Chapter 4: Knowing Truth
“What was that about?” Twilight tilted her head casting a questioning glance at Applejack, as she ushered her friend inside the hollowed out tree of the Golden Oak Library.
“Heh,” the blonde-maned mare started with an uncertain chuckle, a slightly embarrassed half grin on her muzzle as she rubbed the base of her crest with a fore hoof, “meet the newest little mare in Ponyville.”
Twilight seemed to wrack her brain for a moment, a massive undertaking when one considered the dearth of social information contained therein, only to come up dry a moment later. An occurrence not entirely unexpected, when the matter at hoof was not either academic or magical in nature.
“Newest little mare?” Applejack repeated with a nudge of her head in the direction Apple Bloom had gone, as the unicorn’s face remained locked in an expression of non-comprehension. Yet the message seemed to slowly sink in as Twilight finally glanced back towards the washroom and back to Applejack, silently mouthing ‘her’ while pointing back over her shoulder with her hoof.
“Mm-hmm,” AJ grinned smugly at her now quickly understanding friend. “Just came into season this morning,” she added with a small glimmer of pride starting to show through.
“How’d you find that out?” Twi’ asked quietly.
“She peed the bed,” AJ, replied with a soft chuckle of embarrassment on behalf of her sister.
Twi’s jaw dropped, almost with a sense of recognition it seemed to AJ, but the unicorn recovered herself quickly. “I’ve got some books here that might help her understand the changes she’s going through right now.”
“Naw, that’s okay, Twi. I’ve got a copy of The Loveliness of Mare at home that Granny Smith gave me the first time I came into season,” Applejack politely deflected her friend’s offer with her typical nonchalance.
“The Loveliness of Mare?” Twilight’s brow furrowed contemptuously at the mention of the book. “That’s the most useless book on growing up ever published for mares. It’s from a completely backwards period when a mare was supposed to just lower her head and lift her tail, and ‘think of Equestria’ while the stallion ‘did his thing’”
AJ pulled her head back slightly at Twilight’s revelation. Such a thought had never occurred to her. Albeit it did make sense now as to why the ruddy book had made no sense to her back then either; though she had hoped Apple Bloom might have been able to understand something she hadn’t.
“Yeah-huh, but enough about AB’s little problem,” AJ changed the subject as the pair settled themselves in the main reading room, “You started by asking ‘bout Granny Smith an’ wanting’ t’ know something ‘bout mah extended family.”
“Oh yeah, right, maybe you can help me.” The purple unicorn gave her head an animated shake as her original train of thought righted itself back onto her normally one track mind. “You know your family around Ponyville pretty well, right?”
“Absitively posilutely,” Applejack grinned confidently back at her studious purple friend, “Each an’ every one of ‘em.”
“Good,” Twilight nodded, “because I was helping Cheerilee clean up, move around, and reorganize some shelves and stuff over at the school house the other day, and we came across an old misplaced school registration form that was never completed in the back of a filing cabinet.”
“Okay, an’ ya think this has somthin’ t’ do with somepony in mah family?” the orange farm mare highlighted the obvious reason for Twilight’s question.
“Your father’s name was Apple Ridge, right?”
“That’s right Twi’ and my Ma’s name was Orange Bloom, Apple Bloom is named for both of them,” the blonde-maned cowpony affirmed as she lifted her head and puffed up her chest with the pride she always carried for her parents.
“Was he, by chance, maybe named after anypony, like maybe his father or an uncle?”
“Not that I can recollect, Twi. My grandsire, was Apple Carter, but we just called him ‘Grandpa Smith’. Granny’s sire was Pokey Oats, and her brothers were Prairie Tune and Happy Trails. I’m not too sure ‘bout great-great uncles though, most o’ them didn’t live in Ponyville. Why’d ya ask?”
“The name on the registration was for a colt named Lightning Ridge, by Apple Ridge out of Flicka …”
“Is that some kinda joke?” Applejack’s pleasant demeanor dropped like a bale shoved out of a hayloft as she cut off Twilight before she could finish, leaning in and toppling the unicorn back off of her rump. Muzzle to muzzle with the unicorn, she continued through half clenched teeth. “‘Cause that ain’t funny Twi’. That’s right crude in fact. If you weren’t such a good friend, I’ve got half a mind t’ lay a good hoof upside y’r head for sayin’ things like that ‘bout mah Pa.”
“I … ah … er … didn’t mean …” was all the shaken unicorn librarian managed in response, as she pulled herself back onto her haunches. Her vaunted brain was drowning in its equally well noted lack of social experience as AJ eased back a little as she proceeded to delineate the situation to the verbally dazed librarian.
“Flicka Apple was Pa’s sister, and she would have inherited the farm instead of Pa, only she died before I was born. Now who put ya up t’ this knot headed chicanery? Was it Rainbow Dash? ‘Fess up so I can put them, and this lame joke, out of their misery.”
“Flicka Apple?” Twilight eased herself back into the conversation with a cautious certainty of fact in her voice. “The dam listed on the registration was Flicka Field, not Apple.”
“I …” Applejack started, Twilight’s revelation of the actual name of the mare in question knocking the ire out of the farm mare as easily as AJ could buck apples out of a tree. “I’m sorry Twi’, I should have let you finish before flyin’ off the plow handle. It just sounded like the time Diamond Tiara went around telling folks that Apple Bloom’s full name was Apple Bloom by Big McIntosh, out of me. ‘Cept that time it was a young filly who didn’t know road apples ‘bout what she was saying. Miss Cheerilee and Mr. Rich had a good time straightening things out afterwards, I’ll tell you. I don’t know any Flicka Field, but I can ask Granny Smith if she knows of anypony by that name. I don’t like the notion there that mah Pa was out ‘sowin’ oats’ behind Ma’s back. Have you tried the foal registry at town hall?”
“I did,” Twilight acknowledged with a slight nod of defeat, “but it seems a leak in the roof of the archive store room a few years back ruined a bunch of files, that one among them I guess, based on the approximate age of the foal to be registering for school.”
“Oh,” the farm mare pondered a moment, “well what about the hospital, if either pony lived here in Ponyville, there’s gonna be medical records right?”
“I may be Princess Celestia’s personal student, Applejack, but even I can’t go looking through other pony’s medical records on a whim. I’d need to file a pretty lengthy request and state my reasons for needing to do so and ….”
“Are y’all talkin’ about me?” Apple Bloom chimed in curiously, startling both mares as she walked up from behind Twilight.
“Naw, Sugarcube, Twilight was askin’ about somepony that she thought might be a relation of ours.”
“Oh.” was all Apple Bloom managed to say before the keen of a train whistle sang out.
“Welp, there’s the 12:20 I reckon.” Applejack turned her head to look out the nearby window to see the train not yet having pulled into the station, “we’d best get a hoof on if were going to be there for the start of visiting hours, AB. Sorry I couldn’t be more help to ya Twi’.”
“It’s okay, Applejack, but could you ask Granny Smith if she knows anything about it?”
“Sure can.” Applejack said with a tip of her head to her friend as the library’s door opened and closed at the unicorn’s mental direction permitting the two Apple siblings to be on their way. “And come to think of it, if the pony there is kin by what ya think, ya might want to stop by the farm and talk to Big Mac. He carries the power of attorney for the estate now that Granny’s gettin on in years. He might be able to get you the permission you need to settle that question ‘bout the records.”
“I might just do that.”
With Apple Bloom falling into step alongside her as they headed out across the empty field between the library and the train station. The hospital was right up the other side of the tracks on a hill on the north side of town. As she trotted away from the Golden Oaks, Applejack’s right ear swiveled backwards as it caught the hurried hoof-falls of another pony rushing up to the library door.
“Twilight,” the new arrival huffed windedly, “where is Spike? Mayor Mare needs you to send a message to Princess Celestia immediately.
“Spike’s not here right now, Pundit,” Applejack caught Twilight’s reply, “he’s off collecting gems with Rarity, they should be back later this afternoon. Can it wait ‘till then?”
“I’m not sure it can, there was a grievous attack near the edge of the Everfree Forest last night and the Mayor wants the Guard to come and take custody of the suspect right away.”
“Attack?” Applejack heard Twilight squeak in surprise as the distance slowly swallowed the sounds of the conversation, “What kind of attack?”
“C’mon sis!” The call of her little sister drew Applejack’s attention from behind her as Apple Bloom broke into a hard gallop. “Race ya t’ the crossin’!”
Applejack broke into an easy run after her sister whose lead had stretched now to a dozen lengths, closing the distance but letting Apple Bloom hold the lead. Whatever the Mayor though the guard’s might be needed for she’d let them deal with; they seemed to have a hold of the situation already. Besides, dealing with creepies, crawlies, and critters that went ‘bump’ in the night was the purview of Princess Luna and her Night’s Watch anyway, and Applejack was fine to let them do it this time. Right now for her family came first, her elderly grandmare, her hard working brother, and her no longer quite just-a-filly of a little sister, and that’s the way she liked it to be.
* * * * *
McIntosh gave a small sigh of satisfaction as he replaced the last of the pruning tools in their proper places. It had been a longer mornings work than he had expected, the storm of a couple of days earlier had broken quite a few branches in the far end of the main orchard. On the other hoof he had a plethora of select fresh young applewood branches piled into the back of the wagon sitting beside the barn, and a purpose to put it all to. Ilchester, the local caseiculturalist, a piebald pony originally from Trottingham, had been enquiring for some time about harvesting several large limbs or even whole trees on the property, for the purpose of preparing an old family recipe for applewood smoked cheddar.
In accordance with AJ’s motherly approach to the individual trees, she had named virtually every single one on the property, Mac had kept the price intentionally high to account for the loss of produce for as many years as would take a sapling to grow to compensate the loss of the commensurate number of trees. He had however arranged to sell all trimmings and prunings of suitable size to the cheesemaker for a tidy and fair sum in bits per stone-weight in silver, or a price-equivalent number of wheels from each batch.
Mac smiled at the thought, his mother had often quoted her own sire, J.C. Orange, to Mac’s father. “There’s always a chance of ending up with lemons, so you might as well learn to make lemonade and not worry about it later.”
Oddly, Mac had always found it perturbing that his damsire, despite his apparent wisdom, had not been able to see the ‘lemonade’ potential in his daughter’s choice of husband. Instead choosing not to endorse his daughter's marriage, or even bother to attend the ceremony. In fact only his mother’s younger brother Mosley had been present from that side of the family.
The sound of heavy hooves pounding up the lane and into the farmyard drew Mac’s attention from his family’s storied past.
I wonder who that could be rushing up here in such an all fired hurry? Mac wondered as he gave himself a quick shake and moved toward the work barn’s open door. It certainly couldn't be either of his sisters, or their friends for that matter, the hoof steps were far too heavy for any of them, or even most of the village for that matter.
Mac was counting off the possibilities of the few individuals heavy enough to be making the sounds of the hoof falls who may have come calling as he reached the open doorway. It was there that the smell hit his nostrils, a rank sour odor of spoiled leftovers, assorted trash, and stale horse sweat. But no more had the name of the odorous arrival clicked in his head than a huge brown hoof swung out of nowhere catching McIntosh square in the jaw and knocked the world on its side.
As Mac attempted to collect his legs under him, as the striker stepped in and caught him behind the right ear with another hoofshot, sending him sprawling back to the floor, his head ringing.
“Pick him up Pig Pen.”
As the rancid smelling sanitation pony stepped over him and hoisted him up in a full-nelson onto his hind legs. Mac dimly recognised the firm clipped voice of Creme Brulee, Carmel’s heavyweight older brother.
“The mayor has sent for the Royal Guard to haul your sorry red ass away for trying to kill my baby brother, you colt-cuddling shit.” The big tan stallion growled through a clenched jaw, punctuating his sentence with another shot to Mac’s head, as Mac tried desperately to focus his eyes and thoughts to understand what was going on. “But I don’t think they’ll mind if I make it a little easier for them, eh ‘Twiggy’*? I’m gonna break you, ‘Little Stick’ before I let them ‘toss’ you straight into Tartarus.”