Flying High

by arglefumph

Picking a Good Apple

Big Macintosh's hooves had been hurting him lately, because his horseshoes were old and needed to be replaced. But when his legs were accidentally trampled at Twilight Sparkle's welcoming party, the pain had become unbearable. A quick visit to the doctor's resulted in large bandages and orders to keep off his right foreleg for at least a week.

On the Monday after the injury, Big Macintosh's leg was in a sling as he stood with his sister Applejack. The two of them were surveying the west apple orchard. Applebuck season wouldn't be for at least a month yet, but the grove of green Granny Smith apples was ready for harvesting.

"Boy howdy!" Applejack said. "I got my work cut out for me. That there is the biggest crop o' Granny Smiths I ever laid eyes on.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said. "Too big for you to handle on your own."

"Come on, big brother!" Applejack said. "You need to rest up and get yourself better. I haven't met an apple orchard yet that I can't handle. I'll take a bite out of this job by day's end."

Big Macintosh was skeptical. "Biting off more than you can chew is just what I'm afraid of," he said.

Applejack took offense at that statement. "Are you sayin' my mouth is makin' promises my legs can't keep?" she demanded.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh drawled.

"Why of all the..." Applejack said. "This is your sister Applejack, remember? The loyalest of friends and the most dependable of ponies?

Big Macintosh wasn't fazed by his sister getting up in his face. "But still only one pony, and one pony plus hundreds o' apples just doesn't add up to—" he said.

"Don't you use your fancy mathematics to muddle the issue!" Applejack said. "I said I could handle this harvest and I'm gonna prove it to you. I'm gonna get every last apple out of those trees all by myself."

Applejack took a quick glance at the orchard. Now that she looked at it, there were a lot of Granny Smith apples to get. She gulped nervously.

---

Twilight stopped by Sugarcube Corner on her way back home from dropping Spike off at school on Tuesday. It was the first time Twilight had been inside the bakery, and she was a little overwhelmed by all the candy and sugar everywhere. Even the walls and tables appeared to be made out of delicious candy. Twilight couldn't help herself from licking one of the peppermint pillars.

"Augh!" Twilight screamed. "Gross!"

The pillar was definitely not made out of peppermint. It was made out of wood, that was painted like peppermint. Twilight wiped her tongue with her hooves, hoping to get the nasty taste out of her mouth.

"Hello?" a voice called. "Can I help you?"

Twilight stepped away from the pillar to see a blue Earth pony, standing behind the counter. Judging from her swirly pink mane, Twilight decided she was probably Pinkie's mother. Twilight walked up to her.

"Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle," she said. "I just moved into the library down the street."

"Welcome!" the older mare said. "You're the pony who ordered a cake for the Summer Sun Celebration, right?"

"That's me," Twilight said. "But actually, I came by to see Pinkie Pie."

"She's in the back, making cupcakes with Applejack," the mare said, gesturing towards a doorway leading to the kitchen. "They won't be done for a while."

"Oh," Twilight said. "Well, in that case...I guess we can talk about the cake for the Summer Sun Celebration."

"Great!" the mare said. "I have a photo album of the different kinds of cakes we've made in the past. Let me get it for you, and you can pick one out."

By the time Twilight and Mrs. Cake had settled on a cake design—a simplistic cake with fancy decorated edges—Pinkie Pie and Applejack were done with baking. Pinkie was bouncing around like usual, while Applejack looked like she was sleepwalking.

"Hi, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said. "We just made cupcakes!"

"Uh...a couple of cakes..." Applejack said, her eyelids closing. "Sounds good to me..."

"Are you okay, Applejack?" Twilight asked.

"Of course I'm Applejack!" Applejack said sleepily. "Why would you think anything different?"

"Hmmm..." Twilight said. Since Twilight had worked as a university librarian, she was able to instantly recognize that Applejack was sleep-deprived. She looked just like a student, at the end of an all-night study session. "Get some sleep, okay?" Twilight recommended.

"Yes, Granny Smith..." Applejack muttered. Suddenly, her eyes flew open. "The Granny Smiths! I ain't even a third of the way through them yet! I gotta get goin'!"

Applejack ran out the door as fast as she could, without so much as a How-do-you-do as a goodbye. Before Twilight could react to this, Pinkie Pie wrapped an arm around her.

"Twilight! My new best friend neighbor buddy!" Pinkie Pie said. "You came to see me!"

"Hi, Pinkie," Twilight said, trying to get out of the hug. "I came by to ask you if—"

"Yes, of course I'll go to the Grand Galloping Gala with you!" Pinkie said. "I love parties, and the Grand Galloping Gala is the most fun, superrific party of the year! I can't wait!"

"No, I—I don't have a ticket to the party for you," Twilight said. "I wanted to ask—"

"Somepony else?" Pinkie Pie asked. A huge frown appeared on her face. "Why would you ask somepony else? That's not—Oh! I get it now! You want to take somepony to the gala on a date! Lucky for you, I know all the stallions in town—I can totally set you up!"

"Pinkie!" Twilight said. She finally managed to get out of Pinkie's vise-like hug, so she could turn and face Pinkie. "You keep interrupting me! I'm not here to talk about the Gala!"

"Whoops! Sorry!" Pinkie Pie said. "What did you want to talk about?"

Here goes nothing... Twilight thought. "Do you like...laughter?"

"Hmmm..." Pinkie Pie said. "I'm not sure! When I tell silly jokes, it's not because I want to make myself laugh. It's because I want other ponies to laugh!"

"But you like bringing joy and laughter everywhere, right?" Twilight said.

"Uh...kind of?" Pinkie Pie said. She turned and showed off her cutie mark to Twilight. "See, my special talent is parties! I like making things fun for everypony, so they're happy! And lots of laughter is a sign of good party!"

"Oh...I thought your cutie mark meant you're a balloonist," Twilight said.

Pinkie burst into giggles. "Now you're the one being silly!" she said. "Anyway, my answer is yes. YES! Of course I'll do stand-up comedy at the Summer Sun Celebration!"

Twilight stared blankly at Pinkie Pie for a moment. "...That's not what I was getting at," she said.

"You sure? I have some good jokes!" Pinkie said. "How many pegasuses does it take to screw in a lightbub?"

"It's pegasi, not pega—" Twilight said.

"Ten!" Pinkie Pie said. "One to screw in the lightbulb, and nine to—"

"I have to get going," Twilight said. "See you later, Pinkie Pie."

"BYE!" Pinkie Pie said. "Come back in an hour, when the cupcakes I just made will be done baking! I'll give you a free sample!"

---

Twilight went back to the Golden Oaks Library, ready to start her busy day full of librarian business. As she soon found out, there was no librarian business that day. The ponies in town were so used to the library only being open two days a week that they didn't visit regularly. The only thing close to official business was a letter from Twilight's previous boss, about her Interlibrary Loan request.

Dear Twilight,

The Canterlot University Library has rejected your request to loan you one of our copies of The Encyclopedia of Cutie Marks. As you should already know, it is a reference book, and therefore it cannot be removed from the library.

-Wren Calls

"Seriously?" Twilight asked. "You've got three copies of that book! I just need to look at one for ten minutes, you miserable old crow! Grrrrr!"

Twilight sent a letter to her brother, asking him if he could look up the mysterious six-pointed star symbol in the cutie mark encyclopedia. Twilight was finishing a letter to Princess Celestia—informing her of Scootaloo's situation and about Pinkie Pie being the Element of Laughter—when there was a scratching sound from the front door.

"Hmmm?" Twilight asked.

A second scratching noise came, followed by a soft moan. Wondering if there was a mouse outside, Twilight went to the door and opened it. To her surprise, the soft noises had come from a nervous-looking yellow pegasus.

"Um...hello..." the pegasus said.

"Fluttershy, right?" Twilight said. "We met at the spa."

Fluttershy nodded. "And you're Twilight Spackle, the new librarian."

"Sparkle, actually," Twilight said.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Fluttershy said quickly. She lowered her head. "I came by to tell you that...I...um..."

"There's no need to be nervous," Twilight said. "Please, come inside."

"Oh, no, I can't impose," Fluttershy said. "I just wanted to tell you that...um...the bird choir is going to rehearse today...and you're invited...if that's okay with you."

It took a moment for Twilight to figure out what Fluttershy meant. "Oh, that's right," Twilight said. "I still have to give them permission to perform at the Summer Sun Celebration."

"And they've been working really hard lately..." Fluttershy said. "So please won't you let them sing? I'm sure it will be nice!"

"I think I'll make a decision after hearing them practice," Twilight said. "Thanks for inviting me, Fluttershy."

"Oh, it's nothing, really," Fluttershy said, pawing the ground. "The birds asked me to..."

"It was still very kind of you to help out your animal friends," Twilight said, remembering that somepony suggested Fluttershy as the kindest pony in town. "Do you do kind things often?"

"Um...I guess..." Fluttershy said. "To be honest...I just wanted to help out my animals, that's all."

"Do you like animals?" Twilight asked. She didn't know it, but those were the magic words to break the dam of Fluttershy's silence.

"I love animals," Fluttershy said enthusiastically. "I have over twenty of them that live with me at my cottage! My favorite is Angel Bunny. He's so cute and adorable!"

"We have a few books here about animals," Twilight said. "Would you like to see them?"

"Yes!" Fluttershy said. "I mean, if that's okay. I don't have a library card or anything..."

---

Two hours later, Twilight Sparkle was in the process of leaving Fluttershy's cottage. "Thanks again for the books!" Fluttershy called. "And for agreeing to let my birds sing!"

"You're welcome," Twilight called back, as she took to the skies. "Thanks for the tea!"

Twilight smiled as she flew away. Fluttershy was a very nice pony, once you got past her shyness. Unfortunately for Twilight, Cheerilee was also a nice pony. Twilight wasn't sure how to determine which of the two ponies was kinder. Maybe they could have a kindness competition?

Twilight shook her head. She could worry about the Element of Kindness later. Right now, she wanted to focus on the Element of Generosity. She still hadn't spoken very much with the three generous Earth ponies yet. Resolving to change that situation, Twilight flew to the food market and landed near the farmer's section.

"Twilight! Hi!" a voice called. "Want some carrots?"

"Hi, Carrot Top," Twilight said, walking to her booth. "Nice to see you again."

"I plucked these carrots this morning!" Carrot Top said. "The asparagus is a day old, so it's a little cheaper."

"Sorry, but I don't have anything to carry food in right now," Twilight said. "I actually came by to ask about the food for the Summer Sun Celebration."

"Yes, about that," Carrot Top said. "I talked it over with Applejack and...well, we can't cater that event for free. After all, everypony in town will be there to see Princess Celestia, and that's a lot of food for us to provide."

"I understand," Twilight said. "But our budget is kind of small, I'm afraid. How much will it cost?"

"Tell you what," Carrot Top said. "If you get me a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala, I'll give you a huge discount."

"You want to go to the gala, too?" Twilight asked.

"I've got it all planned out," Carrot Top said. "I'll wear my fanciest dress and get the attention of some of the wealthy businessponies. They can loan me enough money to buy out Old Man Mareson's field. My business will double overnight!"

"That's...quite a plan," Twilight said. "But what about Applejack? Do I have to get her a ticket, too?"

"I doubt she wants to go to the gala," Carrot Top said, gesturing towards the Sweet Apple Acres stand. "I mean, look at her. She doesn't care about business. She can barely stay awake!"

Twilight looked thoughtfully at Applejack, remembering her encounter with the sleepy farmer pony from earlier that morning. "She does look dead on her hooves," Twilight commented. "I think I should see what's wrong."

"Fine by me," Carrot Top shrugged. "Just let me know about the gala, okay? Even if I can't go, I still want to meet with the Canterlot businessponies."

Twilight nodded, then walked over to Applejack. As Twilight approached, she could hear Applejack muttering at the passers-by. "Apples...ap...nap...nappy time..." Applejack said.

"Applejack, are you okay?" Twilight asked.

"Huh?" Applejack asked. She yawned. "I'm fine. I was just up at three this morning, getting apples ready today."

"Three o'clock in the morning?" Twilight gasped. "No wonder you look so tired!"

"Yeah, well," Applejack said, chuckling slightly. "With Big Mac's injury, I had to pull a double shift." She yawned again. "Or maybe it was a triple shift? I don't rightly remember..."

"Please tell me you're going to sleep once you're finished selling apples here," Twilight said.

"Can't," Applejack said. "I'm only about halfway through with the Granny Smith field. I gotta get 'em all picked and packaged and...ugh...anyway, you gonna buy something?"

"Actually, I came to ask if you'd like a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala," Twilight said.

Applejack seemed to come to life at that statement. "Sure would!" she said. "I'd love to set up my apple stand at that gala! Do you know how much money I could make offa those rich ponies?"

"Carrot Top thinks the gala could help her business, too," Twilight commented.

"Shucks, it ain't about business," Applejack said. "I need the money to help my family. Applebloom needs new clothes 'cause she's gettin' bigger again, Big Macintosh needs a new plow because the old one hurts his back, and Granny Smith needs a hip replacement."

"That's really generous of you to think of them," Twilight said. "But don't you need anything?"

"Sure I do," Applejack said. "But helping out my family is more important than helping myself. Only a real selfish pony would ignore her family, you know?"

Twilight clapped her two front hooves together in delight. That confirmed it! Applejack was the Element of Generosity! Bon Bon wanted to go to the gala to learn new food recipes, Carrot Top wanted to go so she could help her business, but Applejack wanted to go in order to help other ponies. If that wasn't a generous motive, Twilight didn't know what was.

"Thanks, Applejack!" Twilight said. "I'll pay you back for this, okay? Bye!"

"What?" Applejack asked as Twilight flew off. She scratched her head, then decided it couldn't be that important. Resting her chin on the table in front of her, Applejack softly called, "Apples! Get your apples here!"

---

When the exhausted Applejack returned home to Sweet Apple Acres for a late lunch, she found her brother and three pegasi waiting for her.

"Surprise!" they all shouted.

"Huh?" Applejack asked. She snapped her head up to look at them, accidentally knocking off her hat in the process.

"We picked all of your apples for you!" Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah, it turns out you can knock apples off a tree when you fly real close to them," Rainbow Dash said.

"And my animal friends helped!" Fluttershy said.

"Eeeyup!" Big Macintosh said.

Applejack ran past them to look at the western grove. Sure enough, all the Granny Smith trees were bare, with full apple barrels underneath them. Applejack turned back to look at her smiling friends. "I...I don't understand!" she said. "Y'all stopped by to help harvest the apples?"

"It was the right thing to do," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah, you're our friend," Rainbow Dash said.

"Besides, I feel kind of responsible for this mess, because Big Macintosh got hurt at my party," Twilight said. "I was going to get all the apples by myself, but when I told the girls, they insisted on coming along. Pinkie wanted to come too, but she got food poisoning somehow."

Big Mac shrugged. "I told 'em to leave, but they wouldn't take no for an answer," he said.

Tears formed in Applejack's eyes, although later she would say they were tears of exhaustion. "Y'all are the best...the nicest...I..."

"Yes?" Twilight asked.

"THANK YOU!" Applejack shouted. She jumped up and swept up the three girls in a big group hug. Big Macintosh joined in on the hug, from the other side. "I love you all more than anything! Well, one thing."

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash said, pretending to be offended. "What do you love more than us?"

"Sleep!" Applejack said. "I'm goin' to bed now!"

The five ponies all laughed at that.

Comments

[Cold Spike]

Still a cute story.

[Celestias Paladin]

So she has for sure two figured out (or at least gotten two of the Mane 6 close to their Element)... this has been an enjoyable ride, and yo have done damn well with this.

[InTheSun]

This story is pretty great! Keep up the good work!

[SoralTheSol]

Sweet. Keep it up. I do enjoy this story and I am curious as to how the end group will shape up.

[SomeRandomPony]

Another chapter worth reading right now than doing my homework that is due tomorrow.

[DarthPony]

I'm begining to feel the Mane 6 will be the same but the elements will belong to diferent ponies than in canon.

[Saberus9]

GRRRRR..... WHY SITE NO TELL ME UPDATE??
Another excellent chapter.

It seems a little like Twilight will get most of the elements 'right.'
I mean things like 'Rarity the element of loyalty.'

[Salnax]

"Okay Rainbow. We need you to fill the Honesty slot. Do you have what it takes?

[Hawkx1]

Is anybody else getting flashbacks to "Friendship is Witchcraft" #3 where they had to dub in "honesty" for "loyalty"

[khatre]

Things happen in a gloriously different manner!
even if Twilight is slightly off in her estimations ...

[Alchemystudent]

Ok, one thing I am loving in this fic is how the girls are becoming friends...in a different manner beyond cannon. Instead of being formed through fire and battle, its becoming subtle and different. I wonder if Twily will pick up on it.

[TheGreatEater]

OMC!!! I love this story. *Squees*.

I wonder who'll be who though? Especially Twilight. *Goes to next chapter*

[kingthe13]

Wait the only thing applebloom where's is a bow how much do bows cost

[Ocean Waves]

7671140
In this economy? A hoof and a leg, apparently.

[Wishful Heart]

Well...close enough Twilight, close enough.But still a cute story.