21. No, I've seen you eat.
The Tale of Lord Barleycorn
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Chapter 21: No, I've seen you eat.
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"Fal-er-a-lind-a-me too-ra-lunda-me whack-fal-diddle-di-ay!~"
It wasn't often that Corn Crib genuinely skipped the whole way home. There simply wasn't enough good things that aligned in the school day that warranted a bright smile and a bounce in her step, but today was one of those rare occasions. The entire schoolyard had been abuzz with the old tales of forest spirits, and speculations ran high when it came to what the foals had witnessed with Lord Barleycorn and the rag pony.
Getting the chance to take the proverbial wind out of Wind Row's sails was another highlight of the day. At the request of many of the other students Wind Row told the story of how he caught Lord Barleycorn in a snare. To call his account embellished was an understatement, but all Corn Crib had to do to make him tell a more grounded version was say that if he kept lying then Lord Barleycorn might never forgive him.
When the bell signaled the end of recess, Mr. Stockholm was still standing by the door like he was rooted to the spot. He made an attempt to continue teaching, but to the class their normally stern teacher still looked like he had seen the White Timberwolf or the Headless Horse. Even better, Mr. Stockholm released the class a whole hour before the final bell!
In all the years that Corn Crib had been to school, the schoolmaster had only released the class early for two reasons. The first was if the threat was a terrible snowstorm that would strand the foals in the schoolhouse, and the second was that one time everypony had to be let go to defend their crops from a swarm of parasprites. Such events were terrible, however, and often preceded much concern that overshadowed the freedom from schoolwork. This time there had been nothing that could force the filly to stop smiling. Well... one nitpick existed on this perfect afternoon.
Despite his shaken state, Mr. Stockholm had nevertheless reminded the class of the art project they all had to complete for the Fall Harvest Festival. This art project was supposed to be partially completed during their time in class, but getting that extra hour of freedom came with a cost. Each student was told to take some of the art supplies home. This would have been fine, but said supplies were in, well, short supply.
Some foals grabbed a lump of clay, while others took stacks of paper and pencils. To Corn Crib's annoyance she had been near the back of the herd when everypony had stampeded in to claim their supplies. On her back was what everypony else had left behind, and Corn Crib knew why it wasn't a popular choice. A box of paint brushes, a small canvas, and a few small cans of paint.
Despite being left with her least desirable option, Corn Crib continued to wear her smile all the way home. The farm was just as she left it, with both house and barn in a state of disrepair, but the fields held a small but noticeable change.
Cousin Golden's friends were working among the rows of beans, uprooting an entire plant to pick it clean before tossing the remains in a cart. They had managed to cut several paths through the rows, allowing the damp ground to dry faster. Her father and brother were in the corn, filling wash tubs with unhusked ears. There was no sign of her mother, or cousin Golden, but Corn Crib knew they were probably around the farm somewhere.
The choice of picking beans or corn was hardly a difficult choice, seeing how Corn Crib wasn't quite tall enough to pull the husks from the cornstalks yet. Still, she'd need her cart, and that brought her to the barn.
Upon opening the door, Corn Crib was irritated to discover her cart was not where she had left it. It's whereabouts weren't a mystery, considering that if there were more ponies working they would obviously need more carts and tools than normal. Still, Corn Crib had worked with that cart for ages, and if it was being used, then she would have to use the spare cart. A wobbly relic from great grandpa's days that was almost too heavy for Corn Crib, the harness pinched, and not even Leadfoot liked to use it.
A smile formed on Corn Crib's face when she noticed that cart was gone too. She didn't envy whoever had to pull that thing around.
Regardless, Corn Crib dumped her art supplies on the old work bench. A thought crossed Corn Crib's mind, that if she just poured some of the black over the canvas she could claim she had accidentally ruined hours of work and maybe get a pity grade out of Mr. Stockholm. The problem there was that she'd played that card before with a report last month and it netted her a big fat zero. Explaining that to her parents had been bad enough, but Corn Crib knew if she did a poor job the entire town would see it. Worse... Lord Barleycorn would see it.
With her art project temporarily neglected on the table Corn Crib began to head outside, thinking that something out in the fields might give her a clue what to paint for the festival. Corn Crib had only turned her head when she stopped herself, then looked back at one of the milk stalls. She wasn't sure, but she thought she had seen movement out of the corner of her eye. The door of the stall in question was slightly ajar, and there was a glimpse of something orange behind it.
Curiosity quickly took precedent over chores and homework as the filly edged closer to the milk stall. She didn't hear anything on the other side, but she had a good idea who it was.
A devious grin formed as Corn Crib quietly placed her hoof on the milk stall door. With one quick shove she pushed the old wooden door open and yelled "BOO!"
Like much of the barn, it was clean and free of cobwebs, and even the old hay that lined the floor had been replaced with a fresh layer from the hayloft. Loose hay had been piled in the corner to make a makeshift chair, upon which Lord Barleycorn reclined.
The orange color Corn Crib had seen just seconds prior turned out to be locks of her cousin's mane, which seemed to straighten out for a half second before curling up once more. She was quick to shoot her younger cousin a flustered glare, but it was hard to make eye contact when Corn Crib was laughing so hard.
Lord Barleycorn didn't react, or at least none that Corn Crib could see because of his mask.
"Hee, gotcha!" Corn Crib tried to hide her grin from her cousin, but her snickering was giving it away.
Lord Barleycorn quietly clapped his sleeved hands, "A marvelous scare, well done little princess."
"You weren't scared?" Corn Crib put her hoof down, looking a little disappointed.
"I heard you approach, but I neglected to tell your cousin. I figured it would be worth a chuckle to see her jump." Lord Barleycorn chuckled, but under his mask he wore an uneasy smile, "Actually you scared the crap outta me too..."
Nevertheless, Lord Barleycorn got a fleeting, agitated look from Carrot Top. "Maybe I should have just carried you up the steps and dumped your tailless flank in the hay, sore foot or not."
"Well, darn." Corn Crib stamped her hoof in the dirt outside the stall. "So... what're ya doing in there? Shouldn't you be out in the forest or up in the hayloft?"
"Lord Barleycorn was telling me about his adventure in town with the foals." Carrot Top said with a proud grin on her face, "Apparently everypony had a good time."
Corn Crib nodded her head ecstatically, "Uh-huh! He showed up in a cart pulled by some pony-spirit-thing and played a few songs, then he told us that he'd show up in town in three days!"
"He did?" Carrot Top smirked, "He didn't say what exactly he had planned to me, something about it being secret. Real hush-hush."
Corn Crib's smile deflated into a serious frown, "Aren't you going to tell us?"
"Ah-ah, little princess," Lord Barleycorn tutted, waggling a finger at the filly, "Good things come to those who wait."
Corn Crib's ears pinned back in disappointment, but when her eyes lowered she noticed something sitting on Lord Barleycorn's boot. It was an ice pack, and judging by the condensation on the outside, it was full of ice.
Raising a hoof to point at the ice pack, Corn Crib gave the scarecrow a worried quiver of her lip. "You're... not hurt are you?"
"Well, you see..." Carrot Top fumbled, "Darnit... we're really backed into a corner."
"If you can believe it or not..." Lord Barleycorn answered, thankfully calling the filly's attention away from Carrot Top. "I've never seen ice made by machines, 'freezers' as you call them."
"You've never seen ice?" Corn Crib asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Oh no, I've seen ice and I'm no stranger to frost." Lord Barleycorn explained, reaching down to remove a frozen cube from the ice pack. He held the ice cube up, examining it as a jeweler would inspect a diamond for flaws, "I've only seen the beginning of my sister's work, when the snow begins to fall, she will pester me until I leave. She loathes to share the stage with me, and once I'm away she buries all my hard work with the leaves beneath her snow."
Corn Crib stepped inside the milk stall, eager to hear more of Lord Barleycorn's story. "Your sister? You mean the Winter Queen you talked about back at school?"
"That's her." Lord Barleycorn sighed, "Your cousin was bringing me some ice to show me that my sister's not the only one who can make it. The day you created this 'refrigerator' she became quite cross."
The scarecrow leaned in closer to Corn Crib, "Try to imagine her, The Queen of all Winter stomping around like a little filly who had her favorite toy taken away. Nowadays she likes to say only she can make ice and that ponies can only freeze water. Petty, huh?"
Corn Crib smiled, "Sounds like a few foals I know at school."
"I can't believe he just made that up on the fly... and that it worked." Carrot Top thought as she nudged the stall door shut before she sat in the hay next to Corn Crib.
"But enough about my ornery sister," Lord Barleycorn said as he dropped the ice back in the open pack and sealed it shut. "How was the rest of your schoolday? I hope I wasn't too much of a disruption, or a detriment to your poor teacher's health for that matter."
"That's right... it does seem a little early to be out of school..." Carrot Top pointed out, but the corner of her mouth turned upward. "Is that why you're in a good mood?"
Corn Crib giggled, "He let us out early, I dunno why he was so jittery. I guess he just wasn't expecting a talking scarecrow playing a fiddle."
"Imagine that..." Lord Barleycorn sighed, "Some ponies balk at the simplest of things."
That earned a smile out of both filly and mare.
"But seriously, how was your day?" Carrot Top asked, "What little there was, I mean."
"It was the best day ever!" Corn Crib reared up and kicked her front hooves in excitement, "Everypony was talking about Lord Barleycorn and that other spirit he brought!"
Another proud smile formed on Carrot Top's face, but Corn Crib didn't notice it.
"I'm flattered, and I'm sure she is too, wherever she is." Lord Barleycorn said, "But other than excitement that I caused, there were no problems at all? Perhaps it was the best day ever."
Corn Crib's smile deflated a little, "Well there is one thing; I have to paint something for the art show coming up during the festival."
Carrot Top shrugged, "That doesn't sound so bad."
"Maybe for you, but I'm not good with a paint brush." Corn Crib idly kicked at some of the hay, "I never know what to do, and the paint never does what I want it to do. I wish I could have gotten my hooves on the clay instead... painting's too hard."
Lord Barleycorn gave an understanding nod of his head. "It can be hard, but with practice it can be a lot of fun too."
Corn Crib's ears bent back, "I wish I'd gotten my hooves on the clay instead of that canvas..."
Lord Barleycorn tapped his chin with his sleeve, then made a strange snapping sound with his hand, "Tell you what, I'll see what I can to do to help you tonight. If you can bring me some paper I can help you figure out what to paint."
"… Fine." Corn Crib sighed, clearly not eager to dive into an artistic venture, even with Lord Barleycorn.
The scarecrow turned his head to the carrot farmer. "What about you, Ms. Harvest? Will you be joining us for our impromptu art lesson?"
Carrot Top smiled, "I'd love to join you after dinner, maybe we'll-"
"Goooooldieeeeee!" A loud voice called out from outside, "Where are you!"
Carrot Top's ears pinned back against her skull, "It's Roseluck. Maybe if we stay quiet she'll go-"
The creak of the barn door was heard, and Carrot Top brought her hoof up to rub her forehead. "Of course she comes in... how did she know I'm in here? Thank Celestia I had the foresight to shut the door. As long as we don't make a sound she'll go look someplace else."
Carrot Top barely had time to open her eyes before she saw Corn Crib pulling the door open. She instantly went to put her hoof out to close the door when Roseluck's smiling face appeared.
"There you are!" Roseluck grinned triumphantly as she then looked over her shoulder, "Hey girls, I found her!"
Carrot Top winced, any second now Roseluck would start raving about the scarecrow that was sitting right behind her...
"She's in here? Okay, the barn I understand but what's with the clandestine meeting in a milk stall?" Daisy asked, appearing in the doorway next to Roseluck.
Lily Valley was right behind Daisy, wearing a puzzled look on her muzzle.
Anypony in Ponyville would laugh if somepony called Carrot Top the bravest mare in Equestria. Normally when anything strange occurred in Ponyville (which happened on an almost weekly basis) she was with the other ponies running in the opposite direction. Carrot Top never saw it as cowardice, but as common sense to flee from a dangerous situation. She ran a small business growing and selling carrots, she didn't know how to fight.
Since coming to know Roseluck, there had been one time where she had proven herself to be braver than Carrot Top, and that was simply having prior experience with the freakish (if seemingly harmless) weather in Hollow Shades.
The sight of a living scarecrow should have sent Roseluck, Lily, and Daisy into screaming hysterics, or at the very least made them faint. All three of them were known to do both.
Carrot Top knew Jack was an incredibly resourceful creature... maybe he had used those strong hands of his to climb over the milk stall and into its neighbor? It would explain why her friends weren't scared silly. A look back over her shoulder revealed he hadn't. The 'scarecrow' was still reclining in the hay, looking like he had fallen asleep or dropped dead. A spark of concern lasted only a moment before she understood this relaxed posture. She and Corn Crib knew that he was a living thing, but to the mares outside the stall, he was just a scarecrow. Carrot Top quickly thanked her lucky stars that the cough syrup she had bought was doing wonders for Jack's cough.
"Oh, we were just putting this old scarecrow away." Carrot Top said quickly, "No need to have it sitting out where it'll get in the way."
Roseluck gave a disinterested shrug, "I guess, but hear us out Goldie. We've been working real hard, so we were thinking of treating ourselves by going into town to eat. Y'know, check out the local cuisine. Wanna come along?"
"Sure, I suppose. We'd have to let Harvest Moon know about it." Carrot Top said, finally starting to feel at ease.
"... Can I come too?" Corn Crib asked with wide, pleading eyes.
Roseluck smirked. "Tired of mushrooms and dandelions, huh?"
Corn Crib winced at the mention of her staple foods for the past few weeks, "I'd give anything to eat something normal, like an apple or some violets."
"Ha, us too. No offense to your mom, I'm sure she's a great cook but she doesn't have a lot to work with." Roseluck reached up and ruffled the filly's mane, "You can come, if your mom says you can."
Without another word Corn Crib rushed out of the stall. It was no great leap of the imagination that she was headed to find her mother and beg to be excused from tonight's dinner.
The four mares shared a short laugh at the foal's exuberance, and Carrot Top let all her anxiety fall off her as she stepped out of the stall. All she had to do was shut the door and Jack would be out of sight and out of mind.
The last thing, the absolute last thing Carrot Top expected was Daisy to lift her hoof and stop the door before it could close. The flower vender squinted at the prone form in the hay, tilting her head as she quietly studied Jack's disguise.
"Something the matter Daisy?" Lily Valley innocently asked.
"I dunno, does this scarecrow remind you of that puppet we saw on the road?" Daisy inquired, her eyes still locked on the scarecrow.
Lily Valley stuck her head in the stall door, "Well, kinda. The ragged shirt and pants are different but that old hat's spot on. It's got the same basic build too, I think, but that might just be how they're made around here."
Carrot Top turned from the others and rubbed her head, "Poor Jack's never going to get his foot out of that boot and on ice... I gotta get their attention away him."
"So... what did you girls have in mind?" Carrot Top asked, turning to face her friends with a bright smile she usually used on her customers back home. "Pizza, a salad place, or someplace that sells exotic stuff like the Cloudsdale pegasi eat once in a while?"
"Wait a sec Goldie," Daisy said as she stepped into the milk stall, "Now that you mention it... it does look very similar. Though, why would anypony change a scarecrow's clothes?"
"Maybe those ratty clothes fell apart in the storm? I know I like my scarecrows to at least look decent." Lily rubbed her chin, "But that doesn't explain why that scarecrow's here on the Harvest farm. Shouldn't he be with the unicorn that made him?"
"That's a good point..." Daisy wondered aloud, "And why's an icepack on its boot?"
"Um, Corn Crib and I were wondering that too." Carrot Top said, hoping that playing innocent would work here.
Daisy continued to stare inside at the scarecrow, but in the end she shrugged and turned away. "Maybe I should ask Corn Crib if there's any unicorns that have a talent for puppetry. I'd love to introduce him to Cheerilee, anypony who could do that with a scarecrow would be great at entertaining her students!"
"Was he really such a sweet talker as you said?" Roseluck chuckled, "He might end up sweeping poor Cheerilee right off her hooves."
"Let's say he lays on the charm with a shovel." Daisy smiled, "I really want to thank him for talking us into coming back. I don't think I could have forgiven myself if I had returned to Ponyville."
"Me either," Lily nodded her head in agreement, "Maybe we'll run into him in town."
"I somehow doubt that." Carrot Top said, "He could be anywhere and everypony's getting ready for the festival."
"Yeah, but if he could be anywhere, he could just as easily be in town." Roseluck grinned, "That makes sense, right?"
"Perfect sense, he could even be right behind you."
The unfamiliar voice struck the mares like a rock, and slowly they turned their attention back into the milk stall. The scarecrow, which had previously been as lifeless as a sock, was now sitting up and adjusting its hat.
"Of course, that only makes sense if the pony you search for existed at all." Lord Barleycorn gave the best bow he could give while sitting, "It's a pleasure to meet you both once again."
"Um..." Roseluck gulped, backing up several steps. "Girls... did... it just talk?"
Daisy and Lily were quiet for a moment as they squinted at the scarecrow. They still couldn't see any aura of unicorn magic around it, but that voice was definitely the same one they heard on the road.
"Yup, that's the same unicorn." Lily said as she looked over to Daisy, "Maybe he's hiding in the hayloft?"
"Oh? That would be quite the feat, since I appear to be sitting right in front of you." Lord Barleycorn said, inspecting himself as if to confirm his own observations.
Roseluck remained at the back of the group, but her uneasiness was quickly being replaced by curiosity as her gaze finally made it to her friends. It wasn't often that she saw them so completely unphased.
"This... is what you two met on the road?" Roseluck took a hesitant step forward.
"Uh-huh, the stallion that made him probably slipped him in here and is controlling him from somewhere." Lily then looked to Carrot Top, "That would explain why you and Corn Crib found him in here."
"Uh... yeah." What was amazing to Carrot Top was that Daisy and Lily were the ones trying to keep somepony else from freaking out. The big question was... what the hay was Jack planning?
"While I'd love to play a game of hide-and-seek, we're going out to eat." Daisy's eyes wandered from the scarecrow to around the barn, looking for the non-existent stallion. "If you'd like to join us that'd be wonderful, but you'll have to leave the puppet here."
"Alas, although enjoying a meal with such lovely company is something I would treasure, I won't be appearing in town for three days." Lord Barleycorn chuckled, "Arriving early might imply that I was lying to the foals, and I can't have that."
"Foals?" Lily blinked, "Oh wait I get it, you're going to be putting on a show for the foals."
The scarecrow shook his head, "More for the whole town, but the foals will be more than welcome to watch my performance."
Lily giggled, "I know some actors and showponies don't like to break character when in costume, but you're doing a good job. I really believe you're a talking scarecrow."
"I hope you have some more puppets." Roseluck said, finally starting to sound like her old self. "If you're this good then maybe you have a pony-sized dragon puppet or a whole bunch of big toy soldiers!"
The scarecrow looked to Carrot Top, somehow able to express bewilderment with only a short glimpse of his eyes.
Carrot Top herself was just as flummoxed as her bipedal friend. Each of her friends had expressed such high hopes at getting to see a forest spirit. Sure, Jack was no spirit, but he played the part well enough, and he was staring at them right in the face.
"Okay, this isn't working. Maybe I should try a different approach..." Jack thought, "Well, I don't have much in the way of puppets, but perhaps you'd like to give me a hoof in the show? I'm a little short on help and you three look exceptionally talented."
Three bright smiles bloomed on the faces of the flower vendors.
"I've never been very good at puppets, but I'd gladly help if I can." Daisy said, but her smile faltered, "But, we're going to be busy all day, every day for the next week or so."
"Yeah, y'see we have to work here on the farm to help the Harvests with their crops." Roseluck explained, "So there's no way we could help you build a stage or anything like that."
The scarecrow waved his sleeved hand in a dismissive gesture, "No worries, I don't need anything like that. My only question is this; can any of you sing?"
Lily snickered, "Can we sing? We might not be the Pony Tones but we can sing pretty well. I know Daisy gets compliments everytime she sings carols around Hearth's Warming Eve."
"You're no slouch yourself." Daisy countered, "We make a pretty good duet."
"Excellent, that's all I'll be needing of both of you. I'll have plenty of time to write out the lyrics and help you with the melody." Lord Barleycorn said, "The performance is at night, long after work is over so you should be able to get in a few hours rest before the curtain rises. With some luck, we can start practicing tomorrow."
Daisy nodded, then lifted her hoof to rub her empty belly, "I'm game, but we'll have to discuss this another time. I'm starving."
"Very well, I'll see you another time." Lord Barleycorn tipped his hat again and slumped back in the hay before going limp as a wet noodle.
"I guess our mystery stallion left." Roseluck frowned, "Darnit, I was going to ask if he could recommend any good restaurants in town."
"We could take it as an adventure," Carrot Top offered, finally stepping into the conversation, "Let's try the first open place we find, then order whatever sounds good and go from there?"
"Sounds great," Roseluck said, half-turning toward the door, "But can we get a move on, my stomach's crying for food."
"It doesn't feel right just leaving without a goodbye, but there's nopony here to say goodbye to..." Lily frowned as she glanced back at Lord Barleycorn, "Goodbye Mr. Corn, see you later I guess."
"Now you're talking to puppets, as if talking to your flowers wasn't bad enough." Roseluck teased as the mares all began to move on toward the door.
"And you think your roses taste sweeter if you play smooth jazz records several times a day." Lily flashed a challenging, but playful smirk.
"They do, I swear they do!" Roseluck insisted, "For a week I let Vinyl play her dubstep and they had a weird sour undertone to them. I can't explain it!"
"Or maybe you're dusting them with powdered sugar before you put them out for display." Daisy smirked.
"I'd never! ... okay there was that one time but it was just experimentation." Roseluck frowned, "...and the sugar kept attracting paper wasps which tore up the leaves but that's another story."
Lily and Daisy laughed, and Carrot Top found herself laughing along with them. Jokes like this showed Carrot Top that her friends were having a good time, even though they had put their lives on hold to help her and her family. The one joke that they hadn't realized was the one that was responsible for the grin on Carrot Top's face. She wasn't exactly sure why Jack had wanted to reveal himself to her friends, but she presumed that getting their aid for his plan was his goal. The remaining question was just how silly would her friends feel when they discovered that the "puppet" was a forest spirit, or as close as one could get.
The sound of a screen door slamming shut met the mares upon exiting the barn. The bright, happy smile that Corn Crib wore loudly proclaimed her mother's answer in regard to being excused from the family table.
Even before Corn Crib was close to the barn she called out to her cousin, "She said I could go!"
Carrot Top gave the filly a malicious grin, "Hey congrats, you got any bits to pay for your meal?"
Corn Crib slid to a halt, suddenly looking as if she'd been hit with a brick.
"Hey I'm just kidding, of course I'll pay for your meal." Carrot Top reached over and lightly shook her cousin, "I'm not that cruel."
Corn Crib glared up at her cousin, but only for a few seconds. She could put up with a little teasing if the reward was a plate filled with sweet flowers and pastries.
"Will you pay for mine too?" Roseluck stuck out her lower lip, trying to give her friend puppy-dog eyes.
"No, I've seen you eat." Carrot Top stuck her tongue out at Roseluck, "We'll split the bill somehow, and if we can't do it evenly we'll figure out some way to make it so."
The others agreed and set out for Hollow Shades, still chatting and joking all the way.
Meanwhile in the barn, Jack settled back into the hay. It had seemed like forever, but the ponies finally vacated the barn, and allowed him to get up to close the stall door. With the threat of Summer Harvest or some other wandering pony discovering him almost down to zero, Jack gently pulled his boot off his injured foot.
The ring around his ankle was still dark, and appeared to have swelled a little after his performance at the school.
"Seeing the little ponies was fun... but I don't think I'll be aggravating this anymore than I have to." Jack grumbled as he carefully dug his foot into the hay to hide it and gingerly placed the ice pack over it. "Which means me sitting on my butt for three days, joy."
Jack tipped his hat up over his eyes, ready to take a nap while the ice began to numb the pain away, "Carrot Top better bring me back a doggy bag."
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=== Later that evening, The Rusty Nail Pub ===
Cherry Nova cursed his rotten luck. He had neglected to pay attention to the time when he finished his last bottle of whiskey and now if he wanted something to help him sleep he had to get it here. Sure, he liked the Rusty Nail Pub, but only in the morning and afternoon. Now that the work hours were over he had to endure the inane chatter of the throngs of ponies that came to unwind.
Every stool at the bar was occupied, forcing the doctor to sit at one of the short tables meant for couples. It wouldn't have been so bad if every bar stool hadn't been commandeered by the young pegasi that constituted the Hollow Shades weather team. Each of these pegasi were loud, boastful, and difficult for Cherry to ignore as they joked and bickered in the doctor's favorite spot.
The lone benefit of sitting at a table meant for two was that there was little chance of somepony coming up and sitting next to him. It happened often when Cherry was at the bar; his patients had a nasty habit of believing that his services included a sudden interest in their lives. Of course, the downside of the table was that now he was far away from the tap and at the mercy of the waitress's slow hooves. Cherry let out a bored groan as he settled down in his seat, at least today he had some actual money to spend.
Cherry hadn't been sitting long before he heard the waitress speaking with that annoyingly fake smile on her face, "Sorry, but we're a little short on seating tonight. If this gentlecolt doesn't mind you could sit here..."
Cherry groaned and rubbed his face with his hoof, he didn't even bother to look at whoever was joining him. The sooner he got his drink, the faster he could leave. "Fine... whatever... Just bring me some beer."
The waitress nodded and stepped aside, "Alright, and for you?"
A creak in the opposite seat told Cherry Nova that the interloper had sat down. "Whiskey, just bring the bottle."
Cherry raised his eyes from the wooden tabletop. To his surprise the pony sitting across from him was the local schoolmaster, Mr. Stockholm. The teacher looked like he had just had a terrible day, judging from how his withers were sagging and how vacant his eyes were. It was a look Cherry had seen in the mirror every day since coming to this hick town.
The longer Cherry studied Stockholm, the more a mild bemusement settled on the doctor's mind. In all the years Cherry had lived in Hollow Shades, he had never seen Stockholm walk through the doors of the Rusty Nail. If the pedagogue felt as bad as he looked, then Stockholm must have had one historically bad day with the brats he shepherded.
"Haven't ever seen you in here." Cherry smirked, he didn't care if he wasn't being subtle. If Stockholm didn't want to talk he didn't have to, he didn't have to stay either. "What happened, those kids finally cause you to crack?"
Mr. Stockholm said nothing, his eyes were glued to the surface of the table.
"You going to be okay?" Cherry chuckled, "I mean, those foals will be there tomorrow, waiting for you like timberwolves. Whatever they did today, they might have something worse planned by then."
"It wasn't the foals." Stockholm stated mindlessly, eyes never leaving the tabletop.
"It wasn't?" Cherry Nova raised an intrigued eyebrow, "One of the parents then?"
The teacher shook his head, his lip trembling before he uttered a few shaky words, "S-scarcrow, the King of Autumn..."
A disappointed groan instantly erupted from Cherry as he settled back into his seat. "Oh come on... not you too. Bean Sprout just got that brat of his to stop going around town yelling about that imaginary spirit."
"No... I saw it." Stockholm raised his head, his eyes pleading with Cherry to believe him. "I was grading tests while the kids were outside when I heard the sound of a violin. I didn't think too much of it until I heard nothing but silence. None of the kids were laughing or shouting. When I got up to look out the window I saw a scarecrow, standing on two legs and talking to the children. It played another song on its violin, then rode off on an old cart. The kids said he was the King of Autumn, a powerful forest spirit, and that the cart was pulled by a field spirit."
Cherry rolled his eyes, he was starting to believe that Stockholm might not be the advocate of sobriety that he'd always believed him to be. Stockholm probably waited until the children were out for recess to hit the bottle, Cherry knew that's what he would do in that situation.
Cherry snorted, "And how are you sure this was a forest spirit?"
Stockholm opened his mouth, ready to quickly confirm what he saw when he stopped himself. He took a breath to calm himself and order his thoughts before speaking, "I've never seen anything like it. I mean, I know there's creatures that walk on just two legs, but the way it moved, the way it talked, and acted... there was a sort of aura about it. It acted, well, with a sort of princely grace about it."
Cherry's response was to rest his head on his hoof, "And what did it look like?"
"I didn't get a look of what was under the rags it wore but it was tall, about twice as tall as me." Stockholm gestured with his hoof high above his head, "It looked like a scarecrow wearing a straw hat, and it had a burlap sack over its head with holes for its eyes and mouth."
Cherry Nova yawned, this was starting to sound like one of Lamp Light's fish stories.
"Uh-huh... a scarecrow, sure." Cherry Nova said dismissively, his eyes scanning the room for their waitress. "Wasn't that what the Sprout brat had photos of?"
Stockholm nodded, he was still a little pale but he was beginning to look and sound more like the old fart Cherry knew. "I... yes, and I humored the child's story in hopes he would abandon it when he didn't get any adult support." The teacher shuddered, "The last thing I expected was to see a forest spirit appear in the yard like that."
"Sure, and I'm the king of Prance. You didn't even answer my question about how you knew it was a spirit. You just knew because you had a feeling." Cherry rolled his eyes, "And what else did this 'spirit' do?"
"He said he was going to appear on the main street in three days. 'When the moon was rising' were its exact words." Stockholm's attention was distracted by the waitress arriving with their drinks, but only for a moment, "He said something about having a deal for the town that'd help everypony."
The waitress cocked her head, but nevertheless served the pair their drinks. "Help the town?"
Cherry Nova began to massage his forehead with his hoof, "Not her too..."
Stockholm began to relay the story in more detail to the waitress, but Cherry wasn't listening. His drink was more important than whatever the children had dreamt up. Still, it bothered him that Stockholm had bought into this dribble. A pony who loved learning should be a bit more skeptical when it came to something this fantastical falling into his lap. Whatever this scarecrow was, it wasn't a spirit. It was probably some charlatan, a unicorn perhaps, who was planning on squeezing the last few bits out of this town before it finally collapsed.
"Even if it's just some charlatan, why not go with the flow and see the show?" A smirk began to form on the doctor's face as he raised his glass to his lips. "If I can expose this fraud for who he is then maybe I can get some recognition and get out of this town. Maybe even rub it in the Phoenix Brigand's faces."
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To be continued...
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HA! I just got done reading chapter twenty. Talk about timing.
Anyway, I'm really enjoying this story so far, good show!
4746863 I just figured might as well post it then. Or maybe I knew you were finishing #20.
4746872
DUN... DUN...
i.ytimg.com/vi/1fyzD4S2Cy4/maxresdefault.jpg
OH MY GOD HES ALIVE!!!!
but seriously, can't wait for more.
4746872
You were reading my mind? 
That must have been boring. Not much goes on in there.
Hee, I just couldn't leave my favourite story off that page.
Awesome to see a new chapter, I can't believe those three haven't twigged yet. And poor Stockholm... There's going to be a lot of scarecrow art this year.
Oh dear, Cherry's plan is going to backfire on both of them, isn't it?
It gets me EVERY TIME!!! EVERY TIME!!! I just sqeal in delight jump on my bed and can't sit still it's just soooooooooo gooooooood keep making this story good sir!
Well done, Mr Puppet! Another excellent chapter.
Eagerly looking forward to more as always.
4747313
FUN?
4747416
Fun...
Oh thank sweet Celestia...
4747539 Eh, I just didn't want to do a story that didn't rely on changelings, timberwolves, ancient prophecies, world ending super powers, dragons, or any of the typical stuff you see used as dilemmas here on FiM. It's meant to be a simple story, and that's what it is. But the third act's right around the corner so shit gonna start happening. X3
4747663 GET OUT OF MY HEAD!
((is writing the next chapter now, and AJ is the focus of the first part))
Yeah, you're back from the dead! Or Unlife, or wherever it is authors come back from after being bashed with Writers Block.
Looking forward to more!
4747716 would you be willing to hazard a rough eta on the next chapter?
4747539 personally this is one of my favorite story i have found to date in any story telling medium, period. And while i might not review books and stuff professionally i have still have experienced more then my fair share of stories in my time. i personally like this story for its calm lightheartedness which considering the subject matter that the main story revolves around (basically a town starving to death) is something pretty impressive to achieve. i wont disagree with you that by normal story structure this story is slow and plodding but really is that so bad here. the plot has been well established and we the reader get a clear understanding of just how bad things are here and how desperate the town folk are. plot points are establish and not forgotten and as for your point about little character development i feel that we are being shown their personalities rather then being told them which takes a lot more time for a story to do.
) this is how you should do it
through i might be a bit bias cause i love the simple conflict concept and the feel good premise of making a little child happy.
you hear that all you people who want to hurt scoots and then comfort her with your OC (which by the way SHAME ON YOU
Yay, update! Let's read it!..
4748292 Sorry, I can't offer any sort of ETA. I worked today on the framework but have barely started. The fasted I've gotten a chapter out is 2 weeks, but I'll do what I can. I don't have house guests or anything so I won't be hung up for 2 months. On the other hand this might be a long one unless I can cut from what I have planned.
The short answer: I don't know when the next chapter will be ready.
Ohhhhhh dang son, looks like when Barleycorn comes to town, there might be an UNMASKING going on.
I'm on de edge of my seat!
Even if they unmask him they might still be like....what the hell is this thing, maybe it is a spirit.
Seeing this story back brings great joy to me
It's quite hilarious that they keep insisting it is a puppet again and again, but I guess it's better than mass panic.
Thanks for the new chapter!
Man, Nova a right donkey. I almost felt sympathy for him in one of the previous chapters, but he's lost all likability now. Go jump in the river, you miserable, arrogant pony!
Now, nitpicks!
"or a determent to your poor teacher's health for that matter." Not sure "determent" is the right word, from what I could find it means prevention? I think you meant "detriment", which I think is closer to what you seem to mean.
"having prior experience with the freakish (if seemingly harmless) weather Hollow Shades." Missed an "in" after "weather".
"or at the very least cause them to faint." Suggest "made them" instead, a little less clunky if you ask me.
"It was no leap of the imagination that she was headed to find her mother and beg to be excused from tonight's dinner." "leap of imagination" is a little odd to me. I suggest a slight rewording, or putting in a "great" after "no". But I don't think anything is objectively wrong here, I just slightly dislike the wording, because there is something there that bothers me.
"Daisy continued to stare inside the scarecrow," Uh, don't you think "inside at the scarecrow"? Otherwise, she should be seeing Jack's skin and stuff and then the game is up.
"It happened often when Cherry at at the bar;" Think you meant "was" instead of the first "at" there.
"Cherry's eyebrow raised his eyes, to his surprise the pony sitting across from him was the local schoolmaster, Mr. Stockholm." A) First comma should be a full stop. B) The sentence with "eyes" is very odd. Seems a mix of "eyebrows raised" and "raised his eyes. You need a longer sentence to tell that he shows surprise and looks up.
"I didn't think too much of it until I heard nothing. None of the kids were laughing or shouting." Odd wording. Suggest "quiet" instead of "nothing" or "heard the children had gone/fallen quiet/silent".
Good stuff, as always. More please, though I dread what Nova will do. Happy writing.
Great chapter, building up for the event. Nice how Barleycorn dodges the accusations, but one thing to note is how big the fallout is when the truth comes out. AJ might not be a living lie detector in this story (and thankfully so; I find the most honest people are the worst at detecting lies), but somepony might be digging for the truth in the future.
Somepony saying they're trying to fix the town, and the first thing you want to do is to hinder them? Wow, what a jerk. Expecting a lot of crafts inspired by Barleycorn by the other foals. Wondering what Barleycorn is going to help Corn Crib paint? Hmm. Maybe Hollow Shades in its hayday, kinda similar to what happened in Cars?
4749348
and here I thought I'd gotten them all.
I know the pacing of this story's been slow for a lot of people, but it sorta goes into how I've been constructing the chapters. I have a vague idea, but I let the chapter wander on and off the plot-railroad to allow the characters to develop. No real plan beyond what might carry over to the next chapter except for the eventual ending.
Yeah, Cherry's not his usual huggable self here, huh?
Trust me, like Lord BC, there's more to reveal.
I copied your 'nitpicks' to a txt file so I can work on them tonight. Thanks again for pointing them out.
4749936
Yeah, I've never liked that about AJ in other fics either. If AJ could do that, then many of the plots in the show could be potentially ruined just by including her. Giving her that power's an interesting idea, but the other mane 6 don't seem to have any connected abilities to their elements. (Fluttershy's Stare doesn't have any connection to Kindness, for example.)
4750017
Eh, living lie detector is not really interesting unless it is not foolproof.
*imagines AJ having to deal wit Azula*
Stare varies upon the writer, as we do not know the full extent of the powers. How strong is it? How long can it work? Are there creatures / characters that can resist or ignore it? The many variables is why the power is a tad too inconsistent. And do the ponies really need extra powers?
* I have started reading this yesterday and quite happy with what I see. It isn't unusual in several stories (Games and Movies even) for entities of other realms to be pulled in and slowly brought into Deitic status (Rules and stuff states mortals of said realm can't become one unless they already are one but mortals from other realms can be judged by the Overgod/Tier 5 Deity [most of the time these entities are unknown like a supervisor of the known gods and only other godlike entities of Tier 4 standing can know of em and Celestia/Luna are at Tier 2 in that at Tier 3 are too powerful to have a physical form in the material world without an Avatar to slightly inhabit] [Tier 1 is basically Demigods or newly arisen godlike entities that haven't fully come into complete connection with their alignment/area of govern] [Filling empty slots not govern is easier to set up then taking over a governed area and the MLP: FIM there really isn't that many Deitic Entities which to cover the vast amounts of slots that are empty at the moment]).
* It would be interesting if the Scarecrows would start to show some semblance of life (The Crows give a hint at the possibility or they just can't differentiate Jack from a normal Scarecrow). Rag Ponies start popping up would also be interesting in that the powers of Equestria doesn't govern the rest of the world so reduces the need of Nature Spirits there (Could give hints like when Jack enters Equestria's Boundaries it just doesn't feel right to him [I am not talking about the territorial boundaries but the magical boundaries]). Would be interesting as time goes on that other legends start appearing in town or near it from within the Forest (The Queen of Wisps or The Mother of Wisps takes an interest in him). Sorry for the long text just from reading all this this came to mind and I had to share. Continue on with your intriguing story.
4747637
Jack is secretly a changeling!
I read the new chapter, and it was incredible! Thank you, Rambling Puppet! You made my day!!!
4750644 Yeah, that was the instrumental of Man of Constant sorrow from O Brother Where Art Thou. I have the songs from several chapters added to the author's notes box, I'll double check later and see if I missed any. Thanks for pointing it out that the song was taken down.
Wait, don't all the scarecrows around Hollow Shades, or at least on the Harvest farm, look like that? I mean wasn't that how he got the clothes, and it was mentioned earlier that the trousers were already made from two pairs of pony ones, he didn't sew them himself.
4751398 Kinda, It was mentioned earlier that Grandpa Harvest was an eccentric and did odd things with clothes. All the Harvest scarecrows look like that.
As always this was a joy to read. Jack once again proves to be as smooth as they come when playing to the expectations of an audience. Looks like you are building Cherry up to be the main antagonist, though I am still unsure what to expect of the third act. There's Cherry with his drive to achieve something and the mane6 on standby who are probably expecting another ancient evil. The ramifications of that artifact Maud showed to the princesses are still a complete mystery. I can't help but wonder where you are heading with that.
Some small typos that slipped by:
And one more from the previous chapter:
Well pumpernickle. It has been a good story to read so far.I have been enjoying it. Just don't let the time jump go too far. See you in the future!
4749348 Okay, I spent most of tonight getting the next chapter planned out so I had to divide my time but I got most of them fixed. It's a little disheartening that so many errors make it through my own editing process... At least I have readers who understand and are helpful enough to point these mistakes out so I can repair the damage.
What does bug me is that I make so many simple mistakes.
4753457 It's okay, we all make errors.
Also, this should be interesting...
New chapter! Glorious! This is one of my absolute favorites (on a related note, I wish fimfiction gave you some way to organize your 'favorites', like folders for fics that are actually my favorites, fics I just fav'ed to track, fics that I wanted to be able to find again easily, etc.) I know real life may be busy, but I hope it won't be quite so long to next update. Whenever one of my genuine favorite fics goes a while without an update I start getting all nervous and twitchy that it's going to end up a deadfic. Not that I think you'll do that, you seem like you're in for the long haul. Anyways, keep up the good work please!
4763144 The only way I know that you can organize stories like that is to create a group and make it private. It works for some people, but my favorite list isn't that huge. ... now my Read Later list...
Nah, the next chapter's forming nicely, there's no way it will take 2 months.
4763319 Thanks for the tip, and glad to hear that we'll be getting a new chapter soon. (And I know exactly how you feel about the read it later list
)
Well, I am now caught up (unfortunately) and I'm happy to say that I like what I read. Have a favorite and a like, good sir.
4767722 Thank you for both of those, and the comment.
I have read quite a few stories on FimFiction before, but it was this story that convinced me to start writing fanfics of my own. Keep up the great work, can't wait for the next update!
4779981 And I can't wait to see what you create.
Oooh things are going to get complicated soon huh.
I do hope we get to see Nova turn over a new leaf. That would be a twist, huh?