//------------------------------// // 115. Apple Family Reunion - Part 3 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// As he walked through the celebration, Midnight said his hellos, welcomes, and how ya doin’s to everypony he passed by, and the more Apples he saw, the more happy he was to be counted among them. Deciding to check on the foals, he went over to the starting line of the 7-Legged Race and what he saw confused him. “What in Celestia’s…?” The colts n’ fillies were running around and around some nearby apple trees, including Apple Bloom and Babs, the two of them looking like they were attempting to converse while running. Unfortunately, running around in circles had the unwanted side-effect of rendering the runner dizzy, as Apple Bloom collapsed, to Midnight’s worry. He hurried over, seeing Babs help Apple Bloom up, and asked “Are you alright?” “Ah’ll be fine… soon as th’ world stop’s spinnin’,” Apple Bloom said in a woozy state, Babs fanning her. “What’s going on here, I thought you were all running a 7-Legged Race!” Midnight gestured the other foals to slow down before they too collapsed. “Applejack set up more than a 7-Legged Race,” Babs explained and pointed to a distant flag atop a hill, which Midnight could barely see. “She said that was the race marker we had to run to and back, then we run around these tress till we’re dizzy, and a whole bunch’ a other stuff! It’s nuts!” “I see…” Midnight didn’t quite get it, why would Applejack over-complicate one of the reunion traditions? “Listen, I’m gonna go talk to Applejack, you all… just take a breather.” “No problem…” Apple Bloom groaned as her brother left, when she felt a disturbance in her innards that made her go ‘Hurk!’ Midnight didn’t have to search long for the next unusual going-on, since he heard long before he saw it. He was drawn to a very loud motor-like noise and found Granny Smith, and two old mares he recognized to be Auntie Applesauce and Granny Smith’s Cousin Apple Rose. The three of them were sewing the quilt with some sewing-machines that were louder than Big Macintosh after a soda-drinking contest. “WHY ARE YOU USING THOSE SEWING MACHINES?!” he tired to yell over the noise. “WHAT?!” Granny Smith replied to him. “I SAID ‘WHY ARE YOU USING THOSE SEWING MACHINES’?!” Midnight repeated. “BLOWN T’ SMITHEREENS?! WHAT WENT KABLOOIE?!” “URGH!” Midnight’s horn flared and the sewing machines were levitated and deactivated, the parts and components coming apart and undone, floating above them, and he threw them into a nearby trashcan. Taking a deep breath, he faced the old mares and calmly asked, “I said… Why were you using those sewing machines?” “Uh, Applejack got rid o’ our rockin’ chairs and gave us them confangled doohickies t’ do our quiltin’ with,” Granny Smith answered. “Thank you so much for getting rid of those horrid things, Midnight,” Auntie Applesauce said a tad dramatically. “They were wreaking havoc on my dainty ears.” “Applejack…” Midnight groaned as he facehooved. He then sighed and his horn flared as he conjured three rocking chairs for the old mares, and a nice sewing kit. “Here you are, ladies, just what you need to do some nice quiet quilting, that won’t get in the way of your catching up.” “Thank ya kindly, dear,” Apple Rose gave Midnight a nice hug, and he returned it, glad to have been of help. “I’m gonna go give Applejack some input,” Midnight said as he left and grumbled to himself, “Or a piece of my mind, is what I’ll give her…” Sighing in relief, Granny Smith and the other mares made themselves comfortable and passed around the needles and thread. “Now, where were we, ladies?” *DONK* That was the sound of Midnight’s jaw dropping as his eyes fell upon the many – repeat – MANY apple fritters already made, and still plenty more on the way. He saw two mares he knew as Apple Dumpling and Apple Leaves working their hooves to the fetlocks as they rolled, folded, crimped, and slid to the left every new fritter to be fried. He also noticed several Apples, including Big Mac, standing around, looking on hungrily to the fritters but for some reason not eating them. “What’s going on here?” he flabbergasted, looking to Leaves and Dumpling. “Appplejack…” Apple Leaves explained as she continued to roll, fold, crimp, and slide to the left. “We were talking while working when she comes along and tells us to pick up the pace and cut the chitchat,” Apple Dumpling sighed. “Alright, that’s it,” Midnight stated. “Take a break, everypony, and go ahead and enjoy the fritters. I am definitely gonna have a word with Jack!” “Thanks,” Big Mac called to Midnight as he stormed off, but the big red stallion turned his hungry eyes to the fritters before him, and smacked his lips. Midnight didn’t have to look hard for Applejack when he heard her announce, “Aw’right, Apples, break!” Looking around, Midnight noticed a lot of Apples sighing in relief and not exactly looking like they were enjoying themselves. From her vantage point, Applejack had the camera prepped. “Whoo, can’t ferget t’ capture all these mem’ries for Granny’s album!” But as she peered through the camera and scanned the reunion, Applejack noticed a particular lack of… zeal or excitement among the Apples. But she noticed the colts n’ fillies were just lying around, she was shocked to see Granny Smith, Applesauce, and Apple Rose didn’t have their sewing machines anymore and the quilt didn’t look much further along, and she saw a lot of ponies munching un-enthusiastically on fritters (except for Mac, who was gorging on them). “Wha’ in th’…?! Nothin’ mem’rable’s goin’ on and if’n Ah didn’t know better, Ah’d say somepony’s been sabotaging all mah hard work!” “If hard work, you mean over-complicating and besides the actual point of this reunion, then yes!” She turned to see Midnight, giving her the stink eye, and asked, “Midnight?! Wha’ in th’-” “Applejack! Granny Smith said we’d be in charge of this reunion,” Midnight reminded her. “We! You and me! But you went ahead and did things your own way!” “Well, things might o' gone fine until somepony wrecked mah efforts! Know anything `bout that?!” Applejack and Midnight butted heads, glaring into each other’s eyes. “Now Ah gotta do somethin’ quick t’ kick things up a notch!” “You mean we’ll do something,” Midnight insisted with a very final tone. “Fine! Whattya say we treat everypony to a hayride?” Applejack caved. “…Sounds fine to me,” Midnight agreed, letting the steam go, as he walked away. “I’ll go tell everypony and invite whoever’s interested. I trust you can prepare the wagon without any over-the-top showponyship?” Applejack stuck her tongue out at him and went to get the wagon. “I’ll admit, a hayride actually sounds enjoyable at this point,” Auntie Orange sighed as she and her husband followed Midnight, accompanied by Braeburn and Twinken. “Applejack seems to be taking this reunion a little too far, wouldn’t you agree, Braeburn?” Mosely inquired. “Darn tootin’! AJ’s not exactly making this reunion all tha’ memorable,” Braeburn huffed. “More like miserable!” “I’m sure she means well,” Twinken honestly agreed but he didn’t want to think bad of his big sister. “Alright everypony! Step right up, take a seat, an’ leave th’ drivin’ t’ these stallions!” Speak of the demon, there was Applejack standing next to the tailgate of a wagon, which was strapped to a couple stallions Applejack had wrangled into providing the hayride. “Now Ah know y’all’ve been working real hard makin’ some awesome memories,” Applejack made sure everypony had taken their seat. “And in all o’ our past reunions, we always had a nice n’ relaxin’ hayride around the farm…” Sounds like she’s starting to get it, Midnight settled in, looking forward to a comfortable ride. Only for an inexplicable sound of a record-scratching to alert him as Applejack added, “Which is why Ah decided t’ change things up a bit an’ try sumthin’ a wee bit more excitin’! So let’s get this show on th’ road!” She pushed the tailgate into place, and bucked it as she yelled “Giddyap!” The stallions brayed and took off, and everypony on board ‘whoa’d a little from the speed and held each other for stability. The wagon jolted after a wheel went over a rock, much to the foals’ discomfort while Auntie Applesauce’s false teeth flew from her mouth and nipped onto Big Mac’s nose. “Sorry, honey, just had them professionally polished,” she apologized and accepted them back from an understanding Big Mac. What is Applejack up to thistime?! Midnight tensed as he held onto the wagon’s side. He looked ahead and wondered aloud, “Where the hay did that girl just send us? It looks like the west orchard!” Big Mac stepped up alongside him and shielded his eyes from the sun, and agreed, “Eeyup.” “What?! Are ya jokin’ me?!” Granny Smith shrieked. “What’s wrong with the west orchard?” asked Twinken. “We haven’t tended those fields since all th’ trees got filled up with-” Granny Smith looked like she was ready to have a stroke as realization dawned on her. “Filled up with what?!” Midnight asked insistently. But his question was answered as something flew up from the trees in a literal rainbow of colors, something flapping leathery wings but brightly colored, and Midnight could see with a keen eye they looked like… “Wowza! I’ve never seen real fruit bats before!” Babs cheered, everypony else making oohs and ahs. But above, one by one, some of the fruit bats noticed something Auntie Applesauce was wearing, a sunhat decorated with wax apples. Except the rainbow rats with wings couldn’t tell the difference as they licked their lips and started to dive-bomb the ponies in the wagon, concentrating on Applesauce. Everypony gasped and yelled in fright, trying to shoo the bats away but the rodents persisted. Unfortunately, the bats also got up in the stallions faces, throwing them off and sending them running blindly… towards the barn! “Oh no!” “We’re gonna crash!” “Everypony jump!” “No, everypony hold onto each other tight!” Midnight yelled, and once he was certain they did, he concentrated, his horn flaring! *FLASH* Everypony who’d been on the wagon plopped into a nearby haystack and all they could do was watch helplessly as the wagon (having been abandoned by the stallions) careened wildly into the barn. *CRASH* A big dusty hole in the side caused the barnhouse to become structurally unstable, and the whole thing came crashing down in a heap. Everypony slowly approached the wreck solemnly, shocked by this turn of events, a few among them tearing up, but one pony wasn’t sad. He was furious! “…Applejack!!!” Midnight whirled and saw Applejack, looking ashamed and taken aback as all eyes fell on her and Midnight, who stormed up to her, giving her the mother of all stink eyes. “Look at what you’ve done! The barnhouse, this entire reunion! All of it! Ruined… because you went about it all wrong!” “Ah was just… Ah just wanted t’ make this the best Apple Family Reunion ever…” Applejack sobbed. “Does this look like the best Apple Family Reunion?!” Midnight asked rhetorically as he held out his arm towards the wreck, a piece of debris falling as if emphasizing his point. “Easy, sonny, easy!” Granny Smith tried to deflate the tension. “Applejack, you’ve obviously forgotten what a family reunion is supposed to be about,” Midnight went on. “It’s not the games or the food, or some big show, it’s to spend time with family!” “Well what would you know?!” Applejack couldn’t take it anymore as she sobbed angrily, “You’re not even a real Apple!!!”