//------------------------------// // Act 1: An Invitation to Disaster // Story: Apples to Oranges // by Skyeheart //------------------------------// "Spike! Come on! We're going to be late!" Twilight yanked her number one assistant away from the fourth snack vendor on the streets he lingered at today. He crossed his arms as he floated back onto her back. "Aw, comeon Twilight. Just one pretzel?" "I told you, we're meeting Orange Sherbet for lunch today. You can eat all you want when we get to the hotel." Spike groaned. "But all they ever serve is a bunch of super fancy spreads in tiny portions! And half of it is tasteless garnish! Give me a deep fried churro any day." "Now Spike," Twilight chided, "Orange Sherbet takes a lot of pride in her catering. She makes sure every dish is cooked to perfection. They may not be the largest serving size, but the flavors are at cuisine-tier levels. You'd probably learn to appreciate her food more if you learned to savor the bites instead of scarfing it down. And besides..." She looked down to her stomach with a half smirk, knowing all too well the state it would probably be in the next hour. "It's not like you can't get full on her cooking." "Her cooking?" Spike asked incredulously as the looming Orange Hotel overshadowed them. "She barely even does anything. All those chefs of hers do all the work. I doubt she's ever picked up a ladle in her life." "Spike, don't be rude!" The pair got a couple of looks from the concierge in the lobby as Twilight raised her voice without knowing. "Orange Sherbet works very hard to keep this city running. Almost half of all the businesses in Manehattan are owned by her and her husband. The very library we work in was built with her money." Spike shrugged. "Whatever. I'm just saying, have we ever done anything with her that didn't require high class mannerisms? Not all of us were born in the city you know. I can't even remember the last time I went splashing in a mud puddle." Twilight approached the white-maned host staffing the hotel's restaurant. "Uh, yes. Twilight Sparkle. I'm in a party of seven under the reservation name, Orange Sherbet." The unicorn stallion looked over the roster for the day's appointments. "Ah, yes. Right this way, Miss Sparkle." He began leading her over to a large round table where a white flighty pegasus, a grey dignified earth pony, a tan pegasus in a green turtleneck, and an azure unicorn wearing a flashy purple starry cape and hat were already sitting. "I'll admit Spike, life in the big city has been a little hard to adjust to. But that's why we have such wonderful friends to help us. I can't imagine what my life would be like without them now." "I can. Books, papers, homework, and more books 24-7. Just like it was before," Spike snidely remarked as he hopped off her back to climb into his seat. Twilight gave him a look before she seated herself and addressed her friends. "Sorry I'm late, girls. You haven't ordered yet have you?" "Not really an option when the luncheon's hostess has yet to arrive," Honey said, gesturing to the only vacant space at the table now. "As far we're concerned, you're early." "For a five star establishment, Trixie finds this restaurant's service to be rather lacking," Trixie harrumphed. "They haven't even put out the free bread yet." Twilight glanced at the empty chair across from her. "Sherbet isn't here yet? Odd, she's usually so punctual. I wonder what could be keeping her." "Well, whatever the case, Trixie's time is very valuable, as she has a full day of entertaining the masses with her great and powerful prowess! And wasting it sitting around and doing nothing isn't putting it to good use." "But wasn't sitting around all day what you were doing earlier because your afternoon matinee was canceled due to theater renovations?" asked Blossomforth. "Trixie was not sitting around! Trixie was...planning! Planning her next performance!" "I was not aware you could envisage theatrics whilst hanging from an indoor hammock snoring," Octavia calmly gazed up with a tiny grin curled at the edge of her mouth. "It's a cloth bed," Trixie stated matter-of-factly as the others gave a little giggle. As they shared a more tidbits of info about their morning up to the lunch, their final friend and proprietor of the luxury establishment cantered in with Manehattan's mayor in tow, holding a large stack of papers. "That little adjustment should tide you over until the next fiscal quarter, Mayor Tux. Just remember to check the wholesale taxes as opposed to the retail next time, and I'm sure we can avoid these problems in the future." "Oh, thank you Madame Sherbet. I am so sorry to have held you up like this, and on such a short notice too." "Not at all. I'm more than happy to help. And besides, it wouldn't be very business savvy of the Oranges to let their money, tax bits or not, go to waste now would it?" Orange Sherbet laughed as she reached her seat. "Would you like to join us Mayor? I'm sure my little clique can fit in one more at the table." "Oh no no no. I couldn't possibly take up any more of your time. And besides, I already have a lunch date with Hoofington's mayor in twenty at the Artichoke. You have fun with your friends now, and thank you once again." As her client departed, Orange Sherbet sat herself down, nodding to her friends. "My apologies for keeping you waiting. Mayor Tux went over budget again with the city renovations and I had to step in and help ameliorate the deficit." "It's no trouble at all. As one would say, anticipation makes the reward more satisfying," Octavia reassured. "Regardless, this gathering is supposed to be my treat. Allow me to make up for it anyways." Orange Sherbet waved over a waiter. "Garçon, a bottle of our hotel's finest sparkling please, and the twelve course special for seven as well. Put it all to the hotel's expenses, if you please." "Right away madame." The well dressed waiter briskly darted off to the kitchens as Twilight looked to Orange Sherbet. "The twelve course special? But that's just for banquets, isn't that a bit much?" "As I said, I really feel that I need to make up for my tardiness to my own soiree. And of course, we could always save the rest for dinner," Sherbet replied. "No doggie bag for moi, I'm so starved I could eat this table," Honey joked as she played with her fork. "Plus the food here is so good, how could you not want to stop eating?" "Speak for yourself," Spike said, trying to ignore the grumbling in his tummy. "Look at this menu. No emeralds, no rubies, no sapphires, there's not even a decent desert. Creme brulee...Tiramisu...what's wrong with an old fashioned funnel cake?" Spike then felt a nudge on his left side. Looking down, he saw Orange Sherbet pull out a large paper plate with the aforementioned treat sitting on top in a pile of powdered sugar from under the table. "Hot and fresh from the vendor right outside across the street," she whispered with a wink. Grinning with glee, the baby dragon inhaled the doughy confection at an alarming speed. "Thanks Auntie Sherbet! You're the best!" he mumbled between mouthfuls. Twilight shook her head with a smile at her adorable assistant. "You sure have a way with kids, Auntie." "Helps when you have one of your own," Sherbet sagely answered in return. "My little Tangerine could never stand for these sit down restaurants herself. Why, just the other night, I had gone with her to one of Caesar's dinner parties. Now she was well behaved as any other Manehattanette, but for some reason, she didn't seem very talkative throughout the whole thing. And when dinner came around, she wouldn't touch a thing on her plate and just fiddled with her silverware. So, I made a plausible alibi to excuse ourselves from the table early, and I snuck her out to that pizzeria two blocks down. Let me tell you, her face just lit up when she sunk her teeth into a slice of olives and mushrooms. I even had a bit myself." A glimpse of sad nostalgia glazed her eyes as she smiled through her reminiscence. "Fancy food isn't meant for children. They need healthy food to help them grow, and comfort food to make them smile and open up. If only I had learned that sooner..." Blossomforth, being the ever sensitive one to compensate for her occasional scatterbrainness, was the first to catch a hint. "Auntie Sherbet? Is something wrong?" Orange shook her head, reinforcing her smile. "No, no. It's nothing dearie. Just recalling a bitter memory, but it's all in the past now. Far into the past. Let's not wax what was before and enjoy the here and now." Their server returned, a large bottle of champagne and fancy glasses on a silver platter. "Your drinks, ladies." He deftly set a wine glass by each mare with a swift stroke, and had them filled with another. "Your meal will be out momentarily." He then paused to address Orange Sherbet before he left. "Oh, and madame? The receptionist at the front desk just found this in your mail slot." He slid a envelope off the tray into her hooves. As Orange proceeded to raise her wine glass with one hoof, she turned the envelope over with the other to look for the sender, taking only a moment to notice the wax apple shaped seal that enclosed it. "Oh, how sweet," she said at last, "A letter from mother. It's not that often I get to hear from her, upper class lifestyle and all that." Tearing open the letter, she gazed warmingly at the message inscribed as she began to sip her wine. But as her eyes drifted down the folded lettering, her pupils suddenly shrank, and without warning, her mouth erupted in a loud and spritzy spit-take. Twilight, having the misfortune of sitting across from her, could not react in time. "Oh! Oh my stars!" Orange cupped a hoof over her mouth at the sight of her studious unicorn friend's dripping mane. "Oh, I'm so terribly sorry Twilight. That was frightfully unbecoming of me." Twilgiht levitated her napkin over her face, wiping her face clean of the vintage saliva. "Well, whatever's written on that letter of yours must certainly be quite the shocker to get a reaction like that out of you. What's on there anyway?" Before she could protest, Orange found the folded sheet in her hoof magicked out of her grip and into Twilight's as the others leaned in over her shoulder to read. "Dear Orange Sherbet, It's that time of the year again. Time for all us ponies in the Apple clan to have our annual gathering and share our love of apples and each other. This year we'll be holding the reunion right here in Ponyville at Sweet Apple Acres this following Sunday. Hooves crossed you can make it this year, I'm so looking forward to seeing you again after so many years. Love, Granny Smith" A moment of silence passed as the five ponies reading the letter took the time to digest the information. Then Blossomforth was the first to speak up. "Hold on hold on hold on. Orange Sherbet is being invited to the Apple family reunion?" My Little Pony, My Little Pony Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahhh… (My Little Pony) I used to wonder what friendship could be (My Little Pony) Until you all shared its magic with me Great discoveries! Tricks galore! A rich slice of life, And a heartfelt score. Budding courage It's an easy feat And magic makes it all complete! You have my little ponies Do you know you're all my very best friends? "Well now, this is certainly a surprising turn of events," Honey said as the group exited the restaurant into the lobby. "Just when you think you know somepony. Who'd have guessed that our fair city's enriching grace also has the blood of one of the most notable families in Equestria?" "Oh please. The Apples can't be that world renown if Trixie hasn't heard of them," the showmare dismissed. Honey whirled on Trixie. "Are you kidding me? The Apple clan have long been Equestria's largest and foremost settler group since it was first founded by Jonathan Appleseed the first in year 535 of Celestia's reign. During the western expansion movement of 717, they were the very first to brave the unknown frontier and pave a pathway for today's modern railroad system. Nearly half of all our towns used to be Apple frontier settlements. Ponyville, Hoofington, Foal Mountain, Tall Tale, and of course Appleloosa. Why, even our Manehattan had a founder from the Apple clan. Big Apple Junior the fourth, the city's first mayor." At first, all Honey received was a bunch of incredulous looks. "How do you know all that?" Blossomforth asked. Honey flashed her museum ID from under her coat. "History buff, remember? If there's any name that's ever been in a social studies textbook, I can quote from memory." She then turned to Orange Sherbet, who had been remarkably silent throughout their entire lunch. "But still, I never would have pegged Auntie Sherbet to be an Apple. You couldn't tell from first or even a fifth glance that she has the blood of the most accomplished and hard working farmers and pioneers coursing in her veins." Orange stopped in mid step, looking at herself in a hallway mirror discretionally. Her eyes fixing on her intricate styled curls, down to her soft palish skin and bejeweled earrings and pearls. "Yes, I...I suppose you couldn't." "Well of course you couldn't! From what Trixie gathers, these Apples sound like they couldn't live a day without sticking their hooves into the dirt. Toiling fields and bucking trees and oh, homecooking over wood burning stoves! Could you possibly imagine our Orange Sherbet in denim overalls and char covered hoofmitts?" She laughed along with Honey, Blossomforth, and even Spike as he threw in his two bits, unaware that their subject of topic had proceeded to slowly break away with a faraway look in her eyes. "Oh yeah, 'howdy y'all! Ah'm the most sophisticated and well mannered cowpony you'll ever meet. I heard there's a bit of ranchin' goin' on 'round these parts, can ah join in? Ah brought my own dressin'!" Twilight and Octavia did not join in. In fact, both had rather disapproving stares at the quartet. "Spike, it's not nice to poke fun at Orange Sherbet just because she's a little different from her relatives." "A little different? Twilight, she's loaded with enough bits and jewels to last her several lifetimes, she lives in a penthouse on the top floor of this building with down feather beds and silk sheets to sleep on, she wears fancy dresses and hairstyles and doesn't even have a hint of old fashioned in her voice. She's the exact opposite of what an Apple sounds like if you ask me." "Whether it be coal or diamond, a rock is a rock." Octavia had not even the slightest hint of gentleness as her cold rigid, yet still calm as ever voice came out of her mouth. "It is in very poor taste to associate family ties with mannerisms and lifestyles. I speak from experience." Spike rubbed the back of his head as he nervously averted his cello diva's gaze. "Oh, uh...come on. It's not like I mean that Auntie Sherbet's way of life is no good. Heck I love the way she is right now! And I'm sure I'll love her Apple relatives too when we all go meet them next Sunday at Ponyville." "I'm afraid you won't be getting a chance to meet them Spike." Everypony's head turned to elevator that Orange Sherbet had stepped into by herself as she partially looked downward at her hooves with a solemn expression on her face. "Because I will not be attending the reunion." The doors in front of the rich socialite then proceeded to close automatically, muffling out the unanimous cry that came from the lobby. "WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!"