Darkness is a quite unsettling place, the lack of activity is enough to make a grown mare go insane. Days on end without clear surroundings can be quite desolate and lonely. It is the stuff of nightmares, yet it is in this emptiness that King of Chaos watches over everypony, observing their daily lives.
"My, Twilight really doesn't trust me, does she? She thinks I'll try to end the world or something. Can't I just have a normal party every once in a while?"
Just then, off in the distance, a small explosion erupted from the otherwise pitch-black realm. Slowly, shreds of paper and latex rain from the source, displaying the otherwise unnoticed gravity within the darkness.
"Oops, hee hee~. I guessed I used too much flour."
"That's quite alright, Pinkie, my dear. You can never use too much flour. I want this party to be EXTRA special, so use anything you need. Just ask for it, and I'll be happy to provide it. After all, that's what friends are for."
"Thank you so much, Discord, old buddy, old pal! I mean, a whole world where anything you think of just goes -POOF- and appears out of nowhere is amazingly terrific! I can just think of cherries, tortillas, cooking oil, a stove, and a skillet and -POOF-! Instant chimicherry...or is it cherrychonga? Maybe Applejack'll know!"
"We can save that question for...later. It wouldn't be such a bad idea to check up on the Apple family mare-triarch-in-training."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Mornin' Granny!"
"Good mornin' Applejack."
"Mornin' Apple Bloom"
"Don't ya think it's a little early for yellin'?"
"Nonsense! It's a bee-yoo-ti-ful mornin', ain't it Big Mac?"
"Nope."
"See, Big Mac understa-. Wait, did I jus' hear ya'll say 'nope'?"
"Eeyup."
"Look outside sis, the rain's comin' faster than Pinkie for somepony's birthday."
The young filly, Apple Bloom pointed one of her hooves toward the kitchen window with an annoyed look on her face. Outside the window, Sweet Apple Acres was covered in a huge downpour. It was so bad, in fact, that several of the trees outside had actually broken from the rain and lightning.
Staring gloomily at the table, Applejack pulled her Stetson hat lower down her head before opening her mouth to speak. "Oh, I see. I musta been dreamin'. Sorry about that, everypony."
Her family stood around her with a look of concern on their faces. In addition to her sister, Apple Bloom, there were two others. Big McIntosh, a tall, rugged, red earth pony stallion with a straight, orange mane and cropped tail, stood giving his silent, steady support for his sister. The other, Granny Smith, was an elderly, lime green earth pony. The evidence of her age and wisdom lie in her wrinkles and slightly unkempt, light grey mane and tail, which she always kept in a bun. She stood for a moment before imparting a few words of wisdom.
"Now, I know you're worried about Pinkie, but ya gotta realized that she's a full grown mare. She don't need yer fillysittin', she can handle herself. Most importantly, it's a PARTY. Why, if there's one thing I know, it's that there ain't no party that Pinkie can't handle."
Staring towards the floor, Applejack responded in a hushed tone. "It ain't Pinkie that I'm worried 'bout. I mean, what if Discord's just usin' her for Celestia knows what?"
"Hush now, ya hear? If ya have time to worry, then ya should be doin' some work, missy."
"Yes, Granny," Apple Jack responded, almost automatically.
Just then, Apple Bloom gasped and exclaimed loudly, "Well, I'll be! It stopped rainin'!"
Sure enough, the clouds had disappeared, leaving a clear, sunny Equestrian morning. Then, a dark grey pegasus with a cyanish-grey mohawk popped his head in the window.
"Sorry folks, one of the pegasi got..." He glanced off above him with a look of disapproval. "...distracted. One of our clouds got loose and floated over here. We just came by to get it back."
"I said I was sorry. I was too hungry to work."
"You had 20 muffins this morning!"
". . ."
"Anyway," the stallion said to the residents, "We'll just be getting out of the way. Enjoy the rest of your day." He then proceeded to fly away with his grey pegasus coworker.
Apple Jack then had a realization. "Ya'll know what this means?"
"We can go back to sleep?" The olive filly retorted.
"It means I was right about tha mornin' being great!" Applejack exclaimed.
"No, it means we can get back to work on the farm."
"Okay, Granny," both sisters groaned.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Out in the field, Applejack and Big Mac were hard at work bucking the apple trees before the big storm next week. They worked like a machine bucking trees left and right. Apple Bloom struggled to collect the steadily dropping apples so that they could be brought to Granny Smith for quality checking. As time went on, the young filly struggled harder and harder to keep up with her older siblings, the fatigue finally setting in.
Struggling to catch her breath, the olive filly slowly cried out for help. "I don't. . . mean to. . . complain, but. . . could ya'll slow down. . . jus'. . .a tad?"
"Nope."
"No can do, sis. We've got to keep this pace if we're ever gonna git to the southern field by tomorrow."
"But. . ."
The orange mare, appalled by her sister's lack of stamina, quickly cut her off. "No buts. I promised Granny that we'd be done by the end of the week an' that's what I'm gonna do."
"Well now hold on, young'un," the elderly pony inserted, "what good is it to be done if yer workin' yer help to death? Ya'll gone ahead an' rest, Apple Bloom, ya are a growin' filly, after all."
"Thanks Granny." Sighing in relief, the filly dropped to the ground in fatigue, ready to sleep.
"I'll take the young'un in to rest, meanwhile, ya'll should take a break, too. Good for the bones." With that, the lime green mare returned to the barn with Apple Bloom resting on her back.
"Granny's right, Big Mac. Go on an' git yer rest. I can take it from here."
"But..."
"Don't ya worry none, I'm as fit as a fiddle." Applejack struck a proud pose, displaying her willingness to get back to work. She stepped up to the closest tree and turned around. "I've got plenty o' energy left in me. Just watch." She lifted up her hind hooves in preparation. Then, she forced the forward to the tree in preparation for the buck underway. She never felt her hooves touch the bark.