//------------------------------// // 1 - 04 // Story: Four Hooves // by destinedjagold //------------------------------// It’s not hard to know where the pegasus ponies are. Seriously, just a quick scan on the pasture and just find lots and lots of low-hanging clouds, and you find your target. So I make my way over there. It’s a little bit far away, but eh, I’ll get there eventually. A few ponies are still around, but most of them are moving towards my destination as well. There’s a big crowd of ponies up ahead, but thankfully, they’re not standing too close to each other, so I walk and turn until I am now standing in front to get a better view of what’s going on. What I see before me are large patches of brown, fertile earth with different plants and vegetables growing on them. Some parts of the brown earth also has sticks and twigs where vine-like vegetables crawl on them. It’s...a messy set-up, to be honest, but still nice to look at, at least, especially at how the pegasi jumps on cloud to cloud, creating small drizzles that rain on the crops. ...Now that I think about it, I wonder why I never noticed this patch of brown earth when I first got here. Aw well. “All right, y’all,” I turn and see Applejack waving a hoof at the pegasus ponies above. “That’s enough water for the carrots. Why don’t you move that rain cloud over to the radishes next?” And then a familiar awesome pegasus pony swoops down and hovers in front of best pony. And oh, the awesome pegasus has an annoyed look on her face. “And where exactly are the radishes?” “Right over there,” Applejack replies, pointing at where the rainwater is falling. “Just don’t make it rain on the carrots.” Rainbow Dash stares at the radishes and carrots for a few more seconds before she turns her angry face to the earth pony. “Seriously?! You literally planted them on the same spot!” “I didn’t plant them like that, sugar cube.” “And how the hay are we supposed to rain on only the radishes?” Applejack shrugs. “You’re asking the wrong pony there, sugar cube.” “Arrgggh!” Rainbow Dash touches down in front of best pony and glares at her. “You guys are making this hard for us! And you’re doing it on purpose!” “Either you do it or you won’t get any carrots in the next delivery.” Awesome pony’s eye twitches twice. “You...! Grrr...! All right, fine!” She flies up and tells a few pegasus ponies to stop making it rain on a specific spot, and then gives them some sort of instructions with wild hoof gestures if I’m seeing it correctly. The pegasus ponies who are listening to Dash’s instructions let out groans of annoyance as they fly and grab clouds, scattering them and...making a smaller bunch of clouds by punching them while in the air. They grab one or two small clouds and flies low, asking a few earth ponies where the radishes are before they place small clouds on top of it. “There,” Rainbow Dash touches down in front of Applejack. “Happy?” “Eeyup.” Applejack smiles smugly. “Do save some for the fruit trees over there, ya hear? Oh! And uh,” she turns around and points at the direction where the apple trees are located. “The apple trees could use some water as well.” Rainbow Dash closes her eyes and takes a deep, deep breath, holds it in for a few seconds, and sighs a heavy sigh. She opens her eyes and glares at the earth pony in front of her. “You said you only needed a ‘bunch’ of clouds. We didn’t bring that many clouds here for your trees, dirtpony.” Applejack shrugs. “Well, all right. Just don’t expect we bring you guys fruits ne—” “All right, fine!” Rainbow Dash snarls before zooming up and calling the other pegasi’s attentions. While Rainbow Dash is giving them new sets of instructions, I can’t help but notice Applejack’s smug smile as I walk towards her. I see her ear twitch before she turns to me, her smug smile turning into a more genuine one. “Ah, hey there, Jay. You finished eating?” “Yeah,” I nod. “Thanks for the apples, by the way.” She waves a hoof. “Nah, don’t mention it, sugar cube.” “So uh...” I say as she returns her gaze on the busy pegasi above. “I can’t help but notice that you’re, like, the boss around here.” “You could say that,” she nods her head without looking at me. “At least, the boss in handling our crops, for I’m the one who checks them. Well,” she turns to me, “a few other ponies do too, but I guess I’m the only pony who can tell how much water the plants need to grow properly.” “Oh.” Let’s pretend that I get it. “I see.” She arches an eyebrow. “...Really?” I feel my ears droop as I smile awkwardly. “Er...yes?” “Huh, well alrighty then.” She looks back up at the pegasi. I look up as well, watching a bunch of them carrying a few clouds over to the different fruit trees a paces away from us. “I...also can’t help but notice that you...enjoy bossing them around.” “Huh?” Applejack blinks as she turns to me. “What do you mean?” “Well,” I turn and frown at her. “It looks to me that you’re making their, um, jobs a little difficult.” She immediately shakes her head. “It’s not my fault that the ponies planted the crops the way they are right now.” “But I thought you said—” “I said that I only check how much water they need, sugar cube. I don’t plant them,” she says with a small glare. “I’m handling the trees. My brother and I, I mean.” She points with a hoof. I follow the direction of her hoof, and in the distance I see a familiar red stallion around the banana trees, who is probably saying something to the pegasi who are handling the rain showers over there. I feel a cool gust of air blowing towards me as Rainbow Dash lands in front of us. “Okay, I think your stupid crops are soaked good,” she says as she glares at her. “Now where are your apple trees again so we can rain on them and be on our way?” “I led you there far too many times already.” RD shakes her head. “You guys aren’t the only ponies we deliver rain clouds, you know. What? You think you guys are special?” “Perhaps,” AJ says with a grin. “I remember that we’re the only ones who deliver you winged freaks good carrots and apples.” She turns around with a chuckle and walks away. “Now follow me.” Rainbow is fuming, but I am really, really surprised that she isn’t shouting or anything. I give her a small and apologetic smile as I bring my hoof to tap her shoulder. “Hey uh, I’m sorry about Ap—” She slaps my hoof away, and damn did it hurt! “Don’t touch me, dirtball.” Aaand she zooms up. Ooowie... My poor hoof. Wait... I blink and quickly look up. “Wait! Rai—” She’s gone. I blink and look back, and see the pegasi pushing the clouds towards the apple trees. I let out a sigh. Damn, I forgot to ask Dash about Twilight. Wait... I didn’t even ask Applejack about Twilight! Since, well, since AJ’s the one handling the trees, then maybe she’s a harvester. Hm... Judging from the way AJ and RD interacted with each other, it seems that Applejack has already delivered apples and other stuff to the pegasus’...land, or pasture, or area. Whatever. Also, hm... Pinkie said she also delivers their harvests to the unicorns. Does that make her a harvester, too? “Any progress, bud?” I hear a familiar voice of a stallion. I turn and see the white horse walking towards me, his smile faltering. “Oh. Judging from your frown, it’s a no then.” I’m frowning, but not because I didn’t find Twilight yet. But eh. “Yeah...” I sigh. “You could say that.” I look back to him. “Say. Is Big Mac a harvester, too?” He blinks at me. “Er... AJ’s—I mean, Applejack’s brother?” “Ah,” he says with a smile. “You mean Macintosh.” He chuckles and shakes his head. “Twilight, and then Big Mac... Where on earth have you heard these weird names, bud?” Uh, on earth, duh. “Anyway, yeah,” Mister White Horse says with a nod. Yeah, since this is the second time I’m talking to him, I get to name him. “Macintosh is a harvester too, but,” he turns to where Big Mac is. “He doesn’t leave the pasture much. His sister never misses a delivery however, so you should go and ask her.” Yeah, but Big Mac’s much closer than AJ at the moment. Mister White Horse is looking around the crowd of chatting ponies. “Or I can call a few friends of mine around who are harvesters, if you want.” “Nah, it’s all right.” I’d rather talk to the ponies I’m familiar with than some unknown background ponies that I don’t even know. ...And Mister White Horse, too. Anyway, Big Mac it is, then. “By the way, name’s Jay.” He smiles and nods at me. “I’ve heard your name from a few ponies around.” He brings a large hoof over his chest. “Name’s White Horse.” ... ... ...really?