An Apple Alone

by Blue Thrush

One Thousand Bushels

Big Macintosh was not a pony who slept in. At Sweet Apple Acres, he and Granny Smith would often be the first ponies awake, giving him the opportunity to assist his grandmother throughout her morning routine. But this week had proven to be a different story for the stallion. As the eldest Apple sibling fidgeted under the warm blankets, the morning sun caught his eyes, making him squint and shift his head away from the glare. The large earth pony mumbled incoherently, adjusting the blankets to compensate for his new position, but soon resumed his silent slumber, taking deep, slow breaths as he rested.

Applejack, too, was going against habit and sleeping the early morning away. Her weary form was diligent in hitting the snooze button on her internal alarm clock, preventing the mare from waking at the hour she was accustomed to. With the bands normally adorning her long mane and tail sitting inside her upside down hat on a nearby nightstand, her hair sprawled across her pillow as her snores reverberated throughout the tiny bedroom. Her closed eyes stared straight at the ceiling, lying flat on her back with her forelegs resting atop her covers. She shivered a little as the cool air from the previous night nibbled at her exposed legs.

Applejack scooted inward to the center of the bed and fell to her side, turning her body towards a source of warmth. She stretched out one of her forelegs and let it unceremoniously fall. When her hoof flopped onto Big Macintosh’s unsuspecting cheek, the stallion jerked his head, giving his sister a faceful of his mane. Applejack scrunched her nose up as her eyes snapped open, her mouth unfortunately taking in some of the hair. Big Macintosh, with a jolt of fear as an unknown hoof was suddenly slapped across his face, shoved his body backwards to push back his apparent attacker. His startled, half-asleep form bolted upright, heart pounding, with his head twitching this way and that.

Applejack yelped as she found herself promptly shoved out of the bed, landing with a dull thud on the floor. “Macintosh!” she cursed, rubbing her back gingerly. “What in the hay was that for?”

The red stallion, now fully awake and seeing the complaining mare on the floor, took a deep breath and calmed down. “Sorry, sis,” he apologized, “guess Ah’m still not used ta sharin’ a bed.” He crawled over to Applejack’s side of the bed and reached out a hoof. The mare took it and pulled herself to her hooves.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, sputtering out a few hairs that she’d unwittingly pulled from Big Macintosh’s mane. “Jus’ think ‘fore shovin’ yer sister off again, alright?” After receiving a nod from her big brother, she huffed grumpily, giving her unkempt mane a shake before reaching into her hat to retrieve a hairband.

“So what’s on the agenda today?” she asked as she began clumping her mane up with her forehooves. “Hope we’re done haulin’ away all that dead wood. Ah’m still tuckered out from yesterday’s load.” She yawned loudly to emphasize the point.

The stallion agreed, stepping out of the bed and wincing as he stretched his back. “Not sure. Maybe more crop sowin’?” he guessed. He rotated his head around on his neck, free of the yoke he was usually saddled with. “Ah’m not usually one ta turn down a good haulin’ job, but operatin’ on an empty stomach really don’t bode well fer me.”

Applejack strapped on and tied the band around its usual spot near the back of her mane, flicking her tail forward to repeat the process. “Yeah, Ah wish we had more grub ta chow down on too,” she agreed, shooting a mournful look at her belly. “Gotta conserve what food survived fer the ponies ‘round here, though. Ah think we can last on good ol’ grazin’ fer a little while longer.” Her stomach rumbled in protest. “...Though dyin’ grass hardly seems like enough fer us.”

Big Macintosh began stretching out each of his legs individually. “Yeah, when are them weatherponies s’posed ta get that cloud thing a’ theirs workin’ again? Been hot as an oven out there with that sun beatin’ down on our backs all day long.”

Applejack tied the hairband up around the edge of her tail. “Maybe we should write to Princess Celestia ta get her to turn the sun down,” she laughed as she swished her tail around. “Between the weather and the lack a’ good eatin’ we’re really pushin’ ourselves.”

“Why don’tcha have a look-see outside real quick?” Big Macintosh suggested, stifling a yawn. “See if any other Apples are out an’ about and what they’re up to.”

“Shoot, Ah might even find an Orange er two,” she said as she donned her hat. The two Apples stared at each other a moment before bursting out laughing.

“Right, an’ clearly they’d be workin’ alongside Princess Luna,” he drawled, chuckling.

The orange earth pony giggled and, grateful for the shade her headgear offered, stuck her head out the open window, looking around to try and find out what was in store for them today. Her eyes traced over the entirety of Green Apple Grove. Much like Sweet Apple Acres, the majority of the property consisted of several apple orchards. Unlike her homestead, however, there were now only a few dozen trees as opposed to the hundreds that her farm boasted.

Applejack flinched as she took in the present state of the farm. No matter how often she saw it, she still couldn’t get used to witnessing the damage that had been done. The uninitiated pony, one unfamiliar with the disaster potential of a Parasprite swarm, would assume that a powerful rogue thunderstorm had slashed through the grove. Most of the trees were damaged in some capacity, many nearly devoured save for the remaining stumps. Barely an apple remained after the swarm had made its way through, and what few healthy ones were left had already been harvested and stowed away.

Applejack’s searching eyes moved from the orchards and closer to the large farmhouse that she and Big Macintosh currently resided in. The home, at least twice the size of the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse, had somehow remained intact despite the swarm’s rampage. Most of the Apples that had come to help were camping out in the home, which could barely accommodate such a large volume of ponies. When Applejack’s gaze fell upon a pile of debris, she shuddered. The three large green barns the grove was famous for were reduced to mounds of shattered wood and straw. Two of the barns had regained a skeletal structure thanks to the efforts from the past week, but the area where the third barn had once stood remained a wreck.

Applejack continued to search the ruined property for signs of life. The grass itself barely qualified at this point, as the entire area was suffering from a small drought. The browning grass was a result of a hot autumn sun and nearly two weeks of no rainfall, last week’s scheduled downpour being interrupted by malfunctioning weather equipment. After a few more moments of scanning the premises, she spotted a couple members of the Apple family already hard at work, plowing a nearby field. “Yep, looks like it’s a sowin’ day,” she observed, before turning her gaze northward. She sighed as her thoughts drifted back to the farm she was much more accustomed to working in. “Wonder what Apple Bloom’s been up to,” she said softly.

“Apple Bloom?” Big Macintosh’s ears twitched. “Well, she ain’t grazin’ on grass,” he muttered. “She has her hooves full with tha workload a’ three ponies, though. Ah’m sure she’s keepin’ herself busy,” he said with a nod, trotting over to look out the window himself. “It’d be nice ta hear from Granny and Apple Bloom,” he said quietly. “Guess they’re so busy they haven’t written?”

“Well...” Applejack started, “...the postal ponies have been workin’ overtime what with all us Apples suddenly here in Whinnypeg, sendin’ letters back an’ forth ‘round Equestria. Ah’m sure they’d’ve written somethin’ by now,” she assured the stallion, throwing a foreleg around her brother’s back. “Ah’m positive they’re doin’ alright. Least they’re not stuck in this mess,” she pointed out.

A knock sounded out from behind the two Apple siblings. The door to the small bedroom opened as a brown stallion with a black mane entered the room. “Mornin’, Apples!” he greeted. “Figured y’all were up considerin’ there was no snorin’ to be heard.” Applejack glared at him. ”Ready fer a day a’ crop sowin’?”

Big Macintosh turned and giving the newcomer a nod. “Sure are, Golden,” he affirmed.

“Good. Fer a moment Ah thought y’all were gonna let the Oranges beat ya’ downstairs,” Golden Delicious grinned.

Big Macintosh sighed. “Sleepin’ in again are they?”

“Like a buncha foals on a Saturday mornin’,” the other stallion confirmed with a chuckle.

“Yeah, we oughta get to it then. We’d be a laughin’ stock if they got out ahead of us.” Applejack agreed, giggling at the memory of the Oranges’ attempts at doing some manual labor for a change. The family did their best to make sure that the Oranges’ work was easy, but even that wasn’t enough for the posh ponies. Still, Applejack reasoned, they could have simply ignored the call for help. As snobby as they could get sometimes, the Oranges were still trying to do what they could to help the grove recover.

“Alright. See ya’ two out there in a bit. Gotta get them Oranges up now.” With a smile still on his face, Golden Delicious left the small bedroom and moved on to rouse all of the still-slumbering ponies in the Green Apple Grove household. Big Macintosh headed out of the room with Applejack close behind, trotting downstairs and outside to spend another day repairing one of the Apple family farms.

---

Unbeknownst to Apple Bloom, she had woken up long before her siblings had stirred, a very rare accomplishment for the young mare. She was already wide awake, had showered, eaten breakfast, and was almost done tending to her hair before heading out to work. She gave her mane a few final brushstrokes, assuring that it did not get in the way of the six white freckles now dotting her cheeks: Apple Bloom wanted to make sure that everypony who saw her knew that she had them. She beamed proudly at the spots in her reflection, idly wondering just how long she had ignored them yesterday. Slipping the brush off from her hoof and setting it down on her dresser, she glanced behind her to make sure that her bow was properly affixed to her tail. The young mare hummed a simple tune as she trotted downstairs and headed outside, where Granny Smith was busy feeding the chickens.

“Would you mind loadin’ and fetchin’ the cart fer me, Apple Bloom?” the old mare asked, surrounded by chickens pecking the ground as she distributed chicken feed. “Jus’ put apples in it today. Friday Market’s never too busy an’ we need to sell more apples ‘fore we concern ourselves with the veggies.”

Apple Bloom nodded happily. “Sure!” she enthused as she skipped to the barn. She was met halfway there by Winona, who bounded out from her doghouse over to the young mare and hyperly bounced around her, tail wagging away. Apple Bloom stopped a second to pet the collie, who thanked her with a few sloppy kisses to the cheek. Giggling, the pony continued for the barn as Winona went to go greet Granny.

Apple Bloom arrived at the barn, poking her nose between the doors and swinging one of them open, bathing the interior in sunlight as she stepped in. The smaller cart Granny used was sitting just inside, with several apple bushels lining its edges. Seems Granny thought ahead last night, she reasoned. The young mare then jumped when a loud bleating suddenly resounded from deeper inside the barn.

“Yah!” she screamed at the sudden animal call. She trotted around the cart to find a ewe and a ram resting comfortably. Their newborn son was lying between them, opening his mouth wide as he sounded again. “Well good mornin’ folks,” she greeted, “Ah plum forgot y’all were campin’ out here in the barn.”

“Good morning, Apple Bloom!” Bethany smiled. “Sorry Joseph here gave you a bit of a scare.”

“That’s my boy,” Abraram chuckled, gently patting his son on the head. “Less than a day old and he’s already showing signs that he has Daddy’s chops!”

Apple Bloom trotted up next to the baby lamb and lowered her head down to him. “He’s so adorable!” she fawned, nuzzling Joseph gently before turning to the two older sheep. “Is everything alright in here? Have everything ya’ need?” she asked.

“Yep, everything is great,” Bethany replied. “I’m just glad our little Joseph here isn’t under that hot sun.”

“Yeah, it’s been a scorcher of a season so far,” Apple Bloom agreed. “It was no help that we ain’t had clouds fer so long. Ah hope them weatherponies get their doohickey fixed up soon.” She ambled away from the family and began loading up the cart with apple bushels. “Glad to hear everything’s goin’ swell,” she said. “If you need anythin’, just holler. Ah’ll be ‘round the farm all day.”

“Thank you once again, Apple Bloom,” Abraram said, “for everything. Would you like some help with those?”

Apple Bloom hoisted another bushel on to the cart. “Naw, Ah got it,” she assured the ram with a smile. “Thanks fer the offer, though! Jus’ enjoy yerselves.”

The young mare finished loading the cart a few minutes later, not even breaking a sweat in the process. She opened the other barn door and slipped into the cart’s harness, blinking against the bright morning sunlight. “Well, take care,” the farmpony said back to the sheep family. Bethany and Abraram waved and smiled back at the farmpony, Joseph letting out another soft bleat before Apple Bloom trotted out with the smaller market cart in tow.

When Apple Bloom left the barn she noted that the ground was free of chicken feed. She didn’t see a single bird outside the henhouse and figured that they were finished with their breakfast. The farmpony saw Winona in front of her doghouse, enjoying her own morning meal as she chomped away at the food in her bowl. As Apple Bloom approached the farmhouse, she spotted Granny, sat on the porch, seeking refuge from the sun. The green farmpony abandoned the shade and approached the young mare, taking the harness in her teeth as she began prying Apple Bloom loose. “Alright, time fer me ta get goin’,” she said as she unstrapped Apple Bloom and began attaching herself to the harness. “You got yer work an’ Ah have mine.”

“Alright, Granny, sure thing,” the younger mare obliged, helping her grandmother hook herself up. Pondering the day’s workload, her eyes floated downward and behind her, inspecting her injured hoof. “Uh... Granny?” she hesitated. “Do ya’ think maybe Ah could start applebuckin’ again? It’s been almost a week now, and Ah’m really itchin’ ta get kickin’!”

The elder mare pondered a moment. “Lemme have a look-see,” she instructed. After Apple Bloom stepped in front of her, Granny bent down and gave the cracked hoof a thorough inspection, lifting it off the ground to get a look at it from all angles. “Well,” she started, “looks like the crack’s healin’ nicely. Still a bit a’ somethin’ there but Ah don’t think it’ll amount ta nuthin’. How does it feel?”

Apple Bloom set her hoof back down before rearing up in front of Granny, kicking her forelegs through the air. “Feel’s great!” she exclaimed. “Ah felt it just a teensy bit the other day, but it ain’t been hurtin’ fer a while! Can’t Ah get back to it today Granny? Please?” she pleaded, landing back on all four hooves. While she did desire to applebuck again, it being her favorite farming task, she also knew that each day she didn’t harvest apples would add to her daily quota once she could resume.

Granny gave her a hard look, studying Apple Bloom’s eager expression for a moment. “Ah ain’t no doctor, Apple Bloom,” she said finally. “Ah can see ya’ want ta get yer work done, and Ah’m proud a’ that. But Ah’d give it another day or two ‘fore thwackin’ it against a buncha trees again. Better ta play things safe, after all.”

Apple Bloom’s face fell. “But... but—”

“No buts,” Granny interrupted. Her face softened into one of concern. “Can’t have mah granddaughter gettin’ herself hurt, ‘specially when we’re bettin’ the farm on ya’.”

Apple Bloom huffed, lowering her head and looking away from her grandmother’s worried gaze. She blew air out her nostrils, sending dust into the air, and scuffed the earth. “Alright,” she relented finally, picking her head up and offering a smile. She gave her tail a twitch and moved forward to hug Granny. “Ah promise Ah won’t do no applebuckin’ today.”

The older mare squeezed back gently. She rubbed noses with Apple Bloom, which elicited a more genuine smile from her. “Take care, now. Ah’ll be back fer supper,” she informed, pulling away from Apple Bloom and setting off for Ponyville. Apple Bloom shuffled to face Granny as she departed. “Oh, an’ don’t cook nothin’! Ah’m bringin’ home a little surprise tonight!” Granny called back.

“Alright Granny! Have a good one!” Apple Bloom called back with a wave. Once Granny Smith was over the hill and out of sight, the younger mare giggled to herself. She glanced behind her to view her tail, which she’d twisted all the way up to the base of her bow’s knot. Any school-aged filly knew that when a tail was crossed, a promise was lost. Apple Bloom unwound it and swished it about as she glanced over the many orchards of Sweet Apple Acres with a wide grin on her face. “Now where did Ah leave off?”

---

Apple Bloom wasted no time in setting up baskets along the half-harvested row of Gala apple trees. Once the baskets were in place, she galloped along over to the beginning of the line and sized up the apple tree. “Alright,” she muttered, “let’s see if Ah can still do this....” She stood in front of the tree, playing with her mane a little as worrisome thoughts floated through her head. What if she hurt herself again? The farmpony glanced over to her injured hoof once more, kicking it against the ground a couple of times. “Still don’t hurt none,” she considered, putting on a determined expression and glaring at the tree. “Won’t know ‘till I try.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she spun on her forehooves and delivered a strong kick to the apple tree. She grimaced... but no pain shot up her leg. Nothing indicated further injury. All she heard was the sound of apples dropping promptly into the awaiting baskets below. “Yes!” she cheered, giggling. “Ah’m ready fer applebuckin’ again!” The proud mare looked up into the tree to make sure she had gotten all of the apples.

To her dismay, roughly a dozen pieces of fruit still clung to their branches. She frowned.

“Aw shoot,” she cursed. “Upswing was probably goin’ a little too strong.... Whatever, Ah’ll get ‘em this time!” With a puff of breath from her snout, Apple Bloom struck the bark once more. A few more apples were coaxed into falling, this time around in the grass instead of into a basket. “Really?” Apple Bloom exasperated, giving the tree a third kick. The remainder of the apples fell on target, joining the other apples in the baskets with dull thuds.

Apple Bloom sighed as she went to pick up the apples that did not make it into the baskets. “Okay, Ah might be a little rusty,” she admitted to herself. “Jus’ gettin’ a little too excited bein’ able ta applebuck again. Ah gotta keep calm er else Ah’m gonna be pickin’ all day instead a’ kickin’.” She stopped for a moment and blinked. After dropping another apple into a basket she giggled. “Well, big brother, seems yer lessons are stickin’ ta me real good,” she commented as she hoisted a bushel onto her back. “Good thing you ain’t here now, seein’ me mess up like that.”

It didn’t take the young mare long to reach the barn. While she was a little out of practice with applebucking, her strength and endurance remained as good as ever. She set the laden basket beside as she heard some barking off in the distance. A moment later, a wild rabbit rounded the corner of the barn, bouncing away from its chaser with great speed. Winona followed the rabbit’s path, barking with nearly every step along the way.

“Winona!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, chasing after the two animals. “Girl, what’cha doin’? That rabbit ain’t hurtin’ nopony or our apples!”

The collie kept on barking, chasing after the rabbit as the white creature hopped away wildly. The rabbit quickly bounced between the holes in the fence surrounding Sweet Apple Acres and made a break for Ponyville. Winona showed no signs of stopping.

“Consarnit girl, heel!” Apple Bloom bellowed. Winona immediately halted her pursuit and turned back to face her master, ears lowered. Apple Bloom huffed as she caught up with the collie. “Winona, you know ya’ ain’t s’posed ta bother critters that ain’t doin’ nothin’,” she scolded with a frown. “Ah know other rabbits were pilferin’ our produce yesterday, but that don’t mean you gotta go chasin’ down every bunny that comes hoppin’ ‘round here!”

Winona lowered her head and whined quietly, her tail drooping to the ground as well. She gave Apple Bloom an apologetic look and began slinking away. “Hold on girl, where are ya’ off to now?” the farmpony asked. “Ah think ya’ oughta’ stick with me today.” The dog responded with a bark and began trotting a bit faster, heading back for the barn. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and followed her. What’s she up to now? the mare wondered.

Apple Bloom watched the collie go back around the corner of the barn again. She followed suit and found Winona sitting near her doghouse. The collie whined again, lowering her head to nose a lone apple. Apple Bloom glanced inquisitively at the fruit, taking it in her hooves and noticing several small bite marks along one of the edges. “Winona, were you sneakin’ apples?” she gasped. Winona went into a panic, leaping towards Apple Bloom and pawing at the apple, seemingly reaching for the bite marks. The young mare blinked, stepping back from the collie’s antics and looking at the marks again. Peering closer to the broken skin of the apple, she noted that the punctures were caused by something thin. Something long and flat.

Something like a rabbit’s incisors.

This time it was Apple Bloom who lowered her ears. “...Oh,” she uttered, dropping the apple and staring down at Winona. “Sorry, girl... looks like ya’ were doin’ yer job after all. Ah didn’t mean ta snap at you like that.”

Winona accepted the apology instantly, jumping back onto all fours and wagging her tail energetically. She leaped for the pony and immediately covered her face in a series of rapid, sloppy kisses. Apple Bloom laughed as she tried to push the collie away gently. “Alright alright,” she giggled, wiping her face, leaning down to give the collie a hug. “C’mon, enough a’ this sentimental stuff, let’s get back ta applebuckin’!” She turned and galloped back for the orchard. Winona barked happily as she eagerly followed the young farmpony.

Apple Bloom made into the orchard to retrieve the other full basket and took it back to the barn, Winona keeping her company this time. When the farmpony returned to where she left off she offered a smile to the collie. “Keep a watch out fer them varmints fer me, alright girl?” she asked the dog, who responded with a happy bark. Apple Bloom smirked. “Ah can always count on you,” she smiled before turning to face the next tree. This time, be a little more patient. If Ah rush again it means it’ll jus’ result in more pickin’. As the young mare turned her back to the tree to continue her harvest, the words of Big Macintosh’s teachings floated through her mind....

“Again,” the large red stallion instructed, sitting motionless under the shade of a neighboring tree. “An’ this time don’t hesitate before strikin’. Yer throwin’ yerself off balance doin’ that, Apple Bloom.” Big Macintosh’s ear twitched as a few sprinkles from the clouds above landed on him, but he otherwise remained still.

Apple Bloom groaned as she forced herself back onto her hooves and backed up to the apple tree she was making progress on. Her rear legs wobbled as she moved, exhausted from the long afternoon spent refining her applebucking techniques. The younger Apple farmer had the basic routine figured out, but wasn’t very efficient when it came to apple harvesting. Her neck was sore from all the times she found herself having to crane it down to retrieve an apple that did not hit its mark, then toss it in with those that had.

Twelve apple trees that were full of fruit earlier that day now stood bare as Apple Bloom moved to increase that number to a baker’s dozen. She leaned forward, raised her back legs, and kicked the Red Delicious apple tree with a resounding thud. The remaining apples tumbled down into the awaiting baskets below. Apple Bloom gave a meager cheer and turned to face her brother. “How’d Ah do with this one, Big Mac?” she said, patting the tree with a forehoof. “Only took three kicks that time!”

The eldest Apple sibling did not reciprocate his sister’s joy, instead frowning down at her. “An’ that’s two kicks that coulda’ been used on two more trees, plus only seven more apples for you ta’ fetch ‘fore movin’ on.” he gestured to the ground. Seven apples lay nestled in the grass.

Disappointed by her brother’s lack of enthusiasm, Apple Bloom kicked one of the fallen apples into a tree trunk, leaving a bruise on the fruit. “There’s jus’ no pleasin’ ya, is there?” she huffed. “Ah’ve been applebuckin’ mah horseshoes off fer a month, but no matter how much Ah improve Ah still get the same ol’ lecture from you!” She heaved a sigh and slumped to the ground, partially for dramatic effect, mostly to give her exhausted body a short rest. “Ah don’t know what y’all are expectin’ from me.”

Big Macintosh snorted and stood up, shaking off what little rainfall had settled in his coat and mane. He rolled his eyes to the sky as the light shower washed over him and his sister, then trotted over to the young mare and towered over her. “First,” he started, “Ah expect ya’ ta start actin’ yer age, little sister. Come on, get back to yer hooves,” he commanded. Reluctantly, the young mare picked herself up, blushing at the implication that she was still only a filly.

“Second,” the stallion continued, “nopony said that this was gonna be easy. Applebuckin’s hard work, an’ we have far too many trees ta spend too much time on jus’ one.” He patted Apple Bloom on the back and gave her a small smile. “An’ third, nopony, not even yer family, is expectin’ you ta be perfect right oughta’ the gate. Shoot, took me ‘bout two months a’ learnin’ fer me ta get where you are now.”

Apple Bloom returned the smile with a small grin of her own. “Really?” she cocked an eyebrow. “You? Not knowin’? Ah thought you were born with it, big brother.”

The older farmpony laughed quietly. “Naw, if only. You could say that Ah didn’t know mah own strength,” he said sheepishly. “Ah was so busy hurtin’ the poor trees that Ah could never get any real applebuckin’ done.”

The younger mare blinked, then giggled. The mental image of Big Macintosh knocking trees onto their sides then picking the apples off was too much for her. “And how’d ya’ get over that hurdle?” she asked curiously.

“Ah calmed down,” he explained simply. “Focused. Took time ta think. Relaxed. It still took time, but eventually Ah got to the point where Ah am now. Ah even was able to work out the ol’ one hoof harvest trick.” He demonstrated by striking the next tree with a calculated blow from one rear hoof, sending all of its apples into the designated baskets. “If Ah started with one leg instead a’ two maybe that whole mess coulda’ been avoided. Ah well.”

Apple Bloom smiled, making a mental note to ask just how Big Macintosh pulled off that one hoof trick of his after she learned the normal method. “Well, Ah’m proud a’ ya’ big brother,” she said before frowning again. “What’s that gotta do with mah own applebuckin’, though? Ah’m not knockin’ trees over, ya’ know.”

Big Macintosh retreated under the tree as the rain began to pour a little harder. “The point is that you’ve gotta have a little patience when it comes to applebuckin’, Apple Bloom,” he explained. “And that yer actually pickin’ up on all this a mite quicker than me.” He looked to the ground where the apples still sat. “Time’s important, but rushin’ too far will only lead ta more time wasted. You’ll be pickin’ all day instead a’ kickin’.” He offered his sister a small hug. “Now are ya’ ready ta try again?”

The younger farmpony returned the hug and shook herself dry from the rain. “Ah’m ready!”

A loud bark startled Apple Bloom out of her daydream. She lurched in surprise, sitting up off the apple tree she was leaning against and blinking rapidly to get her eyes to re-focus. “Whoa there, did Ah space out?” she asked herself. Winona, sitting in front of the farmpony, barked again. “Well now, Ah s’pose Ah did,” she grinned leaning down to pet the collie. “Glad mah little alarm clock was here ta get me goin’ again!”

Winona barked again, dancing around Apple Bloom as the farmpony straightened up and surveyed the tree she was leaning against, before looking down the line. She had gotten three more Gala trees harvested before slipping into her daydream, and seven full baskets awaited their journey back to the barn. “Ah’d better get movin’ if Ah wanna get this patch done ‘fore lunchtime,” Apple Bloom fretted. Without further delay, she started carrying the bushels one at a time out of the orchard and back to the barn.

---

A rusty plow bit deeply into the fertile earth, leaving uneven gouges behind as Applejack forced it through a now-barren part of Green Apple Grove’s orchard. Sweat dotted the mare’s brow as she pulled the uncooperative tool along. Every few feet it would get caught on a rock or a stubborn clump of dirt, and Applejack would have to put in extra effort in order to maintain steady progress. Once the farmpony reached the end of the line, she undid herself from the yoke and heaved the plow out of the ground using her mouth. With a grunt, she lifted the tool off the ground, turned it around and set it down several feet over, letting it sink into the soil.

“Only five more ta go,” Applejack reminded herself as she wiped her face dry with her foreleg. “Now, what’s takin’ mah brother so long ta get back here an’ help me?” She looked back at the extra plow sitting dormant nearby. “No way they found that much more fer him ta haul around. He oughta be plowin’ along with his sister!”

“Oh, he’ll be along, I’m quite sure,” an elaborate, weary voice sounded from behind Applejack. The farmpony turned to find a disheveled relative trotting her way.

“Well, howdy, Uncle Orange,” she greeted. “Are ya’ takin’ up Big Macintosh’s place fer a spell?”

The stallion shook his head. “Your brother will be along shortly,” he repeated, vainly trying to straighten his leaf-green mane with a hoof. “It seems that his talents were required over on a distant part of the orchard. Apparently, more trees had been killed than previously estimated. Your brother’s brute strength is needed to pluck them out of the ground and take them away.” The posh pony grimaced as he hesitantly set hoof into the soft soil where Applejack was plowing. He walked as daintily as he could across the field to approach his niece, who chuckled at his behavior.

“Aw, c’mon, Uncle, ya’ can’t still be ‘fraid a’ muddyin’ up them hooves a’ yours. ‘Specially not after Wedensday,” she smirked. “‘Sides, when plowin’, all kinds a’ dirt’s gonna be attackin’ yer underside. Whaddaya’ say you plow just one line through here?” she gestured with a hoof. “It’d really help me out.”

“The only reason I ventured out here was to give you this,” he explained, hoofing a letter over to the mare. “You and Big Macintosh have received a letter from home.”

Applejack read the front of the envelope. “It’s from Granny an’ Apple Bloom!” she exclaimed, tucking the letter firmly inside her hat. “Ah’ll read it soon as Ah finish with this an’ find Big Macintosh. Ah knew they would’ve sent somethin’ by now,” she beamed.

Her uncle returned the smile with a meager imitation. “Uh, right,” he said. “Well, if that’s all I’d rather be going....”

“Sure ya’ don’t wanna help, Uncle?” Applejack tried again. “Fer yer niece an’ all? Ah know that this sorta work ain’t yer or Aunt Orange’s cup a’ tea, but y’all came down here all the same. Probably been some a’ the hardest workin’ days y’all’ve seen in a while, Ah reckon.” She grinned and trotted over to her uncle, giving him a friendly nudge while patting him on the back with a muddy hoof. He cringed as his coat became even more stained.

“Er, yes,” he said, daintily trying to brush off the mud. “I suppose I could give it the old college try.” He trotted carefully over to the spare plow, awkwardly hoisting the yoke up over his neck. “Is this right?” he asked.

“Well yeah, if yer gonna walk backwards,” Applejack observed, trotting over and lifting the yoke up so her uncle could turn around and position himself properly. “There ya’ are, Uncle. Now all ya’ gotta do is pull, really. Jus’ put yer back into it.” The farmpony quickly got back into her own plow and started pulling it to demonstrate. “See? Nothin’ to it!”

The stallion grunted and groaned as he heaved forward, managing to move the plow a few inches before gasping for breath. He gritted his teeth and pulled again, gradually gaining a little momentum. The proud pony’s progress soon halted, however, when the plow got caught on something underground. Try as he might, he couldn’t get the tool to move another inch.

“Oh, Uncle,” Applejack, who was far ahead of the older stallion, stepped out of her yoke and walked over to him. “You wouldn’t last a week on our farm. Jus’ glad we’ve found somethin’ useful for ya’ ta do.”

Her uncle sighed as he let her take over to force the plow through the tough part. “Yes, well, making sure everypony here is refreshed and organized is certainly a task my wife and I are far better suited for than, well, this.” He looked himself over: his underside was mucked with tossed up soil and dirt, covering the better part of his legs. “I simply cannot fathom why you elected to return to that farm of yours, Applejack. Your aunt and I were most delighted to have you under our roof, and were ready to transform you into a prim and proper Manehattenite!”

“Ah wasn’t cut out fer that sorta life, Uncle,” Applejack retorted, pulling the stubborn plow along. “Not sayin’ Ah didn’t appreciate what y’all were offerin’, but mah place was, is, and always will be Sweet Apple Acres.” A thought crossed her mind, making her smile. “Ah bet all this country air’s makin’ ya’ feel great!” she smirked. The stallion grumbled in response, making Applejack giggle. “Ya’ know Apple Bloom’s been workin’ our farm solo the past week, right? If she can pony up an’ do the work a’ three ponies, Ah’m sure you can handle jus’ one.” She got out of the yoke and held it up for her uncle, who begrudgingly got back in and began pulling again.

“Yes, I seem to recall Big Macintosh mentioning that your sister was working alone while you two were offering your services here,” the city pony replied as he huffed along with the plow. “And how is your sister faring in her solo efforts?”

“Well, Ah dunno,” Applejack admitted, getting back to her own plow. “Ah figure that’s what this letter’s gonna talk about, along with the state a’ the farm an’ all that. Come on now, just a few more feet an’ yer done!” she encouraged as her uncle braced against the earth to coax the plow to move forward.

Applejack finished up long before her uncle did, shouting words of encouragement his way as he finally made it to the other side. He quickly escaped the yoke with a sigh of relief and promptly collapsed to the ground, wheezing. “I do believe... my good deed for the day... is done,” he breathed.

The farmpony laughed and patted her uncle on the back heartily, eliciting a groan from the sore stallion. “See? Ya’ can do it if ya’ work hard enough,” she praised, giving him a friendly nuzzle. “Good job, Uncle!”

He smiled at Applejack’s comments and returned the nuzzle with one of his own. “Well thank you, Applejack,” he said earnestly, “but as, er, riveting as that activity was, I’m afraid I must get back to my regular duties.” With some assistance from his niece, the stallion got back to his hooves and began walking away slowly. Before he got far, though, he stopped and turned back to the farmpony. “Oh my, I nearly forgot!” he said, putting a hoof to his chin. “My dear sister and her husband wish to have one of our family meetings later this afternoon. She wishes that all be in attendance, as she wants to put this food situation that has fallen upon this grove to rest.” With a nod, he trotted off back for the farmhouse with the smallest of limps as he walked.

Applejack waved after her uncle before setting her plow up for another run. She mulled over the news. “Things mus’ be gettin’ serious if Ma an’ Pa want a family meetin’....”

---

When noon rolled around, Apple Bloom was back into the swing of things. She had started off rusty, having issues aligning her kicks and misjudging her strength. At one point she’d forgotten to set out baskets, and dropped an entire tree of apples straight to the ground. After this rocky start, the young farmpony was finally able to find her stride. She expertly landed hooves against bark and was harvesting apples at an expeditious pace. Apple Bloom burned through the Gala and Red Delicious apple trees and was carrying back a final bushel of Maigolds by 12:30. She gratefully set the basket down aside the others and wiped her forehead dry with a flick of her tail, looking over the fruits of her labor with weary pride.

“That’s more like it,” she smiled to herself, breathing heavily. “Not quite up to mah usual fare, but better than no applebuckin’, that’s fer sure!” Apple Bloom nudged her latest bushel in line with the others, completing a third long, neat row of baskets for the farm to behold. The farmpony’s admiration of her work was suddenly interrupted by a loud rumble sounding out from her stomach, making her blush despite being alone. “Guess that means it’s time fer lunch!”

Apple Bloom went to Winona’s vacant doghouse. She filled the collie’s food bowl and made sure Winona had fresh water. Apple Bloom figured that the dog had gone off to patrol the perimeter for potential produce pilferers. The young mare was certain Winona would be fine left to her own devices, as she often was, but missed the ever-optimistic collie being by her side as she worked.

Satisfied that Winona’s food and water dishes were full, Apple Bloom wiped her brow again and peeked up at the sky, considering an indoor lunch to get out of the heat. After a moment, she dismissed the idea. The young mare glanced about the farm as she headed for the house and found it unusually calm and quiet. No animals were causing a ruckus, most keeping to their pens or hen houses or the barn to stay out of the heat. Even Joseph, who’d made it his mission to make as much noise as possible throughout the morning, had fallen silent. The only sounds Apple Bloom picked up were the winds whisking through the trees.

The farmpony’s thoughts turned to her everlasting list of chores as she went through the motions of preparing herself lunch. The young mare was getting ahead on applebucking, it was true, but her other chores weren’t getting any closer to completion. She still had carrots to harvest, and an injured hoof didn’t prevent her from yanking those plants out of the ground. A lot of the apple trees required watering due to the lack of rainfall. Apple Bloom was also supposed to have gathered up food for the pigs today. Their slop supply was running dry and needed restocking soon.

In addition to the usual chores, signs of last week’s storm still littered parts of the farm, and while there wasn’t a hurry to deal with the outstanding issues before, one had bumped itself up in priority. An old, large plow had been slammed into the ground near the base of one of the hills near some apple trees. Apple Bloom had originally intended on letting Big Macintosh handle it when he got back, it being his plow after all. As gravity took its toll on the plow, though, the tool had started to sink, and as it sunk, the tip pushed upward from underground, threatening to unearth itself and pull out some tree roots in the process. It needed to be carefully extracted lest a tree find itself uprooted or damaged beyond repair.

The young mare sighed inwardly as she trotted outside with a lunch tray in her mouth. She plopped the tray down on the table and unceremoniously dug into her hay sandwich, scanning the quiet farm as she munched away at her meal.

“Sure is quiet,” Apple Bloom commented as she took a long drink of water. “Almost thinkin’ a’ startlin’ the cows ta shake things up a bit.” She giggled as an old memory floated through her mind. Even though it meant her flank was still blank, she and her fellow crusaders had agreed that cow tipping wouldn’t have been a particularly great special talent to possess. The thought was gone as quickly as it arrived, however, and the young mare continued to eat in silence.

Apple Bloom had just started on her third and final sandwich when she felt the sun’s heat vanish from the back of her head. She blinked and looked up to the sky to find the sun blotted out by a rather large cloud! “No way!” she exclaimed. “Them weatherponies musta’ gotten that gear a’ theirs all fixed up!”

She watched excitedly as various pegasi peppered the zenith with clouds of various shapes and sizes. One particular pegasus, who was pushing a cloud alongside another pony, caught Apple Bloom’s eye. Beaming, she called out his name. It seemed that the stallion was too caught up in his work, however, as he appeared to ignore Apple Bloom’s yells. She bit her lip, thinking a moment as her eyes wandered over to the stacks of apples she’d harvested. A happy grin spread across her face. “Well, it worked once before....”

High in the sky, Cloud Kicker grunted as she heaved the cumulonimbus into position. “Come on, Gale, put that wingpower of yours to good use!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he waved the pegasus mare off, casually pushing the cloud along with a single hoof. “Such a nice day to ruin with these rain clouds, though, don’t you think?”

The purple pegasus rolled her eyes as the duo came to a halt. “What I think is that you’re just trying to get out of another day of hard work,” she muttered, crossing her forelegs. “You do know we’re trying to stifle a drought before it starts here, right? It’s important we get the rain started before things go from bad to worse, like what’s happening down south.”

The orange stallion laughed, massaging a spot in the cloud a bit before tossing himself onto the fluff and letting his head hang upside-down over the edge. “I know, I know,” he assured. “Don’t you worry your pretty little mane over it, Cloud. I’ll get these babies pumping out water before you know it. You can get on back and get a head start on the rest of town.”

Cloud Kicker grinned and lightly bopped the stallion on the nose. “Sure thing, employee of the month,” she said before offering a salute and flying off for Ponyville.

“Yep, I’ll get right on the rain,” he yawned, “...in about ten minutes.” Gale stretched his neck out as it dangled over the edge of the cloud, rotating his head around just in time to see a bright red apple flying straight for him. Before he could blink the fruit zipped by his head and a few feet over. The apple floated in midair for a split second before tumbling downward. Not missing a beat, Gale shot his head forward and snagged the falling fruit out of the air.

He took the whole apple in his mouth and began chewing on the unexpected snack, flipping over onto his belly to peer down and investigate. ...Oh, duh, he realized, how’d I not notice the little scamp down there? A familiar yellow pony was waving up at the pegasus, clearly trying to get his attention. Gale spotted what looked to be a sizable pile of ammunition beside the earth pony. Rather than wait for another shot, he used his cloud as a springboard and dove straight for the other pony, swallowing the apple on his way down.

Apple Bloom stopped waving when she noticed the stallion coming to meet her. She smiled up to the pegasus as he dove back down to earth. Gale Force flared his wings and landed soundlessly on his hooves, beaming at the mare. “Now what did I tell you about flinging fruit at innocent pegasi in flight?” Gale teased, patting Apple Bloom on the head.

The farmpony casually knocked the hoof away and gave the stallion a poke. “Uh-huh, bet ya’ were nappin’ away up there once that other pony left ya’ alone.”

Gale Force chuckled. “Guilty,” he confessed with a cheesy smile, raising an eyebrow as he took the sight of the young mare in. He put a hoof to his chin in thought. “You look different, Apple Bloom.... Get your mane cut recently or something?”

Apple Bloom swished her bow-adorned tail around and flicked her mane from side to side. “It’s a new style fer me, courtesy of a good friend a’ mine!” she smiled. “Ah ain’t one ta fuss over looks, but Ah’ve grown mighty fond of it. Notice anything else new about me?” She angled one of her cheeks so the new freckles were plainly visible to the pegasus.

“Uh, I didn’t see a cutie mark I think,” he pondered, stealing a glance at a flank which was, indeed, still blank. Gale tilted his head and frowned. “...You didn’t use to wear glasses, did you?”

Apple Bloom sighed. “No, Ah didn’t. Look closer: Ah’ve got freckles now!” she beamed as she pointed the white dots out to Gale, who nodded appreciatively but silently wondered what the big deal was.

“That’s... great, Apple Bloom! They look good on you.” He smiled and patted the mare on the head again. If she was excited with something as simple as freckles, it was no wonder she looked forward to her cutie mark so much. “And thanks for the treat, by the way. It was delicious! Now what kind of apple was that again?” He pondered the red apples sitting next to Apple Bloom. “...Gala?”

The apple farmer laughed. “Sure, Gale, that’s exactly what them delicious, red apples are.”

“...Red Delicious then?”

“Now yer gettin’ it. That’ll be a bit, by the way.”

The pegasus blinked. “But you tossed that apple up to me!”

“An ya’ ate it an’ enjoyed it,” she retorted, holding out a hoof with a smirk. “Pony up.”

Sighing melodramatically, the pegasus produced a bit from a pouch under his wing and hoofed it over. “Cloud Kicker was right: You sales ponies are pushy.” He grinned and licked his lips. “Totally worth it though. It was a pretty good apple.”

“And don’t you ferget it,” Apple Bloom giggled. “So Ah take it yer fancy cloud makers are finally functionin’ proper?”

“You know it,” Gale nodded, “and not a moment too soon. The poor plants haven’t seen a drop of rain for far longer than scheduled. Combine that with the small heat wave we’ve been having and that makes a recipe for sweaty, disgruntled ponies and a dry, dying land.”

“Ooh, does this mean we’re finally gonna get some rain?” the mare asked eagerly. “We’d mighty appreciate a nice wet cooldown!”

“Yep! As soon as I kick them clouds into gear you’ll get a nice little downpour. Nothing too strong, but enough to definitely get you nice and soaked.”

“Thank goodness. Ah’ve been practically meltin’ under the sun down here!” Apple Bloom exaggerated with a giggle. “Wanna sit a spell? Ah’m almost done havin’ lunch and could use some company.”

Gale Force’s head turned skyward, eying the clouds he was supposed to be coaxing the moisture out of. He shrugged. “Sure, I’ve got a little time,” he said to Apple Bloom.

“Awesome!” she enthused, bounding back over to the table to finish up lunch. Gale sat opposite the young mare and glanced about the farm as she ate.

“So, you and Scootaloo have any big crusading plans for the weekend?”

Apple Bloom swallowed a bite. “Wish we did, but Ah’ve got too much on mah plate ta crusade right now. We oughta get back to it next week though, after Big Macintosh an’ Applejack get home.”

“Well, maybe we’ll take a small family trip this weekend then,” he thought aloud. “Scootaloo’s been wanting to go back to Cloudsdale ever since we went there for a Wonderbolts show this summer.” His eyes brightened at the prospect. “Yeah, you know what? I’m liking this idea.”

“Well Ah’m sure y’all’ll have a good time. Bring me back a souvenir?”

“Sure thing, Apple Bloom.” He idly stretched his wings, fidgeting in his seat a bit: The pegasus never enjoyed sitting still for too long. Gale’s guilty conscience was also starting to sound off in his head as he continued to procrastinate. “Well, I think my lunch break’s about over. Since you seem about done with lunch I won’t feel so bad when I start making it rain.” He stood up, Apple Bloom following suit. The farmpony trotted over to his side and beamed up to him.

“Thanks fer yer company, Gale,” she said sincerely. “Was gettin’ a little lonely out here today.”

Gale Force smiled and gave the mare a one-legged hug. “No problem,” he replied. “There’s going to be more rain in the coming week so that we can make up for lost time. I’ll make sure I’m assigned around here more often than not so we can hang out more. Deal?”

The farmpony grinned. “Deal! Oh, one more thing,” she dashed away from the picnic table and returned a moment later with another Red Delicious apple, which she tossed towards the pegasus. “That one’s on the house.”

Gale dexterously caught the fruit in his mouth and nodded his thanks to the young mare. With a grin and a wink he took off to the sky, munching on the fruit as he flew. Apple Bloom waved as the pegasus disappeared into a low-hanging cloud, bits of fluff shooting out in his wake. The farmpony decided it was a good idea to finish her lunch before the rain started, so she quickly got back to the picnic table and ate the rest of her sandwich in a few large bites. She quaffed the remainder of her water and took her dishes inside just as the rain started to fall.

When stepping back outside, Apple Bloom found the rain to be pleasant and comforting as opposed to annoying and a hindrance to her day. It wasn’t the roaring storm she had had to work through a week ago. In fact, she even decided not to don her poncho, instead letting the water wash over her to enjoy the cool and cleansing feeling. As she trotted along she noticed Winona hunkered down inside of her doghouse, chomping away at her lunch and having dragged her food bowl inside. Apple Bloom thought about calling the collie out to her, but decided to let the dog stay dry and enjoy her meal. Remembering her list of non-applebucking chores, she pondered which one to tackle first. After a moment, she decided that since the rain might make the sinking plow fall even further, she should take care of that before anything else.

The young mare grinned as she trotted off towards one of Sweet Apple Acres’ many hills. Apple Bloom stepped into one of the orchards, listening to the sounds of the rainfall hitting the hundreds of trees across the farm, generating a peaceful ambiance as she moved along. The peaceful noise slowed her pace down, and it took her nearly twenty minutes to reach the plow embedded into the ground.

Apple Bloom circled the plow slowly, noting where it was stuck and guessing how deep it was embedded. Water trickled down the tool’s blade as the rainfall continued. The farmpony noticed that the plow was, indeed, sinking into the ground. The last time she had come across it, the blade had been a few inches taller. She looked down at the earth between the plow and the apple trees and bit her lip. The ground was uneven, as if something was beginning to push up from beneath the ground. Mud already clung to her hooves, and more was being added as the malleable earth shifted beneath them.

There was no doubt in Apple Bloom’s mind: She had to get the plow out today. “Wish you were here, big brother,” she said to herself. “Nopony can move this beast of a plow a’ yers but you... but that won’t stop me from tryin’.”

She found the harness of the plow still attached to the tool, sprawled out limply on the ground nearby. She furrowed her brow and crawled into it. The bulky harness, designed for a much larger farmpony, left her plenty of slack, the edges of it tickling the ground despite Apple Bloom standing up to her full height. Giving her head a toss after adjusting it, she pulled out and away from the trees towards the open field as hard as she could. The farmpony’s hooves dug into the earth as she pulled against the unyielding harness. Despite a solid minute of hard effort, the plow refused to budge. Apple Bloom stepped out of the harness, fell to her haunches, and took a second to catch her breath, the water from the rain mingling with the sweat from her brow.

“Shoot,” she muttered, turning to face the plow. “Jus’ how am Ah supposed ta’ get this contraption outta the ground? Shoulda’ asked Gale ta help out when he was still here.” She looked from the plow to the harness to the trees that would soon be uprooted. “If only the darn thing fell in a different way. The angle’s all wrong!” She stood up and examined the tool and the trees again. “Wrong... angle... hmm...” she pondered with a hoof to her chin, an idea slowly formulating in her mind. “Maybe if I.... Well, then if.... Yeah.... Yeah, that just might work!” she exclaimed, dashing back into the orchard. “Ah jus’ hope Ah have all the right tools fer the job!”

---

Apple Bloom clung securely to a branch up in an apple tree, tongue sticking out to the side as she fastened two ends of a belt together. The small pulley attached to the belt became taut, standing straight up as the earth pony yanked the belt tight. Spitting the belt out, she carefully inserted a rope that was draped across the branch into the pulley. Testing the rope by pulling both ways on it, she gave a satisfied nod.

Apple Bloom stood up and about-faced, hopping off the branch, kicking against the tree, and landing deftly on her hooves against the muddy ground. Tree climbing and descending was no easy feat for a pony, but Apple Bloom had had a lot of practice. Each repair or addition to the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse required another trip up a tree without the aid of a rope, ladder, or ramp. The farmpony turned her gaze up to make sure the pulley was properly positioned, blinking as droplets of rain made hit her face.

“Good,” she mumbled under her breath, “that’s all set.” She grabbed one end of the rope in her mouth and took it over to the stuck plow, tying it securely around the harness. Once done, she trotted under the pulley and tied the other end of the rope to a smaller harness, squeezing snugly into it once the knot was tied. She gave the length of the rope one last check before moving forward to tighten the slack, stepping onto a long, flat plank of wood. After running through her plan mentally one last time, she nodded resolutely.

“Alright... it’s now er’ nothin’.” She took a deep breath, wiped her face clear of water and sweat, and pulled. Unlike her previous attempt, she instantly found herself making some forward progress. Apple Bloom stepped off the wooden plank onto the muddy earth as she heaved. The pulley rotated slowly and squeaked as the rope was pulled through it. The other end of the rope lifted the plow’s harness off of the ground. Apple Bloom dug her hooves deep into the dirt as she began to slowly lift the plow upwards. Inch by inch the blade slid out of the ground, emitting a small squelching sound as it emerged.

Apple Bloom craned her neck around to check on her progress. The stained part of the blade told her that she was about halfway there. With renewed vigor she pulled harder against the weight, taking small steps forward. As she did, her forehoof slipped on a smooth stone embedded in the ground. The pull from the plow caused the young mare to involuntarily rear up to her hind legs, sliding back a few inches. Apple Bloom gasped as the harness pressed hard against her torso, forcing the air out of her. She gritted her teeth and tried to lean forward, angling her hind legs to assist.

A small spike of pain shot up through a hind leg as her rear hooves now bore the brunt of the force. Apple Bloom bit down hard on her lip as she slowly coaxed her forelegs back down to earth. Once she planted them down on the ground she pulled herself forward more with them, tilting her legs 45 degrees forward as she pulled. Apple Bloom made sure to watch where her hooves fell to avoid another incident. She put one hoof in front of the other as the plow slowly rose out of the ground, until finally the blade was completely removed from the soil. Panting, the young mare rose a rear hoof and gave the plank of wood on the ground a calculated kick. The plank slid across the mud and grass, sliding to a stop just under the plow and covering the gash the blade had created.

Once Apple Bloom was sure the hole was covered, she stopped pulling and carefully walked backwards, lowering the plow onto the wooden plank. She released the rope and took in a revitalizing breath, grinning from ear to ear: Her rope-and-pulley plan had worked without a hitch.

The plow groaned against the wood, but remained steady atop the plank, and the trees’ roots were saved. Apple Bloom grasped the end of the rope that was attached to the plow’s harness in her mouth and yanked it forward, repositioning the tool on the wood. The blade was now set so that even if the plow and managed to break through the plank it wouldn’t dig into the ground again.

“Well, cross that off mah list,” she said with pride, sticking her head up to let the cool raindrops fall on her face. “An’ the weatherponies were kind enough ta water fer me! That’s two.” She climbed the tree to retrieve the pulley, quickly unfastening it from the branch and tossing it to the ground. “Now, what else did Ah hafta do again?” she wondered as she hopped off the tree and gathered her supplies up into a bag, tossing the satchel over her back and ambling to the farm.

“Ah, that’s right. Need ta get some food fer tha piggies! Oughta be plenty fer them thanks ta last week’s storm. We’ll have enough slops ta feed ‘em fer weeks!”

Apple Bloom’s bright grin started to fade as she realized something. “Gee... it probably won’t be too fun pickin’ all that stuff off the ground all by mah lonesome, though....” She sighed, slowly making her way back through the orchard. “No bucket balancin’ on mah snout fer Applejack ta hit apples into. No stickballin’ anythin’ inta Big Macintosh’s saddlebags. Not even Granny ta scorn us fer slackin’ off.” A smile creeped up on her face. “Well, s’pose it’s not all bad news.”

The wet weather continued blanketing Sweet Apple Acres with a swath of rainfall. As Apple Bloom turned skyward she noticed a pegasus silhouetted through the clouds, moving fast. Once the shadow moved by, the rain intensified, wasting no time in completely drenching Apple Bloom from head to tail. She yelped and made a mad dash for the barn, galloping for the cellar. The door leading to the underground room lay open from when Apple Bloom had entered earlier to fetch the supplies she needed. The earth pony dove for the entrance, craning her neck for the door and slamming it shut behind her. She slowed to a stop at the bottom of the stairs and gave herself a good shake to dry off.

The rain pounded against the cellar door, echoing into the pitch-dark basement. Apple Bloom, having had to blindly find her way through the cellar many times before, easily navigated to one of her workbenches without incident. She reached the counter and lit a candle, being careful not to let her wet mane drip all over the wick. WIth the dim source of light animating shadows across the walls, Apple Bloom sat her satchel down on the floor and unpacked her things. Soon her tools and rope were back in their proper place, either neatly tucked away in a drawer or hanging up on a wall. With the sounds of the rain continuing to permeate the cellar, Apple Bloom sat on her haunches and wiped her brow dry.

“Think Ah’ll jus’ take a breather here. Maybe the rain’ll let up ‘fore too long,” she decided, trotting over to the other side of the cellar and fetching a bottle of apple juice. She popped the bottlecap off with a flick of a hoof and took a long draw, sighing happily when her thirst was quenched. Apple Bloom listened to the rain as she spent the next several minutes nursing the apple juice.

The young mare’s attention was eventually drawn to her injured hoof. After taking another drink, she set the bottle down and used her forelegs to gently lift her back leg up further into the dim light. Apple Bloom examined it carefully, rotating her leg around at a slow interval. The long crack she had sustained several days ago had started to mend. A thin line originating from her fetlock showed where it had healed, tracing down to where the injury was still present. The large crack stood out against the other dings and scrapes that were only superficial. There was still enough separation from the injury that Apple Bloom could force the two parts of her hoof to move independently of one-another. She elected not to do this, however, as that action would cause intense pain.

The horseshoe affixed to the bottom of the hoof and the joining of the two parts at the top forced the crack to stay in place. Apple Bloom lightly tapped the horseshoe to adjust it slightly and close the small gap that had formed during her work day. She managed to do it without feeling too much pain, though that didn’t stop her from wincing. She quickly did the same to her other three horseshoes and finished off her apple juice, standing up and stretching her legs one at a time. She hopped in place to make sure none of the horseshoes were loose, then trotted back over to the cellar steps, where she could still hear the rain.

“Well, guess the rain’s not gonna skedaddle anytime soon,” Apple Bloom mumbled as she craned over to blow out the candle. She quickly climbed the steps and threw the cellar door open. The pony was greeted with a gust of cool wind and droplets of rain blowing in her face. She brought a hoof to her head on instinct and looked around, seeing that while it wasn’t pouring, the combination of the breeze and the rain made the weather seem worse than it was. “Least Ah can still see the ground. Wouldn’t find no apples fer the pigs if Ah was stumblin’ around blind.”

Apple Bloom locked the cellar up and trotted over to the barn, tossing a large overturned bucket onto her back. She let out a shrill whistle through her teeth. “Winona! Come!” she called out to the doghouse nearby. The collie, having taken shelter from the rain, seemed reluctant to step outside, but another whistle from the farmpony encouraged her to brave the weather and dash over to Apple Bloom’s side.

“Alright, girl, it’s slop huntin’ time,” the young mare stated. “We’ll start ‘round the orchards and work our way in. Should probably get three er four a’ these buckets full ‘fore we stop. Are ya’ ready?” Winona barked once, tail wagging away. “Atta girl! Let’s git!”

---

Big Macintosh stood tall amidst the sea of ponies gathering in the front lawn of the Green Apple Grove farmhouse. It almost felt like a true family reunion with so many Apples collected in one spot. Stallions and mares bearing apple slices, apple treats, apple bunches, apple pies, and other varieties of apple on their flanks mingled and chatted. Even Aunt and Uncle Orange had shown up, occupying the back of the crowd in a vain attempt to get the farmhouse’s shade to shield them from the afternoon sun. Not every Apple could make it, though, as some lived too far away and others were unable to interrupt their local farmwork. A few volunteers from the surrounding area dotted the crowd, replacing the absentee Apple family members and doing what they could to help out.

Macintosh kept to himself, not interacting with the throng and instead picking up on a few strands of conversation floating about. Most in attendance were aware of the reason for the post-lunch gathering, and were discussing with each other how to fix the problem, or what solutions they as a whole would propose. Others were less clued in, asking why the family meeting was called to order in the first place. Big Macintosh merely stared ahead with a pensive look, dismissing the idle chatter and thinking about how the Apple family was going to solve the lingering food issue.

One that didn’t have to involve a certain farm up north, that is.

The stallion sighed softly, swishing his tail about as he moved the sprig in his mouth from one corner to the other. Surely they could arrive at a solution that didn’t have to involve Sweet Apple Acres? Even if it meant going against Apple family tradition and having to borrow from somepony else, he’d try to dissuade the family from adding more to his younger sister’s plate. Showing a rare sign of impatience, Big Macintosh began tapping a hoof on the ground, waiting for the two ponies that had called the meeting to arrive.

“There ya’ are, Macintosh!”

The stallion’s head turned at the sound of his name, ears twitching and honing in on the source. Applejack trotted up to her elder sibling and gave him a friendly nudge in the side. “Heard ya’ got called off ta haul more dead wood, leavin’ yer sister plowin’ all by her lonesome.”

Big Macintosh smirked. “Sure ya’ did jus’ fine, sis. Should be able ta hop back on that with ya’ right after this meetin’. All the wood’s uprooted an’ outta the way, least from what we can tell.”

“Well, Ah did get some help in the end. Uncle Orange chipped in,” she chuckled. “Well, if only fer a few minutes, at least. Had more important stuff ta do. Stuff like playin’ mailpony.” Applejack removed her hat and grabbed the letter resting within it. “Letter from home!” she said through clenched teeth and a smile blooming on her lips. Big Macintosh smiled back.

“Finally! Ah was startin’ ta think they’d never write.” He grabbed the offered letter and made to open it when the approach of a pony pair caught his eye. He stuck the letter into his yoke and nodded his head at the approaching duo. “Looks like we’ll have ta wait a spell ‘fore gettin’ to it, Applejack. Meetin’s startin’.”

Applejack nodded, taking position beside her older brother and looking ahead. The conversations began to die down as more ponies realized the meeting was about to begin. Applejack and Big Macintosh stood at the front of the gathering, giving the orange mare an opportunity to wave to the approaching earth ponies. The two gave friendly nods back to their daughter as they reached the front of the crowd, coming to a stop and facing their extended family.

While the murmurs and discussions had quieted somewhat, others were still cooking fervently in the Apple audience. “Ahem!” Jonagold cleared his throat, his voice booming across the entire gathering like a sudden thunderclap. The large stallion’s stature alone was one that commanded attention, standing taller and stronger than his eldest son and towering over that of his wife. A pair of red apples matching his namesake adorned his flanks, easily standing out against his tan coat. Jonagold’s short vocal announcement immediately silenced the ongoing conversations.

“Now then,” he started, adjusting the large straw hat on his head to give him a bit more shade, “Ah reckon y’all know why we’re meetin’ like this. We’re fixin’ fer a real disaster if’n this food issue that’s snuck up on us gets any worse.”

A general murmur of agreement emanated from the crowed, with ponies nodding their heads and looking to one another. “An’ as such,” he continued, “we need ta put our heads together an’ think of some way ta get us outta this mess.”

“But Jonagold,” a green-maned mare piped up from the crowd, “can’t we just rustle up some help from the local town folk? The grove’s provided so much fer them in the past, ain’t it time they gave somethin’ back?”

“They would if they could, Red Gala,” Jonagold replied, “but they’ve their own issues ta work out. We ain’t the only ones sufferin’ from the infestation and drought, ya’ know.” The crowd again generally assented, though in a more somber manner than before. “Afraid we gotta pull ourselves outta this, jus’ like we’ve been doin’ this past week. Now mah darlin’ Valencia here,” he threw a foreleg around the mare next to him, “has been frettin’ over facts an’ figures on our farms ta see where we could possibly get help from.”

Valencia, on cue, took a step forward to address the family. Her dusty green coat contrasted the bright orange halves on either of her flanks. Though the former city pony’s demeanor still held a trace of propriety from her upbringing, years of farming and applebucking had transformed the petite Manehattenite into a stout, strong mare. She flicked one of her golden braids out from in front of her face before speaking.

“We were hopin’ to hear from y’all ‘bout any suggestions y’all might have, as we all know that numbers and statistics only tell part of the story.” Her eyes scanned the crowd, focusing for a moment on Big Macintosh and Applejack before continuing on past them. Applejack shot back a quizzical look before Valencia spoke again. “There is one particular outlier in the analysis I conducted that presents itself as a most welcome opportunity to alleviate our woes.”

A giggle rose from the crowd, followed by a shush from another member. “But given certain... circumstances...” Valencia continued, blushing a twinge and clearing her throat, “...Ah wanted ta see if y’all had any better ideas ‘fore commitin’.” More snickers rolled out of the crowed before a glare from Jonagold hushed them up instantly. To his slight irritation, however, Valencia was now chuckling as well. “Slippin’ in an’ out, again, am I? Well y’all know how much we’ve been frettin’ over this, then, cuz it takes a ton a’ worry ta get me ta start talkin’ fancy.” She offered an apologetic smile to Aunt and Uncle Orange, who she’d spotted in the back of the crowd, forehooves against their foreheads.

“Anyway,” Jonagold continued, “does anypony have any other ideas?” He gave his children in the audience a meaningful look. Applejack, having noticed both of her parents giving them a stare, went wide eyed in realization.

“Sweet Apple Acres,” she muttered under her breath, looking to Big Macintosh with a worried expression. “They’re gonna use Sweet Apple Acres!” she whispered anxiously to her brother as other Apple family members shouted suggestions up to the front.

“Ah figured as much,” Macintosh said with a knowing nod, chewing thoughtfully on his sprig. “Only reason they called this meetin’ was ta try ta find a way out. But...” he gestured aimlessly into the crowd with a foreleg, ears drooping slightly as each idea tossed out was summarily shot down, “...it ain’t lookin’ good.”

Applejack bit her lip as another pony-posited plan was put out by her parents. “There’s gotta be somepony else that can send enough?”

“Ain’t no way, sis,” her brother stated. “Aren’t ya listenin’?” When he went quiet, Applejack’s ears twitched and listened as lots of potential solutions were introduced, discussed, and summarily dismissed for one reason or another. “There’s just not enough food. ‘Bout the only place that can give more than a small helping of crops is... our farm.”

“Oh boy...” Applejack sighed, staring at the letter tucked into Big Macintosh’s yoke. “Apple Bloom’s in fer one big surprise when we write her back.” Her eyes darted back and forth, tracking aimlessly as she tried to think of an alternate recourse.

“Applejack,” a booming voice said.

“Maybe if we go back? If we can just—”

“Applejack,” Jonagold repeated, demonstrating where Big Macintosh’s own patience came from.

“Or how about if—”

“Applejack.”

The mare winced as the thundering voice finally broke her train of thought. Everypony’s eyes were on her as she meekly turned up to face her father with a sheepish grin. “Sorry, Pa. What is it?” she answered to the chorus of a few chuckles.

“It looks like we don’t got any choice in the matter,” Jonagold explained. “We’ll be gettin’ help from some other farms, but Ah’m afraid we’re gonna have ta put in a rather hefty order to Sweet Apple Acres. The rest a y’all can get back ta workin’ in the grove. Macintosh, Applejack, you stick around ta discuss details.” He waved the family off with a large hoof, dismissing the crowd. “There’s a lotta work ahead, fellas!”

The ponies dispersed, spreading out in all directions around the grove to get back to their work. The front lawn was left empty save for four particular Apple ponies.

“I’ve taken the liberty of preparing a detailed list of the quantities and types of crops we require for the farm,” Valencia said once it was just the four of them.

“Sweetie Pie? You’re turnin’ all fancy again.” Jonagold pointed out irritably.

“Oh hush, darlin’,” she retorted with a grin. “Ya’ know ya’ like it when Ah start talkin’ proper anyway.” Applejack flushed as red as Big Macintosh, who had turned a shade darker.

“Thank ya’ kindly, Ma!” Macintosh said quickly to try and steer the conversation away. “We’ll send it back with our letter ta Granny an’ Apple Bloom.”

“...What’s eatin’ ya’, Ma?” Applejack asked softly. “Ah know ya’ don’t start talkin’ like that unless yer nervous, an’ it’s soundin’ like we’ve got a plan now.”

“It’s.... Well, I’m concerned... for my little Apple Bloom,” she admitted, her expression growing worrisome. “So much work for such a little filly....”

“Valencia, Apple Bloom ain’t no filly no more,” her husband reminded gently. “Although it has been awhile since we’ve seen our darlin’. Perhaps after we get things settled here we ought ta go home fer a spell.”

Valencia perked a bit at her husband’s words, nuzzling him softly. “That’d be nice.”

“Speakin’ of which,” Macintosh spoke up, shifting his sprig around, “when are we needin’ this order by? Even if we were all back home it’d take more than a day ta do.”

“Hmm...” Valencia pondered, still using her husband’s shoulder to lean on. “Ah’d reckon... if we could get the order in by next Saturday at the latest... that’d work swell.” She smiled up to her to children. “Think Apple Bloom can handle that?”

“Well, even if she couldn’t, an’ Ah’m not sayin’ she can’t,” Applejack assured, “but if she really couldn’t, she knows ta ask fer help. There’re plenty a’ Ponyville ponies willin’ ta help.” She chuckled.

“Well, now that that’s all settled, y’all head inside,” Jonagold said with a firm nod, tipping his straw hat. “Valencia’ll get y’all the order sheets an’ you an’ yer brother can write back ta Apple Bloom and Granny. Ah’d best git back ta directin’ the troops ‘round the farm.” He remained rooted to the spot, waiting for the next inevitable action to occur. As expected, Valencia, Big Macintosh, and Applejack all grouped around the largest Apple and hugged one-another tightly.

“Meetin’ adjourned.”

---

Granny Smith wearily pulled the lightened cart along as she made her way home from Ponyville. Once again, she’d managed to sell her entire stock by day’s end, and used part of the days profit to purchase dinner. The surprise meal that Granny promised to fetch for the evening bounced along in a basket in the cart as she made her way home. The elder farmpony paused for moment to sample the delectable aromas emanating from the surprise supper. “My oh my, we’re in fer a treat tonight!” she beamed. “Hope Apple Bloom’s good an’ hungry fer this.” Granny blinked and processed that thought. “...Who am Ah kiddin’, she’d eat mine if Ah’d let her.”

Granny smirked at the thought as she trotted over the hill, bringing Sweet Apple Acres into view. The old mare hummed quietly as she occasionally sidestepped a puddle from the recently-subsided rainfall. She pulled up next to the barn and unhitched herself from the cart just as some excitable barking pierced the otherwise-quiet scene. Winona dashed up to Granny Smith and crouched down in front of her playfully, happy to see her return. “Afternoon, Winona,” Granny greeted the collie, patting her on the head. “Holdin’ down the fort, are ya’?”

Winona barked twice before twitching her nose into the air. She sniffed once, twice, three times before toddling over to the cart, tongue rolling out of her mouth as she located the source of the delicious smell. “Oh no you don’t, girl,” Granny said, dashing the dog’s dreams of a delectable dinner. She shoo’d Winona away from the basket. “That’s our supper, not yers.” Winona obeyed reluctantly, backing away from the cart.

“What’s our supper, Granny?” a voice called out. Apple Bloom, covered with splashes of mud, trotted over to her grandmother and gave her a hug. She, too, got a whiff of the food Granny procured from Ponyville. Her eyes focused on the basket in the cart. “That it there? Mmm... smells great, whatever it is!”

Granny chuckled, wiping some mud off of Apple Bloom’s cheek. “Sure is, Dear. Ah figured since you’ve been workin’ yer tail off ya’ deserved somethin’ special fer supper tonight, so Ah stopped by that fancy restaurant ya’ like so much and ordered us a pair a’... er... how’d that feller say it....” She scratched her head, then wrestled the words out of her mouth. “Salad duh looks, Ah think.”

Apple Bloom gasped, hopping in the air and cheering. “Ya’ got us salade de luxe fer supper? Aw, Granny, yer the best!” she exclaimed, wrapping the elder mare up in a much tighter hug. The older farmpony wheezed a little, but returned the hug all the same, patting Apple Bloom on the back. As she did, Granny noticed a fresh bandage wrapped around a particular hoof.

“Apple Bloom?” she asked, breaking apart from the hug and looking concerned. “Did something happen to yer hoof today? Are you alright, darlin’?”

“Hmm? Oh, no worries Granny!” Apple Bloom reassured. “Ain’t nothin’ ta fret over. Darn crack started bleedin’ a bit on me again a little, but it ain’t hurt er nothin’.” She tapped said hoof roughly against the ground a couple of times. “See?”

“Well, good,” Granny replied, smiling warmly. “Ah’d hate ta see ya’ hurtin’ again. Now let’s get this cart in the barn an’ have some supper! Mind gettin’ the doors fer me?” Apple Bloom happily obliged, throwing one door open, then the other. Granny reattached herself to the cart and hauled it in. “My, what a fine day’s harvest,” her voice floated out from inside the barn. “Must be a few dozen... wait a pony-pickin’ minute.... Apple Bloom!”

The younger mare winced at the stern tone with which her name was called. ...Oh ponyfeathers, she thought, glumly stepping into the barn where the day’s harvest of apples were stowed. “Y-yes Granny?” she said softly, offering a weak smile to her elder.

Granny had unhitched herself from the cart and marched towards Apple Bloom, who suddenly felt about three times smaller than the green farmpony. “Apple Bloom, did you buck apples today?”

Apple Bloom gulped. “Well... ya’ see, thing is... m-my hoof was... is feeling better!” she defended. “Ah only hurt it a bit when Ah fished Big Macintosh’s plow outta the ground! Honest!”

Granny responded by simply tapping a forehoof and glaring at her. Apple Bloom changed tact on the spot. “Granny, Ah couldn’t not applebuck fer much longer, er else Ah’d fall too far behind!”

“It ain’t like yer fillin’ a thousand bushels, young filly,” Granny countered. “Ah know what we need, and ya’ weren’t fallin’ too far behind.” She narrowed her eyes at the yellow farmpony. “You promised me ya’ wouldn’t applebuck today.”

Apple Bloom frowned at being called a young filly, but didn’t dare talk back to an angered Granny Smith. She bit her lip, desperately thinking for any plausible excuse. A long shot crossed her mind. “Ah... crossed mah tail when Ah made the promise?” she tried. Granny rolled her eyes exasperatedly and shook her head.

“Apple Bloom, yer supposed ta be older than that,” she chided, voice as sharp as a knife’s edge. “Now git inside an’ wash up fer supper.”

“But... b-but—”

“March.”

“...Fine,” Apple Bloom relented, before lowering her head. She sighed and turned to exit the barn, slowly making her way for the house. Winona, who’d remained outside during the confrontation, tried to cheer her up in her usual ways. Apple Bloom was having none of it, however, waving the collie away with a hoof as she ambled. Back in the barn, Granny sighed. “...Ah wonder if Ah was a bit much,” she muttered to herself.

“Oh, I don’t know, it sounded pretty tame to me.”

“Whozat?!” Granny shouted, startled. She calmed down when a ram trotted out from the back of the barn, yawning. “Land sakes, Abraram. Ya’ scared me good!”

“Sorry, Granny Smith,” the ram replied, yawning again. “Didn’t mean to frighten you, of course. I’m just glad Bethany took little Joseph out for a bit, otherwise he would’ve been woken up along with me,” he said, stifling a third yawn.

“Oh, Ah’m sorry ‘bout that,” Granny apologized. “Ah was just feelin’ so proud of Apple Bloom. Felt Ah’d reward her fer her hard work this past week. Then when Ah do Ah come home to this.” She gestured at the stacked piles of bushels around the barn. “She lied to me.”

Abraram looked puzzled. “Any other day of the week I’d expect you to be happy to see this much work done. What makes today different? Surely you didn’t expect more than this?” he commented.

Granny shook her head. “It ain’t that. She promised me that she would do no applebuckin’ today, on account of her hoof bein’ in a bad state an’ all. An’ she broke it.” She looked over all of the bushels, sighed, and turned to Abraram. “Ah’m jus’ worried about her is all. Ah didn’t mean ta snap at her. Can’t exactly punish her right now neither. What am Ah gonna do, give her extra chores?” She sighed, scanning over the bulk of the bushels to get a rough count of them.

Abraram trotted over to Granny Smith and chuckled and gave her a friendly pat on the back. “She sure sounded sad to me already, Granny. Sounded to me like she feels bad enough already.”

Granny thought a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, Ah suppose. Think the best thing fer the both of us now is ta enjoy a good supper together,” she said resolutely. “Then we can discuss things.” The elder farmpony glanced out the barn door and at the house. “She made a choice today, and Ah gotta let her make those sorts a’ choices on her own more and more now.” She shook her head, amused. “Ah here Ah was thinkin’ she was actin’ younger. Turns out she’s growin’ up faster than ever....” Granny turned to the ram and gave him a small hug. “Thanks fer the pep talk. Take care a’ Bethany an’ Joseph now.”

He chuckled. “You did most of the talking, I think. But I will!” he promised, smiling and returning to his temporary home in the barn as Granny grabbed the basket from the cart and left.

The green farmpony steeled herself as she approached the home, wanting to be prepared for any reaction Apple Bloom would have when she confronted her. Granny pushed the door open and went to the kitchen, setting the basket down on the table. Apple Bloom was waiting for her there. The older farmpony sighed and began. “Apple Bloom, Ah’m—”

“Ah’m sorry, Granny!” Apple Bloom interrupted, standing up to face her grandmother head on. “Ah shouldn’t’ve lied to ya and jus’ told ya’ what my plans were. Now we both know Ah needed ta applebuck today. Ah know you said Ah’m doin’ okay not applebuckin’, but Ah can’t get outta shape when Ah got a whole week left on mah own, an’ Ah wanna have some slack jus’ in case, ya’ know?”

Granny said nothing for a moment, a little taken aback by the reverse-apology. She smiled warmly. “Ah was thinkin’ about the same thing, actually. Now, Ah don’t expect you ta lie ta me again, alright? If ya’ really wanted ta applebuck today, Ah... might’ve relented. Eventually.” She shook her head. “Anyway, Ah jus’ wanted ta let you know that ya’ can always talk to me, mare ta mare.”

Apple Bloom blinked, then let out a small gasp, smiling faintly. She’s treatin’ me like... a mare... she realized. “...Ah will, Granny. Promise. An’ Granny? Ah love you,” she beamed, hugging Granny Smith tightly.

Granny chuckled at the sudden hug, squeezing back. “Now how about we dig in?” she suggested, pointing at the food on the table.

Apple Bloom nodded eagerly, quickly getting the two places at the table set up with the fancy salads and drinks. She smiled across the table at Granny Smith

“Bon appetit!”

---

Applejack shuffled into her and Big Macintosh’s bedroom, dragging her hooves along the wooden floor. “I’m plum tuckered out,” she mumbled to her older brother, who’d managed to drag himself in behind her in a similar fashion. He shut the door behind him as her sister continued. “Ah almost don’t care that Ah have to share a bed, considerin’ Ah won’t be budgin’ an inch tonight, Ah reckon.”

Big Macintosh said nothing. He reached his side of the bed, threw the blankets into the air with a toss of his mouth, then flopped in, bouncing just a little as the blankets settled over his weary form. “O-only a few more days ta go. Lookin’ forward ta bein’ back home,” the stallion stammered, stifling a yawn. His failed attempt caused his sister to yawn loudly.

The mare set her hat aside on the nightstand, undoing the bands in her mane and tail. “You said it, Macintosh,” she agreed, now tucking herself into the inviting bed. “Ah still can’t believe what Apple Bloom’s gonna have ta go through, though. Ah mean, Ah know she can do it, but y’know, Ah love her, an’ Ah hate burdenin’ her so.” She sighed, adjusting her head on the pillow. “‘Specially after findin’ out ‘bout that hoof a’ hers.”

Big Macintosh lifted his head up off his pillow. His mouth worked around the absent sprig instinctively as he pondered. “Well, Granny didn’t say it was serious er nuthin’. Apple Bloom oughta be ready fer applebuckin’ in, well...” he counted off the days since the letter was dated “...tomorrow at the latest, Ah reckon.”

“But that’s probably done put her so far behind!” Applejack exclaimed worriedly, sitting up. “She’ll never be able ta do what we’re askin’ for!”

“Ah’m sure she’ll be fine, AJ,” Big Macintosh said, waving a hoof dismissively. “Ma, Pa, you an’ Ah all agreed that this was the best way ta handle things. We’re all workin’ hard. Apple Bloom’s just gonna have to work a little bit harder.” He smiled. “Don’t’cha be frettin’ over her so much, now. Apple Bloom’s gonna recover, if she hasn’t already, and is a strong, dependable pony. Jus’ like—”

“Like you?” Applejack interrupted.

The red stallion chuckled. “Naw, Ah was gonna say like mah other little sis,” he said. “But yeah, if you wanna exaggerate....”

Applejack promptly smacked Big Macintosh with a pillow, laughing. She quickly returned the soft cushion to its rightful place under her head, then sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “Still, though... we’re orderin’ enough ta need about every kinda apple we got back at Sweet Apple Acres. Ah can’t help but fret just a bit, knowin’ we’re askin fer so many apples.”

Big Macintosh nodded. “It ain’t as bad as it coulda’ been. The original plan was ta harvest a lot more, an’ it took enough figurin’ ta negotiate it down ta what we ended up askin’ for.” He offered Applejack a hug, which Applejack accepted gratefully. “Good night, sis. We need our rest too. Can’t be worryin’ through our beauty sleep, now can we?” he smirked.

Applejack chuckled. “Right, Ah know...” she agreed. “Good night, big brother. See ya’ bright an’ early.” Her eyes closed immediately, her breathing relaxed into a soft rhythm.

“You too, Applejack,” Big Macintosh answered, yawning again and resting his head and letting his eyes droop shut. “Jus’... one more week. Then we’ll be home again.”

Author's Note:

You read right! In this fic, Applejack's parents are indeed alive and kicking. Back at this fic's inception, we were only in the middle of season 2, and while the lack of parents was indeed a bit mysterious for a set of ponies big on family, there was no confirmation either way. That, and most of the other main cast's parents haven't gotten any screentime yet either. As such, I invented a way to explain their long-term absence outside of a simple "they're not alive any more" explanation.

Of course, towards the end of season 5, we finally did get the unfortunate (for the Apples) confirmation that they are indeed no longer alive. In a meta-sense, I am glad that those producing the show came out and confirmed it. This is probably the second-largest divergence that this fic now has with official show canon (something I definitely do not do intentionally). Were it something more minor, I'd go back an edit it. But them being alive is woven throughout the chapters, and they play one of their biggest roles in this chapter especially.

Hope you've enjoyed what you've read so far!

Comments

[Autumn Wind]

Another great chapter! As a totally unbiased prereader of this fic, I find it quite the enjoyable read. Keep up the good work!

[mbpony 512]

Nice update, but still I was hoping for a moment or two of guilt with the elder ponies shouldering all the hard work on little Apple Bloom.

At least admitting they're sorry about all this.

Still nice update as I can't wait to see how Apple Bloom completes this huge order.... Maybe the rest of Applejack's friends can help out ?

Do keep up the good work upon such a great tale of growing up on tough times.

Also I'm hoping for a sequel of sorts of this story, just to showcase Apple Bloom finally meeting up and bonding with her parents, even if it is for a little while.

[Admiral Stoic Rum]

Oh dear they didn't read the letter did they. Otherwise they would know of AB's situation. Well it get better I know it does always does especially if AJ's letter has a reminder about asking for help.

[KwirkyJ]

Have I ever commented on how delightful is this story? Because it's a delightful story, and you deserve to be told such. You've got a very pleasant, simple prose and a compelling, steady flow of events. Just wanted to offer my appreciation. Keep up the great work!

[Rokas]

Didn't read the letter, did they?

Gonna be some red faces when all is said and done.

Also: Great additional chapter. MOAR!

[Blue Thrush]

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1412525
Hmm, a couple people commented on this now, so I'd better address it: Yes, they read the letter. The rest of the Apples are well-aware that Apple Bloom cracked a hoof. I didn't see them bringing it up because they were going to more-or-less have the same dialog, and I figured Granny wouldn't make a huge deal over it at the time she wrote the letter (since they sustain similar injuries while applebucking normally).

Aaaaand I might've missed that little detail! You caught me. It's not that they don't care or anything, it's just that their initial reactions occurred off-screen.

Thanks for the nice comments, all! ^_^

[Rokas]

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Okay. It's just you had that whole bit about getting the letter, and then AJ and Mac talking about it before the meeting ended, and then mentioned that they were going to use the reply to said letter to send the order for food. You set up several scenes that had the letter as possibly becoming a minor plot point, then completely and utterly ignored it. Then in the final scene when they're going to sleep, not a word is said about the letter. This implies strongly that they didn't read it.

No offense, but that's not good storytelling. Granted, it's not a story-wrecker or anything, but it still confuses the narrative, emphasizes something more than you should have, and ends up implying something else than you intended. You should consider rewriting part of this chapter, if only so we can see how AJ and Mac have taken the news from back home. Even a few lines in passing as they're getting ready for bed, like "Ah hope Applebloom can handle all o' that, 'specially with that broken hoof Granny mentioned," or something like that. A few lines inserted in the right place corrects impressions and sets up what's to come far more gracefully.

[Blue Thrush]

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Well said! Indeed, this is the sort of thing that happens when you write a chapter over the span of three months. When writing the ending bits of the chapter, I did pretty much forget about the buildup that was occurring with the letter, and I did sort of rush things out the door in a bout of impatience. My bad entirely.

I'll change up the closing scene a bit to involve the letter, as it is bugging me now that I left it out. Thanks for being honest, and no offense taken!

[Rokas]

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It's no problem, authors gotta help one another, right?

[Blue Thrush]

1415378
Indeed! Thanks for giving me the incentive! The last scene has been updated, to hopefully fix the little goof I made. >.>

[Comma-Kazie]

I don't see the bit about the letter others have mentioned, so it looks like you've cleared that up nicely.

Regardless, I'm continually impressed by the level of detail this story delves into. Apple Bloom has had a lot dumped on her plate, and it's been quite a ride watching her grow up to fill the role. I will say I'm a little surprised that her parents have been away from their daughter long enough to miss out on a large chunk of her life, but that's my bias more than anything else.

Well done, and I eagerly await more!

[JAG]

Hmm. So Apple Bloom has a road trip coming up? Poor kid. She finally gets good at the regular farm work, and life throws her another curveball. Hopefully her friends can keep helping her out.

And it occurs to me that I don't think I've commented on this story before now, though I've been following it for months. It's really good, and a nice change of pace from the kind of stuff I mostly read. There aren't any villains or rampaging monsters, no epic global adventures or over-dramatic romance. Just a simple, heartwarming story about a girl dealing with the little struggles of running a farm. That's a premise that could easily be very boring or exaggerated, but you're doing a good job of making it down-to-earth and believable, and still interesting and fun to read.

The OCs are worth mentioning, too. I particularly like Gale Force. If Scootaloo ever gets a canon dad, I hope he's something like this guy.

[Ponibius]

Finally got around to reading this chapter, and I will say it continues with its high quality. Apple Bloom continues to grow up little by little, and it is nice to see her grow into her role. This story continues to be a simple heartwarming tale, and I look forward to future chapters.

[statoose]

-“Ah think we can last on good ol’ grazin’ fer a little while longer.”
Huh, never thought of the idea of grazing before. And they are horses, after all. Neat.

-Unlike her homestead, however, there were now only a few only dozen trees as opposed to the hundreds that her farm boasted.
Small error here.

-His eyes brightened at the prospect. “Yeah, you know what? I’m liking this idea.”
Ah, so that's where she gets it from! :D

-Valencia was now chuckling as well. “Slippin’ in an’ out, again, am I?"
Hah, I love your portrayal of the apples' mother! Very amusing and cute. It's nice to read a story in which AJ's parents are alive and (mostly) well for once.

All in all, another very enjoyable chapter.

[Blue Thrush]

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Thanks! Also extra thanks for catching the error which I have now fixed!

[bcsnakeeyes]

why oh why do i see applebloom having to call half the town to help or at the least her freinds including the ones that helped on the farm before, just to get this big order done, and one other thing, so shes got her freckles now, all shes got to do now is get her cutie mark now, and her siblings will be totally shocked, either that or by the end of this tory she will have one, if i'm predicting this right,hopefully.
Although i could be totally wrong.
also sorry this took soo long to read , ive been swamped with real life and tons of other stoires that ive favorited have been updated, im almost caught up now.
Also keep up the awsome work, this story is pure gold. a real eye opener on applemblooms growing up years.