//------------------------------// // 2 - Chores // Story: Homemade Kites and Whatnot // by getmeouttahere //------------------------------// Applejack’s old saddlebags loosely flop against her sides as she canters back toward the Acres, eventually bothering her to the point that she stops in the middle of the road to fix them. The position of the sun is a reminder that she’s already running behind, which makes the troublesome task even more irritating than usual, and she quietly chastises herself for not asking Anon to adjust them for her when she had the chance. Once the problem’s been solved, she’s back on her way, this time at a light gallop and with her head lowered to focus on the run. There’s no way around it— she really was being selfish when she decided to meet him this morning. Even though she woke up long before dawn to finish her packing and make sure everything would be ready to go, there were still things that needed to be done at home, and now her absence is no doubt causing her siblings to worry. But there’s a funny thing about it all, the very thought of which causes an unbidden chuckle to rise in her throat as she dashes along the well-worn forest trail. For some strange reason, it’s hard to really bring herself to feel guilty about it this time, even if she knows she should. On any other day she might’ve stopped to ponder why that was, but there’s no way the schedule they decided on earlier would allow it now. Instead, she pushes those lingering thoughts away and diligently keeps up her pace, relishing the cool morning air in her lungs, the warm sun upon her back and the unfamiliar lightness in her step. All too soon, she’s passed underneath the farm’s entrance gate, and her attention shifts to the loaded wagon parked in front of the main homestead. A quick turn and a somewhat too enthusiastic leap propel her inside the farmhouse, catching the two ponies seated at the kitchen table by surprise with her sudden entrance. “There ya are! We were startin’ to get worried!” her little sister exclaims, placing her hooves on the table despite the numerous times she’s been told not to. Her older brother says nothing, but his stoic gaze conveys a similar message. “C’mon now, I left y’all a note, didn’t I?” she asks after pausing a bit to catch her breath. Apple Bloom hops down from the table, the note in question held securely in her mouth. “Yeah, and it said you’d be back over an hour ago! Where were ya, Sis?” “Like I said in the note, I was out helpin’ a friend,” Applejack mumbles, retrieving her hat and red bands from the end table where she left them. She quickly wrestles her wild mane and tail into the usual plain pony-tails best suited for work on the farm, finishing up by placing her trademark Stetson upon her head. She shrugs her saddlebags off in the same motion, turning back just in time to be caught by her little sister’s inquisitive stare. “Yeah, but at the crack of dawn? Who in Equestria needed your help that early, anyway?” “Lake ice got carved up a few days back durin’ Winter Wrap-Up, remember?” comes a baritone reply from the kitchen table. Applejack shoots her brother a look which he promptly ignores to take another bite of his breakfast. Apple Bloom blinks a few times. “Oh. So I guess you were out fishin’ with that strange hyooman fella Mr. Anon again? That’s mighty nice, but I don’t get it, Sis. Does he really need that many fish when winter’s already over?” Applejack opens her mouth to answer… “Oh, it ain’t just about the fish.” …but another unwanted comment from the table beats her to the punch. The orange farmpony’s cheeks flush slightly as she promptly trots over and smacks her annoying brother in the head with her tail. She chooses to ignore the few low chuckles he tries to hide while she pours a bowl of oats for herself and takes a seat. “That’s enough funny stuff out’a you this mornin’, ya big galoot! If you’ve got time ta be a smart aleck, you’ve got time ta tell me how we’re lookin’ so far with gettin’ ready. Can’t be much more left ta do, I reckon?” Mac shakes his head. “Eenope. Ah found your gear down here already packed when ah woke up, so ah went ahead and loaded it on the wagon. That accounts for all of it, so once we’re done with breakfast we can head on out.” “Well, that’s good ta hear. I was worried we’d be further behind,” Applejack says with a hint of relief. “I already… packed all my stuff… too!” Apple Bloom grunts, dragging a large pack stuffed to the brim with assorted comics, toys, knickknacks and tools into the room. Applejack and Big McIntosh turn their attention from their meals to their younger sibling, who smiles up at them like a puppy begging for table scraps. When she sees the frown starting to form on her older sister’s face, she quickly switches tactics from a hopeful grin to a doe-eyed look of pleading, as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment. Mac turns away, stifling his urge to laugh at her well-rehearsed act for fear of actually hurting her feelings, while Applejack merely shakes her head and lets out a tired sigh. “Sugarcube, we’ve been over this. Ya can’t come with us.” “But… but why?!” she whines. “I’m a big pony, and I’m an Apple too! I can help! I want to help!” Applejack’s tone hardens. “We’ve already told ya why! The frontier ain’t no place for a filly!” “Eeyup,” Mac agrees with a solemn nod. “But… but…” Applejack quickly hops down from her chair and pulls her little sister into a hug. “Me, Mac and Granny all sat down before all this started and had a talk about it, and we decided that you’re just not old enough, Apple Bloom. We’re not tryin’ ta be mean to ya here, we just want ya ta be safe. It’s not that we don’t believe in ya, but there’s just too much that can go wrong out there.” The filly pouts and looks away, partly tuning out the coming explanation that she’s heard a half-dozen times before. “Reclaimin’ land from the wild forests at the frontier and turnin’ it inta fertile farmland ain’t that simple, especially this far away from any towns. It’s dangerous, and it takes a whole lotta knowhow and experience. Heck, that’s why they had ta call for Granny ta come out there a few weeks ago; she’s one’a the only ponies in the extended family who’s even done somethin’ like this before.” Apple Bloom’s gaze wanders to the small table near the door and the open letter left there. She sniffles once and returns her big sister’s hug. “And now Granny’s callin’ for you guys to go help out too, but not for me. It’s cause I don’t have my cutie mark yet, isn’t it?” “Oh, Sugarcube, I don’t think it has anything ta do with that.” She smiles at her sister and ruffles her mane. “Ta be honest, I think all she wants is a pair’a strong backs ta haul stuff around out there. I don’t think either one’a us is exactly lookin’ forward ta it.” “Eenope,” Mac eloquently adds with a shake of his head. “Ya won’t be missin’ much, I promise. And we know you’re a big pony… do ya really think we’d be comfortable leavin’ the farm in your hooves for four or five days if ya weren’t?” The filly blushes and pulls away. “Thanks, Sis. But… five days is a real long time. What am I gonna do? School’s out for spring break, but Sweetie’s travelin’ on vacation with her family and Scoots is doin’ that junior flyers camp thing with Rainbow Dash… it’s gonna be awful lonely around here.” Applejack grins. “Oh, I don’t think you’ll have much time ta be worryin’ about something like that.” She trots over to the fridge and pulls a roll of paper stuck there with a magnet free, where it quickly unfurls to become three times as long as it first appeared. “There’re plenty’a chores we’ll need ya ta take care of while we’re gone.” Apple Bloom’s spirits sink at the sight of the huge list, but her sister ignores her change in attitude and pats her on the head with pride. “See? We trust ya so much we’re givin’ ya all this responsibility! Ain’t that great?” “Yeah… great.” “And don’t you worry none,” she continues. “’Cause you won’t have ta do all of it alone. I’ve asked Pinkie Pie ta come by a few times throughout the week ta fix meals and ta help ya with some of the harder stuff. I reckon with the two of y’all workin’ together, you should be able ta finish up all this stuff by the time we get back. Oh, and you be sure not ta give her a hard time, ya hear?” “Yes, Sis,” comes a dejected reply. Applejack nods proudly. “Good. I guess we oughta be headin’ out before it gets too late in the day.” She turns to Mac, who downs the last of his oats and carries the empty bowls to the sink. “You about ready there, Mr. Comedian?” “Eeyup.” And with that, all three ponies step outside the farmhouse where the family wagon is waiting. Together, they start the process of hitching Mac to the wagon and diligently check one last time to make sure they have everything they need for the trip. “Well, I guess this is it,” Applejack says, folding up the map and placing inside her hat. “The farm’s in your hooves ‘till we get back.” “You can count on me!” the filly exclaims with a mock salute. “I know I can, Lil Sis.” She reaches down again to ruffle Apple Bloom’s mane, prompting a half-giggle half-grunt from the smaller pony. “Oh, and before I forget, there’s one last thing we need ta do before we leave.” Apple Bloom’s ears fold back and she starts to shy away. For some reason, she foolishly held on to the hope that maybe they’d forgotten this part… “FAMILY HUG!” Immediately, she finds herself lifted up and smushed between her two older siblings in a bone-breaking yet familiar show of affection. “Be sure ta go ask Pinkie Pie if ya find out ya need anything, ya hear? Anything at all! And don’t forget ta write us at least once, either! It’ll take a day or so, but we’ll still get your letter at the settlement. We’re gonna miss ya!” “Eeyup!” “I… I won’t… forget…” she gasps. Eventually, the two older ponies have mercy on their younger sister and let her go, likely due in some small part to the fact that she started turning blue near the end of the hug. The wagon’s wheels slowly turn as they finally get underway, though Applejack can’t resist looking back to wave goodbye two or three times, or at least until the wagon vanishes behind a bend in the road. Apple Bloom takes a few moments to collect herself on the porch of the farmhouse once they’re out of sight. This isn’t the first time she’s been left alone, so the thrill she felt on those first few occasions is largely gone. Add to that the fact that her friends are also far away, and what should’ve normally resulted in at least an upbeat mood turns into something that could almost be called downright gloomy. It seems so weird, but not even ten minutes have passed since Applejack and Big Mac left, and she’s already feeling a pang of loneliness in her chest. Why couldn’t they have taken her with them, again? Is it really that dangerous out there…? “Well… I guess it doesn’t do any good to sit here mopin’ about it. Maybe I should start doin’ some of the stuff on that big ol’ list.” With a slight sigh, she turns and heads back inside to do just that. If nothing else, the chores should at least help take her mind off things. The decision made, she squares her shoulders, stands tall just like her big sister would when there’s a job to be done, and starts down the list. The morning hours pass by quickly as Apple Bloom resolutely goes about her chores, and while they do help to keep her mind occupied, they don’t do much to quiet the little nagging feeling of doubt that only seems to grow with each task she completes. A little past noon, she stops to take a break, heads to the kitchen, and hops up on the table where the list is still unfurled. “Whew! Well, that’s done.” She wipes the sweat from her brow with a hoof, then picks up a nearby pencil and crosses yet another item off. “Now, what’s next…?” She moves to read the next item, but something unexpected catches her attention and she jumps with surprise. Somehow, someway, a good two thirds of the items on the long list are already crossed off! “The first day ain’t even half over yet and most’a this stuff is already done! Were these chores really supposed to last me almost a whole week?” Out of curiosity, she scans through the remaining tasks, only to shake her head as that nagging doubt from the morning suddenly becomes undeniable. “I knew it. It’s a long list, but all of the stuff on here is really easy. They didn’t trust me with doin’ anything tough or important by myself after all.” She thinks back to all the running around her brother and sister did the day before, hurriedly trying to take care of all the large or critical tasks necessary to allow them to leave the farm for an extended period of time. They really did take care of everything major themselves, leaving only busywork for her. The youngest Apple sibling sighs and slinks back in one of the kitchen chairs, her eyes cast down toward the floor. “Yeah, I should’ve known. Why would ya trust anything to some little filly who doesn’t even know what her special talent is?” Unsurprisingly, asking the question to the empty kitchen doesn’t do much to lighten her mood. All the energy she had before is gone now, and despite her earlier declaration to the contrary, moping around suddenly seems like the best thing to do. She continues absentmindedly staring at the floor, not really focusing on anything and letting her mind wander… “Is there something neat down there?” …when a sudden question breaks the silence. “W-Waaaaah!” Apple Bloom nearly tumbles out of her chair with surprise. The old piece of furniture tilts dangerously on two legs for a few seconds while she quickly spins around to find the source of the sound, only to settle back on all fours again once she’s face to face with a familiar pink poofy mane and pair of questioning sapphire eyes. “Pinkie Pie?!” “Cause, I mean, you’ve been staring at the floor for a while, but all I see is a rug. And some floorboards too, I guess. Oh… is there a funny pattern in the wood grain? That swirl kinda looks like a rabbit if you tilt your head!” “I… uh, what?” Apple Bloom stammers. “No, I wasn’t lookin’ at anything in particular, I just—” A mental warning siren immediately starts blaring in the filly’s head before the next word manages to escape. Don’t tell her you were kinda bummed out! Don’t tell her you were kinda bummed out! If you do, she’ll throw some crazy party or somethin’ to try to cheer ya up and your whole afternoon’ll go out the window! “I… was just thinkin’,” she continues, flashing the party pony a nervous smile. “Y’know, about farmpony stuff, and… and tryin’ to figure out what I wanted to tackle next from this list!” She shakes her head to recompose herself while Pinkie peers over at the long piece of paper sprawled across the table. She even manages to feel a slight pang of pride at having the good sense to prevent what could’ve been a potential Pinkie-related detour from her duties. “Wow, that’s a lot to do!” Pinkie exclaims. “It looks like you’re really, really busy right now, but do you think you could squeeze in just a liiiittle time for quiche between all this super-duper important farmpony stuff?” She pulls a covered pot from behind her back, complete with potholders, and proudly holds it in her forehooves with a hopeful shimmer in her eyes. A tantalizing aroma quickly begins to flow throughout the kitchen, causing Apple Bloom’s stomach to rumble as soon as she gets a whiff of it. “Oh, it is lunch time, isn’t it? Thanks, Pinkie Pie, that does sound great!” She hops up to go get some plates and utensils for the two of them while Pinkie safely sets the quiche on the table. “And, I… I really wouldn’t call any of this stuff important anyway, so I guess it can wait.” “Fwot fwimpoant?” Pinkie asks as she swallows a bite of her meal. “Really? ‘Cause Applejack talked to me about a few of these things before she left, and they sure sounded important to her!” Apple Bloom giggles, spooning a good amount of food for her own plate. “Everything sounds important when she talks about stuff needin’ to be done around here, but if it really, truly was, she would’a done it herself already. You know how she is.” “Yep, yep!” Pinkie agrees. “And sometimes she bites off more than she can chew!” She proceeds to swallow another large helping of quiche which immediately gets stuck in her throat, though a quick gulp of water helps force the food down. The filly flashes a look of concern at the spastic party pony, but she promptly ignores it, instead pulling the list closer to inspect it again. “But wowsers, this is crazy! Did you really do all these chores this morning all on your own? I mean… I was supposed to help you with some of these, and Applejack said it was supposed to take most of the week!” Apple Bloom blinks. “Well… most of ‘em were really easy, and I sorta just started knockin’ ‘em out without really thinking about it until just before you showed up.” “Yeesh! At this rate you’ll be all done by this afternoon! I guess there’s nothing wrong with that, but what’re you going to do for the rest of the week? Oh, I bet you’ve got something fun planned, huh?” “Well… I really hadn’t thought about it,” Apple Bloom admits, her ears drooping. “I mean, crusadin’ wouldn’t feel right without Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo around, so that’s out.” “Well, what about your other friends from school? Couldn’t you hang out with them?” An image of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon quickly flashes through Apple Bloom’s mind and she fights back a dry heave. “Uh… no, I think they’re probably busy anyway. Almost everypony I know is takin’ a trip or doin’ something with their families for spring break…” The filly sighs again, and Pinkie notices that she’s halfway slumped in her chair with the same partially-dejected look she had when she first arrived. A steady silence fills the room, and the party pony taps a hoof to her chin and ponders for several moments, the gears in her head whirring, before suddenly perking back up, eyes shimmering with mischief. “Hey, I know just the thing!” she exclaims, reaching over to pat Apple Bloom on the head a few times. “Don’t you worry, your Auntie Pinkie Pie’s got it all figured out!” “…Wait, what?” “C’mon, let’s go, go, go!” Pinkie yells, bounding out the door, totally ignoring the question and gesturing for Apple Bloom to follow her all at once. The filly sighs and rolls her eyes, resigning herself to the fact that she’s going to get pulled into whatever craziness Pinkie Pie has planned whether she likes it or not. “What was that sayin’ Applejack always said Pa used to tell her? ‘When the twister’s already on top of ya, there’s no point in runnin’ and hidin’ from it’, right?” She dutifully places the leftovers in the fridge, gives one last glance to the mostly finished list of chores, and then heads for the door. “Sometimes, I guess you just have to let the wind carry ya…” Joining her self-proclaimed aunt on the porch, she follows the older pony as she hops toward Ponyville proper, humming a tune and wearing a smile that despite all the trouble it sometimes brings, magically never fails to drive any lingering gloomy feelings away.