//------------------------------//
// Chapter 47 - Beavers and Cattle 
// Story: My Family and Other Equestrians 
// by Blade Star 
//------------------------------//

    Today was the day. Amidst great pomp and circumstance, Dash and her weather team, on orders from Cloudsdale, had declared today to be ‘Snow Day’. At precisely six o’clock this evening the first flake would fall and by next morning Ponyville was to be covered in at least six inches of pristine whiteness. All well and good, if that wasn’t also your time limit to get everything done. 

Since today was the day the snow would come, it was also the day the Apple family winterised the farm and their home. The apple trees had been bare for a couple of months now, and at this point were almost completely devoid of their leaves. The grass too had become thinner and lost its lustre. 

Now in human society, winterising a farm would involve moving all the animals indoors, organising feed to keep them all fed, having the ground all ready and prepared for the next crop and so on. In Equestria though, things were a little different. For starters, the Earth ponies would be the ones to do most of the work we saw as natural. The last few leaves had to be shaken from the trees, and the grass had to be trimmed back. The pegasi had the greatest job though. All told, they had to reduce them temperature to allow for the freezing of lakes, then they had to increase it slightly to create high pressure to make snow. All this had then got to be whipped up into a near blizzard; that meant a large wind producing taskforce. I didn’t envy the weather patrol today.

However, as for ponies such as myself, we did not exactly have that much to do. Even in more unicorn majority areas such as Canterlot, active magic did not play much of a role in season changes. As a result I essentially had to forego the phallic symbol strapped to my forehead, and do the work of the earth ponies. The job Applejack gave me was to assist the local beaver colony with their dam construction. While they had a large dam upstream that gave us our fishing hole, several others would be needed along the river, in order to slow the flow of water to allow for ice formation. 

With Fluttershy’s help Applejack and the others had established a good rapport with this colony and had forged something of a symbiotic relationship. They helped us control water flow through the farm, including the operation of a large scale irrigation system, and in exchange, we allowed them to monopolise fishing insofar as wildlife went. According to Fluttershy, they had previously had serious issues with a bunch of otters.   

After that was done and dusted, more conventional jobs had to be attended to. The sheep and cattle all had to be herded back to the pens and cleared off the hills. This wasn’t usually too much of a challenge since you could simply ask them to follow you back to the farm. All the farm equipment was already stowed away, so once the animals were done, we would be set and could go inside and put the heating on.  





After getting in a hearty breakfast, I left the homestead and headed on down to the main dam the beavers had constructed. The head honcho I was to see was one Mr Beaverton Beaverteeth, who was apparently in charge of water management. Upon arrival at the dam, I found the beavers hard at work evidently strengthening their home against the effects of frost and ice. One beaver in particular was perched atop the dam and was gesturing to his companions. I figured this guy was the gaffer. Unlike Fluttershy, I did not possess an innate ability to communicate with animals, but Applejack had assured me that they could understand ponies and with effort, could make themselves understood too. 

“Mr Beaverton Beaverteeth?” I called out as I reached the colony. The one from the dam jumped down from his pedestal atop it and scurried over to me. The creature made a series of squeaks and clicking sounds with its teeth. Presumably it wanted to know what I wanted.

“Ah’m Blade Star. Applejack sent me out here to co-ordinate with you fellers on slowin’ the water flow for tonight.” Much to my surprise the beaver offered a paw and shook my hoof. He then gestured for me to follow him. 





He led me to a sort of complex. Running along the river both before and past the main dam, there were a series of smaller constructs. Each one forced the water to flow over it thus slowing down the flow. Each one of these was just about above the waterline and the river was running noticeably fuller as a result. Beaverton jabbered something to me.

“Looks like you’ve got the water held up pretty good,” I said. “Will each of these be able to handle the pressure over the winter though?” Since the ice would be maintained largely by this system, any failure, such as a dam breaking, could result in a torrent of water forming with enough force to break up the ice. 

In response to my question he climbed up onto one of the smaller dams and began to jump about on it. I guess he was trying to tell me that it was strong enough. 

“Alright, fair enough,” I replied. “Are you folks ready and all set to go then?” This time I just received a simple nod. “Okay, we’ll be back to check on you tomorrow morning and then somepony will be out here once a week to check structural integrity. Fair enough?” Again, I got a nod and a jabbering reply followed by a hoof/paw shake. Presumably that meant something along the lines of ‘pleasure doing business with you’.  With that, I left the beavers in peace. They’d got all they needed for the winter in terms of food and Fluttershy would be on hand too. 





With the beavers confident in their ability to keep the dams up and running all through the winter months, I returned back to the farmhouse. Applejack and Big Mac were also there having returned from their own various jobs. 

“So how are those beavers doin’, Bones?” Applejack asked me as I walked into the kitchen. “They gonna be okay slowin’ down the river fer tonight?” I settled myself down at the table.

“Should be fine, AJ. Ah took a look at what they’ve got goin’, all the dams should hold the water back long enough for the ice to form. All they really need to worry about is gettin’ fish, and Fluttershy can take care of that.” Applejack turned to her brother on her right.

“How about you, Big Macintosh? The trees all clear of those dead branches?” 

“Eeyup,” he replied contentedly. “Should have enough firewood to keep us all warm an’ dry too.” At that point, Granny Smith pottered over with a quick lunch for the three of us. A good piping hot vegetable pie. With the cold weather coming on fast, it would be more a case of stews and pies than salads and sandwiches.

“And how ‘bout you, ‘Jack?” I asked as we ate. “The sheep back in the pen yet?” Applejack nodded.

“Every last one of ‘em. Once we’re done here, all we have to do is move all the cows in and then we’re all set. We can sit and wait for the snow.”  

“You know, there’s one thing that’s been puzzling me about today,” I said as we continued to eat. 

“Oh, what's that then?” AJ returned. 

“How come we have to herd the sheep and the cattle back to Sweet Apple Acres? I mean they seem to be just as smart as any pony, why not just ask ‘em?” 

The look on Applejack’s face, indeed everypony else’s face became a mixture of pity and understanding. It reminded me of a time when I asked my grandfather why no one had stood up to the Nazis before the war broke out. Applejack turned to Granny Smith.

“Why don’t you explain it, Granny? You’ve been herdin’ them critters for longer than me or Big Macintosh have.” The Apple matriarch nodded and placed a hoof on my shoulder.

“Ya see, the thing is sonny,” she explained. “Is that while those critters may seem all smart and civilised like us pony folk, when all’s said and done, nothin’ could be further from the truth.” I was understandably confused.

“But, ah’ve seen them talkin’ to each other, and to ponies. They don’t act like animals. They even make their own routine on which fields to graze,” I replied.

“That’s so.” Granny replied. “But, they still do act like animals sometimes. You put a rattler in front of me and I’ll back off and let it be. But them cows, they’ll take off like fruit bats out of an orchard and they’ll keep goin’ ‘till they hurt themselves. That’s why we have to herd them back, keeps ‘em calm and whatnot.” I contemplated what I had been told. On the one hand it seemed wrong to treat a seemingly intelligent species like farm animals. But on the other, I could think of several cases where Granny Smith’s logic applied. Hay, the line between animal and sentient being was pretty blurred for me anyways, considering I was now a talking pony. The beavers, they were animals, and while they couldn't talk they were clearly intelligent. I guess what constitutes an animal and what that means is somewhat different in this world. 





With my mind still turning over the moral and ethical implications of what I had been told in my head, Applejack, Big Mac and I headed out to fetch the cattle in. They usually gathered themselves all together for the winter. We would not be taking them all though. Sweet Apple Acres though large, could not take the entire herd. Instead each of the farms in the region would herd away about a hundred head of cattle and keep them safe and secure over the winter.

The whole procedure though was designed to be as calm as possible for all concerned. We wouldn’t just turn up and force a hundred cows on their merry way. This procedure had been going on so long that most of the cows went to a particular farm, mainly family groups and close friends. So when we reached the herd, we’d call out for all those looking to spend the winter at Sweet Apple Acres, then steadily separate them and then drive them back to the farm. 

It was a fair walk, the grey clouds overhead made everything feel heavy, almost as if you could feel the as yet unfallen snow pressing down. That was our other concern. Nopony wanted to be out with the herd when the snow started. Once it was up and running Dash said the weather patrol would not be able to shut off until it had done its job. 

“Hey Big Mac!” I called as we walked. “How long do you reckon it’s gonna take to get all these cows back to the barn.” The stallion followed my nervous gaze to the sky. 

“We’ll get ‘em in before that snow falls,” he replied simply. I on the other hand was not so sure. The cows I was familiar with tended to get difficult when they sensed bad weather. Still, if worst came to worst, we each had a length of rope on our saddlebags, and unlike humans, we could keep up with them if they ran. 

With that, we came upon the herd. It was an incredible sight to say the least. I’d seen herds of cattle before but this one was huge. There had to be getting on for over twenty-five hundred beasts before us. Applejack stepped up to the plate. First, she let of an obnoxiously loud whistle to get their attention. 

“All right ladies, listen up!” she called. “All of y’all who spend the winter at Sweet Apple Acres need to step forward and follow us!” Initially, there was no noticeable reaction. But as the seconds ticked by, the herd steadily began to shift. 

Starting with individuals, cattle began to peel off from the main herd and gravitate towards us. This was soon followed by larger groups and eventually, by my count, there were one hundred and seven cows arrayed before us. The three of us did a rapid triple check of the head count. That extra seven had to be youngsters born this year. AJ once again addressed the crowd.

“Okay, there’s a hundred and seven of ya. Who here’s going through their first winter?” Quite quickly, seven small cows trotted forward out of the group. They were not as large as the others and looked to be a bit uncomfortable at being called out by Applejack. 

“That’d be us,” one of the group said. Like most, their accent was reminiscent of people for Wisconsin. Applejack smiled in an attempt to put them at ease.

“Alright, there should be enough room for you extra seven.” She turned to me. “Blade Star, can you lead these young ones back on their own?”

“What for, ’Jack?” I asked perplexedly. 

“There a mite uneasy ‘bout all this. Ah don’t want it to worry the others. Once we get back to the farm, they’ll be no trouble, but if we put them with the herd, they might act up and spook the rest.” I nodded; seven cows should be easy enough.

“Alright, ah’ll take them, and you and Big Mac will herd the rest, right?” 

“Eeyup,” called Big Mac. 

With that, the two Apple siblings headed around the main herd we had. AJ headed to the front to lead, whilst Big Mac, with his larger size and suitable loud bellow, would drive them from the rear. I meanwhile headed over to my small group. Applejack was right; they did look a bit uneasy. I smiled as I trotted over to them, trying to remember everything my father had taught me about cattle.

“Right ladies,” I said. “If you’d like to follow me.”





I knew a little bit about herding animals from my time on Earth. On occasion, a few sheep or cattle would find their way out of a field and start wandering about. Such wandering often took them towards the road that ran near my house. Once you’d found where they’d got loose from, it was simple enough to herd them back. Sheep were simple enough as long as they didn’t panic. Cattle though, one thing I know about cattle is that you must respect them. Just one is equivalent to a VW Beetle and can easily kill a man. That’s not to say that they were dangerous though. Most of the time, if you went just close enough to them to make them nervous, they’d move along. 

This was the technique I had in mind when Applejack asked me to lead these seven youngsters home. Of course, instead of driving them, I’d lead them for the most part. To begin with though, they were quite nervous, so I went behind them, keeping in their sight of course, and encouraged them along.

“Alright it’s not far, just start walkin’ and ah’ll lead y’all home,” I called. Very steadily the group began to move.

The pasture quickly gave way to a small dirt track that the cows frequented, from there, it led to a larger track and eventually the road back home. Keeping behind them, I managed to encourage the small herd to keep up a steady trot. I prepared to move in front of them.

“Okay, ah’m gonna go in front of y’all now and lead you home. Just keep heading straight on and y’all will be fine.” I called. As I headed wide around them though, we passed a small junction, leading to an old woodland trail. With me one their left side and the track on their right, the cows followed their instincts and headed away from me. Quite quickly, they caught on to their mistake.

“Oh, er, this doesn’t look right,” one of them said. 

“Where do we go now?” asked another. Quite quickly, they began to panic. I went around them to get in front of the group, stopping them before they could go further. 

“Whoa, steady on, ladies. You want to turn back around ah think.” I said encouragingly. Having found their guide again, they calmed and turned around. After that they were content enough to follow me.





We arrived back at the farm just as AJ and Big Mac were getting the last of the regulars settled. The snow filled clouds were right on top of us, and I could feel the weight of the snow within them. I was thankful it wasn’t a thunder storm; that could make any animal nervous. Applejack trotted over to help get them inside. 

“Glad to see you, Blade Star,” she said as we crossed through the gate. “These give you any trouble.” I shook my head.

“No, they’re as good as gold, ‘Jack. Storm just has ‘em a little rattled.” The small group disappeared inside the large barn. “Right ah guess we better get in before…” My words died in my throat. 

I felt a strange sensation on my snout, like water, but softer. I looked about me. Very steadily, but with increasing volume, small white flakes were falling gently from the clouds above us. The snow had started. 

“Well, would you look at that,” AJ whispered in quiet awe. 

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed. 

We quickly headed inside. While it was pretty enough now, very soon this would build into a blizzard that would coat the whole region in purest white. Granny Smith had already got the fire in the living room blazing. Apple Bloom had curled herself up on the sofa in front of it and fallen asleep. Getting some hot cocoa into us, we sat by the fire watching the snow steadily build up. I couldn’t help but whistle ‘Let it Snow’.