//------------------------------// // Chapter 29 // Story: Princess Twilight Sparkle's School for Fantastic Foals // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// When Sumac awoke, his mouth was dry and his eyes felt sticky. He could hear voices, ponies were talking around him. It sounded like adults… and Pebble. He yawned and forced his eyes open. He couldn’t see anything at first, his eyes were full of crud, and he struggled to see again. The talking stopped and Sumac felt something wiping his face and eyes. A tissue. Some tissues? He couldn’t be sure. When he could see again, he saw Trixie smiling at him. He smiled back and wished that he had some water. Before he could say anything about being thirsty, a juice box with a bright yellow straw was tucked between his front legs. “You have a visitor,” Trixie said in a soft voice as she continued to smile. Before he took a sip of some much needed juice, Sumac looked around. He saw Pebble, Cinnamon, and then, much to his alarm, he saw Applejack. Before he got the hiding that he knew that he deserved, he slipped the straw between his lips and started drinking. “We’re going to step outside into the backyard so the two of you can talk,” Trixie said as she scooped up Cinnamon in her magic. “Come on, you two. Let’s go and sit in the sun for a while.” Sumac watched them go, they left out of the kitchen door, and he was certain that his impending doom drew nearer. He was groggy and had trouble thinking. Applejack didn’t seem angry, but he kept thinking about what Big Mac had said. He lifted his head away from his juice box and asked, “Are you here to give me a hiding?” Applejack’s response was not what Sumac expected. She chuckled. One ear tried to stand up, but failed, and his other ear just sort of stuck out sideways. He blinked a few times and his eyes still felt crusty. He watched as Applejack came over and sat down on the couch beside him. He resisted a bit when she embraced him, but then gave up. She was bigger and stronger by far. When she began stroking his back, he melted.He leaned up against her, now feeling safe. “Big Mac said you wanted to give me a hiding,” Sumac said in a low voice. “Sumac… I’ll be honest, I did,” Applejack replied, “but then I scratched my mad spot and got over it. Sumac… sometimes… how do I put this… sometimes, adults say things they don’t necessarily mean. They get angry, or frustrated, and when they get like this, they say stuff. They don’t always mean it. Sometimes, they’re just blowing off steam, sayin’ stuff just to be sayin’ it.” Turning his head, Sumac looked up at Applejack and waited. “Sumac Apple, sometimes adults ain’t always right.” Applejack inhaled, held it for a moment, and then let everything out in a huff. Then she took another deep breath and continued, “There, I said it. I was honest. Adults ain’t always right. Sometimes, they do bad things for good reasons. Sometimes they do good things for bad reasons. And sometimes… sometimes, they just do something wrong.” “So I’ve noticed.” One of Applejack’s eyebrows arched at Sumac’s words. “Do you think you’ve done something that deserves a hiding? Be honest.” Squirming like a worm in an apple, Sumac didn’t want to answer this question. He felt Applejack give him a reassuring squeeze. He decided to trust her. “Yeah I did. I ran my mouth and I knew it was wrong even as I was doing it. But it felt good.” “A long time ago, Big Mac and I had to set Apple Bloom straight. She had bullies to deal with too. Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. They’re all friends now though. Close friends. Friends that would do anything for one another. And do you want to know why that is?” Curious, Sumac nodded. “Why?” “Because Apple Bloom learned to be a better pony and not run her mouth. She has a whole lot of sass all bottled up inside of her. And she’s smart too… smart enough that she knows what to say to make somepony hurt.” Applejack paused and appeared as though she was chewing on a sour apple. “Now, if Apple Bloom had kept running her mouth, being all sassy and snarky, she mighta had the satisfaction of cutting Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon down to size… and it mighta felt good when she was doing it, but it would be at the expense of the friendship they now have. ‘Bloom had to learn to take the high road and be a better pony… just like you do.” “But Olive is the worst—” Sumac was silenced by Applejack placing one hoof over his mouth. Frustrated, he blew a raspberry against her hoof and glared up at her with a petulant stare. “Big Mac gave you some advice… he and I talked. He told me that you cried and you were sorry… he told you not to fight against Olive ‘cause she’s a filly.” Applejack sucked in a deep breath, shook her head, and then her muzzled crinkled. “Big Mac was right, but for the wrong reasons. Sumac, Big Mac has some old fashioned notions. It’s complicated. When Pa died, Big Mac didn’t have nopony to turn to, nopony to go to, and he had to do what was right. He dropped out of school to take care of the farm and he tried to act like Pa did. He took everything he remembered Pa saying on how to be a good pony and then Big Mac laid it out like fence rails, straight and true, and he followed it. He ain’t one to deviate from Pa’s teachings, ‘cause that’s how he honours Pa’s memory.” There was a long pause and Applejack pulled her hoof away from Sumac’s mouth. “Big Mac is not a learned pony. And if’n the truth be told, I ain’t either. But I am a bit more worldly. I’ve seen a few things and I’ve been around. And I’ll tell you the same thing. You shouldn’t fight Olive. You shouldn’t be running your mouth. And it isn’t just because she’s a filly and you’re a colt, though that should be a part of it, because there is something to be said for good manners. There is a time and place for that.” Sumac waited, his ear that was sticking out sideways twitching. “Sumac, you’re a smart little feller. Scary smart. Now, Apple Bloom, she’s smarter than Big Mac and I are… she’s gone off to university and she’s gonna make a good life for herself, but she’s gotta work for it. And she’s gotta work hard for it. But you… you… you’re gonna get a free pass through life if’n you play your cards right. You’ll have access to all of the best schools, you’ll have a fine education, several good jobs will prolly be just offered to you and you’ll have to pick and choose what you want.” To show that he was listening, Sumac nodded. “But you know how you can ruin that? By having a smart mouth, that’s how. If you get a reputation as a troublemaker, if you start sounding all slick tongued like your father, ponies are going to get the wrong idea about you. Those doors of opportunity are gonna slam in your face and that free pass you were lucky enough to get is gonna blow away in an ill wind… do you understand? And both Big Mac and I are real scared about that happening. Real, real scared. Big Mac has been up late at night pacing the floor ‘cause of you. You deserve better, Sumac Apple.” Before answering, Sumac thought about everything Applejack had said. He had something of an understanding, but it was a lot to think about in his current state. He stared into her eyes and saw both worry and kindness. She was still stroking his back and he could feel her foreleg going back and forth over his spine. It was soothing and somehow eased the pain in his shoulders. “I didn’t know what else to do,” Sumac said, “she demanded that I do her homework.” “Sumac Apple, consarnit, being polite and not running your mouth doesn’t mean you have to let yourself be walked all over. Just say ‘no’ and then walk away, or at least do your best to try. There’s a lot at stake here… I know you’re a colt, and I know thinking about all of this adult stuff is hard, but you have a future that you need to do your part to look after. It’s rough, it’s tough, and I know it ain’t fair, but you gotta. More is expected out of you because you are capable of so much more.” Sumac’s ear gave up the struggle and drooped, joining the other one that was limp against his face. He felt a weight bearing down upon him, something that felt as though it was pushing his body down into the couch cushions, and it wasn’t Applejack. He also felt himself being pulled closer to her, and he rested his head against her neck. He could feel her jaw come to rest on top of his head. And then, out of the blue, without understanding or knowing why, Sumac felt like crying. That crushing weight was heavy on him, it bore down upon him, grew heavier, and it felt as though it was trying to squeeze the tears out. He struggled to hold them back, but he could feel the sting. He could feel his nose becoming snotty and it was getting harder to breathe. He shuddered and wondered when the floodgates would open. “You… I love you like you was one of my own,” Applejack said as she squeezed. “Ambrosia and Hidden Rose, they’re nothing but trouble and I’ve said I was gonna give them a hidin’ too when I was at the end of my rope. And some days, I lose my temper and I’ve shouted at them. But I ain’t ever stopped loving them.” Wiggling, Sumac managed to get the straw in his juicebox between his lips. The cold, sweet apple juice eased the sore dryness in his throat. He lay there, secure in Applejack’s embrace, keeping his eyes squeezed shut, hoping not to cry while he sipped his juice. The pair sat in silence, Applejack squeezing Sumac without hurting him, and Sumac sipping his juice. Applejack stroked Sumac’s back and nuzzled the top of his head with her muzzle, tousling his mane. The straw slipped from between Sumac’s lips and he angled his head so that he could get more of Applejack’s affections. Her tenderness and kindness soothed his hurt, made him feel better, but he still felt like he was going to cry. He heard her wickering and could feel the vibrations coming from deep within her barrel. “Sumac, there’s a tough lesson to be learned. Adults ain’t perfect, life isn’t fair, and sometimes, no matter how well we behave, we still end up in trouble. Sometimes, stuff just happens no matter what we do.” Applejack closed her eyes and inhaled, drawing in Sumac’s scent. “No matter what though, you have family to turn to when things get hard. We’ll never stop lovin’ you.” “Even if I deserve a hiding?” Sumac asked. “Sumac, if I didn’t care, I wouldn’t get worked up enough to say something like that.” Applejack was quiet for a moment and then added, “I want what’s best for you. I’m sorry that things are tough and that there’s prolly a whole bunch of stuff you don’t understand.” “It felt good to say bad things.” Sumac opened up his eyes and felt a few tears escaping. “I wanted to make her hurt and that was the only way I could do it. I really hate her, I do.” “She’s a messed up little filly,” Applejack said to Sumac, breathing her words into his ear, causing it to quiver and twitch. “One day, she might turn herself around, or she might not. But I think if she has a few ponies that try to treat her with kindness and respect, there’s a better chance of her getting straightened out.” “But she’s so mean…” “She is, Sumac… and I’ve seen Fluttershy deal with some of the meanest critters around using kindness. But it ain’t easy. I don’t know how she does it, to be honest. I don’t know if I could do what she does. Me, I’m a fighter.” “So Apple Bloom had bullies to deal with and now she is friends with them.” Sumac struggled to find more words to say, and all that he managed to get out was, “How did that happen?” “Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon made better choices. They were rotten little cusses when they were little, they loved to torment Apple Bloom and her friends. A lot of ponies still hate them. It’s rough on them. Now, I ain’t gonna say they deserve it, but they did sorta bring it on themselves. They’re trying to do right though and I’m real proud of Apple Bloom for being their friend. Anypony can be a friend when it’s easy, but it takes a special kind of strength to be a friend when its hard.” “With Olive, it’s impossible.” “Sumac, one day, that might change.” Applejack’s brows furrowed. “You know, she might be mean to you because she likes you. Sometimes, fillies are like that—” “Applejack, don’t tease!” “Hey, she might be your future sweetheart—” “Applejack!” “Just sayin’ she might be the love of your life, waiting to happen—” “No teasin’!” “So you need to be nice to her, even if she’s being a snotty brat—” “Don’t say it!” Sumac said in a, shrill, squeaky, pleading voice. “Aw, don’t be like that,” Applejack said to Sumac. “I’d rather be with Pebble!” After blurting out his words, Sumac froze. He sat there, blinking, horrified by his mouth’s betrayal. He wanted to crawl beneath the sofa and die. That was the problem with words, once they were said, there was no way of unsaying them. “Ah hah! I knew it!” Applejack crowed. “You sly little colt… you are sweet on her, aren’t you?” “No!” “I think you are—” “I ain’t!” “You is!” “Ugh!” Chuckling, Applejack gave Sumac a squeeze. “One day, you’ll see things in a different way. One day, you might be friends with Olive. If you treat her right, she might remember you as the one pony who tried to be nice to her when she was young and difficult. A friend like that can be good to have.” Blinking, Sumac gave Applejack a sullen stare. “I think you could use a little sun… how about we go outside and sit with the others?” Wary, Sumac eyed Applejack, expecting treachery. He wondered where his glasses were. He wasn’t so sure he wanted to sit in the sun, but when the he thought about it, the warmth on his shoulders would probably feel good. “You could sit with Pebble, you two are so cute together—” “AAAAAAAAARGH!”