//------------------------------// // Chapter 41 - Applejack and Twilight's meaningful moments! Tale 6 // Story: The normal life of Nitpick Bittersweet // by Ryusun //------------------------------// Life as a farmer isn’t an easy one! You wake up before dawn, eat a quick filler to sate the belly and start mudding the saddle all day long until it’s time for the brunch! For the common folk, this is busy work! But for people like me, for a family like mine, this is the ideal life! I have been sweet on with this life since I was a little bud playing on the fields and helping in the dishes! Now, I work at the farm with a prideful chin looking to the sky and pining away for this peace of mine last forever! Thanks to the efforts of my Granny, my siblings and I have the opportunity to assist to a school and have a relatively healthy life with friends and more. But when it’s farming time in important matters, then works comes first! And today, after more than seventy years in being a successful farm of prosperity, mah family will receive an award for being a recognized, hardworking and honest family! We’re in the Town’s Hall, waiting for the fancy ceremony to start! Half of mah family is here to receive the award and enjoy the festivities with the folk of Ponyville. The other half will come as soon as the first half returns to their post in the farm later in the day. The first half mostly consist of the eldest folk who enjoys peaceful and non-eccentric games and parties and the second half is mostly my cousins and the youngest folk who’ll definitely enjoy the most aggressive and physical demanding events of the evening! I could see the multitudes behind the curtains of the stage! Everyone was waiting for Mayor Mare to start the ceremony. Honestly, without disrespecting the Mayor, her speeches are too long and fancy! Mah family and me would prefer to get the fair started and enjoy it with the people. But things in this place can’t be done as the Wild West does, so we’ll have to wait until this is over. Howdy! One of the staff gave us the signal that the event will start in a few moments! “Alright, everyone! This is it! Remember, simple hand waving, no overreacting and we’ll be enjoying the fair and selling our stuff in no time!” “I’m so nervous, sis!” “E-eyup!” “Why we are wearing these fancy clothing!?” All the rest of my elder family members agreed with her and my siblings were approving of their worries. I can’t blame them! I have worn fancy before, but this is too much, Rarity! If only that guy… shoot, he’s so persuasive! “This is a public event, y’all! We must use our best bib and tuckers for this occasion! Please bear it with me for a few minutes and we’ll change to our common attires in a moment! Just smile, okay?” All agreed to mah idea and finally the Mayor made her appearance in the stage! “Welcome, fair citizens of Ponyville and its visitors from nearby and faraway places! Today we are here to honor a family that is known to be the one of the main reasons this little but beautiful town exist. A family whose contributions to our country were immeasurable in the times of recession and strife during the last century! Thanks to them, the modern descendants of the Apple Tribe and the Smiths, we are here living the good life! And it’s my greatest pleasure, my honor, to introduce you to our favorite, dependable, hardworking and honest family in this town and possibly in all of Equestria; the Apple family!” The curtains opened, the people saw at us with big smiles! And without wasting any moment they gave us the biggest and thunderous applauses and cheering’s I have ever heard in mah life! I could feel that mah family and I were the biggest toads in the puddle this day. We tried to put our best face but we really were wamble-cropped nervous on the inside! “And now, a few words from the beloved chief of the family, receive with a warm cheering to ‘Auger’ Georgia Smith!” The Mayor approached Granny Smith, pointing out that she must take the mic! I wonder what kind of speech Granny prepared for the occasion? She worked for days in it! It must be something daisy holly! Granny took the mic, cleared her throat and started to speak to the townsfolk! She took out her glasses and started reading her speech! “Thank you!" She made a brief pause before continuing. “Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Now let the annual Ponyville Fair begins!” And all my family and me answered her speech with one expression! “YEEEEEEEE HAAAAW!” The Mayor gave her the key, shalalalala and we finally went straight to the business stands! This year the sales will be as great as the last one! We have made the biggest buffet of apple recipes yet! Apple pies, apple tarts and you know the rest! People were coming to the locals and we were selling as fast as a cat running to his favorite sand bed! Mah family quickly went to the public bathrooms to change their usual and comfortable, farming cloths. And I… I decided to keep using the new outfit. “COME AND GET YOUR FRESHLY BAKED APPLE TREATS!” “APPLE CIDER! FRESH, FIZZY APPLE CIDER!” “TWENTY-FIVE BUCKS FOR THE FAMILY PACK! DON’T LET THE OFFER PASS OR YOU’LL REGRET IT FAST!” “Holly molly!” Applebloom said with complete disbelief while running towards me with her normal grabs. “Sister! We are sold out of apple caramels sooner than expected!” “Niece!” Said mah uncle Strudel. “Apple juices are nearly sold out and people still want more! The rest of the stands are getting in the red numbers in their stuff as well! This is becoming the best sale we had in months but we need more merchandise, now!” “Don’t worry, y’all! Cousin Turnip gave me a call that he’ll bring the second round of treats as soon as our family in the farms finish the cooking!” “How about us? Do you need our help in something, Applejack?” And there they were! The people who helped me organize this event to be bigger than the ones of the past years; my friends! “When Cousin Turnip arrives with the second batch, please help mah family in distributing the merchandise in their places! For now, why don’t you enjoy the fair until he arrives? I’ll wander around and supervise the place! I’m in charge of this rodeo after all!” “Sounds like a great idea! Girls, let’s go around the fair and enjoy ourselves! We’ll meet here in an hour so synchronize your cellphones in case you forget about it! Especially you, Rainbow Dash!” Sunset said her plan to our friends. “Hey! I don’t forget things that easy!” “Just like you didn’t forget the answers to the physics test? Let’s see how good you scored this Monday when Mr. Bridge gives us the scores!” “Whatever! All ready to go!” Sunset took the rides of today’s plan once again and they went to see what our fair is fairing around here. I took a walk around each stand to surprisingly see that most of the first batch of merchandise was gone. Each stand sales belongs to their respective households of each family so it urges me that Cous’ Turnip arrives soon with the goods. As I was verifying that there weren’t any odd fishes in the barrel, I saw a lone girl tasting one of the apple caramels we were selling. “Holly molly, sugarcube! Don’t eat it like that! There’ll be more in a few moments so enjoy every single chew of it!” “I’m so sorry, Applejack! It’s just that I have never eaten one of these! They are so delicious!” “Twi, don’t tell me you haven’t been in a fair before?” “Not really, I spent most of my time… you know, science and stuff.” “Then come with me and let’s make some good memories today!” “What about your schedule!? You need to-“ “P'shaw, Twi! We still have some time left! Just take my hand and let me escort you around the place! Shall we go now, Daisy Nancy?” She made the cutest giggle I ever heard and took my hand! Today this little miss will know what she’s been missing all her life! I showed her around the place Rarity helped organize! She brought to me some ridiculous concepts and designs for the stands but it seems I misjudged her plans once again! People loved the flashy but still rustic and usual feel that the stands of the fair had this year! It gave me the feel that I was in mah farm and mah family enjoyed doing business and bartering with the clients! “Can I just squeeze more food with my money!?” One of the fellows that were buying dumplings said to my cousin Apple Dumplings. “So sorry, champ! That’s the bed-rock price!” “Can I convince you in another way, pretty lady!?” He said in a suave manner. Poor fellow! He doesn’t know about the Apple family’s business spirit. “Don't let your yearnings get ahead of your earnings, sweetie! Bucks or no apple treats! Serious barters this place only accepts!” And he vamoosed as quickly as she unloaded her best guns! “Wow! I can see your family truly makes serious business!” “Why, thank you, Twi! We may not do things as fancy as Rarity or the upper class does! But we know how this business works! We haven’t been around for more than seventy years in the farming job just by cheer luck; you know what I’m saying?” “I can see that most of your family consists of older people!” She said as she was looking at the stands. “Nonsense! This is only half of it in this region! The young people you see in the locals are my cousins who doesn’t like big noises and rather enjoy the silence of the farm or events with only family members! In the afternoon, the youngest of the family will come to start the more demanding games of the event! There will be a mechanical bull, a little race and even a Western Fist Fight event! First places will win a seasonal Gold Brand Apple Cider and a little bottle of Apple Stetson whisky!” “I saw people buying cider when we arrived. Forgive me for asking but what’s so special about the Gold Brand cider?” “Oh! It’s a whole different league unlike the regular cider! We make all our products with hard work, discipline and patience, with the best produce we can manage to farm! But the Gold Brand is made with two special kinds of apples; the Southern Zap variety that is bitter and the Roxbury Russet kind that is sweet! Those two curiously grow in abundance in the winter season in mah farm! The rest of the seasons those two varieties of apples are really scarce! This year we had enough to make four bottles!” “How much a bottle cost?” “By demand and popularity, the normal kind cost the usual four to seven bucks depending on the size but a gallon of our Gold Brand cider usually cost like twenty five bucks! Since this is not the season and people always want that kind of cider because of demand, you could say those bottles could be sold more expensive than usual! But that would be unfair of us to the folks who keep being our loyal customers so we’ll give them away as prizes for the main events! I’m sure Rainbow will compete in one of the events to try and win a bottle! She loves the stuff!” “So in short, it’s a bitter-sweet beverage that is extremely popular with the people in this sector of the country!” “That’s right, sugarcube! It’s a bitter-swee-!” “What’s wrong?” “Nothing! I should go and see how he’s fairing! After all, Rarity got him in this mess to begin with! Could you come with me, mate?” “Sure! I want to see him working hard!” “Me too! I mean, need to make sure nothing is wrong in our sales!” Shoot! What’s wrong with me today!? We arrived to mah siblings’ stand. They were sold out of apple pies for the moment! Come on Turnip! Where are you? “Then what did you do, Nitpick?” “Were you scared!?” “Is it true that Rainbow Dash kicked him with a roundhouse kick and put him in his place?” “Yes, I was scared, Sweetie Belle! And no, there were no roundhouse kicks, Scootaloo! And I did what any man would do, Appleboom! Destroy the competition and save my friend! I also helped Rainbow and Zap in the process from that, uh, meanie to avoid saying another word!” “Wow, Winder Rider sounds like an old Lily Liver!” “A what?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Oops! Sorry! It means coward!” “Ah, yeah! He sure was one…” Nitpick replied to her. “I bet he was as mad as a hornet when you put him in his place!” “Eeyup!” “Why all westerns speaks weirdly like that!?” “Oh sorry, Scoots! But anytime that most of mah family is around me, I can’t stop talking like a true farmer!” “That’s the spirit, sis!” I finally said. “But aren’t you supposed to be selling our merchandise!?” “But Sis! We don’t have anything left to sell!” “I can see that… where are you, Cous’?” A roaring sound from a truck could be heard and a barrage of beeps soon followed! “SORRY FOR BEING LATE! HERE IS THE SECOND BATCH, MAH FAMILY!” “We arrived just in time!” Sunset said with the rest of the girls behind her. “All right! Let’s do this, y’all!” “YEE HAW!” Everyone said. We started to unload the second round of goods to all the stands! With our combined help, we managed to resupply the place in less than ten minutes! Big Mac and Nitpick were working really efficiently together! I’m amazed that he was being cooperative, talkative and hardworking like that, the way he unloaded the goods, and specially... That hat! “Applejack!” “Uh, what!?” “They need your help with a client! It seems someone is getting annoyed by something!” “Thank you, Twi! Take me there!” She guided me to the source of the problem and it was the same guy from before that tried to barter his way with my cousin! “I told you that I won’t date you!” “Come on, sweet heart! We could go and have some fun together!” “WHAT IN TARNATION IS GOING ON!?” “Cousin!” “Hey! Nothing to see here! I’m just talking my way with the lady here!” “I’m sure she said that she rejects whatever you are talking to her!” “I’m a client! I should receive the benefit of a chance!” “If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around! With that rotten mouth and ill feelings to my cousin, I’ll not allow for you to keep annoying her! So I’ll ask you to leave her alone!” “Why you little-“ “Barrow Mint, stop! I told you to behave, my friend!” Another guy came and stopped him. I can see that he is the total opposite of this guy in front of me. “Don’t be a party pooper, Goody Straw! You should support me, man!” “Just let’s go to another stand, already! We are gonna miss the second batch of cider!” “I won’t forget this, kid!” “Just come along before you get into trouble again! Seriously!” Both went away from here. My cousin was somewhat angered. “That stupid, Lunk-headed city dweller! Scamps all of them! That’s why I don’ like coming out the farm, cousin! How you do this every day at school is beyond me!” “Easy there, Apple Dumplings! Its fine now, I’m here!” “And I thank you for that! UH!? Let’s talk later! Business is calling!” She is right! People got in line while we were talking and boy, they looked wolfy! “Wow, Applejack! You really know how to put people in their place!” “Only when necessary, Twi! I won’t stand idle when family or friends are being threatened or annoyed like that!” “That’s so brave of you!” “It’s not bravery, sugarcube! It’s standing for your beliefs and protecting the people close to you! When you are close to your peers and develop a bond of trust through hard work and dedication, then you can make friends that last a lifetime” “How?” “How!? The answer is with honesty, Twilight! Honesty is the greatest value a person can have! Honesty makes you trusted in work! Honesty can make lots of good things happen when you put your heart in it! Come, Twi! Let me show you around once again so you can see for yourself!” I walked with her around the place and I looked for things to use for explanation. “Look at mah family and the folks coexisting with each other in a friendly manner! Look how mah family barters with them! Try to hear the loud exchanges from here!” “WHY THE TARTS ARE SO EXPENSIVE, OLD LADY!?” “Because they are worth it, lad! Take a bit of it. If you like it, you buy it! If you don’t enjoy it, I’ll give you a refund!” “Alright! I accept the challenge!” He started to eat the tart and by the looks of it…! “Crap… I’ll take three!” “Glad doing business with you, youngster!” “You see what happened there, Twilight!?” “Only that the tarts were so good that he bought more!” “And why you think is that?” “Because they tasted good, right?” “Yes, but that’s the half-truth!” “What’s the other half!?” “When you take your time to do things the right way, your work will speak for itself. When you do something with honesty, there is nothing false on yourself! In other words, being an honest individual makes you a valuable being! You simply are who you are, and other people can take it or leave it.” “But… doesn’t that mean that if you are not of their liking… they could end up leaving you alone?” “Now you are spouting nonsense, Twi! Honest people will state their opinions even when their beliefs are against the majority. You must learn to be true to yourself and that will make you stronger in mind and spirit! Honesty is linked to many things!” “But…” “Shh… Listen sugarcube! I’m not one who talks fancy words… I don’t know to explain things as methodical or straightforward like the others! The only thing I can tell you is from experience alone! When you do things right, the greatest reward you can achieve is knowing that everything you do, everything you said, everything you become is the real deal! In the end Twilight, whether you cheat or not in a test, work hard in your job or not, or even when you are selling your merchandise everyday just for bringing food to the table! The best thing you can do is doing things the right way! When you are being honest to yourself, I assure you that you’ll have a clean consciousness! And there is nothing more beautiful than that! The feeling that everything you have is because you worked for it!” “Everything? Even friendships are hard work?” “Yeah! Friendship is a kind of work, too! The flower of friendship starts when you sow the seeds of loyalty in the soil of honesty! You water the soil and seed with a bit of kindness, you let the laughing sun warm the cold land and finally with your constant generosity you come back to make sure the flower is growing right!” “That sounds… so right, Applejack!” Twi said with a voice of approval. “I knew you would understand sugarcube! You are smart to the point to understand what I tried to say!” “You were clear to me, Applejack!” “Well, let’s stop this sentimental thing and enjoy the rest of the day! We have events to enjoy, food to eat and memories to make!” “Lead the way, my friend!” That refreshing smile of her… “Let’s do it, yo! YEE HAW!” Today I’m gonna have a blast with mah family and friends!