//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Country as Apple Pie // Story: Time Traveling Kids of the Mane Six // by ShrapnelLeader //------------------------------// Beads of sweat poured down Bismarck's orange coat and chestnut mane as he made his way through the spanning acres of the Apple family orchards and gazed at what he considered the most beautiful place in all of Equestria. Having been working since the crack of dawn, he watched in admiration as the emerald and ruby hues of the apple trees began to glow a bright orange with the rising sun until the slowly approaching afternoon brightened the world around him. Though the morning air was still somewhat crisp, the heat was greater than usual. Pulling the tip of his hat down to cover his eyes, the rugged stallion faced away from the apple tree, reared back, and kicked it with a tremendous force. A loud boom sounded from the shaking trunk and seemingly echoed through the orchard while vibrations from the impact shook the tree like a maraca until every single crimson apple fell towards the ground and into a large wooden barrel at the base. Bismarck smiled at the reward of his labor. “Ninety-six down,” he said to himself as he moved on to the next tree, “several hundred to go.” Wiping the constant flow of sweat from his brow once more, he readied himself to repeat the process. Though it didn't take much effort for him, as he was quite strong, the dead heat of the beating sun was making the hours of constant work become exhausting. Worst of all, both of his parents were sick and his brother Bucky wasn't old enough for serious apple bucking yet. For the time being, the harvest depended on him. Still, the sky was a beautiful shade of azure today and was quite serene. Deciding it was about time for a break, Bismarck took a deep breath of the clean air and sat in the shade for a moment while the light breeze soothed him. Its cool touch gave him a feeling of tranquility that flowed through him like water. Closing his eyes for a short moment, Bismarck’s rest was quickly interrupted by a muffled call in the distance. His eyes snapped open from the sweet sounding voice he heard. "Biiiiiismaaarrrrrrck," the voice called out, nearly inaudible. Bismarck lifted his ears, listening carefully to confirm whether or not it was just the wind. A few seconds of silence passed before his name rang out again. This time he heard it clearly. "Biiiiiismaaarrrrrrck," it repeated. He could recognize that voice anywhere. It was Applejack. Bismarck knew better than to keep her waiting and took no time in sprinting back towards the barn, nearly spilling the newly filled apple barrel in his haste. With a powerful burst of acceleration, he returned home as quickly as possible. "Comin' mom!" he yelled in reply. It wasn't often that he was needed while he worked. By the sound of her calls, there must have been an important reason why she was outside and not inside resting. Bismarck weaved his way through the vast orchards and apple barrels as he made his way back. It was a bit of a trek home even though he hadn’t even reached the half-way mark of their property’s boundaries, but as he climbed over one of the last hills, he could finally see his destination. Sweet Apple Acres stood before him, the barn's radiant red glow from the sunlight warming him as he slowed down to catch his breath. "Home sweet home," he said to himself happily. Nowadays it seemed like he was able to spend less and less time in Ponyville, and he missed it dearly when he was gone. Ever since he had discovered his talent as a rodeo cowboy and set off into the world to live his dream, life was never quite the same. He had a natural aptitude for what he did and it wasn’t long before he began to get attention for it. As a dark horse competitor who not only found success in a niche event, but also began popularizing it further in the East, he was beginning to become the face of the sport now. The idea was admirable. He was an unknown stallion from an obscure town competing against the long-standing domination of the west, such as Appleoosa. Bismarck had traveled all over Equestria, moving from competition to competition, and had been everywhere from the crowded towers of Manehatten to the grandiose majesty of Canterlot, but nothing in the world made him feel more at peace than returning to plain old Ponyville of no particular reputation. The town and farm was his sanctuary. It was calming and the inhabitants of Ponyville were actually genuine, unlike Canterlot ponies who were more preoccupied with their own wealth than true happiness. Sweet Apple Acres was his home, his heritage, and his nostalgia, and despite being famous now, he would never trade the quiet country life for anything. Bismarck spotted his mother standing by the barn and slowed as he approached her, still trying to catch his breath. “Ah’m here, mom!” he called out. Applejack was not a pony who would call in sick due to her stubbornness, but upon inspection, Bismarck could immediately see why she and his dad were remaining in bed for the day. Her silky orange coat now looked as bleached as her short blonde hair and her eyes looked dull and baggy. Bismarck shook his head and smirked. “What are you doin’ outa bed this mornin’?” he asked. “You look awful!” Applejack pushed her bangs out of her eyes and ignored his statement. “Have you seen yer brother?” she inquired, getting straight to the point. "Was he with you?" Bismarck took his charcoal-brown Stetson hat off and shook his head. "Nope. Why?" "Ah haven’t seen him all morning!” AJ replied worryingly. “Ah’ve been lookin' everywhere fer him and ah can't find him. Ah went to check up on him this mornin’ and he was gone! He didn’t leave a note or nuthin’! He just up and left!” Applejack began pacing as she continued. “You and ah know that Bucky is not the type to go sneakin’ out of the house like this, wild as he may be from time to time. He always leaves a note or somethin’ if he goes out without tellin’ us first.” Bismarck reached out, stopped his mother’s shuffling. “Hey now,” he said, “take a deep breath. It’s okay. Ah’ll look for him. You go back to bed, alright? You and dad need yer rest. Bucky is probably out in the clubhouse. Ah’ll be back with him soon.” “Thank you, Bismarck. Don’t forget to come inside when you find him. Lunch will be ready.” Bismarck shook his head at her refusal to get her rest. “Yer so stubborn, you know that? Is there anything in the world that will force you to just take it easy for once in yer life?” “Afraid not, sugarcube,” Applejack replied softly. “Now git goin’ and find yer brother, please.” Bismarck nodded and put his hat back on. He had a feeling he knew where Bucky would be. The chances of him being in the old Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse were higher than others, as it was a great place to have privacy. At least that's where Bucky usually hung out. It was a fun treehouse that had been in the family since Applejack was a filly and was later redesigned by Bismarck's aunt, Apple Bloom. A founding member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a three-member group dedicated to discovering their special talents, Apple Bloom would eventually hand down the tradition to Bismarck and later to Bucky. The new generations of crusaders even kept the original capes. Bismarck remembered the fun times he once had with his two crusader sisters, Andromeda, the daughter of Twilight Sparkle, and Flora, Fluttershy’s daughter. Memories of the many times he and his friends got into all sorts of trouble made him wish he was still a foal. 'To be free again,' he thought to himself, 'without the stresses of life, work, and the stupid paparazzi. What ah'd give to be go back in time and be a colt again with mah friends." As he drew closer to the treehouse in a nostalgic daze, the sound of singing warbled through the trees above. The soothing melody was powerful yet soft, uncommon for such a small tyke like Bucky, but Bismarck could recognize his brother's voice anywhere. Bismarck slowly and quietly climbed up the ramp of the clubhouse and peeked his head in the corner of the window to see what his little brother was doing. Unaware of his hiding observer, Bucky continued to hum while he erased a few words on a small piece of paper, wrote some more, and started singing again. "There's still a rope burn on that oak branch That hands over the river, Ah still got the scar From swingin' out a little too far There ain't a corner of this hallowed ground That we ain't laughed or cried on It's where we loved, lived, and learned real life stuff It's everything we're made of." Bismarck grinned wide at the sight. It was not often that he got to hear his brother sing. Bucky was always deathly afraid of singing in front of others, despite his talent. To Bismarck’s knowledge, he didn’t even know if Bucky’s crusader partners knew about his gift or not. It was kept a complete secret from just about everypony. Only his family ever heard his voice and even that was rare. Bismarck chuckled, knowing that if Bucky knew his big brother was watching him, he'd probably panic. For now, the young colt looked happy and Bismarck was content enough to sit against the outside of the treehouse wall and listen as Bucky continued. "It sure left its mark on us We sure left our mark on it We let the world know we were here With everything we did…..” He paused again. “Yeah, that sounds good, but how can ah finish it?” His green eyes glimmered towards the ceiling as he tried to think. His love for lyrics was a deep one. Rubbing his orange hair, he grunted from a lack of ideas until, in a sudden jolt, he straightened up and quickly scribbled onto the piece of paper in front of him. After a few seconds of writing, he read it out loud first and then read it out in the tune that he had composed. “We laid a lot of memories down Like cutie marks on this town!" Looking down at his work, he grinned with a look of contentment and continued. “That boy’s a good writer,” Bismarck whispered to himself. “How in the hay does he do that? He writes the lyrics and notes with no more difficulty than any other foal writes a diary.” Bismarck could understand why he himself took so long to discover his talent in rodeos. Adults always said that bull riding and lassoing were just games and nothing of importance, but he eventually learned to tune their comments out. Bucky, on the other hand, had a clear talent for writing lyrics and was not a half-bad singer either, but somehow he still hadn’t fully realized his ability. ‘He’s such a smart kid,’ Bismarck thought to himself, ‘but sometimes ah wonder how in Equestria he hasn’t picked up on it yet.’ Despite his country accent and looks, Bucky was quite intelligent. He was calm and laidback and usually let others do all the talking, but nopony really knew what was really going through his head. Writing was easy for him and whenever he had a private moment, he would often write new songs. Applejack said he reminded her of Sweetie Belle, a fantastic singer who had no clue just how talented she was, though he was more private about his abilities than her. As a poet, he was quiet and verbose, but when he played with his friends, he had a wild sense of adventure. It was a perfect trait for a Cutie Mark Crusader. While Bucky remained engrossed in his newest song, Bismarck peeked in the window and watched with a sense of enlightenment. ‘He's gonna be a country star, ah just know it.’ Realizing that we was distracted and remembering what he came for, Bismarck knocked on wall of the treehouse. Inside, Bucky spun with a shocked look, knocking his notes into the air. “Oh no!” he cried as he tried to grab them. All around him, the pages fluttered in the room like butterflies while he plucked each one out of the air. Bismarck opened the door and walked in to see his brother in a panic and chuckled a bit. Bucky’s face grew red from embarrassment. "Whadcha hear?" he asked nervously with a look of panic in his emerald eyes. Bismarck leaned down to pick up a few lyric sheets and handed them to his brother. "Relax, Bucky," Bismarck laughed, "it'll be our secret." Bucky tense shoulders dropped a bit as he exhaled in relief. "Thanks." “No problem. Ah’ll help you clean up.” As they cleared the mess, Bismarck scanned the scribbles that Bucky had written. "Yer really good, by the way,” Bismarck added. “Did you write all these songs yerself?" Bucky looked around at his scattered notes. Pages of crossed out sentences, added verses, and personal notes surrounded him in a giant mess. No point in hiding now. "Yeah," he answered with timid embarrassment. “They’re mine.” Bismarck shook his head with a grin. Bucky may not have realized it, but he had a gift. Picking up some of the remaining papers, Bismarck stacked them and gave them to his little brother. “C'mon, Mozart. Let’s go. Now that we’ve gotten this taken care of, you need to come home with me. You just about put mom in a panic when you left without a note.” Bucky’s eyes widened. “Ah forgot to leave a note!” he repeated. “Is she mad at me? How mad is she? Will she…” “Cool it down, bluegrass,” Bismarck laughed. “She’s not mad at you. She was just a bit worried that you snuck out without her knowin’ and that she’s too sick to go lookin’ for you.” After he was finished talking, Bismarck realized what he just said. “Huh,” he chuckled, trying to give Bucky a good scare, “maybe she is a bit upset.” Bucky sank even lower in regret, but Bismarck laughed and rubbed his brother’s orange hair. “Ah’m kidding! You’ll be fine! Now let’s go! Mom’s cookin’ lunch and ah’m starvin’.” Making their way out of the old treehouse, Bismarck led them back to Sweet Apple Acres. It was hard to believe that, not too long ago, he himself was walking up and down that same ramp as a crusader. Now the tradition had passed on to Bucky, who was just as eager to discover his talent as Bismarck was when he was his age. Fortunately for him, he had a big brother to help guide him, and as brothers, they were very close. Applejack always said that strong sibling bonds ran in the family and Bismarck could see why. Bucky looked up to him as his own personal hero. He was a rodeo star and the best brother a colt could hope for. On the other end of the spectrum, Bismarck admired his little brother’s spirit and abilities. While having to remain physically fit and push his limits was still no small feat, he envied Bucky’s natural creativity. Together, the two Apple boys had a respect for each other that few siblings shared. Hitching a ride on Bismarck's back as they returned home, Bucky laid against his neck and looked up at the beautiful blue sky with a pensive gaze. “Bismarck,” he said suddenly, “can ah ask you a question?” “Shoot.” "Ah’m getting tired of waitin’ for mah cutie mark. Do you think ah’ll discover mah special talent soon?" Bismarck continued to walk on for a moment and smiled. “Eeyup.” “Don’t do that, Biz. Don’t give me an Uncle Macintosh answer. Do you really think so?” "Sure ah do," Bismarck replied. "In fact, ah think yer closer to yer talent than you even know." Bucky straightened up with excitement and leaned his head next to his brother's. "Really? Do you really think so?" "Ah know so." Bucky laid down again and closed his eyes. It may have been the same answer given to him every day, but it was still comforting nonetheless. 'Maybe there's hope after all,' he thought to himself. As Bismarck carried his brother, the two stayed quiet for the rest of the walk home and chose to enjoy the beautiful day. Something about this day was special, but neither one could quite put their hoof on it. The very grass itself seemed to sparkle in the luminous sun like precious gems beneath them. Though Bismarck knew he needed to get straight back to work as soon as he was done eating lunch, he appreciated the moment of tranquility while he could. Once they finally arrived at the house, they saw Orion talking to Applejack and handing her a small bag of bits. As they grew near, they could hear their conversation. "Well now, that was awfully nice of ya to bring this to me all the way from Sugar Cube Corner," Applejack said appreciatively with tissue in hand. "Thank ya kindly, Orion." Orion smiled and turned to see Bismarck and Bucky coming. "Happy birthday, Orion!" Bucky and Bismarck said simultaneously. "Hey guys!" Orion called out. "I've brought you the invitations to my birthday party!" While Bucky and Orion gave their Cutie Mark Crusader brohoof, Applejack raised an eyebrow at her son. “You made me worried sick about you,” she said. “Why would you sneak out of the house like that without lettin’ me or yer father know?” Bucky cowered. “Ah’m sorry mom. Ah didn’t mean to. Ah forgot, honest.” “He was fine, mom,” Bismarck added, taking some of the heat off of his brother. “He was just in the treehouse. He won’t do it again.” “Yer too young to be wanderin’ off without a word, Bucky. Yer not in trouble, but just don’t do that again, alright?” “Yes ma’am.” “Good. Thank you fer findin’ him, Bismarck,” she said as she made her way to Orion. “Sorry about our little conversation here, sugarcube,” she said to the unicorn colt. “What else can ah do fer you today?” Orion pulled out a “small” Twilight-written to-do list out of his bag, which took some time. After a few seconds of pulling, he finally made it to the party favors section and read it aloud. “Mom wanted me to also check on the party preparations. It says here that she ordered a bunch of caramel apples and she wanted me to check up on them. Will they be ready?" he asked. "Sure will be!" Applejack replied. "Tell Twilight ah've got'em all right here waitin' fer ya. Ah can't touch’em with me bein' sick and all, but Bismarck will bring’em with him when he goes to yer party tonight." "Thanks, Applejack!” Orion grinned. “You’re the best. Oh, and Bucky, you want to help me hand out the invitations today? I just got done handing them out to Berry and Cherry and now I’m going to Tempest’s house. You can come if you want!" Bucky looked up at his mother. "Can ah go mom?" he asked in a pitiful voice. "Please? Ah'm not even hungry right now and ah’m sorry for leaving this mornin’ without tellin’ you or leaving a note. Ah won’t do it again, ah promise!" Bucky’s emerald eyes grew larger as he spoke and Orion had to admit that the yellow colt was better at it than him. Applejack fought to resist, but Bucky was a good colt and she trusted him. With a sigh, she gave in. "Yer killin' me," she said, shaking her head. "You two can go have fun, but don't ya'll be gettin' into trouble, ya hear?" "We won’t!" the two colts yelled behind them, already running as soon as Applejack said "fine." As they ran towards Rainbow Dash's house, Bismarck chuckled aloud. "You know, ya shouldn't hold'em to promises they can't keep, mom," he said jokingly. "Somepony's gotta," she replied as she returned to the house, "otherwise who knows what kind of mayhem those two would cause?" Bismarck nodded and followed her inside while Orion and Bucky disappeared from sight. Tempest was always a lot of fun to be with, just like his mother Rainbow Dash. No party was complete without the daredevil diver himself. "So," Bucky started as they made their way towards Tempest’s, "do ya think today will be the day you get yer mark?" "I don't know," Orion said. "Maybe I'll get it when I make my birthday wish." Bucky elbowed him in the side. "Well don'tcha be gettin' it before me. Ah am older after all." "By two months!" Orion laughed. “I’ll bet you one bit that I get mine first!” “Yer on!” In typical competition between the two, Orion and Bucky began to pick up the pace and in a few moments, they found themselves racing towards Rainbow Dash's house at the edge of Ponyville. Built on a cloud high above them, there was no way a unicorn or an earth pony could just waltz right in. Fortunately, it was within shouting distance. Once they arrived and took a moment to catch their breath, Orion called out for their friend. "Tempest!" he shouted. "Are you home?" There was no reply. Orion shouted again. "Rainbow Dash? Are you there? It's us, Orion and Bucky!" Once more, there was no answer. Orion turned towards Bucky and shrugged. "I guess he's not..." Before he could finish his sentence, giant rings of multiple colors swept through the sky in a ripple effect high above them, painting it with dazzling rainbows. Distracted by the beauty of the rings, Bucky and Orion were nearly thrown to the ground when a thunderous boom tore through the valley. Heavy gusts accompanied the echoing roar in force, making their manes stick out straight like cats in a dryer. One ring after another flowed high above the town until they gradually died down, leaving the two colts in wide-eyed shock. "Well then,” Bucky said, pushing his now-crazy hair back down, “ah guess we found Tempest.”