Family Matters
Chapter 7: Family Matters
"Are you feeling alright Dawn?" asked Fluttershy as she and Dawn left the library for home, "You didn't eat very much?"
"After that apple, I felt quite full," answered Dawn. Much like Rarity, he had been eating his own apple slowly, taking small bites. It was amazing that something could fill him up so quickly. Furthermore, the lighter sweetness of apples and other fruits wasn't as disagreeable to Dawn's palate as the sugars found in Pinkie Pie's confections. However, by the time he'd finished that one wintersilk apple, it felt as though he'd swallowed half a bushel of normal apples and a couple of liters of apple juice on top of it.
"Did you like it?"
Dawn nodded. "It tasted amazing, but one was plenty." There had been other offerings at the little party. Spike and Twilight had even gone so far as to doctor Dawn's mug of hot cocoa with some spices borrowed from Arkenstone's stock to make it more appealing to him. Between that and the apple, Dawn was already completely full.
Opening his mouth to yawn, Dawn paused when his eyes spotted something moving through the darkness. Closing his mouth, he narrowed his eyes and focused in on the movement. While the sun had set, it was fairly early in the evening, meaning that there would still be a few ponies out and about. However, given the course of recent events, Dawn wasn't about to let his guard down completely. He relaxed when he recognized the tan earth pony walking along through the night.
"What is it?" inquired Fluttershy, who'd noticed her son's odd behavior.
Dawn simply pointed and Fluttershy's eyes widened before a happy smile blossomed across her face. "Caramel!"
At the sound of his name, the tan stallion looked up and grinned at the sight of his fillyfriend and her son. "Hi Fluttershy, hey Dawn."
He trotted over to them and exchanged a gentle nuzzle with Fluttershy before lightly kissing her on the cheek. He then ruffled Dawn's mane affectionately, a gesture the colt had slowly been getting more comfortable with. "What are you two doing out so late?" he asked.
"Oh, we were just at a party at Twilight's," explained Fluttershy, "I'm sorry...We should have invited you."
"It's okay," said Caramel, "You don't have to take me everywhere with you just because we're going out. Don't worry about it."
"Oh...okay." Fluttershy retreated behind her pink mane slightly.
Caramel sighed and gave Fluttershy another nuzzle, trying his best to rebuild her morale.
"You're out rather late," Dawn observed, "Were you doing extra work?"
"That's right," replied Caramel, "Bon Bon and I got a huge order, so we've been working around the clock. I just got off."
"Oh my," whispered Fluttershy, "You must be tired."
The tan stallion twisted his head, causing his neck to pop loudly. "Yeah, I'm pretty worn out. I can still walk with you though."
"Are you sure?" asked Fluttershy, "I don't want you to lose any sleep over us."
"It's fine," said Caramel with a laugh, "A little walk won't hurt anything. We finished the order, so I'll be getting up at the usual time tomorrow morning. Besides, I wanted to ask you two something."
"What is it?" said Fluttershy.
Caramel fell into step next to them, his eyes fixed on the road ahead for a moment. "Fluttershy, you told me that, when you finish helping all your animal friends into hibernation, it gets lonely at your cottage right."
"That's right," agreed Fluttershy, "Even Angel sleeps during the winter, so it gets very quiet without all of my animal friends there." She broke out into a smile and paused to press her muzzle into Dawn's mane. "But I'll have Dawn there this year, so I don't think I'll be so lonely this time."
"I thought so." Caramel's cheeks began to redden. "Because of that, I wanted to ask you two...would you...would you..." He gulped audibly. "That is...um...if it's okay with you...would you two like to spend the winter at my house?"
Fluttershy froze when she heard Caramel's question. She began to blush as well. "Well...that's..." She wasn't sure how to respond to that. It was a relatively simple proposition, but one she hadn't been expecting. "I..."
Dawn stayed silent, simply watching and listening. He didn't want to pressure his mother in either direction. He had no notion of what her winter duties to her animal friends might require of her, whether she still needed to be at her cottage over the winter for some reason. At the same time, he didn't want to give the impression that he was at all against the notion of spending the winter at Caramel's house. He had grown quite used to the stallion's presence over the past months.
"Well...there isn't much that I'm needed for..." Fluttershy mused, "I'd have to head out and clean once a week but..."
"Oh...if it's too much trouble, that's okay..." said Caramel.
"N-no...it's not that. It wouldn't be much trouble at all," Fluttershy protested, "I-it's j-just..." Her blush intensified. "W-we...we w-would b-be...we would be living to-togeth-eep!" Unable to take anymore, Fluttershy abruptly turned away to hide her face, which was now completely red.
Meanwhile, Dawn raised an eyebrow. Is it...is it wrong that I find my mother to be completely adorable right now?
"'Shy?" asked Caramel, reaching a hoof out to her. He paused. "I-I see...I'm sorry. Maybe I'm just taking things too fast." He sighed, looking forlornly at the road. "You don't have to..."
"Oh! No! It's not that...it's..." Fluttershy wasn't sure what to say. Certainly, Caramel had already spent one night with her. Though nothing had happened between them, she would never say that it wasn't enjoyable. However, when she tried to think about Caramel's offer, about the idea of sharing a home with him, even for a temporary time...Him coming home from work to a meal that she had cooked, quiet conversations over the dinner table and listening to Caramel and Dawn recount their day, the two of them lounging in the living room of his house with Dawn curled up between them, maybe even her and Caramel sharing a bed night after night...Steam started to come out of her ears as her brain began to overload with images of domestic bliss.
She was abruptly brought out of her reverie by a light tapping on her shoulder. Looking up, Fluttershy found herself looking into Dawn's catlike eyes. He reached out and gently prodded her shoulder again. Realizing what he was suggesting, Fluttershy looked at him questioningly, to which Dawn responded with a small nod and a slight upward turn of the corners of his mouth.
Caramel blinked. For a second, Fluttershy and her son turned into a blur of yellow and black as she pounced before they settled, now with Dawn resting in a sitting position, his back pressed up against Fluttershy while she hugged him tightly from behind, her wings folding around to enclose him and her muzzle pressed against his mane. After a series of gentle nuzzles, Fluttershy inhaled and let out a relaxed breath as she settled her chin on the top of Dawn's head as the colt reached up and reassuringly patted her foreleg.
Caramel tried his hardest-he really did-but was unable to contain the snort of laughter that forced its way out of his nostrils at the sight of the pair of them. He couldn't help it. Mother and son, together like that, just looked so...cute. Leave it to Fluttershy and Dawn to turn snuggle-time into a therapeutic treatment,(1) he thought wryly, particularly amused by the fact that Dawn was not-so-subtly enjoying the experience as well, feeling absolutely no embarrassment at being used as a living stress pillow by his mother.
"Feel better?" the colt asked, rolling his eyes upward to look at Fluttershy without moving his head.
"Yes, thank you," whispered Fluttershy.
"Can you think more clearly?" Dawn asked.
"I think so," said Fluttershy, smiling softly down at him.
The two of them flinched abruptly when Caramel approached from the front and settled on his haunches to wrap his arms around Fluttershy's shoulders, now with Dawn resting between them. Leaning forward, Caramel planted a light kiss on Fluttershy's lips before bringing their foreheads together.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"Oh...that wasn't your fault," protested Fluttershy, "It's just that I got carried away, thinking about what it...would...be...like...eep!"
Caramel saw the faraway look in Fluttershy's eyes as she trailed off into another squeak. He also heard Dawn inhale sharply and angled his eyes downward, half-expecting to see the colt having the life be squeezed out of him. Fortunately, Dawn had apparently grown quite accustomed to the possibility to crushing hugs and, like the accomplished martial artist he was, had developed an effective counter-technique. Inhaling, he fully expanded his diaphragm and ribcage. He pushed out with his shoulders, keeping the muscles taut, competently holding Fluttershy's embrace at bay. Caramel had to stop himself from letting out an impressed whistle.
"Mom," admonished Dawn softly, "Focus."
"Well..." said Fluttershy, finally coming back to the present, "I have to admit...I don't think it would be bad." She looked down at her colt. "Dawn? Would you be alright with spending the winter at Caramel's."
Dawn's smile was no longer so subtle. "I don't think I would mind," he said.
A giggle escaped the canary-colored mare's throat as she turned her eyes back to her coltfriend. "Alright," she said, "We would love to spend the winter with you, Caramel." Leaning forward, Fluttershy gently kissed him back.
"I'm glad," said Caramel. The two of them relaxed against each other, while the colt between them waited patiently for the moment to end, leaning back against his mother with a contented sigh. Unable to keep a slight smirk from his face, Dawn tilted his gaze in the direction of the library, wondering if their audience was enjoying the show.
They most certainly were.
"Oh!" gasped Rarity, seemingly on the verge of summoning her couch, "Don't they look so happy together? And just look at that colt...What a marvel of good behavior! There aren't many colts his age who are so willing to sacrifice their dignity like that."
"Yeah right," protested Scootaloo, "Dawn loves being hugged by Fluttershy. He doesn't care one lick what anypony thinks about it."
"Really?" Rainbow directed a questioning look at her little sister.
The orange filly rolled her eyes. "Totally. I remember when Snips and Snails tried to tease him about it. He just turned it around on them and asked if they were too scared to show they loved their moms. They haven't tried that again."
Sweetie Belle glanced sidelong at Rumble. "I see you hugging Cloud Chaser and her sister a lot."
Rumble looked down and blushed. "Well...uh...Cloud Chaser and Flitter are really good at cuddling and...um..." his words faded into an almost inaudible mumble, "It feels nice."
Sweetie giggled and leaned up against the colt so she could rub her cheek against his.
Twilight did the same with Arkenstone as she too watched the tender scene play out in front of her home. Glancing over, she noticed Pinkie practically vibrating with barely contained glee. "What's up Pinkie?"
"He asked her!" squealed Pinkie, bouncing up and down, grinning like a loon, "He asked her! Eeeee!"
"What are you talking about?" said Twilight.
“Caramel came to the Sugarcube Corner a few days ago and I asked him how things were going with Fluttershy,” explained Pinkie eagerly, “He said that they were going great and went on about how he loved spending time with her and all that. I told him that was great because it meant Fluttershy wouldn’t be so lonely this winter that confused him a little so I told him about how Fluttershy gets lonely because all her animal friends go beddy-bye during the winter then Caramel got this idea about asking Fluttershy and Dawn to spend the winter with him and I thought it was a great idea but I thought he was going to be too shy to ask but he did ask and it looks like she said yes which is great since it means Fluttershy and Dawn aren’t going to be lonely all season!”
As always, Twilight’s contemplation of the contents of Pinkie’s rambling explanation were distracted by the marvel of how the pink mare managed to say so much on a single lungful of air without looking even remotely out of breath afterward. But such ruminations were for greater minds than hers to ponder, so Twilight returned to the task of deciphering what Pinkie had actually said.
While Caramel wasn’t straight out asking Fluttershy and Dawn to move in with him, it would still be a major step in their relationship. Even before he had started dating their timid friend, Caramel was already known fairly well by Twilight and the others. While he was a bit of a klutz at times, he was a kind and polite stallion who was fairly well-liked in town. While Twilight and the others knew that he would never willingly hurt Fluttershy and had demonstrated, on one occasion in particular, that he was willing to go to incredible lengths to ensure her wellbeing, that didn’t stop her from feeling a bit nervous at what he and Fluttershy would be attempting.
Caramel had inherited a house from his parents when they’d retired to some seaside town. It was small, but a good bit larger than the usual bachelor pad. From what she’d heard Twilight knew that Caramel supplemented his income from working in Bon Bon’s candy shop by renting out the extra rooms in his home to the occasional traveler who didn’t have enough money for the local inn. However, the stallion took no interest in making longer-term investments in his extra space by making it into a boarding house or the like (probably because he already had his hooves full with his regular job). In other words, it was a perfectly sized house for an average family. Even with Fluttershy and Dawn moving in with him, it wouldn't be cramped at all.
"Worried?" asked Arkenstone.
"A little," said Twilight softly, "I hope it works out for them. I'd never want to see Fluttershy get hurt."
"I don't believe her coltfriend does either," Arkenstone pointed out, "But hurting one another is inevitable in a relationship. Nothing ever truly works out perfectly. Remember how rocky our start was?"
Twilight nodded sadly. Arkenstone's personal issues had led him to stand by silently while she'd been continuously propositioned and harassed by Earl Steel Flint. It had been a humiliating experience for her, but one she had worked past when she remembered how the conflict had ended. She never wanted to see anything like that again, which helped her understand Arkenstone's own reluctance to act in that situation.
Looking out, Twilight saw that Fluttershy, Caramel, and Dawn had broken their collective embrace and were now heading away, Caramel most likely escorting Fluttershy and her son back to their cottage. Good luck, she thought to her friend.
After the gathering, the events of the season resumed their normal course. With the help of Storm Front, Rainbow Dash managed to bring Twilight a wealth of data on the weather patterns of the northern regions, including a great deal of information on the areas affected by wild weather, where the wintersilk apples were rumored to grow.
Fluttershy's inquiries managed to bring up leads on a couple of rare breeds of butterfly hailing from the Everfree that were active during the winter. They were especially rare in the region around Ponyville, but Fluttershy was confident that the emergence of a flowering plant during the winter would draw them out.
In the meantime, Twilight went to work on her own end to the project. Using the dirt collected by Pinkie and Rarity, she sealed it under a glass dome, creating a miniature biosphere in her lab beneath the library. Going through the weather data Rainbow and Storm had gotten for her, as well as the information she'd gathered on the apples themselves, Twilight was prepared to use the enclosed space to simulate the environment of Northern Equestria in order to determine exactly what circumstances would promote the best growth from the apples. She wasn't expecting immediate results and the process would be tedious and time-consuming, which made it yet another thing for the lavender mare to tack onto her schedule.
There was plenty to keep Twilight busy. Between setting the conditions within the artificial biosphere and gathering data on how the seeds from her sample batch responded, her time was consumed with lessons from Arkenstone, who was coaching her in developing her battle magic. When he wasn't minding his teashop, Arkenstone took Twilight into secluded areas where she could use dangerous magic without fear of hurting somepony and began to test her ability to cast under duress, something that Twilight found unpleasant thanks to Arkenstone's method of crushing her with the force of his murderous intent when she was trying to cast. Casting the spells themselves also helped Twilight understand the processes that went into spellwork and how to streamline those processes to reduce the casting lag that normally came with them. She also experimented more with her arcanasteel armor, learning how to make the most use of it.
She also had to continue her work in deciphering the Eyes of Nightmare. Fortunately, preparations were nearly complete and the only thing really left for her to worry about was contacting the individuals she'd tracked down. She'd originally planned to use Spike to try and deliver the letters directly to their intended recipients if she could. However, Arkenstone pointed out that the ponies in question probably didn't know enough about her to take the arrival of a dragonfire message well. However, correspondence through conventional means, via the Post Office, had the disadvantage of being irritatingly slow and prone to the possibility of her missives being intercepted by somepony from the Cult Solar. While Twilight didn't think that there was some all-encompassing conspiracy afoot, she would rather not take chances.
With those options left out, Twilight decided on a different approach...
"Are you sure about this Twilight?" asked Ditzy, nervously turning over the letters in her hooves and trying her hardest to keep at least one of her eyes focused on it.
Twilight nodded. "I know you've done this before," she said, "I can trust you to get them to the ponies they need to go to."
"It might take longer though," Ditzy pointed out forlornly, "I tend to get...lost...at times."
"I understand," said Twilight, still smiling brightly, "But Dawn tells me you've been making a great deal of progress in your training. You haven't crashed in over a month right?"
"Yeah...but all that training doesn't exactly help me tell direction for long journeys," Ditzy pointed out, "I can find my way to Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Las Pegasus," she said, "But it'll take me longer than the normal methods."
"Yeah," admitted Twilight, knowing her own impatience was going to be a source of anxiety the entire time. A lifetime of having a dragon who could send letters via his flame directly to their intended recipients nearly instantaneously had spoiled her. However, this was still for the best. "But I trust you."
"Why?"
Twilight giggled softly. "Because it's for Dawn. You care about him, just like we all do. We're doing this so that he can be safe and happy. After all that he's done, it's the least he deserves."
"Right," agreed Ditzy, a warm smile of her own spreading across her face, "There is that."
"Are you sure you don't want me to watch Dinky for you?" asked Twilight, reaching out to rest a hoof on Ditzy's shoulder.
"It's okay," said Ditzy her cheeks coloring, "I already talked to Big Macintosh about it and Dinky will be staying with the Apples while I'm away."
"That's good to hear," said Twilight with a relaxed sigh. She levitated the three letters she needed delivered to Ditzy, who tucked them safely away into her saddlebags. "Be careful and don't get hurt out there."
"I won't," replied Ditzy cheerfully as she launched skyward, "See you later Twilight."
"Good luck," said the lavender mare with a reluctant smile before she returned to the library to resume her other projects.
Applejack and Apple Bloom stood on the platform of the train station, awaiting the arrival of their relatives from Appleloosa, who had promised to come down and help with the planting. Applejack had been a little reluctant to bring her younger sister along, given that Bloom would normally be bouncing all over the place in her impatience to see Braeburn and their other relatives, who hadn't been to Ponyville since the big Apple Family reunion.
However, much to her surprise, Apple Bloom was standing stock still, her eyes closed, taking slow, even breaths. For a second, Applejack thought that Bloom had fallen asleep on her hooves. But as she concentrated, the orange mare was able to sense the flow of ambient magic around them. Applejack faintly felt the swirling magic of the earth tugging at her hooves, being pulled towards Apple Bloom and then receding, a sensation much like standing fetlock-deep in the sea, with the waves washing across her legs and then flowing back.
"Is that what Red's been teachin' ya?" asked Applejack.
Her voice knocked the yellow filly out of her reverie as she jumped at Applejack's question. "Huh! Uh...yeah," said Apple Bloom, blinking and shaking her head as she came out of her meditative state.
Applejack chuckled, her mind going back to her own lessons with Granny Smith. "Ah've gotta say, yer gettin' the hang of it mighty quickly," she said, "It darn near took me a year to be able to do that mahself."
Bloom grinned proudly at the praise. In truth, it had seemed silly at first, stealing quiet moments during her everyday life, she'd go still and empty out her mind and simply practice feeling and drawing the earth's power into herself. The results had been negligible at first. But, little by little, Bloom was beginning to feel the change. She could push herself harder and longer now. It was starting to feel like she always had energy to spare when she needed it, but not in that tingly sort of way that would normally drive the young filly into bouts of excess activity. Instead, the more Bloom practiced, the more relaxed and settled she felt.
It was beginning to show in other areas as well. It was easier to listen to Miss Cheerilee during class and follow her lectures, as well as focus on her schoolwork. The resulting improvement in Bloom's grades was a source of pride to the rest of her family.
However, perhaps most importantly to Apple Bloom, her training also helped her in other areas. Even now, standing on the train platform, she could feel the tiny, almost microscopic compacting of the boards beneath her hooves, feeling them take on her weight and that of her sister. If Bloom closed her eyes and focused more of her attention, she could sense the state of the material, the intersection of boards and nails and how the entire structure of the platform was holding together, where the nails fit in and even how the nails themselves displaced the wood, sometimes in ways that were less than beneficial to the structure of the platform as a whole.
This wasn't the first time she'd experienced this phenomenon while practicing her magic. When she'd told Red River about it, the azure stallion had informed her that it was a natural extension of an earth pony's magic. Apple Bloom's own personal inclinations as an individual affected what stood out to her senses in much the same way that Rarity's eye was drawn towards the details of visual aesthetics.
However, that sensation was displaced by another one. It was faint at first, but Bloom was able to sense the vibrations, traveling along the rails of the tracks before being transmitted up through the platform. "Sis!" she exclaimed, "The train's comin'! Ah can feel it!"
"Can ya now?" Applejack grinned and focused her own senses. Soon, she too could feel the hum of the approaching train. "So it is. Yer gettin' mighty good with that magic 'o yers Bloom. Yer a born natural."
"Thanks sis," said Bloom, turning her attention to the tracks approaching from the west, already able to make out the column of smoke that marked the train's progress and approach.
A few minutes later, the train slid into the station with much whistling and screeching. As ponies began to disembark, the Apple sisters looked around eagerly for any sight of their relatives. As it turned out, they were spotted first.
"YEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAW! HOWDY THERE!"
Both sisters flattened their ears against their skulls and winced at the nearly physical force behind the voice of the stallion who'd just leapt off the train. Shaking her head, Apple Bloom looked up at the blonde stallion, dressed in a well-made vest and a hat that was slightly smaller than her sister's. "Cousin Braeburn!" she squealed, throwing herself at him.
Braeburn caught Apple Bloom with his forelegs and whirled her around in a circle before hugging the filly tightly. "Well now! If it ain't mah favorite little cous' come to greet me at the station. How're ya doin' sugarcube?"
"Ah'm doin' fine," said Bloom, giggling in Braeburn's arms.
A slight cough from Applejack caught Braeburn's attention. Chuckling sheepishly, he set Bloom down and trotted over to Applejack, who watched him with a deadpan expression. "And...er...how's mah favorite...big cousin?"
Applejack tried her hardest to maintain the facade, but was unable to keep the left corner of her lip twitching upwards before she dissolved into a hearty chuckle of her own. She threw her arms around Braeburn's neck and hugged him tight before stepping back. "Ah'm doin' mighty fine cousin. How're things out in Appleloosa?"
"Pretty well, all things considered," said Braeburn, "Though things have been gettin' a mite queer lately."
"What do ya mean?" asked Applejack, tilting her head curiously.
As Braeburn opened his mouth to explain, he was cut off by a gruff shout from the train. "CONSARNIT BRAEBURN, YA VARMINT! GET IN HERE AND HELP ME OUT WITH THIS HERE LUGGAGE BEFORE AH LEAVE YER STUFF TO GET HAULED OFF TO THE NEXT STOP!"
"Oops." A thoroughly admonished Braeburn quickly jumped back into the train and soon emerged with a pair of stuffed saddlebags hanging from his flanks.
Behind him came an older earth pony stallion, carrying a pair of even heavier saddlebags. Applejack's smile became considerably warmer when she saw him, easily noticing the muscles that bulged beneath his green coat, which was only a shade darker than Granny Smith's. As his dark-orange eyes found Applejack's green ones, they widened and a grin broke out across his face. "Well Ah'll be," he said happily, quickly trotting over to her, "Yer gettin' prettier and prettier every time Ah see ya." He enfolded Applejack in a crushing hug, but one that she didn't shy away from.
"It's great to see ya too, Uncle Blenheim," said Applejack as she hugged him back.
"Hi Uncle Blenheim!"
Looking down, Blenheim gasped when he saw Apple Bloom. Removing his own dark-brown hat, exposing a greenish-yellow mane shot through with streaks of orange, he smiled fondly down at the filly as he brought his face down to her level. "Well now, ya look just like yer ma." Putting his hat back on, Blenheim pulled Bloom into a hug as well.
"Sure is good to see Ponyville again," said Braeburn.
"Haven't been back since the big reunion," agreed Blenheim.
"Everything all set boss?"
Applejack and Bloom looked over to see a group of four ponies, all earth ponies, approaching, having disembarked from a different car of the train. Their leader was a powerfully-built mare with a bright-yellow coat and a mane made up of green, blue, and magenta streaks. Following behind her was a silver-coated stallion with a pitch-black mane, a dark red mare with a fiery-orange mane, and a grayish-white stallion with light-blue mane. All three of them were almost as heavily muscled as their leader and all of them carried much lighter saddlebags than Breaburn and Blenheim did.
"You betcha," said Blenheim cheerfully. He grinned at Applejack and gestured towards the foursome. "These here are a some 'o our workers who volunteered to come down and help out with us."
"That so?" Applejack turned and extended a hoof towards the the stripe-maned mare. "Pleasure to make yer acquaintance. Welcome to Ponyville. Ah'm Applejack, the mare whose farm y'all'll be workin' on."
"Nice to meet you," said the other mare, extending her own hoof and giving Applejack's a firm shake, "I'm Mayweather, the ringleader of this bunch of malcontents." Her introduction drew a series of snorts from the mare and stallions standing behind her. "Quit your scoffing and introduce yourselves, you jokers."
"Quicksilver," said the silver-coated stallion.
"Garnet" said the dark-red mare.
"Rivercrest," introduced the grayish-white stallion.
Applejack shook each of their hooves in turn. "It's mighty nice of y'all to volunteer to come down and help with our harvest."
"Well, the boss is paying us a bonus," said Mayweather, giving Blenheim a teasing grin.
At a questioning look from Applejack, Blenheim simply shrugged. “What? They’re mah employees. It’d be nice to ask ‘em to come down and help out ‘o the goodness ‘o their hearts, but that ain’t exactly fair to ‘em.”
“Ah didn’t want ya blowin’ money on our harvest,” said Applejack.
“Aw shucks,” said Blenheim, a deep rumbling chuckle building in his chest, “T’ain’t nothin’ to fret over. ‘Sides, these are four ‘o mah best workers. Ah may be payin’ ‘em, but they’re practically family anyway.”
“That’s sweet of you boss,” teased Mayweather before turning back to Applejack, “So, how’s about showing us your little corner of Equestria, as well as your farm.”
“Sure thing,” said Applejack, leading the group away from the station.
They'd barely gotten more than a few steps before a pink blur practically materialized in front of them. "Hi everypony!" shouted Pinkie, her sudden appearance making the entire group jump.
"Consarnit Pinkie Pie!" snapped Applejack, "Can ya stop doin' that?"
"Doing what?" asked Pinkie obliviously, her grin not faltering in the slightest.
Applejack let out a huff. "Never mind."
"Okay."
Braeburn had frozen, blinking for a few moments before he snapped out his haze, a smile of recognition blossoming into a grin. "Pinkie Pie! Now Ah remember ya!"
"Oh! Hi Braeburn!" Pinkie immediately oriented to grin at him.
"Wait!" said Blenheim, "Ain't that the mare that sung us into war with the buffalo."
Braeburn and Applejack winced. "Yeah," agreed Applejack, "That didn't go as well as we hoped."
"Ah well, it worked out anyway," said Pinkie, not even hesitating for an instant, "Besides, that pie war was a lot of fun!"
Braeburn couldn't help but laugh at that. "Ya got that right darlin'."
"Um..." Mayweather elbowed Applejack gently, "Who is this pony?"
Unfortunately, her speaking immediately drew Pinkie's attention. "Oooh! Who are these ponies?"
Applejack rubbed the back of her head nervously. Dealing with Pinkie Pie was like handling the social equivalent of high explosives sometimes. You never knew what could set her off. "Well Pinkie, this here is mah Uncle Blenheim..." she gestured to the green stallion, "And these are his workers, Mayweather, Quicksilver, Garnet, and Rivercrest. They're here to help us out with autumn harvest." She turned to face the new arrivals. "This here is-"
Pinkie abruptly cut in front of her and was already shaking Mayweather's hoof for all that she was worth. "Hi I'm Pinkie Pie it's really nice to meet you because I never met you before which means your new in town which means that you don't have any friends in Ponyville so that means I get to throw you a-"
"PINKIE PIE!" Applejack's voice snapped with a tone of authority that made Apple Bloom stand automatically at attention, it being the same voice AJ used when scolding Bloom for some of the trouble she'd gotten into.
Pinkie Pie reacted similarly, going completely rigid, her eyes wide, like foal caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.
"Ya know the rules Pinkie," scolded Applejack.
"But Applejack," whined Pinkie, spinning around to face the orange mare, "They don't count! They're your family aren't they."
"Brae and Blen may be family," said Applejack, "But they're here to help us with the harvest. The rest 'o 'em are hired hooves."
"Aww!" Apple Bloom briefly wondered if she sounded like that whenever Applejack put her hoof down to curtail her activities.
Pinkie Pie had sagged down into a sulking lump in the middle of the road, staring sullenly at the ground.
"Sugarcube, Ah know ya mean well, but we've been through this before. If ya start throwin' parties now, ya'll want to start throwin' 'em fer everypony. Ya remember how mad the mayor was the last time that happened."
"Yeah," agreed Pinkie, sagging lower still.
"Chin up," said Applejack, giving Pinkie an encouraging smile, lifting her chin with a gentle hoof, "Ya know what ya get to do afterward. Tell ya what, Ah'll bring 'em by the Sugarcube Corner later on and ya can get to know 'em the old-fashioned way."
"Okay," said Pinkie, almost immediately brightening up. Spinning about, she faced the new arrivals, grinning and beaming as thought the previous exchange had never even occurred. "I'll see you later everypony!" She began to bounce her way down the street, humming happily as she went on her way.
As she left, Braeburn doffed his hat and ran a hoof through his mane before giving Applejack and Apple Bloom a befuddled look. "What the hay was that all about?"
"Sorry 'bout that cous'," said Applejack, giving Braeburn and the others an apologetic smile, "Pinkie Pie likes throwin' parties fer new arrivals in Ponyville. Ain't a pony livin' here who hasn't had a Pinkie Pie Party thrown fer him or her at some point or another."
She turned and they resumed their walk. "Problem is, when the harvest season hits, all kinds 'o ponies are comin' 'round lookin' fer work on the farms to help with the harvests. The first year she was here, Pinkie tried throwin' parties fer all 'o 'em."
"With how many ponies coming into this town for the harvest, that sounds like a lot of parties," observed Mayweather.
Applejack nodded. "Pinkie tried throwin' so many parties, she nearly disrupted the harvest fer the whole town. The mayor and the farmers, includin' mah family, were mighty put out by all the ruckus she was causin'. Fortunately, we got things back on track. But poor Pinkie was completely broken up over it. She's a good pony and just wants everypony to be happy. She never wanted to make our jobs harder fer us. So she came up with an idea."
Apple Bloom picked up the story from there. "So instead 'o tryin' to throw a party fer everypony comin' to Ponyville fer the harvest, she decided to wait until the harvest was over and throw the biggest party EVER!" Apple Bloom threw her hooves into the air for emphasis.
"Eeyup," agreed Applejack, "Well, that party was such a hit, we Ponyville folk took a shine to it and made it a town holiday."
"So every year," continued Apple Bloom, "After the harvest is all done, Pinkie Pie throws the biggest party 'o the year and invites everypony! So now, it's the Harvest Festival."
Braeburn let out an appreciative whistle. "Sounds like a hoot," he said.
"Sure does," agreed Blenheim, "But it'll keep. We've got work to do."
"Come on then," said Applejack, "Let's head up to the farm and Ah'll get y'all settled."
Arriving at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack led the group to one of the least-used buildings on the property, the bunkhouse. It had been built by previous generations of Apples for harvests such as this one, where the workers arriving to help with the work would stay while they did their jobs. The majority of the year, it went unused. Even during the autumn, on some years, the building went unoccupied. Applejack and Big Macintosh especially had been adamant on not relying on outside help, the two of them having occasionally done the autumn harvest on their own, in spite of being too tired to move afterwards. Still, a more recent harvest season, during which Applejack had been obliged to try and buck the orchards by her lonesome after Big Macintosh was injured in a freak girdle accident (which Big Macintosh insisted was just a freak girdle accident and nothing else), only to end up delirious with exhaustion until she finally buckled and allowed her friends to help, had taught Applejack the importance of accepting help. She had been less stringent about avoiding hiring helping hooves ever since.
The bunkhouse had been refurbished and cleaned up in anticipation of the season's hires. Applejack was glad that they'd gotten that done, Braeburn and Blenheim's decision to bring extra help with them having caught her off-guard.
"Ah hope y'all like the accommodations here," said Applejack as she showed the foursome that had accompanied her relatives around the house. The furnishings were sparse and basic. There was a sitting room inside the front door, with halls leading to individual rooms. The rooms were small, occupied with a bed, a desk, and a small chest of doors. The halls led to communal bathrooms, one for stallions and one for mares. There was also a decent kitchen, where the workers could make their own meals if they needed to.
"Ah'll let y'all get settled," said Applejack before turning to her relatives, "Are ya two sure ya'd like to stay out here? We've got extra rooms in the house for ya."
"It's fine cous'," said Braeburn, "We roped them into this, so we'll stay out here with 'em."
"If yer sure," said Applejack uncertainly, "Come on up to the house then, Ah'm sure Granny wants to see ya."
"Ah'll follow ya up later," said Blenheim, "Ah'm gonna get set up here first."
Applejack, Braeburn, and Apple Bloom left the bunkhouse to head towards the farmhouse. Alone with their cousin for the first time, Bloom and Applejack looked at Braeburn speculatively, something he'd said earlier inciting their curiosity.
"What'd ya mean when ya said things were gettin' queer in Appleloosa?" asked Applejack softly.
"It ain't nothin' bad," said Braeburn easily, "Just strange. Ah know we expected Appleloosa to grow into a fine town someday. Ah just didn't expect it to start growin' so fast."
"Ya ain't havin' any trouble with them unsavory types are ya?" asked Applejack worriedly.
"Nah." Braeburn shook his head, giving his cousins an encouraging smile. "They're as fine a set 'o neighbors a stallion could ask fer. Most 'o 'em are mighty hospitable. But they're mostly Uncle Blenheim's kind'o folk."
"What do ya mean Uncle's kind of folk?" asked Bloom.
Applejack frowned, a nervous feeling beginning to stir in her gut.
Oblivious to their unease, Braeburn merely shrugged. "Ya know, ponies from the Order. Yer pa were big on that too weren't he?"
Applejack and Apple Bloom froze, their eyes going wide as the realization struck them simultaneously. The two sisters quickly looked to each other, a single thought shared between them. Horseapples!
Applejack in particular was kicking herself. How could Ah have forgotten about that? she lamented silently. Blenheim had been the pony who'd introduced her father to the Cult Solar, the one who'd started the whole process that had led Applejack to putting Dawn Lightwing into the hospital. And now he's right here, in Ponyville! The horrified realization shook Applejack to the core. They couldn't have been sure about any of the other workers who had come in the past few days, but Blenheim was another matter.
The Cult Solar had come to Ponyville.(2)
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oh fuck, shits gonna hit the fan
Caramel I feel is going to be 'righteously punished for coercing with the demon' (Unless Applejack, Red River, Dawn and the others have something to say about that)
Granny Smith, show us the powers of the Mountain Root to teach the fools who bring anarchy with false pretenses. (Give the family a thorough spanking)
Can Harry show up and Fozare some sense into them? Or Micheal? or an already established character because I doubt Dresden and Friends are going to show up?
4151080
the monkey has found the fan and has started to poop....... this can't be good.
4151097
no on the first and yes on the second, two knights in the same town and a third just a quick dash away, them ponies would be in a bad way if they started trouble..
as for you, moguera, can we keep Dawn out of the hospital for this one. i mean the kid has got to be getting the free sundae for frequent stays.
Well... shit. Now, are they the more moronic type, or will they leave Dawn in peace?
4151097 They've gotta get past me first!
fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/v/t1.0-9/1377507_10152275458853362_1772439114_n.jpg?oh=f74bd56dbcc5aa3982c0171b95aea472&oe=539917A9&__gda__=1402466243_35ca082170ca7c54926a77b0f6b163f4
I really hope the rest of the Apples get some sense talked into them. Cause if not, somepony is going to kick an ass or two.
To Applejack, I have to say only one thing.
3.bp.blogspot.com/_gWQaU40PH24/TQrrAq1H3sI/AAAAAAAAJ74/n1uDMSTPSec/s1600/Epic_Facepalm_by_RJTH%255B1%255D.jpg
Seriously, that was one hell of fail.
*facepalm*
Granny's gonna have to give out spankings. Grab a number, Apples, and get in line.
Oh shit! Fan is gonna hit the fucks!
Well shit
Shits going down now
What every member of the Cult Solar belonging to the Apple Family ought to get if they want to hurt Dawn
Yeah sort of expecting that beautiful ending. It's been too long without conflict.
And Twilight just invited people who might have the Eyes to Ponyville for testing. And now the Cult is in town. This is very much like becoming aware that you are in the path of an oncoming train after its already run over your foot.
Oh, wow. I knew it was gonna happen, but I thought it'd be one of the workers. This actually makes a lot of sense, actually.
Aaaah Braeburn, lovable, enthusiastic and.... kinda oblivious.
And so it begins...
persephonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/shitstorm.jpg
DAMN YOU CLIFFHANGER MAN!
>.> <.< {picks up phone} "hey mom... whacha doin?..im finna come over ...i want hugs time .."
i regret nothing
A knight or two's going to have to kill a Cultist. Dawn and Arkenstone are more than enough for a bunch of Hillbilly Cultists.
Oh, and there are the other guys too...
This can only end badly.
quickmeme.com/img/71/711ac2248c68b75ff7c951a65097c4a75824dc8c65c5998914647c4e848e4168.jpg
If Granny Smith doesn't teach Apple Bloom to be as badass as Arkenstone, I'm going to be very disapointed with you.
The Cult Solar in Ponyville, this will not end well.
i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr344/Atomic117/Atomic%20Betty%20Reaction%20Images/x5incomingshitstorm.jpg
Doctor I think my friend might have done the impossible, shortly after reading the cuddle scene between dawn and shy his heart exploded. I think you might want to add a disclaimer for that.
Day ???
I don't know how long it has been since I've been out of it. I've ran out of sugared beverages, so my drive had slowed immensely. If it weren't for the interesting plot and great quality, words I've read would've been forgotten, forcing me to reread lines. May haps my vivid imagery was too immersive, being the reason why I'm so lost in thought of the possibilities of this scheme.
Looking back, I remembered that my iPad ran out of power before I could finish an entry in a night similar to this one. In fact, in the day, I immediately went back to work, completely forgetting to make a few entries. But perhaps it may had been best, I can't disrupt my focus as I've nearly drowned, lost myself in this series great beauty, my boat of sanity broken into sea debri in all these words.
I'm now cast onto a shore. With my destination unclear, the only way to go left is north. May many more Fluttershy cuddles await.
It's quite possible, with Fluttershy's level of adorableness, I'm sure somepony/someponies would experience a sudden loss of blood and consciousness. Via:
travizzt.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/i-wish-my-nosebleeds-were-like-that.jpg
or
fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/171/d/9/omg_nosebleed_by_candycat199.png
No Dawn, there is nothing wrong with thinking that your mother looks adorable. 99.99 percent of the time, everyone will agree with you(.01%
happens)
I'd mentioned exactly once (on purpose) four stories and sixty-some chapters ago. You people are scary sometimes.
Nah, we learn from Pinkie
Oy vey...
...one sec while I get the popcorn.
Due to their genetics, apples are almost never grown from seed. They are typically grafted because cross pollination in apples can give an apple the seeds for multiple types of apples in one fruit. For example, you could eat a Gala and plant it's seeds only to grow a Granny Smith and a Fuji(an example, not sure if entirely accurate but you get the idea). That being said, these are magical apples so who cares about apple genetics?
SCREW RACIST ASSHOLES!
5603396 agreed
Called it.
Applejack: "'Girdle accident'???
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
Big Mac: "Eyuup
Applejack: "Ya know Ah'm th' Bearer of Honesty, don'cha?
Big Mac: "Eyuup
Applejack: "And Ah'm yer big sis, don'cha?
Big Mac: "Eyuup
Applejack: "And Ah've known ya all yer life, don'cha?
Big Mac: "Eyuup
Applejack: "So, yer still stickin' ta th' story it was a 'girdle accident'?
Big Mac: "Eyuup
Applejack: "Well, Ah guess that leaves one question: just whose girdle was it?
Big Mac: "Oh, futa!
Applejack: "Thought so.
carp
6846879
AJ's the little sis actually ^_^. Well littler / younger than Big Mac.
But yep, Ditzy's dating a pony of many closety secrets. Including a horrible fashion sense and a family that'd let him walk around in dresses that'd give Rarity a coronary.
Must not make gay joke... Must not make gay joke...
Hang on. Wasn't the whole thing about the girdle that Big Mac would walk down main street wearing one if Applejack managed the whole harvest on her own, not that she had to do it because of a girdle?
Not at all given the circumstances
8820463
Nope. The girdle was actually a back brace. He hurt himself, and AJ needed to do the harvesting. But rather than ask for help, she decided to do it all on her own. Which Big Mac told her was impossible, and AJ told him not to use his fancy mathematics to muddy the issue.
Right. Sure. And I haven't been able to breath since the last time I applied a snuggle to my sister.
An impressive feat when you think about it
...you got flooded by Steven Universe quotes after this didn't you.
8707747
HA! GAAAAAAY!
No Dawn, no it isn’t.
Also Derpy (or Ditzy) is sooo cute! She’s got such a great, big, loving heart it makes me squeal and aww at the same time!
10006304
https://m.