//------------------------------// // Applebucking Problems and Scholarly Advised Solutions // Story: The Sour Grapes Chronicles // by The Incredible Werekitty //------------------------------// Sour Grapes was grateful for the weekend, as she trotted to Ponyville in good spirits, humming an Istalliobrothers tune to herself, actually hopping on the “jump jump jump jump” bit. She, briefly, wondered if having an ‘official’ friend was the reason for her mood, or just that it was a fine sunny day. Grapes made her way to the Pony Express office to mail her letter, and to check on the eventual delivery of a very special package. That was probably when things started on their roller coaster ride between the highs and lows. "I... I'm so sorry Miss Grapes but while in transport it... kinda got... dropped off at the wrong location... from a high distance up..." the Post Stallion uttered looking very embarrassed about the whole situation. "Please... tell me that it didn't hurt anypony..." Grapes groaned. "All right I won't... but I doubt the Flower pot... the Anvil... and the Hay Cart helped matters much either," the stallion uttered, looking quite pained to be honest. "... It did, didn't it..." Grapes uttered, deadpan, her ears going back in annoyance at Mister Literal behind the counter. She then rubbed her temples. "Fortunately Miss Sparkle is a fast healer and we were able to settle out of court," the Pony Express clerk said with a smile. "And as you took out Delivery Insurance on your Piano we are reimbursing you for the cost of both shipping and the piano itself." Sour Grapes simply looked in horror at how blase the clerk could possibly be about all this. "... Your entire shipment fell on TWILIGHT SPARKLE?! INCLUDING the piano I ordered? Great flaming fewmets..." the brown unicorn uttered, double-facehoofing herself. "The Delivery Pony helping out accidentally tilted the whole shipment at the wrong time... First day on the job too," the clerk explained. "We're very sorry for this and we'll even deliver the next Piano for free... by land if you feel a little sky shy at the moment." "Buck YEAH I'm feeling sky shy! That blasted piano could have KILLED that poor unicorn! Just... get it here by next week, would you? I've got to go and apologize to Twilight..." Grapes uttered, not knowing why she should apologize to the studious purple unicorn, but still felt somewhat responsible because of her decision to ship her mother's anniversary gift via air freight. "Yes Ma'am. we'll have it here inside of seven days," the clerk said saluting her. "Thanks," Grapes said, sounding tired, and left the post office. Then something strange happened. She could have sworn that she heard clopping hooves, building in the background along with... singing. "You spin me inside outside/ Boy, you hold me so tight/ We'll dance and party all night/ Mambo mambo ley. So kiss me in the moonlight/ You know that always feels right/ We'll dance and party all night..." the random background voices sang, then Pinkie Pie popped up beside Grapes, startling the hapless unicorn, singing: "Mambo mambo ley!" Pinkie then grabbed Grapes just as the song segued into an instrumental bit, spinning her around a couple of times, before Grapes dug her hooves into the ground. "So you wanna dance, huh?" Grapes asked, grinning impishly. "He he he he! YEAH!" Pinkie yelled excitedly. "Okay. I'll lead," Grapes asserted with an air of 'Challenge Accepted', then just as the song picked up speed, again, she pulled the pink earth pony into a very credible Mambo. The ponies in the square had to stop and watch them, drawn by both the music, and the dancers, themselves. "Somepony's cutting in!" Pinkie announced. "Wait.. what?" Grapes uttered, being pulled out of her groove, to find herself looking at a very flustered Rarity. "Just when I thought it couldn't get any more random..." Rarity hooked her elbow into hers and the two spun in a small circle as she gave Grapes a shy smile. "I am SO sorry... but sometimes one cannot help themselves when Pinkie Pie starts one of these... er... musical interludes." "At least you know I won't step on your hooves," Grapes said with a laugh, spinning the white unicorn into the very same dance she had been doing with Pinkie, moments before. Rarity obliged, a little uncertain of the dance but picking it up quickly. "I have a strong suspicion that it's her link to her Element of Harmony that seems to make these moments so... big-scale." Off to the side they could see Pinkie Pie doing something of a group dance with another white unicorn with a blue-streaked mane and sunglasses, and a black-maned gray earth pony wearing a bow tie. All three were behind a turntable deck, which was the apparent source of the music. Grapes wasn't entirely certain if Pinkie Pie kept musically inclined ponies on retainer, or if they just happened to be in the area they were when she needed them. Truth be told, Grapes loved to dance, but usually was too self conscious to do so under normal circumstances. Fortunately the presence of Pinkie Pie had a way of making you feel a LOT less conspicuous. "I wouldn't know about that, but I do know it's cheered me up," Grapes chuckled. "You dance better than Pinkie, I have to admit," she added, dipping the fashonista, before pulling her into a spin, and continuing the lively Mambo-like dance. "I'm NOT wearing this!" came a very incised accented voice, causing both mares to look toward the turntable. The gray mare was holding a gaudy black VERY broad-brimmed sequined hat. "Aw, c'MON, Octy," the blue-maned unicorn pleaded, wearing her own hat jauntily. "You were having fun a moment ago." You could almost see the rage building in the gray earth pony. "Vinyl! I am NOT nor will I ever BE a member of a Mare-i-achi band!" she uttered. "Please leave me SOME dignity!" The song wound down, and many of the spectators were clopping along with the music, content to watch Grapes and Rarity show off their moves. When it ended, Grapes bowed to Rarity, still quite amused by the whole sequence. "Where did you learn to dance, like that?" Rarity asked, sounding rather impressed. "Self-taught, mostly," the brown unicorn said blushing, and scratching the back of her head with her hoof. "I don't usually show off like that." "Sometimes it helps to have a Pinkie Pie moment and just enjoy yourself," Rarity confessed. "Normally I prefer my dances to be more refined, but I did enjoy myself greatly." "And your pedicure is still intact," Grapes joked with obvious self depreciation. "Oh fancy that," Rarity said checking her hooves. "I'm feeling rather good now. A nice change from earlier, when I was quite beside myself when I found out that my Spa treatment was canceled due to them having to some structural repairs," she added smiling at Grapes. "Huh. That makes two of us who were a bit down. Guess that's why Pinkie started all this," Grapes said, gesturing to indicate the impromptu dance party. "I was upset because my mother's anniversary gift was destroyed in transit, and may have caused Twilight Sparkle severe cranial trauma. The important lesson is never send a piano by air freight." Rarity smiled and tittered. "Poor Twilight. A good thing she has brains to spare." "Still, on the good side, I did think to take out shipping insurance on the piano, so it'll be replaced, and Mom will be able to play her music, instead of having to rely on my phonograph," Grapes mused. "Still I feel I should apologize to Twilight." "Seeing as it was your piano, that would be proper. But I suspect she will accept your apology very easily," Rarity said thoughtfully. "Well since I'm here," Grapes said, clip-clopping to the library. "I'm surprised she didn't get curious about the music." "Well I HAVE noticed she gets quite absorbed in her work. I suppose we all have that.. 'ZONE' where what you enjoy most literally insulates you to the outside world." Grapes nodded in understanding, and knocked on the Library door. The door creaked open and at first Grapes thought it might be Ponykinesis... then she looked down. "Hi Rarity! What brings you here?" Spike uttered, grinning at the purple-maned unicorn, obviously eager to please. "Hello Spike. Is Twilight in? Miss Sour Grapes, here, would like a word with her," Rarity said, smiling at the little dragon. "Oh sure. She's just organizing her schedule for this week." "Oh... kaaay... I know I keep MY schedule organized, because I've got workers," Grapes mused, as she followed the dragon into the very literal tree house. "Oh this is quit normal for Twilight," the white pony said before whispering quietly to her. "She's a little fussy about organization. The poor dear had NO social life before coming here and is still learning life doesn't always keep to a schedule." "Wow, she IS more uptight than I am," Grapes said, reiterating her original observation, chuckling. She then lifted her right hoof. "But I am doing BETTER! I've got my cousin, AJ to keep me from being a total recluse, stuck in the world of the Vineyard, and I've made my first official friend." They entered the main Gallery of the Library where Twilight was busy at a podium, scribbling away in a ledger while various books, charts and calendars rotated about her as needed. It was astonishing to see. Grapes had seen Rarity doing similar things in her shop but they were nothing compared to the multitasking going on here. It was a big reminder to Grapes that there was no doubt a reason Twilight Sparkle was Princess Celestia's personal pupil and her representative in Ponyville. "Spike? I can't seem to find that copy of 'Spectrum Sorceries: a Beginners Guide to a World of Color.' Where is it? I promised to help Rarity create indigo colored Fabric Dye." "I left it on the podium, Twilight. I think you put your schedule book on top of it," Spike replied. She moved the ledger and giggled. "Thanks Spike. I don't know what I'd do without you." "Well learning to answer the door might be on your list of things to learn. You have visitors." Twilight glanced up and turned around to see Grapes and Rarity standing there. "Oh... Sorry I didn't hear you there. I just... well... you can see." "I'd make a joke about the piano, but I'm here to apologize for sending it air freight in the first place," Grapes said drolly. "Oh that was YOUR piano?" Twilight asked, rubbing her head at the memory of impact. "Ah yes... I can see why you came to apologize. Well... I accept. You couldn't possibly have seen that happening. I sure didn't... I was in the middle of a field when... things began falling out of the sky." "... You weren't close to Pinkie Pie, were you?" Grapes asked, tilting her head. "That filly's a magnet for odd occurrences." "I was... observing her... from what I THOUGHT was a safe distance," Twilight groused. "Honestly, I would think if you've got visual contact, you're still within the zone of influence," Grapes observed in her usual droll manner. The brown unicorn was watching the various implements that Twilight had levitated around her desk just... stay there, levitating where Twilight had put then. Grapes was quietly amazed at the sheer power this one unicorn possessed. "I've noticed that... But I think strangely enough the closer I am to her, the safer I am. I just have to accept that... she has these strange incomprehensible qualities that defy pony logic," Twilight observed. "She also has this uncanny ability to know when two ponies in the same general area needs to be cheered up," Grapes observed with a shrug. "Still don't know where she found those ridiculous hats." After a little more conversation with Twilight, and Rarity, Grapes left the library to continue her in-town errands, before she went back home. Despite the piano fiasco, she was in a good mood, thanks to the Pinkie Pie moment. Even with the piano disaster, there was still some good news. Her saddlebags were full of supplies for the week, the piano was being replaced, a brief meeting with the wild-maned Vinyl had gotten her an invitation to a club opening and a permanent VIP Pass to same. So it was with a sense of accomplishment she made her way home, past Sweet Apple Acres. As she trotted past the archway to Sweet Apple acres she caught sight of Applebloom and Big Macintosh using a rope and pulley system to lift a freshly painted sign into place while Applejack stood top of the ladder with a hammer. "That's it. Keep 'er steady." Grapes paused to watch the action, keeping quiet, as to not break their concentration. Applejack was good, pounding the nails in just the right places to hold the sign up in no time. Only when she was satisfied did she come down the ladder and her helpers let the rope go slack. "Good work, ponies. Let's go get ourselves some apple juice." She then noticed Grapes and smiled. "Ah, you go on ahead. Hey Sour. Jus' back from town?" "Eeyup," Grapes said, with a slight smirk. "You finally catch up on all that sleep you lost, this past week?" "Oh MERCY, it felt so good to sleep in for the first time in mah life. Ah can see how Dash can enjoy her nap time so much," Applejack said fervently. "Good. I'm probably going to need some help at the Vineyard... Most of my workers are out, thanks to a bad batch of muffins, they had a couple of days ago," Grapes said making a face. "And I've never heard about Pinkie making a bad batch of ANYTHING." "Uh... yeah... well... that wasn't totally her fault. Ah kinda got mixed up when she was readin' off the instructions. If what Ah remember going in there was real then no wonder everypony who had one got sick," Applejack replied looking quite embarrassed. "Had yet another case of fool's pride? You know, you really need to watch that. It's going to get you into real trouble, one of these days." "It already did. Ah thought Ah could handle it all... Ah honestly did. Ah jus' couldn' say no to mah friends." "Never mind you're one stubborn mule of a pony," Grapes asserted. "Especially when you think you've been given a challenge." "All right All right. Lesson learned, letter written, an' dragon fired to Celestia. Can we please move on?" Applejack griped, giving Grapes a mild glare. "Okay, dear cousin, I won't bring it up any more... There a multitude of other things I can tease you about," Grapes said with a slight grin. "Don't suppose you've seen Stormfront, yet, have you?" "Stormfront? Ya mean that farmhoof you've been ravin' about lately? Best an' brightest o' the bad lot ya got stuck with?" Applejack asked. "Yeah, that's him. He's even gotten brave enough to call your prickly cousin a friend," Grapes replied with a lazy grin. "Brave Fella... When's the weddin'?" the orange pony teased. "Friends, cuz. Not engaged," Grapes uttered, deadpan. "I'm the last pony to fall head-over-hooves for somebody just because they happen to take a shine to me... If Wild Oats hadn't been hauled off by the guards for that arranged marriage of his, I'd have to have given him a right hook, buck over the fence combo." Grapes giggled as they started walking down the road to Grapevine Hills. "Well if even half the things you've been sayin' about this pony is true then maybe you SHOULD be taking a second look. Could be a keeper." "I've only barely made my first official friend, Applejack," Grapes said, as they reached the gate to the Vineyard. "I'm not very likely to go jumping into the idea of dating so soon after. I mean I'm still wrapping my head around somepony, other than my family, actually likes me, rather than just tolerates my presence." "Ah fair enough. So where is this coltfriend of yours? You'd think someone gray would be kinda obvious with all the bright colors around these parts," Applejack said looking around. "Probably can't see him for the grape frames," Grapes said. "He volunteered to put in some overtime, due to the others being stuck in the clinic. HEY! Stormy! My cousin wants to meet you!" A head popped up on top of her house, glancing down. "Heya Grapes. Your mom asked me to fix a leak in the tiles up here. I'll be right down in a jiffy." "Cool. We'll be down here, then. Want something to drink, Aye Jay?" Grapes asked, after waving to Stormy. "Nothin' with a kick, please. I gotta keep a clear head today." She glanced up and gasped. "Look OUT!" The gray pony had hurtled himself off of the roof and he plummeted for a moment then his wings unfurled like a set of great sails, catching the wind and slowing his decent to ground, allowing him to touch down without hardly a sound. "Yeah, I forgot to tell you. He's a pegasus," Grapes said, all too casually. Her cousin gawked at the Pegasus as he fluttered his wings before folding them back up along his flanks. He then extended a hoof. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Stormfront." "A... Applejack. Whooo... Land mercy, you're a big'un," stuttered Applejack, obviously impressed. "Thank you. Mom says I got my wings from my dad," Stormfront replied with a slight smile. "You get finished, up there, Stormy?" Grapes asked. "I was going to get some juice, and I thought I'd get you some, too." "Oh Sure I can join you. I was just trying the seal out with a little rainwater. It's holding nicely," Stormy replied. Grapes nodded, and went into the house leaving Stormfront and Applejack with a very awkward silence. "So... Yer a pegasus, huh? Funny thing you working a farm like this?" Applejack asked. "Yeah. I know... we're usually seen as just cloud-pushers but I'm really enjoying this. Probably helps that Grapes has been a great employer." "Well she's ornery but fair. I dunno if I'd feel as attached to her if she weren't family but she is, and cause we go way back I can put up with her tendency to be blunt as a horseshoe to the forehead," the farm pony observed, making a wry face. "Okay, she's a little blunt in her opinions. If she wasn't, I'd still be passing myself off as an earth pony right now," Stormy replied. "What would ya be doing that for?" Applejack asked, tilting her head. "Hiding from myself, really. Got badly hurt and couldn't face my fears afterwards... She gave me a kick in the rump I needed WHEN I needed it," Stormfront asserted, with a nod. Grapes, just then, came out with a tray of grape juice, and put it on the patio table. "Here we go. Concord's finest. No comparison to Aye Jay's apple juice, but it'll do to cut the thirst." "Thanks Sour. It's nice to switch things up a little from time to time." Applejack said, as she sipped her juice then glanced over the rim of her glass, and her eyes half-lidded as she smirked. "Strawberries." "Strawberries?" Grapes asked, then facehoofed, with a slight groan. "Oh... Oh great flaming fewmits, you've got a dearth of strawberries, don't you?" "Eyup. Got a good swap from Strawberry Valley, and figured you could do somethin' with a few crates," the orange pony said with a grin. "Just when that broccoli wine should be nicely aged, now, too," Grapes mused with a sigh. "Well now... ya actually got that broccoli to work?" Applejack asked, an eyebrow raised. "Yes, yes I did. I had to shred the blasted things. Only got about a barrel, but yeah. Probably the only wine that absolutely has to have cheese with it to taste good, but..." Stormy looked on in puzzlement as the two ponies spoke. "Am... am I missing something here?" "It's... an ongoing bet," Grapes admitted reluctantly. "Yep. When Sour, here, was just learnin' how to make wine from her daddy she got to braggin' how good she was at it. Swore she could probably make a potent drink out of jest about ANYTHIN'. So Ah got dibs on making her prove it." "I'm probably going to have to get into distilling, at this rate," Grapes laughed ruefully. "Maybe even brewing." "Ya shoulda tasted her Rhubarb Wine. It was nice on a hot day, but ya always puckered with each sip," Applejack said reminiscing. "That sold remarkably well, surprisingly enough," Grapes observed. "Wow... Sounds like a nice hobby to have along side the tried and true wines," Stormy uttered with a grin. "The VERY first one, she forgot an important word, when stating the bet," Grapes chortled. "And that would be?" Stormy asked, curiously. "'Palatable'," Grapes said with a smirk. "So Applejack ended up with an asparagus-based alcohol cleaning solution." "Stuff's great if you need something to fill your lamps with, if you don't mind the smell of asparagus." Applejack sighed "Thankfully it was another small batch, like the broccoli wine," Grapes added. "Strawberries should be easy, though, methinks. A lot of drinks are based on having strawberry as an ingredient, but I don't know if there's any actual fermentation project that's based on the fruit itself." "Wow. So I'm guessing this bet isn't on a schedule? You just work with it as she comes up with ideas?" Stormy asked. "Pretty much, sugarcube," Applejack replied. "I'm kind of stubborn that way. Guess it shows how much we are related. Neither one of us can back down from a challenge," Grapes chuckled, nudging Applejack. "No matter mow much of a bad taste it leaves in our mouths? Mmm?" Stormy asked with a slight grin. Grapes sniggered, smirking over at Applejack. The Pegasus smiled and drained his glass. "Makes me wonder what it would have been like to grow up with such a large close-knit family. Can't all be Wine and Apples, but it must be really nice to always find someone to turn to." "Well sometimes we drive each other crazy but Ah know I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world." "I'd be a recluse, without AJ," Grapes said truthfully. After that, the conversation wound down, and Applejack plead a need to return home to Sweet Apple Acres. Because the majority of the other farmhooves were either out on the town, or in the clinic, Grapes invited Stormfront to eat with her family. Champ and Cham seemed rather pleased with Grapes' action, though their insistence upon seating her and the gray pegasus together confused the filly. ================================================================= The second day of the weekend dawned, quietly, with little fanfare. Sour Grapes had chose to go out, and check on the grape vines, checking their need for a good healthy dose of compost. It was something that only Grapes, or her father Champagne, could do. And soon, it would be only her, because her parents had told her they intended to retire at the end of this season, because Sour Grapes despite the setbacks, had done very well on her own. Grapes had mixed feelings about this development. One one hoof, she felt honored that her parents had such confidence in her, but on the other, she felt the early pangs of loneliness. True they were only going to be at Seaside, and could visit easily, but that loving, comforting presence would not be there at any time of the day or night she needed it. Grapes sighed, then continued her fertilization project. A bit later, she heard hooves on the path to the gate, causing her to look up, wondering who'd be coming here today? The chocolate brown unicorn left her rake in the aisle trotting to the gate. Standing there, looking around, was Twilight Sparkle, with Spike riding her back, as he was wont. "Hey, there, Twilight. Hey, Spike What brings you out here?" Grapes asked as she walked over to the studious purple unicorn and her dragon companion. Spike waved a bit, a scroll in one of his hands. "Well... It's kind of... interesting," Twilight said, looking very confused as she levitated the scroll over. "I received a request to... forward this message on to you, Sour Grapes." "Huh? A message for me?" Grapes said levitating the scroll, obviously bewildered, as she examined the ribbon and seal. "Who in Equestria would send me a message through you?" Twilight glanced back at Spike before trying to subtlety as possible lean to read over Grapes' shoulder, despite the fact that Grapes had not opened it yet. "Believe it or not, only one person can send me messages the way this one arrived," replied Twilight, scuffing a hoof. Spike thumped his chest and stifled a belch. "Yeah... I wasn't even expecting that one." Grapes clip-clopped over to the outdoor table, laying the unopened scroll carefully onto it. "That doesn't really tell me a lot, Twilight," Grapes said, tilting her head. "I don't suppose you would be so kind as to, you know, enlighten me? I don't get out, much." "Well... Once a week I send a letter to Princess Celestia and the most direct route is to have Spike ignite it with Dragon Fire... and it appears in her presence. When she sends one back... Spike... uhm... Belches fire and the letter falls out of the flames. "You're saying this letter is from... Oh..." Grapes uttered, her legs going weak. She nearly hit her chin against the table, before she stumbled her legs back beneath her, staring at Twilight with wide eyes. "Great flaming fewmets, she wrote back!" "Wrote... back?" Twilight asked, her head tilting to one side. "You mean you sent a letter and she felt it was so important she sent it the speediest way she could?" "She's the ruler of the whole bucking country... I wasn't expecting Princess Celestia to even read the bloody thing," Grapes said, still sounding quite stunned. "And even if she did, I honestly wasn't expecting a reply..." "The Princess tries to be fair abut all correspondences," the purple unicorn deadpanned. "Yes she does have a Personal Assistant and a Royal Vizier to help her keep things on track but she tries to keep a hoof in all matters of her subjects... So what's it say?" "Okay... Let me get it open. I don't have the dexterity you do with your levitation, 'cause I'm half earth pony," Grapes said, as she used her levitation to hold the scroll, but her hooves to carefully unseal the seal, and unroll the scroll. "Let's see... *ahem* 'My reasonably faithful subject, Sour grapes, Thank you for your letter. It's arrival along with my morning mail and proved a nice change of pace. It's nice to hear directly from my subjects. Normally I usually get just the usual supplicants who come in seeking out my favor or blessing on some matter. There's only so much bowing and scraping a pony really wishes to see in her day so your... tone of letter proved a very welcome diversion. I had forgotten that the Apple family was so extensive and was close knit enough for such information as Twilight Sparkle's weekly "friendship report " to get around. While your style differs from Twilight's flowing script, I can tell that, like Applejack, you speak forthrightly and directly, treating your correspondence with admirable honesty, if a little blunt. I want you to know that while I don't expect regular correspondences such as this, I think I would like to hear from you again on any matter. So long as you continue to speak with an element of honesty yourself. Sincerely, Princess Celestia'" Twilight's jaw hung open for a moment before she shut it, and coughed into her hoof. "So Applejack mentioned my uhm.. 'friendship reports', did she?" "Of course. They're part of the story of, well, you, She'd be leaving out something important, if she didn't include them," Grapes said, with a shrug. "I just, recently, had somebody tell me that they considered ME a friend, and that's never happened before. So..." "So you thought it might be fun to tell Princess Celestia about it?" Twilight smirked and nodded. "I never was the kind of pony who could go out of her way to make friends so it was a surprise when I wound up with six after arriving here. Guess we have that kind of discovery in common, do we?" "I suppose we do. In all honesty, I wasn't even expecting a reply. Thought it would provide a momentary diversion, a bit of amusement, then Her Royal Highness would go on with her day," Grapes said. "After all you're her student. I'm just a young, somewhat asocial, winemaker from Ponyville." "You underestimate yourself. Princess Celestia isn't as distant from Ponykind as many really think. Yes she acts as a ruler should in public but... well... I've seen her struggle with some difficult news and decisions as I grew in her care. Maybe what she likes hearing from my friendship reports is a more ordinary point of view to the world she lives in. I'd use the word 'optimistic' in such a description but I get the feeling yours is more of a... a guarded optimism." "I suppose so. From what I've heard about you, I tend to be more cynical than you are, but then the pleasant surprises do tend to be sweeter, when they happen," Grapes said with a slight smirk. "I suppose, however, we could go on for hours, talking about the difference between 'nature' and 'nurture', and how my upbringing, and a particularly disastrous visit to Gala affected me, but we'd end up putting Spike, there, to sleep." "Probably," Twilight agreed rubbing Spike on the head. "Maybe some other time then?" "Maybe so. I work during the week, but I could pay a visit on the weekend. I could probably use something to expand my winter reading, too. One can only read 'On the Confluence of Magics' so many times. Though it helped me in finding the balance between my unicorn abilities, and my earth sense," Grapes observed, thoughtfully. "Really? I've never thought about how that could apply to the innate magics of the other Pony species. I always just... assumed it was a sort of Primer for spell casters. Helping to walk us through how magic is shaped and affects us as we affect it," Twilight said, surprised by this new use for a tome she's read several times. "Apparently mixed marriages weren't as common as they are now... 'Chapter Five: The Fruit of Forbidden Love; How the mixing of tribes affects the offspring and their abilities'," Grapes recited, then tilted her head, at a rosy blush showing up on the lavender unicorn's cheeks. "Hmmm... A touch embarrassed to read that far, hm? Oh... Wait... Yeah... That chapter was a touch racy... I think old Starswirl let his imagination run away with him... That or he had a secret thing for pegasai." "He was certainly ahead of his time. I just... couldn't wrap my head around that chapter. Guess it was too embarrassing," Twilight said, still blushing. "And the look on your face is priceless," Grapes chuckled. "It's nice to see someone other than me knows about Starswirl the Bearded. You'd think he was some minor character in Unicorn history," Twilight grouched, sounding a touch annoyed. "Heh. They don't call that book 'Obscure Unicorn History' for nothing. My favorite is Geode the Earthy. He's the one who actually discovered and documented Earth Pony earth sense." "We have a copy of that one?" Twilight asked. Spike, who had been trying valiantly not to go to sleep during the more literary discussion, shrugged shaking his head. "I do, in the house. Don't know about the library," Grapes answered. "Um... so... You gonna write back to Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked, curiously. "I... might. She might find it amusing to discover I may be befriending her student... If, of course, you're willing to call cynical hybrid like myself a friend," Grapes replied, with a slight smirk. "I have six Ponies I call my friends whom I never would have even thought of befriending before. What's one more?" "That's the spirit," Grapes laughed. "May even be the one pony who understands what the hay you're talking about, when you talking about your studies. Heh. May even be the reason why she sent the reply Spikey Express." "Probably. Celestia always has a reason for these things... even if it's not obvious at first," Twilight observed with a nod. "So... How does your particular earth sense work?" "I'd have to take you into the vineyard, proper, to show you," Grapes said, handing her letter to Spike. "Keep an eye on this, would you, Spike?" "Sure thing," the little dragon said, earning a smile from Grapes. Twilight accompanied the winemaker to one of the multitude of frames, and listened raptly as Grapes explained the synergy of unicorn and earth pony powers. Grapes liked showing off her ability to someone who really appreciated it. Her horn tingled as she demonstrated to Twilight Sparkle how she could divine various things about the Vines growing on the frame and the soil beneath it. The magical unicorn was duly impressed. "And you have expanded this ability all on your own? That's actually amazing. I might have to ask your help in writing up a proper paper for the Academy." "I guess that would be kind of unique... Most ponies from mixed marriages could choose to go one way or another... I had to embrace both sides of my heritage, because..." Grapes trailed off, looking down. "I... My mother couldn't have any more foals after me... I know I shouldn't... But sometimes, I feel kind of guilty about it..." There was a sound of something wooden, hitting something solid on the other side of the Frame and a soft curse "Ow... of all the mud-licking Jackapplery... Who left the rake in the middle of the aisle?" "Oops... Sorry, Stormy," Grapes said, looking embarrassed. "I was composting over there, and got distracted." His familiar face peeked over the top of the frame and down at the two fillies. He smiled (Oh those nice teeth) and his sky blue eyes twinkled, in spite the the shiner starting to appear around the left one. "Oh... Sorry Grapes. Didn't realize I had an audience... I don't like to cuss in front of other ponies. Makes me sound a little crass." "One of your farmhooves?" Twilight asked looking up at the face. "Yup. That's Stormfront. Stormfront, this is Twilight. I was showing her how I managed to integrate unicorn magic and earth sense to help me grow better grapes." "Well I'm very pleased to meet you Twilight. Any friend of Grapes can count me as a friend too. Anyways I was just putting in a little overtime since some of the farmhooves are currently... uh... well you know how they are right now. I just figured seeing as I'm still able bodied I could at least try to make up for the lack of horsepower at the moment." "Eh... yeah... Thanks a lot, Stormy. I really appreciate it," Grapes said with genuine gratitude. "The rest of the farmhooves are still at the Clinic... They went to Sugarcube Corner, after they got off work, and... Well it's really weird, because I've never known Pinkie Pie to make a bad batch of anything, but this time..." Grapes said, explaining the situation to Twilight. Stormfront's head ducked back behind the vines as Twilight nodded. "I know... It wasn't her fault. She had a severely sleep-deprived helper and well... Pride isn't always a bad thing but when you're too stubborn to even consider you can't do it all. That's when Mistakes happen," Twilight observed, nodding. Grapes sighed. "Thanks for finally getting AJ to come to her senses, by the way. When she gets like that, I'm so tempted to give her the old left hook... But then she'd have bucked me over the fence." Grapes chuckled, shaking her head. "What can I say? It's not easy to have such a stubborn mule of a pony for a cousin." Stormfront stepped out from behind the row with a full basket in his teeth. He put it down a moment to nod to the fillies. "Gotta head back for a fresh basket but I'll try to get two more in before dinner. your mom was nice enough to make dandelion salad tonight. Seeing how things have turned out I might be dining alone. Pleasure meeting you Twilight." Picking up the basket again he spread his wings and Grapes glanced over to Twilight and caught the expression of awe and wonder on her face as he caught the wind and leapt into the air. She paused a moment then spoke in a hushed tone. "That... he... he's a Pegasus? You have a Pegasus picking grapes? I.... we... we had some volunteers helping Applejack out over in Sweet Apple Acres but that was just... helping out." "It's a long story, Twilight... Though, it IS kind of easy to see why Starswirl may have developed a 'thing' for pegasai, hm?" "I... Oh.. my... he's very endowed, isn't he? I've never seen wings that large on anyone short of Princess Celestia." Sour Grapes couldn't help it. She really couldn't. It was just that statement could be taken more than one way... Well not the bit about the wingspan being on par with the Princess' but the bit about Stormy being 'very endowed'. So it was no wonder that Grapes started to snigger impishly. "What? The amount of lift those wings probably have... he must be like the Big Macintosh of Pegasai!" "It... it's just the comment about 'endowment' could be taken in a less than chaste way," Grapes giggled. "Oh... OH! Oh I didn't mean... N-not really anyways. Aheh.. I shouldn't use that description when I describe him to the others, huh? I might get teased all the way back to Canterlot," the other unicorn said blushing at the thought something she said could have such a connotation but was able to joke a little. "Yeah. For most ponies, 'endowed' is not a good word to use when describing attributes, because... Well I'm fairly cerebral, and my mind STILL went there, if that's any indication. But then," Grapes said with a grin and a nudge. "I am a little 'earthy'." "A-although I find it strange for a pony breed who favors the air to be so content picking grapes. I gotta know, is he any good at it?" Twilight asked, obviously trying to change the subject, from her brief stutter, but she still sounded curious. "Yes, he's very good at picking grapes. In fact he's been my steadiest and most dependable worker, I've had this season. I wish I could find more like him, because I've been, well, bleeding workers, left and right... Who would have thought that letch, Wild Oats, was roped into an arranged marriage? Uh... Anyway, I wish I could find more like him, and hire them on, full time..." "Well, if he's a hard worker then he's a hard worker. A pity he doesn't have some pegasai friends who might like spending their time with all four hooves in the dirt," Twilight said offhoofedly. Grapes looked at her, then looked very thoughtful. "Well, anyway, we should probably head back... It was great talking to you, Grapes." "Hey, you too. I'll be sure to visit, next weekend, too," Grapes replied, walking with Twilight to the gate. "Thanks for watching my letter, Spike." "No problemo," Spike said, handing it to Sour Grapes. "We headin' home, Twilight?" "Sure are. G'bye, Grapes. See you next weekend," Twilight said, waving, as she levitated Spike into position on her back. "Seeya," Grapes said, as the purple unicorn trotted back to Ponyville. She then went in search of Stormy. Predictably she found him in the grape frames. "Hey, Stormy, got a minute?" "Oh hey, Grapes. Yeah I can spare a few. What's on your mind?" Stormfront asked, as Grapes came up to him. "Well you've noticed the general lack of working ponies, here, due to various circumstances, right?" Grapes asked, gesturing to the vineyard in general. He moved his basket over a few feet and sighed. "I know... we lost some good workers with the bad." "I know... You mentioned your team, the Storm Riders," Grapes started, cautiously. "You don't suppose they'd be interested in working here, do you? If they have your same work ethic, they'd be great..." He stopped working a moment and stared off into the distance. "Well, to tell you the truth, the majority are in a similar boat as me. You know, brief calls to duty followed by long periods of inactivity. More than a few have secondary jobs just to keep themselves occupied. And yes, yes we do all have the same kind of work ethic, we're just... well... a mixed bag of personalities." "That would be different, how?" Grapes asked, in a deadpan tone, with a tilt of the head and a raised eyebrow. "Well... " Stormy paused a moment then he sat down in the dirt in front of her so the two of them were eye-to-eye. "Each of us is a specialist. I think I mentioned this before but imagine a team where every member is a real hot-shot in their field, and we never quite lose that feeling of 'best of the best' however, we have gotten into a very good habit of stepping down and letting a pony who is the best in the needed task, act as team leader. Hurricane battering the coast, Summer Squall will take the wheel. If there's a forest fire, Firestormer steps up. If it's freezing rain or a blizzard then Queenie... I mean Icestorm will take over. If I can convince any of the team to come here... That makes YOU the default team leader. You have to be ready to act the part if necessary. " "Aaaaand that would be different from me being the boss, how?" Grapes asked, feeling like she'd asked this before. "Well for one thing we'll ALL be pegasai. That will certainly test your patience." "Listen. You and your team deal with storms. I could probably give you some of the weather science behind them, but I wouldn't even dream of telling you how to handle them. I, however, deal with the vineyard, and all the niggly little details that go with it. And, soon, I'm going to be doing it all alone, 'cause Mom and Dad are retiring. If I can deal with snot-nosed unicorns, overeating earth ponies, and a Freerunner fugitive, I can deal with a flock of flighty pegasai." Stormy smiled and and stood up. "That's the right attitude! You don't have to be pushy or angry all the time but you will occasionally have to remind them that 'your stable, your rules'." "Am I really like that, all the time?" Grapes asked. "No, not really. You have your moments but you've been justified in those moments you had to throw your weight around, or in the case of Fritter, HIS weight. I can't believe you were able to lift him with your horn like that." "Hey, I'm GOOD at lifting heavy stuff," Grapes said with a smirk, bracing herself, and lifting Stormfront. She then set him back on his hooves, gently. "Somebody's got to move the wine barrels." "Oooh... Nice technique," Stormfront giggled. "Tingles a little too. All joking aside though, the Storm-Riders may be a little odd... Even compared to the temps you hired, but I think you can handle them. I'm just giving you the same speech that Weathervain gave me when I joined in... more or less." "Gotcha. See if you can have them here, soonish, okay, or else we're going to have a banner year for burgundy," Grapes asserted, as she picked up a basket to take it over to the weigh-in area, since it was only him, that day. "Gotcha. I'm gonna just take these baskets as-is to the scale and go in and start writing letters. If I'm quick I can get to the Pony Express before the evening shipment," the large gray pegasus said, as he picked up the rest of the baskets. "Sounds good," Grapes said with a nod. "Too bad Twilight's assistant couldn't do it." "Well you kinda gotta know who you're sending things to when you use dragonfire... I had to be personally introduced to Smudge when I started working for Weathervain. He can send letters to any Storm-Rider wherever they are in Equestria. Hmmm..." Stormy paused and tapped his head. "Maybe I should just send the letters to Weathervain and ask if Smudge can forward them to the team." "That may be a bit quicker," Grapes said with a nod. "Anyway, I'll weigh the grapes, and get you the bits. Can't have you going to the Pony Express empty hooved." "Right... Thanks." He started to bend down to lift the baskets when he stopped. "You know... if they come it'll be the first time I've seen them in a year. Hope they still like me." "If they show up, then they still like you," Grapes said drolly. ================================================================= Quite to Sour Grapes' surprise, one of the Storm Riders showed up the very next day. Grapes had been picking grapes that had gone to burgundy, along one of the rows of unharvested Chablis, when a skidding sound from the road attracted her attention. She galloped to the gate, hoping whatever had happened was not too serious. Instead of the wreck that her imagination had conjured, she found herself staring at a fiery colored pegasus at the end of some very long skid marks. "Are you okay?" The bright orange, red and yellow Pony took off his goggles and smiled. "That depends. Is this Grapevine Hill?" "Grapevine Hills Vineyard and Winery," Grapes said with a touch of pride. "And that would make you Sour Grapes?" "That's what my parents named me," Grapes said with a snarky grin. "And you would be?" He stood up and wiped his hoof off on his jersey before extending it. "Firestormer, Ma'am. I've worked with Stormfront and the other Storm-Riders on rogue weather detail. I specialize in conflagrations that get so bad they literally form their own unique weather systems. Got the call you're looking for a few able bodies for something that's a lot less... hazardous." "Don't mind hooves-on-the-ground type work?" Grapes asked, tilting her head, raising an eyebrow. "Well I'm not saying that my job doesn't give me a rush; but after dealing with things like pyrocumulonimbus clouds, ash storms, and fire whirls... I think having steady and mostly predictable work in between gigs will do a lot for my nerves. " "No need to ask if you've got a problem taking orders from a mare, either," Grapes said with a slight smirk. "Not a problem there Ma'am. The grand Poo-bah of the Storm Riders is Lady Weathervain, and don't let her know I said it but she rules with an Iron hoof," Firestormer replied. "Nice to know you're used to assertive mares," Grapes said with a grin, then gestured for him to come past the gate. "As you can see this is a vineyard. Been in my family for generations. You know Stormfront, of course." "STORMY! HEY!" Firestormer shouted, going to the big gray stallion. "Great to see you Firestormer. How's the gang?" Stormy asked, grinning at the flame colored pegasus "Doing good, doing good. How's the wings?" "Oh sweet Celestia they healed correctly and ready to go back into the fray when I'm needed," Stormy said with obvious relief. "Good to have you back pal. Just wasn't the same without our freaky feathered friend," Firestormer said with a huge grin. "Stormy can get you started on the basics. I'll wait until everybody arrives before giving the 'I'm in charge' speech," Grapes said. "I HATE repeating myself." The fiery pegasus blinked then smirked. "Something tells me we're all gonna feel right at home here." "Probably," Grapes said with a wicked grin. "Not quite 'iron hoofed', but I do not suffer fools gladly." "She means it. I saw her lift a Pony who looked like he swallowed a pickle barrel," Stormy said sounding a touch awed. "He was eating all my Merlot grapes," Grapes said grumpily. "Okay. Note to self, Never tick off the boss lady." "She has a mean right hook," Grapes added with a smirk. Later that same day, Grapes was checking over the grapes that the two pegasai had already picked, noting their individual tallies on the chalkboard, before carrying the grapes to the processing shed. When she came back out, she was mildly surprised to discover a taxi cart at her gate dropping off a sea-foam green pegasus wearing a red and white striped shirt, a jaunty sea captain's hat, and a sturdy leather-looking belt.. The stallion seemed to be a touch unsteady on solid ground, for some odd reason. "Arrr... the land doesn't move under me hooves. T'aint natural I say," he uttered in a seafarer's accent. "Of course it's natural. That's the nature of land," Sour Grapes said, rather cheerfully. "As opposed to say, water." "Arr... Nine tenths of the world ain't enough." he said quietly as he took a few tentative steps forwards. "Ponies can't live by kelp alone, you know," Grapes said with a slight smirk. "We can try. Ahhh, I'll be better when I get me land-legs back. Always takes some time when I come inland. It's different out there, Seaside is actually built on Pontoons and moves up and down with the tides." "Ah I see. Well... I'm Sour Grapes, as you probably deduced." "Aye. Please to meet you lass. I am Summer Squall. bet you were expecting me to be a Mare, weren'tcha?" Squall asked, with a lopsided grin. "No." The sea-foam pegasus tilted his head, seeming to be surprised at her rather deadpan answer. "Really. That's odd. Most folks hear the name 'Summer' and think I should be a gal," he replied. "Then they haven't met Fertile Fields, Apple Brioche, Sunshine Gleam, or Spring Breeze," Grapes said, listing off some of the stallions who had worked for her in the past. "Then there's my father, Champagne Grapes. My Uncle, Cabochon Diamond, my cousin Chablis Grapes... Poor guy got teased something awful. So when it comes to names, I simply wait and see." "Aye. I can see that. So where's the little albatross gone to? I'd like to see if'n I can catch him off guard." "He's harvesting the Chablis grapes, down that field, there," Grapes said pointing toward a section of the vineyard. "Firestormer's there, too." "Wait. He's harvestin' yer cousin?" Squall asked, giving Grapes this odd look. "No. Chablis Grapes, my cousin, lives in Paris Prance," Grapes replied. But Chablis is also a type of wine grape. Used to make, wait for it, Chablis wine. Stormfront and Firestormer are harvesting them, now. Down that aisle, in that field." "Arr. Thank you lass," Squall said wandering down the aisle with his dufflebag slung across his back. He continued to speak even though nobody was walking with him. "Prance is a nice place this time of year. I remember my last trip there during the season of the incontinent goatherd. It was a muggy summer... " "What am I getting myself into?" Grapes asked herself, shaking her head, as she went back to work. ================================================================= Grapes stepped out onto the porch and sighed. The moon was in it's crescent phase, a thin curved sliver of light in the nighttime sky, just BARELY adding it's dim illumination to the fields. Two of the Storm-Riders had arrived and there were others who said they were on their way. Stormy assured her they probably would arrive by late tomorrow and she could give her big speech then. Firestormer and Squall were interesting to say the least but through discussion she felt that they could make decent workers. She just hoped that the others would be the same. She sipped her hot-chocolate and enjoyed the sound of the crickets when there was a light fluttering sound. It wasn't really the sound she had come to expect of pegasi which had a sort of 'softer' tone to it. In this case it sounded a little more like... flapping a blanket. A quick scan of the yard didn't indicate any ponies at all, winged or not, and considering that she didn't even have the porch light on what kind of Pegasai would risk flying on such a dark night? She heard the noise again. Then a light 'clomp' behind her. "Hullo there. Is this Grapevine Hill?" "Why do you keep forgetting the Ess? It's Grapevine HillS," Grapes uttered with a sigh. "Sorry. My Bad. So is this Grapevine Hills, Miss?" the youngish voice said. "Yes, it is," Grapes said, turning toward the voice. "How can I help you?" Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the small figure sitting directly in front of her. His fur was a charcoal gray... Not so strange, and the long pointy ears were surprising but not odd, but his wide yellow eyes gleamed up at her with cat-like pupils and his wings... They were bat-wings. As a foal she remembered tales of The Mare in the Moon's minions, terrible bat-winged ponies. Night-Ponies who would come out of the night and steal away bad little ponies to feed the Fallen Princess. This colt reminded her very much of those Night-Pony stories... It was a good thing she was momentarily rendered speechless and the young pony had a chance to smile in a disarmingly normal manner. "Well I'm kinda, sorta looking for a job. A friend of mine... You probably know him if you work here, Stormfront? Big guy? Big wings? Well he sent me a letter asking if I wanted a job here and so.. I came hoping I could help." 'He's just a kid,' Grapes thought, and ended up smiling back. "I imagine you have a hard time," she said in a quiet voice. She looked him over, again, this time approvingly. "Nocturnal?" "Yes ma'am, I am normally nocturnal," he said grinning. "But I've gotten used to the daylight lands and the schedule you keep. I'm glad someone was up right now because I was sort of debating what to do if everyone was still sleeping. I probably would have found a tree or rooftop and just slept until you woke up." Now that her initial reaction was starting to subside she had a chance to look at the young pony. The Wings and Eyes really sucked your vision to them... They made him seem so... un-ponyish. He wore a midnight blue, shiny jacket with yellow lightning bolts down the sleeves and fluffy wool around the collar (An old aviator's jacket design but actually based on the Old Wonderbolts uniform before the invention of spandex) he also had hanging about his neck a pair of Flight Goggles, but the glass was tinted green. "Wear those during daylight hours, to save your eyes?" Grapes asked. "Yeah. They were a gift from my Grandmother. I see in low-light as easily as you see in broad daylight, but too much sun can hurt my eyes. So these let me function normally..." he paused then held a hoof up to the side of his mouth as he whispered. "Don't tell anyone but some ponies think my eyes are spooky so the goggles hides them so they don't get scared." Grapes smirked a bit. "You're secret's safe with me, kiddo. I'm Sour Grapes, by the way." He smiled again and extended a hoof. Grapes was secretly happy to see it lacked the claws that the old Mares tales suggested. "Hiya. I'm Earshot." She shook his hoof. "Nice to meet you," Grapes said with a nod. "So... What do you think you can do for a vineyard? We pick grapes during the day... But you're being nocturnal could work out." "Well if you want I could keep on doing the same work at night. That way someone's always keeping an eye on things. But as I said I can shift to a daylight schedule easily enough. On the Storm-Riders I serve mostly as recon. the eyes and ears of the team. I help them to size up the weather patterns and landscape. Not a lot gets past a pair of ears like these," Earshot explained, then tilted his head, as if he heard something. "By the way did you know you have moles in the east field?" "No. No I didn't. I don't suppose you could persuade them to leave?" Grapes asked. "If not, I'll see if I can get Fluttershy to do it." "Well I can scare them off if you want. I can speak in a tone that really bugs the heck out of rodents." "That will work just fine. I think you may do well as a watch-pony, at night. Keep the night time critters from eating the grapes." "Sure Miss Grapes. I can do that for you," Earshot said with a smile. "Have any of the other Riders arrived yet? " "Firestormer and Squall," Grapes replied, then smiled and mussed his mane. "If you get tired, the bunk house is over there," she added pointing it out. "Okie Doke. I should get some rest in before sunrise, I covered a lot of ground to get here and really need some time to get my strength back." "All righty. Welcome aboard, Earshot. I'm glad to have you here," Grapes said, smiling at the young pony. "I am very happy to be here. I don't think I've ever actually had a chance to see how food is grown out here before. Usually I'm flying past on my way to one location or another. I really like seeing how the Daylight lands operate." "This isn't, exactly, food, Earshot." "I know. Your crop is destined to go on to ferment into a refreshing but intoxicating drink meant for ponies older than me. I'm not totally naive about stuff like wine. I just... Well, I left home to see the world, and it always feels so BIG and NEW." Earshot grinned and trotting in place a moment his dark purple wings fluttered and 'hugged' himself. "I can't tell you how amazing everything is out here." "Must be quite a story behind that, hm? Why don't you go and get some sleep, Earshot? I'm about to head in, myself." "Ok. thank you for this oppourtunity Miss Grapes. It must be weird for you to be hiring on a batch of Pegasai like us. Huh?" "I hire on assorted characters all the time. But, you're right. I don't normally get pegasai. They usually do weather stuff," Grapes replied. "Good choice. Okay.. so you said the big building with the snoring coming from it is the bunkhouse?" "Heh. Yeah. Never knew pegasai snored so loudly..." "Good night Miss Grapes. See you after sunrise." She watched as he picked up a rather nice carpet-bag in his teeth and trotted happily down the short road to the Bunkhouse. His appearance brought back some old foalhood nightmares but his attitude and personality dispelled them like smoke by a stiff wind. "Nice kid," she mused, before going inside. ================================================================= That next morning, Grapes left Stormy in charge of the vineyard for her trip into town, because he had the most experience. Because she was going to try (AGAIN) to get a simple pruning vest from Rarity. It did not take long for her to reach town, and Rarity's shop, when she heard Rarity in animated conversation with another pony within. "Oh Rarity, this is just too much!" "Please, how can I NOT adorn such a wonderfully elegant countenance. It seems like a crime for you to not look your very best." "True true but there is no way I can afford this at this time. Although I absolutely ADORE the hat. Oh this is so gorgeous, I am absolutely in LOVE with the style." "You truly feel that way about my summer Chapeau?" "Such beauty, your choice of color, the simplicity of the band ribbon and crested dome. The boldness of the feathers and the wide brim... and yet it's practical too. One could do gardening with this as easily as they could go on a picnic with a paramour." "Then it's yours." "Oh, I COULDN'T." "But you must! I insist! It would be a crime to let your fair muzzle become sunbburnt." "Oh very well... but permit me to keep both our dignities intact and pay you in installments. Ten bits here and ten bits there add up in the long run." "Oh you push too hard, but I accept your terms. Good luck with the job... I hear your new employer can be quite the taskmistress." "Thank you for the warning, Rarity!" "Hello?" Grapes said, opening the door, and peeking into the shop. Rarity stood before a GORGEOUS pegasus with a pale blue-white body that actually GLITTERED in the light. She bore a set of light brown saddlebags on her flanks that looked rather stylish and upon her head was one of Rarity's creations. Even Grapes had to admit the stylish chapeau was partway functional, and rather pretty. The pegasai allowed Rarity to remove the hat to make a final change, and revealed the most jealousy-invoking mane of curly blonde hair she had EVER seen. "Hello, Sour Grapes. Pleased to see you in my shop again so soon." "Hey, Rarity. I was wondering if I could put an order in for a pruning vest. My old one's gotten rather threadbare, and ragged." "Oh, darling, I shall endeavor to do my best to make you a new vest but I am positively SWAMPED at the moment. It's astounding how my vocation can have these sudden surges of popularity," Rarity said dramatically. "Wow, must be a big order," Grapes observed. "All right. I'll come back later then. Heh. At least you've got my measurements on file from the last time I was here." "That I do... And unless you have had more than your share of Mr and Mrs Cakes' products they should still be viable. Have a good day, Sour Grapes," the brilliant white unicorn said, sounding more than a little harried. "You, too, Rarity," Grapes said, exiting the store, then sighed. "It's nice to see her so busy, but, I'm seriously considering something off the rack at this rate..." She heard the door open again and a hurried clip-clop coming up along side of her. "I'm sorry to be this bold but did I hear Rarity correctly when she called you Sour Grapes?" "Yes, you did," Grapes said, finding herself face-to-face with that drop-dead-gorgeous pegasus from earlier. Grapes looked her over. She talked like one of those Gala dandies that put her down, but held herself in a rather professional manner, and seemed just the least bit nervous to boot. "You talk, and look, a bit like a Canterlot dandy, yet you look like you've actually used your wings for something other than casual flight. In addition, you knew my name, and are probably looking for Grapevine Hill... It's Hills, by the way. I think Stormy forgot the Ess in his letters." "I surmised that much, yes. He spoke of the 'rolling' landscape which suggested that perhaps a plural would be far more appropriate." She extended her hoof and nodded. "I am Icestorm, and very pleased to make your acquaintance Miss Sour Grapes." Grapes couldn't help but notice that in spite of how impeccably groomed the offered hoof was, she could see beneath the polish and well brushed hair was the signs of a lot of hard work. "Likewise," Grapes said shaking her hoof. "I was going to swing by the clothing store, to see if they had something serviceable in the way of gardening attire, there, since Rarity was so busy, but... Well since you're here, I'd be happy to show you the way to the Vineyard." "I would be most grateful for that. I had planned on asking for directions at that lovely shop but I was sidetracked." She paused and watched the large form of Big Macintosh walk past with fresh produce for the Apple Stand in the market. "...barring that I may have asked one of the very friendly-looking locals." "They're all very nice. Heh, even Rarity knows where Grapevine Hills is," Grapes chuckled. "I must confess, I've known about Grapevine Hills for some time. My Parents have been known to stock the wine cellar with your fine vintages and I myself have had time to enjoy the occasional glass . I especially enjoyed Chateau D'Chevalier. Bold and yet sweet. A wonderful treat to enjoy as you watch the snow fall across the mountains," Icestorm said reminiscing. "You've probably had the Chateau Royal, or Chateau Imperial, if you've ever been to the Galloping Gala," Grapes said, as they trotted along. "Oh yes. I know the Gala seems like a polite clash of Egos but in a way I enjoy it, if not for the company then the food and efforts of the caterers. It's always refreshing to enjoy the fruits of somepony else's labors." "I hated it, when I went, but that was Grandma Pave's intent," Grapes grumbled. "Pave? You mean Pave Diamond? You're related to that withered old gluepot? My deepest sympathies, my family is very aware of the pull she has with the others but I assure you that the Ice Family has no desire to ally themselves with a beast like her... we have too much pride for that," Icestorm said primly. "Mom's Champagne Diamond. In a strange confluence of names, Dad's Champagne Grapes." "That should make for some interesting Census gathering." Grapes chuckled. "Only one Sour, though. But most ponies call me 'Grapes'." "I think I could be persuaded to use that name easily enough. My teammates have come to refer to me as Queenie, for reasons that escape me. I am however content to accept that nickname as it sounds... Rather flattering." "Heh. You have a rather... regal manner about you," Grapes observed, as they trotted along. "Thank you," Icestorm said with becoming humility, then paused a moment then smiled at her in a pleasant manner. "So... please tell me how Stormfront has been doing. He's rather gallant in his own rural way, protective of the Storm Riders as a whole like a big Brother. So naturally we have all been rather concerned when that Tornado took him away from us." "He's been doing quite well, to be honest. He seems to have taken to vineyard work," Grapes said thoughtfully. "Kind of surprised, but sometimes it helps a pony to broaden their horizons, if they try something different... And it helps that it's relatively low-stress in comparison with wrangling major storm systems." "Oh really now? Yes... I could see him quite happy doing that. While he can be fierce when roused, it's not easy to. He's a rather gentle and artistic soul. Have you ever seen him cloud-sculpting? It's inspiring," Icestorm said with a wistful smile. "You think he's taken with something other than vineyard work?" Grapes asked gazing at her with a raised eyebrow, as they trotted down the road. They were just beginning to see the rolling vine-filled hills of the Vineyard, and the expansive orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. "Oh that looks nice. Very similar to the illustration on the labels of your bottles," Icestorm gushed, as she looked over the landscape. "Thank you. It's been in my family for generations," Grapes said, with a smile. "And I'm glad you and your friends are joining the crew. It's been a not-so-good season for temp workers... My cousin's stubborn pride didn't help matters, but that's a long, amusing story in and of itself. But you seem to have dodged the previous question." "Previous question? Oh yes. The one about him being taken with more than his new secondary occupation. To be honest I cannot say. I know he is a very sweet stallion, artistic and very moral. That being said, if he likes you, you meaning any pony who endears themselves to him in any applicable manner, you could not ask for a more LOYAL pony to be at your side. I found this out rather quickly." "Well, he was the first ever pony to actually tell me that they considered me a friend." "The First? Well now... I hope that sets a good precedent then." "I don't get out much," Grapes said. "And after that rather horrible experience at the Gala... Let's just say I was rather hurt, and didn't want to take the chance... A whole night, being told I'm something less than a pony, because my parents married for love..." "Please, Miss Sour Grapes, do not mistake the loudest voices in a crowd as the ones speaking for everypony. In many cases it's the silent ones who make up the majority. It's possible most didn't agree with the old biddy but were too frightened that they were in the minority to speak up. Even if one spoke out... It could have easily have turned the tide. Social Pressures are difficult to overcome especially when you have the 'big mouths' to drown you out." "Thanks," Grapes said with a wry smile. "It's just taken me a while to get over it. Though I DID tell off Prince Blueballs pretty good..." The mask of propriety dropped a moment as Icestorm nearly broke out laughing, eyes and cheeks bulging at the effort of trying to keep the guffaw bottled up. It took few moments and a feigned coughing fit to get herself back under control. "That... *cough* Oh my, that's a new nick name I haven't heard before." Grapes grinned. "Gotcha. Well here we are," she said, as they reached the gate with its sign. "Oh... How Rustically lovely. It's just as the illustrations on the Crates depicted it. You know, I would have hesitated to even coming were it not for the reputation of your product and the praise of Stormfront." "Oh? Do I have that bad of a reputation?" Grapes asked, with a wry smile. "More along the line of the idea of working in the agricultural arena. I am not against the idea of hard work, but this," Icestorm said, looking thoughtful. "No offense meant here, but I never considered intruding upon the earth pony domain until now." "You're not 'intruding'. I asked Stormy to invite you. I need ponies with a good work ethic, and I'm the last pony to turn somepony down just because they have wings," Grapes said with a snort. "That's obvious... You don't seem the type to keep Stormfront around simply because he has nice fetlocks." "Well considering I'm half earth pony, myself, who am I to judge a pony by their tribe, hm?" "Exactly," Icestorm agreed before chuckling and speaking in a hushed tone. "Still.. he does have NICE fetlocks, I'll give him that much." Grapes cleared her throat, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "Well... the bunk house is over here... Sorry about the accommodations..." she said quickly changing the subject. "But I do hope you find them 'rustically lovely' as the rest of the Vineyard." "Oh, my dear, with the places I've been to as a Storm-Rider I'll be happy if it's a stable with fresh clean hay. I assure you I have slept in worse places out of sheer exhaustion. No doubt I won't have long before Sirocco arrives. Pleasant pony, if a little odd. It's the accent. You'll get used to it but trust me it can be confusing at first," Icestorm mused thoughtfully. "A pony from elsewhere? Outside of Equestria?" Grapes asked, curiously "Oh yes. She comes from a far off land quite foreign to what we know. The name I cannot pronounce but she speaks of it with a great deal of reverence. A great deal of sun and sand, like Appleoosa but without the 'rockiness'. She brought with her a knowledge of Desert Storms that that has been invaluable on more than one situation. Of course she has informed us there it more than just Sun and sand there... It's just that's the bit that sticks in your mind the most upon seeing it." "Interesting," Grapes said thoughtfully. "Well. I should set to selecting a bunk and unpacking my things. Shouldn't take any more than an hour at the most. Ah, I hope Stormfront is pleased to see us together again," Icestorm said with a happy smile. "They all seemed to be enjoying one another's company," Grapes observed, with a shrug. "We are a tight-knit herd. Relying upon one another to stay alive during storms tends to do that." "I'll see you around then. I don't intend to do the big 'I'm in charge' speech until everyone's here. Not fond of repeating myself. Though the others seem to have picked up on everything, with a little instruction from Stormy," Grapes said thoughtfully. "Well again I must say I hope this works out for all of us. It may be refreshing to have a steady income that doesn't mean we have to be at opposite ends of Equestria when there is a call-to-arms." "Well... Some of the work is kind of mucky, Queenie," Grapes said. "Just to warn you." "I assure you Miss Sour Grapes, that I have steeled myself for any eventuality here." she said trotting daintily towards the Bunkhouse. "Going to need volunteers for fertilizer detail," Grapes mused to herself, before deciding to take matters into her own hooves. She gathered the cart, and fewmets shovel, and made her way to the outhouse. Grapes started to shovel the valuable natural fertilizer into the cart, humming a cheerful tune, to herself. Just something about doing this, again, that brought back memories. She hauled the cart to the compost pile, dumped it out, and used the pitchfork on the side of the enclosure to turn the compost a couple of times to mix in the fresh load of fertilizer. Grapes pulled the cart back to the outhouse for another load, and just as she was starting, she heard a polite cough. Turning, she found Icestorm standing there, fancy hat and all, an amused look on her face. "One of the 'mucky' jobs you were speaking of, earlier?" she asked, nodding toward the outhouse, and its fewmets. "Yes. Usually it's a punishment detail, but... Well the fertilizer is useful, and it's not been getting done, so..." Grapes said, shrugging helplessly. Queenie simply nodded, set her hat more firmly upon her head, lowering the veil. "Very well, then. I shall attend to this matter, Miss Sour Grapes. It wouldn't do for the owner of the Vineyard to be seen doing such," the glittery pegasus said with great dignity. "But-" "Ah-ah. No buts. You are in charge, therefor you must show decorum," Icestorm uttered, shooing the chocolate brown unicorn away from the outhouse. Grapes simply trotted away, chuckling to herself. She looked toward the gate, and saw a white pegasus wearing a flowing white robe, and a cowled headdress of the same color Grapes turned her head to check on the Riders' progress. When she looked back at toward the gate, she was mildly startled to find that the pegasus had used the few seconds she had been looking away to move, QUITE rapidly, to the water trough by the Bunkhouse. The odd pegasus was gazing at Grapes, curiously. The brown unicorn mentally shrugged, figuring the visitor would let her know, eventually, what she needed. Right now, though, Grapes needed to wash her hooves. She went around to the back of the shed, where the hose was, rinsed off her hooves, then rounded the corner of the shed, and found herself face-to-face with the oddly garbed pony. "GAH! Stars, above, you're worse than Applejack!" Grapes panted. "Applejack? An acquaintance of yours I may presume?" the pegasus said, in a quiet voice, with a strange foreign accent. "She's my cousin... Don't sneak up on a pony like that, if you'd be so kind," Grapes said, panting, hard, still, obviously trying to recover from the ninja mare. "My apologies. I am Sirocco. I received a summons from my fellow herdmate Stormfront, indicating that there was work to be had here. As my previous work been completed I came." "Nice to meet you. Do wish you had not attempted to give me a heart attack. I have enough trouble with my cousin Applejack sneaking up on me. Also, it's not a very courteous thing to do to your prospective employer," Grapes uttered, sounding just a touch annoyed. "Ah. Then you would be Sour Grapes. Again I apologize. You seem... smaller than Stormfront's letters led me to believe. You must be a filly of great will, then, to keep unruly employees on the reins." "Yes. Yes I am. I also don't take anybody yanking MY reins. And I have a mean right hook," Grapes said, finally calming down. "So that's the lot of you, then? I guess I make the standard speech, tomorrow morning, bright and early. I can't believe Queenie volunteered for compost duty... Anyway... the others are harvesting the Chablis grapes, that-a-way. Queenie's at the compost pile, over there. I'm going inside for a drink, and to bring out lunch." "Will you need assistance with bringing out lunch then?" Grapes used her ponykenesis to gently lift Sirocco out of her 'personal space'. "I think I can handle it. Thank you for offering. She set the robed pony down. "I thought you'd like to see your friends, let them know you're here, and tell them I'm bring out the graze." The Pegasai didn't seem fazed in the slightest and simply nodded. "Very well. I shall see to my herdmates then." It only took a few minutes for Grapes to get a bit of wine, and to whip up a nice buffet lunch for her new crew. She was still wondering what she was getting into. They all seemed so different, but Stormy worked with them, and they all trusted one another with their lives. Sour Grapes was trusting them with her vineyard. She just hoped she was making the right decision.