//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: Apple Family Reunion // Story: Fiddling with Her Heart // by Kevinltk //------------------------------// The day had finally come. The Apple Family Reunion was today, and there was a lot of work to do before the party actually started. Everypony at Sweet Apple Acres had gotten up bright and early, ready to start setting up for the celebration. The first thing they had to do was to gather apples. Octavia joined the Apple siblings in the task, and in no time, a horde of baskets filled to the brim was prepared. There was more than enough to feed the upcoming guests either by itself or to be used in the apple fritter making tent. Applejack left with a cart soon after the apple bucking to pick up all the supplies she had ordered. In the meantime, Octavia helped Granny Smith prepare tubs of cider and apple juice while Big Mac and Apple Bloom got started on the decorations and pitching the tents where some of the main activities were going to take place. When Applejack returned, she was towing the same cart now ladened with supplies, the mountain of objects towering high above her. Rainbow Dash and Spike had also followed her back to assist in the preparations. After helping Applejack set up the firewood and cauldrons of oil for the apple fritters, Octavia noticed that their friends were leaving. When she inquired if any of their friends would be coming for the reunion, she was a bit disappointed to learn that nopony else was coming due to one reason or another. At least Applejack was planning to host a picnic a bit after the reunion to thank everypony for their help. After taking almost the whole morning, they had finally did it. Sweet Apple Acres was all ready to host the reunion. “Think that will do it,” Applejack proclaimed, hopping down from Big Mac's back after she hung up the last decoration. “And just in time too,” remarked Granny Smith, directing everypony's attention down the path. Octavia felt the ground starting to tremble as a rumbling sound grew louder and louder. “They're here!” cheered Applejack as the first guests started appearing. Octavia's eyes slightly widened as the horde of ponies stampeded in. Droves of ponies came in running on foot, while others rode in with covered wagons and stage coaches. One group of family members had even arrived using a small airship. The farm was quickly flooded with ponies. Amidst the cheers and hollers, family members greeted and hugged each other. “Wow, you weren't joking when you said that you had a big family,” remarked Octavia. It was impossible to count the numerous bodies moving all over the place. Applejack chuckled. “Told you. We're pretty much all over the place,” she replied, waving and greeting ponies as they came in.” “Apple Rose!” Granny Smith called out, walking over to a peach-coated elderly mare wearing glasses and that had just stepped out of one of the many stage coaches. “Cousin, it's been a long time!” replied Apple Rose as the two mares hugged each other. “It sure has. Oh, and there's Auntie Applesauce,” Granny Smith pointed out, moving towards another elderly mare that had a bright-green coat and wore a visor on her head. “Well, looks like everypony is here. Time to get things started,” remarked Applejack, stepping up onto a platform with a bullhorn in front of it. “Howdy, ya'll, and welcome to the Apple Family Reunion,” Applejack greeted, her voice projecting through the farm. She was met with a chorus of cheers and greetings. “My name is Applejack,” she continued, “and I just want to let y'all know that I got a real big day planned for you! We're gonna start off with an obstacle course for the young ones, and some fritter makin' and quiltin' for the not-so-young ones. And there's lots more to come after that. Hope y'all enjoy it!” Octavia cheered enthusiastically along with the crowd. It seemed like Applejack had things under control, and all of her hard work was paying off. The reunion was already full of life and joy. “Where is she?” Apple Bloom asked from her side, a hint of nervousness in her voice. “I'm guessing you're talking about your cousin,” remarked Octavia, looking down at the filly. “You've been very excited ever since you found out she was coming.” “Yea, she just gotta be here,” replied Apple Bloom, swiveling her head around. She trotted into the crowd, frantically searching for her cousin. “Ohhh, where is she?” Suddenly, a dark-orange hoof reached out from the crowd, spinning Apple Bloom around. When she stopped, she let out a gasp as a big smile appeared on her face. “Babs!” she called out, rushing through the crowd to the hoof’s owner who also had a red mane with streaks of a lighter shade of red. “Cuz!” the other filly happily greeted, embracing Apple Bloom. “Ah know it hasn't been that long since we've seen each other, but—” Apple Bloom began. “It felt like forever!” they both finished. “So, Apple Bloom, this is your favorite cousin?” Octavia asked, approaching the giggling fillies. “Yep!” Apple Bloom cheerfully replied. “This is Babs Seed. She's from Manehatten.” “Nice to meet you,” greeted Babs. “She came to visit Ponyville not too long ago,” Apple Bloom continued, “and although we got off to a bit of a rough start, we became best cousins! She even started a Cutie Mark Crusaders branch in Manehatten. Isn't that great?!” Octavia chuckled. “Yes, I’m sure Equestria needs more Cutie Mark Crusaders to keep things interesting.” “We're gonna spend the whole reunion together! Come on, Babs, we got lots of stuff to catch up on!” Octavia waved goodbye as she watched the fillies started to walk away. “Ah can't wait to tell you about my new school!” “I can't wait to hear all about it!” “Jeepers, where do I start? Okay, so first day—” “Babs! So glad you could come!” Applejack greeted, suddenly appearing before the pair. “What am I, gonna miss out on spendin' time with my favorite cousin? Forget about it!” replied Babs, blowing a stray lock of her mane out of her face. “Why don't you two head over to the obstacle course?” Applejack suggested, pushing the fillies away. “We kinda wanna catch up a little bit first…” Apple Bloom replied. “Don't you worry. There'll be plenty of time for family bondin' while you're racin' against your other cousins.” Apple Bloom looked back at Octavia, throwing her a pleading look. Octavia nodded, catching up to the three ponies. “Applejack, maybe they can join another race later. They just want to talk first.” “Nonsense, the race is gonna be loads of fun. Besides, there's only one race, so they can just catch up after.” “Well, that might be true, but I can’t help but remember some of the things you planned for the race. It seems that—” “Now, now, don't go spoilin' the surprise. Ah want to be the one to tell all the young ones about the race.” Octavia sighed and shrugged at Apple Bloom. “Ah guess it's alright if it's just one race,” Apple Bloom conceded. “That's the spirit!” cheered Applejack as they arrived at the starting line of the course with other fillies and colts already waiting. “Now, let's get everypony ready.” Octavia helped Applejack tie the children's forehooves together for the seven-legged portion of the race. As she tied up Apple Bloom's hoof to Babs's, she gave them a small smile. “Don't worry, I'm sure the race won’t be too long, and you'll have the rest of the reunion to catch up with each other. Good luck,” she told them as she stepped out of the way. “Alright, ponies! Ready to have some fun?” Applejack cheerfully asked. “Whoa, is that the finish line?” Babs asked, pointing to a flag way off in the distance on top of a fill. “It's like a mile away or something!” “Actually, that's just the marker where you go on to the next leg of the race.” “There's more?” Apple Bloom asked with disbelief. “Much more. Trust me, Ah have put together somethin' you are never gonna forget,” Applejack replied, walking off the track. “After the seven-legged race, you are gonna want to hurry up, and head over here where you'll be bobbin' for apples. Then you'll run around these trees fifty times until you're real good and dizzy. Then you'll jump these big wooden hurdles. And then there's the final leg where you'll balance plates on your head while sayin' 'Pappy pony picked a pluck of prickly pluffnuggets' over and over and over again,” Applejack explained, demonstrating each obstacle as she described them. “Last pony standin' wins!” she concluded with a flourish. Octavia along with all the foals stared at her with wide eyes and open mouths. She knew that Applejack was planning a long race, but even a grown pony would struggle to finish this marathon. “Seriously?” Apple Bloom dryly asked, voicing Octavia’s same thoughts. “Seriously!” Applejack replied with a big smile. She grabbed a checkered flag with her tail. “Come on, y'all! Let's start makin' some memories!” She raised the flag. “On your mark... get set… go!” The young ponies took off as soon as the flag was brought down. “You can do it, girls!” cheered Octavia, clapping her hooves together. The two fillies had sprinted ahead of the other teams. As they raced down the track, her smile faded away when she saw Apple Bloom and Babs, along with the rest of the racers, started to slow down. They had barely made it a third of the way through the seven-legged race, and they were already looking tired and heavily panting. “Whoo wee! Look at them go!” Applejack cheered. Octavia frowned, turning her attention to the oblivious mare. “Applejack, don’t you think this course is too hard for them? It will take them forever to finish. Perhaps you should—” “Oh, better go check on the quilt. Watch over them for me, will you, Fiddlesticks?” Octavia’s ears drooped. “Did you even—” “Thanks!” Applejack interrupted again, happily trotting off. “Applejack, wait!” Octavia cried out, but the orange mare was gone. She sighed. “Fine…” Turning her attention back to the foals, she saw that they had ceased running and had started to try walking the rest of the course. “Keep it up, girls!” Octavia cheered when Apple Bloom and Babs finally managed to get closer to the flag, or at least what she thought was them. It was a bit hard to tell which speck was who at this distance. Suddenly, a racket that sounded like several motors grinding their gears reached her ears. Looking around, Octavia saw that the noise seemed to be coming from one of the activity tents. “What in the world is that? I don’t recall anything that could possibly make that noise in Applejack’s planning.” Looking back at the racers, she saw that they were pretty much just dragging their hooves back to where the rest of the obstacle course was. I guess I can go check on it. Not like they’ll be finishing anytime soon. She trotted towards the noise, greeting and exchanging quick pleasantries with several members of the Apple Family as she made her way towards the curious tent. The sound was getting louder and louder as she got closer, and when she arrived at the tent, the grinding motors was reaching a deafening din, rattling her body. Inside was Granny Smith, Apple Rose, and Applesauce, attentively working on the family quilt. The source of the noise was coming from the sewing machines they each were using. While the quilt was making good progress, judging by the frowns on the elderly mares’ faces and slumped bodies, they were not exactly enjoying their time. “How are you doing, Granny Smith?” Octavia asked. “What?” Granny Smith yelled back over the commotion. “How are you doing, Granny Smith?” Octavia asked again in a louder voice. “What?” “I thought you said you all worked on this with your own hooves?” Octavia asked, yelling as loud as she can. “What?” Octavia sighed. “Applejack did this, didn’t she?” “What?” Octavia’s hoof mashed into her face. “Never mind,” she grumbled. “What?” Having enough of the noise and the futile attempts to hold a conversation, Octavia waved goodbye to the working mares and trotted off. This is getting ridiculous, she mused. At this rate, Applejack will get her memorable family reunion except for the wrong reasons. While trying to figure out if there was anything she could do, the sweet smell of honey and apples reached her nose. As if reacting to the fragrance, her stomach let out a small gurgle. Her eyes darted around as a light blush appeared on her face. Fortunately, nopony seemed to be staring at her. That must be the apple fritters. I did only have a small bite before we had to start setting up everything, she thought, setting a course for the apple fritter tent. The tent was bustling with activity as ponies conversed with each other while either enjoying the baked goods or trying their own hoof at making the treat. Despite the several roaring fires under the cauldrons of bubbling oil, it was only slightly warmer than the other places on the farm, providing a cozy hearth to gather. Octavia headed for the main table where the fritters were being made before they were dipped into the oil. At the moment, two mares were happily talking with each other as they prepared more apple fritters. One had a light-green coat and a mane that alternated between red and a whiter red, while the other mare had an orange coat with a green and white mane. “Hello there,” Octavia greeted the mares as she approached them. “Could I perhaps get a fritter or two?” “Sure you can,” replied the green mare with a smile, “but don’t you want to maybe try makin’ one yourself? It tastes much better when you make it yourself.” “Oh no, I couldn’t,” protested Octavia. “I never made one before, and I’m not really that great of a cook.” “Don’t worry about that,” the orange mare answered this time. “It’s easy, and even if it doesn’t turn out that well, at least you get to have some fun. Like you, a lot of ponies here aren’t that experienced in cooking, but they’re eager to try it for themselves.” “Well, alright. I guess it does sound interesting.” “Great! First thing you need to do when preparin’ any food is to wash your hooves,” explained the green mare, gesturing to a wash basin and a few towels to the side. Octavia nodded, moving over to the basin and began cleaning her hooves. “Ah’m Apple Leaves,” the orange mare introduced herself. “And Ah’m Apple Dumpling,” added the green mare. “What’s your name, hun?” “I’m Fiddlesticks,” replied Octavia, finished with washing her hooves and moving beside the two mares. “Fiddlesticks… Fiddlesticks…” Apple Dumpling repeated, tapping a hoof to her chin. “What part of the family are you from?” Octavia chuckled nervously. “I’m actually not part of the Apple Family, but I am a close friend of Applejack. I have been in Ponyville for some time, and I have been helping them with the farm.” Apple Leaves giggled. “Oh, don’t worry if you’re actually family or not, Fiddlesticks. The more the merrier.” Apple Dumpling nodded in agreement. “To many of us, good friends are just like family.” Octavia smiled. “After spending so much time with them, it sure feels like that.” “Ah’m glad Applejack has been makin’ friends who are also kind enough to lend a helpin’ hoof,” said Apple Dumpling. “Since it’s just her, Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom, she’s pretty much the one in charge of Sweet Apple Acres, and she’s such a hard worker.” Octavia cocked her head. “Wait, what about her par—” Her cheeks suddenly were set aflame as she was rudely interrupted by her stomach loudly growling its discontent. The other two mares laughed. “Oh goodness, Ah’m sorry, Fiddlesticks. We got so caught up with talkin’ that we forgot that you were hungry,” apologized Apple Leaves. “Here, let me show you how it’s done,” said Apple Dumpling, grabbing a slice of apple from a nearby pile and a slab of dough. “We already prepared a large batch of dough, so all we have to do is grab some dough, stick the apple inside, roll everything up into a ball, and then press down on the edges,” she explained, demonstrating each part. “After that, you just have to put it inside a strainer and leave it in the oil for a few minutes,” finished Apple Leaves, pointing towards the cauldrons. Octavia nodded. “Sounds easy enough.” Grabbing a piece of dough, her eyes widened slightly when she felt the dough was a bit heavier and tougher than she expected. She placed a slice of apple inside the dough and then proceeded to roll it up. After the dough slipped out of her hooves onto the table several times, she finally managed to get it into a somewhat round shape. Pressing down on the edges was a bit of an ordeal, but she was able to eventually pound them out. Satisfied with her lump of dough, she took it to a cauldron, placed it inside a strainer, and dipped it into the oil. After a few minutes, she took out her creation and dumped it onto a plate. “Huh…” Octavia stared at her fritter then at the fritters of others. The other ponies’ fritters were nice and round in the center with fluffy edges and cooked to a nice golden-brown, while hers was lumpy all over and slightly charred around some of the edges. Feeling somepony tapping on her shoulder, Octavia turned around to see a giggling Apple Dumpling holding up a plate with a perfectly made fritter. “Not bad for your first try, Fiddlesticks. Ah figure you’re probably starvin’ by now, so have one of mine to go along with yours. Go ahead and enjoy. It was nice talkin’ to you.” “Thank you, Apple Dumpling, it was nice talking to you two as well,” Octavia replied before sitting down at a nearby table with her fritters. Holding up her fritter first, she slowly turned it around, inspecting its flaws. “It doesn’t look that bad, and it probably tastes better than it looks,” she mumbled. With a shrug, she took a bite out of her creation. A frown quickly came to her face. Some parts of the fritter were chewy and lumpy, while other parts were crunchy. A hint of bitterness from the burnt parts clashed with what was supposed to be a sweet and tart treat. With a sigh, she put down her fritter and pushed it away before starting on Apple Dumpling’s fritter. She let out a satisfied hum as her frown disappeared. The crust was warm and flaky while the decadent apple filling in the middle almost melted in her mouth. The texture and flavor of this pastry was many times better than her own. She slowly ate the rest of the fritter, savoring the delicious treat. “Havin' fun?” she heard Applejack’s voice behind her. Turning around in her seat, she saw her friend was now talking with Apple Dumpling and Apple Leaves. “Sure are,” replied Apple Leaves. “Better pick up the pace on those fritters though, huh?” Applejack suggested, grabbing some ingredients. “Roll, fold, crimp, slide to the left. Roll, fold, crimp, slide to the left. Roll, fold, crimp, slide to the left,” she quickly explained, her hooves deftly working through the actions and producing several fritters in record time. “Now you try!” Apple Dumpling and Apple Leaves stared at Applejack in awe for a second before turning their attention back to the dough, focusing all of their attention to try and match the speed Applejack just exhibited. “That's it! Gotta keep this assembly line movin', gals! We want every Apple here to get a chance to taste the best darn fritters in Equestria!” encouraged Applejack. Turning her attention to the other ponies nearby, she called out, “Come on, everypony, there’s plenty of space and plenty of ingredients for ya’ll to get in on this.” Octavia watched Applejack corrall the confused and grumbling ponies. Before long, they were all working and mass producing fritters. She shook her head and sighed. Finished with her fritters and the commotion Applejack was making, she got up and started to trot away. “Hey there, Fiddlesticks,” came Applejack’s voice from right behind her. “Oh, uh, hi, Applejack,” Octavia replied, turning back around. “Did everypony finish the obstacle course already? Maybe Ah should have made it longer,” mused Applejack. “No, no, no, believe me, it’s more than enough. I just needed a quick snack, and there was plenty of time for me to come and grab a fritter.” “Oh, alright then. I was gonna ask if you wanted to help with the fritters, but it’s fine since you’re busy keepin’ an eye on the race for me.” “Yea, I guess I should be heading back now,” Octavia remarked before looking back at the fritter making tent. She let out a sigh when she saw the tired and dejected faces of the drafted ponies. “Applejack… about all of your activities…” Octavia began. “Sorry, Fiddlesticks, Ah gotta keep on movin’. Ah’m so busy makin’ sure everypony is enjoyin’ all the activities,” Applejack remarked, quickly trotting off. Octavia let out a groan, covering her face with her forehooves. With a dejected sigh, she grabbed a fritter from the growing mountain and started making her way back to the obstacle course to check to see how Apple Bloom and Babs were doing. She bit into the pastry and then let out a sigh. The fritter was not bad, but it was not great either. Unlike Apple Dumpling’s previous fritter, something was lacking in both the flavor and texture. As she headed back to the obstacle course, she noticed along the way that the lively atmosphere from when the reunion first began had greatly died down. Many ponies were either occupied with some sort of activity or too tired to really do anything else. When she made it back to the obstacle course, she was glad to see that it seemed like all the fillies and colts were on the very last part of the race. “Pappy pony picked a pluck of prickly pluffnuggets,” they all chanted over and over again as they balanced a spinning plate on a stick on their heads. “How are you girls doing?” Octavia asked Apple Bloom and Babs. “Ah can’t feel my tongue,” Babs mumbled between chants. “Me neither,” Apple Bloom added. “So, how long have you been girls been doing this?” “Ah dunno,” they both replied. “Well, how much longer do you have to do this?” “Ah dunno,” they both replied again. Octavia frowned. “Did Applejack mention how long you girls had to do this part?” Hearing nothing but “pappy pony picked a pluck of prickly pluffnuggets”, Octavia’s hoof met her face once again. “Alright, everypony, we’re just going to say everypony won, so you can all—” “Alright, Apples, break!” Applejack’s voice boomed throughout the farm. All the foals immediately collapsed to the ground. “Finally,” Apple Bloom groaned. “Is everypony alright?” Octavia asked. “Ah’m tired and sore all over,” complained the filly. The other fillies and colts also replied with the same answer. Octavia sighed before glaring at the orange speck standing on a raised platform at the edge of the reunion. “That is it!” she stated as she stomped down with a hoof. “Applejack is getting out of control! I am going to make that mare listen to me!” Determined to set things right, she galloped across the farm with Applejack dead center in her sights. She approached the platform, seeing Applejack looking around the farm through a camera. “Huh. Nothin' all that memorable there. Or there. Or there,” Applejack mumbled, swiveling the camera around. “Applejack!” Octavia cried out, fixing a stern glare onto the mare. “Huh? What?” Applejack looked down at her. “Oh hey, Fiddlesticks.” “Applejack, this is getting ridiculous. Everypony is exhausted,” Octavia stated. “What?” Applejack cocked her head. “How can that be? The reunion not even half over yet.” “It’s because of all the activities you have everypony doing! You gone overboard, and it’s all too much. Everypony is so caught up with your activities that they haven’t had the time to rest or actually spend time together.” “Huh…” Applejack tapped her chin as she looked up. “Ah guess that kind of makes sense.” Octavia frowned. “Kind of?” “C'mon, Applejack, think. You gotta kick this thing up a notch!” Applejack mumbled to herself. “No!” Octavia cried out. “You need to let your family relax, and let them spend time together at their own pace!” “Somethin’ to let them relax and spend time together, huh?” Applejack mused. “Are you listening to everything I’m saying?” “Well, there is the hay ride around the farm.” Octavia blinked. “Hay ride?” “Yea, every reunion we have some stallions pull a cart full of ponies around the farm, so that they can enjoy the ride and sights together.” “Well, that does sound much better.” She let out a sigh of relief, a small smile forming on her face. “A hay ride sounds perfect. I’m sure everypony will appreciate it.” Applejack nodded with a big smile of her own. “Alright then, Ah’ll go and set it up now. Oh Ah know, Ah’ll have it go through the west orchard.” Octavia cocked her head. “The west orchard? I recall you telling me to not go there. What’s over there?” Applejack winked. “It’s a surprise.” “Um, maybe you should just keep it simple.” “Na, Ah’m sure everypony will love what Ah got planned. Well, Ah gotta go and make sure everythin’ is ready. See ya later, Fiddlesticks!” Applejack replied, rushing away. “Applejack, wait! Applejack!” Octavia cried out, but the orange mare kept going. She groaned, stomping a hoof into the ground as a frown appeared on her face. “That stubborn mare!” With a sigh, she decided to check on Granny Smith and Apple Bloom and made her way back to the reunion. I have a bad feeling about her surprise. Why can’t she just keep things simple? Octavia made her way towards the farmhouse. With all the ponies congregating around the activity tents and other places, the area around the farmhouse was pretty much devoid of ponies, making it a nice place to cut straight through Sweet Apple Acres. As she passed the building, she jumped up and yelped as a loud crash boomed from within the storage area. Turning her attention to the big double doors, she heard the sounds of two ponies mumbling coming from a slightly ajar door. Octavia slowly crept up towards the door and peaked in. She let out a small gasp. Inside was Shutterbug and Daily Scoop, the reporters who had trailed her from Canterlot, and they did not look happy. “Calm down, Daily Scoop,” urged Shutterbug. “How can I calm down, Shutterbug?! This stupid party was the last chance we had to finding that Octavia girl and getting our exclusive. If she’s not here for her so called marefriend’s party, she ain’t in town.” “But somepony might hear you.” “It doesn’t matter. Did you see how everypony here is too busy to even really talk to each other? Even though it makes it easy to sneak around, it doesn’t look like that mare is here.” Shutterbug sighed. “So, is that it? Are we heading back to Canterlot?” Daily Scoop let out a grunt. “Yea, I got a message from the office. The readers have moved on to something else, and the higher ups ain’t too happy that we haven’t found anything. They want us back as soon as possible.” “Hey, maybe we can find salvage something once we get back. Didn’t they also mention that something big was being planned?” “Yea… I guess…” Daily Scoop muttered before silently glaring at the wall. “Daily Scoop, you alright?” Octavia and Shutterbug both jumped when Daily Scoop let out a growl and suddenly lashed out at one of the boxes in the corner. A few shards of wood erupted from the impact. “This was supposed to be our ticket to easy street!” Daily Scoop roared. “Instead, we had to put up with all these weird ponies in this crazy, backwater town! Not only that, but we wasted so much time trying to find that stupid mare!” the green earth pony ranted, pounding the same box. As Octavia watched Daily Scoop vent his frustration on the battered box, she suddenly let out a gasp. That’s where Applejack keeps her fiddle! Octavia gulped. If Daily Scoop continued his rant, it was possible he might actually damage Applejack’s fiddle. On the other hoof, confronting the angry pony and his partner alone was probably not the best idea. Only a few seconds passed before Octavia sighed and tried to put on an angry scowl. “Hey, what are you two doing in here?!” she yelled as she bucked the door open. The reporters quickly turned their heads towards her. Daily Scoop scoffed. “Beat it, lady.” “No, you two are trespassing.” “Yea? And what are you going to do about it?” Daily Scoop sneered, taking a step towards her. Octavia gulped, almost taking a step back before stopping herself. “Look, lady, we don’t want any trouble, so just leave us be. We’ll be out of your mane when we’re done,” said Shutterbug. Octavia shook her head. “I can’t do that. You two are vandalizing private property. Please leave,” she commanded, trying to suppress the quiver in her voice. “Yea, that ain’t happening,” replied Daily Scoop. “Wait a minute, I remember you from before,” remarked Shutterbug. “There’s something different about you.” Daily Scoop raised an eyebrow. “Is that right? You hiding something, lady?” he asked, slowly advancing towards her alongside Shutterbug. Octavia’s eyes widened. “Well… I… um…” “We just got a few questions we want to ask you,” Daily Scoop remarked, a malicious grin on his face. Right before she was about to turn and run, a large shadow loomed over her from behind. The two reporters’ confident faces quickly dissipated as they reeled back with wide eyes. Octavia turned around to see a stout red stallion standing behind her. “Big Mac!” Octavia cried out, her voice tinged with relief. “These two ponies givin’ you any trouble, Fiddlesticks?” asked Big Mac. “No, no, no, we were just having a friendly chat,” Shutterbug quickly answered. “Actually, these two have been making a mess in here, and I think they were about to do something nasty to me,” Octavia pointed out. Daily Scoop and Shutterbug’s faces blanched with terror. Big Mac nodded before turning his attention to the reporters. “Ah don’t take kindly to anypony who messes with family. Ah think it’s best you two leave.” The two reporters looked at each other. “Now,” Big Mac commanded. Even though his face showed no emotion, Octavia could almost feel the repressed tension in his voice. The two smaller stallion quickly nodded and made for the door, avoiding Big Mac’s gaze as they passed him. “Come on, Shutterbug, I had enough of this town. The sooner we get out of here the better,” said Daily Scoop as they hurried towards town. Octavia sat on her haunches, letting out a big sigh as soon as Daily Scoop and Shutterbug were out of sight. “You alright there, Fiddlesticks?” Big Mac asked. “Yes, yes, I am. Thank you so much. If you didn’t come, I don’t know what could have happened.” “I just happened to check up on the farmhouse when I heard you three. Who were those two?” “Those were the reporters who followed me from Canterlot. I had to confront them because they were making a mess in here.” “Hmm…” Big Mac rubbed his chin. “Think they’ll be back?” Octavia shook her head. “Even if they find me a bit suspicious, from what I heard, it seems like I’m old news now, and that they were returning to Canterlot later today.” She let out a chuckle. “After meeting you, I’m sure they’re on their way to the train station as we speak.” “That’s good to hear.” “So, how has the reunion been for you?” Big Mac sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yea, me too. Applejack is really getting out of control. She won’t listen to any of us.” “Hey, everypony, the hay ride is startin’ up in a few minutes!” came Applejack’s amplified voice. “Start linin’ up to get a nice, relaxin’ tour of the farm!” Octavia and Big Mac glanced at each other. “Do you mind checking up on that?” asked Octavia. “I think I’m just going to clean up the mess here first.” Big Mac nodded and trotted out of the farmhouse. After shutting the doors behind the stallion, Octavia went to check on the box with Applejack’s fiddle inside it. There were quite a few cracks in the frame, but the damage was not too bad. She pried open the lid of the box and dug out the instrument case. She opened the case, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw the instrument was still intact. Delicately picking up the fiddle, she inspected it, a small smile appearing on her face as she admired it and found no signs of damage with her closer examination. She repeated the process with the bow before securing both items back into their spots. Just as she was about to shut the case, Octavia noticed the corner of what seemed to be a sheet of paper peeking out of a side compartment. Many cases had a space like this to store items that helped clean or maintain the instrument. Now that she thought about it, she never really got a close look at the case’s interior because Applejack was always the one to unpack the fiddle and give it to her. She bit her lip as she continued to stare at the compartment. This doesn’t really count as invading Applejack’s privacy, right? I’m just making sure everything is undamaged, and it would be interesting to maybe see how she was able to take such good care of this fiddle. After staring at the compartment for a few more seconds, she slowly opened it. Inside was a cake of rosin, a couple of rags, and an envelope. Cocking her head slightly, she picked up the envelope and flipped it around. Finding nothing on the envelope, she opened it and pulled out its contents. Her eyes widened slightly at what she saw. This is… She stared at what was in her hoof for a few more seconds before tucking it back into the envelope and stowing it back into the compartment. With a sigh, she closed the case and her eyes, thoughts racing through her head. I think… I think I might need to talk to Applejack. As she pondered the situation, the sounds of many ponies causing some sort of commotion permeated through the walls. Opening her eyes, she slung the case onto her back. “Might as well bring it with me to keep it safe… and ask Applejack about that,” she mumbled as she exited the building. It did not take her long to see what was making all the noise. She joined a crowd of ponies who were looking up in the air. A part of the sky was covered with many colorful specks that were swooping down at something. Galloping closer to the scene, she gasped when she saw that the specks were actually fruit bats, and that they were attacking the hay ride cart which was still full of passengers. The stallions pulling the cart tried to swerve away from the horde of bats, but it was futile, and they were starting to lose control. Octavia’s eyes shot wide open when the cart started to head right for them. She and the ponies around her quickly ran and dove out of the way of the wild cart. “Everypony! Jump out!” she heard Apple Bloom yell as the vehicle whizzed by. Scrambling to her hooves, Octavia watched as the stallions pulling the cart unhitched themselves while Apple Bloom, Big Mac carrying Granny Smith and Applesauce, and the rest of the passengers evacuated the cart. The fruits bats finally abandoned their pursuit as the out of control wagon continued to move at a frightening pace, heading straight for the farmhouse. Octavia watched in horror as the cart collided into the side of the farmhouse with a thundering crash, almost tearing down the whole wall. The rest of the building wobbled precariously before the whole thing came tumbling down. In just a mere few seconds, nothing was left of the farmhouse except a pile of dust and wood. While the other ponies around her rushed to the scene, she sank to her haunches, her breaths slowly becoming more rapid. I… I… was just in there. If I was in there for a few moments longer… she thought as she just stared blankly at nothing in particular, her eyes shrinking into pinpricks. “Ruined. Everythin' is ruined,” came Applejack’s voice, weak and trembling. Octavia blinked as her vision returned to normal. Shaking her head out of her stupor, she slowly got to her hooves and joined the rest of the crowd overlooking the wreckage. Applejack was sitting on her haunches amidst the rubble with Apple Bloom and Granny Smith at her sides. “Just look at this!” Applejack cried out. “The barn and all my plans for the perfect family reunion are completely destroyed!” “Applejack, you had us so caught up in all the doin', we haven't had a second to enjoy the company of the folks we've been doin' it with!” replied Granny Smith. “Really?” Applejack asked, turning to face Granny Smith with wide eyes. Octavia looked around as she saw ponies nodding and mumbling their agreement. Applejack sighed and bowed her head. “Oh, Granny Smith, you let me be in charge of creatin' great memories, and the only thing anypony's gonna remember about this reunion was that it was the worst one we ever had.” “Oh, hey now, everypony's still here, aren't they? Still plenty of time to make good memories! You've just got to give everypony a chance to actually make 'em.” “The family photo!” Applejack cried out as she perked up, only to sink back down dejectedly. “Guess we can't take it in front of the barn this year… unless…” “Everypony!” Applejack yelled, waving her hoof. “I have one more activity!” Octavia sighed as she heard a few ponies quietly grumble and sigh as well. “Applejack…” warned Granny Smith, giving her a stern look. “Trust me, Granny Smith. This'll be one we'll remember for all the right reasons,” Applejack replied, bringing her head close to the elder mare’s ear. “Now Ah just need you to…” Granny Smith’s stern look quickly disappeared as Applejack whispered into her ear, replaced by a big smile. “Why that’s a great idea, Applejack!” she cried out between chuckles. “We haven’t ever done anythin’ like that in a reunion for years!” “You mind gettin’ everypony ready while I check things out here?” Applejack asked. “No problem! Come on, everypony, follow me! This is something you won’t want to miss!” Granny Smith yelled, leading the crowd away. Octavia watched as the rest of the Apple Family were led away. Instead of following the mob, she turned her attention back to Applejack. As soon as the rest of the ponies had turned away, Applejack had dove into the wreckage. After taking a quick glance at her cargo, she made her way towards Applejack. Getting closer to the mare, she saw the look of fear and panic on her face as she frantically dug through the debris.. “Where is it?! Where is it?!” Applejack cried out, flinging pieces of wood behind her. “Applejack, I— Hey!” Octavia ducked as a chunk of tossed wood almost hit her. Applejack just continued to search through the rubble. “Ah can’t let anythin’ happen to it! Ah gotta find it! Where is—” “Your fiddle?” Octavia finished, placing a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. Applejack quickly turned her head towards her. She let out a gasp. “My… You… How…” “I was able to get it out of the farmhouse before the cart hit,” Octavia explained, taking the case off her back and offering it to Applejack. “It’s safe and sound.” Applejack slowly took the case from her and gingerly hugged it. A few tears escaped her eyes. “Ah… Ah… Thank you…” Octavia smiled and sat down next to Applejack. “Are you alright?” she asked, rubbing Applejack’s back. “A lot better thanks to you,” Applejack replied, staring at the ground. “Octa, er, Fiddlesticks, Ah need to apologize for—” Octavia silenced Applejack by raising her hoof. “It’s alright, Applejack. I understand, and we can talk later, but right now, we need to get through this reunion.” Applejack nodded, a small smile on her face. “Ah guess you’re right. We can always talk later. Thanks.” “So, what were you planning to do?” Applejack’s smile evolved into a smirk. “Well, us Apples aren’t just known for our farming. We’re also champion barn raisers.” Octavia blinked. “You’re going to rebuild the farmhouse? In one day?” Applejack chuckled. “We’ll be done before the reunion is over.” Octavia shrugged. “If you say so. I don’t know much about construction, but I’ll help with whatever you need me to do.” “Good, because Ah got a different thing in mind for you.” Octavia cocked her head. “And what’s that?” Applejack held out the fiddle case. “Uh, you just want me to watch your fiddle for you?” “Nope, Ah want you to play it,” Applejack replied with a big smile. Octavia blinked. “What?” “Can’t have a good barn raisin’ without music.” “Wait, what?!” “Oh come on, you’ve really got the hang of it since you started playin’ it, and Ah showed you a bunch of stuff, so you know what kind of music we play.” Octavia covered her face with a hoof. “Applejack, you can’t expect me to just go and play something without any time to prepare. Do you really know what—” “Please?” The cheerfulness in Applejack’s voice was replaced by a pleading quiver. Removing her hoof from her face, she saw Applejack had lost her smile and glancing down at the ground. “Ah know Ah’m askin’ for a lot, and Ah probably don’t deserve it with how Ah’ve been ignorin’ you, but Ah really need to make things right with my kin, and Ah know your playin’ will help me do just that.” Octavia sighed. “Why me and not somepony else? I’m sure there must be somepony in your family that is also able to play the fiddle.” “Cousin Apple Fritter is probably the only one Ah can think of. She can play just fine, but she’s not you. Ah know that you know how to really give it your all when you perform. Ah’m not askin’ you just because you’re a professional musician, but because your music is, um, special.” “Special?” Applejack sighed and looked down at her hooves, pawing at the ground. “Well… what Ah mean is that, um, Ah really like it when you play. It’s like things are easier to deal with when you’re around, and Ah’m not sure if Ah can see this through without you.” “Applejack…” Applejack looked up at her with big, tearful eyes. A small smile formed on Octavia’s face. “Really? You’re going to start that with me?” Applejack nodded. “Alright, alright, I’ll do it. I didn’t know my music meant that much to you, and I can’t just leave you like this.” Applejack looked up, smiling gratefully. “Thanks, sugarcube. Now come on, everypony is waiting.” Octavia took a deep breath. To her left was a mare on the harmonica, and to her right was a stallion sitting on a stool with a banjo in his hooves. Standing in front of her was Applejack, and standing in front of them was the rest of the Apple Family. They had all gathered back at the remains of the farmhouse. Crates of building supplies and tools had been brought out and littered the surrounding area. A couple of ponies had even already put on construction hats. Applejack turned her head to look at Octavia. Octavia nodded, bringing up the fiddle and placing the bow on the strings, and smiled back. With a nod and smile of her own, Applejack turned her attention back to the crowd and raised her left forehoof. Octavia took another quick breath as Applejack stomped the ground four times. At the last stomp, her bow glided across the strings, and the music began. A lively melody rang through Sweet Apple Acres as Octavia started playing with the other musicians following close by. After just a few seconds, Applejack began to sing. Octavia let out a small gasp as she continued to play. Applejack always had an interesting accent, but hearing her sing was something else. Her voice had a twang that added even more cheer to the already upbeat song. As soon as Applejack had begun her song, everypony had perked up and let out a hearty cheer. In just a few moments, everypony had grabbed a tool and started working. Octavia grinned as she watched Applejack continue to joyfully sing. It seemed like she was everywhere at once, spurring ponies on to dance, guiding the building’s construction, and passing out refreshments. Despite all the hard work, everypony had a big smile on their faces as they danced and cheered along with the song. This was how music really should be. It was not something meant to be just listened to. It had the power to inspire and move ponies. Supporting Applejack with not just her presence, Octavia bolstered the song with her playing, accompanying the lyrics with a matching melody and filling in the gaps between verses. It was no surprise to her when she started to sway and dance along with the beat. It was like one big hoedown as ponies bowed to each other and grabbed hooves, swinging each other around as they square danced. Even the older members of the family were able to dance spryly as though the song itself restored their energy. Octavia swore she even saw a few of the barn animals join in on the festivities. Amidst all the dancing and cheering, one wall was quickly finished and on its way up. It did not take long before the rest of the walls were completed and on their way. Defying time and logic, or maybe through the magic of friendship, family, and teamwork, the entire structure was practically done and rose before Octavia’s eyes. Cans of paint were tossed out, and with everypony pitching in, the farmhouse was as good as new. It was as if though nothing had happened to it. As everypony gathered in front of the restored structure, Applejack slowed the song down as the rest of the Apple Family joined in, looking up proudly at what they had accomplished together. Octavia smiled when Applejack looked directly at her before the orange mare brought out the camera. As everypony sang the last bits of the song, Applejack set the camera timer and then slid in front of everypony just as the camera flashed and the music ended, bringing an end to one of the most memorable moments in an Apple Family Reunion ever.