The trip to Hoofington was a long one. Even when Ponyville was far at their backs, there was still even further to go to reach their destination. Adding to it was the weight of their burden, the filled wagon that they both pulled latching onto them tightly. With each step they took, more time ticked by, the sun moving along with them.
What made the trip bearable was the simplest of things, the company they gave one another. Idle chatter was the only thing they could do as they trudged forward along the path. Applejack was happy to tell her old friend of her time spent with the ponies of Ponyville, from their simple affairs to her grand adventures helping Equestria. Trader payed her back with his own tales of his life, telling her more about his years after moving away from his hometown.
Compared to Applejack's, Trader felt as if his own mundane stories were nothing, especially not worth retelling. But the hard-working mare was grateful to hear them, listening with interest about her friend's journeys across the land, having visited just about every place he could in Equestria. His exploits were quite different compared to her, but she was as enraptured in them as one would be hearing of a grand quest.
Despite his own downtrodden nature toward the subject, Trader did begin to enjoy it as he became aware of his friend's joy in them. It was a sight to see, still hardly able to believe that such a heroic mare wouldn't be bored to tears by them. But again, it reminded him of just what kind of pony she was, finding more excitement in what most ponies would see as too plain or simplistic. Though, it wasn't the only thing that occurred to the pegasus. He quickly realized that during her previous trips to Hoofington, she had to make them with her brother, remembering just how little of a conversationalist Big Macintosh was. Such overbearing silence would be maddening.
Twice along their journey they stopped, resting their weary legs and eating food from their supplies to keep their strength up. There was a noticeable stillness in the air whenever there was a prolonged silence, with only the occasional squeak of a wagon wheel as it turned. Despite the long hours they spent going from one path to the other, they encountered no other soul passing them by. It seemed as though they were the only two ponies for miles. Of course, Applejack figured that most would rather take the train to Hoofington, not being weighed down by a wagon filled to bursting.
Eventually, the sky high above them darkened. Luna's moon replaced the sun and the stars finally revealed themselves. Cold winds chilled them to the bone, neither of them realizing it as they moved closer together for the scrap of warmth it could offer. In the open fields that surrounded the road they were on, it was hard to see anything very far, the darkness consuming much of the stretching landscape.
But from the darkened world, their eyes widened and lips curled into smiles as they could see light far off in the distance. The signs of civilization were obvious as the murky shapes of buildings could be seen. Both ponies sighed in relief, happy to see their long trip coming to an end, eagerly awaiting a well-deserved rest. With a final burst of energy, they headed toward the light, clearing the final stretch.
Despite the late hour, Hoofington was far from asleep. Ponies came and went quickly, several giving friendly waves to the weary travelers as they neared, but many others looking too busy to spare the moment. It was difficult to tell if the quaint town was usually in such a state, or if it was the annual fair that had injected the energized life into the usually drowsy hour.
Once they were walking the streets, Applejack and Trader slowed their pace considerably. No longer trying to make good time, they allowed themselves to trot restfully by. Going slower also made them realize just how dead tired they had become, their mouths opening wide as they made long awaited yawns. But there was still a ways to go, passing by more unfamiliar faces and structures as Applejack directed them toward where they needed to go.
They still needed a place to sleep, not having the comforts of home with them being so far away. Luckily, Applejack had just the place in mind. A lovely little inn nestled deep within the town. From within, they could see a warm and inviting glow beckoning them forward.
Heeding the invitation and approaching it, Trader's gaze drifted off toward the far side of the building. A rather hefty plot of land was filled with odd buildings. Nearly perfectly rectangular and made of stone, they were about as tall as two full-grown stallions with thick sheets of metal acting as a sort of door. There was a good number of them, and the pegasus could see several of them were open, watching as ponies dragged their own wagons into them. Applejack didn't seem to notice as she kept her eyes set on the comforting image of the inn, unstrapping herself from the harness and heading inside, with Trader following behind.
The inside of the inn was as spacious as it looked outside. Besides the front desk, a large, open area was filled with ponies who were relaxing after a long day. Small tables dotted the area where they sat and talked, or enjoyed a warm meal and refreshing drink, the smell of food wafting through the air. A cozy fireplace was inflamed at the far wall, filling the room with a caressing warmth that seeped down into their very souls. A spiraling staircase led up to a second floor, where the actual rooms were.
An old stallion held a silent vigil at the desk. His mouth and eyes were completely concealed behind a big bushy beard and eyebrows that were just as large. Seeing him for the first time elicited a startled gasp from Trader, thinking the poor man was being attacked by some kind of wild animals. The sudden noise caused the old one's head to lift up from a book he was looking at. It was hanging mystery as to how he was even able to see.
“Ah, more guests then?” he asked pleasantly, his cheerful tone sounding just as warming as the fire blazing nearby. “Would you two be merchants by any chance?”
“That's right,” Applejack answered with a firm nod.
With a light laugh, the stallion looked off to the many other guests who had yet to turn in for the night. “Of course,” he murmured. “We don't get too many normal guests this time of year.” He looked back down to the book spread open in front of him. “Now let me see.... Ah, yes. You're in luck. We still have one vacant room with an empty storage shed. Rest assured, your valuables will be safe and secure during your stay. Now, may I have your names.”
The mare gestured to her companion before pointing to herself. “He's Trader and Ah'm Applejack.”
Another laugh came from the clerk as he quickly jotted down their names. “Trader... Why, that's a rather fitting name for a merchant...” The pegasus merely grunted to himself, not saying a word as Applejack stifled her own giggle. “There we are, all written down.” The stallion then reached behind the counter and produced a brass key. “Now, that key works both for your room as well as the lock on your shed. Number seventeen. Please enjoy your stay and order anything if you're ever feeling hungry.”
The two thank the kind stallion and made their way back outside the to wagon. Immediately they were struck by the chilling nighttime air that howled across the town, made all the more apparent after their short time within the warmth of the inn. It made them hurry all the more as they pushed the wagon toward the sheds, finding the one with a metal plate reading seventeen on it. The inside of it was just as bland as the outside, lacking any sort of grand detail. Nevertheless, they were easily able to fit the wagon inside without incident, locking it up safely. With that done, they quickly bolted in the direction of the inn, desperately wanting to escape the cold embrace surrounding them.
Neither of them were very hungry, both simply wanting to get some much needed rest after their long. They needed no time to second guess themselves as they headed up the stairs to find their room. With rows of doors with different number marked on the front, they eventually counted down to the far end of the building where seventeen was. Much like the old stallion said, their key was a perfect fit for it.
Much like the rest of the inn, their room was a cozy little thing. Trader took notice to its relative size, being much smaller than even his own place back in Manehattan, though it was clear to see why. All that was needed was there, with a few end tables with lamps set on them, as well as the bed that dominated much of the room. As they fully took in the lodgings though, that last detail was what came to them faster than the others.
“There's only one bed...” Trader pointed out, looking at the padded piece of furniture. It looked comfortable indeed, with soft covers laid out atop it, and pillows that looked as if they had been made from clouds. But none of that was what the pegasus was focused on.
“Must not have thought we'd mind,” Applejack remarked. “Not like we have much of a choice, he said it was the only room left.”
The pegasus huffed in annoyance as he headed to one side of the bed, feeling his hopes for a good night of rest being dashed. “Alright,” he said as he yanked one of the pillows off of it. “Guess I'll take the floor, I'm more used to it anyway.”
Applejack looked at her friend quizzically. “What do you mean?” she asked quizzically. “We can share the bed.”
“Huh?” The pegasus stared off blankly for a moment before turning back to his friend, still looking as if he had no idea what she said.
“The bed's big enough for two, Trader. Ah've got no problem sharin' it with somepony else, so long as you don't hog the covers anyway.”
Trader just looked at his friend, slowly piecing together her offer. Nervousness soon took hold of him while he looked toward the bed and back at the mare. It then occurred to him just how childish he was acting, as if she would bite or cause cooties. Heaving a sigh and shaking his head of it, the pegasus looked to his friend graciously and said, “Yeah, that'll be fine.”
Applejack smiled at that, happy to have gotten past such a minor inconvenience. They both then climbed into the bed, tired beyond belief. Turning out the lights, the room was cast into darkness and the two ponies relaxed themselves on their respective sides. It took only a few moments for the farmpony to drift away, her exhaustion propelling her into sleep almost instantly. The same could not be said for Trader.
The bed was large enough for two ponies for certain, but that was as big as it was. With practically no room to spare, Trader was unable to find a comfortable distance away from his already unconscious friend. His eyes stared up at the empty ceiling, his tired form unable to fall asleep, able to feel Applejack's very body heat just next to him. All he could do was groan quietly to himself, knowing full well how hard of a night he would have, and how much harder the morning would be.
Yawning loudly, Applejack stretched her legs out, trying to rid herself of her morning drowsiness. Rays of sunlight danced across the room from the single solitary window in the room, the morning sunshine lighting up the room with its growing glow. Not that the mare needed it, her own internal clock being all she needed, even when so far from home.
Sitting up in bed, a sudden sensation of surprise came to her as she realized she wasn't alone, her gaze drifting back down to her company. She had nearly forgotten that Trader was there with her, the pegasus still sound asleep. She couldn't stop herself from laughing lightly at the sight of him, his mouth hung open as a damp patch of saliva soaked into the pillow he rested on.
Nudging him with her hoof, she attempted to wake him so they could set out on what she had planned for the day. “Come one, Trader, we're burnin' daylight.” All she got for her efforts was a defiant moan from the stubborn sleeper.
Trader then began to fidget in his sleep, finding a comfortable position to continue his sleep. As he did, a faint, unintelligible mumbling came from him. Curious, Applejack listened in, unable to make heads or tails of any of it. But there was one thing that she did catch within the mess of wordless noises. “...Rainbow Dash...”
“Rainbow Dash?” she questioned aloud, wondering why he'd be dreaming of her cyan-coated friend. One reason did become apparent rather quickly however, bringing a soft tinge of red to her freckled cheeks as she continued to look down at him. With a little more force, she jabbed her hoof into his side, ready to yank the stallion into the waking world.
It seemed to do the trick, the pegasus stirring one last time before his head began to rise up. Soft groans escaped him as he forced himself out of his own sleep. Opening his eyes, his first sight was of the mare sitting next to him, staring straight at him. A startled yelp escaped him as he slipped off of the side of the bed and crashed down onto the ground, having apparently forgotten about their sleeping arrangements as well.
“Oh... hey... Good morning, Applejack,” he said, picking himself up and greeting his companion with a weak smile.
“Mornin',” the mare replied, eying him closely. “So... you sleep well?”
“Yeah... I guess.”
“Dream about anything?”
“Huh?” Trader was taken aback by the sudden question. “Um... n-no, none I can remember.” He couldn't tell if it was easy to see he was lying or not. Though it wasn't that big of a deal, he wasn't about to tell her he was dreaming of Rainbow Dash's training finally getting to him, he could still feel the pain of his broken bones.
Applejack just looked at him skeptically for a moment before jumping out of bed. With a few final stretches, she gestured toward the door. “Well, we should get goin',” she declared, not giving the pegasus much time to ready himself. “We've got a big day.”
With an amused smirk, Trader approached his friend to follow her out, murmuring, “You say that everyday.”
Hoofington was truly a lovely place once fully visible in the light of day. With buildings of stone and wood, very few of them reached higher than two stories, leaving none to tower high above ponies like the monolithic structures of Manehattan. The quaint, homey feeling drew nostalgic memories of Ponyville. Unlike its counterpart however, the buildings were not seemingly scattered about with no rhyme or reason to it. They lined together in rows as one would expect, framed by cobblestone streets.
Applejack and Trader both trotted by casually, taking in the sights and sounds of the change in scenery. Many of the buildings were decorated with banners and strips of ribbon. Even trees and lampposts that decorated the streets were covered, making the whole town look festive. They didn't have much time to fully enjoy it however, Applejack wanting to get to the town hall to see the mayor. If they wanted to try and sell what they brought, they needed to see the pony in charge, as well as sign up for the baking competition.
Trader tried his best to keep up with her quick pace, trotting faster with each step she made. Though he didn't see why there was such a growing hurry, he did know that they didn't come there to enjoy themselves, having a job to do. It didn't seem like anything would slow the mare down, that was until she came to an immediate halt, nearly causing the pegasus to run into her.
“What's wrong?” he asked, looking about in confusion, seeing no apparent reason for the sudden stop.
Applejack's gaze was frozen ahead of her, her head tilting to the side in her own bout of second-guessing. “Ah thought... Ah thought Ah saw something...” she murmured, her brow furrowing as she looked into a large crowd of ponies. It was difficult to make out a single pony within, but as they stood there watching, they caught the attention of a yellow-coated stallion who looked oddly familiar.
“Braeburn!” Applejack shouted, a look of glee now plastered onto her face.
The stallion held a perfect match to it as he galloped over to them, allowing Trader to gain a closer look at him. A hat he wore atop his light-orange mane was greatly similar to Applejack's own, with a matching vest wrapped around the front of his body. Had the pegasus not known any better, he'd think he was Applejack's brother, noting how eerily alike the two looked.
“Applejack! Why, it's good to see ya, cousin!” the stallion blurted out with growing enthusiasm.
Applejack merely smiled pleasantly toward her relative, clearly much more restrained in her joy. “Ah didn't think you'd be here. It feels like it's been ages since the reunion.”
A momentary grimace showed on Braeburn's face for a moment, quickly being lost in the toothy smile he had. “Ah just had to get away from Appleloosa for a bit. Things have been awful hectic around there lately. They've been trying to expand the town out a bit more, and it's been takin' a while what with meetin' with the buffalo again to discuss where we should build.”
Shoving his troubles away however, the stallion quickly snatched Applejack up and gave her a big hug. “Plus Ah knew I'd be able to see two of my favorite cousins here too.” Relinquishing his hold on her, his eyes shifted, in hopes to see the red stallion he was expecting, instead landing on Trader. “Where's Big Mac?”
There was an awkward silence for a moment before Applejack gave an uneasy laugh. “He's a bit... out of sorts...”
“He get hurt again?”
“Yeah...” Trader was immediately pulled forward as Applejack grabbed him to officially meet her family member. “This here is Trader. And Trader, this is Braeburn, my cousin as Ah'm sure you've figured out.”
The two stallions merely stared at one another for a moment. Trader felt exposed as the earth pony kept his gaze locked, as if sizing him up for some unknown purpose. Before things became too prolonged, the silence was broken by a happy cry from Braeburn as he grabbed the pegasus' hoof and pulled him into a crushing hug. “Pleasure to meet'cha, Trader!” he said in the friendliest of manners, despite looking as if he was trying to snap him in two. “Ah guess Ah've been out of contact a bit too long, if my little cousin's off gettin' a beau without me knowin'.”
“A what?!” Trader managed to say, feeling as though his lungs where bursting.
Applejack scoffed to her cousin, looking annoyed all of a sudden. “It's not like that,” she was quick to say.
“Oh?” Braeburn questioned, finally dropping the battered pegasus and allowing him a chance to breathe.
“He's an old friend,” she explained. “Ah'm, sure you two must've met at one point or another when we were foals... Or Ah at least told you about him. But he's workin' at the farm with us now, bein' a big help too.”
“Oh,” the stallion murmured. He then took Trader's hoof and gave it a good shake. “Pardon the assumptions, friend. It's still nice to meet ya.”
“Likewise,” he said, still out of sorts from the first greeting.
Though it was nice to see her cousin again, Applejack couldn't forget the real reason they were there. “Well, we need to get goin',” she said to him. “We've still gotta get to the mayor before we can set up our stall, and I'd like to get to sellin' as early as possible.”
Understanding her, Braeburn nodded as he said, “Of course, maybe Ah'll stop by when you've got everything set up. Ah'll be there to root you on for the baking competition too. So if ya need anythin', just come find me.” With that and a wave goodbye, Applejack and Trader rushed off to finish what they started. As they disappeared into the crowd, Braeburn kept his eye on the pair, a faint smirk on his face.