//------------------------------// // Convoluted Methods // Story: Sweet, Solemn, Sad // by Shingo //------------------------------// While every citizen in Equstria could trace their lineage back to the original three tribes that formed the country, very few could say their family existed beyond that point. Though there were no historical records of families, there were myths and tall tales involving certain ponies. Some of these stories had been exaggerated to the point of being absurd while others had a small grain of truth to them. The Apple family for instance, had a near limitless number of fables about their family and their exploits. There were just as many stories about them that were impossible as there were with truth in them. Applejack’s hooves crunched in the snow as she trekked through the Frozen North. She carried a saddle bag and a basket while a scarf was covering her face. Following close behind her was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail. Goggles were over her eyes and like Applejack; a scarf was tied around her neck. She grumbled as the wind picked up. “Applejack!” she yelled over the wind. “How much farther do we have to go?” Applejack pulled a map from her saddlebag. “Rainbow, I’m going to be honest with you,” Applejack answered. “I have no idea.” “You what?!” Rainbow fumed. “Then how do you know we’ll get to where we’re going? Have you even been to this place?” “I haven’t.” Applejack returned the map back to her saddlebag. “And I’ll know, all Apples know.” The two of them reached the peak of a hill before Rainbow flew in front of Applejack. “So, you’ve decided to lead us up into the Frozen North to go to Celestia knows where, and you don’t even know where we’re going?!” “Dash.” Rainbow lifted her goggles. “No.” She pushed her nose to Applejack’s. “I’m not done yet. This entire trip you’ve been cryptic about what we’re going to do. All you’ve said was that it’s a surprise. Why are you keeping me in the dark about this? Are you planning to kill me or something?” “Dash.” “And if you are, how could you?! I thought I meant something to you AJ. Did that entire year of dating mean nothing to you? Or is that just part of some twisted joy you get when you finally kill your…” Applejack pushed the pegasus in front of her. Rainbow tumbled backwards and started rolling down the hill. She kept rolling until she stopped in a patch of grass. Rainbow pushed herself back on her hooves. “Oh, I see how it is. I mean just as much to you as this grassy field does. And it means that… wait, grassy field?” Applejack ran down the hill towards Rainbow. She skid to a stop in front of her. Applejack let out a low whistle. “Well, that is a pretty sight,” she said. “You’re hitting on me after pushing me down a hill?” Rainbow asked in disgust. “What’s wrong with you?” “I wasn’t talking about you.” Applejack pointed behind the pegasus. “I was talking about that.” Rainbow turned around. Standing a yard away from them was a tree trunk that was as wide as a castle spire. The trunk stood nearly as tall as a mountain and its branches stretched across the sky. Along with leaves, there were fruits on all of the branches. The fruits all had different colours, from yellow, to red, to green, to brown. Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “I know, pretty ain’t she?” Applejack started walking towards the tree. Rainbow flew into the air beside Applejack. “AJ, is that an apple tree?” she asked. “Eeyup.” “Why does it have more than one type of apple growing from it?” “Because that’s the very first apple tree to ever be planted,” Applejack answered. “It’s something that the very first members of the Apple family planted at the beginning of time. At least, that’s the story that we’ve been told.” The two of them stopped at the base of the tree. Applejack opened her saddle bag and pulled out four cleats. She placed each one at the end of her hooves. “We’re here because I need to do some apple picking.” “Can’t you just buck the tree to get the apples down?” Applejack punched a hoof into the tree. “Do you really think that I’m strong enough to get the fruit out of the oldest and strongest apple tree in the world with a single buck?” “You’re the strongest pony I know.” Applejack placed another hoof into the tree. “Flattering, but it won’t help with this.” She started climbing the tree. “I need a few apples from this tree.” Rainbow flew up. “I’ll get them for you,” she said. “Just tell me what you…” Something jerked at her tail causing her to fall to the ground. She rubbed the base of her tail with a foreleg. “Why do you keep doing that?” “For fun, and in this case because of tradition.” Applejack spat out Rainbow’s tail. “Sorry Rainbow, but only Apple family is allowed to pick the apples from this tree.” “Come on! Let me help, we’ll get this done faster if we do.” Applejack turned and gave the grounded pegasus a pleading look. Rainbow sighed. “Fine.” Applejack smiled before climbing the tree. She climbed to the closest branch and stood on it. At the end of the branch were a series of yellow skinned apples with tinges of orange and red. Applejack walked to the apples and picked two of them. She placed them in her basket before returning back to the trunk to climb. After climbing ten feet, she stopped on the trunk. “Dash,” she called. “Do you see any red delicious apples?” “What do they look like? Other than red?” “They have a dark shade of red and have a tall cone like shape.” “Up and to your left.” Applejack looked to her left. Just as described, there was a cluster of red delicious apples hanging on a branch. She made her way to a branch below them before pulling a lasso out of her saddlebag. Applejack threw the lasso towards the lowest hanging apple and pulled it off the branch. She placed the apple into the basket before throwing the lasso again. The lasso wrapped around another apple and pulled it off the branch. It loosened its grip around the apple as it flew back to Applejack. Instead of landing in her basket, it flew past her. Applejack removed her cleats before jumping off the branch towards the apple. “Applejack!” Rainbow launched herself into the air. Applejack continued heading towards the apple with her hooves stretched out. She caught the apple just as Rainbow caught her. “Hey Dash,” she said with a smirk. “Fancy meeting you here.” “What the hell were you thinking?!” Rainbow yelled. “Why would you jump off that branch just for that stupid apple? There are literally thousands of other fruits on this tree, why go after that one like that?” “Because I knew that you’d catch me.” Applejack tossed the apple. “Besides this was the last one I needed.” Rainbow hovered a few feet off the ground before dropping Applejack. Applejack opened her saddlebag again and pulled out a small cider press. “Okay, we got your stupid apples, is that all you needed to do here?” Rainbow asked frustrated. “Not exactly.” Applejack placed one of the apples on the press. “We’re doing an Apple family tradition here.” “You already did that.” “This is a different one.” Applejack placed another apple on the press. “Do you want to know why I brought you here with me to get these apples?” “A few answers would be nice,” Rainbow grumbled. “And don’t just say ‘tradition’. I want straight forward answers.” “That shouldn’t be a problem.” Applejack placed the last two apples on the press before she started to grind the apples. “In a lot of the fairy tales that we’ve been told as fillies, they talk about food. Whenever a character is well fed, it shows they’re loved. And whenever a character isn’t, it shows they’re not.” “Yeah, and?” “And that’s something that my family believes.” Applejack pulled a glass and a cocktail shaker out of her saddlebag. “When we keep each other fed, we show our love that way. That led to this tradition.” Applejack pointed to the tree. “See, this tree has every type of non-magical apple growing on it. A lot of us actually share the names of these apples. A tradition we have is to pick our namesake from the tree and give it to whoever we love.” Applejack poured a brownish orange liquid from the press into the cocktail shaker. “In my case, I’m named after a kind of liquor that my ma made before we lost her. So, to show my love, I have to make some applejack and give it to whoever I choose.” Applejack shook the cocktail shaker. Rainbow blinked. “Let me get this straight,” she began. “Your family has a tradition of picking apples they’re named after from the oldest apple tree in existence, or in your case make liquor from the apples, and giving it to the pony they love.” “Eeyup.” “And,” she continued. “Feeding them this specific apple shows they’re loved because they care for this pony.” “That’s right.” “So all of this is just an elaborate way to say ‘I love you’?” Applejack poured the liquid from the shaker into the glass with a smile on her face. She picked up the glass and held it out in front of her. “That pretty much sums it up,” she said. Rainbow doubled over and started laughing. “Wow,” she laughed. “That is one of the most elaborate traditions I’ve ever heard.” Her laughter died out as she wiped a tear away from her eyes. The smile on her face changed from one filled with mirth to one filled with love. She reached out and took the glass. “But it’s one I can’t hate.” Rainbow sipped from the glass. “Thanks for going out of your way to do this for me, AJ. I love you too.”