//------------------------------// // A Grandmother's Wrath // Story: Farming In the Icy Inferno // by ForlanceAbice //------------------------------// The normally warm and compassionate grandma of the Apple family had not even a hint of a smile on her face. She actually looked like if anything, of remote indifference. But if one that was on the receiving end of her attention looked into her eyes... Spitfire has faced down packs of stallions twice her size and emerged victorious with a cocky grin, tore apart storm clouds as if she were a hot knife through butter. She sent otherwise unruly and dangerous stallions packing and running for their mother. She was practically fearless and a force to be reckoned with. Granny Smith was a different bushel of apples altogether. The way that her old but sharp eyes seem to pierce into Spitfire's soul didn't just unnerve her. It didn't give her a chill somepony felt when they sense something bad was about to happen. Oh no, that had already occurred a few seconds earlier. No. Spitfire was completely terrified. "What. Did. You. Do. To. My. Granddaughter?" She asked in monotone. Terrified by a relatively old and decrepit mare that almost looked like she belonged a nursery home. Spitfire recoiled with a whimper, shrinking back as the green elder of the family made pronounced hoof stomps toward her granddaughter's aggressor. "I-I didn't do- I-" Spitfire's words tumbled off her tongue in incomplete fragments, too frightened to even defend herself. She gave a pleading look to the other two individuals that were still conscious, only feel her heart drop when they shrugged helplessly. Then she flinched when she felt the cold touch of Granny's hoof force her down to the floor. "Sit down." She obeyed, only able to gaze helplessly into the angry glare of the farm's Guardian. "W-why am I afraid of her? How even? I am the Captain of the Wonderbolts, I- Oh Celestia who am I kidding? This mare is going to murder me! I didn't even get to thrash Soarin for the time that he ruined my uniform with hotsauce!" "Applebloom? Big Macintosh? Me and Ms.Spitfire here need to have a talk. Alone." Wordlessly, the two left the confines of the living room to the kitchen, leaving Spitfire with Granny Smith, a fact that felt like karma's way of making her pay for all of her wrong doings. Not that she ever did anything to warrant such a fate... Except perhaps when she was younger, an easily influenced, bull headed teenager who dabbled in the wrong kind of narcotics. Or maybe the time she nearly broke a recruit's psyche during her first time training them. It could have been from almost ruining a mail pony's career.Or perhaps it was because she did something horribly deranged in some past life. However regardless though, she was still stuck with her potential murderer to be in the probable near future. For a minute, nothing was said between the two ponies. While it would be a stretch to say that it would have been Spitfire's longest minute in her life, it definitely came close to a third place. She shifted her hooves nervously as the seconds ticked by on the clock. It was both an odd comfort and an annoyance. A comfort for every tick because it told Spitfire she wasn't dead yet. An annoyance because it reminded her of waiting hours on end in a line somewhere in Stalliongrad to get some souvenir gift. Finally, Granny Smith let out a sigh, causing Spitfire's ears to perk up. "Missy, I just don't know where to start with you. Even though I am beyond my golden years, I still have a finely tuned mind to work out problems. Problems which you might have forced back into the open. But for what it is worth, I am sorry for my misconduct." "Gee, how could I ever think otherwise?" Spitfire deadpanned. "It isn't like I was about to be completely butchered by some madmare that looked like she was going to skin me alive. And NOW you do a complete one eighty on.... Ugh, nevermind." Granny Smith returned a hearty chuckled. "Well, looks like ya have some sense of humor in ya. I'll admit, this is the first time that somepony actually gave me that impression. Ever since that..." Granny Smith trailed off, her smile gone once again as she looked off to the distance, back in recollection of memories gone by. She looked back to Applejack, then to the trophies, then back again. Sighing one more, she motioned for Spitfire to come to sit down next to Applejack. Spitfire winced when she noticed that her face was contorted to one of pain. Her eyes kept twitch, probably in the middle of some dream. While Spitfire was indeed relieved that the tension in the room had eased down somewhat, that didn't explain the fact as to why her idol fainted in the first place. "So, Spitfire... You seem to be a fan of the rodeo and my grandchild. Correct?" "Uh, yeah... Her dad was the one that got me into it in the first place though." Spitfire let a small smile creep up to her muzzle, remembering how excited she was when she saw that rugged but dashing stallion. As far as Spitfire was concerned, he was one of the best Equestrian probably ever had. Hell, she didn't even wanted to go when her father introduced her to it... But after that first night... "I mean, he just looked like any earth pony I ever seen... But Celestia, his acrobatics..." Spitfire paused for thought, then continued. "They were the ones that actually inspired me to go into the Wonderbolts in the first place. " Spitfire said with a slight blush. "Well, I'll be damned! Ha! The Captain of the Wonderbolts inspired by us earth ponies, how about that?" "Yeah, imagine that in the Daily Zebra." Spitfire chuckled. "But I don't see how I had anything to do with Applejack fainting or even why-... Unless." Then it hit her like a sucker punch to the gut. Spitfire stood silent for a moment as new memories crash into her brain. She was hesitant about even asking more about the topic. "Wait... This wouldn't have to do with her father being..." She trailed off, unsure if she should continue. "Dead? Yer catching on missy." She turned to Applejack with a weary sigh. "But I believe you should talk to Applejack about it. It ain't my place to tell you the story." Before Spitfire could protest, she heard a groan come from Applejack. "Ugh... Sweet merciful Celestia, did I hit my head or something?" She asked as she rubbed her head with a forehoof, gettling up to a sitting position. She didn't know it, but right behind her was Spitfire. "Awwww colt... Please don't turn around, please don't turn around, please DON'T turn around." She turned around anyway. They blinked. And stared... And stared some more... And some more starring... "So..." Both started, only to stop as they heard each other. "Uh.... Sorry for making you faint?" Spitfire said, rubbing a hoof into the floor. "For Luna's moon, could you have thought up a worse way to start a conversation? Way to go Spitfire. Now you don't even a chance with this idol... This farmer, whose strength and beaut-... Why the hell am I even talking like this!? I sound like some filly crushed for love!" "Um... Can we eat now? I am getting kinda hungry, and the food is getting cold." Both Applejack and Spitfire looked up to see that Applebloom had at some point walked into the room. Before Applejack could even speak, Spitfire jumped on the opportunity presented. "Oh, sure! I need something to eat anyhow. " She said, walking to the dining room, only to fall flat to the floor. Luckily, she only hit the soft blanket that was still laying on the floor. She turned back to see Applejack spit out her tail. "Ain't so fast, you and I need to have a hear to heart conversation. The rest of you can dine without us. Save some fritters for us, will ya Granny?" "... Fuck me and my lousy luck today..." Smiling, Granny Smith let out a chuckle. "But of course dear. You two play nice now!" With that, both Applebloom and Granny Smith vanished from the room, leaving Spitfire alone with Applejack, the former now finding herself in the beginnings of a panic attack. "Oh Celestia, now what!? Is she mad, am I going to be tied up and beaten by her hooves? What if, oh colt I can't even think straight! I mean, I am a Wonderbolt! What will she say to this? She doesn't seem to be a fan, I mean why would she? Why didn't I keep my mouth shut? Why did that stallion just HAD to go blow my cover? Why did my manager have to be such a BUCKING asshole!?" Then she mentally facehoofed when she realized how childish she was being. "C'mon filly! You're a Wonderbotl! And not just any Wonderbolt, but their Captain no less! Are you going to let some little thing like this scare you? Spitfire lives for danger!" Unfortunately, her inner monologue was cut short when she winced in pain. She suddenly felt hooves slowly ease her down on the blanket next to the fireplace. Looking back, she saw Applejack show no signs of previously fainting moments earlier. All her gaze held for her was concern. It made spitfire's heart thump just a bit faster. "Just sit tight there Spitfire. Just stay still while I take out these splinters." Wordlessly, Spitfire nodded. She then hissed in pain as she suddenly felt one of the smaller splinters ripped out of her flank. "Sorry, should have warned ya about that. But you should be able to handle it." Spitfire groaned as she sat her muzzle face down on the rather comfortable blanket. "This is gonna be a long night... Thank Celestia for small favors..." ----------------- It took about an hour for Applejack to fully treat her patient. In that time, neither had spoken a word to each other. Applejack was too busy patching an injured Wonderbolt up, while Spitfire was too weary from diving back into the confrontation. In the meantime, she silently ate the dinner provided by the kind apple family. "You know, now that I think about it, I think this is the first time anypony who wasn't my friend or a fellow bolt has treated me with such hospitality." She thought to herself, nibbling on her apple fritter. Oh Celestia those apple fritters tasted.. She didn't even have a word to describe it. She just knew she couldn't stop munching on them. That didn't mean she didn't she forced it down the throat. Oh no. Instead, Spitfire was beginning to see a similar reason as to why her wingmate Soarin had such an obsession with pies. She just hoped he wouldn't rub her new found addiction in when she came back. "If I come back." She let the thought hang as she remembered the events that brought her here. ------------------ ONE DAY BEFORE "WHAT!? What do you mean that I am being suspended!? And what is this horse crap about replacing me?" One would be surprised to learn that Spitfire was actually a very hard mare to piss off. She has seen her fair share of rage inducing moments, though over time she had learned to develop a resistance to it and ways of blowing off steam. Gliding, swimming, reading, even just sunning would usually be enough to keep her cool. Today was not one of those days. And unfortunately for Soarin, he was finding out just how horribly scary his Captain could be when she was infuriated. Oh sure, he had seen her angry the few times some idiot decided to push their luck a little too far. But usually it all amounted to Spitfire just giving a royal verbal beatdown on whoever managed to earn her ire. And she also kept a pretty clean mouth about it. He yelped as he ducked under to avoid a chair, which slammed into a wall behind him. Looking back, he paled as he saw just how big of a hole she left in it. He'd probably been hospitalized if he didn't dodge it so quickly. "Who does that dick think he is to do this? I swear, I am going to find that basterd and rip his Faustdamn horn and shove it so far up his flank that he'll be choking on it!" She stomped, leaving a crack on the wooden floor. "Spitfire please, you are scaring me." Soarin whimpered, only to feel his blood run cold as Spitfire suddenly turned to him and began to smile. "Oh Soarin?" She asked in a sickeningly sweet tone, and began walking slowly toward the Wonderbolt. Soarin backed away and behind a couch, a hopeless deterrent against a mare on the warpath, but at least it was something. His eyes bugged out as he felt he was being burned by her intense gaze. "Spits please! It isn't like that! They are just thinking of giving our team another squad leader so as to help take off the pressure a little off you and help manage it." "Oh? Then why does it say that "Due to increasingly belligerent behavior, the Team Captain of the Wonderbolts, Captain Cienna Spitfire will be suspended and replaced by Von Beck Soarin, effective immediately." Her smile fell and eyes narrowed, the paper falling to the floor. Soarin screamed, only to choke as he felt Spitfire's hooves strangle him. "I thought you were my friend Soarin, we knew each as foals for fuck sakes!" "Gggh, Spits, it isn't-" Soarin choked, only to be interrupted by being uppercutted by and slam into a table, which gave a loud crack upon impact, splintering to pieces. "Oh don't worry Soarin." Spitfire said, walking up and looking Soarin directly in the eye. He gulped. "I now know what kind of stallion you truly are now." "Spits I-" "Save it Soarin. I am not in the mood for any of your bullshit. Belligerent behavior? Really? I was only trying to get the basterd to cut some slack from bullying those earth pony foals, but noooooooo! Instead, the asshole has the nerve to fire me! Well you know what? I quit! You want to have this position so badly Soarin? Fine! You can keep the damn thing!" Tears ran off her eyes backed off and began packing her stuff. "Spitfire please! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!" Spitfire finished packing her things, then looked at her former friend and wingmate coldly in the eye. "It was nice knowing you Soarin, at least when you were a half decent stallion of some measure. I hope you got what you want Soarin. Truly, I do." She attached her personal flying goggles on and marched outside. Soarin was only able to watch in horror as he desperately called for Spitfire to come back, only to find himself bucked in the head when he tried to chase after her. "Goodbye Soarin. Live free or die hard." Without looking back, she took off." ------------------------- Spitfire shuddered with regret as she remembered just how cruel she was to her best friend. True, it did say that Spitfire was being replaced by her best friend, but that didn't mean she had to take it out on him. Tears began to leak from her eyes as she found her horror and guilt at the situation come back to bite her in the flank full force. "W-why did I do that? Soarin's a goofball, sometimes even an insufferable one, but..." "I'm a horrible mare..." Before she could even stop herself, he dam broke, Spitfire openly sobbing as she felt her hatred for herself grow immensely. She immediately felt Applejack's hooves wrap around her. She looked up to see Applejack's green emeralds stare back at her. "Shh, sugarcube. What's wrong?" "I- I've been a terrible friend... I hurt my best friend from foalhood and- Oh Celestia why did I have to hurt him!?" She sobbed into Applejack's chest as she felt wave after wave of tears soak into the mare's coat. Applejack didn't ask anything, only whispering comforting words to the broken pegasus as sobs wracked her body. Right now the mare needed help, and now was not the time for asking such sensitive questions. She was still somewhat shocked by her... Earlier revelation. But right now, all she was concerned about helping a broken mare in need. "It's alright Spitfire, I got ya." She spoke soothingly, stroking Spitfire's mane. Applejack had to admit this was the first time that she found herself being the one who comforted the pained, and though the situation wasn't exactly the same, the emotions were just as familiar. It didn't matter that she was a Wonderbolt. Who she truly saw at the time wasn't a famous celebrity. She saw a fellow pony begging for help. So she obliged. Eventually, her sobs died down to sniffing every once in a while. "... I've been a horrible pony... I should have died out-" She didn't finish as she felt Applejack suddenly wrench her gaze to her. "Hush! I won't hear any such talk coming from a mare like yourself. Whatever it was that you did, you obviously feel very horrible about it. I don't know about you, but anypony who feels like that isn't a bad pony by any means in my book. Ya just gotta go in there and fix it." Spitfire gasped as she felt Applejack give her both a kiss on the cheek and a hug. She struggled to work her jaw, yet to no avail. Here, her idol was helping her without a second thought, helping a mare who should have died in that snowstorm for being such a bitch. She felt light headed as tried to find her words to properly thank the mare before her. "Ap-Applejack, I don't-" She was silenced by a hoof touching her lip. "Hush. Here, you look like you need a snuggle buddy." Spitfire squeaked when she felt Applejack's body snuggled in the blanket with her own. Her body heat felt very warm to the mare. She enjoyed how Applejack's fur brushed against her own. The way the earth pony hugged against her made her blush hard, the heat in her cheeks making Spitfire feel very thankful as Applejack closed her eyes. The way the mare laid herself flat to rest looked majestic. "She looks so... Why does she look so beautiful without her hat? And her fla- ...Why did I even make that observation!?" "Hey Spitfire?" "Yeah?" "Have a good night's rest. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. You and I still have a lot to talk about sugar. So get's some rest, alright?" "Okay..." Before Spitfire even knew it, she fell into a deep slumber.