Celestia's sun was setting in the horizon as creatures, large and small prepared for the coming of night. The Farm pony, was no exception. Another long day of repetitive apple bucking and hauling, hauling and bucking had been the focus of her day; a couple of days if Applejack truly thought about it. Thankfully, this year, she wasn't alone out in the orchard, as Big Macintosh helped shoulder the timely responsibility of the latest apple bucking season. She would never complain, tired though she was. Apple farming was in her blood, her passion, so much so as to be reflected by the trio of bright red apples adorning her flank would attest. Still the work was demanding and thoughts of supper and a rest called to her, a pleasant respite to another day of the same toil to come tomorrow.
Entering the barn, almost in a daze she unhitched herself from the wagon. Readjusting her trademark Stetson, and wiping away the reward for the day's labor from her brow.
Where was Big Mac? She thought to herself. The barn, though lit, was noticeably missing the presence of her elder sibling. Typically he would be here helping set up for tomorrow to insure a quick start to following day's work. The red stallion's absence was indeed unusual but overall irrelevant as the bulk of the morning set up could be easily done by one pony. Still it was nice to have the company, monosyllabic though it may be.
Whispers floating in the air, brought the orange mare out of her stupor.
"Some pony there?" She said to the open air.
The whispers faded for a moment, but years of country life had taught her to trust her instincts, and right now they were saying: she was not alone. She felt no inherent danger, but the thought of being spied on was unnerving enough.
"All right now, I know yer here so come on out, now!" Her voice betrayed no hint of fear, only sternness that belies the promise of flank whoop in' for non compliance.
When no answer came in the form, either a Big Macintosh rounding the corner or an Applebloom with two other Cutie mark Crusaders, out past there curfew, Applejack's patience began to wear thin.
Eyes and Ears keenly searching for signs of any intruders, she had cornered the whispering coming from the back of the barn, where a closed door prevented further moment.
In one fluid movement, Applejack had the door flung open, only to be assaulted with a blast of confetti and a comical party horn chirp.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY APPLEJACK!"
Chimed the voices of five mares and one baby dragon, who had set up what was clearly a well planned surprise party within the back of the old building.
Realization dawned on her as the confetti fell from her yellow mane, the anxiety and suspicion, long forgotten as she came to grips with the undeniable truth; Pinkie Pie had got her once again.
Every year since Pinkie moved to Ponyville, it seemed, she had always managed to throw Applejack a surprise party, in which she would always be legitimately surprised by. Any other pony would be slightly annoyed at the bouncy pink mare for it, even go so far as to go out of there way and "de-surprise" the party.
"Did we Surprise you!? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
But, that delighted face and excited manner Pinkie Pie held when that real look of shock hit Applejack's face was enough to dissuade any thoughts of party sabotage, even at the cost of a little pride.
" I knew it was gonna be tricky to surprise you when we decided to have the party here. But what better place to surprise someone who expects a surprise party in a place where they don't expect to be surprised! So how'd we do? Surprised?" Said Pinkie, in one breath.
"Ah was surprised, got me again Pinkie" Applejack drawled with a chuckled at the party pony, to be met by a fit of animatedly giggling and excited hopping.
"To be honest" she continued, entering the room fully to formally greet her friends. "Kinda forgot that my birthday was coming up."
"We also thought you could use a break from work." A lavender Alicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle approached, giving the guest of honor a warm hug, "We haven't seen much of you for the last few days."
"Well." The Farmer shrugged rubbing the back of her head. "The trees won't buck themselves."
"All the more reason to relax in the company of your closest friends for an evening." A white unicorn named Rarity stated, giving her own embrace to the Birthday mare.
"Enough with the mushy bonding" exclaimed a rather impatient Rainbow Dash who took to the air and hovered over a colorfully decorated table that held wrapped packages and baubles. "We got presents for ya ta open!" She motioned with an excited smirk.
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The next hour went by delightfully among the six mares and the now snoring dragon. Laughs were shared as well as birthday gifts. Spike had given Applejack a small box of gems, some of which had "taste test" bites taken out of them, but where appreciated all the same.
Rarity had given her a new set of stylish, beautifully ornate, kerchiefs, which Applejack was then corrected to call "pashminas".
To no ones surprise, Twilight gifted Applejack with a book; the recently updated "History of Ponyville". A pleasant surprise would be found that the Apple family had several pages devoted to there struggle and success in the homesteading and settling of the town on the edge of the dangerous Everfree. Though she new her family's history like the back of her hoof, seeing it spelled out in a official pictured text gave Applejack a sense of pride in what her forebears had accomplished.
Rainbow Dash had given her a glass bauble which contained a small storm
cloud that would cause the glass to hum and resonate when small sparks of lighting collided against the confined space.
"Thanks 'Shy its a lovely..."smiled Applejack as she tried to make sense of the seemingly misshapen wire mesh bowl.
"Egg basket!" The butter colored, Fluttershy, responded in her traditional soft spoken manner. "Elizabeak told me its all the latest craze among the other hens, and I thought...well... you...could..." She trailed off, now having second thoughts about her apparent "brash" choice of gift.
"Its great sugarcube." Applejack reassured her. "It'll sure turn some heads down by the 'ol coop." She added with smile to the meek Pegasus who had regained much of her relaxed and confident posture.
"Good. Just be sure not to put all your eggs in it." Fluttershy warned. Whether this was a joke or not was lost in the continued laughter and overall good vibe in the room.
A frIzzy pink mane sharked it's way through the remains of the discarded wrappings only to pop up with a semi dejected face
"Awwwww I think that's it! No more presents. That's always so sad." Said Pinkie, her ears and trademark curls slightly wilting, only to pop back up. "Oh well, there's always cake!"
Despite the day starting with the usual grind of an apple farmer in the thick of harvest time, Applejack had to admit that this was a good way to end the day.
"Thanks again for comin' out girls, it sure makes me..." She began, before being interrupted by a knock at the door.
Twilight, being the closest, answered the door to be met by the half wandering stare of the local mail mare.
"Special Delivery!" Chirped the grey pegasus, who held a well worn parcel from her mouth by the packing string.
"Oh! Thanks." Said Twilight, a little confused as she took the package from the pegasus with a magenta magical aura emitted from her horn. "Still out delivering packages at this hour huh?" She said giving the mail mare a sympathetic look.
The grey mare sank a little, an embarrassed blush evident on her face. The moment was short lived however, when Pinkie offered her a frosted cupcake for her trouble.
'Not a muffin.' Derpy thought. 'But, at least they aren't mad about the late delivery.'
After waving the walleyed mare goodbye, and then pointing her in the right direction she needed to go, the party of friends returned to the recently received package.
It was a decent size, perhaps as big as Spike, the now slightly stirring purple dragon who talked in his sleep about how he would one day profess his undying love for "Rar" something. It was wrapped in a thick brown paper that was waxy to keep water out, and was tied neatly with a traditional packing twine. The upper right corner adorned numerous stamps and postmarks, mementos of its journey to Sweet Apple acres, which just so happened to be written neatly in the center of the parcel care of one "Applejack Apple"
"O-o-o what do you think it is?" Pinkie queried whimsically, the mystery of what lay beneath the paper sending her imagination into overdrive.
"Well, it appears the gifts just keep on coming after all." Rarity chortled, her own curiosity bubbling at the surface of her refined exterior.
"Who is it from?" Wondered Fluttershy in a timidly inquisitive voice
Scanning the top left corner yielded nothing but a blank unadorned patch of wrinkled wax paper.
"Dunno. No return address." Applejack stated flatly. A nagging thought tugged at her mind as she attempted to deduced the contents.
After carefully scrutinizing the right corner of the package, Rainbow Dash scrunched up her face "I recognize those stamps but what are those marks above it?" She asked to the group.
Closely examining the marks in question, Twilight's eyes widened in amazement.
"Wow. Those are Bovinian post marks!" She exclaimed. "This package came from outside of Equestria!" She added in amazement. As a whole Equestria, was one of the larger more dominant nations in the world. However, one of the neighboring nations was Bovinia, homeland to the oxen and cow races of the world. Though, they shared many similarities to there equine neighbors, including an eight-hundred year old ally treaty, and a semi open border, the society there was more based on brute force over intellectual matters, a well known fact, if not a slightly biased stereotype that cause the yellow pegasus to be a bit anxious about the nature of the package.
"Is it...safe to open?" She squeaked, keeping the cyan daredevil between her and the potential time bomb of uncertainty that laid on the table.
Applejack lifted the package and examined it. "Don't feel dangerous." She surmised, carefully feeling the weight in her hooves and listening for anything that would merit caution over curiosity.
Not particularly liking having a mystery hanging over her head the rainbow maned mare piped in.
"No ticking, no wires, no Pinkie Sense, I think we're in the clear. So open it already!" She added, her own excitement spilling out at the end of her contribution to the matter at hoof.
Carefully, Applejack cut the string with a forceful nip of her teeth. The parcel seemed to breath a sigh of relief as it was freed from its constraints, a sentiment shared by a certain butter colored mare. Removing the paper revealed another layer of softer tissue paper that, despite its long journey, remained pristine, a testament to expert wrap job. Pulling the paper aside, revealed the contents of the package. Applejack raised it to better inspect it, the others took a moment to do the same.
"Oh my, how thoughtful!" Fluttershy cooed breaking the initial silence.
"Sssssuhweet!" Squeed the rainbow mare in admiration.
"Wow, Thats a great looking Jacket!" Added the princess of Magic, being the first to verbalized the identity of the newest gift.
"That's not a jacket!" The fashionista gasped. "It's a Montèbon! " her eyes wide, mouth agape as she expertly examined every stitch and curve, seeking to authenticate something she thought impossible. "They are the most expensive and well made tailored wear in all the world! They're suppose to be fade proof, tear proof, shrink proof, and even nearly fire proof." She exclaimed practically salivating at the hallowed outer wear, her refinement temporarily cast aside. "I've only read about them! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would actually see one!"
Rainbow Dash, ever being the voice of practicality, "Well if it's all that rad, then try it on already."
Following her friend's advice, Applejack went about the task of putting on the coat. It was brownish-red in color made from a smooth material that slightly shone from the light in the barn. The inner lining, a thin layer of wool that seemed to embrace the Orange mare's forelegs and shoulders perfectly. Despite being clearly brand new, it smelled of ink and...clover? A small smile graced her lips as the identity of the gift giver came clear to her. A series of "oohs" and "ahhs" snapped her back to the farm at Sweet Apple Acres.
"Just as I suspected." Rarity said proudly, admiring her friend's new trendy accessory. "Fits you perfectly!"
"Looks great on you!" Complimented Fluttershy, her trepidation of the mysterious package long forgotten.
"Feels great too," Flexing her forelegs in sleeves, testing there range of motion and finding that it seemed to move with her perfectly. "Real... comfy." She added with a thoughtful smile.
Taking notice of that all too familiar dreamy expression, Dash grew one of her own, only this one was far more mischievous in its intent.
"So," she smirked. "Some pony out in "cow country" knows your measurements?" Raising her eyebrows, her intended implication of this comment more than a little transparent.
"Rainbow!" Twilight scolded, after noticing the rise in color in Applejack's face.
The result only encouraged the cyan mare, further creasing her snide smirk
"What? We were all thinking it." She said, indeed voicing the ideas that now flowed into the minds of the five friends.
"She does bring up a good point darling," Rarity pointed out. "That Jacket is tailor made to your figure, so someone must know you very well in order to get you such a personalized gift." She stated putting sultry emphasis on 'personalized' while adding her own smug grin directed at the now completely red faced, orange mare.
"Yeah, what she said. So...WHO IS HE?" Responded Rainbow, taking a little joy in having her usually so composed friend in a personally un-composed position.
Flustered at first from the onslaught of one of her secrets coming out in a time not of her choosing, Applejack regained her composure.
"Now wait a minnit ladies, don't y'all go readin' too much into th-". She paused, and reached into the chest pocket, pulling out a small piece of paper. Three words were neatly scribbled on the note, that warmed her heart but also told her the jig was up:
'Happy Birthday Jackie'
"Who calls you Jackie?" Pinkie Pie's uncanny eyes had spotted the damning line of the note; his nickname for her. "I don't call you that. I call you Applejack, or AJ or sometimes... -gasp-." A sharp intake of air from the pink earth pony punctuated the arrival of a thought that flickered across Pinkie's mind; this was it. "Or maybe this is a jacket just for birthdays! A "Happy Birthday Jackie! How fun!!!"
"Seriously?" Applejack gave her friend a deadpan look, in utter disbelief at how her correct train of thought had led her off a cliff.
"Anyway" Said Twilight trying to get the conversation back on...track. "AJ? Is it true? Have you... met some pony?" She looked into her eyes with honest and true care for her and the implications that this information would entail.
Applejack was still reticent to give up the ghost "Well ah...yah see......" She uncomfortably rubbed the back of her mane, not wanting to make eye contact, till she managed to squeak out one word "...kinda."
"Kinda'? What kinda answer is 'kinda'?" Dash, no longer wishing to embarrass her, rather to instead learn more about this "some pony", whom had her usually stalwart friend keeping secrets.
Coming up to her side, Rarity offered Applejack a comforting hug.
"Darling, this is a wonderful thing, nothing to be embarrassed about. We are your friends, you can tell us about him."
Applejack, looked to her friends and saw that she was indeed in good company. They're eye shone with the bright compassion that had seen them through the worst of time and back. She had planned to tell them all about 'him' soon, she never could figure out the right way to bring it up.
'Hey Fluttershy, pass the salt, I'm in what could potentially be a relationship.' Applejack snickered at her own funny thought. Realizing no one else was in on the joke, she took a deep sighing breath. "Ah know I can talk to you girls about anythin', but this?" She paused "Ah don't even know how to talk about this." She admitted, feeling a little silly, but the looks of understanding remained, unwavering.
"Well," peeped Fluttershy. "It's a lovely jacket, did you and Trender Hoof...actually manage to hit it off?
Recalling the skinny colt model and his crush on her made her chuckle a little, further easing the knot in her stomach. "Hmmph, naw, that tall drink of water was sweet-n-all but definitely not mah type."
"Then who is? Braeburn?" Said Rainbow Dash, recalling the Appleloosan Stallion and his similar affinity for all things 'Apple'.
"N-Braeburn?!" Jerked Applejack. "I shouldn't hafta remind you that he and ah are related." Finishing with a scowl that said 'I don't like what your implying'.
"So who then?" Twilight interjected, quick to save Rainbow Dash from her most recent 'hoof-in-mouth' incident. "Some pony we met in the crystal empire?"
"Nope." Applejack simply put; a dead ringer for her brother.
"Well for goodness sake, Applejack just tell us already!" Exclaimed Rarity, a combination of wanting to help mixed in with no small bit wanting to have this juicy piece of gossip; that she would keep absolutely confidential, of course.
Applejack sat on her haunches. 'Well here goes' she thought opening her mouth only to be interrupted by a very pink shot in the dark.
"Oh! Is it that super cute Centurian who came here, like, a year ago when Big Mac went all wibbly wobbly when he was digging a new well and it turned out he had stumbled upon a super scary cave that had a mean old book of freaky deakie spells from over 1,000 years ago?"
Silence.
The Pink shot hit its mark with uncanny precision.
"....yeah, that's him." Applejack replied, dumbfounded at how the train of thought had crashed, only to bounce back up to the rails and land with all the passengers alive and well, in the place they were going.
The five fillies got over this miraculous feet of an 'amazing guess' rather quickly, after all 'Pinkie just does that sometimes.'
Replacing her scared and awestruck face with her previous, snide face, Rainbow Dash gave Applejack a playful nudge. "Heh- got a thing for the armored silent types huh 'Jackie'? She chuckled, putting great emphasis on the nickname.
This awarded the mare a green eyed glare.
"Wait, 'Book of Spells'?" Piped in Twilight, not going to Dash's rescue, but rather pulling out the part that stuck out in here mind, nearly missing the whole point of the revelation in the process. "You mean the 'Book of Ominous the Darkstar'?"
"That's the one." A somber Applejack replied. Kicking the dirt at the memory.
"I remember when they brought it to Canterlot. Huge security, I heard they found it in a farmer's field; it was here at Sweet Apple Acres?
"Yup." Once again the orange mare was the female equivalent of her Brother. Then she continued, "Despite all the stuff we've all seen 'n done, that 'xperience was one've the most terrifyin'." Her eyes trailed off, remembering the whole event in a flash, only for her features to soften and a shy grin to appear on her face. "But Ah got to meet Quill, so,... it tw'ernt all bad."
"So....'Quill' must think you some pony really special to buy you something like this." Said the white unicorn, giving AJ a reassuring smile, hoping to continue steer the conversation to more pleasant venue.
Applejack narrowed her eyes but allowed the grin to widen.
"Hmmmph. Way yer goin' on an on 'bout it I don't think ah kin accept....?" Once again she is cut short by the feel of paper in her front pocket. Opening it reveals another short, but meaningful message to the farm pony;
You can accept it.
See you in a few weeks,
Quill
"We so gotta meet this guy." Said Dash, barely stifling a snicker. "He's telling you off all the way in another country!"
"A few weeks?!" Exclaimed a now worried Pinkie Pie. "That's only a few weeks from now! I've so much to plan and do. I've got to get more streamers and party favors and get banners made... Hmmm, what's sounds better 'Happy Visit Applejack's Colt Friend' or 'Welcome back to Ponyville to hang out with your Marefriend.'"
"Now hold on there Pinks!" Interrupted Applejack attempting to reign in the entire situation. "I don't want any pony tah make a fuss about this. I've only told Granny about 'im, until now. He 'n I are still trying to figure things out, takin' this relationship thing slow. No 'Marefriend' or 'Coltfriend' titles, just yet anyway."
"We wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable Applejack, but you can't blame us for being a little bit curious about this guy." Said Twilight
"If this stallion is becoming an important part of your life, then we'd just love to meet him dear, and his eligible friends". Reassured Rarity, adding the last part half under her breath.
It was all out in the open now, and the Apple farmer felt better for it. "Well, I suppose." She said only to look down and take a sudden interest in her hooves. "It's just, bein' so far apart from each other for weeks on end makes it 'difficult.' Some days I can't help but feel foolish tryin' to make things work with some pony I can only write to most of the time and see every few weeks when his schedule and mine allow it."
"A long distance relationship can be a burden, but we can help you with it. Let us meet him, we can help you both." Said the lavender mare, placing a hoof gently on her sunken orange shoulder..
"It would be great to see him again without the dangerous book thingy trying to zombify ponies.
Smiled Pinkie in agreement, joining the two in a growing circle.
"He sounds really nice, and seems to make you happy." Added Fluttershy, who joined the circle.
"We are here for you, darling." the fashionista said, joining the circle.
"He could probably teach me some secret military moves to take down a herd of squealing Boars using nothing but a toothbrush." Rainbow Dash said excitedly, closing the final place in the group hug..
Her circle of friendship completed, it was time for Applejack to take a chance. "Well, alright girls I'll send him a letter back thanking for the Jacket and lettin' him know that when he comes by he's got some Meetin' and Greetin' ta do. An if that doesn't have him running fer the hills, well shoot, all the better for it." Laughs were shared among the circle of Elements, who had braved darkness and danger and come out the best of friends, and who were just beginning to take a new step into a far more dangerous battlefield: Love.
Applejack deep down worried how her friends would take to the colt she was rather smitten with, that was, however a problem for another day.
Meanwhile, miles and a nation away, on the deck of The Royal Sisters Aeronaut Windsweeper,
Captain Quilpont Cloverhoof, looked up from his charts and felt oddly nervous.