A few weeks had passed since the murder of the Patriarch of the Apple Family. The whole town knew the news, and everypony mourned in their own ways. A lot of ponies had attended the funeral, and word has it the entire Apple family had attended to pay their last respects to the farm pony.
Pinkie felt obligated to attend herself, much to her sister's chagrin.
Since the day of the Funeral, however, Pinkie had made it a point to greet Big McIntosh every time he was in market. For the first two weeks, Applejack wouldn't bother showing up, locking herself in her room. As of late, however, she had begun to occasionally replace her brother when coming to the market (apparently, the two switched every once in a while, with the younger, less powerful Applejack favoring the stall while Big McIntosh favored harvesting.)
And, on that note, she had seen more ponies around the farm. According to Big McIntosh, some relatives were helping around the farm in this troubling time of transition. This allowed Mac to take the stall and, occasionally, take a break. Of course, Ponyville needed a familiar face to run the stall; it was the face of the Apple Family.
A face that had recently been laid to rest.
Pinkie found herself trotting towards the Apple Stand, ready to have a friendly conversation with the orange mare that ran it. As she approached, she took a moment to analyze Applejack; she looked largely the same as before, although her eyes were more distant, less focused on the world around her. She had worn the stetson her father had given her every day she had seen her so far; something that, Applejack had explained, makes her feel like her parents are right there with her, in spirit. Pinkie had learned that hat had belonged to her mother, who died giving birth to her younger sister, one Applebloom Apple. Her dad had worn it every day to honor her memory.
And Applejack claimed she was ready to do the same thing for the both of them.
Pinkie Pie approached the stall, smiling a little; she didn't want to come off as too happy in these times. One should spread joy and merriment, but one should also consider the feelings of others, and although Applejack was no longer crying and locking herself into her room, there was no denying she was just as sad as she was at the start of it all. She couldn't blame her of course. Losing a parent is a hard thing, especially so close to losing another one.
"Hi Applejack. How are you feeling today?"
Applejack looked to Pinkie Pie, offering a tired, mirthless smile. "Ah guess as good as can be expected, sugar cube... thanks fer askin'." Pinkie Pie nodded and sat on her haunches before the stall. "So, what can I get ya?"
Pinkie looked at the food for a moment, pulling out the bag of bits her sister had given her as an allowance; Octavia had suggested Pinkie look for work, or at least odd jobs to help make a little extra money. She was doing just that, of course, but so far the only luck she had been being offered an interview at a local restaurant; the one she had eaten at on her first day. Fortunatly, they said she did a good job of cleaning dishes (better, it seemed, than most of their actual employees) so she had high hopes!
"I'll take an Apple Fritter, please."
Applejack gave a silent nod, reaching under her stall and producing from it the desired Fritter. Pinkie took it, tossed it up into the air, and let it fall into her mouth, chewing joyfully on the treat. She stepped aside so that nopony would mistake her for being in the line (though it seemed like a slow day today) and sat next to Applejack.
"So, A.J... how is the family?"
Applejack sighed. "Big McIntosh is frustrated as buck... Pa had been trainin' him t' handle the farms taxes b'fore... " Applejack's face scrunched up, as if threatening to welcome emotions to the surface, but Applejack herself relented, reinstalling her more tired expression. "... well... he's doin' just fine... but he's not used t' doin' it so often, an' keepin' track of things is difficult... if we didn't have our family helpin' us with harvest, Ah don't think we'd be able t' keep th' farm..."
Pinkie frowned. "What would you do if you lost the farm..?"
Applejack shrugged a bit. "... We got family all over Equestria... Ah imagine we'd have t' move in with somepony who had th' space n' food t' spare... at least until we could get back on our feet..." Applejack suddenly shuddered. "Ah don't even wanna think of it... mah pa... my granny... upwards t' four or five generations of Apples have worked hard t' make Sweet Apple Acres what it is today... Ah'd hate t' be one of the ponies t' lose it..."
Pinkie shrugged a bit, looking around. "... Sorry if this brings up old feelings but... I was curious.... did they ever catch the pony who...."
Applejack scowled a bit, though not at Pinkie so much as at the very pony she could only wish she could get her hooves on. "No... they caught a pony they thought was him, but Granny n' Carrot Top said it weren’t th' case..."
Pinkie sighed a bit, looking at her hooves as if they could hold the answers to the questions the world had to ask.
"Your banana nut muffins are horrible! They taste like rocks!"
"Well your chocolate cupcakes have the displeasure of looking AND tasting like fertilizer!"
Applejack groaned. "Not those two again..."
Applejack had, in her absent-mindedness, accidentally set her stall up close enough to the pastry shops to listen to their proprietors fight each other.
"How DARE you! Princess Celestia herself has eaten my cupcakes! Can your stupid little muffins make that claim?" shouted Carrot, pointing an accusatory hoof at the pudgy blue mare.
Her response was to grin smugly. "As a matter of fact, they can, and she told me they were simply divine! Did she give YOU any praise, you hard-headed punk?" retorted Cup Cake.
Carrot gasped and growled. "Yes, she did! She told me my banana nut muffins were to die for! I remember cause when I said it, a guard stallion was giving me a dirty look and the Princess had to confirm that she had, in fact, not been poisoned!"
Their argument carried on as Pinkie Pie began to think. She felt like there was an answer to all of life's problems, simply lying in the ether, waiting for her to find it. It was then Pinkie noticed that a colt was approaching the stand; he seemed to be slightly younger than Big Mac himself, and was wearing a stetson hat and a vest. His coat was a butter yellow color, mane a mix of that and a slightly brownish gold, and his flank was graced by a single red apple.
"Heya cous. How're ya holdin' up?"
Applejack smiled. "Eh, business is slow... Ah imagine Ah got th' bakers over there t' thank fer that..." Braeburn turned to watch as the two continued to bicker like foals, exchanging accusations, claims of superiority, and colorful language.
"Wow... and they aint been kicked outta th' town?" asked Braeburn.
Applejack shook her head. "Ah don't get it either, cousin. Ah guess they are pretty good, so ponies like t' turn th' other cheek on 'em. Don't hide th' fact they're becomin' an ear sore in th' town."
Braeburn nodded a bit, then gasped. "Oh! Before Ah forget... this came in th' mail fer ya!" Braeburn reached under his hat and produced from it an envelope, passing it to Applejack, who looked at it cautiously.
To: Applejack
From: A Secret Admirer
"Huh... another one of these..."
Pinkie and Braeburn looked to each other, then back to Applejack. The apple filly sighed a bit. "Fer the past two months, every week or so Ah been gettin' letters from some secret admirer. Says he wishes he could tell me who he was, but he's much too shy t' express himself..." Applejack looked at the envelope. "... Then after pa.... he sent a letter sayin' he had heard about what happened... n' that he wished he could help, n' offer his condolences... Ah aint heard from 'em again. Ah dunno if he was givin' me time t' mourn er what, but maybe Ah'll find out when Ah read this."
Braeburn nodded. "Sounds mighty thoughtful... so, ya gonna read it?"
Applejack scowled. "Heck no. This is mah mail, an' it's private. Ah'll let ya in on th' details when an' if Ah'm ready!"
Applejack shoved the envelope under her stetson and sighed a bit. "Well... Ah don't think Ah'm gonna sell too much with those two fightin' as they are... Braeburn, y'all mind mindin' th' cart while Ah go use the lil' filly's room?" Braeburn simply nodded, and Applejack stepped from behind the cart, trotting towards a local shop to ask if she could borrow their restroom. Pinkie didn't follow, she was too busy rummaging through her thoughts and piecing things together. She felt like she was just at the edge of some great discovery or idea, but it was sitting just out of hoof's reach.
Shrugging, Pinkie turned to face Braeburn and smiled. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Mister Braeburn! I've gotta go!" Braeburn tilted his hat a bit as Pinkie turned around and bounced away.
She made her way towards Vinyl and Octavia's house and stopped just outside the door. She was about to open it when she heard a noise - the sound of voices. She trotted around the other side of the house to look inside a window. What she was was Vinyl Scratch and a stallion - not like she had seen when she had first gotten here, no. This stallion, a unicorn she noticed, seemed much older than Vinyl herself, his coat a sky blue, his mane the same shade of blue as Vinyl's, and his eyes a golden yellow color, and his cutie mark was that of three stars.
"Listen, Vinyl, you know your mother and I love you deeply, and that we want you to be happy, but this is just silly. You've been chasing this dream for years now, and has it paid off yet?"
Vinyl scowled at the stallion. "Dad, you aren’t listening! Every week for the past few weeks I've been DJing at the local club! They said they liked my music! They said that I was great, and that they might be hiring me more regularly! I just need a bit more time!"
"Time to what, Vinyl?"
Vinyl bit her lip. The unicorn that Pinkie now understood to be her father simply sat there, waiting. "... Vinyl, do you even have a plan?"
Vinyl Scratch sighed. "D-dad... a big name DJ was in the club a few weeks ago! I swear, I think I'm close! I just need a few more weeks! Just a few more?"
The stallion sighed, his expression shifting to one that was sterner, less 'nice stallion.'
"No."
Vinyl stared. "W.... no?"
The stallion's expression seemed almost upset, angry even. "No, Vinyl. No more. Your mother and I have been giving you money to help you live your life following this crazy... stupid dream of yours in the hopes that you would eventually come to your senses and do something meaningful with your life. You make just enough money on your own to allow us to have to give you slightly less money than we had to to start with... but no more."
Vinyl frowned. "D-dad, think about what you're saying here..."
"I am, Vinyl. I've had a lot of time to think of it, and I'm tired. Your younger cousin Twilight is the protégé of the Princess... THE PRINCESS, Vinyl! She's learning to be a magician from what is perhaps the best teacher in all of Equestria, while you dawdle away in this hovel, drinking, partying, and doing who KNOWS what else! Your mother and I will not be sending you money anymore! You can come home if you wish, and let us help you set your life straight, or you can waste away in this.... backwater little dirt town."
Vinyl growled. "Fine! You know what? I don't need you, dad! I don't need mom either! I'll get by on my own! I'll become an amazing DJ without your help!"
The stallion huffed. "Keep thinking that Vinyl. I'm staying at the Hoof's Home Inn tonight, and I'm boarding the train back to Canterlot tomorrow. If you come to your senses within that time, you know where to find me." Without another word, the stallion trotted towards the door. Pinkie heard it open and close, and watched as the unicorn made his way down the street.
Pinkie made her way to the door and opened it, closing it gently behind her. She was about to call out to Vinyl when she stopped herself. She heard a sound, but she couldn't quite make out what it was. She slowly moved towards the kitchen, and peaked around the corner, and her jaw dropped at what she saw.
Vinyl was laying on her stomach on the floor, her glasses next to her, and her face was buried in her forelegs. Her shoulders shook and shuddered, soft sniffling noises, chokes, and sobs associating the motions. Pinkie could not believe what she was seeing. She could not believe she was watching Vinyl Scratch, the single most problem free pony she had ever known, crying.
"Vinnie...?"
Vinyl jumped up immediately, grabbing her glasses and shoving them over her eyes. She sniffled some before speaking, her voice showing the obvious sighs of crying. "P-Pinkie, I... uh... I didn't expect you here... I was just..."
Pinkie trotted towards Vinyl and wrapped her forelegs around the older unicorn. Vinyl was a bit surprised, and did nothing at first, but slowly, Pinkie felt Vinyl return the gesture, hugging Pinkie back.
"I heard everything, Vinnie..."
Vinyl sniffled a bit, tightening her grip on Pinkie. "... I... I c-can't lose that money... we're just barely managing to get by... w... what do I tell Octi...?"
Pinkie shook her head. "I don't know..."
Vinyl broke the hug long enough to look Pinkie in the eyes, sniffling a bit. Her expression slowly grew more and more strong as she re-asserted herself. "No... no, this is not gonna happen, Pinkie." She let go of the pink filly and tapped her chin. "This.... this sucks... but you know what? I can make due. I'll just have to find a normal job, something part time, to hold us over until my success blossoms... maybe try to get more work at the club..."
Pinkie smiled a bit. "And I've got more interviews I could do! Plus, those ponies at the restaurant seemed to like me!"
Vinyl smiled a bit more, coughing again. "Ya know what, Pinkie? I think everything's gonna be okay... we just gotta get our hooves a bit dirtier is all..."
Pinkie grinned. "And me and Octavia are used to getting our hooves dirty! We worked on a rock farm, which was chalk FULL of dirt!" Pinkie put a foreleg around Vinyl's shoulder, and pulled her close, holding her other foreleg out as if establishing a setting in the mind's eye. "Dirt! Dirt everywhere!" The two ponies shared a good chuckle for a few minutes.
It was then inspiration hit Pinkie Pie.
"I JUST HAD THE BEST IDEA EVER!"
Vinyl quirked her brow as Pinkie stared at her. "WE SHOULD THROW A PARTY!"
Vinyl smirked. "Right now?"
Pinkie shook her head. "No! I mean, I got to thinking! You need to get noticed as a DJ, Applejack is sad, she has a secret admirer who wants to meet her, and I need to find a way to get the Cakes to work together or at LEAST stop fighting! The answer is so simple!"
Vinyl waited for a response.
Pinkie grinned. "I have some preparations to make!" With that, the pink pony stepped out of the house, leaving Vinyl confused. She sighed a bit, looking around. "Guess I should check those newspapers Octi always gets for work."
--------------------------------------------------
TO BE CONTINUED...