//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Making Up // Story: Soarin' with Apples // by Allonsbro //------------------------------// Chapter 14: Making Up Clang Clang Clang “The timberwolves ‘ere a-howlin’!!!” Bang Clang Clang Bang Crash. Soarin’ shot up in bed, startled from slumber with no idea of what was going on. “Hit the deck!” he shouted in his delirium. “Call for hatches! Batten down the reinforcements! Everypony to their- Waugh!” Tangled in his sheets, the blue stallion fell out of bed and landed firmly on the floor. He groaned and, after several tries, managed to free himself from the blanket prison. Now more awake and alert, he flew out his window and over the house to see what the commotion was. Granny Smith ran back and forth across the yard, several pots and pans hanging from her neck. The old mare banged them together, creating a very loud racket and shouting at the top of her lungs. “It’s the first sign!” she exclaimed. “The zap apples ‘ere comin’.” “Yaaahooooo!” Soarin’ heard the Apple siblings shout. He descended down the other side of the house until he was level with Applejack’s window. “Ain’t it excitin’, Soarin’?” Apple Bloom asked him, jumping a little in excitement as she held on to the window sill. “The zap apples are comin’!” “I heard,” the stallion assured her, rubbing his eyes. “If that jam’s as good as you make it out to be, I can’t wait to try it.” “It’ll be the best thing you ever tasted! Right, Applejack?” “Ah guess so,” her sister replied. “Ah’m gonna go and take stock of our ingredients so you and Granny know what to get on your shoppin’ trip.” The mare lumbered out her bedroom door without another word. Soarin’ felt a pang of guilt and regret, the umpteenth one since his confession. Applejack had barely said two words to him since he told her about how he had quit his job. In fact, she had been outright avoiding him most of the time. The mare could really hold a grudge. Deciding that dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything, he tried to direct his thoughts elsewhere. “So, AB, what do we have to do to get ready for the zap apples?” -SWA- “This is ridiculous,” Soarin’ groaned. Apple Bloom and the crusaders skipped back and forth from the spigot, filling watering cans and placing them in a circle. “Ah know it’s kinda strange,” the yellow filly said, the ears on her blue bunny suit wiggling when she moved her head, “but it’s what we gotta do or we won’t get as many zap apples and that means we might run outta jam.” “But…bunny suits?” Soarin’ questioned, tugging at the chest of the pastel yellow one he was wearing. Scootaloo shrugged as she put on a blue pair of bunny ears. “Magic just has its funny ways,” she explained. “And it’s fun!” Sweetie Belle squeaked, a green pair adorning her head. Soarin’ sighed. “Well, OK, let’s get this over with.” “We’re not ready yet.” Apple Bloom turned and shouted to the house. “Granny Smith, the water’s ready.” The old mare hollered a reply and emerged from the house, wearing a bunny suit of pastel purple. Applejack followed behind her, complaining. “But, Granny,” she pleaded. “If Ah’m not out helpin’ Big Macintosh get ready, we might not be able to collect all the zap apples.” “Yer brother’s more’n able to get done what needs doin’,” Granny countered. “’Sides, Ah’m sendin’ Mister Soarin’ out to lend a hoof since Apple Bloom’s friends are here to help with the water.” “Yes!” the stallion exclaimed, wasting no time in unzipping and discarding his childish garment. Applejack glared at him. “I mean, uh, yes ma’am,” he corrected himself sheepishly as he shook the suit off his back legs. “Now move yer caboose!” Granny commanded her granddaughter. “Ah got a special job for ya in the harvest this year.” The orange mare seemed to perk up a little at the idea of a special job. “What do Ah do?” Granny pointed to the middle of the circle of watering cans. “Just take a seat right over yonder.” Applejack went from encouraged to disheartened. “That’s it?” Her grandmother placed a gentle hoof on Applejack’s stomach. “Yer a mare that’s creatin’ life. There’s a real special kinda magic about that. And there’s magic in the bond a ma has with her foals. The years where one’a us was about to have a foal were some’a the best harvests the farm’s ever had.” The green mare’s eyes twinkled with fond memories. “Why, Ah remember yer ma sittin’ there fer hours when she was expectin’ all three’a you, jes’ talkin’ to ya and tellin’ stories and sayin’ she couldn’t wait to meet ya.” Applejack listened to her grandmother with rapt attention. A smile grew on her face, slowly getting wider as she neared the end. Wordlessly, she sat down in the middle of the circle. “Howdy there, lil apple,” she whispered lovingly, slowly running a hoof over her stomach. Granny poked Soarin’ in the side. “Git goin’ ya lazy daisy. There’s work to be done.” Soarin’ nodded and started flying in the direction of the zap apple orchard, listening to Applejack talking to her foal until he was too far away to hear. “How’d you like to hear a story your grampy told me? Once upon a time, there lived a little apple tree…” The afternoon brought a flurry of activity for the farm. Baskets needed to be placed around all of the zap apple trees and each and every tree needed watering. Soarin’ went back and forth, taking baskets or watering cans from carts and administering them to the trees as needed. As the sun neared the end of its downward trek, the stallion swore he’d drop dead if he didn’t rest soon. “Hey Big Macintosh,” he called, panting. “Mind if I…take a break?” He glanced over to see how Big Macintosh was faring and his jaw dropped. The red stallion didn’t appear to be straining himself at all. Aside from his slightly sweat-dampened mane, he looked like he’d only been working a short while. The big fellow looked like he was going to make a reply when the wind picked up. Normally, this would not have been of any consequence, but there was something different about this gust in particular. It was cold, colder than it should have been for a summer day. A feeling of ominous foreboding settled in Soarin’s gut as the wind chilled him to his bones. Dark clouds gathered in the sky and for a moment Soarin’ wondered if they came from the Everfree forest. The cold feeling developed into a shiver down the blue stallion’s spine. His coat stood on end and he recognized the familiar feel of ions in the air, like a thundercloud about to unleash. He saw a spark and his jaw dropped as arcs of electricity danced along the bare trees around him. The tip of each branch acted like a lightning rod, catching the current as it was passed along over the trees. When the sparks settled, Soarin’ leapt back with a cry of surprise as dark green leaves suddenly appeared on the branches from nowhere. The new foliage sparked a little and then the trees and the wind were still again. “Whoa,” Soarin’ breathed, astonished. “Hey, Macintosh, did you see that?” “Eeyup,” the red stallion replied, nonchalantly getting back to work. “That was awesome!” Soarin’ exclaimed. “What was that?” “The second sign,” Mac replied. Cautiously, the stallion fluttered up to look closely at the new leaves. They seemed benign enough. Their shape was like many other typical apple leaves and their color was a little bit darker. Soarin’ lifted a hoof and glanced between it and a leaf then slowly moved it closer and closer. “What are you doing?”  Just as he was about to touch it, he jolted. “Gah!” the stallion shouted in surprise, faltering in his hover. He took a breath to recover and then glared. “Jeez, Rainbow, don’t sneak up on me like that!” The prismatic mare chuckled. “I didn’t sneak, you just didn’t hear me. I even asked Mac where Applejack was before I noticed you taking up leaf watching.” Soarin’ decided to spare himself further embarrassment and change the subject. “What did you need to see Applejack about?” “She came over yesterday and wanted to talk, but I was kinda busy.” She looked around and added, “but I guess she’s busy now with zap apples and everything.” Soarin’ had a feeling as to what she had wanted to talk about. “She probably wanted to talk about me,” he said morosely. “Huh?” Seeing the look on his face, Rainbow realized what he meant. “Oh. You finally told her, huh?” He nodded. “She’s barely said a word to me since.” “Can ya blame her?” Rainbow cringed, regretting what she’d said. “Sorry. That was kinda harsh. But seriously, Soarin’, what’d you expect. You lied to the freaking Element of Honesty. For months. How did you expect it to turn out?” “Honestly,” the stallion replied, “I thought she’d kick me out and never want to see me again.” Glancing to the left, he noticed Big Mac pass by for the umpteenth time and figured he should be getting back to work. He began a slow walk to the cart to get a watering can. “But I’m starting to think that this is worse.” He sighed. “Part of me is wondering if I should just leave. Not seeing her sounds better than her not talking to me again.” “Whoa, hey,” Rainbow shouted in surprise. Two flaps of her wings moved her in his path, facing him. “C’mon, don’t throw in the towel yet. Yeah, what you did was stupid, but AJ’s gonna come around. Not even she’s that stubborn. Just let me talk to her, OK?” Soarin’ took a small step back, surprised at his friend’s conviction. “How can you be so sure? And why are you so eager for this to happen?”  “I’ve had AJ mad at me before. Honesty is definitely her thing, but she’s pretty loyal, too. Eventually she remembers that friendship is, like, way more important than whatever we argue about.” The prismatic mare suddenly went from convicted to sheepish, scuffing the ground with her hoof. “And my other question?” Soarin’ pressed. Rainbow stuttered. “Well…it’s…I- AUGH! I hate all this stupid waiting, OK! I just want to put all this dumb, romantic, crushy stuff behind me and get back to just being friends. Being around you is, like, really awkward now ever since…y’know. We used to just have fun together and I want this stupid mistake to just go away so we can get back to that. “And there’s AJ, too,” the mare continued. “I’m not really into the whole mushy-gushy, lovey-dovey junk. It’s just not, y’know, cool and stuff. That stuff’s more for ponies like Rarity. I didn’t think AJ was into it either, until she was with Clover. Then when he left, it was like she got ripped up on the inside. Having you around made her happier. I think that you’re good for her and you won’t let her down.” Soarin’ frowned and passed her to get back to his work. “Rainbow, I already did let her down.” The other pegasus followed him. “Well…yeah, but you also did what needed to be done when she needed you to support her. When she remembers that, maybe she’ll forgive you.” Rainbow Dash took off as Soarin’ reached the cart and hovered nearby. “Listen, I gotta go. But don’t give up, OK. AJ will come around and start talking to you again. Just give her some time.” Soarin’ allowed himself a small smile. “Thanks. Oh, and Rainbow?” “Yeah?” “Do you want to hang out some time next week? As friends?” The prismatic mare grinned. “Heck yeah!” -SWA- The next two days were the same as the first. The trees were watered and baskets were placed, along with other activities to prepare for the coming harvest. Soarin’ had never seen the farm so strange. From weird, isolated changes in weather patterns to Granny suddenly giving Pinkie a run for her bits in randomness. He learned quickly that, much like with the pink mare herself, it was best to just take it all in stride. So, when the sky went dark over the zap apple orchard and a huge murder of crows flew overhead making apple shapes, he marveled at the new zap apple flowers and then got back to work. And when he saw Granny talking politely with the bees, shouting at jars, or painting the kitchen walls with purple polka dots, he offered his assistance or went about some other chore that needed doing. Despite the family’s best efforts, though, the last day before harvest arrived and they were still behind schedule. The pegasus and the earth ponies worked their tails off all day long to try and gain a little ground. As he slowly made his way back to the house at the end of the day, the blue stallion’s wings drooped. Exhaustion pulled at him like lead. The only thing he thought as he approached the front door was going into a coma when his head hit the pillow. That thought diverted when he opened the front door to the smell of fresh-baked apple pastry. Maybe he could take a quick little detour through the kitchen on his way to bed. He entered the room to find Applejack sitting at the table with a fresh batch of apple fritters. Seeing that she was gobbling the pastries up like she was in an eating contest, Soarin’ guessed that she must have had another craving. He gulped and prepared for an awkward, non-acknowledged passing through the room to get a snack. Applejack stood up, her mouth still half-full of fritter. After several grunts and other noises to get his attention, she quickly swallowed, wiping crumbs from her mouth. “There you are,” she said. “Ah wanted to talk to you.” The blue stallion froze, stunned in mixed feelings of surprise and relief. Finally, she was at least talking to him. He counted that as a good sign. Maybe he could finally find a way to fix things. “Really?” he asked, the idea sounding too good to be true. “Yes,” she replied, stepping to the other side of the table. “Ah wanted to tell you how sorry Ah am.” Again, the mare threw him for a loop. He shook his head to make sure the hard work all week hadn’t made him crack. “Whoa, wait. You’re sorry?” “Yes,” she confirmed, nodding. “Ah’m sorry that Ah’ve been treatin’ you so poorly. That wasn’t fair to you. Ah just let mah anger get the best of me and Ah hope you can forgive me.” Soarin’ shook his head. “There’s nothing to forgive. You were right. It’s me who’s sorry. I should have told you the truth a long time ago.” “Yes, you should have. But Ah’m still sorry for getting’ so upset-” “You had every right to be upset,” Soarin’ insisted. “Let me finish,” the mare said tersely. “But Ah should have talked with you about it sooner. It wasn’t fair of me to let it sit for so long. Can you forgive me?” “Do you want me to leave?” the stallion suddenly asked. Now it was her turn to be thrown for a loop. “What?” “Should I find some other place to stay?  I’ve been thinking a lot about how much I hurt you and I can’t help but wonder if my being here is going to be too hard for you. Do you think it would be best if I moved out?” The orange mare was silent for a long time before she answered. “It ain’t none of mah business what you do now that you ain’t a Wonderbolt. But Ah’ve really appreciated havin’ you around. If you want to stay on after the foal comes, we can hire you for when we really need the extra help. And Ah’d be happy to give you a recommendation for a job if you need it.” Soarin’ frowned. “That, uh, didn’t exactly answer my question.” “You didn’t answer mine, either,” Applejack retorted, shrugging. “Oh,” he realized. “Yes, I forgive you.” The orange mare smiled, sighing in relief. “Thank you. And Ah forgive you, too.” Hearing her say it felt like cutting sandbags he had carried for a long time, but the blue stallion knew there would have to be more to it than that. Their friendship had a long way to go before it would be anything like what it was. It would take more than just being forgiven to earn her trust back. “What can I do to make it up to you?” he asked. “How can I fix this?” The pregnant mare sighed, this time sadly. “Ah don’t know,” she replied. “Ah want to go back to the way things were just as much as you do. But lyin’ for all this time ain’t exactly easy to fix. Ah’m…Ah’m not even sure it really can be fixed, not completely. Maybe it would’ve been better if you’d just gone back and stayed a Wonderbolt.” Soarin’ felt his heart sinking. “Is…is that really what you think? You think it would have been better if I’d never come here?” Applejack’s eyes widened. “No! No, sugarcube, that ain’t what Ah mean at all. Ah’m glad for the time you were here on the farm. Ah just can’t understand why you’d throw your life away to be here.  “This farm is mah whole life,” she explained. It’s what Ah was born to do.” She nodded to the mark on her flank. “Ah’ve spent mah life here and it’s all Ah know. If Ah ever had to give it up for anything, Ah’d be downright miserable. There’s a whole lotta things Ah’d lose before Ah lost this farm. “And that’s what Ah can’t understand. You’ve told me stories about how flyin’ was all you ever wanted. How you were the youngest stallion to ever get into the Wonderbolts.” Her voice cracked. “Ah just can’t understand why…why you would give somethin’ like that up. Why did you throw your life away just for…just for me?” “Applejack,” the pegasus explained. “If I could go back to the day you told me you were pregnant, I’d quit all over again in a heartbeat and never look back. Being a Wonderbolt was one of the best things I’ve ever done. And over my career, I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices, more than one of them being friends or relationships. There’ve been several times that I wanted to quit. The only reason I didn’t quit before was because the thing I wanted to quit for didn’t seem as important as flying. Sometimes it was a pretty close call, but flying was always what I chose.” He smiled softly at her. “But then I met you. And flying didn’t seem so important anymore. I’m OK with getting up at sunrise and working my tail off until sunset if it means making life better for the farm. I don’t care that it’s been months since I’ve flown high enough to see my breath in the air on a summer day. You’re worth it. You’re worth not flying. I’ve run my decision over and over in my head so much since I left Cloudsdale that it made me dizzy. What I did was stupid and rash and bull-headed and …and stupid and…” he realized he’d said stupid twice, but elected to ignore it. “But I’d do it all over again. I’d relive every last minute on this farm and not change a single thing.” Silence filled the kitchen for several long, tense moments. Soarin’ felt like he had a bright light shining on him, like millions of ponies staring him down as he waited for her to answer. “Except the part about lying,” he quickly clarified. “That, I would definitely change.” The orange mare gave a small smile. “Ah’m glad to hear that. And you’re right…” “I am?” “Uh-huh. Quittin’ your job was pretty stupid.” Soarin’s ears drooped. “But,” Applejack continued. “Your heart was in the right place. Ah still feel guilty for bein’ part of the reason, but Ah’m glad to have a friend like you.” A delighted, coltish grin spread across the stallion’s muzzle. He felt his mood do a one-eighty and shoot like a rocket in the other direction. More sandbags fell to the ground at her acknowledgement of the one relationship he’d been most concerned about preserving, friendship. But, could it be more? The question wormed its way into his skull. Soarin’ tossed it aside. How could he be so selfish? He’d almost given up hope that Applejack wouldn’t sever all ties with him and had just begun the road to repairing their friendship. Wasn’t that enough? Deciding that, yes, just being friends was enough, at least for the time being, the stallion mentally shook the question away. “Thank you for giving me another chance to be your friend, Applejack. You have no idea what that means to me.” He raised his right hoof. “I promise, from now on, no more lying. And I’ll do whatever I can to regain your trust.” The front door creaked open and Granny called from the living room. “C’mon, ya’ll. The fourth sign’s appeared. Hurry or ye’ll miss it.” Applejack’s eyes brightened. “C’mon, you have to see this.” She led him out the front door to the lawn where the rest of the family was already sitting to view the spectacle. Out over the zap apple orchard, great sparkling balls of light fell from the sky. Soarin’ squinted, seeing something weird about the trees. The bright blue petals of the flowers fell and the middle seemed to turn a dull grey before sagging lower on its branch. “The zap apples have appeared,” Apple Bloom exclaimed, getting up on her hind legs to see better. Without a word, her brother hoisted her up on his back and she stood up against his neck for a better view. “They sure have, pickle-pear,” Granny agreed. “And tomorrow starts the harvest an’ then the zap apple jammin’.” “Are you sure Ah can’t help, Granny?” Applejack asked. “There must be somthin’ Ah can do.” “Nnnnope.” The orange mare gave her brother a glare. “Ah don’t recall askin’ you.” Apple Bloom nodded her agreement with the red stallion. “Big Mac’s right, Applejack. You don’t have much longer til the baby gets here. You shouldn’t be doin’ any applebuckin’.” “Ah still got two or three weeks before mah due date,” her sister replied irritably. “And Ah didn’t say anything about applebuckin’. Ah just meant-” “Simmer down, young’un,” Granny said, placating her granddaughter ordered. “Ah’m sure you can help me in the kitchen with the jam when the time comes.” “But what about tomorrow? Everypony’s gonna be busy harvestin’ all day and makin’ the jam doesn’t start until the day after.” “No, but we still got plenty to do. You can help me with makin’ sure the others get plenty’a water.” The orange mare sighed. “All right. If Ah can do anything to help get us back on track, Ah will.” “Are you really that worried about it?” Soarin’ asked. She nodded emphatically. “The zap apples disappear if we don’t buck ‘em in one day. That means that we only have one shot at this. We need this harvest to go well if we want to get ahead. And not bein’ able to do anything just has me feelin’ so helpless and frustrated.” Granny Smith wrapped her granddaughter in a comforting hug. “Now, young’un, have faith. Even if harvest don’t go perfectly, we’ll be all right, long as we stick together.” “Eeeyup.” “And Ah’ll be helpin’ Big Mac with the buckin’,” Apple Bloom stated proudly. “Soarin’, too. We can get it all done. In a couple days, we’ll have enough to put away for the foal’s future.” Soarin’ nodded his agreement, smiling up at the yellow filly. It amazed him how much Apple Bloom had been maturing in the time he’d known her. She’d taken on the task of helping her sister in addition to her own responsibilities without so much as a single complaint. She would make a wonderful aunt when the foal finally arrived. Applejack smiled at each member of her family in turn. She didn’t say anything, but Soarin’ had the impression that nothing needed to be said; a silent word of gratitude spoken between family members. The gathered ponies were silent for a long time, enjoying the view of the sunset as the day came to an end. As the last of the sun’s glow slid below the horizon, they collectively went inside to relax or prepare for bed and the next day’s events. -SWA- Everypony was up bright and early the next morning, busy as worker bees getting everything ready. A sort of tension resonated around the farm, like they were all waiting for the splattering of applesauce after an apple was tossed up to the fan. Everypony sat down to a heaping smorgasbord of a breakfast and dispersed to go make final preparations for the harvest day. Soarin’ put the last of the dishes away as he finished his turn for dishwasher duty. After drying his hooves, he meandered into the living room. He heard a creaking sound as he rounded the corner. He smiled at Applejack as he entered the room. She slowly rocked back and forth in Granny’s rocking chair, supporting her head on one hoof. “You were awfully quiet at breakfast this morning. Haypenny for your thoughts?” She looked at him, and he saw the tiredness in her eyes. “What else do Ah think about these days?” “You didn’t sleep well,” he said, stating it more as an observation than a question. “Was it nightmares?” She shook her head with a small smile. “No. Ah was too darn excited. Ah guess it’s finally startin’ to really sink in,” she confessed. “In a couple weeks, Ah’m gonna be a ma.” Her smile grew and she rubbed her stomach. “Ah’m gonna be a ma,” she repeated, sounding happier and even more excited. Soarin’ grinned back at her. “Yes. Yes you are.” She slowly rose from the chair, still grinning like a maniac. “Yes Ah am! Ah don’t have any idea what kind of mom Ah’ll be or if mah foal will love me or not or how Ah’ll ever explain about Clover if the foal ever asks…” Soarin’ smile fell slightly as Applejack drew a breath. Her eyes sparkled with a wildly excited look to them, like a pony who had such wonderful, life-changing news they were exploding to tell somepony. “But, for the first time, Ah’m not worried sick over it.” She closed her eyes blissfully. “Ah can see Big Mac teachin’ him or her how to applebuck, or Apple Bloom tellin’ ‘em it’s all right if they ain’t got their cutie mark yet. Ah can see ‘em fallin’ asleep in Granny’s lap as she reads a bedtime story out loud like she did for me.” She opened her eyes again, the green pools sparkling like stars. “Ah can see all of it! It scares the ever livin’ daylights outta me sometimes, but…” Her doubt and fear fell into the void as she grinned like she’d just won the lottery. “Ah’m gonna be a ma.” Soarin’ let out a little hum of empathic happiness. “Thought of all that in one night, did you?” She nodded. “A lot of the things you all were sayin’ last night really hit home.” “I’m glad. Do you know what you’re going to name the foal yet?” She nodded. “Apple Cobbler for a colt and Apple Dumplin’ if it’s a filly.” Soarin’ chuckled. “I’m assuming those are family names.”  Applejack smiled knowingly. “Yeah Ah know, Apple family names are a little predictable. We just like namin’ folks after each other. For example, Apple Dumplin’ was mah great great granny on mah pa’s-” She stopped midsentence, grunting and turning her head away. She placed a hoof on her stomach and hissed in pain through her teeth. “What’s wrong?” Soarin’ asked. She took a breath and sighed. “Nothin’. Sorry, the little apple bucker just kicked.” She smiled. “Woo. Definitely an Apple.” “Are you OK?” She nodded. “It’d probably do me some good to stretch mah legs. The zap apples should be gettin’ ripe any minute now. We should head on out there.” No sooner had she said it, and no sooner had they gotten out the door did Apple Bloom come bounding across the lawn. “It’s startin’, it’s startin’,” she hollered as she skidded to a halt, almost crashing into Soarin’s chest. She took several deep breaths before relaying the full message. “The zap apples are ready!” The older ponies looked out to the field from which the filly had just come. Dark clouds had gathered over the orchard, sending down a drizzling shower. They sparked and the sound of thunder was heard. Applejack let out a whoop. “C’mon, we’d better hustle.” The three of them cantered towards the clouds and the orchard. As they approached, rainbow light stretched between the trees, leaving behind spots of color spectrum standing out in the greenery. The light faded just as they reached the tree line. Big Mac stood waiting for them, looking approvingly at the newly ripened fruit. The apples were larger than their formerly grey appearance, bigger too. They had more of a square shape as well. But the thing that struck Soarin’ the most was the colors. Each fruit had stripes of every color of the rainbow spiraling around them. “Whoa,” he breathed in astonishment. “I’ve heard of zap apple jam, but I’ve never seen one of the apples up close before.” He flew up and picked a fruit from the tree, wondering what it tasted like. Something bopped his head a moment later and he cried out, more in surprise than pain. The apple sailed from his grip, landing perfectly in a nearby basket the same time one of the tennis balls from Granny’s walker hit the ground and started rolling down the slope back to the green mare. The elder returned the ball to its place. “There’ll be time fer eatin’ later. It’s bad luck to eat the apples before they’re off the trees. Now move yer caboose, young’uns! We’s got a lotta work to do before sundown.” Big Mac and Apple Bloom nodded and set to work. Soarin’ rubbed his temple and then followed suit. Hours passed, apples fell, and basket after basket filled with the multicolored fruit. Soarin’ lost track of time, barely even having a moment to pause before moving to the next tree. As the hours passed, the stallion began to tire. His hooves ached and his legs felt heavier and heavier with each tree he bucked. Applejack and Granny made rounds bringing water to the applebuckers. The refreshing liquid kept Soarin’ going and gave him an excuse to rest for a moment. About noon, they each took turns to stop and sit down to a quick lunch. Apple Bloom went first and then tagged Soarin’ to go next when she had finished. The blue stallion plopped down on the blanket set up in the middle of the zap apple trees. Applejack smiled at him from the corner where she reclined, near the picnic basket. Without a word, she pulled a bottle of apple juice and a sandwich from the basket and tossed them to him. The stallion tore into the sandwich almost before he’d managed to get the paper off. “Easy there, sugarcube. Don’t give yourself the hiccups,” Applejack cautioned.   “Mmmm. Shfoory,” he apologized. He swallowed and sipped at the apple juice. “I’m starving. The pace you guys set during applebuck season isn’t quite as rigorous.” “You sayin’ you can’t handle it?” the mare challenged. “No, I can handle it. I just might die in the process,” he replied, going for another bite of his sandwich. The orange mare laughed for a moment before she grimaced. “Kicking again?” the stallion asked as he swallowed. He noticed the mare biting her lip and realized it was something else before she could reply. “Wait, you’re not having contractions, are you?” What little Applejack had of a poker face shattered. “Ah, uh..” “You have! How many? How far apart are they?” “Shh!” Applejack hushed, looking around for anypony else in earshot. When the coast had been confirmed clear, she spoke in hushed tones. “Calm down, all right. I’ve only had a couple and they’re still really far apart. No need to give everypony more to worry about. It might even be another false alarm for all we know.” “But what if it isn’t?” Soarin’ asked. “Maybe you should go in and have them check.” She shook her head. “They’d probably just send me home or have me go for a walk. Ah’m more useful here with mah family.” “But-”  “Come on, buster,” Granny shouted from where she had emerged from the tree line a few trees down. “Move yer caboose. Big Macintosh still needs his lunch and we got a lotta buckin’ to do.” The blue stallion went to work finishing his meal lest he face the elderly mare’s wrath. “OK,” he said between bites. “But if they shtart geddin’ mo’ fwequent, you’re goin’ to the hoshpital.” “Of course,” she agreed. “Shorry,” he apologized, finishing his food. “I don’ mean t’be annoying, I jush worry about you shumtimes.” She smiled. “Ah know, and Ah’m glad for it. But don’t. Just worry about getting’ those trees bucked, OK?” He nodded. “Deal.” “Me or Granny’ll be by in while with water. Please don’t tell no pony.” Soarin’ returned to work, the feeling of fatigue joined by a feeling of uneasiness. More of the zap apples fell into their baskets as the afternoon rolled on.  Tree after tree was bucked bare only for there to be another one after it. And then another one after that. The cycle repeated. Buck the apples, collect any stray ones into the baskets, move to the next tree, lather, rinse, repeat. Meanwhile the endless parade of trees prevailed against the stallion’s less than limitless energy. Soarin’ only saving grace was when Applejack or Granny brought him water, when he could pause for a minute to catch his breath. Whenever he felt exhausted or tired, one of them would be there. And with their smiles, Applejack’s in particular, he was encouraged. “Doin’ all right?” the orange mare asked, passing him a canteen. She smiled as the strap left her neck and he took the container. “Yeah, I am now.” She took a seat a little ways away from him. “Go ahead and keep workin’, Ah just need to rest my hooves a minute.” When the cool liquid had quenched his thirst, he placed the canteen on the grass and moved to the next tree. THUNK He watched the orange mare out of the corner of his eye as he placed stray fruit into the basket. He saw the worry in her eyes as she glanced at the position of the sun, almost halfway down to the horizon from its zenith. Her hoof twitched as she glanced up and down the row at the trees that had been done and the trees that had yet to be done and she sighed. “Stop worrying,” he told her in a sing-song voice. “Ah’m not!” she insisted. “Well, OK maybe a little.” The stallion smirked as he moved to the next tree. “Ah can’t help it, though. Not bein’ able to do somethin’ when mah family needs me makes me feel so helpless.” THUNK The boughs shook and zap apples fell. Soarin’ began to pick up the ones that had missed. “You are helping,” he said. “You know what Ah mean,” she retorted. “Yes I do. And I still stand by my statement. Don’t sell yourself short. You’re helping a lot more than you know.” The mare shrugged, glancing down the rows again. “It’s just water.” “Water’s pretty important. Without it, I think we’d all be in pretty big trouble.” “Y’all could just carry canteens,” she countered. “Bringin’ water just gives me somethin’ to do. It ain’t really more than busywork.” She spat the last word like a foal eating brussel sprouts. THUNK “Maybe.” He smiled back at her.  “But you bringing the water does more than a canteen could. You stop and smile and talk with us. It helps pass the time and, personally, I find it just as refreshing as the drink break.” The orange mare stood up and moved farther down the row to catch up with him. “You’re kind of a morale boost too, I guess,” Soarin’ continued. “Y’know? Kind of a reminder of what we’re all working for.” He picked up a stray apple off the ground, holding it front of her for emphasis. “Each apple we get is money in the bank for the Apple in the oven.” He tossed the apple into the nearest basket. “The more we get, the better. You’ve done so much for us, it’s good that we can give some of that back.” She smiled warmly. “’We’, huh?” He returned her smile with a sheepish one. “Well, mostly me. But I’m sure that Big Mac and Apple Bloom feel-” She grimaced again, this time gritting her teeth for several seconds and groaning. “AJ!” Soarin’ exclaimed, rushing to her side. “It’s fine,” she said, irritably repeating what she’d been saying all day. “Ah’m fine.” This time the stallion didn’t buy it. “There’s a reason that the saying doesn’t say ‘fool me three times, I’m an idiot.’” He wrapped a hoof around her shoulder. “Come on, you’re going to the doctor.” The orange mare shook him off. “No, it’s fine. Ah don’t need to go just yet. The contractions are only about ten minutes apart. Ah’ve still got time.” “Ten minutes?!” the pegasus exclaimed. “Applejack…” “We can finish,” she pleaded with him, sitting back down. “Ah just need to stay still. Y’all only have a couple rows left and then it’s off to the hospital.” Soarin’ seethed, taking out his frustration on the nearest tree. THWACK “Why do you have to be so stubborn?” he asked. “Ah ain’t bein’ stubborn,” she retorted. “The doctor said to wait ‘til the contractions were around six minutes apart.” Gritting his teeth, Soarin’ kept his mouth shut, knowing nothing could be done when Applejack’s mind was made up. Instead, he tried to focus on finishing as fast as possible and getting the orange mare to hospital. He moved from tree to tree, bucking apples as quickly as he could and never straying too far from her. As he made another pass down the next row over, he noticed her grimace as another contraction came. Worry spiked in his chest. How far apart were they now? Silently, he counted the seconds in his head. One…two… three… Slowly the seconds ticked by as he watched her for the next contraction. His work slowed as the seconds counted up, his mind focusing more and more on the orange mare. He passed fifty seconds, then one hundred. He started tossing zap apples in a nearby basket every ten seconds so his count wouldn’t slow down as the number got higher. Six…seven…eight… Applejack’s mouth dropped open, her cheeks puffing slightly as she took several deep breaths, clearly in pain from another contraction. Soarin’ scrambled to count the apples he’d been using to keep track of time, finding there to be thirty two in total. ‘Almost five and a half minutes,’ he thought. “Time to go.” “What was that?” the orange mare questioned as the stallion skidded to a halt in front of her. “Time to go,” he said frantically. “Come on, you’re at five and a half minutes. We need to hustle.” “Y-you’re supposed to be buckin’, not timin’ mah contractions,” she said, trying to dodge the subject. He ignored her, grabbing one of her hooves and trying to help her up. “Come on. Less than six minutes. Hospital. Baby. Here we go!” Slowly, she rose. “B-but there’s still a lot of apples on the trees. A-Ah can hold out for another couple minutes.” “AJ!” he shouted. He stopped himself, taking a deep breath to try and stay calm. “If you wait any longer, the baby’s going to fall into one of the baskets with the zap apples. Now come on.”  “Ah told you Ah’m fi-” The words died in her throat as she felt the warmth of liquid running down her leg. “What’s wrong?” Soarin’ asked. The mare stared ahead like her life was flashing in front of her eyes. “Mah…mah water just broke.” Both ponies stared at each other in wide-eyed shock for several seconds. “Don’t just stand there,” the now-in-labor mare shouted. “Go get Granny!” “Right!” he agreed, snapping into action and taking off as fast as his wings could carry him. The stallion spotted the elderly mare with Apple Bloom and was on the ground beside them in seconds. “Applejack’s water just broke!” he told them. Apple Bloom gasped. “Ah’ll get the bag!” The filly started to take off towards the house. Granny grabbed the young one’s tail, stopping her in her tracks. “Hold it, young’un.” The mare’s voice remained calm and even. “How far are her contractions?” she asked. Soarin’ half marveled and half hated how the green mare could stay so calm. “About five minutes or so.” Granny shook her head. “Applejack, ya darn fool,” she muttered. She turned to Apple Bloom. “Go get yer brother, hun. He’s over yonder a couple rows down. Have him run to the house and get the bag and cart and meet us back here. Be quick now!” The yellow filly took off running as fast as her legs could carry her. “C’mon, sonny. Time’s a-waistin’,” the old mare called behind her, already moving through the trees to get to her granddaughter. They met Applejack in a clearing in the middle of the zap apple field. “Ah’m sorry, Granny,” she apologized. The green mare wrapped a hoof around her, barely even breaking her stride as she turned the both of them in the direction to meet Mac. “Ain’t nothin’ to be sorry for.” “But, the apples-“ “Ain’t as important as makin’ sure the young’un makes it safe inta the world, honey,” Granny interrupted, waving to get Big Mac’s attention as he galloped with the cart, Apple Bloom clinging to his back. The big stallion skidded to a halt in front of them and Soarin’ helped Applejack into the cart and then Granny. “All right, they’re in. Go Mac!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Hold on now, sapling,” said Granny. “Sorry, but Ah need you and Soarin’ to stay here.” The filly looked sadly at her grandmother. “Stay? But what about the baby?” “The baby’ll be fine,” Granny assured her. “But the zap apples ain’t done yet. Ah know you wanted to be there for when the baby was born, but Ah need ponies Ah can count on to finish bringin’ it in. Can Ah please have you do this?” The filly looked torn for a moment, looking between Granny and her sister. “Please, Apple Bloom,” Applejack asked. “Ah know it’s askin’ for a lot, but- AAAAAH!” She was interrupted by another contraction. The filly squared her jaw and leapt down off her brother. “You can count on me, sis.” Big Macintosh gave his sister a proud smile as he began to pull the wagon away. Granny turned and smiled as well. “Ah’ll send Big Mac back when we get there.” “Ah’m first to hold the baby when we finish and meet you there,” the filly shouted. They watched as Big Mac pulled the cart to the front gate and then down the road, disappearing over the hill. Soarin’ wrapped a hoof around the filly’s neck, giving her a side hug. “Hey, for what it’s worth, I’m proud of you.” She sighed. “Thanks.” Then, with a stamp of her hooves, she turned to the orchard with the most serious, battle ready look she could muster. “C’mon, you start over there, Ah’ll start down here.” The stallion saluted. “Ma’am, yes ma’am.” Work began again at an even more fevered pace by both ponies. The race to beat the clock was on as the sun fell lower and lower. Big Macintosh joined them some time later, bringing with him news that Applejack had been admitted and her contractions were two and a half minutes apart when he had left. The sun sank closer to the horizon, the three applebuckers running on their last bits of strength. There were only a hooffull of trees to go when the glowing orb of daylight finally kissed the horizon. Soarin’ squinted as the trees flashed like each apple was a camera bulb going off. The air smelled of ionized apples and tingling magic as any zap apples that had yet to be harvested popped out of existence. The stallion flopped to the ground, looking down the rows of bare trees with baskets of apples beneath them. Reaching a hoof up, he wiped his forehead and pushed his sweat-drenched mane back. His body felt exhausted, but his heart soared with triumph. “We did…,” he panted. “We did it, AJ.” “Soarin’,” he heard his name being called. Apple Bloom galloped toward him, her bow half undone and drooping from her sweat-drenched mane. “C’mon,” she said, pulling at his hoof. “If we hurry, we can make it to the hospital.” Reluctantly, the blue stallion rose to his hooves. He uncorked his canteen to take a swig, draining it of the last of the water it had. “What about the baskets?” he asked. “Mac’s collectin’ ‘em.” She gave his hoof another pull. “C’mon!” Soarin’ looked to see the big stallion already going from tree to tree and loading baskets into a cart. Big Macintosh saw the two of them looking his direction and gave a jerk of his head to the front gate, smiling. Soarin’ returned a nod. “OK, Bloom, hop on,” he ordered the filly. She obeyed and he took off, flying in the direction of the hospital. Applejack’s friends and the other Crusaders were already in the waiting room when they came up. Apple Bloom began firing off questions before she was even on the floor “Where‘s Applejack? Can Ah see her? How is she? Is the baby here yet? Is Granny with them? When can Ah see mah niece or nephew?” Pinkie Pie bounced into the fray, firing off answers. “In there. Not yet. Good. No. Yes. Really soon. Cookie or cupcake?” “Wha?” “You look hungry,” the pink mare explained. She reached into a nearby basket sitting underneath a bundle of balloons thinker than a rainforest canopy and pulled out a cookie and a cupcake. “Cookie? Or cupcake?” she asked again. Apple Bloom smiled. “Cookie,” she answered, taking the proffered treat. Soarin’, meanwhile, took a seat next to Rainbow. “How’d the harvest go?” the rainbow mare asked, looking up from the magazine she was reading. The stallion gave a half-nod, staring at the door Pinkie had pointed to. “Good.” Rainbow looked between him and the door. “She’s gonna be OK, y’know.” Again, he nodded. “I know. I’m still pretty worried, though.” “Did you talk to her?”   “Yeah. We made up last night,” he answered. Rainbow smirked triumphantly. “Told ya.” The door opened as a nurse took a cart into the room, letting out the sounds from inside.  “AAAAUUUUGGGGHHH!!!! If Ah ever see that low-down son of a Cerberus again Ah’m gonna buck him in the face so hard, he’ll be able ta taste his own sh-AAAAUUUUGGGHHH!!!” Soarin’ shot up out of the chair before he could stop himself. He stood, staring as the door to the next room closed. He’d never heard the sound of Applejack in pain like that before. He trembled, feeling helpless as the orange mare went through agony. “Soarin’.” Rainbow called, tapping his shoulder. “Soarin’!” He looked at the other pegasus and she returned the look with sympathy. “I’m worried, too. But she’ll be fine.” Pulling at his shoulder, she led him back to the chair and they both sat down. “So you two made up, huh?” she probed, trying to keep his mind off things. “Where ya planning your first date?” The stallion blushed. “Not like that. She’s talking to me. And she forgives me for hiding the truth from her. That’s more than I expected to happen and I’m leaving the rest up in the air until things cool down.” Rainbow nodded. “OK. What are you gonna do in the meantime?” He shifted in his seat so he was lying on his side and yawned. “Not really sure. I’ll need to get another job. And somewhere to stay. I can’t keep crashing at AJ’s house. Beyond that, I’ll just need to figure things out as they come.” “So you’re staying in Ponyville?” The other pegasus asked, sounding somewhat surprised.   Soarin’ smiled up at her challengingly. “Try and stop me.” She smiled back. “I’ll put in good word for you with the weather department.” “Hey, Rainbow Dash,” called Scootaloo from where she sat. “Got any cool stories to help keep Apple Bloom distracted? She’s wearing a groove in the floor.” Sure enough, the yellow filly was pacing worriedly back and forth in front of where her friend was sitting. Sweetie Belle stood nearby, offering what comfort she could. “Sure thing. C’mon over here, squirt.” The fillies gathered round and Soarin’ got more comfortable as the prismatic pegasus told her tale. The stallion soon found that his eyes felt heavy and the chair was surprisingly comfortable. He listened for as long as he could before his exhaustion caught up with him and he fell fast asleep. -SWA- Soarin’ woke back up when Rainbow poked him. He groggily looked around the room to find it being emptied. Granny held the door to Applejack’s room open, smiling warmly. The stallion shook himself awake. “Hey, Apple Bloom,” he whispered as he noticed the filly had fallen asleep next to him. “Apple Bloom, wake up.” The filly was slower to rouse than Soarin’. “Hmmm? Whassat?” she mumbled, still keeping her eyes closed. Granny Smith ambled over and gently shook the filly awake. “C’mon, half-pint. There’s somepony in there that wants to meet you.” Apple Bloom shot up, now wide awake, and leapt off the chair, her hooves slipping on the tile as she tried to move faster than her body could respond. All of Applejack’s friends and family filed quietly in to her room. The orange mare smiled at them. “Hey, y’all.” “Lemme see! Lemme see!” Apple Bloom demanded as she hopped up on the bed. Everypony gathered around the bed, clamoring around each other to see the little bundle the orange mare had clutched close to her chest. She sat up a little and moved the blanket her foal was wrapped in so her friends could see. A collective ‘awwwww’ resounded as a tiny tawny-colored face with a dark grey mane made its debut. Applejack beamed, her voice cracking on the edge of tears. “Everypony, Ah’d like you to meet mah son, Apple Cobbler.” Apple Bloom smiled. “Hey there, lil’ feller.”