//------------------------------// // A little effort // Story: Fluttersized 3: Crusadersized // by Barrobroadcaster //------------------------------// Applebloom hefted the last piece of splintered wood onto the pile. "All right, I think that's all of it." "Good job Applebloom. Now that all the wood's all cleared up, we can get started fixin' things 'round here." Applejack commented on the job done and the job ahead of them. It had taken them the better part of an hour to gather up all the debris from the barn. When the at-that-moment giant Fluttershy broke out of it, the wooden structure had practically disintigrated, scattering pieces of it everywhere. Finally, Applejack, Applebloom and Big Mac had gathered the pieces into a pile. The broken pieces of the Apple family barn suddenly glowed with a green aura and lifted off the ground. "Why thank you for the generous contribution my ladies." Flam said as the wood levitated over to where he and his brother stood. "Indeed, with this lumber we should be able to reconfigure the Super Easy Catch-a-Beastie 6001 into the Super Smoother Refuse Mover 6002!" the other brother declared. Applejack just shook her head. It was useless to try to convince those two. She just hoped whatever contraption they constructed didn't cause any more damage than the last one had. The two brothers carried the lumber over to the ruins of their machine, still stuck to the ground and covered in orange goo. "Looks like they're at it again." Applejack said as she watched the two salesponies. "Eeyup." Big Macintosh said, seeming to almost stare into the distance to a place and point in time in the future. Applejack sometimes wondered about her brother's stoic nature but more and more she was beginning to realize that he had tended to have the right attitude. Sometimes, she even emulated him. "You know, I've been thinkin'." Granny Smith said as she swept the dirt path. "With the barn in such a shape, we might just need to get a new barn." Applejack paused to correct what the older mare said. "Uh, granny? Barn's not really in a shape... it's more in a mass over there. And I think Flim and Flam are using it to build some other sort of other monstrosity. On our property. Right over there. In front of us." Granny didn't look over but put a hoof to her chin. "I was thinking, the barn could've been sturdier." "Stuffing it full of Fluttershy probaly didn't help." Applejack commented, watching as a jet of fire erupted from Flim and Flam's machine, scorching one of the brother's hats. "We should make the next one out of something more durable." Granny said. "Like what?" Applebloom asked, genuinely curious. "Stone? Steel? Paper ma-" "Appleluminum." Granny Smith answered. "Appleluminum? What's that?" Applebloom asked. Applejack turned away from the brothers herself; she had never heard of this mysterious substance either. "Why, it's just about the sternest stuff there is!" Granny Smith began. "Used to build cellars, grain silos and storm shutters with it out in Haywaii during the storm season. We're not gonna find anything stronger than that to build a new barn." she explained. "Where are we gonna find any Appleluminum?" Applebloom asked. Applejack raised an eyebrow. "And exactly how much is this stuff gonna cost?" "Oh, should be pretty cheap seeing as how it ain't storm season. Only places you'd find it would be Haywaii or Neigh York City." Applebloom perked up when Granny Smith said the name. "Neigh York City?!" she bounced in excited glee. The Big Apple, Neigh York City, was one of the largest cities in Equestria and some of Applebloom's relatives lived in Manehattan, one of the islands that made up the city. Applebloom had never been there but Applejack had at least once. Although she didn't talk much about it, the trip seemed to have had something to do with how Applejack earned her cutie mark. "Now hold your hooves Applebloom." Applejack said, dampening her little sister's enthusiasm. "We're not going on some vacation while the barn needs fixin'." "We're not? Drat." Granny Smith said, disappointed. "And Haywaii's so nice this time'a year. Figured I could use this as an excuse to catch me some rays, maybe go surfin'." "Nnnnno comment." Big Mac said, blinking once. "Is there any other place we can find this... Appletanium?" Applejack asked. "Conveniently for the plot of this story, no. Shouldn't take much to build a new barn with though. And while we're at it, we might want to see about reinforcing the farmhouse and a few other things 'round here. Cellar, work shed... fences." Granny remarked as Flim and Flams continued deliberations only meters away led to the knocking over of one of the fences lining the dirt path. Applejack watched the two salesponies fuss, argue and generally be incompetent while still trying to fix their machine. A sturdier barn was probably a good idea. "I guess I'll make arrangements and we can head up to Neigh York." Applejack said with a light sigh. Applebloom was literally jumping at the opportunity. "Can I-" "No." Applejack interrupted, shooting down the notion of the little filly adventuring in Neigh York. Honestly, Applejack was still a bit upset at Applebloom's slightly less than one hundred percent truthful dealings with Fluttershy and the rest of their friends. In fact, Applebloom's idea to hide Fluttershy in the barn was the reason they were having to build a second one now. As far as Applejack was concerned, this whole, literal mess was a prime example of how any form of dishonesty only led to more trouble. "Can I come?" Granny Smith asked. Applejack turned swiftly to face her elder. "No-uh, wait, why are you askin' Granny?" "I don't know... what are we doing again?" Applejack uttered a frustrated sigh. "I'm goin' to the train station. You think you can take care of everything here big brother?" she asked Big Mac. The red stallion turned to her slowly. He stared at her blankly for a moment, the way a pony stares at a storm in the distance before saying, "A giant pegasus destroyed the barn just a few hours ago. Granny's sending you off to buck knows where to get some kind of mineral I've never heard of and those two unicarnies are fighting over a cheese-covered pile of wood stuck in the ground. Does it really look like I have any idea what's going to happen next or what to do when it does?" "All right, I'll be back soon." Applejack responded as if Big Mac had simply said 'Eeyup' and trotted off down the dirt path to the train station. "Well, I better go get supper started." Granny Smith said. Applebloom thought to herself. "Hey Granny, you think I could go see Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo for a while? Tell 'em about what's happened today?" "I don't see why not. Just be home before sundown." Granny answered. "Thanks Granny. I'll y'all later." "Eeeywhatever." Big Mac said, still watching the brothers, either reluctant or refusing to intervene. Applebloom galloped off to Rarity's house. She had to tell the rest of the crusaders about what happened today. Maybe if they all went to Neigh York City, they could all get their cutie marks! If not, at least it would be fun. They might even get to see her cousin Babs Seed. This was too big of an opportunity for the little filly to pass up so she ran as fas as her legs would take her.