//------------------------------//
// 17. My lips are sealed. 
// Story: The Tale of Lord Barleycorn 
// by Blue Cultist 
//------------------------------//

The Tale of Lord Barleycorn
- - - - - - 
Chapter 17: My lips are sealed.
---

"... and we're sorry we overreacted. We didn't mean to press the issue, we came here to help and we shouldn't have tried to bail on all of you after one argument." Daisy said, trying her best to look Summer Harvest in the eye.

Lily Valley nodded, "We... would like to brush this whole thing under the rug, if that's okay with you."

Summer Harvest had been chewing on his last bite of pancake throughout the entirety of Lily and Daisy's apology speech. Finally he swallowed, his chest heaved with one slow breath, and he pushed his plate back. Summer then showed them a small but genuine smile. "Girls, you're dripping on the floor. Go get a towel and dry yourselves off before you catch a cold."

Lily and Daisy both let out a sigh of relief.

"Let me get the towels, there's enough wet hoofprints in the house already." Harvest Moon chuckled before she set off for the bathroom.

Everypony in the kitchen was glad to have the Lily And Daisy back but by far the most visually excited was Roseluck, who was grinning from ear to ear. Carrot Top showed her appreciation by fixing the flower vendors two plates of cooling pancakes and omelets. Soon Harvest Moon returned with towels, which Lily and Daisy used to dry themselves then the floor they had unintentionally soaked.

Carrot Top meanwhile had to ask; "So what changed your minds?"

"Well," Lily Valley was already taking a seat at the table, eyes locked on her plate. "We met a talkative stallion on the side of the road."

"He was nice, but way too quirky for me." Daisy frowned, "But he helped put everything in perspective."

Leadfoot and Corn Crib shared a smile, one that Lily and Daisy saw and attributed to a shared sense of relief.

"Somepony you met on the road?" Harvest Moon looked out at the rain. "Whoever it was, he's soaked clear to the bone by now."

"I dunno who it was but he was nice, just really shy I guess." Lily Valley shrugged, "He never came out of the cornfield so we never found who he was."

Harvest Moon merely smiled and said no more, but she did seem a bit more lively as she finished her eggs.

"Hey Goldie, you gonna eat any of that?" Roseluck prodded a hoof across the table, "You wanted a second helping but you've barely touched it."

"I was thinking of taking it out on the porch and watching the rain as I eat." Carrot Top shrugged.

Summer Harvest snorted as he pulled away from the table. "Well, I can't waste the whole day in here. I'll be heading out to the toolshed."

Harvest Moon frowned. "Summer, it's pouring out there..."

"I noticed one of the scythes was a little dull, and we'll be needing it once the barley dries out." Summer shot his wife a smile before he picked his hat off the rack. "Don't look at me like that, I won't  melt."

Harvest Moon seemed unamused. "Well, be careful out there."

"'Always am." Summer laughed as he left the kitchen. The front door creaked open, letting in the full roar of the rain before it shut again.

With Summer out of the room, Daisy and Lily Valley both relaxed and continued to eat and chat with Roseluck. Carrot Top was quick to join in, and even Corn Crib got in on the friendly banter. Leadfoot seemed preoccupied with looking out the window, which Carrot Top thought nothing about. Rain was often dropped on Ponyville after stressful preparations (like tax day) for therapeutic reasons, and Leadfoot looked about as tense as somepony could get.

The conversation drifted from some celebrity gossip, but when Roseluck let slip of having attended the Grand Galloping Gala, Corn Crib's eyes lit up and she wanted to know everything about that eventful night. Roseluck was just starting to get to the part where Pinkie Pie had started singing the Pony Pokey when Carrot Top felt a hoof tap her side.

"Hey cousin Golden, can I talk to you in the other room?" Leadfoot asked, still looking rather serious.

Lily Valley looked up from her plate, "Something wrong?"

Leadfoot's expression softened and he shook his head. "Nah, it's just some family stuff so don't worry."

Curious about her cousin's sudden change of attitude, Carrot Top rose from the table. Quickly remembering her plate, she looked to Corn Crib. "Guard my plate with your life."

Corn Crib put on an all-too serious face and saluted as she pulled the plate over to herself. Before leaving the kitchen with Leadfoot, Carrot Top could have sworn she heard Roseluck yelp. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed Roseluck rubbing her fetlock and Corn Crib giving her a castigating glare.

Now confidant Lord Barleycorn's breakfast was in safe hooves, Carrot Top entered the living room. Already having a feeling this wasn't meant to be shared, Carrot Top leaned in close and whispered; "So what's this about?"

"Well, first I'm real glad to see he was able to talk them back." Leadfoot then raised an eyebrow, "But really, with all their talk about seeing forest spirits and they didn't raise a fuss about him?"

"I don't understand that either, but whatever." Carrot Top then added with a more serious tone, "Did you see our mutual friend sneaking around outside?"

"More accurately, I just saw him limping to the barn." Leadfoot deadpanned.

Carrot Top blinked, "'Limping?'"

"You didn't notice the huge bruise around his foot?" Leadfoot asked, and when his cousin shook her head he sighed, "Well, he's got one bad foot, and havin' only two I can't imagine what kind of pain he's in right now, on top of being cold and wet I mean."

Carrot Top remembered back to last night, to how jovial and polite the scarecrow had been. If he was in pain then he was good at hiding it. "How long has he had it?"

"Just a day, but he hasn't complained about it much." Leadfoot said, "If you can keep your friends preoccupied, I can get your breakfast out to him."

Carrot Top shook her head, "No, I'll do it. I'd like to talk to him a little more. I did say I was saving it to eat out on the porch and watch the rain, it'd look suspicious if you took it. But you could do me a favor."

Leadfoot tilted his head. "A favor?"

"Yeah, distract them so they don't look out the window and see me running to the barn." Carrot Top smirked, "If you have trouble keeping their attention, especially Roseluck's, you just have to get them talking about last year's flower competitions."

Leadfoot didn't have to say anything, that grimace telegraphed just how boring he thought that was.

"Trust me, it'll work, just keep asking questions." Carrot Top said, "I'll be down in a second, I need to get an umbrella."

"We have one by the door." Leadfoot stated plainly, knowing his father hadn't touched it because he thought they were 'for mares.'

"I know, but this is one I brought from home." Carrot Top smiled as she headed toward the stairs.

---

With the plate firmly grasped in her teeth, Carrot Top took a second to adjust the umbrella hat on her head before heading from the steps of the porch to the barn. The cold rain urged Carrot Top along as it fell across her exposed back and hammered the umbrella, but thankfully she wasn't completely soaked by the time she made it inside.

Carrot Top remembered the day Pinkie had given her this umbrella hat, and she remembered just how impractical she thought it was. 'The point of an umbrella is to keep you completely dry while you're out in the rain' she had thought. Never in a million years would Carrot Top have believed it would have come in handy for carrying a plate of food in the rain.

Once inside the barn Carrot Top set the plate atop one of the empty carts and covered it with her umbrella hat. With Lord Barleycorn's breakfast clear from danger Carrot Top shook the water from her coat and mane. She still felt wet and consequently chilly but she no longer felt like she was soaked clear to the bone.

Leaving the umbrella in the cart, Carrot Top took the now cold breakfast and began to climb the stairs. She heard nothing other than the sound of rain on the sheet metal roof, and began to assume that she should have first checked the empty stalls below the hayloft. That assumption was forgotten when her eyes came above the second story floor.

Aside from its abundance of hay, the hayloft had two large support beams that rose up to the rafters. Carrot Top had noticed last night that nails had been driven into these beams but the banality of their existence had barely been worth remembering.

The purpose the nails originally served were lost on the carrot farmer, but right now they were being used as crude clothes hangers. Articles of clothing Carrot Top could easily identify as belonging to Lord Barleycorn were hung to, presumably, drip dry. His muddy boots were abandoned in the hay along with the violin case.

"In this cold air it'll take all day for those rags to dry out." Carrot Top finally came up to the top step, and her eyes lit up when she saw his hat and mask hung on the back of the same beam.

The creature that Carrot Top only knew as Lord Barleycorn was laying in the hay, completely cocooned in the blanket they had shared last night. Moisture could be seen leaking through the fabric, and he was shivering profusely. The prospect of seeing the creature under the costume had Carrot Top excited, but the shivering caught her off guard.

Carrot Top announced her presence by clearing her throat. "I um, brought you some breakfast."

A short chattering of teeth preceded a shaky response from Lord Barleycorn, "Th-thanks... c-could you bring it c-closer? I just got comfortable."

Carrot Top did so, setting the plate down in the hay next to his side. Lord Barleycorn's hands emerged from their warm home, and after wiping his hands on the blanket he took one of the cold pancakes  under the covers.

"You know you're going to leave a lot of crumbs in there if you don't sit up and eat." Carrot Top said, taking a seat beside the half-wet blanket-cocoon.

"I'll shake the blanket outside when the rain stops." Lord Barleycorn mumbled between mouthfuls. "Thanks for bringing me something to eat."

"Don't worry about it, I had to make sure you got something." Carrot Top smiled, "You are working on this farm, and it'd be unfair if you went hungry."

"Which I appreciate more than you can believe." Lord Barleycorn continued, still chewing on his latest bite of food. "I don't know if these are really just this good or hunger really is the best spice."

If they were warm Carrot Top would have agreed, but her attention was elsewhere. While Lord Barleycorn was busy munching his way through his second helping, she had figured out which fold in the blanket was the top layer. Lifting this fold, Carrot Top tilted her head as she tried to make sense of his feet.

Although they were rather simple at a glance, a flex of one of his toes revealed a complex network of muscle and bone. The lack of a protective pad or hoof made his reliance on those boots appear more a necessity than a fashion choice. 

The bruise that Leadfoot had mentioned was terrible. A purple ring of bruised flesh encircled his bald fetlock, and it appeared swollen when compared to its twin. Having seen enough, Carrot Top let the blanket back down.

"Leadfoot mentioned you were hurt." Carrot Top said plainly, "If I knew I wouldn't have asked you to walk that far."

"It's nothing." Lord Barleycorn's hand reached out for the plate, drawing it closer to him. "But I don't expect to be getting around to the lumber mill like I planned."

With a groan the creature pulled himself into a sitting position, using his hands to keep the large blanket draped over himself. Carrot Top craned her neck one way and then the other, but much to her chagrin she couldn't see anything beneath the covers. Lord Barleycorn gave a dejected sigh as he took the plate into his covered lap, and looked about to complain. Instead, he muttered something Carrot Top couldn't quite hear before he started gingerly taking small chunks of cold omelet to his mouth.

"I don't suppose you brought a fork, did you?" He asked.

"You didn't need one for the pancakes." Carrot Top said pointedly.

"I was hoping to be able to eat properly after days of eating with dirty hands and whittled chop sticks." Lord Barleycorn's shoulders slumped, "And I can't cut my food with my knife, wherever it disappeared to."

"You won't find that fancy silverware stuff in an Earth Pony household like this one. Only unicorns use those things." In a foalish attempt to not look like she was staring at his hands, Carrot Top cast her eyes over to the wall. "I could see if somepony in town has some."

"That'd be wonderful, but you don't have to." Lord Barleycorn set his empty plate aside, "I don't have any means of paying you back."

Carrot Top rolled her eyes, "Please, it'll be a gift."

"If you insist... I wouldn't dare insult you by arguing or refusing." Lord Barleycorn sighed, "Thanks."

"Don't thank me until I have them." Carrot Top smiled, but it slowly faded away as an uncomfortable silence fell between them.

"Um..." Carrot Top licked her lips, the question she'd been wanting to ask on the tip of her tongue. "I... was wondering since your mask is drying..."

"If its about what I look like, please don't ask." Lord Barleycorn said, attempting to sound polite.

Carrot Top quickly backpedaled, deciding to drop the subject. "A-actually, I was thinking of taking your clothes inside so they'd be out of the cold and dry faster."

"That'd be great, but won't everypony wonder why you're hanging straw-covered rags up to dry?" Lord Barleycorn asked.

"… You have a point." Carrot Top shivered upon hearing the rain intensify against the barn's tin roof. If it didn't let up, she'd be running through that mess.

"Leadfoot did say these clothes belonged to his grandfather, he might have more in the house." Lord Barleycorn shifted under the blanket and coughed, "Preferably something heavier."

"Sure, but could you tell me how you got Lily and Daisy to come back?" Carrot Top asked, "They said they met somepony on the road."

There was a groan from under the blanket, followed by another cough. "Well, it started out just as I thought. A little violin music and a lot of flattery got them to stick around, and I stared asking them questions. My plan was simply to delay them until the rain came down and they'd have to turn back toward the farm house. But by some miracle I somehow cobbled together an argument that got them to think about Summer's position. And despite all that they thought I was a puppet and there was a unicorn in the corn controlling me."

"And they were so eager to meet a forest spirit." Carrot Top giggled, "You did a great job, they apologized to everypony for running off and Summer accepted them back without any fuss."

"Then it all worked out for the best." Lord Barleycorn's teeth chattered as he slumped back into the hay. "Your friends are back, I got to eat and some dry clothes."

"That, and I'll bring you an ice pack for that foot of yours." Carrot Top then added; "And something for that cough."

"I've had it for a while, I think its the hay dust." Lord Barleycorn coughed again, "And breathing through that mask for days hasn't done me much good."

"Typical stallion, doesn't want to let on that he's sick." Carrot Top then responded, "Still, we can't have you getting sick. I don't think Corn Crib could work very well knowing the King of Autumn was laying in the barn like a sick cat."

"It, er, would be counter productive." Lord Barleycorn said dumbly.

"Very," Carrot Top smirked, "Still, I don't recall any stories about nature spirits getting sick. They're supposed to be above mortal illness and injury."

"Er..." Lord Barleycorn faltered.

Carrot Top shrugged, "Relax, I'm convinced of your good intentions here on the farm. Anypony who'd go this far to help is alright in my book, and you are putting on a very noble act for Corn Crib but... it is just an act, isn't it? You aren't a nature spirit."

"You're... very perceptive." Lord Barleycorn forced himself back up to a sitting position, and adjusted the blanket so a small opening allowed one of his eyes to lock with Carrot Top's. "I want your word you won't let this spread."

Although it wasn't said directly, Carrot Top caught his answer to her question. "I won't gossip, I'm very good at keeping secrets."

The blanket shifted and both of his furless arms slid out, reaching out in a begging gesture. 

"Give me your hoof." He said firmly.

Looking from his hands to that glint, Carrot Top felt inclined to ask what he intended to do with her hoof. Instead she said nothing and raised her pale-yellow hoof and placed it in his hands. If he was asking for her trust she wasn't going to ruin the attempt with suspicious implications.

The entirety of those hands wrapped around Carrot Top's extended hoof, his fingers just lightly brushing the fur of her fetlock. Lord Barleycorn's hands were cold and a little clammy, but Carrot Top presumed that was the rain's doing. What surprised her was the control and strength behind them as he lightly squeezed her hoof, and wondered just how strong they were. Carrot Top banished these thoughts as quickly as possible, for fear of having to join Lyra in her strange little club.

Lord Barleycorn cleared his throat, calling Carrot Top to face him. That eye under the covers was still looking straight into her own, and Carrot Top felt her cheeks starting to burn.

"Promise me," His words were as firm and gentle as his grip, "Promise me that you won't tell anyone, anypony I mean."

"I promise." Carrot Top responded automatically, lightly shaking their entwined limbs. "But... promise not to tell what exactly, and who?"

"That you won't tell Corn Crib, or Harvest Moon. They believe in me, and I'd hate to destroy that hope." Lord Barleycorn released her hoof and slouched. "I know Leadfoot doesn't believe I'm a forest spirit, or maybe he doesn't care so there's not much lost if he found out. But if Corn Crib or her mom found out I'd just be a weirdo living around their farm."

"Won't they find out eventually?" Carrot Top tilted her head, "If the farm's saved or not they will figure it out."

"Only if I stick around." Lord Barleycorn stated, "My plan was to impose on Leadfoot's good graces after we had rescued their home from foreclosure. I would ask him to direct me to these princesses you ponies revere, and either ask about sending me home or pointing me in the right direction."

"Send you back home?" Carrot Top blinked, "You mean you're lost?"

"Very, and I have no frame of reference to get my bearings." Lord Barleycorn lightly shook his head.

The more Carrot Top pondered on this revelation, the more awed she felt toward this creature. He was doing this all because he promised a foal he met on the road, all the while being lost and fragile?  Carrot Top had met many selfless ponies before, but not many who would do anything like this for no promised reward.

"Well, you don't have to worry about asking Leadfoot for directions." Carrot Top smiled when his head snapped up to look her in the eye again. "Because I'll take you to Canterlot myself after the harvest is over."

"I... don't know what to say." Lord Barleycorn chuckled but quickly devolved into another coughing fit. "Excuse me."

"You're excused, but that cough didn't sound good." Carrot Top said, her voice full of sudden concern.

"It's..." One of his hands slipped into the blanket to feel his face. "... I do feel a little feverish."

"I better see what medicine Harvest Moon has. I'll be back as soon as I can." Carrot Top took the empty plate in her teeth and began heading toward the stairs.

"Hold on a sec."

Carrot Top turned around, Lord Barleycorn was still sitting up.

"I only got to show myself once to a pony, and he ended up running off screaming." He slowly reached up and began pulling the blanket back, "You promised to keep everything I told you between us, and I am trusting you with my health..."

Carrot Top blinked as she saw the head of Lord Barleycorn emerge. From the way he had billed himself up as some nauseating or terrifying beast Carrot Top had expected far more fantastical than what was ultimately delivered. There were no horns, no pustules, no tusks, no unnatural protrusions, or anything else Carrot Top could dream up with her own vivid imagination. She wondered what that first pony had seen to really scare him off if this was all he saw. Sure, Lord Barleycorn didn't have much in the way of fur, but it was a nice shade of gold. Instead of a monster she just saw a very kind and expressive face that was odd, but hardly the stuff of nightmares. 

Carrot Top dropped the plate into the hay, and continued to look at the creature for a moment before showing him a smile. "I'm still waiting for the scary part."

Lord Barleycorn smiled back to her, "Let's keep this between us too. If Leadfoot heard that I showed you first he'd be jealous."

Carrot Top drew her hoof over her mouth. "My lips are sealed."

Craning her neck down to retrieve the plate, Carrot Top then paused as a thought entered her mind. "One more thing, your name isn't Lord Barleycorn, is it?"

"No." The creature shook his head, "It's Jack."

The carrot vendor blinked, "Jack? Just Jack?"

"Hardly as impressive as Lord Barleycorn, I know." Jack laughed, "Sorry to disappoint you."

"I didn't mean it like that." Carrot Top cleared her throat and curtsied for her new friend. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jack."

Jack nodded in response, but his smile only seemed to brighten. "The pleasure's all mine, Ms. Harvest."

---

=== Sprout Family Farm ===

Wind Row yawned as he doubled checked the attic door, not a single ray of light could be seen, the boxes he had moved on top of the trap door had seen to that. His brothers would have a hard time barging in to bother him and ruining the negatives.

The whole attic stank of the developing fluids that sat in tubs here and there. A single red light was all he had to see by, courtesy of the photography kit he got from that commercial in the back of his Power Ponies comic. His brothers had laughed, and intentionally barged in on him the last time he tried to develop pictures... or maybe  they had to use the bathroom real bad. Regardless, they never apologized for ruining his negatives and Wind Row resolved to never use the bathroom as a darkroom.

The film was dropped in the chemical mix, and very carefully Wind Row began to tilt the tub back and forth. The images came in slowly, very slowly, but soon the images he had captured began to reform themselves as if by magic. Magic, that's what it felt like to the colt. Earth ponies never could do tricks like unicorns could, and knowing that he was the reason these pictures were appearing gave him a rush unlike any other. He loved his farm and family, but photography made Wind Row feel special.

With the pictures now soaked in developing fluid, Wind Row fished the photos out with tongs and began to rinse them in another tub filled with water. The image of the scarecrow was clear even under the red light, and would look even better once he got it enlarged on the photographic paper he had waiting. First they would need to dry, and that was as simple as being hung up to dry thanks to some of his mom's clothespins.

Wind Row sat there in the dark, looking at the negatives when he noticed something. In one he could almost swear he could see an mouth under the burlap. He'd know for sure when he enlarged the image on paper, but if he had then his dad would believe him and his brothers would stop teasing him!

That would have to come after the film dried, and that would be another hour or so. Luckily Wind Row had brought a snack and his brother's deck of cards for a few games of solitaire. It was going to be a long wait, but what Wind Row didn't notice was the short pop of magic behind him, or the new design of a camera on his flank. 

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To be continued...
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