“Could you repeat that for Trixie?” Leaning back in her chair, Trixie pressed her hooves together above her stomach. “Trixie isn’t sure she heard you correctly.”
Apple Bloom frowned. “Ah said. Yer tha one who beat up mah sister an’ her friends, right?”
Trixie sighed. She was barely alone with the little filly for half a second, and she was already being accused of hurting somepony. Of course, this accusation actually had some merit. “Trixie assumes you are referring to what happened during The Great and Powerful Trixie’s show a few weeks ago? Yes, Trixie took them down a peg.”
Trixie hadn’t really paid attention to the filly before now; Too wrapped up in her own sulking at first, and after that in her retelling of the dreadful morning. She was cute, Trixie supposed, and somewhat reminiscent of a warm fire with her red mane, orange eyes and yellow coat. Those eyes in particular. They held the kind of fearlessness that could only come from youth, or foolishness. If there even was a difference.
It slowly dawned on Trixie that she was the enemy here. No doubt Apple Bloom had heard the same stories as the other townsfolk, and went through the extra effort to find out every detail on how Trixie humiliated her big sister with her own lasso. If there was one thing she’d come to learn about the Apple kin, other than their obsession for apples, it was the importance they placed on family. Even Applejack’s misguided and repeated attempts to keep unapproved mares away from her brother testified to that. So then, what could be going through the little one’s mind if she was confronted with an enemy of her big sister?
Trixie leaned in a bit closer to the small, yet defiant looking, filly. Revenge?
Apple Bloom sized Trixie up before meeting her gaze again. "Ya don't look like what they say ya should."
Trixie blinked. That hadn’t been the response she expected. “What do they say Trixie should look like then?”
“Well, ya know,” she said while drawing a big triangle over her head with her hooves. “Big, purple hat and cape with stars? An’ Ah think some pony said yer supposed to have glowing, red eyes, but Ah guess that’s wrong.” Apple Bloom looked her over a moment again. The disillusionment was clear on her face. “Do ya have horns or fangs?”
Trixie giggled despite herself. Perhaps she should be upset over how her appearance had apparently mutated in the public mind, but it was just far too ridiculous to see the filly ask those questions with a serious face. “Heh, Trixie has a horn,” she said, tapping her horn, “so they got that right. Not what you were expecting?”
Apple Bloom looked at the plain, regular unicorn horn, but it was clearly not what she had in mind. “Ah guess maybe Ah thought you’d look, Ah dunno, more evil?”
“Trixie hates to disappoint a fan, but she isn’t evil.” Trixie smirked. If she could believe the filly, then that explained why she had no trouble walking around town. The simpletons merely couldn’t recognize her without her precious performing paraphernalia. Now that she thought about it, the one time she had gotten into trouble had been after she loudly announced who she was. It was convenient, but still, Trixie wasn’t happy about how easily she was forgotten. Replaced by some pathetic construct.
Apple Bloom shrugged. “Yeah, yer not evil—”
“Obviously.” It was nice to hear somepony say it once in a while.
“—Yer just rotten.”
Trixie felt something crack, probably her tolerance for foals. “What? Trixie is not rotten. What happened to treating your guests well? You, you,” she paused briefly to search for the worst thing she could think to say, “you little filly.”
Apple Bloom glared at her upon being called little. “Maybe Ah am little, but Ah’ll grow and ya’ll still be rotten!” She stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at Trixie.
Gritting her teeth, Trixie retracted any previous admissions of cuteness for this brat. It wasn’t much of a punishment. “You aren’t worth Trixie’s time. Trixie will talk to your parents about this and let them deal with you.”
Surprisingly, that threat worked much better than Trixie had anticipated. Apple Bloom’s eyes widened, then she lowered her head respectfully, staring at the ground. Just like that, she wasn’t giving Trixie any more lip.
Pushing past her surprise, Trixie nodded approvingly. “That’s better. If you behave like that maybe Trixie won’t even tell them about that little outburst.” She didn’t get any response back, so she carried on the conversation on her own. “Trixie bets you get that fire from your mom’s side, don’t you? All you Apple girls are so quick to speak your minds and never hush. Surely she taught you to respect your elders?”
Apple Bloom faced away and appeared to have stopped paying attention to her. Which was rude, but ignoring was still significantly better than insulting her.
The serene silence was refreshing, only soured slightly by the snoring old fossil on Trixie’s left. Somewhere outside, Dash was yelling, but Trixie couldn’t make out what it was about. An educated guess would suggest it was probably about Twilight.
Trixie shrugged. It was not as if she could stop Dash from doing whatever she wanted. She had already told her not to hurt anypony, that had to be sufficient. Instead, she turned her attention to the moping filly beside her. It didn’t feel right to see the fiery thing so subdued. Perhaps she was too hard on her. “Don’t sulk. It wasn’t as though Trixie was actually planning to make good on that threat anyway.”
The relative quiet didn’t feel as serene anymore. A heavy feeling settled in Trixie’s stomach. She didn’t mean to make the filly upset, not really. She honestly liked fillies; they were so easy to awe with a few tricks. An encounter with The Great and Powerful Trixie ought to leave a filly in wonder, not misery.
“No, really. Trixie is serious. For starters your parents must have heard all the rumors too, and Trixie wasn’t expecting much sympathy. Besides, Trixie has no idea who your parents even are. So why don’t we try and get along? Dessert will be here soon. Trixie can’t wait to see what an Apple family dessert looks like. Trixie is thinking something with pears?”
“Shut up,” a tiny little voice pleaded.
Tough crowd. Ignoring it, Trixie clapped her hooves together. “You can’t hide it, Trixie knows you are looking forward to it as much as she is. Though Trixie supposes you probably know what it is. You’re lucky to have family dinners like this every evening, and—” Trixie’s breath caught in her throat. “F-family dinner… Uh.” Biting down a feeling of dread, Trixie looked around the table again and did a quick count of the chairs. She came up two short.
“Please, just stop.”
Trixie felt her blood drain from her face as the blindingly obvious finally sank in. “T-Trixie… Trixie’s so sorry.” She stammered, staring at the dispirited filly. Trixie wasn’t sure what she was meant to do in situations like this. Run away? She chastised herself for that one. Hug her? After Dinky, Trixie really wanted to avoid any more misunderstandings involving her and foals. Get an adult? She was an adult.
She couldn’t just do nothing. Not when right beside her there was a sad filly trying very hard not to look it. Maybe there was one thing she could try, but it was much harder than any of the other ideas she’d had.
Hesitantly, Trixie reached out, and placed a gentle hoof on Apple Bloom's back. "Trixie's sorry, she didn't know. But, hey, at least you have your family, your friends, and this place to live. When Trixie lost her family, she didn't have any of that. So, you know, it’s hard, but there is a bright side."
"S-so what!?” Apple Bloom snapped, swatting at Trixie’s foreleg. “Ah'm supposed to feel better ‘bout mahself ‘cause a rotten liar like you ‘claims’ ta have had it worse!?"
Trixie pulled her hoof back, startled with the outburst. "What!? No! Why must you twist Trixie's good intentions like that!"
The two glared silently at one another. Trixie couldn’t figure the stupid filly out. She sure didn’t look sad anymore though, if she ever was. The filly looked about as angry as Trixie felt. It had clearly been a stupid idea to try and reach out to the filly, in either connotation.
“Don’t talk to me no more. Applejack’s right, ya are rotten!” With that, Apple Bloom turned her back on Trixie.
“Applejack said that?” Trixie’s voice cracked. That couldn’t be true, they were friends, or so Trixie thought. They talked in the market, Applejack gave apple pie, they were having dinner in their home. These were friend things, right? It felt as though she’d been stabbed in the chest. Trixie pushed back the stinging feeling.
It took her a moment to realize she’d utterly missed her window to respond as the door to the kitchen swung open. Fluttershy and Big Mac returned to the dining room, carrying bowls of ice cream.
“Who’s ready for dessert?” Fluttershy smiled as she set down a bowl in front of Apple Bloom. She must have caught sight of her face as she nearly fumbled the bowl. “Oh, I, uh, I mean, once everypony else is here. I didn’t mean we should eat right now, u-unless you want to? Uhm, I’ll go see if I can find them.” She hurriedly took a few steps toward the outer door before it opened on its own accord.
“Ain’t no need fer that, Fluttershy,” Applejack said as she stepped through the door, followed by Rainbow Dash. Neither of them looked comfortable. Applejack stared at Trixie until she was kicked in the hind leg by Rainbow Dash, prompting her to keep moving to the table. Settling down on her chair, Applejack noticed the desserts and nudged Rainbow Dash. “Oh, good! Just what we need, ain’t it, Rainbow?”
What was that about? Trixie couldn’t help but be reminded of what Apple Bloom had told her. What was Applejack thinking just then? It was possible Applejack noticed her sister was looking down, and was deciding whether or not to call Trixie on it.
Meanwhile, Big Mac woke up Granny Smith. “Who? What? Is it dessert already?”
“Eeyup.”
“Yeah, something else to put in your mouth.” Rainbow Dash said while she smirked meaningfully at Applejack. She turned her attention to the sweet last course. “Are these apple slices? Who serves ice-cream with apple slices?”
“Yah ain’t gonna let that go are ya? Look at least the ice-cream’s vanilla, ain’t you pleased? Oh, Ah know, how bout Ah get ya some blueberries instead?” Applejack wore a playful grin.
Trixie tended to her own dessert. A simple examination revealed that besides icecream, the table now held several sauce boats with various flavors. After Applejack’s offer, she scanned the table for the blueberry sauce, but frowned as there did not appear to actually be any. Tease. Perhaps Trixie will settle for cherry…
“What makes ya think I like—” Dash paused, and then elbowed Applejack. “Shut up.”
Fluttershy pushed a metal sauce boat across the table, filled with butterscotch. “U-uh, will this do, Rainbow Dash?”
Dash visibly lit up as she pulled the butterscotch sauce boat toward her. “Hey yeah, good idea, Fluttershy.” She poured enough on to drown the ice-cream itself. Part of Trixie had to wonder if that actually combined well, but Rainbow Dash was obviously sure it would be great.
Ah right, Dash likes sweet things. Trixie smiled as she watched the suddenly much more enthusiastic pegasus stuff a spoonful of mostly butterscotch in her mouth. It looked far too sweet, but Rainbow Dash was giving Fluttershy an appreciative smile, so it must have been to her liking. It was nice of Fluttershy to remember Dash’s preferences, though now Trixie found herself wishing she’d thought of it herself.
Speaking of enthusiasm. Apple Bloom seemed to have cheered up enough to stir up her ice-cream into a milkshake with her spoon while resting her head on one hoof. It wasn’t much of an improvement, but it was a step above angry glaring.
“Bah, this stuff’s so cold it always makes mah teeth itch. Back in mah day the icecream was perfect fer eating, and it used ta be snow scoops with syrup, not this new-fangled dairy stuff.” Granny Smith nudged her bowl warily.
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Granny, ya ain’t got teeth no more, ya just got yer dentures. Ya’ll be fine. Just like ya was the last time, an’ tha time before that, an’ tha time before that…”
“Eeyup.”
Somepony remind Trixie to try her hoof at a real ursa major, if Trixie ever gets to be that old. Trixie shook her head while she enjoyed her cherry flavored dessert, with just a hint of the occasional slice of apple. Passively, she listened to the chattering going on around her. She leaned back in her chair, just smiling. All of her worries left behind for the moment.
Distracted by conversation, Trixie wasn’t sure how much time passed, but dusk had set in. Ice-cream had made way for drinks as the evening wound down.
“So, Dash,” Applejack turned to her friend, “were ya planning on telling the rest of us?”
“Uh,” Rainbow Dash blushed and shot a quick look at Trixie, then back to Applejack, “I hadn’t really thought about it.”
Trixie tilted her head. Dash was acting strange all of a sudden. “What are you girls talking about? Trixie demands to be included.”
Applejack pulled her mug towards her with a grin. “Ah am sure ya do.”
“I don’t know if this is the best idea, AJ,” Dash said while she looked across the table at Granny Smith, who was busily talking Big Mac’s ears off. Trixie overheard a few snippets of a spirited, if overly fanciful, tale of some kind of Sass Squash creature.
By the sudden look of uncertainly on her face, Applejack clearly shared Dash’s trepidation. “Ah. Uh, Granny?”
“—Pumkin soup fer months! Huh, wha?” Granny Smith blinked slowly as she turned her attention to Applejack. “Did ya say sumthing, young’un? Speak up.”
“We was just discussing about, uhh, that mare at the sweet shop, uhh.”
"Bon Bon?" Apple Bloom offered. "Ah like her. She's been giving us more candy than we pay fer lately."
"Yeah, that’s it. Bon Bon." Applejack nodded woodenly before she turned her attention back to Granny. "Her an' her friend, Lyra. There's some rumor going about they might be going out."
Just some gossip over a couple? Boring. Uninterested, Trixie rested her chin on her hooves and prepared to tune out the conversation, but then she caught sight of Rainbow Dash. For whatever reason, she was giving her an apologetic look. What the hay? Confused, she looked back to Applejack.
Granny Smith wasn't much more attentive. "Outa town? Awh fiddlesticks, now where am Ah gonna get tha caramel? More an' more young'uns try to seek their fortune in tha big city these days. Ah well, maybe they'll move back here when they've found themselves a nice stallion. Them city folk could use a taste of the country. Why Ah re—"
“No, that ain’t what Ah meant.” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably. “They’re a couple. Like, what’s it called,” she shot a glance at Rainbow Dash, “fillyfoolers?”
“W-what are you asking me for?” Dash’s cheeks brightened while she glared at Applejack.
The pieces were falling together for Trixie. Wait, why are they so awkward? It’s as though there is something going on between them. She shook her head. That can’t be right, Fluttershy and Dash both said Dash never dated anypony... But, now that Trixie thinks about it, Applejack and Dash have been acting weird ever since they came back.
“R-right.” Applejack quickly looked away and fumbled with her hat, keeping the brim in between her and Dash. “So Ah mean ta say they’re, uh, dating.”
“Oh, Ah knew that. So?” Granny Smith looked decidedly nonplussed.
“Ya, ya knew? And yer… yer okay with that?” Applejack looked puzzled. “Then what was that stuff ‘bout them finding a stallion?”
“Fer tha foals, of course,” Granny said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Didn’t we have this talk before? Ah reckon Ah lost track if it was yer turn or Apple Bloom’s. See, when a mare and a stallion love each other ve—”
“No, no! We’re good on that part, Granny, really!”
Was she really going to… Right at the dinner table? Trixie felt an involuntary shudder crawl down her spine. She wanted to get away from the threat of that topic immediately, even if it meant settling for a lesser evil. “Trixie believes that what those bumbling goons are trying to ask is how did it used to go in your time if two mares were shacking up?”
Fluttershy turned pink from the neck up.
Granny smith raised her eyebrows. “Is that all? Well quit with yer gabbing then. Ya shoulda just asked. Ain’t like it weren’t a thing back in the day. Ya see Ah know all ya young’un are used to yer newfangled modern ways, but that don’t mean it’s old fashioned tha… uh. What was Ah talking about?”
Trixie resisted the climbing urge to do anything she might regret. She’d gotten caught up in another conversation with Granny Smith. Applejack and Dash would pay for this dearly.
Big Mac cleared his throat. “Family.”
“Uh wha? Oh! Thanks, sonny. Ah knew that. See nowadays it’s tha norm tha fer two ponies ta have relations just with one another, but ain’t used to be like that. Sure, some ponies preferred it like that back then too, but Ah am sure y’all noticed ol’ Big Mac here is mighty outnumbered.” She nudged him in his side, drawing an uncomfortable cough from the large stallion who averted his gaze from the otherwise mare-riddled table.
Trixie couldn’t tell if he was blushing, but only because his fur was already red as could be.
“Well folks noticed that back then too. There just weren’t enough stallions ta go around. Weren’t no good ta carry on like that or there weren’t gonna be ‘nuff young’un in the next generation ta keep tha land afloat. So standard practice in the day was fer group relations ta happen. One stallion coupled with several mares ta be a family together. Weren’t no problem since—”
“Had it!” Applejack interrupted. “We had that talk, Granny. Move on, please.”
“We did?” Apple Bloom looked puzzled, but was quickly shushed by her big sister.
“Trixie’s heard of it before. Big families like that were called herds. They all worked together to take care of each other and their foals.” As soon as she’d said it, she noticed the stares from her three friends and squirmed as she felt a fire light in her cheeks. “What? Trixie knew a family like that once. It’s not Trixie’s fault you louts are so sheltered.” She quickly turned back to the elderly mare. “A-anyway, what’s all this got to do with the question?”
Granny Smith had somehow managed to fall asleep in the intermediate time and startled awake with a snore and a moment of disorientation. “Question? Ah tha two mares? Well, ain’t nothing to it. Big families like that, some mares weren’t as interested in the stallion after he’d, uh, done his duty. Weren’t nothing wrong with it. Ah don’t rightly see how it’d work these days though if it’s just two mares like ya said.”
“Ah ain’t sure ‘bout that neither now that ya mention it.” Applejack looked mighty relieved to have gotten through the whole thing relatively unscathed. “Maybe I’ll ask sometime.” She said while she shot another glance at Rainbow Dash.
Trixie stared daggers at the cheeky interloper. If it was part of her vengeance for her toothbrush then it was going a step too far for Trixie to stomach. Even if Trixie had little right to be upset if Dash chose to include another pony in her life, at the very least Trixie felt she should have been asked first.
Before Trixie had time to decide how to handle the swelling anger inside, Granny Smith leaned across the table, taking Applejack’s hooves into her own. Her voice softer and kinder than before. “It’s okay, child. Ya ain’t got to chase ‘round the henhouse with yer family. This ain’t ‘bout some mare in a sweet shop.” She paused, and looked over to the emptied out butterscotch sauce boat next to Dash. “Although… Maybe it ain’t so far off, is it?”
Applejack sat dumbfounded as she slowly processed the words, and her face get redder by the second. “W-what? N-no, Granny. It ain’t ‘bout that! A-Ah wouldn’t, Ah’d never…”
“Pfft, my patootie. Like y’all just suddenly got a hunkering fer ancient history! Hah. Ya two been hanging about together thick as thieves ever since that whole nightmare moon business. Ah’m old not blind!” Granny laughed as she let go of Applejack and leaned back into her seat, her eyes resting on Rainbow Dash. “A pegasus, ey? Why Ah reckon ya could pick the apples right outa the tree, like ya did with Appl—”
Applejack stood up and slammed her hooves on the table hard enough to shake the room. “Ya really are going senile! Ah ain’t like that! Ah would NEVER be like that! There Ain’t nothing going on with me and Dash. Trixie’s the one looking fer tha pot of gold!” She pointed a hoof at Trixie.
Eyes wide, Trixie could barely believe Applejack was blowing up like that. A blue blur of motion just to the left of Applejack caught Trixie’s attention. Any further words were lost to her from the moment she realized what was coming.
“Hay! Big Mac’s the only one I’d ev—Ompf!” Applejack doubled over after catching a particularly vicious jab in the stomach from Rainbow Dash.
While the downed earth pony tried to suck some air back into her lungs, Rainbow Dash dusted off her hooves. It took her a moment to realize the rest of the table was staring at them with their jaws slack. “You all saw it, she was hysterical. You can thank me later.”
That was so not a ‘calm down’ tap. Trixie’s chest tingled warmly, and she shot Dash a quick smile. This was much more in line with how Trixie had imagined having one’s honor defended would feel like. She was so distracted by the feeling, that she paid little attention to what had been said. It took her a moment to register something was off.
“D-did she say… oh… my.” Fluttershy vanished behind her mane.
The rest of the table did not share Trixie’s reverie, but a dead silence hung in the air all the same. Even after Applejack recovered and climbed back into her seat, nopony spoke. Applejack, whose eyes were the size of pinpricks, kept staring at her grandmother as though she feared she would be told to fetch a switch any moment now.
Although Granny Smith had looked shocked initially, she had settled down into a half-lidded, stern glower. She held a deep frown while she stared over her clasped hooves, regarding her granddaughter.
Even Trixie was uncomfortable and she hadn’t even done anything wrong.
A moment ago, she wouldn’t have given the elderly mare any consideration. The old coot had seemed brittle, pathetic, and given to yammering on about utter nonsense with no apparent sense of her conversation partner’s interest. But now, there was something commanding respect just emanating from her. Everypony in the room felt it. Not even Rainbow Dash tried to say anything.
Finally, Granny Smith cleared her throat. “Applejack, dearie, Ah reckon ya owe yer friends here a few words.” She motioned over to Rainbow Dash, then looked over to Big Mac briefly before she continued. “After that, Ah’d like a few with ya both mahself, in private.” Her voice sent a shiver down Trixie’s spine.
Trixie understood why Granny might want to speak with Applejack, but she wasn’t sure why Big Mac had to be a part of it too.
Applejack lowered her gaze, and merely nodded timidly. “Yes, ma’am. Ah’m sorry.”
“Ta them, not me, an' look 'em in the eye.”
Trixie couldn’t shake how wrong it felt to see Applejack act so uncertain and timid. Applejack was supposed to be stubborn and headstrong. It was as though the bold earth pony had been reduced to a foal. She didn’t like seeing her like this. At all.
Applejack fidgeted with her hooves in her lap. She sucked in a breath, then finally forced herself to raise her eyes up to meet Rainbow Dash and then Trixie in turn. The bold Apple mare looked as though she was on the verge of crying. “Ah am sorry. A-Ah didn’t mean ta…” Her voice died down as she let her gaze drop again. “…Ah don't know what came over me.”
What? It made little sense to Trixie. Sure, it was embarrassing to have your grandmother misunderstand you like that, but was it really something to get so angry over? Up until that moment, Applejack had been just fine. “It, uh, It’s… Trixie forgives you.”
“Pfft.” Rainbow Dash slapped her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder with enough force to make half the table wince, then leaned back in her chair. “Please I totally get what you were doing.”
"Ya do?" Applejack's pupils shrunk to pinheads. Her ears folded flat.
"Yeah. You just thought I'd feel better if I got to hit somepony, right? Thanks, I needed that. Ought to hold me over for one night at least, hehe." She slung her hind legs onto the table. Her eyes met with Granny Smith's. With a jerky motion, she swung them all the way back under the table, trying to pass it off as though she merely meant to just dust the table off... with her rear hooves... "So, uhh. Hey, have we got anymore icecream?"
That definitely wasn't it. Trixie knew better, though she wasn't quite sure if Dash did or not. Something was wrong with Applejack, but it obviously wasn't Trixie's place to pry. Especially not right now.
“Ah’m 'fraid not, Dashing.” Granny Smith said as she looked about the table. “Where does a skinny mare like ya keep it all? We used ta have a pig that ate like that, Mister Oink, or was it Betsy? Ah think Besty was tha cow? Liked ta go and bother the rooster.” She droned on and on like nothing had ever happened.
Honestly, Trixie was sure that the old mare's moment of lucidity had been temporary. She appeared to have forgotten all about the incident.
Regardless, the merry mood did not return and the evening quickly wound down.
“Thank you for having us. T-to dinner, I mean. It was lovely.” Fluttershy respectfully nodded to the gathered quartet of Apples in the doorway.
Trixie reveled in the cool night air. As enjoyable as the dinner had been, for the most part anyway, her lack of sleep was catching up to her quickly. Stifling a yawn, she noticed Applejack was still avoiding eye contact. “Yes, Trixie feels we should try this again.”
“It was cool.” Dash stretched out her wings, allowing the evening breeze to rustle through her feathers.
“Y’all come back soon, ya hear?” Granny Smith was every bit as cheerful as she’d been before. A quality she shared only with Big Mac, as he’d been completely stoic the entire evening.
“Eeyup.”
The two remaining Apples, Applejack and Apple Bloom, were clearly not in high spirits, though they had tried not to let it show, both of them were awful actors. Presumably it ran in the family. They said their goodbyes before they were ushered inside by Granny Smith.
At the last moment, Granny Smith paused and turned to Trixie. Her eyes flicked between Rainbow Dash and Trixie while the rest of the Apples vanished from view. “Before Ah forget again. Ah reckon Ah don’t understand it too well, but…” she showed a grandmotherly smile. “Y’all be good to eachother.”
Trixie glanced over at Rainbow Dash briefly, who gave her an uncertain look in return.
“It’s all right.” Granny Smith preempted them. “Ya ain’t got ta say anything if yer not ready to. It weren’t right ta be outed like that. This’ll be the end of it. Ah do hope ya don’t keep all this from yer friends fer too long, Ah’m sure they’d like ta know.”
A warm feeling spread over Trixie’s back. She didn’t even have to look to know that Dash had wrapped a wing around her. Trixie’s stomach tied itself in knots. Before now, Dash always avoided showing any affection to her in public.
Leaning lightly against Dash, Trixie rejoiced in the moment. She couldn’t even feel the night air anymore as an overwhelming warmth radiated through her. The thought of actually letting anypony else know about them had not crossed Trixie’s mind, but it felt like a natural procession. Flashing a smile at the old mare, Trixie gave her a friendly nod. “Thank you.”
“Pish posh, y’all have a good trip. Ah’ve gotta go give somepony a talking to.” Granny Smith shrugged and reached for the door, halting just short of closing it. “Ah, one last thing… Suppose ya were looking to ‘expand’, Ah’d just like ta say there’s a reason mah grandson’s named Bi—”
“Aaand that’s our cue! Come on, we’re going!” Dash pulled Trixie along and snagged Fluttershy midway through her gallop away from the old farmhouse.
As far as Trixie was concerned, she had had enough of Apples for one night.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. They're all crazy.
Wait wait wait. What is this implying, exactly? What was AJ trying to say here?
6105521
Lol, that was my thoughts too.
Good lord what the fuck is going on here?
I wonder what Rainbow Dash was yelling about? I'll have to go back and reread the chapter before this one. And what is with Apple Bloom? Does AJ hate Trixie or not? Or was the whole rotten thing from earlier? I honestly can't remember.
So, i take it that the whole fillyfooling thing was part of Grannies life or at least the herd mentality. I like where this is going, but I wonder who'll be the husband? No, it's Rainbow.
6105521 So, AJ has it on for her brother? Huh, well incest is wincest!
i never really liked trixie as the villain in the first episode she's in. The main 6 are basically hecklers, that doesn't tend to go over well.
Not to sure what to think about what you implied about the apples.
I saw a video a while ago about the gender ratio in equestria (i think it was brony notion). Basically it says that the genders are a lot more equal than they first appear. Ponyville is an agricultural town and Applejack is the only female shown actually doing farm labor (at least i think) so you can assume that the majority of the males are working in the fields leaving the females to do stuff in town (getting supplies, running market stands, what have you). The times we see the most even gender ratios are times that could be considered holidays. Running of the leaves, the gala, hearths warming, etc. Plus if you follow a group of females around, you tend to interact with more females. I experience the opposite; i see mostly guys. I had a 90 person class with 4 girls, but that isn't indicitive of the entire population.
6106097 I guess its partly on what you believe the Apples farm really is as far as gender goes. AJ does attempt to do the entire orchards all on her own due to Big Mac being injured, implying that there was nopony else to do the job. They also indicate many times that its just the apples at the farm, save certain holidays like Winter wrap-up where you see others helping get the farm ready for summer. But the show heavily implies that times like that are the exception to the norm.
Them having cows implies they make milk, wether its for sale, for the family, or just to mix in with other apple products they make I have no idea. They also, for some reason, have pigs...asides from eating the refuse on the farm for recycling...I don't know of any other reason to have pigs on a farm except for eventual slaughter. Well, besides for body disposal, but I don't think they have those kind of connections.
I never went through to count all the males in the show, I just know the interesting ones are heavily outnumbered, and that the first few seasons mostly showed all girls. This current season has shown alot more males, but, I think the majority of those in the fandom are going to continue to make males in the minority for Equestria due to just how few play important roles, or are seen in the majority of episodes. Kinda like how "I hope" noone is going to start calling Derpy 'Muffin' in their story. I was annoyed enough when Snowflake became Bulk Biceps..bleh.
6106508 the video referred to winter wrap up, where applejack was the only female doing heavy labor such as plowing. Personally i think the pigs were just there so we'd recognize them. I did do a quick count of our town (s5 premier) and the gender ratio was extremely close, so the show has gotten better. I don't get mad at people for canon interpretations, i just felt like bringing it up because i think its an interesting video
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Maybe?
(I ought to change the rating of the story to Mature just to complete that joke, but nah.)
6105626
Something related to wanting to go beat up Twilight from the previous chapter which takes place simultaneously.
She's a blank flank? Trixie speculates a bit on what is up with her, unless you meant something different?
The rotten thing is new, to Trixie. The rest of this we'll have to find out or deduce.
Let's just say, in every so slightly spoilery way, that the scarcity of scenes featuring stallions in this story is not coincidence.
I'm saying one will not get involved.
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While I agree, it wouldn't be right for me to rewrite the ponies cannon reaction to Trixie. No matter how much of Designated Villain she is. (Though Trixie is no saint either.)
Trust me?
I think you are referring to Digibrony's Observations on MLP: Where Are the Stallions? I am familiar with the video and the arguments, and I accept that "We don't usually see the males because they are off screen most of the time." is one possible explanation. Different interpretations of the facts allow for different conclusions however, though I have no intention of starting an argument since I don't think one explanation is more valid than the other. As long as we're all having fun.
In the end, I prefer to subscribe to the "There are more females than males" explanation. (Which I will admit is entirely self serving. )
OMC! Granny Smith was awesome!
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If you liked that, here's Granny Smith rocking.
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6107432 trixie isn't a saint, but it's nice to see that the main six are only human (ponies?).
That's the video i was referring to. I tend to go by similar stuff to what he said, but i never argue against a literal canon interpretation. One of the reasons i like it is because i basically deal with his argument that they're all just off screen. The college of engineering at my school is %80.7 percent male (even higher in my major), that doesn't mean that the overall population is anything close to that.
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That doesn't tell me anything! GRR! Fine THIS is for angering me!
"Now, go to your room and think about what you've done with your life."
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Maybe the pigs are there to serve as distractions/sacrifices in case of a timberwolf attack that is not successfully repelled? The pigs get to lead the easy life, but with the understanding they may be meat shields.
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True. It's just a shame they aren't as entertaining that that episode as they are in the other ones were we get to see some flaws of theirs. Like Dash's recent terrorist acts against winter.
Speaking of engineering college, I trust your midterms went well?
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But, it tells you there won't be a stallion involved, right?
Cute pic though.
6110212
ah yes, the episode about the stages of grief.
well, it was finals and academically I did good. I wish one of my grades was a bit higher, but I somehow managed to get an A in one of the most failed classes of my major (someone asked if the final was curved the professor said yes, otherwise everyone would fail). Professionally, I was hoping to get an internship, but that didn't happen. So i'm taking some summer classes. Which means I can graduate on time, get a minor, or further specialize. Yay major decisions with useless counselors. I'm also thinking about a masters, but that decision is a bit further out.
What about you, whats up with you? I don't think I even know what you do.
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Yes, though I initially thought they had skipped the bartering stage for some reason, I hadn't recognized that 'stop winter' counted. It was interesting.
Finals already? Time flies. Just checking, but did your professor basically say that none of you were fit to be engineers?
It's too bad you didn't get an internship, you might have been able to get some advice there on the pros and cons of getting a minor or specializing.
As for me, I do administrative work. Which is about as exciting as it sounds.
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On the plus side a lot of it it is mindless work, so I just listen to podcasts and audiobooks, and all of a sudden work days are a lot of fun.
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6111833 and then of course there's rainbows grinch face.
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i'm on quarter system not semester, so i get three sets of finals a year instead of two. Its pretty common for the class average on an engineering test to be in the 50s or 60s. Engineering is really hard so you either dumb down the material so everyone gets good grades or you keep it as difficult as the material actually is and grades suffer. typically you tend to do better after the class.
well at least you get to listen to stuff when you work. I can't do that to much. it's either group stuff, to mentally involved, or against the rules (rightly so)
machine shops are dangerous enough without people on their phones
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That was terrifying! But, it's nothing compared to the kind of work dangers I face if I get inattentive for even a moment. The paper cuts can be vicious!
Rainbow 'Danger, Professionalism, Grinch' Dash.
6113601 hey, paper cuts hurt and can be quite annoying. Machine shops are typically fairly safe, it's a lot of common sense stuff like don't wear loose clothing near the metal spinning at 1400 rpm. The worse thing that's happened to me was some cuts from acrylic. I did almost get a third degree burn once. someone put a welding glove with a hole in it back on the rack and i didn't notice. I then proceeded to handle semi molten metal.
I guess we can add grinch to the list of rainbow dash's names then.
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Yeah, common sense. I've done a little bit of work around machinery and the same kind of rules apply. Though I must admit I didn't take the rules very seriously at the time. I probably would have been a lot more attentive if they'd showed a video like that before hand. Just, yikes.
I'm a bit confused, you handled the semi-molten metal with a damaged welding glove, but you did not get burned? When did you find out about the hole then?
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(For the record, I am not this far in the story yet. I happened to notice this on the cover page's comments.)
Pigs serve a useful purpose other than slaughter; they can be trained to find and dig up truffles, a kind of mushroom that's considered a delicacy.
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True. That's the most plausible reason I've heard so far. Though I've not heard of truffles in apple orchards before.
6114506 all the instructors for those kinds of classes are super blase about injuries so if nothing else, you'll be safe so you dont get made fun of.
Im being a little generous when I say semi molten. It was just starting to soften a bit. Still really hot though. It wasn't a large hole but is was just pure luck I didn't get burned.
6116127 I've changed my mind since then, and I'm liable to change it again, and I agree that for the moment I think 'pools' is worse. As for 'orbs,' I've always pictured orbs to be spheres of entirely the same color, so that wouldn't work to describe anyone except, say, a Fremen from Frank Herbert's Dune series and even then 'eyes' sounds a lot less stupid.
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I'll raise you.
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6136883 Big Brother is watching you
master playing the piano.what was she going to say???
Ah
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Just to be sure AJ goes down on Big Mac? I mean you can keep it teen if it's innuendo or hinted at. But that's both Wincest, and winning.
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This was an overall hilarious chapter.
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The intention is only to imply that she's thought about it, a lot, and frequently.
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I wonder how that can of worms turned out? I mean Granny Smith's senile, AB's clueless and innocent. But I doubt BM is dense, I wonder if he and AJ 'had a talk' after dinner ... when everyone was asleep. Just to 'clear the air'? Or if not that, then at least reject AJ nicely?
I am so glad i kept reading this story, the first few chapters feel a bit awkward, but it quickly picks up and now i can't wait to see what's next.
I feel like there is an alicorn amulet reference in here somewhere.