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// 21. The end of Many Coins' sentence. 
// Story: Short Shorts 
// by Coranth 
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T'was the sound of a heavy, armored hoof knocking that brought the Element of Honesty, Applejack, running to the door of Sweet Apple Acres' Farmhouse. Upon opening said door, she found waiting for her upon the front step two ponies she hoped to never see: the Dawn Custodes, Stern Visage and Proud Heart. Behind them she espied a Pegasus-drawn chariot, two of the Princesses Own hitched unto it. Swallowing a thick lump in her throat, blinking eyes misty with tears, the farm-pony adjusted the Stetson atop her head before she returned her attention to the two Elite Guards, and said, "Ah... Ah assume yer here for Many Coins?"

Immediately, Stern Visage nodded. "We are," he stated softly, sensing her mood. "His sentence is done. Where might we find him?"

At the question, Applejack blinked repeatedly in an effort to stave off the tears threatening to fall - 'Ah'm gonna lose an honorary member of mah family today...' - and then she answered, "Y'all can find him in the Southern Fields, helpin' Big Mac buck the last of this season's crop. Ah.. ah'll take yeh there..."

"Thank you, ma'am" Proud Heart responded. Then, as he, Stern Visage, and Applejack together made their way to the Southern Fields where Big Macintosh and Many Coins were hard at work, Proud Heart asked, "Was he any trouble?"

Applejack thought for a few moments, before replying, "Well... he wuz at first - the usual racism, callin' us all 'Dirt Ponies' and all that - but Granny Smith done cured 'im 'o that right quick! Then... well... one night when we wuz havin' dinner he opened up to us; turned out he wuz a 'lonely-only'; an only child who done had no friends, jus' ponies who'da thought to use him for his money and family connections. His Paw tried to raise 'im right... but then his Maw got 'er hook-hooves into 'im and turned 'im mean. After he apologized fer his bad manners he turned out to be a good sort; he became a darn hard worker and it turns out he knows more fancy math'matics then Big Mac; he 'hit the books' with us and found tons' o' places where we could save money..."

And so it was that the Element of Honesty continued to regale the Dawn Custodes with tales of Many Coins exploits, until at last the trio reached the Southern Fields wherein Big Macintosh Apple and the Noble Unicorn were hard at work. There... both guards eyes widened as they beheld a vastly different Unicorn Pony, one whom was a far cry from the racist Noble they'd sentenced in Canterlot. Gone was the pudge of the stallion's form; he'd thinned down, the fat turned to lean, powerful muscle earned from three years of hard, honest work. Many Coins seemed not to care that he wore his Inhibitor any more; atop his tan-maned head rested a bleached-white Stetson and wrapped about his chest the Guards espied a vest festooned with pockets and loops packed with all-manner of hoof-tools, nails, screws and other items necessary for maintenance of equipment on the farm. Around his neck rested a simple, hoof-made necklace; below that, also on a leather cord lay a harmonica.

As he and Big Mac moved from tree to tree to tree, expertly bucking the apples said trees bore into carrying buckets the Dawn Custodes' eyes near-popped from their heads as Many Coins - unaware of their presence - began to sing as he worked; one of the bawdiest songs the two guards and Applejack had ever heard!


"Well life fer a crotch is kinda laid back
Watchin’ them peckers try to git in her crack
I git messy when they’re slightly off the tra-aaaa-ack
Thank gawd I'm a pubic hair!" 


The brown-and-tan Unicorn paused for a moment to remove his Stetson from his head and wipe the sweat from his brow... but then, as he replaced the hat upon his head and prepared to sing the next verse of the song, the words died in his throat as he espied the guards and Applejack. "Oh, no..." he breathed softly. Big Mac - whom had also seen the waiting guardsponies and his sister - turned to look solemnly at Many Coins. Placing a hoof upon the Unicorn's shoulder, the gentle red-coated giant of a stallion spoke softly. "Son," said he to Many Coins - for that was how he'd come to think of the Noblepony - "son... it's time..."

Gripped by a sudden, inexplicable fear, Many Coins whimpered, his lower lip trembling and eyes clouding with tears as he crouched and sought to hide 'neath the larger stallion's barrel like a foal. "I..." he choked, "I don't want to go..."

"... But yeh have to," Big Macintosh uttered upon coaxing the poor Unicorn out of hiding. "Yeh have to; it's what yeh gotta do..."

"I... I'll settle my affairs in Canterlot" spoke Many Coins hurriedly, desperately, as he hugged the giant farmpony. "I'll settle my affairs and then come right back here, I'll--" 

"No..." Mac replied, resting his neck across Many Coins' as he wrapped a hoof about the stricken Unicorn. "Yeh'll go back to Canterlot... and yeh'll fight fer us. Yeh'll tell them other stuck up no good Unicorns that we Earth Ponies ain't no dirt ponies; that we're honest, hard workin' folk."

A moment later, Big Macintosh released Many Coins from his embrace; as he did so the Unicorn's expression hardened. "Yes" breathed he, "I will!" Then, whirling about to face the Dawn Custodes as they stood looking on with Applejack, Many Coins stood to his full height and inhaled a breath and spoke. "I am Many Coins-Apple, and that Stallion" he declared, pointing with a hoof to Big Macintosh, "is my Father. Nopony touches him!" Applejack nodded firmly and then, as Many Coins - now Many Coins-Apple - walked forwards to let the guards remove his Inhibitor, she stated, "That yer are, and yer'll always be a part of the Apple family."

With that, Many Coins-Apple made to remove his Stetson, tool vest, and other adornments, but even as he raised a hoof to begin Applejack moved to stop him. "No" stated she, stopping his hoof with her own, "those are yers. Yeh bought them with yer own bits, earned through yer own honest work." Happiness welling within his heart, Many Coins nodded his thanks and nuzzled his sister in all but blood. After that... many tearful hugs and goodbyes were exchanged as the Apple Family - Applejack, Granny Smith, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom - came to see him off. Finally, as the Golden Chariot ascended into the sky with Many Coins-Apple and the Dawn Custodes aboard, the Unicorn Pony cried, "DON'T FORGET TO WRITE; REMEMBER, I'LL BE JUST A DRAGONFIRE-LETTER AWAY!" 

"WE WON'T" boomed Big Macintosh in reply, "AND WE'LL COME VISIT, TOO! GOOD LUCK, SON!"

A moment later the Chariot disappeared from sight and poor Apple Bloom just couldn't take it anymore; she burst into tears. "Ah... ah've just lost a best friend..." she cried through her tears.

"Nope" Big Mac replied as he bent to console her, "yeh've gained a Brother..."