(SiC) Part 9 - Sailing Through The Storm

by Brian Jacko

Surviving With Twilight

Applejack awoke in bed early. It seemed that despite the fact that she had not worked in days, her body was so used to waking up at the exact minute precisely at five O' clock in the morning even though there were no roosters to wake her up. Applejack looked over at Twilight who was sleeping across the room in another bed. She thought about trying to go back to sleep, but she was wide awake now. It also didn't help that she was still afraid of Granny's preaching and she was still very much torn over being rejected by the very mare who for the most part, raised her up as a filly. With no work to do, she felt lazy and to her, missing a few days of work like this felt like not having worked in years.

Applejack got out of bed and walked over to the window. She put her hoof against the glass and stayed there waiting for the sun to rise. As the light filled up the room, she turned back to Twilight as if expecting her to be out of bed and ready to take on the day with her. She didn't understand how a pony could sleep so long. What was considered to be so late in her eyes, was a problem for her because now she was very hungry. She didn't want to wake Twilight because she had been tired for quite a long time now from her studies, so she decided to do the next best thing.

Applejack crept over and looked down at Spike. She looked up at Twilight for a moment and then stared at the little round device that Twilight needed to go to sleep every night. Applejack couldn't figure out why a pony would need actual noise to sleep. In her mind, the best way to sleep was by hard physical labor followed by peace and quiet; not noise. She grabbed the tip of Spike's bed with her teeth and dragged him to the other side of the room. Whatever sounds that were made did not disturb Twilight, as the little round sleep machine provided plenty of white noise for her. Applejack tapped Spike a few times with her hoof. "Psst. Spike, I'm hungry. Aren't ya'll gonna get up soon?"

The baby dragon sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What are you waking me up for? This had better be important."

"Uh, it kinda is. I hate to bother ya and everythin' but I'm super hungry. What can I have to eat here?"

Spike had been feeling quite grumpy ever since he had more chores to do thanks to Twilight being so busy. He sat there and thought about the situation. "Fine. I'll make an early breakfast, but I'm going to need an extra long nap later and I better not be disturbed." Spike got out of his bed and headed over to the stairs. "Come on, I can make some French toast for you."

Applejack quickly followed the dragon downstairs who was stumbling around from being so exhausted.

Twilight Sparkle turned over to the other side of the bed. Her bladder was full yet again, but she tried to ignore it since she had gone to the bathroom at least five times in the middle of the night. Twilight attempted to go back to sleep and ignore her desire to empty her bladder until something much greater distracted her. Her nostrils twitched and she opened up her eyes. "What on earth was Spike cooking down there?" she thought to herself. Whatever it was, it smelled heavenly and it didn't help that she was hungry. She got out of bed and walked down the stairs to see that Applejack was pigging out on breakfast and Spike was eating with her at the table that was cluttered with notes, books, and quills. This was the only place that she could keep her materials without making a mess in the library.

Spike noticed her and said, "Good morning, Twilight. Care for some French toast and eggs? It's such a nice day that I thought I'd open the windows and enjoy some fresh air as we eat."

"Mornin', sugar cube," Applejack said and then took a large bite of her breakfast. "I wish I had a dragon to make me food like this."

"There is nothing good about mornings when you don't sleep well. My insomnia and weak bladder is kicking my flank, but yes, I'd love to have some breakfast right after I use the bathroom." She looked at the portion size of breakfast that Spike was safeguarding for her so that Applejack would not eat everything on the table. "You've done well, Spike. You've done real good and please be careful and try not to make a mess. Those are very important books and notes I have on the table." Twilight turned and was about to walk away and then turned back and added, "I don't mean to terrify you, but you do know that there's a good probability that not all the ingredients used to make that French toast are not one hundred percent organic, right?"

Applejack swallowed and laughed nervously. "I guess beggars can't be choosers."

Twilight laughed and turned to leave.

Spike watched her walk away and then took the plate of French toast that he had been saving for her. It was probably cold by now and Spike loved to go the distance and get everything just right for his master, teacher, and in many ways, his mom. Spike turned to the side with the plate and said, "Hey A.J., watch this." Spike proudly closed his eyes and blew out fire on the plate to heat her breakfast up, but at that exact moment, a gust of wind blew in causing the flames to shoot over to Applejack.

Applejack shielded her face with her front leg from the flames. "Hey!" she cried out. "Ya almost burned me."

Spike, having realized that something went wrong, opened his eyes and looked at Applejack. She was okay, but he started to panic when he saw that a large pile of papers had caught fire. He dropped the plate of food on the floor in a panic and stamped out the fire that was on the table.

"I really hope that wasn't anythin' important," Applejack said. "I reckon it's a bit dangerous blowin' fire like that with all this clutter on the table."

"Oh, it's probably just some notes that Twilight doesn't need anymore he said as he swept away the ashes from the table. Spike dropped the ashes under the table when he heard Twilight walking back in.

Twilight walked on over to the table and sat down. "You know what? Before I eat, I'd like to first write down a really important point in my debate presentation that had been on my mind last night. Twilight sniffed the air. "What is that burning smell?"

"Um, I think I might have burned some breakfast by accident," Spike answered.

Twilight shrugged and began searching through the massive mounds of papers and books. She began getting desperate after searching for a bit. "I don't understand. I left my most important papers for the whole debate right on top so that I could find it easily this morning."

A drop of sweat hit the floor that fell from Spike's head. "Oh boy. Oh boy." he whispered to himself.

Twilight found what was left of the burnt front cover of what was her entire paper that she spent weeks preparing. All that work was destroyed and she had nothing. Twilight couldn't help but feel angry. She had admonished them to be extra careful around this table and now she had nothing to bring to the debate. "What did I tell you about being careful around this table, Spike? I hope you know that was my entire debate paper that was burned." Twilight let go of the burnt paper and it slowly wafted to the ground.

Spike's eyes followed it until it hit the ground and broke into pieces. "Um, I screwed up big time, didn't I? I tried to warm up your plate and even looked away from the table as I heated it up, but I think the wind blew my flames the wrong way."

"I have nothing now for this debate. The countless hours I spent on that paper, gone! I'd tell Princess Celestia that I can't make it, but I already promised. I'm screwed, Spike. Totally screwed."

"I'm so sorry, Twilight. You'll still knock 'em dead knowing how smart you are, right?" he asked.

"I heard that this stallion isn't some random uneducated pony, Spike. I'm going to sound like a bumbling idiot even more so without any notes in front of me at all."

Spike couldn't think of anything else to say. "I'm sorry," he repeated with his head bowed down low. "Am I still going to be able to come watch you?"

Twilight, in a bitter mood sat down on the floor. "No, I need you to watch the library while I'm there and to also take care of Applejack."

Applejack thought about asking if she could attend the event, since she was originally invited before, but seeing the look on her friend's face told her that now might be the time to stay out of this mess.

"Well, at least I can get in a good meal before I try to scrape together whatever resources I can for this debate." Twilight looked around for her plate. "You did save me something, right?"

This was not one of Spike's better days. "I dropped it on the floor when I tried to put out the flames." He put his claws nervously together. "I can make something for you. Hold on, just one second!" Spike ran over and opened up the cabinet. He panicked as he moved things around looking for something that would be reasonable to make for breakfast. He accidentally knocked over a large bag of rice that wasn't sealed quite right. It spilled out like a waterfall onto the the kitchen floor. "Oh, boy."

"Ungh! You know what? Forget about breakfast! I'll get some money and grab some grub at a diner or something before you ruin something else!" Twilight Sparkle grabbed some money off the counter and headed out of the kitchen. She glared back at Spike in anger one last time before leaving.

The words hurt Spike very much. He felt like an utter screw up that was unworthy of forgiveness. He not only ruined Twilight's debate and her breakfast, but he also made a gigantic mess in the kitchen.

Applejack stared at Spike awkwardly as she sat in utter silence. She had never in her life saw Twilight get that snappy before nor did she understand the high pressure and stress that preparing for such a major event was like. "Um, I'm awfully sorry that today ain't goin' well for ya. Reminds me of the times when we got into fights at Sweet Apple Acres back when I, um, when I actually had a family." Applejack continued to stare at the heart broken dragon. "Mind if I help ya clean up that mess?"

Spike lost control of his emotions. He sat on the floor and wept. For the first time ever, he felt very deeply rejected and nothing hurt him more than to make Twilight disappointed. He also couldn't stand that he kept saying that he was sorry and she did not forgive him.

Applejack got out of her seat and walked over to Spike. "I'm sorry that Twilight is bein' a bit on the grumpy side. She's probably just havin' a bad day or somethin'. Ya know us mares can get grumpy at least once a month. Heck, I get grumpy if I don't get enough done on the farm or work on buildin' somethin'."

"No," Spike said. "I don't think you understand just how hard she has worked for this debate. She has never done this before and has spent entire nights staying up reading and writing. Her work is different from what you do. You work mostly with your body, Twilight works mostly with her mind. Both can be very tiring and stressful." Spike picked up a book from the table and showed Applejack.

"What in tarnations am I lookin' at?" she asked. "What is that jumble of stuff that runs down the entire page? Some kinda alien writin'?"

"That's one of Twilight's math problems that she likes to work on. She'll sometimes spend days working on some of these longer ones."

Applejack scratched her head with her hoof in confusion. "Wait, I don't even see any numbers in this fancy equation. How do you do math without numbers?"

"And that proves my point," Spike said as he tossed the book aside. "There are more complex things to think about and solve than addition and subtraction." Spike sighed and picked up a dust broom and pan. He began cleaning up the mess on the floor.

"Mind if I help?" Applejack asked. "I am the work pony and I haven't done much 'round here to help."

"No, it's fine. I made this mess and I should be the one responsible to clean it up."

Applejack stared at the floor where the french toast and eggs were next to the scattered pieces of the broken dish. "Ya know, it is a sin to waste food. May I at least clean up this mess by myself?"

"You're seriously not going to eat that off the dirty floor, are you? That would be disgusting."

Applejack stared at Spike as if she was waiting for his approval.

"Ungh. Fine. Have your way," Spike said and then continued to sweep. "Just be careful not to eat any of the broken fragments from that plate."

Applejack instantly drove her face to the floor and practically inhaled the food off the floor like a vacuum cleaner. She picked her head up and said, "So I guess I'll be upstairs if ya need me." She waited for Spike to reply but he didn't. She could tell that he was really bothered by what had happened. "If it makes ya feel any better, that breakfast ya made was darn tootin' good." She hoped maybe that compliment would get a smile from him, but he continued to sweep the floor without a response. "Okay, I'll leave ya alone. Sorry yer not havin' a good day." Applejack walked upstairs and plopped herself down on the bed that she had been sleeping in for several nights. She put both her hooves to her cheeks and stared out the window.

Applejack was getting worried that perhaps her Sisters in Christ group was coming to an end. It seemed that everypony was having some major problems in their lives. Twilight had told her something crazy about Soarin' acting strange around Rainbow Dash with another mare. Rarity had been having problems raising her kid, Pinkie Pie had gone off her rocker, Fluttershy had been a no show, and was having problems with her critters, and of course, she had no more family except for her sisters in Christ, which now seemed to be breaking apart because of life's problems that seemed to be overwhelming everypony. It had never occurred to Applejack that she had finally found something that seemed more important than sticking with her family and that was her love for her Sister's in Christ. She stared out the window and watched the ponies going along their merry way across Ponyville. "It just ain't right," Applejack whispered to herself. Applejack began to worry about her life, her family, and her friends. She leaned her forehead against the window and closed her eyes. "Dear God, it feels like a sin that I'm not workin', and ya know that I fear 'bout becomin' lazy since anypony who is not willin' to work will not get to eat and I'm reminded that the hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Ya know that I love to eat and I don't think I could ever go a day without missin' a meal. I'm so grateful that Twilight is hospitable and was more than willin' to take me in. It's things like that which shows me that Twilight is a good pony and not a deceptive heretic, like Granny Smith thinks she is. I wanted to go to the church that she worships at because I felt that mine was boring and I felt that most of the ponies there were just goin' through the motions without really carin' bout intimacy or learnin' more 'bout You. I also have a special bond between Twilight and the rest of my gal pals and I want to worship with them; It just feels right and I can't explain it any better. I hope ya understand and will continue to provide fer me even though I'm not workin'. I pray fer endurance fer myself and my friends goin' through rough times. I also pray for my lil' sis', Apple Bloom and my brother, Big Macintosh. I hope they are doin' well and I miss them very much. I always knew that Granny would be upset if she ever found out that my friends weren't Catlick, but golly, I didn't expect to be kicked off the farm and out of the family. I hope ya can do somethin' 'bout it. I can't be bummin' off of Twilight like this fer long and I'm sure she can't afford to feed me like she has been. Thank ya fer providin' fer me like this. Ya put Twi and my friends in my life for a good reason even if some trouble would come 'cause of it. Anyway, I should go downstairs and see if I can help and cheer Spike up. Please make a way so that I might be able to work back on the farm again and that Granny can understand that my friends are good ponies. In Jesus name I pray, amen."

Applejack opened her eyes and stared out the window for one last moment before heading back downstairs. She had something fun in mind that she and Spike could do together. "Spike? Spike?" Spiiiiiiike?" Applejack looked around the room, but Spike was gone. She walked over to the table where there was a note.

The note read, "Dear Applejack, you can help me out by watching the library and making sure that ponies can check out some books if they want. I left to go to a shop to get some doughnuts with extra sprinkles. I'll be back later."

"Extra sprinkles? Poor feller must be feelin' really sad. Um, I guess I can just stay here and watch the library." Applejack took a seat at the table and waited. It was still very early and not one pony had showed up yet.

Applejack's ears perked up when she heard knocking at the door and she was a bit confused why somepony would knock on a library door when they were open. Applejack got up and opened the door. She was shocked to see Granny Smith. She was even more shocked to see that Granny Smith had her back taped up and she was using a walker. "Granny! What happened? Are ya alright?"

"Well, I wouldn't be standin' here if I wasn't, but yes, I am fine. I hurt my back tryin' to lift somethin' that was too heavy." Granny Smith perked up and looked into Applejack's eyes. "Now listen here, I reckon I was a tad bit harsh on ya and I realize that it may have been wrong fer me to kick ya off the farm like that. I'd like to make an apology 'bout what I did and said to ya. Yer welcome to come back to the farm when ya want. I don't want to see ya go hungry out here."

Applejack's eyes scanned Granny Smith's entire body and then she looked back into her eyes. Applejack knew she was lying because she could tell that a pony was lying by listening to their voice, observing their body posture, and looking into their eyes. It was one reason why she never lost a game of poker before. Applejack frowned and said, "Yer hidn' somethin' from me. Ya just want me to come back on the farm because ya realized that ya can't keep the farm runnin' without me."

Granny Smith looked at the ground with guilt. "I guess I can't hide anythin' from ya. Yes, I can't find another pony who is willin' to do even half of what ya did on a daily basis on the farm. So would ya come back fer the family? I make the best organic food fer ya and ya can eat 'til yer heart's content. I'm sure yer friend hasn't been able to make food as good as I do anyway."

Applejack thought about the matters and said, "Actually, I have been treated and fed very well here, but I'll only come back under one condition."

"What condition would that be?"

"Ya accept me fer who I am and ya best better respect my gal pals including Twilight. No more of this hatin' on Protestants business, ya hear?"

Granny Smith was bothered very much by this, but there was nothing she could do about it. "Fine. I won't say another word about yer friends, but would ya at least come back to mass and talk with the priest? There was a Bible verse that made me think of ya. Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Applejack stomped her hoof on the ground. "Why don't ya just talk to Twi. She isn't mean and she'd be more than willin' to explain why she doesn't follow the traditions of the Catlick church."

"Fine, let me speak to her now," Granny said.

"Well, she ain't here right now, but ya need to talk to her when she has the time."

"Why don't ya bring her to mass so she can speak with Father Hay Scratch or one of the Sisters, or is she one of those Protestants that would refuse to even step hoof inside a Catlick church?" Granny asked.

"If she has time, I'm sure she'd be more than willin' to talk to Father Hay Scratch, but ya gotta understand that this pony is busy and spends most of her free time helpin' others who come to the library and have questions 'bout scripture. She also has a very big debate comin' up soon."

Granny Smith stroked the tip of her chin. "Ah, yes. I heard 'bout that recently. It was written on the front page of the newspaper that a major debate was takin' place at the Grand Galloping Gala and Princess Celestia is hostin' it."

"So maybe we can set up a little date sometime and we can all be united under Christ like we should be, right?" Applejack asked.

"Yes, but ya must understand that I can never accept any theology other than the one true and most holy church that has never made any error throughout its existence," Granny said.

"Well that's fine. Just as long as ya except me fer who I am and respect my friends, we'll be just fine and dandy. Tell ya what, when Spike or Twilight gets back, we can go home and get the farm and our family life back to what it once was. How are Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom doing?"

"Apple Bloom can't sleep anymore at night and Big Macintosh, well...." Granny paused for a moment. "When he threatened to walk off the farm and go find other work unless you came home again, I had no other choice but to come and get ya. And yes, before ya tell me how shallow that is, I already told ya that yer sect of Christianity will be tolerated. I just don't understand how ya can be a part of one of these sects that split and make different denominations over the most absurd reasons, like deciding what color the church carpet should be."

"I understand. Why don't ya come on inside and sit down for a bit. Ya don't look like yer in any shape to be walkin' 'round anyway. Besides, Spike left me a note that I need to watch the library. I'm sure he'll be back after he indulges in doughnuts and then we can git back home. I can't wait to see Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom again. I can't tell ya how much I missed them."

Granny Smith agreed and stepped inside. She wasn't happy right now and she thought that perhaps the way she treated Applejack before would literally scare the hell into her, but she realized that the tactic had failed and she'd have to tolerate her new beliefs if she were to keep the Apple family united and the farm running. "Again, I'm so sorry fer how I treated ya. I just worry so much and I don't want ya to go to Hell fer makin' a poor choice."

"Granny, I got good news fer ya. I can't go to Hell! It's literally impossible fer me based upon what the Word of God says," Applejack said as she walked over to a table near the window and sat down.

Granny Smith sat down with her and asked, "Don't ya miss mass? Don't ya still think the Catlick church is wonderful?"

"Honestly," Applejack said. "I kind of think a few things about it are rather frightening."

"Like?" Granny asked.

"Well, I kind of find ex cathedra to be one of the most terrifying and dangerous ideas of any religion. The Catlick church says jump, we all say how high. There's also the Eucharist that concerns me as well as..."

Granny interrupted her "And it's not terrifying when every single Protestant can interpret the Bible on their own?"

Applejack bowed her head. "I suppose there have been some terrible interpretations, but I find it far more scary when one pony can speak the words out of God's own mouth over matters and literally control everypony."

"It is necessary and it has to be that way no matter what. We can't accept sola scriptura as the answer. I just hope that yer not listenin' to talented ear-ticklin' heretical preachers like Seedy Jakes or Joel Oatsteen."

Applejack sighed. She didn't know what else to say at this point since Granny would never change her mind no matter what, and she didn't want to start saying things that she didn't have much understanding about.

Granny Smith sat there with Applejack in awkward silence for the most part, with the occasional discussion about the farm and the weather. Granny wanted to get Applejack home soon because Big Macintosh had threatened her that he would leave if she weren't back by a certain time today. Granny's eyes scanned the various books on the shelves that were probably all heretical in her mind. She was about to ask if Applejack was hungry until she was interrupted by the door opening.

In stepped Spike with his claws clutching at his belly and he was mumbling something under his breath. He was surprised to see that Granny Smith was there.

"Hey, Spike," Applejack said. "Would ya mind if I go home since Granny and I have everythin' settled?"

Spike was in so much stomach pain that he just waved his claw and grunted. "Yeah, that's fine. Just go and I'll watch the library."

"Er, you don't look so good, fella. Did ya have one too many doughnuts?" Applejack asked.

"Perhaps," the dragon said. "Just go. I"ll be fine."

"Okay, sugar cube. Just make sure to tell Twilight that I said thanks fer all her help and all. I really appreciate it. Granny also wants to talk to Twilight about theology and Mass."

Spike curled up into a ball on the floor. "Yeah, will do. See you later."

Applejack and Granny made there way out, leaving Spike alone on the floor. He laid there fully regretting just how many doughnuts he had consumed because he was upset.

Within a few moments, Twilight came back into the library and found her dragon curled up in a ball. "Spike?"

Spike rocked himself slowly, "Twilight?" he asked. He was so focused on his stomach pain that he did not hear her enter. "Twilight? You're home already?"

"Yes, Spike. Are you Okay? "

"I think I had one too many doughnuts, but I'm fine."

"Spike, listen. I need to apologize for being a bit snappy. You did a right thing wrong, and I can't stay mad at you for that."

"But I'm not supposed to use fire around your books, remember?"

"Yes, but to be fair, I shouldn't have had all my work cluttered on the kitchen table. It's my fault for not making more room on my dresser upstairs. I was lazy and unorganized. I also said some things that were rather harsh. There's scripture about being slow to anger and I wasn't very patient. Do you forgive me, Spike?"

Spike couldn't believe that she was apologizing to him. The words shocked him and he turned over to face her. "I, uh, yes. I forgive you." Spike thought about this situation for a moment. "But what about all that work you did? It's gone now."

"Well, perhaps I can cram in some more time and sloppily write some notes down from the things I have highlighted in the books that I was reading, but other than that, there isn't anything that can be done. I have a feeling I'm going to make our Christian Princess look horrible. I'm supposed to be defending the faith and representing her in some ways. I just hope I don't get banished from Ponyville for screwing up too badly. She chose me to do this for a reason and I just wish I had more time to prepare for it. I guess the secular movement demanded that she do one of these events fast. I'm sure this event is going to be recorded too." Twilight sighed and looked down at the floor for a moment. Her mind had been so focused on Spike that she forgot the most obvious thing that was missing from the library. She picked her head back up and asked, "Where's Applejack?"

Spike got up off the floor, still clutching his belly. "Granny Smith came back and took Applejack back to Sweet Apple Acres. I don't know much about the details, but I think Applejack and Granny are okay with each other again. Applejack wanted me to tell you that she said thanks for taking care of her and everything and that Granny wants to talk to you about Mass or something."

"That's odd," Twilight said. "From what Applejack told me, it seemed that Granny was Hell bent on keeping her away from the farm until she converts back to Catholicism. I was wondering what path she was eventually going to choose. I guess she chose to go back to Mass and be Catholic." Twilight thought about the situation for a moment and concluded, "I guess if it means being united with her family then it's worth it. It will be a bit sad that she won't be attending worship with her gal pals as she likes to call us."

"Actually, she didn't mention anything about that. Perhaps Granny Smith came and accepted Applejack for what she believes and who she chooses to hang out with. Could you imagine Sweet Apple Acres without Applejack's labor? How could they find a pony who could even do half of what Applejack does in a day's work? She's absolutely irreplaceable."

"She is irreplaceable to me as a friend as well," Twilight said. "Whatever she decided to do, we'll still be there for her. I'm sure I'll see her again soon as well as our other friends. I did send them that letter about the date and time of the event."

Spike put his claws nervously together. "D-d-do you think I might be able to come and see it too? I'll leave the pom-poms I got from Pinkie Pie at home and will try keep my cheering to a minimum."

"You know, now that I think about it, would it really hurt to keep this library closed for one day? Besides, I'm sure most of the ponies who know me and come here will be at the event." Twilight patted Spike on the head with her hoof. "Of course you can come. I need every little bit of morale boost I can possibly get for this."

"I wouldn't want to miss this for the world," Spike said.

"Thanks, Spike. That means a lot to me." Twilight looked at a pile of books on a nearby table. "I guess if I'm going to attempt to salvage any vital information, now is the time to do it."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Spike asked.

"Hmmmm." Twilight said as she thought to herself. "Actually, yeah. I think it's time for some coffeeanity. I could use a boost right now."

"Really? Again? You do know that you have been thriving off this stuff. What are you up to, eight cups a day? Maybe it's time that you stop drinking it for a little while."

Twilight sat down at the table with a book. "I can quit any time I'd like, Spike, but just not right now." She then winked at him and watched him walk into the kitchen. She opened up a book that was heavily highlighted and began writing down notes. It was painfully hard to start over again, but there was still determination in her heart to try again. She had already made a promise and it was too late to change anything about this situation.