Giving Harvest. A time where, you guessed it, ponies and the sort collect the ripest and finest days of harvesting the yearly crops. It's among the most "fruitful" times of the year for all of Equestria. Accompanied with it, with the great surplus of extra crops from the fields, orchards, and whatever else, families get together to share in the bountiful harvest and give thanks for a good year. But right there is the main focus of the holiday if you ask a lot of ponies. Giving thanks.
The harvest is but one thing many are thankful around this time of the year. And, to some families, hearing the sort of things another pony is thankful for is worth more than any crop. Sappy, but true. That's why the Apple Family always stretched an invitation to all their friends this time of year. Not so much their family because, well, the Apple Family knows what everyone in the family is thankful for already... Besides... It's a lot more interesting to see what others have to say.
How are they so sure ponies will come? Why, who has the best Giving Harvest dinner in all of Equestria? And who won't let you eat a pea of it until you give thanks?
Hungry, lip smacking mouths eyed the wide arrangement of pies, custards, ciders, and delectable breaded dishes. It was all right there! Nirvana! All the beautiful Giving Harvest food a pony could dream of. The only few shames about the spread was just how long the table was. After all, it had to accommodate a very large number of ponies and assorted races. The eyes that weren't glazed over the spread of food were spending their time eyeing the wide selection of guests. An odd assortment to be sure... But no creature could resist an Apple Family dinner call; on Giving Harvest no less.
Among the wondering eyes gazing over the food, one paw reached out over the table slowly. Swiftly, a wooden spoon smacked the paw sharply and made it retract to Discord. Granny Smith, recoiling her wooden spoon between her dentures snarled at the lord of Chaos. "Ya' try ta' steal from the table 'gain, an' y'll get nothin'!" She warned Discord.
Discord stroked his paw and hissed at Granny Smith like a little child. During the little exchange, Applejack positioned herself at the head of the table, raising a mug to start a toast. Every one of the family's guests turned their attention to the mare, if for no other reason but to get the eating started as soon as possible. "Now... Firstly, I'd like ta' thank all of y'all for comin' out to share in the Giving Harvest season with our family. I know we Apples say it a whole lot, but y'all are family ta' us. Makes us right proud to share our food with all of ya. An' I know y'all wanna dig right in..." Everyone perked up, "...But..." And everyone fell right back down, "...Tradition's tradition. So, let's all go round the table and give thanks, alright?"
A chorus of groans roared out from the company, making Applejack give a hopeful and cheerful smile to them all. "Come on, all of ya. Faster you do it, faster we all can eat. And I know all of ya' got somethin' to be thankful for, so no copycats. I'll go first... I'm thankful for another great season of apples from the family orchard. Never a dry season, never a bad apple."
With that, the chain began. Not a moment was spared and one after the other, ponies issued out their thanks. "I'am thankf'l fer' ma' three sweet gran'children. Good as -ah- gold and sweet as cider all three of 'um."
"I'm thankful for my two best friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Filly couldn't've asked fer' two better gal-pals."
"Thankful for four good hooves this year. Eeeyup..."
"I'm thankful for... Um... Oh. Well, I have to say thank you for such a wide variety of critters that find their way to my cottage every year. I think I meet a new kind every year."
"I am so thankful that I was born with naturally gifted wings and flight skills. I'm one of the lucky ones, and I've gotta give thanks for that."
"I'm thankful for wheels... Because if it wasn't for those, not flying around would be even more of a drag."
"My thanks be to the splendid heavens for GIFTING US WITH A VOICE BEFITTING ROYALTY! FOR, LO, WHAT SORT OF KINGDOM WOULD THIS BE WITHOUT IT!?"
"I'm thankful for every single book in my library. From graphic novels, to romance, to--Um. N-Never mind about that. Eh-heh-heh...Ehhhh..."
"I am very thankful for all the opportunities this past year have given me. Royal galas, stars modeling my designs; it has simply been divine!"
"I'm thankful for industrial glue. Celestia knows how mad Rarity would be if she actually saw all the things I broke before gluing them back up... I mean... Huh?"
"I am... Beyond thankful for the fact that I can sit here by my sister after so long and enjoy a wonderful meal. That's a 'thank you' I have wanted to say for many, many years."
"Well I'm thankful for my ADORING family... I mean, look at them? A wife with the loudest yap in all of Equestria, a bratty daughter, and a chip off the old block. What more could a supernatural lord of unlimited chaos POSSIBLY ask for? Hm?"
"I'm thankful for me accent... Mum says it makes me sound like 'James Bond'."
"I suppose I am mildly thankful for the circumstances that led me to having a family outside of my mighty swarm... It's a... small thankfulness... But, there you go..."
"I'm thankful for... Possibilities... Possibilities that allow me to bind my time, sit here, and watch Twilight Sparkle from across the table while I plot revenge... But, again, possibilities. Not that I AM doing that. Certainly not..."
"OH! OH! I'm thankful for my mom, my dad, my sisters, the rock farm, that colt that lives down the street that waves every morning, the sun, the moon, syrup, creamed corn, hats, pears, apples, sa--"
"I think that's everyone!" Applejack quickly cut in, knowing how hungry everyone was getting and knowing also how long 'someone' was going to go on for. "Without further waitin'... DIG IN!"