Braeburn wiped the sweat from his brow as he crested over the low, rolling hills. The setting sun at his back warmed his body against the desert’s evening breeze. The gradual chill mattered little. The memories of his recruiting mission into town filled him with bubbly elation. No less than a score of ponies volunteered their time and energy toward helping with the harvest. Dozens more offered their support if needed.
Giddy with anticipation to share the news, Braeburn beelined for the orchards. Applejack could always be found in the orchard. She was always working. A goofy grin spread across his face as he imagined it in his head. He would trot up to her, smile, place his hat over his chest and tell her she wasn’t alone. He would explain how much the entire town cared and how she’d have help starting the next morning from over twenty ponies.
The grin rapidly shifted to a look of surprise as he stumbled over a waylay root in the dirt. Luckily, a few quick hops helped him regain his balance. Taking a moment to steady himself on the winding path, he looked out across the orchard and his jaw dropped.
Dozens of trees were completely devoid of fruit. He could vaguely make out several figures among the harvested trees. His mind buzzing with questions, he galloped quickly down the path beneath the luscious canopy until he found Applebloom and Applejack standing side by side. Both of them turned as he neared. Rearing to a halt with a cloud of dust, he dropped his head and gratefully sucked in deep lungfuls of air.
“Braeburn.” Applejack regarded him with a smug smile. “What’s the rush? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“The apples.” Braeburn panted out heavily. “What happened to all the apples?”
Applebloom trembled, unable to contain herself any longer. “I harvested them!” She frowned when Applejack nudged her in the side. “With Applejack’s help, ‘course,” she added slightly less enthusiastically.
“And?” Applejack pressed further.
The yellow filly pouted and stomped. “But it’s my invention!” She sighed and turned to reveal the Applebuckers strapped to her hind legs. “Twilight got them working for me.”
Applejack smiled and ruffled Applebloom’s mane. “That’s right, give credit where credit is due.” She pulled her sister in for a sideways hug. “And lemme say, you’re the finest little applebucker I’ve ever seen. With your magic legs and all.”
Applebloom beamed and nuzzled her head up against Applejack’s neck. “Thanks, sis, though I’m not so little anymore.”
“Aw, shucks, Applebloom, you’ll always be my little sis to me, no matter how big you grow.” The older mare nuzzled downward. Applebloom smiled contentedly.
Braeburn shuffled on his hooves as he watched the sisterly bonding. He couldn’t resist the smile creeping across his face despite the awkwardness. The pleasant atmosphere evaporated lingering tensions from his confrontation with Applejack in the morning.
Clearing his throat for their attention, he took off his hat and grinned. “Well, you two will be pleased to hear I have some good news of my own.” He paused and waited for them to turn and look at him before continuing. “Twenty ponies volunteered to help us harvest this applebuck--”
His eyes finally trailed to the pair of metal braces attached firmly to Applebloom’s legs. “What in the world are those?”
“They’re my Applebuckers!” Applebloom exclaimed proudly. “It makes apple bucking way easier. Watch!” She kicked a nearby tree with her right hind leg resulting in a shudder and shower of loose leaves. “Easy as pie.” She grinned and gestured at a cart filled to the brim with baskets of harvested apples. “I’ll explain over supper. Why don’t you hitch yourself up to that cart and pull those apples back to the barn for us. We’ve been harvesting all afternoon.”
Braeburn nodded slowly and made his way over to the cart. “I--I’m mighty speechless, Applebloom. That’s some fine hoofwork there.”
Applejack snickered and dropped the harness onto Braeburn’s back. “That’s what I said too. I had my doubts, but Applebloom’s definitely impressed me with her fancy invention. I might even want a pair for myself.” She directed a wink at Applebloom who flushed with pride. “Now, get moving. I’m sure Twilight and RD are waiting for us. I sent them back to the barn with the previous haul of apples.”
Braeburn sighed and tensed his frame against the harness. Every muscle in his body ached in protest at the massive load they were being subjected to. The overloaded cart groaned and creaked forward. It was going to be a long trip back to the barn.
* * *
“And we made him pull the overloaded cart all the way back instead of waiting for you two!” Applejack laughed and slapped Braeburn on the back repeatedly.
Twilight blushed and smiled apologetically at Braeburn. “Sorry about that. Dashie--er, Rainbow and I were a little slow with the cart since I insisted on taking turns.”
Rainbow snickered and nudged Twilight’s side. “She can’t pull at all. She made it a few feet before collapsing on the ground panting and sweating.”
The unicorn glared at her tormenter. “If you’d let me use magic, I could’ve teleported us back to the barn in no time!”
“And you’re the one who suggested we do it the old-fashioned way for the ‘learning experience’!” Rainbow shot back with a smirk.
“Hey! Who’re you calling old-fashioned?” Applejack interjected.
“If you two argued any more, I’d think you were married,” Applebloom piped up with a knowing smile spread across her face.
The quarreling promptly stopped. Both participants quickly turned away from one another sporting matching blushes. Much to their relief, a resonant voice drew their attention a second later.
“E-yup.” Big Macintosh stepped into the room and winked at Twilight but said nothing more.
“Big Mac! You always make it back for supper.” Applebloom trotted over and draped her hooves around the big stallion’s neck in a hug.
“E-yup, we’re family.” Big Mac lifted a massive forehoof and wrapped it around Applebloom’s back in a light embrace. He directed his gaze at the blushing pair and smiled calmly. “Good to see you two.”
“It’s good to see you too, Big Mac,” Twilight responded mechanically with a smile of her own. She mentally berated herself for not having a better response, but in light of the burning sensation across her face, it was the best she could manage.
Easing Applebloom from his neck, he walked over to the table and settled down next to Applejack.
“Now that we’re all here, let’s eat!” Applejack pulled a warm plate of apple slices toward herself.
All six ponies fell into the food with gusto. Twilight couldn’t remember the last time she ate something so delicious. The discussion was amicable and light-hearted. They talked about Applebloom’s apple-bucking exploits, Braeburn’s dramatic recruitment speech in the middle of town square, and Big Macintosh even added a word or two from time to time.
Twilight picked out a succulent slice of apple pie and licked her lips apprehensively. Her magically levitated fork punctured through the flaky top and scooped up a generous portion of pie. The piece was partway to her mouth when she stopped. Something didn’t feel right in the air.
Applejack turned and looked at Twilight curiously. The unicorn had her mouth open with a piece of pie levitated on a fork in front of her. Applejack gently nudged Rainbow at her side and gestured at Twilight.
“You all right there, suguarcube? Somethin’ wrong with your pie?” Applejack leaned forward across the table and inspected the pie carefully. Nope, perfect as ever. It couldn’t be the pie.
“Huh? What?” Twilight sputtered and dropped the fork to the plate with a clang. She blinked a few times and looked down at the fork strewn haphazardly across the pie. “I’m so sorry, I got distracted. Rainbow, can you feel that? In the air? In your wings?”
Rainbow tilted her head at the odd question but flexed her wings in response. Surprisingly, a slight tingle ran through her pinion feathers to the base of her wings. Her expression rapidly darkened. “Twi...I feel it, too.”
Braeburn arched his eyebrow at Rainbow. “And what feeling is that exactly? I don’t feel anything.”
Twilight nodded sagely and pushed the plate of pie away. “You wouldn’t. It’s the magical resonance given off by airships. The ones built for speed. I can feel it tingling in the base of my horn, and I imagine Rainbow can feel the same disturbance in her wings.” She sighed and shook her head. “I think we’re about to have company.”
A few moments later, a knock sounded from the front of the farmhouse.
Applejack whirled around and glanced out the window at the darkened sky. The sun’s glow was a thin line at the horizon. “Now who in tarnation could that be? They should know it’s rude to come a-callin’ at supper time.” Pulling herself up with a sigh, she begrudgingly made her way to the entrance and opened up the door.
The unicorn stood casually on the porch with the slightest hint of a smirk across his otherwise nondescript features. Applejack shivered as she met the piercing blue eyes of the visitor. She swallowed and smiled as friendly as she could. “Um, howdy. Can I help you?”
Fixer casually gathered up the mare before him before levitating his badge forward. “Good evening. I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I’m Agent Fixer. Ministry of Land Use and Reclamation. I’ll be reviewing your orchard.” He flicked his badge away officiously and tucked it within his coat. “The Ministry plans to harness the oil resources here. It’s been requested I provide oversight to the situation.”
Applejack grit her teeth and tightened the muscles in her legs, fighting the urge to buck him off her porch. “The name’s Applejack,” she growled lowly. “And I think your Ministry is making a huge mistake. There’s more to land than what’s buried beneath it.”
The agent chuckled slowly. “Oh, but of course, Ms. Applejack. I’m here to fix the Ministry’s mistakes. After all, we want nothing more than to use Equestria’s land to its maximum potential.”
The sound of a new voice drew the curiosity of the others as they piled into the hallway. Noting the newcomer, Applebloom trotted up to Applejack and nudged her sister in the side with a hoof. “Applejack, who’s this?”
Applejack cleared her throat and glanced backward at her family and friends. “This is Agent Fixer. Please set another place at the table. He’s a guest from the Ministry, so we should be courteous and show him some Apple family hospitality.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Agent Fixer gestured behind himself at the gleaming white airship aglow with lights. “I’ll be staying in my airship for the night. I have a lot of work to do.” He smiled at them toothily. “Enjoy the rest of your evening. I’ll see you all in the morning.” He turned and strode off the porch and down the steps back toward his ship.
Applebloom shut the door as Applejack slid down onto her haunches and exhaled slowly.
“I liked the Ministry better when it was just letters,” Applejack remarked quietly and looked at her forehooves. “But now, we got an agent here breathing down our necks.”
“This could be a good thing, too,” Twilight spoke up from the back of the pack. “Dash asked me to send a letter earlier today to the Princess. Maybe the Ministry is really reconsidering their plans.”
Rainbow nodded vigorously. “Why else would they send someone here so quickly unannounced? I bet once he sees how amazing the harvest goes, they’ll have to reconsider!”
“Besides, it would make sense to keep the farm when so many of the townsfolk support it. T’aint fair otherwise,” Braeburn chipped in with a smile.
Her friends and family’s support brought a smile to Applejack’s face. “I hope y’all are right. Let’s finish up dinner and get some shuteye. It’s going to be an early morning and a long day tomorrow.” She directed her gaze at Twilight. “And thanks, sugarcube, for caring so much. I hope the Princess is really behind this. We could use all the help we can get right now.”
“E-yup.” Big Mac hoisted Applejack up and lifted her back into the dining room.
“Let me down, ya big lug! I know you’re hungry, you don’t have to be impatient about it.”
“N-ope,” came the response amidst the shared laughter of all parties involved.
* * *
After a satisfying supper, they lounged together by the fireplace to stave off the chill of the night. Applejack obligingly offered the rest of the hard cider tapped earlier in the day, and Rainbow definitely wasn’t going to turn down more cider.
Twilight nursed her mug of the warmed liquid as the bubbly drink toyed with her thoughts. The timing of the events didn’t seem quite right. The response from the Ministry seemed too fast to be the influence of Celestia. Then again, the Princess was quite capable. Tentatively, she sipped a little more of the comforting drink as ideas flitted through her head.
A heavy forehoof landing upon her back shook her to her senses. Rainbow looked down at her with a wide smile and an alcohol-induced blush. “This is the greatest cider in the world, isn’t it, Twilight?”
Twilight giggled and offered the rest of her mug to Rainbow. “It is. Though I think you enjoy it more than me. Want the rest of mine?”
“Would I ever?” Rainbow grasped the mug and downed the remainder of the cider in one gulp. She sighed contently and dropped the empty mug on the side table before stumbling back against Twilight. The sudden contact disintegrated Rainbow’s balance and she crumpled onto the couch. “Mmm...that’s perfect.” She closed her eyes and pressed her head back into Twilight’s soft fur.
Twilight squeaked and blushed. Distinctly, she could hear Applejack and Applebloom chuckling in the background. “Dashie, your pupils aren’t nearly dilated enough for you to be this drunk.”
Snickering to herself, Dash pulled herself off Twilight and leaned back into the couch comfortably. “It was worth it to get that reaction out of you.”
“You surprised me!” Twilight protested.
“You liked it.” Dash responded. “Now, let’s get to bed.”
“W-what?” Twilight stuttered and leapt up from the couch.
Dash feigned a yawn and stretched her forehooves. “I’m beat. I spent all day flying around, carting apples, and looking for ponies without a single nap.”
“Y’all are welcome to the guest room if you like,” Applejack offered. “It’s the least we could do after all the help you’ve given us. It’s upstairs, first door on the right.”
Twilight smiled at Applejack and nodded. “Thanks, Applejack. Come on, Rainbow, let’s go.”
“To bed?” Dash winked at Twilight.
“Ugh, this is for all the wordplay comments earlier, isn’t it?” Twilight groaned and trotted out of the room.
“E-yup,” Dash mimicked as she followed Twilight upstairs.
Applebloom rubbed the back of her head with a forehoof. “Are you sure they aren’t married?”
“E-yup,” Big Mac concluded with a smile.
* * *
Twilight fluffed the pillow on the right side of the bed to her specifications. Satisfied, she crawled into the bed and pulled the covers over herself. She closed her eyes and yawned. It’d been a long day.
“Uh, Twi?”
Twilight’s eyes fluttered open. She rolled over and looked at Rainbow. “What is it, Dashie?”
“There’s only one bed here. Do you want me to...get a blanket and sleep somewhere else?” Rainbow blushed and looked away.
“Wait, were you seriously thinking about...with me?” Twilight’s face reddened as she imagined herself and Rainbow.
“What? No!” Rainbow responded quickly. Then she thought better of it. “I mean...well, it’s complicated. I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
Twilight giggled and rested her head back down onto the pillow. She sighed as the feathery softness embraced her. “Don’t worry about it. If it makes you feel better, you can keep your hooves on your side of the bed.”
The bed shifted with a rustling of covers as Rainbow crawled into bed next to Twilight. “Thanks, Twi.”
Twilight rolled over and prodded Rainbow gently in the chest. “Thank you as well. I’m surprised you didn’t make a contest out of who would get the bed.”
“That would’ve been a good idea, but I had stuff on my mind,” Rainbow muttered and pressed a hoof against Twilight’s own.
“Stuff? That’s not very specific.”
“It’s that agent guy. If he came here because of our letter, that means he flew from Canterlot all the way here in just a couple hours.” Rainbow sighed and gently pushed Twilight’s hoof back against the unicorn’s body. “That’s really fast. Like, really, really fast.”
“Faster than you?” Twilight whispered cautiously.
“Yeah...” Rainbow closed her eyes and turned over to look at the ceiling. “I know these new airships are supposed to be fast. But I’m not the fastest thing in Equestria anymore.” She sighed again. “I guess I always knew. It’s just hard to accept the change.”
“Dashie...”
“Heh. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine in the morning. This is just the cider talking. I get a little mopey sometimes when I have a bit too much.” She chuckled and rubbed her forehooves together nervously. “Probably from my Wonderbolt days of drinking and thinking late at night about my friends. And you.” Rainbow reached out and wrapped Twilight in a reassuring hug under the covers. “Goodnight, Twi. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Twilight relaxed within the warm grasp of Rainbow’s forehooves. “Goodnight, Dashie. Sweet dreams.”
* * *
Twilight woke the next morning with a faint feeling of excitement. Somehow, over the course of the night she realized Rainbow’s prospects may be less bleak than she initially thought. She based this on the theoretical amount of magical force the pegasus wielded. If Rainbow could summon rainbooms on demand, then a way to harness her innate abilities to increase her speed could exist. It would just take a little engineering from a friendly on-site inventor.
After a delicious breakfast of pancakes (of the apple variety), Twilight pulled Applebloom aside before she started applebucking.
“Applebloom, do you think you could build something like your Applebuckers, but for a pair of wings?” She kept her voice low.
“Wings?” Applebloom looked positively confused. “Why, I don’t rightly know, Twilight. I can’t imagine bucking apples with a pair of wings.”
Twilight blinked as she tried to picture Rainbow beating on a tree trunk with her wings. Shaking the silly image from her head, she tried again. “I meant a frame which fits in front of a pair of wings. Stabilizers, servos, actuators—that kind of stuff.”
Applebloom’s furrowed her brow in concentration. “I guess?” she started slowly. “Though, I can’t see why you’d want to build such a thing. Pegasi fly just fine without anything fancy on their wings.”
“That’s just the thing! I think pegasi—well, Rainbow at least—could fly even better if she wasn’t subject to the drag airships avoid with their magical augmentations.” Twilight clopped her hooves together excitedly. “And if we can strengthen her wings and provide stability, she could fly even faster without worry.”
The yellow filly hummed to herself as she thought it over. “Well, I reckon it’s an interesting idea, sure enough. But we just don’t have the time to build somethin’ like that. It’s applebuck season, and that creepy agent fella is watching us.” She shook her head sadly. “I’m afraid I just ain’t got the time to work on something like this.”
“What if I helped?” Twilight pleaded. “We could work on it in the evenings. You said yourself you built your Applebuckers in a day! If we work on it a few nights, we might even get a working prototype.” She bit her lip and stared at Applebloom hopefully.
Applebloom tilted her head curiously. “You’re awfully excited, Twilight. Did Rainbow put you up to this?”
Twilight took a step back in surprise. “No. Why would you say that?”
“Well, I reckoned Rainbow cares about going fast. So, she asked your help in figurin’ out someway to make it happen.” Applebloom tapped at the floor with her hoof. “It just seems like a...y’know, Rainbow Dash thing to do.”
Twilight sighed and looked down at the floor. “Dashie didn’t ask me. I just really want to do this for her. It really bothers her that no matter how hard she tries, she just can’t do something.”
An uncomfortable silence filled the room for a few minutes as Applebloom thought it over. Just as Twilight was about to add to her appeal, Applebloom sighed and smiled. “Alright, Twilight. I’ll help you work out a prototype for these Mech-Magi Wings for you. But only after each day’s harvest. And only if I’m not too tired.” She gasped as the unicorn grabbed her in an embrace and squeezed.
“Oh, thank you so much, Applebloom. Trust me, this’ll be amazing. I haven’t worked together with someone in ages. Now, let’s get applebucking. I’m sure the others are wondering where we went.” Twilight wiped a tear from her eye and smiled brightly. Things were looking up.
* * *
The orchard was an absolute cacophony of activity. Between the heavy thumps of hooves on trunks and the creaking of baskets being loaded onto carts, Twilight could hardly wrap her head around it all. Applejack was still the master of her domain. The volunteer ponies from town were organized into teams and working different sections of the orchard.
A prismatic blur whirled by her as she entered the orchard from the plateau above. “Hey there, Twi. Where’d you go after breakfast? Applejack has us working the East field.”
“Oh, I was just catching up with Applebloom here. East field? Lead the way.” Twilight smiled as Rainbow mock-saluted and landed next to her.
They chatted with one another on their way to the East field. Twilight was careful to steer the conversation away from any possible references to her plans with Applebloom. She wasn’t quite sure how Rainbow would take the idea of augmenting her wings. She felt confident that once they were done, Rainbow wouldn’t be able to resist trying them.
As they approached the field, she noticed Rainbow grew quiet. “Dashie?” She looked up at the pegasus and was surprised to see Rainbow so serious.
“It’s Fixer. He’s over there talking to Applejack,” Rainbow said plainly.
Twilight could just make out the words as they walked closer.
“My survey team reported nearly 98% of the orchard remains unharvested as of this morning.” The voice sounded collected, perhaps almost sneering as Fixer spoke to Applejack.
“Well, beggin’ your pardon, but applebuck season just started yesterday!” Applejack stated in response as her eyes narrowed. “You can’t expect us to clear an entire orchard in a single day. Even with all the new help, we wouldn’t have been able to do it.”
“New help?” Fixer smiled. “Ah, yes, of course. I’m glad the town is so supportive of your orchard. Though, I imagine the profits from an oil production plant would pay them handsomely and provide work year-round.” He glanced around at the apple trees. “Not that your lovely orchard can’t provide for the town.”
“I’ll have you know these ponies are working out of the goodness of their heart, Agent. Because they love the orchards. It’s a part of them and a part of this town.” Applejack bucked hard at the tree she was standing in front of. “And I love the orchards and this town for coming through for us.”
Fixer ignored the platter of apples falling around him. “I’ll make a note of it. Oh, and I’ll only be observing these next few days, so don’t trouble yourself. Just thought I’d set the record straight before review started.”
He turned around and strolled casually past Twilight, Rainbow, and Applebloom. He abruptly halted and looked back at Applejack with a steel-blue gaze. “By the way, Equestria’s development is hardly dependant on sentiment. Good day.” He turned and left.
Applejack grit her teeth again and walked over to the next tree. She bucked it as hard as she could. The apples cascaded down into well-placed baskets. She crumpled as a sudden onset of pain ran through her rear legs.
“Applejack!” Applebloom rushed over to her sister and lifted her up off the ground with a helping hoof. “Are you alright?”
Twilight glanced down at Applejack’s hooves and then at the imprint of her hooves on the tree. “I’m assuming you imagined that tree was the agent’s face?”
Applejack managed a wry grin and readjusted her hat. “What made you think that?”
Rainbow snickered and gestured at the markings on the tree which were about head level. “Oh, it’s pretty easy to tell, I think.”
“Don’t let what he said get to you, sis.” Applebloom patted Applejack on the back. “Just you watch, this is gonna be the best applebuck season ever.”
“Yee-haw! You got it! Let’s get to work then!” Applejack reared up on her hooves and bucked the next tree over with a smile of determination chiseled upon her face.
* * *
Fixer settled back comfortably in his chair with a cup of tea. Reviewing reports always turned dull quickly, but at least he could do it comfortably in the confines of his ship. Gently depressing a buzzer on the side of his desk, he spoke into a microphone. “Delta Squad, please report in.” He gently lifted the tea to his lips and sipped the fragrant liquid.
Two sharp knocks prompted him to lower the teacup. “Come in, please.”
The door swung open and two uniformed pegasi entered. They stood smartly at attention. “What can we do for you, sir?” one asked.
“I’d like for you to take your team on hourly recon missions of the orchard. Make note of their harvesting progress. You’ll receive a debriefing at the end of the day.” He paused as he flicked his eyes across the two soldiers. “Oh, and switch your uniforms to something a little less apparent. I’d hate for them to claim your team’s presence was distracting their work.”
“Yes, sir.” The pegasi both saluted.
“Off you go then.” He smiled and waved them off with a hoof.
The door shut quietly behind them as they stepped out. Fixer frowned as he took another sip. The tea had become slightly too cool for his preference. He concentrated his magic on the liquid as a gray glow surrounded the cup. A moment later, steam once again curled away from the cup.
He flipped open the terrain and land report detailing Appleloosa and the surrounding area. Most of it was expected: standard statements on the flat land the orchard occupied, the rocky land, the river which fed the orchard, and other mundane details.
But an interesting tidbit in the report caught his eye.
Buried within the numerous statistics and surveys, one team reported the option of building the refinery in the rocky terrain a few miles outside of town. Fixer tapped his chin as he thought it over. Obviously, this option was scrapped because it would be more costly to clear the land and build the infrastructure upon it. However, it would keep both the arable land intact and allow access to the resources beneath the farm.
He smirked and pulled over the letter he asked to be drafted in Canterlot with his magic. There was only one pony who would work out this additional option: Twilight Sparkle. The Apple Family would never consider non-arable land as useful, and Rainbow Dash was hardly a geologist by any measure.
He slipped the letter carefully back into his coat jacket and relaxed considerably. The letter would get Twilight out of the way to get the official approval and buy-in from the Ministry following his report.
And Applejack? He smirked. Applejack would learn the true value of sentiment.