The Apple Family

by ladydestinae


Questions, Questions, Questions

The Apple Family

Chapter 2

Questions, Questions, Questions

The years were far kinder to Big Macintosh than they were to Granny Smith. She could still work alright, but nowadays she felt like her strength was a single stray thread threatening to unravel an entire tapestry. She had witnessed that last hint of gold in her mane fade into silver, and started wearing her hair in a simple bun. It made it easier to manage if she didn’t have to think about what to do with it.

It also made it easier to keep up with Big Macintosh in the morning if she didn’t fuss too much over her appearance. In her way, Granny Smith was still a lovely mare, and every single wrinkle told a fascinating story about her life. Big Mac could swear that if he focused hard enough; he could read these special stories.

He had grown over the years; he was a pretty decent living analogy of a mole hill turning into a mountain. The colt had inherited his father’s size, and it made him very handy to have around the farm. He grew to enjoy his work, not because it was especially fulfilling and not because he enjoyed productivity (which he did) but because he got to spend this time with Granny Smith.

She wasn’t a mare of abundant conversation, but she had a story or two to tell. She had led quite an amazing life, and gave it all up to raise two daughters. Daughters? That reminded him of something.

“Granny Smith…?” he began, simply hoping to catch her attention.

He did, and her gaze drifted from the apple tree to her grandson. She was curious to know what his question would be, although she had a pretty good idea.

“Where are my parents…?” he asked.

Now that was a question with a regrettable answer, one she didn’t think he was quite old enough to understand. Still, it wouldn’t help matters in the long run if she started lying to him now. No, she’d better go ahead and just say it.

“Colt, yer folks’r gone the way of the sky.” She replied. It was an expression she had heard once from a zebra she once knew. It was their belief that the spirits of the deceased ascended to the heavens, in order to give way to the miraculous displays that nature in their region created.

He blinked, staring at her in silence while contemplating what she had just said. He had no idea what it meant for anypony to go the way of the sky. No, he needed further explanation if he was going to understand this one.

“Wha…?” he spat out, realizing he didn’t quite know how to ask Granny Smith for elaboration and remembering just what a futile practice that usually ended up being.

She sighed. “Come on, foller me.” she said quietly. She began trotting toward the northern field, passed one of the older barns on the property. It smelled like damp wood that was only minutes from buckling under its own weight, and the long stored bales of hay it held inside. She carried on trotting to the very edge of the field, until she came upon a ring of bushes which surrounded an especially vibrant patch of grass.

It wasn’t huge, just about the right size to fit a few ponies, but it was no place for anypony to enjoy playtime. He followed her onto this small patch of grass and noticed at once that it was so vibrant because it was intermixed with small pinkish red flowers that smelled a lot like the fruit they harvested day after day.

“Yer mama’s under here.” She said. She was blunt as a mallet, but somehow her voice made it sound better than it was. You couldn’t really escape her particular brand of soft-spoken smacks in the head, and no matter what, it was hard to be offended by her.

He looked at the thoughtfully treated patch of grass, and saw the worn down bottom of an apple barrel nestled in the flowers that threatened to consume it. He had to squint in order to read the fading carving on the face of it. It wasn’t elaborate and especially dramatic; it was four simple words that just seemed to speak everything that would ever have to be said. May Celestia Guide You.

“I… I don’t…” he began, stammering. He felt his heart hammering in his chest. He was still pretty young the last time he could remember seeing his mother and he couldn’t entirely remember what she looked like. He thought he remembered a mare that closely resembled his youngest sister.

“She died, sprout. I’m sorry.” She said “Ya were a lot younger then; don’t reckon you’d have much memory of her…”

He looked at Granny Smith; she was never one for displays of emotion other than the occasional crankiness. She was more often than not somewhere between strict and aloof, never really committing to a reprimand so much as trying her darndest to yell without yelling. Even so, she never found much occasion for a reprimand with her young’ns.

“She was young yet, full of life… but she was weak. Always a frail thang… never was afraid of the world though, suppose she never thought of herself as vulnerable to it. She enjoyed life, y’know? Worked this very farm when she was your age, took a lot more breaks though. It was your pa that made the difference around here.”

“He was a big stallion, like you, and a hero to boot. He sacrificed himself for a trainload of ponies he’d never even met. The papers gushed about it fer a few weeks after. Yer mama didn’t much like the attention, and declined to ever comment on the matter. She preferred a quiet life… Always confounded me that she went looking fer a quiet life in Phillydelphia.”

“She was happy though, tweren’t nothin’ more important than that she was happy. But, then she was carryin’ yer baby sister ‘n she didn’t make it through the delivery… frail little thing couldn’t handle it again.”

Big Macintosh’s mind was abuzz with a swarm of questions too frantic to let him decide. He was filled with a mixture of sadness and empathy for his mother, he might not have had the chance to know her during a time he was better able to appreciate her presence, but he liked to think that he made her feel loved in her time.

“Colt, where’s yer head at…?” Granny Smith snapped. She could see the questions and feelings written all over his face like she was playing connect the dots with his freckles and coming up with a clear picture of his heart.

“Sorry… I was just thinkin’… she… was she alone…?” he asked timidly.

“Sure shootin’… but then she was like me… stubborn foal… rather go it alone than ask fer a lick a help. I swear, sometimes I think my girls turned out too much like me…”

He trotted up to his grandmother, and gently nuzzled her under her chin. He was big, but only just nearing Granny Smith’s height and he could see that while she absolutely refused to show any mist for it, she was sad. Still, his nuzzle did little to actually comfort her. It wasn’t for her nature though; she just felt he had more to be sad about than she did. At least she had gotten to properly know the mare in her lifetime.

• • •

She sighed miserably as she lay on the floor in front of the unlit fireplace. The house was entirely silent except for the occasional soft breathing of her infant sister. She had been tasked with taking care of that filly, and she was just a little filly herself.

She actually understood why, sort of. Granny Smith and Big Macintosh were out of the house, kicking those dang trees around trying to make them apples fall into the baskets. Booooring!

Really though, it would likely have served as better entertainment than sitting here waiting for Apple Bloom to wake up. She could at least manage some fun out of playing with her baby sister, even if she was too small to really return the favor proper yet.

She was really going to pull every strand of her beautiful mane out of her head if she had to stay here any longer. She really just wanted to leave, to go find someplace a bit busier and less spacious. It was far too boring around the farm, though that was mostly owing to her being unable to leave the house because she had her responsibilities.

• • •

Months of the same old routine carried on, with the only meaningful changes being in the weather. She had gotten bigger, and so had Apple Bloom now, although she was still tasked with looking after her sister. Now, at least, she could tend to that responsibility while outside. She had Granny Smith’s blessing to step outside once in awhile and enjoy the atmosphere. After all, Apple Bloom could handle it now.

Atmosphere? Granny Smith was crazy; the whole place reeked of old harvests and seasons upon seasons of lilting flowers. It didn’t necessarily smell awful, but it was overpowering and generally reminded her too much of what she was missing outside of watching her sister.

Now, Apple Bloom was a touch more carefree and less bored than Applejack was. She genuinely loved her sister’s company, and so appreciated in her own little way every moment she got to spend with her. Applejack didn’t exactly share the sentiment, but neither did she dislike her sister. She started to imagine scenarios unlikely to actually occur.

In the thick of a muggy jungle not fit for pony travel, the silence was shattered by the soft but unmistakable scream of Apple Bloom coming from a point somewhere in the distant northern hills. Caves sprinkled the grassy hills that seemed not to understand the meaning of having a limit to the variety in flora and fauna. Applejack the Brave knew this whole jungle very well, and could safely assume that based on the direction and movement her sister’s scream revealed that she must have been fillynapped by the rock-skinned ogrebeasts who made their homes out that way. She heard this, and without hesitation she darted in the direction of the alarming shriek, intending to fearlessly rescue her beloved baby sister.

As the dense wilderness gave way to a clear path to the green hills that made up the Beastlands she had grown to loathe, she narrowed her eyes and scanned the entire scene for any clue as to the specific location of her little sister. The only thing that stood out was one of the caves; it was illuminated with the dull glow of a distant fire.

“Oh no! They’re going to eat her!”

And then, another scream. Louder this time, more urgent in volume and purpose. She must hurry if she is to rescue Apple Bloom. No more hesitating. She started at a brisk gallop and quickly hit her amazing super adventurer speed in her quest to save her sister. She seemed to simply glide across the landscape if viewed from a distance, her leg movements were simply much too quick for the naked eye to perceive now. She had only seconds to spare, and this time the danger was far worse than she had faced before. She was Applejack the Brave though, so danger would not sway her.

As she slipped into the poorly lit cave unnoticed, she ceased her gallant stride in favor of a more subtle approach, though still quite careful not to waste her time in moving ever forward. The cave wall gave away two enormous dancing shadows, and she knew these must be the evil fiends who dared try to rob her of her precious sister.

She moved gingerly, careful not to nudge any stray rocks or pebbles about the cave floor, for this would create noise that would surely alert the dangerous monsters she intended to face on her own terms.

She was careful as she slipped her head slowly around the bend in the cave, and there she saw them. Two, as she gleaned from the shadows, enormous creatures. Neither of them was facing her, but she could still see their thick rock-like skin that covered their entire mass. She had to pinch her nose gently for a moment, for these foul things were not familiar with bathing and so this cave was especially strong with their indescribably pungent odor.

One deep breath, that was all she required for this. It was not easy to take a deep breath with the air so thick with ogrebeast fragrance, but she managed it. It was more impressive that she had done so without gagging. Now it was time, she must make her heroic move!

She took one step forward and…

“Uh… AJ?”

She blinked, one of the ogrebeast’s had turned to face her and begun to speak. The voice was not what she had expected of such a frightening visage, in fact, she thought it sounded a lot like her brother.

“Applejack…?” he repeated.

She snapped back into reality, and looked up at her brother. She must have wound up resting on her side while she was busily lost in her imagination.

“What?” she asked. Miserably grounded in real life once again.

“Time fer lunch.” He said.

• • •

What a day, she felt her hip ache as she eased into her rocker. The house was never much of a sight, but it was touched up since she had taken her grandchildren in. She had managed to secure a few extra bits of furniture for the place, which she had up until the point of her grandchildren’s arrival made comfortable enough for one resident and really any number of temporary guests. She now had the remaining upstairs rooms ready for three ponies that would surely be wanting their own in due time.

The living space was better set now, an area rug made for a comfortable spot to lay down on during any kind of night. The fireplace was for more than show, and was suited to huddle around during the winter and autumn nights. She had two rockers, one set on the porch outside for the days she didn’t feel up to working. None of those types of days had actually arrived yet.

There was a simple table and couch set there, if anypony cared to use them. None of her grandchildren had discovered the use for furniture yet, other than their own beds and crib. She was not the least bit disappointed by this. Let the young’n’s be young’n’s. Yep.

A kitchen was established in the far end of the first floor, divided by a thin wall. It was the only other proper section of the first floor, as the bathroom was an outhouse just behind the house. The kitchen wasn’t much, but it suited the simple needs of these farmfolk. It had a stove, old as the house itself and made of durable but weathered iron, it was designed for burning wood.

All in all, the house was a home, for what it lacked in memories for the young’n’s. Ah, but those will come by naturally, and they will fill this place. She knew that. She watched Applejack regale her siblings with some fanciful story about a trek through the jungle, and smiled at the sight of it.

Still, Big Macintosh, she noticed, looked just a bit sadder than she’d seen before. He now knew about his parents, and what that meant to him or how it would affect him was a mystery that only time could really shed any light on. She was going to have to be prepared, she was sure that not only had he not asked the last of his questions but that he would not be the last to have them. It worried her some, but for now, she was happy to see them happy.

• • •

It wasn’t exactly an unusual day; certainly nopony would have ever thought so. The sun in the sky, the clouds sparse, the breeze just about perfect. Big Macintosh was hammering away at the trees of the south field today, and Granny Smith had decided to check up on him. He could get awfully engrossed in work and lose track of time, sometimes he’d miss lunch. This she frowned upon.

She trolled up behind him, and raised an eyebrow as she approached. She smiled, at first, and then she changed her expression to appear more firm. She took a breath, puffed out her chest, and cleared her throat almost simultaneously.

Big Macintosh blinked and pulled back on his most recent kick, electing to switch his attention to his grandmother. “Granny Smith? Something wrong?”

She looked at him through narrowed, fiery eyes. “Sure is.” She said. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw her wrinkled lips form a very brief smile.

“Did I do somethin’?” he asked. He was honestly searching his mind for any instance of a mistake he had made earlier in the day, but he was drawing blanks all over. He had managed the remainder of the west field, and fixed up the plow his father used to pull. He was up plenty early; the sun hadn’t even nudged the horizon yet.

“Yep.” She said. She certainly wasn’t looking to be very clear today, it confused him while it worried him.

“Colt.” She said, “Ya went and got yerself carried away again, didn’t ye?”

“What?” he asked, more than a little confused by this. Even a bit offended, he liked to work and he was good at it. He couldn’t recall a single day when his work ethic constituted a problem for his grandmother.

“Hmph.” She shook her head slowly and trotted up to him, poking his flank firmly. “I’ll bet ya didn’t notice that there?”

He turned to look where she was pointing, and was surprised to find that there was a large half of a green apple adorning his previously bare flank. He felt he should get excited about it, but what did it mean to him? He was so lost in his work that he didn’t feel the thing appear.

“I reckon that there represents yer size and strength, and how ya put that ter work fer ya. Yer as full and strong as a properly ripened apple.” She said. Unlike Big Macintosh, she was beaming with pride and joy. It must have made her proud to see one of her grandchildren get their cutie mark.

• • •

The years had not been the kindest to Granny Smith, who’s back now bore a distinct dip as she trotted about. She wasn’t as handy with the farm labor as she used to be, but she hadn’t decided to call it a day yet either. Today was special for her, she’d decided that Applejack was now old enough to shoulder bigger responsibilities around the farm and that Apple Bloom could tag along with whichever family member she liked.

It was going to make things easier around here, and she looked forward to that too.

The house was open, as was often the case because there was really nothing threatening in the area here or immediately surrounding Ponyville. It wasn’t one of the nicer days of the year, but it was suitable to start teaching Applejack the trade.

“But! Ah don’t want none of that!” she cried, her voice was quite small but her conviction was not lost on Granny Smith.

“Well then, squirt, whaddayer want?” she asked. It wasn’t mean, or angry, just sort of disappointed. If any of these qualities meant anything to Applejack, she might have noticed the one that was present. Right now though, she was just determined to stand her ground.

“Ah… ah I wanna go someplace else.” She said. She had not one clue where that place might be, she’d never ventured farther than Ponyville, although while there she did pick up on some stray conversations about Canterlot and Phillydelphia.

Granny Smith gazed at her, formulating a plan.

“Right, That can be arranged.” She said. It caught Applejack off guard to hear it. She had expected a fight, a struggle, a battle of wills. But that? Granny Smith just… folding? She didn’t know that was even possible.

Granny Smith was never one to stand in the way of those trying to find their way. She never tried to stop either of her daughters from leaving for their lives. She might not admit it out loud, but she was quite proud of Orange Blossom. She had met a decent stallion with good money, settled herself down, and managed a very stable life. Only thing she didn’t really like was the snobby airs she put on ever since.

“Ah…wha?” was all she could muster. She had really been preparing for a far more stubborn Granny Smith than this. It threw her off, and she was having great difficulty recovering.

“Yep. Don’t worry none sprout, I got a daughter in the big city. She’ll put ya up.” She said, matter-of-factly. It wasn’t especially hard to believe that this was an actual side of Granny Smith. For all her rough edges and rugged daily routine, she sure could come across mighty soft.

“Really??” inquired Applejack, who was suddenly testing the scene to be sure she hadn’t gotten lost in another fantasy. Sure enough, this was reality.

“Ya heard me.” She returned. It wasn’t really in Granny Smith’s nature to say something more than once. So you knew that if she ever did, you were in for it.

• • •

She had already been in Manehatten for a month, but she just couldn’t get used to hustle and bustle of the place. The noise was overwhelming for her ears after she had grown so accustomed to the relative silence of the farm. During quite a few nights, she simply couldn’t manage much sleep.

The entire atmosphere just threatened to swallow a filly whole if she didn’t mind herself. It was always very busy on the winding streets and around the many store fronts. It wasn’t as though she’d never seen a busy town before; it was just that she had never seen one so dang big. It was a city though, not a town, and she had a habit of letting that slip from her mind.

She had sort of regretted coming out to stay with her Aunt and Uncle Orange. Neither of them was very down to earth or friendly, and they made her feel very unsophisticated and uncouth. In all the times she could remember with Granny Smith, she never felt very self conscious of her mane or her coat or really any part of herself.

Aunt Orange was very scrutinizing though, and always had a comment handy about her freckles or her accent. One of the first things she had ever commented on was the way Applejack spoke; she had a drawl and used a set of mannerisms that were altogether alien in Manehattan. It was odd, she’d thought back to Ponyville almost straight away, and how nopony there ever had an ill word to say about her.

Now she was living the cultured life, learning all about eloquent elocution and the proper order to eat her meals and how to carry herself. Aunt Orange had fussed over her mane from the first morning on, and changed it so that it resembled her own. Applejack absolutely loathed it; there was no sense to it. It was all big and clumsy and it just fell apart at the slightest failure in posture and composure.

The whole dang lifestyle was absurd; it wasn’t comfortable and felt so insincere. Like every moment she was there, she was living a huge lie. It was what she was reflecting on in her bedroom that night as she gazed out the window, and allowed a few tears to escape her bright green eyes. It wasn’t much more than a speck on the horizon, but she knew at once she was looking at Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres. She suddenly felt a deep heaviness in her heart, and wished she had some sign or guidance about the right thing to do.

It was in that moment that the sky erupted in the most intrusive display of color and sound that had ever been seen. It was an explosion like nothing anypony had previously witnessed, it was so many colors and so bright that she nearly got lost in it. She noticed something though, the streak of colors did not end with the enormous burst in the sky, no, there was a stream of colors marking a clear path back towards Sweet Apple Acres.

She blinked a few times, to be sure this wasn’t her vision playing tricks on her; and no matter how much she blinked, she still saw it. It was magnificent. It was exactly the motivation she needed to go home and apologize.

• • •

Granny Smith was surprised to receive a letter, and more surprised to see that it was from Applejack. She wondered what was to be said in there? She didn’t get much correspondence from her daughters after they left other than to let her knew when she was being blessed with another grandchild.

Dear Granny Smith,

I’m sorry for the way I behaved. I would like to return to Sweet Apple Acres, if you’ll have me back. Please write me as soon as you can.

Love,
Applejack

It was short, it was sweet, but dang it was honest and to the point. Granny Smith wept a single tear of joy as she hugged the letter to her chest. Right after that, she commenced to penning her reply.

Squirt,

You silly filly, what makes you think you have to ask to return home? You go on, get on home just as quick as you can. We’ll be waiting for you.

Love,
Granny

• • •

Granny Smith and Big Macintosh stood at the arch to the farm, and in the distance they recognized a figure. Applejack was galloping up to the farm, she looked happy for it too. Granny Smith was very glad to see her granddaughter return, it had broken her heart to see her go, but there was no way that filly would have figured out where she needed to be if she didn’t go where she ought not to be first. Granny was definitely very wise.

Big Macintosh was very happy to see his sister, jumping out of view and then back into view excitedly as Applejack cleared the last slope to the arch, and as she finally arrived she nuzzled her grandmother and her brother. It was a very warm feeling, returning to her family and knowing that she was only really happy when she was here. It was where she belonged, and she wanted more than ever to get to work.

In that single moment, she felt so clear about herself that she couldn’t stop smiling for the sheer joy of such a wonderful moment. She felt another warmth she wasn’t expecting, and she turned to see that her flank was marked with three apples. She supposed it must have been a mark that reminded her of her brother and sister and grandmother, and how they belong together. The three apples that, with her, made up a proper bushel. It was the most honest she had ever been with herself.

• • •

After a few weeks, Applejack had really gotten into the swing of things. However, it was under the tutelage of Big Macintosh, and not Granny Smith. She didn’t know why that was, but neither she did make a lot of fuss about it. She had a very patient brother, who was more than willing to help her build up the strength in her legs.

It was a lot of work, but she realized what she’d been missing as she focused more on it. It wasn’t a bad thing, and it wasn’t as boring as she’d lead herself to believe. No, in fact she was quite enjoying herself just working at building up her hind legs in time for her very first Applebuck season.

It was only weeks away, so she didn’t have much time to prepare. She spent nearly every waking moment just working her hind legs in the barn on the heavy bag. She was going to work hard, and she was going to make her Granny proud. If nothing else, she was going to make sure this family was taken care of.

• • •

Granny Smith headed into town one day, intending on finding the proper gift for Applejack. She was a growing mare, turning fifteen soon. That young cowpony needed something, and Granny Smith had herself an idea of what that something was. She heard tell of an up and coming tailor in Ponyville, this particular tailor recently occupied a little building near the far side of town. She had decided to offer her business to this up and comer, whoever that might be.

She strolled through town, feeling the soreness in her hip as she went. It was getting mighty difficult to walk so far nowadays, but this was certainly worth it. The building wasn’t much to look at, a little circular thing that was dwarfed by every other building in Ponyville She had been staring at it for awhile, it was quite dull and didn’t really offer anypony any real reason to approach it. She smiled to herself; this one had a lot to learn.

She was surprised as she stepped inside. What it lacked in character on the exterior, it made up for sufficiently on the inside. It was a bit messy, as fabrics and ribbons and thread were being unpacked by an elegant looking young unicorn. She had a pristine white coat, and a meticulously groomed purple mane, and a cutie mark shaped like three pale blue jewels. She was clearly a fussy little thing, but this certainly did not speak fully of her inner character.

“’scuse me…” she spoke up, attempting to get the unicorn’s attention.

“Hm?”

“Ah said ‘scuse me.”

The unicorn spun around and saw Granny Smith standing there, a bit wobbly but holding herself up just the same.

“Oooh! Hello! Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique!” she said, she was positively ecstatic for her first customer.

“Thank ya kindly, deary.” Replied Granny Smith.

“I am Rarity, Fashionista!” she said excitedly. She was trying to compose herself, but she was still just setting up shop, and was happy to have a first customer so soon.

“I’m lookin’ fer a hat.” She said, simply.

“Ooh, a darling little chapeau? Oh yes, I have the perfect one! You will look simply marvelous!” she cried as she rushed off to fetch a rather large yellow colored hat with a green ribbon and plopped it right on Granny Smith’s head.

“Ain’t fer me.” She said. “It’s fer my grand-daughter.”

“Oh! Delightful! Let me see what I have…”

“Make it plain. It’s fer a hard worker.”

“A… A hard worker?” Rarity repeated, sounding a bit dumbstruck at the odd request of her high fashion enterprise.

“Yep. Just lookin’ for a hat, proper cowpony type.”

“I… I can put something together.” She said. She certainly did not want to lose her first customer, and while she did not agree with the elderly mare’s fashion sense, it wasn’t her place to argue the particulars when she hadn’t met the mare it was meant to crown.

“Thank ya kindly.” Said Granny Smith, who had decided to sit on her haunches and wait.

• • •

She left Carousel Boutique with a box that contained a hat that was, after much deliberation, made to order. (“But! The ruby gives it such charm!” “Nonsense. That thing’ll just weigh her head down and get dirty.”)

Now, Applejack should have a proper party. She didn’t get a proper party for her cutie mark, in fact, neither did Big Macintosh. This realization caused her brain to churn out a new idea. Applejack would get her birthday party, and so would Big Macintosh. She had already got him a proper collar to keep his back strong, now it just a matter of properly celebrating her grandchildren getting their cutie marks.

“HIIIIII!!!” a bubbly voice seemed to come from nowhere, but was clearly directed at Granny Smith, who was promptly startled by an explosion of pink hair and blue eyes pushed against her snout.

“What the!?” sputtered Granny Smith, she’d been all around the world and seen and done things nopony had experienced, and it still didn’t prepare her for this.

“I’m Pinkie Pie! What’s that you got there? Is that a present for somepony? Oooh! Is it a birthday present? Is it somepony’s birthday? Are they having a party? I love parties! I’m the best at them!”

Granny Smith stood, staring blankly at the bright blue eyes of this mare. She was following every word, although she had grown tired of listening at the point Pinkie had officially gone into her third chapter of questions and speculations. She was pretty calm about it, she liked this mare, but that talking needed to stop right away. She closed her eyes, and spoke in a way she hadn’t in years.

“Pinkie?” she said, her voice was stern and sturdy. Not a trace of hostility to be found, only a desire to communicate.

Pinkie stopped talking almost at once, which to anypony else would have seemed extraordinary. Granny Smith was not anypony else. “Yer the best at parties?”

“Oh! Yes! The best ever! I love parties! Oh, this one time I threw a party for my family after I saw this amazing rainbow thing in the sky that had so many colors I couldn’t count them all but that’s okay because I was all happy and I wanted to share that and so I started thin-…”

“Care to help me out?”

“-king about what to do to spread that amazing joy that I felt and then it occurred to me that I could bring color and music together in a really cool way that would make anypony happy!” She paused, remembering that Granny Smith said something while she was talking.

“Help you out? How?”

Granny Smith smiled, “Throw a party. It’s fer two. It’s to celebrate mah granddaughter’s birthday in 3 days, and to celebrate her getting’ her cutie mark. It’s also to celebrate my grandson getting’ his cutie mark.”

Pinkie Pie looked like she was ready to explode and Granny Smith supposed that if she did it would amount to quite a fireworks display. In an instant, Pinkie Pie darted off and left a Pinkie sized cloud of dust behind.

Granny Smith shook her head, and took a step forward, and was startled again as Pinkie Pie reoccupied the space where the Pinkie sized dust cloud was left. “Oh! I forgot to say that I’ll do it!”

“Mmhm.” Said Granny as she chuckled “Ya can use one of our barns.” She said

Pinkie blinked, “Barns?” she asked. She knew perfectly well what they were, but she was curious just which pony she was talking to in this town. She was busily trying to meet everypony, and she had already made friends with half the town. Although she had stepped on one or two hooves along the way.

“Yep. Sweet Apple Acres has a few of ‘em. You can use the north one, it’s empty right now.”

Pinkie grinned broad and darted off again.

Granny Smith thought for a moment, and decided against taking a step just yet. It was hard to say whether or not that pony was going to return.