Starry Skies over the Apple Orchard
Chapter 1
Granny Smith slowly walked into the kitchen as she carried dried apples for the day’s breakfast. Looking at the table, she saw Apple Bloom placing bowls and cups onto the table. She looked over towards the counter and saw Big Macintosh stirring the oatmeal. Hearing hoofsteps near the door, she looked over and was just in time to see Applejack walking into the kitchen with a bottle of milk. Granny Smith placed the dried apples onto the counter for Big Macintosh to add to the oatmeal and then walked over to the table.
Applejack placed the milk onto the table and then she, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith sat down at the table. Big Macintosh stirred the oatmeal for two more minutes and then turned the stove off. He carried the oatmeal over to the table and sat down. The apples ate breakfast and when she noticed the others had finished, Granny Smith looked over to Apple Bloom and smiled.
“So, are you and your friends working on your cutie marks today?” she asked her granddaughter.
“Yes, we are,” answered Apple Bloom as she wiped her mouth. “We’re gonna meet at the clubhouse and decide what to try later.”
Granny Smith nodded and smiled. “Why don’t you get a head start and go on on over to your clubhouse?”
Apple Bloom, seeing that she was just excused from cleaning up breakfast, said “Sure thing!” as she ran through the kitchen door and out into the farm.
Granny Smith chuckled as she watched the youngest take off into the sunrise. She then looked at Big Macintosh and Applejack and stopped smiling. “Ok, now that the young’in is out of earshot…” she said she she narrowed her eyes. Applejack and Big Macintosh looked at each other in confusion. Granny Smith pounded the table, causing the bowls to clatter and four eyes to look back in her direction. “I’ve waited long enough,” she began raising her voice, “I want grandfoals!”
“Uh…” said Big Macintosh as he slowly leaned away from the table.
“Grandfoals? We are yer grandfoals!” replied Applejack as she raised her eyebrow.
“Fine then…” Granny Smith rolled her eyes and then looked back at Applejack. “I want great-grandfoals. Y’all have been workin’ hard on the farm for years, puttin’ in long hours. I appreciate that...the whole family has to work together to keep the farm going.” Granny Smith sighed and looked down at the table. “But you haven’t allowed yerselves any time for anything else. I don’t want ya to miss your chance.”
Applejack sighed as she looked at her grandmother. “Now’s not really the best time for this. We have a lot that needs done the next couple of weeks.”
“Now’s as good a time as any!” Granny Smith said as she raised her voice. “Take today off and think on it. Bring somepony home to supper and I’ll not mention this again.” She got a wicked glint in her eye as she looked at the two across the table. “Or should I recruit Apple Bloom and her friends to help arrange something?”
Big Macintosh’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks as he scrambled backwards and fell off of his seat at the table. He quickly got to his hooves and ran through the kitchen door to get out of the house, yelling “Nope!”
Applejack looked at the door that will now need some repair, and then turned her head back to the table to face her chuckling grandmother. “Now that there was a tad cruel.”
*-*-*-*
A dark form was gliding through the air and began to descend as it neared the very outskirts of Ponyville. Lightly landing a few feet beside some bushes at the bend in the road, Princess Luna looked around and saw that she was alone. She lowered her head and placed the box of donuts she had been carrying onto the ground. Luna looked around once more to make sure she was alone and hidden from view by the bushes. Luna then closed her eyes and concentrated. A light began to surround her horn as she started to cast a spell, and slowly the light engulfed her whole body. Her body began to shrink a few inches, and at the same time her mane shortened and stopped flowing. The top half of Luna’s horn faded from view and the ‘end’ of her horn became rounded by illusion. Her wings disappeared altogether. Her cutie mark had also changed...her flanks were now graced by a field of stars instead of a moon. Luna opened her eyes and breathed a contented sigh. “We shall have to thank Tia for the suggestion of taking a small vacation. Some time off to clear the mind...’tis just the thing we needed.”
Luna lowered her head and picked up the donuts she had placed on the ground earlier. Smiling around the handle of the donut box, she began humming to herself. Paying more attention to the song she hummed than her surroundings, she did not notice the hoofbeats coming closer. The moment she stepped out of the bushes and onto the road was the moment a red blur rushed around the bend in the road. She had enough time to yell “Aaagh!” in the few seconds before they collided.
Big Macintosh heard the yell and noticed the dark blue unicorn and jumped to lessen the impact of the collision. He succeeded in that most of his body was in the air above her, but his legs still hit with enough force to knock her to the ground flank over teakettle. Big Macintosh fared no better, as he had rotated in the air from his legs hitting the mare on the road. He fell with a thud and skidded off to the side of the road. Groaning, he shook his head and looked over to where the mare was laying on the ground. He heard her breath in sharply and say “Owww.”
Big Macintosh slowly got up onto his feet and walked over to the mare who was rubbing one of her forelegs. “Ah’m mighty sorry about that ma’am...I was panicked about somethin’ and didn’t pay attention to where I was going.” The mare slowly sat up and winced as she put pressure on her left foreleg.
Big Macintosh noticed her discomfort and laid down on the ground. “We should probably have somepony look at that. Ah’ll take ya to see a doctor.”
Luna moved her foreleg and shook her head. “No, ‘tis only a sprain..we don’t need to see a doctor...no need to worry yourself.”
“Ah reckon it’s better safe than sorry. ‘Twould be no trouble at all,” replied Big Macintosh as he shook his head. “Just climb aboard and we’ll be there in no time at all.”
Luna looked at Big Macintosh laying on the ground and and grinned. “Well...ok, if you insist.” Slowly she climbed onto his back, carefully sitting down upon the large stallion.
“Y’all settled back there, ma’am?” asked Big Macintosh as he felt the movement on his back gradually decreasing as the unicorn on his back got comfortable.
“Yes, good sir,” Luna looked away and grinned, enjoying the game of being disguised. “I am ready.”
Big Macintosh placed his hooves carefully onto the road. He turned his head towards the side so that he could see the unicorn on his back. “Hold tight, now.” He slowly stood up in the road, carefully rising so as to not shake the unicorn off of his back. Once he was standing up again, he paused for a few seconds and then started walking towards Ponyville. “Oh, and no need for ‘sir’ - the name’s Big Macintosh, or Big Mac is fine.”
Luna smiled and leaned forward. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Big Macintosh. My name is…” Luna blinked twice, “my name is…” she repeated in a lower voice as she tapped her chin with her hoof. “Starry Skies! My name is Starry Skies, but you may call us Starry if you wish.”