and glanced over the letter at the top of pile. His whistling stopped abruptly. He lifted the letter with his magic and tucked it firmly within his coat-vest before trotting through the double-doors to his office.
“Please call Agent Fixer and prepare Airship Three. Oh, and summon Delta Team to accompany the Agent.” He gently closed the double doors behind him and walked across the plush carpet to his seat. Settling into his swivel chair, he sighed and rested his hooves upon the fine, polished surface of his desk. He magically fished out the letter and re-read it more slowly.
“So. Ms. Sparkle is getting involved. Ponyville council...” He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with his forehooves. A knock on the door jarred him back to reality. “Come in.”
The door opened with nary a sound and clicked shut behind the dark gray unicorn which opened it. “You wanted to see me, sir?” Agent Fixer scanned the room for any irregularities before noticing the letter on the desk.
“Ah, yes. Agent Fixer, please go to Appleloosa and inspect the orchards there again. I suspect we may have some resistance regarding our plans to move forward.” He realized he was still facing his desk and rapidly straightened up with a smile. “I will need a full report on their so-called efficiency or lack thereof so we can justify converting Appleloosa into a shining gem of industry in the south.”
“Certainly, sir. Anything else I should be aware of?”
“Right. Princess Celestia’s personal student, Twilight Sparkle, seems to be in Appleloosa. Do try to stay on good terms with her.” He glanced down at the letter once more before pulling it off his desk and putting it into a side drawer.
“Of course, sir. Might I get a letter made and notarized requesting Twilight Sparkle’s presence here in Canterlot? In case she has any concerns, of course.” Agent Fixer smiled.
“Oh, right. Certainly. You can get it from Ms. Note outside. Airship Three is ready for your departure. Delta Squad will accompany you should you need any aerial data.”
Agent Fixer’s lips twitched downward but he caught himself. “Thank you, sir. I will handle this with the utmost speed.” He turned and exited the office as quietly as he came.
The Minister sighed and pulled himself heavily out of his chair and wandered over to a small bar built into the side of his office. He poured himself a small glass of fiery filtered cider and gazed out of the window. “This is for the good of Equestria,” he muttered to himself and tipped the contents of glass into his mouth.