//------------------------------// // Meals in the Orchard // Story: Spelunking // by Zytharros //------------------------------// Applejack and Big Macintosh were busy in the rustic kitchen, cleaning up the last of the supper dishes. The window above the sink was cracked open a bit to allow the nighttime breeze to clear the house of the sun’s relentless heat. The room, however, was still steaming with a different kind of temperature. “When I see that li’l filly again, I’m gonna give her a piece o’ my mind!” Applejack said, snapping a striped glass cup with the force of her washing. She examined her hoofwork and groaned. “Sweet Celestia, not another one!” She tossed it in the trash receptacle. Big Mac glared at her. “Language!” “You agree, too, right Mac?” the orange palomino pony seethed, ignoring her brother. “I mean, t’be out all day long’s one thing, but t’miss dinner? Hardly fittin’ behaviour for a young Apple. What was she doin’ out there?” Big Macintosh put the last of the dishes away and heard Apple Bloom’s distinct trot clack atop the wood veranda of their home. Shortly after, she was joined by a second set. Their voices wafted into the kitchen. “There she is,” the tall crimson stallion rumbled. “An’ she’s got a friend.” Immediately, Applejack stormed into the living room, hell-bent on letting Bloom have what-for as punishment for missing dinner. “Now, what did I tell you about stayin’ out late like thi–” She stopped when she swung the door open and saw a timid pegasus colt sitting at her front door right beside her sister. Of all the things she had expected, this wasn’t one of them. A thousand questions filled her mind, but only the two essential inquiries made their way onto her tongue. “Where were you? An’ what were y’doin’ with him?” Rumble blushed and shrunk back. This was a bad idea. “We were playin’ tag an’ lost track o’ time,” Apple Bloom said, walking into the house. “I see.” Applejack turned to the colt with a smile. “You must be Thunderlane’s brother. Why aren’t you home?” Rumble blushed. “I… um, I mean, my brother’s having some adult time with his girlfriends and I didn’t want to stay.” “Can he stay for supper and a sleepover?” Apple Bloom asked. “He doesn’t want to go home until they’re done.” Rumble looked at Applejack with a look of apprehensive hope until his stomach growled. The elder mare laughed. “Well, I’m sure we can put some food in you,” Applejack said. “I’m not sure about givin’ you a place to sleep. I don’t know where we could put you up in a proper bed. You obviously can’t sleep in the same room as Apple Bloom, after all.” “I know,” Rumble said as he and Apple Bloom took a couple seats at the table. “The couch would be fine. I don’t need a quilt; a little bed sheet would do.” Applejack mused, This kid ain’t like his brother at all. Wonder where he gets it from? “That should be fine,” Applejack said. Big Macintosh took the liberty of preparing a couple plates of leftovers for the young ponies while Applejack took a seat. Rumble was met with a knowing glance from the elder sister before she looked back at Apple Bloom sternly. “As for you, missy, I don’t want t’hear of you stayin’ out that late again, y’hear?” “Yeah, I know,” the youngest Apple said. “I’m sorry.” A pair of salads and some apple pie were laid out before the foals on the round applewood table. His eyes lit up, but before digging in, Rumble glanced over at Apple Bloom, his powerful, youthful hunger overridden by gentlemanly courtesy, but just barely. Applejack seemed placated for a time. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow, after Rumble goes home.” “Miss Applejack, I think I should take the blame for some of this.” Filly and mare looked over at the little colt in surprise. “Well, I kind of didn’t want her to go. My brother wanted some alone time–” he swore he heard a snicker from the other room, where Mac had gone “–and I was wandering around Ponyville, trying to figure out how to fill the time.” He then proceeded to recount the events of the day, with a decidedly biased, self-centered angle. When he concluded, he was certain he would take most of the fall. “Rumble, you’re a good colt, but don’t you be lyin’ t’me like that again.” The pegasus blanched at the hesitation-absent shutdown he had just been hooved. “H-how did you know?” She chuckled and pointed at Apple Bloom. “I know enough about ponies your age to know they don’t lie well.” “Hey!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, indignant. He had heard of Applejack’s legendary honesty. He didn’t know a lot about the Elements of Harmony aside from their names, but he figured being the wielder of Honesty had to say something about the pony. He realized that, because of her connection to the Element, she also had an eye for lies. He gulped. Rumble blushed. “S-sorry, Miss Applejack.” “Don’t you worry none,” she said with a smile. “I will be havin’ a word with your brother later, though. It’s his responsibility that you’re taken care of, no matter if he’s got girls comin’ over or not. Now, eat somethin’. I’m sure that game o’ tag you were playin’s made you a mite hungry.” He looked over at Apple Bloom to see her face full of lettuce. He smiled and dug into his own serving, having fulfilled his obligations regarding etiquette. The first bite spoke volumes of its freshness. The leaves of lettuce had a sharp, moist crunch to them. The daisies and daffodils filled his mouth with a blend that was mostly sweet, yet with just enough bitterness to bring out the subtle spice within the daisy. He hit a dry crouton with some ranch dressing and the flavour filled out, completing a mouthful as healthy as it was tasty. He moaned as he swallowed, and without missing a beat, he excitedly stuffed his face back into a bowl for a second taste. Applejack chuckled. “Your boyfriend sure loves a good salad.” With that, her face was filled with particles of food. Apple Bloom and Rumble just stared, brains locked in place, a giant logjam blocking the cogs. A piece of salad hung off Apple Bloom’s chin. Crumbs of pie crust lined her mouth. Rumble still had a few pieces of dinner in his own oral orifice. Applejack’s mane had bits of lettuce, a couple whole croutons, many pieces of daisy and daffodil, and flecks of apple pie as extra adornments. The table went silent for seven whole seconds. The only sound was another snicker from the other room. Shortly afterwards, the eldest Apple bolted upstairs to hide his raucous laughter in a pillow to spare himself of his sisters’ possible ire. It was good of Big Mac to leave the scene. Shortly after his face hit pillow, like a soldier dodging a missile, a second explosion filled the lower levels of the house, courtesy of the cog in Rumble and Bloom’s brains snapping the logjam in half as what Applejack said finally added up. Instantly, the flood of flabbergasted denial ground the rest of the dam into tiny pieces, carrying it downriver and out of contemplation forever. “No! He’s not…” “I’m certainly not…” “Eww!! How could you…” “Boyfriend? Ick ick ick…” “No! Ick! Eww!” “Never no never no never no…” This continued on for another thirty seconds. Applejack humoured herself at their expense, recalling an identical conversation she and her dad had commenced when she brought home her first “friend-who-was-a-boy-but-not-a-boyfriend-but-ah-horseapples-you-know-what-I-mean-dad!” It had happened just this way. Finally, when she had enough, she spoke up. “Simmer down, young’uns,” she said with a chuckle. “I was only havin’ a bit o’ fun. Both colt and filly glared daggers in her direction. Apple Bloom looked down at her pie plate, then at the collection of food on the ground. “Oh, great. Y’caused me t’spill my food on the floor!” Applejack just smiled and got up. “I’ll get you another one.” Rumble, in support of Apple Bloom, put on his best angry face. However, it was pretty funny, so he couldn’t stop the face from falling away. A smile played on his lips as he cleared it of foodstuffs using the provided serviette, and when Applejack brought the pie to Apple Bloom, he caught her eye. She winked at him, and he snorted. Apple Bloom’s hoof immediately shot up to her mouth as she tried her best to maintain her madness, but that too slipped away in time, and all three of them shared a good, long laugh, especially when Applejack took hold of her mane and finally saw what she had in her hair. “Well, I guess I’m takin’ a shower before bed.” Another brief chuckle later, Apple Bloom and Rumble ate the rest of their dinner in peace and contentment. Big Macintosh returned to the lower level to bid everyone goodnight while Applejack set up Rumble’s sleeping quarters in the living room. In a few minutes, Rumble and Apple Bloom had cleaned up and put their dishes away. It wasn’t long after that when the Apple household checked out for the night. Rumble was lying, back flat against the couch and smiling. It had been ages since he had spent a night like that, without the sounds of lust being fulfilled the next room over to lull him to sleep. He liked it here. He liked the Apples. They were far more courteous-us-er… whatever… than his brother and his girlfriends. Heck, Flitter was always trying to get him to join their escapades. He did not miss Flitter. He considered her his mortal enemy. He wondered why Thunderlane kept her around, but he was scared that he would find out exactly – exactly – why. He didn’t want to go there, not now, not ever. He decided to focus on dinner. The food was amazing, even for Ponyville standards, where everything was made fresh and only frozen for storage over the winter months. The warm environment the Apples provided just made it seem that much sweeter. He longed for the ability to come back here for a reason more than the food. He shuffled a little to look at the stairwell, up which in her bed his new friend slept soundly. He smiled. Maybe he already had the reason to come back. He realized how kind Apple Bloom was, and how good a friend she could be if he put the effort into getting to know her better. He relaxed his reverse-hunch pose and curled deeper into the auburn and orange blanket. A scent of the stale samey-same fluttered into his nostrils, but it was ignored as the colt smiled a little. He would get to wake up to her the next morning as a friend. Letting that thought fill his head, he curled up into a tight little ball and slipped into restful slumber, thinking about battling strange but pleasant creatures. Tomorrow was going to be a blast and a half, even if he had no idea what was going on. He and Apple Bloom would see to that.